Estonia

First of all, allow me to congratulate Secretary-General Kofi Annan and all of my colleagues on having received the Nobel Peace Prize. There is no doubt that without the United Nations, our world would be much less secure, with far fewer prospects for resolving conflicts. I would also like to commend the efforts that have been made during the last few years to reform this Organization so that it can better deal with the new challenges it has to face. In addition, please allow me, Sir, to congratulate you on having been elected President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. After the terrorist attacks of 11 September, it became apparent that, when we are all confronted with a common threat, many existing disputes and 12 differences become insignificant. The United Nations Member States together have condemned the terrorist acts. It is of the utmost importance to maintain that unity and persistently to reinforce it with concrete actions. Terrorism is the ultimate challenge to our common values, and our struggle against that threat has only begun. The destruction and elimination of terrorist networks is a time-consuming task for which there are no instant solutions. The United Nations does, however, have effective measures at its disposal for fighting terrorism: the international conventions that the United Nations has adopted over the years and the sanctions that can be applied to hamper terrorist activities. The ratification of those conventions and the enforcement of those sanctions by every United Nations Member State is, at this moment, one of those truly important tasks that it behoves all Members to carry out. I am glad to be able to confirm that Estonia has either already ratified, or is the middle of the parliamentary procedures for ratifying, all of the appropriate United Nations conventions. Estonia has taken all necessary steps to apply Security Council resolutions 1333 (2000) and 1373 (2001). Estonia has improved and intensified cooperation and the exchange of information with its neighbours and partners. We have expressed our solidarity and unreserved support to the United States in the fight against terrorism. We have aligned ourselves with the European Union’s 21 September anti-terrorist summit’s final document and action plan. With our neighbours Latvia and Lithuania, we have also formulated common measures for preventing possible terrorist attacks and for applying coordinated tactics in case we become the victims of terrorist activities. We have intensified international border controls and police cooperation. Many programmes that had been adopted earlier are now proving to be extremely useful in the struggle against terrorism. The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, for example, has given a high rating to Estonia’s anti-money-laundering legislation. A recent audit shows that Estonian banks have no contractual relations with any organization or individual alleged to be connected with international terrorism. The international political atmosphere in Estonia’s immediate vicinity, the Baltic Sea region, is, I am glad to report, peaceful, which is conducive to stable development and good-neighbourly cooperation. Up to now, Estonians have hardly had to deal with the direct results of terrorism. But this fall’s terrorist attacks were aimed directly at international peace and stability. This means that now we, too, keenly sense the danger that faces us all. This places the United Nations, as the world Organization, at the centre of the ongoing struggle. The reform processes launched during the last few years to reorganize and reform the United Nations are also appropriate for dealing with current problems. Now, however, we must ask ourselves if there is some way that we can speed up and intensify these reforms so as to better deal with the urgency of the prevailing situation. In our new situation, I would bring forth three well-worn and proven principles that apply not only specifically to the United Nations, but to other aspects of international cooperation as well. First, we must once again ask ourselves how exactly each of us can make the most fruitful contribution. Secondly, what can we do to increase the efficiency of the Organization? And thirdly, I would like to stress the principle of openness. First of all, let us deal with the matter of every Member’s individual contribution. The United Nations brings together Member States with a wide range of resources and capabilities. Even the most successful nation’s reserves and capacities, however, have a limit. Therefore, it is only natural that every Member State carefully evaluate how it can be the most useful. It is equally important for Members to realistically assess how high a level of development they have achieved, and, when appropriate, to refrain from accepting aid in favour of those who need it the most. This is the flip side of development. As one rises out of poverty and underdevelopment, one should also grow up and become more responsible, acknowledging that obligations rise along with living standards. Last year, for example, Estonia decided to relinquish its right to pay reduced contributions to the peacekeeping budget. For Estonia, to give up the rights to such a discount was not a step taken lightly — it was a decision based on the Government’s realization that with our rapid development, we had acquired new responsibilities. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had, after all, found that Estonia had developed to the point where the UNDP could 13 terminate the activities of its mission in Estonia in December 2000. Of course, we miss working together with such a useful cooperative agency as the UNDP representation in Estonia. Yet we realize quite well that there are many regions in the world which badly need their assistance, while for Estonia the presence of the UNDP mission is no longer essential. In other words, maintaining the representation would be irresponsible on our part, as it would use resources for which there is a greater need elsewhere. This means that Estonia’s cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies has qualitatively advanced to a higher level. This has been clearly demonstrated by the founding of the United Nations Building project in Estonia. The intention is to have the representation of various United Nations agencies all under one roof. The fact that the United Nations is gaining importance in the eyes of the Estonian public is evidenced by, inter alia, the fact that the Estonian United Nations Association has been steadily increasing its activities. During the last few years, Estonia has clearly progressed from an aid recipient to an aid provider. This transformation has been confirmed by, among others, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee, which, in its 2000 yearbook, lists Estonia for the first time as a donor nation. Therefore, those who assisted Estonia during its now completed transition phase can clearly see now that their aid has borne fruit. We, in turn, are willing to share the experience that we have gained in the course of the last 10 years. As a matter of fact, we have already established cooperative efforts of this nature with several countries. I spoke earlier about how every Member State has an obligation to evaluate how it can best help the United Nations in its endeavours. Of equal importance are the ongoing efforts to increase the effectiveness of the Organization as a whole. In this light, I would emphasize two aspects: reform of the Security Council and the Brahimi report on improving United Nations peacekeeping operations. We must ensure that our cooperative efforts for solving the urgent problems confronting us do not become entangled in the deficiencies of the structure or the working order of the Security Council. We all know very well what these deficiencies are, and therefore our common goal is quite clear: to increase the representativeness, transparency and efficiency of the Security Council. The enlivened discussions and the shift towards greater openness in the work of the Security Council give us hope. We supported the strenuous efforts of Harri Holkeri, the General Assembly’s previous President, to intensify the activities of the Working Group dealing with reform. We share the view that it is time to move from discussions on to the negotiating phase. Estonia supports the enlargement of the Security Council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, just as we support reform of the Security Council’s decision-making process. In the confrontational context of the cold war, the veto in the Security Council was a means for the great Powers to protect their interests. Even then it was avoided, and any light-handed use of the veto resulted in condemnation by the international community. Now, however, the sense of trust among the Security Council members has grown immensely, and a limitation of the use of the veto would be an appropriate reflection of this improved atmosphere. The composition of the Council, which still reflects the power relationships that prevailed in 1945, is another issue that cries out for resolution. From the inception of the United Nations that year until just a decade ago, the people of my country were afforded only rare glimpses of the goings-on at the United Nations through fissures in the iron curtain. When we finally established our independence in 1991, we emerged into the international arena only to discover that the Security Council, judging by its composition, was still stuck back in the year 1945. This strikes Estonia as being anachronistic, if not wrong-headed. The guarantors and greatest contributors to stability in the world have, in the course of half a century, changed fundamentally. We need not fear opening a discussion on whether the moral and legal reasoning underlying Security Council membership in the wake of the Second World War is still appropriate in the post-cold- war era — or this post-11 September era. Nothing underscores the need to come back to this question more than the challenge that we are currently facing. Participation in the United Nations peacekeeping operations is an inseparable part of Estonia’s national security policy. We therefore fully support the endeavours outlined in the Brahimi report concerning the reformation of United Nations peacekeeping. 14 Estonia is in full agreement with the report’s comprehensive and long-term approach to the prevention and solution of conflicts. Although we often talk about the need for limiting expenditures, in this case it is clear that in order to increase efficiency, means must be found for increasing the budget of United Nations peacekeeping operations. We are pleased to say, as I mentioned earlier, that we have contributed to this effort to increase those expenditures. Let me proceed to my third theme, namely, openness. Openness and transparency are essential for many reasons. Terrorist attacks have been directed at everyday interpersonal relations and at our usual means of communication, such as the postal system and air travel. Therefore, we need to make concerted efforts to ensure that the movement of people and ideas will not suffer from the threat of terrorism. Terrorism itself is fed primarily by misinformation, disinformation and misperceptions. Here too, openness is important; it is essential to communicate our intentions and ideas both to those who support us as well as to those who doubt us. Openness is also essential in more conventional situations, for example, in the traditional political decision-making process, be it in the international or domestic arena. Here, Estonia can share experiences in the sphere of information technology. Last year, the Estonian Government began to hold its cabinet meetings electronically. All information concerning government activities now moves through electronic channels — through the Internet. In addition to speeding up decision-making and providing monetary savings, information now becomes available to the general public through the Internet, much faster and more efficiently. More and more Estonians are making use of the opportunities offered by the public sector — the services of the revenue office, local governments and federal agencies — through the Internet. Having now connected all Estonian public schools to the Internet, the Government also plans to bring all public libraries online. This last summer, the Estonian State Chancellery launched a unique new project by opening a direct democracy portal called “Today I Decide”. This portal allows everyone to present ideas, initiatives and proposals, as well as to comment upon proposed legislation. New ideas that have been proposed by portal users are passed on to the appropriate government offices and agencies for action. Many of you may be interested in finding out more about the initiatives I have described, and we are more than happy to share our experiences with you. Finally, I would like to stress the fact that the grave events that have affected all of us in the last few months will not prevent us from moving ahead. Our decisiveness and sense of unity have only been reinforced by what has happened. We must not discard or forget all the common projects initiated before 11 September. In many parts of the world, nothing has changed for those who suffer from poverty, hunger and persecution. Thinking about our projects for the future, I am especially pleased that the United Nations special session on children, which was postponed owing to the terrorist attacks, will nevertheless take place in May next year. The goal of this upcoming special session, to create better conditions and opportunities for children everywhere, continues to be of the utmost importance to us. It is precisely for initiatives of this kind, which endeavour to achieve a better future for mankind, that the United Nations Organization has earned the Nobel Peace Prize. In conclusion, please allow me to express my personal condolences and the condolences of all Estonians to the families of those who perished in the air tragedy that occurred just a few days ago in the borough of Queens.