Sweden, 2014

Let me first warmly

congratulate His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa on his

election as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-ninth session. My commendations go to His

Excellency Mr. John Ashe for his remarkable leadership

of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly.

Over the past few months, we have been reminded

of the challenges that we collectively face in the Middle

East, with the brutality of a terrorist organization that

has forced entire populations to flee and sent shock

waves around the globe, in Africa, with the spread

of the Ebola virus disease, and, in Europe, with the

continued aggression by the Russian Federation against

Ukraine. It was in order to deal with challenges such as

those that the United Nations was created. It is because

challenges such as those continue to exist that we need

strong international cooperation with a strong United

Nations at its core.

We welcome the fact that the international

community has come together to deal with the

challenge posed by the terrorist group that calls itself

the Islamic State and to take joint action to address the

threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. Sweden is

part of that common effort. When the Iraqi Government

requested assistance in halting that terrorist group and

in providing relief for its victims, Sweden was one of

the countries that responded by offering additional

humanitarian support.

At the same time, we must remember that neither

here nor elsewhere in the region can crises be resolved

by humanitarian or military means alone. Political

engagement is, and will remain, indispensable.

We must support the new Iraqi Government, just

as we must pursue a political solution to the conflict in

Syria. We must do our utmost, on both sides, to reach an

agreement with Iran on its nuclear dossier. Furthermore,

we must seek a lifting of the closure regime on Gaza,

as well as a restart of negotiations between Israelis and

Palestinians, with the aim of ending the occupation

and, at last, achieving a viable two-State solution.

We welcome the readiness displayed this week here

at the United Nations to take strong collective action

in support of the countries affected by the devastating

Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Sweden, together

with others, has provided substantial support. We are

currently considering further steps to help those who

are affected.

For decades, Sweden has been a close partner to

Africa and will continue working with the growing,

democratic and economically successful Africa that

we see emerging, as well as with the parts of that

continent that are still struggling with poverty, conflict

and disease. True to that ambition, in the conviction

that security and development belong together, our

engagement in peacebuilding and our contribution to

the implementation of the New Deal for Engagement in

Fragile States with regard to Somalia and Liberia will

continue.

Russian acts of aggression and the illegal

annexation of Ukrainian territory constitute serious

breaches of international law and have created a

security crisis in Europe, entailing significant risks

to global stability. When a permanent member of the

Security Council, the body entrusted with the primary

responsibility for the maintenance of international

peace and security, attacks a sovereign country without

any justification whatsoever, the world must react

resolutely. If aggression is tolerated, there is no telling

who the next victim will be. If we accept the changing

of borders by force, we also accept reopening the most

painful chapters of our history.

Defending the principles of international law,

including the inviolability of borders, must be a

responsibility and an interest of all States. The Security

Council should have formed the first line of defence

for those principles. Too many Governments around the

world have stayed silent when they should have spoken.

While a great deal has been accomplished since

the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs), we cannot accept the fact that hundreds of

millions of people are still lagging behind — many

of them in conflict-affected and fragile States. It is

therefore important to accelerate efforts to address the

unfinished business of the MDGs.

The United Nations has successfully presided over

a post-2015 consultation process with a near-global

reach. All actors involved should be commended

for that. Sweden will now actively contribute to the

intergovernmental deliberations in 2015 on the new

universal development framework. With that in mind,

we look forward to the Secretary-General’s synthesis

report as a further guide for our work.

The world needs a transformative and universal

new framework for sustainable development. The

new goals will need to be accompanied by a strong

monitoring and accountability framework, allowing

us to measure progress and ensure accountability at

all levels, thereby ensuring that the global goals are

translated into actions that makes a real difference for

real people. To achieve the new goals, the agenda must

be accompanied by a broad international consensus on

financing for development and effective partnerships

for sustainable development. The United Nations, for

its part, must be fit for that purpose so as to take on the

post-2015 development challenges in an effective way.

The time leading up to the adoption of the post-2015

development agenda will be filled with challenging

negotiations. However, Sweden is confident that, one

year from now, we can arrive at a package that provides

a solid basis for a future that is more prosperous, more

gender-equal, more peaceful, more democratic, more

respectful of human rights and more sustainable for us

and our children.

Neither development nor peace is possible without

a strong focus on the role of women. By empowering

women, we simultaneously promote both peace and

development. Gender equality is not only just economics

but also smart economics. A fundamental step towards

gender equality is to ensure for women their sexual and

reproductive health and rights, including freedom from

violence. We have the normative frameworks in place,

including Security Council resolution 1325 (2000)

on women, peace and security. The time has come to

translate those norms into action.

One of the most serious global challenges is that

of climate change. The impact is hardest on the world’s

poorest and most vulnerable populations. Even if we

manage to limit the increase in temperature, the world

will experience significant adverse effects, especially

in low-lying vulnerable island States. Sweden has

successfully demonstrated that it is possible to separate

greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth. Since

1990, we have reduced our emissions by more than

20 per cent while experiencing economic growth of

60 per cent. For several years, Sweden has been a top

contributor to climate financing, not least through our

development cooperation, with a focus on adaptation in

the least developed and most vulnerable countries.

Together with Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the

Republic of Korea, Norway and the United Kingdom,

Sweden initiated the Global Commission on the

Economy and Climate. The Commission’s recent report

brings good news. Its recommendations will bring net

economic benefits to countries at all income levels,

including new jobs, cleaner air, better health, lower

poverty and more energy security. The report, “Better

Growth, Better Climate”, points to a new and better

direction for our future.

In Paris in 2015, we will have a common

responsibility to reach a global and legally binding

agreement that keeps us below the 2°C target. We must

redouble our efforts to ensure that the Paris summit is

a success.

Throughout history, people have moved between

countries, regions and continents in pursuit of a better

life. Today, numerous crises and conflicts have forced

more people from their homes worldwide than at any

time since the Second World War. The responsibility

for giving shelter and protection is most often borne by

neighbouring countries. The international community

is called upon to increase its solidarity and to strengthen

international protection for those who need it. Sweden

is heeding that call through its refugee policy and its

tradition of being a place of refuge for people fleeing

persecution and oppression. Last year, Sweden was the

fifth largest donor to the Office of the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees. In recent years,

Sweden has been one of the top resettlement countries

in the world.

The debate on migration often revolves around

problems and challenges. The fact is that migration

offers huge opportunities and is a powerful enabler of

development. Migration contributes to development and

reduces poverty for migrant households. It also helps to

fill needs in the labour market and to encourage trade

and investment. Coordinated action and strong global

cooperation are needed to maximize the positive effects

of migration. Sweden is actively engaged in such global

efforts, including, recently, through our chairmanship

of the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

Sweden is currently the second largest recipient of

asylum-seekers in the European Union and by far the

largest on a per capita basis. The makeup of migration

flows to our country has varied over time, but those

who have come to our country have in common that

they have all enriched our society. They have further

opened our eyes to other peoples’ suffering and created

closeness to the outside world.

Sweden’s commitment to disbursing 1 per cent of

its gross national income in development assistance,

including our substantial contributions to the different

parts of the United Nations system, enjoys strong

popular support. The same goes for the public backing

of our participation in United Nations peacekeeping.

Some 80,000 Swedes have served in United Nations

peacekeeping missions over the years, with our

latest deployment being our contribution of forces

to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated

Stabilization Mission in Mali, which is currently under

way.

Sweden is a candidate for a seat on the Security

Council in 2017-2018, with the support of the Nordic

countries. We strongly believe that global challenges

require multilateral governance structures that are

effective and legitimate. A strong and well-functioning

United Nations is at the heart of that system. Continued

United Nations reform aimed at improving our ability to

promote peace and security, reduce poverty, contribute

to sustainable development, alleviate suffering and

increase respect for human rights is a work in progress,

to which we all must contribute. Sweden is prepared to

do its part.

I will make one final point. It is now 53 years

since Dag Hammarskjöld lost his life while on

mission in Africa. Sweden welcomes the report of the

Hammarskjöld Commission on the death of Secretary-

General Dag Hammarskjöld (A/68/800, annex) and

the request by the Secretary-General to the General

Assembly to consider it. We join the Secretary-General

in encouraging Member States to declassify any relevant

records that may bring new evidence with regard to the

crash of his plane. We welcome all that can be done to

achieve further clarification of that matter. Such actions

should be carried out with due regard for the integrity

of Dag Hammarskjöld and the other individuals who

were killed, their families and their memory.