Belarus, 2005

The

summit of our leaders is over. Each of us here at the

General Assembly has different feelings about it. Mine,

I must say, are anxiety and hope. I am anxious not

about the future of the United Nations as an

Organization — its existence, after all, is not an end in

itself — but about what the future of the United

Nations holds.

I place my hope in the future of the United

Nations, because the present does not evoke unbridled

optimism. There is but one source of optimism for all

of us: that the summit, just finished, may serve as a

wake-up call for us.

Ernest Hemingway, an American who lived in

Europe, evoked John Donne, who wrote, “never send

to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”. This

turned out to be appallingly apt. Hemingway’s “For

Whom the Bell Tolls” was written in the late 1930s and

is set at the time and in the country where Guernica

was destroyed. It is no coincidence that a depiction of

that destruction hangs outside the Security Council

Chamber. We all know what happened afterwards:

from the ruins of the world the United Nations

emerged.

Belarus is not a doomsayer. Indeed, we ourselves

experienced the utter horror of the Second World War

in greater measure than anyone else and we do not

want to see it repeated. But during the sixtieth

anniversary year of the victory and of the founding of

the United Nations, it is quite appropriate to recall

these things.

I do not want to state the obvious: that the United

Nations is the Organization of all States, large and

small, rich and poor. In this Organization everyone has

equal rights and all work together to create the main

product: peace. Yet I have to mention this because

under the banner of reform there is a move to turn our

Organization — de facto and de jure — into an

instrument for the domination of some States by others.

We all have witnessed this.

A short while ago it was officially proposed that

we approve a new decision-making procedure for the

specialized agencies: those who pay more would have

more votes. Now it is being proposed that we elect

members to the main human rights body of the United

Nations on the basis of subjective criteria. This is a

dangerous trend, and a deviation from the United

Nations Charter. It will lead to the splintering of the

United Nations.

Does the United Nations really need reform

which creates preconditions for the more frequent and

more arbitrary use of force at the sole discretion of the

mighty? We are against reform which would turn the

Organization created out of the ashes of the Second

World War into an instrument of diktat by the militarily

and economically most powerful States. Does the

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United Nations need reform which would divide

countries into those “worthy” and those “unworthy” of

international assistance, into pupils and teachers in

matters of governance and social development? We do

not want such reform.

To preserve and build upon the core values of the

United Nations Charter, taking into account the

realities of today, is the major task of genuine reform

that our Organization really needs. The diversity of

routes to progress is among those core values. At the

summit, the President of the Republic of Belarus

stressed that this can ensure the stability of the world

and is an enduring value of our civilization (see

A/60/PV.5). In today’s unipolar world, this value is not

only belittled but challenged as well.

What is behind the calls we heard in this Hall last

week to “help those who wish to help themselves”? In

practice this is a selective approach which recognizes

the right to development only for those countries which

have adopted government and economic reforms in

accordance with a strictly defined model. Let us

consider whether we need to clone this model the

world over. Does it represent the strength and the value

of our civilization? Does it represent the value of the

United Nations? What can this one-sided world give to

people? Will it be a comfortable home for our

children?

Today, as never before, we need to take an honest

look at our world, which would allow us to discuss

critical problems in a free and transparent manner and

to look together for ways to solve them.

An honest look at today’s world, for instance,

would not allow us to overlook the problem of

trafficking in human beings. This disgrace of the

twenty-first century has overtaken all regions of the

world. The most vulnerable — women and children,

whose protection should be the priority task of the

United Nations — serve as living merchandise. Forced

adolescent labour, the sexual enslavement of women

and girls and trafficking in human organs should be

decisively opposed by all States and prohibited in their

legislation.

There is much to do in this sphere. Today, after

all, fewer than half of Member States have ratified the

Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking

in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Just over

a dozen countries have adopted national strategies or

action plans to combat trafficking in human beings.

But it will be possible to turn this social evil back only

through a universal effort. In that respect, we consider

it extremely important that all parties involved in that

criminal trade be held responsible, including the

consumers of those human commodities. It is high time

for us to launch a decisive and organized campaign at

the United Nations against all forms of trafficking in

and exploitation of human beings, and to forge a global

partnership against slavery and trafficking in human

beings in the twenty-first century.

Looking honestly at today’s world we cannot

ignore the long-term effects of the Chernobyl disaster.

The largest manmade disaster of the twentieth century,

it has negatively impacted on the lives of millions of

people and caused enormous economic damage. In

Belarus alone, the disaster caused US$ 235 billion in

damages. The Government of Belarus has

accomplished much in the years since the disaster to

minimize its effects. Now the time has come to assess

the effectiveness of international assistance in that area

and to chart the priorities for our joint work for the

coming decade. Those are the issues that will be on the

agenda of the international conference on the

Chernobyl disaster to be held in April 2006 in Minsk.

We call on Member States and all those who care about

the fate of the millions of Chernobyl victims to support

the Assembly’s adoption of the draft resolution on

Chernobyl. Finally, we propose the convening of a

special meeting of the General Assembly on 26 April

2006 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the

Chernobyl tragedy.

Belarus is a country that is used to relying on

itself. We are not seeking any unfair international

advantages nor do we follow anyone else’s political

lead. We have confidence in the strength, talent and

diligence of our people. That is what allows us to speak

and act in a principled and honest fashion in the

international arena, without reference to the wishes of

the powerful.

It is precisely for that reason that we stand for an

open and honest dialogue at the United Nations. This is

our common home. Here, the same simple,

unconditional and clear principle should apply for all

countries: equal among equals. The future of the

United Nations rests on that. Belarus is ready to work

with everyone to make that future happen.