Japan, 1999

I would like to extend

my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab,

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Foreign Minister of the Republic of Namibia, on his

assumption of the office of President of the General

Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. I would also like to pay

my respects to Mr. Didier Opertti Badán, Foreign Minister

of Uruguay, for all his efforts during his tenure as President

of the General Assembly at its fifty-third session. It is also

my great pleasure to welcome the admission of the

Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the

Kingdom of Tonga as new Members of the United Nations.

Permit me on this occasion to extend my heartfelt

condolences and sympathy to the people of the Republic of

Turkey and the people of Greece, who have suffered greatly

as a result of the recent earthquakes in those countries. I

also express my deep concern regarding the grave damage

caused by the earthquake that occurred in Taiwan early in

the morning of 21 September, and extend my heartfelt

condolences and sympathy to those who have suffered from

the disaster.

This is the last session of the General Assembly

before the Millennium Assembly is convened next year.

During the one-year period to come, we must identify the

issues, such as conflicts and poverty, which the

international community will face in the twenty-first century

and find an answer to what role the United Nations should

play in addressing these issues.

Since its founding in 1945, the United Nations has

been dealing with issues of world peace and security, as

well as economic and social issues, including development.

In the area of peace and security, during the cold-war era,

the ability of the Security Council to cope with conflicts

was severely restricted. Even under such circumstances,

however, the United Nations made creative efforts, such as

peacekeeping operations, and achieved certain results in the

Middle East and elsewhere. Since the end of the cold war,

the number of peacekeeping operations that has been

dispatched has increased dramatically, and their mandates

have become diversified. Their activities bore fruit, for

example, in Cambodia and Mozambique.

Regarding the issues of refugees and displaced persons

created by conflicts, the humanitarian assistance activities

of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR) and others are highly appreciated. In

the economic and social area, the United Nations, along

with its specialized agencies, has raised issues, set standards

and implemented those standards in every field, including

development, the environment, human rights, science and

culture. In the area of development, in addition to efforts

undertaken through its programmes and funds, including the

United Nations Development Programme, the United

Nations has achieved certain results in coordinating the

assistance activities of the international community. The

United Nations has, furthermore, played a decisive role in

assessing the public opinion of global society. We should

hold in high regard such efforts of the United Nations.

Fully recognizing the significance of the

Organization, the people of Japan regarded their country’s

admission to membership of the United Nations as their

country’s reinstatement in international society after the

Second World War. They have been supporting and

contributing to the activities of the United Nations ever

since.

There is, however, still much to be done by the

United Nations in such areas as the prevention and

resolution of conflicts and poverty alleviation. It is also

important to have fresh viewpoints, including that of

human security, in addressing such new issues as those

relating to globalization and other global matters. These

are the issues we will be passing along to the twenty-first

century.

One of the most important issues that the United

Nations must continue to address is conflict. In Africa,

conflicts continue in many regions. Although peace has

been restored in Kosovo, the conflict there left deep scars

on local communities in the region and on the hearts of

the people, demonstrating once again the importance of

conflict prevention. Furthermore, numerous challenges

exist on the path towards future reconstruction. There are

persistent tensions in Asia. While various conflicts have

been resolved in Latin America, there is still work to be

done to achieve stable post-conflict development,

including the development of and the clearing of

landmines in the border region between Peru and

Ecuador, who reached a peace agreement on their border

dispute last year.

Regarding the efforts to deal with conflicts, I would

like to emphasize the following three points. First, it is

important to take a comprehensive approach, which

includes conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping

and peace-building, and the elimination of potential

causes of conflict, such as poverty. Secondly, it is

necessary to deal with conflicts in a manner that is

suitable to the situation in each region. These two points

were also made in the report of the Secretary-General

entitled “The causes of conflict and the promotion of

durable peace and sustainable development in Africa”

(A/52/871), which was issued last year. Thirdly, as

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regards peace-building, it is necessary that international

assistance, from post-conflict emergency humanitarian

assistance to long-term development aid, be implemented

seamlessly. In addition to these efforts, it has become

important to ensure the security of personnel who are

engaged in humanitarian or development assistance

activities.

In Africa, the United Nations is cooperating in efforts

to bring peace in situations of conflict, such as in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone, and

in the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Japan

will consider extending assistance to the efforts of the

United Nations as well as to the reconstruction efforts of

the countries concerned. We think that efforts to tackle

poverty in Africa also contribute to the prevention of

conflicts in the region.

With regard to Kosovo, Japan has provided the United

Nations Mission in Kosovo with personnel and is actively

extending financial support in such areas as humanitarian

and reconstruction assistance. It recently dispatched a study

mission to explore possible concrete assistance projects.

Turning our attention to Asia, we hope that security in

East Timor will be restored at the earliest possible date,

through the activities of the multinational force working in

coordination with the Government of Indonesia and with

the Indonesian armed forces. This force is now starting to

be deployed on the basis of the Security Council resolution

adopted on 15 September.

Japan has already announced that it will extend a

substantial financial contribution to the multinational force.

It is making this contribution with the intention of

facilitating the participation of developing countries in the

effort. Japan will decide the amount of its contribution after

the whole picture of the multinational force becomes clear.

The situation of refugees and displaced persons in and

outside East Timor causes serious concern. Japan has

announced the contribution of a total of $2 million to the

activities of UNHCR and the World Food Programme. In

addition, it intends to positively consider further assistance

after taking into consideration a report from the

Government mission now in the region, along with other

factors. Furthermore, Japan, in the medium and long term,

also intends to provide appropriate assistance for the

reconstruction and development of East Timor.

As regards conflict prevention, I wish to commend the

Organization of African Unity for already launching efforts

to establish an early warning system, and, as regards

Asia, I would like to commend the ministerial meeting of

the Regional Forum of the Association of South-East

Asian Nations for its decision last July to discuss

concretely how preventive diplomacy might be dealt with.

Next, I would like to touch upon three issues that are

commonly observed in regions in conflict: small arms,

anti-personnel landmines, and refugees and displaced

persons.

In its efforts to cope with the small arms issue,

Japan strongly hopes that the General Assembly will

adopt a resolution at this session promoting the

recommendations of the report of the Secretary-General

drafted by the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small

Arms. Japan looks forward to working with other

countries for the implementation of those

recommendations. Japan will also actively contribute to

the successful convening of the international conference

on small arms to be held by the end of 2001.

On the issue of anti-personnel landmines, with the

entry into force last March of the Convention on the

Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and

Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their

Destruction, it is now necessary to achieve a universal

and effective ban on anti-personnel landmines and to clear

the mine areas, while extending assistance to mine

victims, among whom are many children. Japan has

contributed financial assistance of more than $40 million

to international and non-governmental organizations and

will continue to strive to achieve the goal of “zero

victims” at an early date.

With regard to the issue of refugees and displaced

persons, Japan highly commends the activities of UNHCR

and others and intends to continue to actively cooperate

with them.

Since the end of the cold war, international efforts

have achieved certain results with respect to the

non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

including nuclear weapons, and their delivery vehicles —

namely, missiles — as well as arms reduction. Yet the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT) regime has been challenged by the nuclear testing

or secret development of weapons of mass destruction

conducted by some States.

Japan calls upon the nuclear-weapon and the non-

nuclear-weapon States alike to take constructive actions

14

to ensure the successful convening of the Review

Conference of the Parties to the NPT next spring. Japan

also calls upon the States that have not yet done so to

promptly sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-

Test-Ban Treaty so that it can enter into force as soon as

possible, and appeals to every country to respect the

moratorium on nuclear testing. Further, it is also important

to reactivate the START process and promptly to

commence the negotiations on the fissile material cut-off

treaty.

Japan has consistently called for realistic measures for

nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Every year since

1994, it has submitted to the General Assembly a resolution

on nuclear disarmament with a view to the ultimate

elimination of nuclear weapons. Late last July, the Tokyo

Forum on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament,

which was established at Japan’s initiative, issued its report,

which we believe provides a realistic guideline for progress

in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Japan would

like to consult actively with other countries with a view to

implementing the meaningful recommendations contained

in the report.

The importance of addressing the issue of weapons of

mass destruction other than nuclear weapons, such as

biological and chemical weapons, as well as the issue of

delivery vehicles, including missiles, is beyond discussion.

In particular, Japan will work towards the early conclusion

of negotiations on the protocol to the Convention on the

Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling

of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on

Their Destruction.

With regard to the North Korean missile issue, Japan

appreciates and welcomes the important progress achieved

in the recent United States-North Korea talks. Japan

strongly hopes that North Korea’s moratorium on missile

launching is further assured.

Poverty continues to be a serious issue in many

regions of the world. There is a vicious cycle in which the

frequent occurrence of regional conflicts exacerbates the

problem of poverty, while poverty in turn causes the

occurrence and recurrence of regional conflicts. Indeed,

poverty should be recognized as the primary issue of the

twenty-first century, and it is incumbent upon various

players, such as the United Nations, other international

organizations, States and civil society, to cooperate towards

its eradication.

At the Second Tokyo International Conference on

African Development, which was co-organized by Japan,

the United Nations and others last October, the Tokyo

Agenda for Action was adopted, which encourages

African countries to take initiatives on their own; calls for

the strengthening of cooperation between African

countries and developed countries as well as international

organizations; and calls for the promotion of cooperation

between Asia and Africa. Japan will remain actively

engaged with the issue of poverty in Africa through

follow-up efforts for the implementation of the Agenda

for Action, such as the debt- management seminar which

Japan co-organized with the United Nations and others

last month in Kenya.

Japan has been the world’s largest donor of official

development assistance since 1991. Despite the severity

of its domestic budgetary situation, it will continue to

extend effective, efficient and high-quality official

development assistance and will tackle poverty problems

through the further promotion of cooperation with the

relevant organizations of the United Nations.

Debt problems are making it extremely difficult for

debtor nations, especially the poorest countries, to achieve

development. Japan has provided assistance through debt

rescheduling and grant aid for debt relief, and will take

comprehensive measures to deal with the debt problem,

including the steady implementation of the commitment

made at the G-8 summit meeting in Cologne.

Important conferences, such as special sessions of

the General Assembly, are being held successively in the

areas of economic and social development and human

rights. The General Assembly’s special session on

population and development was held this June, at which

meaningful proposals for future action were adopted. The

sustainable development of small island developing States,

which are susceptible to the effects of climate change and

are also geographically vulnerable, is the very important

subject of the twenty-second special session to begin on

27 September. The development of landlocked States,

which are also geographically disadvantaged, is important

as well.

The promotion of the implementation of the

Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action

adopted at the World Summit for Social Development in

1995 will be discussed next year at a follow-up special

session. The General Assembly special session entitled

“Women 2000” will also be held next year in order to

further promote the results of the 1995 Fourth World

15

Conference on Women. Building upon the achievements of

these special sessions, Japan intends to contribute actively

to international cooperative endeavours in these areas.

This is the final year of the International Decade for

Natural Disaster Reduction. The international community

must take prompt and concerted action in responding to

large-scale natural disasters, as clearly underscored by our

experience with the recent earthquakes in Turkey and

Greece, last year’s hurricanes in Latin America and the

tsunami in Papua New Guinea. The United Nations is

required to play a more active role in this endeavour.

Moreover, efforts in the area of natural-disaster reduction

need to be strengthened. Recognizing the importance of

natural disaster reduction in the context of development

policy and environmental issues, Japan will promote efforts

in this field.

With regard to the advancement of globalization, while

taking advantage of the new opportunities it provides for

the revitalization of the world economy, the improvement

in living standards, the creation of jobs, and development,

we must also address its negative effects, such as the

growing instability in international finance and the widening

gap between the rich and the poor. Japan is steadily

carrying out financial assistance measures totaling

approximately $80 billion, including the New Miyazawa

Initiative — by far the largest package of assistance

provided by one country — for the East Asian countries

which were hard hit by the economic crisis. We strongly

expect the economic recovery of the region to resume and

that a sound and sustainable development of the world

economy will be achieved.

We are also concerned that globalization may

aggravate such problems as environmental destruction,

international organized crime, drug, terrorism and the

spread of infectious diseases. These global issues, which

transcend national borders and pose direct threats to each

and every person, need to be dealt with by the international

community as a whole. It is necessary that we adopt

policies that give consideration to women, children and

others, who are most susceptible to the effect of these

global issues.

Although globalization also engenders creativity by

facilitating interaction among various cultures and different

value systems, due consideration also needs to be paid to

the cultural diversity of the world. From this standpoint, we

consider that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization will play an even more important role

in the coming century.

Japan has been stressing the importance of

addressing the various issues I have just mentioned by

focusing efforts on human security, that is, the protection

of the dignity and life of every person against the many

threats posed, for example, by poverty; the outflow of

refugees; environmental issues; infectious diseases, such

as AIDS; human rights violations; international organized

crime, including human and drug trafficking; conflicts;

anti-personnel landmines and small arms; and terrorism.

Last June Japan hosted the International Symposium

on Development, at which the issue of how to encourage

the self-reliance of individuals to escape from poverty

was discussed. On the initiative of Prime Minister

Obuchi, Japan established the Human Security Fund

within the United Nations to support the activities of

international organizations and to promote human

security. Japan recently announced its contribution of

$100 million for reconstruction and assistance for the

return of refugees in Kosovo, and it will implement that

assistance through the Human Security Fund and other

sources.

It cannot be said that the efforts of the United

Nations to address the issues that will confront the

international community in the twenty-first century are

sufficient. Nevertheless, it is not right to claim that the

United Nations is incapable of addressing those issues

adequately, and therefore disregard it. Neither is it right

to simply deplore any attempt to disregard the

Organization. In as much as many issues today require

efforts of the international community as a whole, and as

there is no other universal and comprehensive institution

that can replace the United Nations, our only recourse is

to reform and strengthen the United Nations, so that it

will be capable of dealing with the issues adequately.

From this viewpoint, I would like in particular to make

the following three points.

The first is the need for Security Council reform.

During the 50 or so years since the end of the Second

World War, the international situation has undergone

dramatic changes. Given those changes, the functions of

the Security Council, as the body primarily responsible

for the maintenance of international peace and security,

need to be strengthened. Towards that end, it is essential

that the Security Council be re-created to reflect the

present international situation, with reform of the

composition of both its permanent and non-permanent

membership. Japan would like to assume greater

responsibilities as a permanent member of the Security

Council.

16

Second, there is an urgent need for reforms to place

the United Nations on a sound financial base. It is

necessary for Member States to fulfil their obligation to pay

their assessed contributions, and for the United Nations to

work to further control its budget. Despite the severe

economic and financial situations, Japan has been faithfully

fulfilling its obligation to pay its assessed contribution and

has been making substantial contributions to the United

Nations and related organizations. However, as the Security

Council reform has not been realized, and as the necessary

budgetary reforms have yet to be carried out, one cannot

but question the fairness of a situation in which Japan is

expected to pay an assessed contribution that exceeds the

sum of the contributions made by four of the permanent

members of the Security Council, not including the United

States.

Third, it is necessary for the United Nations to

strengthen its efforts in the economic and social area,

including development. The Organization is expected to

obtain the active participation of various actors in

addressing problems in the economic and social area, and

effectively coordinate their efforts. Japan attaches

importance to the role that the United Nations, especially

the Economic and Social Council, plays in this area, and is

determined, if it is elected this year, to work as a member

of the Council towards strengthening the activities of the

United Nations in such areas as the coordination between

the United Nations agencies, the promotion of dialogue

with Bretton Woods institutions and the broad participation

by civil society in activities in this area, and coordination

of these activities.

We have already devoted a significant amount of time

to the discussion of United Nations reform. Today there is

a common recognition throughout the international

community that the reform of the United Nations is

necessary. Indeed, there is not a single country that is

opposed to reform per se. Nevertheless, progress towards

reform is far from satisfactory. The amount of time that has

been expended in discussions so far tells of the difficulty

that lies in the way of reforming an organization. We must

recognize at the very core of our being that if we fail to

strengthen the United Nations through reforms, international

trust in the Organization will be undermined. This would

not only destroy the United Nations, but would be suicidal

to all the Member States and the international community

as a whole.

The Millennium Assembly and the Millennium

Summit, scheduled for next year, will provide an occasion

on which the United Nations can demonstrate to the world

that it is capable of effectively tackling the issues that the

international community will face in the twenty-first

century. The efforts which Member States make during

the one-year period to come could very well determine

the viability of the United Nations in the coming century.

I would like, therefore, to conclude my remarks by calling

upon all Member States to cooperate with each other in

pursuing the common interests of the international

community as a whole.