Germany, 2010

It is an

honour for me to speak to the General Assembly today.

The world has changed dramatically since the

United Nations was founded 65 years ago.

International trade and exchange are, of course,

nothing new. What is new, however, is how quickly the

changes affect everybody’s lives. Only if we in the

United Nations are and remain able to act can we shape

these global changes. We will manage to solve

problems relating to security and economic, social and

ecological development only if the international

community stands united. Germany is ready to assume

global responsibility within the framework of the

United Nations.

Germany’s foreign policy is firmly embedded in

the international community. In Europe, a system of

cooperation has replaced the confrontation that cruelly

divided our continent for centuries. The European

Union is successful because, in Europe, all peoples and

States meet on an equal footing. The United Nations,

too, brings together nations large and small, rich and

poor, those that are more powerful and those with less

influence. Cooperation between equals on an equal

footing is our guiding principle also for work here at

the United Nations. Each and every country must

respect all others.

German foreign policy is a policy of peace. This

autumn, Germany will stand for election as a

non-permanent member of the Security Council

because the Council is the ideal forum in which to

cooperate in the cause of peace and development.

Peace is more than the absence of war. In today’s

globalized world, people are just as vulnerable to the

consequences of climate change, poverty and

underdevelopment as they are to violence and

oppression.

Climate change has a direct impact on each and

every one of us. Countless people are already

personally feeling its economic and social

consequences. In their letter to the Security Council,

the Pacific island States rightly warned us in no

uncertain terms just how much climate change

threatens everyone’s security. Everyone must play their

35 10-55103

part to protect the climate. In Germany, we have just

adopted a forward-looking energy strategy. By the year

2050, 80 per cent of our electricity production will

come from renewable sources. Germany has also

pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 per

cent by the year 2020, compared to the 1990 baseline.

Even now, we have reduced our carbon dioxide

emissions by almost 30 per cent. We are pioneers in the

field of climate protection. We are helping those who

are now most adversely affected by climate change. We

are particularly concerned about the fate of small

island States.

Anyone who is serious about combating climate

change has to build on innovation, new technologies

and exchange. Developed and developing nations alike

can profit from cooperation on future energies.

Germany will contribute its technological expertise, for

example, in the fields of renewable energy and energy

efficiency. In this way, we are turning the challenge of

climate change into an opportunity for fair

development and enhanced cooperation. Climate policy

is a cornerstone of any sustainable development policy.

The recent summit on the Millennium Development

Goals laid down the next steps forward in our global

partnership for development.

Education is the key to development.

Development needs education. Education protects

people from discrimination and oppression. Education

fights prejudice and thereby fosters peace. Education

also creates products and markets; education is the path

to prosperity. The true wealth of many nations is no

longer found in their raw materials but in the minds of

their people. Education is a human right. It is because

education will determine whether societies succeed or

fail in tomorrow’s world that Germany is one of the

major international partners for learning. By building

on education, we are building bridges to the future for

the young people of today.

The United Nations itself must also keep up with

the pace of change. Today’s world order is not properly

reflected if Africa and Latin America are not

permanently represented on the Security Council. Asia,

too, rightly considers itself to be underrepresented. The

entire continent, not just individual States, is

developing at breathtaking speed. We take our

partnerships seriously, both the old and the new.

Germany, too, remains ready to assume greater

responsibility.

Disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are

not issues of the past but challenges of our time.

Disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation are two

sides of the same coin. We have to do all we possibly

can to ensure that weapons of mass destruction do not

become the bane of globalization. Unlike the Review

Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons five years ago,

this May’s Review Conference was a success. If we

work together to maintain this momentum, it will be in

our power to ensure that this decade does not see a

build-up of arms but becomes a decade of

disarmament. A world without nuclear weapons is a

long-term vision, but even a marathon begins with the

first step.

There is now movement in the disarmament

debate. The group of States founded here in New York

on Wednesday to advance disarmament and arms

control does not stand alone. For over 10 years, the

Conference on Disarmament in Geneva was not even

able to agree on an agenda. That is not the way to live

up to our shared responsibility. We met yesterday at the

invitation of the Secretary-General to break the

deadlock binding the Geneva Conference. Our world

will be a more secure place when the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty enters into force and the

production of fissile material is ended once and for all.

German peace policy stands for the peaceful

settlement of regional conflicts. Germany is doing its

utmost to ensure that the direct talks between Israel

and the Palestinians are a success. We will continue to

strengthen the forces of reason and reconciliation.

During this vital period for the peace process in

particular, I urge both sides to refrain from taking any

action that might block the path to peace. We condemn

any form of violence that has the sole aim of

torpedoing the peace talks. At the same time, we call

for the moratorium on settlement construction to be

extended. Lasting peace will be achieved only through

a two-State solution, with Israel and a Palestinian State

living peacefully side by side within secure borders.

Iran, like every other country, naturally has the

right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

However, the Tehran leadership itself has sown doubt

about the civilian nature of its nuclear programme.

Iran, by demonstrating openness and transparency, can

allay that doubt. Our offer of dialogue still stands. It is

now up to Iran to grasp our outstretched hand.

10-55103 36

The conference aimed at establishing a zone free

of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East,

planned for 2012, will be a major opportunity to

strengthen peace and security in the region. Germany is

encouraging all countries in the region to take part to

ensure that the conference is a success. We are

committed to a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East.

Germany is one of the major supporters of a

peaceful and secure Afghanistan. As we agreed in

London and Kabul, we want to transfer security

responsibility for the whole of Afghanistan to the

Afghan Government by 2014. To make progress in that

country, so long ravaged by war and civil strife,

effective measures must be taken to prevent the

violence. However, military means alone will not bring

success. We favour a comprehensive approach and

above all a political solution. All sides now need the

courage and the stamina to engage in reconciliation.

The German Government assists when people

anywhere in the world are struck by natural disasters

and emergencies. However, a country’s conscience is

to be found in the hearts of its citizens. I am proud that

my fellow Germans donate so generously at times of

greatest need. Humanity and solidarity are global

values; humanity and solidarity make no distinction

based on skin colour or religious beliefs. When the

tsunami devastated coastlines around the Indian Ocean,

when the Haiti earthquake destroyed the work of

decades, or just recently, when the horrific floods in

Pakistan left havoc in their wake, we Germans shared

the victims’ pain and helped in the most heartfelt way

possible. We will stand by Pakistan over the coming

months and years to ensure that the country has a

promising economic future.

We are working towards a peaceful order in the

Sudan, now and after the referendum early next year.

We are looking for ways of achieving stable conditions

in Yemen and are particularly active in the Friends of

Yemen group. We are working hard to combat piracy

off the Horn of Africa and to bring peace and stability

to Somalia.

Reconstruction efforts in devastated regions

cannot bring success overnight. Similarly, for societies

torn by war and civil strife, the route to life in dignity

leads through peace and reconciliation. There can be

true peace only when human rights are respected. For

us, such principles as the rule of law, freedom of

opinion, freedom of the press and respect for

inalienable human rights are essential. The protection

of human rights remains a task for all societies.

It is a fundamental tenet of the United Nations

that women determine their own lives and help decide

the fate of their countries. Ethnic or religious

minorities enrich their societies. Tolerance is one of

Germany’s guiding principles. Everyone wins in the

competition for the best ideas; in a clash of cultures,

there can only be losers.

United Europe can make a valuable contribution

on our continent and beyond. Germany is working to

ensure that, in the future, the European Union shall

cooperate even more closely with other regions in

Latin America, Africa and Asia, and live up to its

global responsibility. Germany is the third-largest

development cooperation donor. We have practically

recovered from the financial and economic crisis and

are on the right track due to our robust economic

growth. This strong economy makes Germany a strong

global partner.

If all countries, small and large, work together,

we will be able to master the pressing challenges of our

world.

They can count on Germany. They can rely on

Germany.