Statement

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

Praise be to Allah, our Lord, The Almighty. Prayers and peace be upon His prophet whom God chose to be the Lord's messenger to humanity as a guidance provider, bearer of good tidings and warner; and as the one who invites to Allah's Grace by His leave and as a lamp spreading light.

The Prophet's message was to guide the human kind along the righteous paths showing the avenues to justice, safety and peace. The ultimate purpose is to help mankind live a safe, secure and dignified life.

On the other hand, Allah, His name be blessed, bestowed on the human being the grand trust, i.e. the human brain which is the mastermind of all our personal and worldly affairs. Thus, the human race has become entrusted with stewarding all aspects of life on earth, the water resources and the outer space. In as much as the human beings are entrusted with the responsibility to conserve nature, they are required to harness all natural resources to their benefit. Rational and proper utilization is to be exercised with a view to avoid environmental damage and degradation.

But the human being is, in the final analysis, a mix of conflicting good and evil tendencies. Surreptitiously, the evil elements might gain the upper hand over a person thus turning him/her into what might seem as a tool of chaos and destruction. Or, Man might fall into the grip of selfishness and greed to the point that he might be lured into denying others access to the bounties of the universe.

Some of us might occasionally feel that the human kind is not paying adequate attention to the future of this planet in view of the already existing stockpiles of tools of death and destruction and the relentless efforts made to develop and enlarge those arsenals of lethal and highly sophisticated death machines and materials. In fact, there is even a more dangerous threat to human life. I have in mind those elements that act in ways which are harmful and demeaning to the well being and dignity of their fellow human beings. Looking around us, we see in too many parts of the world some people inciting sedition, hatred, discrimination, selfishness and chauvinism.

These attitudes can perhaps prove to be more destructive than the lethal weaponry. In retrospect, we find that human societies have suffered in the past and continue to endure tragedies and massacres even as we speak now as a result of those attitudes which lead to the subjugation of too many people to oppression and deprivation.

Harmful exploitation and mismanagement of natural resources - which sometimes occur through tyranny and narrow self-interest - expose vast numbers of people to the pressures and anguish of poverty and destitution while, at the same time, other segments of the human society enjoy living a comfortable life free from epidemics, illiteracy and want.

These preoccupations have eluded us for many decades. Towards the end of this century we had hoped that humanity would at least have alleviated their impact if it could not have resolved them in large measure. But, alas, the reality on the ground defeats our aspirations. Actually, in some respects, the scene is quite depressing as we see those problems exacerbate in terms of intensity, scope and human toll. This melancholic picture mars our celebration of transition into the twenty-first century. This fact also casts a long shadow of somberness over perhaps what in all likelihood seems to be a long portion of the new century. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that the new century will hold the promise of seeing humanity elevating itself above these pernicious phenomena. It is also our hope that in the new century humanity will demonstrate better rationality in the interest of mutual benefits and more civility in interaction. It is our hope that humanity will collectively focus more on improving living conditions across the globe and to address more effectively the human problems with a view to ensure universal safety and freedom from fear for all people. The conservation and improvement of our human environment should always be at the core of our endeavours in order to make sure that this planet will remain healthy and hospitable to our future generations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our world today is hallmarked by globalization, colossal economic blocks and fast advancing technology It is also a world that is more cognizant of and sensitive to human suffering wherever it occurs. It is a world that has become more responsive and willing to reach out with relief and humanitarian aid across national and regional borders. Nonetheless, we continue to be challenged by intense racial and sectoral violence, persistent outbreak of diseases and natural disasters as well as a whole array of problems as rightly outlined in the report of the Secretary-General.

In order to achieve better living conditions in the new century, those challenges must be faced squarely by drawing on human resolve, ingenuity and innovation. The bottom line in our common battle is to mount joint and well-coordinated international efforts to stem the tide of those problems or at least contain and mitigate their impact. This would perhaps require some new modalities for international contributions and burden sharing within the framework of well-considered and agreed platforms and plans of action. To our mind, such moves would certainly help promote understanding among peoples and civilizations and further consolidate world peace and security.

Along the same lines, the international community, represented by the United Nations, should at this landmark session, foster its collective efforts in rejecting any attempts to resolve differences among nations outside the parameters of the principles of the United Nations and the overarching concepts of peace. The United Nations system must remain the primary and last resort for the resolution of international disputes and its rulings should be respected and honoured by all its members.

In the same spirit, though now at the level of the human person, we must reaffirm our commitment to the rejection of any form of human slavery or denial of human rights irrespective of the excuses or circumstances cited to justify that by any political system or regime, even if that violation was committed by the government in that individual's own homeland.

Within this context, we can not tolerate the abduction of innocent hostages by a totalitarian regime which continues to hold them for political bargaining. The families of those detainees continue to anguish over the plight of their loved relatives while the hostages themselves languish in pain. The sense of loss and frustration runs deep in the souls of those families who continue to pin their hopes on the international community to hold that regime accountable and to coerce it into releasing those innocent victims or account for their whereabouts.

Every effort should be made to ensure that the twenty-first century will be free from all war criminals and perpetrators of massacres, including those who plan for and participate in these crimes against humanity.

We fervently hope that the new century, which is three months away, will hold the promise of being free from wars, free from epidemics, free from greed and feuds.

Let us hope that we shall channel our energy and resources to renovate our home, the planet earth, which has suffered immense damage in the course of the past century. Can we close our ranks and work together in unison to meet this universal challenge? Can we really pool our efforts to make our world a more friendly environment for our children?

There is no doubt in my mind that many world leaders share the same desire. This is after all the desire of just about every human being. So, let us work to translate it into a tangible reality.

Thank you and peace be upon all of you.