Kingdom of the Netherlands, 2011

In May I visited

Tunisia, the cradle of the revolutions that have spread

across the Arab world. I spoke to many people there

who told me about their deep yearning for freedom,

about the decades during which their freedom had been

suppressed and about what the revolution meant for

their lives. One of them was Essma Ben Hamida, the

strong-willed director of a civil society organization

active in micro-finance. She said literally to me, “If

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democracy would mean that I lose my rights as a

woman, I do not want democracy.” In one sentence,

Ms. Ben Hamida defined one of the key challenges we

face.

The call from the streets of the Arab world for

freedom and democracy has brought about great

change. It has inspired people around the world to

claim their rights.

But huge challenges remain. And the severe

financial and economic crisis is threatening growth and

trade around the globe. This crisis is undermining

people’s ability to earn a living and enjoy freedom to

the fullest extent. It is thus crucial that we manage

these developments.

The United Nations and individual Governments

must support people’s calls for freedom. Freedom is a

right for everyone, a duty for Governments and the

mission of the United Nations. Freedom must be

supported by three key pillars: first, security; second,

democracy and the rule of law; and third, prosperity.

Lack of security is a fundamental threat to

people’s freedom. Providing security is a responsibility

of Governments and of the international community as

a whole.

In March this year, we rose to the challenge.

Security Council resolution 1973 (2011) on Libya was

truly historic. It explicitly referred to the international

community’s responsibility to protect. It highlighted

the indispensable role of the United Nations.

By contrast, the Council’s failure to reach

consensus on Syria has been at great human cost.

Every day we are shocked by new, horrific stories. This

very weekend peaceful demonstrators were carrying a

sign that read: “Help Syria. It is bleeding.” We need to

listen to the people of Syria. We need to stop President

Al-Assad’s Government from brutally murdering his

own citizens in an attempt to crush their legitimate call

for freedom. I urge all members of the Security

Council to act decisively and agree on targeted

sanctions against the regime.

Freedom and security are also key issues in the

Middle East peace process. If we do want peace, we

need direct negotiations now, not new resolutions at the

United Nations. The Netherlands endorses the time

frame outlined by the Quartet and stands ready to assist

wherever it can. We are a major donor to the

Palestinian Authority. We fully support the ambition of

the Palestinian people to build a viable, democratic and

peaceful Palestinian State. However, this cannot be

viewed separately from the Israeli people’s desire to

live in a secure, internationally recognized Jewish State

in peace with their neighbours.

It is really essential that the two parties invest in

mutual confidence, refrain from unilateral steps and

find a solution together. They should be prepared to

make the difficult and painful concessions necessary

for the fulfilment of their peoples’ aspirations. I talked

with President Abbas. I talked with Prime Minister

Netanyahu. I listened carefully to what they had to say,

and the message is simple and clear: negotiate,

negotiate, negotiate.

Democracy and the rule of law are the best

guarantees for freedom, but they require hard work. As

Francis Fukuyama put it, democracy is more than the

majority voting in elections. It is a complex set of

institutions that restrain and regularize the exercise of

power through law and a system of checks and

balances. That is what it is about.

I admire the tremendous courage that people,

young and old, have shown to claim their individual

liberty and democratic rights. We must support their

efforts to build truly democratic societies governed by

the rule of law. The United Nations should play a

leading role by helping with institution-building and

developing the rule of law. To that effect, Slovakia and

the Netherlands, for their part, are co-chairing the

Community of Democracies’ task force that is

supporting Tunisia’s democratic transition.

The international community should also support

internet access that is free and uncensored. This is an

essential tool for people to exercise their freedom of

expression, and we should take great care to make sure

they can use it. Countries supporting this cause should

really unite around it.

As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently said,

“Countries do not become fit for democracy; they

become fit through democracy.”

Democracy means freedom and equal rights for

everyone. It provides opportunities to empower

women. Women represent 50 per cent of the world’s

human capital. It is in every country’s own interest to

ensure that women take an active role in society and

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the economy as well as in the political process in the

political power structures. I am convinced that in free

and fair elections, extremists who want to take away

women’s rights will not succeed.

Real democracy also means that the rights of

religious groups, including Christians, are respected.

Society as a whole should be tolerant towards those

with other religions and beliefs. There should be no

doubt about that.

Freedom offers the best route to prosperity. The

ongoing global economic crisis is affecting prosperity

everywhere in our world.

Enabling free trade is vital to economic recovery.

Market access is crucial for private sector

development. Breaking down the barriers to trade in

agricultural products can galvanize entrepreneurship in

the countries that really need it the most. The Arab

region in particular should benefit from enhanced

export opportunities to the European Union.

The beauty of well-regulated free trade is that it

is not a zero-sum game; it benefits everyone and it is

part and parcel of freedom. This is why the World

Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round must succeed.

The world should not and cannot revert to

protectionism. The WTO has an important part to play

in preventing this. The European Union is also

ambitiously negotiating free trade agreements with

various partners. Of course, these agreements should fit

within the multilateral system.

Free trade leads to economic growth, which in

turn should also benefit the poorest countries in this

world. To further support their growth, we should

enhance their access to education, vocational training

and microfinance for women and the poor.

Freedom belongs to us all. Those who have

fought to gain their freedom will never give it up.

Freedom must be supported through security,

democracy and the rule of law, and prosperity. We can

achieve this through the efforts of Member States.

Since the United Nations is the international forum

where global issues and actors come together, it is here

at the United Nations that we must join forces. We are

witnessing international developments unfolding more

rapidly than ever before. The United Nations needs to

adapt to maintain its important role in international

relations.

For that matter, the Security Council should

better reflect changing international relations and

economic realities. The Netherlands supports a modest

enlargement of the Security Council, but with a limit

on the right of veto in order not to undermine the

effectiveness of the Council’s decision-making process.

The Netherlands supports the Secretary-General’s

drive for budgetary discipline. We have to make careful

choices about what to finance and what not to. I also

urge emerging economies to take their share of

responsibility for the sustainability of United Nations

funding.

The United Nations has an essential role in

fostering the rule of law around the world, as well as in

preventative diplomacy and mediation. The Netherlands

will play its part, including through the role of The

Hague as the international city of peace and justice.

The Peace Palace, the international courts and the legal

institutions attest to our long tradition of international

law and active role in its practice. That tradition, may I

say, goes back to Grotius’s early seventeenth-century

Mare Liberum, which laid the foundation for

international law.

I would like to congratulate Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon on his reappointment. I call on him to

use the overwhelming support for his second term as a

mandate to reform the United Nations. A strong and

active United Nations is essential in a world in which

no country can shape the future single-handedly. To

succeed, public support for the United Nations is

crucial. Clear and tangible results are necessary to

sustain the commitment of Governments to the United

Nations. An effective and efficient United Nations is in

the national interests of all its Member States, and is,

indeed, essential for freedom throughout the world.

Through our efforts at the United Nations, we can

support the calls for freedom around the world. Then,

on my next visit to Tunisia, Essma Ben Hamida, a

strong-willed woman, can hopefully tell me that

freedom has brought her both democracy and her rights

and empowerment as a woman.