I would like to congratulate
you, Mr. President, and express our support for your
leadership of the General Assembly at this session.
Finland aligns itself with the statement of the European
Union.
The Millennium Declaration and the Millennium
Development Goals continue to serve as our common
pledge to create a better future for everyone. The
United Nations is our world organization, and in
addressing global challenges, the United Nations is the
key forum for our cooperation.
In order to achieve comprehensive security, we
must strive not only for security, but also for
development and human rights. In the World Summit
two years ago, we decided that the United Nations
system should be reformed to better ensure the
implementation of these three fundamental principles.
We should spare no efforts to continue the overall
reform of the United Nations.
A more just world is a safer world. Making the
Economic and Social Council more effective is an
important part of the United Nations reform and of the
concept of broad security.
Establishing a new United Nations institution is
truly a challenging task. We know that from our own
experience. Finland was a member of the Human
Rights Council during its first year. But we have to go
on. We must sustain our efforts to make the Council a
credible institution, capable of defending and
promoting globally the human rights of women, men
and children. Our good words and intentions must lead
to strong action.
The new Peacebuilding Commission must be
developed into a platform that can successfully assist
countries struggling in post-conflict situations. To
support that work, Governments, parliaments,
non-governmental organizations and the private sector
must also work together. The Peacebuilding Fund must
be used as an effective tool to respond to the
immediate needs of post-conflict countries.
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
calls for coherent action. Finland strongly supports the
recommendations of the Secretary-General’s High-
level Panel on System-wide Coherence. The objective
of One United Nations at the country level is worth
striving for.
We also must reinforce our efforts to address the
challenges in the fields of health and education, as so
many speakers have mentioned here.
Finland warmly welcomes the Panel’s
recommendations concerning gender. We do need to
take decisive measures to promote gender awareness
across the entire United Nations system. We support
the proposal to set up a new, consolidated gender
agency with a new Under-Secretary-General position at
its head.
In this context, I would like to stress the
importance of engaging women in all phases of crisis
management: conflict prevention, peacekeeping and
peacebuilding, without forgetting peace talks. Let me
give one example: the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Middle East Initiative. I
believe that the cooperation between Israeli and
Palestinian women under this initiative can help to
restart the peace negotiations. I also use this
opportunity to state that Finland is preparing its
national action plan to advance the implementation of
Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women,
peace and security.
A stronger United Nations also needs reform of
the Secretariat. In this regard, we welcome the
additional emphasis given to the rule of law. Support
for the rule of law is a necessity in the consolidation of
global security.
Sustainable development requires us to
consistently promote fairer globalization and the well-
being of nature. Climate change affects the future of
the whole of mankind. Finland highlights the necessity
to reach, as soon as possible, a globally inclusive
agreement on the post-2012 climate regime. The
United Nations has a central role to play in this
process.
Every nation has the right to develop and to aim
for growth and prosperity. Industrialized countries
must demonstrate solidarity with developing countries
and take all possible steps to promote access to
environmentally sound technologies for everyone.
I believe that the tone of the climate change
debate is developing in a promising direction. Many
Member States and various regions and social actors
have become active and have produced initiatives
concerning the development of climate policy. We have
to take advantage of that as an asset in the run-up to
the Bali Climate Change Conference, to be held in
December.
The high-level event on climate change held on
24 September was a success. I feel that it gave us the
political support that we will need when we are
heading towards Bali. Everyone’s input will, of course,
be required. Finland appreciates the fact that the
President of the General Assembly has made this topic
one of his priorities.
We need effective international cooperation in the
field of disarmament and non-proliferation. For
example, given the number of victims in today’s
conflicts, small arms and light weapons are indeed
weapons of mass destruction. Finland, together with
more than 150 other States, supports the process aimed
at the adoption of an international arms trade treaty.
The role of the United Nations is vital in
resolving numerous crises around the world. This
morning, we heard news from Burma/Myanmar, where
the people’s fight for freedom and human rights has
been suppressed. We must react. United Nations
activities need political support and our resources.
We value the determination of the Secretary-
General in searching for a solution to the crisis in the
Sudan. The new peacekeeping operation in Darfur will
increase the total number of United Nations troops to
more than 100,000. That remarkable figure proves that
the United Nations enjoys the trust of the international
community. We welcome Security Council resolution
1778 (2007), adopted yesterday, on an international
presence in Chad and the Central African Republic.
In order to achieve success in crisis management,
we need partnerships and shared responsibilities. For
example, the African Union and the European Union
have been valuable partners of the United Nations. The
support of local and regional actors is critical for
successful United Nations peacekeeping.
We Europeans believe that resolving Kosovo’s
status is vitally important. In that process, the United
Nations Special Envoy has played a pivotal role. We
encourage all parties to engage constructively in
finding a solution to that problem.
Let me assure the Assembly that Finland supports
a stronger United Nations for a better world. It is up to
us to deliver on our commitments to achieving better
security, sustainable development and respect for the
human rights of all people. I wish to express our
firmest support to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, in pursuing such efforts.