Finland, 2011

Let me start by

congratulating both the President and the Secretary-

General on their elections.

We live in an era of integration and

interconnection. No country can solve all the

challenges it faces on its own. Every country should be

part of the solution. Common responses are needed

more than ever. Accordingly, the importance of the

United Nations has grown.

The United Nations, or as I like to call it — the

G-193 — has been a success story. The guiding

principles of the United Nations Charter — peace and

security, human rights and development — have served

us well for decades.

The Millennium Development Goals are more

recent examples of the global reach of the United

Nations. These Goals have inspired Governments to

introduce measures that are saving lives every single

day.

The United Nations has also been at the forefront

of support for the empowerment of women. The United

Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the

Empowerment of Women gives women and girls an

even stronger and more unified voice. I have truly

enjoyed hearing so many speakers today underlining

that important trend.

Globalization has contributed to substantial

economic growth. However, fruits of that growth have

not been equally distributed between and within

nations. That is wrong, and it is not sustainable. It is

our duty to provide a sustainable future for our planet

and its people. Sustainability, in brief, is about a

resilient planet that supports the needs of all people

worldwide.

We, the world community, have accomplished a

lot since we adopted the Millennium Declaration

(resolution 55/2) and the Millennium Development

Goals 11 years ago. Both of them have proved to be

effective tools in the eradication of extreme poverty.

But the work must continue with enhanced

determination. We must respect the interdependence of

the three dimensions of sustainable development — the

social, economic and ecological. If even one of these

dimensions is neglected, development cannot be

sustainable.

Recent events in Northern Africa and the Middle

East have once again emphasized that development,

human rights and peace and security are interlinked.

Everyone must be able to enjoy civil and political as

well as economic, social and cultural rights.

I am pleased to chair the High-level Panel on

Global Sustainability together with President Zuma of

South Africa. We will deliver our recommendations

towards the end of this year. The goal of the Panel is to

eradicate poverty and reduce inequality, make growth

inclusive, and production and consumption more

sustainable, while combating climate change and

respecting the range of other planetary boundaries. We

are fully convinced that the eradication of poverty and

sustainable development are interlinked and can be

reached together. It is really one fight.

The Panel is building bridges between economy,

ecology and social justice. The empowerment of

women and youth is vital for our goal. It is necessary

to put into use all human resources for the development

of our societies.

We have not only discussed setting the goals but

also how to reach them. I believe that expanding

11-50692 40

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into

sustainable development goals around the year 2015

could help the world community to continue its fight

against poverty and enhance sustainable development.

In today’s world, there are far too many conflicts.

As they often take place within countries, they are

especially dangerous for civilians. These asymmetrical

conflicts usually arise from injustice, violations of

human rights and discrimination against minorities.

The President has chosen a very important theme

for the general debate, namely mediation. The peaceful

settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and

mediation are at the very heart of the United Nations.

Mediation has to be used at every stage of conflict. We

need to enhance the capabilities of the United Nations

in this field. Training and guidance are pivotal.

Women’s participation and grass-roots activities and

the work of non-governmental organizations are also

vital for our efforts if we want to win.

On the initiative of Finland and Turkey, the

General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution

on mediation in June of this year (resolution 65/283).

As has been mentioned today, this is the very first

resolution on this theme in the history of the United

Nations. The resolution aims at strengthening the role

of the United Nations in mediation. I would like to

thank the Member States for their excellent support to

this process. Let us continue our common efforts also

during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

We are ready for that.

Peace processes need to be more inclusive. I wish

to stress the importance of the full and effective

participation of women in all stages of peace processes.

The record is far from impressive at the moment, as the

number of women around the negotiation tables

continues to be strikingly low. I welcome the efforts by

UN-Women to change the situation, and I call upon us

all to make a commitment to involve more women in

this work.

Finland, my own country, is a strong supporter of

the United Nations, in word and deed. We contribute

more than our share to peacekeeping, to development

aid and to the promotion of human rights around the

world. Finland wishes to continue to carry its

responsibilities, with the Assembly’s support, in the

Security Council for the term 2013-2014. Our

commitment, our capacity to serve on the Council and

our record speak for us.

Finland warmly welcomes the Republic of South

Sudan as the 193rd Member State of the United

Nations. The implementation of the Comprehensive

Peace Agreement has been a testimony to the

importance of mediation and regional leadership. I

commend the efforts of President Mbeki and his Panel

to find solutions to outstanding issues between the

Sudan and South Sudan.

The dramatic and rapidly evolving situation in the

Arab world has been at the centre of the attention of

the international community. Women and men have

marched together for a better future. It is important that

they continue to participate side by side in also

building a democratic society. Democracy cannot be

achieved without full participation of women too.

As we welcome the new Libya into the world

community, Finland commends the National

Transitional Council for underlining the need to

continue building a sense of national unity,

reconciliation and an inclusive political system with

respect for equal civil rights and freedom of

expression. Finland gives its full support to the

transition, reflecting the aspirations of Libyan people.

We are ready to support the building of democratic

society based on the rule of law and respect for human

rights, including the fulfilment of the human rights of

women. The United Nations should play a central role

in coordinating the international community’s

contribution. We very much welcome the United

Nations Support Mission in Libya.

Reaching a solution to the Middle East conflict is

more pressing than ever. The Palestinians have a right

to their own State, Palestine. The international

community gathered here in the General Assembly

must show that it is united in its message to the parties.

We need the urgent resumption of negotiations that will

lead, within an agreed on time frame, to a two-State

solution, with the State of Israel and an independent,

democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine

living side by side in peace and security. There is no

time to waste.

I have had an opportunity to lead Finland’s

delegation to the General Assembly since 1995. We

have witnessed a remarkable widening of our common

global agenda. Today’s decisions will affect not only us

but also future generations. Change is necessary for the

survival of humankind. I am confident that the United

41 11-50692

Nations is the sole universal forum to respond to the

challenges that the world is facing.

I wish those gathered here all the best for the

future.