These days, on our
television screens, images of thousands of parents
concerned about the health of their babies and children
remind us of what lies at the very heart of our work —
building a better future for the coming generations, at
home as well as here in the United Nations.
Armed conflict, climate change, poverty, hunger
and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
are the bleak challenges we face today, together with
new global challenges such as increasing food and
energy prices and financial turbulence. A sense of
shared responsibility and true partnership based on
equality are the key qualities that must guide our
efforts to meet these challenges.
All inhabitants of the global village have the right
as well as the duty to contribute to the well-being of
our community. At the global level, that needs to be
done in the framework of an effective world
organization that enjoys the trust of States and
Governments but also of societies and individual
citizens.
A just and effective international order needs to
be based on rules equally applicable to every member,
big or small, strong or weak. Respect for the rule of
law is indispensable if we want to prevent conflicts and
promote peace and sustainable development. Austria
has therefore consistently promoted efforts to develop
international relations based on the principles of the
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Charter of the United Nations and all the other
instruments that form our international legal system.
Three weeks ago, 130 human rights experts and
practitioners from around the world came together in
Vienna 15 years after the World Conference on Human
Rights held in Vienna in 1993. They formulated
recommendations on how to overcome the gap between
human rights standards and the reality of their
implementation on the ground. Those recommendations
have been submitted to the General Assembly and the
Human Rights Council, and I hope they will contribute
to the deliberations on the occasion of the sixtieth
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights on 10 December.
One of the basic threats to the rule of law is
impunity. Today, international criminal justice, as
dispensed by the International Criminal Court as well
as by the special tribunals established by the Security
Council, has become a major tool for bringing to
justice those responsible for war crimes and crimes
against humanity.
Nowadays, some speak about the “peace —
justice dilemma”. I personally remain convinced that
peace and justice are complementary objectives, both
are equally essential. There can be no lasting peace
without justice, and international justice will serve its
purpose most fully and effectively if it helps societies
advance reconciliation and overcome the wounds of the
past. As women and children are often the most
vulnerable in our societies, they deserve our special
attention in this context.
No country, no society can succeed without
recognizing the contribution of women. Worldwide,
women are the politically and socially most relevant
emerging power of the twenty-first century. Their
contribution must be valued publicly, their
participation encouraged, their potential fully used.
There are countless success stories of women leaders
who make a difference in their communities as
businesswomen, mothers, teachers, farmers, workers,
peacemakers and lawmakers.
At the same time, we hear appalling reports from
around the world of discrimination and violence
against women. How can we speak of human rights for
women as long as one out of every three women
worldwide has been beaten or abused? It is the
responsibility of each and every Government to act on
this. The United Nations must take the lead by setting
clear targets and establishing a network to share best
practices in combating violence against women.
Last year, the Women Leaders Network called on
the Secretary-General to appoint more women to
leadership positions in the United Nations, in particular
in mediation and peacebuilding. I am pleased that the
Secretary-General has since entrusted a number of
outstanding women with key positions both at
Headquarters and in the field, and I encourage him to
continue this policy.
With regard to Security Council resolution 1325
(2000) on women, peace and security, the European
Union (EU) policy of targeted support for women in
and through peace missions could be extended to other
regional organizations such as the African Union. To
assess the practical results of resolution 1325 (2000), I
propose a thorough review process on the occasion of
its tenth anniversary in 2010.
Recent events in Georgia are a stark reminder that
the scourge of war still haunts our European
neighbourhood. The European Union is ready to work
together with the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the
United Nations so that Georgia can return to peace, all
internally displaced people can return safely and a
lasting solution based on full respect for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia is
found. I also call upon the Security Council to decide
on a timely prolongation of the United Nations
Observer Mission in Georgia.
As for the Western Balkans, I am heartened that
we are moving from the crisis management phase to
the integration phase. Today, thanks to the stabilizing
role of the EU, the peoples of the Western Balkans
enjoy peace. Their future lies in the European Union.
Austria welcomes the progress recently achieved
in Zimbabwe. We hope that this will become another
lasting example of the capacity of Africa for the
peaceful resolution of conflicts on its continent.
Regional ownership is the best option for success.
Austria continues to actively support efforts to
bring an end to decades of conflict in the Middle East.
Three months ago, we hosted a donor conference in
Vienna for the reconstruction of the Nahr el-Bared
refugee camp in northern Lebanon in order to improve
the fate of the Palestinian refugees there and to support
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stability, the rule of law and economic development in
Lebanon.
I commend the Israeli and Palestinian leadership
for their commitment to dialogue and negotiations
despite repeated efforts by radical forces to undermine
the process started in Annapolis nearly a year ago.
Ongoing settlements and expansion, however, put our
common vision in question. The two-State solution
remains the only possible path towards a peaceful and
prosperous Middle East that can provide lasting
security to all its inhabitants.
I remain convinced that in international relations as
inside our own societies, we must always support
dialogue. Austria will continue her long-standing
commitment to the dialogue of cultures and religions with
a clear focus on the contribution of religious leaders,
women, young people, the media and educators.
With some 500,000 victims each year, small arms
and light weapons are today’s real weapons of mass
destruction. Africa is the continent most heavily
affected by this problem. Together with her African
partners, Austria works for real progress on the
destruction of small arms as well as on the fight against
the illicit arms trade. We also cooperate in developing
suitable legal instruments.
Austria is also deeply involved in establishing an
international legally binding ban on cluster munitions.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions that we adopted
in Dublin this year is a milestone in the field of
disarmament and humanitarian law. Austria will sign
the Convention in Oslo on 3 December 2008. I appeal
to all other countries to sign as soon as possible so that
this treaty can enter into force swiftly.
The need to prevent nuclear proliferation at a
time when an increasing number of countries are
looking towards nuclear power as a means to produce
energy calls for courageous and creative solutions.
Austria has presented a proposal in the framework of
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that aims
at the comprehensive multilateralization of the nuclear
fuel cycle. The goal is a fair system under which all
States who wish to receive nuclear fuel for an
exclusively peaceful use can do so under equal
conditions through the IAEA.
With regard to the Iranian nuclear programme, we
are convinced that the double-track approach is the
best way forward. At the same time, it is indispensable
that Iran fully complies with the relevant Security
Council resolutions. In this context we commend and
strongly support the efforts of the IAEA Director
General, Mohamed El Baradei.
Let me draw the Assembly’s attention to the new
partnership we developed and adopted at the Lisbon
Summit in December 2007: the Joint Africa-European
Union Strategy based on the three aims of peace,
security and development. Without peace and security
there can be no sustainable development, and there is
no security without human security. Human trafficking,
drugs, proliferation of weapons, unemployment and
crime — they all affect the very cohesion of our
societies.
In order to better address the challenges faced by
Africa, Austria, together with the Economic
Community of West African States and the Southern
African Development Community, respectively,
recently organized a conference on peace and security
in West Africa, in Ouagadougou, and a seminar on
peace and development in Southern Africa, in
Johannesburg.
We need the turbo power of innovation to address
global challenges. Climate change is not only
responsible for natural disasters but poses what is
perhaps the most serious threat to the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For some
small island States climate change and the resulting sea
level rise are threats to their very existence. Austria
therefore welcomes the initiative by the Pacific island
States for a General Assembly resolution on the threat
of climate change to international peace and security.
Urgent action towards a global climate agreement by
the end of 2009 is the only way forward. We also
propose to develop the United Nations Environment
Programme into a fully fledged World Environment
Organization. Furthermore, we support the creation of
a new International Renewable Energy Agency. Vienna
is a suitable location to host such an agency, as many
of its United Nations offices already deal with energy
questions.
Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
continues to be one of the main challenges of the
international community. At the midpoint towards
2015, success in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals has been uneven. While many
countries have made significant progress in attaining
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some of the Goals, only a few are likely to reach all of
them. Urgent and increased efforts by the international
community are, therefore, needed. The active
contribution towards this global effort is a priority for
the Austrian Government.
As a matter of urgency we also have to tackle the
multiple and complex causes of the current global food
crisis. We welcome the High-Level Task Force set up
by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which aims to
create an international strategy for food security, and
we eagerly await the first concrete results.
Small and medium-sized countries have a specific
interest in an international system based on effective
multilateralism and the rule of law. They form the
backbone of the United Nations. They can make a
difference and act as a driving force on many issues
beneficial to the world community.
Since joining the United Nations more than
50 years ago, Austria has consistently worked for
multilateral solutions to global challenges. Our
candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security
Council is one expression of our determination to serve
the world Organization. That is the most important
responsibility that can be entrusted to a Member of the
United Nations. We stand ready to assume that
responsibility and ask Members for their support. We
pledge to work for common solutions to our common
global challenges in a sense of true partnership.