YouSaid · the spoken record

POOS

lines on the record: 313
first: 1984-09-24
most recent: 1995-09-24
sittings or episodes: 11
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

“But in the final analysis the proper functioning and efficiency of the United Nations depend first and foremost on the political support that Member States, especially the most powerful, give to multilateralism, as well as the political, military and financial resources they are prepared to make available to international organizations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It results essentially from the failure of Member States which fulfil inadequately, if at all, their obligation to pay their contributions to the budget of the Organization. Each and every State is bound under the Charter to pay its contributions on time and in full. The Luxembourg Government is in favour of a monitoring mechanism that would ensure the proper management of the United Nations system. On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, Member States should endeavour to define an approach that could confer on the Organization new legitimacy and credibility for the next century. This will succeed only if they involve in this effort representatives of civil society and, in particular, those of non-governmental organizations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The improved representativeness of the Security Council cannot be achieved only by remaking its membership: it also requires greater transparency in its decision-making processes. Dialogue with other Members of the Organization, especially those countries that contribute troops for peace-keeping operations, must be enhanced. Finally, the time has come to delete from the Charter references to “enemy States” which have not existed for a long time now. Each and every one of us is aware of the seriousness of the financial crisis that the Organization faces. It results not only from sums disbursed, which are relatively speaking very modest if we compare them to sums invested elsewhere.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Its decisions commit all Member States and have a decisive impact on the fate of millions of human beings. The Security Council must therefore reflect as faithfully as possible the determination of the international community as a whole. A Security Council more representative of today’s world would strengthen the legitimacy of its actions and facilitate the implementation of its decisions. My Government is in favour of a balanced increase that would involve the admission to the Council of new permanent and non-permanent members from both the North and the South. In particular we would like permanent-member status to be acknowledged for economic Powers whose positive role in international affairs has long been recognized.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“These two reports set forth a number of potential reforms and make concrete proposals, including one to create an economic security council. I believe that these proposals are a valuable source of inspiration and make an important contribution to the reform work that should be pursued and intensified. I attach great importance to the consideration of these reports, which our Assembly has entrusted to the high- level Working Group recently set up in the framework of the strengthening of the United Nations system. Before concluding I should like to deal with two issues concerning the reform process begun by the Organization — expanding the Security Council, and 17 putting the finances of the United Nations on a sound footing. The Security Council today is invested with enormous responsibilities.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The work of renewal and clarification that has begun with the Agenda for Development is a natural component of this global perspective. My country, together with its partners in the European Union, intends to make an active contribution to the discussion to be held on this subject. On the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, several focus groups have considered the challenges facing humanity and the ability of the United Nations to meet them. In particular, I would refer to the Carlsson- Ramphal Commission, which submitted the report entitled “On Global Governance”, and an independent working group on the future of the United Nations which the Secretary-General himself established and which delivered the results of its study last June.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“There are also such social phenomena as population growth, the pressure of migration, the problem of refugees, and violations of human rights. Other trans-border issues that are of increasing concern are drug trafficking, and new forms of violence and crime and even international terrorism. We need an effective system built on these realities and better able to take into account the interests of all mankind, the poorest in particular. Such a system should be able to define integrated policies and lay down clear, coherent guidelines. Cooperation between international financial institutions and the United Nations system should be organized with this in view. Only the United Nations has the necessary legitimacy and authority for such reform.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Preamble stresses the need to promote “the economic and social advancement of all peoples” and thereby makes development one of the principal goals of our Organization. Fifty years after the creation of the United Nations, we believe that the time has come to begin an in-depth review of the activities and structures of the Organization in the economic and social spheres, taking into account the far- reaching changes that have occurred and the growing globalization of problems. This review should take cognizance of the fact that countries are being faced with new phenomena that are often diverse but are alike in reaching beyond national borders. I am thinking, inter alia, of such health problems as AIDS or of such environmental problems as the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“As concerns the developing countries, we have a duty to be supportive. This support should supplement and strengthen the efforts which these countries must undertake at the national level. Luxembourg has doubled its development assistance in just a few years. It has committed itself to the goal of achieving 0.7 per cent in official development assistance before the end of the century. It would also like to see new progress achieved in reducing the debt that continues to paralyse the development of many developing countries. Our Organization must play a central role as the major institution for international cooperation at the global level. This was in fact envisaged by our Charter.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It is unacceptable, indeed intolerable, that at the end of the twentieth century more than a billion people live in abject poverty and almost 1.5 billion men, women and children lack sufficient food and drinking water and have no access to education or the most elementary health care. To be sure, certain parts of the South today are enjoying remarkable development. But others, on the African continent in particular, seem to have been left behind by the progress from which the world economy as a whole has benefited. It is also alarming that inequalities both within countries and between the countries of the South and the North are growing rather than shrinking, and that the richest fifth of mankind owns more than four-fifths of the world’s social product while the poorest fifth must content itself with 1.4 per cent.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Government of Luxembourg provides tangible support to the activities of our Organization in this sphere. In our view, the promotion of human rights is another priority area. In particular, the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child represents a large step forward. This Convention is a valuable instrument 16 that helps to protect children from physical and mental abuse. It is therefore essential for Governments that have ratified the Convention to adopt and implement the necessary national legislation. The General Assembly has initiated international activity on behalf of millions of street children. My Government proposes that a similar effort be undertaken to assist millions of children who work by necessity or even compulsion.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“At the national level, democracy provides the stability necessary for peace by ensuring respect for human rights and allowing the population to express its will. At the regional level, as in Europe, it involves States, large and small, in joint decision-making and contributes to development by encouraging cooperation and fostering peace. Democratic States do not war with each other. It is thus an important duty of the international community to promote democracy among and within States by helping them to build a democratic system; by providing them with logistical and technical support for the organization of free elections; by promoting the creation of a public sector to guarantee the proper management of State affairs; and by providing the various sectors of civil society with the resources to consolidate the bases of democracy.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Furthermore, the United Nations should see to it that the commanders of an operation are given sufficient military resources and clear, consistent political guidelines. Our era has witnessed spectacular developments at the national level. The concept of the State has been called into question as both a mechanism for solving national problems and a basic element of the international system. States find themselves increasingly threatened with disintegration, their citizens seeking to escape the oppression of rigid structures and demanding to become part of ever more narrowly defined ethnic groups. In such a context, democracy would seem to be the best means of ensuring the viability of the State as manager of public affairs and guarantor of progress.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“But as long as the United Nations does not adopt a more defined and resolute approach that would allow it to prevent such catastrophes, the effectiveness and credibility of our Organization run the risk of being called into question. As I have just emphasized with regard to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, we must learn from our failures and near-successes. My country encourages efforts to provide the United Nations with its own rapid- reaction capacity. But the Organization should also determine whether increased cooperation with specialized regional organizations, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union, might not in certain cases be both more effective and more economical. At any rate, any new United Nations operation should be established only on the basis of a military appraisal as well.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The United Nations has none the less had a number of successes which have been important but which the media have tended to minimize, be they in Namibia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Mozambique or Haiti. In those countries, the United Nations has helped peoples to overcome years of civil war and to channel their energies into building democratic nations. These positive and courageous actions contrast with other, rather timid reactions to conflicts that threaten the lives of thousands of civilians and expose them to terrible violations of their basic rights. This was the case in Rwanda and was long also the case in the former Yugoslavia, even if the international community has provided substantial humanitarian assistance and helped to ease the suffering of the victims.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our Organization must then today come to grips with a new situation arising from the fact that most current conflicts take place within the borders of a single State, and no longer pit States against each other. Intervention constitutes an interference that only the United Nations can legitimize. These ethnic or religious conflicts, whose origins derive from economic and social issues, are the result not only of regular armies, but of militias and clans. The civilian population is often the first victim, if not the main target. The missions demanded of the United Nations are also becoming more and more complex, difficult and dangerous. The United Nations is called upon to maintain peace, but often there is no peace to keep.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Narrow-minded nationalism has gained adherents, and political and religious intolerance is spreading. We thought that with increased international cooperation, the role of multinational organizations would increase. This has not always been the case. Often, the role of our Organization has been ill perceived or badly presented to the public. 15 In many cases, the image given of the United Nations seems unfair. It does not take into account the many constraints under which the United Nations functions. Very often, the critics are aiming at the wrong target, forgetting that it is Member States that prevent the United Nations either from taking decisions or by acting, by denying it the necessary resources. The political commitment of Member States is often not commensurate with the ever-growing responsibilities of the United Nations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It hails the fact that, for the first time, the rights of women are recognized as an integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. In particular, we have in mind the recognition of the right of all women to control their sexual health and their access, on an equal footing, to economic resources. The “right to be different” claimed by religious fundamentalists should not hamper the implementation of these new principles. The events of some time ago led us to believe that the old bipolar world was a thing of the past and that a new world order was automatically about to succeed it. Unfortunately, reality has not confirmed that hope. The multipolar world in which we live has not at all become more unified, nor more supportive, nor safer. Ethnic conflicts have broken out in many parts of the world.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It will also send observers to the forthcoming elections, which will be the decisive test for the creation of a civil and democratic society. My country notes with satisfaction the indefinite extension last May of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It appeals urgently to the nuclear-weapon Powers to renounce any new testing and to comply with the current moratorium. Such a decision would help to create a climate favourable to the conclusion in 1996 of a global treaty on the banning of nuclear testing, one which is suitably verifiable. The Fourth World Conference on Women has just concluded in Beijing. My Government commends the progress achieved at that Conference.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Government of Luxembourg is prepared to take part in the reconstruction effort as long as certain conditions are met: the effective implementation of a comprehensive settlement, the implementation of a disarmament plan and respect for human rights and for minorities, including the right of return. In the Middle East, negotiations for the conclusion of a second agreement on the autonomy of the occupied territories have just been concluded. Mr. Rabin and Mr. Peres, as well as Mr. Arafat, have shown exemplary tenacity and political will, and they deserve our warmest congratulations. We are all called upon to help in the success of this vast endeavour for peace now under way. My Government has launched an important action for cooperation in development in the occupied territories.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“In the former Yugoslavia, dramatic developments in recent months have changed substantially the nature of the conflict there. After years of civil war, atrocities and “ethnic cleansing”, we now see a glimmer of hope emerging. I welcome the recent agreements in Geneva between the warring parties, as well as that on the opening up of Sarajevo, which was arrived at thanks to the mediation efforts and the commitment of the American special envoy, Mr. Richard Holbrooke. I am, however, not unaware of the fact that negotiations on a comprehensive settlement will be lengthy and that its implementation will be a difficult task.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Like previous speakers, I should like to convey to the President of the fiftieth session of the General Assembly our warmest congratulations on his election to the presidency of the Assembly. As a representative of a country close to us, Portugal, he will, I am certain, discharge skilfully and effectively his difficult responsibilities in leading our deliberations. The President of our Council, Mr. Javier Solana, has recently explained the position of the European Union on the work of the United Nations and on the major challenges it is called upon to face. Those are also the views of my delegation. I welcome the promising prospects opening up in the Balkans and the Middle East. As for Chechnya, I must, on the other hand, regret that the parties have been lagging behind in restoring peace to that sorely tried region in the past year.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our Organization, which is the only forum that brings together virtually all the States of the world, needs the commitment of its Members. It needs decisions that are well thought out. It needs measures for proper follow-up. Only in that way will it be able usefully to contribute to channelling international efforts to realize our common goal: which is to make our planet a place where peace, security and greater prosperity for all peoples of the world can prevail.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“In this period of limited resources, it is also imperative that Member States seriously take up the question of effective management. Strict budgetary discipline is needed, and resources should no longer be wasted on operations with ill-defined goals. In that connection, we welcome the various steps taken by the Secretary-General with a view to making better use of the resources provided to the Organization and creating a more rigorous financial inspection system. Our Organization, in the end, will succeed only through the way in which each State discharges its own responsibilities under the Charter. They include financial responsibilities. The obligation of solidarity that is binding upon all States of our Organization should motivate them to discharge their budgetary obligations to the United Nations in full and on time.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“26 It is also imperative to improve the methods of work of the Council and ensure greater transparency in its work and better communication with the members of the General Assembly. Although the latter do not participate in the deliberations of the Council, they are bound by its decisions and they are regularly requested to apply sanctions and to provide funds or personnel for the implementation of peace- keeping operations. The Secretariat is a key institution of the United Nations system. It must have the necessary means to carry out the innovative work it has been undertaking energetically and courageously. At the same time, however, we should combat the proliferation of institutions, since this exhausts the limited resources of our Organization and compromises the cogency of its efforts.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Non-governmental organizations, through their actions, are also now a part of the international conscience, including its conscience in regard to respect for human rights. Thus, our Organization and all its Member States should recognize and facilitate the important role played by those organizations. As we draw near to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, our Organization has been undertaking a series of negotiations with a view to revising its working methods. The work with a view to the necessary reform of the Security Council has continued over the past year. It will be necessary to persevere in our search for a solution that will reconcile the need for a more balanced composition with the concern for effective functioning.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Millions of people in many parts of the world continue to fall victim to flagrant violations of their human rights. The Vienna Conference reaffirmed the universal validity of those human rights. The creation at the last session of the General Assembly of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights should encourage greater respect for those principles. However, undertakings assumed are valuable only if they are translated into practical action. Thus, we must ensure that the United Nations has the necessary support and means in this sphere to implement its programme of action. We must take the necessary measures to increase the resources and strengthen the functioning of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, as well as that of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The agenda for humanity, if I may use the expression of our Secretary-General, is the true challenge faced by the United Nations at the end of this twentieth century. From Rio to Cairo, through Vienna, Copenhagen and Beijing, major international conferences are supplying global answers to these global questions. Mankind, human development and commitment to his community are at the heart of those concerns, whether we speak of the Earth Summit, the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development or the Fourth World Conference on Women. Improving the status of women and of women’s general access to education and health is one of the keys to the success of this vast undertaking.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We must give our Organization the necessary tools to strengthen international cooperation, while national Governments make efforts to overcome increasingly complex problems relating to development. Our vision of the future cannot merely accept poverty and privation in far too many parts of the world, where populations are deprived of their fundamental right to food and education and even to water, health and a roof over their heads. Wishing to make its contribution to a much- needed international solidarity, the Government of Luxembourg has undertaken to double, by the year 2000, the percentage of its gross national product earmarked for official development assistance so as to reach the target of 0.7 per cent.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“If the situation deteriorates in any one area, the whole can be destabilized. Having a global mandate in political, economic and cultural matters, the United Nations is the ideal forum in which to carry on the quest for lasting development that is compatible with preservation of an environmental balance and with the needs of social development. We express our satisfaction at the recent issuance by the Secretary-General of his "Agenda for Development", which is a supplement to his "Agenda for Peace". We hope that at this session of the Assembly we will succeed in identifying the priority sectors in which we should undertake in-depth reforms. The promotion of progress and of economic, social and environmental development needs greater attention if we wish to overcome the long-term threats to international security.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“25 Famine, underdevelopment, the flow of refugees, over- population, environmental deterioration, drug abuse and, finally, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are all serious threats to our global balance and, hence, to world peace. In the economic sphere, too, our security depends on that of others. In all sectors that give rise to concern, whether we are dealing with military, trade, environmental or health problems, no nation can isolate itself from others. We are all affected by what happens beyond our borders, just as our own actions within our borders inevitably have repercussions on the community of nations as a whole. Our security is increasingly indivisible. We cannot disregard the links that exist between development, economic growth, protection of the environment and population movements.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The United Nations, after hesitating for a moment, decided to reconstitute the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in order to provide protection to the population that was threatened. But the Secretary-General’s appeal was not heeded. The action finally taken by France and the Africans - and for this I pay a tribute to them - succeeded at least in putting the brakes on this infernal machine. I hope in any case that an international tribunal will be created without delay to bring to trial those responsible for this crime against humanity. In this era of interdependence, efforts with a view to collective maintenance of peace and security cannot be reduced to peace-keeping operations alone, but must necessarily take into account economic and social factors.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“That is what occurred in 1991 in Iraq, when the international community came to the aid of the Kurds, harshly repressed by Saddam Hussein, or, again in 1992 in Somalia, when the task was to protect the supply of humanitarian aid to a population threatened by famine. On each occasion, the international community courageously assumed its duty to assist, though it is true that in Somalia a political solution remains to be found. Did the international community show similar determination when, last spring, a virtual genocide was perpetrated in Rwanda, especially when the Tutsi community became the target of a deliberate act of extermination undertaken by officials of the Hutu community?”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Often having a better understanding of the conflicts in their areas, such organizations could act with greater effectiveness. With respect to the European continent, the United Nations should intensify its cooperation with the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), taking into account the competence of each of those organizations. Does international law authorize the United Nations to intervene within a country? Does not the Charter assert the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of a State? I welcome the fact that for some time now the international community has been treating that principle in a more flexible way. That principle should no longer serve as a shield for flagrant and massive violations of human rights.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Finally, there is a need for a substantial strengthening of the safety provisions for the Blue Helmets. Driven to the limits of its financial and organizational capacities, the United Nations will increasingly need to count on regional organizations and structures in order to carry out these peace-keeping operations. Cooperation between the United Nations and such organizations is provided for by the Charter, and it has been developed, for example, in the former Yugoslavia, in Somalia and in the Caucasus. It should be further strengthened. Only the United Nations has the international legitimacy to decide to use force or to impose peace enforcement measures. But in the sphere of peace-keeping and preventive diplomacy, the activities of regional organizations would have the advantage of relieving the United Nations of part of its work.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“This implies that we, the Member States, should contribute the necessary peace- keeping troops for future missions and that we should be in a position to put them rapidly at the disposal of the United Nations. These contributions should not be limited to military personnel, but should also include civilians, from police to election observers. Indeed, peace-keeping requires many skills, including that of being able to intervene between opposing parties, of being sensitive to cultural particularities, and of being able to act as a mediator. The personnel who are called upon to intervene in these complex, difficult and dangerous situations should therefore be properly prepared and trained. Uniform training and joint exercises constitute the key to the effective integration of different national contingents in a multinational operation.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It must be able to rely on a permanent high command structure capable of simultaneously conducting several multi-dimensional large- scale operations and which has adequate means for information processing and coordination. Effective crisis management implies the capacity to react quickly, which is why it would be desirable to enhance the United Nations capacity to rapidly carry the necessary personnel and equipment to the theatre of operations. In the recent past there have been too many instances in which the Secretary-General has been forced to delay operations approved by the Security Council owing to a lack of personnel or equipment.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“"An Agenda for Peace" provides a framework for the future evolution of our Organization in this field of peace-keeping. A number of the ideas put forward by the Secretary-General have been constructively put to use by the Security Council and by the General Assembly. But recent experience has shown us, at times pointedly, that 24 there are often serious shortcomings to the way in which the United Nations conducts these military operations. Major operations can no longer be decided upon spontaneously; in the area of peace-keeping, the United Nations needs to strengthen its organizational, management and planning capacities.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“A significant number of them have given their lives in what are often highly dangerous operations. The growth of peace-keeping operations has been exponential. In the past five years, the Organization has launched more peace-keeping operations than during the previous 40. Moreover, the Organization is now embarked upon activities which far surpass the traditional peace-keeping concepts to which we had grown accustomed. Indeed, most of the recent conflicts have emerged not between States but within States; the Charter hardly contemplates such situations. We shall therefore have to give thought to the conditions under which the United Nations should act in such cases, and ask ourselves whether it has the necessary resources and instruments to fulfil its new missions.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Never before has the United Nations found itself so much at the centre of world politics. The United Nations today finds itself forced to face entirely new challenges, to deal with an ever-growing number of demands and missions that are increasingly complex. I hail the dedication of our Secretary-General, who has persistently devoted his energies to the difficult mission of adapting the Organization to a new international environment, and of strengthening it to enable it to fulfil its new tasks. I wish to pay tribute to the United Nations peace-keeping forces which have intervened in recent times in an impressive number of conflicts. They have contributed, at times in a decisive manner, to protecting civilian populations, to preventing the spread of conflict and to facilitating the process of transition to democracy.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Let us give careful thought to the formidable lesson of political courage, tolerance and reconciliation given us by Presidents Mandela and de Klerk. These advances are offset, however, by the emergence throughout the world of areas of tension which, no longer masked by a bipolar structure, are now growing in intensity. For three years now war has been raging in the former Yugoslavia, with an increasing toll of death, suffering and destruction. In Rwanda, we witnessed the unleashing of barbarism, which in a few months killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and provoked a refugee problem of exceptional dimensions. Similarly, elsewhere - in Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia - other regions are faced with new types of conflict, resulting from the break-up of States and the resurgence of nationalist, ethnic and religious passions.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“These changes have had important and lasting effects on many people, on the populations of many States that lived under authoritarian forms of government and have now conquered the freedom to exercise their fundamental rights; on peoples freed of the constraints imposed upon them by the competition between the two super-Powers, which enabled dictatorial and repressive regimes to act with full impunity; and, finally, on the international community as a whole, which is no longer forced to live with the fear of nuclear conflagration throughout the planet. Democracy has made a historic breakthrough. It will be restored in Haiti. In the Middle East the peace process is making progress. In South Africa apartheid has been definitively abolished, and this shining victory is shared by our Organizat ion, which fought apartheid uncompromisingly.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Allow me to express my deep pleasure at Mr. Amara Essy’s election to preside over the General Assembly this year. This is a well-deserved tribute to your country, Côte d’Ivoire, which is held in high esteem by the international community. My distinguished German colleague, Mr. Klaus Kinkel, speaking on behalf of the European Union, indicated the role it intends to play in international relations and described its positions on the major political questions. These positions are fully shared by my country. Consequently I will limit my remarks to certain points pertaining to the functioning of our Organization. Over the past few years, we have lived through the end of the cold war and far-reaching upheavals in the international arena.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“I believe that at the world level also, thanks to concerted international action, we will be in a better position to overcome the obstacles to peace and to create a world order that is more democratic, more tolerant, more just and more social - in a word, more in keeping with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“European unification was thought up and implemented on the basis of principles that are still fully valid: reconciliation between peoples that only yesterday were 34 General Assembly - Forty-eighth session enemies; broad-ranging political, economic, commercial and cultural cooperation; and the development of a social model based on pluralistic democracy, the market economy and solidarity. Such a model guarantees justice and social cohesion even if we are never able to make it perfect and it must be constantly adjusted. It is on the basis of these common values that all the peoples of Europe can, for the first time in their history, build their future together.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“In building European union the members of the European Community have tried to seize an unprecedented opportunity for the entire continent to achieve a truly unified Europe, a Europe of countries that have often made war against each other in the past. Without denying the current difficulties, I believe that the process of integration being carried out by the European Community can serve as the inspiration for initiatives for regional integration in Asia, Africa and Latin America.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“The second crisis facing the United Nations - and this point has been emphasized in all the statements made here so far - is the chronic budget deficit. To put it bluntly, the United Nations is bordering on insolvency. This is all the more astonishing in that the annual budget of the Organization is about the same as that of a medium-sized city. The legal obligation that binds all Member States makes it incumbent on them to pay their financial contributions in full and at the proper time. The credibility and the operational capacity of the United Nations depend on this. In conclusion, let me turn to an old Europe.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“More than a year ago the Secretary-General issued his report "An Agenda for Peace", which was designed to strengthen the Organization’s capacities in the area of preventive diplomacy and the maintenance and restoration of peace. Some of the proposals it contains are already being applied in practice, but others are still pending. We hope that the current review of the Agenda will lead to specific results that can meet the Organization’s needs. Reform of the Security Council is a delicate issue which touches on the very heart of international post-war cooperation. The Council has now been in operation for 50 years, and the time has come to have a candid and in- depth discussion of the question. The fiftieth anniversary of the Organization in 1995 could offer us a good opportunity to do this.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“It is not surprising that social problems are becoming increasingly important at a time when many economies are facing difficult adjustment processes and others are carrying out a delicate transition from a planned economy to a market economy. Moreover, all recently published reports confirm that there is a disturbing increase in the gap between the richest sectors and the poorest sectors of populations, both within countries and between countries. The World Summit for Social Development which will take place in 1995 will, if it is adequately prepared, offer the international community an opportunity to develop a strategy to combat poverty and to ensure the better distribution of wealth.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)
“Following the Rio Conference on Environment and Development, the new Commission on Sustainable Development must be determined to ensure that the commitments entered into at that Conference are followed up. The world’s population has more than doubled over the past 40 years and according to estimates will double again in the next 30 years. The international community must engage in a thorough analysis of the consequences of that level of growth - for example, the problems of refugees, urban concentration, and the enormous constraints in the areas of food, housing, health and education. That is why the Conference on Population and Development to be held in Cairo in 1994 has such importance.”
1993-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 48 (1993)