Iceland, 2008

Let me first join others in

congratulating Mr. d’Escoto Brockmann on his election

to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-

third session. I pledge Iceland’s support and

cooperation in the important work that lies ahead.

Almost all United Nations Member States

recently sent athletes to compete in the Beijing

Summer Olympic Games, where the world witnessed

outstanding sportsmanship, in terms of both

performance and conduct. The Olympics have become

a global venue where there is no contradiction between

the demonstration of international solidarity and

positive patriotism. While recognizing that the example

of such a sporting event cannot be applied directly to

international relations in the political field, it could

still be an inspiration as we seek ways to make our

Organization more effective in dealing with the

immense global challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Olympics reflect the human commonality and

aspirations that should be our point of departure.

Extreme poverty continues to remain an obstacle

to development and security in many parts of the

world. Despite considerable accomplishments in the

reduction of poverty, this is still the single most

daunting challenge facing mankind and the source of

so many other problems with global repercussions.

Experience shows that a combination of local, regional

and international initiatives is usually required to

eradicate the manifold causes of poverty. This includes

additional resources for development cooperation.

We, the international community, must fulfil the

promises we made to our most vulnerable constituents

eking out an existence in extreme poverty, especially in

sub-Saharan Africa. They are the ones who depend

most on the solidarity of the international community.

The forthcoming meeting in Doha on financing for

development will test the resolve of the international

community and, for its part, Iceland aims to be among

the top contributors of official development assistance

(ODA), having already doubled its budget for

development cooperation over the past four years.

The Secretary-General has aptly referred to the

interconnected challenges of soaring food costs,

development and climate change. Indeed, the objective

of widespread sustainable development seems ever

more distant. But apathy or despair is not an option

because, inevitably, the cost of inaction will rise

correspondingly. Action needs to be broad-based and

sustained, addressing both urgent humanitarian and

long-term structural issues. Much can be done to

strengthen food security. Iceland, for example, has for

decades shared its experience and expertise in modern

fisheries with developing coastal States, including

through the work of the United Nations University

Fisheries Training Programme in Reykjavik. Ninety-

five per cent of the people in the world dependent on

harvesting living marine resources live in developing

countries. We will continue to make a small but significant contribution towards improving their lives

and thereby further the cause of sustainable

development. Our goal of economic prosperity with

environmental responsibility is the key to sustainable

development and long-term prosperity.

The threat of climate change can be tackled only

through the combined efforts of the international

community. The urgency of the threat has been

highlighted repeatedly by my colleagues from the

small island developing States and many least-

developed countries. They are the front-line States,

exposed and vulnerable to the growing consequences

of climate change. Ultimately, though, we will all be

affected. It is in that spirit that Iceland welcomes and

fully supports the Pacific Island initiative for a General

Assembly resolution on security and climate change.

The urgent work started in Kyoto must be

accelerated in Copenhagen next year, and carbon

emissions need to be systematically reduced. The

world can break the dependence on fossil fuels only by

offering efficient and economical alternatives. Iceland

is fortunate to have abundant hydroelectric and

geothermal power and has already reached the goal of

deriving about 80 per cent of its energy consumption

from clean renewable sources. The resulting expertise

and technology have been made available to

developing States, and Iceland is proud to host the

Geothermal Training Programme of the United Nations

University.

Sixty years ago, Eleanor Roosevelt wisely

observed that “The Charter of the United Nations is a

guiding beacon along the way to the achievement of

human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the

world”. As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, her words

remind us of the progress already made and the long

and difficult road ahead, made more difficult by major

new global challenges.

Today’s world does not tolerate racial

discrimination and the time has come to make sex

discrimination universally unacceptable too. My

Government will continue to promote gender equality

internationally. We will do it both through multilateral

efforts within the United Nations — most notably in

the United Nations Development Fund for Women

(UNIFEM) — and in the World Bank. Regrettably,

gender equality and women’s empowerment remain

elusive goals throughout the world. I urge the United

Nations to lead by example.

The challenges posed by globalization also offer

new opportunities to revitalize the United Nations

system and better equip the Organization to meet the

challenges of the twenty-first century: better

technology, better communications and more efficient

management are all available. The United Nations is a

long way from being a perfect mechanism, but its role

in the international system is indisputable and

indispensable. If we settle for a United Nations that

sometimes appears to be an abstract objective in itself,

we will never fully realize the potential of this

universal gathering of nations. On the other hand, if we

encourage a high level of ambition and adaptability I

am convinced that the United Nations will live up to

the ideals of its founders and be celebrated as a

cornerstone of the international architecture on the

centenary of the Charter in 2045.

One simple method of raising the profile of the

United Nations, as well as awareness of its important

work, is informing our citizens. I am pleased to inform

the Assembly that the Government of Iceland intends

to make the purpose and work of the United Nations an

integral part of the curriculum at the primary and

secondary levels of education in our country, in

addition to the existing and more selective activities at

higher levels. Iceland strongly encourages all Member

States to do the same. This may prove to be an

effective means of offering the multilateral ideal of the

United Nations as a part of the world view imparted to

future leaders and citizens around the globe.

It is perhaps an oversimplification to speak of a

contest between multilateralism and unilateralism in

international affairs. Those different approaches

frequently overlap, but it is clear that when an effective

multilateral option is available it will always be the

preferred choice for most countries, especially smaller

countries such as mine. This should inspire us to make

the United Nations a forum that can deliver substantive

results, in accordance with international law, in order

to ensure that unilateral actions on issues of major

significance become less likely.

Iceland has been a responsible and active

Member of the United Nations since 1946 and it is

now, after 62 years, seeking for the first time to serve

as a non-permanent member of the Security Council,

with the full support of the other four Nordic countries.

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The election will take place in this Hall in three weeks’

time.

Throughout the history of the United Nations the

Nordic countries have been key contributors to the

Organization’s peacekeeping and development

assistance activities and have been able to play a role

that is disproportionate to their share of the global

population. Above all, the Nordic countries have

shown unwavering commitment to multilateral

cooperation and the rule of law. If elected as a member

of the Security Council, Iceland will continue in that

strong tradition.

We seek the seat as a democratic State not in

conflict with other countries; as a State with a history

of solving its disputes peacefully; as a State that

respects universal human rights; and as a State without

substantial geopolitical interests and, therefore, a State

that can approach issues with a certain objectivity. We

see our candidature not only from a national

perspective. It is also a test of whether the smaller

States Members of the Organization, from all the

regional groups, can have an opportunity to serve on

the Council and thus reinforce its legitimacy. The

election of Iceland would bolster the principle of

sovereign equality and equitable representation.

Academics sometimes associate certain periods in

history with countries or regions as a way of

highlighting predominant characteristics or trends. It

would reflect well on us here today if we had the

foresight and courage to take measures in coming years

that would give future historians reason to refer to the

twenty-first century as the century of the United

Nations.