|
Statement New York, 21 July 2000 Mr. President, On behalf of my delegation, I would like, first of all, to extend my most sincere gratitude to you for convening this meeting and for the working draft. We remain confident that your wise and able stewardship will guide our preparatory work towards a successful Millennium Summit. I would also like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the distinguished facilitators who have so kindly and unflaggingly assisted you in the preparation of the draft, especially to Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala and Michael Powles of New Zealand. Before proceeding further, my delegation would like to closely associate itself with the statement made by representative of South Africa, on behalf of the Joint Coordinating Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China. Pending further instructions from my Government, I would like to take this opportunity to present some comments on the draft. Allow me to begin with a general over-view. The document does address critical issues that confront humankind in the twenty-first century. It identifies problems that threaten security of the human beings and dignity and, at the same time, proposes initiatives with a view to overcoming such dangers. As regards the format, my delegation awaits for a more concise, crisp and brief one that outlines the critical issues that member states should address and that contains the necessary elaboration of those issues. The size of the present draft could be considered maximum. Mr. President, Indonesia commends the identification of fundamental values essential to the fabric of international relations in the 21st century. The inclusion of those values should reaffirm the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, upon which the United Nations Organisation is built. My delegation also notes that many of those principles are included in Chapter VII of the Secretary-General’s Millennium Report. While attaching significance to the principle of multilateralism, my delegation gives emphasis on international cooperation both as a norm and modus operandi of the 21st century. Striving towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, as weapons of mass destruction, is a critical issue and therefore should be put as priority under the rubric of Peace, Security and Disarmament. The reference to the recommendations of the International Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its aspects may seems less relevant because it pre-empts the Conference that will take place only next year. More highlight on the role of peacekeeping operations in the maintenance of international peace and security of the 21st century is equally relevant.My delegation has also taken note of the references made in the President’s draft to the menace posed by terrorism and drug trafficking and the compelling need to bring into force the International Convention against Terrorism as expeditiously as possible. However, this can be achieved by the convening of an international summit conference to be held under the auspices of the United Nations that could formulate a joint response of the international community in all its forms and manifestations as well as for the urgent conclusion and effective implementation of a comprehensive convention on terrorism. These efforts should be guided by the UN Charter, the relevant decisions of the General Assembly, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OIC and the OAU. Only in this way is it possible to arrive at comprehensive and effective measures to strengthen the capacity of nations for concerted actions against international terrorism. Stronger emphasis on financing of the development and the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development and poverty eradication is very important. As to the latter, my delegation sees very clearly the magnitude and significance of ICTs to the course of humankind in the 21st century, especially to the emergence of knowledge-based global economy. Bearing in mind that ICTs are an indispensable element to the future of humankind and its prosperity, as we are aware Mr. President, the recent High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC has taken up the issue in an all-out fashion. This year’s ECOSOC High-Level Segment concluded with a Ministerial Declaration dedicated to the issue of ICT in its entirety. Ministers of participating member countries have agreed, as stipulated in paragraph 20 of the Ministerial Declaration, that it be endorsed at the Millennium Assembly. My delegation hopes that such an endorsement would be forthcoming and included in the President’s draft. The inclusion and elaboration of the Declaration into the outcome, in our view, would reflect better the trend of the 21st century and the ways of how to address it.Indonesia supports the inclusion of environment as an issue that member states should address in the new century. We endorse the emphasis on the ratification and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification as essential first steps towards new ethics of conservation and stewardship in protecting environment. My delegation has taken note of the references made in the draft on good governance, promotion of democracy and human rights, and protection of the vulnerable. On our part, promoting democracy and human rights and robust tolerance is a vital necessity for the very needs of the Indonesian people and indispensably relevant to the condition of Indonesia, where cultures are extremely diverse and faiths are rich, with more than 210 million of population. However, the path to achieve these objectives is not always flattened. In this regard, as called for in the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action, Indonesia emphasizes international cooperation as an essential pre-requisite in safeguarding, maintaining, and further advancing these goals. My delegation views that in addition to the rubric of strengthening the United Nations, it is also necessary to emphasize the role of nation-states in order to contribute to the strengthening of the United Nations system. Indonesia fully supports the commitment of the Millennium Summit to meet the special needs of Africa. Finally, Mr. President, my delegation continues to support and appreciate your unremitting and tireless efforts and the fruitful contribution of the facilitators to ensure that the Millennium Summit is a successful one, and my delegation is looking forward to further consultations on the draft outcome. I thank you Mr. President.
|
