Let me take this
opportunity to express our strong support for the
people of Burma in their struggle for a democratic
future. We strongly urge the Burmese Government to
initiate a peaceful dialogue, resist all violence and
respect the human rights of the Burmese people, not
least their freedom of expression and assembly.
There is little doubt and this has been
highlighted by all speakers during the last few days
that we, the international community, the United
Nations, face major challenges in the years ahead.
When addressing them, we should also be aware of the
progress that has been achieved in the world in recent
decades.
The accelerated globalization process has brought
enormous benefits to many hundreds of millions of
people, not least in the emerging economies. Today,
nearly a third of the world’s population live in
countries where economic growth is about 10 per cent
a year, and we seem to be well on our way towards
meeting that important part of the Millennium
Development Goals that will reduce by half the number
of people living in absolute poverty around the world.
From a historical perspective, that is amazing
progress. Never before in human history have so many
been lifted out of absolute poverty in such a short
space of time. There is no room for complacency,
however. We must make globalization a force for good,
for open societies, open economies and an open world
for everyone on our planet. We must redouble our
efforts to bring the Doha Development Round to a
successful conclusion. Sustainable economic growth, a
vibrant private sector and a more open international
trading system are needed if we are to achieve the
goals we have set for eradicating poverty in the world.
Aid for trade is a crucial complement to the
opening up of markets for many countries. The
developing countries of the world represent far too
small a share of world trade. We must live up to the
international commitments on development assistance
and ensure that development cooperation becomes
more efficient. That is the joint responsibility of all
donors and all partner countries. The Swedish
Government has initiated extensive reforms aimed at
creating a new Swedish development assistance policy
characterized by quality, efficiency and results in terms
of reduced poverty and more democratic societies. We
must now as was highlighted last week
accelerate our efforts to address the challenge of
climate change. The Swedish Government has
launched a Commission on Climate Change and
Development to address risk reduction, adaptation and
climate-proofing development. We must make a
dedicated mutual effort to meet the Millennium
Development Goals. The fact that we are making
substantial progress on all of them globally
demonstrates that progress is indeed possible.
Human rights, security and development go hand
in hand. Respect for human rights is necessary to
achieve security and development, and those three
elements are mutually reinforcing. Our protection of
any individual anywhere is the protection of all
individuals everywhere.
The death penalty must be abolished all over the
world. It contravenes the very notion of human rights.
Even in that area, the world is making progress, but 25
countries still sentence people to death. Six countries
are responsible for more than 90 per cent of all
executions worldwide. We all know who they are and
expect them to take steps to abolish the death penalty.
The links between security and development,
including the need to combine State-building efforts
and peace-support operations for long-lasting results,
place new demands on the international community.
The United Nations must learn from and build on the
recent experiences of a number of challenging but
successful large-scale missions that integrate military
and civilian components. We need to improve
coordination of international efforts in the field, for
instance in Afghanistan.
There are many challenges that remain to be
tackled if we are to make the world a better place.
Perhaps the most important is how we should best
address the present threats to the existing non-
proliferation regime. Were there to be one new State
with nuclear weapons, the danger is that another would
soon follow. Shortly, those weapons might well be out
of any State’s control. The risk of nuclear terrorism
would be a very real one. That must be prevented. Our
children deserve to live in a world safe from the threat
of nuclear war and of weapons of mass destruction
falling into the hands of terrorists. Those weapons
threaten the very existence of mankind.
To prevent that, the nuclear Powers have a duty to
live up to their responsibilities. To neglect is to invite
failure. They need to demonstrate their readiness to
substantially reduce their nuclear arsenals. Those
weapons are of no use in deterring the adversaries we
might face if the non-proliferation regime is eroded or
collapses. It is a question of self-interest and far-
sighted statesmanship.
But we must also address the urgent political
issues that we are confronted with. Although the
numbers of wars and conflicts have continued to
decline, we should be acutely aware of the dangers of
conflicts rapidly exploding, fusing together and
unravelling the progress we have seen. Let me address
two of those: the situation in the Middle East and the
conflicts in Africa.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to end with a
peaceful settlement negotiated by the parties, resulting
in the emergence of an independent, democratic and
viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and
security with Israel and other neighbours. Restoring
peace and economic growth in the Middle East requires
parallel action by the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Nothing is more important for the long-term security of
Israel than the creation of a truly viable Palestinian
State. That will require freedom of movement and
access to be significantly improved in the West Bank
and Gaza. Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas
recognize each other as partners for peace. That
provides an opening that we should all do our utmost
to support.
It is therefore now time for a true peace process,
and not of the incremental sort that has been tried so
many times before. It is now time to achieve the peace
that is the common aspiration of the vast majority of
Israelis and Palestinians alike, as well as of the
international community.
We urge the leaders of Israel and Palestine to
move forward towards a comprehensive settlement.
The international meeting this autumn is of crucial
importance. But the challenges of the Middle East are
not limited to that conflict.
We are convinced that we must do more to
encourage reconciliation and reconstruction in Iraq
after the horrible brutalities of the last few decades. We
must do much more to assist and protect the more than
4 million Iraqis who have left their homes.
Iran still refuses to accept the obligations laid
down by the Security Council. Iran has to convince us
of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.
The conflicts on the Horn of Africa, stretching
from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Somalia, the Sudan, Chad
and the Central African Republic, cause thousands
upon thousands of deaths as well as untold human
suffering for the survivors. National leaders on the
Horn should rise to the challenge and demonstrate their
commitment to peace and reconciliation. The failure of
Ethiopia and Eritrea to resolve the quite
straightforward demarcation of their common border,
eight years after their commitment to do so, is a
worrying signal, not only for these two countries, but
also for the region as a whole.
In the Sudan, a process of democratization is of
paramount importance to tackle the core problems and
to achieve reconciliation. We must focus on support for
the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement as well as the renewed peace effort for
Darfur that will take place in Tripoli at the end of the
month.
The situation in eastern Chad is worrying. We are
impressed by the important humanitarian work carried
out by local and international non-governmental
organizations. It is apparent that we must do more to
protect and assist refugees, internally displaced persons
and other civilians affected by the conflicts of the
region, as well as support the United Nations-led
humanitarian efforts on both sides of the border.
How can we ever achieve true progress if
women’s crucial role in peacebuilding and
development is not recognized? Gender equality and
women’s rights, participation, influence and
empowerment are key goals in themselves, and are also
crucial for sustainable poverty reduction.
Challenges like these show the urgent need for
world leaders to accept shared responsibility for our
common future. Sweden addresses these challenges in
close cooperation with its European Union partners.
We need a strong and reformed United Nations
to bring us all together. A better world is within our
reach.