Summary: September 25, 2001: Statement by H.E. Jean De Ruyt on behalf of the European Union. Report of the Secretary-General on the Activity of the Organization (New York)
Mr. President,
Allow me first to congratulate you on your election as President of our Assembly, and to wish you every success in your mission.
You have already shown during the first two weeks of your Presidency remarkable speed of action and efficiency in the face of the tragic events which overturned the plans which you had drawn up for the 56th General Assembly.
The whole world agrees that the terrorist attacks of 11 September marked a turning point in the history of our times; the world has changed and nothing will ever be the same again. The challenge before us has a world-wide dimension.
The solidarity which we have shown towards the US must also be shown in the fight we shall have to undertake against terrorism. For my country, for the Members of the Union, and, I believe, for the great majority of States represented here, it is now clear that in this fight the UN will have to play an essential role, and that our energy in the weeks and months to come will have to be focused on the consequences of this unspeakable aggression. As the Heads of State and Government of the
European Union said on the occasion of their extraordinary Council last Friday, these attacks of 11 September are an assault on our open, democratic, tolerant and multi-cultural societies and are a challenge to the conscience of each human being.
The European Council considered that, on the basis of SCR 1368, a riposte by the US is legitimate. It also decided that the Union will cooperate with the US to bring to justice and punish the perpetrators, sponsors and accomplices of such barbaric acts. The Member States of the Union are prepared to undertake such action each according to its means.
The actions must be targeted and may also be directed against states abetting, supporting or harboring terrorists. Our commitment is thus unambiguous as should be that of the entire international community in the face of actions for which no justification is acceptable.
Mr President,
Since this meeting has replaced the General Debate which should have taken place this week, allow me, in the name of the European Union, to present to the distinguished Representative of the Government of the United States, my sincere condolences to him and to the many who have been directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. I would also like to present my condolences to the Representatives of those States whose citizens are amongst the victims.
Those of us who are, by reason of our profession, adopted New Yorkers will for a long time remain traumatized by the events that took place two weeks ago. This emotion should help all of us to respond together with force to the wish of our Governments that the United Nations should play a prominent role in the struggle against terrorism.
Like many leaders throughout the world, the Heads of State and Government of the European Union, at their meeting last Friday, called on us to set up, under the aegis of the United Nations, the largest possible global coalition against this scourge.
The primary responsibility lies without any doubt with the Security Council which already adopted a very strong resolution last week, but since the call is addressed to all States, it is essential that we also act in our Assembly.
As I said earlier, the response to the terrorist threat can only be global and multilateral, and it is in this spirit that the European Union has requested that a substantial debate on the fight against international terrorism take place in our Assembly beginning next week. We would sincerely thank you, Mr President, and through you all the Member States of the United Nations who have unanimously accepted this proposal, and I call upon each and every one to prepare this debate carefully which
will in turn will help to prepare the General Debate in November, which we would also like to see focused on this subject.
Mr President,
The debate on the activity report on the organization that we are holding today gives us the opportunity to speak on the activities of the United Nations during the past year, and also allows us to give our views on what should be the priorities for its future activities. We are gratified that you have inscribed this point as the first of the Plenary session of our General Assembly. It allows us to stress certain aspects of the past year's work, and to touch on those which particularly interest
the European Union.
In the first place, clearly, is the Millennium Declaration and the "Road Map" which has just been submitted to us for implementation. The clear and precise aims which were solemnly reaffirmed by our Heads of State and Government at the Millennium Summit should be followed through with perseverance, in particular as regards the maintenance of peace and security, development and the elimination of poverty, respect for human rights, for democracy and for good governance.
With this "Road Map", we have already at our disposal an instrument which is both analytical and operational and which will guide most of the work carried out under the aegis of our Assembly. We can accept this document as it is, but this does not mean that we share entirely all the aspects which it contains; but it is an indispensable working tool for maintaining unity of action and is in the spirit of the Millennium Declaration; we therefore appeal for it to be used to the full.
Mr President,
The European Union, just as the Secretary-General in the report which is before us, is deeply concerned by the persistence of humanitarian crises in several regions of the world. Civilian populations continue to be the first victims of armed conflicts and bear the heaviest burden. Together with the Secretary-General, the European Union is indignant and concerned at acts of violence carried out against humanitarian personnel, and therefore supports the process underway in the United Nations to
reinforce the safety of humanitarian personnel. It calls upon all those Member States and actors involved to respond to the Secretary-General's appeal for a return to a culture of protection for civilians. It also welcomes the work undertaken by inter-organizational networks which aims to improve the situation of internally displaced persons.
The European Union also places particular importance on the defense and promotion of human rights. It welcomes the reinforcement of the partnership between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other parts of the UN system. This has enabled humanitarian and peacekeeping operations to be more aware of human rights violations. We welcome the entry into force of the optional protocol on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the signature of the optional
protocols on the Convention on the Rights to the Child. Finally, we heartily encourage the process of gender mainstreaming underway in the UN system.
In response to the appeal by the Secretary-General, the European Union is committed to keeping up political mobilization on the defense of the rights of the Child on the occasion of the next extraordinary session on Children.
As regards the Durban Racism Conference, the European Union took on an important role and is proud to have contributed, after long and difficult debate, to the success of this Conference which was essential, given the hopes raised amongst those who still today suffer from the effect of long-standing racist attitudes or who are still subject to racial discrimination in their daily lives.
Mr President,
Development, sustainable development, the fight against poverty and specific action towards the least developed countries remain, as indicated in the report, priority objectives of our organization, and we welcome the efforts made in the past year.
We were particularly pleased with the success of the extraordinary GA session on AIDS which put the fight against this scourge at the forefront of our concerns, at the level of States as well as private industry and the medical world.
The European Union was particularly active in preparing and holding the Conference on Least Developed Countries which took place in Brussels in May of this year. We are, therefore, particularly sensitive with regard to the follow up of decisions adopted at that meeting, particularly in the area of trade liberalization. We are equally focused on the preparation of the Conference for Financing for Development; in this respect, we would like to draw the attention of partners to the substantial
efforts which will still be needed to identify priority areas of action where progress could be made in Monterrey and to mobilize the attention and political will of our Governments.
I would like to conclude, Mr President, in recalling the remarkable progress which the United Nations has made this year in improving the efficiency of peacekeeping and crisis management.
The Brahimi Report served as a launch pad for our work whose results, without entirely reaching our expectations, nevertheless allowed the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to be able to respond better to the challenges before it, challenges whose amplitude continue to surpass our collective means. But also in the field, the United Nations has carried out good work during the past year: I would refer amongst others to the restoring of the difficult operation in Sierra Leone, the success of
operations in East Timor, and in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and finally to the long awaited start of MONUC, an operation closely followed by the European Union.
The situation in the DRC has substantially improved over the last months and we hope that the Congolese parties will be able to sustain the rhythm of the Gabarone meeting and that the signatories of the Lusaka Agreement are committed to resolving through dialogue the problems which stand in the way of the complete implementation of the commitments which were undertaken.
The UN, together with the European Union, the United States and other actors, bears a large responsibility in actions undertaken by the international community for the restoration of peace in the Balkans. Cooperation between international organizations has functioned well throughout the past year. It was intended, amongst others, to help the Republic of Yugoslavia to manage the post-Milosevic era. Above all, it enabled us to contain the growing crisis in the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, which threatened to destroy all efforts towards maintaining multi-ethnicity as a basic tenet, together with respect for borders and regional cooperation on which the future of this too unstable region must still be built.
The elections which will soon take place in Kosovo are a new and difficult step on the road which should lead all countries in the region towards the European Union, and we have full confidence in UNMIK, which to date has carried out its task in a remarkably balanced and determined way, to help the inhabitants of this territory to learn to live together on the basis of democratic institutions.
Beyond what I have mentioned, there remain worrying trouble spots where, for different reasons, our organization is less present. I am thinking of Burundi, West Africa, and of course the Middle East where the attention of the entire international community remains focused even after the events of 11 September.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, beyond the suffering which it brings to the civilian populations, also weighs heavily on the stability of the region. We strongly encourage the parties to seize the opportunity before them today to pick up the path of peace through direct dialogue on the implementation of the recommendations of the Fact Finding Committee, which should allow the earliest resumption of negotiations on the final status of the occupied territories.
Mr President,
Most of the problems cited in the Secretary-General's report continue to mobilize our organization's efforts and we should give him the means to carry out his task effectively, which means not only the fight against waste and bad management, but also making available adequate financial resources.
The events of 11 September affected us all deeply; they should now bring us to close ranks, to move towards deeper solidarity, and to have more recourse to multi-lateralism in order to meet not only the challenge of international terrorism, but also those challenges born of a growing globalization of international relations.
The European Union will continue to actively to meet the major challenges with which we are confronted and to work towards solidarity in all aspects of UN action.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
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