A/55/PV.5 General Assembly

We are gathered here today to reaffirm our faith in this Organization, this United Nations. We are gathered here to reconfirm that the purposes and principles of its Charter can safely lead us in the new millennium and fulfil the ageless expectation of a world free of poverty, free of hunger, free of war, free of the dictatorship of the mighty and free for us to enjoy our right to development. But why should Saint Lucia, an island of 238 square miles, with a population of 155,000 persons, be interested in the will and conscience of the United Nations? Has this body demonstrated in any way that it is a sanctuary for small island developing States? Was it not a promise from the time of its birth to protect the weak, vulnerable and marginalized? Was this not the hope? So I ask, where is the hope when the World Trade Organization (WTO) has orchestrated the destruction of the economies of some small Caribbean countries, through a ruling that condemns the preferential marketing arrangements for their bananas in Europe as being anti-free trade? How can this be just when these arrangements are a life force of the economies of these countries? How can this be defensible when the Caribbean banana trade represents only 2 per cent of the world banana trade? Where are equity, justice and fairness when other developing countries participate in this attack on our livelihood? Where is the promise when the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development arrogate to themselves the right to make pronouncements on the efficacy of the international financial services industries of a number of Caribbean countries, when they imperiously seek to determine the nature of our tax regimes by blacklisting those countries as harmful tax havens? Harmful to whom? In this new age, we are exhorted to be competitive. Yet, whenever we manage to succeed in this endeavour, our developed world shouts “Foul!” and accuses us of being harmful and discriminatory. Therefore, I say that those prophets of the new age of globalization and trade liberalization who trumpet hope in their praises of that new age do so only because they are the ones who enjoy its benefits. But for us in small island States like Saint Lucia, what we hear is the deafening silence of a new order that ignores our special needs. What we experience is the insensitivity and the lack of interest of the mighty as they manipulate the system for their selfish ends. How can we laud the new order? How can we sing its praises? We are gathered here at a time of supreme paradox in the history of mankind. We meet at a time when the peoples of the world can celebrate the unparalleled progress that humankind has made in the last century. Yet we are gathering at a time when they can also reflect on the unprecedented horrors and contradictions that human civilization has visited upon itself during this epoch. On the one hand, we have a world of unlimited possibility, a world of technological wizardry — all inflated to millennial proportions. On the other hand, there is a digital divide that more than ever extends the gap between the haves and the have- nots into those who know from those who do not. Today, life expectancy has increased. Educational, nutritional and health standards have improved qualitatively and quantitatively; but we have never, ever, before been stricken by diseases of the same nature and on the same scale as those that presently afflict us. The world’s economy has generated more wealth than at any other time in history, and the prospects for economic prosperity are a lot brighter for a larger percentage of the world’s population than ever before. But how can we explain the fact that, according to the conference report on eradicating global poverty, “Parliamentary Action Agenda for the Twenty-first Century”, 3 billion people on the planet are living on less than $1 a day and 1 billion subsist on less than $3 dollars a day? Today, the combined wealth of the three richest people in the world is greater than the combined gross domestic product of the 48 poorest countries in the world. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations, not countries. How can we explain the fact that international assistance from wealthy countries to poorer countries has reached its lowest point in 20 years? Where is the collective conscience of humankind? Where is our sense of justice? Where is the brotherhood that binds us together? Where is the hope? Today, there is an evil stalking our civilization. It is the trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs. Every day one of our young citizens succumbs to these drugs, and I know that we may have lost another genius. Day after day, we persist in pursuing strategies that are clearly not working. We must urgently review those strategies. We must consider and commit ourselves to new approaches to eradicating the scourge of drug trafficking and addiction, otherwise we will lose not only our young people but also our communities, and in time, our Governments. If the United Nations truly wishes to embrace small States and the developing world and live up to the promise of its birth, it must redefine global governance so as to embody the key principles of inclusiveness, equality, transparency and participatory action. Due deference and recognition must be paid to the special conditions of small developing countries. We must accept the constraints imposed upon them by geography and population size. We must understand their limited internal markets and resource endowment. We must appreciate their low levels of economic diversification. We must realize their high susceptibility to external shocks. We must sympathize with their vulnerability to natural disasters and the effects of environmental change. The United Nations system must take the leading role in the refashioning of multilateral economic governance so as to establish a new regime that is fully legitimate and effective, so that States like Saint Lucia, given their openness, small size, diseconomies of scale and vulnerability, are not further victimized, marginalized and ostracized. The new millennium presents for us a special historical opportunity, a chance for new beginnings, a window through which desired moral imperatives can infuse the international system with new guiding principles for a different, fairer world order. In the existing plethora of international organizations, the United Nations system must lie at the legislative and normative centre of the world order. The United Nations system is the only universal forum capable of institutionalizing development cooperation. Yet rich and powerful members of this body seek to denature it and strip it of its developmental role and focus. In the context of the global order, the United Nations must become the eternal symbol of the world community for equality in rights and unity of action — an institution where weakness can be ameliorated by justice and fairness. We cannot build a civilization without a conscience. If there is to be hope that the United Nations can fashion a twenty-first century free of want and free of fear, then we must accept that the pursuit of genuine global peace and security cannot be attained merely through peacekeeping, but rather by addressing the root causes of conflict, poverty, deprivation and discrimination among the world’s peoples and nations. The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Goh Chok Tong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore.

Our world is becoming more globalized, yet at the same time more fragmented. Technological advances have brought the world closer, but they have also opened up divides between those who are able to cope with the resultant challenges and those who lack the capacity to do so. We need to update and strengthen the United Nations to deal with these new problems, as well as the stubborn old ones. We need to do so because no nation can tackle these challenges alone. I wish to highlight three areas of concern in this regard. First, the nation-State is being redefined. The power within States is flowing downwards and being localized in provinces and cities. At the same time, State sovereignty is being circumscribed by regional and multilateral organizations. Furthermore, new actors — for example, global corporations, some of which have larger outputs than the gross domestic product of some Member States — and non- governmental organizations, some of which have more international clout than some Governments — are now a prominent and integral part of international life. How do we engage these new power players in a constructive way in the United Nations? What balance can we find between the national role of sovereign States and the international mandate of multilateral organizations? Secondly, there has been a growing empowerment of the market in recent years. The financial industry holds more assets than the central banks of the world combined. The value of our national currencies is determined every day by the market rather than by our central banks. Three years ago, dramatic flows of volatile short-term capital destabilized economies and wiped out years of hard work in several Asian countries. However, opting out of the global market is not a solution. So how can the United Nations help developing countries build the capabilities that will enable them to become part of the new world? How can we help small economies maintain control of their destiny as they liberalize and open up? Thirdly, globalization and the knowledge revolution will widen the income gap between countries, and hence create new tensions. Our world risks being sharply divided between countries which are able to take advantage of globalization and others which cannot; between countries with high education levels and those which have low literacy rates; and between those which are Internet-savvy and those which do not have access to even the basic computer. What can the United Nations do to help minimize these new inequalities? I offer one simple idea for a start. The United Nations should provide the leadership within the community of multilateral organizations to help the poorer nations develop the capacity to profit from globalization and the knowledge revolution. The United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and several other international organizations were created in a different era to deal with different challenges. They need to be updated. Furthermore, these institutions work separately, and not as a team. Today, however, there is an imperative for them to coordinate their efforts. They need to get together to assess what competencies the poorer nations need to develop in this new era. They should then put in place coordinated programmes to build capacity for globalization and the knowledge revolution. I call upon the Secretary-General to institute regular dialogues among the multilateral organizations to bring about such coordination. That said, however effective we make the United Nations, it cannot by itself solve the problems of the world. The onus is also on us, acting collectively within our regional groupings, to help increase our own capabilities. Individual countries must also have the national leadership and institutions to achieve stability, growth and equity for their people. In short, national unity of purpose, cohesive regions, and a multilateral framework under the leadership of a rejuvenated United Nations — these are what will give us hope and confidence for the twenty- first century. The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Honourable Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Development, Planning and National Security of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

I begin my statement by saluting the architects of this Millennium Summit. The Summit is opportune and offers us, as leaders, a chance to build on the progress we have made, while we reflect, in an open and honest way, on the way forward and on the future of the United Nations. The Summit comes at a time of heightened expectations within our own respective countries. This implies that we must engage in a sober and honest examination of problems that confront our peoples and those confronting the Organization. We must therefore use this occasion to re-energize and refocus our foreign policies and national programmes to fit the new global framework and to benefit all the peoples of the world. I say it categorically: this is not a matter I take lightly. It is a monumental task, one that requires boldness and a commitment of vision to fashion a tomorrow that will not only reflect the dawn of a new day but also the realization of peoples’ legitimate hopes and expectations. That is the mandate of my Government, and my Administration is committed to it. In the challenge to raise the standard of living for our people we cannot and must not now relent. The cause of people and the preservation of peace and human security is a work in progress. It is within that context that my country credits the United Nations as having tremendous relevance in our lives. To us, the Millennium Summit is a call for collective action: collective action to create a more effective United Nations. I have witnessed some successes in the United Nations, but I have also seen the Organization frustrated. Although the General Assembly remains democratic, my Government is still concerned that while Member States extol the virtues of good governance and democracy within States, they seek at the international level to preserve a system within the Security Council that is undemocratic and inimical to true democracy within the institution. The reform of the Security Council has defied resolution for too long. Saint Kitts and Nevis encourages democracy within and among States. We celebrated that tradition recently when we welcomed new Member States into our fraternity of nations. In this same spirit, I trust that the United Nations will help to secure the requisite understanding that will soon enable the millions of people on Taiwan to benefit from this international spring of brotherhood and inclusion. As the Caribbean Community’s current representative and spokesman on health-related issues, I am constantly reminded of the real and devastating pandemic of HIV/AIDS. This disease does not recognize national boundaries, and it threatens to undermine future economic and social development and to turn back the clock on progress in many of our nations. I therefore urge the United Nations to continue its important work through the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). We also look forward to a special session on HIV/AIDS to intensify and further coordinate our approaches at the international level. We have to continue the work to modify behaviours and embrace new attitudes in dealing with the pandemic, which threatens to undermine the economies and social fabric of many nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, the region now said to have the second highest number of cases of infection, after sub-Saharan Africa. Further, my Government envisages a United Nations better equipped to preserve the progress that we have made in the areas of human security, peace, poverty alleviation, sustainable development and democracy, and to build on them. I invite the United Nations to be more involved in the debate on technology transfer, lending expertise in this endeavour by becoming a more meaningful partner. It should help to identify not only areas for technology transfer, but more important, the transfer of relevant and appropriate technology. Time and time again, our small island States have swallowed the bitter medicine prescribed to us in order to participate fully in this global economy. But whenever we appear to reach a milestone, the post is arbitrarily moved. We urge the United Nations to become the genuine partner of small island developing States, the genuine partner that we envisaged. We further encourage the realization that a vulnerability index must be factored into any assessment of the needs of small island States. This vulnerability index must also be considered in planning programmes of assistance by the multilateral development, financial and State institutions. We commend the areas of the Secretary-General’s report that speak to human security, and we expect the United Nations to continue to play a proactive role in this endeavour. We urge the United Nations, through the Secretary-General, to impress upon the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that unilateral “blacklisting” of countries is counter-productive, and that any debate affecting the interests of small developing countries must be raised to the level of multilateral forums where all our voices can be heard. Also, the United Nations has to play a greater role in forging better understanding on trade- related issues. My people, in voting my Administration into office, placed their hopes, their faith and their future in our hands. I continue to place their hopes in this Organization. We can ill-afford disappointment. The Government and the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis remain committed to the United Nations, and we pray for its continued viability. We truly hope that it will become the mechanism that best translates our dreams into realities. But as we look to the horizon of its future, I truly hope we understand that any future prosperity of our world requires a united international approach. The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): I thank the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Development, Planning and National Security of Saint Kitts and Nevis for his statement. The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Giuliano Amato, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic.

Delegates will have noticed that almost all of us are beginning our interventions by saying something like, We are gathered today to reaffirm our commitment to the centrality of the United Nations. Now I think that this is not just rhetoric; it is the right response to an essential need of the world in the new century, which demands that the United Nations tackle the main challenge as well as the main threat of our future. This challenge and threat is the sharp division between those whose essential rights to security, to life, to dignity, to development, to health and to education are safeguarded and those — the many, the most — who are still excluded from all this. The credibility of the United Nations will depend on its ability to overcome this divide. There are no prospects for anyone in the next century if we fail to provide fair prospects for everyone. As the Prime Minister of a country that has heavily invested its energies and resources in the United Nations system, as the head of the Government of a major member of the European Union and of the country that will be chairing the G-8 next year, I must stress that Italy stands ready to fulfil its responsibilities. I will mention two examples: the Italian engagement in United Nations peace operations — we are now the third highest provider of military manpower for such operations — and our recent law on the cancellation of the foreign debt of the poorest countries, a law that goes beyond our multilateral engagements and de facto will increase substantially our financial allocations for development aid. Precisely because my country has taken concrete steps, and is about to take others, I feel entitled to stress that we need bold and speedy decisions in relation to several priorities for action. To make substantive progress in poverty reduction is the first and main priority. The others are to improve the United Nations capability to handle crises, to make the defence of universal human rights effective and to mobilize the international community against organized international crime. I will not have the time here to go through all of these priorities. Let me say a few words on some of them. First of all, regarding progress in poverty reduction: the goal we have set for ourselves, halving poverty by 2015, requires radical efforts. These efforts are especially needed for Africa — a whole continent in danger of falling into a vicious circle of poverty and conflict, which we have to break. But the same could also be said of small insular States and landlocked countries. As we all know, debt cancellation is important, but it is not enough. The industrialized world and the relevant countries need a common strategy. We have to pre-empt any of the current emerging temptations for unilateral interventions that cut off the relevant Governments. There is no action without the Governments of the countries involved. We need a common strategy for this. The less-advanced countries can and should develop political and economic reforms — actual steps and uses of the few resources they have for poverty- reduction programmes. The more advanced countries can and should develop a better mix of policies, blending measures directed at debt reduction. We also have to address the problems of middle-income nations, because poverty is an increasing issue in middle-income nations as well. And we also need to address the issues of open markets and fresh investment in key sectors, beginning with education and health. I must insist on two points that Italy will put at the forefront of its positions at the forthcoming Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and at the meeting on financing for development, and which I will propose again at the Genoa Summit of the G-8 next year: The importance of opening our markets by abolishing quotas and tariffs for the least developed countries — any effort is pointless if we keep quotas and tariffs vis-à-vis these countries, of allocating fresh resources to education, and of extending access to the new information technologies and to the fight against disease. My country intends to contribute directly to the Health InterNetwork suggested by the Secretary-General in his report to the Assembly. I do not have time to go into United Nations capabilities to handle crises. I limit myself to saying that on this point I agree with the essence of the conclusion of the Brahimi report, and that Italy intends, among other initiatives, to participate in the training of the civilian and police personnel for United Nations missions. Finally, let me say that responsibility and priority are the key words. They require the existence of multilateral institutions that are strong and perceived as legitimate. This is a crucial issue: legitimacy of the decisions that are taken by groups, institutions and any other body on the international scene. Legitimacy means the democratization of decision-making processes in today’s world. Even sound policies, even sound measures can be rejected if the countries called upon to implement them perceive such implementation as an imposition upon them. That is why it is so difficult to find and to pursue common strategies around the world. This is the crucial issue we have to tackle in the future and that we have to tackle when revising the functioning and the structure of the different bodies of the United Nations to improve their efficiency, their democratic legitimacy and power of decision. These are also the criteria that must inspire a comprehensive reform of the Security Council. I am not sure that the words we are pronouncing today, as most of us are so encouragingly meeting, will remain after this Millennium Summit. I hope that our commitments will remain and will inspire our future actions. I rely on the Secretary-General’s promise to transform our commitments today and of these past few days into a common programme of action. This is what we all have to implement in this regard. The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Basdeo Panday, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

That we are meeting at this level, in these unprecedented numbers, is an unmistakable manifestation of our belief in the capacity of the United Nations to be the effective catalyst for peace and progress, for freedom and justice, for inclusiveness and dignity for and among nations and for all peoples of the world. The interests of the people of the world whom we are assembled here to represent will undoubtedly be advanced by the fuller understanding and the deeper empathy with the needs and concerns of member nations — large and small, rich and poor — that this Millennium Summit will engender. For this alone, this Summit is of significant value to the world. We all face common challenges and common threats: joblessness and poverty, the globalization of narco-trafficking, the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, the continuing development and retention of nuclear weaponry, the proliferation of small arms, the degradation of the environment and, to mankind's eternal shame, racism, racial intolerance and religious intolerance. I make bold to say that my own country, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, has responded to a number of these challenges with a vigour and effectiveness quite disproportionate to our small size and our small population of 1.3 million people. We have, for example, introduced — and we are implementing — a regime of anti-money laundering measures that are close to the toughest and most comprehensive to be found in any jurisdiction of the world. This includes provision for seizure of ill-gotten wealth and assets which cannot be rationally explained. In taking the fight to the narco-traffickers, we have forged strong and productive alliances with the United States of America, with Caribbean nations and with other countries. We have confronted poverty with such purposefulness that the current United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report ranks Trinidad and Tobago one of the five countries that have been most successful in overcoming severe poverty among all developing nations of the world. By another measure Trinidad and Tobago has been notably successful in managing diversity through the strong commitment and adherence to the principle and practice of true inclusion in all areas of public life in our country. Indeed, out of our great diversity have come the essential spirit of our people, our celebration of life. Those essences and our spirit were present here in New York, in the street carnival on Labour Day, on Monday. Those essences and that spirit were also celebrated last week in Europe’s largest street festival, the Notting Hill Carnival. You see it, too, whenever you hear the music of the steel bands anywhere in the world. Notwithstanding our modest achievements, small and developing countries such as Trinidad and Tobago and our sister Caribbean States face additional challenges and threats, among them, the danger of marginalization in the now evident realities of globalization and technological advance. We also face the paradox that while our small economies continue to be genuinely vulnerable to external factors, while our fragile ecosystems are imperilled by developments not of our making, our graduation to per capita middle-income status effectively denies us adequate consideration for the developmental support we so urgently need. Our small economies are confronted by a changing trade environment in which the principle of special and differential treatment is being phased out. The international response that can enable us to develop the necessary capacity to exploit the opportunities presented by globalization has been decidedly less than adequate. The 37 small island developing States, members of the United Nations, have special developmental needs which this Summit and the United Nations must not overlook. Over the years, Caribbean Community States have petitioned the international community for recognition of the Caribbean as a special area for sustainable development. We have also sought support for the protection of the Caribbean Sea as an environmental treasure for the world. Now, we recognize the threat of new marginalization by the new disparities that come with the digital divide. On this score, we urge the United Nations to ensure equitable coordination in the field of science and technology, particularly information technology. Next year the United Nations will host a high level forum on financing for development. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization will take part in that conference. We make an early petition for the forum to produce an action plan that will include a framework for financial crisis prevention and crisis resolution based on partnership between public and private sectors. We also make an early petition for a resolution from the financing development forum to give borrowing countries a substantial role in determining economic and social development objectives. I take this opportunity to place on record the gratitude of Trinidad and Tobago for the pivotal role played by the United Nations in addressing all the social issues facing humanity. We record our appreciation for the United Nations positive response when Trinidad and Tobago moved to revive the concept of the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court. It is our firm conviction that the crime of illicit drug trafficking should be included in the Court’s jurisdiction. And after listening this morning to the President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, I add the crime of corruption. While we examine the global concerns on our Summit agenda, most of us are preoccupied with the challenges with which we must come to terms in our own communities and our own countries. We must provide shelter, nutrition, health services, education and training, and security for our people, and we must, through our policies, deliver jobs. We must also directly provide assistance to those of our citizens who are still trapped in poverty. It is our sincere hope that this Millennium Summit will in some small measure persuade the decision makers of the world, in the private sector and in the international agencies, that such human concerns deserve to be an important factor in all future planning. May the blessings that we ask of God find full expression in the prosperity of all peoples of the world and in peace among all peoples of all nations. The Co-Chairperson (Namibia): Before I give the floor to the next speaker, I appeal for respect for the limit on the length of statements. Members are aware that there are still 12 speakers remaining on the list of speakers for this meeting. Since we must exhaust the list for each meeting, I appeal to participants in the Millennium Summit to respect the five minute speaking time allotted to each speaker. This will allow us to hear all the speakers on the list before we adjourn for lunch this afternoon. The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Marc Forné Molné, Prime Minister of the Principality of Andorra. We also want more awareness and defence of the natural environment. But, although we in the small States are making great efforts to respect nature to the maximum, we shall always feel that the big States have to do the real work, and the fact is that they are not doing it. To the contrary, they are refusing to sign protocols and refusing to limit the unsustainable growth which characterizes those States, and in this manner, they are changing the climate of the whole world. It is obvious that we are all to blame in some measure when we follow blindly along the road of industrial consumption. At this summit these questions, which will condition life in the century we are beginning, must be discussed. We have taken note of the invitation of the Secretary-General in his report, and we are taking advantage of this Summit meeting to sign the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. We have also given our support to the initiative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, with regard to the declaration “Tolerance and diversity: a vision for the 21st century”, because our land, Andorra, has much to say about questions of diversity and tolerance. We have lived through the wars of our neighbours and other wars in Europe. Refugees have always found help and peace with us. In the second half of the twentieth century, Andorra was host to immigrants, which multiplied its population by a factor of more than eight. All of us who live there try to make tolerance and respect for diversity more than mere words. We must learn how to welcome the diversity of human beings and of nations and, at the same time, establish global values about what is or is not legitimate. This is the great challenge for the future of humankind: managing to respect the cultural diversity of all while refusing to accept excuses, based on culture or religion, for failing to apply all the norms of democracy and human rights. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Mikuláš Dzurinda, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic.

At the dawn of a new millennium, 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 twenty-first 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, achieve 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 United Nations Charter. The end of this century has been marked by an escalation of negative phenomena, including intra-State conflicts, accompanied by humanitarian crises of tragic dimensions; gross violations of human rights; globalization, which, apart from its economic benefits, has had a number of negative social consequences, such as the widening gap between the rich and the poor; new threats to the environment; organized crime; drugs; disease; the proliferation of illegal weapons; and a soaring number of refugees throughout the globe. Having come face to face with these challenges, the United Nations has justified its mission. The Slovak Republic is convinced that the United Nations 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 proved to be practically impossible. The Slovak Republic, like other States Members of the United Nations, is aware of the necessity for the United Nations to undertake overall reform. This necessity has become particularly apparent in the light of the recent conflicts in the Balkans and the protracted conflicts in Africa, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. In this context, I wish to emphasize that United Nations reform cannot be complete without the reform of the Security Council, as that is the key body of the United Nations responsible for preserving international peace and security. An increase in the number of Security Council members and an improvement in the efficiency of its decision-making process and the transparency of its activities would increase the authority, representative character, credibility and efficiency of the Security Council in the future. Our planet is a shared home for all of mankind. That is why the efficient resolution of global issues requires the active involvement of civil society and the private sector. In this context, the Slovak Republic supports the initiative of the United Nations Secretary- General with regard to the private sector, as expressed in his appeal for the adoption of the Global Compact of Shared Values and Principles in the area of human rights, labour and employment and the environment. Slovakia also supports the proposals put forward by the United Nations Secretary-General with regard to the fields of social development, the standard of living, health care and the eradication of poverty. The experience gained by the Slovak Republic from its involvement in United Nations peacekeeping missions bears witness to the potential of the small- and medium-sized countries for active participation in ensuring peace and stability worldwide. Standing on the threshold of the new century, the international community must focus its endeavours on ensuring full respect for international law and, in particular, human rights, violations of which 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 lead us to reiterate the universal validity of the need to respect the human rights and personal freedoms of individuals as basic prerequisites for the freedom of nations and for 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. The peace, security, prosperity and development of humanity in the forthcoming century will test our ability to combine traditional concepts, derived from the idea of the sovereignty of States, as the basic elements of international law, with new principles that are based on global respect for fundamental human rights and on the accountability of individual States to the international community for the breaches of such rights. 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 United Nations Charter was adopted. This Organization faces many challenges. Allow me to express my conviction that, when the process of internal reforms has been accomplished, the United Nations will be able to react to each and every one of these challenges with the utmost tact and efficiency. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Costas Simitis, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic.

The twentieth century has bequeathed to us admirable achievements in almost all fields of human activity. In 100 years, the world has achieved unprecedented results in the sciences, technology and communication. It has developed and refined ideas and practices on social cohesion, democratic governance, the protection of human dignity and the application of the rules of law, transcending national barriers and mentalities. The United Nations has played its part in assisting the transformation of the international community into a living organism, partaking of the same values and principles. The United Nations has greatly contributed to the maintenance of international peace and security and the creation of new equilibriums in relations between States, as well as to the redistribution of wealth between rich and poor countries. Yet, neither the United Nations, nor the international community as a whole have succeeded in eradicating the scourges, which from time immemorial have cast shadows on the prosperity of humanity. We are still witnessing, in alarming dimensions, poverty and malnutrition, social exclusion, deadly diseases, as well as incessant waves of international and internal conflicts of extreme violence. At the same time, the very beneficial human achievements, of which we are all proud, have brought with them negative consequences, hindering the environment, destroying the quality of human life, threatening sometimes the very basis upon which we have built international and internal solidarity and respect for the fundamental rules of humanity. Our task, therefore, must be to find new avenues through which we will control and gradually eradicate the causes of the scourges that torment all our lives. This task requires co-operation — cooperation at all levels — but mainly and, most importantly, at the global level because it would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to have positive results in our world of close interdependence. We strongly believe that the United Nations has a serious role to play in this respect. Its experience, its past achievements in all these fields, its nature as the only political international organization with universal participation, coupled with its specialized organs and agencies, are solid material upon which we may rely in our fight against the problems of our world. But, it goes without saying, that in order for the United Nations system to effectively cope with this heavy burden, it must be duly empowered both institutionally and materially. Greece believes that it is necessary to strengthen the position and the role of the main organs of the United Nations. The Security Council, in particular, needs comprehensive reform in order to become more representative and far more effective. Its long history and involvement in international affairs has demonstrated that its inability to solve problems of magnitude is due both to its structural deficiencies, which date back to its institutional inception, as well as to the unwillingness of Member States to give it room to become effectively involved in matters where State sovereignty and vital interests are considered to override international concerns. We have in the last few days heard about many problems that have remained unsolved for years even though the United Nations has taken relevant decisions. The Cyprus problem is an example. We should not allow this situation to continue any longer. Now that we are all aware of the dangers surrounding us, as well as of the United Nations potential to deal with them properly, it would be unimaginable and unreasonable for us to waste such a comprehensive system and not to make full use of its precious services to secure peace and amicable relations and to fight all deficiencies in the world order to which we have just referred. The United Nations can be an effective tool to solve our problems — the problems of the new world. It has the multilateral framework. We can and should, all of us, make full use of it. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al-Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of the Emirate of Al-Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates. His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al-Sharqi (United Arab Emirates) (spoke in Arabic): On behalf of His Highness Sheikh Zayid Bin Sultan Al-Nahayan, President of the State of the United Arab Emirates, I have the honour to convey his greetings and regards to the President of the Republic of Namibia and the President of Finland for co-chairing this historic Summit. The United Arab Emirates looks to this Millennium Summit with high hopes of achieving justice and equality among all the peoples of the world and of reinforcing the bonds of joint cooperation in dealing with injustice, violence, terrorism, illiteracy, organized crime, the elimination of poverty and contagious diseases and a horde of other contemporary international problems. While we emphasize our true desire to seriously work with all the nations and peoples of the world in order to achieve the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and preserve peace, security and stability in our region and in the world at large, we call for respect for the principles of renunciation of violence, non-use of force and the resolution of disputes through dialogue and by peaceful means. Hence, the United Arab Emirates persists in its endeavours to find a just solution to the dispute with the Islamic Republic of Iran arising from Iran’s occupation in 1971 of the three islands that belong to the United Arab Emirates — Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. We call upon Iran to respond to our declared initiative to peacefully resolve this dispute in accordance with the principles and rules of international law, either through direct negotiations or by resorting to the International Court of Justice. We are confident that such a step would strengthen and cement the bilateral and collective relations between the States of the region, and indeed contribute to consolidating the foundations of regional and international peace, security and stability. In this context also, we call upon the international community, including Iraq, to exert further political and diplomatic efforts to alleviate the human suffering of the fraternal Iraqi people. In doing so we underline the need for the Iraqi Government to complete its implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly regarding prisoners of war and other detainees who are citizens of the sisterly State of Kuwait and of other countries, and the restitution of Kuwaiti property. Achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East requires a commitment on the part of the Israeli Government to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Those resolutions call for ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and other occupied Arab territories, particularly Al-Quds al-Sharif and the Syrian Golan; the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland; and the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent State, with Jerusalem as its capital. In welcoming the efforts made by the United States of America and other countries to arrive at a just, equitable and comprehensive resolution of the Palestine issue, we call for those efforts to be sustained in order to bring about the resumption of negotiations on the Syrian track, so that the countries and the peoples of the region may enjoy security, stability and prosperity. Also in this regard, we would like to express our congratulations to fraternal Lebanon on regaining its territories, and to wish it continued prosperity and progress. Despite the multidimensional economic growth that has characterized developments in international economic relations, we are concerned about problems and challenges that developing countries have to endure, particularly at a time when global events have proved that international economic growth and stability require the participation of developing and developed countries alike. Globalization represents both a phenomenon and an important event in international relations. Accordingly, it must be utilized to serve the common interests and objectives of humanity. The United Nations is still the most appropriate international forum for dealing with contemporary regional and international issues such as limiting the proliferation of proscribed weapons, cases of foreign occupation, poverty and debt, environmental pollution and similar issues. Therefore, we call for the reform of the Organization, especially the General Assembly and the Security Council, in order to enable them to deal effectively with those challenges and phenomena. In conclusion, we trust that the Millennium Summit will mark the start of a new era in international relations in which tolerance, peaceful coexistence, stability and respect for international law prevail and lead to a better life for all humankind. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Serene Highness Crown Prince Albert, Crown Prince of the Principality of Monaco. Crown Prince Albert (Monaco) (spoke in French): The time of dreams and utopias has been followed by a more rigorous one, that of commercial realities. Political power has often found it difficult to prevail in the face of the growing influence of the globalized economy. The rules of the great planetary game are changing. This is a fact, not merely an opinion. Peoples are confused. Many States are wounded and in disarray. Even the most powerful nations are in doubt. They see, not without bitterness, that they can no longer build history by themselves. Because scientific and technological progress have been so tremendous, and because the political, economic and social changes flowing from that progress are so rapid and deep, the millennium to come is an unknown. The San Francisco Charter is the only remaining immutable point of reference. The Charter expresses the wisdom of nations, the rejection of war and violence in all its forms, and the need for collective security on the basis of respect for the independence, dignity and sovereignty of States, including the smallest among them. It also expresses the firm resolve to cooperate actively for the promotion of human rights and economic and social development. Our Organization must necessarily adapt in order to be able to assume its mandate. It can do so, and it is doing so at its own pace. That pace is imposed upon it by the complexity of its institutions and the often conflicting interests of its Members. In terms of international security, the Organization expresses itself clearly. Today, it is better able to identify the causes of disputes and share the responsibility for their management. It must have more effective means to prevent those disputes, and to that end it should no doubt resort more frequently to carrying out research on peace and on the causes of conflict and violence. It must also more effectively combat threats other than military ones: terrorism; drug trafficking; trafficking in human beings, including the weakest among them, children; and the misdeeds resulting from funds of criminal origin. It is no doubt in the field of disarmament that progress runs the risk of being slowest. Only the trust that our Organization can maintain among its Members will guarantee success in this area, so vital to the future. In terms of human rights and humanitarian law, the United Nations has gained a set of remarkable instruments whose implementation will no doubt continue, albeit too slowly. It will be necessary for the Organization to ensure the strengthening and smooth functioning of bodies entrusted with their promotion in order to ensure the well-being and development of all human beings, in the present and in the future, regardless of their place of birth or residence. The Organization should also examine carefully how the new economic and financial powers are behaving with regard to human rights, in particular as concerns economic, social and cultural rights. In terms of development, the metamorphosis of the Organization is complete. It constantly recalls that economic progress must also be social progress and that it must be in the service of mankind as a whole. Its approach is a pragmatic one, and its action is increasingly concrete. It will also be essential for our Organization to endeavour, within the context of the irreversible process of globalization, to respect cultural and linguistic diversity, through which peoples have nourished their roots and built their identities. In terms of the environment, the Organization has been able to single out the true priorities and to warn people about the most serious threats to nature, which sometimes cannot be corrected. Over the past few years, the Organization has been able to develop ecological standards, which we must apply diligently and quickly. Finally, today our Organization knows how to pursue its legitimate aspirations with regard to justice. New paths are opening up, paths of hope. Our Organization must deepen those channels in order to respond as quickly as possible to peoples’ demands and sensitivities in this area. We have entrusted the Organization with the drafting and promotion of standards and principles that are our most valuable heritage. It is our duty to enable the United Nations to continue to improve in carrying out these lofty missions. We heads of State and Government, the representatives of billions of men and women, must thank the United Nations for its efforts, support it and, in particular, encourage it. The political Declaration we will adopt, to which the Principality of Monaco adheres fully, will guide the Organization’s first steps in the dawn of the next millennium. We need more than ever a universal Organization, one that is active and responsible and guided by the most urgent needs of peoples, especially of the most disadvantaged. We hope for an Organization that will be a moral reference point for conducting the affairs of the world with integrity. The Principality of Monaco, one of the smallest of its Members in size and population, bears proof, through its age-old history, that military and economic power is not sufficient to ensure the endurance of States. Their survival and development and the happiness of their people can, we believe, be firmly founded only in peaceful and harmonious relations among nations that are themselves inspired by equity and justice, as well as by respect for international law and universal ethics. In opening itself more broadly to civil society; in cooperating more closely with economic agents; in involving public and private institutions on a more regular basis in its initiatives; and in radically exploiting the means of mass communication, including digital, the United Nations is striving to listen attentively to the peoples and, as its Charter calls on it to do, to act more effectively on their behalf. We welcome this and congratulate the Organization on it. The remarkable report issued by its Secretary-General further encourages us to do so and incites us to pay a tribute to the 50,000 international civil servants for their admirable devotion and selflessness — sometimes, as yesterday, at the peril of their lives. We sincerely hope that our Organization will be able to pursue its noble mandates with greater authority. We reaffirm our trust in it, and do so without reservation and in the strength of conviction. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait. Sheikh Al-Sabah (Kuwait) (spoke in Arabic): I wish to convey the greetings of His Highness, the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah, who wishes this Summit every success. I have the honour to read out his statement before the Assembly: “The Prophet’s message was to guide mankind along the righteous paths, showing the way to justice, security and peace. Its ultimate purpose is to help mankind to live a safe, secure and dignified life. “On the other hand, Allah bestowed on humanity the great trust of being endowed with a mind, the architect of all of our personal and worldly affairs. Thus, the human race was entrusted with the stewardship of all aspects of life on Earth, its water resources and outer space. Inasmuch as human beings are entrusted with the responsibility to conserve nature, they are required to harness all natural resources to their benefit. The rational and appropriate use of these resources must be exercised with a view to avoiding environmental damage and degradation. “In the final analysis, however, humanity is a confusion of conflicting good and evil tendencies. Surreptitiously, the evil elements may gain mastery of an individual, turning him or her into what may appear to be a tool of chaos and destruction; similarly, a person may fall prey to selfishness and greed to the point at which he or she may be lured into denying others access to the bounty of the universe. “Some of us may occasionally feel that humanity is paying inadequate attention to the future of this planet, in view of the existing stockpiles of the implements of death and destruction and the relentless efforts made to develop and enlarge those arsenals of lethal and highly sophisticated death machines and materiel. In fact, there is an even more dangerous threat to human life: those elements who act in ways that are harmful and demeaning to the well-being and dignity of their fellow human beings. Looking around us, we can see in too many parts of the world people who incite sedition, hatred, discrimination, selfishness and chauvinism. “These attitudes may in the end prove more destructive than lethal weaponry. In retrospect, we find that human societies have suffered in the past and continue to endure tragedies and massacres, even as we speak, as a result of those attitudes, which lead to the subjugation of too many people to repression and deprivation. The harmful exploitation and mismanagement of natural resources that sometimes occur through tyranny and narrow self-interest expose vast numbers of people to the pressures and anguish of poverty and destitution while, at the same time, other segments of human society enjoy comfortable lives free from epidemics, illiteracy and want. “These preoccupations have dogged us for decades. Towards the end of the last century, we had hoped that humanity would at least have succeeded in alleviating their impact even if it was largely unable to resolve them. Alas, however, reality has defeated our aspirations. Indeed, in some respects, the situation is quite depressing, as we see these problems being exacerbated in terms of intensity, scope and human losses. This melancholy picture mars the celebration of our passage into the twenty-first century. It also casts a long, gloomy shadow over what would perhaps seem the greater part of the new century. “Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that the new century will hold the promise of humanity’s raising itself above those pernicious phenomena. It is also our hope that, in the new century, humanity will demonstrate improved rationality in the interests of mutual benefit and more civility in its interactions. We hope that humanity will collectively focus more on improving living conditions across the globe and on addressing its problems more effectively with a view to ensuring the universal safety and freedom from fear of all peoples. The conservation and improvement of our human environment should always be at the heart of our endeavours if we are to ensure that this planet remains healthy and hospitable to our future generations. “Our work today is characterized by globalization, colossal economic blocs and fast- advancing technology. It is a world that is more aware of and sensitive to human suffering wherever it occurs. It is also a world that has become more responsive and willing to reach out with relief and humanitarian assistance across national and regional borders. Nevertheless, we continue to be challenged by intense racial and sectarian violence, the persistent outbreak of diseases and natural disasters, and an entire array of problems, as the Secretary-General has rightly outlined in his report. “If we are to achieve better living conditions in the new century, those challenges must be faced squarely by drawing on human resolve, ingenuity and innovation. The bottom line in our common battle is the need to mount joint and well-coordinated international efforts to stem the tide of those problems, or at least to contain them or mitigate their impact. This may require some new modalities for international contributions and burden-sharing within the framework of thoughtful and agreed platforms and plans of actions. In our view, such moves would certainly help to promote understanding among peoples and civilizations and further consolidate world peace and security. “Similarly, the international community, represented by the United Nations, should spare no effort in its collective endeavour to reject any attempt to resolve differences among nations outside the parameters of the purposes and principles of the United Nations and the overarching concepts of peace. The United Nations system must remain the primary and final resort for the resolution of international disputes and its rulings must be respected and upheld by all its Members. “In the same spirit, however, we must now reaffirm our commitment at the individual level to rejecting any form of human slavery or denial of human rights, regardless of the excuses and circumstances cited to justify them by any political system or regime, even if that violation was committed by the Government of the individual’s own homeland. “In this context, we cannot tolerate the abduction of innocent hostages by a totalitarian regime that continues to hold them as political bargaining chips. The families of those detainees continue to anguish over the plight of their loved ones, while the hostages themselves languish in pain. The sense of loss and frustration runs deep among those families who continue to pin their hopes on the international community to hold that regime accountable and to compel it to release those innocent victims and to account for their whereabouts. “Every effort should be made to ensure that the twenty-first century will be free of war criminals and perpetrators of massacres, including those who plan for and participate in such crimes against humanity. We fervently hope that the new century, which is three months away, will prove to be free of wars, epidemics, greed and conflicts. Let us hope that we can channel our energy and resources into preserving our home, the planet Earth, which has suffered immense damage in the course of the past century. “Can we close ranks and work together in unison to meet this universal challenge? Can we truly pool our efforts to make the world a more friendly environment for our children? “There is no doubt in my mind that many world leaders share the same desire. After all, this is the desire of just about every human being. So, let us work to translate it into a tangible reality.” The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Tarik Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq.

We would like to express our best wishes to the peoples of the United Nations in the twenty-first century, which we hope will be a century of peace, justice and progress for all. It is true that this occasion is an opportunity for contemplation. To be meaningful, this contemplation should be sincere. Hence, let me present our vision and concerns sincerely and frankly. When we discuss the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century, we all agree on the importance attached to the Organization’s success in facing up to future challenges and other longstanding challenges that continue to elude us. To be effective in meeting such challenges, the United Nations should indeed reflect the will of all its peoples. The United Nations Charter was drafted on this basis. Furthermore, its provisions have stipulated that the interest sought should be the common and collective interest. However, the most important fact of the past era was that the ability to properly apply the provisions of the United Nations Charter was not often possible, due to the influences of the powerful States that dominated the making of international resolutions for their own interests. This situation was aggravated during the 1990s as a result of United States hegemony and domination over the international Organization for the benefit of its imperialist objectives. Thus, the work of the United Nations in the twenty-first century should be directed in the first place towards resuming the proper application of the Charter and the prevention of hegemony over United Nations resolutions and positions. The essential step in this move would be to reform the decision-making process in the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, so that it could really reflect the will of all Member States. There is no guarantee, of course, for the proper application of the United Nations Charter unless all States, both large and small, adhere to the principles of the Charter, particularly the principle of equal sovereignty of States, without which the United Nations in the twenty- first century would be an extension of the status quo. We disagree with the optimistic picture of globalization drawn up in the Secretary-General’s report. We do not think that globalization will bring about benefits for all. What we have seen so far is that the benefits of globalization are concentrated in a few States. The essence of globalization is to achieve economic hegemony by the few rich States, the United States of America in particular, as well as overwhelming dominance by Western consumer culture, thus threatening the cultures of other peoples, their different lifestyles and their system of spiritual values. Furthermore, we view with considerable scepticism the invitation to transnational corporations and non-governmental organizations to participate in the work of the United Nations, and we stress the need for studying in depth the criteria for such partnership, its corresponding obligations and preventing its having an adverse impact on the principles of international organizations as set forth in the Charter, such as equal sovereignty among States and non-interference. Ironically, the United Nations, whose Charter provides for the protection of human rights and human dignity, accepts being a tool for violating such fundamental human rights, through the comprehensive and unrestricted use of the sanctions system, notwithstanding the suffering those sanctions inflict upon the targeted peoples. In the case of Iraq, the Iraqi victims of these unjust and unrestricted sanctions have amounted to more than a million children, women and elderly people during the past 10 years. Therefore, it is not enough to admit that sanctions are an ineffective tool leading to counterproductive results, and it is not enough to dubiously call for directing them in a better way; rather, the use of these sanctions should be restricted, and they should not trespass upon the scope of the United Nations Charter. Also, they should not be held hostage, as in the case of Iraq, to the will of the United States of America, which hijacked the resolution on the lifting of sanctions on Iraq from the Security Council to exploit it in the service of its own interests and hostile policies. The United Nations cannot escape its moral responsibility for the consequences of the application of sanctions. This responsibility starts once the sanctions are imposed, rather than after their catastrophic consequences have unfolded. We view with caution and scepticism the so- called concept of humanitarian intervention, since this call may be used — and, in fact, has been used — to interfere in the internal affairs of States by other States, particularly the dominating Power, the United States of America. We disagree with the assumption that the principles of sovereignty and humanitarian international law are at variance and that we have to choose one of them. As regards the main challenges the world faces in the twenty-first century, particularly freedom from poverty and securing an ecologically safe future for coming generations, we believe that success in meeting these challenges depends on the cooperation of all States. In this context, the rich industrial countries have to bear the biggest brunt of this confrontation due to their economic capabilities, as well as in view of their responsibility for creating and maintaining these challenges. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Win Aung, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar.

The world that we live in today is different from that of the founders of the United Nations. In the intervening half century, the world has witnessed momentous changes — some for the better, some for the worse. We have made huge strides in the field of technology. The world population has surpassed the 6 billion mark. The world has the ability to feed the teeming billions. However, people living in dire poverty and millions dying of hunger are common phenomena. As we enter the new millennium, we must strengthen our Organization so that it will be able to cope with new challenges and new realities. Members of the United Nations, each in its own way, are trying to bring development to their respective countries. In order to succeed, they must choose the path that best suits their needs. They must choose the path that is compatible with present-day realities, taking into consideration their history, their culture and their national ethos. There is no single formula that can be applied to all countries. It would be wrong for powerful countries to impose their systems on others. It would be wrong for the powerful to mould the developing countries in their own image. In this context, let me once again reiterate that Myanmar is building a genuine and durable democratic system in its own way. While armed conflicts anywhere in the world, once started, are difficult to resolve peacefully, in our country the flames of conflict have been extinguished and the guns silenced. And yet there are some who would like to stir up the tranquil waters. That is when we have to take preventive measures. We have to respect the will of the 50 million people who would like to preserve the hard-won peace, who do not want to see any moves which would lead the nation back to total anarchy and disintegration. In taking such preventive measures, the Government handles the situation in a most humane manner. We do no harm to anyone. We do not commit any atrocities. The Government is taking a constructive path, while opposing forces are embarking on a path of destruction. Confrontational and destructive actions can only impede the process of democratization of our country, let alone the achievement of that process. The world is now experiencing another technological revolution — the information technology revolution. The industrial revolution has resulted in the colonization of the peoples of the developing countries. We must make doubly sure that the information technology revolution does not bring along with it a new form of colonialism. This revolution has the potential to benefit all mankind. We must also make doubly sure that the fruits of the new revolution are available worldwide. With the advent of globalization, many new opportunities have been opened to us. At the same time, there is a very real possibility that globalization will result in the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming even more impoverished. At the dawn of the new century, it is imperative that we make every effort to eliminate these disparities. In this respect, we rightfully look to the United Nations to play a leading role. In all this the role of the United Nations is of paramount importance. We must reform the Organization so that it will be equal to the task. While changes should be introduced to it, there are cardinal principles of the Organization and its Charter which are sacrosanct. The principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are cardinal principles which have enabled the world community to live in peace. Therefore, I totally disagree with those who contend that these principles are outdated and that we do not need them in the new century. They are as valid in the new century as they were in the old. It is our hope that this Summit will once again reaffirm the cardinal principles of international conduct. These principles served us well in the old millennium. They will serve us equally well in the new millennium. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Honourable Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia.

We are gathered here to reaffirm our faith in the United Nations, which has served the international community for over half a century. It is indeed a critical and soul-searching moment for members of this Organization. We need to reflect on the past, draw lessons from it and see how the Organization can best serve the international community. The Organization must continue to ensure freedom and equality and the right of humankind to live in dignity — free from hunger, poverty, violence, oppression and injustice. It must continue to be on the vanguard of global efforts towards the emancipation of all of humankind from these ills. It must also continue, through its development programmes and activities, to be an important vehicle and catalyst for the transformation of societies in the developing world. The United Nations must be a more democratic body. It cannot champion democracy and good governance in the domestic politics of its members while ignoring these very same principles in its own operation. Reform is imperative for an Organization that was fashioned more than half a century ago in the prevailing circumstances of the 1940s. Its future viability and relevance to the contemporary world will depend on how successfully it modernizes itself. For the United Nations to be relevant with the times and in tune with new realities, it must serve its membership in its entirety. The state of the world today is vastly different from that of the 1940s. Unless the United Nations discards its mindset of the past, it will be allowing itself to be a hostage to a bygone era. The vast majority of the Members of the United Nations today are developing countries — many of them small and vulnerable. They look to the Organization — as the repository of their hopes and aspirations for a better and more equitable world order based on the principles of shared responsibility, commitments and obligations — as an important forum for the articulation of their views, but they also expect it to be responsive to their concerns and needs. The smaller Member States, especially those in the least- developed category, should not feel that they are being sidelined but that they can expect to participate in discussions on global issues and make a meaningful contribution. Consequently, any meaningful reform of the Organization must place the interests of the majority of its Members at the core of such an exercise. There is also a need to reform the other organs of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, the body charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. It remains an anachronistic institution, reflecting the realities and power equations of the immediate post-Second-World-War period rather than those of the contemporary world we live in. The Council should be enlarged and restructured to reflect the new realities and be made more democratic, both in its structure and its decision-making process. The Organization cannot be said to have made the transition to the twenty-first century if the Security Council remains set in its old ways and procedures. The United Nations must face current challenges even as it must continue to address the issues of the past century. These include, inter alia, the still- unresolved issue of peace in the Middle East, particularly Palestine; weapons of mass destruction; and inter-State territorial disputes around the globe. It has to come to grips with the increasing phenomenon of intra-State conflicts revolving around inter-ethnic rivalries, discrimination, religious intolerance or extremism. The United Nations cannot but be compelled to play the leading role in the process of globalization which has overwhelmed much of the world. Clearly, globalization is here to stay. It will have a tremendous impact on human affairs and on the process of achieving global peace, security and development, and the enjoyment of human rights. For many developing countries, unfortunately, globalization offers more challenges than opportunities. Greater globalization means increased vulnerability to unfamiliar and unpredictable forces that bring economic instability, financial upheaval and social dislocation, sometimes with lightning speed. To protect emerging economies from the negative effects of speculative capital flows, Malaysia has continuously called for an urgent review and reform of the current international financial architecture. Such reform is imperative if we are to ensure a well-functioning global economy that will reap the full benefits of the globalization process. There is also a need for greater international cooperation to deal with the risks and challenges of the new and dynamic international environment, requiring measures and approaches that are sensitive to the particular needs of Member States. Malaysia believes that the views of developing countries and their right to special and differential treatment must be taken into account in any multilateral negotiations. In this regard the United Nations has an important, legitimate and constructive role to play given its universal membership and moral weight on global issues. We commend the Secretary- General for initiating dialogue and interactions with the Bretton Woods institutions. We hope this will be further developed as an integral mechanism in the Organization’s efforts to influence the deliberations of important international institutions, including those of the World Trade Organization. The United Nations has an enormous task ahead in the twenty-first century. Let us all work together in a true spirit of mutual understanding and full cooperation to achieve our goals. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Amre Moussa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

It is my honour to convey the greetings of President Hosni Mubarak, along with his apologies for being unable to participate in this meeting. At the same time, I wish to convey to the Assembly his views and his thoughts as President of Egypt. We are at a historic juncture. The world is emerging from an old era which lasted for 20 centuries into a new era that begins with the twenty-first century. This new era is marked by an unprecedented, comprehensive global outlook, by scientific advances and breakthroughs that no one could have anticipated, and by the laying of foundations for an interdependent international community whose societies and individuals interact on the basis of transparency, ample availability of information and respect for the rights of the individual and of the community. All of this renews our hope for a future in which we can realize our aspirations and fulfil the dreams that mankind has always expressed through literature, poetry and visions. The horizon of the future is vast, and so are the great, serious challenges confronting us. Our duty at this historic juncture is to establish jointly the intellectual basis for dealing with the new century, with its potential and its hopes, manifested in the information revolution and in the scientific advances and the achievements of modern technology. In the few minutes allotted to us, Egypt would like to focus on some of what it sees as essential to universal dialogue. With reference to our hopes and aspirations: those that have been achieved should not conceal the fact that most of the world continues to suffer from poverty, ignorance and disease. It still confronts the problems and dangers of debt, war, terrorism, illicit drugs, deteriorating environments, racial discrimination, religious intolerance, intellectual extremism and a host of diseases of our modern age. Prominent among these is the growing, seemingly unstoppable desire for hegemony and domination, and the desire to exercise the arrogance of power and to ignore democratic principles in international relations. All of this creates tension in the world. Advances in intellectual pursuits, expansion of available information and the opening of channels for the free circulation of information must not mean the promotion of a culture of defiance and conflict with other cultures, with one culture unwilling to coexist with other cultures. Some cultures with a deeply rooted heritage and well established resources persist in rejecting dialogue and interaction. It is as if we were being forced to choose between the hegemony of the values of a specific culture, which we are all obliged to acknowledge, and a desperate struggle for survival. There is plenty of room for coexistence and harmony among cultures and civilizations; we should affirm this so that we can build a new life. Egypt cannot imagine the establishment of a new, stable international order without dialogue among all as a joint endeavour, and without a sharing of responsibility for the building of that edifice. In that connection, Egypt calls for a broad, extensive debate in the framework of the General Assembly, which is a universal parliament, to draw up an international contract with the participation of representatives of various legislative bodies and civil societies. In speaking of a new international order I am referring not only to issues pertaining to decision-making on matters of international peace and security, finance, economics and trade; I refer also to issues relating to women, children, population, economic and social development, health, disease, the environment and other problems of which we have spoken in the past. We reaffirm the importance of narrowing the digital divide so that everyone can benefit from the revolution in communication and information technology. Egypt calls for enhancing the role and effectiveness of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security in the face of the new, changing threats that have emerged over the past decade. We also stress the importance of establishing a stable collective-security system. Disarmament issues related to such a regime include eliminating weapons of mass destruction, nuclear disarmament and promoting a more effective role for peacemaking and peacekeeping. We also stress the importance of completing the debate on restructuring the Security Council so that we can strike a fair deal that will make it possible to increase the number of its permanent and non- permanent seats, taking into account the need for the overwhelming majority — the developing countries — to exercise their rights and responsibilities regarding representation and to serve as active members of the international community. Equal importance must be given to reform of the Council’s working methods through increased transparency and democracy in decision-making, and especially to reconsidering the use of the veto. In that connection, the role of the General Assembly in the maintenance of international peace and security must be reaffirmed. Last but not least, I want to congratulate the Secretary-General on the valuable report he submitted to the Millennium Summit; I call for a discussion of the ideas set out in that report in universities and other academic and research centres and intellectual forums. There should be comprehensive discussion of the report in the General Assembly, so that we can jointly address the major international issues it raises. It is here in this Hall that we should formulate and launch a plan of action to deal with those problems. I wish also to stress the importance we attach to the recommendations set out in the Brahimi report on United Nations peace operations. The General Assembly must be prepared to discuss these recommendations seriously. Egypt has been following the work of the Millennium Forum for non-governmental organizations, and we welcome its final document, which contains a plan of action stressing the importance of respect for national sovereignty and for the right of peoples to self-determination. It also calls for nuclear disarmament, an end to economic sanctions and addressing the negative impact of globalization. Egypt comes to this high-level gathering bearing the troubles of its region. I take this opportunity to voice our aspirations with respect to bringing about peace and development in Africa, a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, and the establishment of a Palestinian State, that would crown the peace process that Egypt initiated more than 20 years ago. It is high time for that peace process to attain its final goals in a manner that will open up the horizons of a better future as we begin a new century and a new millennium. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Batyr Berdyev, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

It is a great honour for me to speak from the rostrum of this historic Millennium Summit of the General Assembly. First of all, allow me to convey words of greeting from Mr. Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan. On the eve of the Summit, we distributed a document containing an article by the President of Turkmenistan relating to the inauguration of the Summit, entitled “The Turkmens, Turkmenistan and the world millennia and the twenty-first century, the bond of time and civilizations”. That document highlights our philosophy and strategy for the development of a neutral and independent Turkmenistan, its involvement in the system of global relationships and its vision of the role and place of the United Nations in the twenty- first century. I would like to draw attention to some of the elements contained in this document. Globalization is one of the main trends of modern times; however, despite its objective and generally progressive nature, we cannot ignore the potential threat of social upheavals and attempts to homogenize political systems and to reduce the historically established diversity of world views and systems of cultural values to only one political philosophy that leaves no other alternative open. At the same time, we share the view that in the twenty-first century, facing new challenges, the United Nations system needs to be radically reformed. We support a United Nations reform aimed at strengthening and expanding the Organization’s role in the world. We are against the dissolution of the United Nations into some new supranational structures. We are against any attempts by individual States or groups of States to usurp United Nations functions. This applies fully in the case of such a serious problem as that of Afghanistan. It is our firm belief, and facts from the history of the long-suffering Afghan people most vividly demonstrate, that any outside interference in the Afghan conflict is doomed to failure. Dividing the Afghan people into “bad” and “good” brings only a new cycle of bloodshed. The United Nations should have complete confidence that Turkmenistan is a reliable partner, prepared to actively contribute to an Afghan settlement. As regards ensuring stable social development and progress, regional cooperation is of special significance in today’s world. At present our region is witnessing the formation of a stable system of active interaction under the aegis of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which maintains partnership relations with the United Nations, the Association of South-East Asian Nations and other international institutions. The efforts undertaken by Turkmenistan to export its energy resources to international markets serve the goals of development to no lesser extent. We are convinced that the contours of Eurasian security run along the routes of the future pipelines. In this sense, the construction of pipelines means not only profitable commercial projects, it also means the implementation of large-scale social development projects that go far beyond national boundaries. As regards strengthening regional cooperation in Asia, it is highly important to ensure that the United Nations undertakes monitoring of the situation with regard to the establishment of a new legal status for the Caspian Sea. This new status should be determined by taking into account the interests of all the littoral States. Today the process of establishing a new international legal status for the Caspian Sea faces certain difficulties that could potentially have a rather undesirable influence on regional stability. Under these conditions, active involvement by the United Nations is considered to be very relevant. Turkmenistan promotes respect, tolerance and humane attitudes in international relations and follows the same principles in its national life. In December 1999 the law on the complete and final abolition of capital punishment in Turkmenistan was adopted. This was the first such humanistic legislation in Asia. Turkmenistan acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which reaffirmed our intention to implement practically the principles of humanism, democracy and the protection of human freedoms and rights. However, in doing so we, as realistic and pragmatic people, believe that social development is an ongoing process that requires cooperation, the exchange of ideas and, above all, dialogue with the United Nations. The interconnection and interdependence of the processes under way in today’s world are evident. Their dialectics are built along the following line: human being — State — region — continent — whole world — humankind. Therefore, we believe that by understanding its entire responsibility any State and any nation — be it large or small — is capable today of influencing the entire course of world development precisely in accordance with this sequence. In line with this, international cooperation and dialogue among civilizations have to be free from any political dictates or preconditions. This is the approach on which Turkmenistan has always insisted and insists. This is an approach that corresponds to the moral criteria of the Turkmen people and their political philosophy. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Marcel Metefara, Minister for Foreign Affairs and for la Francophonie of the Central African Republic.

Allow me first of all, on behalf of the delegation I am heading, to congratulate you warmly, Sir, on the initiative you have taken in holding this Summit, which is of such importance at the beginning of this new century. As the Secretary-General has said, the Millennium Summit provides an opportunity to take stock and to consider the role the Organization will be called upon to play in the twenty-first century. The United Nations is indeed the ideal structure where all the energies of the planet should be united so as to confront the new challenges. This is why it is imperative for all of us to reform the United Nations to adapt it to the new demands of the third millennium. In this regard, I would like to warmly congratulate the Secretary-General of our Organization and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for the serious manner in which they are preparing the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in May 2001 in Brussels. For its part, the Central African Republic is actively participating in the preparations for that important gathering, and we attach the greatest importance to it. We hope that, at this threshold of the millennium, the outcome will be commensurate with the concerns, which have to do essentially with combating poverty. I cannot conclude without thanking the international community and the United Nations system for the actions taken to consolidate peace and promote democracy in the Central African Republic. May this Millennium Summit herald a new age of effective cooperation for progress and peace for the whole international community. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Namibia): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Anund Priyay Neewoor, Chairman of the delegation of Mauritius.

I have the honour and privilege to address the Summit on behalf of the Prime Minister of Mauritius, who is unable to join the Assembly personally today, due to general elections in Mauritius, which are to take place on 11 September. On behalf of our delegation, I extend to the Co- Chairpersons our very warm congratulations on their election to preside over this historic Summit, which is being held at the dawn of the new century and of a new millennium to reflect on the future role of the United Nations in bringing about a better tomorrow for all mankind. I take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to the President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session, His Excellency Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, and to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for their leadership, vision and tireless work over many months in preparation for this extraordinary event. We are all aware that the world order we have today is rapidly falling out of tune with the realities of our times and that there is a pressing need for the international community to come together and address the numerous challenges before us. These challenges have been comprehensively brought out in the inspiring document entitled “We the peoples”, prepared and circulated by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, whom we highly compliment for the excellent and thought-provoking work he has produced. We remain faced today with many old issues, such as poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, to name only a few, which continue to afflict vast populations across the world. While large-scale wars have been averted under the existing world order, which is based largely on the Charter of the United Nations, low-level conflicts continue to occur, affecting the lives of millions of people, including women and children in different parts of the world, particularly in Africa. The spectre of nuclear holocaust continues to haunt humanity in the absence of the determination of the nuclear Powers to reach agreement for the total elimination, albeit in a phased manner, of their nuclear arsenals. We must acknowledge that the present world order has proved to be glaringly inadequate in the efforts of the international community to address the old issues, let alone the new ones, arising from the globalization of the world economy, the rapid growth of information technology and the resulting digital divide, the consequences of the environmental degradation of our planet, HIV/AIDS, gender issues and many more. Most regrettable is that the gap between the haves and the have-nots is enlarging dramatically rather than narrowing down. A large number of countries, reeling under the debt burden and with ever-dwindling foreign development assistance, cannot provide even the basic necessities of life to their peoples, such as satisfactory nutrition, safe drinking water, health care, proper shelter and, to children, their right to universal basic education. And these are among the countries that are striving to establish and consolidate democratic values, good governance and adherence to principles of human rights. Moreover, they are endeavouring in difficult conditions to restructure their poor economies to meet the exigencies of globalization. The small island developing States are particularly confronted with unprecedented anxieties in the process of globalization due to their lack of capacity to meet the new challenges without any special dispensation for them in the emerging global economic and trade environment. From Seattle to Washington, D.C., from Davos to London, and in many other places, people have spoken and have signalled in no uncertain terms that the present world order, particularly in economic, trade and development areas, is unsatisfactory and needs to be reformed and made more equitable and just for the benefit of humanity at large. What the people say in the streets now the developing countries have been saying for many years in various international forums, with little success. We are aware that the United Nations cannot provide all the remedies for the ailments of the existing world order. The economic and trade issues fall within the purview of other relevant international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, and these organizations must address them seriously and comprehensively. But the United Nations can and must do more in the future within the mandate of its Charter to promote faster economic and social, as well as personal, human development. In this regard, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s paper “We the peoples” constitutes, in our view, an important blueprint for the future work of the United Nations, provided that necessary financial resources are made available for that purpose. The founding fathers of the United Nations wrote its Charter in the context of an emerging and far less complex world order in the aftermath of the Second World War. In the 55 years since, the world has been transformed so much that today we call it a global village. All the 189 Member States representing the world community recognize that it is time to reform the United Nations Charter so that it better reflects the realities and dynamism of the world of today. In particular, reform of the Security Council — the decision-making organ of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace and security — is long overdue, as in its present form it can hardly be regarded as a democratic body representative of the collective membership of the United Nations. We need to rise above national interests that have so far prevented the urgently required reforms from being achieved and expeditiously bring to a positive conclusion our long- drawn-out deliberations on this subject. The United Nations is the only fully representative intergovernmental organization we have, with a comprehensive mandate to address almost all global issues. It represents the collective aspirations of all mankind for a peaceful, stable and prosperous world community. In the fulfilment of its noble objectives, it must be supported fully and unreservedly by all of us. Mauritius fully endorses the Millennium Summit Declaration, which sets a minimum but important agenda to be pursued by the world community together to ensure the well-being of humanity as a whole as we progress into the twenty-first century.