Canada, 2003

It is a

great pleasure for me to address this important

gathering. I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on

your assumption of the presidency of the General

Assembly and to wish you well.

As is well-known, Canada has always believed in

a multilateral approach to global issues — not for

ideological reasons, but because it is a proven way to

enhance security and to resolve those over-arching

problems that transcend national frameworks.

The present era provides us with enormous

opportunities for action. We can improve health and

extend life expectancy, especially in poor countries; we

can safeguard security and the rights of citizens; and

we can increase access to education and help people to

fulfil their aspirations.

The present era also presents us with urgent

challenges: protecting the environment; rolling back

diseases such as AIDS and malaria; preventing conflict

and ending impunity for crimes against humanity;

putting a stop to terrorism and organized crime; and

controlling weapons of mass destruction.

Each Government is responsible for taking action

within its own borders. In this global era, however,

such issues cannot be successfully addressed by States

acting alone. Multilateral cooperation is indispensable

to ensure the well-being of citizens and to protect them

effectively from harm. We need only consider the fight

against terrorism. None of us has ever believed that

terrorism could be controlled, let alone stopped,

without the cooperation of all of us. The task of drying

up the sources of terrorist funding also requires

coordination and effective legal regimes. Information-

sharing is imperative if attacks are to be prevented.

The United Nations has been playing an

extremely useful role in this fight. Since the tragic

events of 11 September 2001, the Security Council has

been undertaking an extensive effort in support of the

fight against international terrorism.

We could also consider the issue of health.

Distance from the source of new viruses no longer

provides us with protection. The next virus may be just

an aeroplane flight away. Multilateral cooperation is

essential for the management of health threats. We risk

disaster if we do not share with each other all

information that is are available to us and if we do not

coordinate efforts to combat epidemics. Coordinated

action is also required for development in poor

countries and to ensure reasonable access to health

care.

We need only consider, furthermore, the ongoing

problem of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

The proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction

among States and terrorist groups represents a growing

threat. Such proliferation must be prevented through

coordination, the strict application of export controls,

rigorous verification, the enforcement of multilateral

treaties and other forms of collective action under

international law.

We all recognize that the United Nations has

enabled us to successfully address many international

challenges. But we also recognize that we have failed

in certain other cases. We have been slow to adapt the

United Nations to changing circumstances. The time

has come to begin bold renewal at the United Nations.

This morning, the Secretary-General set out

proposals that are timely, necessary and courageous. I

congratulate him on his remarkable statement, and I

can reaffirm that Canada subscribes fully to the

objectives that he proposes.

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The United Nations remains the principal

instrument for effective multilateral action. I call on

my fellow leaders to make meaningful United Nations

reform a priority.

(spoke in English)

We should not be pessimistic about our ability to

succeed. Consider some United Nations successes: the

2000 Millennium Summit and, in Monterrey, Mexico,

the 2002 International Conference on Financing for

Development. We created a shared framework on

setting priorities for more effective aid; we set targets

and key principles; we spelled out mutual

accountabilities for developed and developing

countries. That spirit of accountability and shared

responsibility also lies at the heart of the New

Partnership for Africa’s Development and of the Group

of Eight Africa Action Plan. And it has led to policy

initiatives with respect to market access and the

availability of pharmaceutical drugs to poor countries.

For instance, this year Canada eliminated virtually all

tariffs and quotas on products from least developed

countries.

At the same time, the outcome of the World Trade

Organization meeting in Cancún is very, very

worrisome. Agricultural subsidies of developed

countries must be radically reduced to give developing

countries — particularly in Africa — the chance to

prosper. The developed world has an obligation to act,

and to act quickly.

Colleagues, on no issue is progress more

necessary or more urgent than on the protection of the

innocent. Canada, in partnership with others, advocates

putting the protection of people at the heart of the

mandate of the Organization. Too often, conflicts are

allowed to start, even when the whole world can see

what the dreadful consequences will be. Too often,

innocent civilians are left to their fate.

Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the

genocide in Rwanda. In all conscience, we must ask

ourselves: are we any more ready now than we were

then to respond to another Rwanda? I fear the answer,

unfortunately, is no.

It was with our collective failures in Bosnia and

Rwanda in mind that Canada sponsored the

International Commission on Intervention and State

Sovereignty. The Commission has done excellent work,

and in its report, it argues that sovereignty entails

responsibility as well as rights.

The most fundamental duty of a State is to protect

its people. When a Government cannot or will not do

so, the responsibility to protect them becomes

temporarily a collective international responsibility.

Some question that idea because they fear intervention

on slight pretexts or with motives other than human

protection. Others, owing to their own tragic

experience, fear that there would be too little outside

involvement. We need to reconcile those two concerns.

We believe — as does the Commission — that, in

the face of great loss of life or ethnic cleansing, the

international community has a moral responsibility to

protect the vulnerable. The primary purpose must be to

avert and end human suffering. No entity is more

appropriate than the Security Council to authorize

military action to protect the innocent. But the member

States of the Council have sometimes failed the

innocent. Past failures must motivate us to prepare

better for future crises. We can reform how this place

works, improve its effectiveness, enhance its relevance

and inspire its participants.

Before closing, I wish to comment on some of the

challenges to peace and security that we face. In

Afghanistan, much has been achieved and much

remains to be done. For our part, Canada has been

engaged in the war on terrorism from the outset. We

are the largest current military contributor to the

International Security Assistance Force. We have

pledged 250 million Canadian dollars for humanitarian

assistance and reconstruction. We are committed to

helping the Afghani people build a democratic,

pluralistic society. In Iraq, we have also joined the

international effort to help the Iraqi people. We have

decided to contribute 300 million Canadian dollars, one

of the largest single-country pledges we have ever

made. We are encouraged that the members of the

Security Council are exploring how to elaborate upon

the United Nations role in the reconstruction and in

progress towards Iraqi self-government.

The situation in the Middle East preoccupies us,

as it does the entire international community. Innocent

lives on both sides are being lost. Israeli families and

Palestinian families fear for their children and for their

future. Terrorism and violence — in whatever form, to

advance whatever cause — simply creates more

violence and takes even more innocent life.

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For the international community, as for Israelis

and Palestinians, despair is not an option. Our goal

must remain a political solution based on two viable

States, Israel and Palestine, within secure and

recognized borders. We need to support Palestinian

efforts to develop modern, transparent and responsible

government. We need also to support those seeking to

promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians in

the search for practical solutions to the core issues. It is

our responsibility to help those who are preparing for

peace, which must one day come.

When the time is right, the international

community must be able to offer a robust international

presence that will guarantee the safety and security of

Israel and of a Palestinian State, and we should be

getting ready to do so now. In addition, we should be

looking for lessons on how the international

community has acted in other places to stop

violence — as, for example, in Cyprus and in Kosovo.

Regional tensions, the war on terror and efforts at

reconstruction in recent hot spots must, nevertheless,

not distract us from continuing to help Africans realize

their goals for trade and investment, democracy, human

development and good governance.

In summary, multilateral cooperation remains

indispensable. The United Nations remains at the heart

of the multilateral system. New challenges demand

new structures, and a historic opportunity has emerged.

Let us seize it, and let us realize the powerful

idea that created the United Nations — the idea that

nations can unite to save their people from the scourge

of war. Let future generations say of us that we did not

betray that idea — that we realized the potential of this

great body, supported it, renewed it and re-energized it

to better serve humanity.