Kingdom of Denmark, 2009

At this moment in time,

major economic and environmental challenges are

giving rise to increasing global concerns and impacting

people all over this planet. To meet those challenges

effectively, we need, more than ever, a dynamic and

proactive multilateral system. We need the United

Nations to provide global answers to global challenges.

In less than three months, we will meet again in

Copenhagen to seal the deal on climate change. The

effects of climate change are increasingly felt all over

the world, not least in developing countries, and the

whole world is looking to us for answers. And answers

we must provide — new directions for the future,

transformational changes in the way we do business

and a new paradigm for growth and development. In

this respect, I do welcome the leadership of the

Secretary-General as demonstrated by his call for a

Summit on Climate Change a few days ago and by his

concluding remarks on that occasion.

The message is clear: we must act now to avoid

potentially disastrous changes in the global climate.

The focus in Copenhagen three months from now will

be on three deliverables. First, we must agree on a

common goal for a significant reduction in global

carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and we must set clear

targets for both medium and longer term. Secondly, we

must agree on a pathway towards achieving these

targets. And, thirdly, we must set in motion the policies

and measures to sustain our efforts on that pathway.

Reducing CO2 emissions is a challenge for

industrialized countries, emerging economies and

developing countries alike. There is no contradiction

between economic growth and ambitious policies to

address climate change. Pursuing a green economy is

possible, as shown by the example of, among others,

my own country. And, in this context, it is also

important to keep in mind the security risks emanating

from climate change in all parts of the world. I

welcome the Secretary-General’s recent report on this

issue entitled “Climate change and its possible security

implications” (A/64/350), and look forward to further

deliberations on this topic.

The ongoing financial and economic crisis is

reversing hard-won progress in developing countries

striving to achieve the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs). The international community must assist the

poorest of those countries in mitigating the immediate

effects of the crisis, while at the same time ensuring

that we do not lose sight of the longer-term challenges

in relation to the MDGs and the climate change

agenda. There is an imminent risk that the economic

crisis will lead to the overall stagnation — or even the

reduction — of official development assistance. That is

a challenge we must counter and overcome, and it is

more crucial than ever that all donors speed up delivery

on their aid commitments.

31 09-53165

African countries, in particular, are facing

significant obstacles in their efforts to achieve the

MDGs. As recommended by the Africa Commission

and the MDG3 Global Call to Action, both initiated by

the Government of Denmark, there is a need to focus

strongly on employment for young people, economic

empowerment of women and private sector-led

economic growth. Renewed focus on those policy areas

will also be essential in coping with the economic

crisis and its impact on the continent.

As we embark on the final stage towards 2015,

the upcoming 2010 MDG Summit gives us an

important opportunity to identify means to speed up

achievement of the MDGs. Denmark looks forward to

this occasion and is ready to engage actively in the

process.

In an increasingly globalized and dynamic world,

where the problems we face tend to become ever more

complex and intertwined, it is important to treasure and

uphold the principles and the objectives enshrined in

the Charter of the United Nations: to promote and

encourage respect for human rights and fundamental

freedoms for all; to establish conditions under which

justice and respect for international obligations can be

maintained; and to promote social progress and better

standards of living.

States must protect their own populations, and

States must be accountable to the global community. In

that context, I welcome the recent debate held in this

Hall on the responsibility to protect, which showed

overwhelming support for the concept on the part of

Member States. It bodes well for our continued

deliberations on that issue.

I should also like to use this opportunity to

encourage all United Nations Members that have not

yet done so to become States parties to the

International Criminal Court. There should be no

impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious

international crimes.

Among the most serious present dangers to peace

and security is the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction and their means of delivery. The upcoming

Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is of utmost

importance. The meeting of the Security Council on

24 September, headed by President Obama (see

S/PV.6191), provided ample evidence. We welcome the

negotiations between the United States and Russia on

reductions to follow up on the Treaty on Strategic

Offensive Arms, and we welcome President Obama’s

commitment to the ratification of the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, both of which will have a

positive impact on the NPT Review Conference.

I should like to take the opportunity to call on

Iran and the Democratic People’ s Republic of Korea to

comply with their obligations to suspend enrichment

activities and to start negotiations on transparent

civilian nuclear programmes, as set forth in Security

Council resolutions.

The election in Afghanistan was far from perfect.

We need to engage with the new Government to create

the crucial legitimacy between the Afghan Government

and the Afghan people. The new Afghan compact to be

built is that between the Government and the people,

and our role should be to strengthen that compact and

hold the Government accountable. In terms of the role

of the international community, we need to be better

coordinated and more effective in our support for

building the capacity of the Afghan Government. In

this the United Nations and the United Nations

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan play a crucial role.

In neighbouring Pakistan, the international

community and the Friends of Democratic Pakistan

must seize the opportunity to support the democratic

Government in fighting poverty and extremism. We

must help Pakistan build a stable, democratic and

prosperous State. This would be a significant

contribution to peace and development in South Asia. I

warmly welcome the efforts of the Government to fight

terrorism, while, at the same time, it tries to alleviate

the hardship experienced by Pakistan’s internally

displaced persons (IDPs). It is a positive development

that so many IDPs have returned. Now, a full and fast

implementation of the Malakand development strategy

is important.

The deadlock in the Middle East peace process

and the high level of regional tensions demand new

international efforts to promote stability and peace in

the region. We are encouraged to see the enhanced

American engagement in the Middle East, and we urge

all in the region and all parties to the Middle East

conflict to honour the Road Map commitments, move

speedily ahead and, once and for all, settle their

differences in accordance with the international

agreements and the Arab Peace Initiative. Furthermore,

Denmark is in favour of expanding the mandate of the

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Quartet to include a regional dimension. Also, the

Syrian and Lebanese peace tracks should feature

permanently on the agenda of the Quartet.

Pirates operating in the Indian Ocean and the

Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia are a security

challenge that poses new legal challenges. Denmark

has taken the lead in the international community’s

work to identify practical and legal solutions so as to

ensure the prosecution of suspected pirates. We

welcome the increasingly active involvement of the

United Nations in that issue.

In that respect, we have to remember that what is

taking place on the open sea is closely linked to the

situation on the ground in Somalia. Bringing security

and stability to the Somalis is of the highest priority,

and Denmark supports the efforts of the United Nations

and the African Union, and the Djibouti process.

The United Nations itself must be able to change

in order to effectively meet and deliver on all those

new challenges. It is important to keep up momentum

in the intergovernmental negotiations on reform of the

Security Council in order to adapt that key body to the

world of today. The United Nations peacekeeping

commitments continue to play a decisive role in global

peace and security, with now more than 100,000

peacekeepers deployed in nearly 20 missions globally.

However, the immense growth and the demand for

strengthening the capacity to manage and to sustain

those peacekeeping operations have revealed shortfalls

pertaining to the decision-making processes and the

engagements themselves. Denmark, therefore, warmly

supports recent initiatives that would enable us to meet

the growing demands with a system in place that is

more effective, more transparent and more

accountable.

Security is a precondition to programme delivery.

Some degree of risk cannot be avoided, but the

challenge is to mitigate it. Denmark, therefore,

supports the continuing overhaul of security

assessments and procedures. However, the situation in

a country after the end of a conflict is also often

extremely volatile. There is a need to ensure quick,

effective and efficient support in post-conflict

situations and to strengthen peacebuilding efforts. The

United Nations is uniquely suited to lead those efforts,

and we welcome the strong emphasis on that issue and

look forward to the review of the peacebuilding

architecture next year.

The work of the United Nations in the area of

gender, women’ s rights and development has for too

long been fragmented and underfunded. In that light,

the recent decision by the General Assembly in

resolution 63/311 to create a new gender entity within

the United Nations is of great significance. We will

support the Secretary-General in every possible way in

his efforts to ensure the swift establishment of such an

entity. The rapid creation of a new gender entity will

represent a milestone in the important work of

reforming the United Nations system.

All United Nations entities, funds and

programmes and the Secretariat need to act more

coherently. On the operational side, we strongly

support the “delivering as one” initiative which seeks

to base the various parts of the system on a common

understanding of needs and priorities and with full

country ownership of the joint programme. It is a

collective responsibility and an opportunity to

comprehensively pursue that agenda. More effective

and efficient ways of working system-wide are

important; therefore, harmonization of the

Organization’ s business practices must be accelerated

across the system.

The President returned to the Chair.

Multilateral cooperation is the best means of

maintaining international peace and security and of

responding to the challenges, risks and opportunities in

an interdependent and globalized world. This

Organization holds great legitimacy and moral force,

and we encourage the United Nations — Member

States, the entire organizational system and the

Secretariat — to seize the moment and take the lead in

addressing the new global challenges. An ambitious

and successful outcome to the upcoming fifteenth

session of the Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in

Copenhagen in December would be a significant step

in that direction.