Sweden, 1994

May I at the outset

express my sincere congratulations to you, Sir, on your

election to the important post of President of the General

Assembly at its forty-ninth session.

The loss of the ferry Estonia in the Baltic Sea, where

more than 900 people perished, brought disaster close to

our shores. The shock still lingers in the hearts and minds

of all people around the Baltic. I am certain that this tragic

event will in the end bring the stricken peoples even closer

together. Let me convey our sincere gratitude for the

sympathy and condolences that have been expressed in this

Assembly.

Sweden’s commitment to the United Nations and its

principles and ideals is longstanding, firm and deep. To the

new Swedish Government this commitment is crucial. The

fiftieth anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations is

approaching. It is perhaps the most important political

document in the hands of humanity today. Its strength and

potential are immense and must be brought to fruition.

In the spirit of the Charter, world leaders should

mobilize a global civic spirit of solidarity to extend the

scope of and respect for international law and to

strengthen global governance. The United Nations gives

us an international system of law to avoid anarchy and

the rule of the strongest. The United Nations enables us

to work together to thwart ruthless assertion of

self-interest and spheres of influence.

Sweden wants a United Nations which reacts

effectively against atrocities and mitigates human

suffering and through which we can tackle the major

questions of global survival, together and in solidarity.

Sweden wants a United Nations that not only is a forum

for the interests of States but that places the well-being of

the individual at the centre. Solidarity does not recognize

borders. Let me quote from the statement of the

President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, in this

Assembly a week ago:

"The millions across our globe who stand expectant

at the gates of hope look to this Organization to

bring them peace, to bring them life, to bring them

a life worth living." (Official Records of the

General Assembly, Forty-ninth Session, Plenary

Meetings, 14th meeting, p. 10)

These expectations and hopes are threatened by war

and violence, by the suppression of human rights, and by

racism and xenophobia. They are threatened by

starvation, poverty, disasters and environmental

degradation. Peace and security, democracy, human

rights and sustainable economic and social development

constitute a cohesive entity. If we neglect any of these

values, we endanger the others.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are here among us in

this Assembly as democratic and sovereign countries from

which Russian troops have at long last been withdrawn.

Diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East offer hopes

for a comprehensive and lasting peace. In El Salvador the

United Nations has made a significant contribution to

ending the civil war. In South Africa, the apartheid has

been dismantled.

Yet we are confronted with new conflicts and dangers.

We must all learn from tragic events such as those in

Rwanda and Somalia. The inconceivable suffering in

Rwanda points to the need for preventive diplomacy, early

action and the coordination of United Nations efforts. In

Somalia, the break-up of organized society and the ensuing

large-scale violence and starvation underline the need for

the careful coordination of peace-keeping, peacemaking and

peace-building endeavours.

While taking a forceful attitude to gain respect, the

United Nations should avoid military enforcement other

than as a very last resort and with a clear Security Council

mandate.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina and in other parts of the

former Yugoslavia, efforts to end the conflict must be

intensified and accepted by all parties. Pressure on Bosnian

Serbs has to be further increased. Only in peace can the

tragic consequences of "ethnic cleansing" be reversed.

Now is the time to work out plans for reconstruction and

reconciliation.

The Swedish Government is concerned about

information on Iraqi military activity close to the border

with Kuwait. We fully support the statement on the

situation made by the Security Council three days ago.

In facing the challenges of the post-cold-war

international system, Member States must give their full

support to the United Nations, but they must also actively

promote necessary reforms of the Organization. The

Commission on Global Governance, headed by the Swedish

Prime Minister and by Mr. Ramphal, will present proposals

for reform early next year.

Let me mention a few areas where, in my view,

reform is urgently needed.

The United Nations must be able to operate more

efficiently and according to modern principles of

management, and new priorities have to be set.

We need an enlarged and more effective Security

Council, one that is both legitimate and representative.

There is a need for increased transparency in the work of

the Council. Countries in all regions must feel that they

are partners in its actions. The Council has to maintain

political control over the actions it authorizes. It must not

become an instrument for dividing the world into spheres

of interest, one in which the collective nature of United

Nations action is not sufficiently safeguarded.

Sweden has drawn experience from its participation

in the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).

Substantive consultations between troop contributors, the

Secretariat and Security Council members on a formal

and regular basis are necessary.

There must be a particular focus on early warning

and early action in conflict resolution. Preventive

diplomacy should be further strengthened. Thousands of

lives can be saved and costly relief efforts avoided if

action is taken in time.

The new Swedish Government is ready to establish

a United Nations peace-keeping brigade. We do this in

response to the Secretary-General’s proposal for stand-by

forces set up by Member States, ready to be deployed in

crisis areas without delay.

The need for better and more uniform training of

peace-keepers is urgent. Particular attention should be

paid to improved coordination between the military

aspects of peace-keeping and civilian and humanitarian

efforts. With this in mind, Sweden is prepared to

contribute to improved training of peace-keepers.

Sweden would like to see closer interaction between

humanitarian programmes and peace-keeping operations.

There is great potential for humanitarian action as a tool

of preventive diplomacy, as well as for promoting a

political climate that can facilitate the peaceful settlement

of disputes at an early stage.

The reluctance of Member States to pay their dues

in full and on time is frustrating and must cease

immediately. When this lack of discipline affects the

financing of peace-keeping operations, it puts an

additional burden on the troop contributors.

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Sweden welcomes measures by the Department of

Humanitarian Affairs to coordinate the activities of

humanitarian agencies and many non-governmental

organizations.

Human rights is another area of priority for the

Swedish Government. Fortunately, there is a growing and

widening awareness among Member States of the role of

human rights and democracy for the development of

modern societies. Binding norms protecting human rights

exist, yet violations continue. This is unacceptable.

Governments must show the will and commitment to fully

implement human rights norms.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child was a great

achievement. It is indeed a great challenge to assure all

children of care, protection, education and freedom from

hunger and from physical or mental violence, as provided

for in the Convention and reaffirmed at the World Summit

for Children. Governments which have ratified the

Convention must live up to their commitments to the

children of the world.

Solidarity is fundamental in our efforts to overcome

global economic and social challenges, and, thus,

fundamental to prospects for peace and solidarity. The

United Nations has a unique and central role in this

endeavour.

Sweden’s development cooperation will focus on

support for the long-term, sustainable development of poor

countries, with special emphasis on democracy, popular

participation and the rights of women and children.

Sweden will continue to allocate a substantial amount

of its assistance to operational activities in the United

Nations. We will also continue our efforts to strengthen the

United Nations function as a forum for normative

discussion and action and as a channel for development

cooperation. The quality and effectiveness of United

Nations activities in the economic and social field have to

be improved, while at the same a stable and predictable

flow of resources is secured.

Priorities and the allocation of responsibilities within

the international community need to be discussed further.

"An Agenda for Development" (A/48/935) is a key

instrument in this endeavour. We must use it to draw up

a clear and strategic programme of action for the United

Nations system in the development area.

The International Conference on Population and

Development in Cairo, the World Summit for Social

Development to be held in Copenhagen, and the Fourth

World Conference on Women in Beijing are all linked.

They contribute to the achievement of human security in

a broader sense.

The Cairo Conference established that questions of

population and development must be treated together.

The starting-point must be the human being and the rights

and security of the individual.

Agenda 21, adopted at the Rio Conference,

facilitates joint action to achieve sustainable development

at both the local and the global level. All over Sweden

local versions of Agenda 21 are now being actively

pursued.

It is imperative to stop wasting resources and

thereby depriving future generations of their means of

livelihood. Patterns of consumption and production must

be sustainable. In this regard, the developed countries

have a particular responsibility. Ecological balance must

be established also while we combat poverty.

Disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons

of mass destruction are central to the goals of preventing

conflicts, promoting peace and fostering economic and

social development. In recent years important progress

has been made. Agreements that were inconceivable only

a few years ago have been concluded. But signatures are

not enough. Agreements must also be ratified and

implemented if they are to contribute to peace and

security.

Furthermore, the present momentum should be used

to strengthen and further develop well-established

disarmament regimes. The need to establish a verification

system for the Convention on biological weapons is a

case in point.

The non-proliferation Treaty is a key to both nuclear

disarmament and non-proliferation. The Treaty is the

only multilateral agreement in which nuclear-weapon

States have committed themselves to nuclear

disarmament. As long as nuclear weapons exist, we must

insist that these commitments be honoured. It is not least

with this in mind that the extension of the Treaty should

be pursued. Our common goal must be a world free of

nuclear arms.

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On several occasions, Sweden has presented proposals

for a comprehensive test-ban treaty. We are gratified that

all States, including the nuclear-weapon States, are now

prepared to negotiate such a treaty. It is essential that these

negotiations be concluded in the very near future.

Sweden was one of the first countries to ratify the

chemical weapons Convention. So far, almost 160 States

have signed the Convention, but only 16 have ratified it.

We urge all States to take the necessary steps for

ratification, so that the Convention can enter into force

without delay.

Some 100 million land-mines all over the world

represent both an acute and an impending humanitarian

disaster as well as a threat to economic development, even

years and decades after hostilities have ceased. The

long-term solution is an international agreement to ban

anti-personnel land-mines. Sweden has proposed such a

ban.

Regional instruments for preventing and dealing with

conflicts are being developed. This should not deprive the

regions involved of support from the international

community through the United Nations. The responsibility

of the United Nations, including the Security Council,

remains universal.

The Conference on Security and Cooperation in

Europe (CSCE) is a central and indispensable institution for

conflict prevention and management. The endeavours of

the CSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities have

effectively contributed to building security in Europe, as

have the CSCE missions in the field.

The Swedish experience of cooperation between the

CSCE and the United Nations tells us that global and

regional efforts are not in contradiction but are mutually

reinforcing.

Sweden’s non-participation in military alliances

remains unchanged. This policy contributes to the

maintenance of stability in the north of Europe, and

improves our possibilities of working for common security

in Europe and in the world at large.

Sweden will actively contribute to the new security

partnership in Europe by responding rapidly to requests

from the United Nations, and by contributing substantially

to activities of the Council of Europe, the CSCE and the

Partnership for Peace arrangement. We want to strengthen

cooperation with all our neighbours around the Baltic Sea

and in the Barents Sea region. We look forward to

cooperation in all areas with the new, democratic Russia.

Sweden has applied for membership in the European

Union. In one month the people of Sweden will decide

on this important question in a referendum. As a member

of the Union, Sweden would whole-heartedly support the

Union’s efforts to promote security and economic and

social development, not only in Europe but on a global

scale. It is by looking outwards, by forging links and

extending its cooperation to other regions, that the

European Union makes its contribution to global stability

and solidarity. Let me emphasize that there is no

contradiction between European and global cooperation.

Sweden will be an active member of the United Nations

and defend openness and international cooperation.

Sweden has presented its candidature for a seat on

the Security Council for the period 1997 to 1998. The

Swedish candidature is based on our commitment to

global security, on our will to promote international law,

and on our conviction that conflicts can and must be

solved by addressing their root causes before they lead to

war.

Sweden’s support for the United Nations is a

fundamental national interest and a cornerstone in our

foreign policy, for reasons of peace, freedom, security,

democracy and justice. For these reasons, Sweden will

strongly promote the United Nations — a United Nations

based on democratic principles, giving us all a voice in

our common future.