It is a
great honour for me to address, on behalf of
Switzerland, the General Assembly, which this year is
presided over by my compatriot, Mr. Joseph Deiss. I
would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
President on his election. His election is a great honour
for Switzerland and is not only a personal recognition
of President Deiss and his work but also of our
country’s commitment to the United Nations as a
member of the Organization and a defender of
multilateralism.
We find ourselves today in a building that is
undergoing renovations. The architectural makeover of
the United Nations prompts me to ask: what kind of
United Nations are we building for the next 10, 20 or
30 years? We need a United Nations that can face the
challenges of the future for the good of all. We need a
United Nations that will contribute effectively to
solving the world’s problems. We need Member States
that are ready to take full responsibility for building a
better world.
The future of the United Nations must reflect the
world of tomorrow. Today, nearly one billion people
are still malnourished. There will be many more people
sharing this planet in the future, and no doubt we will
have to make do with fewer resources. Thanks to new
developments in technology and information, our
citizens participate more directly in the challenges
facing our societies. They are increasingly better
informed and feel that at least some of the legitimacy
of this universal Organization depends on its ability to
respond effectively to those challenges. They demand
accountability.
In a more globalized world, we must treasure and
defend the principles of the United Nations Charter. We
must take care to ensure the proper functioning of this
common structure in a spirit of solidarity, respect and
responsibility.
A strong international community requires
solidarity. That means more than providing assistance
to countries when they are unable to help their own
citizens. It also means reminding States of the
responsibilities they have towards their own people in
areas such as security, the rule of law, human rights
and democracy, and all that in respect for the United
Nations Charter. Every woman, every man, every
citizen must make his and her contribution to the
structure we are building together. At the same time
every Member State must be able to place its national
interests second to the common good. That is the only
way we will be able to find solutions that are in
everyone’s interest.
Every day we are reminded of the growing and
increasingly complex global challenges confronting us:
the economic and financial crisis, climate change,
energy and food security, development and poverty,
and peace and security. The search for sustainable
solutions to those challenges calls for real governance,
governance, moreover, that must reflect the new
realities in the world. The new-found prosperity of
some must go hand in hand with new responsibilities.
States whose economic success enables them to play a
more active role in the governance of the world must
accept the new responsibilities that go with that active
role.
The United Nations enjoys a unique legitimacy
because of its universal membership. Its legitimacy
also derives from the issues it addresses, which
concern us all. This week’s agenda is the best possible
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proof. But the legitimacy of an organization also
depends on its performance and its ability to respond to
the expectations placed on it.
By that standard the United Nations sometimes
delivers mixed results. At times it seems ill-equipped
and hesitant to act. The power derived from universal
membership becomes a burden when we Member
States are divided. Our debates should not be limited to
the lowest common denominator. They must lead to
action and to results in the interest of the common
good of humanity.
If the United Nations fails to act, other groups
representing only a fraction of the countries of the
world will step in, zealous for effective action, and
play a central role in global governance. As far as
Switzerland is concerned, such groups lack legitimacy
by virtue of their limited composition. It is therefore
crucial for the United Nations and its principal organs
to remain at the centre of world governance. That is
why we must take care to ensure that the legitimacy of
this universal body does not suffer from a lack of
efficiency. To make progress in building a better world,
it is our collective responsibility to meet a global
challenge with a global response. Switzerland wants to
contribute to this joint effort.
Concerted global action is required in the
following areas.
The Millennium Development Goals must be
implemented rapidly and fully. We know that dropping
a sack of rice from a helicopter is not enough. We must
instead teach people how to grow rice. Still today,
1.4 billion people around the world are living in
extreme poverty. Every day too many mothers and
children die of malnutrition and lack of care. We know
that huge financial means are needed after a disaster.
Money flows in emergency situations, but who is still
concerned three years later? Who is involved in the
reconstruction?
Binding objectives must be defined as quickly as
possible for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Nowadays, we have knowledge and we have clean and
green technology. We must take action, each nation
with measures aimed at its own targets. Waiting for the
industrialized countries to invest in the South will not
lead anywhere. Here too, all must fulfil their own
responsibilities. This year in Mexico we still have an
opportunity to make progress. The recent natural
disasters are unmistakable signs. Switzerland will
reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by
the year 2020.
Thirty years after the Cold War, the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction remains a grave threat
to peace and security. But for civilian populations, the
real devastation is caused by small arms and light
weapons. Terrorists benefit from that situation by
easily supplying themselves in the arms market.
Switzerland, together with other countries, is
supporting the full implementation of the United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. That
initiative provides for the involvement of specialists in
humanitarian aid and education.
Gender equality must at last become a reality.
Access to education and health for women and girls
has been restricted for decades. More than others, they
have been victims of poverty. They have also been the
targets of systematic violence in armed conflicts. It is
high time to make full use of their potential in
mediation and reconstruction in countries affected by
conflict. In that context, Switzerland welcomes the
creation of the United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of Women — UN
Women — which brings us closer to the fulfilment of
this vision.
We must avoid making the United Nations an
immutable historic monument, but rather turn it into a
dynamic organization. The United Nations is the only
organization in the world with the legitimacy to
represent all nations and all peoples. It is the only
legitimate organization in the world capable of
narrowing differences and restoring a balance between
regions.
For that to happen, however, every Member State
must accept its responsibilities and start with the task
of putting its own house in order. Discussion and
preparing reports are not enough, however; we need to
act. Each Member State must commit itself clearly
within the Organization to respond to the urgent
questions facing the world of today and of tomorrow.
Such commitments will strengthen confidence in the
United Nations and its credibility.
Switzerland remains firmly convinced of the
aptness of a multilateral approach, with the United
Nations at its centre. With the contributions of
everyone in this Hall today we will be able to create a
more just, peaceful and prosperous world. I thank all
who are gathered here for their collective commitment.