Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2004

It is an honour for me to

address the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly

of the United Nations on behalf of the European Union

(EU).

With its 25 member States, the European Union

represents 13 per cent of the United Nations

membership and accounts for almost 30 percent of the

world’s economy. Our contributions to the United

Nations go further; EU member States pay more than

36 per cent of the United Nations regular budget and

about half of all voluntary contributions to the United

Nations Funds and Programmes. They contribute more

than 50,000 troops to United Nations-led and United

Nations-authorized international peace missions.

We in the EU are proud of our contribution to the

United Nations and to international cooperation. But

we are not complacent. We understand that our security

and prosperity are inextricably linked to the fate of

others, and we know that we cannot isolate ourselves

from cross-border threats and challenges. We realize

that climate change does not respect nationality,

ethnicity or religion, that HIV/AIDS knows no borders

and that terrorists kill indiscriminately. No nation can

respond to these threats in isolation; the only way

forward is through collective action.

In a world of global threats, global markets and

global media, our security and prosperity depend more

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and more on an effective multilateral system. The

search for a strong, rule-based international society is

more imperative than ever.

We welcome the Secretary-General’s call to work

harder to strengthen the rule of law for all. His agenda

is our agenda. That is why reform of the United

Nations, with a view to making it stronger, more

effective and more efficient, is a high priority for the

European Union. The Union remains committed to

multilateralism and a rule-based international order,

with the United Nations at its core. What gives great

strength to the United Nations is its legitimacy. It has

no substitute in the international community. It is

unique. But the Organization must adapt to changing

circumstances. The reform efforts that have already

been set in motion by the Secretary-General must be

intensified and deepened with a view to making the

United Nations stronger, more effective and more

efficient.

The EU looks forward to the report of the High-

Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change and to

the Secretary-General’s recommendations that will be

submitted to the General Assembly. Next year, the

General Assembly will meet at the highest level to

review progress in honouring all of the commitments

of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The

review must be comprehensive, balanced and effective.

The summit must deal with the major, interlinked,

concerns of peace, security, poverty and sustainable

development. The recommendations in the report of the

World Commission on the Social Dimension of

Globalization are an important contribution to the

review.

We have committed ourselves to combating

poverty and promoting sustainable development. The

Millennium Development Goals must be achieved.

Urgent action is called for. Both developing and

developed countries must put in place a range of

measures, as agreed at the Monterrey Conference on

Financing for Development including: good

governance; expansion of trade opportunities, in

particular for developing countries; and an increase in

official development assistance. The European Union

is committed to those objectives. It is very much on

track for increasing its official development assistance

(ODA) to 0.39 per cent of gross national product

(GNP) in 2006 as part of a longer-term effort to raise

its ODA contributions to 0.7 per cent of GNP.

Combating HIV/AIDS must be an integral part of

our global campaign against poverty. As one of the

most devastating pandemics in human history,

HIV/AIDS is literally a disease of mass destruction: a

disease which strikes 10 people every minute. In Africa

especially, AIDS is tearing the fabric of society apart.

Fighting that disaster is a priority for us all.

Prevention of HIV/AIDS is inextricably linked to

sexual and reproductive health and rights. We wish to

reaffirm our commitment to the agenda of the

International Conference on Population and

Development and will do so again at the tenth

anniversary commemoration on 14 October.

Reproductive health and rights are an essential part of

development.

One of the greatest threats to international peace

and security today is the proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction and their means of delivery. The

international community must address that challenge

effectively. The EU adopted a comprehensive and

coherent strategy against the proliferation of those

weapons last December, covering a wide spectrum of

measures. The EU is guided by the conviction that a

multilateral approach to security is the best way to

maintain international order. That is why we are firmly

committed to uphold, implement and strengthen

multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation treaties

and agreements. The multilateral treaty system

provides the legal and normative basis for all non-

proliferation efforts.

International treaty regimes and export control

arrangements are in place to prevent the spread of

weapons of mass destruction and their delivery

systems. Those instruments, however, have not

succeeded in putting a complete stop to proliferation.

Additional measures are necessary, in particular to

combat the risk of terrorist organizations gaining

access to those weapons and delivery systems. In that

regard, the EU welcomes the adoption of Security

Council resolution 1540 (2004), which is fully in line

with the EU strategy.

With others, the European Union will also

explore the possibility of establishing a close

relationship between the United Nations and the Hague

International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile

Proliferation.

Terrorism is another threat that can be dealt with

only by effective multilateralism and close

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international cooperation. Terrorists’ capacity to strike

is still very substantial, as shown by the heinous

attacks in several countries over the past year. I wish to

reiterate that the European Union utterly condemns all

terrorist acts, irrespective of their alleged motivations,

and to express our profound solidarity with the victims

of such acts.

The European Union welcomes the development

of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, which

will strengthen the ability of the United Nations to

oversee implementation of anti-terrorism resolutions

and conventions. Obviously, the United Nations can do

its work well only if Member States honour their

commitments and assume their responsibilities.

Equipping the United Nations to deal with terrorism

also demands readiness to act in situations in which

States cannot or do not wish to implement their

international obligations in the fight against terrorism.

This brings me to the issue of human rights —

another common concern. Human rights lie at the core

of the work of the United Nations. The European

Union fully agrees with Secretary-General Annan’s

statement that terrorism must not be used as an excuse

to trample on human rights. States must ensure that any

measures taken to combat terrorism comply with their

obligations under international law, in particular

international human rights, refugee and humanitarian

law. We must protect the universal values and

fundamental freedoms whose enjoyment is seriously

impaired by acts of terrorism.

The European Union is a committed supporter of

initiatives to improve the implementation of human

rights obligations worldwide and at country level. The

European Union recognizes the responsibility of the

international community to protect mankind from

genocide, war crimes and grave and massive violations

of human rights. The European Union welcomes the

introduction of a human rights-based approach in the

work of all United Nations agencies and programmes.

That will ensure that United Nations assistance

activities contribute to achieving such rights for

everyone everywhere. Our own initiatives in that area

often complement and strengthen those initiated within

the United Nations framework. We especially welcome

the close cooperation between the European Union and

the United Nations special mechanism in respect of

children in armed conflict and human rights defenders.

The valuable work being done by the United

Nations, particularly by the Special Rapporteur on

torture, in pursuit of the prevention and eradication of

all forms of torture, is strongly recommended and

supported by the EU. The European Union would also

like to take this opportunity to reaffirm its opposition

to the death penalty.

The European Union stresses the importance of

the International Criminal Court in putting an end to

impunity and strengthening the rule of law throughout

the world. It will pursue its efforts to ensure the widest

possible ratification of, and accession to, the Rome

Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The world needs a United Nations that can

intervene decisively to prevent, limit and put an end to

military conflicts. An estimated 40 per cent of

countries emerging from civil wars relapse into conflict

within five years. The lesson — familiar but often

forgotten — is that the United Nations system must be

better attuned to how such conflicts can be prevented

and peace preserved. No matter how difficult,

preventing conflict and preserving a precarious peace

is less costly than intervening in a full-blown conflict.

The European Union is aware of its responsibility

in that area and is increasing its capabilities to maintain

its already significant contribution to conflict

prevention, international crisis management and

peacekeeping operations. It will also continue to assist

other regional organizations to enhance their own crisis

management capabilities. The United Nations must

intensify its cooperation with those organizations, in

part with a view to enhancing their capacity for crisis

management, in accordance with Chapter VIII of the

Charter. To that end, the European Union is working

with the United Nations Secretariat to implement the

Joint Declaration on United Nations-EU Cooperation

in Crisis Management of September 2003.

Several regional issues warrant special attention.

The Middle East peace process must be put back on

track. That means that the entire international

community must back the road map — the only road to

an agreed negotiated two-State solution. The European

Union and its Quartet partners will remain engaged in

the search for a settlement. The European Union thinks

that the Assembly can make an important contribution

to that objective by focusing on substantive issues in

the peace process and adopting a pragmatic and

constructive approach towards this problem.

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The Security Council’s unanimous adoption of

resolution 1546 (2004) marks the restoration of

sovereignty to Iraq. The European Union

wholeheartedly supports the political process and the

new Iraqi Interim Government and calls on all Member

States to do the same. It gives its full backing to the

holding of democratic elections in January 2005. It is

committed to unwavering support of the pivotal United

Nations role in that country. The Iraqi people have

suffered so much and deserve the chance to have a

better life. Let us offer them that chance.

In a similar vein, the process of securing stability,

reconstruction and democratization in Afghanistan

must remain an international priority. The Afghans are

desperate for peace. They demand a say in their

country’s future. Over 10 million Afghans, more than

40 per cent of them women, have registered to vote in

the presidential elections on 9 October. There can be

no better sign of their enthusiasm for democracy. The

European Union will continue its political and financial

assistance to Afghanistan and its people.

Developments in Africa are cause for both

optimism and concern. Increasingly, Africans are

taking responsibility for solving the problems of their

continent. The progress of the African Union in

establishing its architecture for peace and security is a

case in point. The European Union will use its African

Peace Facility to help the African Union build capacity

to engage in peace support and peacekeeping

operations.

The European Union will closely cooperate with

the African Union, the United Nations, the Arab

League and the United States with a view to

harmonizing international efforts to contain and

resolve the conflict in Darfur. It will continue to

support the efforts of the United Nations, in particular

by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.

The European Union expresses its concern over

the recent increase in tensions in the Great Lakes

region and calls on all countries in the region to adhere

to the Declaration of Principles on Good-Neighbourly

Relations and Cooperation. It remains our conviction

that the resolution of conflicts in the Great Lakes

region requires a regional approach. In the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, the European Union supports a

more focused and robust mandate of the United

Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and related

increased capabilities. It is actively examining different

options for continued support to United Nations efforts

to strengthen MONUC.

Also, the European Union remains deeply

concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe and urges

that the Government of Zimbabwe establish the

conditions for and hold free and fair elections in line

with the Southern African Development Community’s

(SADC) August 2004 electoral guidelines.

Many courageous men and women are trying to

make a difference under the blue flag of the United

Nations. Last year’s bombing in Baghdad was a tragic

demonstration of the fact that the work of the United

Nations is often dangerous. The European Union

supports the Secretary-General’s efforts to improve the

safety and security of United Nations staff. We are

keen to discuss his proposals. Through our policies,

actions, and resources, we, the Member States, bear the

responsibility of making it possible for the United

Nations to go where it should.

The European Union itself is an example of

multilateralism at work. Conflicting interests and

diverging views still exist within the European Union,

as they do everywhere. But conflicts are resolved

within the framework of common institutions and

binding rules. Multilateralism works. A rule-based

international order is possible. And necessary. The

European Union will strive to achieve that goal

everywhere.