The global game has
changed. Interdependence and globalization are
occurring at an unprecedented speed. With
globalization, the concept of national sovereignty has
changed. The international order based on the nation
State — established in 1648 with the Peace of
Westphalia — is being challenged. Non-State actors are
becoming more and more influential on the global
scene. Private militias and transnational criminal
movements are increasingly responsible for conflicts
that used to be between State actors, as well as for
undermining agreements entered into and adhered to by
States.
The boundaries between domestic and foreign
policy are changing. Developments in one part of the
world often trigger unintended actions in other parts of
the world. If we look the other way when faced with
conflicts and human suffering, problems will grow,
they will not disappear. To meet the goals and
challenges confronting the global community, we need
more than ever a dynamic and proactive United
Nations.
The United Nations has to proactively address the
agenda set by globalization, and it must be able to
change in order to effectively meet and deliver on the
new challenges. It is in everybody’s interest to have an
efficient United Nations. The Organization adds moral
force to the international community’s actions in a
globalized world. An effective United Nations can
alleviate the negative effects of globalization and turn
it into a positive force. All of us have to work to ensure
that the necessary reform steps to be initiated.
Last September’s World Summit set an ambitious
agenda for the United Nations and the General
Assembly. I am pleased that we have achieved
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considerable results. Prominent examples include the
establishment of the Human Rights Council, the
Peacebuilding Commission and the Central Emergency
Response Fund. The two new organs represent a long
overdue institutional modernization of the United
Nations that, if used as intended, will help the United
Nations to address new challenges. That is why
Denmark has put so much effort into helping to foster
the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding
Commission.
With Burundi and Sierra Leone on the agenda,
the Peacebuilding Commission has chosen two nations
in need, but also two nations willing to join forces with
the international community in their endeavour to build
their nations.
As it should, the Human Rights Council allows
for closer scrutiny by the international community of
domestic affairs — not because we wish to punish but
because we wish to help improve. Such scrutiny is a
desirable monitoring mechanism to ensure the
protection of people from abuse by their own
Governments. Let us avoid politicizing the work of this
new body and instead, in a spirit of cooperation, ensure
that the Human Rights Council is successful in meeting
the objectives laid down by the General Assembly. In
that context, I would also like to draw attention to the
decision by the Human Rights Council to recommend
to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly the
adoption of the draft declaration on the rights of
indigenous peoples. Work on the draft declaration has
been under way for more than 20 years. It is high time
that we, the Governments, approve that landmark
instrument aimed at furthering the rights and
aspirations of the world’s indigenous peoples.
In June, as President of the Security Council,
Denmark sought to highlight the importance of
strengthening international law. We picked up the torch
from the 2005 World Summit by calling a special
meeting on the critical role of international law in
fostering stability and order in international relations
(see S/PV.5474). The Security Council spoke out
clearly in favour of international law, both in general
terms and with regard to specific topics such as
delisting with respect to sanctions. Denmark will
continue to pursue those topics, and we call upon all
Member States to join us.
The reform agenda is far from exhausted. The
Security Council should be reformed to better reflect
the world of today. Furthermore, we need to make
substantial progress on mandate review and
management reform during this session of the General
Assembly. Otherwise, we will not be able to meet the
challenges. Member States should not micromanage
the United Nations, but should build a strong and fast-
responding Organization to meet new challenges.
The United Nations must play a strong role in
order to secure positive gains from globalization for
developing countries. Denmark eagerly looks forward
to the recommendations of the High-level Panel on
United Nations System-wide Coherence. Our aim is to
enhance on the ground the efficiency and impact of
United Nations development cooperation.
It is a cause for concern that we have witnessed
the resurgence of the notion of respect for national
sovereignty as a justification for inaction in
international affairs. There is of course no denying that
nation-States remain the constituent part of the
international system and of this very Organization. But
respect for sovereignty can never become an excuse for
accepting massive human rights violations. That was
the key message from the Summit last year, when
heads of State pronounced their support for the notion
of the responsibility to protect.
The Security Council has consistently worked to
uphold the sovereignty of Lebanon since 2004. In
August of this year, the Council intervened to stop the
war between Hizbollah and Israel, and decided to send
thousands of peacekeepers to help the Lebanese
Government extent its authority to all parts of the
country. We call upon all regional players to work
constructively towards that goal. Security Council
resolution 1701 (2006) must be fully respected by all
parties. Denmark is actively considering ways to
promote the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006),
including by assisting the Secretary-General in his
endeavours to find ways forward on the political
aspects.
The war between Hizbollah and Israel proved the
volatility of the Middle East. For decades, the
international community has sought to address the
Arab-Israeli conflict, which continues to breed hatred
and fanaticism. We must support moderate forces for
reform and empower them to stand up against
centrifugal tendencies. We need to redouble our efforts
to finally achieve a comprehensive and lasting two-
State solution to that tragic conflict. It is in nobody’s
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interest that the instability in the Middle East
continues.
The same goes for the Sudan. The Council’s
decision last month to continue preparations for a
United Nations peacekeeping force to relieve the
African Union force and stop the senseless carnage of
civilians in Darfur drew sharp criticism from the
Government of the Sudan and was denounced as neo-
colonialism and a violation of its sovereign rights. But,
I ask, whose rights are really being violated here?
Rather than the rights of the Government of the Sudan,
I submit that it is the right of the population of Darfur
to receive protection that is being violated. It is
incumbent upon the international community to act if a
Government fails to fulfil the responsibility to protect.
I call upon the Government of the Sudan to work with
us, not against us, in protecting the population of
Darfur.
In Afghanistan the security situation continues to
be of great concern. We are, individually and
collectively, being tested on our commitment to assist
the Afghan people on their path towards a just and
prosperous future. Warlords, financed by the opium
trade, threaten the democratic rights of the people. The
United Nations must continue to support the
remarkable transformation process undertaken by the
Afghan people and their Government.
We wish to see a stronger role for the United
Nations in Iraq, in order to contribute to peaceful and
democratic development. A necessary precondition to
improve the situation is better living conditions for all
in Iraq. Needless to say, it is in our common interest to
assist the Iraqi people in their struggle to reform and
build their country. It must not fall victim to
sectarianism and terrorism. If that happens the whole
region will become destabilized.
The most serious danger associated with
globalization is the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. The Security Council reacted in unity to
deplore the 4 July launch of several missiles by the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We call upon
Pyongyang to return to the Six-Party Talks.
Iran has failed to respond to the demands of the
Security Council. We call upon Tehran to suspend
enrichment activities and accept negotiations on the
generous package.
Weapons of mass destruction and terrorism
represent a deadly combination. Terrorism is already in
itself one of the major threats to international peace
and stability. We all remember the tragedies here in the
United States five years ago, as well as the terrorist
attacks in London, Madrid, Amman, Bali, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. I am very pleased that the
United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
(resolution 60/288) has now been adopted by the
General Assembly. That gives us renewed hope that we
may also conclude the negotiations on a comprehensive
convention this year. I call upon all States to seriously
attempt to bridge the differing views that exist with
regard to that very important convention, in order that
we can combat the scourge of our time, terrorism.
As Chairman of the Security Council’s Counter-
Terrorism Committee, Denmark is working towards the
strengthening of the international fight against
terrorism through improved cooperation between the
Council and Member States.
Let me conclude my statement by expressing
Denmark’s sincere appreciation to Secretary-General
Kofi Annan for his tireless efforts to promote a more
just, prosperous and peaceful world and for his
leadership of the United Nations. For almost 10 years,
Kofi Annan has served in an office where expectations
for action are not always matched by the requisite
powers and the means to act. He has impressively
carried a heavy burden through troubled times, and
recently has even undertaken new challenges in the
Middle East and in the world at large. His act will be a
difficult one to follow. Let his heritage be that the
stones he lifted do not roll back down the mountain.