Canada, 1995

It is a great honour to represent

Canada here today as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary

of the United Nations during this general debate.

Canada has always been among the strongest

supporters of the United Nations, not only in word but

also in deed. In 1945 we were, through Canadian Prime

Minister Mackenzie King, an original signatory of the

United Nations Charter. Ambassador John Humphreys

helped write the 1948 United Nations Universal

Declaration of Human Rights. Successive Canadian

Ambassadors to the United Nations have distinguished

themselves in the service of the Organization, as have

countless Canadian negotiators in areas ranging from

disarmament to trade to development. In addition, Lester

B. Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution

to the success of the United Nations in establishing the

first peace-keeping operation, in 1956.

All these Canadians had a unifying purpose: to

promote progress in implementing the United Nations

Charter, which enshrines the commitment of the people of

the United Nations to the advancement of humanity.

Of course, there have been criticisms of the

Organization; many are legitimate and require attention.

It is clear, however, that the international community

remains committed to the goals of the Charter and to the

United Nations as the primary instrument for global

problem solving.

The United Nations deserves our continued support.

If we look at the record of just the last few years, the

United Nations has conducted successful peace-keeping

operations in Cambodia, Mozambique and Haiti. Thanks

to the United Nations, in this decade alone 5 million

children will grow up normally, children who would

otherwise have been paralysed by polio. This year the

United Nations is working, as it does every year, to

ensure a better life for the almost 23 million refugees in

the world.

Global resolve to support the United Nations and to

advance the interests of the international community has

recently been underscored by such successes as the

indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons. At the Halifax Summit in June,

chaired by our Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, the P-8

(Political Eight) leaders reaffirmed their strong

commitment to the United Nations system of international

institutions and added their ideas for revitalizing it.

The central message is clear: we must take this

momentous opportunity to confirm and renew our

commitment to the United Nations. To do so, we require

a renewed vision for the next 50 years. This vision must

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be centred on not just striving for, but achieving, human

security on the basis of the freedom of people everywhere

to live in peace and without fear, to be prosperous and

enjoy equality, justice before the law and knowledge. The

Members of the United Nations must work together now to

renew the Organization and its agencies and programmes

and to help make this vision a reality.

In Canada’s view pursuing this vision requires a focus

on three interlinked objectives: preventing conflict;

responding quickly when conflict occurs; and supporting

peace-building efforts on an ongoing basis. I will address

each objective in turn.

(spoke in French)

The first priority must be to help the United Nations

better protect people from conflict. The United Nations has

had important successes in the past few years but,

unfortunately, there have also been set-backs. If the United

Nations is to adapt to a changing world, if confidence in

the Organization is to be restored, we must learn from the

failures of Bosnia, Somalia and Rwanda and build on the

successes of Cambodia, Namibia and El Salvador.

Preventive action, as the Secretary-General has laid

out so well in “An Agenda for Peace”, takes many forms,

from economic development programmes to mediation, to

the preventive deployment of personnel — as, for example,

in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — from

the investigation of human rights violations to the

conclusion of agreements limiting the spread of weapons of

mass destruction. Prevention saves lives, forestalls untold

human suffering and makes the best use of limited

resources.

Last year I announced at this podium that Canada was

providing a list of Canadian experts available to the United

Nations for preventive diplomacy missions. We are also

taking advantage of our membership in La Francophonie,

in the Commonwealth and in regional organizations such as

the Organization of American States (OAS) and the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

(OSCE) precisely in order to work towards enhancing the

ability of these organizations to prevent conflicts. Our

Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, is currently pressing for an

expanded Commonwealth role in democratization and good

governance, which are two key elements of conflict

prevention. I recently convened a meeting of La

Francophonie in Ottawa to generate recommendations for

it to strengthen its role in conflict prevention, particularly

in Africa. These recommendations will be presented to the

leaders, the Heads of State and Government, gathered at

the Francophone Summit to be held in Cotonou, Benin, in

December of this year.

Prevention also means deterring crimes against

humanity. Canada strongly supports the early

establishment of an international criminal court, which

will, we hope, deter such crimes in the future but, should

they occur, would punish the perpetrators. The recently

approved Platform for Action at the United Nations

Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing lends

further impetus in this area.

Our recent experiences in the former Yugoslavia and

in Rwanda emphasize the link between security and

human rights. The United Nations many human rights

mechanisms produce a wealth of information that could

help us identify and understand potential areas of conflict.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights has a role to play in enhancing the early warning

functions of the United Nations. The experience of the

Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda revealed the

need for the more effective coordination of United

Nations field missions. Canada has commissioned work

on the human rights components of field operations and

on stand-by arrangements for them. This work will yield

recommendations on ways to integrate human rights into

United Nations field operations, in a way consistent with

the approach outlined in “An Agenda for Peace”.

One of the priorities of Canada’s foreign policy and

one of the best ways to renew commitment to the United

Nations consists of adopting a coherent approach to the

prevention and management of complex emergencies.

Averting crisis requires more flexibility and speed in

decision-making and in implementation. In this regard

Canada supports the proposal for a conference on

security, stability and development in the Great Lakes

region of Central Africa. We also reaffirm our strong

support for the United Nations Department of

Humanitarian Affairs.

(spoke in English)

Another major focus of Canada’s preventive action

is arms control and disarmament, especially concerning

nuclear weapons. The historic decision to extend the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT) indefinitely provides a foundation for further

important gains on nuclear disarmament. We must now

complete the comprehensive test-ban treaty negotiations

as early as possible in 1996 in order to permit its

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signature at the General Assembly next September. An

agreement to begin negotiations on a treaty to ban the

production of fissionable material for nuclear weapons is

currently held up. We squander such opportunities at our

peril. Canada calls on all members of the Conference on

Disarmament to proceed urgently with the cut-off

negotiations.

Regrettably our efforts to take preventive action are

eroded by the continued global imbalance between spending

on armaments and spending on human development.

Multilateral institutions should take trends in military and

other unproductive spending into consideration. All States

Members of the United Nations should comply with the

United Nations Register of Conventional Arms which will,

we hope, be expanded soon to include military holdings and

national procurement activities. Together, interested

countries could develop criteria to identify excessive

military expenditures and appropriate international

responses. Canada has taken some initiatives in this regard

in recent months and we look forward to productive

negotiations with many Member States here.

When a United Nations preventive diplomacy

operation stumbles and efforts to prevent conflict fail,

Member States all too often criticize the United Nations.

But much of the blame for the failures of the Organization

lies with the Member States themselves who do not provide

it with the tools needed for success. These tools are never

needed more than when a crisis erupts.

Last year I discussed the problems the United Nations

has encountered in mobilizing its peace operations to

respond to crises. Canada’s long experience with peace-

keeping has convinced us that improvements are possible.

The international community’s slow response to the horrible

and deeply distressing events in Rwanda was very much in

our mind. It was in this context that I announced that

Canada would examine ways to improve the capacity of the

United Nations to react quickly to such events.

Today I have the honour of presenting to the

Assembly Canada’s report entitled “Towards a Rapid

Reaction Capability for the United Nations” as a special

Canadian contribution to the United Nations during its

fiftieth anniversary year. It presents practical proposals for

enhancing the United Nations rapid reaction capability in

the field of peace operations. I believe the proposals will

both help save lives and conserve scarce resources.

The report expresses the view of the Government of

Canada, but considerable care was taken to consult with

other Governments, non-governmental organizations and

intergovernmental institutions. We are also deeply grateful

to the many experts from many countries who have lent

us their time and wisdom.

The main proposal of the report is the "Vanguard

Concept". This concept will permit the United Nations to

assemble, from Member States, a multifunctional force of

up to 5,000 military and civilian personnel, and, with the

authorization of the Security Council, quickly deploy it

under the control of an operational-level headquarters.

This operational headquarters would be responsible for

the advance preparations that are crucial if rapid reaction

is to work. Forces will be provided under enhanced stand-

by arrangements with Member States. Our other proposals

seek to enhance training, to create more efficient logistics

and transportation, and to strengthen the planning efforts

of the entire United Nations system. Let me say that none

of the 26 recommendations in the report requires Charter

reforms.

But the search for immediate, practical solutions

must not preclude more visionary possibilities. In this

regard, the report looked at longer-term questions, such as

advanced technology in support of the United Nations

peace operations, the feasibility of a permanent group of

civilian police, the idea of a United Nations Standing

Emergency Group, a permanent force as has been

considered by our colleague from the Netherlands; and

the question of independent sources of revenue for the

United Nations system.

(spoke in French)

I believe that the recommendations in the report, if

implemented, will strengthen the United Nations capacity

for more rapid, effective and successful peace operations.

They will help restore confidence in the ability of the

United Nations to respond to crises.

We are conscious of the fact that words are not

enough. In the words of a former military adviser to the

United Nations:

“We can’t deploy studies.”

For Canada this report is only the first step in

translating ideas into action. To meet the growing need

for civilian personnel during crises, Canada will offer the

United Nations secondment or the loan of civilian

personnel on a short-term urgent basis to help in the

development of a fully trained capacity in the areas of

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human rights, legal advice, humanitarian assistance, and

other aspects of a rapid civilian response to crises.

Last week Canada sent the Secretary-General an

updated inventory of Canadian personnel and equipment on

stand-by to the United Nations, including technical

information that would be crucial to rapid response. We are

now prepared to negotiate with the United Nations a more

detailed memorandum of understanding on stand-by

arrangements, which would include more information on

readiness and capability standards.

Our report devotes special attention to the creation of

an operational-level headquarters as the heart of the

“Vanguard” concept. Canada is prepared to help in

establishing its headquarters should the United Nations

decide to accept this recommendation. We have already

made a significant number of military personnel available

to the United Nations on secondment or on loan. We are

prepared to make available additional personnel, both

civilian and military, in order to bring this idea closer to

realization.

The time for moving towards fundamental

improvements in the way the United Nations responds to

crises is now. A number of countries have advanced

proposals similar to Canada’s and there are many new and

interesting proposals for change coming also from the non-

governmental sector.

Follow-up is of key importance. We need to marshal

our energies, to determine the most promising areas of

action, and to move quickly towards putting words into

action. Over the coming weeks and months, Canada intends

to work closely with like-minded countries from around the

world, and, of course, with the United Nations Secretariat

to this end.

The ongoing work of peace-building must continue

alongside preventive diplomacy and now rapid reaction

operations. Indeed, peace-building involves a wide range of

activities. Much of the work needed for articulating a broad

vision of human security has already been done in the

series of United Nations conferences in the economic and

social fields, culminating in the Platform for Action

recently adopted at the United Nations Conference on

Women. It sets out a comprehensive view of sustainable

development, which balances economic and social agendas

for the purpose of promoting the well-being of society. This

global consensus offers an opportunity to restore confidence

in the work of the United Nations system in these fields,

and to dispel the perception of aimlessness and drift. The

United Nations can continue to play an invaluable role in

forging global agreements on development goals, in

advocating core values, and in responding to humanitarian

and development needs.

We must seek to anchor change in a commitment to

people-centred sustainable development. A strong

emphasis must be placed on the reduction of poverty and

on the integration of the poorest countries into the world

economy. However, no single country, or even group of

countries, can achieve global results alone. We are,

therefore, determined to work with all Member States to

pursue these goals sufficiently and effectively. Let me

take this opportunity to set out some ideas on the way to

renew commitment to the economic and social work of

the United Nations.

First, there is a need to achieve the right balance

between wide-ranging debate and decisions on which

programmes should be adopted. The justified breadth of

debate does not mean that United Nations programs

should be established to address every problem. There are

many other actors who play important roles. The United

Nations should focus on what it is uniquely equipped to

achieve.

Secondly, there is a need for a fresh sense of the

real goals of development. The outcomes of the major

conferences are at the core, and their distillation and

coordinated follow-up should be a touchstone for the

United Nations in the economic and social fields.

The roles and functions of organizations and

agencies should be examined and refocused to ensure that

they are oriented to future needs. The Agenda for

Development is an important opportunity to initiate the

institutional change required.

Improving cooperation with and among specialized

agencies is essential to give limited resources some

impact. The Economic and Social Council must take more

responsibility for policy coordination within the United

Nations system. A start was made this summer in Geneva.

The recent establishment of the United Nations

Programme on AIDS is a promising example. There, the

executive heads of agencies and programmes must

demonstrate leadership, particularly in coordinating the

follow-up to international conferences and ensuring that

duplication, overlapping and needless spending are

eliminated as far as possible.

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We must effectively harness the complementary roles

of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions.

To ensure a smooth transition from emergencies to

rehabilitation, improved cooperation in crises must be an

immediate priority. I urge the Secretary-General and the

leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary

Fund (IMF) to propose new arrangements for post-crisis

assistance. They could also establish a high-level working

group to consider how to strengthen cooperation, both at

the Organization’s Headquarters and elsewhere, in areas

such as data collection, analysis and reporting. The World

Trade Organization (WTO) should also participate in

relevant aspects of this work.

We have all come to understand the extent to which

human security is indivisible from environmental security.

More and more conflicts are arising following disagreement

over the use of finite natural resources. The United Nations

therefore has a key role to play in promoting sustainable

development. Canada welcomes the recent success of

United Nations conferences in some areas of international

resource-management operations, such as the United

Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly

Migratory Fish Stocks. Our goal is concrete, internationally

sanctioned conservation measures. The same objective

applies to our efforts to ensure the sustainable management

of forests and arable land.

The Rio Summit achieved landmark agreements on

climate change and biodiversity. Canada welcomes the

progress made by the Commission on Sustainable

Development and by the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP), in clarifying their respective roles in

following up these agreements in collaboration with

Member States.

(spoke in English)

In speaking about the three elements — preventive

action, rapid reaction and peacebuilding — I wish to

emphasize the need to see them as mutually reinforcing.

United Nations Member States must be committed to all

three in order for any one to be successful.

To ensure a renewal of the United Nations vision

through these actions, we must also reassert our

commitment to assuring the effectiveness of its key bodies.

Although I could speak of many United Nations agencies

in this regard, because of its critical role in promoting the

vision of the next 50 years, I will limit my remarks to the

Security Council.

The Security Council’s mandate to help prevent

disputes and to resolve conflicts confer on it unique

responsibilities. The binding nature of some decisions

adds further weight to its deliberations.

In recent years the Council has experienced a period

of intensified activity. It has also experienced setbacks

from which we can all learn. One lesson of particular

importance is that members of the Security Council,

especially the permanent five, need to demonstrate a firm

commitment to the implementation of their own decisions.

For Canada, the need for more open, transparent and

collegial decision-making is crucial. There must be closer

consultations with countries contributing personnel and

equipment in order to help implement Council decisions.

Here, real progress has been achieved of late, which

Canada warmly welcomes. This progress needs to be

institutionalized.

The credibility and effectiveness of the Council in

promoting international peace and security is also a key

element. Although we do not regard expansion of its

membership as a panacea, it is clear that composition

plays a role in fostering credibility and effectiveness. The

Council is no longer as representative as it once was. Its

legitimacy,and perhaps also the quality of its decisions,

would be greatly enhanced by more representation from

those countries that contribute the most to the

maintenance of international peace and security and to the

broad purpose of the Organization — that is, the key

criterion for non-permanent membership enshrined in

Article 23 of the Charter.

Perhaps it is time to reflect together on those

purposes to which Article 23 refers. They would surely

include participation in United Nations peace operations,

commitment to arms control and disarmament, support for

good-neighbourly relations, humanitarian assistance,

human rights, development cooperation and the promotion

of civil society. An understanding among Member States

along these lines would help in the selection of

non-permanent Council members, whether on the existing

basis or on a modified basis.

A recurring theme throughout my remarks has been

the need for the United Nations to marshal its scarce

resources more effectively. There is simply no other

option if we are to restore confidence in this Organization

and in the specialized agencies. As the Secretary-General

has stressed, the Organization’s financial crisis is

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crippling its effectiveness and its credibility. We cannot

allow this to happen.

The answer lies in addressing both expenditure and

revenue. Many Governments, including Canada’s, are

facing difficult budgetary decisions. We have had to live

with expenditure reductions in real terms while maintaining

priority programmes. International organizations must

respect the same pressures as domestic Governments. The

United Nations and its agencies must focus on key

objectives and reduce overhead spending in order to protect

priority programmes. In fact, there are many steps that chief

executive officers can take to increase efficiency and to

reduce costs without impairing programmes, and we should

all insist that they do so. Similarly, many agencies’ budgets

should be held at present levels, wherever possible, if not

reduced. Member States must work collectively to this end.

Canada strongly supports the proposal put forward by the

Secretary-General for an efficiency task force to address

these issues. We are prepared to contribute both expertise

and personnel to get it started soon.

While the United Nations needs to do more to limit

spending and to promote efficiency, its financial crisis

would be significantly alleviated if its Member States were

to meet their financial obligations in full, on time and

without conditions. Canada calls on all Member States to

do so. We cannot accept that Member States, some of

which rank among the richest countries in the world, fail to

meet their financial obligations to this institution. This is

even more difficult to accept when we consider that a

number of the poorest countries in the world meet their

payments in full and on time. Indeed, among the merely 60

Member States that had met their regular budget obligations

to the United Nations fully by 31 July of this year, 32 were

developing countries. Unfortunately, 71 other Member

States had made no payment at all. Almost 100 countries

still owe money from previous years, including, I have to

say, several members of the Security Council. The majority

of Member States appear content to approve programmes,

appropriations and assessments without honouring the

obligations to which they are committed. This is

unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue.

The General Assembly’s High-level Working Group

considering the United Nations financial plight should begin

looking at the establishment of incentives to pay. It should

also agree on an equitable method of sharing the burden,

free of the distortions that characterize the present scale of

assessments.

In conclusion, let me say that I have sought to pay

tribute to this Organization’s achievements, and to

emphasize that Canada strongly supports the United

Nations. We are prepared to contribute concretely and

actively to its revitalization and renewal. But confidence

will be restored and commitment renewed only through a

partnership in which Member States live up to their

commitment and focus on key priorities that respond to

human-centred goals for sustainable security and

development. If we are successful, and frankly I truly

believe that we will be successful, I have no doubt that 50

years from now our successors will be able to praise,

without hesitation or qualification, the record of our

Organization’s first 100 years.