Canada, 2007

It is an

honour for me to speak before this Assembly. The

United Nations is the very embodiment of the

commitment we have all made to contribute to peace

and security and to create better living conditions in a

greater climate of freedom. For its part, the

Government I represent has never ceased strengthening

its actions in the international arena. The Canadian

Government is a responsible partner and a fully

engaged Power. We are guided by unwavering

principles. Canada’s commitment is not only linked to

our interests, but above all to the values that inspire

Canadians, which are freedom, the rule of law,

democracy and human rights. They are the values

underlying our presence in Afghanistan, in Haiti, in the

Sudan and elsewhere in the world.

And they are the values and aspirations that are

embodied in the Preamble to the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights: the inherent dignity and the rights of

all members of the human family are the foundation of

freedom, justice and peace. Article 1 of the Declaration

says further “All human beings are born free and equal

in dignity and rights”.

Those are not abstract concepts. They are real and

concrete concepts with effects both immediate and

profound. Promoting them is not enough. They must be

protected and defended, particularly when they are

under assault in Burma, in Afghanistan, in the

Sudan, in Iran and elsewhere.

In Kabul, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has

confirmed the desire of the United Nations to stabilize

Afghanistan. Canada has engaged its political

commitment and practical capabilities to rebuild

security, democracy, human rights and prosperity in

that country.

Canada believes that a united international

community must support efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.

International organizations, including the United

Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the

World Bank, must work towards that common goal. No

one country can do that alone. To fully implement

Security Council decisions, we must work in close

partnership, both with the Government of Afghanistan

and with our friends and allies.

To ensure a successful commitment, Canada

deploys the necessary resources, as with our mission in

Afghanistan. Under the terms of a clear United Nations

mandate, Canada joined the coalition of the

International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

More than 60 countries and international organizations

have undertaken with us to help the democratically

elected Afghan Government rebuild its country.

Canada believes that the efforts of the countries

and organizations working in Afghanistan are

commendable and also reflect the core principles

espoused by the United Nations. The challenge is great,

but the principles we are defending are greater still.

The countries assisting Afghanistan are united by

a single conviction: there can be no reconstruction

without security. Democracy and political stability

cannot flourish in a climate of terror. Health care and

education cannot be provided where anarchy prevails.

Economic development is impossible when chaos is all

around. Security is the crucial foundation on which

everything depends, but long-term security requires

sustainable investment in the country’s development;

one goes hand in hand with the other.

Thanks to the assistance of Canada and the

international community, Afghanistan has made

progress. Afghan police officers are currently being

trained, Afghan refugees are returning home and

Afghan children are learning to read and write. Canada

is having a real and direct impact on the lives of the

Afghan people and is contributing to the achievement

of the vision of the future expressed in the Afghanistan

Compact which was signed in 2006. In order to make

that vision a reality, it is crucial that the United Nations

and the Government of Afghanistan ensure the

fulfilment of the Compact. And yes, despite the

incidents of intimidation and violence, the situation of

the Afghan people is improving.

Last year, Prime Minister Harper emphasized

here that the United Nations Assistance Mission in

Afghanistan was the most important special political

mission of the United Nations. The Canadian

Government continues to support the leadership role of

the United Nations in Afghanistan. For that reason,

Canada supports having a new high-level United

Nations special envoy for Afghanistan.

In the past year, our Government has

demonstrated its multifaceted commitment to that

mission. We have increased our development spending,

our diplomatic presence and our military engagement.

We welcome Security Council resolution 1776 (2007).

It extends the authorization of the International

Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and calls on

Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and

funding. The Canadian Government encourages

members of the Assembly to actively support that

resolution and its implementation.

There are other challenges we must also meet. In

Haiti, the Canadian Government has asked the Security

Council to extend the mandate of the United Nations

Stabilization Mission in Haiti. That represents

Canada’s most substantial development programme

and its largest stabilization mission in the Americas.

In Burma, it is imperative to restore democracy

and human rights. We expect the United Nations to be

at the forefront of those efforts. Although we have

disagreed on occasion with the decisions and processes

of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the

convening of a special session of the Human Rights

Council on Burma is an example of the sort of activism

and engagement that Canada expects of that body,

especially in dealing with countries that perpetuate

human rights violations.

In the Sudan, innovative peacekeeping missions

are creating a security framework which will become

the foundation upon which a durable peace can be

built. The international community must demonstrate

the political will to find new solutions. Those solutions

must be aimed not only at immediately ending the

horrific violations of human rights occurring daily in

Darfur, but also at addressing the issues of freedom and

democracy that must form the foundation for a durable

peace. Canada’s substantial contribution to the Sudan

continues in the form of humanitarian assistance and

equipment. Of course, we condemn the intolerable

attack against soldiers of the African Union force.

The scope of the challenges we must overcome to

maintain our security is such that no country can hope

to tackle them alone. We, the Member States, can and

must show the determination and political will so that

the United Nations may truly reflect the principles that

its founders wanted it to embody.

Canada is and will remain a committed partner

for all those who seek to work for freedom, to work for

democracy and to work for human rights and the rule

of law.