Ariddia
24-09-2008, 17:08
The United Nations 2008 General Assembly debate began yesterday. All 192 members are sending their head of State, head of government, Foreign Affairs minister or another top official to address the GA.
You can watch videos and/or read transcripts of all speeches here (http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/). The UN website also provides summaries, and I'll quote the ones that seem most notable.
Obviously notable speeches include those of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia (the five permanent members of the Security Council). In addition, President Sarkozy of France is speaking as current President of the European Union.
On Day 1, there were also speeches by (among others) Tanzania (currently exercising the presidency of the African Union), Serbia, Iran, Lebanon, Georgia and Bolivia, all countries that are involved, or have recently been involved, in notable events.
Today there are speeches by (among others) Afghanistan, Israel, China and Cuba.
If you're interested in the perspectives of more "obscure" countries, take your pick of, for example, Suriname, Cape Verde or Mongolia.
Summaries of some notable speeches:
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6013/800pxflagoftheunitednatvk9.jpg
United Nations
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General
Statement Summary
Opening the sixty-third session’s general debate, United Nations Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON assessed the state of the world and presented his vision for the coming year, recognizing perils and challenges in the context of today’s realities: global financial, energy and food crises; the collapse of trade talks; new outbreaks of war; and the clear threat from climate change.
The world also faced a different crisis: the challenge of global leadership. “We are on the eve of a great transition. Our world has changed more than we may realize,” he declared, citing new centres of leadership in Asia, Latin America and across the newly developed world.
[...] While global growth had raised billions of people out of poverty, today’s poor had never felt poverty so sharply, he said. With the wide embrace of international law and justice, some still lived in nations where human rights were abused. While most lived in peace and security, there was still deepening violence in nations that could least afford it: Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq, among them.
[...] Indeed, the United Nations was a champion of the most vulnerable, and had been involved in nations including Haiti and Myanmar. However, he also had called for more strenuous action in Somalia. “We at the United Nations are duty-bound to do what compassion and human decency demand of us,” he said.
With that, he said that even though it had faded from the headlines, the global food crisis had not gone away. Rice, the food staple that fed half the world, had more than doubled in price in a single year, from $330 a ton to $730. The Task Force on the Global Food Crisis had set forth solutions, one of which aimed to create a “green revolution” in Africa. But there was a lack of new resources, and the global community had not matched words with deeds.
Peace and security were under threat in all quarters, he said, noting that in Sierra Leone and Timor Leste, United Nations peacekeeping missions were working to help the people maintain their peace and rebuild their countries. On preventive diplomacy, the results were clear. In Georgia, the United Nations could help to diffuse tension related to the recent conflict, and in Côte d’Ivoire, it would help organize elections. At the same time, in Darfur, deployment timelines were difficult to meet, and crucial personnel was not in place. He stressed the danger of acting as if the United Nations could settle all problems of our time without the full support of States. Without resources, mandates were meaningless.
[...] Other problems called for a “firm hand” on a global scale, including the fight against malaria and AIDS, terrorism and non-proliferation. On the Six-Party talks on the Korean peninsula, he urged that agreements be implemented. He also urged Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On climate change, he noted that last year in Bali, Indonesia, world leaders had agreed on a road map that would follow the Kyoto Protocol. States now needed a common idea of a new global climate change accord, he said, urging all nations to deploy their “persuasive powers” to make progress on that existential question. [...]
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6013/800pxflagoftheunitednatvk9.jpg
President of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
Statement Summary
MIGUEL D’ESCOTO BROCKMANN (Nicaragua), acknowledging the large scale and interrelated crises facing the world today, called for Member States to seize the opportunity to work together collectively and cooperatively -- not by making speeches and statements of good intentions, but through concrete action based on the “golden rule” that guided humankind’s behaviour.
The United Nations’ illustrious history clearly reflected its many laudable actions. However, the fulfillment of its primary purpose -- eliminating war, achieving disarmament and ensuring international security –- had clearly failed. The pressing and man-made problems of climate change, efforts to privatize water, the build-up of arms, terrorism, human trafficking, the situation of Palestine, humanitarian aid, gender inequality, children in especially difficult circumstances such as armed conflict, as well as the fact that half the world are living in hunger and poverty,[b] could be directly linked to the [b]lack of democracy in the United Nations.
Noting that decisions with the most serious consequences did not go through the General Assembly, and that the wishes and resolutions of 95 per cent of the Organization's Members were viewed as “recommendations”, he expressed his belief that unless this changed, significant progress towards the targets established in the Millennium Declaration would be impeded. [...]
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/613/flagusvn1.jpg
United States of America
H.E. Mr. George W. Bush, President
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States, recalled that 63 years ago, world leaders had gathered in San Francisco to complete the United Nations Charter, and agree on a historic pledge to restore the faith and fundamental human rights of the world’s peoples. That noble pledge had endured trying hours, and still guided work today.
At the same time, such ideals were being challenged by the global movement of terrorism, by those who showed contempt for all who respect life, he said. Terrorists rejected the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and any standard of any conscience of morality. They impaired the justice and human rights that had given birth to the United Nations. Sovereign States had a responsibility to solve problems before they crossed borders; an obligation to respect rights and respond to their people’s needs.
Multilateral organizations also had responsibilities, he continued. While there had been successes and setbacks, a clear lesson had emerged: the United Nations and other multilateral organizations were needed more urgently than ever. To be successful, the United Nations must be resolute. States must cooperate more closely to keep terrorist attacks from happening, and “actively challenge the actions of tyranny and despair”.
[...] The Assembly must present an alternative that advanced the vision of freedom and the highest ideals. Doing so would serve security interests. When citizens chose their leaders, they were less likely to look to radical ideologies.
[...] He called on States to “stand united” for people in such areas as Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Georgia, where the Russian invasion was a violation of the United Nations Charter.
[...] Describing his country’s launch of the Millennium Challenge Account, he urged adopting a model of partnership, not paternalism, and highlighted work to combat HIV/AIDS, notably in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the most powerful “engines of prosperity” were trade and investment, and many countries had conducted Free Trade Agreements. It would be most effective to tear down barriers at the global level, and reach a successful Doha agreement as soon as possible.
[...] The world needed a confident United Nations. Among other things, he called for corruption to be corrected, the Human Rights Council to be immediately reviewed, stronger efforts to help the people of “ Burma”, who lived under repression, and the Security Council to ensure that the Sudan addressed violence in Darfur.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2154/flagfrancesvgvc0.jpg http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/509/flageuwk5.jpg
France
H.E. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, President
NICOLAS SARKOZY, President of France, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that in the midst of so many difficulties, the global community had a political and moral responsibility. States must remember that they were gathered here today because, following one of the most terrible tragedies humankind had endured, men of goodwill had been determined to ensure that no one could say that when faced with misfortune, “there is nothing we can do”.
“We have a duty to act, not to endure”, he said, adding that the world was beginning to gauge the tragic consequences of having waited too long. The international community could wait no longer to achieve peace, end tragedy in Darfur, and fight terrorism. To avert the food crisis and prepare for the post-oil world, fight global warming and allow everyone access to water and energy, he said: “We can wait no longer.”
The twenty-first century could not be governed with twentieth century institutions, he said, stressing that enlarging the Security Council and the Group of Eight were not just matters of fairness, but also the “necessary condition” for acting responsibly. He specifically called for an enlarged G-8 that might include China, India, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil. “We must not endure this world, we must build it. Let us learn to manage the most acute crises together that no one can resolve alone.”
Turning to the world financial situation, he called for the leaders of countries directly concerned to meet before year’s end to examine the lessons of the most serious global financial crisis since the 1930s. It was necessary to rebuild together a “regulated capitalism” in which whole sections of financial activity were not left to the judgement of market operators, and in which banks did their jobs, which was to finance economic development rather than engage in speculation.
[...] But Europe was also telling Russia with the same sincerity that it could not compromise on the principle of State sovereignty and independence, their territorial integrity, or respect for international law.
Turning to Iran, he said Europe respected that country’s right to nuclear energy, but it would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran that would endanger the peace and stability of an entire region. It would not tolerate Iran calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.
He said Europe would continue to stand by Afghanistan’s side, but would not permit a Taliban allied with Al-Qaida to again take a people hostage and turn an entire country into a terrorist base. Europe was committed to the co-development of Africa, and believed Africa had a place among the permanent members of the Security Council, he added. [...]
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5995/flagserbiaiy5.jpg
Serbia
H.E. Mr. Boris Tadić, President
BORIS TADIC, President of Serbia, stressed the need to reconfirm the conviction of United Nations founders that international law, based on the equality of States, must supplant the use of force to settle international differences. He noted the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of sovereign States, linking it to the danger inherent in “the unilateral, illegal and illegitimate declaration of independence by the ethnic Albanian authorities of our southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, […] after walking away from the negotiating table”. Those authorities, he said, had believed that abandoning negotiations would lead to independence by the imposition of a deadline for negotiations from without, calling that deadline an impediment to serious talks as it removed any incentive to negotiate in good faith.
He said that action set a dangerous precedent, and called the very nature of the international system into question, noting that “there are dozens of Kosovos throughout the world, just waiting for secession to be legitimized”. Further, he stated that: “Many existing conflicts could escalate, frozen conflicts […] reignite, and new ones be instigated.” He rejected the claim that Kosovo was a unique case, and said that no one had the right to declare exceptions to international law, especially in defiance of the Security Council’s position. Despite political turmoil, he said, Serbia had opted for a peaceful and diplomatic approach to the issue, as a result of which, he noted, a vast majority of Member States had not recognized Kosovo.
[...] He expressed support for the European Union’s commitment to institution-building in Kosovo, and welcomed Europe’s deepening engagement with Serbia. It was vital, he said, that Europe’s mandate be approved by the Security Council. He noted that Serbia’s central strategic priority was accession to the European Union, not only for reasons of geography, heritage and economic prosperity, but also because of commonly held values. He also noted Serbia’s commitment to full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, to restoring and deepening friendships that Yugoslavia had made across the globe during the post-World War II period, and to contributing to a more equitable global community and advancing the democratization of international relations, economic and social development and human rights.
You can watch videos and/or read transcripts of all speeches here (http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/). The UN website also provides summaries, and I'll quote the ones that seem most notable.
Obviously notable speeches include those of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia (the five permanent members of the Security Council). In addition, President Sarkozy of France is speaking as current President of the European Union.
On Day 1, there were also speeches by (among others) Tanzania (currently exercising the presidency of the African Union), Serbia, Iran, Lebanon, Georgia and Bolivia, all countries that are involved, or have recently been involved, in notable events.
Today there are speeches by (among others) Afghanistan, Israel, China and Cuba.
If you're interested in the perspectives of more "obscure" countries, take your pick of, for example, Suriname, Cape Verde or Mongolia.
Summaries of some notable speeches:
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6013/800pxflagoftheunitednatvk9.jpg
United Nations
H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General
Statement Summary
Opening the sixty-third session’s general debate, United Nations Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON assessed the state of the world and presented his vision for the coming year, recognizing perils and challenges in the context of today’s realities: global financial, energy and food crises; the collapse of trade talks; new outbreaks of war; and the clear threat from climate change.
The world also faced a different crisis: the challenge of global leadership. “We are on the eve of a great transition. Our world has changed more than we may realize,” he declared, citing new centres of leadership in Asia, Latin America and across the newly developed world.
[...] While global growth had raised billions of people out of poverty, today’s poor had never felt poverty so sharply, he said. With the wide embrace of international law and justice, some still lived in nations where human rights were abused. While most lived in peace and security, there was still deepening violence in nations that could least afford it: Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq, among them.
[...] Indeed, the United Nations was a champion of the most vulnerable, and had been involved in nations including Haiti and Myanmar. However, he also had called for more strenuous action in Somalia. “We at the United Nations are duty-bound to do what compassion and human decency demand of us,” he said.
With that, he said that even though it had faded from the headlines, the global food crisis had not gone away. Rice, the food staple that fed half the world, had more than doubled in price in a single year, from $330 a ton to $730. The Task Force on the Global Food Crisis had set forth solutions, one of which aimed to create a “green revolution” in Africa. But there was a lack of new resources, and the global community had not matched words with deeds.
Peace and security were under threat in all quarters, he said, noting that in Sierra Leone and Timor Leste, United Nations peacekeeping missions were working to help the people maintain their peace and rebuild their countries. On preventive diplomacy, the results were clear. In Georgia, the United Nations could help to diffuse tension related to the recent conflict, and in Côte d’Ivoire, it would help organize elections. At the same time, in Darfur, deployment timelines were difficult to meet, and crucial personnel was not in place. He stressed the danger of acting as if the United Nations could settle all problems of our time without the full support of States. Without resources, mandates were meaningless.
[...] Other problems called for a “firm hand” on a global scale, including the fight against malaria and AIDS, terrorism and non-proliferation. On the Six-Party talks on the Korean peninsula, he urged that agreements be implemented. He also urged Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On climate change, he noted that last year in Bali, Indonesia, world leaders had agreed on a road map that would follow the Kyoto Protocol. States now needed a common idea of a new global climate change accord, he said, urging all nations to deploy their “persuasive powers” to make progress on that existential question. [...]
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6013/800pxflagoftheunitednatvk9.jpg
President of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
Statement Summary
MIGUEL D’ESCOTO BROCKMANN (Nicaragua), acknowledging the large scale and interrelated crises facing the world today, called for Member States to seize the opportunity to work together collectively and cooperatively -- not by making speeches and statements of good intentions, but through concrete action based on the “golden rule” that guided humankind’s behaviour.
The United Nations’ illustrious history clearly reflected its many laudable actions. However, the fulfillment of its primary purpose -- eliminating war, achieving disarmament and ensuring international security –- had clearly failed. The pressing and man-made problems of climate change, efforts to privatize water, the build-up of arms, terrorism, human trafficking, the situation of Palestine, humanitarian aid, gender inequality, children in especially difficult circumstances such as armed conflict, as well as the fact that half the world are living in hunger and poverty,[b] could be directly linked to the [b]lack of democracy in the United Nations.
Noting that decisions with the most serious consequences did not go through the General Assembly, and that the wishes and resolutions of 95 per cent of the Organization's Members were viewed as “recommendations”, he expressed his belief that unless this changed, significant progress towards the targets established in the Millennium Declaration would be impeded. [...]
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/613/flagusvn1.jpg
United States of America
H.E. Mr. George W. Bush, President
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States, recalled that 63 years ago, world leaders had gathered in San Francisco to complete the United Nations Charter, and agree on a historic pledge to restore the faith and fundamental human rights of the world’s peoples. That noble pledge had endured trying hours, and still guided work today.
At the same time, such ideals were being challenged by the global movement of terrorism, by those who showed contempt for all who respect life, he said. Terrorists rejected the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and any standard of any conscience of morality. They impaired the justice and human rights that had given birth to the United Nations. Sovereign States had a responsibility to solve problems before they crossed borders; an obligation to respect rights and respond to their people’s needs.
Multilateral organizations also had responsibilities, he continued. While there had been successes and setbacks, a clear lesson had emerged: the United Nations and other multilateral organizations were needed more urgently than ever. To be successful, the United Nations must be resolute. States must cooperate more closely to keep terrorist attacks from happening, and “actively challenge the actions of tyranny and despair”.
[...] The Assembly must present an alternative that advanced the vision of freedom and the highest ideals. Doing so would serve security interests. When citizens chose their leaders, they were less likely to look to radical ideologies.
[...] He called on States to “stand united” for people in such areas as Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories and Georgia, where the Russian invasion was a violation of the United Nations Charter.
[...] Describing his country’s launch of the Millennium Challenge Account, he urged adopting a model of partnership, not paternalism, and highlighted work to combat HIV/AIDS, notably in sub-Saharan Africa. Among the most powerful “engines of prosperity” were trade and investment, and many countries had conducted Free Trade Agreements. It would be most effective to tear down barriers at the global level, and reach a successful Doha agreement as soon as possible.
[...] The world needed a confident United Nations. Among other things, he called for corruption to be corrected, the Human Rights Council to be immediately reviewed, stronger efforts to help the people of “ Burma”, who lived under repression, and the Security Council to ensure that the Sudan addressed violence in Darfur.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2154/flagfrancesvgvc0.jpg http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/509/flageuwk5.jpg
France
H.E. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, President
NICOLAS SARKOZY, President of France, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that in the midst of so many difficulties, the global community had a political and moral responsibility. States must remember that they were gathered here today because, following one of the most terrible tragedies humankind had endured, men of goodwill had been determined to ensure that no one could say that when faced with misfortune, “there is nothing we can do”.
“We have a duty to act, not to endure”, he said, adding that the world was beginning to gauge the tragic consequences of having waited too long. The international community could wait no longer to achieve peace, end tragedy in Darfur, and fight terrorism. To avert the food crisis and prepare for the post-oil world, fight global warming and allow everyone access to water and energy, he said: “We can wait no longer.”
The twenty-first century could not be governed with twentieth century institutions, he said, stressing that enlarging the Security Council and the Group of Eight were not just matters of fairness, but also the “necessary condition” for acting responsibly. He specifically called for an enlarged G-8 that might include China, India, Mexico, South Africa and Brazil. “We must not endure this world, we must build it. Let us learn to manage the most acute crises together that no one can resolve alone.”
Turning to the world financial situation, he called for the leaders of countries directly concerned to meet before year’s end to examine the lessons of the most serious global financial crisis since the 1930s. It was necessary to rebuild together a “regulated capitalism” in which whole sections of financial activity were not left to the judgement of market operators, and in which banks did their jobs, which was to finance economic development rather than engage in speculation.
[...] But Europe was also telling Russia with the same sincerity that it could not compromise on the principle of State sovereignty and independence, their territorial integrity, or respect for international law.
Turning to Iran, he said Europe respected that country’s right to nuclear energy, but it would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran that would endanger the peace and stability of an entire region. It would not tolerate Iran calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.
He said Europe would continue to stand by Afghanistan’s side, but would not permit a Taliban allied with Al-Qaida to again take a people hostage and turn an entire country into a terrorist base. Europe was committed to the co-development of Africa, and believed Africa had a place among the permanent members of the Security Council, he added. [...]
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5995/flagserbiaiy5.jpg
Serbia
H.E. Mr. Boris Tadić, President
BORIS TADIC, President of Serbia, stressed the need to reconfirm the conviction of United Nations founders that international law, based on the equality of States, must supplant the use of force to settle international differences. He noted the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of sovereign States, linking it to the danger inherent in “the unilateral, illegal and illegitimate declaration of independence by the ethnic Albanian authorities of our southern province of Kosovo and Metohija, […] after walking away from the negotiating table”. Those authorities, he said, had believed that abandoning negotiations would lead to independence by the imposition of a deadline for negotiations from without, calling that deadline an impediment to serious talks as it removed any incentive to negotiate in good faith.
He said that action set a dangerous precedent, and called the very nature of the international system into question, noting that “there are dozens of Kosovos throughout the world, just waiting for secession to be legitimized”. Further, he stated that: “Many existing conflicts could escalate, frozen conflicts […] reignite, and new ones be instigated.” He rejected the claim that Kosovo was a unique case, and said that no one had the right to declare exceptions to international law, especially in defiance of the Security Council’s position. Despite political turmoil, he said, Serbia had opted for a peaceful and diplomatic approach to the issue, as a result of which, he noted, a vast majority of Member States had not recognized Kosovo.
[...] He expressed support for the European Union’s commitment to institution-building in Kosovo, and welcomed Europe’s deepening engagement with Serbia. It was vital, he said, that Europe’s mandate be approved by the Security Council. He noted that Serbia’s central strategic priority was accession to the European Union, not only for reasons of geography, heritage and economic prosperity, but also because of commonly held values. He also noted Serbia’s commitment to full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, to restoring and deepening friendships that Yugoslavia had made across the globe during the post-World War II period, and to contributing to a more equitable global community and advancing the democratization of international relations, economic and social development and human rights.