Thailand

On behalf of the Government and people of Thailand, I extend my warm congratulations to you, Sir, upon your unanimous election to the presidency of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly. I am confident that with your leadership and experience this session will complete its work successfully and set the stage for the Millennium Assembly and the millennium summit next year. I should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Mr. Didier Opertti, President of the Assembly at its fifty-third session. My delegation truly appreciates his leadership and his tireless dedication to the heavy responsibilities entrusted to him during the past year. May I on behalf of the Government and people of Thailand congratulate the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga on their admission as new Members of the United Nations, which further reinforces the universal character of the Organization. As we gather on the threshold of the new millennium, we find the United Nations and the international community are still preoccupied with maintaining international peace and security. Yet this is only one of the many purposes of our Organization; to achieving international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is no less an important goal in our Charter. Invariably, the traditional security paradigm predominates in the discussions and ensuing actions regarding international peace and security. A decade after the end of the cold war, global and regional organizations tend to focus their efforts primarily on traditional security concepts and related tools for solving security problems. In South-East Asia, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF), which deals with some aspects of security issues in this traditional sense. But the traditional concepts of security are woefully inadequate to meet the new challenges faced by mankind. The very narrow scope of its definition serves as an intellectual strait-jacket which limits our ability to conceptualize and respond to new threats of our time. This fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly is being conducted under the menacing shadows of the conflicts in Kosovo and East Timor. All of us are preoccupied with the implications and consequences of the ways in which we choose to handle these conflicts. More and more, we in the international community are being faced with conflicts within States, not between or among States, as in the past. Rather than State rights, State interests, State sovereignty, we now have to grapple with the defence of the common good, the protection of rights beyond borders and intervention to promote and safeguard humanitarian ideals and objectives. Our Organization is now being challenged to provide clear guidelines for the collective pursuit of these new lofty goals and this complex agenda. Unless and until we, as the foremost Assembly of mankind, come up with criteria, objective and consensual, the international community will not be able to address the many lurking internal conflicts effectively. The period between now and the millennium summit next September is an opportune time for our collective deliberation on this issue. And I commend the Secretary-General for his leadership role in launching the process of consultation at the beginning of the session. My delegation pledges its full cooperation with him and with all representatives in the Assembly for the successful outcome of this historic search. But let us not forget that before we can protect and promote those common interests, save rights beyond borders and think about intervention on the ground of humanitarian concerns, we have to make sure that we are in agreement about what it is that we must, that we want to, protect and promote. I propose that we should begin to change our traditional, exclusive preoccupation with the security and sovereignty of States to serious consideration on the emerging concept of human security. It is a concept which attempts to take us beyond the traditional meaning of security, by addressing new issues. The scope of what falls within the realm of human security is still not yet well defined, except to place people at the centre of our definition of security. Security is now people-related more than State-related. 10 One interpretation of human security in vogue includes upholding human dignity, protecting and promoting human rights and use of humanitarian law, shielding women, children and non-combatants from the effects of armed conflicts, and combating terrorism. We have also seen concerted action to meet these objectives through joint efforts to eradicate anti-personnel landmines, prevent the proliferation of small arms and struggle against organized crime. This somewhat limited interpretation of human security emphasizes physical protection of the human person, and strives to provide human beings with freedom from fear. This is a step in the right direction. But it is not sufficient. We think human security should be more comprehensive. Can we afford to continue to attach less importance to addressing the social and economic dimensions of human security? Can we honestly enjoy genuine security amidst l.3 billion people who live on less than $1 a day, or another 840 million who remain malnourished? Can we fully enjoy freedom from fear without having freedom from want, which emanates from living in an environment free from infectious disease, illiteracy, poverty, natural disaster and social unrest? If we are to give importance to protecting children from harmful effects during times of war, should we not give equal importance to providing children with basic benefits during times of peace? We cannot turn a blind eye to the need to secure for people their freedom from want. We believe that human beings will begin to enjoy genuine security only if they have a chance to make a living, to be able to stand on their own two feet, to have equal opportunities to develop their livelihoods and to make their own decisions about their own futures. This will not happen so long as people are threatened by socio-economic ills such as poverty, disease, environmental degradation and social vices, including drugs. The need to pursue human security in such a broader and more comprehensive definition is made even more urgent by the multifaceted challenges that we face from unbridled globalization. Granted, globalization has created many important opportunities and benefits, such as the creation of more competitive world markets, which has led to greater efficiencies in production and faster economic growth. But I ask the question: has globalization helped eradicate poverty in the marginalized subregions of the world, or eliminated social and economic inequities even in the developed world? We cannot deny that uncontrolled market forces and unfettered short-term capital flows, to take but a few examples of globalization, have had devastating consequences on our economies, social cohesion, political stability and cultural identity — in many cases for the worse rather than for the better. The events of the recent financial crisis in Asia have brought us face-to-face with the worst consequences of globalization. Millions of adults were unemployed and a large number of children were forced to leave school. But, if anything, the crisis has made us even more determined to meet this challenge, which, though primarily financial in nature, has had immense social consequences. We have learned that the multifaceted nature of the challenge of globalization requires a multifaceted response. In our case, besides the traditional economic reforms and adjustments undertaken, we also sought to focus our efforts on addressing the short-term and long-term threats to the viability and welfare both of individuals and of our society. We therefore give strong priority to promoting the establishment of adequate social safety nets and the development of human resources. This strategy puts people at the centre of our national efforts to bring about our economic revival. I can proudly say that our efforts have finally borne fruit. We have emerged from the crisis more competitive, more resilient and better prepared, economically and socially. At the global level, I firmly believe that to meet the challenges of globalization and take the most advantages from its benefits, we must join hands to promote globalization with a human face. This is not a new idea. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has spoken of it. The United Nations, particularly the United Nations Development Programme, has long been a proponent of this concept. Unfortunately, when it was introduced some years ago, it was still considered an idea far beyond its time. If we still find such a concept revolutionary, we are indeed behind the times. We need to ensure that globalization leads us to, among other things, greater equity among peoples and nations; the easing of social tensions and the strengthening of communities; the inclusion of a greater number of economies as stakeholders and co-partners in the building of the global economy; declining poverty and the reduction of the income gap between the very rich and the very poor; enhanced protection and preservation of our environment; greater protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and, perhaps most importantly and very simply, a better life for all peoples. The holding of the tenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development — UNCTAD X — in Thailand in February 2000 will be an important, defining moment in our quest to promote globalization with a human face. We will consider all these challenges together. We hope to be able to tame the tsunami of globalization and turn it into a benevolent force of reconstruction and equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities, and not the menacing force of destruction and destabilization it has thus far been. I am pleased to report that our preparations for UNCTAD X are going well. I wish to take this opportunity to convey the Thai Government's assurance to all of you in the Assembly that Bangkok will be fully prepared for UNCTAD X in February 2000. Thailand, as the host country, strongly encourages all Member States to consider sending to Bangkok delegations at the highest level possible. Joining hands to promote globalization with a human face is a distinct contribution to promoting human security. The United Nations is already playing a leadership role in realizing this goal at the global level. But the United Nations cannot do it alone. It needs to forge a partnership with the non-governmental sector, especially the private sector and civil society, and with other international organizations. In a sense, our endeavour to define and, indeed, to promote human security has philosophical and practical implications — both positive and negative — for us as sovereign States and for the United Nations as the leading global multilateral Organization. We are embarking on an effort to define what the key role of the United Nations will be in the next millennium. I urge all of us to contribute to this important mission together.