SLOVAKIA
MILLENNIUM SUMMIT OF THE UNITED NATIONS
ADDRESS
OF
NEW YORK
7 SEPTEMBER 2000
Madam President, Mr. President, Mr.
Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the turn of the
millennia, the human race is going through fundamental changes, within a global
context, that are bound to have a significant impact on the future of humanity
in the 21st century in all walks of life. Apart from triggering the process of
democratization, the end of the Cold War and the demise of the bipolar world
brought forth new opportunities for many countries to enhance their
international cooperation and, in some cases, rapprochement. At the same time
however, it raised new challenges for the current generation and, in some ways,
for the very construction of multilateralism, based on the UN Charter.
The end of this century
has been marked by an escalation of negative phenomena: intra-state
conflicts accompanied by humanitarian crises of tragic dimensions; gross
violations of human rights; globalization, which, apart from economic benefits,
has brought a number of negative social impacts such as the widening gap
between the rich and the poor; new threats to the environment; organized crime,
drugs, diseases, illegal proliferation of weapons and the soaring number of
refugees across the globe.
Face to face with these
challenges, the UN has justified its mission. The Slovak Republic is convinced
that the UN plays an irreplaceable role in tackling a whole range of global
issues, the solution of which by individual member states on an individual or
regional basis has proven to be practically impossible.
The Slovak Republic,
like other member states of the UN, is aware of the necessity for the UN to
undertake overall reform. And this necessity becomes particularly apparent in
the fight of the recent conflicts in the Balkans or protracted conflicts in Africa,
such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Sierra Leone. In this context,
I wish to emphasize that the UN's reform cannot be complete without reforming
the Security Council, being the key body of the UN responsible for preserving
international peace and security. The increase in the number of Security
Council members, efficiency of its decision-making and transparency of
its activities should foster the authority, representativeness, credibility and
efficiency of the Security Council in the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our planet is a home
shared by all of mankind. That is why the efficient solution of global issues
requires an active involvement of the civil society and private sector. In this
sense, the Slovak Republic supports the initiative of the UN Secretary-General
toward the private sector, expressed in his appeal for the adoption of the, Global
Compact of Shared Values and Principles" in the area of human rights,
labor and employment, and the environment.
Slovakia also supports
the proposals put forward by the UN Secretary-General in the fields of
social development, standard of living, health care and eradication of poverty.
The attention of the
international community must continue to focus on the agenda of disarmament,
particularly on weapons of mass destruction. No less attention must be paid to
conventional weapons. Certain categories of these weapons are oftentimes used
as the means for waging armed conflicts within countries that pose an
increasing threat to international and regional security and stability.
Illegal proliferation of
small arms has become a marked phenomenon of recent years. Slovakia, therefore,
supports the holding next year of a UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, which should outline the specific
steps to be taken in tackling this issue.
The experience of the
Slovak Republic from its involvement in the UN peace-keeping missions
bears witness to the potential on the part of the small and medium-sized
countries to actively participate in ensuring peace and stability worldwide.
Standing on the
threshold of the new century, the international community must focus its
endeavors on ensuring full respect for international law and, in particular,
human rights, whose violations have recently been grave and numerous. Hence,
Slovakia fully supports the expedient constitution of an International Criminal
Court and subscribes to the Secretary-General's appeal to put an end to
the culture of impunity.
Global developments
reiterate the universal validity of the need to respect human rights and
personal freedoms of individuals as basic prerequisites to the freedom of
nations, their dynamic social and economic development, and harmonious
coexistence worldwide. The Slovak Republic is firmly determined to take an
active part in defending and ensuring that respect.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
The peace, security,
prosperity and development of humanity in the upcoming century will test our
ability to combine traditional concepts derived from the sovereignty of states
as the basic elements of international law, with new principles that are based
on the global respect for fundamental human rights and the accountability of
individual states before the international community for their breaches. These
new ideas and principles should spark debates among nations and, ultimately,
result in a broad-based agreement within the international community, as
was the case 55 years ago when the UN Charter was adopted.
This organization faces
many challenges. Allow me to express my conviction that, with the process of
internal reforms accomplished, the UN will be able to react to each and every
one of these challenges with the utmost tact and efficiency.
Thank
you very much for your attention.