Sweden, 2013

The world is constantly

changing and the pace of change is increasing every

year. The world is a very different place today compared

to 10 years ago when the Millennium Development

Goals were set. But it is important to understand the

nature of the changes and to draw the right conclusions,

because only then will we be able to have an influence

and shape our own future.

We are seeing the fastest reduction in poverty in

human history. Child death rates have fallen, meaning

that 14,000 fewer children are dying every day. Deaths

from malaria and tuberculosis are decreasing. New

HIV infections are declining. People are living longer.

One hundred years ago, the average life expectancy in

Sweden was less than 60 years. Today, many children

born in my country will live to celebrate their 100th

birthday. Those are truly amazing developments.

The world economy is growing. This year,

developing and emerging countries’ share of the world

economy will surpass the share of developed countries.

In 10 years’ time, they will dominate the growing world

economy.

We see the same pattern in expanding global trade

flows. The share of developing countries’ exports

has grown substantially and now accounts for almost

half of all exports in the world. That creates jobs and

growth for everyone and increases global equality.

Technological change is also rapid. Seeking information

from the other side of the globe is now part of everyday

life for many people, not only for the privileged few. As

an example, the number of mobile phone users has risen

from fewers than 1 billion to more than 6 billion. But

challenges are still abundant, and it is crucial that we

intensify our efforts to achieve the existing Millennium

Development Goals.

Sweden continues to contribute 1 per cent of its gross

national income to official development assistance.

Sweden is a firm believer in multilateral organizations,

in international cooperation and in the United Nations.

The United Nations plays a key role in coordinating our

efforts towards the Millennium Development Goals. We

believe that together we can become hopeful instead of

helpless. Therefore, Sweden contributes approximately

$1.2 billion yearly to the United Nations system. That

makes us the second biggest contributor per capita to

the United Nations in the world — that is something we

are very proud of.

In addition to the existing Millennium Development

Goals, we must also work to establish a strong post-

2015 development agenda, with the objective of

eradicating extreme poverty, raising standards of

living for everyone and offering equal opportunities

to everyone. In that regard, I would like to draw the

Assembly’s attention to the three areas that I believe are

central to human and economic development: gender

equality, democracy and free trade. Those areas have

the capacity to influence developments in many other

areas at the same time.

When I addressed the General Assembly two

years ago (see A/66/PV.19), I spoke about the most

important human rights failure of all — the one that

affects the largest number of human beings, namely

gender inequality. I want to raise that issue once again,

because that challenge is as present and as urgent today

as before.

Gender equality is first and foremost a question

of ensuring the same human, economic and social

rights for half of the world’s population, something that

should be self-evident. Every year, 1 billion women are

still subject to sexual or physical violence. Women are

still refused equal access to health services, including

sexual and reproductive health and rights. Every day

800 women still die from preventable complications

related to pregnancy and childbirth. Legal restrictions

still exist preventing women from owning, inheriting

and acquiring property in many countries. Many girls

and women are still refused access to schools and

education. For many women the idea that a Government

would have more female than male ministers, like in

Sweden, seems utopian. Many of those women are not

even allowed to vote.

Against that background, Sweden was one of the

countries that gave strong support to creating the entity

UN-Women and is today one of its biggest donors. It

is our firm belief that by ensuring gender equality one

also improves a country’s productivity and economy

and the rule of law. Educating girls and women leads

directly to an increase in a country’s economic output.

Educated mothers place higher value on schooling for

their children. Closing the gap between male and female

employment rates increases a country’s gross domestic

product substantially. Increased participation by women

in politics and business leads to clear improvements for

the public good and to less corruption. The inclusion

of women in peace processes makes peace easier and

more stable. Let me be very clear: it is simply neither

acceptable nor very smart to discriminate against

women and girls.

To achieve sustainable development, we need

a democratic governance that encompasses all

individuals. We need a system that covers not only

the State, but also the private sector and civil society

organizations. We need a governing system that is

accountable and transparent with regard to its actions.

Nevertheless, nearly one third of the world’s population

lives under authoritarian rule, a serious barrier to

development. With the growing economic power in

many developing countries comes an opportunity and

a responsibility to use that power wisely and for the

common good of everyone.

Every person’s human rights must be respected,

regardless of origin, religion, handicap, gender, sexual

preference or transsexual identity. Only then will

society reap the benefits of all human resources. Only

when people can freely express their political opinions

and freely participate in a thriving civil society can

they truly participate in the lives of their communities.

That also applies to freedom on the Internet. Only

with functioning courts do people feel safe to make

investments and develop their businesses. Only with

respect for the rule of law can we tackle organized

crime and corruption. Only with democratic principles

can we ensure freedom from conflict and violence.

Violence and oppression in all their forms are

among the main threats to the development of people

and the development of societies. We know that it takes,

on average, seven years to fight a civil war, and 17 years

to recover from a war. That is why conflict is sometimes

called “development in reverse”. As we speak, there

are several major ongoing conflicts, resulting in death

and suffering, hunger and disease, and rape and sexual

violence. Those conflicts are depriving men, women

and children of their right to a prosperous life and a

future of hope. A focus on fragile States will remain

necessary.

The civil war raging in Syria for more than two

years must come to an end. Those responsible for

systematic violations of human rights, including those

responsible for the use of chemical weapons, must

be held accountable. The conflict must, however, be

handled within the United Nations system. There is an

urgent need for a political solution to the conflict and a

transition to a free and democratic Syria.

It is time for a new era in which countries in

conflict can join the rest of the world in achieving the

Millennium Development Goals. For that, we need a

strong United Nations and a well-functioning Security

Council.

I want to thank all peacekeepers and peacebuilders

of the United Nations for their efforts and sacrifices.

Sweden will further contribute to and participate

in those efforts. We also give strong support to the

areas of democracy, human rights and freedom from

violence. Sweden is one of biggest donors to the Office

of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. We are

trying to help out though humanitarian assistance for

the crisis in Syria and by receiving refugees. This year

alone we have welcomed 16,000 Syrians to Sweden.

Let me mention a third area that we need to focus on

in the post-2015 development agenda, namely, trade and

competition. Protectionism is very expensive. It raises

prices and lowers standards of living. Let me illustrate

this by a striking example. According to the World

Trade Organization, consumers and Governments in

rich countries pay $350 billion per year supporting

agriculture. That is enough to fly their 41 million dairy

cows first class around the world.

Allow me to mention some other, maybe more down-

to-earth, examples. When competition was introduced

for mobile phone companies in some countries, the

cost of calls fell by 30 to 50 per cent. Studies show that

lowering service barriers by one third under the Doha

Development Agenda would raise developing countries’

incomes by approximately $60 billion. Unfortunately,

progress in the Doha Development Round has been

slow. But the good news is that many countries are

doing what they can to liberalize trade through regional

agreements instead, because they know that that will

benefit their economies.

The two free trade agreements now being

negotiated — between the United States and the

European Union and between the United States and a

number of countries in Asia and Latin America — will

cover two-thirds of world trade. That will create jobs

and growth. Sweden is one of the countries within

the European Union working the hardest to get the

transatlantic deal in place. Freer trade and openness

also mean that new impulses and trends affect a country

faster. That puts pressure on reform in countries and

companies to meet global competition. Sweden is an

example of that.

Trade has made it possible for us to double our

economic output. Our companies have learned that they

must consistently take on new trends and technology

in order to stay competitive. If they did not, our gross

domestic product and standard of living would fall

significantly. Let us also remember how important

trade is for peaceful relations. To put it very simply,

no sales person wants to start a war against a country

where he has customers. That would be a bad business

strategy, so trade promotes peace.

Climate change continues, leading to extreme

weather conditions in many parts of the world and

the loss of lives and very high costs for society. The

European Union’s and the United States’ emissions are

falling, but overall global emissions are increasing.

That is why all countries need to contribute to the

international efforts in the fight against climate change.

The European Union and the United States cannot solve

the problem of climate change on their own, when

they only account for around 25 per cent of today’s

emissions.

The international structures we have to deal

with climate change commitments are unfortunately

obsolete. We need a new agreement that ensures that all

major emitters make commitments that are sufficient

so that we can reach the two-degree target.

It is our duty to strive for a society and a world

that gives everybody the possibility to create his or

her own future. That is what every woman, every man,

every girl and every boy deserves. Let me underline

that it is in the very interests of every country, because

people are the real wealth of a nation. The Millennium

Development Goals have been very successful in

coordinating and focusing our efforts on the areas where

progress has been most urgent. Now we need to prepare

for tomorrow. In doing that, Sweden is convinced, the

United Nations will play a very important role. We will

continue our strong support to the Organization.