Kingdom of Denmark, 2003

I should like at the

outset to express, on behalf of Denmark, the most

sincere condolences to the United Nations and to the

families of Sergio Vieira de Mello and of all those who

so tragically lost their lives in Baghdad five weeks ago.

I also wish to pay tribute to Swedish Foreign Minister

Anna Lindh. She was taken from us by an evil act that

is beyond comprehension, while carrying out her

important work. We will all miss Anna; she should be

here today.

We need the United Nations today more than

ever. We need the United Nations to provide a more

secure world, to fight international terrorism, to resolve

conflicts and to halt the spread of weapons of mass

destruction. We need the United Nations in ensuring

fundamental human rights for all people. We need the

United Nations to establish, implement and develop an

international legal order based on the rule of law. And

we need the United Nations in combating poverty and

securing sustainable economic growth.

Iraq has been a key challenge for the Security

Council. A united Council provided the United Nations

with a mandate to assist the people of Iraq in a wide

range of areas, including facilitating and supporting the

political process. Iraq, the United Nations and the

international community as a whole suffered a tragic

loss in the recent attacks. But it should not make us

waver in our determination to continue working for a

better future for Iraq. Those evil attacks must not

inspire other terrorists to threaten the United Nations

presence in Iraq. Sovereignty should be transferred to

the Iraqis as quickly as possible, but the international

military presence must be maintained until security is

fully restored. The United Nations role and presence in

this process must be strengthened.

Immense challenges lie ahead of us. Our goal is

to ensure that the twenty-first century becomes the

century in which each and every one of us can live in

peace, stability and growing prosperity a century in

which freedom, respect for the individual, human rights

and democracy become daily realities, not just abstract

ideas, for billions of people.

Considered over time, the United Nations has a

strong scorecard. We have managed to transform the

paralysed cold war Organization into a key forum for

international discussions and decisions in all fields. Let

me highlight three areas where the United Nations

could be even stronger.

First, the United Nations is at the forefront of the

fight against poverty. By agreeing to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals by 2015, we have set

ourselves measurable targets by which we must all

stand and be counted. In Monterrey and Johannesburg

the developing countries acknowledged responsibility

for their own development, based on good governance,

democracy and the rule of law. The African efforts

must be especially highlighted and supported. Every

individual on the African continent must feel the

urgency of our collective efforts to improve his or her

living conditions. Only then can the tide be turned on a

continent that has been lagging behind for too long.

Denmark's commitment to development speaks

for itself, be it in terms of development assistance or in

relation to trade liberalization. Especially for the

benefit of the developing countries, we need such trade

liberalization. Therefore, the lack of results in Cancun

was a great disappointment. We needed results, both

for the developing world and for the global economy.

We did not achieve those results in Cancun, but

Denmark will certainly work hard to achieve them in

the future not least for the developing world.

Denmark supports a high-level event in 2005

focusing on the commitments made in the Millennium

Declaration in order to give new energy to the

implementation of all the Millennium Development

Goals. Denmark stands ready to provide a full account

of its efforts to achieve the Goals, including in the

fields of trade and development assistance.

Secondly, the United Nations is essential for the

establishment, the implementation and the development

of an international legal order based on the rule of law.

The United Nations was created with a strong purpose

and a great vision. The concepts and values of the

Charter of international peace and stability based on

equality among nations and respect for their

sovereignty are universal.

The strength of our values and of our principles

must be measured by our ability to apply them to the

realities around us. We must be ready to adapt our

collective actions to the needs of the world. Attesting

to that is the immense work done in the fields of human

rights; the rights of women and children, including the

right to reproductive health care and services; the

34

struggle against terrorism; and the efforts to control

nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Furthermore, the establishment of the International

Criminal Court is the single most important step in the

modern history of international criminal law. It sends a

strong signal that the international community will no

longer allow the most serious international crimes to

remain unpunished.

Denmark firmly believes that a democratic

society based on the rule of law is the best guarantee

for stable development, in terms of both upholding

fundamental freedoms and furthering social justice.

Human rights are universal and must be applied by all

States. It is imperative that all States be committed to

cooperating constructively with the United Nations

human rights mechanisms and that they overcome

traditional attitudes concerning State sovereignty.

Thirdly, the United Nations is at the core of

efforts to tackle old and new security challenges. The

Security Council has successfully taken on

international terrorism, and it should continue to focus

on how to deal with weapons of mass destruction.

Another pressing issue is how to prevent the

breakdown of societies and to address the root causes

of conflicts; and, if prevention is unsuccessful, how to

deal with the breakdown of social order. A strategic

vision on how to deal with the new challenges is

urgently needed.

The Security Council still reflects the power

structures that existed at the end of the Second World

War. Consequently, a comprehensive reform is needed

to make the Council more representative and, at the

same time, to safeguard the efficiency of the decision-

making process. It is of equal importance that the

Security Council ensure compliance with its

resolutions.

The process towards more targeted and smart'

sanctions should be continued. We must ensure that

sanction regimes clearly monitor whether the objects

targeted are in compliance with the aims pursued by

the sanctions. Assistance to Member States in

implementing sanctions should also be considered.

Accompanying resolutions with incentives or carrot-

and-stick measures could be another option.

We would also welcome a strengthening of the

division of labour and cooperation with regional and

subregional organizations. Over the past 50 years, we

have been building strong regional institutions to

overcome our divisions and to manage our problems.

With the initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's

Development and the rapid intervention of the

Economic Community of West African States in

Liberia, recent developments in Africa are very

encouraging in that regard as well. To further promote

those developments, we must all continue and expand

our political and financial support for the strong and

progressive African leadership.

Over the years, Denmark has been active in world

affairs and has been a strong supporter of the United

Nations. We shall continue to focus on areas where we

can contribute to make the world a better place in

which to live for all. Denmark is therefore seeking to

become a member of the Security Council in 2005 and

2006. If we become a member of the Council, we shall

work to further develop the Council's efficiency and its

impact. We shall work for increased synergy among the

military, political, humanitarian and developmental

aspects of conflict management. We hope we can make

a special contribution to solving the various conflicts

that are still not settled around the world, and we shall

do our utmost to prevent new conflicts from arising.

Our aim will be to continue to build bridges between

the multiple interests of the Members of the United

Nations.

Underpinning our vision of a strong United

Nations for the twenty-first century is the need to

strengthen and reform the Organization at all levels and

in all its aspects. We express strong support for the

Secretary-General and for his persistent efforts in that

regard, and we hope that the Secretary-General's high-

level panel will provide new inspiration and fresh ideas

for us all. But we, the Member States, must take the

lead; the ball is in our court. We must enable the

United Nations to take credible, efficient action to meet

the challenges of this century and of this millennium;

that is our collective responsibility and duty.

As a member of the European Union, Denmark is

working actively towards these goals, and I can assure

the Assembly that all the Nordic countries strongly

support the Secretary-General's proposals and are

ready to face these challenges. Let us together ensure

that the United Nations is ready, too.