Sweden, 2011

More than 10 years ago,

we decided to set eight concrete goals to free

humankind from extreme poverty, from hunger and

disease, and from illiteracy. We called them the

Millennium Development Goals. These Goals have

been powerful. They have helped the international

community to monitor and mobilize resources for

development cooperation.

And important progress has been made. We have

seen poverty decline in many countries. By 2015, the

global poverty rate is expected to fall below 15 per

cent. We have seen some of the poorest countries make

the greatest strides in education. Child mortality has

been reduced. New HIV infections are declining

steadily. Access to clean drinking water has increased.

But we still have a long way to go in other areas in

order to raise standards of living and offer equal

opportunities to people around the globe.

Today I would like to focus on one key area

where progress is still very slow. But since it affects

half of the world’s population and half its human

resources, it is of crucial importance. I am referring to

maybe the most important human rights failure of all,

or at least the one that affects the largest number of

human beings. I am referring to the unmet human,

economic and social rights of 3.5 billion women and

girls. They make up half of the world, but they are not

allowed to fulfil their potential as powerful drivers of

economic development as well as of peace and

security.

Let me just fill members in on the situation we

have today. Women perform 66 per cent of the world’s

work and produce 50 per cent of its food, but they earn

only 10 per cent of its income and own one per cent of

its property. Seventy per cent of the world’s poor

population are women or girls. Every day,

approximately 1,000 women die from causes related to

pregnancy and childbirth. That adds up to about

350,000 deaths each year.

This week we witnessed a historic step in the

history of the United Nations, when Brazilian President

Dilma Rousseff became the first woman ever to open

the general debate. At the same time — standing here,

mid-2011 — there are still countries that do not allow

women to vote. And only in 28 countries has women’s

parliamentary representation reached a critical mass of

30 per cent or more. Only 19 women lead their

countries as elected Heads of State or Government.

This is not fair. It is not just. And, frankly, it makes no

sense.

To me, gender equality is first and foremost a

question of ensuring equal rights for women and men.

It is about giving all individuals, irrespective of gender,

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the same possibilities of education, economic

opportunity and participating in society. In 2011, there

are women who still do not enjoy equal rights. They

are refused the rights to vote, to inherit, to work and

even to drive a car. And at the far end of the spectrum,

women are subject to gender-based violence and rape

as a weapon of war.

But gaps in these rights are not only a loss for the

women affected; they are a loss to society as a whole

and, I must say, very bad economic policy for the

countries concerned. Not least in these times of global

economic crisis, it seems obvious that we should

realize the full potential of all human resources.

I will give a few examples. Closing the gap

between male and female employment rates would

have huge implications for the global economy. It

would boost the United States gross domestic product

(GDP) by as much as 9 per cent, the eurozone GDP by

13 per cent and Japanese GDP by as much as 16 per

cent. But increased gender equality does not merely

have immediate economic benefits; it is also an

investment for the future. The evidence from a range of

countries is clear. When women take greater control of

household income, more money is spent on children’s

needs, such as food, health and education. Children

grow taller, are ill less often and are likely to get better

jobs. Moreover, when women play a greater part in

society by shaping institutions or taking leading roles

in politics or business life, there are clear

improvements for the public good, and corruption is

lessened. When they are present at the building of

peace, results improve.

In short, I see gender equality not only as a

crucial human rights issue, but also as a question of

smart economics. I would urge all representatives

sitting in this Hall today to imagine what it would

mean in terms of economic growth for their countries if

women were allowed to participate fully in society.

As technology develops, the world is changing.

In one minute I can use my mobile phone to get hold of

a friend on the other side of the globe or my children

back home in Sweden. That is, of course, amazing. But

in one minute, we can also get a first-hand report on

the situation in troubled parts of the world. We can get

first-hand access to pictures of abuse and violence,

taken by hidden mobile phones and for the whole

world to see. Today, ideas of freedom and democracy

are spreading at the speed of sound. We have seen it in

North Africa. We are seeing it in the Middle East. The

Internet and new technology have laid out a high-speed

motorway heading towards democracy and freedom.

We can see that some are trying to put out roadblocks;

repressive Governments try to quash the rights they

fear.

The United Nations must play a leading role in

embracing and maintaining those new roads to

democracy and freedom. The United Nations Special

Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the

right to freedom of opinion and expression recently

concluded that there must be as little restriction as

possible of online freedom of expression. He called it

an enabler of other human rights. Sweden, together

with 40 other nations around the world, strongly

supports his conclusion. We want to build an alliance

for the freedom of the Internet, and we have launched a

special initiative for democratization and freedom of

expression so that we can urgently support human

rights activists and agents of democratic change. The

Internet is the new front line in the fight for freedom

across the world.

In many countries, my own included, we take

freedom for granted. In other countries, it is still a

dream. This year, we have witnessed courageous

people in North Africa and the Middle East taking to

the streets to fight for their dream; to fight for freedom,

openness and democracy. For this, they must have our

support. When there are threats of genocide, war

crimes, ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity —

when autocratic rulers, as in Syria, turn their guns on

their own citizens — then the international community

has a responsibility to protect civilians.

Sweden hopes to play its part in this decisive

phase in the region. We are contributing to the

implementation of Security Council resolutions 1970

(2011) and 1973 (2011) in Libya. We are providing

substantial humanitarian support to several countries in

North Africa and the Middle East. And when the new

Governments turn to the crucial task of establishing

democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for

human rights, we will be ready to continue our support

and do more to see the Arab Spring turn into a

blossoming summer.

The European Union is firmly committed to

Israel and a Palestinian State living side by side with

each other in peace and security. We all want to see the

peace process resume. Violations of international law

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must cease. Only then can a true and lasting peace be

achieved.

The Horn of Africa is suffering its worst famine

in 60 years. We are faced with a huge humanitarian

disaster. The international community must respond

faster and better, now. Disasters such as those in Haiti,

Pakistan and now in the Horn of Africa show the

central importance of the United Nations in

humanitarian action. The United Nations needs our full

support to further improve the international response

capacity.

In a globalized world, we are not just

interconnected online; together we share a planet with

finite resources. And yet we consume as if there was no

tomorrow. I believe that sustainable development

requires global solutions. In this respect, the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be

held next year in Brazil will be very important. I am

really hoping for a strong renewed political commitment to

sustainable development.

We are also looking for concrete progress at the

Durban Climate Change Conference in November. We

know what we need and we have known it for some

time — further reductions of greenhouse gas

emissions. If we do not achieve that, we are simply not

going to be able to reverse the trend of global warming.

These are turbulent times. Some countries are

suffering from financial and economic crises; others

are suffering from the severe consequences of global

warming; yet others are building new societies as

freedom and democracy have replaced dictatorships

and repression. More than ever, there is a need for a

well-functioning global arena for international

cooperation and conflict resolution and for the pursuit

of sustainable economic, social and environmental

development. The need for a strong United Nations,

based on political legitimacy, justice and human rights,

is as strong as ever. Sweden will do its utmost to

support a strong United Nations through substantial

contributions to humanitarian and development

assistance and to its work for peace, security and

human rights.

We also want to help revitalize the work of the

United Nations on disarmament and non-proliferation.

Together with Mexico we will, as co-Chairs of the

seventh Conference Facilitating the Entry into Force of

the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, work

hard on advancing the Treaty’s entry into force.

We have also presented our candidature for a seat

on the Human Rights Council for the period

2013-2015. As a member of the Council, Sweden

would contribute actively to making it a more efficient

and active body and to promoting the universal

enjoyment of human rights — making rights real.

This week we commemorate the fiftieth

anniversary of the death of the Swedish Secretary-

General Dag Hammarskjöld. He played an important

role in reforming and shaping the United Nations as we

know it today. Let me conclude with these words from

Dag Hammarskjöld:

“The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials

and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can

never be relaxed and never abandoned”.

That was true then and it is true today.