General Assembly Session 58 meeting 24

Mr. Andjaba (Namibia)

At the outset I associate myself with the statement made this morning by the representative of Morocco on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

In his introduction to the reports on the work of the Organization and on follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals, the Secretary-General begins by referring to the abominable attack of 19 August on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. While the attack caused the loss of the lives of dedicated servants of the Organization and nationals of Iraq, as the Secretary-General rightly puts it in his report on the Millennium Development Goals, it was

"a direct challenge to the vision of global ... security rooted in the Charter of the United Nations and articulated in the Millennium Declaration." (A/58/323, para. 2).

The blue flag and Blue Helmets have always signified hope, protection and security. But in this world of growing international tension the norm seems to be eroding. As we reflect on the events of 19 August, therefore, and on the work of the Organization in general, perhaps we need to go further and look critically at the underlying factors. For merely condemning this attack -- which we should do -- might not prevent a recurrence elsewhere.

The very name of our Organization denotes collectivism. It stems from the lesson learned that when we are divided we are vulnerable, and that our diverse national interests can be best served through an international order that is mutually beneficial.

Clearly, we have long realized that divisions in the United Nations have far-reaching consequences. But should agreement persist for the sake of unity, even when such agreement might lead to action that is inconsistent with the Charter? Those are some of the questions that perhaps need to be borne in mind as we reflect further, and when the proposed panel of eminent personalities on United Nations reform begins its important work.

The Millennium Declaration values include that of a world free from fear, and to this end world leaders have committed themselves to maximize efforts to prevent conflict. In this connection, we look forward to the Secretary-General's report on the prevention of armed conflict, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session.

It is imperative to stress that, where conflict has occurred, the importance of timely peacekeeping operations, commensurate with the magnitude of the task at hand, cannot be overemphasized. My delegation therefore shares the Secretary-General's concern that there was greater enthusiasm for discussing the Brahimi report than for implementing its recommendations. Peacekeeping is the collective responsibility of all Member States, irrespective of their geographical location.

The Secretary-General's report on the causes of conflict and sustainable development in Africa contains recommendations that remain valid. We can effectively address conflict only by looking at the causes comprehensively. In this connection, the African Union, through its Peace and Security Council, which will soon begin its activities, needs the assistance of the international community and enhanced cooperation with the United Nations with a view to strengthening conditions in which peace and development can thrive.

In the same vein, post-conflict peace-building is as important as peacekeeping. It is during the post-conflict, not the peacekeeping, period that the causes of conflict are addressed. This calls for closer coordination between Security Council and the Economic and Social Council to address sustainable development in post-conflict situations.

In the area of disarmament, the United Nations has put in place the necessary agencies to oversee disarmament. These agencies must be well equipped and allowed to carry out their work objectively.

In Africa, disarmament should include the problem of small arms and light weapons. The loss of millions of lives in conflict in some parts of Africa is the result, not of weapons of mass destruction, but of small arms, which none of the affected African countries produce.

We live in an interdependent world where developmental problems are connected to security challenges. The Millennium Declaration comprehensively addresses all the problems facing mankind, because we cannot pursue one problem at the expense of the others. Thus, we cannot effectively combat terrorism while failing to respect for human rights and fundamental freedom. We cannot strive for sustainable development while neglecting security challenges.

Namibia believes that gender equality and the empowerment of women is crucial if we are to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The Beijing Platform for Action comprehensively addresses ways and means of bringing about the equal participation of women. The full participation of women in political and economic decision-making is key in bringing about gender equality, which in turn will contribute to poverty eradication and enhance social justice. The participation of women in political decision-making is one area in which Member States need but political will, rather than outside measures.

Namibia welcomes the initiatives of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) aimed at helping low-income producers in developing countries find markets for their products, and urges the international community to work to enable UNIFEM to reach more women, especially in rural areas.

In the same vein, as we maximize our efforts to create a world fit for children, we must pay attention to the children who are caught up in conflict, as well as to the increasing number of AIDS orphans. In this regard, we welcome the United Nations Children's Fund and the African Union initiative aimed at prioritizing investment in the future of African children.

Global partnership is dependent upon cooperation. In this context, the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus will give impetus to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals.

In the context of sustainable development, Namibia attaches great importance to the promotion of the equitable utilization of oceans resources and the protection and preservation of the marine environment. In this regard Namibia underlines the essential need for capacity-building to ensure that developing countries are able to benefit from the resources of the oceans and seas. It is therefore vital that a voluntary trust fund be established, in accordance with part VII of the Fish Stocks Agreement, to provide financial assistance to developing States parties to the Agreement to assist in its implementation.

As the Secretary-General clearly stated in paragraph 72 of his report (A/58/323):

"For the first time in human history, we have the resources, the knowledge and the expertise to eradicate human poverty -- and to do so within the lifetime of a child born at the time when the Millennium Declaration was adopted".

We concur with his assertion, based on the fact that, while the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria still falls short of the $10.5 billion required annually by 2005 to fund global HIV/AIDS programmes, $800 billion is being spent annually on armaments.

Let me conclude by stating that, just as we need to take a long look at the existing architecture of international institutions, so, too, we should look at what we are or are not doing to make them function effectively. After all, the United Nations can only be as strong and effective as we the Member States want it to be.

Mr. Gatilov (Russia)

Most of the present day challenges and threats are global by their nature and therefore presuppose the need for a collective response based on the comprehensive regard and respect for the legitimate interests of all members of the international community, while strictly observing international legal rules and making comprehensive use of the potential of various multilateral universal and regional-level institutions.

The United Nations Secretary-General's report submitted to the Assembly justly noted that the past year has been extremely difficult for the Organization, probably the most severe endurance test of recent times. But at the same time, it demonstrated the potential flexibility of the United Nations -- for all its shortcomings -- to adjust to changes, taking into account new challenges and global processes, while adhering to its purposes and principles as they were set out by its founders.

The Russian Federation shares the United Nations Secretary-General's conclusion that a strong and effective Organization is an indispensable tool for regulating international relations in the face of real and potential threats on the basis of the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law. As President Vladimir Putin said from this rostrum, this is our choice and our strategic position. However, as the Secretary-General rightly observes, the Organization's strength and efficiency depend directly on the Member States' active support for its policy and their readiness to use the United Nations to reconcile competing national interests.

It is evident that during the past few years the Organization has increasingly been forced to confront entirely new problems, to face different, but no less serious threats. Therefore, like any complicated system, it needs improving. In this context, we share the Secretary-General's opinion about the urgent need, at the present time, to take "a most careful look" at reforming the entire United Nations system, including its main organs, the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council. We support his intention to create a group of eminent persons to come up, by the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly, with recommendations about reforming the above-mentioned mechanisms of the Organization. We are ready to take an active part in developing these proposals.

In doing so, it is important first of all to sort things out and to understand which of the United Nations structures and mechanisms are still efficient and productive, and which have already fulfilled their missions and are no longer in demand. That is why we have to be very cautious when interfering in the fabric and mechanisms of the Organization's functioning and to assume that any measures aimed at modernizing its instruments must be based on thorough analysis and accurate calculation.

The Russian Federation is convinced that the central role of the United Nations should be comprehensively consolidated by means of improving the international legal tools and by creating a relevant strategy on the basis of those tools.

The process was begun at the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, which supported the Russian initiative and adopted General Assembly resolution 57/145, entitled, "Responding to global threats and challenges". We assume that active efforts in this context should be continued and that particular emphasis should be given to developing effective practical measures.

In his address to the current Assembly session, President Vladimir Putin suggested the adoption of a new resolution, which would specify further steps to be taken by the international community in order to counter global threats and challenges. Its key elements would include the goal of closer interaction between States in this effort, based on a comprehensive and efficient strategy aimed at resolving specific problems, including international terrorism, regional conflicts and non-sustainable development.

We believe that active practical efforts in this direction can boost the authority of the United Nations in real terms, and help correctly define priorities in the reform process. We also hope that the high-level panel of experts, which is being created by the Secretary-General, will significantly contribute to this task. We call upon all States to support this General Assembly draft resolution.

We fully support the Secretary-General's efforts intended to strengthen the principle of the supremacy of law as a basic element of today's international relations. For Russia, this is an imperative. We can see that international law is going through complex processes affecting at times the very foundations of the international legal order.

We could cite as examples the rapid development of international criminal justice during the past few years, the conditions and limits of the use of force in the context of the fight against international terrorism, developments in international human rights law and the strengthening of the non-proliferation regimes for weapons of mass destruction.

In this vein we note as meriting our attention the Secretary-General's proposal to reflect on how we could, through joint actions, effectively address the problems that cause certain States to think of themselves as particularly vulnerable, which, in turn, prompts them to take unilateral measures.

We also believe it fundamentally important that the United Nations should, in practice, become the basis for the global anti-terrorist coalition. We note the role of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council, which ought to become a practical instrument for effectively combating the terrorist threat.

An important agenda item of the United Nations continues to be the improvement of peacekeeping mechanisms. The United Nations must be able to carry out a more expeditious and effective deployment of peacekeeping operations and, where needed, peace enforcement operations. Of course, this must be done in strict conformity with the United Nations Charter, which clearly defines the key role of the Security Council at all stages of a peacekeeping operation, from its authorization and elaboration of its mandate right through to its conclusion.

What is particularly important in this context is not to permit circumvention of Security Council authority, particularly in situations which raise the issue of the use of force on behalf of the international community. In the process, military measures must be agreed upon and must be both reasonable and sufficient.

As the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Putin, emphasized, our country is prepared to intensify its participation both in operations conducted under United Nations auspices and in coalition operations authorized by the Security Council. We support the importance underlined by the Secretary-General of insuring continuity in the peacekeeping cycle in United Nations activities in "hot spots", from preventive diplomacy and the prevention of armed conflicts, to establishing and maintaining peace and post-conflict peaceful construction.

We are pleased to note that over the past year the United Nations has achieved a measure of success in the settlement of regional conflicts. The examples of these operations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and a number of other crisis regions clearly demonstrate a direct link between the maintenance of peace and full socio-economic recovery in conflict-torn countries.

In this context, particular importance should be given to further development of, to quote the Secretary-General, "innovative partnerships" between the United Nations and regional organizations. Positive examples of such cooperation include the Security Council-mandated mission of the European Union in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations in Afghanistan; and the deployment of the multinational forces of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Liberia, later replaced by a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

The list of present-day threats is certainly not limited to problems of a military, terrorist or similar nature. To a great number of people on the planet, the utmost priority is overcoming the so-called soft threats in the socio-economic sphere, such as continued extreme poverty, income inequality, the spread of infectious diseases and the deterioration of the environment.

We welcome the United Nations trend towards increasing assistance to countries to attain their development goals and implement agreements reached at the recent landmark high-level conferences and meetings held under United Nations auspices. We support giving the Organization a truly key political mobilizing role in increasing policy coordination in the field of international trade, finance and investment. This requires further strengthening, on the basis of the Monterrey Consensus, of the interactions between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, and, finally, taking into account Cancun and the World Trade Organization.

Realizing the great value of the United Nations humanitarian mission, Russia, as President Vladimir Putin had noted, considers this to be a most important political objective of the Organization. Humanitarian crises have lately become particularly complex and multidimensional, which requires us to rethink the entire body of humanitarian assistance work. We agree with the Secretary-General that United Nations activities to implement the results of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, should be intensified.

We also intend to actively work to resolve serious environmental problems. An important stage here was the World Conference on Climate Change, which was recently held in Moscow.

One of the most serious global threats is undoubtedly the spread of such severe diseases as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and flare-ups of new deadly epidemics, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We support the Secretary-General's call for the mobilization of additional financial resources to enhance the effectiveness of international response measures. To this end, we favour the establishment of a global system to monitor and neutralize all dangerous infectious diseases.

The Secretary-General was certainly right when he said at the opening of this session that we stand at a crossroads. Indeed, the world may have changed, but the United Nations must counter all the threats and challenges, both new and old, in their new and dangerous combinations, both hard and soft, because the Organization's goals today are more real and urgent than ever before.

Mr. Sardenberg (Brazil)

At the outset, I thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and timely reports on the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and on the work of the Organization.

I also associate my country with the statement made by the representative of Peru on behalf of the Rio Group.

In presenting his report on the implementation of the Millennium Declaration a little less than a month ago, the Secretary-General, in a commendably earnest and frank manner, warned us of the risks confronting the very essence of our Organization. In his remarks during this year's general debate, he went beyond that, stating that in matters of international peace and security the logic of unilateralism "represents a fundamental challenge to the principles on which, however imperfectly, world peace and stability have rested for the last fifty-eight years" (A/58/PV.7, p. 3).

Very appropriately, the Secretary-General drew a parallel between the situation at the moment of the creation of the United Nations and the reality today. The founding fathers of the United Nations were aware that the creation of an Organization such as this -- a means for the peaceful resolution of conflict and the promotion of development through concerted action -- was the only viable alternative to a world of chaos, which at the time already threatened the very existence of mankind.

The United Nations based itself on the purposes and principles reflected in the San Francisco Charter, not only because of their intrinsic and unquestionable moral and ethical value, but also for the pragmatic reason that they were the only grounds on which it could withstand the test of time.

It is tragic that the values enshrined in the Charter are being challenged by recent international events at a time when continued technological developments have made the consequences of resorting to the use of force more dangerous and destructive, at a time when the ambiguous forces of globalization have made the interdependence of all our nations only more evident.

The moment has come for us to strengthen our commitment to multilateralism and to the principles and values at the core of this Organization. As President Lula da Silva put it in this very hall barely two weeks ago:

"Our central task is to preserve people from the scourge of war, to negotiate settlements inspired by the principles and objectives of the San Francisco Charter. Let us not place greater trust on military might than on the institutions we created with the light of reason and the vision of history." (A/58/PV.7, p. 6)

Reform of the United Nations has thus become a priority. The Security Council must be strengthened and made more legitimate. Its composition, in particular as concerns its permanent membership, cannot remain unaltered. It can no longer ignore the emergence on the international scene of developing countries that have become actors and often exercise a critical role in promoting the pacific settlement of disputes. Better representation means wider legitimacy.

The Economic and Social Council must be empowered so that it can make its indispensable contribution to the establishment of a fair and just economic order. It is crucial that the Council regain the role bestowed upon it by our Charter. The causes of peace and social and economic development will be better served with an Economic and Social Council that is able to cooperate fully and actively with the Security Council in preventing conflicts and in nation building.

The General Assembly, in turn, as the universal democratic organ that it is, must be reinforced politically so as to guide the work of the Organization overall and rekindle its status as the forum that embodies and gives voice to the principles of the Charter. It has to be more and more involved in the debate and in the determination of solutions to the new challenges facing humanity.

The Millennium Declaration has become a landmark in the United Nations. It embodies the essence of our multilateral efforts in the past decade and clearly points to what must be done in order to build a fair, inclusive and equitable world by 2015.

The review of progress on the implementation of the Millennium Declaration shows, however, mixed results. We should not be defeated by the prospect that, at the current pace, many countries and regions will not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. On the contrary, this realization should strengthen our resolve to work together to create the conditions for the international community to intensify efforts and fully achieve those goals. We must pursue them relentlessly in a true spirit of global partnership.

We are grateful for the personal commitment of Secretary-General Kofi Annan in this regard. The international community is indeed fortunate to count on his engagement and leadership.

In Brazil, President Lula da Silva has made the eradication of hunger not only a governmental policy but also a personal one. This is why he has lent his voice to advocating additional funding for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals worldwide. As a token of his commitment, he has made a personal donation to the Secretary-General to be used in efforts towards this aim.

Together with the leaders of India and South Africa, President Lula has invited other statesmen to join this endeavour. We are grateful for the expressions of support received from many of our partners and look forward to working closely with them.

Brazil welcomes the decision taken by the fifty-seventh General Assembly to hold, in 2005, a major event to review progress made in the implementation of the Millennium Declaration. This prospect should provide us with the necessary impetus to move more expeditiously from rhetoric to action to fulfil the commitments already agreed upon.

As noted by the Secretary-General in his report, there is a need for stronger international solidarity and responsibility, together with greater respect for decisions reached collectively and greater determination to put them into effect. Implementation is now, and should remain, our primary concern in the coming years.

As the Secretary-General has emphatically stated, history has given us the task of reviewing and reforming this Organization. Never before has the need been so evident. In this connection, Brazil favours the Secretary-General's initiative of convening a high-level panel to make the required recommendations.

In the end, it comes down to better equipping the United Nations -- our United Nations -- to deal with the challenges of our time, namely the threats to international peace and security, the struggle to bring those most in need out of misery and neglect, the defence of the collective purposes and principles on which the United Nations is based and the promotion of the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, as set out at the memorable Millennium Summit. In supporting the Secretary-General's determined efforts, Brazil remains fully committed to those objectives.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of Croatia.

Mr. Drobnjak (Croatia)

One has to start the debate with strong praise for the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization. It is a comprehensive and transparent document, one that provides us with a broad picture of all the activities and important work that this Organization has achieved in the course of one year. We appreciate, in particular, the directness of the report of the Secretary-General concerning the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. Such an engaged and results-oriented approach serves as an example for further reporting on the matter. Croatia shares the Secretary-General's opinion about the progress that has been achieved in certain areas of work, as well as his warnings about the shortcomings or the lack of political will that exist in others.

The past year proved to be challenging for the United Nations in more ways than one, especially in the field of peace and security. The war in Iraq profoundly shook the very core of the Organization, testing some of the basic United Nations principles to the limit. If there was one valuable lesson learned from this challenge, it is that we must act efficiently and swiftly in order to strengthen our Organization.

Any comprehensive United Nations reform has to include the reform of the Security Council. For that reason, it is of the utmost importance to resume the negotiations on this issue and to proceed with a stronger political will and an open mind. The strategic importance of the Security Council's reform should outweigh the single political agenda of any Member State. We must also review the functioning of the other major United Nations organs and the relationship between them, leaving no stone unturned. In this regard, we strongly support the Secretary-General in his intention to establish a high-level panel of eminent personalities to provide us with fresh ideas and views on these far-reaching topics. We hope that the high-level panel will commence its work soon, and that its composition will be based as much on proven expertise as on the appropriate regional representation.

The comparative advantages of the United Nations, like those in the field of peacekeeping and peace-building, conflict prevention and peacemaking, should be fully utilized. The world needs this expertise. It needs extensive United Nations knowledge and know-how that can be supplemented by no other international organization, or by any one country. As regional organizations and initiatives are becoming closer partners to the United Nations in the field of maintaining peace and security, their specific knowledge and targeted influence in their respective regions should be further utilized as an added value, and their cooperation with the United Nations additionally strengthened.

The terrorism of the twenty-first century, global in its reach and devastating in its consequences, has shed a new light on the issue of collective security and our collective responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security. The almost universal response of Member States to the Counter-Terrorism Committee's requests is a telling example of how competent the United Nations can be in mobilizing the international community in global action against terrorism. Croatia believes that determined multilateralism is the most efficient weapon in this war, and this Organization continues to be the best possible framework for a long-term anti-terrorism strategy. This strategy, however, must not ignore the basic principles that the United Nations stands for, including full respect for international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Disarmament remains a matter of high priority for the international community, in particular as it relates to the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is an issue that goes beyond the scope of disarmament, falling squarely in the field of the fight against terrorism. We fully agree with the Secretary-General in his assessment that there is a concern that nuclear, biological or chemical weapons might be used by State or non-State actors. Croatia fully subscribes to the Secretary-General's opinion that a major weakness of all weapons of mass destruction regimes is their weak enforcement provisions and that this matter deserves review and possible action, some of which should be undertaken within the framework of the United Nations, including the Security Council.

Of equal importance is making further progress in conventional weapons disarmament, which should not be subsumed into or overridden by a narrow focus on certain aspects of the global nexus of disarmament, non-proliferation and security of weapons-related material. We remain concerned by the lack of progress in this field. Small arms and light weapons present a threat to regional stability in some parts of the world of the same magnitude as that of weapons of mass destruction elsewhere.

We have to devote special attention to so-called soft threats posed by environmental problems, contagious diseases, economic dislocation, crime, illegal transborder activities, corruption at various levels and simple poverty. All of these make people more vulnerable, more desperate and prone to radicalism of all sorts. We are still off track in reaching the goals set for primary education, gender equality and child mortality. Fighting global poverty is the most daunting of all problems, because poverty -- whether caused by a lack of money, food or perspective -- is a breeding ground for the expanding crisis, with unforeseeable consequences for peace and stability. According to the World Bank's World Development Report 2004, there is a possibility that the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day will be halved by 2015 if an annual gross domestic product growth of 2.9 per cent is achieved. We should make that goal our priority.

The United Nations must increase its efforts to ensure a smooth transition from the provision of humanitarian assistance to that of development activities in post-conflict situations. Lessons learned in some parts of the world -- in South-East Europe, for example -- could be utilized and further explored elsewhere, in parts of Africa in particular. We also encourage strengthening the role of the Economic and Social Council and its cooperation with other main United Nations bodies, especially the Security Council. We encourage further increased financing for development, a strong involvement of the private sector, a successful round of trade negotiations and the use of new technologies, such as information and communications technologies, for poverty eradication.

Monitoring progress of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals at the national, regional and global levels is essential because it shows not only the current state of play, but also what action has to be taken. Therefore, the United Nations Development Group, the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank should continue to strongly cooperate in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, their monitoring, and national and regional reporting.

Global threats necessitate the globalization of the legal order. The strengthening of the international rule of law as a guarantee of international peace and security has been rightly recognized as one of the cornerstones of the implementation of the Millennium Goals. Croatia therefore welcomes the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and the Organization directed at raising worldwide awareness of the importance of the rule of law. We particularly support new initiatives, such as annual treaty events, which have proven successful at mobilizing Member States to join a number of important legal instruments, which in turn widen and strengthen their reach.

We are witnessing the emergence of a new international legal order. This evolutionary process is probably most pronounced in international criminal and humanitarian law. The beginning of the twenty-first century remains marked by the creation of the International Criminal Court, which is the first example of international criminal adjudication that is permanent and not linked to particular areas, nations or events. We welcome the commencement of its work and feel proud to be an active participant in its creation.

In the area of human rights, democracy and good governance, my delegation welcomes the accelerated ratification of major human rights treaties and deems equally important their effective and comprehensive implementation. In this respect, the United Nations should continue its support in building national capacities in human rights as well as integrating human rights into its own development activities.

We welcome the initiatives and actions that have been taken on strengthening the administration and management of the Organization. All efforts that are made in order to enhance the operational capability and effective functioning of the Organization enjoy our continued support. As a country that fulfils its financial obligation towards the Organization on a regular basis, Croatia is encouraged that the financial situation of the Organization has been showing a tendency towards improvement in the past two years. In order for it to be more efficient and effective in utilizing resources, corresponding steps would need to be taken. We fully support all measures to streamline the work of the Organization so as to ensure that resources and activities are in line with the Organization's priorities set out in the Millennium Declaration.

The general debate at the beginning of the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly underlined the importance of our Organization. There is a need not to elaborate on this issue further, but to concentrate on the real work. We have the structure, experience and knowledge in the United Nations that should be improved through comprehensive reforms, but is already sufficient to enable us to act decisively in all the fields where such an action is dearly needed.

In conclusion, I would like to inform the Assembly that Croatia, as an applicant country for European Union membership, aligns itself with the European Union's statement delivered this morning on this agenda item by the Union's Italian presidency.

Mr. Hakeem (Saudi Arabia)

I should like at the outset to join preceding speakers in thanking the Secretary-General for his report on the work of the Organization. I also wish to commend the great effort made in drafting the report, which is comprehensive and accurate in its account of international developments last year and of the role of the Organization in addressing issues of peace and security and social and economic questions. In particular, I commend the report's realism in its early reference to the fact that this has been a trying year for the United Nations in the area of peace and security.

Any observer of the international situation will note that the primary reason for this is the non-adherence of many countries to the principles and purposes of the United Nations and their lack of respect for decisions of international legitimacy. Recent events in various parts of the world have shown that there is no place for unilateral action outside the framework of international legitimacy in addressing such current problems as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and even the resort to unilateral action on the basis of self-defence. The latter undermines the principle of collective security upon which the Charter of the United Nations is founded.

The report reviews the tragic situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and the persistent efforts made by the Secretary-General and the Quartet to resume the peace process. Unfortunately, despite all those intense efforts and good offices, Israel still flouts the decisions of international legitimacy. Israel has always taken such a stance in its international relations regarding its occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories.

This stems first of all from the reluctance of the international community to compel Israel to implement United Nations resolutions. That has subjected the Palestinian people to increasing daily suffering and has encouraged Israel to persist in its efforts more tenaciously, as witnessed by its military aggression yesterday on the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic.

Terrorism represents a threat to international peace and security. Our sense of security in the world is being eroded by that phenomenon. It is thus imperative that we firmly condemn terrorism in all its forms, and Saudi Arabia has expressed its position on the matter. My country has also supported all Security Council resolutions related to terrorism. We have fully cooperated in efforts to implement international measures to combat terrorism, and have acceded to international treaties in that connection. Here, we should emphasize that any international effort to combat terrorism, however effective, will not be able to eliminate the phenomenon completely if it is treated apart from its root causes, and motivations, and the means by which its is spread. Therefore, circumstances that produce a political, economic and social environment conducive to extremist and terrorist trends require our full attention.

Despite the fact that 25 years have elapsed since the holding of the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, it is regrettable that the international commitment to acceding to international treaties is still weak. My country, Saudi Arabia, is making every effort to make the Middle East region free from all weapons of mass destruction. Despite the adoption since 1974 of yearly resolutions aimed at making the Middle East a zone free from weapons of mass destruction, that objective still eludes us, because of Israel's refusal to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and submit its nuclear facilities to the international safeguards regime. My country therefore appeals to the international community to take the measures necessary to transform the Middle East region into a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction. That would greatly contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region and throughout the world.

Concerning item 60, on follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit, my delegation agrees completely with the Secretary-General in his report on implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration (A/58/323). Any observer of international events can see that -- in addition to the key challenges faced by the world today in the form of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction -- the main challenge emphasized by heads of State or Government in the Millennium Declaration is making globalization a positive force for the benefit of all peoples of the world. The Millennium Declaration included a series of time-bound Development Goals. However, the Secretary-General referred in his report to the uneven way in which these Goals are being implemented given the many differences among regions and countries, or even within countries. My delegation still believes that implementing most of the Millennium Goals by 2015 will be likely only with the political will of the international community and with collective action to implement our international objectives.

The report of the Secretary-General on the Millennium Declaration refers to HIV/AIDS, which is the most prominent threat faced by humanity in the twenty-first century. Based on the great importance that Saudi Arabia attaches to this issue, my Government has worked side by side with the international community since the twenty-sixth special session, held in late June 2001. We have sought to implement the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, because we believe that it is important to stand with the international community and support it in confronting this epidemic. Saudi Arabia has also contributed $10 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. My country has also participated in conferences held at the local, regional and international levels to contribute to limiting the spread of AIDS.

We still have a lot to do and many challenges to meet. I would like to emphasize that my country, Saudi Arabia, is determined to participate seriously in our collective work to address these challenges. I would also emphasize the great importance that Saudi Arabia attaches to the United Nations and to its pivotal role in maintaining peace, security and stability and in achieving development. We underline here that the implementation of all these objectives should be in keeping with the principles of the Charter and the resolutions of the Organization.

Mr. Rastam (Malaysia)

My delegation would like to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive reports on the work of the Organization and on implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, as contained in documents A/58/1 and A/58/323, respectively. We also thank him for his statement of 23 September 2003 (see A/58/PV.7). We commend the Secretary-General for the innovation and change that he has effected in the work of the Organization as well as for his determination to bring about further changes to meet present and future challenges. We also commend the Secretary-General for his strong commitment to multilateralism. We share his view that the United Nations can play a central role in resolving many issues of common concern to all nations. We concur, to a large extent, with the Secretary-General's bold and candid analysis of the current global situation. Like him, we have concerns over the future of the United Nations and of multilateralism. These, we believe, should be addressed by the General Assembly at this session.

My delegation also wishes to congratulate you, Mr. President, for your wise decision to continue to have these two interrelated agenda items considered in a joint debate in the interest of ensuring efficiency in the work of the General Assembly. We view this as a good beginning to our work during this session of the General Assembly. We fully support you in your effort to achieve the goals that you have outlined on several occasions. We are confident that, under your presidency, the General Assembly will play its rightful role: to assist the Secretary-General and the Organization to meet the challenges outlined in the Secretary-General's reports. My delegation associates itself with the statement made by Morocco on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Clearly, the United Nations has faced tremendous challenges during the past year. Our collective commitment to a multilateralism centred around the United Nations has been severely tested. Many people, including the Secretary-General, have advocated the need for urgent change and reform in the United Nations. Malaysia welcomes such a move. Malaysia fully supports the proposed establishment of the high-level panel of eminent personalities, as announced by the Secretary-General during the general debate on 23 September 2003. We join the Non-Aligned Movement in expressing that support. The Movement had discussed the Secretary-General's proposal at its Ministerial Meeting, held in New York on 26 September 2003. Malaysia will work with the Non-Aligned Movement and others to offer our views and suggestions to the Secretary-General to ensure the successful outcome of this exercise.

The Secretary-General has asked whether the set of rules drawn up by the founding fathers of the United Nations, which have governed the conduct of relations between States over all these years, are still valid, or whether they need to be radically changed. We agree that change is required. But change should not be made at the expense of principles. Malaysia firmly believes in the need to strengthen multilateralism, as embodied in the United Nations. It is clear that no country can act alone to resolve problems that concern the international community. The situation in Iraq is a clear example. The United Nations has to be given a central role in resolving issues relating to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the promotion of international cooperation.

During the recent general debate, heads of State, Prime Ministers, Ministers and heads of delegation repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism. It is imperative that we now work, during this session of the General Assembly, to develop a renewed sense of purpose for the United Nations, so as to enable the Secretary-General and his colleagues to carry out their tasks and responsibilities with greater vigour and confidence. We also need to revive public confidence in the United Nations.

My delegation maintains its conviction that the Security Council must be reformed and restructured in order to promote democratic practices in international relations and reflect international geopolitical realities in the current membership of the United Nations. Besides the question of increased membership, the rights and privileges accorded to members, in particular the veto power vested in the permanent members, must be seriously addressed in the reform process. Malaysia believes that very serious efforts must be made to effect genuine reform of the Security Council as soon as possible.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is highlighted in the Secretary-General's report as a major threat to international peace and security. We share the sentiment of the Secretary-General that we should not differentiate between "good" and "bad" proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is disturbing to my delegation that the prevailing international security situation is being used to give emphasis only to vertical proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. That trend is indeed incompatible with the agreements reached at the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament.

Malaysia agrees that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction must be curtailed. Such weapons must be eventually eliminated, without discrimination, if we are sincere in our resolve to create a peaceful and secure world free from the threat of weapons of mass destruction. But we cannot confuse the issues. The role of the United Nations in this regard cannot be ignored.

The situation in the Middle East remains an important issue of international peace and security for the United Nations. We appreciate the efforts of the Secretary-General, the Quartet and other peace brokers in the region to revive the peace process through the implementation of the road map. We encourage the Secretary-General to continue with his efforts. Israel must be made to demonstrate firm commitment to the road map and to announce its acceptance of the two-State solution, end its occupation of Palestinian and other Arab territories, cease military operations and human rights violations against the Palestinians and against its neighbours, such as the air strike against Syria yesterday, and terminate its settler colonialism activities and the construction of the expansionist wall.

The Quartet, particularly those members with the necessary influence, should intensify their efforts towards ensuring the revival of the peace process and the achievement of the objectives set out in the road map. The United Nations should continue to work towards that end while at the same time providing the necessary humanitarian and other forms of assistance to the Palestinian people.

Malaysia strongly believes that concerted and coordinated action by the international community, particularly within the framework of the United Nations, is essential to ensure success in suppressing and preventing terrorism. We commend the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the relevant United Nations agencies in their work to assist Member States. We continue to believe that, to respond effectively to terrorism, it is equally important for the international community to understand and seek to ameliorate the conditions that generate it. Therefore, Malaysia remains supportive of the proposal by the Non-Aligned Movement that a high-level international conference be convened under the auspices of the United Nations to formulate a joint organized response of the international community to terrorism; and to obtain agreement on the definition of terrorism, as well as address its root causes, so as to clear up any ambiguities and uncertainties hampering international cooperation to combat terrorism. Malaysia has supported and contributed to regional and international efforts to combat acts of terrorism. We will continue to honour our commitment.

The attack on United Nations headquarters in Baghdad was a tragic event not only for the United Nations but also for the international community. The attack points to the vulnerability of United Nations personnel in areas of conflict. It points to the need for the United Nations to be given security assurances in order for it to carry out its mandate. The international community must support the Secretary-General and all United Nations personnel concerned in their efforts at peacekeeping and peace-building, providing humanitarian assistance and promoting development, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, West Africa or in other areas. The United Nations must be able to maintain its neutrality and credibility in order to be effective and successful, as it has done in places such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia and Timor-Leste.

Malaysia fully supports United Nations peacekeeping activities, which are given a clear mandate by the Security Council. We are pleased that a credible operational concept based on a specific time frame, with a clear exit strategy, has been adopted and successfully implemented in most United Nations peacekeeping operations. It is the obligation of all Member States to ensure the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations. For its part, Malaysia will continue to contribute personnel and expertise to assist in United Nations peacekeeping.

In the area of human rights, we welcome the call by the Secretary-General for the Commission on Human Rights to continue the process of reconsidering and strengthening its methods of work, in order to reduce the level of politicization in its work. We believe that the Commission should be more constructive, see less politicization of issues and be more positive in its approach and objectives so as to be effective.

Malaysia believes that Member States must act in accordance with the principles and norms of international law in their conduct of international relations. In this regard, Malaysia is supportive of initiatives taken by the United Nations to promote the rule of law at the international level. Malaysia recognizes that treaties are one of the main sources of international law. The universality and binding force of multilateral treaties would be enhanced if a large number of Member States were to become parties to them. Malaysia hopes that, in negotiations to elaborate international treaties, the concerns of as many countries as possible can be taken into consideration. All efforts should be made to reach consensus, particularly on controversial issues, thereby enabling universal acceptance.

Malaysia has always taken its international obligations seriously. Like many other sovereign nations, we undertake a thorough study before finally committing ourselves to a treaty.

During the recent treaty event in New York, Malaysia signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and deposited its instruments of accession to two conventions relating to the fight against international terrorism. We would like to commend the Secretary-General for his efforts to promote the participation of States in international treaties through initiatives such as organizing treaty events and training programmes, providing technical assistance on legal matters and the legal assistance web site, in particular on the implementation of treaties.

It is obvious that much more needs to be done in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and their targets. The United Nations Development Programme has estimated that an annual gross domestic product growth rate of 2.9 per cent a year is the minimum rate of growth required between now and 2015 to achieve the Goals. We agree with the Secretary-General that the central challenge facing the world today is the eradication of global poverty and hunger. We must also tackle the ever-present problem of killer diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS. In addition, we must be prepared to confront new diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome.

In that connection, my delegation joins the appeal to the developed countries to translate their support for and commitment to the Millennium Development Goals into real action to enable the developing countries concerned to deal effectively with many of the problems discussed by the Secretary-General in his report. We are pleased to inform the General Assembly that Malaysia has in general achieved -- and in some instances exceeded -- the first seven Goals. We remain committed to the achievement of the Goals worldwide. We will assist, within our means, other developing countries to achieve them through bilateral, regional and multilateral programmes.

Both the developed and the developing countries should also adhere to the new framework of mutual obligations and mutual accountability as laid out in the Monterrey Consensus. My delegation takes this opportunity to acknowledge and applaud the good work that has been done by the United Nations and its subsidiary bodies as it continues in its work in all areas to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We must acknowledge the work done by the United Nations in supporting regional initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Malaysia fully supports all the efforts of the Secretary-General and the various United Nations agencies in that regard.

During the past year, we have witnessed a challenge to the foundation of the Organization's existence, in the form of a strong trend towards unilateral approaches on the part of some. That happened when war was launched against Iraq. In a way, that has affected the collective gathering by the international community of political will and resources to combat international terrorism since 11 September. The Secretary-General has responded in a decisive and timely way by urging Member States to return to the fundamentals of the Organization -- essentially, to return to multilateralism. Malaysia strongly shares his sentiment. We must rededicate ourselves to the multilateral approach in all aspects of the work of the United Nations. We sincerely hope that that call will be reinforced with continued vigour by all Member States, in strict conformity with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter.

We must inject new dynamism into the General Assembly at this session. The political direction that has been provided by our leaders is a key element in enabling the Assembly to effectively address critical issues of concern to all of us and to take up the challenge to make the United Nations efficient and effective. My delegation believes that we, the Member States, should rise to that challenge now.

Mr. Staehelin (Switzerland)

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