Over the past year, I, like many
others in this Hall, have spoken about the effect of the
current global financial crisis on our people and the
need for an effective national or international response.
Although the crisis is closely related to issues such as
peace and security, human rights, development and
many other matters of common concern, we cannot let
it cast a shadow over all the global challenges that we
currently face.
Today, a year after the collapse of the financial
markets, cyclical indicators point to economic
stabilization. The crisis is not over, however, and the
need to restore confidence and repair the financial
system remains. Moreover, each of us should make an
effort to refrain from raising new barriers and avoid
laying the foundations for new global imbalances in
the longer run.
In combating climate change, we have finally
understood the magnitude of our task and I would like
to thank the Secretary-General for hosting the Summit
on Climate Change a few days ago. We are not running
a 100-metre sprint, but rather a marathon, where one
must maintain speed. If we manage to stay on track we
all shall be winners in the end. But time is running out.
Melting glaciers, frequent and abnormally large
hurricanes, floods and heat waves — this is not the
planet that we want to leave to our children.
Global and united efforts are needed to reach a
comprehensive and ambitious post-2012 climate
agreement in Copenhagen this December. I call upon
all countries to set binding goals to share the burden.
Responsibility must be proportional to the harm that is
caused. I am convinced that applying the “polluter-
pays” principle would motivate the biggest polluters to
multiply their efforts and would therefore have the
greatest effect.
Green energy production, renewable energy,
energy efficiency and diversification of energy
sources — all these contribute not only to sustainable
environmental and economic development but also to
our security, as we will become less dependent on
exhaustible fossil fuels.
As an essential part of cutting greenhouse gas
emissions, we foresee a wider use of renewable energy
in Estonia, particularly biomass and wind energy. By
the end of the year, an Estonian Energy and Climate
Agency will be established to help consumers cut
energy expenditures and support building energy-
efficient homes. This is but one example of how an
ambitious climate policy can be used to trigger new
growth in the economy.
To uphold the core of the United Nations Charter,
we must remain committed to providing the United
Nations with sufficient resources to fulfil its unique
role in contributing to international security.
Compliance with the basic principles enshrined in the
Charter, including the obligation of all Members to
refrain from the threat or use of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of any
State, must remain the fundamental basis of the United
Nations agenda. The United Nations should remain
engaged in areas of tension where it can make a
contribution.
My delegation takes this opportunity to reiterate
its firm support for the security and stability of
Georgia, based on full respect for the principles of
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
I follow with deep concern the situation in
Afghanistan. It is essential that the election process
deliver results that are legitimate in the eyes of the
Afghans. The future of Afghanistan lies in the hands of
the Afghan people; we, the international community,
can only help. By consolidating the efforts of the new
Government and the international community, lasting
progress can and should be achieved. Estonia is one of
the countries that have steadily increased their military
and civilian contribution to Afghanistan.
I am convinced that the bolstered role and greater
visibility of the United Nations throughout the country
has a positive impact on the coordination of
development activities that in turn will attract more
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non-governmental organizations and other international
organizations to the area.
Besides conflicts between and inside States, new
and asymmetrical cross-border threats have also
emerged: the threat from the Internet, for example.
Cyber threats not only endanger vital information
technology systems but they endanger entire
communities. Concurrently with the rapid development
of computer technology we are witnessing alarming
signs of more sinister developments: cyber attacks are
growing more complex and are increasing in
frequency. Consequently, major cooperative efforts by
both the governmental and the private sectors are
required to develop more effective response
capabilities.
This growing global concern demands both a
better coordinated international approach and an
enhanced legal domestic framework, including steps to
criminalize malevolent cyber acts. Our long-term aim
should be the creation of a universal cyber culture — a
universally accessible, secure and safe environment for
all.
Regarding humanitarian affairs, our task is
equally challenging. Global ecological instability,
political and military conflicts, combined with
economic instability and population growth, are
expected to increase humanitarian needs considerably
and require that our efforts be multiplied in the future.
We must stand ready to provide a more predictable,
equitable and consistently effective response to
humanitarian crises. The growing needs require an
increase in the amount of assistance, in coordination
and in the range of donors.
True, we all have economic concerns at the
moment, but it is vital to keep our commitments to
providing humanitarian relief. Today’s short-sighted
financial decisions or fading political will may in the
end become far more expensive and entail severe long-
term consequences.
I would like to commend the excellent work done
by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs and Member States in making the coordination
among humanitarian workers more efficient and
implementing the cluster system. The launch of the
Central Emergency Response Fund three years ago has
also proven a justified effort in providing more rapid
and equitable response allocations to disaster-affected
areas. As Estonia, together with Ireland, currently
co-chairs the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative,
we urge all donors to apply the principles of good
humanitarian donorship to make humanitarian aid more
needs-based and its financing more flexible.
As a sign of the priority we give to global
humanitarian issues, Estonia this year holds a vice-
presidency of the Economic and Social Council and
has been leading humanitarian discussions in that body.
I am concerned that in many humanitarian situations,
especially in conflict situations, adherence to
humanitarian principles has become selective,
hindering safe and timely access to victims. I fully
concur with Under-Secretary-General John Holmes
that this is not an ideological luxury but a practical
necessity to help ensure timely access as well as the
safety and security of humanitarian staff.
It goes without saying that expectations are
higher during trying times, and therefore the United
Nations actions in carrying out its objectives have
increasingly come under scrutiny. Yet, how is the
Organization to live up to those high expectations
when the United Nations is struggling to reform itself?
Over the past years, Member States have undertaken
considerable efforts to improve the United Nations
system, while one important element, Security Council
reform, still remains pending. While recognizing that
the reform process is complex, we must also realize
that there will be severe consequences if the process
remains incomplete.
Regarding another reform area — gender
reform — considerable progress that is also relevant to
achieving the Millennium Development Goals has been
made recently. No security, development or human
rights-related goal can be achieved without the full
participation of women. Estonia has been a dedicated
supporter of the United Nations funds and programmes
that foster gender equality. It is our common obligation
to ensure that reform becomes a reality without delay.
Facing the first financial crisis of the twenty-first
century and the accelerating global warming process,
we see the necessity for a united response growing.
This is why we, the leaders of all nations, once again
have gathered here this week: to remind ourselves to
keep our eyes on the horizon of peace and prosperity
and to make sure that we are in the same boat.