Terrorism, multilateralism and UN reform highlight UN Assembly's debate

The continued fight against terrorism, multilateralism, dealing with the worldwide ills of poverty and hunger and the debate over reform of the United Nations were among the themes highlighted by world leaders as the General Assembly's annual high-level debate concluded its morning session.

Opening the meeting, Assembly President Julian R. Hunte of Saint Lucia said recent "unfolding, often tragic, developments worldwide" posed a serious challenge for the United Nations. "This is particularly so in the areas enshrined in the Charter as the Organization's primary objectives - the promotion of economic and social advancement; tolerance and peace; and the maintenance of international peace and security, including collective security," he added.

"Reform and revitalization of our Organization is key to the success of our initiatives and, hence, is among our priorities," Mr. Hunte said, referring to the goals the UN had set in the economic and social fields, and in efforts to keep peace in the world. Video

President Alejandro Toledo

For his part, President Alejandro Toledo of Peru said: "Multilateralism is the best instrument to confront global challenges, as well as to guarantee peace and international security. For that reason, the United Nations is indispensable." He urged all Member States to have the courage to strengthen and reform the world body in order to address issues such as international security, poverty, development, drug trafficking and democracy.

Underscoring the correlation between a vibrant economy and all issues of social inclusion and democratic governance, Mr. Toledo noted that developing nations were worried by the "alarming increase of external vulnerabilities, as a result of the instability of financial flows and their impact on investment levels and economic growth." As for trade protectionism, he said developed countries "cannot demand us tirelessly to keep on opening our markets while they protect their products with thousands of millions of subsidies every year." Video

President Joseph Urusemal

The President of Micronesia, Joseph Urusemal, said despite the immediacy of so many pressing political demands today, the challenges of the environment and sustainable development could not be put on hold - they were part of the worldwide security challenge, especially over the long term. He said war and terrorism were only consequences of their deeper root causes - poverty, human injustice and environmental degradation - and that the unique vulnerability of island States to those scourges is widely recognized, yet they are often overlooked in the allocation of resources.

Mr. Urusemal also said a clear and pressing emergency for Micronesia, perhaps even more urgent than in years past, was action to combat climate change. Micronesia was being severely affected by typhoons, mudslides, droughts and other unprecedented weather phenomena. "Everything we are and hope to achieve as a people is under grave threat" because of climate change, he said. At a time when many wars were spoken about, the war against climate change was one that mankind could not afford to lose, he stated.Video

President Pascal Couchepin

President Pascal Couchepin said Switzerland attached high importance to respect for international law, which explained Switzerland's commitment to international humanitarian law and to the International Criminal Court (ICC). He also said it was time to rethink the UN's role, as threats to international security and geographical realities had changed, and he pointed to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, civil wars, poverty and HIV/AIDS as examples of some of those realities.

As for the UN as a whole, President Couchepin said its role in economic and social fields needed to be redefined, "in particular the links between international security and economic development." In addition, he supported enlarging the Security Council by providing more opportunities for non-member States to participate. Regarding the General Assembly, he noted that resolutions were too often reduced to "the smallest common denominator, or to a long list of wishes, but with no real impact." He said that the Assembly needed to reduce the number of points for debate, restricting the length of texts, and avoiding multiple resolutions on issues that overlapped.Video

President Thabo Mbeki

In a plea for multilateralism, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa noted that the events in Iraq raised "important and disturbing questions about the very future" of the UN. Noting the inherent contradiction between the powerful and the weak, the rich and the poor in the global village, he said. "Naturally, the powerful will set the agenda for all residents of the global village. Again naturally they will do this to advance their own interests." On the other hand, the disempowered like South Africa want a strong UN. "We take these positions because there is no way we could advance the interests of our people, the majority of whom are poor, outside the context of a strong, effective and popularly accepted United Nations," he added.

"Global poverty and underdevelopment are the principal problems that face the United Nations. Billions across the globe expect that this General Assembly will address this challenge in a meaningful manner," President Mbeki said. "For us, collectively, to meet these expectations will require that each and everyone of us, both rich and poor, both the powerful and the disempowered, commit ourselves practically to act in all circumstances in a manner that recognizes and respects the fact that none of us is an island, sufficient unto ourselves."Video

President Stjepan Mesic

Also taking up the theme of multilateralism, President Stjepan Mesic of Croatia said: "We are living in a world where no one can go it alone, without the help of others, however big and powerful they may be; global solutions require the concerted and united efforts of all countries and the inhabitants of our planet." Declaring that there was no doubt the UN needs to be reformed, especially with regard to the 15-member Security Council, he added: "What is required is the adherence to the principle of equitable representation of all United Nations members in the Security Council."

Turning to the importance of UN peacekeeping operations, Mr. Mesic said: "The complexity and the frequent overlapping of mandates requires a high degree of expertise in various areas: from holding democratic elections and developing judicial systems to establishing police and military forces that meet international standards and basic international legal regulations. The United Nations is the only global institution that can respond to the challenges of simultaneously establishing regional stability, including post-war reconstruction and building a democratic society."Video

King Mohammed VI

King Mohammed VI of Morocco said while his country valued the achievements made by the UN, it still questioned the extent to which the world body has managed to make peace prevail, contribute to sustainable development and settle conflicts arising from colonization, which tore apart entire peoples and nations, especially on the African continent. He assured African States of Morocco's constant and unwavering solidarity and called on the international community to provide concrete support to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), calling it a "realistic and promising initiative."

King Mohammed also stressed that if the United Nations was to play a vital role as the sole regulator of relations between States, then its imperative has to give original meaning back to the concept of universalism, namely, the obligation for all to comply with the same ethics and rules of law. The King said the injustices endured by the Palestinian people on a daily basis called for a stronger commitment on the part of the international community to achieve gradual and irreversible implementation of the Road Map, a plan put forward by the so-called diplomatic Quartet - comprised of the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States - that calls for a series of parallel and reciprocal steps culminating in two states living side by side in peace by 2005.Video

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

Speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU), Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy said two of the greatest threats to peace and development today were terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The EU expressed its determination to combat those two issues and also underscored that such efforts "must respect human rights and the fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and humanitarian law."

The EU was announcing its decision to intensify strategic collaboration with the UN in crisis management and was drafting guidelines on the protection of civilians in EU-led peace operations, Mr. Berlusconi said. He also noted that the EU continued to consider its relations with Africa "a priority" and strengthening African capacities in peacekeeping and conflict resolution was of special interest. In the Middle East, the EU was "deeply concerned" by the deterioration of relations between Israel and Palestine, and also underlined the importance of restoring Iraqi sovereignty and a establishing a democratically elected government.Video

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