YouSaid · the spoken record

Alexander Downer

lines on the record: 162
first: 1996-09-24
most recent: 2005-09-24
sittings or episodes: 7
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Secondly, when the United Nations is deployed, there must be a peace to keep. There are real dangers in sending troops indefinitely into harm's way in the 28 absence of a clear peace plan and reasonable prospects of achieving it. Disputing parties must be committed to peace and must be held accountable for their actions. Thirdly, peace operations must have a mandate from the Security Council that is appropriate to the job they are being asked to do. If the environment is hostile, they must be appropriately equipped and able to project credible force. Fourthly, deployment must take place quickly once a decision is taken by the Security Council. Delays can lead to the further deterioration of a situation and can cost lives. The Brahimi report offers a number of useful ideas to speed deployment which merit careful consideration.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I commend the Secretary-General's commitment to blunt scrutiny and review of the United Nations performance, including the reports on Srebrenica and Rwanda. We particularly commend his initiative in convening the Brahimi Panel on United Nations Peace Operations. The Brahimi report (A/55/305) is a landmark document, setting out a blueprint for modernizing the United Nations peacekeeping and related functions. We must move expeditiously to consider its recommendations. Let me highlight briefly five points that, in Australia's view, are among the most significant lessons of recent experiences. First, military intervention must be used only as a last resort. All efforts must be made to find peaceful solutions. In this context, we welcome the Brahimi report's emphasis on preventive action and peace- building.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I now turn to the matter of peacekeeping and the maintenance of international security. Australia has a long and honourable tradition as a participant in United Nations peacekeeping operations, most recently in East Timor, and I believe that the strength of our commitment is reflected in the recent appointment by the Secretary-General of Australian Major-General Tim Ford as his Military Adviser. The experience of the 1990s has clearly shown that the ability of the United Nations to meet an expanding and increasingly complex range of peacekeeping demands is under strain. The decade witnessed some important successes in peacekeeping, notably in East Timor, but also some smaller and frankly rather unheralded operations. It also saw some tragic failures, the costs of which were often measured in human lives.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We will therefore be talking widely with others to develop concrete proposals for reform. We will raise these issues in the General Assembly, at the Commission on Human Rights and in other appropriate meetings. We also think that the regular meetings of States parties to the six human rights treaties should discuss reform issues and provide guidance to the respective committees on their working methods. Australia wants to maximize the effectiveness of the treaty bodies. We will not shy away from our responsibilities, but will press for the reforms that are needed to make the system work well and achieve its objectives. If reform does not occur, the committee system will increasingly be ignored and made redundant. That would be a setback for the cause of human rights.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Australia now intends to broaden such efforts by spearheading a high-level diplomatic initiative to garner broad support for reforms to improve the functioning of the committees and professionalize their operations. Reforms could include the provision of adequate resources to the human rights treaty committees, improvements in their working methods, standardized rules of procedure when considering States' reports and better consultation between the committees themselves to coordinate reporting timetables and to facilitate cooperative work on reform issues. But Australia does not have a monopoly on good ideas, and we want to work closely with United Nations officials and with like-minded countries to make the treaty committee system work more effectively for the good of all Member States and for the protection of human rights.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The committees also need to be more balanced and strategic about targeting key human rights offenders and avoid unfairly focusing their criticism on countries with good human rights records. For some years now Australia, together with a number of other countries, including Canada, New Zealand and Norway, has been advocating reform of the treaty committees. Most recently, the Australian Mission to the United Nations in Geneva hosted a meeting of about 20 countries to discuss treaty committee reform. The United Nations itself has also recognized the need for reform of the treaty committee system, and Australia has been fully supportive of these international reform efforts.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is also important that the international protection system work efficiently and effectively so that democratic countries, such as Australia, which have a proud record of extending generous humanitarian assistance can continue to have the confidence and support of their 27 own domestic constituencies for such humanitarian protection. Australia's review found that the committees need to adopt a more consistent approach to their role and understand the pitfalls of simply accepting without analysis the submissions put before them by non- governmental organizations. It is important that adequate recognition be given to the role and views of Governments which are democratically elected and which take their treaty commitments and reporting obligations seriously.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Australia has a proud human rights record, and we take our international rights and obligations seriously. We are party to both human rights Covenants and to the four conventions. Within Australia, which has a strong civil society, human rights are protected by a range of key civil and political mechanisms, including a strong democratic tradition, our Constitution, an independent judiciary, a free press and wide-ranging anti-discrimination legislation. Internationally, Australia is a strong proponent of the universal application of human rights standards and is committed to continued support for international human rights protection. We are concerned that the committees established to monitor international compliance with human rights treaties are beginning to lose credibility and effectiveness because of the way they operate.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“For that very reason, we should delay no longer in commencing a serious debate of these issues. While there are many possible configurations for revised electoral groupings, and many sensitivities around altering the status quo, the dramatic global changes since the current system came into force have created historical anomalies that cry out to be redressed. Australia looks forward to working with others to achieve that goal. As part of the Australian Government's commitment to a strong and relevant United Nations, we recently completed a review of the United Nations human rights committee system, with the objective of improving its effectiveness. The review proceeded from our Government's commitment to the international promotion and protection of human rights, and a firm belief that the United Nations has a central role to play.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The current group system reflects the geopolitics of the 1960s. Since that time, more than 60 nations have joined the United Nations, leading to significant disparities between the size of groupings and an inadequate level of representation for some subregions. In addition, the original rationale for the configuration of the electoral groups has eroded, creating dissonance in the way many Member States organize themselves politically and electorally. The previous realignment of groups in 1963 was a long and difficult process, impelled by significant changes to the United Nations system after the entry of many newly independent States from Africa and Asia. I recognize that group reconfiguration is no easy matter, and accept that change now will be similarly complex.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The impasse is disappointing, and I hope that this session will give new impetus to the reform effort. It is clear from statements at the Millennium Summit, and during this debate, that there is strong support for reform. Renewed commitment and flexibility are needed from all sides. In the recent debate about United Nations reform, one key element has largely been missing. I refer to the United Nations electoral groups. The electoral groups were established to ensure that there was fair and equitable representation on United Nations bodies, so that all Members who wanted to make a contribution to United Nations decision-making would have an opportunity to do so. Now that three decades have passed since the formalization of the present groups, it is time that we focused on their relevance to present and future geopolitical realities.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Equally importantly, other Members of the United Nations should be given the opportunity to contribute directly to the work of the Council through periodic participation as elected members. Expansion of the non-permanent membership would enhance the representative nature of the Council, enabling it to act genuinely on behalf of the whole membership. Australia has long voiced concerns about the veto and continues to argue that there must be limitations on its use. Of course, all permanent members of the Council, old and new, must remain accountable for their performance, and to this end any new arrangements for the Council should be reviewed after 10 or 15 years. Regrettably, discussion on Security Council reform has failed to reach agreement on a package of reforms in the six years since the Open-ended Working Group was established.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Reform and expansion of the Security Council is driven by two fundamental, interrelated imperatives: the need to restore the representative nature of the Council by reconfiguring its composition to reflect the size and diversity of contemporary United Nations membership, and the need to enhance the Council's credibility, authority and legitimacy. The Australian Government's view has long been that expansion in both categories of membership is 26 needed to restore balance and equity to the composition of the Council. New permanent seats should be assumed by the under-represented developing regions of the world. New permanent seats should also be allocated to the major industrialized Powers best able to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Appropriate action by the United Nations in these circumstances does more than perhaps anything else to demonstrate the continuing relevance of the Organization to an often sceptical international public. Today I want to focus attention on four aspects of reform within the United Nations system: reform of the Security Council; electoral group reconfiguration; reform of peacekeeping; and reform of the human rights treaty committee system. It is our view that progress in each of these areas must be achieved to enable the United Nations to deliver results and ensure its relevance and effectiveness.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Australians believe that the most fundamental task of the Organization — and the very reason for its creation at the end of the Second World War — is the maintenance of international peace and security. In recent years we have seen the United Nations perform at both ends of the spectrum of relevance and effectiveness: at a low point in addressing problems in Kosovo and Rwanda, and at a high point in the resolution of the conflict in East Timor. I am a strong advocate of an active role for the United Nations in the restoration and preservation of international peace and security, especially in situations where there may be imminent danger of humanitarian catastrophe.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“While the Summit touched on the multitude of problems facing the world at the start of a new century, a theme common to many speeches was the need for the United Nations to reform so as to meet the challenges of the era: the challenges of securing peace, of fighting poverty and of empowering and liberating oppressed peoples. I want to respond to those calls for reform in my remarks to the Assembly today. Without continuing commitment to reform, the United Nations — like any organization — cannot expect to keep up with rapid change in the contemporary international environment. In the absence of change and adaptation, the Organization will wither as the nations of the world bypass it in favour of institutions and mechanisms that are more relevant to their needs.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“I join my colleagues in congratulating the President on his election as President of the General Assembly for its fifty-fifth session and you, Madam Vice-President, on your election to your position. I am also delighted to welcome Tuvalu as the 189th Member of the United Nations. Australia has long-standing and very friendly relations with Tuvalu, and we have worked closely together as members of the South Pacific Forum and the Commonwealth. We are pleased that Tuvalu is now a Member of the United Nations, and look forward to new opportunities to work together for the United Nations common goals of peace and development. We meet today just after the largest number of heads of State and Government in history gathered for the Millennium Summit.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“As we approach the end of this century, it is true that the United Nations has not lived up to all the hopes of its founders. But the great promise of the Organization remains. The United Nations response to developments in East Timor has shown just what positive action on the part of this Organization can accomplish. We know the great things this body can achieve. Let us all try to build on those achievements, so that we may create an Organization that can truly address the most pressing problems of the international community. We can build an active and practical United Nations to meet both the aspirations of its Member nations and, also, the legitimate needs of all humanity.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“If we genuinely wish to uphold the Charter, if we really do want to maintain international peace and security, help develop our economic and social strengths and promote respect for human rights and fundamental reforms, surely we can start by upholding the most basic right of all, that of life. In the face of acts of genocide, or of human rights abuses on a horrendous scale, the nations of the world must act. I am a firm realist when it comes to foreign policy, but am also a great believer in the value of idealism. More than 50 years ago, our predecessors created the United Nations in the firm hope that there could be a new international order to replace the old, a spirit of cooperative international action that could avoid the competition and aggression that caused two world wars.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“That is the kind of environment in which the United Nations will increasingly have to function, where the results of inaction will be seen instantly and the consequences of failure subject to instant and very telling scrutiny. Some will be concerned about interference in national sovereignty, and obviously that is an important and legitimate concern. Others will say that the greater principle is that of natural human solidarity. But whatever view is correct, this environment is a fact we now have to deal with, whether we like it or whether we don't. When we all gather here in New York each year, it is easy to get caught up in the daily business of the United Nations, in the resolutions, the committee meetings, the briefings and the caucusing. How often do we stop, and remind ourselves of the purposes for which we meet?”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It may be an old cliché to say that the world is growing ever smaller, but it is true just the same. In days gone by, the nations of the world may have been forgiven if they acted too slowly in the face of a humanitarian crisis. Tales of atrocities, famine and natural disaster took weeks or months to filter out from the more inaccessible areas of the globe. Today, those same stories are likely to be on television screens within hours, or even minutes. In the face of such indisputable evidence, Governments will be forced to act. Those that resist will have to face a domestic and international audience as well informed as they.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We must, for example, be able to ensure that the United Nations can intervene quickly when rapidly deteriorating conditions threaten entire nations. That was the lesson of Rwanda. I was struck by the comments made by the Secretary-General on this subject when he addressed the Assembly last week. As the Secretary- General suggests, changing international circumstances — including the spread of notions of individual rights and the idea that the international community has a responsibility to respond effectively to humanitarian crises — are challenging traditional notions of national sovereignty. The United Nations needs to focus on these challenges and begin the process of defining when and how the Organization should act in the face of humanitarian crises.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I have mentioned the need to stick with a programme of thorough and fundamental reform, for that is a basic prerequisite for the continued effectiveness of the Organization. But I have also mentioned the United Nations work in East Timor as an example of how the Organization can, and does, make a real difference in the resolution of complex and challenging foreign policy and humanitarian problems. Not only was the United Nations able to administer a ballot in circumstances in which many observers thought the task impossible, but it was also able to provide for the insertion of a peacekeeping force when law and order broke down. Those who wished to exterminate an entire community were foiled. Those are great strengths. But we need to be able to consolidate them to make the United Nations a more effective Organization.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“And they must also demonstrate their commitment to the Organization by paying their contributions on time and in full. Reform of the United Nations means building a stronger and more effective Organization that can deliver on its commitments to the world's people. It means less waste and more practical activities. It means developing an Organization that is equipped to meet whatever challenges the new century may bring. Ultimately, it means creating a United Nations that can maintain its relevance when many national and international institutions are falling by the wayside, made obsolete by the rapid pace of change. I want to conclude my remarks with a call for the United Nations to concentrate on building on its strengths.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“A former Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, said over 40 years ago that “when we talk of the United Nations, we should remember what it is in fact, and not be led off by dreams of what we would like it to be in another kind of world.” We need to accept that the United Nations exists in a real world and be realistic about what it can achieve. We need to ensure that the Organization's structures and processes better reflect the realities of the twenty-first century. We need an expanded, more representative and more transparent Security Council, and an electoral group system which reflects the geo-political and economic realities of today rather than the early nineteen sixties. To achieve real reforms on these and other subjects, Member States must work together in a sustained and cooperative manner.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Under the direction of Kofi Annan, this Organization has begun the important and necessary steps to equip itself to face these challenges through genuine administrative and management reform. This has included promising changes in financial and personnel practices, significant economies, improving coordination between United Nations bodies, significant rationalization of Secretariat structures and more efficient use of technology. Such reforms make the work of the United Nations more efficient and provide real savings for the Organization. Those savings can then be used for other programmes that benefit all Member States, but particularly the developing Members of the United Nations. The challenge for the United Nations — and, let us all recognize its Member States — is to ensure that this momentum is sustained and taken forward.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I now turn to another aspect of increased effectiveness: the question of United Nations reform. In a recent report on preparations for the Millennium Assembly and the millennium summit, the Secretary-General described the United Nations as a unique institution. No one could disagree that the contribution of the United Nations to the pursuit of peace and security, to the economic and social advancement of all peoples and to the promotion of human rights over the last 50 years or so has been not just of enormous value, but also truly unique in world history. The twenty-first century, however, will bring with it new challenges and, I hope, new opportunities.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“But every now and then, the process works, and I believe that many elements of the work of the United Nations in East Timor are evidence of that. Of course, that is not to say that the process cannot be improved; of course it can. But if we can identify and build upon the positive elements of our East Timor experience, I believe that we can not only improve the situation of the people of that territory, but may also be able to provide a speedier and more thorough resolution of other international crises in the future. We need also to draw lessons from the negative aspects of events in East Timor. Through our efforts there, we have shown what the United Nations can do well. Let us build on that effectiveness, and strive for an organization that is even more relevant to global peace and security in the next millennium.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I have been struck by the deep historical resonances of this process, for when the United Nations was established at the end of the Second World War, part of its rationale as an organization was to have been the impartial and objective resolution of international problems, free of the old cycles of retribution through resort to aggression. The ancient resort to armed force and the notion that might was right were to have been overturned, and in their place the community of nations was to cooperate to settle international disputes and solve global problems. The world, having won a victory over nazism, was determined that similar evils would never again prevail. Well, we have seen plenty of occasions in the past 50 years where practice has not measured up to the ideals.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Australia will do what it can to assist in this process, which will build the foundation for the transition in the territory's status. In its activities in East Timor, the United Nations has demonstrated some of its fundamental strengths as an organization. It is helping to bring about the resolution of an international problem that had been festering for a quarter of a century. It provided the infrastructure that 10 allowed a free and fair expression of the will of the East Timorese people. And when the security situation could not be controlled, it facilitated the creation of an international force to put the transition process back on track and end gross violations of human rights.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The United Nations is also seeking to address the human rights violations that have been widespread in East Timor. Security Council resolution 1264 (1999) called on those responsible for violence in East Timor to be brought to justice. Australia supports efforts by the Indonesian Government and the United Nations to bring to account those responsible for the grievous acts of criminal violence visited upon the East Timorese people, and will offer all appropriate assistance in this regard. More generally, there is now an urgent need to move as soon as possible to the third phase of the United Nations plan for East Timor. This will require all parties, most especially Indonesia and Portugal, to work closely with the Secretariat.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In discussing the activities of the United Nations in East Timor, I must also mention the humanitarian work done by United Nations agencies. Mrs. Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has travelled to West Timor to examine the plight of East Timorese refugees in that territory, and Australia fully supports her efforts. Australia is also the staging point for humanitarian assistance operations being carried out by agencies such as the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund. Additional relief efforts are also planned by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Australia has already pledged $7 million towards the humanitarian efforts of United Nations agencies and other organizations.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We in Australia have been very heartened by the positive international response to the call for military forces to make up the international force in East Timor and its successor peacekeeping force. As I have mentioned, the international forces under the command of Major-General Peter Cosgrove, have begun to restore order in East Timor. There are currently some 3,200 personnel on the ground, drawn from a range of countries, with strong representation from our own Asia-Pacific region. The large number of countries participating in the force, and their wide geographical representation, is evidence of the widespread international determination to see a peaceful and orderly transition in East Timor's status. I am also very pleased to note that UNAMET personnel have now returned to the island, and will be able to continue their important work.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“A threat to the person of a United Nations staff member must be treated as a threat against the United Nations itself. It is a matter of unfortunate record that the upsurge of violence in East Timor after the ballot on 30 August swept up not just United Nations staff members, but hundreds and maybe thousands of East Timorese. The world has witnessed the most horrible cruelty visited on the island's population by people who were unwilling to accept the outcome of the vote. To the great credit again of President Habibie, he sought military assistance through the Security Council. In response, the Security Council delivered a strong resolution and a positive mandate for peacekeeping operations, a mandate that will ensure that the will of the East Timorese people, as expressed in the 30 August vote, will be carried out.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“In particular, the military liaison and civilian police components of UNAMET, led respectively by Brigadier General Rezaqul Haider of Bangladesh and Commissioner Alan Mills of Australia, played crucial roles as the interface between UNAMET and the Indonesian police and military authorities. UNAMET carried out its work at great risk to the staff involved, and, tragically, several locally engaged employees paid for their dedication with their lives. That fact is a stark reminder of the great personal cost that is often associated with United Nations operations, and a reminder to us all of the need to make the security and personal safety of United Nations staff one of our most urgent priorities. The United Nations must rely on its staff to carry out its various mandates.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The fact that 9 more than 450,000 people were able to register to vote and that 98.6 per cent of them actually did so is a remarkable tribute to the courage and the thirst for democracy of the East Timorese people. But it is also a tribute to the effectiveness of UNAMET and its staff, and a fine example of how effective the United Nations can be in situations of conflict and transition. The work done by UNAMET staff in the days before the ballot and in the tragic days following it deserves our highest praise. Unarmed, in a tense and emotionally charged atmosphere, they carried out their duties magnificently.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The work of those two men was crucial to the successful outcome of the negotiations and to the holding of the ballot in East Timor. Of course, the conclusion of the tripartite Agreement was just the beginning of the process to allow the East Timorese to decide their own fate. With the establishment by the Security Council on 11 June of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), the practical work of holding the popular consultation got under way. Under the leadership of Ian Martin, UNAMET began the difficult and often dangerous task of organizing a vote in only 12 short weeks. Thanks to the enthusiasm and application of Ian Martin and his team, that task was accomplished with results that few could have ever dreamed of.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The conclusion on 5 May this year of the tripartite Agreement among Portugal, Indonesia and the United Nations owed much to the hard work and perseverance of the Secretary-General, who helped guide the parties towards a settlement that provided for a credible and orderly ballot on East Timor's future. In doing so, he maintained the honourable tradition of his predecessors as Secretary-General, who since 1983 had been working with Portugal and Indonesia towards a comprehensive and just solution to the region's difficulties. It would be remiss of me if I did not also mention the sterling work done both before and after the conclusion of the Agreement by the Secretary-General's Personal Representative, Ambassador Jamsheed Marker, and his deputy, Francesc Vendrell.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It was also President Habibie who decided to allow the people of East Timor to choose between greater autonomy within Indonesia and independence. Those were momentous decisions — decisions that reflect the massive strides that Indonesian society has made in just a few short months. Australia stood by the Indonesian people as they began their transition to democracy, and we will continue to do so in the years ahead. Regardless of the problems that have beset the transition process in East Timor, President Habibie and his administration deserve full credit for actually initiating that process. I also want to make special mention of the role played by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, in seeking a peaceful resolution of East Timor's status.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This is the latest chapter in the long association of the United Nations with East Timor, an association that has lasted for more than a quarter of a century. The process that has brought us here has been long and difficult, but at last we may be approaching a peaceful resolution of the tragedy that has beset the East Timorese people for so long. The fact that we have arrived at this point owes much to President Habibie of Indonesia. It was President Habibie who led his country down the path of democracy after the departure of former President Soeharto. Under President Habibie’s guidance, Indonesia held its first democratic elections in more than four decades, and it now awaits the election of its next President.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It is now just over a week since the first elements of the International Force in East Timor (INTERFET) began arriving in Dili to commence the task set for it under Security Council resolution 1264 (1999) of 15 September to restore peace and security in East Timor, to protect and support the United Nations Mission in East Timor in carrying out its tasks and, within force capabilities, to facilitate humanitarian assistance programmes. I am pleased to report that INTERFET’s deployment has been smooth and peaceful, and that elements of the force are now spreading across the territory of East Timor. It has begun the vital work of bringing peace back to the troubled island, and of assisting in creating the right climate for the provision of the food, shelter and medical assistance that the East Timorese desperately require.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This is a subject that has been at the centre of my own thinking, especially over recent weeks because of the role Australia has played in the resolution of the conflict in East Timor. I believe that the activities of the United Nations in that Territory stand as an example of the kind of work to which this Organization can really add value. The other matter — the reform of the United Nations — is on the face of it a rather prosaic matter. But, in truth, reform is the key to every single function of this Organization, for without it we cannot hope to equip the United Nations to face the demands of our ever-changing international environment. The United Nations must change and adapt, or become increasingly irrelevant. I turn now to the question of the future of East Timor.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“President, take up your responsibilities at a most auspicious time, as the nations of the world enter a new millennium. As they do so, it is appropriate for us to reflect on the past and the future of the United Nations, what it has achieved and what tasks remain unfulfilled. 8 Of course, the various aspects of this subject are as numerous and diverse as the operations of the United Nations itself, which has evolved from a modest operation in the early days after the end of the Second World War to become an Organization that touches on just about every facet of human existence. Today I want to concentrate on just two matters. The first is perhaps the most fundamental task before this Organization: the maintenance of global peace and security through humanitarian intervention.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Robinson, and the continued support of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, were invaluable in gaining the men’s release. I would also like to thank President Ahtisaari of Finland, the Greek Government, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul and the many other individuals who generously lent their support to this cause. The international community’s cooperation in this case demonstrates the strong commitment we share to protecting our humanitarian workers from persecution, and to ensuring their capacity to carry out their important work in safety. Australia will continue to support international efforts to secure the release of Branko Jelen, a Yugoslav national and an employee of CARE Australia, who continues to serve time in a Yugoslav prison. You, Mr.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Having worked closely with these three countries in our own Asia-Pacific community, it is a particular pleasure for me, as the Foreign Minister of Australia, now to have the opportunity to take that cooperation into this larger family of nations. The second matter is one that seized the attention of the entire Australian population earlier this year: the fate of two CARE Australia workers, Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace, who were imprisoned by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Thanks in no small measure to the support of the international community, Steve and Peter were released from prison on 1 September. The efforts of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs. Ogata and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“May I begin by adding my congratulations to those of my colleagues on your election, Sir, as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session. You are no stranger to these halls — you were here first as an observer and later as a representative. You bring a wealth of experience to your position, and we are pleased to see Namibia taking leadership roles in both the General Assembly and the Security Council. Before I move to the main substance of my remarks today, I want to take this opportunity to mention two matters. First, I welcome the three new members of the United Nations: Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“We acknowledge this is a sensitive issue on which there are many views. But I believe it is time we began to think about and discuss this matter, as we seek to equip the United Nations for the future. Ultimately, reform of the United Nations means one thing. It means a more efficient organization capable of delivering practical outcomes to the people of the world. If we are to achieve that reform, then we must focus on cooperation, not conflict. We must build institutions which will guarantee effective vigilance, and above all else we must have the courage to abandon the ideas and structures of the past and embrace the changes which bring the future.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“The substantial disparities in the size of the various groups and the inadequate level of representation available to the many subregions, including in our own geographic region of East Asia and the Pacific, has long been an evident source of frustration. Comparisons between the size of the African and East European Groups — embracing 53 and 21 members, respectively — demonstrate the legitimacy of dissatisfaction with the status quo in this regard. This widespread sense of under-representation is exacerbated by the social and political diversity of the larger groups and the limited extent to which a single member can be said to represent the group as a whole. While we have our own ideas, Australia does not believe it would be helpful to prescribe any rigid formula for reconfiguration of the group system.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“Before concluding, I should like to address the third and final reform issue I said I would be raising. Australia believes there is an element missing in the present discussion on reform. I am referring to the existing electoral group system, which dates back to the last major reform of the group system in 1963. Since the size of the United Nations has nearly doubled since 1963, mostly with new nations from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, this issue needs to be addressed again. The present configuration contains many conspicuous anomalies and inequities which constitute powerful arguments for reform.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)
“If I may stay briefly with the subjects of practical outcomes and durable structures, the nations of the world are facing today the threat of climate change and will need to agree later this year in Kyoto on sustainable responses to that threat. At the recent South Pacific Forum, Australia, along with other Forum countries, acknowledged deep concern about the impact of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases on rising sea levels and changing weather patterns, especially low-lying islands. Australia, along with others, is working hard to ensure that the Kyoto meeting delivers a sustainable environmental outcome. We stand ready to play our part, although, as we have made clear in these negotiations, we have no intention of imposing upon Australians an unfair and disproportionate cost in addressing this global problem.”
1997-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 52 (1997)