Sweden, 2007

Let me take this

opportunity to express our strong support for the

people of Burma in their struggle for a democratic

future. We strongly urge the Burmese Government to

initiate a peaceful dialogue, resist all violence and

respect the human rights of the Burmese people, not

least their freedom of expression and assembly.

There is little doubt and this has been

highlighted by all speakers during the last few days

that we, the international community, the United

Nations, face major challenges in the years ahead.

When addressing them, we should also be aware of the

progress that has been achieved in the world in recent

decades.

The accelerated globalization process has brought

enormous benefits to many hundreds of millions of

people, not least in the emerging economies. Today,

nearly a third of the world’s population live in

countries where economic growth is about 10 per cent

a year, and we seem to be well on our way towards

meeting that important part of the Millennium

Development Goals that will reduce by half the number

of people living in absolute poverty around the world.

From a historical perspective, that is amazing

progress. Never before in human history have so many

been lifted out of absolute poverty in such a short

space of time. There is no room for complacency,

however. We must make globalization a force for good,

for open societies, open economies and an open world

for everyone on our planet. We must redouble our

efforts to bring the Doha Development Round to a

successful conclusion. Sustainable economic growth, a

vibrant private sector and a more open international

trading system are needed if we are to achieve the

goals we have set for eradicating poverty in the world.

Aid for trade is a crucial complement to the

opening up of markets for many countries. The

developing countries of the world represent far too

small a share of world trade. We must live up to the

international commitments on development assistance

and ensure that development cooperation becomes

more efficient. That is the joint responsibility of all

donors and all partner countries. The Swedish

Government has initiated extensive reforms aimed at

creating a new Swedish development assistance policy

characterized by quality, efficiency and results in terms

of reduced poverty and more democratic societies. We

must now as was highlighted last week

accelerate our efforts to address the challenge of

climate change. The Swedish Government has

launched a Commission on Climate Change and

Development to address risk reduction, adaptation and

climate-proofing development. We must make a

dedicated mutual effort to meet the Millennium

Development Goals. The fact that we are making

substantial progress on all of them globally

demonstrates that progress is indeed possible.

Human rights, security and development go hand

in hand. Respect for human rights is necessary to

achieve security and development, and those three

elements are mutually reinforcing. Our protection of

any individual anywhere is the protection of all

individuals everywhere.

The death penalty must be abolished all over the

world. It contravenes the very notion of human rights.

Even in that area, the world is making progress, but 25

countries still sentence people to death. Six countries

are responsible for more than 90 per cent of all

executions worldwide. We all know who they are and

expect them to take steps to abolish the death penalty.

The links between security and development,

including the need to combine State-building efforts

and peace-support operations for long-lasting results,

place new demands on the international community.

The United Nations must learn from and build on the

recent experiences of a number of challenging but

successful large-scale missions that integrate military

and civilian components. We need to improve

coordination of international efforts in the field, for

instance in Afghanistan.

There are many challenges that remain to be

tackled if we are to make the world a better place.

Perhaps the most important is how we should best

address the present threats to the existing non-

proliferation regime. Were there to be one new State

with nuclear weapons, the danger is that another would

soon follow. Shortly, those weapons might well be out

of any State’s control. The risk of nuclear terrorism

would be a very real one. That must be prevented. Our

children deserve to live in a world safe from the threat

of nuclear war and of weapons of mass destruction

falling into the hands of terrorists. Those weapons

threaten the very existence of mankind.

To prevent that, the nuclear Powers have a duty to

live up to their responsibilities. To neglect is to invite

failure. They need to demonstrate their readiness to

substantially reduce their nuclear arsenals. Those

weapons are of no use in deterring the adversaries we

might face if the non-proliferation regime is eroded or

collapses. It is a question of self-interest and far-

sighted statesmanship.

But we must also address the urgent political

issues that we are confronted with. Although the

numbers of wars and conflicts have continued to

decline, we should be acutely aware of the dangers of

conflicts rapidly exploding, fusing together and

unravelling the progress we have seen. Let me address

two of those: the situation in the Middle East and the

conflicts in Africa.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to end with a

peaceful settlement negotiated by the parties, resulting

in the emergence of an independent, democratic and

viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and

security with Israel and other neighbours. Restoring

peace and economic growth in the Middle East requires

parallel action by the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Nothing is more important for the long-term security of

Israel than the creation of a truly viable Palestinian

State. That will require freedom of movement and

access to be significantly improved in the West Bank

and Gaza. Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas

recognize each other as partners for peace. That

provides an opening that we should all do our utmost

to support.

It is therefore now time for a true peace process,

and not of the incremental sort that has been tried so

many times before. It is now time to achieve the peace

that is the common aspiration of the vast majority of

Israelis and Palestinians alike, as well as of the

international community.

We urge the leaders of Israel and Palestine to

move forward towards a comprehensive settlement.

The international meeting this autumn is of crucial

importance. But the challenges of the Middle East are

not limited to that conflict.

We are convinced that we must do more to

encourage reconciliation and reconstruction in Iraq

after the horrible brutalities of the last few decades. We

must do much more to assist and protect the more than

4 million Iraqis who have left their homes.

Iran still refuses to accept the obligations laid

down by the Security Council. Iran has to convince us

of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.

The conflicts on the Horn of Africa, stretching

from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Somalia, the Sudan, Chad

and the Central African Republic, cause thousands

upon thousands of deaths as well as untold human

suffering for the survivors. National leaders on the

Horn should rise to the challenge and demonstrate their

commitment to peace and reconciliation. The failure of

Ethiopia and Eritrea to resolve the quite

straightforward demarcation of their common border,

eight years after their commitment to do so, is a

worrying signal, not only for these two countries, but

also for the region as a whole.

In the Sudan, a process of democratization is of

paramount importance to tackle the core problems and

to achieve reconciliation. We must focus on support for

the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement as well as the renewed peace effort for

Darfur that will take place in Tripoli at the end of the

month.

The situation in eastern Chad is worrying. We are

impressed by the important humanitarian work carried

out by local and international non-governmental

organizations. It is apparent that we must do more to

protect and assist refugees, internally displaced persons

and other civilians affected by the conflicts of the

region, as well as support the United Nations-led

humanitarian efforts on both sides of the border.

How can we ever achieve true progress if

women’s crucial role in peacebuilding and

development is not recognized? Gender equality and

women’s rights, participation, influence and

empowerment are key goals in themselves, and are also

crucial for sustainable poverty reduction.

Challenges like these show the urgent need for

world leaders to accept shared responsibility for our

common future. Sweden addresses these challenges in

close cooperation with its European Union partners.

We need a strong and reformed United Nations

to bring us all together. A better world is within our

reach.