United States, 2007

Thank you for the opportunity

to address the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Sixty years ago, representatives from 16 nations

gathered to begin deliberations on a new international

bill of rights. The document they produced is called the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it stands

as a landmark achievement in the history of human

liberty. The Declaration opens by recognizing the

inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of

all members of the human family as the foundation of

freedom and justice and peace in the world. As we

gather for the sixty-second session of the General

Assembly, the standards of the Declaration must guide

our work in this world.

Achieving the promise of the Declaration requires

confronting long-term threats. It also requires

answering the immediate needs of today.

We nations in this Hall have our differences. Yet,

there are some areas where we can all agree. When

innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and

fear, the Declaration is not being upheld. When

millions of children starve to death or perish from a

mosquito bite, we are not doing our duty in the world.

When whole societies are cut off from the prosperity of

the global economy, we are all worse off. Changing

these underlying conditions is what the Declaration

calls the work of larger freedom, and it must be the

work of every nation in this Assembly.

This great institution must work for great

purposes, to free people from tyranny and violence,

hunger and disease, illiteracy and ignorance and

poverty and despair. Every member of the United

Nations must join in this mission of liberation. The

first mission of the United Nations requires liberating

people from tyranny and violence. The first article of

the Universal Declaration begins by stating that all

human beings are born free and equal in dignity and

rights. This truth is denied by terrorists and extremists

who kill the innocent with the aim of imposing their

hateful vision on humanity. The followers of this

violent ideology are a threat to civilized people

everywhere. All civilized nations must work together

to stop them by sharing intelligence about their

networks and choking off their finances and bringing to

justice their operatives. In the long run, the best way to

defeat extremists is to defeat their dark ideology with a

more hopeful vision the vision of liberty that

founded this body.

The United States salutes the nations that have

recently taken strides towards liberty, including

Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Liberia,

Sierra Leone and Morocco. The Palestinian territories

have moderate leaders mainstream leaders who

are working to build free institutions that fight terror,

enforce the law and respond to the needs of their

people. The international community must support

these leaders so that we can advance the vision of two

democratic States Israel and Palestine living side

by side in peace and security.

Brave citizens in Lebanon and Afghanistan and

Iraq have made the choice for democracy. Yet, the

extremists have responded by targeting them for

murder. This is not a show of strength; it is evidence of

fear; and the extremists are doing everything within

their power to bring down these young democracies.

The people of Lebanon and Afghanistan and Iraq have

asked for our help, and every civilized nation has a

responsibility to stand with them. Every civilized

nation also has a responsibility to stand up for the

people suffering under dictatorship. In Belarus, North

Korea, Syria and Iran, brutal regimes deny their people

the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal

Declaration.

Americans are outraged by the situation in

Burma, where a military junta has imposed a 19-year

reign of fear. Basic freedoms of speech, assembly and

worship are severely restricted. Ethnic minorities are

persecuted. Forced child labour, human trafficking and

rape are common. The regime is holding more than

1,000 political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi,

whose party was elected overwhelmingly by the

Burmese people in 1990.

The ruling junta remains unyielding, yet the

people’s desire for freedom is unmistakable. This

morning, I am announcing a series of steps to help

bring peaceful change to Burma. The United States will

tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the

regime and their financial backers. We will impose an

expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most

egregious violations of human rights as well as their

family members. We will continue to support the

efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate

suffering in Burma. And I urge the United Nations and

all nations to use their diplomatic and economic

leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their

freedom.

In Cuba, the long rule of a cruel dictator is

nearing its end. The Cuban people are ready for their

freedom. And as that nation enters a period of

transition, the United Nations must insist on free

speech, free assembly and, ultimately, free and

competitive elections.

In Zimbabwe, ordinary citizens suffer under a

tyrannical regime. The Government has cracked down

on peaceful calls for reform and has forced millions to

flee their homeland. The behaviour of the Mugabe

regime is an assault on its people and an affront to the

principles of the Universal Declaration. The United

Nations must insist on change in Harare and must insist

on freedom for the people of Zimbabwe.

In Sudan, innocent civilians are suffering

repression; and in the Darfur region, many are losing

their lives to genocide. America has responded with

tough sanctions against those responsible for the

violence. We have provided more than $2 billion in

humanitarian and peacekeeping aid. I look forward to

attending a Security Council meeting that will focus on

Darfur, chaired by the French President. I appreciate

France’s leadership in helping to stabilize Sudan’s

neighbours. The United Nations must answer this

challenge to conscience and live up to its promise to

promptly deploy peacekeeping forces to Darfur.

Secondly, the mission of the United Nations

requires liberating people from hunger and disease.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration states that

everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate

for the health and well-being of himself and of his

family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical

care. Around the world, the United Nations is carrying

out noble efforts to live up to these words.

Feeding the hungry has long been a special

calling for my nation. Today, more than half the

world’s food assistance comes from America. We send

emergency food stocks to starving people, from camps

in Sudan to slums around the world. I have proposed

an innovative initiative to alleviate hunger under which

America would purchase the crops of local farmers in

Africa and elsewhere, rather than shipping in food

from the developed world. This would help build up

local agriculture and break the cycle of famine in the

developing world, and I urge our United States

Congress to support this initiative.

Many in this Hall are bringing the spirit of

generosity to fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria. Five

years ago, in sub-Saharan Africa, an AIDS diagnosis

was widely considered a death sentence, and fewer

than 50,000 people infected with the virus were

receiving treatment. The world responded by creating

the Global Fund, which is working with Governments

and the private sector to fight the disease around the

world. The United States decided to take these efforts a

step further by launching the $15 billion Emergency

Plan for AIDS Relief. Since 2003, this effort has

helped bring cutting-edge medicines to more than a

million people in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a good start.

So earlier this year, I proposed to double our initial

commitment to $30 billion. By coming together, the

world can turn the tide against HIV/AIDS, once and for

all.

Malaria is another common killer. In some

countries, malaria takes as many lives as HIV/AIDS,

the vast majority of them children under the age of

five. Every one of these deaths is unnecessary, because

the disease is preventable and treatable. The world

knows what it takes to stop malaria bed nets, indoor

spraying and medicine to treat the disease. Two years

ago, America launched a $1.2 billion malaria initiative.

Other nations and the private sector are making vital

contributions as well. I call on every Member State to

maintain its focus, to find new ways to join this cause

and to bring us closer to the day when deaths caused by

malaria are no more.

Thirdly, the mission of the United Nations

requires liberating people from the chains of illiteracy

and ignorance. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration

states that everyone has the right to education. When

nations make the investments needed to educate their

people, the whole world benefits. Better education

unleashes the talent and potential of citizens and adds

to the prosperity of all of us. Better education promotes

better health and greater independence. Better

education increases the strength of democracy and

weakens the appeal of violent ideologies. So the United

States is joining with nations around the world to help

them provide a better education for their people.

A good education starts with good teachers. In

partnership with other nations, America has helped

train more than 600,000 teachers and administrators. A

good education requires good textbooks. So, in

partnership with other nations, America has distributed

tens of millions of textbooks. A good education

requires access to good schools. So, in partnership with

other nations, America is helping nations raise

standards in their schools at home and providing

scholarships to help students come to schools in the

United States. And in all our education efforts, our

nation is working to expand access for women and

girls so that the opportunity to get a decent education is

open to all.

Finally, the mission of the United Nations

requires liberating people from poverty and despair.

Article 23 of the Universal Declaration states that

everyone has the right to work, to free choice of

employment and to just and favourable conditions of

work. In the twenty-first century, this requires ensuring

that people in poor countries have the same

opportunity to benefit from the global economy that

citizens of wealthy countries have.

The United Nations provides vital economic

assistance designed to help developing nations grow

their economies and reach their potential. The United

States agrees with that position. We have dramatically

increased our own development assistance, and we are

delivering that aid in innovative ways. We started the

Millennium Challenge Account to reward nations that

govern justly, fight corruption, invest in their people

and promote economic freedom. With this aid, we are

reaching out to developing nations in partnership, not

paternalism. And we are ensuring that our aid dollars

reach those who need them and achieve results.

In the long run, the best way to lift people out of

poverty is through trade and investment. A nation that

is open and trading with the world will create

economic rewards that far exceed anything it could get

through foreign aid. During the 1990s, developing

nations that significantly lowered tariffs saw their per

capita income grow about three times faster than other

developing countries. Open markets ignite growth,

encourage investment, increase transparency,

strengthen the rule of law and help countries help

themselves.

The international community now has a historic

chance to open markets around the world by

concluding a successful Doha Round of trade talks. A

successful Doha outcome would mean real and

substantial openings in agriculture, goods and services,

and real and substantial reductions in trade-distorting

subsidies. The world’s largest trading nations,

including major developing countries, have a special

responsibility to make the tough political decisions to

reduce trade barriers. America has the wi11 and

flexibility to make those necessary decisions. Our

negotiators are demonstrating that spirit in Geneva. I

urge other leaders to direct their negotiators to do the

same. And I am optimistic that we can reach a good

Doha agreement and seize this once-in-a-generation

opportunity.

In the meantime, America wi11 continue to

pursue agreements that open trade and investment

wherever we can. We recently signed free-trade

agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama and South

Korea. These agreements embody the values of open

markets, transparent and fair regulation, respect for

private property and resolving disputes under rules of

international law. These are good agreements. They are

now ready for a congressional vote, and I urge our

Congress to approve them as soon as possible.

As America works with the United Nations to

alleviate immediate needs, we are also coming together

to address longer-term challenges. Together, we are

preparing for pandemics that could cause death and

suffering on a global scale. Together, we are working

to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction. Together, we are confronting the

challenges of energy security, environmental quality

and climate change. I appreciate the discussions on

climate change led by the Secretary-General last night.

I look forward to further discussions at the meeting of

major economies in Washington later this week.

The goals I have outlined today cannot be

achieved overnight, and they cannot be achieved

without reform of this vital institution. The United

States is committed to a strong and vibrant United

Nations. Yet the American people are disappointed by

the failures of the Human Rights Council. That body

has been silent on repression by regimes from Havana

and Caracas to Pyongyang and Tehran, while focusing

its criticism excessively on Israel. To be credible on

human rights in the world, the United Nations must

first reform its own Human Rights Council.

Some have also called for reform of the structure

of the Security Council, including an expansion of its

membership. The United States is open to this

prospect. We believe that Japan is well qualified for

permanent membership on the Security Council and

that other nations should be considered as well. The

United States will listen to all good ideas, and we will

support changes to the Security Council as part of

broader United Nations reform. And in all we do, I call

on Member States to work for an institution that

adheres to strict ethical standards and lives up to the

high principles of the Universal Declaration.

With the commitment and courage of those in this

Hall, we can build a world where people are free to

speak, assemble and worship as they wish a world

where children in every nation grow up healthy, get a

decent education and look to the future with hope a

world where opportunity crosses every border. America

will lead towards that vision, in which all are created

equal and free to pursue their dreams. That is the

founding conviction of my country. It is the promise

that established this body. And, with our determination,

it can be the future of our world.