Belarus, 2014

Humankind

has only one past, but many options for the future.

History is such that we know only the consequences of

those actions that have occurred, but not those that did

not take place. What would our world look like today

if, a century ago, that memorable shot had not been

fired in Sarajevo, irrevocably changing the course of

history? That shot set in motion a dynamic that has yet

to be fully explained. For some key European countries

the question of honour contained in that shot overrode

both common sense and all other considerations.

Millions paid with their lives for that hypocritical

honour. Unfortunately, the tragedy did not end there,

because the lessons of the First World War have not

been learned. As a consequence, other global carnage

has claimed even more human lives. Thus, the shot in

Sarajevo marked nothing more than the onset of the

bloodiest period in the history of humankind.

For Belarus, this period was also the bloodiest in the

history of its people. Located at the centre of Europe, in

the very crucible of geopolitical interests, Belarus lost

a third of its population during the Second World War.

Even today, with 20 years of unprecedented successful

and stable development, we have not recovered from

that immense loss, either physically, psychologically or

emotionally.

This year, as the Republic of Belarus celebrates the

seventieth anniversary of its liberation from the Fascist

occupiers, is very important and symbolic for the

country. Belarus remembers all the victims who paid

with their lives for the freedom of the nation. Against

this background, we do not understand and strongly

condemn some attempts to revise the outcome of the

Second World War, downplaying the significance of the

Great Victory or desecrating the memory of the fallen

heroes. The world community must not allow this to

happen. Indeed, the verdict of history is unequivocal;

if humankind fails to learn the lessons from past

tragedies, we are bound to repeat them in the future.

Let us ponder the the immediate and distant future,

and indeed the present, as we mark the centenary of the

outbreak of the First World War. What do current global

trends tell us about the future? Undoubtedly, a multitude

of factors determine the dynamics of contemporary

global politics. We would identify the resistance of the

majority of the world’s population to the imposition of

external influences as one of the key factors. Indeed,

much like in the past, the mighty of the world persist in

believing that only their vision and their development

model stand as universal. Therefore, they do not ask

others whether they like or dislike, for instance, so-

called liberal democracy or the Washington consensus.

Others are just forced to choose — either they accept

our recipes or face the consequences, such as threats,

sanctions and colour revolutions.

To be honest, we — that is, the majority — have

grown accustomed to alien political and economic

models being foisted upon us. We know what is going

here. Someone wants our nations to feed transnational

corporate capital, not ourselves. If we resist, we are

punished. The pretext is always contrived — alleged

violations of human rights by unruly States. Having

been subjected to external attacks for many years,

countries such as Belarus, Cuba, Iran and Venezuela

feel such pressure especially acutely.

No less dangerous, however, is another factor.

Similar attempts at imposition have been made recently

against our identity. Indeed, some have been doing their

best to impose on us extraneous cultural preferences.

For example, we are being forced to renounce the

values of a traditional family and recognize instead

the diversity of that institution’s forms. In other words,

they are striving to strip us of our own soul. That may

be just another way to subdue those who dissent against

capital by turning them into soulless slaves.

We are convinced that nothing will come out of

it, however. The reason why the world is developing

is because it is diverse. It is diversity itself that gives

rise to healthy competition and creativity, which, in

turn, drive human progress. Do we need uniformity

and the ensuing trivial, soulless world? Of course we

do not. In that regard, I appeal to those who persist in

compelling others to do something that they find alien

and unpleasant to give up their meaningless and futile

policy. It is a road to nowhere. Their efforts only divide

us. We have too many problems on our plate that require

us to be united.

Today, two approaches determine international

relations: the ability to effect change and the ability to

stand in its way. Indeed, on the one hand, one or even

several countries can easily paralyse the international

community in its activities; on the other, no State or

group of States, however powerful, can alter the status

quo without cooperating with the rest of the world.

That is the paradox of globalization. We have become

too intertwined and too interdependent. Sadly, the

same holds true for global challenges — they too have

become intertwined. It is impossible in today’s world to

succeed in one area without making headway in others.

There is, for instance, no simple solution to the threat

of human trafficking unless we effectively tackle the

problem of poverty.

In short, strategies and policies to counter all

contemporary threats will be effective only if they are

comprehensive in scope and focus. Let us be realistic

and acknowledge that we will never solve the world’s

problems all at once. Our collective goal must therefore

be to reduce the extent of the threat they pose to society

through our constant, unswerving attention.

It is precisely that attitude that must underpin our

collective effort aimed at developing the post-2015

United Nations development agenda. That agenda

should be both comprehensive and realistic. Its main

goal should be to make globalization more even and

equitable than it has been up to now. When people in

different countries take to the streets to protest against

globalization, they are not calling for a return to

parochial nationalism. Rather, they seek a strengthened

globalization; they want to make it sustainable and they

want it to result in a win-win situation.

Rising inequality in the world is the biggest

scourge. We face a paradox. Having recently made

significant progress in strengthening various forms

of equality, such as gender, race and ethnic equality,

we are seeing a stubborn rise in economic inequality.

The international community must do whatever it takes

to reverse that trend. Otherwise, we will not eradicate

poverty. Climate change is another major challenge.

It is inextricably linked to such issues as energy

consumption, food security and water resources. We

need to fully reflect this complex issue in the future

agenda.

To be sure, many other sectors must also be

represented in this comprehensive document. In

that context, Belarus attaches particular importance

to the struggle against human trafficking and the

strengthening of the institution of the traditional family.

In the light of the significant and recognized advances

we have made at the national level, we propose for the

consideration of our partners specific, effective, long-

term solutions to those vital issues at the global level.

We need to be thinking right now about how we

will implement the future agenda. We are certain that

it should be carried out through the tool of thematic

global partnerships. In this day and age of multiple

actors and multiple threats, only effective partnerships

among States, international organizations, civil society

and the private sector can deliver success in addressing

global problems. The State must, of course, remain the

central pillar among all other partners. Moreover, what

is needed is a powerful and responsible State. Only

such a State can achieve the long-term complex goals

arising from the post-2015 United Nations development

agenda.

A powerful State often frightens people on the

grounds that it may potentially abuse its power and harm

the people. But let us take us a look at the other side of

that coin. How do people feel when they do not have a

powerful State, when there is no one to protect them

from resulting chaos, lawlessness and excess? I believe

that both the people of Belarus and their neighbours

can soberly assess arguments like these and draw the

right conclusions. It is no wonder, then, that the world

community selects stable and internally coherent States

like Belarus to serve as a stage for addressing acute

international crises. The people of Belarus very much

value stability and successful development. We are

convinced that those factors make us a fully responsible

stakeholder in the implementation of the future global

development agenda.

The United Nations should play a special role in

implementing the agenda. It is this universal forum

where Governments and their partners seek to implement

it. We are convinced that the Organization will be able

to cope with the task at hand if it successfully adjusts

to the constantly emerging realities of life. The issue of

the reform and revitalization of the United Nations is

as acute as ever, not just in its traditional institutional

dimension but also in conceptual terms.

As far as the latter is concerned, we believe it

necessary to give a serious thought to two problems.

First, we need to look for practical solutions to numerous

situations where certain United Nations principles

contradict each other. Secondly, there is the problem

of negative consequences arising from purportedly

benign international activities that are often undertaken

under a United Nations mandate. Far too often, those

activities seek to advance someone’s political goals,

and the sponsors care little for the consequences,

including chaos, lawlessness and refugee flows. Iraqi

Kurdistan, for instance, stands as a typical example of

such egotistical policy when it comes to the issue of

refugees. We hope that the issue will be tackled ahead

of the next United Nations global summit.

As we look to the future, we would all be well advised

to take to heart the words of the great internationalist who

lived during the First World War, American President

Woodrow Wilson, who said: “The interests of all nations

are our own also. We are partners with the rest. What

affects mankind is inevitably our affair.”