MALTA

Address

by

THE Hon. EDWARD FENECH-ADAMI

Prime Minister of Malta

The Millennium Summit of the United Nations

New York, 08 September 2000

PERMANENT MISSION OF MALTA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

249 EAST 35TH STREET, NEWYORK, N.Y. 10016 TEL.(212)725-2345 FAX.(212)779-7097

Homer, the first great poet of humanity, chose the state of siege as the basic image of the human condition in his first epic, the Illiad. He later moved on to another metaphor for human life in his second epic, the Odyssey, where human existence becomes a sea voyage, as opposed to one marked by the stagnation and corruption which can so often produce war.

I believe that there has been a somewhat similar change in the world's own self-image as indicated in the Secretary General's report presented earlier. The root of this change clearly stems from a desire to distance ourselves from the "siege" mentality, out of which this organisation was inevitably born, and to begin the new millennium aware that we - the whole of humanity - are embarked on the same voyage, on the same ship, and with very similar, if not precisely the same, goals.

The Secretary General's report also embodies full recognition of the interconnectedness of the economic, environmental and ethical dimensions of global security. It focuses on current developments that, to a large extent, may be termed issues of common interest, issues that form part of the common heritage of mankind. The Summit commitment "to ensure free access to information on the human genome sequence" is indeed very welcome in this regard.

Globalisation is clearly and rapidly emerging as an impressive force that offers potentially positive opportunities in the economies of the world. It is, however, not a panacea that can be expected to resolve all the challenges caused by under-development. The benefits therefrom, if equitably distributed, could and would help the healing process of the wounds opened by the devastating consequences of under-development and poverty.

Globalisation has served to heighten our interdependence on each other. It has helped us to realise that no country's problems are strictly its own. Its onset has, however, coincided with changes in our manifestations of the value of solidarity. At home many of us are re-assessing the viability of our welfare systems while abroad official development assistance has fallen rather than risen.

Globalisation must not be allowed to overwhelm our value of solidarity but rather allow for a new vision of this fundamental value for the new century. Solidarity must have new manifestations whereby advances in various fields, including those of science and medicine, are shared because in an interdependent world it is in our common interest that they are so shared.

We have to act swiftly to prevent a widening of a digital divide between the globalised few and the marginalised many. Failing to do so would ensure the further exacerbation of the scourge of poverty that often, indeed too often, is the root cause of most conflicts.

Equally important is the reaffirmation of our commitment to the United Nations and its Charter as the foundation of "a more peaceful, prosperous and just world." Our final declaration at this Millennium Summit carries with it a commitment to make the United Nations a more effective instrument, an instrument that can promote the forces necessary for change. To ensure that the United Nations can do this, however, it has to have the necessary means at its disposal.

At present the UN is effecting both internal and external reforms to ensure that it has adequate resources to meet its mandates. An area, which exacts an ever-increasing demand on resources, is the UN peace-keeping role. I would like to express Malta's support for the initiatives underway in this respect. I hereby signal our intention to significantly increase our peacekeeping contribution through a voluntary move from Group C to Group B.

I would also like to offer Malta's commitment to the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Tolerance scheduled for late next year. My Government undertakes to not only sign the declaration entitled 'A Vision for the 21st Century', but also to ensure that we have a valid and relevant contribution to make at the convening of this Conference.

I would like to end this intervention by confirming Malta's commitment to the underlying principles of this Organisation and trust that this Millennium Summit will provide the impetus to ensure that the UN becomes a more effective instrument in the hands of we, the peoples of the United Nations, not solely in words but also in deeds.