Kingdom of Denmark, 2006

The global game has

changed. Interdependence and globalization are

occurring at an unprecedented speed. With

globalization, the concept of national sovereignty has

changed. The international order based on the nation

State — established in 1648 with the Peace of

Westphalia — is being challenged. Non-State actors are

becoming more and more influential on the global

scene. Private militias and transnational criminal

movements are increasingly responsible for conflicts

that used to be between State actors, as well as for

undermining agreements entered into and adhered to by

States.

The boundaries between domestic and foreign

policy are changing. Developments in one part of the

world often trigger unintended actions in other parts of

the world. If we look the other way when faced with

conflicts and human suffering, problems will grow,

they will not disappear. To meet the goals and

challenges confronting the global community, we need

more than ever a dynamic and proactive United

Nations.

The United Nations has to proactively address the

agenda set by globalization, and it must be able to

change in order to effectively meet and deliver on the

new challenges. It is in everybody’s interest to have an

efficient United Nations. The Organization adds moral

force to the international community’s actions in a

globalized world. An effective United Nations can

alleviate the negative effects of globalization and turn

it into a positive force. All of us have to work to ensure

that the necessary reform steps to be initiated.

Last September’s World Summit set an ambitious

agenda for the United Nations and the General

Assembly. I am pleased that we have achieved

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considerable results. Prominent examples include the

establishment of the Human Rights Council, the

Peacebuilding Commission and the Central Emergency

Response Fund. The two new organs represent a long

overdue institutional modernization of the United

Nations that, if used as intended, will help the United

Nations to address new challenges. That is why

Denmark has put so much effort into helping to foster

the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding

Commission.

With Burundi and Sierra Leone on the agenda,

the Peacebuilding Commission has chosen two nations

in need, but also two nations willing to join forces with

the international community in their endeavour to build

their nations.

As it should, the Human Rights Council allows

for closer scrutiny by the international community of

domestic affairs — not because we wish to punish but

because we wish to help improve. Such scrutiny is a

desirable monitoring mechanism to ensure the

protection of people from abuse by their own

Governments. Let us avoid politicizing the work of this

new body and instead, in a spirit of cooperation, ensure

that the Human Rights Council is successful in meeting

the objectives laid down by the General Assembly. In

that context, I would also like to draw attention to the

decision by the Human Rights Council to recommend

to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly the

adoption of the draft declaration on the rights of

indigenous peoples. Work on the draft declaration has

been under way for more than 20 years. It is high time

that we, the Governments, approve that landmark

instrument aimed at furthering the rights and

aspirations of the world’s indigenous peoples.

In June, as President of the Security Council,

Denmark sought to highlight the importance of

strengthening international law. We picked up the torch

from the 2005 World Summit by calling a special

meeting on the critical role of international law in

fostering stability and order in international relations

(see S/PV.5474). The Security Council spoke out

clearly in favour of international law, both in general

terms and with regard to specific topics such as

delisting with respect to sanctions. Denmark will

continue to pursue those topics, and we call upon all

Member States to join us.

The reform agenda is far from exhausted. The

Security Council should be reformed to better reflect

the world of today. Furthermore, we need to make

substantial progress on mandate review and

management reform during this session of the General

Assembly. Otherwise, we will not be able to meet the

challenges. Member States should not micromanage

the United Nations, but should build a strong and fast-

responding Organization to meet new challenges.

The United Nations must play a strong role in

order to secure positive gains from globalization for

developing countries. Denmark eagerly looks forward

to the recommendations of the High-level Panel on

United Nations System-wide Coherence. Our aim is to

enhance on the ground the efficiency and impact of

United Nations development cooperation.

It is a cause for concern that we have witnessed

the resurgence of the notion of respect for national

sovereignty as a justification for inaction in

international affairs. There is of course no denying that

nation-States remain the constituent part of the

international system and of this very Organization. But

respect for sovereignty can never become an excuse for

accepting massive human rights violations. That was

the key message from the Summit last year, when

heads of State pronounced their support for the notion

of the responsibility to protect.

The Security Council has consistently worked to

uphold the sovereignty of Lebanon since 2004. In

August of this year, the Council intervened to stop the

war between Hizbollah and Israel, and decided to send

thousands of peacekeepers to help the Lebanese

Government extent its authority to all parts of the

country. We call upon all regional players to work

constructively towards that goal. Security Council

resolution 1701 (2006) must be fully respected by all

parties. Denmark is actively considering ways to

promote the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006),

including by assisting the Secretary-General in his

endeavours to find ways forward on the political

aspects.

The war between Hizbollah and Israel proved the

volatility of the Middle East. For decades, the

international community has sought to address the

Arab-Israeli conflict, which continues to breed hatred

and fanaticism. We must support moderate forces for

reform and empower them to stand up against

centrifugal tendencies. We need to redouble our efforts

to finally achieve a comprehensive and lasting two-

State solution to that tragic conflict. It is in nobody’s

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interest that the instability in the Middle East

continues.

The same goes for the Sudan. The Council’s

decision last month to continue preparations for a

United Nations peacekeeping force to relieve the

African Union force and stop the senseless carnage of

civilians in Darfur drew sharp criticism from the

Government of the Sudan and was denounced as neo-

colonialism and a violation of its sovereign rights. But,

I ask, whose rights are really being violated here?

Rather than the rights of the Government of the Sudan,

I submit that it is the right of the population of Darfur

to receive protection that is being violated. It is

incumbent upon the international community to act if a

Government fails to fulfil the responsibility to protect.

I call upon the Government of the Sudan to work with

us, not against us, in protecting the population of

Darfur.

In Afghanistan the security situation continues to

be of great concern. We are, individually and

collectively, being tested on our commitment to assist

the Afghan people on their path towards a just and

prosperous future. Warlords, financed by the opium

trade, threaten the democratic rights of the people. The

United Nations must continue to support the

remarkable transformation process undertaken by the

Afghan people and their Government.

We wish to see a stronger role for the United

Nations in Iraq, in order to contribute to peaceful and

democratic development. A necessary precondition to

improve the situation is better living conditions for all

in Iraq. Needless to say, it is in our common interest to

assist the Iraqi people in their struggle to reform and

build their country. It must not fall victim to

sectarianism and terrorism. If that happens the whole

region will become destabilized.

The most serious danger associated with

globalization is the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction. The Security Council reacted in unity to

deplore the 4 July launch of several missiles by the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We call upon

Pyongyang to return to the Six-Party Talks.

Iran has failed to respond to the demands of the

Security Council. We call upon Tehran to suspend

enrichment activities and accept negotiations on the

generous package.

Weapons of mass destruction and terrorism

represent a deadly combination. Terrorism is already in

itself one of the major threats to international peace

and stability. We all remember the tragedies here in the

United States five years ago, as well as the terrorist

attacks in London, Madrid, Amman, Bali, Saudi

Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. I am very pleased that the

United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy

(resolution 60/288) has now been adopted by the

General Assembly. That gives us renewed hope that we

may also conclude the negotiations on a comprehensive

convention this year. I call upon all States to seriously

attempt to bridge the differing views that exist with

regard to that very important convention, in order that

we can combat the scourge of our time, terrorism.

As Chairman of the Security Council’s Counter-

Terrorism Committee, Denmark is working towards the

strengthening of the international fight against

terrorism through improved cooperation between the

Council and Member States.

Let me conclude my statement by expressing

Denmark’s sincere appreciation to Secretary-General

Kofi Annan for his tireless efforts to promote a more

just, prosperous and peaceful world and for his

leadership of the United Nations. For almost 10 years,

Kofi Annan has served in an office where expectations

for action are not always matched by the requisite

powers and the means to act. He has impressively

carried a heavy burden through troubled times, and

recently has even undertaken new challenges in the

Middle East and in the world at large. His act will be a

difficult one to follow. Let his heritage be that the

stones he lifted do not roll back down the mountain.