Luxembourg, 1994

Allow me to express my deep pleasure at Mr. Amara

Essy’s election to preside over the General Assembly this

year. This is a well-deserved tribute to your country, Côte

d’Ivoire, which is held in high esteem by the international

community.

My distinguished German colleague, Mr. Klaus

Kinkel, speaking on behalf of the European Union,

indicated the role it intends to play in international relations

and described its positions on the major political questions.

These positions are fully shared by my country.

Consequently I will limit my remarks to certain points

pertaining to the functioning of our Organization.

Over the past few years, we have lived through the

end of the cold war and far-reaching upheavals in the

international arena. These changes have had important and

lasting effects on many people, on the populations of many

States that lived under authoritarian forms of government

and have now conquered the freedom to exercise their

fundamental rights; on peoples freed of the constraints

imposed upon them by the competition between the two

super-Powers, which enabled dictatorial and repressive

regimes to act with full impunity; and, finally, on the

international community as a whole, which is no longer

forced to live with the fear of nuclear conflagration

throughout the planet.

Democracy has made a historic breakthrough. It will

be restored in Haiti. In the Middle East the peace process

is making progress. In South Africa apartheid has been

definitively abolished, and this shining victory is shared by

our Organizat ion, which fought apartheid

uncompromisingly. Let us give careful thought to the

formidable lesson of political courage, tolerance and

reconciliation given us by Presidents Mandela and de Klerk.

These advances are offset, however, by the

emergence throughout the world of areas of tension

which, no longer masked by a bipolar structure, are now

growing in intensity. For three years now war has been

raging in the former Yugoslavia, with an increasing toll

of death, suffering and destruction. In Rwanda, we

witnessed the unleashing of barbarism, which in a few

months killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and

provoked a refugee problem of exceptional dimensions.

Similarly, elsewhere - in Africa, the Caucasus, Central

Asia - other regions are faced with new types of conflict,

resulting from the break-up of States and the resurgence

of nationalist, ethnic and religious passions.

Never before has the United Nations found itself so

much at the centre of world politics. The United Nations

today finds itself forced to face entirely new challenges,

to deal with an ever-growing number of demands and

missions that are increasingly complex. I hail the

dedication of our Secretary-General, who has persistently

devoted his energies to the difficult mission of adapting

the Organization to a new international environment, and

of strengthening it to enable it to fulfil its new tasks. I

wish to pay tribute to the United Nations peace-keeping

forces which have intervened in recent times in an

impressive number of conflicts. They have contributed,

at times in a decisive manner, to protecting civilian

populations, to preventing the spread of conflict and to

facilitating the process of transition to democracy. A

significant number of them have given their lives in what

are often highly dangerous operations.

The growth of peace-keeping operations has been

exponential. In the past five years, the Organization has

launched more peace-keeping operations than during the

previous 40. Moreover, the Organization is now

embarked upon activities which far surpass the traditional

peace-keeping concepts to which we had grown

accustomed. Indeed, most of the recent conflicts have

emerged not between States but within States; the Charter

hardly contemplates such situations. We shall therefore

have to give thought to the conditions under which the

United Nations should act in such cases, and ask

ourselves whether it has the necessary resources and

instruments to fulfil its new missions.

"An Agenda for Peace" provides a framework for

the future evolution of our Organization in this field of

peace-keeping. A number of the ideas put forward by the

Secretary-General have been constructively put to use by

the Security Council and by the General Assembly. But

recent experience has shown us, at times pointedly, that

24

there are often serious shortcomings to the way in which

the United Nations conducts these military operations.

Major operations can no longer be decided upon

spontaneously; in the area of peace-keeping, the United

Nations needs to strengthen its organizational, management

and planning capacities. It must be able to rely on a

permanent high command structure capable of

simultaneously conducting several multi-dimensional large-

scale operations and which has adequate means for

information processing and coordination.

Effective crisis management implies the capacity to

react quickly, which is why it would be desirable to

enhance the United Nations capacity to rapidly carry the

necessary personnel and equipment to the theatre of

operations. In the recent past there have been too many

instances in which the Secretary-General has been forced to

delay operations approved by the Security Council owing

to a lack of personnel or equipment. This implies that we,

the Member States, should contribute the necessary peace-

keeping troops for future missions and that we should be in

a position to put them rapidly at the disposal of the United

Nations. These contributions should not be limited to

military personnel, but should also include civilians, from

police to election observers. Indeed, peace-keeping requires

many skills, including that of being able to intervene

between opposing parties, of being sensitive to cultural

particularities, and of being able to act as a mediator. The

personnel who are called upon to intervene in these

complex, difficult and dangerous situations should therefore

be properly prepared and trained. Uniform training and

joint exercises constitute the key to the effective integration

of different national contingents in a multinational

operation.

Finally, there is a need for a substantial strengthening

of the safety provisions for the Blue Helmets.

Driven to the limits of its financial and organizational

capacities, the United Nations will increasingly need to

count on regional organizations and structures in order to

carry out these peace-keeping operations. Cooperation

between the United Nations and such organizations is

provided for by the Charter, and it has been developed, for

example, in the former Yugoslavia, in Somalia and in the

Caucasus. It should be further strengthened.

Only the United Nations has the international

legitimacy to decide to use force or to impose peace

enforcement measures. But in the sphere of peace-keeping

and preventive diplomacy, the activities of regional

organizations would have the advantage of relieving the

United Nations of part of its work. Often having a better

understanding of the conflicts in their areas, such

organizations could act with greater effectiveness.

With respect to the European continent, the United

Nations should intensify its cooperation with the

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe

(CSCE), the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic

Treaty Organization (NATO), taking into account the

competence of each of those organizations.

Does international law authorize the United Nations

to intervene within a country? Does not the Charter

assert the principle of non-intervention in the internal

affairs of a State?

I welcome the fact that for some time now the

international community has been treating that principle

in a more flexible way. That principle should no longer

serve as a shield for flagrant and massive violations of

human rights. That is what occurred in 1991 in Iraq,

when the international community came to the aid of the

Kurds, harshly repressed by Saddam Hussein, or, again in

1992 in Somalia, when the task was to protect the supply

of humanitarian aid to a population threatened by famine.

On each occasion, the international community

courageously assumed its duty to assist, though it is true

that in Somalia a political solution remains to be found.

Did the international community show similar

determination when, last spring, a virtual genocide was

perpetrated in Rwanda, especially when the Tutsi

community became the target of a deliberate act of

extermination undertaken by officials of the Hutu

community?

The United Nations, after hesitating for a moment,

decided to reconstitute the United Nations Assistance

Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in order to provide

protection to the population that was threatened. But the

Secretary-General’s appeal was not heeded. The action

finally taken by France and the Africans - and for this I

pay a tribute to them - succeeded at least in putting the

brakes on this infernal machine. I hope in any case that

an international tribunal will be created without delay to

bring to trial those responsible for this crime against

humanity.

In this era of interdependence, efforts with a view to

collective maintenance of peace and security cannot be

reduced to peace-keeping operations alone, but must

necessarily take into account economic and social factors.

25

Famine, underdevelopment, the flow of refugees, over-

population, environmental deterioration, drug abuse and,

finally, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are

all serious threats to our global balance and, hence, to

world peace.

In the economic sphere, too, our security depends on

that of others. In all sectors that give rise to concern,

whether we are dealing with military, trade, environmental

or health problems, no nation can isolate itself from others.

We are all affected by what happens beyond our borders,

just as our own actions within our borders inevitably have

repercussions on the community of nations as a whole.

Our security is increasingly indivisible. We cannot

disregard the links that exist between development,

economic growth, protection of the environment and

population movements. If the situation deteriorates in any

one area, the whole can be destabilized.

Having a global mandate in political, economic and

cultural matters, the United Nations is the ideal forum in

which to carry on the quest for lasting development that is

compatible with preservation of an environmental balance

and with the needs of social development.

We express our satisfaction at the recent issuance by

the Secretary-General of his "Agenda for Development",

which is a supplement to his "Agenda for Peace".

We hope that at this session of the Assembly we will

succeed in identifying the priority sectors in which we

should undertake in-depth reforms.

The promotion of progress and of economic, social

and environmental development needs greater attention if

we wish to overcome the long-term threats to international

security. We must give our Organization the necessary

tools to strengthen international cooperation, while national

Governments make efforts to overcome increasingly

complex problems relating to development.

Our vision of the future cannot merely accept poverty

and privation in far too many parts of the world, where

populations are deprived of their fundamental right to food

and education and even to water, health and a roof over

their heads. Wishing to make its contribution to a much-

needed international solidarity, the Government of

Luxembourg has undertaken to double, by the year 2000,

the percentage of its gross national product earmarked for

official development assistance so as to reach the target of

0.7 per cent.

The agenda for humanity, if I may use the

expression of our Secretary-General, is the true challenge

faced by the United Nations at the end of this twentieth

century. From Rio to Cairo, through Vienna, Copenhagen

and Beijing, major international conferences are supplying

global answers to these global questions. Mankind,

human development and commitment to his community

are at the heart of those concerns, whether we speak of

the Earth Summit, the World Conference on Human

Rights, the International Conference on Population and

Development, the World Summit for Social Development

or the Fourth World Conference on Women. Improving

the status of women and of women’s general access to

education and health is one of the keys to the success of

this vast undertaking.

Millions of people in many parts of the world

continue to fall victim to flagrant violations of their

human rights. The Vienna Conference reaffirmed the

universal validity of those human rights.

The creation at the last session of the General

Assembly of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights should encourage

greater respect for those principles. However,

undertakings assumed are valuable only if they are

translated into practical action. Thus, we must ensure that

the United Nations has the necessary support and means

in this sphere to implement its programme of action. We

must take the necessary measures to increase the

resources and strengthen the functioning of the United

Nations Centre for Human Rights, as well as that of the

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Non-governmental organizations, through their

actions, are also now a part of the international

conscience, including its conscience in regard to respect

for human rights. Thus, our Organization and all its

Member States should recognize and facilitate the

important role played by those organizations.

As we draw near to the celebration of the fiftieth

anniversary of the United Nations, our Organization has

been undertaking a series of negotiations with a view to

revising its working methods. The work with a view to

the necessary reform of the Security Council has

continued over the past year. It will be necessary to

persevere in our search for a solution that will reconcile

the need for a more balanced composition with the

concern for effective functioning.

26

It is also imperative to improve the methods of work

of the Council and ensure greater transparency in its work

and better communication with the members of the General

Assembly. Although the latter do not participate in the

deliberations of the Council, they are bound by its decisions

and they are regularly requested to apply sanctions and to

provide funds or personnel for the implementation of peace-

keeping operations.

The Secretariat is a key institution of the United

Nations system. It must have the necessary means to carry

out the innovative work it has been undertaking

energetically and courageously. At the same time,

however, we should combat the proliferation of institutions,

since this exhausts the limited resources of our

Organization and compromises the cogency of its efforts.

In this period of limited resources, it is also imperative

that Member States seriously take up the question of

effective management. Strict budgetary discipline is

needed, and resources should no longer be wasted on

operations with ill-defined goals. In that connection, we

welcome the various steps taken by the Secretary-General

with a view to making better use of the resources provided

to the Organization and creating a more rigorous financial

inspection system.

Our Organization, in the end, will succeed only

through the way in which each State discharges its own

responsibilities under the Charter. They include financial

responsibilities. The obligation of solidarity that is binding

upon all States of our Organization should motivate them

to discharge their budgetary obligations to the United

Nations in full and on time.

Our Organization, which is the only forum that brings

together virtually all the States of the world, needs the

commitment of its Members. It needs decisions that are

well thought out. It needs measures for proper follow-up.

Only in that way will it be able usefully to contribute to

channelling international efforts to realize our common

goal: which is to make our planet a place where peace,

security and greater prosperity for all peoples of the world

can prevail.