A/55/PV.6 General Assembly

I will begin by expressing Canada’s outrage at the murder of innocent, unarmed humanitarian personnel in West Timor. Those who attack United Nations staff attack this Organization and undermine the purposes and principles we have all come here to reaffirm. It is incumbent on the Indonesian Government to bring the perpetrators to justice. As we mark a new millennium, the United Nations is the world’s indispensable institution, and Canada is unshakably committed to its common goals and shared vision. I am pleased that the Secretary- General is using this millennium watershed to focus our attention on reforming the United Nations. I wish to assure him that Canada will be a creative partner in this effort. Canada’s embrace of the United Nations reflects our common values and shared experiences. An incredibly diverse nation, we are deeply committed to freedom, tolerance, justice and equality. We know the sense of community that comes from sharing prosperity and opportunity. We have experienced what human ingenuity and creativity can achieve when people are free from want, free from fear and free from war. In the new century, Canada’s vision is of a world in which all people enjoy these same blessings. The United Nations is our best hope to marshal the common sense of purpose needed to realize this vision. But it must meet the challenge of change. (spoke in French) The rise of ethnic nationalism, such as in the Balkans or Central Africa, is a stain on our humanity. It also greatly complicates peacekeeping operations, whose mandates must now include provisions for the protection of civilians at risk and be matched with the necessary resources. Canada was one of the principal architects of peacekeeping. We are also one of the most active participants in peacekeeping operations. We therefore encourage all Member States to be guided by the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s Panel on United Nations Peace Operations. We must redouble our efforts to deny the agents of violence and conflict their sources of supply by halting the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and by controlling the illicit trade in diamonds. We must continue to make the security of people our first priority. The Ottawa Convention banning landmines and the agreement on the Statute of the International Criminal Court are important milestones in this respect. In a few days’ time, Canada will host an International Conference on War-affected Children. (spoke in English) I am also pleased to announce that Canada, with the support of interested foundations, is leading the establishment of an independent international commission on intervention and State sovereignty. Our Foreign Minister will shortly outline the rationale and mandate of the commission. Alleviating world poverty is our common cause. We must share the benefits of globalization. We must give it a human purpose and a human face. The poorest countries require access for their goods to export markets. Faster, deeper and broader debt relief should be pursued vigorously through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative. We must ensure that development does not degrade the global environment. We must also bridge the digital divide. We must ensure that the benefits of the information revolution are shared by all. That is why Canada endorses the creation of a United Nations Information Technology Service. As former Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson used to say, the United Nations must be a symphony orchestra, not a string quartet. For that to happen, it has to be supported in all respects, politically and financially. All Members must pay their bills. With the will and the resolve, the United Nations will remain the world’s indispensable institution in the twenty-first century. Canada is committed to being an indispensable partner. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Yoshiro Mori, Prime Minister of Japan.

Fifty-five years have passed since the United Nations was established. Throughout this period, and particularly since the end of the cold war, progress has been made in the efforts to achieve peace and prosperity. On the other hand, there continue to be tensions and conflicts, and concerns over the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are growing as well. While progress in science and technology and the advancement of globalization are making greater prosperity possible for humankind, the gap between the haves and the have- nots in the international community is widening. Moreover, common challenges in such areas as the environment and health also demand our attention. These are the conditions that prevail as we enter the new century. Today, in the limited time available, I should like to emphasize two points in particular. The first is the importance of dealing with issues confronting the international community from a human-centred point of view, and the second is the need to strengthen the functions of the United Nations in the new century. At the dawn of a new century, we are faced with various problems such as conflicts, human rights violations, poverty, infectious diseases, crime and environmental destruction, which threaten the existence and dignity of each and every person. We must deal with these problems from the standpoint of the importance of each individual. This is the concept of human security. With human security as one of the pillars of its diplomacy, Japan will spare no effort to make the twenty-first century a human-centred one. The United Nations must play, and indeed is expected to play, a more active role in promoting such a human-centred approach. Based upon this recognition, Japan has to date contributed more than 9 billion yen — or well over $80 million — to the human security fund, which was established at the United Nations in March 1999. In the near future, Japan intends to make a further contribution to this fund of approximately 10 billion yen, or roughly $100 million. Japan also intends to establish an international committee on human security, with the participation of world renowned opinion leaders, and to further develop and deepen the concept of this human-centred approach. Next, it is essential that the functions of the United Nations be strengthened and, in particular, that the Security Council be reformed so that it can further maintain the peace and security of the international community, which may well be a prerequisite for ensuring human security in the twenty-first century. It is clear that the Security Council of today does not fully reflect the realities of the international community as it enters the twenty-first century. In order to enhance the legitimacy of the United Nations, it is urgently necessary to reform the Security Council so that it can effectively fulfil its expected role through its activities for the prevention of conflicts and the maintenance of peace and security. From this rostrum, I strongly appeal to the representatives of all Member States present: let us create a groundswell of support for the early realization of Security Council reform, through our discussions at this Millennium Summit and the Millennium Assembly to follow. I am convinced that a large majority of Member States already support the expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council, as well as the inclusion of both developing and developed countries in the expanded permanent membership. Let us confirm this as a starting point and build up agreements, one by one, on those issues of Security Council reform on which we can agree. I must also emphasize that in order to strengthen the functioning of the United Nations, it is necessary to urgently secure a sounder financial base. Towards that end, let us cooperate to realize an effective yet efficient use of financial resources and a fairer and more equitable sharing of the financial burden among Member States. The issues of nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation must not be forgotten as we think about the twenty-first century. At the 2000 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, held this spring, a great step forward towards realizing the elimination of nuclear weapons was made, with unanimous agreement among participating States, including nuclear-weapon States, on practical steps towards nuclear disarmament, including an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear- weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Japan, as the only country to have suffered nuclear devastation, earnestly desires that all countries join hands to free the twenty-first century from the fear and danger of nuclear weapons and to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In accordance with that desire, Japan will submit at the Millennium Assembly a new draft resolution on the elimination of nuclear weapons. In order to ensure that the twenty-first century is a more peaceful century in which each person on earth can be free from fear and want and enjoy lasting prosperity, all countries must work together in cooperation. Strengthening the United Nations is essential in this regard. Based upon this recognition, Japan is resolved to redouble its efforts to more actively fulfil its responsibility and its role in the international community. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Right Honourable Girija Prasad Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal.

I bring the Assembly warm greetings from the Government and people of Nepal and the best wishes of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. Since its inception, the United Nations has been working to uphold peace, to promote the rule of law and to foster development. Yet freedom from want and freedom from fear are as distant as ever for many countries. The challenge before the world’s leaders today is to bring peace, prosperity and justice to everyone in an interdependent and globalized world. We in Nepal believe that the United Nations can help achieve our goal. It is this belief that keeps our faith alive in the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, whose ideals of freedom, equality, non-violence and tolerance continue to sustain the hopes of humanity. That Nepal is active in peacekeeping as well as in other work of the Organization is a clear testimony to that abiding faith. Never before had the imperative of peace been more compelling and prospects of peace so bright as they are today because of the unprecedented human capacity to destroy and to create. All too often we have failed to remove the root causes of conflict, poverty and exclusion. Poverty and conflict often reinforce each other. The current wave of globalization, though holding promise, has widened the disparity between rich and poor and has facilitated the movements of terrorists, criminals, drugs, diseases and pollution. Refugee flows have become alarming due mainly to intra-State conflicts. It is within our collective capacity to change this. States must exercise the requisite political will and act together to eliminate the threats of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, to control small and light weapons, to prevent conflicts and resolve disputes peacefully, to restore confidence in collective security through robust peacekeeping, to tackle terrorism and crime and, above all, to bring inclusive progress. Reducing poverty requires sustained growth at home and a favourable external climate. Growth entails investment, which the world community should help poor countries to finance by meeting agreed aid targets, broadening debt relief measures and encouraging foreign investment. Measures must also be put in place to evenly distribute the benefits of globalization, to bridge the digital divide and to open markets in rich countries for the products and labour of poor countries. Development should be environment- and market-friendly to make it sustainable. The global financial architecture and the global trading regime must be more responsive to the needs of poor countries. The least developed countries have for far too long remained in the shadow of world attention. The landlocked among them, like Nepal, are the worst off, as they continue to slide down. Their development partners must help them, both with adequate resources to remove their development constraints and with duty- free and quota-free access for their exports. Transit countries should provide better transit facilities to landlocked countries so that they can join the global economic mainstream. The United Nations needs comprehensive reform in order to rise up to the challenges of the twenty-first century. We must restore an optimal balance between the General Assembly and the Security Council, and strengthen the Economic and Social Council. The Organization must bring about greater coordination among its funds, programmes and activities, as well as with the Bretton Wood institutions and the World Trade Organization. If the Organization is to be effective, Member States must provide it with adequate resources. The Secretary-General’s millennium report offers many useful insights to address global problems and reform the Organization. We share a common humanity and face a shared destiny. States committed to democracy, human rights and good governance that are willing to take bold steps and work with each other, as well as with civil society, can make a difference. People shall judge us by our leadership in promoting peace, prosperity and justice for every man, woman and child around the world. Nepal will do its part. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Right Honourable Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili, Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and Public Service of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

We are at an important juncture in human history, a time of reflection on the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century — the United Nations in which most of humankind places much faith and hope for a bright future. Can we say with confidence that such faith and hope are justifiably placed? Whatever answer we give to that question, I believe it is within our capability to make it so. There is no doubt that when the United Nations was created, in 1945, the expectations of all peoples of the world were high for an institution that promised an era of peace and security and the betterment of the living conditions of all peoples. Given the pall of despair that had descended upon the world following a prolonged and brutal war, the human spirit could not but be uplifted by the lofty words and intentions of the Charter of the United Nations: “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and” “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”. Unfortunately, it was not until 50 years later, in 1994, that institutionalized colour discrimination was defeated in South Africa. In a similar vein, the poor countries of the South, including my own, are yet to see genuine economic emancipation, despite the creation of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund, which are meant to give practical meaning to the lofty aspirations of the United Nations Charter. The attainment of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa must be accompanied by corresponding economic gains and the reduction of poverty. However, the majority of us who have embraced democracy are yet to reap the fruits of that change. We have waited too long, and change must come now. We are unable to meet the challenges of globalization and to take advantage of the opportunities it offers for development and the relief of poverty. We are similarly unable to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by advances in information and communications technology, which hold great prospects for our rapid development. The defining challenge of the twenty-first century is how to close the present gap in development between the developed and the developing nations. The renaissance that the Economic and Social Council has been experiencing in the last three years is very gratifying and must be sustained. Its role in translating our aspirations into reality should be strengthened. It will therefore be necessary in the twenty-first century to rethink the powers of that body so that it is put on a footing commensurate with its importance. On the eve of the twenty-first century, we must continue to dream of a future filled with hope for humanity. A policy framework that is regaining currency is that of a new global human order whose essential elements are, first, the creation of a new partnership between developing and developed countries, based on full cooperation for their mutual benefit; secondly, the promotion of democratic culture and good governance; thirdly, the adoption of a development strategy that is centred on people as objects of development, and one that is sensitive to issues of equity, gender equality, the rights of indigenous people and the protection of the environment; fourthly, increased productivity and production with equity through the application of science and technology; fifthly, the elimination of the debt burden for developing countries; sixthly, the reduction of extreme poverty; and, lastly, the creation of a global development facility funded by such new and innovative sources of financing as cuts in military spending, levies on pollution and a tax on speculative capital. Finally, we would like to join all delegations in calling for a United Nations that is strengthened and equipped with resources to wage war against HIV/AIDS. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Right Honourable Percival James Patterson, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Jamaica.

The closing decades of the twentieth century have brought mankind to new horizons, extending beyond the nation State to create a wider circle of human identity and building a new sense of global consciousness. In earlier times, philosophers, poets and other visionaries recognized the existence of one human family. It is a concept which our people have grown increasingly to accept. Photographs from space, showing a single Earth suspended in space, have served dramatically to confirm the sense of one borderless world, giving a powerful stimulus to the spread of this perception of human unity and global oneness. Acknowledgement of this reality must be the starting point of this Assembly as we mark the start of a new millennium. The establishment of the United Nations was one of the principal achievements of the century and the Charter is unquestionably a landmark document, giving a clear signal in the movement to a wider, global identity. During the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, several important contributions were made to strengthen the capacity of the world community to address the major global issues which confront us. Discussions on reform were launched, but enthusiasm was lacking and inertia triumphed. Reform was subverted into a crusade for downsizing and retrenchment. And so we embark on the new millennium with a glaring structural deficit: the absence of an organ — comparable in standing and authority, but more representative in its composition — to address major global questions in the economic domain, the social field and the environment of our planet. There remains a yawning gap in the institutions of global governance that we must quickly fill. As we enter the new millennium, universal global peace and security remain under constant threat because of large-scale and persistent poverty; increasing instability in the world economy; the looming global contest between resources and consumption; and the prospect of poor countries’ being obliged to pay for the indulgence of the rich. Poverty remains the single greatest challenge facing mankind. Even as globalization presents new vistas of opportunities, half of the world's peoples suffer the deprivation, despair and powerlessness of extreme poverty. We must seize this unique moment to forge global partnerships for decisive action against poverty and social exclusion. We live in a fool’s paradise to think that the status quo can be indefinitely maintained. The challenges, indeed, are multiplying. The poor have neither the time nor the interest to discuss the theories of economic globalization. Even as they experience its harsh realities, the globalized media, with a vastly extended reach, now enable the poor to see how the rich actually live. They can observe that, if the roads of the cities of the industrialized world are not paved with gold, they are a gateway to much greater opportunity than their present life offers. The digital revolution is a demonstrable source of tremendous benefit to mankind. Yet information technology is dangerously poised to become the new barrier — a powerful force of exclusion in the new millennium. Let us exploit the digital revolution for human development in the creation of a global knowledge-based economy. I call for effective and meaningful collaboration among all stakeholders in the international community so that information technology can impact positively on the lives of all our people. There must be no gender disparity in this new revolution. It must embrace our children and youth, the disabled, our rural communities and ethnic minorities. The challenge that faces this Millennium Assembly is the age-old one that has faced humanity at all turning points in history. Do we ignore the signals of self-destruction or do we heed them and change course? Indisputably, we must respond to them with the spirit of global solidarity that is essential to their fulfilment. To do any less is to fail in our duty to our own and future generations. And there is no better, more practical, more effective way to start than to endow the United Nations with the capacity and competence to bring that spirit of global solidarity to the fulfilment of the long-stated aims and objectives of the Charter. We must strengthen the United Nations by making it a truly democratic instrument of human progress. Only serious and courageous action, and genuine commitment to changing the status quo, will be worthy of our coming together here in this commemorative Summit. In the new millennium, we must become good stewards for this and succeeding generations. Let us begin now. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency The Honourable Roosevelt Douglas, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign, Legal, Labour and Carib Affairs of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

What makes the start of this new century both fascinating and frightening is the fact that we can only enjoy the benefit of it, cognizant of the fact that none of us here will see the end of it. In short, we will not be present to take credit for the achievements, nor to shoulder the blame for the failures of our policies. It has been said that the century which we are entering can and must be the century of the common man and common woman. This is very true, as it is the common man who will judge the efficacy of this institution and will pronounce whether or not we were truly successful in fulfilling the promises of the United Nations Charter. But the bigger question is: should we succeed in leaving the common man a higher standard of living, access to affordable health care, peace and security and good economic prospects, will he be able to enjoy them on the planet that we will leave to him? I ask this question because the truth is, the common man will judge us most of all on the state of the planet that we will bequeath to him and the generations after him. The indiscriminate destruction of our forests, rampant overfishing of our oceans and the pollution of the air and soil take less time to occur than it will take to repair the damage that has been created. Our concern cannot be overstated since we, the small States, the most vulnerable members of this Assembly, are the ones that will bear the burden of the very real threats of climate change and environmental degradation. This issue of environmental vulnerability further compounds the economic vulnerability with which we are faced as we enter this new century. Indeed, it is economic security that we need to ensure that we provide for the common man of generations to come. For without economic security, the stability, openness and good governance to which we all aspire will not be attainable. The viability of this Organization will be called into question if a few members are strong while the majority are weak, feeble, marginalized and powerless. I say this because the majority of the countries in the Caribbean are small, structurally weak, with vulnerable economies that lack the financial and human resources and the institutional capacity necessary to compete in this global economy and to benefit from the trade opportunities which may exist. My country, Dominica, presently boasts the living reality of the world’s two oldest human beings, Elizabeth Pampo Israel, 125 years old, in Glanvillia, Dominica, and Rose Charles, 119 years old. Both are alive and well in Dominica. While we are doing our part to become incorporated in this new era of globalization, we have so far been unable to identify any tangible benefits from international agreements such as those that govern the World Trade Organization (WTO). Instead, we have witnessed the erosion of market access and export earnings from bananas. We strongly urge organizations like the WTO to recognize the unique circumstances of small, structurally weak and vulnerable States and to make special provisions for these States in the formulation of their policies and regulations. The difficulties that my country currently faces with respect to the banana industry, and to agriculture in general, has left us no alternative but to intensify our efforts to diversify the economy, while we stand firm with our banana farmers and move, where possible, into organic farming. The challenges of diversification come at a time when we are losing our valuable human resources to the more advanced wage markets of the North, when the unstoppable process of trade liberalization is forcing us back into traditional markets and, in some countries, when extreme poverty demoralizes the majority of the labour force. It is very obvious that we cannot afford to let the information technology revolution pass us by. This would not only result in the marginalization of countries like my own but would also put into question the viability and stability of the countries themselves. The information technology revolution has widened the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”, with the “haves” enjoying the good life and the “have nots” floundering in poverty. Despite the opportunities that may exist, we should not forget that well over half of the world’s population does not even have access to basic telephone services. It is the poor, particularly women and children, who are most affected by economic crises, epidemics and natural disasters. We have every reason to be troubled by this, as poverty impedes the contribution that vast numbers of our populations can make towards national development. The Millennium Report calls for one billion people to be lifted out of poverty by the year 2015. This is laudable. However, many developing countries are unable to fund programmes that eradicate poverty, due to the high burden of external debt which serves as an impediment to sustainable economic development. We believe that the United Nations can play a vital role in shaping and influencing a new regime of multilateral economic governance among the international lending agencies, urging them to institute policies for debt relief, so as to ensure that the fundamental, underlying causes of indebtedness are eliminated, thereby ensuring that the cycle of poverty itself is broken. Dominica is sparing no effort to upgrade our offshore legislation to reduce and eliminate any possibilities of money laundering. At the same time, we demand our sovereign rights and are committed to continuing the development of our offshore sector, like other countries in the Caribbean. Less than two centuries ago, slavery was defeated. Apartheid and fascism were defeated in the last century. It is now our obligation to direct our full energy to entomb racism in this century in all its manifestations. One of the greatest men of the last century, Martin Luther King, said that the arc of the moral universe is long and wide, but it always bends towards justice. Real peace will never come without justice. Dominica is easily one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It is committed to pursue the course of peace; to play its part in seeking a cure for the dreaded AIDS epidemic; to strengthen Caribbean and Latin American cooperation; and to contribute to the strengthening of the unity of all African States and South-South cooperation. Locked in geographically between the French Departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, with which we share strong historical ties, we have been obliged to seek a new relationship with France and the European Union to ensure our economic viability. Dominica will always be committed within the family of the United Nations to support the course of peacekeeping and conflict resolution in the world and of sustainable development among the poor nations and the attainment of popular democracy to ensure popular participation and decentralization at all levels of society, and it will respect the right of the Republic of China to adequate representation. Finally, we salute the bold task being undertaken by our brother, Kofi Annan, and the United Nations in instituting this very timely debate among Member States. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Cheikh El Avia Ould Mohamed Khouna, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

I am particularly pleased and honoured to address you, on behalf of the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya, on the occasion of the Millennium Summit organized under the topic of the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century. I would like at this point to extend my warm congratulations to the Co-Chairpersons of this historic Summit, Dr. Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia and Miss Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland. We are convinced that their experience and wisdom will guarantee the success of our work. I would also like to express to Secretary-General Kofi Annan our appreciation for the efforts he has constantly been making since he assumed his duties to strengthen the role of the United Nations and to enable it to fulfil its responsibilities. Ever since its founding, the United Nations has been making important achievements in the political, economic and social areas, thus responding to the aspirations of peoples and States to freedom, independence and peace. The United Nations and its specialized agencies have, furthermore, played an essential role in promoting sustainable development in all economic, social and environmental spheres. Be that as it may, the phenomenon of globalization, marking the end of this century, and the magnitude of the challenges facing our world, more than ever require more international cooperation and solidarity to reach equitable and harmonious development. As Mr. Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya, the President of our Republic, said: “Today’s world, which has become a global village and where distances have been shortened thanks to scientific and technological progress and to the communications and information revolution, must work to correct the imbalance due to the widening gap that separates the rich countries from the poor ones”. Today our world is facing major challenges that are hindering the development process and increasing marginalization and poverty among a large part of humanity. Much of the world’s population continues to suffer from the effects of poverty, disease, epidemics and ignorance, as well as those of wars, conflicts and environmental threats such as pollution and desertification. Our collective responsibility in this respect is to ensure that together we meet these challenges in a spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance among all countries and all peoples. Since indebtedness is one of the major problems facing the developing countries, the international community must find an urgent and radical solution to it so that the available resources can be used for development efforts. Our country welcomes the recent international initiatives taken to this end. The upheavals experienced by the world and the challenges confronting humankind require a renewal of the methods and structures of our Organization. In this respect, reform and restructuring of its bodies are necessary so that they can be adapted to new realities. To this end we appreciate the initiative taken by the Secretary-General to reform and restructure the Organization. We also place great hope in the results of the work of the Working Group mandated by the General Assembly to consider expanded representation in the Security Council. We reiterate our support for this idea and for the idea of increasing the number of its permanent members by admitting developing countries and other industrialized countries, in accordance with the rules of democracy, transparency and justice, with a view to ensuring equitable geographical representation in the Council, so that it reflects the universal character of our Organization, in accordance with Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations. We are convinced that these reforms will allow the United Nations to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Before I conclude, I wish to reaffirm the commitment of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to working to achieve the noble ideals of the United Nations, with a view to the promotion and consolidation of international peace and security and the strengthening of cooperation and solidarity among nations in order to bring about a better world free of war, famine and underdevelopment. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines): The history of our civilization has been an evolving relationship between the organic and the inorganic. It has evolved with intimate relationships between all living creatures and the planet Earth, which we inherited. This intimate relationship among living beings created the concepts and the values of family, home and nation. Over thousands of years, national boundaries became demarcated. Rivalries regarding these boundaries and the exploitation of resources led to wars, and then to the search for peace, which gave rise to the founding of the United Nations. Our religious heritage has taught us how to reach across the boundaries of nations through the very inspirational guideline, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Today we are sensitive to the imperatives of the global village, and our neighbours, through the technological revolution, are everywhere. And yet the competition among the peoples of the world has become fiercer, with the rich countries surging ahead and widening the gap between them and poor countries. Having access to the markets in the developed countries is the key to long-term economic development for the poor countries. Small island States such as our own, with an enviable record of good governance and human rights, have seen the mighty in the banana trade using the international rules — crafted by them — impede our economic growth. Similarly, the verdicts that have been imposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries on our financial services, without our having the right to be heard, demonstrate total disrespect. So-called harmful taxation, so-called harmful tax competition is about whose treasury collects the taxes. Where is the fairness in free trade in all of this? Offshore financial services is one of our chosen avenues of economic diversification. Since it appears as though there is no place or space for us in the production of goods, we thought that we should provide a financial service to those who do produce goods. Our decision to service the wealth generated elsewhere is part of our attempt at economic survival. We recognize that our financial system must provide opportunities for the enjoyment of the fruits of one’s labour. However, we want it to be understood that we are committed to being responsible members of the international community, including playing our part in the war against the drug trade and money- laundering. Each successive generation of youth must be provided with a ray of hope, and in the twenty-first century our world’s leaders must provide meaningful change to enhance the quality of life for all the world’s people. Development, no matter what we build, is about people and the quality of their lives. Only when this objective is realized will globalization be accepted as a practical policy of creating equity of opportunities for human development. The challenges of the twenty-first century lie in the battles against poverty and the HIV virus. The development of human capital is the main priority for small nation-States such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The United Nations must find a way to focus continually on the equitable distribution of the world’s wealth. The unilateral imposition of the will of the strong and the wealthy on the small, vulnerable and poor will not produce the stability, security and peace that are fundamental to attaining the quality of life to which we all aspire. This should be the guiding spirit behind our reform. With this spirit, we should preserve humanity well into the twenty-first century. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Mart Laar, Prime Minster of Estonia.

Despite the fact that the United Nations has indeed achieved a lot over the past 55 years, the Organization has not always lived up to the expectations the world had when it was first founded. This uneven record is also described in the Secretary-General’s report. Let me give an example of the differences between the high expectations and the reality. In 1972, freedom fighters in the then occupied Estonia wrote an appeal to the United Nations. They considered the United Nations to be an unquestioned moral authority. In the real world, they ended up in the prison camps of the USSR without any notice from this high body. The USSR happened to be a big Power. The United Nations of the new millennium must make changes. To achieve that important goal, the decision- making and financial procedures of the United Nations have to be adapted, and the Organization must be streamlined. We need a United Nations that will be an effective, accountable and representative organization that represents us all, large and small countries, equally. But this has another side as well: Member States themselves must be willing to pitch in. It is not enough to demand that the United Nations do something; we have to provide it with the necessary tools to do its work. That means that we must lead by example. Let me focus on three points that we in Estonia consider important. First, open government and open markets are a precondition for economic recovery and growth. Secondly, the information technology sector is a vital conduit to successful development. And thirdly, no country can allow itself to take advantage of a discount on security. On the first point, the Secretary-General’s report to the Assembly (A/54/2000) focused on the eradication of poverty and on making the world a more equal place. This is important. It can be achieved by alleviating debt and by providing more development assistance. I think both of those aspects are vital. However, what is crucial is that States Members of the United Nations should commit themselves to good governance and open markets. Without a commitment to these two elements, no amount of aid and no amount of debt relief will achieve that aim, an aim we all have to strive for. I am convinced that small countries, such as Estonia, can provide an important example of how to manage economic restructuring. We have been able to show that opening up our markets to outside competition, cutting and indeed eliminating tariffs, privatizing our economy and making the Government accountable to the people bring tangible benefits. The United Nations Development Programme has provided perhaps the best illustration of the effectiveness of our approach. In two years, Estonia has moved 30 places up in the Human Development Index and we belong today to the group of countries that evince high human development. Secondly, in his report, the Secretary-General highlighted the need to ensure that the benefits of new technology, especially information technology, become available to all. The high-level panel of experts on information and communication technology has called for Internet access for all of the world’s population by the end of 2004. That is an ambitious goal and certainly not an easy task, but it is doable. The Internet may not be a cure for all ills; indeed we have to be very careful not to overestimate the importance of the Internet or to underestimate its shortcomings. However, a prerequisite for the spread of the Internet and of the World Wide Web is total and unfettered access. Yet action to ensure this opportunity is less and less global in scale: local action is called for, mostly in the hands of national Governments. Those that embrace openness are also able to enhance the opportunity of their citizens to reach out to qualitatively new horizons. We have committed ourselves to promoting information technology through a nationwide programme guaranteeing each and every schoolgirl and schoolboy in Estonia free access to the Internet. Today, the Estonian Government carries out its sessions via computer, and Estonia has risen to be among the 20 most computerized nations in the world. But this not enough. Equal distribution of money and information alone does not guarantee well-being. We have to secure an environment where it can be enjoyed. The next and decisive move for mankind is to invest in ecological technologies that allow us to live in partnership with nature. We know how difficult it is to start such a programme with limited resources. But we also know what benefits can be gained from it. That is why Estonia is committed to work together with the United Nations to assist other Member States to create new opportunities for themselves and for the world as a whole. Thirdly, just as we in Estonia have come to understand that we must transmit some of the know- how we have gained to other United Nations Members, we have also reached the position that we cannot live on discounted security. That is why the Estonian Government decided this year to give up the 80 per cent discount that we have used so far and to pay our contribution to peacekeeping in full. It is important that if we expect the United Nations to perform ever more, and more complicated, tasks, we must also be willing to foot the bill. Naturally Estonia’s contribution in itself is not much in dollar terms. However, if every Member of the United Nations paid its assessed dues in full we would make a considerable step forward. But paying our dues is not enough, of course. The peacekeeping system of the United Nations has to be made more effective and better adapted to the challenges of today, as mentioned in the recent report on peacekeeping (A/55/305). As we have all seen, the term “peacekeeping” itself is no longer appropriate at a time when what is needed more than keeping the peace is establishing a peaceful environment. Whether this task be delegated to other organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or whether it be the United Nations itself that carries out these tasks, we have to be able to face the new challenges of the new millennium in the peacekeeping field as well. Estonia favours giving the United Nations a stronger mandate to establish and preserve the peace. I hope we all will consider it our main duty to help the renewed United Nations to make a difference in the new millennium. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Adolf Ogi, President of the Swiss Confederation. President Ogi (spoke in French): Time did not stop with the end of the cold war. History continues. As we embark on a new millennium, we are writing a new page in our history. This is an opportunity to go forward and to make progress. We must seize that opportunity. The twentieth century was one of great scientific, technological, economic and cultural discoveries. But the twentieth century was also one of conflict and human tragedy of the most violent, the most murderous and the most horrendous kind. Yes, we are embarking on a new century and a new millennium. But what we bequeath to future generations will depend on our common will. If we lack that will, what will our legacy be? Switzerland shares the objectives of Secretary- General Kofi Annan’s millennium report. We thank him for his vision and commitment. Switzerland is with him. Switzerland has the same values as the United Nations — peace, stability, democracy and the observance of human rights. This is why Switzerland intends to enhance its relations with the United Nations. Switzerland hosts in Geneva a major headquarters of the United Nations system. It is a member of most of the organizations of the system, and contributes generously to the United Nations budget, but today it has only observer status in the General Assembly — though peace, security and well-being are the business of all. The Swiss people will decide about joining the United Nations in 2002. Despite all our hopes, wars and violence are still with us. But within a century the face of war has changed. Wars take place less frequently between States, but increasingly within States. The participants, their objectives and these conflicts are of a new type. The conflicts are most often of a local nature and inter- ethnic, or simply the work of terrorists. Nonetheless, these conflicts can destabilize entire countries. Their consequences are felt across borders. They have a lasting impact on the people and their attitudes. It has become more difficult to ensure respect for international humanitarian law, because the actors in conflicts are no longer just States. We cannot remain passive in the face of this suffering and these tragedies. Unfortunately, traditional international law is no longer sufficient. We must explore new approaches and develop new tools — and perhaps also new structures within the United Nations. During and after the conflicts, after the terror and intolerance have come to an end, we must seek out and punish the guilty. This is why I salute the efforts to set up the International Criminal Court as soon as possible and to ensure its integrity. But we must also heal the wounds left by history. In this regard, the Republic of South Africa has given an excellent example with its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. I hope this example will be followed elsewhere in the world. Human security also requires fighting against poverty and inequalities. This is one of our priorities, because the fruits of globalization must benefit the whole of humankind. The United Nations is called upon to play a key role so that this objective can be achieved. It is the only international organization with a truly global perspective on today’s problems: economic and social development, environmental and health issues, new technologies, and the promotion of democracy and human rights. Switzerland wants to take up this challenge with the Member States. In this spirit, we support the idea of holding in Geneva a summit on the new information and communications technologies. However, the resolutions passed at such occasions are one thing; they also need to be implemented. The history of the United Nations shows this. Should we not also envisage new structures that could take binding decisions and be charged with seeing that they are carried out? I am thinking of a structure akin to the Security Council, but for issues of civil society. The States must explore new approaches to meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow, together — that is, collectively. This is an opportunity that we must seize. It is in this spirit that Switzerland, before this Assembly, announces: “We and Geneva are ready to seek solutions with your countries, with the United Nations and with you.” The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, Deputy Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

At the dawn of the new millennium our world is facing both challenges and favourable opportunities. In the past half century, the world has recorded unprecedented economic achievements, thanks to the rapid advance of science and technology. As a result, many countries have now attained a high level of development. However, unfortunately the gap between the developed and developing countries is further widening. While the living standard in some countries has improved, almost half of the world’s population still lives in extreme poverty. In this respect, we hope that the developed and more fortunate countries will seriously implement the United Nations Millennium Declaration to help the least-developed countries, the landlocked developing countries and small island developing States rid themselves of poverty. The Lao Government has given priority to poverty eradication by integrating it into the national policy and programme. The issue of heavy indebtedness has become one of the obstacles to economic development in developing countries. Therefore, a solution to the debt problem in various forms, particularly for the least- developed countries, is necessary if they are to acquire basic resources for building national economic foundations for achieving self-sufficiency in the long run. Another issue of concern to the majority of countries in the world, particularly weak nations, is the concept of “humanitarian intervention”. This concept could quite easily become a cover for gratuitous interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States. Therefore, we are of the view that at the turn of the new millennium it is imperative that all general principles of international law and of the United Nations Charter — in particular, the principles of the sovereign equality of all Member States, respect for the national sovereignty of independent States and non- interference in the internal affairs of other States — be strictly observed. Mr. Tuomioja (Finland) took the Chair. Building a prosperous, more secure and equitable twenty-first century is a task that requires the will and determined efforts of the entire world community. In this process, the United Nations has a crucial role to play. Therefore, it is imperative to reform the United Nations, in particular its Security Council, so that it might gain legitimacy, be more transparent and be in a much better position to carry out its responsibilities. On Security Council reform we maintain our firm position in favour of the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council, adding seats for both developing and industrialized countries. No less important, let us also resolve to ensure that the United Nations is given the necessary resources so that it can live up to its enormous tasks in development assistance. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic will, together with all peoples all over the world, take appropriate action to prove its commitment. In this spirit, I wish the Summit a successful conclusion. The Acting Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Monie Captan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liberia.

On the occasion of this Millennium Summit, I am honoured to participate in this historic session on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Charles G. Taylor, President of the Republic of Liberia. Permit me to congratulate our Co-Chairpersons for their selection to chair this Millennium Summit. I wish to also salute and extend deepest thanks and appreciation to the Secretary-General on this historic occasion for his efforts in the search for international peace and understanding. This Millennium Summit cannot and should not follow the traditional pleasantries of congratulations and self-indulgence so characteristic of high profile meetings of this sort. Rather, this Summit should be a forum for the members of the international community to express their concerns as sovereign equals in the finest tradition of the universal values of equity, social justice, freedom and equality. If we should, in that process, offend others in our common community because we proclaim our rights as well as the responsibility we assume, then we do so without regret. We Liberians, like the rest of you, joined the United Nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and the self-determination of peoples. By equal rights, we pronounced the equality of cultural identity in a diverse world. We did not view equality in a context of numerical ratios, but by the intrinsic equality of the worth of human beings and the right to self-determination consistent with the cultural identity and the value of a free people; a people free of the imposition of a perceived superior moral value system, one based upon the narrow view of moral superiority and ethnocentrism. In essence, we advocate the coexistence of cultural diversity based upon the principle of the right of self-determination. This cultural identity is embodied in the legal context of the modern nation- State; an entity that is disparate in geographical size, population, wealth, power and resources, but equal in the right of a people to determine their fate. Today, there is the disparity of bigness; bigness as it relates to wealth, technology and military power; a bigness so overwhelming that its wealth, technological advancement and military strength could, with ease, reduce poverty, eradicate disease, educate youths, provide basic social services, combat AIDS and malaria, care for refugees and provide security. Yet, this bigness has been used to sustain disparities between the North and the South. Some have argued that the poor must learn to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, while others have urged the North to assist the South because the creation of viable markets will serve the self-interest of the North. Yet, any realist would easily tell you that no nation guided by the principle of competition would shun disparities. However, the South is so small compared to the bigness of the North. The disparities are exponential. Removing the disparities, even if willed, would indeed require a miracle. What options exist? The first step could be to end the debt burden, the bondage of the poor to the wealthy; a debt burden acquired out of loans given in the pursuit of influence in the cold war, and not in the interest of the borrower; a debt burden that has denied little children food, education, health care and jobs for their parents. The debt burden is a bondage that will continue to stifle the welfare of the South into the new millennium. We must, however, commend those few States that have cancelled the debts of the least developed States. We must also intercede for the transfer of technology. The bold steps of humanity in the sphere of research were intended to liberate all of humanity from its backwardness. It was never intended to benefit only a few or to separate humanity. Why are Nobel laureates honoured? Is it not because of their dedicated services to humanity? A technology that liberates only the North and not the South is indeed a mixed blessing; it is a gun that has been used to both liberate and kill. Are we condemned to be raw material suppliers in the new millennium? Suppliers of goods, the prices of which are determined by the buyers and not the sellers? Shall we continue to remain in a position where we cannot afford essential technology in the fields of medicine and agriculture? We call not for the erasure of the disparities created by the buyers of the North, but to have access at the baseline, to engage in more equitable terms of trade. Bigness is further expressed in the information exchange between the North and South. The Western press, with its domination of satellite transmission of information and access to the Internet, can through sheer exposure destroy small States incapable of mustering the resources to respond to a global public relations campaign. The depiction of other cultures of small States is prejudiced by stereotypical portrayals of a hopeless southern hemisphere; a hemisphere prejudiced by the lack of understanding and information, racism and ethnocentrism. The bigness of the Western media and its impact on small States, on different cultures, is so profound that it threatens their very existence and welfare. And yet, because of their powerful influence, Governments succumb to them, rather than regulate them; sometimes even using them as instruments of their foreign policy. Who do we raise these concerns with today? Who shall guarantee the conditions upon which we collectively agreed to associate as a community of universal norms? What is the fate of our community in this post-cold-war unipolar system? Should we be guarded by the words of the United States scholar George F. Kennan, when he wrote in 1948 that: “We have 50 per cent of the world’s wealth, but only 6.3 per cent of its population ... In this situation we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships that will allow us to maintain this position of disparity ... We should cease to talk about the raising of the living standards and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts.” Likewise, in 1996 at the United States Democratic National Convention, James Rubin said, “The United Nations can only do what the United States will let it do.” Perhaps the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, did take a cue when he asked the question: “How can we ask nations to accept democratic practice within their borders if they see no hope for democracy among nations?” Or shall we be optimistic at the new wave of humanism characterized by a global coalition for the protection of human rights? Optimism must be based upon sincerity. Immanuel Kant would insist that the moral imperative must be categorical and not hypothetical. Our actions cannot be predicated by mere expediency in the calculation of accrued benefit; rather, our actions must be done because we perceive and know them to be right. At this juncture, this new millennium, we must defend and preserve the universal truths to which we have committed our common association. Truths are simple and self-evident. If we must succeed in preserving the integrity of the United Nations, then we must reject the inequitable representation of the world’s people as reflected by the present structure of the Security Council; reject the undemocratic processes of decision-making in the Security Council; and reject the continuous violation of the United Nations Charter by the powerful. If we fail to make these rejections a reality in this millennium, then let us agree that all the talk of moral imperatives and human rights is but mere political expediency. Nevertheless, we the free people of the world will always insist, as the American jurist Learned Hand did, that: “Right knows no boundaries, and justice no frontiers; the brotherhood of man is not a domestic institution.” The Acting Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now head an address by His Excellency Mr. Charles Gomis, Minister for External Relations of Côte d’Ivoire.

At the outset, I wish to commend the excellent idea of having this important Millennium Summit co-chaired by the representatives of two countries, friends of Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia and Finland, which play a decisive role in the fight for the implementation and the respect of the fundamental principles of the United Nations. I wish to assure them of the full support of the delegation of Côte d’Ivoire. I also wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the United Nations Secretary-General for his brilliant report, which will enable us to conduct a fruitful reflection aimed at rendering our Organization better able to respond to peoples’ expectations. In appointing me to represent him at this Millennium Summit, the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, General Robert Guéi, asked me to say from this rostrum how sorry he was to be unable to be present, being detained by preparations for October’s elections. Under these solemn circumstances, I wish to express on behalf of its Government and people Côte d’Ivoire’s attachment to the universal principles of the United Nations Charter and its desire to contribute to strengthening them. We are witnessing an extraordinary acceleration in the world’s development. Peoples are demanding greater well-being, happiness and, above all, freedom. In that spirit, the developing countries in general, and those of Africa in particular, wish to see this Summit make resolute commitments to the eradication of poverty, the right to development and the flourishing of the human person. That is why we welcome the importance given to the situation in Africa in the Secretary-General’s report. We sincerely hope that the appeal on behalf of the African continent will be favourably received by the international community. My country is one of those which are convinced that most of the problems of the developing countries are due to poverty and destitution. In areas as important as agriculture, education, health and training, these countries face obstacles which impede their development. To these are added the difficulties of exploiting and managing their immense natural resources, because they lack the necessary techniques and technology, and, above all, because they have little weight in decision-making in finance and international trade. How, then, can we explain the fact that countries with potential of all types are languishing in misery and ignorance while others lacking such resources are living in abundance? We believe that a just and equitable management of world affairs, supported by dynamic and active solidarity, would contribute to reducing the gap between the rich and the poor countries. At this beginning of the third millennium, the United Nations must cease being purely an administrative institution and become a centre of morality and justice where all the nations of the world feel at home, developing a common conscience by being a family of nations. The United Nations of the twenty-first century has the historic duty of encouraging this qualitative step of active solidarity, not only as an effective centre for mediation, but also by promoting values, attitudes and specific initiatives of solidarity capable of improving inter-State relations. Our shared Organization must therefore promote and encourage the political will for the ideas in the Secretary-General’s report to be quickly implemented on the ground. But, for the United Nations to be truly effective, it must have the means to meet the many challenges which it faces. This is the model of the United Nations that we must reassert and bring about, adapting it as necessary to take account of the changes which have occurred since its establishment in particular the access of so many new peoples to the experience of freedom, and their legitimate aspiration to be present, and to carry more weight on the international scene. By committing ourselves in that way, we will be able to overcome the problems which assail us, whether they concern respect for the purposes and principles of the Charter, reform of the Security Council, globalization, peacekeeping operations, good governance, debt, the environment, the advancement of women, human rights or the AIDS pandemic, to mention but a few. The time has come for a new experience; we are invited to guarantee the future of the women and men of the twenty-first century. Before concluding, I wish to take this opportunity to recall that following the change which occurred on 24 December 1999 Côte d’Ivoire now has a new Constitution, broadly inspired by the fundamental values and principles of the Charter. This new Constitution, we are convinced, will permit considerable progress in democracy in our country. The general elections to be held soon will mark the return to a civilian regime and democratic normality. We sincerely thank friendly countries and the United Nations, as well as its institutions and specialized agencies, for their significant assistance in the electoral process in Côte d’Ivoire. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will next hear an address by His Excellency the Honourable Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

I apologize on behalf of my President for his absence from this historic event. He would have liked to be here, but he could not be present because of unavoidable national commitments. Tanzania considers this Summit to be the new foundation for a renewed international commitment to the ideals, promise and vision of a twenty-first century United Nations. In its 55 years’ existence, the United Nations has lived its mission and vision. Our Organization was created essentially for the maintenance of world peace and security. It is remarkable that since the end of the Second World War the world has not experienced another world war, and hopefully it never will again. The United Nations has been able to intervene and resolve a number of wars and conflicts which have threatened global and regional, as well as individual nations’, peace and security. I wonder what the situation of the world would have been without the United Nations. While the United Nations has scored noticeable success in the area of peace and security, much more work needs to be done in the field of the prevention and resolution of conflicts and wars. The existence of huge arsenals of nuclear weapons poses a major potential threat to world peace and security. This has to be eliminated for the sake of humanity. The United Nations also needs to deal with the problem of the illicit traffic and proliferation of small arms. Tanzania is of the view that for greater success and effectiveness in dealing with conflicts, the United Nations needs to work in close collaboration with regional mechanisms and initiatives. The promotion of human rights, as well as social and economic development among nations and peoples of the world, was another important objective of the United Nations. Today, apart from a few enclaves of Non-Self-Governing Territories, the world is virtually free from classical colonialism, and this is one of the achievements of the United Nations. The United Nations also has to continue the promotion of, and advocacy for, the observance of fundamental human rights, as it has done over the years. We believe that respect for human rights forms a firm basis for peace, security and development in societies and nations. There is a need for the United Nations to be more involved in matters relating to social and economic development. Tackling the problems of poverty, especially in Africa and the least developed countries, needs to be given top priority. Perhaps nowhere is the problem more compelling than in Africa, where 33 of the 48 poorest countries in the world are located. It is no accident that the overriding development objective of Africa remains the eradication of poverty, ignorance and disease. The United Nations urgently needs to do much more in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa. Otherwise, untold misery is bound to result. The United Nations has always been a good advocate for the poor and the weak in their quest for meaningful development. We recall the numerous initiatives made by the United Nations in attempting to create a new international economic order and make the international community respond positively to the plight of the poor. Our Organization has to do that more forcefully now than ever before because of the obvious challenges ahead of us. There were expectations that globalization and liberalization would lead to increased growth and development, but they have yet to produce tangible results for developing countries. It is recognized that there are opportunities in globalization and liberalization, but the majority of the developing countries are still marginalized because of their weakness, as well as the lack of an international environment conducive to development. The specific challenges facing developing countries in this regard deserve special attention. The United Nations must help promote measures that would encourage increased technical assistance and a greater flow of resources and investment from developed to developing countries. There is also an urgent need for the United Nations to help with comprehensive debt relief measures, particularly for the least developed countries. We welcome the awareness of the international community of the need to address this issue. Furthermore, we expect the United Nations to continue to call upon the developed countries to provide unhindered market access for goods from developing countries, as well as to make technology available to developing countries on a concessional and grant basis. The United Nations is as relevant today as it was 55 years ago. The world still needs the United Nations, but for the United Nations to perform its mission and realize its vision, it has to be strengthened in its structure and resources. There is a need, therefore, to address the serious financial problems affecting the United Nations budget and the financing of the United Nations development programmes. In this regard, I take this opportunity to call upon Member States to pay their contributions to the United Nations in a timely fashion, without any conditionalities. In conclusion, it is our view that the reform of the Security Council is long overdue. The Council’s continued legitimacy demands that it be urgently democratized through the equitable representation of developing countries in both the permanent and non- permanent categories of membership. We also share the view that the expansion of the Council should include both developed and developing countries. I believe that that would make the United Nations truly our Organization. At present, it leaves much to be desired; there is much that needs to be done if we are to have an Organization that we can truly say belongs to all of us. I wanted to share those few thoughts as part of this important millennium meeting of the United Nations at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Antoine Kolawolé Idji, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin.

I should like at the outset to pay tribute to the memory of the international staff members who recently perished in West Timor in the service of the mission entrusted to them by the international community. The fact that our work is being guided by two eminent personalities from Africa and Europe attests, in a symbolic fashion, to the international community’s support for the idea that there is a need to pool our efforts to define a shared vision of our common destiny and to commit ourselves to a compact of solidarity. That is why I should like to pay a well-deserved tribute to Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of our Organization, and to congratulate him on the report that he submitted for our consideration, entitled “We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the twenty- first century”. His judicious and clear-sighted analysis, as well as his well-founded recommendations, once again bear witness to his commitment and aspiration to make the Organization an effective instrument, commensurate with our aspirations, that can meet the challenges confronting our peoples. More than 50 years after the creation of the United Nations — and thanks to its actions — the world can be proud of having spared itself a repetition of the conflicts on the scale of those that characterized the first half of the twenty-first century. However, paradoxically, it has not been able to protect itself from the advent of an even more terrifying threat: the potential for mass destruction, acquired by certain countries, which is capable of wiping out all of humanity and our shared home, the earth. The United Nations has also done significant work to emancipate peoples from the colonial yoke, and today the international community can legitimately welcome that. However, the Organization’s initiatives to support the majority of these countries that are new to the international scene are still very flimsy and have experienced vicissitudes, often disappointing the hopes that they had inspired. Since 1997, the Organization has been undertaking an internal process of reform required by the new global context so as to make it more capable of meeting these new challenges. The initial results of this arduous and painstaking process are encouraging and reaffirm the need to continue. We shall not repeat what the Secretary-General has already said so well in his report. We shall limit our remarks to the role that the people of Benin hope to see the United Nations play in the twenty-first century. The United Nations has always been viewed by our people as the most appropriate and promising instrument for setting out the major guidelines for building a human community that is prosperous and safe. But beyond that legitimate concern, the men and women of Benin are rightly asking questions about the form that safeguarding peace and security in the world will take, and about development and the specific signs of cooperation and solidarity that will make it possible to raise their standard of living and to achieve what we in Benin call the minimum shared social living standard — that is, access for every human being, wherever he or she may be on our planet, to food, housing, clothing, medical attention, education and useful economic work for society in an environment conducive to income-producing activity. These, to be sure, are objectives to which the United Nations, since its inception, has dedicated considerable resources through numerous initiatives. It must be recognized, however, that as of now all of the plans and programmes drawn up over more than 50 years have not been able to reduce poverty, much less to stimulate genuine development in those countries that we continue, with such old-fashioned modesty, to call “developing countries”. Even more than in the past, the credibility of the Organization henceforth will be measured in terms of its capacity to place human beings and the protection of human dignity at the centre of its activities. There is a need to act rapidly to remedy the negative impacts of the globalization of the economy and of communications, and a need to fill the huge and unjust gap that has developed between those who have access to the potential that technological progress is making available and those who are deprived of or excluded from it. The economy and means of communication are now globalized, but what is now needed is to globalize development by mobilizing the international community to shoulder shared but differentiated responsibility and by effectively creating improved socio-economic conditions likely to promote the full flourishing of the human being. We have a historic responsibility to update and extend the vision of the founding fathers of our universal Organization. Once again, we must be capable of imagination and vision and must give thought to posterity. In this context, we believe that in the twenty-first century the United Nations should base its action on collective responsibility; the right to equally shared development and progress; and the universally accepted duty of solidarity. The enjoyment of these three fundamental values by the citizens of the world requires the strengthening of genuine partnership between the three protagonists of international life, namely, Governments, civil society and the private sector. It is at this price that the imperative needs of democracy, the primacy of law and good governance will be advanced and consolidated at the national, regional and international level. I conclude by referring to the symbol of the pierced jar, taken from the history of Benin in the nineteenth century. King Guezo, who reigned in Abomey from 1818 to 1858, faced with the difficulties inherent in his position, bequeathed us these prophetic words, which today have inspired many mottos: “If all the sons of the Kingdom were to come and with all their hands together stop up the holes of the pierced jar, the country would be saved.” The people of Benin have resorted to the symbolism of the pierced jar each time it has found itself at a crossroads, faced with the challenges and the problems of its destiny. The conference of vital forces of the nation, held in Cotonou from 19 to 28 February 1990, where representatives of all regions of the country and all sectors of national life were together at a time when great dangers were threatening our very existence, is a recent and historic illustration of that. The contribution of Benin to defining the new vision of the United Nations for the twenty-first century could be formulated around this symbol, which calls for solidarity, tolerance, sharing, commitment, social progress and development, all of them values that sum up my thoughts here and that are all to be found in those famous words bequeathed to posterity by King Guezo. It is on these various pillars that renewed United Nations action must be based. On behalf of my delegation, I ask all the inhabitants of the planet earth to support that jar, which today symbolizes our world, so that it will never break into pieces in our hands, which must protect it for the generations to come. Long live the renewed United Nations so that, throughout this millennium, the planet earth, which we have been given to share, will know peace and prosperity. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): I now call on His Excellency Mr. Jeremiah Manele, Chairman of the delegation of Solomon Islands.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, The Honourable Manasseh Sogavare. The maintenance of international peace and security must remain a major role for the United Nations in the twenty-first century. The world entered the new millennium with increasing conflicts, in particular internal conflicts and wars. My country has fallen victim to this trend. The crisis of the past 20 months has tested the solidarity, security and stability of our young country. It has exposed the real challenges of ethnic differences that exist and can persist in a culturally rich and diverse society such as ours. To resolve the crisis, my Government has launched a National Peace Plan and a Programme of Action aimed at achieving a peaceful solution to the unrest through meaningful dialogue and discussion and at developing the country on the basis of a number of principles, including the rule of law; equitable sharing and active participation by our people in the sustainable development of our national resources; respect for human rights; promotion of and respect for our different cultural traditions; and a gender-balanced approach to education and employment. A ceasefire agreement was signed by the conflicting parties on 3 August 2000. The agreement provides a conducive environment for peace talks to proceed. Preliminary peace negotiations have been undertaken, and the actual peace talks are currently under way. My Government is therefore firmly committed to ensuring peace and security for all our citizens, foreign friends and visitors. We are equally determined to rebuild our economy and welcome those who wish to assist in this endeavour. In this regard, may I call on our development partners to adopt a more positive attitude towards my Government’s genuine attempts to restore law and order, thus ensuring peace, security, and stability. During this difficult period, Solomon Islands, where appropriate, needs your assistance. While access to information technology could be the most rapid means to utilize the benefits of globalization and to reduce the development gap between developed and developing countries, for least developed countries the process must begin with infrastructure development. Of particular importance is the development of a reliable and efficient energy sector. Without electricity, access to information and communication technology will remain a distant possibility for our rural communities. The need for intellectual capacity to harness the opportunities of the information age is a key prerequisite for closing the digital divide. Education, including the eradication of illiteracy, therefore remains a priority for Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands joins those who spoke earlier in stressing the importance of sustaining the future of our planet. Agenda 21 and the related international programmes of action and conventions remain valid blueprints for sustainable development and environmental management in the twenty-first century. We fully endorse the Secretary-General’s recommendations on how to address the issues of climate change and environmental degradation, including marine pollution. We must not take for granted the concerns and needs of the most vulnerable Members of our Organization, the small island developing States. Only a reformed, inclusive and universal United Nations can effectively shoulder the major responsibilities placed on it. Flexibility and greater understanding should be demonstrated towards those who wish to participate in the work and activities of our Organization. The Republic of China on Taiwan is a case in point. As well, those Member States that are capable and prepared to play a greater role in the Security Council, including Germany and Japan, should be accorded permanent membership. Concrete efforts should now be made on reaching agreement on the outstanding issues of Security Council reform. Finally, we have just parted from a century of sorrow that saw two World Wars, one of which affected our islands, and countless other conflicts causing sorrow and suffering — a century defined by a culture of violence and intolerance. As we begin the twenty- first century, let us work towards making it a century of harmony, a century defined by a culture of peace and tolerance, dialogue and discussion, and prosperity for all of humanity. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Claude Morel, Chairman of the delegation of Seychelles.

My delegation congratulates the Co-Chairpersons for their dynamic stewardship of this auspicious and historic Summit meeting of the United Nations. Our felicitations also go to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the commendable report before us, and for initiating reform measures to revitalize the United Nations system as we embrace the challenges of the twenty- first century. Revitalizing the United Nations would require providing it with the effective instruments needed to pursue its noble objectives. This entails ensuring that it is endowed with the required resources to carry out its mandates, in particular those of promoting economic and social progress. This also entails reinforcing the present mechanisms in place for the maintenance of international peace, security and disarmament, including the United Nations role in peace-making and peacekeeping activities. It also entails strengthening its vocation as an indispensable instrument for a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. The reform process would be inadequate if the transformation of the Security Council into a democratic and representative organ reflecting both its universal character and present-day realities were not achieved. After seven years of debate, it is of imperative necessity to bridge positions and make progress. Equally important for my delegation is that the reform process should encompass the enhancement of the General Assembly as the supreme policy-making organ of the United Nations. It is only through the reinforcement of its role and mandate that the international community can successfully tackle some of the most pressing issues facing humanity, not least of which is the process of globalization. Globalization has provided many countries, especially the strong economies of the North, with unprecedented opportunities and benefits. However, it has also accentuated the North-South divide, and has exposed the smaller and most vulnerable economies to marginalization. My delegation believes that the key to redressing the unequal impact of globalization is to strengthen multilateral action and reinforce the United Nations system in its commitment to international cooperation for development. In this regard, my delegation holds the view that there should be even closer collaboration and coordination between the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization in addressing the crucial question of development. Next year’s United Nations conference on financing for development will be a test case for international solidarity. It is my delegation’s hope that the conference will result in a new, genuine and meaningful global partnership for development. That partnership should be extended to the area of international trade, since in the long term we developing countries can only finance our development needs by gaining greater market access and better prices for our exports. Of critical importance to us is the need for the extension of trade preferences for a longer period of time, in order to facilitate our integration into the international trading system and ensure that we can also be the beneficiaries of globalization, not its victims. The post-cold-war period has not delivered the promised peace dividend. The hopes and expectations of the developing world, as raised by the United Nations global conferences of the past decade, have not been met. Instead, we have witnessed a weakening of the commitment of the countries of the North to support development. More than ever before, we are today living in an interdependent world. The developed nations therefore have a responsibility to engage with us so as to deal with the major global, economic, social and environmental challenges of our time on the basis of understanding and genuine partnership among equals. That responsibility should include, inter alia, accepting the vulnerabilities and special needs of small island developing States and fully implementing the Barbados Programme of Action and the decisions of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly; accepting that the per capita gross domestic product of small island developing States should not be the major criterion in assessing their development needs; accepting that climate change is a direct consequence of unsustainable development policies of the North; accepting that the debt and debt-servicing burden of countries of the South is a principal cause of economic stagnation and underdevelopment; accepting that there is a need to elaborate a comprehensive strategy to promote increased access to science and technology by developing nations; and accepting that it is unjust for a small percentage of humanity to consume an overwhelming share of the world’s resources. The evolution in international relations has brought about new realities in the global order. The Millennium Summit is therefore a timely occasion for the entire membership of the United Nations to reflect upon the articulation of our vision and aspirations of the United Nations in the twenty-first century, and to elaborate fresh approaches to deal with the challenges of our time. The United Nations is not a perfect institution. But it is the only institution that represents the collective conscience of humanity. It remains our greatest hope for justice, peace, security and development. It remains our only hope for a more compassionate world. The Co-Chairperson (Finland): The Assembly will now hear an Address by His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, Chairman of the delegation of Morocco. Prince Moulay Rachid (Morocco) (spoke in Arabic): I have the great honour to convey to the members of the Assembly the greetings and high esteem of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco. He has asked me to communicate on his behalf the royal message, which he should have liked to deliver personally before this Millennium Summit, given the special interest he attaches to it. Following is the text of the royal message: “At the outset, on this rare and extraordinary occasion, I wish to thank all of those who have contributed to organizing this Millennium Summit. I should like in particular to congratulate the Secretary-General, who has convened this Summit so that, together, we may take stock of the world situation in the context of an ambitious and bold vision for the future of humanity. “During the century that is now ending, the world has known the best and the worst. It has benefited from unprecedented breakthroughs in the fields of science, technology and global communications, but it has also endured a heavy toll of lethal wars, totalitarian regimes and major upheavals. Today, with the confluence of ideas emerging throughout the world on the supremacy of law and the democratic ideal, we have the opportunity to spare future generations the scourges of horror and inequality experienced in the last century and thus to put an end to the unbroken chain of misery, ignorance and exclusion. We, the heads of State and Government, have a duty at this historic event to make a solemn commitment as we enter the new millennium to open up a new frontier for humanity, with real justice and compassion in solidarity. “This new frontier for humanity is based primarily on a concept of global human security, which means that no child anywhere will die of hunger; pandemics will not spread; ethnic tension will not erupt into violence; women will not be victimized by discrimination or violations of their dignity; the right of free expression will not be stifled; immigrants will not suffer exclusion; people will not be deprived of education; water boundaries will not lead to conflict; and sanctions will not unduly and unjustly penalize innocent populations. “This new frontier is also based on strategic and institutional coherence, because local governance can fully succeed only in the context of true international democracy animated by a successful United Nations system and with human and financial resources that are adequate to the global mandates entrusted to the various agencies. In this respect, it will be necessary in due course to reform the United Nations Charter, updating some of its obsolete provisions while preserving the universal principles that prevailed in the founding of a unique Organization which is called on to play a lead role in the macromanagement of world problems. “It is also necessary to take advantage of the political impulse of this Summit to promote the restructuring of the Security Council in order to allow that most important organ better to reflect the new world political architecture, taking account of the need for impartiality, effectiveness, representativeness and irrefutable legitimacy. We must recall that, since the most recent reform in 1963, the number of United Nations Member States has grown by two thirds. It is therefore time to expand the representation of the developing world on the Council, attaching priority to the criteria of effective commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security. “The so-called ‘digital divide’ can be reduced only through a technological democracy that recognizes the right to universal access to information technology as a global public right. “Finally, we strongly believe that an international order of justice and equity must redress the distortions in the world economy, reduce the harmful effects of speculative financial flows and act more decisively against the social and regional imbalances throughout the world. In this context, I should like to recall the appeal made on the occasion of the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994 by my father, King Hassan II, in calling for the implementation of multilateral global governance, taking into particular account the enhanced coordination of the activities of the Bretton Woods institutions and the WTO. “The available indicators and statistics and the anachronistic trends that characterize the structure of the world economy prove that it is also imperative to find new sources of financing for sustainable development if we do not wish to condemn broader segments of humanity to misery without end or to generate global upheavals that could wipe out recent achievements in international law and the relative attenuation of ideological and geopolitical confrontations. “The special high-level session to be held next year on a world partnership for development will offer an exceptional opportunity to design innovative formulas and to commit additional resources to the developing world, which has been caught in a vise between the constraints of the donors and the indifference of investors. Such an initiative, in addition to being a founding act of multilateral diplomacy for the new generation, would spark active solidarity among men and mark the birth of what I might call ‘planetary patriotism’. In that respect, the African continent, which has been marginalized in all sectors of international life, needs a multifaceted strategy involving a substantial reduction of its external debt; the elimination of protectionist barriers that penalize its products, which are already undervalued and poorly remunerated; the establishment of adjustment programmes that are compatible with the abatement of its conflicts and an accelerated development of its human resources; technological transfers adapted to its specific needs; and adequately structured financial assistance. “In that capacity, the Kingdom of Morocco proposes that the United Nations establish a standing high-level mechanism to implement the decisions of the international community for Africa.” We thank you for your kind attention and express our best wishes for the success of this Millennium Summit, to which our Secretary-General, as well as the international civil servants as a whole, together with the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum, have devoted the best of their talents and energies. The meeting rose at 7.15 p.m.