General Assembly Session 62 meeting 22

Mrs. Asmady (Indonesia)

Let me begin by thanking the Secretary-General for his first report on the work of the Organization (A/62/1). We very much value his overview of what was accomplished over the past year and his highlighting of the various factors that need to be addressed in the future. This is an extremely important report for my delegation, as Indonesia has always stood for a robust United Nations that plays a central role in international affairs.

The report comes at a critical juncture in the history of the United Nations, not least because of the change at its helm. It would not be wrong to say that the world is going through a period of turbulence and uncertainty. Climate change, geopolitical upheaval, uneven progress in the economic and social fields and large pockets of persistent poverty globally are some of the crucial challenges confronting peoples of the world. We will tackle these issues effectively only if the international community reaffirms its commitment to the multilateral approach and if it does so from the most credible world platform available to the community, the United Nations.

But merely highlighting the stature of the Organization is not sufficient. All Member countries must show through their actions that they recognize the primacy of the United Nations in solving global challenges, and fully support its organizational requirements and its aims.

While we instinctively associate the United Nations with world peace and security, we would do just as well to associate it with development. Development is, to a large extent, a prerequisite for peace and security. That is why we must not subordinate the development role of the United Nations to any other it has to play on the world stage. That means that the development agenda of the United Nations, and in particular the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), must be accorded priority and carefully attended to in order to win and keep the peace.

This being 2007, we are at the halfway point of the period set for the achievement of the MDGs. Yet the results have been less than spectacular overall. Those who most desperately need to achieve the MDGs find themselves still unable to do so. In contrast to the bright spots of Asia, the situation remains dire in sub-Saharan Africa. There, several countries are not on track to achieving a single MDG. In many developing countries, particularly in their rural regions, people weather the vicissitudes of poverty every day. Their plight is being worsened by the impact of climate change. The Secretary-General does not mince words on this matter: "The Millennium Development Goals and the other internationally agreed development goals cannot be achieved... if we do not tackle climate change" (A/62/1, para. 11).

In response to that, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently echoed that sentiment while addressing the General Assembly. On global warming, he said that "we are much more interdependent than we thought in terms of the causes, symptoms and solutions" and that there was "the need for urgency, which means the need for action and the need to think outside the box" (A/62/PV.5, p. 23).

As a high-risk nation and the venue for the thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, Indonesia attaches great importance to this issue. We expect that the Bali Conference, which will be held in December, will set the stage for the establishment of a global partnership to address climate change. Out of it should emerge concrete actions and rationalized targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires, in 2012.

Even as developing countries build the capacity to deal with climate change, they must not ignore other aspects of capacity-building that are crucial for their development. Enlightened self-interest must cause them to practice good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights. In all of that, national efforts must be reinforced by international support, especially from the donor community. Global partnerships are also required.

The success of global partnerships will hinge on the necessary political will. In concrete terms, they must lead to the fulfilment of international commitments. Instead of decreasing, as it did last year, official development assistance should increase. So too should foreign direct investment, which has so far shown itself partial to only a few select emerging economies.

The time has now come for the Doha Development Round to live up to the expectations of the developing world. Distorting subsidies, limited market access and the need for special and differentiated treatment must be tackled urgently.

In order to be able to make effective interventions to resolve those matters, the United Nations must be strengthened through comprehensive reform. It must become the fulcrum to realize a just and equitable world order. While we note meaningful progress on some fronts, the capacity of the United Nations must be further enhanced to address the global challenges of the twenty-first century that lie before it. The reform process must impact all organs of the Organization in order to maintain the proper balance among them in accordance with the vision of the Charter.

My delegation has long believed that the General Assembly, as the highest deliberative and decision-making organ of the United Nations, should embody the fullness of its capability. The General Assembly must exercise the full authority granted to it under the Charter of the United Nations and the Security Council must be adapted to reflect current geopolitical realities.

In that context, no opportunity should be lost to move forward the global agenda on the issues of disarmament and non-proliferation. As highlighted in the report of the Secretary-General, "The quest for a more peaceful and secure world is one of the main pillars of the work of the Organization" (para. 42).

The absence of consensus for action on those two challenges should be a cause for deep concern by all. An important first step should be to free the Conference on Disarmament from its paralysis. Likewise, the restructuring of the Secretariat in the disarmament field is very important. We are confident that under the direct supervision of the Secretary-General, the Office for Disarmament Affairs could be made more effective in achieving its mandate.

Until there is the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Indonesia remains firmly convinced that non-nuclear-weapon States should be assured that such weapons will not be used in any situation of conflict. While the Secretary-General has reflected on the three issues to be negotiated within the framework of the Conference on Disarmament, the issue of negative security assurances has not attracted much attention. That matter should not be overlooked.

In fighting terrorism, our view is that that international scourge is best tackled from the roots up. More will be needed than the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted last year as resolution 60/288, to decisively overcome that problem. We must redouble our efforts to settle outstanding issues linked to the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism, which is long overdue.

The Secretary-General's report also shines the spotlight on various conflicts in the world that deserve international attention. We welcome the greater use of the Office of the Secretary-General in the resolution of such disputes. We expect that the standing team of mediation specialists will effectively supplement the work of the Secretary-General in that area. We hope that, with the involvement of all the parties concerned, further action will be taken to find concrete solutions to festering global conflicts, particularly those in the Middle East and Africa. Certainly, the engagement and the costs required to defuse potential hostilities before war actually erupts will be much less than after was occurs.

In the face of protracted conflicts, we find there is an ever-increasing demand for United Nations peacekeepers. That surge in peacekeeping demands is unprecedented, with the trend likely to continue for some time. In terms of United Nations peacekeeping, Indonesia has a proud tradition of participation going back to 1957. We will in fact be contributing a police unit for the Hybrid Operation in Darfur. Last year, in response to the conflict in south Lebanon, we were one of the first countries that offered to reinforce the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The capacity of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the field and at Headquarters needs to be enhanced, with the strongest possible support for peacekeeping missions.

In handling that mandate, we are convinced that the agreed basic principles of peacekeeping -- consent of the parties, impartiality and non-use of force except in self-defence and in the defence of the authorized mandate -- are essential to both the safety and the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations.

As a member of the Peacebuilding Commission, we are particularly pleased that the Commission quickly came of age during the first year of its operation by considering two country cases. The task before us is to translate the Commission's commitment into tangible measures on the ground.

In the sphere of the promotion of basic human rights, we are pleased to learn of the Human Rights Council's establishment of the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism. This is an innovative mechanism which my delegation believes will contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights on a basis of equality. It will serve to minimize the politicization of human rights and the use of double standards in evaluations, as we experience now. We look forward to the early operationalization of the mechanism as it begins its work next year. This will be a significant milestone for the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

However, we should be duly cautious when dealing with the report's support for the concept of the responsibility to protect, on which we decided during the 2005 Summit. We continue to believe that, in practice, this will contravene the principle of the equality of States in international relations. We firmly believe no pretext should be created for interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States.

In conclusion, Indonesia reiterates its full support for and willingness to cooperate with all those who endeavour to promote multilateralism. We view multilateralism as our shield against injustice and disrespect in international relations and as our most valuable tool to build a better world.

Mr. Zinsou (Benin)

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