Canada

I am happy to join other speakers in warmly congratulating His Excellency Mr. Razali Ismail on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly. I also wish to express Canada’s deep appreciation of the excellent manner in which Mr. Freitas do Amaral managed the deliberations of the fiftieth session of the Assembly. Forty years ago, in the depths of the cold war, the General Assembly authorized the setting up of a peacekeeping force in Suez. Thus emerged an important tool for the international community, one that has since served the cause of peace in many different forms around the world. (spoke in French) Canadians take special pride in peacekeeping because the concept was developed in part by their Foreign Minister, Lester B. Pearson, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. As we reflect on the fortieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping, there are certain conclusions to be drawn. The United Nations has played a crucial role throughout the world by dint of its peacekeeping role. Innovation is both necessary and possible within the United Nations, and in our time, different as it may be, the spirit of internationalism, of commitment to cooperation, calls to us once again. (spoke in English) In a new and changing global environment internationalism is ever more important for all nations, large or small, weak or powerful. Changing times have set for us a new broad agenda, which includes focusing on the security needs of individuals — in other words, on sustainable human security. Unfortunately, the new times have not sufficiently been reflected by a rededication to the United Nations as an expression of the spirit of internationalism. There remains too often a tendency to act according to old power configurations rather than to seek out collective approaches that address the roots of conflict and attempt to resolve them through common action. 12 The need for recommitment to the United Nations is clear, and so too is the need for the renewal, restructuring and refocusing of the Organization and its various bodies and agencies. In implementing this agenda of United Nations renewal we will no doubt encounter difficulties and differences of opinion. But this should not discourage us. We need the courage to innovate on two fronts, grappling with a new and complex world agenda and restructuring the United Nations to respond effectively to that agenda. The basic mandate of the United Nations at its founding was the prevention of international conflict. As peacekeeping has changed over time, one can see the evolution of a security agenda itself, from being a simple buffer between States to an international responsibility for maintaining order and an involvement in reconstruction. The range of activities in recent times has been impressive, from Haiti to Cambodia, from the Golan Heights to El Salvador, from Bosnia to the peace accords now being signed in Guatemala. That range demonstrates that the international response to threats to security has gone well beyond the initial definition, which was limited to dealing with cross-border aggression. Rather, in a continuum of threats, there is an increasing focus on conflicts that take place within borders but that have severe ripple effects throughout the entire international system. These types of conflict are still, in peacekeeping terms, largely uncharted waters, and of course there are differences of view on how best to respond. What is clear is the need for a new tool kit for the United Nations to respond to a variety of different situations. In this context I am glad to note that most of the recommendations made in the rapid-reaction study submitted by Canada last year are now being implemented. Canada will continue to support United Nations efforts to establish a headquarters that will enhance its ability to respond rapidly and with flexibility. But that is only one tool. Many more are needed, especially in the area of prevention of disputes and in the arduous and complex task of peace-building. The failure of conflict prevention in Rwanda, as outlined in the Rwanda evaluation report, has made abundantly clear the need to enlarge the concept of peace- building to embrace prevention as well as peacemaking and reconstruction. Preventive action will require much greater commitment from United Nations Members to intervene early. In Canada, we are currently focusing our approach to these issues. We have started reworking our own international tool kit to improve our ability to initiate and support peace-building operations in areas such as mediation, dialogue, human-rights monitoring, judicial reform, police training and demobilization of military forces. We look forward to cooperating with other nations that are also exploring similar innovative approaches. The search for new tools and the means to utilize them collectively cannot, however, be a substitute for the reinforcement of existing mechanisms to build peace. We are about to take a historic step forward on the nuclear- disarmament agenda. Today, the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty was opened for signature. That Treaty is the result of decades of hope and effort by people around the world. This morning I signed the Treaty on behalf of Canada. We call upon all States Members of the United Nations to do the same. The children of tomorrow should, we hope, never have to know what a nuclear test is. If we can succeed in this goal, and if we can vigorously pursue the goal of systematically and progressively reducing nuclear weapons, with the ultimate goal of their elimination, we can ensure that those children know less and less about the most terrible scourge to face humanity. If the world can focus its energies on ending the testing of sophisticated and expensive nuclear weapons, we believe that there is real hope for setting ourselves the goal of ending the use of the most simple, cheap and, on a daily basis, most destructive weapon in use today, the anti-personnel landmine. We have all witnessed the suffering, death and horrifying mutilation caused by mines. Canada, along with many other countries and organizations, is engaged in mine-clearance operations. But the simple fact is that anti-personnel mines are being laid far faster then we can pull them out of the ground. This is not just a disarmament issue. It strikes at the very heart of development, and the thousands upon thousands of victims affected every year pose a stark challenge to humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts. Canada will host an international strategy session this autumn, bringing together like-minded Governments, international agencies and non-governmental groups to provide impetus and direction to international efforts towards a global ban on anti-personnel mines. I hope this will help to catalyse efforts to build a consensus on a 13 strong, forward-looking resolution for this fifty-first session. As such, it can provide further impetus to multilateral negotiations on a full global ban. A third milestone in this area is the Chemical Weapons Convention, the first international treaty that aims to introduce a complete, global ban on an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. It is of the greatest importance that it be brought into force as soon as possible. (spoke in French) During the cold war, we re-examined and redefined the dimensions of international security to embrace the concept of sustainable human security. The rule of law and good governance are as important to maintaining global peace as disarmament measures. We are also coming to realize that real security cannot be guaranteed by the State alone, but must involve civil society as well. (spoke in English) These realizations stemmed in part from a growing sense of insecurity at the newly emerging but deadly threats of what one writer has described as “the underside of globalization”, including environmental degradation, crime and terrorism, and a lack of equity between the peoples of the Earth. The recent series of United Nations conferences has served both to define the concept of sustainable human security and to bring home the growing challenges to the security of the individual. The road map is clear; we do not need to study it any further. Now is the time to move forward in a concerted, comprehensive way. There are already notable examples of what the United Nations system has achieved, such as programmes to improve children’s health and strategies to combat such environmental threats as depletion of the ozone layer. But as important as these advances are, there remain far too many paper commitments instead of real progress on the ground. Currently we are swamped by a plethora of agendas, blueprints and plans that run the risk of exhausting the ability of donor nations to respond to or have a real impact on those most in need. Too many bodies are established to implement these plans, creating jurisdictional confusion and an overlap in implementation. We need to recognize that in the realm of sustainable human security, Governments are not alone. The groups and networks that have emerged around the world representing women, indigenous peoples and children, along with business and finance, are now major players, and we need a system of governance that recognizes this and brings them into partnership with Governments themselves. One example of a new system is the Arctic Council, which was inaugurated in Ottawa last week. This multilateral regional body brings together Arctic nations and indigenous groups to cooperate in the sustainable development and environmental protection of a unique and precious part of the globe. The Council represents a new model of international organization, bringing together people and States to share their energy and resources in a common cause. The upcoming World Food Summit organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provides another opportunity to combine governmental and non-governmental efforts. As a major agricultural producer, Canada looks forward to working with other nations and with non-governmental organizations and representatives on solutions to the problem of food security through approaches to technology transfer, financing and land reform. As private trade and investment flows into developing countries increasingly outweigh the significance of official development assistance, issues such as terms of trade and debt take on even greater significance. At the same time, new and complex issues are emerging which existing international structures are not well placed to address. One major emerging issue is the relationship between trade and labour standards. We are pleased to see the International Labour Organization (ILO) focus on core labour standards, including by working towards an international convention on the elimination of forced child labour. There can be no clearer example of an issue where cooperation and dialogue with other international and regional organizations, particularly between the ILO and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and with non- governmental groups is required in order to produce synergy rather than overlap. Sustainable human security means providing for basic needs not just in economic ways, but in political ways as well. Recent conflicts have demonstrated by negative example that respect for human rights and 14 democratic principles is fundamental to the prevention of conflict. Last year, Canada commissioned work on the human rights components of the United Nations field operations. I am pleased to announce today that we will immediately begin compiling a roster of qualified Canadian human rights experts available for rapid deployment as part of larger peace-building operations. We look forward to coordinating our efforts with those of Norway and others to ensure coherent, focused support for such United Nations efforts. In 1998 we will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This will be an occasion not only to reaffirm our commitment to its principles, but also to consider further practical steps to implement them. One step we will take is to promote, as part of the fiftieth anniversary, the preparations led by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, international dialogue on means to combat hate propaganda, which is so often the trigger of human tragedies such as genocide and “ethnic cleansing”. The establishment of international war-crimes Tribunals in The Hague for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda represents a critical element of necessary progress in the field of human rights. They signal our determination to hold accountable all individuals guilty of committing atrocities, be they officials of the State or extra- or para- State actors. Above all, they signal our determination to break the cycle of hatred. It is for these reasons that Canada strongly urges the prompt establishment of a permanent international criminal court as a new instrument in the fight against massive human rights violations. There is one aspect of human rights that my Government and I have personally decided to make an utmost priority: the rights of children. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Swedish Government and commend the organizers of last month’s World Congress on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. It is Canada’s fervent hope that this Congress will lead to the implementation of the most effective practical measures, as well as to the adoption and ratification of legally binding international instruments to combat child slavery and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. We should move resolutely to conclude negotiation of the Draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. We will work through our own development funds with all countries interested in similar goals. The concept of sustainable democracy requires, beyond a commitment to respect for basic human rights, also a commitment to democratic development. In the last decade we have seen the United Nations involved in the promotion of democracy from Cambodia to South Africa to Haiti. Other multilateral organizations are also playing an important role, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the recent elections in Bosnia. Recent conflicts have demonstrated the importance of stable democratic structures in promoting sustainable human security. They have also highlighted the need to distinguish between legitimate aspirations and dangerous tendencies towards fragmentation. Attempts to structure political participation around culturally or ethnically “pure” mini-States must be resisted by the international community. (spoke in French) Haiti has been a critical test for the United Nations. The promotion of democratization has been an integral part of security. Concerted international effort is needed to support democracy, not merely for the sake of one leader or one election, but as part of the ongoing process of laying the foundations of democratic institutions. We must recognize this and must make the commitments needed to ensure that the United Nations can work effectively for peace and stability in Haiti. (spoke in English) Nigeria, Burundi and Burma are among the most recent challenges to our collective ability to support democratic aspirations. Canada remains firmly committed to the restoration of democracy in these countries, and to working in these countries and with our partners, bilaterally, multilaterally and within the Commonwealth and francophonie to this end. The explosion of information technologies presents great dangers but also great opportunities for human security. Extremist groups can spread their message of hate and intolerance more easily, and we have only to look to Bosnia and Rwanda to see the tragic effects this can have. Yet at the same time, these technologies have placed powerful tools for the strengthening of civil society in the hands of millions of individual citizens and groups. 15 The development of information technologies raises many other questions, including issues of access and of countering abuses such as the transmission of child pornography or terrorism. The Economic and Social Council has mandated a study of these issues. In Canada we believe we have solid knowledge and expertise in these area in terms of technology and jurisprudence and we will make major contributions to finding solutions. I have outlined some of the major issues that require conceptual innovation on the part of the United Nations. The counterpart to conceptual innovation is innovation in renewing existing United Nations structures and developing new ones. We should not hesitate to eliminate those programmes or bodies that no longer serve any useful purpose, to reorient those whose mission so requires, and to consolidate and eliminate duplication. Nor should we hesitate to create new instruments, within existing resources, to deal with the challenge of the day. Reform is more than just cost-cutting, though that aspect must not be ignored. Our first priority is the ongoing financial crisis the United Nations faces. We have seen some encouraging progress in the establishment and early results of the Efficiency Board. Perhaps more importantly, there is a growing awareness of the need for financial and administrative restructuring. But much remains to be done. I cannot simply content myself here with calling yet again for all Members to pay their dues unconditionally — in full and on time. I have to ask why it is that over half the Member States are failing to meet this standard, and some are failing to pay at all. Pressures on government budgets is no excuse; Canada has in recent years undertaken some of the most severe expenditure cuts of any developed country. Yet we have maintained our commitment to pay our dues in full and on time, because we believe that the United Nations responds to key international priorities. Perhaps some Members are withholding dues as a form of blackmail, hoping to pressure the United Nations into reforms through fiscal starvation. This is both wrong- headed and short-sighted. An organization in crisis will not have the energy required to tackle genuine reform. What is needed here is political will, both in paying dues and in moving forward in the difficult task of reviewing the scale of assessments to better reflect the ability to pay. Canada hopes that others will join us in demonstrating that will during the current session of the Assembly. Another priority is to strengthen the effectiveness of the Security Council by giving it greater accountability, representativeness, transparency and responsibility. Canada attaches particular importance to the need to ensure meaningful participation in decision-making by those Members whose nationals — military or civilian — are in the crossfire of the conflicts that the Council is debating. The Council needs to address two issues: its role and its composition. On the former, if the Council is to come to terms with the more complex nature of international peace and security, it must be prepared to assume a greater role in conflict prevention. This will require cooperation among the Security Council, the Secretary- General and other Governments and non-governmental actors in identifying and addressing emergency crises. On the latter issue, the Council can address criticisms of it as a closed body whose membership does not fully reflect changes in the world since 1945 by increasing the number of seats. The distribution of those seats should take into account in the first instance the contribution of Members to the broader purposes of the United Nations Charter, and also the need for equitable geographic representation. Membership has its privileges, but more importantly, it must bring with it a special responsibility and commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and to sustainable human security. (spoke in French) Equally important is the revitalization of the General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly is the one body that brings together all nations of the world in their full diversity. It represents on a global scale both the essence and the challenge of democracy. The General Assembly must achieve consensus and take decisions on the new human security agenda. It must promote sustainable human security, a concept that combines the need to husband natural resources, to generate growth and to ensure peace and security. (spoke in English) I have outlined today some of the steps that Canada has taken to advance thinking, to improve existing practices and to develop new ones. And I know that other Member States have been working towards the very same end. We now have many options to consider and discuss. 16 But plans, proposals and studies are not enough. As the poet Yeats said, “In dreams begins responsibility.” It is easy to dream; it is much harder to act. We have a renewed vision of multilateralism, and a renewed mandate not just for the prevention of conflict, but for the nurturing of peace. We have started work on making that vision a reality. We all recognize how daunting this task is as we embark upon it; but we must persist, for the task is as vital as it is difficult. We in 1996 must show ourselves capable of restoring the spirit of 1956 when, in the deepest freeze of the cold- war climate, the United Nations gave birth to peacekeeping and changed international relations forever. We need to find within ourselves the ability and the will to innovate and the persistence to implement our innovations. It is in the interest of each one of us, as much as it is in the interests of all of us, to do so.