THEME OF 'REVITALIZING' UNITED NATIONS DISTINGUISHED FIFTY-SECOND SESSION, SAYS ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT IN CONCLUDING REMARKS
Press Release
GA/SM/57
THEME OF 'REVITALIZING' UNITED NATIONS DISTINGUISHED FIFTY-SECOND SESSION, SAYS ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT IN CONCLUDING REMARKS
19980908 Following is the statement of the President of the General Assembly, Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), as he concluded the Assembly's fifty-second session on Tuesday, 8 September:We are about to conclude the fifty-second session of the General Assembly, leaving behind us a year of hard work, intensive discussions, momentous decisions and, occasionally, cautious" indecisions".
The session was taking place against the background of complex international transformations, where positive trends and promising developments have been often overshadowed by new threats to international peace and security and alarming social and economic upheavals. On the one hand, international relations continued to reap the benefits brought about by the end of the "cold war" and the collapse of the bipolar system. On the other hand, however, the past year has given us a fresh sobering testimony that the end of one era -- and the onset of a new millennium -- do not automatically bring with them an end to conflict and adversity. As we held our deliberations in this august hall, fresh crises - manmade or natural - broke out just as old conflicts and problems continued to fester, constantly thrusting this Organization in the midst of new complex tasks and challenges.
It is a convincing testimony to the relevance of this most representative body of the United Nations that during its fifty-second session it worked with dedication, persistence and creativity on an imposing list of matters of great importance to the international community. In the course of this session, the General Assembly has considered a total of 163 items, holding 92 plenary meetings and 22 meetings in the format of open-ended informal consultations of the plenary. The General Assembly adopted 298 resolutions and 146 decisions. Without pretending to provide an exhaustive analysis of the outcome of its work, I would like to briefly highlight some of the issues that received special prominence at the session.
In the field of international peace and security, the General Assembly has made a major step forward by adopting a resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. In a decision designed to further promote the regime of nuclear non-proliferation, the Assembly adopted a
consensus resolution supporting the initiative to establish one more nuclear- free zone, in Central Asia. The significance of that step became even more apparent in light of the recent nuclear tests in southern Asia.
Throughout the past year, the United Nations peace-keeping activities have remained under permanent focus of the Assembly and its relevant bodies, which continued to address in full length their different aspects and acute problems, ranging from the financing of the peace-keeping operations up to the issue of gratis personnel.
Taking into account that 1998 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations peace-keeping, it should be noted that this session has also made its sizeable contribution to the preparation for the upcoming commemorative meeting on that solemn occasion, to be held on 6 October. In particular, I have in mind the elaboration of the declaration in commemoration of those who served in the United Nations peace-keeping operations, to be adopted at that meeting. And I am proud that the initiative to adopt this document belongs to my country -- Ukraine.
The Assembly's continued concern about the situation in the Middle East found its reflection in the resumption of the meetings of its tenth emergency special session, bringing once again the issues of settlements, the rights of the Palestinian people and of the observance of international humanitarian law into sharp focus.
Another example of the immediate pertinence of the session's work was the adoption by the Assembly of the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. The need for urgent international action on this matter has been underscored by the recent series of terrorist bombings in Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and South Africa.
In the battle against the scourge of crimes against humanity, the establishment of the International Criminal Court was a historic step towards making the rule of law the rule of all lands on this planet. It came as a result of more than two years of intensive preparatory work at the United Nations and followed over fifty years of sporadic efforts to create such an institution. And only a few days ago, in a first for any international court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda handed down a judgement on the crime of genocide. Those two events demonstrated the will of the international community to act without delay on that vital issue, as well as the ability of the United Nations to create effective mechanisms for establishing a workable international legal system and further promoting universal human rights. In this regard, I cannot help but mention the decision made at this session reiterating the importance of the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Commemoration of this historic document is certain to become one of the landmark events of the next session.
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Clearly, these are examples of encouraging signs of international cooperation in addressing global problems. Another vivid example of this approach was the twentieth special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem, held during the Assembly's current session. By adopting by consensus three fundamental documents, Member States set ambitious yet clear objectives and targets for joint action and approved a well-designed strategy comprising a package of measures and goals to be achieved within a specific timetable.
The challenge of ensuring sound economic and social development remained paramount during the work of the fifty-second session. In order to review and appraise the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Assembly decided to convene next year a special session at the highest level of participation. As a direct result of another decision of the session, a high-level dialogue on the social and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications will be held at the beginning of the new session, underscoring the crucial importance attached by the United Nations to this issue. Once again, the relevance of those decisions was punctuated by the financial crisis in Asia, whose repercussions were acutely felt all over the world and which were followed by market tremors in such far-flung places as Russia and the United States.
During the current session of the General Assembly, much attention was attached to the problem of Africa. The Security Council held two meetings dedicated to the situation in this part of the world. There are still persisting problems that continue to negatively impact the situation in many countries of the continent, especially the world's poorest nations.
It is my hope that the General Assembly and other relevant organs and bodies of the United Nations will continue to give adequate attention to Africa's problems and facilitate its transformation in the context of creating the conditions for its peaceful economic and social development. In this regard, I would like to welcome the election of Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. This will undoubtedly greatly contribute to the solution of worldwide problems, African in particular.
If there was one single topic, one underlying theme that distinguished this session from others, it was the issue of revitalizing the United Nations. After Secretary-General Kofi Annan submitted his package of far-reaching measures and proposals to the Assembly, questions related to the renewal of the world Organization dominated discussions during the session. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Secretary-General for his unswerving commitment to the cause of reform and his readiness to cooperate closely with the Assembly during its consideration of this vital subject.
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As a result of innovative thinking, a new format of deliberations, the open-ended informal consultations of the plenary, has been introduced. It enabled all delegations to participate in the discussions on the important issue of United Nations reform and to contribute actively to the final outcome. I think that this format has proved its effectiveness and may be preserved during further deliberations on reform matters at the fifty-third session. Following intensive informal consultations of the plenary and a number of "informal informals" conducted by my office and with the help of the friends of the President, the General Assembly adopted two resolutions which not only demonstrated that the reform process was clearly on track, but also inspired widespread expectations that the spirit of consensus would guide us towards a new substantive progress at this juncture.
We should admit, however, that the reality proved to be far more mundane. Although the Secretary-General's proposals were warmly welcomed by the Membership, after almost nine months of further intensive consultations, consuming an enormous amount of time, efforts and conference services, all we can offer was the decision to send a considerable bulk of them for additional consideration during the fifty-third session.
What is particularly regrettable is that these delays concern not only the long-term proposals, but also the Secretary-General's recommendations on vital and urgent measures in the administrative and budgetary fields. Some, perhaps, may argue that the delays were inevitable because the issues before the General Assembly had been either too complicated or utterly confusing, and a period of time was too short to resolve them. I believe, however, that that would be a weak excuse, neglecting the fact that any substantial progress toward meaningful decisions was thwarted by mistrust and suspicion that continued to exist among the Member States, as well as by our inability to move beyond narrow positions of delegations and groupings in an effort to reach a common goal. This has been one of my big disappointments that I feel compelled to share with you.
Future deliberations on reform issues will serve as a litmus test of the political will of the Membership to go ahead with genuine renewal of the Organization and an indication of Member States' readiness to seek mutually acceptable compromises in the true spirit of consensus that had emerged in the course of the main part of the fifty-second session.
The same fully applies to the work of the open-ended working group on the reform of the Security Council. It has been rightly said that any reform of the United Nations will be incomplete without the reform of its main organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security -- the Security Council. In the course of the general debate at this session, almost 160 speakers, including many heads of State and Government, raised that issue in their statements. But once again, for all the eloquent appeals for change, we can report no visible movement from words to deeds. After 65 lengthy
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meetings held by the working group over the course of the session, the body charged with the task of preparing a blueprint for transforming the Council was once again unable to submit any agreed recommendations on any of the substantive issues related to Security Council reform.
While progress has been made in some areas, a number of major stumbling blocks prevented the group from fulfilling its mandate. Among the most intractable ones is the problem of finding a magic number that would increase the representative character of the Council without impairing its efficiency. Beyond the question of the total size of an enlarged Council, controversy is still brewing around the creation of new permanent seats and rotational arrangements to fill those seats, and, of course, the highly-charged problem of the veto right with respect to both current and prospective permanent members.
Given the fundamental nature of these differences, reform of the Security Council is probably one of the most difficult issues faced by the United Nations in its history. Obviously, its resolution requires much more than negotiating skills, or, for that matter, magicians sleight-of-hand. It will take political will and courage on the part of sovereign States to move ahead to a renewed Security Council that can better reflect the realities of the new century and more effectively serve the entire international community.
Let us also not forget that whatever ambitious reforms we may envision, the United Nations cannot function effectively unless it is adequately provided with financial resources in order to carry out its functions. Since Member States' annual contributions remain the only source of the United Nations regular budget, there is very little that can be done to overcome the financial crisis without Member States fulfilling their obligations under the United Nations Charter in full and without any preconditions.
No conclusive results were achieved in another ad hoc body of the Assembly, the working group on an Agenda for Peace. Extensive consultations on the remaining part of the Group's mandate convinced me that a number of significant differences in the positions of Member States remain. In particular, this refers to the problem of reconciling the principle of national sovereignty with the possibility of launching timely preventive action without obtaining consent of the Government concerned. Another area of controversy is post-conflict peace building. The major sticking point was the issue of assigning the key role in this area to the General Assembly. At this point, my recommendation to my successor is to continue to consult on the matter during its fifty-third regular session. You have probably noticed that in my concluding remarks, I have devoted some time to the theme of unfinished tasks and deferred decisions. Undoubtedly, the fifty-second session can boast significant accomplishments in many important areas, but I felt that a measure of critical self-analysis could prove to be more salutary than an attempt at self-congratulation.
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On the last day of my presiding at this podium, I would also like to take this opportunity to note with satisfaction, the continuing trend towards strengthening the role of the General Assembly Presidency. In a follow-up to resolution 51/241, some practical measures have already been put into effect toward these ends.
For my part, as President of the General Assembly I tried to direct and organize our proceedings in such a way as to expedite and make more effective our deliberations on the issues of crucial importance to the Organization. In line with the recommendations of the Assembly, I made every effort to improve coordination with the Presidents of other main organs of the United Nations, especially Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, with whom I held regular consultations throughout the session.
On a personal note, I would like to say that presiding over this session has proved to be an extremely gratifying but challenging experience. After long hours of intensive -- and sometimes tense - consultations and negotiations, and no less arduous work to resolve a myriad of organizational and procedural matters, I will strongly disagree with those who may view this post as largely ceremonial.
In the course of the year, I also had to share my duties as President of the General Assembly with that of Foreign Minister of Ukraine and Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights of the Ukrainian Parliament. All this commanded a great deal of my physical, psychological and intellectual efforts and I sincerely hope that this multiplicity of responsibilities did not affect my efficiency as President of the General Assembly.
In view of my shift to parliamentary activity, I am sad to say that this was probably my last session of the General Assembly. At the same time, I am very proud that I have been involved in multilateral diplomacy for almost 40 years. Each and every one of them, and especially this year of my Presidency, has explicitly proved to me the ever-growing importance of the United Nations system to today's world and in the years to come. Standing at the end of my long diplomatic career, I am convinced that Member States of the universal Organization must do everything possible to preserve and strengthen the whole machinery of the United Nations in all its variety and diversity.
I also strongly believe that present United Nations membership is capable of accomplishing what the Commission that worked to establish this world Organization after the 1945 San Francisco Conference said in its final report, that "to be fully effective" the United Nations would have to "capture the imagination of the world". It was true then and it is still vital today as we strive for a new, revitalized United Nations. Before concluding the fifty-second session of the General Assembly, let me extend my sincere appreciation to all the delegations for your assistance
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and very instrumental cooperation and for your active work during these months. I would also like to express my special thanks to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose close cooperation I have enjoyed throughout the whole 12- month period of our work. After his appointment, we have constantly witnessed the increased role of the United Nations in the world affairs. His dedication and tireless efforts towards making this Organization stronger and better prepared to cope with complex challenges of a new millennium deserve our full appreciation.
My words of gratitude also go to all Vice-Presidents of this Assembly and all Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen and Rapporteurs of the Main Committees for their excellent contribution to our common achievements. Introduction of the institute of Acting Presidents of the General Assembly enabled the Vice- Presidents to be closer connected to the activities of the Assembly and ensured its smooth functioning throughout the year.
And finally, I would like to thank the United Nations Secretariat, particularly the Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services and its General Assembly servicing branch, and personally all interpreters, translators and conference service officers, as well as security officers who often remain unnoticed, but without whom smooth functioning of the session would have been impossible.
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