Finland, 2001

The terrorist attacks of

11 September are going to thoroughly change the

world, but we do not yet know how. The aftermath of

these events has shown that there are more issues that

unite us than issues that separate us. We also know that

preventing terrorism and other global threats requires

the broadest possible cooperation. The United Nations

is the main forum for such cooperation. This was

demonstrated immediately after the attacks, when both

the General Assembly and the Security Council

promptly condemned the terrorist attacks as threats to

international peace and security and expressed their

readiness to combat all forms of terrorism. Now it is

extremely urgent to finalize the negotiations on a

comprehensive convention on the suppression of

international terrorism. I appeal to everyone to quickly

agree on the outstanding draft in question.

These attacks have also profoundly affected our

sense of security, both as Member States and as

individuals. Fear and insecurity were globalized

overnight. But democratic societies cannot be

destroyed by such acts. When faced with threats our

common values and democracy will only get stronger.

Finland condemns terrorism in all its forms and

manifestations, and whoever its victims may be. There

is no justification for it.

I extend, on behalf of the Government of Finland,

our condolences to the families of the victims, to the

citizens of New York and to all Americans, including

President Bush. We have expressed our solidarity with

the United States, as we would have done with any

other country affected by such attacks.

The rapidly changing world and the new threats

require changed thinking in the international

organizations. We must respond quickly and efficiently

to the challenges of the real world. We cannot bury

ourselves in old rhetoric and positions when people

outside require concrete action and help. International

cooperation, after all, benefits all States, big and small.

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I hope that the unique coalition and cooperation against

terrorism will be reflected on other issues of common

concern to us.

The statement in the Millennium Declaration that

the United Nations is

“the indispensable common house of the entire

human family, through which we will seek to

realize our universal aspirations for peace,

cooperation and development” (resolution 55/2,

para. 32)

is now truer than ever. The fight against terrorism and

the Afghan situation are at the top of the United

Nations agenda, but there are other issues and

processes that require true cooperation in order to be

successful. In this context, I would like to underline the

establishment of the International Criminal Court and

the world conferences on sustainable development,

financing for development and children.

One of our common responsibilities is the

maintenance of international peace and security. This is

one of the issues that unites us and is in everybody’s

interest. The United Nations is the only international

organization with global competence in the area of

security policies. Ongoing crises are, however, so

complex that they require united efforts and combined

resources. This is particularly true of the Middle East,

where a return to the peace process is an urgent

necessity. To this end, we will have to pressure both

parties, as well as those who can influence them.

The complexity of international crises has

required a close and comprehensive look by the United

Nations at how to improve its performance in peace

operations. The whole continuum that reaches from

conflict prevention, through crisis management to post-

conflict peace-building, with a strong emphasis on

preventive action in every phase, requires a fresh

approach, as proposed in the report of the Brahimi

Panel and in the comprehensive review of the

Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Finland

supports the full implementation of such an approach.

The report of the Secretary-General on the

prevention of armed conflicts and its recommendations

are important contributions to the core activities of the

United Nations. The Secretary-General’s call,

reiterated by the Security Council, on the development

of a comprehensive conflict-prevention strategy is

timely and warranted. By the adoption of the

Programme for the Prevention of Violent Conflicts, the

European Union has underlined its political

commitment to pursue conflict prevention as one of the

main objectives in its external relations. This is also a

good example of mutually supportive actions by the

United Nations and the European Union. This is again

an issue that requires a holistic view and a system-wide

approach.

Finland supports increased focus on the part of

the United Nations on crisis prevention and the root

causes of conflicts. Promotion of democracy, human

rights, the rule of law, increased equality and social

development, as well as the prevention of

environmental threats and the eradication of poverty,

discrimination, racism and impunity, all point in the

same direction.

The complexity of current crises — be they in

Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Balkans or Africa —

and the limited resources available have made different

organizations seek cooperation and complementarity in

their actions. Chapter VIII of the United Nations

Charter puts strong emphasis on regional arrangements

aimed at dealing with issues relating to international

peace and security. The Security Council should utilize

such regional arrangements for enforcement action.

The European Union is in the process of

developing its own crisis-management capability, in

terms of both civilian and military capacities. In this

work, Finland, just like the entire European Union, is

committed to contributing to international peace and

security, in accordance with the principles of the

United Nations Charter.

The European Union has adopted conclusions on

its cooperation in conflict prevention and crisis

management with the United Nations. Areas and

modalities for such cooperation have been identified in

close cooperation with the United Nations. It will

progress as the European Common Security and

Defence Policy develops its focus on substantive issues

and concrete needs in a pragmatic manner. This

cooperation focuses on conflict prevention, civilian and

military aspects of crisis management and on regional

crises like the ones in the western Balkans, the Middle

East and Africa.

There will be a wider and more concrete scope

for cooperation within two years when the European

Union achieves its military capability. At present, it is

difficult to say what kind of operations the European

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Union could or would execute and when it could do so.

In Finland’s case, our law requires that either the

United Nations or the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe mandate such an operation.

In today’s complex crises civilian aspects of crisis

management have and will become all the more

relevant in all organizations. The European Union has

developed its civilian capabilities in four priority areas,

namely civilian police, strengthening the rule of law,

strengthening civilian administration and civil

protection. In these areas, the European Union and the

United Nations, as well as other international

organizations, must also seek synergies and

complementarity.

The Millennium Summit and the Millennium

Declaration are outstanding achievements in the history

of the United Nations. The Declaration manifests a

unique commitment to multilateralism by all the

Member States of the United Nations. It sets an

ambitious agenda and goals for the United Nations for

years to come. However, without effective

implementation it is only a piece of paper. Its

implementation also requires common action and

strengthened commitment to multilateralism. The

Secretary-General’s road map gives us guidance on

how to maintain the millennium momentum and how to

proceed, although the onus is on the Member States.

This year alone the United Nations has organized

five conferences and special sessions and hundreds of

other meetings that are an integral part of the follow-up

and implementation of the Millennium Declaration.

These processes should show the same kind of

commitment as was encountered in the Summit.

Unfortunately, I have to say that none of these recent

conferences and special sessions has come close to

reflecting the commitment that was so noticeable in the

Millennium Summit. We need invigorated common

efforts to genuinely implement the ambitious agenda

adopted only a year ago and to uphold multilateralism.

I hope we can see improvement in this respect in

coming summits and conferences.

The moral and political commitment to the

Declaration should lead to its effective implementation.

The strong support for these common objectives and

our determination to achieve them need much more

action in order to become a reality. Such challenges as

halving, by the year 2015, the proportion of people

living in poverty should not be jeopardized by narrow

national interests.

Globalization and harnessing it to benefit all

humankind remain one of the major challenges to the

international community. A common approach is

needed in this work too. We have to learn how to deal

with the paradox of democracy spreading across the

world, and there is much disillusionment about its

workings. The key to explaining this paradox is

globalization. It poses a demand to develop strong,

new, democratic policies and institutions for

international and global governance. They must be

developed in the United Nations, but also at the

regional level, such as in the European Union.

The Government of Finland recently prepared a

study on Finnish policies on globalization. One of its

main conclusions was that in resolving multinational

crises created by globalization, the role of cooperation

between national Governments will be growing, not

diminishing. The United Nations is the most universal

forum for intergovernmental cooperation. Finland

supports the United Nations as one of the central actors

in harnessing globalization at the universal level.