Sweden, 2004

A few weeks ago, 200

innocent children were killed by terrorists in Beslan.

Today alone, 1,700 children will be born marked by

death from HIV/AIDS from their first breath. Also

today, hundreds of children will die from starvation,

bullets or mines in numerous parts of the world.

Has this world become a better place than it was

a generation ago? Yes, I still believe it has. Democracy

is more widespread than ever before. The cold war has

come to an end. Fewer people are suffering from

famine.

Better - but still, this world is not a good place.

As long as children die of famine, as long as war and

violence end lives that have barely started, the world is

not good. As long as children die from curable diseases

such as malaria and tuberculosis, we - the political

leaders of our countries - have not done enough.

We need a stronger commitment, a stronger link

between words and deeds. We must pull together, more

determined than ever. Each individual carries a

responsibility to take action for the sake of the

collective. We need a stronger United Nations.

I want to see progress. Sweden is a staunch

supporter of United Nations reform efforts. While

advocating reforms, we believe that the core principles

of the United Nations Charter remain as valid as ever.

Threats to international peace and security must be met

collectively. The use of force is permitted only as a last

resort and when authorized by the Security Council,

unless it is an act of self-defence.

We need to make the United Nations more

relevant. We need a United Nations that can act early

and quickly, in an integrated, sustainable and

legitimate manner. Last year, the Secretary-General

called upon us all to take decisive action in order to

safeguard multilateralism. He will need our strong

support to follow up on the report of the High-Level

Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.

For the Security Council to remain legitimate,

representative and relevant, its composition must better

reflect the world of today. Since the adoption of the

United Nations Charter, a small number of countries

have emerged as key political and economic Powers.

Those countries should be given a role which is

commensurate with their importance. We also need a

Security Council that ensures the legitimate interests of

small and medium-sized countries. An expansion of the

Security Council should not undermine its efficiency.

A way to safeguard this would be to limit the use of the

veto power. I hope that the High-Level Panel will

present a bold proposal that will end the present

stalemate. A joint seat for the European Union should

not be ruled out as an option for the future.

Managing transition from conflict to peace has

become a primary responsibility of the United Nations.

A standing committee of the Security Council to advise

it on post-conflict transition issues would facilitate that

task. The Economic and Social Council must be more

effective in bridging the gap between peacekeeping,

peace-building and development.

Still, weapons of mass destruction constitute one

of the main threats to international peace and security.

The threat of terrorism in connection with the

proliferation of such weapons is real.

The need for strong policies in disarmament and

non-proliferation is acute. The nuclear-weapon States

must show real progress towards disarmament. Efforts

to combat proliferation must be strengthened.

Compliance with existing treaties leaves much to be

desired, and must improve.

A wave of terrorist acts has shaken the world in

the past few years. The months when we have not had

to mourn victims of terrorism are easily counted. We

are all repelled by the barbaric acts of terrorism around

the world, from Beslan to Jakarta. Nothing can be

crueller than the violent, senseless and tragic loss of

innocent lives. All States must work together to

preserve a democratic, secure and open society. That is

how we will defeat terrorism.

But we must also admit that we will never be

successful if we fail to defeat the causes of terrorism.

For me, it is clear: fanaticism and fundamentalism

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exploit people's sense of injustice and lack of hope.

Poverty, oppression, insecurity, intolerance, absence of

democratic structures and lack of political freedom ó

they are all part of the breeding ground.

The fight against terrorism must be carried out

with determination. There are no short cuts: human

rights must be respected; international law must be

followed. Our global human rights instruments aim at

protecting the individual. But just as human beings are

equal, so are States, big and small. International law is

the ultimate guarantee that all States, no matter their

size or power, are treated equally. For the sake of all

nations, we need a strong multilateral system.

The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians

continues to take innocent lives, causing unending

human tragedy. Commitment from the parties to a

peaceful solution and an end to occupation is crucial.

On the Israeli side, excessive violence, extrajudicial

killings, settlement activity and destruction of property

must end. Israel's right and obligation to protect its

people must be exercised within the context of

international law. On the Palestinian side, areas of

particular concern remain corruption, and security and

political reform. The indiscriminate and horrendous

terrorist attacks must stop, and the Palestinian

Authority must do more to achieve that.

To realize the vision of two States - a viable and

democratic Palestine living in peace and security side

by side with an Israel within secure and recognized

borders, on the basis of Security Council resolutions

242 (1967) and 338 (1973) - the parties need to meet

their obligations. The road map of the Quartet is the

tool to achieve this, but both sides must demonstrate a

will to use it.

In Iraq, a united international community should

give the Iraqi people all necessary support for the

building of an independent and democratic Iraq. To

that end, the role of the United Nations is vital. What

Iraq and the whole region need is not a new war, but a

new peace.

In Afghanistan, the security situation remains

worrying. The attacks against national and

international assistance workers are unacceptable. The

international community should stand by Afghanistan

in building a stable, secure and democratic society.

The size and scope of United Nations

peacekeeping operations have expanded dramatically. I

welcome the trend towards peacekeeping operations

with broad and comprehensive tasks, including the

protection of vulnerable civilian populations.

Children continue to be victims of war and

conflict. Nothing can be more important than the life

and health of children. The late Swedish Prime

Minister Olof Palme used to say that it is not

meaningful to talk about 'my children and your

children'; it is all about our children - the only

tangible connection to the future that we have. Their

protection should be paramount to all of us.

Four years ago, Security Council resolution

1325 (2000) on women, peace and security was

adopted. It was a groundbreaking achievement. But

now we need to do more to translate its common

objectives into concrete improvements for women

around the world.

An increasing number of United Nations and

other peacekeeping missions are set up in Africa.

While hardship is the plight of countless men, women

and children on the continent, Africa today brings hope

of a more vigorous leadership to confront its

challenges. President Thabo Mbeki showed the way

with his bold New Partnership for Africaís

Development (NEPAD) initiative. From that followed

the creation of the African Union, which is now

establishing itself as a decisive body for addressing

violent conflicts.

International law should guide us in all our

collective efforts to attain freedom from weapons of

mass destruction and terrorism, sustainable

development and respect for human rights. Our finest

achievement in international law in recent years is the

creation of the International Criminal Court. I call on

the Security Council to consider the possibility of

referring matters to the Court. Sovereignty entails

responsibility. The prevention of atrocities requires

international action if Governments fail to assume their

responsibility.

At the Stockholm International Forum on the

prevention of genocide last January, we pledged to

shoulder our responsibility to protect potential victims

of genocide, mass murder and ethnic cleansing. We

pledged to ensure that the perpetrators of genocidal

acts are brought to justice. And we pledged to

cooperate in the United Nations on these efforts.

Discussions on the definition of genocide should never

stop us from taking action when it is called for.

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The recent Security Council resolution, resolution

1564 (2004), on the terrible tragedy in Darfur is a

necessary step in this direction. I particularly welcome

the request to establish an international commission of

inquiry. My Government stands ready to give the

Secretary-General our full support in that task.

I also welcome the appointment by the Secretary-

General of Professor Juan Mendez as his Special

Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. That will serve

to make clear the link between massive and systematic

violations of human rights and threats to international

peace and security.

Another issue of serious concern is the use of the

death penalty. For me, as a democrat and humanist, it

can never be accepted. I want us to make every effort

to seek the abolishment of the death penalty.

The Millennium Declaration and the Millennium

Development Goals are at the core of the worldís

efforts to put an end to hunger and poverty. The

collective political will to give priority to sustainable

global development, over short-term national interests,

will be the decisive factor in turning promise into

reality.

Rich countries must fulfil their commitments. I

am proud to tell you that Sweden will reach its national

goal of 1 per cent of gross national income for official

development assistance in 2006. But development

assistance alone will not yield the needed results. Both

the developed and the developing world must move

forward on a number of other issues. And Sweden will

do its part.

We have translated the international agenda into

national policy, giving the entire range of government

activities one single objective: to contribute to

equitable and sustainable global development. We will

act in a coherent way with that single objective in

every field, whether trade, environment or agricultural

policy. But this is not enough. Other decisive areas are

good governance and transparency, democracy and

human rights, women and workersí rights. Let us end

the blame game. Let us focus on getting the job done.

Next year, we will gather in this Hall for a

summit meeting to review progress on the

implementation of the Millennium Declaration. By

then, we will also have reflected on the findings of the

High-Level Panel and the recommendations of the

Secretary-General.

It will be a decisive moment for the United

Nations. It will be a chance for us, the Members of the

United Nations, to show that we believe in collective

action and that we will shoulder our responsibility for

making our international institutions stronger and more

effective.

Let us not fail the United Nations at this most

critical juncture. Let us not shirk our responsibilities in

the face of complex new realities. Let us choose a

secure and prosperous future for all.