Nepal, 1992

I have the pleasure to extend to Mr. Ganev the

warm congratulations of the delegation of Nepal on his unanimous election to

the presidency of the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly. We are

happy to have an eminent person like him, with wide experience and skill, to

guide our deliberations at this particularly important stage in the history of

the United Nations. I take this opportunity to express the great appreciation

of my delegation to Mr. Samir Shihabi, who presided over the forty-sixth

session with great distinction.

I should also like to pay a tribute to our Secretary-General,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his dedication to the ideals of the United

Nations. His statesmanship and wise leadership are crucial in our collective

efforts towards realizing the vision of the Charter.

The pace of change in the world has presented humanity both with promises

and with challenges. The events of the last few years have underlined the

universal applicability of the Charter of the United Nations. Its validity as

a universal guide has withstood the test of time and flux. Confidence in the

Organization as the central agency for upholding the rule of law and as a

forum for harmonizing the actions of nations has never been greater. We have

seen a united international community, acting on the precepts of the Charter,

overcome an act of aggression. After decades of paralysis, the Security

Council is functioning as envisaged in the Charter. Efforts to revitalize the

role of the United Nations in the economic and social fields have gained

momentum. This unparalleled resurgence of faith in the United Nations is best

symbolized in the admission of 20 new Members in a single year. We are closer

than ever before to the cherished goal of universal membership.

A period of rapid changes is also a period of uncertainties. The old

global order has passed but the new order is still very fluid. At this

threshold of a new era in international life, we have a broad framework for a

better future in the Charter of this Organization. The challenge before the

United Nations is to harness the new mood and dynamism in international life

and bring them to bear on the global problems facing mankind. It is the

challenge to seize the opportunity to end war, to protect the dignity and

worth of the individual, to ensure freedom and the rule of law and to promote

economic development. In an interdependent world, the United Nations is

indispensable for international cooperation.

The task is by no means simple. In one single year, there have been

upheavals of epic proportion: the break-up of political entities of long

standing and brutal ethnic and religious wars. Narrow nationalism is

threatening the norms of a stable international order. The cost in terms of

human suffering has been appalling. The horrors of Somalia and of Bosnia and

Herzegovina force us to ask if we, the peoples of the United Nations, are

really determined to combine our strength to maintain international peace and

security. The persistence of widespread poverty and destitution forces us to

ask if we are indeed resolved to employ international machinery for the

economic and social advancement of all peoples.

The historic summit-level meeting of the Security Council in January this

year was an important landmark in the search for answers to these and other

questions. That meeting launched a serious search for new ideas and provided

an impetus to meet new situations in the world. As the Secretary-General has

pointed out, the tumultuous events of the last few years have already driven

home several lessons: the need for democratization at the national level with

a corresponding process at the global level; the defence of human rights,

including minority rights and the right to development; the need for new ways

to prevent internal and inter-State confrontations, including the increasing

use of regional arrangements; and universal acceptance of the rule of law

transcending changing perceptions of expediency.

These observations form the core of the Secretary-General's report, "An

Agenda for Peace". Several of the Secretary-General's recommendations can and

should be implemented immediately. These relate to the more effective use of

the traditional forms of peace-keeping, the safety of peace-keeping personnel,

and the finances involved. His recommendation for greater resort to

fact-finding missions is equally pertinent. Some other recommendations raise

fundamental issues related to the perception of an international organization,

its role vis-a-vis State sovereignty, and the role of the Secretary-General

himself. My delegation looks forward to a full-scale discussion of this

important document during the present session.

It is obvious that there is today a greater need for the United Nations

to address itself more seriously to the great divide between the rich and poor

nations. This, along with the universalization of a human rights regime, is a

fundamental issue of the new era.

As a least developed country, Nepal accepts the principal responsibility

for its economic and social development. Our development policies are

directed towards creating a basic infrastructure for development. Human

resources development is a priority with us. We consider it extremely

important to improve the living conditions of our people, to raise the level

of literacy, improve basic health and nutrition, and reduce the rate of infant

mortality. We are committed to these goals because we believe that it is the

human being and not the State which has the ultimate right to development. We

fully share the view that these goals can be attained only in a society that

is committed to the inalienable right of its people to elect their own leaders

in free and honest exercise of their will. We have already put in place the

foundations necessary to achieve these objectives. Principal among them are

the constitutional guarantee of political pluralism, the rule of law, the

independence of the judiciary, and safeguards for human rights. We now have

the legal framework to enable people locally to take primary responsibility

for their own development. With the basic political and legal grounds in

place, I wish to reiterate our appeal for measures to reach the targets set

out in the programme of action adopted by the Second United Nations Conference

on the Least Developed Countries. While expressing deep gratitude for the

generous assistance we have been receiving from donor countries and

multilateral agencies, we look forward to increased cooperation to complement

our own efforts to meet the needs of the poorest of our poor.

It is now universally recognized that, if development is to be possible,

the life-sustaining ecological systems must be preserved, and that development

alone can make it possible to safeguard the environment. It is imperative to

improve the living conditions of the poor in developing countries so that they

are not forced to destroy the ecological basis of their children's future to

meet the immediate challenges of sheer survival. The United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development held in June this year was the most

potent expression of global interdependence. The Conference has established

that developing countries need to mobilize their own resources for sustainable

development. It obliges developing countries to take global environmental

consequences into consideration in their development planning. It has also

established the right of developing countries to development. It has

underscored the need for the transfer of additional resources and technology

from industrialized countries to enable developing countries to fulfil their

responsibility to safeguard the environment for present and future

generations. Equally important, the Conference has established that developed

countries need to reduce the great burden they impose on the environment. The

Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 place people at the centre of concern.

Agenda 21, with its far-reaching implications, can be the centerpiece of a

mutually beneficial international cooperation. Nepal sincerely hopes that the

philosophical commitment of Rio will be followed through and strengthened. We

hope that establishing a high-level commission on sustainable development will

receive the utmost priority it deserves during this session of the General

Assembly.

While speaking of international cooperation in economic and social

fields, I appreciate the ongoing efforts to enable the Economic and Social

Council to play the role envisioned in the Charter. Political justice will

mean little if the health and happiness of people, especially those in

developing countries, are ignored. Indeed, global economic and social

development alone can constitute the lasting foundation of international peace

and security. We welcome the serious and out-of-the-ordinary approach of the

1992 session of the Council as the first tangible move towards restructuring

set in motion by General Assembly resolution 45/264. The holding of the first

high-level segment of a regular session of the Council was a promising

beginning. Also important was the examination of operational activities

including the workings of organs and agencies of the United Nations family in

economic and social fields. The times call for an integrated approach to

economic and social issues in the field as well as at headquarters. They

demand that we avoid inter-agency competition, duplication and waste of

limited resources by improving coordination among agencies, including the

Bretton Woods institutions. My delegation has noted with appreciation the

Secretary-General's determination to pursue restructuring of the Secretariat

to meet these larger goals.

One of the most satisfying reforms undertaken during the last year has

been in the area of coordinating humanitarian assistance. My delegation

welcomes the establishment of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and

expresses its warm appreciation to Under-Secretary-General

Ambassador Jan Eliasson for his good leadership. We have already seen several

examples of effective balance between principles and operational guidelines,

improved coordination and governance. The situations in Somalia and the

former Yugoslavia present unique tests of international commitment in this

area. Indeed, it might not be too far-fetched to visualize the operation of

effective humanitarian emergency assistance and the equally important roles of

follow-up rehabilitation and development phases as new arms of the United

Nations in preventive diplomacy and peacemaking.

The relationship between freedom and democracy, on the one hand, and

peace and stability, on the other, needs no reiteration. Nepal rejoices in

the resurgence of democracy in various parts of the world in recent years. We

strongly support this trend, which we believe to be in full conformity with

the purposes of the United Nations. Developments in recent years have made it

clear that, without respect for human rights, other achievements will have

little meaning. The starting-point of democracy is the recognition and worth

of each human individual. Respect for human rights alone makes freedom

meaningful. The protection and promotion of human rights are becoming a

common basis for international cooperation. Respect for human rights is an

essential condition for the conduct of international relations in a spirit of

openness, trust and confidence. The realization by many peoples within

well-established political entities of their right to self-determination has

raised the complex question of the rights of minorities. Clearly, absolute

self-determination of each minority would have unforeseen consequences for the

system of international relations. Clearly, multi-ethnicity, cultural and

religious pluralism would continue to enrich most of the nations of the

world. However, it is a duty incumbent on governments to ensure that members

of minority groups are guaranteed the full enjoyment of the basic human rights

common to all. It is also a duty incumbent on governments to ensure special

protection when needed. The current upheavals in various parts of the world

underscore the need for the United Nations to work out principles that can

serve as common points of reference for the peaceful resolution of conflicting

aspirations.

The historic Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, unilateral disarmament

decisions taken by the United States and the Russian Federation, and the

agreement reached between the two countries this summer are crucial steps

towards lower levels of armaments and greater security. There is an

overwhelming consensus today that the opportunity provided by the uniquely

favourable international relations must be seized in order to achieve a

comprehensive test-ban treaty. Events in the Persian Gulf have made the

non-proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction the subject

of global focus. My delegation sincerely hopes that at this session the

General Assembly will be able to adopt the long-awaited Convention on chemical

weapons, the first comprehensive international instrument to outlaw a whole

class of weapons of mass destruction. In this context, Nepal welcomes the

recent agreement between our two neighbours, India and Pakistan, on chemical

weapons.

We have been following events in the territory of the former Socialist

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with utmost concern. The use of brute force

against the civilian population, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has

been appalling. We find the policy of forced mass expulsion abhorrent. We

cannot accept the use of force to change internal or external borders. Nepal

joins in the international demand that parties to the conflict respond

immediately to the successive resolutions of the Security Council. We appeal

to the European Community to redouble its efforts, in cooperation with the

United Nations, to seek a negotiated settlement of the crisis in the Balkans.

Nepal welcomed the extraordinary session of the Commission on Human Rights

devoted to Yugoslavia. We look forward to the report of the Secretary-General

on the findings of the Special Rapporteur on allegations of grave violations

of human rights throughout the former Yugoslavia. We pay a tribute to the

personnel of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), the United

Nations humanitarian agencies and the International Committee of the Red

Cross, which have been doing an outstanding job in the most difficult

circumstances.

My delegation reiterates its full support for the territorial integrity

and non-aligned character of Cyprus. We hope that the October round of talks

under the good offices of the Secretary-General will produce the desired

results.

Nepal has welcomed the implementation of the United Nations plan for

Cambodia. We reiterate our appeal to all Cambodian parties to cooperate fully

with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) for the

successful conclusion of this important United Nations mission. I take this

opportunity to express my Government's appreciation to Mr. Yasushi Akashi,

Special Representative of the Secretary-General, for the great efforts he has

been making to ensure the successful implementation of the plan for Cambodia.

We are following with keen interest talks between North and South Korea,

now fellow Members of the United Nations. We sincerely hope that these

bilateral talks will facilitate the fulfilment of the wishes of the Korean

people for peaceful national reunification.

Nepal is gravely concerned over the violence and the deaths of innocent

civilians in Kabul. We appeal to the various Afghan factions to end the cycle

of violence and to engage in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the

war-torn country.

Events of the past year have not diminished the urgency of finding a

solution to the Middle East conflict on the basis of Security Council

resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Israel and the Palestinian people must

recognize each other's rights: the right of the Palestinian people to

self-determination, including their right to form a State of their own, and

the right of Israel to exist within secure and internationally recognized

borders. The Government of Nepal strongly supports the continuing efforts of

the sponsoring Powers of the Middle East peace process to bring about a

negotiated settlement of the crisis.

South Africa is today at a critical juncture. Negotiations thus far have

indicated that difficulties in the establishment of a united non-racial

democratic South Africa are not insurmountable. Violence should not be

allowed to dampen hopes for a peaceful end of apartheid.

My delegation welcomes the report of the Secretary-General and the

endorsement by the Security Council of his proposal for involvement of the

United Nations in order to put the dialogue on track again. My delegation

hopes that the Pretoria regime will respond positively to the proposals

contained in the report, expecially those relating to ending the violence.

As I said at the beginning of my statement, the vision of the Charter is

more valid today than ever before. It is, however, clear that models and

policies of the past are not adequate to meet today's global issues. The

magnitude and severity of economic and social problems in many countries of

the world today are unprecedented. The emergence of the Security Council as

the central instrument for the maintenance of international peace and

security, as intended by the Charter, is a welcome development. The United

Nations must seize this historic opportunity to promote with equal vigour and

urgency international cooperation in the economic and social fields. The

precepts of the Charter should be our guide in bringing in a new era of

international relations. This family of nations must strive to create a world

where all people are entitled to political freedom, economic and social

justice, a clean environment and full human rights.