Finland, 2005

Let me begin by noting

that Finland is pleased to see you, Sir, preside over this

most crucial of General Assembly sessions. We also

salute your predecessor, Jean Ping of Gabon, who

worked tirelessly and successfully to strengthen the

United Nations and make it more relevant.

At the Millennium Summit five years ago, we set

a forward-looking and ambitious agenda for the United

Nations in the new millennium. Our success there was

the result of a unique common political will and an

optimistic, can-do spirit. Through the endeavours at the

Summit, that spirit was strengthened and deepened

among world leaders. We built on that success in

Monterrey and Johannesburg. There was hope that the

world was moving towards a positive cycle, that all our

boats would be lifted and that both new and old threats

would be met with a common resolve.

The outcome document adopted at the world

summit held last week was, in many respects, a step

forward. In others, we failed to match the expectations

of our peoples. That, however, does not necessarily

signal a permanent erosion of our common political

will and our common agenda. Rather, I am confident

that it was primarily a result of the enormity of the task

at hand: to reaffirm the goals agreed upon five years

ago, to assess and expedite the progress made since

then and to fundamentally reform the United Nations

Organization ó all at the same time. We are confident

that under your leadership, Mr. President, the General

Assembly will be able to make further significant

progress at the current session. Let me pledge Finland's

full support to you, Sir, as we prepare to assume the

presidency of the European Union during the second

half of next year.

Finland aligns itself with the statement made

earlier by the United Kingdom on behalf of the

European Union. Let me make just a few additional

comments of substance.

First, if one were to try to identify the single

biggest positive outcome of the momentous process

under way at the United Nations since the Secretary-

General's "fork in the road" speech two years ago (see

A/58/PV.7), it would probably be the near-universal

acceptance of the close linkage between development,

security and human rights. Compared with five years

ago, we now view all issues in a truly integrated

fashion. Above all, it is the broad realization of the

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pivotal role of the rule of law for both security and

development that strikes us as almost revolutionary.

I would particularly stress the centrality of the

rule of law in promoting sustainable development and

sustained economic growth. The solid foundation of

the rule of law is needed more than ever if we are to

support developing countries in building their national

capacity to create wealth and to take off economically.

Finland is happy to note the increased attention

and resources being devoted within the whole United

Nations system to supporting the rule of law and

related activities. Much more, however, needs to be

done. We must remember that accountability and good

governance at the global level start at the national

level, by strengthening domestic democratic

institutions, internal democratic processes, the rule of

law, independent judiciaries and the role of

parliaments. It is in those areas that the United Nations

can and must assist needy Member States in building

their national capacities.

Secondly, an area that we would like to see

discussed and further elaborated here at the United

Nations is the interrelationship between development

and social justice. As the United Nations Development

Programme's Human Development Report 2005 put it,

deep disparities based on wealth, region, gender and

ethnicity are bad for growth. The report goes on to add

what we already knew, namely, that such disparities are

bad for democracy, as well as bad for social cohesion.

Thirdly, I would target corruption as a scourge

that undermines both the rule of law and social justice.

Corruption - the exploitation of a position of

influence for private benefit - is a serious obstacle to

development. It erodes the foundations of democracy

and of viable economic structures. Our own experience

shows that a value base that promotes moderation,

personal restraint and the common good tends to check

corruption. The same goes for legislative, judicial and

administrative structures that closely monitor and

guard against abuses of power. Other factors

contributing to a low level of corruption include the

prominence of women in political decision-making and

low income disparities within the population. Low

corruption often correlates with high economic

competitiveness and increased efficiency in

governance. I would strongly urge the United Nations

and the United Nations system as a whole to redouble

their efforts to help Member States fight corruption. It

is of the essence if we are to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs).

Fourthly, on the subject of the environment, I

would stress the complementarity of the Johannesburg

Plan of Implementation and the MDGs. Goal 7, to

ensure environmental sustainability, is essential for

achieving other MDGs on poverty, health, education

and gender equality. The protection and sustainable

management of the natural resource base is necessary

for development and poverty eradication. All

developed countries need to make substantive efforts to

prevent the destruction of ecosystems, inter alia,

through the promotion of sustainable production and

consumption.

Those challenges cannot be successfully met

without effectively tackling the challenges of climate

change and biodiversity loss. To that end, we need to

promote energy efficiency, the conservation and wider

use of alternative energy sources and technological

innovation. We wish to see a rapid initiation of

negotiations to develop a more inclusive - and in the

longer term more effective - international framework

for climate change beyond 2012.

We also need a more coherent institutional

framework for international environmental governance.

As the European Union has previously stated, Finland

believes that the creation of a new United Nations

specialized agency for the environment - based on the

United Nations Environment Programme, but with a

revised and strengthened mandate - would best serve

that end.

The fifth issue I would like to highlight is that of

small arms and light weapons, which - like

corruption - was identified as one of the priority areas

of the Helsinki Process on Globalization and

Democracy. That Process, which culminated two weeks

ago in the Helsinki Conference, was tasked with

coming up with concrete proposals on how to enhance

human security across the globe. Reckless trade and

badly guarded stockpiles have led to a world awash in

small arms and light weapons, where human rights are

violated, humanitarian aid looted and economic

development halted - at gunpoint.

Finland has also called for an end to irresponsible

arms trading through better international regulation.

The main ideas are to make all arms transfers fully

transparent and to establish universally accepted

criteria for them. We are of the opinion that those

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criteria should be strictly enforced, legally binding and

firmly founded on human rights considerations. That is

why we have supported the initiative to negotiate an

arms trade treaty. It is high time to bring the rule of law

to the international arms trade.

Last but not least, I would join those who have

stressed the need for the United Nations to take prompt

action towards further management reform. This is an

issue which cannot wait, as the very credibility of the

Organization is at stake. In the light of recent events

related to the Organization, if there is a perception

among the public that it is business as usual at the

United Nations, we risk undermining the support that

the Organization enjoys. It is therefore obvious that an

unreformed Organization would be less, not more,

relevant, and less, not more, effective. We must stress

the rule of law and good governance internally within

the United Nations, just as we stress it externally.

Reaching common positions and devising joint

action at the international level requires patience and

persistence, and a willingness to take practical and

pragmatic steps. If such an approach is taken, we are

confident that the sixtieth session of the General

Assembly will be a success.