UNITED
NATIONS  GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
ADDRESS
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FIFTY EIGHT SESSION
OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
TO THE COUNCIL OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATIONS (CONGO)
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: A COMMENTATRY ON PROGRESS IN
THE WORK OF THE
FIFTY-EIGHTH SESSION
20 NOVEMBER 2003
Madam
Chair, Members of CONGO, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The
community of non-governmental organisations is increasingly
being recognised for the important contribution its members
can, and are, making as partners with the United Nations
over the wide spectrum of human endeavours within the organisation's
mandate. Therefore, as President of the General Assembly,
I consider this opportunity to exchange views with CONGO
on matters of mutual interest on the General Assembly's
agenda, and particularly those that have been addressed
to date, to be important to the growth of cooperative networks
to accomplish the organisation's objectives. I wish to thank
CONGO for inviting me to address this meeting, and for warmly
welcoming me here today.
I believe
that one of the most important decisions made by the General
Assembly in recent times was that made by the fifty-sixth
session to elect the incoming President of each session
some three months in advance of the session. The period
following my early election in June 2003, and leading up
to my taking up office in September 2003, was a period of
reflection, preparation and consolidation. It was a period
during which I engaged in upwards of eighty consultations
- with Permanent Representatives, Chairs of regional and
other Groups, senior United Nations Secretariat officials,
and others concerned with the work of United Nations in
general and the General Assembly in particular. These consultations
were significant to bringing perspective to my Presidency.
A disturbing
degree of pessimism, and even cynicism, about the state
of affairs of the General Assembly, particularly its role
and functioning, was evident in the early stages of my consultations.
This atmosphere seemed to coincide with a questioning of
the relevance of the United Nations, in the period leading
up to and immediately following the military action in Iraq.
Concerns were being expressed about the organisation's role,
and particularly that of the Security Council, in the maintenance
of international peace and security.
Ironically,
a strong undercurrent of optimism was also evident in my
consultations - it was thought to be an opportune time to
reaffirm the role of the General Assembly as the only universal
organ of the United Nations, having central policy making
and supervisory functions. It was emphasised, also, that
the time had come to bring development back to centre stage
on the Assembly's agenda. Those consulted were also emphatic
in their view that decisive action had to be taken in the
area of United Nations reform - particularly the revitalisation
of the General Assembly - to better equip the organisation
to carry out its critical global tasks.
The
three overriding issues of immediate global concern that
were self-evident from the early stages of my consultations
- development, United Nations revitalisation and reform,
and peace and security - were the areas in which I set priorities
for my Presidency. Development was of particular concern
for me since it impacted centrally on the socio-economic
well being of peoples and of nations, particularly in the
developing world.
I took
as a critical starting point for my leadership of the General
Assembly the views expressed by the more than eighty Heads
of State and Government, as well as other high-level officials,
who participated in the 23 September - 2 October General
Debate of the Fifty-eighth Session. This was the most extensive
participation of Heads of State and Government in the General
Assembly since the Millennium Summit, and underscored the
critical juncture at which the global community now stands.
Of
all that we heard in the General Debate, the most encouraging
pronouncement was the support, overwhelmingly stated, for
multilateralism, the key, I believe, to our survival as
nations and as a community of nations. Speaker after speaker
emphasised that multilateralism was the essential and primary
means for dealing with critical global problems. In that
context, there was a tremendous outpouring of support for
the United Nations, the premier universal organisation capable
of addressing the most challenging problems of our times.
The
General Assembly was also recognised by speakers in the
General Debate as the leading forum for discussion of the
full range of issues on the global agenda. There was significant
support for the United Nations and the General Assembly
to make meaningful progress in the three areas I outlined:
development, United Nations reform and revitalisation and
peace and security.
Our
work in the Assembly to date, therefore, has been in accord
with the pronouncements of Heads of State and Government
and other high-level officials. It has also sought to sustain
the momentum within the Assembly to achieve significant
progress in areas of particular concern to the world's people,
including sustainable development, poverty alleviation,
the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental
freedoms, the maintenance of international peace and security
and combating terrorism, and a United Nations capable of
delivering on international mandates, for which organizational
revitalization and change would be essential.
Regarding
development, two important international events were convened
early in the Fifty-eighth Session - a High-level Plenary
on HIV/AIDS and a High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development.
With respect to the High-level Plenary on HIV/AIDS, issues
such as stigma and discrimination, the impact of HIV/AIDS
on development, and the need to adequately fund action to
combat HIV/AIDS were extensively addressed, both in Plenary
statements of Heads of State and Government and other high-level
officials and in the important interactive roundtable of
Heads of State and Government.
Civil
society, in particularly non-governmental organisations
accredited to the United Nations, was extensively consulted
in respect of the High-level Plenary on HIV/AIDS. Civil
society representatives were active participants in this
important initiative. We now have only to focus on delivering
the important prospects that this gathering generated for
meaningful progress in confronting this deadly pandemic.
The General Assembly is endeavouring to give a sense of
direction in this matter, through the resolution it is currently
negotiating.
Progress
in the development area should also be advanced subsequent
to the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development,
to follow up the International Conference on Financing for
Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002. In
the lead up to, and preparation for, the High-level Dialogue,
I chaired informal hearings and an interactive dialogue
with representatives of non-governmental organisations in
consultative status with the Economic and Social Council,
and/or accredited to the Financing for Development process.
Key issues such as commodities and tax cooperation, of critical
importance to the developing world, were addressed in this
context.
Major
stakeholders - representatives of Governments, the heads
of international financial institutions, members of civil
society, including the business community - together reviewed
implementation of the Monterrey Consensus adopted by the
Financing for Development Conference. Following these deliberations,
how we proceed to chart a course for the future becomes
critical. At this time, the Assembly is actively engaged
in determining follow-up action, with the objective of better
financing development and with the Millennium Goals firmly
in view.
I believe
it fair to reiterate, in respect to the HIV/AIDS Plenary
and the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development,
that the participation and contribution of non-governmental
organisation significantly enriched the meetings and contributed
to their positive outcomes.
It is
important, though not enough, that we recognise the serious
challenges impacting the development of African countries,
ranging from civil conflict to slowed growth and development
to the explosive HIV/AIDS pandemic. What is significant
is that the matter of Africa's development has been brought
to the forefront of the United Nations agenda, so that concrete
action can be taken.
Strong
support is being advocated for the New Economic Partnership
for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the framework within which
African leaders themselves have proposed courses of action
to address the continent's challenges. To pull together
the perspectives expressed by member states on NEPAD and
to ensure the widest appreciation of the issues involved,
I summarised the discussion of this issue in the General
Assembly.
I subsequently
invited the Special Adviser of the Secretary General on
African Affairs to address an open-ended meeting of the
General Committee on the subject of NEPAD and other issues
of importance to Africa. Our hope is that these initiatives
will elicit the support necessary to accelerate the pace
of Africa's development.
Small
Island Developing States (SIDS) are also urging cooperation
and support to assist them in addressing the myriad issues
affecting them, including those that require special and
differential treatment if they are to be adequately addressed.
In particular, the SIDS hope for the broadest participation
in the Conference to follow-up the Plan of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
when it takes place next year. Given the challenging economic
outlook for many Least Developed Counties (LDC) and Landlocked
Developing Countries (LLDCs), building support for these
countries in their sustainable development efforts is also
a matter receiving the attention of the General Assembly.
There is general agreement that the fifty-eight year old
United Nations must change, if it is to remain dynamic in
a world very different from that of its inception. Consequently,
the reform and revitalisation of the United Nations, particularly
the General Assembly and the Security Council, has been
a recurring theme for more than a decade. As President of
the General Assembly, I have responded to the calls for
decisive action to be taken on revitalization of the Assembly
to effect change that will be integrally linked to the effective
functioning of the Assembly over the broad range of issues
within its mandate.
The
Assembly has debated the revitalisation issue at length,
and we have engaged in a detailed, frank and open discussion
on the matter in two open-ended informal meetings of the
plenary, the most recent being held this morning. There
is widespread optimism that we are well on our way to reaching
important conclusions in this area. Even as I speak, facilitators
are carrying out consultations to reach agreement on a resolution
we hope will be presented to the Assembly this December.
The
reform of the Security Council is a very different matter.
Central issues such as permanent membership and the veto
are exceptionally challenging to resolve. In that regard,
it is instructive that nations, like people, will act or
refuse to act when they think that their interests are being
advanced or jeopardized. I must, however, respond to the
request of Member States for action in this area. We are
now taking stock of ten years of debate on this issue, after
which we will present proposals for consideration. The significant
momentum for revitalization and reform gives hope that Member
States will take up the challenge where it might be indicated,
including in respect of Security Council reform.
The
NGO community is aware of the initiative recently taken
by the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, which
will lead to proposals for United Nations reform. He has
appointed a group of eminent persons to advise him on reform
matters, principally in the area of peace and security.
This is a matter on which the United Nations membership
will pronounce and take decisions in the fullness of time.
In the
meantime, I continue, with the cooperation of Member States,
to implement elements of earlier reform resolutions on which
action had not been taken and to advance other proposals
that had been put to the Assembly. In that regard, much
has been said about the better utilization of the General
Committee. I have begun this process, through the convening
of open-ended informal meeting of the General Committee,
to hear briefings from senior secretariat officials on critical
matters on the Assembly's agenda. To date, the General Committee,
meeting in informal sessions, has been briefed on the budget
by the Comptroller of the United Nations, on NEPAD by the
Special Adviser on Africa, and on the critical issue of
safety and security of United Nations personnel by the Deputy
Secretary-General. The objective of holding these briefings
is to ensure that as much information as possible is shared
with Member States to assist their consideration of the
matters in question.
In the
political and security area, the situation in Iraq has been
a major preoccupation for all at the United Nations. The
United Nations is uniquely placed to carry out the obligation
of the international community to provide support to post-war
Iraq, and there is general agreement that it must. A primary
objective of that support is to enable the Iraqi people,
as soon as possible, to take charge of their own country
and destiny.
The
deterioration of the situation in the Middle East is also
cause for grave international concern. This accounts for
the support given to initiatives aimed at bringing peace
to that troubled region, and that would lead to the creation
two states - Israel and Palestine - living side by side
in peace.
I want
to take this opportunity to express my condolences to the
Government and people of Turkey and the United Kingdom,
as they seek to address the senseless tragedies which have
taken place in Istanbul. The threat of terrorism is a global
problem, making the fight against terrorism a multilateral
effort. It requires collective action to track the flow
of illicit capital, the financing of terrorist groups, the
illegal flow of arms and to confront the belligerence of
transnational organized criminals, including those involved
in illicit drug trafficking, if we are to this seemingly
intractable problem
Fighting
terrorism can be a burden for countries, particularly developing
countries, as scarce resources must be diverted from economic
and social development to security. Shortfalls have not
readily been made up from outside, nor has indirect support,
such as better terms of trade or greater access to technology
been readily forthcoming.
Even
as we grapple with terrorism and its human, economic and
social consequences, yet another ominous development seems
to be taking root. The United Nations and its staff members
are being singled out as targets of terrorism. We saw this
disturbing trend in Baghdad, and more recently, in Afghanistan.
The grave implications of these developments for our collective
security policies and systems accounts for the urgent attention
these matters are receiving here at the United Nations.
The
United Nations is also continuing its standard setting work,
including through the codification of international law
in areas of particular concern to the international community.
In that regard, arrangements are being made for the Convention
on Corruption, adopted recently by the General Assembly,
to be opened for signature in Mexico next month. The Convention
represents an important step forward and sends a powerful
signal that corruption has no place in the conduct of government
or any other business.
Up to this point, the cooperation and collaboration of Member
States have allowed consensus to emerge around a broad range
of issues on the General Assembly's agenda. Our primary
task, now, is to ensure that this consensus finds expression
in resolutions and decisions of the Assembly. Time has shown
that resolutions that are vague or that seek to accommodate
multiple points of view generally do not meet their objectives.
The challenge to this Assembly, therefore, is to translate
consensus into specific, implementable action.
I hope
that this brief outline of the activities to date of the
Fifty-eighth Session of the General Assembly will give you
a general idea of the work we are doing to advance the global
agenda through the Assembly. I welcome the assistance provided
by NGOS to the Assembly, and the United Nations as a whole,
in helping us to reach our shared goals and objectives.
You
may have heard that I am a strong supporter of interactive
discussion on international issues, particularly those before
the General Assembly. I especially look forward to our exchange
of views on the issues I have raised, and, indeed, on any
other issues of concern in respect of the work of the General
Assembly. Therefore, I will now conclude to permit me to
hear your comments and take your questions.
I thank
you.
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