YouSaid · the spoken record

Ouellet

lines on the record: 62
first: 1994-09-24
most recent: 1995-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“We are prepared to contribute concretely and actively to its revitalization and renewal. But confidence will be restored and commitment renewed only through a partnership in which Member States live up to their commitment and focus on key priorities that respond to human-centred goals for sustainable security and development. If we are successful, and frankly I truly believe that we will be successful, I have no doubt that 50 years from now our successors will be able to praise, without hesitation or qualification, the record of our Organization’s first 100 years.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Almost 100 countries still owe money from previous years, including, I have to say, several members of the Security Council. The majority of Member States appear content to approve programmes, appropriations and assessments without honouring the obligations to which they are committed. This is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue. The General Assembly’s High-level Working Group considering the United Nations financial plight should begin looking at the establishment of incentives to pay. It should also agree on an equitable method of sharing the burden, free of the distortions that characterize the present scale of assessments. In conclusion, let me say that I have sought to pay tribute to this Organization’s achievements, and to emphasize that Canada strongly supports the United Nations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“While the United Nations needs to do more to limit spending and to promote efficiency, its financial crisis would be significantly alleviated if its Member States were to meet their financial obligations in full, on time and without conditions. Canada calls on all Member States to do so. We cannot accept that Member States, some of which rank among the richest countries in the world, fail to meet their financial obligations to this institution. This is even more difficult to accept when we consider that a number of the poorest countries in the world meet their payments in full and on time. Indeed, among the merely 60 Member States that had met their regular budget obligations to the United Nations fully by 31 July of this year, 32 were developing countries. Unfortunately, 71 other Member States had made no payment at all.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“International organizations must respect the same pressures as domestic Governments. The United Nations and its agencies must focus on key objectives and reduce overhead spending in order to protect priority programmes. In fact, there are many steps that chief executive officers can take to increase efficiency and to reduce costs without impairing programmes, and we should all insist that they do so. Similarly, many agencies’ budgets should be held at present levels, wherever possible, if not reduced. Member States must work collectively to this end. Canada strongly supports the proposal put forward by the Secretary-General for an efficiency task force to address these issues. We are prepared to contribute both expertise and personnel to get it started soon.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“An understanding among Member States along these lines would help in the selection of non-permanent Council members, whether on the existing basis or on a modified basis. A recurring theme throughout my remarks has been the need for the United Nations to marshal its scarce resources more effectively. There is simply no other option if we are to restore confidence in this Organization and in the specialized agencies. As the Secretary-General has stressed, the Organization’s financial crisis is 9 crippling its effectiveness and its credibility. We cannot allow this to happen. The answer lies in addressing both expenditure and revenue. Many Governments, including Canada’s, are facing difficult budgetary decisions. We have had to live with expenditure reductions in real terms while maintaining priority programmes.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Council is no longer as representative as it once was. Its legitimacy,and perhaps also the quality of its decisions, would be greatly enhanced by more representation from those countries that contribute the most to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the broad purpose of the Organization — that is, the key criterion for non-permanent membership enshrined in Article 23 of the Charter. Perhaps it is time to reflect together on those purposes to which Article 23 refers. They would surely include participation in United Nations peace operations, commitment to arms control and disarmament, support for good-neighbourly relations, humanitarian assistance, human rights, development cooperation and the promotion of civil society.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“One lesson of particular importance is that members of the Security Council, especially the permanent five, need to demonstrate a firm commitment to the implementation of their own decisions. For Canada, the need for more open, transparent and collegial decision-making is crucial. There must be closer consultations with countries contributing personnel and equipment in order to help implement Council decisions. Here, real progress has been achieved of late, which Canada warmly welcomes. This progress needs to be institutionalized. The credibility and effectiveness of the Council in promoting international peace and security is also a key element. Although we do not regard expansion of its membership as a panacea, it is clear that composition plays a role in fostering credibility and effectiveness.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“To ensure a renewal of the United Nations vision through these actions, we must also reassert our commitment to assuring the effectiveness of its key bodies. Although I could speak of many United Nations agencies in this regard, because of its critical role in promoting the vision of the next 50 years, I will limit my remarks to the Security Council. The Security Council’s mandate to help prevent disputes and to resolve conflicts confer on it unique responsibilities. The binding nature of some decisions adds further weight to its deliberations. In recent years the Council has experienced a period of intensified activity. It has also experienced setbacks from which we can all learn.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our goal is concrete, internationally sanctioned conservation measures. The same objective applies to our efforts to ensure the sustainable management of forests and arable land. The Rio Summit achieved landmark agreements on climate change and biodiversity. Canada welcomes the progress made by the Commission on Sustainable Development and by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in clarifying their respective roles in following up these agreements in collaboration with Member States. (spoke in English) In speaking about the three elements — preventive action, rapid reaction and peacebuilding — I wish to emphasize the need to see them as mutually reinforcing. United Nations Member States must be committed to all three in order for any one to be successful.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“They could also establish a high-level working group to consider how to strengthen cooperation, both at the Organization’s Headquarters and elsewhere, in areas such as data collection, analysis and reporting. The World Trade Organization (WTO) should also participate in relevant aspects of this work. We have all come to understand the extent to which human security is indivisible from environmental security. More and more conflicts are arising following disagreement over the use of finite natural resources. The United Nations therefore has a key role to play in promoting sustainable development. Canada welcomes the recent success of United Nations conferences in some areas of international resource-management operations, such as the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“There, the executive heads of agencies and programmes must demonstrate leadership, particularly in coordinating the follow-up to international conferences and ensuring that duplication, overlapping and needless spending are eliminated as far as possible. 8 We must effectively harness the complementary roles of the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions. To ensure a smooth transition from emergencies to rehabilitation, improved cooperation in crises must be an immediate priority. I urge the Secretary-General and the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to propose new arrangements for post-crisis assistance.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The outcomes of the major conferences are at the core, and their distillation and coordinated follow-up should be a touchstone for the United Nations in the economic and social fields. The roles and functions of organizations and agencies should be examined and refocused to ensure that they are oriented to future needs. The Agenda for Development is an important opportunity to initiate the institutional change required. Improving cooperation with and among specialized agencies is essential to give limited resources some impact. The Economic and Social Council must take more responsibility for policy coordination within the United Nations system. A start was made this summer in Geneva. The recent establishment of the United Nations Programme on AIDS is a promising example.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We are, therefore, determined to work with all Member States to pursue these goals sufficiently and effectively. Let me take this opportunity to set out some ideas on the way to renew commitment to the economic and social work of the United Nations. First, there is a need to achieve the right balance between wide-ranging debate and decisions on which programmes should be adopted. The justified breadth of debate does not mean that United Nations programs should be established to address every problem. There are many other actors who play important roles. The United Nations should focus on what it is uniquely equipped to achieve. Secondly, there is a need for a fresh sense of the real goals of development.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It sets out a comprehensive view of sustainable development, which balances economic and social agendas for the purpose of promoting the well-being of society. This global consensus offers an opportunity to restore confidence in the work of the United Nations system in these fields, and to dispel the perception of aimlessness and drift. The United Nations can continue to play an invaluable role in forging global agreements on development goals, in advocating core values, and in responding to humanitarian and development needs. We must seek to anchor change in a commitment to people-centred sustainable development. A strong emphasis must be placed on the reduction of poverty and on the integration of the poorest countries into the world economy. However, no single country, or even group of countries, can achieve global results alone.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We need to marshal our energies, to determine the most promising areas of action, and to move quickly towards putting words into action. Over the coming weeks and months, Canada intends to work closely with like-minded countries from around the world, and, of course, with the United Nations Secretariat to this end. The ongoing work of peace-building must continue alongside preventive diplomacy and now rapid reaction operations. Indeed, peace-building involves a wide range of activities. Much of the work needed for articulating a broad vision of human security has already been done in the series of United Nations conferences in the economic and social fields, culminating in the Platform for Action recently adopted at the United Nations Conference on Women.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our report devotes special attention to the creation of an operational-level headquarters as the heart of the “Vanguard” concept. Canada is prepared to help in establishing its headquarters should the United Nations decide to accept this recommendation. We have already made a significant number of military personnel available to the United Nations on secondment or on loan. We are prepared to make available additional personnel, both civilian and military, in order to bring this idea closer to realization. The time for moving towards fundamental improvements in the way the United Nations responds to crises is now. A number of countries have advanced proposals similar to Canada’s and there are many new and interesting proposals for change coming also from the non- governmental sector. Follow-up is of key importance.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“To meet the growing need for civilian personnel during crises, Canada will offer the United Nations secondment or the loan of civilian personnel on a short-term urgent basis to help in the development of a fully trained capacity in the areas of 7 human rights, legal advice, humanitarian assistance, and other aspects of a rapid civilian response to crises. Last week Canada sent the Secretary-General an updated inventory of Canadian personnel and equipment on stand-by to the United Nations, including technical information that would be crucial to rapid response. We are now prepared to negotiate with the United Nations a more detailed memorandum of understanding on stand-by arrangements, which would include more information on readiness and capability standards.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“(spoke in French) I believe that the recommendations in the report, if implemented, will strengthen the United Nations capacity for more rapid, effective and successful peace operations. They will help restore confidence in the ability of the United Nations to respond to crises. We are conscious of the fact that words are not enough. In the words of a former military adviser to the United Nations: “We can’t deploy studies.” For Canada this report is only the first step in translating ideas into action.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our other proposals seek to enhance training, to create more efficient logistics and transportation, and to strengthen the planning efforts of the entire United Nations system. Let me say that none of the 26 recommendations in the report requires Charter reforms. But the search for immediate, practical solutions must not preclude more visionary possibilities. In this regard, the report looked at longer-term questions, such as advanced technology in support of the United Nations peace operations, the feasibility of a permanent group of civilian police, the idea of a United Nations Standing Emergency Group, a permanent force as has been considered by our colleague from the Netherlands; and the question of independent sources of revenue for the United Nations system.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The report expresses the view of the Government of Canada, but considerable care was taken to consult with other Governments, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental institutions. We are also deeply grateful to the many experts from many countries who have lent us their time and wisdom. The main proposal of the report is the "Vanguard Concept". This concept will permit the United Nations to assemble, from Member States, a multifunctional force of up to 5,000 military and civilian personnel, and, with the authorization of the Security Council, quickly deploy it under the control of an operational-level headquarters. This operational headquarters would be responsible for the advance preparations that are crucial if rapid reaction is to work. Forces will be provided under enhanced stand- by arrangements with Member States.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Canada’s long experience with peace- keeping has convinced us that improvements are possible. The international community’s slow response to the horrible and deeply distressing events in Rwanda was very much in our mind. It was in this context that I announced that Canada would examine ways to improve the capacity of the United Nations to react quickly to such events. Today I have the honour of presenting to the Assembly Canada’s report entitled “Towards a Rapid Reaction Capability for the United Nations” as a special Canadian contribution to the United Nations during its fiftieth anniversary year. It presents practical proposals for enhancing the United Nations rapid reaction capability in the field of peace operations. I believe the proposals will both help save lives and conserve scarce resources.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Together, interested countries could develop criteria to identify excessive military expenditures and appropriate international responses. Canada has taken some initiatives in this regard in recent months and we look forward to productive negotiations with many Member States here. When a United Nations preventive diplomacy operation stumbles and efforts to prevent conflict fail, Member States all too often criticize the United Nations. But much of the blame for the failures of the Organization lies with the Member States themselves who do not provide it with the tools needed for success. These tools are never needed more than when a crisis erupts. Last year I discussed the problems the United Nations has encountered in mobilizing its peace operations to respond to crises.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“An agreement to begin negotiations on a treaty to ban the production of fissionable material for nuclear weapons is currently held up. We squander such opportunities at our peril. Canada calls on all members of the Conference on Disarmament to proceed urgently with the cut-off negotiations. Regrettably our efforts to take preventive action are eroded by the continued global imbalance between spending on armaments and spending on human development. Multilateral institutions should take trends in military and other unproductive spending into consideration. All States Members of the United Nations should comply with the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms which will, we hope, be expanded soon to include military holdings and national procurement activities.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Averting crisis requires more flexibility and speed in decision-making and in implementation. In this regard Canada supports the proposal for a conference on security, stability and development in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. We also reaffirm our strong support for the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs. (spoke in English) Another major focus of Canada’s preventive action is arms control and disarmament, especially concerning nuclear weapons. The historic decision to extend the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) indefinitely provides a foundation for further important gains on nuclear disarmament. We must now complete the comprehensive test-ban treaty negotiations as early as possible in 1996 in order to permit its 6 signature at the General Assembly next September.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has a role to play in enhancing the early warning functions of the United Nations. The experience of the Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda revealed the need for the more effective coordination of United Nations field missions. Canada has commissioned work on the human rights components of field operations and on stand-by arrangements for them. This work will yield recommendations on ways to integrate human rights into United Nations field operations, in a way consistent with the approach outlined in “An Agenda for Peace”. One of the priorities of Canada’s foreign policy and one of the best ways to renew commitment to the United Nations consists of adopting a coherent approach to the prevention and management of complex emergencies.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“These recommendations will be presented to the leaders, the Heads of State and Government, gathered at the Francophone Summit to be held in Cotonou, Benin, in December of this year. Prevention also means deterring crimes against humanity. Canada strongly supports the early establishment of an international criminal court, which will, we hope, deter such crimes in the future but, should they occur, would punish the perpetrators. The recently approved Platform for Action at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing lends further impetus in this area. Our recent experiences in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda emphasize the link between security and human rights. The United Nations many human rights mechanisms produce a wealth of information that could help us identify and understand potential areas of conflict.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We are also taking advantage of our membership in La Francophonie, in the Commonwealth and in regional organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) precisely in order to work towards enhancing the ability of these organizations to prevent conflicts. Our Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, is currently pressing for an expanded Commonwealth role in democratization and good governance, which are two key elements of conflict prevention. I recently convened a meeting of La Francophonie in Ottawa to generate recommendations for it to strengthen its role in conflict prevention, particularly in Africa.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Preventive action, as the Secretary-General has laid out so well in “An Agenda for Peace”, takes many forms, from economic development programmes to mediation, to the preventive deployment of personnel — as, for example, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — from the investigation of human rights violations to the conclusion of agreements limiting the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Prevention saves lives, forestalls untold human suffering and makes the best use of limited resources. Last year I announced at this podium that Canada was providing a list of Canadian experts available to the United Nations for preventive diplomacy missions.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“(spoke in French) The first priority must be to help the United Nations better protect people from conflict. The United Nations has had important successes in the past few years but, unfortunately, there have also been set-backs. If the United Nations is to adapt to a changing world, if confidence in the Organization is to be restored, we must learn from the failures of Bosnia, Somalia and Rwanda and build on the successes of Cambodia, Namibia and El Salvador.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The central message is clear: we must take this momentous opportunity to confirm and renew our commitment to the United Nations. To do so, we require a renewed vision for the next 50 years. This vision must 5 be centred on not just striving for, but achieving, human security on the basis of the freedom of people everywhere to live in peace and without fear, to be prosperous and enjoy equality, justice before the law and knowledge. The Members of the United Nations must work together now to renew the Organization and its agencies and programmes and to help make this vision a reality. In Canada’s view pursuing this vision requires a focus on three interlinked objectives: preventing conflict; responding quickly when conflict occurs; and supporting peace-building efforts on an ongoing basis. I will address each objective in turn.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Thanks to the United Nations, in this decade alone 5 million children will grow up normally, children who would otherwise have been paralysed by polio. This year the United Nations is working, as it does every year, to ensure a better life for the almost 23 million refugees in the world. Global resolve to support the United Nations and to advance the interests of the international community has recently been underscored by such successes as the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. At the Halifax Summit in June, chaired by our Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, the P-8 (Political Eight) leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to the United Nations system of international institutions and added their ideas for revitalizing it.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the success of the United Nations in establishing the first peace-keeping operation, in 1956. All these Canadians had a unifying purpose: to promote progress in implementing the United Nations Charter, which enshrines the commitment of the people of the United Nations to the advancement of humanity. Of course, there have been criticisms of the Organization; many are legitimate and require attention. It is clear, however, that the international community remains committed to the goals of the Charter and to the United Nations as the primary instrument for global problem solving. The United Nations deserves our continued support. If we look at the record of just the last few years, the United Nations has conducted successful peace-keeping operations in Cambodia, Mozambique and Haiti.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is a great honour to represent Canada here today as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations during this general debate. Canada has always been among the strongest supporters of the United Nations, not only in word but also in deed. In 1945 we were, through Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, an original signatory of the United Nations Charter. Ambassador John Humphreys helped write the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Successive Canadian Ambassadors to the United Nations have distinguished themselves in the service of the Organization, as have countless Canadian negotiators in areas ranging from disarmament to trade to development. In addition, Lester B.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Governments must strive to work together and in cooperation with private enterprise and non-governmental organizations to define our new vision of the United Nations for the next century. This is, in part, why the Canadian Government has provided support to the Canadian Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations. That Committee, which brings together leaders from all sectors, has prepared a remarkable programme of activities to commemorate the anniversary everywhere in our country. The emphasis is being placed on youth education and the main subjects of the United Nations agenda. Next year at this time, all eyes will be turned towards the General Assembly. Let us make that anniversary the beginning of a new era for the United Nations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Reviewing the scale of assessments is always a perilous undertaking, but I believe the need to do so has become urgent. The current system suffers from serious distortions and no longer reflects properly Member States’ ability to pay. We hope the General Assembly will make this a priority issue at the current session. In the final analysis, the future of the United Nations depends on the willingness of its Member States to lend it political and practical support. This support depends in turn on the degree of support the Organization receives from our respective citizenries. It is not only Member States’ credibility that is at stake, but, even more important, that of the United Nations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The sums in question are no doubt modest when compared with those invested elsewhere, but they represent none the less a burden that is already significant and growing larger at a time when many of our countries, Canada most definitely included, are going through a difficult period of budgetary adjustment. Our taxpayers do not question the need to contribute to the United Nations, but they are entitled to expect that their contributions will be spent judiciously. That is why we attach such great importance to the need for sound management of the system’s resources. The recent creation of the new position of inspector general should help tighten controls and improve administrative practices. There is also a need to review budgetary procedures in order to make them more transparent and to simplify those that govern peace-keeping operations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As we have said on a number of occasions, the Council must make its working methods more transparent and become more receptive to the viewpoints of non- member States with special concerns. More specifically, Canada has advocated closer dialogue between the Council and troop-contributing countries. The informal practices developed in recent years are a good start, but in our view we must look for practical ways to institutionalize them. We ask the members of the Council to keep an open mind in this regard. Finally, we must put the United Nations on a sound financial footing. It goes without saying that the United Nations can fulfil the mandates we give it only to the extent that Member States meet their financial obligations and contribute generously to its voluntary funds.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Security Council currently bears enormous responsibilities. Its decisions are binding on all Member States and have a determining influence on millions of people. It is essential that the Council be able to reflect as accurately as possible the wishes of the entire international community. For this reason, it is imperative that the composition of the Council be reviewed. By making the Council more representative of today’s world, we can enhance the legitimacy of its actions and facilitate their implementation. Canada will continue to play an active role in the negotiations launched during the last session of the General Assembly, with a view to concluding an agreement as soon as possible. However, an expanded Council must not be seen as a panacea.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Recent peace- keeping missions have demonstrated the limitations of the traditional approach. As we now fully realize, rapid deployment of intervention forces is essential. In the light of the prevailing situation, the Government of Canada has decided to conduct an in- depth review of the short-, medium- and long-term options available to us to strengthen the rapid-response capability of the United Nations in times of crisis. From among these options, we feel that the time has come to study the possibility, over the long term, of creating a 12 permanent United Nations military force. We will ask the world’s leading experts for their input and will inform all Member States of the results of the study. (spoke in French) Fourthly, we must improve the functioning of United Nations decision-making bodies.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Last April the Government of Canada took the initiative of inviting the major troop-contributing countries to a meeting in Ottawa to discuss problems associated with political direction, command and control and the training of peace-keeping- operations personnel. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that Canada will soon open a centre for peace-keeping research and training. The centre, to be located on the site of the former military base in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, will be named after Lester B. Pearson, Canadian recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. I invite Member States to come and join us so they can share our experience and help fine- tune our future approach. The experience of the last few years leads us to believe that we need to explore even more innovative options than those considered to date.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The time has come to translate this vision into new operational priorities and to adapt our institutions and structures to it. The Secretary-General should not hesitate to recommend radical reform if necessary. Together we can restore the relevance and leadership of the United Nations system. We must adapt it to the new realities of an ever-changing world. Thirdly, we must strengthen the rapid-intervention capability of the United Nations. The implementation of a number of the proposals advanced by the Secretary- General in "An Agenda for Peace" has enabled the United Nations to make great strides in the area of peace- keeping.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“These questions will be taken up at next year’s Group of Seven summit, to be held in Halifax, and should be debated as widely as possible within other relevant institutions. Canada is ready to proceed with a comprehensive re- evaluation of its multilateral system as it applies to economic and social issues. If necessary, the relevance of certain institutions must be rethought, and a real solution must be found to the problem of duplication. We expect great things of the next chapter of the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Development. We share to a great extent his visions of development, which encompass all facets of human activity, and particularly its social dimensions. Although the full importance of these dimensions has finally been grasped, they are still poorly integrated in our development strategies.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“While the debate on the United Nations mandate in the areas of peace and security is lively and productive, it is unfortunately too often vague and directionless when we tackle economic and social problems. We are not saying that everything must be changed - far from it. But certain reforms have already been introduced; to mention but one, we welcome the decision to make the United Nations Development Programme Administrator responsible for system-wide coordination. But at a time when large sectors of international economic activities are beyond the control of States, and when the resources devoted to development and international cooperation are subject to all manner of constraint in all of our countries, we must rethink the role and mandate of all our multilateral institutions, including those of Bretton Woods.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We must strengthen the Convention by extending its scope to cover internal as well as international conflicts and by insisting on effective verification measures to ensure compliance. We will create a task force in Canada to consider other initiatives that might be taken in the coming months, and I look forward to sharing ideas on this subject with other ministers. Secondly, we must conduct an in-depth review of the United Nations economic and social activities. I think I speak for most members of the Assembly when I express serious concerns regarding what can best be described as the drift of the United Nations in the economic and social sectors.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“11 The recently established United Nations Register of Conventional Arms is a start, and I urge Member States to make information available to the Register as Canada has done. More can be done, however. For example, next year we will be reviewing the Convention on certain conventional weapons that deals with land-mines. The abuse of land-mines is responsible for continued suffering and death of civilians long after the fighting has stopped. I welcome the proposal made by President Clinton on Monday to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of anti- personnel land mines. He can count on the support and assistance of the Government of Canada on this useful idea.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“I urge all Governments to support this option, which will allow for the continuation of a crucial instrument in preventing the spread of nuclear-weapon technology and provide new impetus to reduce existing stocks. We must also recognize that, although the threat of nuclear weapons is of prime concern, the ongoing use of conventional weapons is an equally dangerous and very real threat to peace and security. The task of controlling conventional weapons is the responsibility of every Government. Huge sums are being spent each year purchasing such weapons, often to the detriment of services essential to the public, such as education and health care. Those who are more concerned about the size of their military arsenal than about the welfare of their people should no longer expect to receive unconditional international aid.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Nuclear arms control and disarmament are under way: we are continuing negotiations on a comprehensive test-ban treaty to ban nuclear testing for all time. Canada is working in the Conference on Disarmament to secure a mandate for negotiations on a convention to prohibit the production of fissile material for weapons purposes. Together, these treaties will have the effect of constraining and preventing a future nuclear arms race. In 1995 we will have to decide the fate of the world’s nuclear non-proliferation regime; the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is very important for Canada, and we believe that there is only one option: that the NPT must be indefinitely extended.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United Nations Economic and Social Council should periodically hold public hearings, similar to those held last June on the Agenda for Development, with a view to assisting the United Nations to better anticipate problems and to develop strategies for attacking the economic and social causes of conflicts. The findings of its hearings could and should be provided to the Security Council and the Secretary- General so that they can develop appropriate preventive measures. Any strategy for preventing armed conflicts also involves pursuing tangible disarmament objectives. Canada has established two priority objectives for the next few years: nuclear non-proliferation and the control of conventional arms.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“At its first summit in January 1992, the Security Council recognized that non-military sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian and ecological fields have become threats to international peace and security. Let us recognize once and for all the need to expand the traditional concept of security, and to mobilize all components of the United Nations system to attack conflict at its very roots. We also feel that the preventive capacity of the United Nations system will be strengthened if we make better use of the expertise of those who have direct knowledge of the field.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United Nations already has a number of tools for detecting potential conflicts, and can use a variety of mechanisms to try to eliminate problems before crises break out. Lack of information is not the problem; what we need is the ability to better analyse this information, to develop appropriate strategies and above all to mobilize energy from all components of the system. In order to act rapidly, the United Nations must be able to count on qualified human resources, available on short notice, to complement its own personnel. This is why Canada has prepared for the Secretary-General an inventory of resource persons suited to missions of good offices or specializing in elections, human rights, the administration of justice and other such fields.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)