Let me first warmly
congratulate His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa on his
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-ninth session. My commendations go to His
Excellency Mr. John Ashe for his remarkable leadership
of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly.
Over the past few months, we have been reminded
of the challenges that we collectively face in the Middle
East, with the brutality of a terrorist organization that
has forced entire populations to flee and sent shock
waves around the globe, in Africa, with the spread
of the Ebola virus disease, and, in Europe, with the
continued aggression by the Russian Federation against
Ukraine. It was in order to deal with challenges such as
those that the United Nations was created. It is because
challenges such as those continue to exist that we need
strong international cooperation with a strong United
Nations at its core.
We welcome the fact that the international
community has come together to deal with the
challenge posed by the terrorist group that calls itself
the Islamic State and to take joint action to address the
threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. Sweden is
part of that common effort. When the Iraqi Government
requested assistance in halting that terrorist group and
in providing relief for its victims, Sweden was one of
the countries that responded by offering additional
humanitarian support.
At the same time, we must remember that neither
here nor elsewhere in the region can crises be resolved
by humanitarian or military means alone. Political
engagement is, and will remain, indispensable.
We must support the new Iraqi Government, just
as we must pursue a political solution to the conflict in
Syria. We must do our utmost, on both sides, to reach an
agreement with Iran on its nuclear dossier. Furthermore,
we must seek a lifting of the closure regime on Gaza,
as well as a restart of negotiations between Israelis and
Palestinians, with the aim of ending the occupation
and, at last, achieving a viable two-State solution.
We welcome the readiness displayed this week here
at the United Nations to take strong collective action
in support of the countries affected by the devastating
Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Sweden, together
with others, has provided substantial support. We are
currently considering further steps to help those who
are affected.
For decades, Sweden has been a close partner to
Africa and will continue working with the growing,
democratic and economically successful Africa that
we see emerging, as well as with the parts of that
continent that are still struggling with poverty, conflict
and disease. True to that ambition, in the conviction
that security and development belong together, our
engagement in peacebuilding and our contribution to
the implementation of the New Deal for Engagement in
Fragile States with regard to Somalia and Liberia will
continue.
Russian acts of aggression and the illegal
annexation of Ukrainian territory constitute serious
breaches of international law and have created a
security crisis in Europe, entailing significant risks
to global stability. When a permanent member of the
Security Council, the body entrusted with the primary
responsibility for the maintenance of international
peace and security, attacks a sovereign country without
any justification whatsoever, the world must react
resolutely. If aggression is tolerated, there is no telling
who the next victim will be. If we accept the changing
of borders by force, we also accept reopening the most
painful chapters of our history.
Defending the principles of international law,
including the inviolability of borders, must be a
responsibility and an interest of all States. The Security
Council should have formed the first line of defence
for those principles. Too many Governments around the
world have stayed silent when they should have spoken.
While a great deal has been accomplished since
the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), we cannot accept the fact that hundreds of
millions of people are still lagging behind — many
of them in conflict-affected and fragile States. It is
therefore important to accelerate efforts to address the
unfinished business of the MDGs.
The United Nations has successfully presided over
a post-2015 consultation process with a near-global
reach. All actors involved should be commended
for that. Sweden will now actively contribute to the
intergovernmental deliberations in 2015 on the new
universal development framework. With that in mind,
we look forward to the Secretary-General’s synthesis
report as a further guide for our work.
The world needs a transformative and universal
new framework for sustainable development. The
new goals will need to be accompanied by a strong
monitoring and accountability framework, allowing
us to measure progress and ensure accountability at
all levels, thereby ensuring that the global goals are
translated into actions that makes a real difference for
real people. To achieve the new goals, the agenda must
be accompanied by a broad international consensus on
financing for development and effective partnerships
for sustainable development. The United Nations, for
its part, must be fit for that purpose so as to take on the
post-2015 development challenges in an effective way.
The time leading up to the adoption of the post-2015
development agenda will be filled with challenging
negotiations. However, Sweden is confident that, one
year from now, we can arrive at a package that provides
a solid basis for a future that is more prosperous, more
gender-equal, more peaceful, more democratic, more
respectful of human rights and more sustainable for us
and our children.
Neither development nor peace is possible without
a strong focus on the role of women. By empowering
women, we simultaneously promote both peace and
development. Gender equality is not only just economics
but also smart economics. A fundamental step towards
gender equality is to ensure for women their sexual and
reproductive health and rights, including freedom from
violence. We have the normative frameworks in place,
including Security Council resolution 1325 (2000)
on women, peace and security. The time has come to
translate those norms into action.
One of the most serious global challenges is that
of climate change. The impact is hardest on the world’s
poorest and most vulnerable populations. Even if we
manage to limit the increase in temperature, the world
will experience significant adverse effects, especially
in low-lying vulnerable island States. Sweden has
successfully demonstrated that it is possible to separate
greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth. Since
1990, we have reduced our emissions by more than
20 per cent while experiencing economic growth of
60 per cent. For several years, Sweden has been a top
contributor to climate financing, not least through our
development cooperation, with a focus on adaptation in
the least developed and most vulnerable countries.
Together with Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the
Republic of Korea, Norway and the United Kingdom,
Sweden initiated the Global Commission on the
Economy and Climate. The Commission’s recent report
brings good news. Its recommendations will bring net
economic benefits to countries at all income levels,
including new jobs, cleaner air, better health, lower
poverty and more energy security. The report, “Better
Growth, Better Climate”, points to a new and better
direction for our future.
In Paris in 2015, we will have a common
responsibility to reach a global and legally binding
agreement that keeps us below the 2°C target. We must
redouble our efforts to ensure that the Paris summit is
a success.
Throughout history, people have moved between
countries, regions and continents in pursuit of a better
life. Today, numerous crises and conflicts have forced
more people from their homes worldwide than at any
time since the Second World War. The responsibility
for giving shelter and protection is most often borne by
neighbouring countries. The international community
is called upon to increase its solidarity and to strengthen
international protection for those who need it. Sweden
is heeding that call through its refugee policy and its
tradition of being a place of refuge for people fleeing
persecution and oppression. Last year, Sweden was the
fifth largest donor to the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees. In recent years,
Sweden has been one of the top resettlement countries
in the world.
The debate on migration often revolves around
problems and challenges. The fact is that migration
offers huge opportunities and is a powerful enabler of
development. Migration contributes to development and
reduces poverty for migrant households. It also helps to
fill needs in the labour market and to encourage trade
and investment. Coordinated action and strong global
cooperation are needed to maximize the positive effects
of migration. Sweden is actively engaged in such global
efforts, including, recently, through our chairmanship
of the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
Sweden is currently the second largest recipient of
asylum-seekers in the European Union and by far the
largest on a per capita basis. The makeup of migration
flows to our country has varied over time, but those
who have come to our country have in common that
they have all enriched our society. They have further
opened our eyes to other peoples’ suffering and created
closeness to the outside world.
Sweden’s commitment to disbursing 1 per cent of
its gross national income in development assistance,
including our substantial contributions to the different
parts of the United Nations system, enjoys strong
popular support. The same goes for the public backing
of our participation in United Nations peacekeeping.
Some 80,000 Swedes have served in United Nations
peacekeeping missions over the years, with our
latest deployment being our contribution of forces
to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in Mali, which is currently under
way.
Sweden is a candidate for a seat on the Security
Council in 2017-2018, with the support of the Nordic
countries. We strongly believe that global challenges
require multilateral governance structures that are
effective and legitimate. A strong and well-functioning
United Nations is at the heart of that system. Continued
United Nations reform aimed at improving our ability to
promote peace and security, reduce poverty, contribute
to sustainable development, alleviate suffering and
increase respect for human rights is a work in progress,
to which we all must contribute. Sweden is prepared to
do its part.
I will make one final point. It is now 53 years
since Dag Hammarskjöld lost his life while on
mission in Africa. Sweden welcomes the report of the
Hammarskjöld Commission on the death of Secretary-
General Dag Hammarskjöld (A/68/800, annex) and
the request by the Secretary-General to the General
Assembly to consider it. We join the Secretary-General
in encouraging Member States to declassify any relevant
records that may bring new evidence with regard to the
crash of his plane. We welcome all that can be done to
achieve further clarification of that matter. Such actions
should be carried out with due regard for the integrity
of Dag Hammarskjöld and the other individuals who
were killed, their families and their memory.