Kingdom of Denmark, 2004

When we met a year

ago, there was widespread concern that we had reached

an impasse that threatened to paralyse the United

Nations. I am happy to note today that this looming

threat of division is receding and is being replaced by a

renewed commitment to multilateralism.

In that spirit, Denmark welcomes the Security

Council's unanimous adoption of its resolution 1546

(2004), on Iraq. The resolution is, first and foremost, of

great significance for the prospects of peace and

stability in Iraq and throughout the region. It is also of

great importance for the Security Councilís ability to

perform its role as the custodian of international peace

and security.

The United Nations must play a leading role in

the political process and in the reconstruction of Iraq.

The wisdom and skill of the Secretary-General and his

Special Adviser have advanced this process, and we

hope that the advisory role of the United Nations will

be further enhanced. We urge all Member States to

support the interim Government of Iraq in its

endeavours to establish peace and security in Iraq.

The year 2005 will be the year in which Member

Statesí willingness to work towards a strong, united

and effective United Nations will be tested. The

challenge is to develop credible, effective and

comprehensive United Nations responses to the threats

and challenges of the new millennium, whether they be

conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace-

building, or the fight against terrorism and the

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or

respect for human rights and international law, last but

certainly not least, the enormous challenge of

achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

45

Denmark strongly supports the Secretary-General's

High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change and

looks forward to its report later this year. Efforts to reform

the Organization, including enlarging the membership of

the Security Council, must continue if the United

Nations is to meet the new challenges. Democracy is

also a question of representation, and if large parts of

the world do not feel represented in the Security

Council there is a risk that they will not feel bound by

its decisions. The Security Council must reflect the

realities of the world of today, not those of the past.

We live in a world in which the distinction

between military and non-military threats is

increasingly blurred. Most current threats are complex

and combine elements of both. Creating synergies

among development, political and security components

will be the key to the success of the United Nations.

Denmark will endeavour to assist in this process across

the full range of United Nations activities.

Denmark is a candidate for election to the

Security Council during this session of the General

Assembly. If elected, the focus of Denmarkís tenure in

the Council will be to seek new and more effective

ways of integrating security and development and

strengthening international law. In that connection, I

welcome the Secretary-Generalís important opening

statement in this debate (see ), in which he

outlined the fundamental principles for a world order

based on international law.

Greater coherence is needed in international

peace operations. We firmly believe that the United

Nations needs to give civilian crisis management the

same priority that is accorded to military crisis

management. More than 40 per cent of countries

emerging from conflict slide back into conflict. In

order to build sustainable peace, much more attention

needs to be given to the civilian aspects of crisis

management. This includes the demobilization and

reintegration of combatants as well as the social,

economic and legal reconstruction of war-torn societies.

We must make State-building a central goal of

conflict management and peace-building, alongside the

provision of basic security. Whatever mechanism we

set up, the challenge is to ensure the involvement of all

stakeholders. That includes national Governments, the

Secretariat, United Nations development funds and

programmes, the Bretton Woods institutions, regional

organizations and bilateral donors.

In order to improve compliance with Security

Council resolutions, the process towards targeted and

smarter sanctions should be continued. The challenge

is twofold. First, the Security Council must rigorously

implement its resolutions, including when they

stipulate serious consequences in case of non-

compliance. Secondly, the countries concerned must be

given positive incentives to comply with those

resolutions.

Terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction are serious threats to peace and

security and impede progress towards stability and

prosperity. Terrorists threaten the everyday life and

values of millions of innocent individuals. Terrorists

must be stopped by hard power and by soft power to

prevent decades of unrest and terror.

Countering new threats requires a multifaceted,

integrated response by the United Nations and its

partners. Success demands synergy, a finely tuned mix

of diplomacy, aid, police efforts, intelligence, legal

assistance and - if need be - military power. The

United Nations must take a leading role in the fight

against terrorism, providing both the framework for

global efforts and the legitimacy for collective action.

Terror must not lead to isolation; it must not stop

globalization. In the world of today, huge global

disparities in resources have become apparent to

everybody. Social and economic exclusion, as well as

deficient democracies, the absence of the rule of law

and lack of respect for human rights, contribute to

political radicalization and religious extremism.

Ensuring that new generations have access to the

benefits of globalization - such as democracy and

hope for a better future - is a global challenge.

The main responsibility for fighting terrorism lies

with individual States. This includes compliance with

relevant Security Council resolutions, as well as

ratification and implementation of the 12 United

Nations conventions against terrorism. Denmark

supports efforts to reinvigorate the Counter-Terrorism

Committee (CTC). We support efforts to renew and

upgrade the offer of technical assistance to countries

that need it. The work of the CTC must be better

focused and linked with the assistance extended to

countries that have the will - but lack the means ó to

meet the requirements of Security Council resolution

1373 (2001).

46

Just as important, we must strengthen

international agreements to prevent the proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction. Denmark therefore

supports Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), and

looks forward to its full implementation.

The United Nations has been instrumental in

establishing the core international human rights

conventions. This year we are celebrating the twenty-

fifth anniversary of one of those conventions - the

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination against Women. The importance of the

elimination of discrimination against women and of

ensuring respect for the right of women to decide

freely over their own lives - including in matters

relating to marriage, reproductive health and

HIV/AIDS - is self-evident. This main message of the

Cairo Programme of Action, adopted 10 years ago, is

as relevant today as ever.

With a view to eradicating torture, Denmark calls

upon all States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol

to the Convention against Torture, so that it can enter

into force at an early date.

We are now in the era of implementation of those

human rights commitments that have been undertaken.

As the main body in its field, the Commission on

Human Rights has a crucial role to play in this respect

and should be further strengthened.

2005 will be a defining moment for the United

Nations. World leaders will meet in New York to take

stock of progress in the implementation of the

Millennium Declaration. That meeting will provide a

unique opportunity to break new ground, push ahead

with the interlinked agenda of peace, security and

development and follow up the recommendations of

the High-level Panel.

A key priority for Denmark will be to speed up

the implementation of the Millennium Development

Goals. The results so far are not sufficiently

encouraging - especially with regard to Africa.

Denmark attaches the highest priority to Africaís

development and would like the situation there and its

prospects to be high on the agenda at the 2005 summit.

In order to reach the Millennium Development

Goals, an effective partnership will be required

between developed and developing countries. The gap

between goals and resources must be closed. We are

deeply concerned about the inadequacy of the current

level of development financing. Further resources are

needed, as is better coordination in their allocation.

Last year, Denmark took the lead in making our

commitments transparent in a Millennium Development

Goals report. A new report will be published next

month. We call on all other States to do likewise.

Development efforts and conflict resolution in

Africa must go hand in hand. Progress achieved in

economic and social development will be sustainable

only if we manage to put an end to conflict on the

African continent. We stand ready to support the

significant and sustained efforts undertaken by the

Africans themselves in this regard. There is a need to

further strengthen the African security architecture in

cooperation with the African Union, subregional

African organizations, the United Nations, the

European Union and Governments acting bilaterally.

We also need to strengthen the regional approaches of

the United Nations in the field. Denmark stands ready

to contribute actively.

Furthermore, recent natural disasters illustrate the

importance of dealing with international environmental

issues such as climate change, biodiversity,

deforestation and desertification.

The Secretary-General has shown great

leadership in pressing for strengthened and effective

multilateralism, and things are slowly starting to come

together. Our common voyage will not be over with the

2005 summit - far from it. The High-level Panel's

report, a renewed focus on post-conflict intervention, and

the implementation of the Millennium Development

Goals can herald a new age of strong and effective

multilateralism if, collectively, we rise to the challenge.

The task of this generation is to hand the world to

the next generation in better shape than we received it.

Denmark will spare no effort in its endeavours to

translate that vision into reality.