UNITED
NATIONS  GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
ADDRESS
BY THE
PRESIDENT
OF THE FIFTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF
THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
H.E. MR. JULIAN R. HUNTE
TO
THE
MODEL YOUTH COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING (CHOGM)
MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, LONDON, UK
9
March 2004
Madam
Chair, National Youth CHOGM, Mr. Secretary General, Mr.
Stuart Mole, Director-General of the Royal Commonwealth
Society, participants in this model CHOGM, Distinguished
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning:
The
Commonwealth's longstanding investment in youth recognizes
the key role young people must play in advancing international
cooperation, and the importance of preparing them to play
that role. Today's model CHOGM focuses on critical aspects
of that preparation - consultations, negotiations, decision-making
and consensus building.
I wish
to commend The Royal Commonwealth Society, a pivotal member
of the informal Commonwealth, for its continuing initiative
to ensure that youth remain an important focus of Commonwealth
Day celebrations. I wish to thank Director-General Stuart
Mole and the Society for inviting me to be part of this
opening ceremony here in historic Marlborough House. I thank
you, the participants, because I share your excitement,
as you step into enormous shoes, take up the mantle of government
and experience first hand the challenges of leadership in
an increasingly difficult and complex world.
Like
the leaders you will represent, you will face problems on
a global scale. You will come to realize that although problems
may be beyond your borders, you must be an integral part
of initiatives for their resolution. There is, after all,
but one world, and it stands to reason that there is but
one global agenda. All those working for the future of multilateralism,
including government leaders and heads of regional and international
organizations - our Secretary-General Don McKinnon included
- know this only too well.
The
Commonwealth Day Theme, "Building a Commonwealth of
Freedom" focuses on a critical but complex concept
in respect of our extensive global agenda of common interests
and common concerns. I believe that it addresses fundamentally
the "better standards of life in larger freedoms"
enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights. These are also ideals that
find expression in Commonwealth Declarations, including
the Harare Commonwealth Declaration.
I would
strongly counsel you to take a broad based approach to the
concept of freedom, which would allow you to focus on all
critical aspects of human endeavours. Viewing freedom from
this broader perspective will make it clear that it involves
much more than keeping the peace, since in and of itself
this will not ensure security and freedom. We must act holistically.
We must resolve crisis before they engulf people in conflict
and war. After all, conflict management can never be a substitute
for conflict prevention. Freedom directs us to cooperate
to free people from fear of terrorism, the perils of drug
trafficking, and the illegal transfer of small arms and
light weapons.
Hand
in hand with our efforts to maintain peace and security
and to promote democracy and good governance, however, we
must develop policy options that respond to the needs and
aspiration of people the world over for their human rights
to be respected, and for freedom from poverty, ignorance,
deadly pandemics including HIV/AIDS and for economic progress.
We must ensure gender equality and act to ameliorate the
full range of social problems affecting countries, particularly
in the developing world. This is especially critical for
the Commonwealth, as the vast majority of its Member States
are developing countries.
What
I am proposing here is not a straightforward matter - it
challenges countries, rich and poor, developed and developing,
to change the way they perceive their priorities, both nationally
and internationally. It also requires governments, particularly
those of the developed world, to make and keep commitments
particularly in the area of financing for development. Importantly,
it underscores that powerful and influential states have
an important role to play in meeting the goals and objectives
of the global agenda, but should not dominate it.
I want,
now, to definitively make the point to which I have alluded
throughout my conversation with you this morning. It is
that the Commonwealth and the United Nations share the same
global agenda, and that the goals and objectives of the
Commonwealth are complementary to those of the United Nations,
with which it has observer status. Understandably, each
body by nature of its membership, structure and functioning
approach common problems from a somewhat different perspective,
each bringing its particular strengths and capacities to
bear on the tasks at hand.
We
in the Commonwealth value its approach, particularly its
far-reaching tolerance of diversity and its capacity to
build consensus around issues of importance to its member
states. From this organization has come sustained commitment,
for example, on the issue of apartheid, where it has worked
alongside the people of South Africa and leaders including
Archbishop Tutu. The organization is also to be credited
with some of the most focused and innovative approaches
to problems of development. Commodities, international cooperation
in tax matters, small states, and strategies for setting
consistent and realistic economic and social policies -
the Commonwealth has provided significant support for its
members in all these areas.
Importantly,
when the Commonwealth develops consensus on an issue, it
can impact the policies of the United Nations and other
regional and international organizations. Its fifty-three
member states represent more than a quarter of the United
Nations membership and are represented in regional and other
groups around the world. In that regard, the Commonwealth's
development initiatives are particularly important at this
time, when member states are increasingly committing to
bringing the United Nations development agenda back to center
stage.
A Commonwealth
worldview - this is the approach I urge you to take to the
Model CHOGM. Be creative, be innovative, present the big
ideas. A better Commonwealth and a better world is in your
hands.
Thank
you.
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