New York, 30 April 2003 Mr. President, It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in this wrap-up session under your presidency, and to contribute to the subject of “The role of the United Nations in post-conflict situations.” The discussion of this very important subject in this very august Council under the auspices of Mexico is a testimony to its high sense of responsibility and purpose, for which we are most appreciative. The first business of the United Nations remains the business of peace. When there is conflict, the objective remains the same, to achieve peace as soon as possible, and with a minimum of loss of life and destruction. In the post-conflict scenario, the maintenance of peace and security, as an important value in itself, but also as a pre-condition for development, is – and ought to be – of the greatest concern to Member States of my delegation. In the view of my delegation, the first order of priority for the United Nations in a post-conflict situation is to respond to the humanitarian needs of the people. The human needs for food, water, medical care, security, and housing cannot wait either for long speeches or for tomorrow. As the most pre-eminent human organization, the United Nations must respond to post-conflict humanitarian needs in a timely, organized fashion. This must be the most basic, minimum standard acceptable, and such a response must be administered without debate or delay. Mr. President, Of the diversity of skills available
to the international community at the United Nations, those relating
to humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping must rank among the highest,
given the volume of crises to which the Organization has had to respond
in the last half-century. In our view, there can never be an abundance
of these skills, capacities, or institutional memory. The United Nations
should continue to develop and maintain them, in order to have them
available and tuned for deployment wherever and whenever required. In the seeds of the response to the immediate humanitarian demands of every conflict are sown the seeds of conflict resolution and peace-building, and the United Nations must always be careful to maintain consistency in the application and implementation of mandates. One of the most critical of the contributions of the Organization is to enter a conflict, or its aftermath as a committed -- but not controversial -- arbiter. It is of the utmost importance that the United Nations, in every situation, is seen as a genuine friend and helper, not as an external body with a suspect motive. The agenda of the United Nations must never differ from what is set out in The Charter of the Organization, or in resolutions informed by it. Mr. President, Experience teaches us that the challenge of political settlement often involve significant United Nations involvement, not only to create the conditions for nationals and groups to sit together to sort out their differences, but often to be a part in the negotiations and the defining of new structures and directions. Again, the ability of the United Nations to be prepared for these events, and to work with the people fairly, authoritatively and impartially, is one of our greatest strengths and it must be jealously guarded and strengthened. If the people in conflict do not see the United Nations as strong, united and impartial, they cannot rely on it to supervise or be part of any negotiations. I have spoken of the need for the United Nations always to be prepared, relying on experience, for potential post-conflict challenges. At the same time, many situations are different, and unintended mistakes may be possible either in terms of specific mandates, or in their implementation. As the Security Council undertakes periodic creation, modification and review of mandates relating to post-conflict situations, my delegation hopes that it will always bear in mind the subtle and not-so-subtle differences in conflict situations, and the political and cultural contexts in which they are taking place. Unless we are conscious of these issues and nuances, it may not be possible to arrive at the kinds of decisions necessary to achieve success, or to prevent situations from sliding back into further conflict. Finally, in every post-conflict situation, it is crucial for the United Nations to support development programmes, and the equal access of all parties to the benefits of such programmes. Given the well-established relationship between peace and development, this approach must be faithfully held as a standard in order that the basis of further conflicts in the future might be discouraged. Thank you, Mr. President.
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