ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS ISSUES FACING CURRENT ASSEMBLY SESSION AT STUDENTS' 'MODEL UN' CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO

Press Release
GA/SM/131

ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS ISSUES FACING CURRENT ASSEMBLY SESSION AT STUDENTS' 'MODEL UN' CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO

Following is the text of a statement by Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), President of the General Assembly, delivered at the plenary session of the Tenth Annual American Model United Nations Conference, Saturday, 20 November 1999, in Chicago, Illinois:

Thank you for the kind invitation to deliver a keynote address at this Tenth Annual American Model United Nations International Conference. May I add a word of gratitude to the organizers and you, the participants, for your warm welcome and kind hospitality accorded to me, my wife, Mrs. Joan Gurirab, as well as my technical assistants. We feel at home. Mr. Fernando Flores and his collaborators have assured us of a wonderful programme prepared for the Conference, and I can attest to this, just by looking across this room. We are honoured and appreciate your generosity.

My first coming to America was in June 1963, as a United Nations Fellow. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became my home, and I made a joyful but sometimes trying rendezvous with American lifestyle and culture. Being in Philadelphia meant encountering the Liberty Bell; the times and life of Benjamin Franklin; the Quakers and, above all, the legacy of the Constitution-making process of 1776. And, no less, the magic and vision of the Federalist Papers.

Like most who were adults when President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 -- in Dallas --I remember exactly where I was at that tragic moment. I also witnessed in this country the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers and Senator Robert Kennedy, to name but a few of the heroes of the 1960s.

I could not have missed the drama of the Sixties’ powerful social forces for change: the peace movement, the civil rights marches, the student free- speech movement, and the women’s revolution. And, needless to say, the memorable episode at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in this very great city, Chicago.

From Philadelphia, I relocated in December 1971 to New York, and that became the longest and busiest of my sojourns in the United States. I got married there and fathered our children. I also learned there -- in New York, that is -- to hold a champagne glass and speak at the same time, in full sentences in English, at the United Nations receptions that I would routinely gatecrash.I went to New York to represent, initially unofficially, and later officially, at the United Nations my people’s independence movement, SWAPO of Namibia, for the next 15 years. My association with the Organization is long, rewarding and yet filled with some memories of betrayal and frustration. In the end, however, the United Nations was a trusted midwife when the independent Republic of Namibia was born on 21 March 1990.

Armed by its Charter and buttressed by the kindred 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations is expected to make the world a better -– peaceful, just, cooperative, and prosperous –- place for all of God’s children on earth.

But let us face it, the United Nations was a human creation in 1945, in the wake of World War II. It is not a perfect institution run by angels and prophets. Rather, it is a mirror image of the real world we live in, with all its vagaries and exigencies. I daresay, nevertheless, that the United Nations is the best there is as a universal oasis, where different cultures, hopes and loyalties of millions and millions of peoples converge into the same big tent that represents brotherhood, justice and solidarity.

Today, there are 188 United Nations Member States, big and small, rich and poor, developed and developing. Let me add here that the United Nations is not a supra-continental power, nor is it a world government run by world federalists who want to swallow up the United States. No. Its principles and objectives include: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war; to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations, large and small; to establish conditions for justice and respect for international law; and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. It is far from being a subversive organization.

The United Nations remains the only true universal and representative international organization capable of ensuring international peace and security, cooperative coexistence and mutually beneficial development of all the nations and peoples of the world. It has the potential to promote the economic productivity and social advancement of all peoples. But the United Nations’ success or failure is directly dependent upon the action or inaction of its Member States. When they are in agreement, the Organization is effective; when they disagree, it is immobilized.

We can, therefore, ask ourselves the question: “Is the United Nations ready and resourceful enough to confront the challenges and problems facing the world as we enter the twenty-first century?” All signs indicate that most of the old problems and the unfinished business of our times will still be with us in the decades to come.

The agenda of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly consists of 172 items. It commenced its work in September 1999 with the election of the President, yours truly, and his Bureau of 21 Vice-Presidents. The agenda items cover issues relating to: denuclearization of the world; disarmament and international security; regional conflicts; United Nations finances; development and trade; social and humanitarian concerns; political and cultural questions; gender issues; protection of children; legal matters; environmental protection; globalization; HIV/AIDS; refugees; international terrorism; review and codification of the principles of international law; a culture of peace and tolerance; and development of youth.

Some of the highlights of the fifty-fourth session, which I have selected for discussion today, are drawn from key issues addressed by heads of State and government during the two-week general debate in September/October, as well as the special sessions of the General Assembly and a number of commemorative events.

1. Poverty Eradication

Poverty is a pernicious problem which is at the root of many social crises besetting the international community. It is increasingly assuming central importance in the work of the General Assembly and its Main Committees. Poverty stands in the way of two cardinal objectives of the United Nations -- namely, peace and development. Poverty eradication, is therefore, a condition sine qua non for the fulfilment of people’s aspirations for development and self- betterment as active participants in wealth creation and sharing in society. This effort will, however, require concerted international resource mobilization, based on genuine solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation for the good of all worldwide.

2. Globalization

The phenomenon of globalization is another important challenge facing humanity today. While its constructive and redeeming potential is recognized by all, many have expressed the view that, unchecked and unregulated, globalization is fraught with real threat of marginalizing poor developing countries. It is being stressed that big Powers and their transnational corporations must put a human face on globalization. The remedies mentioned most frequently include: debt write-off; and reforming and democratizing the multilateral economic and financial institutions. Reform of the international financial and monetary system and trading regime, so that it is open and serves all, is certainly essential. The debate on these vital issues is continuing. One place where these burning issues will be discussed is next year’s Millennium Summit, which will be held on 6 September at the United Nations in New York.

3. The Plight of Children

I have decided to make the plight of the world’s children, particularly that of children trapped in war situations, the hallmark of my Presidency of the General Assembly. To this end, I have spoken out on this heart-wrenching topic at every opportunity, to sensitize the international community. I know I am not alone in this noble crusade; there are many others. One easy way to strengthen this world campaign to save and protect our children is to insist on the speedy signing or ratifying of the existing international legal instruments, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, whose tenth anniversary we commemorated at the United Nations on 11 November. I have witnessed a growing commitment among United Nations Member States to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It was under my Presidency, this time of the Security Council when it was the turn for Namibia, my country, to hold the Presidency, that the Council adopted, on 25 August this year, its first-ever resolution on children and armed conflict.

But a lot still remains to be done, and I hope that the outcome of this Model UN Conference can help in further sensitizing, shaming, blaming and pointing the accusing finger at the guilty parties, without fear or favour. It is not children who are victimizing themselves, it is we adults who victimize them.

5. Humanitarian Intervention

One explosive issue, which engendered heated exchanges amongst delegations during the general debate, is the notion of humanitarian intervention. It has since become a much talked-about issue in the General Assembly, the Security Council and other principal organs of the United Nations. The issue has polarized the membership of the Assembly into -- from what I could gather from listening to the speakers -- three distinct schools of thought: those who support humanitarian intervention; those who oppose it; and a majority of Members who believe that it is an idea worth examining in depth. The General Assembly may actually create an opportunity for delegations to discuss this subject in a more focused and constructive way in the near future. I have been urged by many delegations to do this, and I am keeping my mind open. Putting on the Namibian foreign ministerial hat, I believe that this issue needs to be discussed in depth.

Special Sessions

Three special sessions are further highlights of the fifty-fourth General Assembly session. The twenty-second special session, devoted to the sustainable development of small island developing States, was held on 27 to 28 September this year. In a nutshell, its purpose was to further enhance solidarity with those vulnerable countries -- as neighbours of Caribbean countries, you know, of the devastating hurricanes and tornadoes that plague the island States -- and to appeal for financial assistance and transfer of technology so that they can help themselves.

Two more special sessions of the General Assembly will take place in June 2000. The first, in New York from 5 to 9 June, will review and prioritize the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action for Women. The second special session will evaluate the implementation of the discussions and action plan of the 1994 World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen. That Summit will take place in Geneva from 26 to 30 June.

Preparations for the Millennium Summit are currently under way, and will set the vision and goals of the United Nations into the twenty-first century. The Summit is expected to discuss a wide range of issues and will bring to New York a large number of world leaders.

Restructuring and Strengthening of United Nations -- UN Reform

The United Nations definitely needs restructuring, strengthening and democratizing to effectively address the problems and challenges that will face humanity and modern society as we enter the next millennium. I must reiterate here that the Security Council, in particular, demands enlargement and enhanced effectiveness that would equip it with greater authority and broadened representativeness to better execute its critical mandate.

As part of such reform, the veto power must be abolished, for it is outmoded and undemocratic. The Organization can be further strengthened by providing it with sufficient resources, especially financial resources. For a start, all Member States must pay their legally obligatory and assessed annual contributions on time, in full and without any conditions. The record of the United States is not at all reassuring on this score. This state of affairs cannot go on forever. It is bad for the United Nations; but it is also bad for this great country, the host of the United Nations.

The reform of the United Nations and its financial empowerment are the two absolute prerequisites for the continued existence and efficacy of the United Nations in the twenty-first century, as well as for its continued relevance as an ideal place for dialogue between civilizations and, indeed, as our best hope for saving the succeeding generations from the scourge of war, as the Charter has stipulated since 1945.

The reform of the United Nations must seek to achieve the following globally shared objectives:

-- It must seek to save humanity from conflict, war and destruction;

-- It must eradicate poverty;

-- It must foster industrialization in the third world;

-- It must embody and promote environmentally sustainable development;

-- It must strengthen the observance of the rule of law in international relations and guarantee the protection of the weak and the poor;

-- It must address with renewed vigour the needs of the embattled world’s children and their well-being;

-- It must help find a cure, and soon, for the HIV/AIDS pandemic;

-- It must become more gender-sensitive and help create a world where gender equality becomes an accepted way of life;

-- It must bring closer civil society, including non-governmental organizations, in its work and decision-making structures;

-- It must foster peace, friendship and cooperation among the nations of the world; and

-- It must promote as, the General Assembly declared last December, a culture of peace, tolerance and human security.

The Millennium Summit will provide an opportunity for the heads of State and government to address these and other issues and adopt a plan of action complete with a road map for the United Nations into the next millennium.

Long live the United Nations!

May you be leaders, good leaders, leaders of the kind I have spoken of in my statement.

I thank you!