LIVING WITHIN RESOURCES, USING THEM WHERE MOST NEEDED KEY TO UN SUCCESS, UNITED STATES TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

5 October 1998

Press Release
GA/9465

LIVING WITHIN RESOURCES, USING THEM WHERE MOST NEEDED KEY TO UN SUCCESS, UNITED STATES TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

19981005 Sixteen Speakers Address Assembly, As It Takes Up Secretary-General's Report on Organization

The key to the success of the United Nations was its ability to live within its resources and to use them where they were most needed, the representative of the United States told the General Assembly this morning, as it began its consideration of the Secretary-General's report on the work of the Organization.

Effective oversight was critical, he went on to say. Management audits, in-depth evaluations, anti-fraud work, programme performance reporting and support for institutional reform all showed that the Organization was progressing from merely learning lessons to actually applying them.

The representative of Bangladesh said the Secretary-General needed to identify issues in his report that could challenge the international community in years ahead, and to ask world leaders to address those issues during the general debate. Expressing concern about the 80 per cent implementation rate of mandated activities in the Organization, which the Secretary-General considered "largely positive", he said that, in light of reform initiatives, the rate of implementation should be further increased.

The representative of the Netherlands said the preventive policy in peacekeeping outlined in the report was an ambitious undertaking. It required a broad approach, integrating political and security instruments with longer-term development, medium-term reconstruction and rehabilitation with short-term emergency relief strategies. It would also require that the Security Council not only pay attention to the political and military aspects of crises, but also address other formidable threats to human security.

The representative of India said that, although he applauded the Secretary-General's vision, which placed disarmament near the centre of peace and development, he was disappointed with the apparent preoccupation with

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nuclear non-proliferation and the reduction of nuclear weapons, instead of their total elimination. India and the Non-Aligned Movement did not want the leisurely reduction of nuclear weapons, accompanied by the upgrading and strategic modernization of arsenals. They wanted elimination within a short time-frame, informed by a sense of urgency and political commitment.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Argentina, Kuwait, Malaysia, Ukraine, Brazil, Ireland, Colombia, Germany, Australia, Mongolia, Russian Federation and China.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of the Secretary-General's report on the work of the Organization and take action on a draft resolution on emergency assistance to Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to consider the Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (document A/53/1). The report covers, among other things, matters relating to peace and security; development cooperation; globalization; the international legal system; humanitarian activities; and efforts of the Organization to more coherently and forcefully communicate with its global audience.

The Secretary-General notes that, in the few short months since the creation of the post of Deputy Secretary-General, it has been demonstrated conclusively how critical it is in augmenting the leadership and management capacity of the Secretariat.

The Secretary-General reports that recent experience has shown that the quest for international peace and security requires complementary action on the security, economic and social fronts. The intimate relationship between social justice, material well-being and peace must be taken into account in any action to prevent local conflicts from escalating and spilling over into the international arena. United Nations efforts to reduce poverty and promote development and democratization -- including electoral assistance and civic education -- have gradually become more comprehensive and more integrated. All of those efforts might be described as "preventive peace-building", since they attack the root causes of many conflicts.

The actual number of United Nations peacekeeping operations has risen from 15 to 17 in the past year. There are six missions in Europe, four in the Middle East, four in Africa, two in Asia, and one in the Americas. A human rights and judicial reform mission is maintained in Guatemala. Situations threatening international stability include: difficulties in the Middle East peace process; the turmoil in Afghanistan; the escalation of violence in Kosovo; the civil war in the Sudan; the continuing instability and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the rest of the Great Lakes region; and the return of civil war to Angola. Rising tension between India and Pakistan is also a major cause of concern, as was the stalemated peace process in Cyprus.

In meeting the challenges of globalization in order to serve the needs of the international community, the report states that multilateral institutions are critical in harnessing the positive potential of globalization, while managing its adverse effects. Strengthening multilateral institutions can help to accomplish that task. Addressing cooperation for development, the report states that the total development assistance made available by the United Nations, per year, is $5.5 billion.

The Secretary-General welcomes the establishment in July of the International Criminal Court. The Court's Statute, which aims to put an end to the global culture of impunity, provides that States parties to the Statute

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accept the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Placing communications at the heart of the strategic management of the Organization is central to the revitalization of the United Nations, says the report. To that end, a strategic communications planning group has been created within the Department of Public Information (DPI) in setting goals and strategies, and in reaching out to the media, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, the business community and youth.

In the countdown to the new century, the Secretary-General states, his reform programme must be carried forward, and Member States must engage those reforms with greater determination and vigour. Reforming the United Nations institutional machinery is but a first step towards refashioning its role for the new era.

The Assembly would also consider a draft resolution entitled Emergency assistance to Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis (document A/53/L.2 Rev.1). By the terms of the draft, the Assembly would express its deep distress over the loss of life, the large number of afflicted people and the destruction wrought by hurricane Georges, which devastated Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis in September. The Assembly would also urge all States, as a matter of urgency, to contribute generously to the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the affected countries and to provide financing for the national and regional relief efforts undertaken by the affected countries with their own and pooled human resources.

Also, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the international financial institutions and bodies and agencies of the United Nations system, to assist the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts and Nevis in identifying their medium-term and long-term needs and in mobilizing resources, as well as to help with the task of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected countries undertaken by their respective governments. It would also request the United Nations system and other multilateral organizations provide support and assistance to strengthen the capacity of countries of the region to prepare for and prevent negative consequences of natural disasters.

The co-sponsors of the draft are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Federated States of Micronesia, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa and Trinidad and Tobago.

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Statements

JAAP RAMAKER (Netherlands) said the preventive policy in the area of peacekeeping outlined in the report of the Secretary-General was an ambitious undertaking. It required a broad approach, integrating political and security instruments with longer-term development, medium-term reconstruction and rehabilitation, with short-term emergency relief strategies. The Security Council could play a central role in a comprehensive strategy. It would, however, require that it not only pay attention to the political and military aspects of crises, but also address other formidable threats to human security. Poverty, ethnic tensions, and natural disasters equally threatened the human environment as the root causes of many conflicts.

The Secretary-General's report was a strong antidote to complacency among Member States with regard to the challenge of development, he said. His delegation shared the Secretary-General's concern that while the large proportion of humanity still faced miserable living conditions, the flow of aid to developing countries continued to decline. Equally disconcerting was the increasing tendency among donors to earmark aid and ignore the real needs of recipients. His country would stick to its self-imposed official development assistance (ODA) target of 0.8 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). It also intended to increase its contribution to multilateral development cooperation.

He said generous aid, however, could not be the sole vehicle of socio-economic change. Development strategies should primarily focus on maximizing the impact of sound national policies and good governance, leading to sustainable development and favourable conditions for attracting private investment. Referring to the humanitarian field, he stressed that it was essential that protection was provided for staff working in extremely dangerous situations. On globalization, he said all organs of the United Nations, including the Bretton Woods institutions, must jointly address the consequences of that process. The immediate negative consequences of the process -- marginalization of social groups and the least developed countries (LDCs) -- required special attention.

FERNANDO PETRELLA (Argentina) said that globalization in developing countries had stirred deep reform to enable their integration into the world economy. New global realities must not be resisted, but embraced. The total volume of ODA was decreasing in spite of the fact that one fifth of mankind lived on less than a dollar a day. He valued development cooperation to eradicate poverty, sustainable development, good governance and the rights of women.

An urgent international response was needed to address climatic change, he added. He welcomed the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Human rights protection, an inseparable part of development, must be integrated with efforts to achieve

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sustainable development and conflict prevention. Maintaining peace and security; addressing inter-State conflicts, ethnic tension and natural disasters; and providing humanitarian assistance demanded from the international community a sensitivity to political, economic and human circumstances. The international community must maintain frank dialogues with parties to conflicts. Greater transparency on the part of the Security Council would be beneficial.

Recent nuclear testing was worrisome and he said Argentina supported a complete ban on nuclear weapons. His Government would move to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), as well as support a nuclear-free zone in the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) region. That area would also be declared free of anti-personnel landmines.

SHARAD PAWAR, Member of the Parliament of India, said although he applauded the Secretary-General's vision of the Organization -- which placed disarmament near the centre of its mission of peace and development -- he was disappointed with the apparent preoccupation with nuclear non-proliferation and the reduction of nuclear weapons, instead of their total elimination. India and the Non-Aligned Movement did not want the leisurely reduction of nuclear weapons, accompanied by upgrading and strategic modernization of arsenals. They wanted their elimination within a short time-frame, informed by a sense of urgency and political commitment.

Noting the Secretary-General's reference to "smart sanctions", he said India had always believed that sanctions were a blunt instrument and had to be used sparingly and after the most careful consideration by the international community. The report also stated that the United Nations had "started to embrace a new holistic concept of security" necessitating a broadening of the role of the Security Council. On the contrary, he said that holistic concept of security could only be properly addressed in a body like the General Assembly, with universal membership and a general mandate.

To achieve durable and just peace, the world order which worked inexorably against the interests of the poorer countries must be transformed. Therefore, he said, the steady decrease in the importance of the operational activities of the United Nations was discouraging. India was also concerned that the lack of predictable resources for the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -- more than 60 per cent of whose costs were still funded from extrabudgetary resources -- might curtail its effectiveness. Hence, it supported a comprehensive review of the funding of humanitarian programmes, including the relationship between funding provided for emergencies and resources made available for development programming. No real progress had been made to place funding of the United Nations funds and programmes on a secure, predictable, assured and continuous basis, commensurate with the increasing needs of the developing countries. A comprehensive approach that linked relief and development was required to close the relief-to-development gap. The eradication of poverty through sustained socio-economic development

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offered the best opportunity of breaking through the vicious cycle of underdevelopment, conflict and misery.

PETER BURLEIGH (United States) said to ensure continued progress, the Organization must focus on its comparative advantages. The administration and management must continue to create a mission-driven and results-oriented body. Significant work still remained to be done, including setting time limits on new programmes and introducing results-based budgeting. Those efforts had been authorized by the General Assembly since 1987 in areas of programme planning, budget, monitoring and evaluation rules. Their implementation was long overdue, as was the functioning of the recently agreed to "Dividend for Development" account.

Effective oversight was critical, he said. Management audits, announcement of guidelines, in-depth evaluations, anti-fraud work, programme performance reporting, support for institutional reform and follow-up reviews all showed that the Organization was going from merely learning lessons to actually applying them. As support and participation of staff members in the reform initiatives was critical to their success, vital reforms in personnel policy must still be undertaken. Key to the success of the United Nations was its ability to live within its resources and to use them where they were most needed. His country agreed with the Secretary-General's statement that "Member States must engage those reforms which lie within their purview with greater determination and vigour".

MOHAMMAD ABULHASAN (Kuwait) said that although the Secretary-General had highlighted the leading international role of the Organization, he had also courageously addressed the shortcomings of the United Nations. Kuwait supported continued reform of the Organization and agreed with the Secretary- General's suggestion that reform be a continuous process, not a transient action. Kuwait, as member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the "Group of 77" developing countries, supported the recommendations of those groups and their suggestions for solving the financial crisis.

He said the release of the Kuwaiti hostages and the return of Kuwaiti possessions by Iraq were still under consideration by the United Nations. While the Organization was concerned with follow-up on those two issues, Kuwait urged the Secretary-General to pay special attention to them, especially in regard to the Kuwaiti hostages. That issue involved tragedy and suffering, as thousands of Kuwaitis continued to await the return of loved ones. Since the situation involved human suffering, it should be dealt with in a humane manner that confirmed the credibility of the Organization.

HASMY AGAM (Malaysia) said that it was of utmost importance to uphold Article 1 of the Charter that called for effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to international peace and security. Too often in the past, inaction and selective action had led to the escalation of conflicts and unnecessary human and material costs. Preventative efforts

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needed to be stepped up. To that end, his Government supported the use of prominent and skilled diplomats to serve as personal representatives of the Secretary-General. Better information gathering and the improvement of early warning systems to monitor and respond to potential conflicts were welcomed. Strategies between the Organization and Member States must be well coordinated. Above all, Member States must provide the political will and resources to implement such strategies.

A new holistic approach to security, he continued, was necessary to prevent conflicts. Peace and security were inextricably linked to development. The question of broadening the role of the Council to respond to economic, social and humanitarian crises, by invoking Article 65 of the Charter, should duly take into account the proper role and functioning of the Assembly. Regional cooperation also had a critical role to play in conflict prevention. Sanctions should be applied selectively and not to further the narrow interests of certain Member States.

Humanitarian efforts and the Organization's initiatives to enhance the safety of humanitarian workers were of utmost importance and deserved adequate international response, he said. The Organization should continue to give priority to disarmament issues, especially nuclear disarmament. International efforts in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation had suffered a serious setback with the recent testings in South Asia. He welcomed the establishment of two ad hoc committees to work towards the elimination of fissile material.

VOLODYMYR YEL'CHENKO (Ukraine), reiterating the need for global responses to global challenges, said global institutions were best suited to provide those responses. From his country's presidency in the General Assembly during its fifty-second session, it had learned first-hand how difficult the task was to ensure progress in reforming an institution where the interests of 185 sovereign States were to be reduced to a common denominator.

The thematic overview of the work of the Organization embraced all the key areas of the United Nations activities, he continued. However, the General Assembly had requested that the Secretary-General's report contain a section on specific goals for the Secretariat in the year ahead, and an analytical annex elaborating on the costs for major programmes and activities of the United Nations system. The usefulness of those addenda was self- evident, and Ukraine expected that they would be included in the future reports on the work of the Organization. It was also regrettable that some of the important areas of the work of the United Nations had been omitted in the present report, including efforts to solve the problems encountered by countries with economies in transition and to overcome the consequences of major technological disasters.

CELSO AMORIM (Brazil) said the socio-economic forces unleashed by the still undisciplined phenomenon known as globalization had presented the

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international community with a new set of challenges. In order to spread its more beneficial effects to the greatest number, while minimizing its destructive results, it would be necessary to take full advantage of the possibilities of joint analysis and cooperative action offered by the United Nations system. No other organization enjoyed the scope and the legitimacy of the United Nations. It was thus appropriate that it should take up its responsibilities and exercise leadership in the context of current international efforts to prevent globalization from disrupting the hard-earned stability of some, while ensuring that it led to greater progress, prosperity and security for all.

He said the institutional reforms initiated by the Secretary-General had undoubtedly contributed to revitalizing the organizational machinery and to improving the accountability of the United Nations. It was now incumbent upon Member States to complete that process. That process should not be allowed to drag into the next millennium. It, therefore, followed that Member States should not shun their obligation to deal with the necessary revision of those aspects of the Organization's reform that only they had the power to enact. Also, reforming the United Nations necessarily implied updating the functioning and composition of the Security Council, which still mirrored a period in history which was now long gone. There could be no justification for indefinitely prolonging discussions on that topic after five years of in-depth consideration of its aspects.

More dynamic interaction between the Council and the Economic and Social Council was needed, he said. The United Nations must be equipped to address the economic, social and humanitarian crises that threatened global security. If peace, as the Secretary-General had said, could not only be defined as mere absence of war but also as a function of social and economic well-being, it was only natural that a more coordinated approach to promoting peace must be sought by improving relations between the corresponding United Nations organs.

RICHARD RYAN (Ireland) said what the Secretary-General described as a "quiet revolution" had indeed brought about a greater unity of purpose and coherence of effort at the United Nations. The establishment of the Department for Disarmament Affairs had been a welcome development and it had already undertaken some important work. The designation of that Department as a focal point for all United Nations action on small arms, together with the proposal for multi-sectoral and coordinated action on small arms, was both timely and welcome. The Secretary-General had also stated that a number of reform proposals remained to be approved. Among those to which Ireland attached importance was the determination of the modalities for use of the Development Account, a valuable concept which had to be made to work. The Secretary-General had provided some useful clarifications which would hopefully allow that issue to be resolved in a fashion which would benefit developing countries.

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Extreme poverty and underdevelopment were given their proper place in the report's overview, he said. They were the enemies of peace and all too often the allies of instability, disorder and conflict. There could be no real security without development. Too many of today's conflicts stemmed from poverty caused by chronic underdevelopment, human rights abuse and political instability. The importance of good governance, respect for human rights and democratization were highly emphasized by the Secretary-General and those were all areas in which the United Nations could and should make a lasting contribution. In addition, the central message of the report was the continuing importance of multilateral diplomacy in a world of rapid and often baffling change. During the year since the Secretary-General's last report, a number of challenges had arisen which only a multilateral body, such as the United Nations, had the authority to meet. As the new millenium approached and challenges grew, the world could take comfort from the fact that the Organization was beginning to become more responsive, effective and efficient.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESCO (Columbia) said that the "Millennium Assembly" should consider the type of Organization that the new century demanded. Initiatives in conflict-prevention were of utmost importance. The Assembly could consider and make recommendations on the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of peace and security. While the Security Council held primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, the Charter stated that the Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful settlement of any situation deemed likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations. It was thus necessary to improve the working relationship between the principal organs of the Organization.

Addressing sanctions, he said it was necessary for the international community to take into account exemptions for humanitarian reasons. Addressing the world economic and social situation was one of the greatest challenges for the Organization. The magnitude of the problem required more than streamlining the Organization. It called for the firm political commitment on the part of the industrialized States. Globalization, in its economic and environmental dimensions, had to be addressed multilaterally.

A dramatic contrast existed in world public opinion regarding the Organization's goals and the resources necessary to accomplish them, he added. Ambitious targets set for the next century would be impossible to meet if the Organization's financial arrears were not paid.

ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said his delegation believed that, in addition to recounting the activities of the past year, the Secretary- General needed to identify issues that had the potential to challenge the international community in the coming years. Bangladesh wanted future reports to give increased attention to the involvement of the international business community in furthering the Organization's development agenda. His delegation hoped that, in his next report, the Secretary-General would present details of the new strategic framework concept for peace-building as elaborated by the

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Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). The development mandate of the Organization had special significance for his country.

Addressing poverty eradication, Bangladesh believed that the emerging role of microcredit, including the initiation of the $40 million United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) "Microstart" programme, should have found a place in the report. His delegation called for including a separate section on the situation in least developed countries.

Addressing social development, he noted that a more analytical and well-structured section on the subject would be desirable in the future. His country was pleased that accountability and oversight had been given considerable attention in the report. That should continue in the future. The monitoring of improvements in the operations and reforms of the Organization also required the close attention of Member States and should be reported on regularly and in a transparent manner. His country was concerned about the 80 per cent implementation rate of mandated activities in the Organization. While the Secretary-General considered that as "largely positive" situation, Bangladesh expected that all the reforms might have resulted in an increase in the implementation rate.

GERHARD HENZE (Germany) said proposed reforms would allow the operational structures of the United Nations funds and programmes to have a greater impact. The adoption of a funding strategy that would seek to combine results and resources in a multi-year funding framework was another significant step in the same direction. There must be no erosion of the United Nations development role and other players should not try to assume it. Globalization must be tamed, so that it did not threaten socially and economically vulnerable groups. Globalization must be guided to contribute to social development and economic benefits for both men and women. Two special sessions of the General Assembly in the year 2000 would provide opportunities to consider those issues.

The financial crisis, which was spreading from one region to another, showed that the world economy needed an improved framework, he continued. The measures discussed at the spring session of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were indispensable for preventing future crises. However, multilaterally agreed interventions could also become necessary and useful. Better early-warning devices, more transparency and efficiency in banking systems were needed. He agreed with the Secretary-General, who had said in his report that "... a bridge must be constructed between ... the Dow Jones index and the human development index".

PENELOPE WENSLEY (Australia) said that her country hoped that the ongoing reform efforts would be identified and brought together in a clear programme of "track III" activities. A practical, achievable programme of action should be determined. The reform of the Security Council was a crucial

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issue. Without it, the Organization could not claim to have adapted successfully to the challenges of today's world.

Addressing the issue of globalization, she said that renewed international cooperation was needed to examine the functioning of international financial architecture. It was necessary to ensure that all countries had in place the appropriate domestic policies and mechanisms to counteract the effects of globalization, including prudent corporate governance and efficient and transparent financial sectors. Cooperation programmes at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels would be of great value.

It was of paramount importance that scarce ODA resources were used efficiently and effectively to achieve priority development objectives, she continued. It was vitally important that efforts to strengthen the international trading system continued. Further liberalization of that system was needed. The Assembly's recent high-level dialogue on globalization had been an invaluable opportunity for countries to share their experiences and exchange views.

JARGALSAIKHANY ENKHSAIKHAN (Mongolia) said since reform was a process and not an event, it could not be achieved overnight. Although the General Assembly had done enormous work during its fifty-second session, some issues were pending, including: the "sunset" provisions; the question of adopting a result-based budget system; and the terms of utilizing the Development Account. The success of reform could be measured by the Organization's improved ability to respond to the challenges that lay ahead.

Mongolia believed that future reform should focus on strengthening the role of the Organization in the promotion of development, he said. The role of the General Assembly, as the main deliberative and decision-making organ of the Organization, should be enhanced in accordance with the Charter. His country welcomed the steps undertaken by the Security Council to respond to General Assembly resolutions, especially regarding its working procedures and transparency.

Regarding nuclear disarmament, Mongolia said the recent nuclear-weapon tests in South Asia had been troubling. However, he welcomed the People's Republic of China's declaration not to resume nuclear tests and hoped that the latest encouraging signs from South Asia would be followed up with concrete actions leading to strengthening the non-proliferation regime, and move the region closer to nuclear disarmament. The two ad hoc committees established by the Conference on Disarmament would be instrumental in increasing the security assurances of non-nuclear-weapon States and banning the production of fissile material for nuclear explosive devices. His country, having declared its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone, was now actively working to institutionalize its nuclear-weapon-free status, which would make its territory an area of peace, stability and predictability. In 1999, Mongolia,

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together with the United Nations, would host an international conference to focus attention on the pressing disarmament and other security-related issues of the region.

Some 30 developing countries continued to be handicapped by a lack of access to the sea, due to their geographical location, he said. Although that had been recognized by the international community and some concrete steps were being taken by the Organization to address it, it would have been useful if the report had shed some light on those activities. Also, the report should have focused more extensively on the question of combating international terrorism, and on the ways and means to enhance international cooperation in that field.

SERGEY ORDZHONIKIDZE (Russian Federation) said that the Secretary-General's proposals regarding "stepped-up" cooperation between the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Member States in the area of preventive diplomacy merited support. For that purpose, Article 65 of the Charter on interrelations between the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council should be "invigorated". After all means of preventive diplomacy had been exhausted, peacekeeping operations still remained a key instrument for resolving conflicts. Russia believed that the main criteria governing peacekeeping operations should include the presence of an actual threat to international or regional peace and security. Also, the Security Council should guarantee that it would play a key part in settling all political issues related to operations, in particular the issues of possible use of military force.

He called for further consolidation of interaction between the United Nations and regional organizations in peacekeeping activities. Russia completely agreed with the Secretary-General that, as an instrument of international enforcement, sanctions required a highly balanced approach. Sanctions should not become a tool of fighting a regime "one might dislike". Neither should they destabilize the economic situation in a country or in an adjacent region.

He welcomed the fact that the United Nations had taken the lead in outlining possible solutions to rising economic problems through a high-level meeting between the United Nations and Bretton Woods institutions. His country was concerned about the Secretary-General's conclusion that, due to the lack of funds, some vitally important operations of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) might be scaled down or even suspended. The Russian Federation shared the Secretary-General's concern over the prolonged financial crisis within the United Nations system. That crisis not only threatened implementation of current mandates and programmes within the Organization, but also undermined its role and authority in the international arena.

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SHEN GUOFANG (China) said that while committed to the resolution of conflicts, the United Nations had also paid much attention to their root causes. His country was concerned over the decreasing core resources for United Nations operational activities, and hoped that all developed countries would show a due sense of responsibility on the question of financing. He also hoped Member States would earnestly implement the General Assembly resolutions, and reach the agreed targets of voluntary contributions as soon as possible. The ultimate way out of the financial crisis facing the United Nations system was for the big contributor to pay its dues in full and without conditions. Member States had no excuse for turning away from their responsibilities to the Organization.

The efforts of the United Nations in helping the developing countries achieve sustainable development were commendable, he said. The Organization should work even harder to boost investment and growth, deal with the challenges of globalization, and make necessary readjustments to avoid the outbreak of economic and social crises. All those activities could be called "preventive diplomacy". Regarding the reforms at the United Nations, he said the adoption of resolutions endorsing those measures was not the end of the reform process, but rather a starting point.

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