Sweden, 1998

Let me first of all,

through you, Sir, congratulate the President of the fifty-

third session of the General Assembly upon his election. I

am confident that our important work will be guided in a

most productive way. I would also like to thank the former

President, Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, for his relentless work

and creativity to bring about consensus on the Secretary-

General?s important reform proposals for the United

Nations.

Before proceeding to my statement, I would like to

report that this afternoon an important resolution on the

situation in Kosovo was adopted by the Security Council.

The resolution is a firm response to a stark reality. The

Council spells out what Belgrade must do now towards

achieving a political situation and to avoid a humanitarian

disaster. Their deeds and not their words will determine

further Security Council action. Also, the Kosovo Albanians

must act in accordance with the demands in the

resolution. As a Council member, and now as its

President, Sweden has worked persistently for such a

clear message to be sent by the Security Council. I trust

that it will be heard and understood.

Sweden aligns itself with the statement made

yesterday by my Austrian colleague, Mr. Wolfgang

Schüssel, on behalf of the European Union.

Economic turbulence, persistent poverty and

environmental degradation provide a sombre background

to this session of the General Assembly. So do crises and

conflicts, terrorism and nuclear test explosions and, of

course, the political and financial realities affecting the

United Nations itself.

We receive early warning signals, but early action

rarely follows. Isolationism and unilateralism could easily

re-emerge.

Many are concerned about the difficulties they face

in meeting the requirements of a globalized international

community. The positive aspects of globalization —

integration and economic progress — offer the best

opportunities we have ever known for achieving peace,

democracy and development. When trade, economies and

financial markets do not recognize any borders, politics

must be global as well.

The United Nations has to continue to reform in

order to remain relevant. The Swedish Government stands

firmly behind the reform efforts of the Secretary-General

to streamline the Organization, to focus more on its core

activities and to introduce a stringent and up-to-date

management culture.

Member States cannot shy away from their

responsibility for the Organization. United Nations reform

is not a cost-cutting exercise, but one of rendering the

Organization more effective. It cannot be reformed under

the threat of political and financial crisis. No Member

State has the right to set conditions for fulfilling Charter

obligations. All debtors must pay their assessed

contribution in full, on time and without conditions.

I will speak today of five key areas for global

response, international cooperation and common action.

First, we must strengthen cooperation to eradicate

poverty. Poverty is not only lack of material resources. It

is also lack of knowledge and influence over one?s own

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life. It is a question of justice. The principle at stake is that

of equal rights and opportunities for all. A prerequisite for

success in the fight against poverty is that the poor

themselves are involved in a partnership based on common

ethics and mutual trust.

Democracy, development and peace are closely linked.

Empty stomachs do not provide a sustainable ground for

democracy. Individual human security and the security of

the planet must be given as much recognition as the

security of States.

Putting an end to poverty is imperative. Large

economic inequalities and lack of civic infrastructure create

friction between individuals, between groups, between

countries. Marginalization spurs violent conflicts. Security

cannot be seen primarily in a military perspective.

Development and economic integration play a much greater

role in preventing serious conflicts.

In an increasingly globalized world the fight against

poverty is a common interest and a common duty. Only on

the basis of solidarity can we create a world which respects

the equal rights and value of all its people. It will require

not only efforts by poor countries, but also by richer

countries.

Therefore, I regret that only four countries meet the

United Nations aid target of 0.7 per cent of gross national

income. Sweden is proud to be one of them. The seven

largest economies on average contribute only 0.19 per cent.

Free trade still remains to be fully achieved.

Remaining barriers which prohibit poor countries from

making use of their comparative advantages are counter-

productive and must be abolished. The trade policies of

industrial countries should also facilitate regional

cooperation among developing countries.

The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative

must be strengthened, as the debt crisis creates vicious

circles for weak economies. The international financial

system has proved to be insufficiently adapted to political

and social realities.

Secondly, we must strengthen cooperation to promote

human rights. Societies which respect human rights are

more stable and more peaceful. Repression spurs rebellion,

violence breeds violence.

This year we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has given

hope to people all over the world. It has inspired human

rights advocates to expose violations in their own

countries. It has encouraged Governments to take action

to protect and monitor respect for human rights. But

much remains to be done.

Primitive expressions of public vengeance have no

place in a civilized legal system. Today, a majority of the

Member States have abolished the death penalty or placed

it under a moratorium. This is sometimes done in

response to public opinion, but also frequently as a result

of political leadership and with the support of

international norms and standards.

Economic, social and cultural rights create the basis

for a sustainable society with strong democratic

participation. The exploitation of children drastically

illustrates the importance of these rights. A convention on

child labour should be agreed at the next international

labour conference, and urgent national and international

measures should be taken to combat the most disgusting

form of exploitation — child prostitution.

The use of child soldiers is another fundamental and

increasingly frequent violation of the rights of the child.

It is vital to achieve international standards against

involving children under 18 as combatants and to

combine this with practical and preventive measures to

help and protect children in need.

The rights laid down in the Universal Declaration

apply to all. Special norms for vulnerable groups are

necessary to ensure that they can be equal with others.

The principle of non-discrimination is of particular and

critical importance for individuals who belong to ethnic,

linguistic or religious minorities or to indigenous peoples.

This principle should be complemented with national

mechanisms to ensure effective participation in society.

Few measures would be more important to prevent

conflicts within and among States.

The adoption of the Rome Statute for the

International Criminal Court is a milestone in the struggle

against genocide, crimes against humanity and war

crimes. Sweden will become a party, and I urge all States

to do the same. It is imperative to close the gap of

impunity.

Thirdly, we must strengthen cooperation to deepen

democracy. The United Nations should increasingly

become a leader in worldwide efforts to strengthen and

deepen democracy. It is essential to develop civil, open

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and pluralistic societies; to promote equal participation of

all women and men in political life; and to ensure

independent media, freedom of speech and the rule of law.

I suggest that the time has come to look systematically

at how the United Nations system as a whole can be even

more effectively put to use to promote democracy.

Already in 1795 Immanuel Kant stressed the strong

connection between peace and democracy:

“If the consent of the citizenry is required in order to

determine whether or not there will be a war, it is

natural that they consider all its calamities before

committing themselves to so risky a game.”

(Perpetual Peace)

Democracies seek security in cooperation with one

another rather than through deterrence — in openness rather

than in secrecy. Democracies also have a proven record in

dealing with internal tension and strife without resorting to

violence.

Strengthening democracy helps prevent violent

conflict, by allowing for differing views and interests. A

democratic culture provides the ground for reconciliation.

The common values inherent in democracy also

provide fertile ground for peaceful cooperation to build

society. The free exchange of ideas, people and goods

creates interdependence and common norms. The future

becomes a shared opportunity.

This is illustrated by developments during the last

decade in Sweden?s own neighbourhood, the Baltic region.

For half a century, the Baltic was a deep trench separating

East and West. The same sea today unifies free countries in

blossoming trade, political cooperation and people-to-people

contacts.

Fourthly, we must strengthen cooperation to bring

about disarmament. In May this year, two States — India

and Pakistan — exposed their nuclear ambitions by

conducting a series of test explosions. These aspirations

endanger international peace and security, as well as

stability in the region and international non-proliferation

and disarmament efforts. This was why Sweden and Japan

took the initiative to prepare a Security Council resolution

deploring the testing. After a decade of great promise in the

field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, the

spectre of nuclear weapons is again at the centre of

attention.

The possession of nuclear weapons — by any

State — cannot be indefinitely accepted as legitimate. On

9 June, I and my colleagues from Brazil, Egypt, Ireland,

Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia and South Africa made

a joint ministerial declaration on nuclear weapons. In the

declaration, we urge the five nuclear-weapon States and

the three nuclear-weapon-capable States to clearly commit

themselves to eliminating their nuclear weapons and

nuclear capability and to start work immediately on

practical steps to this end. We also set out a series of

mutually reinforcing measures providing a road map to a

world free from nuclear weapons.

At this session of the General Assembly, the eight

nations will follow up the declaration with a draft

resolution. This initiative has already been presented from

this rostrum. We invite all Member States to join us in

supporting this draft resolution and, inter alia, call for the

accession by all States to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the entry into force of START

II and negotiations on START III, the prompt de-alerting

of nuclear weapons and the withdrawal of non-strategic

nuclear weapons.

New and forceful impetus is urgently needed to

regain the momentum for nuclear disarmament. It is

necessary to counteract the tendency to assign new

importance to nuclear weapons. These weapons must

neither be given increased emphasis in defence planning

nor be seen as a means to counter threats from other

weapons of mass destruction.

The world needs a new international agenda for

complete nuclear disarmament. We must at the same time

redouble our efforts to rid the world of all biological and

chemical weapons.

The threat of terrorist use of weapons of mass

destruction adds to the urgency of disarmament efforts.

Strict adherence to international agreements, strengthened

verification and controlled weapons destruction are

essential parts of a long-term strategy against terrorism.

International control regimes to limit the transfer of

technology that could be used to produce weapons of

mass destruction as well as other armaments must be

further developed.

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons is

a serious threat to peace, security and development. Such

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weapons have been the primary cause of casualties in

almost every recent conflict on the United Nations agenda.

Practical and concrete measures — such as collection,

safe storage and destruction in the context of peacekeeping

operations — should be the focus in dealing with small

arms and light weapons. Therefore, the Swedish

Government supports the Mali initiative for a West African

moratorium on the production and transfer of such

weapons.

I warmly welcome the forthcoming entry into force of

the Ottawa Convention. This is a major step in the struggle

against the plague of anti-personnel landmines. Concerted

efforts will be needed to ensure its full implementation as

well as the adherence of the largest military Powers.

Fifthly, we must strengthen cooperation to prevent

armed conflict. Stable peace does not suddenly turn into

military conflict. War normally breaks out after a period of

gradual deterioration. Prevention has the best prospects of

success at the earliest possible stage of such a process.

The need for early action is obvious. Nevertheless,

decisions are taken at a late stage — often too late. There

are strong forces at work which obstruct early action —

forces hiding behind arguments about sovereignty, public

opinion and national interest; forces defining security as

stability and order, rather than dealing with the underlying

causes of conflicts.

After almost two years on the Security Council we are

more convinced than ever of the urgent need to build

political commitment for preventive measures and to

develop, hone and refine preventive instruments. It is a

question of political will. It is a matter of allocating

resources. It is about looking for solutions that are

sustainable over the long term, even when strong forces

want to focus on short-term needs alone.

National responsibility for conflict prevention is

fundamental. International law makes every State

responsible for its international behaviour. States should

also be expected to account for their internal actions, which

often have major external consequences. Sovereignty should

stand for responsibility and accountability.

Conflict prevention is also an international

responsibility. The United Nations possesses a wide array

of instruments for preventive action. Lessons have also

been learned from a wide range of peacekeeping operations.

A new generation of peacekeeping operations is

emerging, often with a flexible mix of civilian, military

and police components. International service is a key task

for the Swedish armed forces, and increasingly also for

the Swedish police.

To be effective, the United Nations — and, in

particular, the Security Council — must act promptly,

unitedly and in unison with regional actors. Several

regional organizations have identified conflict prevention

and peaceful settlement of disputes as key tasks. The

growing network of European security organizations is

one example, cooperation between African States another.

Cooperation with regional actors is crucial but

complex in today?s growing grey zone of conflicts —

domestic in origin but international in impact. They often

involve neighbouring countries as recipients of refugees,

as weapons suppliers or even as participants. In such

situations, the United Nations must be faithful to its

global principles, but must also find a way of engaging

regional actors in peaceful solutions that guarantee the

legitimate security interests of all.

When regional leadership is available, the role of the

United Nations should be one of providing support and,

when international military peace operations are needed,

authorizing and monitoring. When regional leadership is

lacking, the United Nations must be ready to lead.

I have highlighted five key areas and objectives for

the United Nations: the eradication of poverty, the

promotion of human rights, the deepening of democracy,

the achievement of disarmament and the prevention of

armed conflicts.

Yet the uniqueness and strength of the United

Nations lies not in any single field of activity, but in the

totality of them all. Peace, security, democracy, human

rights, social justice, humanitarian relief, sustainable

development and prevention are inseparable.

In a time of difficult political and financial

challenges for the Organization, it is important that we

spell out our expectations and priorities. We will have to

work hard to allow the United Nations to realize its

potential. We owe it to the United Nations — and to each

other — to give it the chance to succeed.