Finland

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate you upon your election as President of the General Assembly. The European Union gives you its full support and cooperation throughout this session. Your predecessor, Minister Opertti, also deserves our appreciation. I would also commend the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for the skill with which he has steered this Organization. The European Union pledges its support also to him, as well as its full commitment to the United Nations. 20 I should like to welcome the three new members of the United Nations, the Republics of Kiribati and Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga, into our global family. In overall terms substantial progress has been made in human development. However, its speed and extent have been uneven. The United Nations has a primary role in the advancement of human development. Implementation can be carried out only through close cooperation among different actors: the United Nations, its Member States, its specialized agencies, international financial institutions, regional organizations and civil society. We need an efficient and effective United Nations which has a stable financial basis and a full commitment from all its Member States. This also means the full, prompt and unconditional payment of contributions to the United Nations by all. Unilateral decisions and actions to the contrary are not allowed. The globalization of the world economy is an unavoidable process. We see the need to put the globalization process and macroeconomic policies in closer touch with the lives of ordinary people. We consider this to be one of the challenges facing the world community on the threshold of the new millennium. The United Nations is uniquely positioned to provide intellectual leadership to ensure that the advantages of economic globalization are equally shared by the world’s population. Increasing interdependence must work for people. The nature of crises has also changed. Most of today’s conflicts take place within and not between States. We face situations where there are serious democracy deficiencies and where human rights are strongly violated, in particular the rights of the minorities. In the worst cases, States with their traditional institutions have ceased to exist, as Secretary-General Kofi Annan described so well in his opening statement. At the threshold of a new millennium, we should intensify our efforts to prevent these situations. We should start to consider how to elaborate some criteria and rules aimed at the prevention of humanitarian catastrophes or alleviation of profound human suffering. The international community needs to develop solutions and responses to these new and unexpected challenges. The international community must play a proactive role in conflict prevention. There are several forms of action that have a useful effect in preventing conflicts. These include strengthening democracy and respect for human rights, as well as progress in economic and social development through good governance. The most important factor in conflict prevention is, however, a democratic society which is on a steady foundation and which guarantees human security in its widest possible sense. Democratic societies do not go to war with each other, and they are also internally more stable. Every human being is entitled to enjoy his or her human rights and fundamental freedoms. Human rights are essential in the maintenance of international peace and security, economic development and social equality. The United Nations has a primary role in the promotion of universal respect for human rights. These must be further integrated in all United Nations activities. The promotion of universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is central also to the activities of the European Union. The tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child reminds us of the need to advance the rights of the most vulnerable: children. The European Union welcomes the recent adoption of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. All States should ratify the Convention as soon as possible and implement it effectively. The protection of children affected by armed conflicts also requires constant attention. It is imperative to adopt without delay the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on involvement of children in armed conflict. The European Union is concerned about discrimination against women. We underline the importance of the international human rights instruments designed to protect and promote the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women. The adoption of the optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women will be a historic event in this session. The European Union calls on all States to give serious consideration to ratifying it. Trafficking in human beings violates many of the most basic human rights. Most victims of this practice are women and children. Concerted international action is required in the fight against trafficking. The European Union supports the work done to develop international standards to prevent these crimes and to punish the perpetrators. Measures must also be taken to help the victims of this type of exploitation. 21 Racism is a universal problem. Thus, the elimination of all forms of racial intolerance should be the responsibility of every State. We also want to underline the input by civil society and non-governmental organizations in this field. The European Union is committed to opposing the death penalty. We call on all States that still impose the death penalty to progressively restrict the offences for which it may be used, and we insist that it be carried out according to minimum standards. As a first step, a moratorium on executions should be established. The final aim must remain the complete abolition of the death penalty. The European Union will actively pursue this matter in this session. No doubt, sustainable development in all areas enhances crisis prevention. People are at the centre of our concerns in sustainable development. The Buenos Aires Plan of Action sets out an ambitious and precise timetable to follow in future negotiations on the threat of climate change. However, there are still important outstanding questions, such as the Kyoto mechanisms and capacity-building of developing countries, as well as the transfer of technology. In the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests, our common goal is to promote sustainable forest management worldwide. The European Union also notes the need for international coordination on oceans and seas. The European Union is fully committed to reducing extreme poverty in developing countries. We support them in their efforts to implement the international commitments for sustainable development. International cooperation, as well as ownership by partner countries, is needed to achieve the common goals. Relieving the unsustainable debt burden of the poorest countries requires faster relief through the programme for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. The European Union confirms its full commitment to the high-level discussion on financing for development. We expect this process to increase the political will to implement internationally agreed strategies for sustainable development. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains a cornerstone of global security. It is imperative that the four States that have not yet done so join the NPT. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a key instrument in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. As we are approaching the Conference on the CTBT to be held in October, the European Union calls upon all States to sign and ratify the Treaty. The European Union welcomes the entry into force of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. As the international community moves towards the total elimination of anti- personnel landmines worldwide, the recent use of these weapons is highly deplorable. We must voice concern about the misery that anti-personnel mines continue to cause to the civilian population. The European Union continues to be the main contributor to demining programmes worldwide. We are deeply concerned about the impact, accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons, and we have intensified our efforts to address this problem. The United Nations conference on the illicit arms trade in all its aspects should establish a strong programme of action for international cooperation. Terrorism constitutes a threat to internal and international security. Therefore, the European Union reaffirms its unreserved condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and continues to support initiatives to suppress it. We call upon all countries to sign and to ratify the international anti-terrorism conventions. We hope that the conventions on the suppression of terrorist financing and on the acts of nuclear terrorism can be adopted by the General Assembly by the end of this year. The European Union will look carefully into the proposal of Egypt and others to develop further the idea of a United Nations conference on terrorism. As the Secretary-General has said, it would be the ultimate crime to miss the chance for peace and condemn people to the misery of war. Even the best plans for prevention can fail, and the international community has to address armed conflicts. These conflicts have human, social and environmental consequences which cannot be repaired. The international community has a long tradition of solving crises by peacekeeping operations. Now that the nature of crises has changed, additional means are needed. Peacekeeping operations cannot meet all the requirements without increased efforts for civilian crisis management. In most crises, societies and their structures are completely destroyed. 22 The international community has called for repair and rehabilitation. Humanitarian assistance alone is not enough. Reconstruction of societies requires the presence of civilian police and other administrators from all fields of civil activity. In most cases it is difficult to find the right tools to cope with conflicts. The European Union strongly emphasizes civilian crisis management. We hope that it will be more often resorted to as the principal means to manage and solve crises. We will work actively to develop further this concept. The European Union is in the process of improving its crisis management capabilities, keeping in mind that the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security lies with the United Nations and the Security Council. Regional organizations have a key role in international security. For their success, cooperation with the United Nations is essential. The European Union thanks the Secretary-General for his efforts to strengthen this cooperation and urges him to continue this work. The crisis in Kosovo requires concerted efforts. The European Union supports the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). With the adoption of this resolution, the United Nations regained its relevance as far as Kosovo is concerned. We also support the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and KFOR in their efforts to ensure peace, democracy and security in Kosovo. The United Nations needs the means and cooperation of all to fulfil its mandate. At the height of the Kosovo crisis the European Union launched the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. Its aim is to address the questions of democracy, human rights, economic reconstruction and security in a comprehensive and durable manner. We would welcome the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia joining the Stability Pact as a full and equal participant and beneficiary. The current regime of Mr. Milosevic is responsible for its present isolation, and we look forward to welcoming democratic change inside Serbia. Meanwhile, we are searching for ways in which Kosovo and the Republic of Montenegro could be made beneficiaries of the Pact. In Kosovo there is an urgent need to put an end to human suffering. We are concerned about the violence towards minorities, which has resulted in a large number of Serbs and Roma people leaving Kosovo. Urgent restoration of the rule of law is extremely important. The Middle East remains a top priority for the common foreign and security policy of the European Union. We find it encouraging that the Middle East peace process has regained momentum and that the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have started again. Negotiations are the only way to find a just and lasting solution to this conflict. We welcome the signing of the memorandum on the implementation of the Wye River Agreement. The European Union has consistently assured the parties of its readiness to assist them in their search for peace. All tracks of the peace process should now be activated. We urge the Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli Governments to engage in direct talks. The relevant Security Council resolutions form an internationally accepted basis for peace. It is also important to make progress on the multilateral track. Peace can, and must be, rooted in close regional cooperation. The multilateral track and the Barcelona process provide good opportunities in this regard. The European Union warmly welcomes the result of the popular consultation of the East Timorese people on 30 August 1999. Indonesia’s commitment to the full implementation of the relevant Agreements is imperative. We are committed to seeing the people of East Timor enjoy the independence which they have freely chosen. The European Union pays tribute to the United Nations for the organization of the popular consultation and lauds the courage and extraordinary work of the personnel of the United Nations Mission in East Timor. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities in East Timor. The Government of Indonesia retains a responsibility for security in the Territory. We fully support Security Council resolution 1264 (1999) and welcome the early deployment of the multinational force. We also welcome the participation of Asian States in this force. Order, security and the rule of law must be restored immediately. The attitude of the European Union towards Indonesia will depend on the implementation of the undertakings given by the President of Indonesia. They should be implemented without delay and without conditions. We have agreed, for a period of four months, on an embargo on the export of military equipment and other equipment which might be used for internal repression or 23 terrorism. The European Union has also suspended its bilateral military cooperation with Indonesia. The European Union stresses the urgent priority to remedy the grave humanitarian situation. We will provide further humanitarian assistance to those in need. We also support the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a special session of the Commission on Human Rights. We call for an investigative mission by the Commission. East Timor’s independence must proceed without delay, as provided for in the 5 May Agreements. The Member States of the European Union look forward to recognizing East Timor once the process towards independence is completed. We also emphasize our desire to see a strong, democratic and united Indonesia. The European Union continues to fully support the efforts of the Secretary-General towards a negotiated political settlement of the question of Cyprus. We urge the two leaders concerned to accept the invitation to negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General has said that the United Nations cannot rest until all of Africa is at peace. One third of sub-Saharan Africa is presently involved in armed conflicts. The victims of these conflicts are overwhelmingly civilians. The European Union strongly appeals to the parties in these and other ongoing conflicts to respect human rights and to cooperate with the humanitarian organizations. We will continue to make all efforts to provide assistance to the victims. Concrete measures have been taken to strengthen African ownership and capacity to focus on conflict prevention and resolution. The European Union is supporting, in close cooperation with the United Nations, the capacity of African organizations in the field of conflict resolution and peacekeeping. A stable and democratic political environment is indispensable for sustainable development. The EU welcomes the Secretary-General’s report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, and we look forward to its effective follow-up. The first EU-Africa summit is scheduled to take place in April 2000. This summit is a clear signal of the close cooperation between the EU and the African countries aimed at addressing various, even delicate, political and socio-economic issues. One of the principal objectives of the Amsterdam Treaty is to strengthen the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy. To achieve this we have created new units and instruments to deal with the increasing challenges in the field of foreign policy. In accordance with the Amsterdam Treaty, we are going to consistently improve our capacity for conflict prevention and crisis management. The EU will increase its ability to contribute to international peace and security, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. Finally, I should like to say a few words about the next millennium. The Millennium Assembly should give new direction to the renewal of the United Nations. The EU supports the overall theme “The United Nations in the twenty-first century”, proposed by the Secretary-General. In the view of the EU, the focus should be on poverty eradication in the context of globalization. Poverty eradication is a major challenge for the international community now that the world’s population is reaching six billion, with nearly a quarter of that number still living in poverty. It is one of the greatest challenges left pending at the end of the twentieth century. 24 With the new millennium, we should also recognize the increased importance of civil society in the search for solutions. This is one of the cornerstones of the new era in international cooperation.