Finland, 2003

I have the honour to make

the following statement on behalf of His Excellency

Mr. Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs of

Finland.

Multilateralism and the United Nations have gone

through a trying time since the last session of the

General Assembly began. At the same time that

multilateralism has been challenged by unilateral

actions, it has been proved that multilateralism and

multilateral cooperation — as well as the United

Nations — are needed, perhaps more than ever before.

The discussions at the World Trade Organization

Ministerial Meeting in Cancún also point to the need

for open and broad discussions on preserving a

multilateral trading system based on mutually agreed

rules.

International cooperation is needed in crisis

management and prevention, in disarmament and arms

control, in promoting human rights and international

law in general, in enhancing sustainable development,

in strengthening global governance with regard to

environmental issues and in creating coherence and

cooperation on economic and social issues, among

other things. In order to do this, a more efficient and

effective United Nations is needed. The United Nations

system must deliver solutions to increasingly

complicated challenges, be it Iraq, the Middle East,

coherence between trade and development, or financing

for development. Through their political will, Member

States should give the United Nations the support it

requires in order for it to be a true actor in world

affairs. We need to be more efficient and more result-

oriented.

The development and strengthening of the United

Nations pose a major challenge at this particular

juncture. United Nations structures — the Security

Council included — require reform, and the whole

Organization requires better resources. This is a

prerequisite also for a comprehensive implementation

of the Millennium Declaration, which forms a

demanding agenda for the United Nations for years to

come.

Despite different emphases and definitions given

to freedom of action or joint actions, all the

prerequisites exist for strengthening multilateral

cooperation. As a member of the European Union,

Finland is involved in the discussion on the

significance of multilateralism and on the terms for

promoting global security. This, too, should be one of

the main topics in this session of the Assembly.

In addition to what was said in the Italy’s

statement on behalf of the European Union, I should

like to focus on two issues that require multilateral

cooperation in particular: the issue of harnessing

globalization and that of weapons of mass destruction.

The biggest challenges in the future will be those

to international peace and security, which become

broader and broader in their scope, and the

globalization process, as well as managing these two

together through multilateral cooperation.

Globalization affects everyone. Some can benefit

from it. Some become more marginalized by it.

Globalization stems from a countless number of

decisions made in the private sector and beneath or

outside public institutions. But we must be able to

influence, through the United Nations and other

international organizations, corporate and public sector

decisions that direct globalization. There are many

ongoing processes that try to make globalization more

inclusive and allow everybody to share its benefits.

The Finnish Government, together with the

Tanzanian Government, is launching the Helsinki

Process on globalization and democracy. Ultimately,

the global governance pursued by the Helsinki Process

is characterized by the democratization of international

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relations, by the way that globalization and its by-

products can be managed through more equal

participation in deciding on international rules and

norms. One of the key tasks of the process will be to

devise and develop new solutions for global problems.

We will also focus on the global economic agenda and

on human security.

The international players in globalization include,

in addition to States and multinational companies, the

continually growing network of non-governmental

organizations. Many of those organizations take a

critical or negative stand on globalization, but do not

hesitate to adopt procedures that are characteristic of

globalization or to build networks across national

borders. Out of a vast array of organizations, I could

name two that are perceived as opposite: the World

Economic Forum and the World Social Forum. Both,

however, are concerned with the same challenges in the

same world. One of the aims of the Helsinki Process is

to bring these two processes closer to each other.

A global approach to international peace and

security and a multilateral security system based on

cooperation are largely axiomatic principles for

Finland and for our partners in the European Union.

But security problems linked to globalization, and

solutions to them, threaten to divide the international

community. Peace is much more than the absence of

war nowadays. Development and peace are inseparably

intertwined, and both of them are being affected by

globalization.

Another major issue that requires multilateral

cooperation is weapons of mass destruction and

prevention of their proliferation.

Effective global governance requires universally

agreed norms and rules setting standards for behaviour

to be followed by all States as well as by non-State

actors. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

and their means of delivery is clearly an issue that

affects the international community as a whole. No

State can ignore these dangers. Today more than ever,

we need to step up our collective efforts to halt the

proliferation worldwide. The most effective way to

address global security threats is the multilateral

system of binding international agreements. The

existing system of treaties, built over the decades,

needs to be strengthened, not weakened. We need to

reinforce our commitment to the prohibition of

chemical and biological weapons and to the prevention

of the spread of nuclear weapons, with the objective of

their total elimination.

Promoting adherence to multilateral treaties and

obligations is not enough. It is equally important to

ensure that commitments are fully implemented. The

international community cannot tolerate precedents of

non-compliance with the legal undertakings, which

would put at stake the whole non-proliferation regime.

In cases where States have difficulties in

implementing treaty obligations due to lack of legal or

technical verification expertise, appropriate support

and assistance should be offered by the relevant

organizations and participating States.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty remains the

cornerstone of our efforts to curb the spread of nuclear

weapons. In our view, the Comprehensive Nuclear-

Test-Ban Treaty constitutes an essential and

irreplaceable building block for containing the

proliferation of nuclear weapons, thus contributing to

nuclear disarmament. Finland attaches great

importance to its entry into force. We urge all States

that have not yet done so to sign and ratify it as soon as

possible.

In combating the spread of weapons of mass

destruction, new initiatives and new approaches are

called for. In order to complement international

instruments, we need fresh perspectives on how to

confront the problem of weapons of mass destruction.

Finland welcomes new efforts, open to all, such as the

G-8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons

and Materials of Mass Destruction.

The United Nations and in particular the Security

Council have the primary responsibility for

maintaining international peace and security. Finland is

in favour of enhancing the role of the United Nations in

issues related to the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction. We agree with the Secretary-General that

the United Nations and the Security Council should

look at the enforcement of regimes against weapons of

mass destruction. The United Nations has valuable

expertise and experience in verification. Finland

believes that this verification and inspection

competence should be maintained.

By focusing on weapons of mass destruction, I do

not want to suggest that small arms are any less

dangerous. They need due and growing attention by the

international community. In some countries and in

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some crises small arms are a means of massive

destruction and a major cause of loss of life, mostly of

civilians.

The multilateral institutions should respond to

new challenges. Being multilateral is not sufficient in

itself. In the work of the General Assembly Finland

underlines the importance of setting clear priorities,

tackling the issues that are most relevant in today’s

security environment. People throughout the world

might find it difficult to understand the Organization’s

trying to resolve the problems of yesterday’s world.

Before concluding, let me express my

Government’s deep satisfaction with the fact that the

International Criminal Court (ICC) has become a

reality and is operational. The ICC is the cornerstone of

efforts to enhance respect for international

humanitarian law and human rights. We remain

committed to ensuring the Court’s success and appeal

to States which have not yet ratified the Rome Statute

to become parties to it.