CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY STATEMENT
BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JEAN CHRETIEN TO THE FIFTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF It is a pleasure to address this
important gathering. I congratulate the new President of the General
Assembly and wish him well. As you all know, Our age presents us with enormous opportunities to improve
health and lengthen life, especially in poor countries. To
safeguard security and rights. And
to increase education and help people realize their dreams. Our age also presents us with urgent
challenges. The environment. Rolling back diseases such as HIV - AIDS and malaria. Preventing
conflict and ending impunity for crimes against humanity. Stopping terrorism and organized crime. Controlling
weapons of mass destruction. Each government is responsible for
taking action within its own borders. But
in this global era such issues cannot be successfully addressed by
acting alone. Multilateral cooperation is indispensable. To
ensuring the well-being of citizens and protecting them effectively
from harm. Consider the fight against terrorism.
None of us has ever believed that, without co-operation from all,
terrorism could be controlled, let alone stopped. Drying up sources
of funding for terrorists also requires coordination and effective
legal regimes. Swift coordinated action is imperative to prevent attacks. The UN has been enormously helpful
in this fight. After the tragic events of Consider also health. Distance from the source of new viruses
no longer provides protection. The next one may be a plane ride away.
Multilateral cooperation is key to managing
health threats. We risk disaster if we do not share with each other
all the facts, and coordinate efforts to control outbreaks. Coordinated
action is also required for development in poor
countries and to ensure reasonable access to health care. Consider, further, the ongoing problem of nuclear, chemical
and biological weapons. We face increasing challenges from the proliferation
of these weapons of mass destruction to hostile states and terrorist
groups. Such proliferation must be stopped.
Through coordination and strict application of export
controls. Through rigorous verification and
enforcement of multilateral treaties. Through
other forms of collective action under international law. We all recognize that, through the
UN, we have met many global challenges successfully, but we recognize
that on others we have failed. We have been slow to adapt the UN to
changing circumstances. The times call for bold renewal at the United
Nations. This morning, the Secretary General set out proposals which are timely, necessary, and courageous. I
congratulate him on his remarkable speech. And
I can say that The necessity of multilateral action
means that there is no legitimate alternative to the UN. I call on
my fellow leaders to make meaningful UN reform a priority. We should not be pessimistic about our ability to succeed.
Consider some recent UN successes: the 2000 Millennium Summit and
the 2002 Conference on Financing for Development in At the same time, the outcome of the World Trade Organization
meeting in Too often, conflicts are allowed
to ignite, even when the whole world can see what the dreadful consequences
will be. Too often innocent civilians are left
to their fate. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary
of the genocide in It was with our collective failures
in The most fundamental duty of a state
is to protect its people. When a government cannot or will not do
so, the responsibility to protect them becomes temporarily a collective
international responsibility. Some question this idea because they fear intervention occurring
on slight pretexts. Or with motives other
than human protection. Others, due to their own tragic experience,
fear there would be too little outside involvement. We need to reconcile
these two concerns. We believe, as does the commission,
that in the face of large scale loss of life
or ethnic cleansing,
the international community has a moral responsibility to protect
the vulnerable. The primary purpose must be to avert and end human
suffering. No entity is more appropriate than
the UN Security Council to authorize military action to protect the
innocent. But the member states of the Council
have sometimes failed the innocent. Past failures must motivate us
to prepare better for future crises. We can reform how this place
works. Improve its effectiveness. Enhance its relevance. Inspire its
participants. Before closing, I wish to comment
on some of the challenges we all face to peace and security. In We have pledged $250 million (Cdn)
for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. We are committed to
helping the Afghani people build a democratic, pluralistic society. In The situation in the Middle-East
preoccupies us as it does the entire international community. Innocent
lives on both sides are being lost. Israeli families and Palestinian
families fear for their children and their future. Terrorism and violence
- in whatever form to advance whatever cause - simply creates more
violence and takes even more innocent life. For the international community,
as for Israelis and Palestinian, despair is not an option. Our goal
must remain a political solution based on two viable states, And we should be getting ready to do so now. And we should be looking for lessons in how the international
community has acted in other places to stop violence, as for example,
in Regional tensions, the war on terror
and efforts at reconstruction in recent hot spots must nevertheless
not distract us from continuing to help Africans realize their goals
for trade and investment, democracy, human development and good governance.
In summary: Multilateral cooperation remains
indispensable. The UN remains at the heart of the multilateral system.
New challenges demand new structures. And
a historic opportunity has emerged. Let us seize it. And let us realize the powerful idea that created the UN.
The idea that nations can unite to save their people from the scourge
of war. Let future generations say of us
that we did not fail that idea. That we realized
the potential of this great body. Supported
it. Renewed it. Re-energized it. To serve humanity better. Thank you. |