Iceland, 1999

Allow me at the outset to

congratulate the President heartily on his election. His post

is a challenging one, and I am particularly pleased that this

session is being chaired by a colleague from Namibia,

which is an important partner for my country.

The crucial role of the United Nations in the global

community can never be overstated. As this millennium

draws to a close, it is natural to take stock of the past and

try to foresee what the future holds in store. The

Organization's reform measures have included an inward

look at the organizational structure and personnel matters

and, last but not least, its financial make-up. In this respect,

many feel that more needs to be done. We must have the

courage to scrutinize not only the Organization itself, but

also the manner in which the Member States conduct their

business inside these walls. While we are going through

this process, the utmost care should be taken to prevent the

discussion from negatively affecting the public image of the

Organization. Moreover, we should make sure that it does

not have detrimental effects on the morale of the United

Nations international staff, whom we depend upon for the

smooth operation of the difficult and often dangerous tasks

we assign to them. A constructive approach to reform is

vital for the future of the United Nations.

There is a real need to strengthen the ability of the

United Nations to tackle the complex challenges of the

modern world. A case in point is the Working Group on

the reform of the Security Council, which has deliberated

for years without tangible results, with no end in sight.

This constant repetition can serve only to weaken the

United Nations, which has proved itself on many

occasions to be of fundamental importance to mankind.

But it is not only the organizational structures that

need to be adapted. We need also to look at the

substance. In this regard, I welcome the emphasis placed

by the Secretary-General in his recent report on creating

a culture of prevention. As he correctly points out, our

political and organizational cultures and practices remain

oriented far more towards reaction than prevention. This

needs to be changed; the efficiency of the United Nations

might thereby be greatly enhanced.

During a recent meeting of the Foreign Ministers of

the five Nordic countries held in Iceland, we issued a

joint declaration against the use of child soldiers. In the

declaration it is noted that the current protection of

children in armed conflicts is insufficient and that

international standards must be raised. On the occasion of

the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of

the Child this year, the Nordic Ministers support the

urgent finalization of an optional protocol to ensure that

persons below the age of 18 years are not recruited into

armed forces or into armed groups distinct from

governmental forces. Children should not be forced to

take part in hostilities under any circumstances.

In this regard, I would like to express my

satisfaction with the work carried out by the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and

Armed Conflict, especially for his efforts to make non-

governmental forces around the world refrain from using

child soldiers.

The vast majority of United Nations Member States

have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We have committed ourselves to certain actions to

promote children's rights. Causing children to take part in

armed conflicts or otherwise putting them at risk of

becoming victims of such hostilities is clearly against the

best interests of the child, which should always be our

primary consideration. There is another powerful reason

to protect children: they are our future. Protecting today's

children is in itself an important contribution towards

peace and towards creating a culture of prevention. We

should also strive to ensure that children are able to enjoy

their rights during transitional periods following armed

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conflicts or other emergency situations until enough

stability has been achieved to start reconstruction.

It seems that not a week goes by in our world without

countries and indeed the international community having to

watch in horror as cowardly terrorists target people going

about the business of their everyday lives. The murdering

of innocents will never further any cause or put an end to

any conflict; it will only add names to the roster of the

dead. We urge States to sign and ratify counter-terrorism

conventions.

In this connection, I would further like to reiterate our

resolve in combatting transnational crime and the

international trade in drugs. No country is immune from

these modern evils. Given their global scope and the

resources available to criminals, Governments the world

over must work together to put an end to these activities.

This year we have recognized the importance of the

elderly and their contributions to our lives and society by

observing 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons.

The Icelandic authorities have done their utmost to enhance

the visibility of issues facing the elderly in today's society.

This has been done through a number of projects, including

projects designed to bridge the generation gap by

encouraging interaction between age groups.

At a time of unparalleled economic growth spurred on

by the globalization of the world's economy, the fruits of

this growth, unfortunately, are not evenly distributed. We

are witnessing a growing gap in the distribution of wealth

within societies as well as between the North and the

South. Moreover, we have been witnessing an appalling

trend whereby the curse of poverty has increasingly been

falling upon the shoulders of women. There are no easy

answers on how to tackle this problem in the short term,

but two long-term approaches stand out regarding the

empowerment and advancement of women. They are

education and respect for human rights.

An educated woman passes knowledge to her children,

which is not as often the case with men. It is universally

accepted that education and social development go hand in

hand and are conditions for a peaceful and prosperous

world. In this age of globalization and technology, it

becomes ever more important to ensure universal education.

Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate education into

development projects. For the past few years we have been

doing that through training in the fisheries sector as well as

by conducting adult literacy programmes for women in

countries such as Namibia. Similar programmes are being

prepared for Malawi and Mozambique.

Vigorous efforts also have to be made to end other

forms of discrimination against women. This applies not

only at the national level but also at the international

level, where the actions of international organizations are

increasingly having a direct impact on peoples' lives, for

example through crisis management. When carrying out

such tasks, it is the duty of the organizations concerned

to ensure that women and their interests are represented

at the negotiating table.

During the high-level segment of this year's session

of the Economic and Social Council, the Icelandic

delegation paid special attention to the plight of the urban

poor who inhabit coastal regions around the world.

Today, my country, Iceland, has a thriving economy

based on our fishing industry. The development of a

viable fishing industry has strengthened the economy by

creating employment opportunities and prosperity, which

in turn have benefitted the population at large. It is self-

evident that a developed fisheries sector can be a crucial

factor in enhancing the food security of developing

countries. The Icelandic authorities have urged private

companies to invest in the fisheries sectors of many

developing countries. Partnerships forged in this manner

between firms in my country and a number of developing

countries have led to transfer of technology in this field,

thereby spurring economic growth and development in the

coastal regions in question.

We believe that many developing countries can

benefit much more from rational utilization of the

resources of the oceans. Therefore, approximately half of

our development cooperation has been concentrated on

research and training in the fisheries sector, putting an

emphasis on the sustainable utilization of natural

resources.

Through the years, Iceland has placed particular

importance on the work of the Commission on

Sustainable Development. During its seventh session,

earlier this year, the Icelandic Government noted the

necessity of abolishing State subsidies that contribute to

overcapacity in the fisheries sector worldwide, and

participated actively in discussions on the need for

improved coordination within the United Nations system

in the field of ocean affairs. It is our view that the overall

debate on the oceans can be improved. It is, however, our

firm belief that efforts to improve the handling of ocean

issues should draw upon existing institutional resources.

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These efforts should also carefully take into account the

principle that global bodies should not try to solve local or

regional problems of fisheries management. The

management of living marine resources is a very complex

and sensitive task that has to be dealt with using the most

advanced scientific knowledge available and in harmony

with local socio-economic and environmental

circumstances.

Conflicts where the civilian population is expressly

targeted are abhorrent and leave scars that take generations

to heal. Once again, we have witnessed the emergence of

the dark and evil side of human nature in the horrible

ethnic cleansing that took place in the recent conflict in

Kosovo. It would have been desirable if the United Nations

could have played an all-encompassing role in the

settlement of that conflict.

In this regard, I would like to endorse the position put

forward on humanitarian intervention by the Secretary-

General. When a State not only stops protecting the rights

of its citizens but turns against them through gross

violations of human rights, the international community

cannot and should not stand idly by.

Iceland currently holds the chair of the Council of

Europe, which encompasses 41 European countries. I would

like to take this opportunity to stress the value and

importance of close cooperation between the Council and

the United Nations in the field of human rights. We have

recent examples of such practical cooperation in Kosovo,

where the Council of Europe is working together with the

United Nations and other organizations in fulfilment of

Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and the European

Union-led Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe.

Referring again to the benefits of prevention, I should say

that prevention is at the very centre of the Council of

Europe's work on human rights, democracy and the rule of

law.

The agreement between Portugal and Indonesia on the

future of East Timor was historic, as was the referendum

which took place. The appalling violence that followed is

a cause of great concern. Every effort has to be made to

halt it and to punish those responsible. My Government

fully supports Security Council resolution 1264 (1999) and

welcomes the speedy deployment of the multinational force.

Nothing should be allowed to delay the process towards the

independence of East Timor.

We welcome also the change of pace in the Middle

East peace process. The positive developments in the last

few months between the Israelis and the Palestinians have

been very encouraging, and we sincerely hope that this

renewed momentum will carry us towards a lasting peace

in the region. We urge other countries in the region to

seize this particular moment and to start the healing of

wounds that have been festering for so long.

Icelanders are no strangers to natural disasters, and

we know the devastation they can unleash upon countries

and peoples. Our hearts and sympathy go out to our

friends in Turkey, Greece and now, most recently, on the

island of Taiwan, who face the aftermath of earthquakes

that claimed the lives of a great number of people. We

have now decided to join the United Nations Disaster

Assessment and Coordination Stand-by Team because we

believe we can make a contribution.

During this century we have witnessed mankind's

greatest achievements as well as its greatest failures.

While many countries have gone from war to peace and

from poverty to prosperity, others have been unable to

grasp these often elusive goals of humanity. It is clear

that we will be entering the new millennium with

unsolved problems and with challenges of such a

magnitude that they will continue to confront us into an

unforeseen future.

I would like, in closing, to stress what I said in the

beginning — that only with a renewed and revitalized

United Nations can we hope to deal with the threats and

challenges that lie ahead. If we, the Member States,

shoulder our responsibilities and implement the changes

necessary, then the United Nations will always be at the

forefront of the quest for peace and prosperity. If we do

not have the courage to adopt the necessary changes, we

cannot expect our children to do so.