I bring a message of peace from Bangladesh. Please allow me to congratulate the President on his election. I wish him every success in the formidable task of leading the United Nations to continued relevance and credibility in these stormy times. I am confident that he will build upon the legacy left by his predecessor, Mr. Jan Kavan. We commend the Secretary-General for his stewardship in these difficult times. The United Nations has been faced with extremely challenging situations over the past year. We have lost one of our most outstanding men of peace — Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello and many of his colleagues. Such senseless and despicable acts must not be repeated. The new millennium, which we all heralded with so much hope, has been plunged into turmoil. Intervening events in the last three years have changed our world forever. They have left us groping for solutions. The events of 11 September 2001, the Afghan and the Iraq war, the open confrontation between Israel and Hamas and the African civil wars shape some of the dimensions of this world of disorder. Driving these crises are new realities — an all-out offensive against terrorism, arguments for pre-emption and unilateral action as an option for security, the targeting of Islamic radicalism and its fall-out as religious profiling. Somewhere, the coin of global cooperation has been debased. Each year we come to this Assembly to reaffirm our faith in the United Nations and our commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter. Today, we pause to grapple with doubts that have arisen about the relevance of the world body. I hasten to add that for Bangladesh, this pause is very short-lived. The cardinal question is not what is wrong with the United Nations, but what is right with it and how we can make it serve our purposes despite seeming setbacks. Three compelling factors stand out. The first is universality. All 191 States of the world wish to be within the fold of the international community. Second is the flip side of globalization. The bottom line is that no one State alone can deal with the intricate problems facing our world — be it the dysfunction of the collective security system, an interlocking economic, monetary, financial and trade grid, the challenges of globalization, international terrorism, environmental degradation, new diseases, trans-border organized crime, and so on. The conclusion is clear. The United Nations is indispensable as the central organ for the collective management of world affairs. The third factor is legitimacy. As has been underlined, the greatest strength of the United Nations remains its legitimacy, founded on the bedrock principles of international law. There is no substitute for that legitimacy. It is by this measure that we look to the United Nations. But as the Secretary-General notes in his report on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, “The war exposed deep divisions in the international community, with accusations of double agendas”. He goes on to observe that “The war in Iraq brought to the fore a host of questions of principle and practice that challenge the United Nations and the international community as a whole”. This is a sad commentary on the state of the world body today. In contrast, we have noted that wherever the United Nations was allowed to take up its rightful role and responsibility, and where it was provided with necessary support, it has achieved success, durable peace and stability. The experience of East Timor, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name only a few, have vindicated the legitimacy, role and relevance of the United Nations. War can be won by military might; the challenge lies in winning peace. That is what the United Nations, with over half a century of experience in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building, is best placed to do. We in Bangladesh place our full trust — and have total confidence — in the capacity of the United Nations to address matters of international and global concern, including peace and security. We see the United Nations as a source of inspiration, initiative and support in our national, regional and international endeavours. It is in this forum that we establish common standards, universal values and shared programmes. In a globalizing world, no nation is an island; none can prosper alone. We therefore believe that today, more than ever before, the Organization deserves the support of all of our nations in a more active and demonstrable way. The Secretary-General deserves our appreciation for bringing the focus of the Organization back to its socio-economic agenda. We welcome his report on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. His assessment of the progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals is sobering. While signs of progress for a given region are noted, the road to 2015 is long for many of our nations. The report of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Development Programme concerning the Millennium Development Goals, for instance, draws attention to the worrying declines in the flow of official development assistance to the least developed areas and countries; it described that as “unacceptable and unconscionable”. The report has also called for reforms in the international trade system to help the poorest countries. Against that backdrop, the setback at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, held at Cancún, warrants an early resumption of the 12 negotiations. A breakthrough will require courageous decisions and significant compromises. Our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals also requires that the negotiations be concluded successfully. The global economic situation today dictates equitable trade policies and fair trade practices, which were sought in the Doha round. The economic survival and the socio-economic stability of many nations depend on how we handle post-Cancun challenges. The stakes are very high for all of us, in both the short and the long term. The development policies and programmes of our Government, led by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia, are based on the Millennium Development Goals. Our resource allocation in the social sector remains high, and we have prepared a three-year economic growth, poverty reduction and social development strategy. That is a major initial policy framework. We look forward to working closely together with our development partners in our implementation of those policies. The governance paradigm in recent decades has happily embraced the fundamental tenets of democracy. In Bangladesh, we have the necessary institutions in place. We are reforming, modernizing and expanding them. As a thriving democracy ourselves, we support United Nations efforts aimed at promoting the rule of law, good governance and human rights. We believe that all human rights — including the right to development — should be pursued in a comprehensive manner and with a holistic approach. The past year has seen serious developments in the international peace and security situation, especially in Africa and the Middle East. Bangladesh has taken a positive and constructive approach to all these issues. We have consistently supported the efforts of the United Nations in that regard. We have done that as a matter of our commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and its Charter. In practical terms, Bangladesh has remained a major partner of the United Nations in its peace and security mission. Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has participated in United Nations peacekeeping operations in four continents, including the most perilous ones. We are currently among the largest contributors of troops and other personnel to United Nations peacekeeping operations, with thousands of our troops in eight Missions, in Côte d’Ivoire, Western Sahara, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Kosovo, Timor-Leste and Georgia. Recently, we are also committed to taking part in the proposed United Nations mission in Liberia. The people of Iraq have inherited a civilization that is ancient and one of the most glorious. The present situation in Iraq should be resolved while preserving the interests of the people of Iraq and ensuring long-term peace, security and stability in the region. Bangladesh reiterates its support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the country. We stand ready to take part in the reconstruction and rebuilding of Iraq in the true spirit of brotherhood that characterizes the relationship between our two nations and peoples. We reiterate our call for ensuring a clear, effective and credible role for the United Nations in Iraq’s transition to democracy and in the country’s reconstruction. Bangladesh supports the forthcoming international conference on Iraq’s reconstruction to be convened by the United Nations, and we look forward to a successful outcome. The recent developments in the Middle East are extremely worrying. It is clear that the progress made from Oslo to Madrid and the present is now seriously threatened. The road map that the Palestinian side accepted with great courage has not been seriously accepted or implemented by the other side. Preconditions have been imposed, making peace difficult. The Israeli practices that are well known to the Assembly continue to be applied in occupied Palestine. There are gross and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights. The vicious and criminal announcement of the intention to expel and even assassinate President Yasser Arafat calls for global condemnation in the strongest possible terms. All of that runs counter to the global demand for the peaceful settlement and establishment of a Palestinian State to live as a good neighbour in peace and security. Bangladesh reiterates its support for the early establishment of a sovereign, independent State of Palestine in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. We call for a more active role on the part of the United Nations, and we ask the Security Council to assume its responsibilities towards the people of Palestine. We urge the diplomatic Quartet to intensify its efforts to prevent further escalation and to 13 address the threats against President Arafat, a Nobel Peace laureate and the undisputed leader of the Palestinian people. We urge that the peace process be placed back on track. We call for renewed efforts aimed at a comprehensive solution of the Middle East issues within a given time frame. International terrorism remains a scourge. In the post-11 September 2001 context, it has taken centre stage in our global concerns. We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Bangladesh is party to several international conventions on combating terrorism, and we are in the process of acceding to the remaining ones. We are actively involved in the elaboration of an additional protocol to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. The protocol will strengthen the Convention by incorporating provisions that include those contained in recent Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 1373 (2001). Bangladesh attaches great emphasis on disarmament. We believe that it is closely related to international peace and security and has a direct relationship with development. Bangladesh is party to all international disarmament treaties covering nuclear, biological, chemical and conventional weapons. Seeking general and complete disarmament is our constitutional commitment. International peace and security, human security and the security of our planet have been the prime considerations in making our policy choices. We have supported all efforts at disarmament. We continue to believe in the value of all measures, even partial efforts at arms control and disarmament. Our conviction has been vindicated by our progress in the control and ban of a number of weapons. The multilateral track, including the Conference on Disarmament, needs to be revived. Bangladesh has renounced all weapons of mass destruction — biological, chemical and nuclear. The situation along the borders of the two nuclear-armed South Asian countries has been a matter of global concern. As a close neighbour, we too have a legitimate cause for concern. In this context, we applaud the Secretary-General for his recent call for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. The imperatives, in view also of the threats to the existing regimes and their implications, do not require elaboration in this House. We would thus urge a renewed consideration of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion and the report of the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. In our region, as elsewhere, particularly since we are challenged by abject poverty, hunger, illiteracy, lack of safe drinking water and disease, our priorities should be socio-economic development, not nuclearization. We need to foster cooperation, not prepare for confrontation. It is with this thought that our late President Shaheed Ziaur Rahman conceived of institutionalized regional cooperation leading to the emergence of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). We firmly believe in the value and indeed the imperative of cooperation in our region. We hope that together we shall also be able to establish a peaceful, friendly and prosperous South Asia. We would draw inspiration from other parts of the world where such regional economic integration has worked well for the people of those regions. In today’s world, perhaps the most potential sources of conflict of interest within countries and among them would centre on natural resources, in particular, fresh water. We call for management of shared resources without depriving or causing damage to the economy or ecology of any of the countries concerned or the region. For example, any unilateral withdrawal of water from international rivers should be prohibited, as such action would cause great damage to the environment, agriculture, industry and the overall economy and ecology of other countries. All actions in such areas should conform to international law and the norms of equity, justice and, of course, fair play. Any decision with regard to shared natural wealth should be through consultation among all concerned countries. Bangladesh identifies itself closely with the problems of Africa. We believe in the efficacy of South-South cooperation as a mutually beneficial practice among societies at comparable stages of development. The launching of the African Union has been inspiring and that of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), encouraging. We are confident that the leadership of Africa and its people will succeed in transforming the continent into a peaceful and prosperous one. We have developed greater knowledge, special bonds and closer friendship with many African nations 14 through our participation in their democracy and nation-building efforts and through peacekeeping and development activities. Bangladesh will continue to work together with them in addressing the challenges of building durable peace and sustainable development. The specific problems facing the landlocked and small island developing countries require special attention. We hope the Almaty Conference has created a fresh impetus to address their needs. We must also accord support to countries that are in the process of transition in their economies. The 1990s have seen a series of major United Nations conferences. Each has adopted an elaborate implementable programme of action with clear and specific responsibilities at national, regional and international levels. The International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey, Mexico, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held at Johannesburg, and the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which met in Brussels, have reinforced the earlier commitments. Now is the time to focus our efforts — individual and collective — to implementing the programmes of action emanating from those Conferences. The United Nations has, in recent years made significant progress in reforming itself in organizational and substantive terms. Further progress remains to be achieved in various areas, including the Security Council, where reforms are essential to make the Council more representative, democratic and effective. Also in need for further reform are the General Assembly and other major organs, including the Trusteeship Council, which could be revived. We need certainly to go further. Bangladesh welcomes the proposal of the Secretary-General to establish a high- level panel of eminent persons for examining the challenges to peace and security. We look forward to their report. In this regard, we would underline the importance of preserving multilateralism and consensus. Decisions on budget cuts must not compromise the functioning of the Organization and budgetary exercises must not adversely affect the interests of the developing countries, in particular the least developed ones. There should be adequate provision for mandated activities in the developing countries. It will remain our goal to bring the United Nations to the centre of global development efforts. The Economic and Social Council can play a crucial role in this regard. It must examine innovative and creative methods in its work. Bangladesh has sought election to the Economic and Social Council during the current session. As we have done in the past, Bangladesh seeks to contribute, as a member of the Council, to the pursuit of the United Nations social and economic agenda. We hope we shall receive valuable support from all Members of the Assembly. The Millennium Development Goals set a number of achievable targets in the most pressing areas. Bangladesh is committed to achieving them for our people. We shall also work closely with all other nations so that these objectives are realized equally for all of us. But we aspire to go beyond. We urge continued focus on the implementation of the outcome of the 1990s cycle of international conferences. They represent a comprehensive agenda for humanity for our century. We must follow up on them for our present and future generations and for the progress of humankind. Let us all try to create a better world for all generations.