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Statement by New York, 13 July 2001 Mr. President, The Delegation of Indonesia wishes to express its profound appreciation to you for convening this meeting to consider an issue of importance to all member states. We remain hopeful that our deliberations will facilitate the crystallization of ideas and approaches and contribute substantively to the success of our endeavors. Mr. President, Deliberations in the Millennium Summit held last September have once again highlighted the need to accord priority to conflict prevention in the 21st century. The eruption of numerous deadly conflicts during the past decade had a disastrous impact on the political, economic and social wellbeing of humanity and tore at the very fabric of amity and harmony among nations. They not only engendered massive humanitarian relief efforts and interventions but also incurred the high cost of peacekeeping and post-conflict peace-building. In consequence, it has become increasingly self-evident that reactive strategies would no longer suffice and it is time to mount a coherent strategy that will render conflict prevention an integral part of the Organization’s concerted efforts to maintain international peace and security. It is for these weighty reasons, Mr. President, that my delegation welcomes the comprehensive and thoughtful Report of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Armed Conflict. It upholds the core mandate of the United Nations and its mission to forestall the emergence of conflicts, reviews the mechanisms and institutions and formulates a strategy for protecting humanity from the scourge of war, armed conflict and indiscriminate violence. We agree in particular to the key role of the Organization in strengthening national capacities and to the need for consent and support of the Governments concerned with regard to efforts toward conflict prevention. We share the Secretary-General’s view that the primary responsibility for conflict prevention rests with national Governments. In order to contribute to effective preventive action, Governments should have sustained political will. It is worth noting that not all Governments are fully equipped with sufficient capacities for such activities, particularly when the situations are volatile. And with a view to strengthening that capacity, international cooperation based on constructive and mutually complementary partnerships should be encouraged. This should conform not only to the ten principles of conflict prevention enunciated in the Report but also to the requirements of impartiality and nonselectivity. The Report is also rightly addressed to the General Assembly which has the competence, in concert with other agencies, programs and funds of the United Nations, to eliminate the root causes of conflicts especially those relating to socio-economic development. Thus, the vital role of all parts of the UN system in reducing and eradicating the underlying causes of conflicts has to be acknowledged. The Assembly as a universal forum has an important role to play in the maintenance of international peace and security. Hence, the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Charter relating to conflict prevention must be recognized. We agree with the linkage the Report establishes between conflict prevention and sustainable development which will require a multi-dimensional approach encompassing both short-term and long-term measures. Projections by ECOSOC of socio-economic problems, that might trigger a breakdown of the political system and attendant crisis and formulating strategies to deal with those potentially explosive situations, would contribute significantly in addressing the root causes of conflicts and the rote of development in long-term conflict prevention. For this compelling reason, it is imperative to substantially increase the flow of development assistance to developing countries. In addition, we consider of crucial importance that the UN system and the international community further promote the potential role of economic and development cooperation among developing countries within the context of conflict prevention. Appropriately, the crucial role of regional organizations in preventive strategies is recognized in the Report as conflicts are inseparable from their regional contexts. For geographical, historical and other reasons, they are uniquely placed to propose solutions and to forestall the emergence of hostilities. Such regional and sub-regional strategies are particularly relevant in focusing attention on potential threats emanating from cross-border issues such as illicit trade in small arms, refugees, mercenaries and irregular forces. At the same time, the modalities of cooperation and coordination between the United Nations and regional organizations need to be improved in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peace-building. Hence, a thorough exploration of possible mechanisms and procedures to further strengthen interaction between these organizations in the political, security, economic, social and other fields has now become of preeminent importance. In this context, Indonesia extends its support to the follow-up processes of the regular meetings between them as recommended by the Secretary-General. My delegation has taken note of the modalities, as noted in recommendation 9 of the Report, by which the traditional preventive role of the Secretary-General is to be enhanced. We welcome the Secretary-General’s intention to establish an informal network of eminent persons for conflict prevention. This network should be transparent and its terms of reference should be clearly defined. We commend the recognition given in the Report on the role of the civil society, nongovernmental organizations, and private enterprises in conflict prevention. We would like to conclude by reiterating that this is an issue of importance to Member States and we anticipate the resumption of our deliberations in the foreseeable future. At this stage, our comments are preliminary and general in nature and, similar to other Member States, we would accord in-depth consideration on the recommendations contained in the Report for further reflection and reassessment. Meanwhile, we should place conflict prevention that affect regional peace and international security at the top of our agenda while improving and strengthening the capacity of the United Nations in this field. I thank you, Mr. President.
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