Let me begin by congratulating the
President upon his election to the presidency of the forty-seventh session of
the General Assembly.
I wish to pay a tribute to the Secretary-General,
Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. His able and efficient leadership of the United
Nations since he took office only nine months ago has impressed us all and I
wish to assure him of Denmark's full support of his continuing efforts to
reform and streamline the Organization.
During the past year the world Organization has become more nearly
universal than ever. What in 1945 started out as an organization of 51 Member
States has now become an organization consisting of 179 Members. This year 13
new States have joined the United Nations. All the new States of the former
Soviet Union, as well as Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and
San Marino, have now joined the Organization.
Let me take this opportunity to welcome all the new Member States and to
express my hope for future fruitful cooperation in the spirit of the United
Nations.
The very deplorable developments in the former Yugoslavia have
demonstrated how fragile the situation is in many parts of the world in the
post-cold-war era and have led to the largest refugee crisis in Europe since
the Second World War. The international community has reacted with great
responsibility to the intensified crisis in the former Yugoslavia and the
overwhelming humanitarian needs it has caused. We have made very large
resources available for monitoring, mediation and peace-keeping operations, as
well as for humanitarian assistance. I welcome the enlarged role of the
United Nations in the peace efforts in the area as well as the central role of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the provision of relief,
where coordination remains of paramount significance in ensuring that the
relief work is carried out with maximum speed and efficiency.
Denmark has worked closely with the High Commissioner in providing very
substantial humanitarian assistance, both financially and otherwise. Lately
we have accepted a more direct involvement in the provision of accommodation
and shelter for refugees and displaced persons. We intend to continue our
efforts.
The Yugoslav crisis is a crisis in Europe, and Europe is willing and able
to take its part of the international responsibility, but the United Nations
as the international, global actor has its important role to play as well.
The international Conference in London on the former Yugoslavia assembled all
the main actors involved in the crisis and war in the region. The results
were encouraging. The framework for the absolutely necessary political
dialogue and for the negotiations was established, including the structure and
the principles upon which any peaceful solution must be based.
Developments in the first month after the London conference have shown
that the conference was able not only to produce very good documents but also
to establish the follow-up mechanism enabling us to turn words into deeds.
Denmark wholeheartedly supports the efforts in Geneva under the
co-chairmanship of Mr. Cyrus Vance and Lord Owen.
Under the impact of all the combined international efforts - the United
Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), the European Community Monitoring Mission
(ECMM), the Geneva talks we must not forget that the main responsibility for
bringing an end to the cruelties and violence lies with the conflicting
parties. All the peoples, groups and minorities and their leaders must
realize that the only way their communities can flourish is through a
negotiated, commonly accepted political settlement of their disputes.
Diverging interests can coexist peacefully only through compromise. The basic
principles for a political solution will not change: the inviolability of the
borders which can be changed only by mutual, peaceful agreement; the human
rights and the rights of minorities must be respected; the sanctions against
Serbia-Montenegro will be upheld until the acts of aggression have stopped;
the so-called "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" is not the sole successor to
the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; humanitarian help to all in
need shall be possible; persons who have committed crimes against
international humanitarian law shall be prosecuted individually, if possible
by an international court under the United Nations.
The situation in the former Yugoslavia is still grave, but I think we
have created the foundations for a possible improvement and eventual
settlement. There will be difficulties and backlashes ahead. As Prime
Minister Major said at the London Conference, it will be a long haul. But
nobody should doubt that Denmark, nationally as well as in its capacity as the
next holder of the Presidency of the European Community, will devote all its
strength to the international efforts aimed at obtaining a political, peaceful
settlement in the former Yugoslavia.
After a period of impressive progress, the reform process in South Africa
came to an unfortunate standstill in the middle of this year because of new,
tragic outbreaks of violence. The high level of violence remains one of the
major obstacles to a resumption of negotiations.
The Secretary-General took an important step by sending his Special
Representative to South Africa. As a result, a number of United Nations peace
observers have been deployed in violence-stricken areas. After a visit
earlier this month by the Troika of European Community Foreign Ministers, the
European Community has also decided to send peace observers to South Africa.
In addition, European experts will support the work of the Goldstone
Commission and other efforts to curb the violence in South Africa.
At the end of the day, however, only the South Africans themselves can
bring about the new, democratic South Africa that we are looking forward to.
We stand ready to provide our fullest support. For more than 25 years,
Denmark has granted humanitarian assistance to the victims of the apartheid
system, and it is prepared to initiate a programme of transitional assistance
to South Africa once an interim government is in place. We encourage the
international community to join in the efforts to redress the social and
economic imbalances in South Africa, and to contribute to the creation of a
non-racial and democratic South Africa.
The tragedy in Somalia amply illustrates the need for a process of
national reconciliation in that country leading to the re-establishment of a
legitimate government. Following the visit to Mogadishu by the troika of
European Community Foreign Ministers in early September, the European
Community Foreign Ministers stressed this, as well as the particularly
important role of the United Nations, in their declaration of 13 September.
In the Middle East the parties involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict and
the Palestinian question have embarked on a negotiating process that gives
grounds for hopes of a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement. Denmark,
together with its European Community partners, fully supports, and remains
committed to the peace process.
The policy adopted by the new Israeli Government has given a new impetus
to this process. The subsequent response of the Arab countries and the
Palestinians bodes well for the future. I sincerely hope that all parties
will now engage in substantive negotiations by building incrementally on the
progress achieved so far. Pragmatism is what counts at the present stage. I
therefore call on all parties to translate good intentions into concrete
proposals and open-mindedness.
In Iraq the Baghdad regime continues to ignore its obligations under
international law by obstructing the work of United Nations inspection teams.
The regime is continuing its flagrant violations of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, in particular by victimizing Kurds and Arab Shiites
living in the marshes. And Baghdad is actively impeding the efforts of the
United Nations and non-governmental organizations to relieve the plight of
those suffering. The harassment of United Nations peace guards, the refusal
to renew the Memorandum of Understanding and the rejection of the food-for-oil
arrangements laid down in Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and
712 (1991) are all cases in point.
Saddam Hussein's strategy, however, is doomed to failure. In no
circumstances will the international community relax the United Nations
sanctions imposed on the Baghdad regime unless it fully and unconditionally
complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions.
In my speech last autumn I pointed out how Security Council
resolution 688 (1991) might become a turning point as to the balance between
the principle of national sovereignty and that of humanitarian intervention.
The question of humanitarian intervention has had a considerable impact on
international debate during the last year. The course of events in Somalia,
the former Yugoslavia and recently, anew, in Iraq has shown the relevance and
importance of the concept.
There seems to me to be growing support for the point of view that the
principle of non-intervention in the internal jurisdiction of States cannot be
taken as a shield behind which massive violations of human rights can be
allowed to take place, especially not where the human rights situations have
been characterized by the Security Council as a threat to peace. A new
balance between sovereignty and international intervention is being struck, in
favour of international intervention. My Government welcomes that
development. We should insist on recognition of the basic principle that
Governments have to cooperate fully to ensure access to all persons in need of
assistance. Far too often political motives continue to prevent humanitarian
assistance from entering a country or from reaching population groups in need
of such assistance.
It has been appalling to witness the continuing disregard for
humanitarian conventions shown by Iraq during the Gulf War, and, most
recently, by parties to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The
perpetrators of these criminal acts are individually responsible, and must be
prosecuted individually.
In this connection I welcome the work of the International Law Commission
on the question of establishing an international criminal tribunal. The
Danish Government is ready to contribute constructively in these efforts
during this and the coming session of the General Assembly.
The Secretary-General's report entitled "An Agenda for Peace" (A/47/277)
contains a number of interesting proposals, some of which Denmark can support
wholeheartedly: for example, the proposal to make wider use of good offices,
the proposal to establish a reserve fund for peace-keeping operations and the
proposal to make wider use of the International Court of Justice. However,
both the use of the good offices of the Secretary-General and the use of the
International Court depend on the political will of the parties involved.
The United Nations is facing steadily growing demands for peace-keeping
efforts, and the scope of these efforts is increasing. Suffice it to mention
Cambodia, Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the United Nations is
already heavily overburdened, we welcome the Secretary-General's call upon
European regional organizations to carry out peace-keeping functions in
accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter, as in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Despite the substantial Danish contribution to the United Nations
Protection Force, we remain committed to further contributions to United
Nations peace-keeping operations, both in Europe and in other parts of the
world. Let me add, however, that a peace-keeping operation must be seen as an
interim offer to the parties to a conflict, and thus must be limited to a few
years. A peace-keeping operation must never, by the mere length of its
existence, turn out to be an excuse for the parties not to seek a negotiated
settlement of their dispute.
In fulfilling its mandate as the guardian of peace, the United Nations
has an important role to play by contributing to social and economic
development and the eradication of poverty. The significant role that the
United Nations has acquired in efforts to solve political conflicts should not
overshadow its responsibilities in the economic and social field. As pointed
out by the Secretary-General, no lasting peace can be achieved while the
existing gap between rich and poor nations persists.
The improved international political climate, the breakup of the old
power blocs and the reductions in military expenditures offer a unique
opportunity to promote social development.
We must now face our responsibility to improve living conditions for the more
than one billion people living in absolute poverty, and for the even larger
number of people suffering under unemployment and social insecurity. If we do
not, problems will multiply and put global stability at risk.
The solutions to those problems must be based on respect for human
rights, the rule of law and political institutions that are effective,
accountable and enjoy democratic legitimacy. It is time to face, discuss and
tackle these interlinking aspects of social development.
Denmark welcomes the proposal adopted by the Economic and Social Council
to convene in 1995 a world summit for social development. We intend to
propose Copenhagen as venue for the world social summit, thereby confirming
Denmark's commitment to social development and our wish to make the summit an
important event in the mobilization of all efforts to attain the ultimate
objective to improve the quality of life of man.
This year, the General Assembly will undertake a review of the
operational activities of the United Nations system. It will give us an
opportunity to assess the functioning of the development activities of the
United Nations system during the past three years, and establish new
guidelines and priorities for the coming three years. At the same time,
discussions of fundamental reforms of the United Nations system as such have
entered an important stage which gives an excellent opportunity for a
comprehensive discussion of the demands of the emerging new world order as
they relate to the. structure and functioning of the United Nations and its
Secretariat.
At the centre of the reform discussions is the need for a clearer
definition of the role of the United Nations system in development activities,
including better distribution of work and improved coordination among the
various organizations. The United Nations must also show leadership in this
field and carry out its own operational activities in a consistent and
coherent manner.
Progress in the discussions of reforms of the United Nations operational
activities was made at the recent session of the Economic and Social Council.
It is our hope that at this year's session the General Assembly will bring the
process forward from the level of discussing principles to that of concrete
action. The proposals contained in the Nordic United Nations project would,
in our view, enable the United Nations to regain its rightful leading role in
operational development activities. Only through substantial changes in the
governance and financing of United Nations funds and programmes will it be
possible to ensure a more effective and efficient role for the United Nations
in this field, to the benefit of developing nations.
During the last few years, we have seen a succession of natural and
man-made disasters of unprecedented frequency, scope and complexity. After
the extraordinary events of last year, we all hoped to see a reversal of this
trend in 1992. Unfortunately, such hopes have not been fulfilled.
The adoption of resolution 46/182 on emergency assistance at last year's
session was seen as a major step forward in the direction of improved
coordination within the United Nations system and increased efficiency in the
delivery of humanitarian emergency assistance. It was an important step.
However, much more needs to be done to translate the aims of that resolution
into reality.
The public criticism which has been raised in many countries, including
in Denmark, of the response of the United Nations system to the large-scale
tragedy in Somalia is an example which makes it clear that this year the
General Assembly must give increased and renewed attention to the issue of
improved performance by the United Nations. A determined effort must now be
made to ensure that sufficient humanitarian assistance is given in time, with
maximum speed, and in a well coordinated manner. We appeal in particular to
the organizations of the United Nations family to try harder to cooperate, act
jointly and compete less.
The World Conference on Human Rights, scheduled to take place in June
next year, will provide an opportunity to review progress made in the field of
human rights since the adoption of the Universal Declaration. Obstacles to
further progress will be identified, and specific measures which can assist
individual countries in their efforts to promote respect for human rights will
be outlined.
The Danish Government is committed to ensuring a successful outcome to
the Conference, and will work for a balanced result containing both political
benchmarks and operational guidelines for corresponding implementation
activities. In this regard, special attention should be paid to the
interlinkages between democracy, human rights and development and to the need
for a concentrated assistance effort in this area, based on the principle that
violations of human rights are a legitimate concern of the international
community.
Democracy, respect for human rights, equal status for men and women and
principles of good governance play an essential role in development efforts.
This has been increasingly recognized in recent years, and reflected both in
the wide-ranging reforms undertaken in a number of countries and in the
continued policy dialogue aimed at supporting development efforts. At the
same time, the process towards broadening public participation in the
decision-making processes is bound to continue.
The Danish Government will seek to assist countries undertaking policy
reforms in establishing administrative and political structures which are
conducive to development for instance, by setting up new democratic
institutions and by strengthening the rule of law.
Equally we attach great importance to the question of military spending.
Excessive military spending not only reduces funds available for other
purposes, but can also contribute to increased regional tensions and
violations of international law, and can in some cases compromise moves
towards democracy and the rule of law at the domestic level.
Denmark stands ready, through its programme for development assistance,
to provide substantial support for specific activities aimed at consolidating
human rights, democracy and good governance, and we shall seek our future
partners in development from amongst countries which are making a genuine
effort in this regard.
Next year has also been designated the International Year of the World's
Indigenous People. The Danish Government looks forward with great interest
and high hopes to that Year, and plans are well under way both in Greenland
and in Denmark on how to work actively towards increasing the understanding of
the special situation facing these peoples and how to further the respect for
the cultures and rights of indigenous peoples.
It is well known that the Inuit, the inhabitants of Greenland, have
chosen the status of home rule within the Danish realm, and at the domestic
level we will cooperate closely with the representatives of the home-rule
Government of Greenland in our preparations for the Year.
The results the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
recently achieved in Rio provide a good basis for a new global partnership
based on common responsibility for the Earth, even if it did not meet all our
expectations. The Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Conventions on climate
change and biodiversity are far from being the end result: they are
instruments to mobilize governments and peoples from all over the world in a
joint effort towards sustainable development in the future.
The most significant institutional recommendation of the Conference to be
followed up at the international level is the high-level Commission on
Sustainable Development. It is important that the Commission's scope of work
be oriented towards the future in order to ensure a dynamic approach to future
technological and economic developments.
Implementation of Agenda 21 and the conventions requires financial
resources and thus calls for partnership and real burden-sharing among
nations, not only between North and South but also among the donor countries
themselves.
From the very beginning, the Danish Government has been committed to the
process of the United Nations Conference and Environment and Development. We
are prepared to provide our fair share of the necessary resources, and would
like to see similar firm commitments from as many countries as possible.
At this session we are marking the end of the United Nations Decade of
Disabled Persons. The disabled remain among the most vulnerable groups, in
particular in the developing countries. During the Decade awareness of the
problems and difficulties facing disabled persons all over the world has been
increased. Much however, still remains to be done. The development
organizations of the United Nations should play an important role in this
respect by integrating the needs of disabled persons more strategically in the
regular programming of their activities.
Let me end by stating the obvious: we all wish the United Nations
success in the reform process and in carrying out its many tasks. But that
wish must be accompanied by a willingness to live up to our legal obligation
to pay our contributions to the Organization and to do so in full and on time.