Nepal, 1995

I wish first of all, on behalf of

the delegation of Nepal and on my own behalf, to

congratulate His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral

on his election as President of the fiftieth session of the

General Assembly. He has been asked to guide our

deliberations at a time of historic importance. His

demonstrated abilities, experience and wisdom are an

assurance for us that we have made the right choice. I

assure him of the full cooperation of my delegation as he

performs his duties.

I should like also to express my appreciation to His

Excellency Mr. Amara Essy, Minister of Foreign Affairs of

Côte d’Ivoire, for the excellent manner in which he steered

the work of the forty-ninth session of the General

Assembly.

May I also greet the Secretary-General of the United

Nations, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, to whom I wish to

convey the gratitude of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal

for his tenacious and tireless efforts for peace. Since his

election to the office of Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros-

Ghali has succeeded in large measure in giving shape to

United Nations debates through his proposals in the

Agendas for Peace and for Development. We also share his

vision for better management of the Organization. As a

functional democracy with widened commitment to human

rights and justice, we await with great interest his Agenda

for Democracy. These will be the areas of concern of the

United Nations in the years to come.

We are meeting here at a very important juncture. The

United Nations is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, in

preparation for our march into the next century. This

prompts us to do some new soul-searching about what kind

of world we want to shape and what role we want the

United Nations to play in it. These questions do not lend

themselves to easy answers, but together, at this moment,

we can begin the search.

Fifty years ago the United Nations came into being

with a mission: to maintain international peace and

security, to forge friendly relations amongst nations and

peoples, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights

and to promote economic and social progress in larger

freedom. Despite the immediate onset of the cold war and

the resultant debilitating Power rivalry, the United Nations

has since remained actively engaged in fulfilling the

mission. It has had a great impact on the democratization

of international relations. Its efforts to promote economic

and social development have borne fruit. No less

important has been its role in the broadening and

strengthening of international law. By helping to

accelerate the decolonization process and ensuring the

peoples’ right to self-determination, it has facilitated the

emergence of many independent nations worldwide. Nor

can we forget the Organization’s contribution to the fight

against apartheid. Today, South Africa has emerged as a

democratic, non-racial nation — yet another proud

Member of the world body, whose goal of universality of

membership is near attainment. My delegation extends its

heartiest welcome and congratulations to our newest

fellow Member, Palau.

The world is undergoing a transformation of

monumental proportions, generating fresh hopes and

aspirations for peoples all over the world. The pace of

democratic reforms continues to surge and so do concerns

for the protection and promotion of human rights and

individual freedoms. A more liberal world-trade regime is

taking shape. Economic interdependence is being

acknowledged as a fact of international life. The logic of

confrontation is increasingly giving way to the logic of

conciliation and cooperation throughout the world. We

believe that now is the time for us to seize this new-found

opportunity to make the Charter’s goal of attaining a

world of peace, prosperity, equality and justice

irrevocable and timeless.

These positive developments notwithstanding, we are

still far from universal peace. Conflicts of enormous

cruelty continue to plague the world. The scourge of war

still brings untold sorrow to large segments of mankind.

We have witnessed, day in and day out, hundreds and

thousands of innocent people falling victim to hostilities

and the all-but-forgotten phenomena of “ethnic cleansing”

and genocide. Thousands more are dying of starvation

17

and disease. Similarly, thousands are being forced to leave

their homelands as refugees in different parts of the world.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia and Rwanda present a

terrifying picture of what has taken place. These appalling

situations challenge the ability of the United Nations and its

Member States not only to maintain peace and security, but

also to secure a minimum of basic human decency and

needs.

That having been said, let me hasten to add that the

disappointments we experience are not solely the results of

the Organization’s failure, but are basically the reflection of

a fast-changing global environment in which our

expectations were unusually high. The United Nations was

called upon to deal with situations for which it was not

politically and logistically prepared. We take comfort in the

fact that for every failed peace operation there have been

numerous others of which we can be justly proud and in

which, but for a United Nations presence, the fatalities

would have been vastly greater. The United Nations has

helped bring peace to Angola, Cambodia, El Salvador,

Haiti, Mozambique and Namibia. Even in the territories of

the former Yugoslavia, the real good the United Nations

has done is being appreciated now. The 8 September peace

plan advanced by the Contact Group of five Powers and

accepted in principle by the concerned parties is a beacon

of light at the end of the tunnel. My delegation supports the

Geneva agreement on the principles of a settlement based

on the territorial integrity of the States of the former

Yugoslavia within internationally recognized borders.

My delegation also notes with great satisfaction not

only that the peace process in the Middle East is gaining

momentum, but that it has become irreversible. The signing

of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement in Washington on 28

September by Prime Minister Rabin and Chairman Arafat,

in the presence of President Clinton, King Hussein of

Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt, is a turning point

in the history of the Middle East. Nepal earnestly hopes

that talks will soon resume between Israel and Syria and

between Israel and Lebanon so that a just and lasting peace,

as envisaged by the United Nations, can be guaranteed

throughout the region.

The return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to Haiti

has been a gain for the United Nations and democracy. The

process of peace-building and strengthening of democracy

is taking hold in that country. My country is proud to be a

part of this process through our participation in the United

Nations Mission in Haiti.

In its primary function of maintaining international

peace and security, the United Nations has peace-keeping

operations as an important tool for conflict resolution. My

country has a long history of participation in these peace

efforts. From the United Nations Observation Group in

Lebanon in 1958 through the United Nations Emergency

Force, the United Nations Operation in Somalia and

several others to the current United Nations Protection

Force in the former Yugoslavia, the United Nations

Interim Force in Lebanon and the Mission in Haiti, Nepal

has committed its troops, military observers and civilian

police personnel to United Nations peace initiatives. Many

of our peace-keepers have laid down their lives in the

performance of their duties. I stand here today to reaffirm

Nepal’s continued response to any call for a contribution

to the peace efforts of the United Nations.

Peace-keeping operations have of late become

multifunctional. Their functions have extended beyond the

traditional role of monitoring cease-fire and truce

agreements. They have been drawn into multifarious relief

and humanitarian duties in excessively difficult and

dangerous situations. Because of a lack of clarity in

mandates and the absence of contingency plans and

reinforcements, which should have been clearly foreseen,

not only have our Blue Helmets been forced to stand

aside as the posts they were manning were overrun: they

have also been held hostage, chained and humiliated in

their dignity as men and soldiers. Such sorry spectacles

should not be seen again. The mandates for the new

generation of peace-keeping operations must be clearly

defined. Above all, it is essential that the capacity of the

United Nations to serve the interests of peace in a timely

fashion be increased. In this connection, I should like to

reiterate my delegation’s support for the initiative

concerning the stand-by forces to be made available to the

United Nations within pre-agreed response times for any

new or expanded peace-keeping operation.

In the final analysis, peace-keeping operations are

only a temporary arrangement. Real solutions lie in

getting at the root of the problem, which can best be

overcome by promoting economic development,

protecting human rights, securing social justice and

affirming democratic principles. Without real progress in

these areas, international peace and security will remain

an unattainable goal. It is therefore imperative to restore

the balance between the United Nations political and

military activities and its economic and social

programmes.

18

The 1990s have often been described as a period of

unprecedented changes marked by the end of the cold war,

the cessation of Power rivalries, economic globalization and

interdependence, a greater flow of capital, goods and

services, and the widespread dissemination of ideas through

a revolution in communications. A huge peace dividend

was expected to accrue to the global economy. But these

hopes have been dashed because the condition of the

neediest countries, including the least developed and land-

locked, has actually declined in the past five years. A

constructive dialogue and partnership between developed

and developing countries based on a mutuality of interests,

interdependence and shared responsibility has not

materialized. Many developing countries have carried out

painful structural reforms but the socio-economic outlook

has not been encouraging for them. Ironically, even the new

world trade regime, promising fresh trade and development

opportunities for many countries, will have an adverse

impact on the economies of the least developed if

substantial corrective measures are not taken in time.

A number of important conferences in recent years

have underlined both the inadequacies and the promises of

international cooperation. Agenda 21 of the Rio Conference

on Environment and Development remains largely on paper

for want of necessary resources. The central role of human

beings in development was affirmed last year by the

International Conference on Population and Development.

The Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development

recognized three interrelated concerns of the United

Nations: poverty, unemployment and the disintegration of

societies. The Fourth World Conference on Women, in

Beijing last month, sought to address the basic Charter

principle of absolute equality between men and women in

the contemporary world order.

Individual human beings and the improvement of their

lots are at the centre of all development, as is emphasized

so eloquently by the Secretary-General in his Agenda for

Development. Peace, economic growth, the environment,

justice and democracy are now recognized to be the five

integral dimensions of development. Greater resources and

political will are urgently needed to transform our promises

and commitments into action. Strengthening rather than

weakening the principal development arms of the United

Nations, such as the United Nations Development

Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the

United Nations Population Fund; a reformed Economic and

Social Council; reforms within the United Nations

structures; and increased cooperation between the United

Nations bodies and Bretton Woods institutions are key to a

new approach to meaningful international development

cooperation in the next half century of the United

Nations.

The last decade of the century has also opened up

exciting possibilities to prevent the proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction and to decelerate the arms

race. As host to the United Nations Regional Centre for

Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, Nepal

has been a strong consistent believer in institutional

arrangements for the strengthening of the world

disarmament campaign. We believe in international,

regional and subregional dialogues for the enhancement

of openness, transparency and confidence-building and for

the promotion of disarmament and security. The major

focus of disarmament measures in 1995 was the Review

and Extension Conference of the Nuclear Non-

Proliferation Treaty held in New York in April-May. Not

only did the Conference strengthen the nuclear non-

proliferation regime by extending the Treaty for an

indefinite period, it also adopted a widely hailed package

of decisions, emphasizing the need for the establishment

of a comprehensive disarmament regime to meet the

security concerns of all countries through the fulfilment

of commitments undertaken by the nuclear-weapon States.

These commitments include the speedy conclusion of a

comprehensive test-ban treaty, legally binding security

assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States against the use

or threat of use of nuclear weapons, the unimpeded non-

discriminatory transfer of nuclear technology for peaceful

purposes, a cut-off in the production of fissile materials

for weapons purposes and the eventual elimination of all

nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. We

therefore express our deep disappointment at the

resumption of nuclear testing. We sincerely hope that

these series of tests will not impede the conclusion of a

comprehensive test-ban treaty in 1996.

Nepal also extends its support for initiatives for a

complete ban on chemical, biological and other inhumane

weapons such as anti-personnel mines. I wish here to

point out that in the post-Second World War era, more

than these categories of weapons, conventional weapons

have caused the most misery to mankind. The

consideration of conventional weapons should also be a

priority of United Nations efforts. May I take this

opportunity to reiterate our position as to the utilization of

the resources released by disarmament measures for

development, particularly in developing countries.

19

It is entirely proper that the approach of the fiftieth

anniversary of the United Nations should have spurred a

variety of serious studies on the future of the Organization.

Among these, the consensus resolution prepared and

negotiated by the President of the General Assembly at its

forty-ninth session on the strengthening of the United

Nations system is of great relevance at the present time.

While high-level working groups have been patiently busy

preparing recommendations to improve the financial

situation of the United Nations and concerning the

expansion of the Security Council, Nepal believes more in

a coordinated and integrated approach to making our

Organization more efficient, effective and adaptable to the

changing times.

There appears to be universal recognition that the

Security Council, the principal organ of the United Nations

primarily responsible for the maintenance of international

peace and security, should more fully reflect the realities of

the contemporary world.

The perpetuation of exclusive rights may not be

justified, especially without the proper accommodation of

other pressing considerations. There is undoubted consensus

on the need for an increase in membership. If an increase

has to be effected in both the permanent and non-permanent

categories, the basic principles of regional and democratic

representation should not be vitiated. In the selection of

members of the Security Council, due regard should of

course be specifically paid to the contribution of Member

States to the maintenance of international peace and

security. However, particular consideration should be given

to ensuring that no region should be under-represented or

unrepresented, and that a minimum of balance is maintained

in the overall membership between the industrial North and

the developing South.

It is painful to see the United Nations afflicted with

financial problems. In our view, this is not due to faulty

assessment systems. The non-payment of accepted

obligations is largely to blame. The present deficit of more

than three and half billion dollars amounts in fact to more

than three times the regular budget of the Organization.

While we are prepared for a review of the current

assessment systems based on the doctrine of capacity to

pay, and while we believe that no one country should be

asked to assume excessive burdens, we urge that Member

States pay their dues on time. We note that the Secretary-

General has been forced to resort to cross-funding of

regular budget deficits from the peace-keeping budget. This

is obviously not fair to troop-contributing nations, many of

which are developing countries. The withholding of the

reimbursements due to them shifts the burden from rich

countries to poorer ones.

In conclusion, I wish to touch briefly on the regional

cooperation activities taking place in the South Asian

region. The South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation (SAARC) will celebrate its tenth anniversary

in December this year. Through the medium of SAARC,

Nepal is pursuing a policy of promoting regional

cooperation in a pragmatic and result-oriented manner.

We have identified and are engaged in various areas of

cooperation, from the suppression of terrorism to fighting

drug abuse and trafficking, from environmental

preservation to poverty alleviation. The South Asian

Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA), which is

entering into force this year, is one of our important

regional cooperation measures. Nepal looks forward to

working together with our regional partners with greater

vigour and determination to bring about regional peace,

stability, progress and cooperation.