Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Gerhard Schrí¶der
Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN
Sepember 6, 2000
Madam President,
Mr President,
Secretary-General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank the two co-presidents for preparing this meeting and I wish you every success in chairing this conference.
And I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his far-sighted work at the head of the world organization.
Fifty-five years ago following the end of the Second World War, the peoples of the United Nations jointly declared their commitment to four great objectives:
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
to reaffirm and safeguard fundamental human rights and equal rights of nations,
to create a more just world and respect international law,
to promote social progress and strive to attain better standards of life in larger freedom.
The objectives formulated in the United Nations Charter are as relevant today as they ever were. However, at the start of a new millennium they must be pursued in a way which takes into account the circumstances in a radically changed world.
Secretary-General Annan has submitted a report on this containing important proposals and food for thought. It provides an excellent basis for our consultations.
The dawn of the new millennium is certainly also an appropriate time to take stock and look together for ways of strengthening the United Nations as the central organization for maintain-ing international peace and security.
For us Germans, there is a day of particular joy this year. In a few weeks' time, on 3 October, we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the restoration of our unity.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many nations, particularly the people in East and West, who supported Germany along this path. I would also like to underscore my country's unwavering commitment to the world organization.
Germany was given a second chance after the Second World War.
A stable democracy based on the rule of law, whose liberalism, tolerance and social justice gained the respect of the international community, emerged after 1945 in the West, in what was to become the Federal Republic of Germany.
It is thanks to the brave commitment and the exemplary courage of their convictions shown by many citizens in the former GDR that the Communist dictatorship there was finally overcome in autumn 1989.
The people's yearning for democracy and freedom brought the Wall down in the end.
In awareness of its historical responsibility reunited Germany is determined to seize this great opportunity to make a fresh start.
We want to prove ourselves worthy of this opportunity by demonstrating our resolute commitment to democracy and human rights, to deepening European integration and strengthening the United Nations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The challenges facing the United Nations at the beginning of the 21st century are enormous. Wars and oppression, poverty and disease have by no means been overcome.
Transboundary dangers, such as terrorism, drug trafficking and pollution, just to mention a few examples, require intensified international cooperation every day.
In the age of globalization, there are special demands on the world organization.
The United Nations will only be able to successfully tackle these diverse challenges if it uses its instruments and financial resources efficiently and sets itself priorities.
A first step is the reform of the UN Secretariat initiated by Secretary-General Annan, which Germany welcomes. Reform of the world organization beyond that requires the cooperation of all member states.
Concentrating the work of the United Nations on a few areas should lead the General Assembly to reduce its annual agenda to the actual key issues of our age.
If the United Nations is to act effectively in the 21st century, we must not place too great a burden on it!
I am aware of the difficulties involved but should we not for that very reason work together on a draft resolution to streamline the General Assembly's work?
Within the scope of its unchanged key task, maintaining international peace and security, the United Nations is placing ever greater emphasis on crisis prevention.
We must draw the necessary conclusions from the successes and the failures of the recent peace missions. Reform of the Security Council is particularly important in this respect.
It must be both efficient and representative of the international community in the 21st century.
It cannot improve the prospects of success for global peacekeeping if politically and economically important states are not involved in the Security Council's decision-making.
I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm on behalf of the German Government that should the number of permanent members be increased Germany is prepared to shoulder this responsibility.
A second priority remains safeguarding and strengthening human rights. The German Government attaches particular importance to the work of the Commission on Human Rights and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
For effective protection of human rights is an important prerequisite for peace and stability.
The German Government strongly advocates the early entry into force of the Statute of the International Criminal Court which is to try cases involving the most serious international crimes, such as genocide.
Against the background of its experiences from two World Wars and two totalitarian systems during the last century, Germany feels a particular obligation to safeguard human rights and to protect international law.
A third priority for the United Nations remains its commitment to economic and social progress, which, incidentally, also presupposes fair international economic relations.
Everyone of us can help to ensure that all people have an opportunity in the 21st century to overcome poverty, to have adequate health care and to benefit from the advantages of globalization.
This includes the prospect of a healthy environment and fair access to education.
The Kí¶ln Debt Relief Initiative launched by the German Government last year, which the G 8 continued at its summit in Okinawa, created the prerequisites for combining debt relief with a strategy to combat poverty.
Germany will forgive the entire bilateral debts of the most heavily indebted poor countries. However, such initiatives can only have their full effect with the support of the international community and, above all, the United Nations.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called upon the international community to endeavour to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015. I expressly welcome this initiative.
The German Government will therefore develop a plan of action detailing how Germany itself can help ensure that this objective is actually achieved. It would be good if as many as possible could, for their part, commit themselves to this goal.
Furthermore, in order to improve the development chances of many, especially the poorest, developing countries they must also be granted access to the information and communications technology of the future. I would like these countries to be given greater assistance than hitherto.
If we are to foster economic and social progress worldwide, it is essential that the civil society and, in particular, the business community, play a greater role in the United Nations' work.
Secretary-General Annan, for example, provided important impetus for this with his "Global Compact" project.
Should we not enhance and consider additional forms and areas of such cooperation?
I would propose that the Secretary-General convene as quickly as possible a working group of business leaders from around the world to develop concrete ideas on this.
I am certain that the German business community will make its contribution.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to reforming the Security Council, making the world organization more efficient also presupposes providing the United Nations with a sustainable financial basis.
Every member state is called upon to do what it can within its financial possibilities to help fund the organization.
Every member state is called upon to pay its contributions on time and in full.
This is also a gesture of solidarity with the other member states.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We must realize that it will not suffice to make public demands on the United Nations at ceremonial events such as this and then to wait for them to be realized. The United Nations is not an anonymous organization.
We are the United Nations!
Whether the United Nations will succeed in its own reforms and in helping to master the international problems facing us depends on the commitment of all member states.
Germany will not shirk its responsibility to the world organization.
