Finland

I wish to begin by congratulating Ambassador Insanally on his election to the high office of the presidency of the General Assembly. He can rest assured that the delegation of Finland will render him its full support in his challenging task. On behalf of my Government, I also wish to congratulate and extend a warm welcome to the new Members among us. Their participation in the work of the United Nations will further strengthen the Organization. Just a few years ago, in a promisingly changing political environment, high hopes were placed in the United Nations. Some of these hopes were fulfilled, others were not. Namibia’s independence process is a fine example of nation-building in which the United Nations played a crucial role. Eritrea is another. Let these be examples of wise and patient conciliation and conflict management. Yet another example is South Africa, where today we see irrevocable changes taking place, leading towards a non-racial and democratic society. I wish to express my Government’s admiration for the achievements of the parties in South Africa in their work for peace, cooperation and mutual respect. Finland has actively supported the shaping of a new South Africa and will continue to do so. We have in recent days witnessed yet another example of brave and visionary leadership which can overcome seemingly insuperable obstacles and lead peoples from a state of war and hatred towards reconciliation. I am referring to the peace accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. In this context I wish to pay a tribute to the Government of Norway for its role in bringing the two parties together. The United Nations must now stand ready to play its part in this important endeavour for peace. Finland, together with the other Nordic countries, was among the first to initiate an international support programme for this historic process. The United Nations also has to its credit other achievements in recent years. Among the most important have been the rebuttal of the aggression against Kuwait and the restoration of democracy in Cambodia. However, numerous other conflicts have proved very difficult to solve. War is raging in the former Yugoslavia and in Somalia, Angola, Abkhazia and Nagorny-Karabakh. Conflicts persist in Western Sahara and Cyprus. All these conflicts constitute formidable challenges to the international community and to the United Nations. From that balance sheet of success and failure an important question emerges: how can our Organization be best adapted, reformed and revitalized to face effectively not only the challenges of today but also those of tomorrow? Undoubtedly the United Nations is today a more viable institution than ever before. Nevertheless the many unsolved conflicts illustrate that the United Nations still has serious shortcomings. These stem primarily from the nature of the problems and challenges of the increasingly interdependent global society in which we live. It is now our responsibility to launch a process of reform of the United Nations. It must cover all of the Organization’s agencies, programmes and funds, in both the political and the development fields. It must be undertaken in an integrated manner, with a view to better adapting our instruments of cooperation to the needs of a profoundly changing world. Many crises seem political in nature but have their roots in social injustices and a lack of economic opportunities. The fulfilment of social needs and the promotion of economic development are necessary elements of sustained political stability. Some significant improvements have been made in this field, too, but their scope and importance are clearly dwarfed by the immensity of the challenges. Human development, human rights and the environment are cases in point. Thanks to the dynamic initiatives of our Secretary-General, a process of reform of the United Nations is under way. In addition, several Member States have introduced important proposals for reforming and restructuring our Organization. My own country, together with other Nordic countries, has actively participated in this process, particularly as regards peace-keeping and reform of the United Nations work in the economic and social sector and in the area of humanitarian assistance. World events have forced the United Nations and its Member States to re-examine closely the Organization’s capacity to maintain international peace and security. The Charter provisions as well as the structures and machinery created for this purpose reflect a world that was very different from the one we live in today. That is, of course, the reason for the great attention that has been accorded over the past year or two to what traditionally has been called peace-keeping. The concept of peace-keeping is, as a result of increasingly complex operations, going through a period of evolution. Related activities such as preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-building are the new tools for maintaining international peace and security. Forty-eighth session - 30 September l993 27 The United Nations and its Member States must adjust to the rapid growth in and new approaches to peace- keeping operations. The President of the Security Council in his statement of May this year outlined the operational principles in accordance with which such operations should be conducted. My Government fully subscribes to these principles. The great increase in requests for peace-keeping troops, military observers and monitors makes it necessary, in my Government’s view, for the United Nations to adopt stricter and clearer criteria and procedures before launching such operations. The United Nations must not overextend itself; it cannot be present everywhere. Mandates for peace-keeping operations must be precise and clear. The necessary funding must be secured, and before launching any operations the Security Council must see to it that the required contingents are available. Recent experiences also prove that command structures must be clearly spelled out and subsequently fully adhered too. It is not sufficient for the Security Council to agree on resolutions setting up new operations; all the conditions for their implementation must also be at hand. We also face new challenges in disarmament and arms control. The nuclear arms race has stopped, but nuclear proliferation still constitutes a serious potential threat to international security and stability. It is vital to ensure that the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime works efficiently. In general, disarmament and arms regulation should be integrated into the broader agenda of international peace and security. This should be reflected both in the United Nations disarmament machinery and in the Geneva Conference on Disarmament. The review of the composition of the Conference on Disarmament would enhance this objective. We regret that no agreement on this issue has been reached so far. The Security Council is vested with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. In carrying out its duties, the Council acts on behalf of the entire membership of the United Nations. Trust and confidence in the Council by all Member States is therefore a crucial factor, affecting its ability to engage in conflict resolution. It is only natural that a review be undertaken of the composition of the Security Council in order to make the Council better reflect today’s membership as well as the prevailing political realities. My Government has an open mind on this question. We are ready to accept a limited increase in the membership of the Council, provided that such a change will not affect negatively the capacity of the Council to perform its tasks. Moreover, there would seem to be a need to review the Council’s organization and methods of work. The aim should be to increase transparency and to provide non-members better opportunities to be heard when matters of immediate concern to them are considered by the Council. It would seem desirable - especially in negotiating the mandates and the financing of peace-keeping operations - to involve to a greater extent non-members of the Council also, as provided for by the Charter. Such involvement would be particularly called for in the case of those States that are potential contributors of troops and logistical support. Work on revitalizing the General Assembly and rationalizing its activities is also under way. Certain improvements have already been introduced. However, further efforts have to be made to ensure a more meaningful and responsible role for the Assembly. To enhance the Assembly’s standing and add weight to its resolutions it is, in our view, necessary to establish clear priorities. It is important to focus the work in the Assembly on these priorities and to reduce the number of items on its agenda. Indeed, time has come to consider even some radical methods to enhance the effectiveness of the Assembly. One might ask whether a full-fledged General Assembly session every year is really necessary and productive. Alternatively, a high-level political debate and meetings of the Main Committees might be held every other year. Moreover, the President and the Bureau of a session of the General Assembly could perhaps be designated well before the end of the preceding session. That would permit the officers of the General Assembly and the Secretariat better to prepare the work of the General Assembly. These and other ideas merit further consideration. The economic and social sectors of the United Nations, including the Economic and Social Council itself, are other areas where reforms are being actively discussed. The Nordic countries initiated a reform of the operational activities for development. Although there is virtual agreement on a number of reform issues, there are still details to be settled concerning the governance and financing of the development agencies of the United Nations. I hope that these much needed reforms can be agreed upon by the end of November so that the new structures can be put in place as early as 1994. During the discussions on the ongoing reforms it has become obvious that the extraordinary extent and rapidity of 28 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session economic and social change, as well as the challenges of the global environment, necessitate reforms that are even much more profound. We must now devote our efforts to a reorientation of the United Nations system in this new and daunting environment. We should, in particular, clarify our thinking about the institutional and structural linkages between work on peace and security and work on sustainable development. Likewise, we should establish the true priorities in the economic and social sectors as well as in the United Nations system’s relations with other international organizations. Such rethinking and reform cannot be carried out during one single session of the General Assembly. It will take a sustained effort over several years, which, in turn, presupposes a consensus on the basic outlines of a reform programme. The shaping of a consensus is our primary task. The agenda for development which the Secretary-General will present will no doubt have a catalytic effect in this respect, as could the upcoming important conferences on population, social development and gender issues. The fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations will, in my view, provide a suitable occasion for launching such an ambitious, fundamental and visionary reform programme. In order for the United Nations to function effectively it must have a solid executive branch, a Secretariat that has at its disposal sufficient human and financial resources. The Secretary-General has taken several steps to streamline the Secretariat and make it a more efficient tool for implementing the decisions of the Member States. But more needs to be done in order to permit the Secretariat to take initiatives and pursue its intellectual leadership role. At a time when resources are scarce and so many new tasks have been entrusted to the United Nations, it is clear that a pruning of activities and rationalization of working methods must be done. The cutting of unnecessary and obsolete programmes must continue. It is the task of the Member States to give guidance to the Secretary-General, but also to draw conclusions and take the necessary decisions. The United Nations should apply the same policy of austerity as national Governments in the prevailing economic circumstances. Perhaps the greatest concern for the United Nations today is the unwillingness of the great majority of Member States to pay their assessed contributions. My delegation has said time and again, and I will repeat it now: Payment of one’s dues is not an option. It is an obligation falling on every Member, big or small. Let it be our collective birthday present to the United Nations at the fiftieth anniversary to see to it that by then there is full compliance with the obligation concerning payment of contributions. Member States, in fulfilling their financial obligations towards the United Nations, have the right to expect full accountability for the resources placed at the disposal of the Organization. It is essential that the Organization exercise prudent economic management and constantly improve the internal control system. We therefore believe that ideas such as the creation of the post of an independent inspector general are well worth considering. The main objective must now be to restore the confidence of the Member States and the general public in our Organization. The United Nations cannot afford to have its public image and integrity tarnished by allegations of mismanagement. As the United Nations approaches its fiftieth anniversary, humanity is faced with formidable challenges. Meeting them will not be easy. And yet, the United Nations now has a better chance than ever to use its full potential and show leadership for the sake of a better future. "We the peoples of the United Nations, ... united for a better world" has been chosen as the theme for the celebration of our fiftieth anniversary. Let us all together join in making this a reality.