COLOMBIA

COLOMBIAN MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

140 EAST 57TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022

ADDRESS BY H.E. MR. GUILLERMO FERNANDEZ DE SOTO,

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF COLOMBIA,

TO THE PLENARY SESSION OF THE MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY

United Nations, New York, 12 September 2000

Mr. President,

Allow me to congratulate you on your election as President of this session of the General Assembly. I am confident that under your able guidance we will achieve a successful outcome to our deliberations. I also wish to pay tribute to your predecessor for his leadership and the exemplary work which he undertook as President of the Assembly during its previous session.

I also have the honour to extend greetings to the Secretary-General and to acknowledge his firm leadership of the Organization and his continuing interest in the search for practical and innovative solutions.

For Colombia, this Assembly represents a historic challenge. The challenge to forge new relationships aimed at fulfilling the mission agreed upon by the Heads of State and Government at the Millennium Summit. The Heads of State and Government have defined the parameters of the world in which we wish to live and the conditions that are necessary to create a new international political and economic order. My Country had the honor to submit "The Cartagena Declaration", a document adopted by the Heads of State of the Group of Rio, which formulates the aspirations of our region and constitutes an exceptional contribution for the future of the United Nations. We will now undertake a careful follow-up of these initiatives so as to translate them into realities for the benefit of human kind.

Mr. President,

Perhaps the dawn of the new millennium may permit us to face this challenge with optimism, to signal a break with the legacy of half a century and the many proposals that circulate at times in the face of indifference. It represents an opportunity to translate our collective aspirations into tangible reality.

Much of the expectation relates to the meaning and scope of globalization. Sweeping revolutions are taking place in the fields of transportation, communications and the electronic media. We are astonished each day by the advances in technology and the discoveries of applied science. The main purpose of the United Nations as a whole and its various forums and agencies is to channel this enormous store of technological and scientific knowledge towards the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of the population.

Information technology is bringing structural changes to the international economy and unprecedented opportunities to promote creative cultural interaction between peoples. But the information revolution can also become a source of exclusion. We face the risk of creating a new form of illiteracy - cyber illiteracy. We must bridge the digital divide and convert information technology into a positive factor for education and poverty-reduction so that the information revolution may become truly global in character. Failure to do so will increase the gap between rich and poor.

One of our principal challenges is therefore to globalize globalization and make it an imperative for the XXI century. In other words, to bring the benefits that flow from this process to more regions, nations and people by democratizing access to new technologies, eliminating barriers to trade and investments and recognizing that the resources with which nature provides us are the common heritage of future generations.

Preservation of the environment is in this connection a key element. We have an obligation to respect nature and to build a sustainable future. We must put an end to the destruction being caused by the irrational use of natural resources and by unsound patterns of consumption and production. This requires greater political commitment to control climate change, eliminate sources of pollution of our waters and put an end to the loss of our forests. The provision of financial resources and transfer of environmentally safe technologies are issues still to be resolved. The international community must honour the commitments it has assumed in this field, before it is too late.

The United Nations and the multilateral financial institutions, on the other hand, must develop a new framework to prevent and respond to risks and economic crises. We need a stable, ordered, transparent and predictable financial system. One in which we can strengthen our early-warning capacity, effectively: control the volatility of capital flows and ensure the availability of sufficient liquidity to provide timely support to countries affected by crises. Another urgent priority is to create social protection networks that can be used in times of financial crisis.

Mr. President,

The beginning of the new millennium is also marked by new concerns and threats to peace and security. The proliferation and illicit traffic in small arms is one of these. The illegal traffic in arms has reached unacceptable proportions and its impact has been even more devastating than the impact of weapons of mass destruction. Despite this, the international community is not attaching to it the importance and priority which this grave problem demands. Urgent and effective measures are needed to halt and completely eliminate this illegal trade.

The countries affected by this phenomenon cannot remain exposed to the criminal activity of the networks of arm traffickers who taking advantage of the absence of monitoring and oversight mechanisms are causing irreparable damage to our societies. Governments have the political and moral responsibility to act resolutely against the illicit export of arms and to bring all the force of the law to bear against the merchants of death and violence who profit from this nefarious trade. Colombia has paid a very high price in human lives as a consequence of this criminal activity.

Countries that are exporters of small arms must establish controls on intermediaries and refrain from authorizing sales if there is a risk of improper use. There is need for greater transparency and for the exchange of information on the modalities and routes of trade. We must urgently create mechanisms to provide financial and technical assistance so that the affected countries might be better able to implement effective controls. We have a responsibility to ensure that the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons to be held in 2001 results in concrete commitments and effective action.

The global problem of illicit drugs, for its part, continues to be one of the most serious threats of our time. It is a factor of violence and corruption, economic disruption and impoverishment, erosion of the social fabric and instability in democracies. It is also a cause of alarming environmental disasters. No nation has suffered as tragically as Colombia from the consequences of this global problem. Every day lives are lost in Colombia through the action of outlaw groups whose activities are financed from resources obtained from the traffic in drugs.

Now, when all our efforts are focused on the difficult battle against this problem, we need increased support and the effective solidarity of the international community. Only by accepting and fully implementing the principle of shared responsibility will mankind be able to free itself from the scourge of illicit drugs. We ask for no more. Let us all assume the cost that is our share to bear in order to wipe this illegal activity from the face of the earth.

Colombia is making extraordinary efforts to advance in the solution to its internal conflict. It is a fundamental objective which we shall never renounce. We are aware that the building of peace takes time, but we have made steady progress. In the midst of the complexities of our situation in Colombia and despite the cruelty of the present conflict, we have made progress in confidence building dialogue, the discussion of the thematic agenda and participation of civil society.

We know fully well that the achievement of peace requires in-depth actions in the economic and social fields that would give genuine and lasting content to these efforts. A number of countries have joined in this process, at the request of the Government. Today, peace in Colombia is important for the world. I appeal to the international community to reaffirm its solidarity and offer its material support to our peace process.

Mr. President,

One of the most important developments of the last two decades has been the increasing commitment to respect for human rights. We have made some progress by defining economic and social rights as an indivisible component of the so-called traditional rights or individual freedoms. The old objections that prevented us from proclaiming the universal validity and application of

human rights are gradually losing way and States have accepted their responsibility for ensuring compliance.

In recent years, civil conflicts have become a main expression of violence. International humanitarian law is essential to deal with the consequences of these confrontations. Its enforcement, however, requires agreement on the minimum rules of respect for the civil population and the interests of States. The key is that humanitarian law - its postulates, norms and mechanisms - should be equally applied by all parties in conflict.

The movement of people including refugees or migrants must also be recognized as a priority issue. They are also protected by a concrete framework of human rights. In a world which promotes the free movement of capital and free trade, it is unacceptable that unjustified restrictions continue to be applied to the movement of people.

Mr. President,

The solution to the concrete problems on the international agenda necessarily requires concerted action and multilateralism to which Colombia has always been and will remain firmly committed. We believe that this multilateralism can be supplemented by convergent regional initiatives and bilateralism as part of an approach to reduce distances and imbalances. In other words, a multilateralism that serves as a bridge for rapprochement, solidarity and shared responsibility, concepts upon which the entire building of the contemporary international order must be constructed.

Our peoples, in whose name the Charter of the United Nations was conceived, yearn to see how the fulfillment of the purposes and functions of the United Nations can be reflected in the satisfaction of their hopes and aspirations. Even though in many respects we are still far from this objective we must preserve the gains achieved.

An attitude of passivity is not convenient for the Organization. This Assembly must adopt decisions to reactivate the process of UN reform, on realistic bases, but without further delaying the measures that require urgent implementation. There are many initiatives that can be realized without the need for reform of the Charter. The only thing required is a willingness to show solidarity and to make timely political decisions.

The United Nations is the world's conscience which requires greater priority in order to meet the needs of the poor countries. Strategies must be urgently developed to mobilize funds in order to remove the causes of underdevelopment. The growing gap between the wealth of the prosperous and the poverty of those who are marginalized from progress is in itself an appeal for attention which should be listened to and lead to the translation of words into deeds.

In this connection, we welcome the increasing role being played by non‑governmental organizations, whose activities should be accompanied by a proper definition of their responsibilities. For their part, the transnational corporations, which play such an important function in the global economy, should give serious consideration to associating themselves with the United Nations through financial support to the Organization, which is in urgent need of additional resources. This support could well be channeled to United Nations poverty-reduction programmes.

Mr. President,

The reform of the Security Council continues to be one of the principal reforms expected from the expected adjustment of multilateral political institutions. But we need in this area a gradual approach, less maximalist. Formulas must be explored to ensure greater participation of developing countries. We must take effective steps to promote greater representativity in the work of the Council, on the understanding that this constitutes not a privilege but a responsibility.

Broader regional representation, restrictions on the use of the veto and greater transparency in the decision-making process could bring the Security Council closer to a reality that is not the same in the XXI century as it was in 1945.

The election of new members of the Council will take place in a few weeks. Colombia has the support of Latin America and the Caribbean to be elected as a Non-Permanent Member of this important organ. Once our entry is approved by the General Assembly we will assume this responsibility with effect from 1st January. It will be an opportunity to reaffirm Colombia's commitment to and confidence in multilateralism and its resolute and unconditional commitment to the norms and principles of international law.

We will also reaffirm our conviction that peaceful and negotiated solutions to disputes and respect for international humanitarian law by all parties to a conflict are essential in order to build firm and lasting foundations for peace and security. We shall also promote better functioning of the Council, especially in terms of information and consultation with States that are not part of the such organ, and we shall foster a more permanent and closer relationship with the General Assembly, as the supreme organ of the United Nations.

Mr. President,

Mankind has never had the perspective as the one which is now afforded by the beginning of the new millennium to make steady progress towards peace, progress and international stability. It is an opportunity for the leaders of the world to make a decisive political step in that direction. Let us give our peoples new hope that the change in the millennium will signify not merely a chronological change but the beginning of a true political and social transformation. Only thus will future generations recognize that we had the courage to assume our obligations with responsibility.

Thank you very much.