|
Statement by New York, 25 September 2001
Mr. President, Before I begin to deliver my statement on the agenda item before us, I should like once again, on behalf of the people and Government of Indonesia, to express to the people and Government of the U.S., our deep sense of sorrow at the tragic events that took place on 11 September. Our grief at this unconscionable loss of lives and material devastation has no bounds as the attacks took the lives of peoples from many countries, including Indonesia. We strongly condemn such terrorist attacks and horrific acts of pre-meditated violence. Our deepest condolences go to the families of the bereaved and our sympathies also accompany the countless victims affected by these terrible events. Mr. President, Indonesia welcomes the annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, which offers a comprehensive review of the activities that have been carried out during the past year. It shows how the mandates of the Member States are being fulfilled in responding to the new challenges of a changing world and embodies ideas and proposals that could contribute to the further effectiveness and strengthening of the United Nations. It also depicts the functioning of the Organization in its multi-dimensional aspects and the challenges that the international community must confront at the beginning of the millennium. From the details contained therein, we can see both its strengths and weaknesses as well as a clear direction of the United Nations in the future. The Secretary-General reminds us that peace and security remains an essential part of the Organization’s global responsibilities and rightly highlights development cooperation as an overriding challenge since a majority of the world’s population is mired in poverty. He has warned that in an era of globalization, critical issues cannot be resolved by states acting alone but on the basis of cooperation, partnership and burden-sharing among the Member States, United Nations, regional organizations and civil society. Thus, when we speak of globalization, we speak of threats, weapons, communications, environment, economy and other pertinent issues in a global context. All this means far-reaching changes are taking place in world affairs. No nation is immune to them. They require us to make fundamental adjustments in our approaches to global issues of concern and interest to all nations through a strengthened and democratized United Nations. Indonesia’s participation in the Organization has been predicated on a firm commitment to the principles and objectives of the Charter. Beyond this, however, we have attached particular importance to multilateralism, whether regional or global, in peacefully resolving the myriad of problems confronted by the international community. My delegation is gratified to note the reference made in paragraph 37 of the report to the on-going endeavors being made by my Government in dealing with a wide range of issues facing our nation. We regard our multi-party democracy and the existence of human rights as the central legitimizing ethics of good governance. We are now undergoing a profound democratic process based on openness, tolerance and inclusiveness. In realizing the goals of a political system responsive to the interests of our people, in accelerating economic recovery and in preserving social harmony, we have naturally placed high priority for the preservation of our national unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty which precludes fissiparous tendencies. The national vision of Indonesia in the millennium would be the preservation of democratic pluralism and cultural diversity and the creation of a modern state, which will provide opportunities for its people regardless of ethnicity, religion or other differences. Mr. President, My delegation agrees with the importance given in the report to conflict prevention and peace-making as an integral part of the Organization’s concerted efforts to maintain international peace and security. This dual approach would uphold the core mandate of the United Nations and its mission to forestall conflicts, review the mechanisms and institutions and formulate a strategy for protecting humanity from indiscriminate violence and armed conflicts. The vital role of all parts of the United Nations system in reducing and eradicating the underlying causes of conflicts has to be acknowledged. Appropriately, the crucial role of regional and sub-regional organizations in preventive and peace-making strategies is recognized in the report as conflicts are inseparable from their regional contexts. We welcome the Secretary-General’s intention to take a number of initiatives to forestall conflicts and to build an edifice of peace-making, in particular, through the development of regional prevention strategies together with the various agencies of the United Nations. In this connection, the report has drawn our attention to the modalities adopted by the United Nations in Africa and elsewhere. These include, inter alia, identifying potential sources of conflicts, promoting democratization, assisting in the political, developmental and humanitarian fields, succeeding in the task of demobilization and disarmament of combatants, fostering national reconciliation among the warring parties and demonstrating the utility of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. Taken together, they offer some valuable lessons in the efforts spearheaded by the United Nations to achieve the twin objectives of conflict prevention and peace-making. With regard to disarmament, the report has noted the uncertainties concerning the strategic relationships and the persistence of diverse views on priorities. Consequently, there is little doubt that the question of nuclear disarmament has entered a new dangerous era as commitments undertaken in the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty have remained unfulfilled. Further compounding the situation is the deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament. Meanwhile, it is disturbing to learn from the report that global military expenditures have registered a steep increase in many parts of the world. These ominous developments call for the resumption of negotiations on the priority issues of disarmament with determination to reach agreements. Mr. President, In relation to the economic sphere, we fully support the Secretary-General’s assertion that, “development cooperation is a solid foundation on which to build stability, economic justice and social development.” Truly, the work of the Organization in assisting development and the eradication of poverty and inequality will greatly help construct the building blocks of sustainable peace. Over the past year, probably the most defining moment for the United Nations in the field of economic development was the historic reaffirmation by Member States of the purposes and principles of the United Nations and the adoption of the Millennium Declaration. In a world of rapid globalization and economic integration, flexibility is imperative. Therefore, we agree with the report that, in meeting with the new demands on the UN, the tradition of innovation should be preserved while maintaining the principles of the Charter. Thus, in addressing the unbridled forces of the market unleashed by globalization, including a widening economic gap, we fully concur with the Secretary-General that unprecedented levels of financial commitment and international cooperation will be required. I would go further to say that, if such an increase in international cooperation is not forthcoming, the economic gap will continue to widen, the digital divide will not be bridged and the plight of three-quarters of humankind will further deteriorate resulting in further poverty and deprivation for the developing countries and instability for all. In addressing such global problems, we cannot agree more with the Secretary-General, as stated in his report, that the efforts to render globalization inclusive and equitable will pose a daunting challenge in the years ahead and if the goals of development and poverty eradication are to be met, economic growth must be accelerated in the developing countries. A positive step taken over the past year in that direction is that the United Nations has cooperated in the formulation of national poverty reduction strategies in 60 countries and has helped in the writing of comprehensive poverty reduction strategy papers in others. Such positive steps are clearly seen in the activities of the United Nations Development Group under the chairmanship of the UNDP, the prime agency of the United Nations for promoting development. It is encouraging that the public sector management programmes in 78 countries have resulted in civil service reform, national action to tackle corruption, the promotion of transparency and the adoption by some Governments of results-based management to advance public sector efficiency and accountability. We fully support these programmes and find them extremely relevant to Indonesia in its current efforts to build strong democratic institutions and processes. In this connection, the UNDP, at its Executive Board meeting in New York early this month, endorsed the Second Country Cooperation Framework for Indonesia (CCF). We appreciate the way in which the CCF has been prepared involving broad-based consultations and discussions inclusive of government, civil society, the international community and the United Nations. Thus, national priorities goals and Indonesia’s four basic development goals have been well reflected in the process of formulating the second CCF, including the legitimization of democratic governance, poverty reduction, institutionalized mechanisms for both managing social and ethnic conflicts and environmental sustainability. In this context, we commend the United Nations’ full involvement in the forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) and its preparatory process. We are also thankful to the Secretary-General for his report on this issue which includes a comprehensive set of 87 recommendations on all key aspects of financing for development. We also commend the Secretary-General for appointing the high-level panel on FfD chaired by Mr. Ernesto Zedillo, the former President of Mexico. The report of the panel, together with other inputs from the national level as well as intergovernmental initiatives at regional and international levels and substantive contributions from other major stakeholders, should greatly help to enhance understanding and facilitate the member countries in tackling the issues and concepts of the FfD Conference. With regard to access to information and communication technologies, we agree with the Secretary-General that such access is an important instrument for reaping the potential benefits of globalization. Thus, we welcome the launching of the UN ICT Task Force, which represents a major outcome of the high-level segment of ECOSOC 2000. We fully support the activities and mission of the Task Force and trust that it will vigorously promote accessibility and connectivity of the people of the developing countries with particular attention being paid to the rural poor and the SMEs. As to the critically important issue of sustainable development, we are pleased to note from the report that numerous initiatives and activities have been undertaken by communities at all levels in implementing Agenda 21 and the relevant outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992. It is also encouraging that a growing number of companies have adopted sustainable development as an essential element of corporate stewardship. In this regard, we believe that all progress achieved on normative and institutional issues should be coupled with the full implementation of commitments, particularly by the developed countries as stipulated in the Agenda 21. Indonesia, as a developing country that has developed its own National Agenda 21 and Sectoral Agenda 21, considers the support of the international community and the United Nations system as crucial so as to achieve our common objectives. Furthermore, since unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, particularly in the developed countries, and poverty are considered as overriding causes of environmental degradation, it is therefore important that the bottom-up approach has been taken to the preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development so as to best identify ways and means to address those problems. Likewise the launching of a Poverty-Environment Initiative is of crucial importance in identifying practical policy measures to advance the twin goals of poverty reduction and environmental regeneration. With regard to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in September 2002, Indonesia would like to re-emphasize its full support of the overarching goals of reinvigorating the global commitments to sustainable development at the highest level and of ensuring the full implementation of Agenda 21. While taking note of the progress that has been undertaken at local, national and sub-regional and regional levels, we are of the view that there is an urgent need to ensure that the approach will be able to identify progresses achieved and constraints faced as well as to provide practical and applicable solutions for achieving the full implementation of Agenda 21. In this context, we believe that international cooperation including that secured through the promotion of partnerships is crucial in ensuring the achievement of our common goals. Moreover, as Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit, Indonesia is deeply committed to the smooth running of the preparations in the lead up to a successful summit. In the same vein, we also share the same view expressed in the report on the need to ensure the implementation of all targets set by all the Heads of State as outlined in the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations. Mr. President, In the area of humanitarian relief, the report appropriately notes the need for achieving greater efficiency on the part of the aid community. In the days ahead, this need will not diminish and may in fact become more acute than before. Furthermore, my delegation would like to note the progress that has been made over recent years in protecting civilians threatened during armed conflict. That progress must not be lost and every effort must be made to safeguard and protect civilian populations, particularly women and children. Indonesia, for its part, will continue to contribute towards achieving what the Secretary-General has termed a culture of protection. We look forward to strengthening our relationships at the national level, where Indonesia is still in great need of support, as well as at the international level in support of principles of international humanitarian law. Thus, in providing humanitarian assistance during armed conflicts, we must take fully into account the continuum from relief to development, and the transition from conflict to peace. As has been clearly indicated, failure to plan for and improve the transition between relief and development can undo short-term results. We would therefore like to reaffirm our belief that for disaster management to be effective it should be within the context of poverty eradication and development programmes. The Secretary-General touches on the issues of immunization and health as well. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to note that although the 27th Special Session of the General Assembly has been postponed, our efforts on behalf of children must continue to move forward. Indonesia will continue to work towards achieving a World fit for Children. In that context, I am pleased to convey that Indonesia has signed the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We would like to applaud UNICEF for its tireless efforts in promoting the implementation of the CRC and for ensuring the survival, protection and development of children everywhere including in Indonesia. Indonesia hopes that during these uncertain times the hopes and aspirations of those in vulnerable groups are not overlooked. The Second World Assembly on Aging, to be held next year, will offer an important opportunity to update and refocus our attention on this issue after twenty years. Likewise, issues relating to the disabled and to youth must also not be lost in the days ahead. The Secretary-General has also appropriately touched on the issue of gender and population, noting the relationship between women’s inequality and their health, education and social and economic participation. Of equal importance, mention is made of the zero-tolerance policy on violence against women - a policy that Indonesia has adopted and fully endorses. In the Millennium Declaration of last September, our Heads of State and Government solemnly pledged to take concerted action against international terrorism and called upon states to accede as soon as possible to all the relevant international conventions. Indonesia would like to underscore that terrorism increasingly threatens our democratic processes and national security. Hence, we look forward to the forthcoming deliberations in the General Assembly leading to the adoption of concrete measures of international cooperation to combat global terrorism. Finally, we are aware of the unprecedented circumstances under which the general debate has been postponed and the consequent dislocation of the regular session of the General Assembly. This has no doubt necessitated a rearrangement and readjustment of the schedule as well as the agenda of the current session with the cooperation and coordination of the President, the Member States and the Secretary-General. We remain hopeful that this will not necessarily constitute a precedent and the future work of the General Assembly can be conducted according to schedule. I thank you, Mr. President.
|
