Pakistan, 2005

Let me congratulate the

President of the current session and former President

Jean Ping for the success of the historic sixtieth

anniversary summit. We admire the dedication and

skill with which President Ping conducted the

preparations for the summit. We thank the Secretary-

General for his initiative to convene the summit and his

numerous constructive ideas to advance development

and United Nations reform.

Pakistan supported adoption of the outcome

document. It reflects the existing consensus on a range

of issues. However, like many others, we are

disappointed with the results. We could have achieved

more, perhaps, if the agenda were not so extensive, if

Security Council reform had not sapped energy from

the preparatory process, and if the negotiations on the

document had been commenced earlier.

Development was, and remains, of the highest

priority for the vast majority of Member States. The

summit was to focus on fulfilment of the

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internationally agreed development goals. There are

welcome recommendations on official development

assistance (ODA) targets, debt relief, enhancing and

improving aid and addressing the special needs of

Africa; but we did not advance very much on trade,

investment flows and global governance.

However, we can recover lost ground and lost

time on development through a focused and more

determined implementation process. The objective

must be accorded first priority. Fortunately, agreement

exists already on development goals, including the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The

developing countries are adopting national strategies to

achieve those goals. Development partners must now

demonstrate the political will to fully support the

national strategies and to accept greater equity in the

international trade and financial systems.

We must quickly put in place an effective

mechanism to promote and monitor the implementation

of the goals and agreements on development. Adequate

resources must be provided for the purpose.

The summit emphasized the role of the Economic

and Social Council in promoting policy dialogue,

development cooperation, post-conflict development

and coordination within the United Nations system.

Pakistan believes that the Economic and Social

Council should now serve as the central forum for

follow-up and implementation of the development

commitments made at the summit. In this regard, we

would propose that the model developed for tracking

tsunami aid — the so-called DAD (Development

Assistance Database) system — be replicated to assess

the status of implementation of the agreed development

goals. Pakistan has also offered to convene a high-level

informal meeting of members of the Economic and

Social Council and other stakeholders towards the end

of this year to review the steps taken to advance the

implementation of the development goals and decide

on further measures.

The widely recognized interlinkage between

peace and development has now been institutionalized

with the decision to establish the Peacebuilding

Commission. Pakistan is proud that the Peacebuilding

Commission evolved from the concept of ad hoc

composite committees that we introduced in 2003. As a

major troop contributor to United Nations

peacekeeping operations and, in particular, through our

engagement in complex missions, such as in Sierra

Leone, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

and Burundi, Pakistan has a wealth of experience and

expertise to contribute to the work of the Peacebuilding

Commission. We shall take part actively in the

discussions to be held in the General Assembly to

finalize the details and modalities for the

commencement of the Commission’s work.

Terrorism is a global menace and requires a

collective response. Pakistan has been a major target of

terrorism. We are at the forefront of the international

war against terrorism. At home, the Pakistan

Government has instituted a number of short- and long-

term measures to eliminate terrorism and extremism.

These include banning extremist organizations and

detention of extremists, crackdowns against hate

material, halting the misuse of religious institutions,

registration and reform of the madrassas and fighting

illiteracy and poverty.

The summit has endorsed the elaboration of a

comprehensive strategy against terrorism. We should

set up an ad hoc working group to elaborate this

strategy. A comprehensive strategy should oppose

terrorism, wherever and by whomever — individuals,

groups or States. No strategy can be comprehensive if

it does not address the factors that contribute to

extremism, including poverty, political and economic

injustice, foreign occupation and denial of the right to

self-determination.

Dialogue and understanding between civilizations

and religions should also be an essential component of

a comprehensive strategy on terrorism. There are

several noteworthy and mutually reinforcing initiatives

that can be coalesced to generate international and

national action. These include President Musharraf’s

strategy of “enlightened moderation”, which seeks to

simultaneously promote internal reform in the Islamic

world and the active support of the international

community to help resolve political disputes and

address the socio-economic and development

challenges of the Islamic world.

The failure to achieve agreement on disarmament

and non-proliferation in the outcome document reflects

the deep differences that exist among Member States.

This is dangerous for peace and stability, especially in

regions of tension. It is time for the international

community, for the entire United Nations membership,

not just some self-selected States, to promote a new

consensus on disarmament and non-proliferation

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through the Conference on Disarmament or a special

session of the Disarmament Commission.

The summit also could not achieve full consensus

on how to ensure the effective promotion of human

rights that, along with “peace and development”, is the

third pillar of United Nations reform. We should build

on the agreement reached to evolve a full consensus.

Pakistan will join in creating a new and representative

Human Rights Council as a subsidiary body of the

General Assembly. Its mandate and methods must

promote cooperation rather than confrontation. We

must also improve and rationalize the Sub-Commission

on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the

host of special mechanisms that exist on the subject

and the participation of civil society in the work of the

United Nations on human rights. We feel that this

exercise of reform should be entrusted to a working

group in Geneva.

We have committed ourselves to strengthening

the United Nations and making it more effective,

efficient, democratic and accountable. Our pledge to

reaffirm the central position of the General Assembly

should be given real meaning. The Assembly’s role and

mandate should be preserved from encroachment,

especially by the Security Council. It is the General

Assembly that should ensure the follow-up of the

summit’s decisions.

In its capacity as President of the Economic and

Social Council, Pakistan will work closely with

member States to implement the proposed enhanced

role of the Council with adjustments to the Council’s

organization, agenda and working methods.

The Security Council has the primary

responsibility for the maintenance of international

peace and security, but it lacks transparency and

democracy. It is neither fully representative nor

accountable to the general membership. The rationale

for its reform is, therefore, clear. The Council should

be enlarged by adding 10 additional non-permanent

members to reflect the entire spectrum of the United

Nations membership. It could allow immediate

re-election to enable major countries to seek more

frequent membership of the Council, but it should not

add to inequality by inducting new permanent

members. That would alienate many important

countries, divide and weaken the United Nations and

further reduce the Council’s credibility and legitimacy.

The proposal of Uniting for Consensus is

equitable, fair and democratic. It has the flexibility to

accommodate the positions and aspirations of all

countries and regional and political groupings,

including those of Africa. It will increase the

representation of the general membership in the

Security Council. It will enhance the stature of the

General Assembly by making the Council more

accountable to the general membership. We are ready

to continue efforts — in any open and transparent

format, including that of the General Assembly’s

Open-ended Working Group — to reach consensus on

Security Council reform.

Pakistan is gratified that the summit reaffirmed

the central values and principles of the United Nations

and acknowledged that the range of threats we face

requires our urgent, collective and more determined

response. It also acknowledged that many threats are

interdependent. We welcome the renewed emphasis on

the peaceful settlement of disputes and on the Charter’s

strict constraints on the use of force. It is befitting that

we are observing the International Day of Peace today.

Pakistan believes that while dealing with new

threats, such as terrorism and weapons of mass

destruction, the United Nations must continue to

accord priority to addressing and resolving the

numerous disputes and conflicts that afflict so many

regions of our world.

In Africa, there is a new dynamic of regional

ownership and international engagement and

partnership in addressing conflicts and complex crises.

Progress is, however, mixed. Relative improvements in

Sierra Leone and Liberia are in contrast with numerous

challenges in Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic

of the Congo and Burundi. We are heartened by the

prospects of peace in the Sudan. Somalia, on the other

hand, still awaits the international attention and

support needed to restore security and consolidate the

painful gains in the peace process. Pakistan will

continue to contribute to United Nations and

international efforts for the restoration of peace and

stability in Africa.

The early resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian

issue in accordance with the relevant United Nations

resolutions and a two-State solution would usher in an

era of peace and stability in the Middle East. We have

welcomed Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza, and we

trust that it will be followed by withdrawal from the

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West Bank, leading to the creation of an independent

and viable Palestinian State. Pakistan will do whatever

it can to promote durable peace in the Middle East.

That would help considerably to eliminate the

conditions that encourage extremism and terrorism.

Pakistan also hopes for the early restoration of

peace and security in Iraq. We should encourage a

democratic consensus among its peoples and regions

that preserves Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity, as

well as the strengthening of its national capability to

preserve security by combating violence and terrorism.

Afghanistan has completed another milestone

with the successful holding of parliamentary elections.

The international community must remain fully

engaged to help Afghanistan overcome the remaining

challenges. Pakistan is committed, bilaterally and

multilaterally, to support efforts for peace, security,

development and reconstruction in Afghanistan. We

wish to see the 3 million Afghan refugees whom we

still host return to their homes in safety and honour.

There should be no self-serving questions or

quibbling about Pakistan’s commitment and

contribution to peace and security in Afghanistan,

which are in Pakistan’s own best interest. Pakistan is

actively engaged in halting illegal cross-border

movement and containing the threat posed by the

Taliban and Al-Qaida, including through the Pakistan-

Afghanistan-United States Tripartite Commission.

Pakistan’s military presence along the border far

exceeds the combined strength of the national and

international military presence in Afghanistan. We

recently proposed partial fencing of the border in

limited areas to minimize the chances for illegal

movements. We hope that that will be accepted and

implemented in the spirit in which it was offered.

Relations between India and Pakistan are

improving. There is new hope for peace and

cooperation in South Asia. We must also give that hope

to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their legitimate

quest for self-determination. In his address to the

summit on 14 September, President Musharraf said that

Pakistan and India must not remain trapped by hate and

history in a cycle of confrontation and conflict. To

prevent that from happening, it is essential to find a

just solution to the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir,

acceptable to Pakistan, India and, above all, the people

of Kashmir. On the same day, the President met with

the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh, in

New York to further advance the ongoing composite

dialogue between our two countries.

Peace in our neighbourhood will also provide a

fillip to the efforts being undertaken by Pakistan for

rapid and equitable socio-economic development. We

share the emphasis placed by the summit on the role of

national policies and development strategies in the

achievement of sustainable development. The

Government has taken a series of actions to transform

Pakistan into a modern, dynamic, progressive and

democratic Islamic State. Our policies have produced

visible results: macroeconomic stability, 8.4 per cent

growth in gross domestic product last year, a reduced

fiscal deficit and growing export earnings, external

remittances and investment. The major focus of our

Government now is to accelerate the transfer of

economic benefits to the people of Pakistan. We are

confident that we will achieve all the targets of the

Millennium Development Goals.

Pakistan is also succeeding against terrorism and

extremism. It is on the path to sustainable democracy.

Our people have been empowered from the grass-roots

level up. That includes guaranteed 30 per cent

representation of women at all levels. Minorities have

been brought into the mainstream. We are determined

to sustain those positive trends in our national

development. At the same time, we are working to

forge close economic partnerships in the region and

beyond.

It is in the same spirit of constructive engagement

that Pakistan wishes to pursue cooperative

multilateralism and to strengthen the United Nations —

this unique forum that is indispensable, in our

interdependent world, for all States, large or small,

powerful or weak.

Pakistan participated actively in, and contributed

constructively to, the preparation of the summit and its

outcome. We are committed to furthering the reform

process in the follow-up to the summit’s decisions. We

look forward to working closely with all other Member

States and would like to assure the Assembly of our

full cooperation in this historic endeavour.