Estonia, 2012

It is an honour once again

to address the United Nations. This year I would

like to focus on responsibility. The recent years of

economic and financial turbulence have demonstrated

a strong correlation between economic prudence and

responsibility in fiscal matters. We have realized, I

hope, that sustainability is not a term we apply only

to development, but concerns all of us. Responsibility

and sustainability apply to the three broad topics I shall

address today: human rights, good governance and

development. But before doing so, I would like to speak

about diplomacy.

The purpose of diplomacy is to prevent war.

When diplomats are attacked we are all less secure.

We know what we are talking about — we too have

had our diplomats attacked, mercifully without the

horrific consequences that occured in Benghazi.

Therefore, the recent assaults in many parts of the

world on diplomats, embassies and consular premises are deplorable. Regardless of their motivations, such

acts are unjustifiable and must be universally and

unequivocably condemned. All countries must fulfil

their international legal obligation to protect diplomatic

and consular properties and personnel.

As recent events have demonstrated, when it

comes to human rights it is not enough merely to keep

your own house in order. As a conscientious member

of the international community, Estonia feels the

responsibility to do more globally. That includes paying

attention to human rights violations in places torn by

conflict, as well as doing more to stop and prevent the

violation of the rights of women and the child. It also

means making the most of new technologies in the

service of fundamental rights and freedoms. The need

to take responsibility and do more is also why Estonia

looks forward to becoming a member of the Human

Rights Council and to working proactively towards the

fulfilment of its mandate.

Permit me to touch upon the developments in

Syria. We have witnessed the complete breakdown of

any semblance of the rule of law. We continue to see

extensive human rights and international humanitarian

law abuses. It appears that both sides have committed

serious international crimes. Yet we still see no solution.

We cannot look on and wait for the violence to spread

even more widely. The Security Council — especially

its permanent members — must overcome their

differences and find a solution to the bloodshed. The

least that all parties must do is to allow for humanitarian

aid to be safely delivered and to guarantee the security

of humanitarian workers. Without an end to the armed

conflict, without peace, there can be no political

process.

But it is not only Syria that needs our attention.

We should not avoid the problem of protracted conflicts

that have already waited for years to be solved. We

shall speak with one voice against continuing violations

of the territorial integrity of sovereign States and for

the secure return of all forcefully displaced persons.

Moreover, more attention to conflict prevention would

help to avoid such violations in the future.

A stronger commitment to conflict prevention and

to the enhancement of the rule of law can help to avoid

violent conflicts and the most heinous international

crimes. Under the principle of the responsibility to

protect, States committed in 2005 to protect their

people from ethnic cleansing, genocide, war crimes

and crimes against humanity. Today the content of the responsibility to protect is not debated. The difficulty,

however, lies with its application: when Governments

do not live up to their responsibility, the international

community must react and act.

The international criminal justice system,

especially the International Criminal Court, plays a

crucial role in providing timely and decisive responses

to such crimes. Investigations by the Court may deter

further atrocities, prevent their escalation or accelerate

their end. It is therefore essential to cooperate with the

Court and apprehend those it has indicted.

As a result of the evolving nature of military

conflicts, civilian casualties tragically are on the

rise. Among civilians, women and children are the

most vulnerable. When we take that into account,

Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), on women,

peace and security, takes on a whole new immediacy.

Furthermore, conflict-related sexual violence requires

more attention. Such violence can easily lead to further

war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moreover,

in advancing the rights of the child, the International

Criminal Court’s recent decision to convict Thomas

Lubanga Dyilo was a significant achievement and will,

we hope, have a strong deterrent effect in the future to

prevent crimes against children.

The Crimean War, in the 1850s, brought the world

the first extensive photographic reports of conflicts.

Today, new media make it even more difficult to hide

war crimes both on and off the battlefield. Modern

technology brings home the reality and horror of war.

We must therefore recognize the important role of

technology in advancing human rights.

Freedom of expression is a human right, whether in

the city square, the press or in cyberspace. For the third

year in a row, Freedom House has ranked Estonia first

in the world in Internet freedom. We have joined the

coalition Freedom Online, a group of States working

closely together to advance human rights online. In

addition, Estonia looks forward to discussing actively

matters relating to Internet freedom in the Human

Rights Council, which adopted a resolution on that

topic this year (resolution 20/8). The resolution was a

genuine milestone affirming that fundamental rights

in the virtual world must be protected with the same

commitment as in the real world.

Internationally, there are worrisome developments

related to Internet governance. Too many countries

speak about the dangers of a free Internet from a security perspective. The truth is, as we know well,

that cybersecurity is needed to prevent oppressive

Governments and criminals from wreaking havoc. It is

not to prevent peaceful individuals from speaking their

minds or gathering information and exchanging ideas.

Despite having experienced extensive cyber attacks

during the so-called Web War One, five years ago, Estonia

does not support more rigid regulation and censorship

in cyberspace. Estonia is committed to an open, secure

and reliable Internet. It is therefore imperative to ensure

that the International Telecommunication Union’s new

regulation does not lead to the restriction of Internet

freedom and unnecessary limits to the free f low of ideas

and information. In fighting cybercrimes, the Budapest

Convention on Cybercrime provides the appropriate

and primary legal framework at the global level.

Globally, there is a deficit of good and responsible

governance. Its lack is the root cause of countless

other ills. But again, some progress has been made.

I was proud to represent Estonia when I signed on

to the Open Government Partnership, along with

representatives of 42 other countries. That multilateral

initiative aims to take concrete steps to institute a new

model of governance to maximize the potential of new

technologies and, most important, to tackle corruption.

The information revolution we experience these

days has assisted Estonia to successfully and rapidly

transform itself into a rule-of-law-based democratic

society. Estonia was the first country where people

could cast their vote online in parliamentary and

municipal elections. Just a few months ago we

conducted our census for the first time to a large extent

online. This year more than 90 per cent of taxpayers in

Estonia filed annual income tax returns via the Internet.

E-government, e-school, e-medical prescriptions

and e-parking are examples of Estonian innovation

in the field of citizen-friendly public services. They

increase transparency and help to prevent and cut

down corruption. They reduce costs. Most importantly,

however, they have increased the possibility to exercise

fundamental rights and freedoms and improve inclusive

and responsible governance. Therefore, Estonia wishes

to share its e-governance skills and to continue to

facilitate exchanges with partners worldwide.

My comments on the need to do more apply to the

United Nations too. Without reform, its global mission

will be unsustainable. We need change, ranging from

reforming the United Nations in the broadest sense to

cutting the waste of paper. In an information age it is increasingly necessary to distinguish noise from signal,

to distinguish genuine data from spin.

I have spoken thus far about what Governments

can and must do. In our increasingly interconnected,

wired and wireless world, civil society and the private

sector play an ever-greater role. Governments benefit

from involving non-governmental organizations,

entrepreneurs and private individuals in governance.

Estonia and many other countries increasingly and

successfully do so. The challenge, however, is for the

United Nations system — a multilateral organization

based on modern, post-Westphalian States — to embrace

those other actors and to involve them in finding

solutions and decision-making.

Allow me to continue by sharing some thoughts

related to development and responsibility.

Sustainable development is not a clichéd utopia;

nor is it something forced on us from above. True

development can be nothing other than sustainable. Yet

we have seen unsustainability masked as development,

despite the contradiction in terms.

Consider the global financial crisis. Burdening our

children and grandchildren with mountains of debt is

immoral, as is living at the expense of others. Growth

without responsibility is illusory. We have learned that

the hard way. Let us not make the same mistake again.

We are another year closer to the deadline we set

ourselves for achieving the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). Were they too ambitious? I do not think

so. Aiming high is the least we can do. There is no point

in setting targets that we can be confident of achieving

effortlessly. Yet we must resist the temptation to sell

everything as a success if that is not the case. Failure to

achieve all the MDGs is no excuse not to set new targets.

The world needs sustainable development goals. We are

still in a preliminary phase of the discussion. Let us aim

high and do our best.

Despite the world’s best efforts, millions

remain in poverty. The information technology (IT)

transformation will create massive opportunities all

over the world. We must, however, avoid a digital

divide that would stymie this historic chance to

accelerate development in all parts of the world. I was a

member of Kofi Annan’s high-level panel of experts on

information and communication technology — already

a decade ago — and I continue to be concerned about

the gap between the digital haves and have-nots,

especially because, by investing in IT, countries such as mine have leapt into modernity and transparency. New

information and communications technologies have the

potential to trigger the next industrial revolution, but

governments cannot achieve it alone.

Entrepreneurs expanding the range of global

knowledge networks are key partners in fighting

poverty and creating a more transparent economy.

They can also make an outsized difference in their

communities and the world. However, Governments

must provide a secure and fruitful environment for

those sorts of ideas to emerge and prosper. Twentyone

years after restoring our independence, Estonia is

an example where a combination of responsible free

enterprise, e-governance, international partnerships

and eco-friendly policies can put a country in the fast

lane of development.

Experience shows that if we fail to act responsibly,

we will, in the end, be forced to do so. Let us begin by

acting responsibly.