At the
outset, Sir, I should like to congratulate you on your
election as President of the General Assembly, and to
assure you of my country’s full support during the
sixty-second session.
All of us here share the hope for a more peaceful
and harmonious world. At a time when civilian
populations are the targets of suicide attacks and
sophisticated weapons, when children are forced to
become soldiers, and climate change poses a threat to
the survival of our planet, how are we meeting our
responsibilities? Where does the responsibility lie
when millions of men and women are suffering from
malnutrition and their most basic needs are not being
met, when injustice is everywhere, and when the
environment is being destroyed? How can we
overcome those scourges assailing human beings
throughout the world? How can we translate our
responsibilities into action?
In attempting to answer those questions, we have
to acknowledge two facts. The first is that respect for
human rights, the rule of law and good governance are
the prerequisites both to achieving lasting peace and
security and to protecting the environment. We know
now that systematic violations of human rights and
flagrant deficiencies in the rule of law are often the
source of conflicts. The second concerns the nature of
conflicts. On the ground, battle lines are being blurred.
State forces are confronting non-State armed groups.
Warlords, terrorists and criminal gangs dictate the
rules. Civilians rather than soldiers are the primary
targets.
It is no longer possible to limit security policy to
the traditional State framework. The focus now must be
first and foremost on the security of the individual.
Accordingly, Governments and non-State armed groups
alike are called on to respect certain basic rules
common to all.
If we are to achieve results, confrontation must
give way to dialogue and efforts to find solutions.
Negotiation, dialogue and diplomacy are the tools for
achieving success. We must overcome the barriers that
exist between different sectors and disciplines in the
field of international relations. We must develop
alliances based on shared values. That approach should
enable us to find solutions by cutting across regional,
ideological and cultural boundaries. The recent past
has shown what can be achieved. The International
Criminal Court, the Human Rights Council and the
Anti-personnel Landmines Convention were all the
result of broad-based coalitions of countries in all
regions of the world.
However, dialogue alone will not be enough.
Experience has shown that, without concrete
objectives, debates between players with very different
views of the world can sometimes serve to accentuate
differences. In contrast, efforts to devise and
implement actions that are concrete and practical make
for cohabitation between different communities. It is
for that reason that Switzerland supports such
initiatives as the Alliance of Civilizations, along with
the implementation plan proposed by the secretariat of
the Alliance.
Coherent overall solutions to the crises that are
currently affecting the international order cannot be
implemented unless we take into account the interests
of all the communities concerned. Switzerland does all
it can to promote dialogue with all parties. That is
particularly the case in Lebanon, where we are offering
the political forces a forum in which to seek a way out
of the current political crisis in the interest of long-
term stability.
Recent developments in the occupied Palestinian
territories have reminded us once again, with tragic
intensity, of the need to respect those principles. In that
regard as well, the involvement of all parties is
necessary if there is to be a lasting solution.
The same can be said for the situation in Darfur.
My country hopes that resolution 1769 (2007), which
for the first time envisages close cooperation between
the United Nations and the African Union, will provide
the inhabitants of that region with an opportunity to
live in peace and to achieve reconciliation after so
many years of suffering.
The situation in Myanmar is alarming.
Switzerland calls on the Government of Myanmar to
renounce all forms of violence against demonstrators
and civilians. Switzerland favours dialogue among all
the parties concerned, under the aegis of the Special
Adviser of the Secretary-General.
Lastly, there can be no peace or security without
international justice. Switzerland supports in particular
the work of the International Criminal Court. Its
permanent nature and the possibility of the Security
Council referring situations to the Court as it did in
the case of Darfur gives that institution a preventive
effect. For that effect to be achieved, the Court must
have the full support of the international community,
which must ensure that all States cooperate fully with
the Court.
Human security policy also applies to
environmental threats. The actions of humankind have
changed the climate of the planet. Those changes are
taking place on a global scale and are resulting in
rising temperatures, radical changes in precipitation
patterns, rising sea levels and a disruption to the
balance of nature. Taken as a whole, those phenomena
pose a major threat to millions of people and the places
where people live, their cultures and their living
conditions. The risks to security, health and
development are discussed in the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change.
Today environmental problems are a threat to
security. At the political level, they require that we act
responsibly as human beings. They also require the
forming of alliances to protect our natural resources.
Although we have established institutions and
international mechanisms to combat underdevelopment
and promote peace and respect for human rights, we
have not done enough with regard to the environment.
It is true that we have a series of international
conventions and national programmes and legislation.
But environmental governance is fragmented and lacks
clear objectives. We therefore need to join together to
identify and implement commitments in order to better
manage resources and efforts and to protect the
biosphere. We also need to mobilize the United Nations
system in order to respond to climate change
effectively and coherently.
Switzerland therefore hopes that we will set
ambitious goals for ourselves in the second phase of
the Kyoto Protocol. We are ready to make a substantial
contribution to that collective effort, in which the
entire international community must join. Switzerland
believes that, in order to have legitimacy, any future
international regime to address climate change will
require the participation of all countries. In our view,
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Changes and the Kyoto Protocol provide the most
appropriate starting points for all deliberations and
negotiations on climate change.
Addressing the economic, social and
environmental aspects of development based on respect
for human rights is both a challenge and a goal for all
of us as we seek to build a world that is both freer and
more secure. The international community has adopted
many development goals in recent decades. However,
additional efforts must still be made to ensure greater
coherence in the operational system of the United
Nations. With its funds, programmes and specialized
agencies, the system has at its disposal an excellent
network through which to ensure its presence on the
ground. It also has great moral and technical legitimacy
and substantial operational capacity.
Unfortunately the system remains fragmented and
its transaction costs are very high costs which are to
a great extent borne by beneficiary countries
themselves. Major adjustments some of which are
described in the report entitled “Delivering as One”
need to be carried out promptly in the field so that
United Nations operational bodies can meet the needs
of partner countries more effectively. Negotiations on
the triennial comprehensive policy review of
operational activities for development of the United
Nations system, which are due to begin in a few weeks,
will provide the appropriate framework to determine
what measures are needed especially on the basis of
the experiences of pilot countries that are applying the
concept of “One United Nations”.
We stand today at the midpoint of the timetable
for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Although there is no denying that progress has been
made at various levels, there is still much to be done.
All of us - Governments, multilateral institutions,
non-governmental organizations and the private
sector must combine our efforts across a wide front
that encompasses the national, regional and
international spheres. Given the upcoming high-level
dialogue on financing for development, I shall limit
myself merely to recalling that all of us have a
common interest in improving the efficiency and the
impact of development assistance and in increasing the
volume of resources made available for it through
official channels. We already know that results in this
area can only be achieved through very considerable
joint efforts by all partners concerned.
The Organization has begun a process of reform
in order to better respond to global challenges. So as to
strengthen the credibility and efficiency of the efforts
of the United Nations, we must demonstrate our
determination to fully carry out those reforms. There
was real progress in the past year, including the
beginning of the work of the Peacebuilding
Commission and the Human Rights Council. That
illustrates the ability of the United Nations to carry out
ambitious reforms in order to respond to the challenges
of the twenty-first century.
Switzerland is advocating for an overall
improvement in the working methods of the Security
Council. My country will continue its efforts to
improve transparency in sanctions committees and to
ensure that the addition and removal of names of
persons and entities on sanctions lists are in conformity
with the principles of the rule of law and human rights.
Efficient management and a better targeted use of
available resources continue to pose a serious
challenge for the Organization. Switzerland welcomes
the determination of the Secretary-General to make the
efficiency of the United Nations system one of his
priorities. Given the progress made this year, but
especially because of the challenges that remain,
Switzerland believes that it is essential to continue the
process of reform already under way. My country will
therefore continue to support the efforts of Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon aimed at strengthening the
United Nations and making the Organization more
efficient.
If we want to move ahead, if we are determined
to overcome the varied and interdependent challenges
facing the globalized world of today, and if we want to
free individual human beings from fear and want, we
must focus on concrete objectives. To that end, let us
resolve to work tirelessly to overcome our differences
in the interest of the nations and peoples we represent.