Sweden

Let me express the Swedish Government’s satisfaction at the election of Ambassador Insanally of Guyana as President of this session of the General Assembly. I should also like to pay a tribute to the Secretary-General and to his endeavours to promote the principles of the Charter and a stronger United Nations. Furthermore, I welcome the six new Members of the Organization. The totalitarian ideologies of this century have been defeated, but the struggle of ideas is not over. Totalitarian ideas and ideologies can take on different shapes at different times. In many places - and no country is immune - we still witness expressions of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. If these tendencies are not effectively countered today, the world might have to face far uglier threats tomorrow. As we welcome the progress towards peace and freedom in Eastern Europe, in the Middle East and in South Africa, we have to realize that these achievements will prove elusive if they do not give people a better life. Peace and democracy, freedom and reconciliation, must be cemented by economic and social progress. The individual’s endeavours to improve his own lot and that of his family reflect a basic human desire, which transcends all cultural differences. If that desire is hampered, if hope turns into disillusion, a fertile ground is created for the merchants of hatred and preachers of violence. The regions of the world where security and prosperity have been relatively well secured now have opportunities to help extend the zone of peace to areas that are struggling to escape the vicious circle of poverty and violence. The main instruments for such developments are freer global trade and a more open exchange of ideas. In Europe, the evolving European union, of which Sweden soon hopes to become a member, has a special responsibility for ensuring that the Iron Curtain is not reinstalled in the form of persistent economic and social divisions. The United States and Asia-Pacific countries are meeting challenges of a similar nature in their regions. In the Middle East and Africa, we all share a joint responsibility. In spite of all the challenges facing the world today - regional conflicts, widespread poverty, environmental damage and arms proliferation - I believe we have a reasonable chance of extending the zone of peace and prosperity as we stand at the threshold of the twenty-first century. In this effort we must be able to rely on a strong and efficient world Organization. Today the United Nations is reaching middle age. In two years it will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. The end of the cold war brings new opportunities to utilize the full potential of the United Nations Charter and the United Nations system. At the same time, a thorough diagnosis and some strong prescriptions are necessary if the Organization is to serve as a vigorous instrument of the world community. Former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold once said: "The United Nations is, and should be, a living, evolving, experimental institution. If it should ever cease to be so, it should be revolutionized or swept aside for a new approach." Those words are as challenging and valid today as they were in the late 1950s. Today, I do not intend to dwell on those areas in which the Organization works well, or to commend praiseworthy initiatives. Instead, I would like to concentrate on areas where reforms and a special focus are indispensable. The most important of these are the promotion of peace and security, the role of the Organization in the economic and social fields, and the promotion of human rights. In responding to several crises in the aftermath of the cold war, the Security Council has, de facto, considerably broadened the concept of international peace and security. The United Nations finds itself engaged on a regular basis in wide-ranging and diversified operations in a variety of complex conflict situations. Some of these are of an internal nature and many of them involve humanitarian efforts. The very concept of United Nations peace-keeping has undergone dramatic change. Unprecedented demands are being placed on the Organization in the quest for global security and peace. There has been an eight-fold increase in the number of people serving in peace-keeping operations during the past two years; the peace-keeping budget will more than double in the course of a single year. 18 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session The implementation of a peace agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina will require additional and substantial contributions from United Nations Member States. Again the willingness and ability to provide personnel and resources will be tested. I am pleased to announce that at this very moment a Nordic battalion group is being deployed in Bosnia. As much as we welcome a peace settlement for Bosnia and Herzegovina we must recognize that it is far from an ideal solution to that long and bitter conflict. It might constitute no more than the beginning of a complicated and frustrating process towards peace where all efforts must be used to counter the inherent dangers of continued aggression, "ethnic cleansing" and the dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As soon as a settlement has been signed by the parties, we should concentrate on building a peace which can provide safe and decent conditions for the suffering population. First of all, we need a strong and efficient peace-keeping operation in order to assist in implementing the provisions of the agreement. International organizations, particularly the United Nations, must embark on a comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation programme. Special attention should be paid to the situation of refugees and displaced persons, and to their return, and to the plight of women and children. Experience gained from the conflict in former Yugoslavia and from the successful United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) shows the need for an integrated approach to international peace and security. This must be one of the guiding principles for reforming and restructuring the Organization to enable it to deal more effectively with today’s conflicts. The Secretary-General’s report "An Agenda for Peace" indicates ways to improve the medium-term and long-term handling of peace-keeping. An interaction between preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peace-keeping and post-conflict peace-building is indispensable. The need for reform in the peace-keeping area is undisputed. Ongoing efforts in this regard are commendable and should be further promoted. The Nordic countries intend to present proposals on this issue during the current General Assembly session. At this early stage I would like to stress the following points. First, we should be able to react flexibly to dynamic situations in peace-keeping operations, and that requires better provisions for planning and operations staff. Command and control need to be clearly defined. The operative command of operations in the field would, of course, remain in the hands of the respective force commanders. Secondly, close consultations between the troop contributors, the Security Council and the Secretary-General are of special importance in complex peace-keeping operations. A forum for coordination and exchange of information to improve contacts between the Council and the troop contributors would be desirable. I propose that such a forum be set up for each major operation. Thirdly, we urge Member States to respond positively to the Secretary-General’s request, and provide troops, other personnel and equipment on a stand-by basis for use at short notice for peace-keeping purposes. The members of the Security Council hold a special responsibility to ensure that adequate resources are provided when it decides on new operations. Fourthly, peace-keeping operations and humanitarian relief efforts are increasingly interrelated, and this requires improved coordination. In many cases the humanitarian efforts are vital for the successful pursuance of peace-keeping operations. Fifthly, the great number of peace-keeping operations and their diversity require special emphasis on training. To address the need for appropriate training of United Nations peace-keepers, United Nations training colleges should be established. The United Nations has an important role to play in coordinating and promoting peace-keeping training for all categories of personnel. Member States with long-standing traditions in this field bear a special responsibility. Sweden, for its part, is prepared to contribute to improving the skills of peace-keepers. This could include training for civilian and humanitarian-relief personnel, and also for police and military staff. Finally, and most important, present and increasing demands on United Nations peace-keeping cannot be met if Member States do not pay their dues. We must create the necessary resources for the rapid implementation of Security Council decisions. If not, we run the risk of undermining the credibility and the prestige of the United Nations and the Security Council. New threats to regional security are emerging. Cooperation between the United Nations and regional arrangements is vital to meet these threats of global Forty-eighth session - 28 September l993 19 importance. Regional action is indispensable to strengthen the global community of values and to secure the efficient use of scarce resources. In this spirit, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) is applying for Observer status in the General Assembly. As Chairman of the CSCE Council, I signed in May a framework document with the Secretary-General. This framework aims at improving coordination and cooperation between the United Nations and the CSCE in conflict resolution in the CSCE area. The implementation of that framework is essential for realizing the goals of Chapter VIII of the Charter. Regular consultations, mutual exchange of information and coordination of activities between the United Nations and the CSCE have started. CSCE missions are supervising the implementation of United Nations sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). Concrete action in the field is also taking place in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in unfortunate Georgia. As Chairman of the CSCE I deplore the recent developments in Georgia. The very survival of Georgia as a member of the international community is now at stake. The CSCE lends its full support to President Shevardnadze’s efforts to prevent the dismemberment of his country. All participating States must now exert their influence to that end. The disintegration of Georgia is in no one’s interest. The Security Council bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and must be the driving force behind reforms in this area, reflecting the aspirations of the States Members of the Organization. In this context, we welcome the statement by the Council that progress in disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation can make a crucial contribution to the maintenance of peace and security. An early agreement on a comprehensive test ban would enhance that concept. The considerable increase in the number of Members of the United Nations makes an enlargement of the Security Council a matter for urgent consideration. The effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy of the Council must be the overriding goals. A reform must ensure that the Council continues to be relevant in a changing world and that it retains its capacity to act decisively and promptly. The United Nations has a unique mandate to promote economic, social and environmental progress and development. Increased attention should be given to these areas to overcome long-term threats to international peace and security. Today, the challenge for the United Nations is to fulfil its important role in supporting international cooperation and governments’ efforts to master the increasingly complex problems of development. Sweden is looking forward to contributing to the deliberations on the report of the Secretary-General on an agenda for development. Along with other countries, we have witnessed with increasing concern what seems to be a fragmentation and marginalization of the United Nations in development assistance, not least in long-term development. It is obvious that extensive reform is needed if the United Nations is to be able to respond to the new challenges. A more efficient governance structure and a broader, more stable and predictable funding of operational activities are in the interest both of recipient and of donor countries. We must sharpen our instruments, both in terms of policy formulation and development action, to avoid having interest, commitment and funding from Sweden and other Member States diverted to other organizations, to the detriment of those most in need of what the United Nations could offer. As a long-standing, major donor, with a firm belief in the importance of the United Nations in the economic and social fields, Sweden will continue to work for much-needed reforms. Against this background, we hope that the recent decision to continue negotiations on the role, size and functioning of the executive boards of the development programmes will lead to a result that ensures an effective conduct of work in the development field. The executive boards must be efficient instruments, capable of firmly guiding the work of their respective organizations. The promotion of human rights is a United Nations priority objective, as set out in the Charter. Thus, the protection and promotion of human rights should underpin the whole spectrum of United Nations activities. Flagrant abuse of human rights and humanitarian law is still a tragic reality for millions of people in many parts of the world. At the World Conference on Human Rights, all States reaffirmed their solemn commitment to promote respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the universal nature of which is beyond question. Such commitments are, however, of no avail if they are not put into action. All States have a duty to adhere to the international conventions in this field. We must also make sure that the United Nations human rights programme is allocated the means and support necessary to fulfil its role. We should, as a matter of 20 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session urgency, take steps to increase the resources and improve the function of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights. The establishment of a high commissioner for human rights would enhance the capacity of the international system to deal more directly with emergencies and grave violations. It would help to improve coordination and integration of human rights within the United Nations system as a whole. The commissioner would personify the priority given to the protection of human rights, and this issue should be a matter for prompt consideration by this General Assembly. Sweden welcomes the fact that the General Assembly recently proceeded to select the judges for the Tribunal established for prosecuting war crimes committed in former Yugoslavia. This means that the Tribunal can shortly commence its important work. Let me revert to the United Nations financial crisis. It is deeply disturbing that 90 per cent of the assessed contributions are paid late or not at all. There is no justification for the failure of permanent members of the Security Council to live up to their obligations in this respect. The time has come to address the issue of incentives and penalties to enhance the principle of meeting financial obligations on time and in full. The recommendations of the Independent Advisory Group on United Nations Financing in this respect must receive immediate attention. In this connection, let us not forget the letter and the spirit of Article 19 of the Charter, with its implications for the right to vote. An adjustment of the scale of assessments must ensure a fairer and more up-to-date application of the principle of capacity to pay. At a time of resource constraints, it is also imperative for Member States to face the questions of priorities and efficient management. Strict budgetary discipline is required, and scarce resources should not be wasted on activities lacking well-defined goals: the means entrusted to the Organization must be used in the most cost-effective and prudent manner. We welcome the recent measures taken by the Secretary-General in this regard. We now have a unique opportunity to strengthen international cooperation. This window of opportunity is greater than at any time since 1945. The judgement of history will be harsh if we fail to grasp this moment. Therefore, it is up to us, as politicians and statesmen of the present generation, to make sure that international cooperation takes a decisive step forward. The United Nations has a central role in this process. If the United Nations concentrates on the essential tasks entrusted to it in the Charter, and manages to generate the necessary support and cooperation, this can be achieved. There is broad consensus among the Member States about the need to strengthen the United Nations. If this consensus can be transformed into rapid action, we will have made considerable progress in making the world Organization fulfil the high expectations attached to it today.