Kingdom of Denmark, 1996

Encouraging trends can be

seen in many parts of the world following the end of the

East-West confrontation. Democracy has taken firm root in

many countries. The improved economic performance of

many countries is making an important contribution to the

welfare of peoples.

At the same time, we still face difficult challenges.

Ethnic and internal conflicts are taking a far heavier toll

than earlier international conflicts; grave cases of violations

of human rights occur; the poorest countries are lagging

behind in economic development; the gap between rich and

poor is growing; and the environment is coming under

increasing strain. The international community is facing

challenges going far beyond traditional diplomacy,

challenges directly affecting the lives of each individual

human being. We must create safer and better living

conditions for the individual.

This year, I will highlight four priority areas: first,

peacekeeping and international security; secondly, human

rights; thirdly, economic and social development; and,

fourthly, the environment. In these areas, common efforts

in the United Nations are imperative.

First, international peace: threats against international

security and the rights of peoples must be dealt with in the

United Nations. New complex intra-State conflicts have

increased dramatically. We must learn from the conflicts in

the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Somalia. Millions of

individuals have suffered in these conflicts. Through the

electronic media, the world closely follows the unfolding

tragedies. The hopes of the victims for a peaceful future are

shared by all of us. The United Nations and the

international community are expected to provide answers.

We must focus on the capacity to react directly and

quickly and to prevent crises from getting out of hand.

Rapid response can be that which separates failure from

success. The creation of the United Nations standby system

was an important step in the right direction. We must now

take it one step further.

The establishment of a rapidly deployable

headquarters in the Department of Peacekeeping

Operations will reduce planning time and response time

for future operations. The planning of new operations

cannot start from scratch every time. Denmark continues

its efforts with like-minded countries to establish a

multilateral brigade at a state of high readiness within the

standby system. A well-balanced, pre-planned force

structure will greatly improve the ability to act quickly

and effectively.

The need for new conflict strategies was also

underlined by the Rwanda evaluation initiated by

Denmark.

Preventive diplomacy is called for. Regional

organizations must be strengthened to take on more

responsibility in preventing conflicts and in post-conflict

peace-building. The United Nations cannot carry the

entire burden itself. The regional organizations must assist

the United Nations, not replace it.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE), which I shall have the honour and

responsibility of chairing in 1997, is one such important

regional organization. One of the tenets of the OSCE is

“OSCE first”. This implies that the OSCE will be a

primary instrument for conflict prevention in its region,

thus relieving the United Nations.

Arms control and arms reduction add their

contribution to conflict prevention. Two and a half years

of intensive negotiations have resulted in the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) now

open for signature. On behalf of the Kingdom of

Denmark, I signed the Treaty this morning. The CTBT

will end the qualitative development of nuclear weapons.

It is a necessary supplementary component to the Treaty

on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. It will

strengthen progress towards complete global nuclear

disarmament.

When it comes to conventional weapons, anti-

personnel landmines continue to pose a daily, grave threat

to people in many parts of the world. They are, at the

same time, an unacceptable obstacle to the resettlement of

displaced populations. The new landmine Protocol to the

Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of

Certain Conventional Weapons, adopted in May, is an

improvement. Denmark will ratify it shortly, without

reservations, but we are still far away from the only

viable solution to the landmine problem, which is a total,

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worldwide ban. The Danish Government has decided to

renounce unilaterally the use of anti-personnel landmines in

the Danish armed forces. We encourage similar decisions

by other Governments.

Furthermore, the present state of technology for

detecting unexploded mines is ineffective. Public and

private initiative, ingenuity and funding must be combined

to create new technological options for landmine detection.

The International Conference on Mine-clearance

Technology, held in Denmark in July this year, has

stimulated this endeavour. We welcome the initiatives of

Canada and Japan to carry the efforts further.

National initiatives must be assisted by international

efforts to speed up mine clearance. To this effect, the

General Assembly will be presented with a draft resolution

on assistance in mine clearance.

My second priority is human rights. They have come

to play a visible role in international relations and on the

agenda of many United Nations forums. The Vienna World

Conference on Human Rights made it clear that the

promotion and protection of all human rights is a legitimate

concern, indeed a duty, of all States and the international

community. Criticism of human rights abuses can no longer

be rejected as interference in internal affairs. Indeed,

criticism should be seen as a contribution to our cooperative

efforts to strengthen respect for human rights. The adoption

of international instruments is the result of our cooperation.

They are the true universally-accepted bases for continued

progress in the human rights field.

The overall goal is to promote and protect the rights

of individual human beings — our citizens. This leaves

room for each society to find its own way to further

democracy and respect for human rights. No one is trying

to impose a single model. When we freely adhere to

international human rights standards as our own, we give

up no part of our culture, no part of our national

sovereignty. On the contrary, individuals enjoying full

human rights are the best guarantee of national culture and

sovereignty.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights

plays a particularly important role in the promotion of

human rights. During its membership term, Denmark

intends to contribute actively to the Commission’s work in

four prime areas: the fight against torture; the promotion of

the rights of indigenous peoples; strengthening the High

Commissioner and his office; and the right to development.

Let me in this context pay tribute to the important

contribution of non-governmental organizations.

I cannot mention the area of human rights without

referring to the grave situation in Myanmar. It is, indeed,

a tragedy that, since the release in July last year of Nobel

Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, developments in

that country have gone from bad to worse.

Time and again, Denmark and its European Union

partners have urged the State Law and Order Restoration

Council (SLORC) to respect human rights and to restore

democracy to the Burmese people. Our appeals have been

ignored. I repeat them here in the strongest possible

terms. This tragedy must end.

I express my deep dismay at the unwillingness of the

SLORC to discuss the death in custody, on 22 June 1996

of Mr. James Nichols. Mr. Nichols served as honorary

consul for several European States, including Denmark.

The Government of Denmark intends to keep the

situation in Burma high on the international agenda until

fundamental improvements are seen.

Economic and social development is the third area

I want to emphasize. Human conflicts have many causes.

If we want a lasting foundation for peace in our own

societies and internationally, we need to address the

problems of poverty, deprivation and social exclusion.

The plight of the poorest countries is a matter of

particular concern. The United Nations should play a

crucial role in addressing this problem.

The need for development assistance is as great as

ever. The poorest countries do not attract private

investment. They do not have the potential to benefit from

liberalization of international trade. The current trend in

official development assistance is deplorable. Official

development assistance fell to 0.27 per cent of gross

national product in 1995. This is the lowest level since

the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent was set in 1970.

Unfortunately, a number of major donors are still

reducing their development programmes. In 1995, only

four countries were above the target of 0.7 per cent.

Denmark, for its part, continues to contribute one per cent

of its gross national product.

Economic growth, desirable as it is, cannot be

equated with development unless it is accompanied by

economic and social progress for all groups. Social

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progress for all is not an automatic result of economic

growth. The Declaration and Programme of Action adopted

by the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development

stated that

“the eradication of poverty, the generation of ...

productive employment, and the enhancement of social

integration” (A/CONF.166/9, p. 24)

should be an integral part of policies furthering economic

growth.

I would particularly emphasize the need to ensure an

effective follow-up to the Platform for Action adopted at

the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

The United Nations plays a crucial role in

humanitarian assistance. Recent experience, including the

Rwanda evaluation, has stressed the need for coordination

of all actors in the humanitarian field. The Department of

Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations has gradually

established itself as a focal point for coordination of needs

assessment and appeals. I urge all Members of the United

Nations family with humanitarian assistance programmes to

engage actively in DHA-sponsored coordination efforts.

The fourth priority area is the environment. The

Brundtland Report and the Rio Conference on Environment

and Development clearly emphasized the global nature of

environmental issues. The concept of sustainable

development has now firmly taken its place on our political

agenda.

Much has been achieved. Yet it is uncertain whether

the accomplishments match the growing problems. Armed

conflicts, poverty, ignorance and in some cases even short-

sightedness and greed are contributors to the continued

wear and tear on the environment.

The special session of the General Assembly, to take

place in 1997, will be the next opportunity for Governments

to review at a high level the implementation of Agenda 21.

The special session must look at the need for readjusting,

revitalizing and increasing our efforts to cope with the

challenges.

The Government of Denmark fully supports this

process. We will continue our support of activities in areas

in need, such as safeguarding biodiversity, promoting

renewable energy and reducing erosion, desertification and

deforestation.

I have dealt briefly with four high-priority areas. In

the view of my Government, the United Nations has a

key role to play in addressing these problems. But is the

Organization fully capable of taking up this challenge?

Regrettably, the answer is no.

We must insist that all Members honour their treaty

obligations and pay their contributions to the United

Nations in full, on time and without preconditions. The

present state of affairs is unacceptable. Undermining the

United Nations is in the interest of no one. Members that

are intentionally running behind in paying their assessed

contributions must realize that they cannot expect their

influence in the various United Nations organs to remain

unaffected.

Furthermore, the United Nations must reflect present

political realities. This should be borne in mind in the

efforts to agree on reforming the Security Council. No

doubt, the United Nations must continue its efforts to

revitalize itself in the economic and social field. The

quality of its work must continuously be improved. The

main objective is to increase its impact at the country

level to the benefit of the poor. Denmark supports a

comprehensive and coherent reform of the present system

in areas such as institutions, governance structure, staff,

administration and future funding.

Little can be achieved without the political will of

the Member States. I agree with the recent findings of a

task force sponsored by a well-known American

institution, the Council on Foreign Relations. It states that

“the United Nations is in crisis ... principally

because Members States ... have failed to pay their

bills, have given the United Nations responsibilities

without the power to carry them out, and have

blamed the United Nations for failures in national

policies.”

In conclusion, let me underline the fundamental

interest of my country in the establishment of a world

community in which States, as well as each individual,

may live in conditions of peace and welfare. Well-

functioning international organizations, not least our world

Organization, are cornerstones in this endeavour.

Denmark will bring its dedicated contribution.