Finland, 2007

I would like to congratulate

you, Mr. President, and express our support for your

leadership of the General Assembly at this session.

Finland aligns itself with the statement of the European

Union.

The Millennium Declaration and the Millennium

Development Goals continue to serve as our common

pledge to create a better future for everyone. The

United Nations is our world organization, and in

addressing global challenges, the United Nations is the

key forum for our cooperation.

In order to achieve comprehensive security, we

must strive not only for security, but also for

development and human rights. In the World Summit

two years ago, we decided that the United Nations

system should be reformed to better ensure the

implementation of these three fundamental principles.

We should spare no efforts to continue the overall

reform of the United Nations.

A more just world is a safer world. Making the

Economic and Social Council more effective is an

important part of the United Nations reform and of the

concept of broad security.

Establishing a new United Nations institution is

truly a challenging task. We know that from our own

experience. Finland was a member of the Human

Rights Council during its first year. But we have to go

on. We must sustain our efforts to make the Council a

credible institution, capable of defending and

promoting globally the human rights of women, men

and children. Our good words and intentions must lead

to strong action.

The new Peacebuilding Commission must be

developed into a platform that can successfully assist

countries struggling in post-conflict situations. To

support that work, Governments, parliaments,

non-governmental organizations and the private sector

must also work together. The Peacebuilding Fund must

be used as an effective tool to respond to the

immediate needs of post-conflict countries.

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

calls for coherent action. Finland strongly supports the

recommendations of the Secretary-General’s High-

level Panel on System-wide Coherence. The objective

of One United Nations at the country level is worth

striving for.

We also must reinforce our efforts to address the

challenges in the fields of health and education, as so

many speakers have mentioned here.

Finland warmly welcomes the Panel’s

recommendations concerning gender. We do need to

take decisive measures to promote gender awareness

across the entire United Nations system. We support

the proposal to set up a new, consolidated gender

agency with a new Under-Secretary-General position at

its head.

In this context, I would like to stress the

importance of engaging women in all phases of crisis

management: conflict prevention, peacekeeping and

peacebuilding, without forgetting peace talks. Let me

give one example: the United Nations Development

Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Middle East Initiative. I

believe that the cooperation between Israeli and

Palestinian women under this initiative can help to

restart the peace negotiations. I also use this

opportunity to state that Finland is preparing its

national action plan to advance the implementation of

Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women,

peace and security.

A stronger United Nations also needs reform of

the Secretariat. In this regard, we welcome the

additional emphasis given to the rule of law. Support

for the rule of law is a necessity in the consolidation of

global security.

Sustainable development requires us to

consistently promote fairer globalization and the well-

being of nature. Climate change affects the future of

the whole of mankind. Finland highlights the necessity

to reach, as soon as possible, a globally inclusive

agreement on the post-2012 climate regime. The

United Nations has a central role to play in this

process.

Every nation has the right to develop and to aim

for growth and prosperity. Industrialized countries

must demonstrate solidarity with developing countries

and take all possible steps to promote access to

environmentally sound technologies for everyone.

I believe that the tone of the climate change

debate is developing in a promising direction. Many

Member States and various regions and social actors

have become active and have produced initiatives

concerning the development of climate policy. We have

to take advantage of that as an asset in the run-up to

the Bali Climate Change Conference, to be held in

December.

The high-level event on climate change held on

24 September was a success. I feel that it gave us the

political support that we will need when we are

heading towards Bali. Everyone’s input will, of course,

be required. Finland appreciates the fact that the

President of the General Assembly has made this topic

one of his priorities.

We need effective international cooperation in the

field of disarmament and non-proliferation. For

example, given the number of victims in today’s

conflicts, small arms and light weapons are indeed

weapons of mass destruction. Finland, together with

more than 150 other States, supports the process aimed

at the adoption of an international arms trade treaty.

The role of the United Nations is vital in

resolving numerous crises around the world. This

morning, we heard news from Burma/Myanmar, where

the people’s fight for freedom and human rights has

been suppressed. We must react. United Nations

activities need political support and our resources.

We value the determination of the Secretary-

General in searching for a solution to the crisis in the

Sudan. The new peacekeeping operation in Darfur will

increase the total number of United Nations troops to

more than 100,000. That remarkable figure proves that

the United Nations enjoys the trust of the international

community. We welcome Security Council resolution

1778 (2007), adopted yesterday, on an international

presence in Chad and the Central African Republic.

In order to achieve success in crisis management,

we need partnerships and shared responsibilities. For

example, the African Union and the European Union

have been valuable partners of the United Nations. The

support of local and regional actors is critical for

successful United Nations peacekeeping.

We Europeans believe that resolving Kosovo’s

status is vitally important. In that process, the United

Nations Special Envoy has played a pivotal role. We

encourage all parties to engage constructively in

finding a solution to that problem.

Let me assure the Assembly that Finland supports

a stronger United Nations for a better world. It is up to

us to deliver on our commitments to achieving better

security, sustainable development and respect for the

human rights of all people. I wish to express our

firmest support to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, in pursuing such efforts.