Estonia, 2007

I shall speak today on four

fundamental topics: climate change, cybersecurity,

conflict resolution and cooperation among international

organizations.

In accordance with the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as

the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries are

obligated to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Estonia has already achieved the basic target of the

Kyoto Protocol: our emissions of greenhouse gases

have been cut back by over 50 per cent. Fully

subscribing to the European Union statement on the

post-2012 vision for international climate, released by

the Portuguese presidency, we hope that the

negotiations concerning a new global climate deal will

reach a new comprehensive and global political

agreement by as early as December 2009.

Yes, we recognize that developing countries have

special needs in the areas of sustainable economic

growth and eradication of poverty. But we also need to

decouple economic growth from energy consumption

and carbon dioxide emissions. Investing in energy

efficiency will have a huge impact on our future.

Diversification of the energy supply and greater use of

renewable energies are the way forward.

The resources and the technology for

decarbonisation come primarily from industrial

nations. Therefore, we need to continue the dialogue

between industrialized and developing nations

concerning the adoption of a “green” economy,

reducing carbon-fuel dependency and counterbalancing

climate change caused by human activities. We need to

promote technology transfer, which is necessary for

developing environment-friendly energy production.

Estonia believes that the best way forward is to tie

development assistance to investment in clean

technologies.

If in the past people were connected by sea lanes

and trade routes, today we are ever more connected by

the Internet, along with the threats that loom in

cyberspace. Cyberattacks are a clear example of

contemporary asymmetrical threats to security. They

make it possible, with limited means and from a

distance, to paralyse a society.

In the future, cyberattacks may, in the hands of

criminals or terrorists or terrorist States, become a

considerably more widespread and dangerous weapon

than they are at present. Cyberattacks are a threat not

only to sophisticated information technology systems,

but also to communities as a whole. For example, they

could be used to paralyse a city’s emergency medical

services. The threats posed by cyberwarfare have often

been underestimated, since, fortunately, they have not

as yet resulted in the loss of any lives. Also, for

security reasons, the details of cyberattacks are often

not publicized.

In addition to taking concrete technical and legal

measures to counter cyberattacks, Governments must

morally define cyberviolence and cybercrime, which

deserve to be generally condemned in the same way as

terrorism and the trafficking in human beings are

condemned. Fighting against cyberwarfare is in the

interests of us all. It requires both appropriate domestic

measures and international efforts.

In April and May of this year, my country,

Estonia, coped successfully with an extensive

cyberattack, and we are prepared to share with other

countries the know-how that we have acquired. We call

upon the international community to cooperate in legal

matters in questions concerning cybersecurity. But,

since this whole subject is in a relatively new field, it is

essential to establish an appropriate legal space. As a

first step, we call upon all countries to accede to the

Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe.

The Convention is also open for accession by

non-members of the Council.

We should move ahead and create a truly

international framework for combating these vicious

acts. The Global Cybersecurity Agenda of the

International Telecommunications Union, launched by

the Secretary-General in May, is an important initiative

for building international cooperation in this field.

Estonia also agrees with the assessment of the

specialists of the United Nations Institute for Training

and Research that a globally negotiated and

comprehensive cyberspace law is essential and that the

United Nations can provide the neutral and legitimate

forum necessary for that task.

The United Nations is determined to resolve

conflicts. Understandably, conflict prevention and

resolution, particularly in Africa, is a top priority. We

welcome the creation of a United Nations-African

Union peacekeeping force to quell the violence and

instability plaguing the Darfur region of the Sudan.

It is important to settle conflicts in other places as

well, such as Afghanistan. We need to increase the

presence and visibility of the United Nations there,

which would be an encouraging sign for the local

population and would also send a signal to other

international aid organizations and non-governmental

organizations that they should increase their activities.

The United Nations should also assume a greater role

in coordinating the reconstruction effort in

Afghanistan.

I would like to highlight one conflict in Europe in

which the United Nations has a significant role to play:

the conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia. Along with the other

“frozen” conflicts in the neighbouring region, it

remains among the last unresolved conflicts in Europe.

It is my hope that the Group of Friends of the

Secretary-General will have the determination to find

solutions that honour Georgia’s territorial integrity. We

cannot be satisfied with the current situation. It is

important to build confidence between the parties and

to resume the meetings between the representatives of

Georgia’s Government and those of Abkhazia. There is

no place for military provocations, internal or external.

A major task for the United Nations remains the

facilitation of the return of refugees to Abkhazia,

which, unfortunately, has been greatly hampered.

Progress regarding the conflict is possible if all

interested parties act in a constructive way. We must

generate the political will necessary to resolve the

conflict. In that context, I welcome the increased

contribution of the European Union (EU).

The international community should also secure

the best and most rational use of available resources,

including in emergency and crisis response situations.

For example, both the United Nations and the EU were

involved in managing the response to the Asian

tsunami in 2004 and the Lebanese crisis in 2006. That

once again brought to the fore the necessity of

developing common needs assessments to further

discuss the roles and mandates of the relevant actors,

such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination

of Humanitarian Affairs, the European Commission’s

Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and the

Community Mechanism for Civil Protection of the EU.

Poverty, armed conflicts and natural disasters

such as floods, tsunamis and forest fires are all causes

of another global problem forced migration, which

should also be tackled in a more concerted manner by

the whole international community. Being forced to

leave one’s home is always a tragedy. I know: my

family was forced to leave my country, fleeing brutal

Soviet occupation forces. Trying to integrate into a new

society is always a significant challenge. Only through

well-coordinated common efforts can we ensure that

people never again have to leave their homes because

they have no other option. Thus, a global approach to

human migration should remain a vital issue on the

United Nations agenda.