SPEECHES
MR. GRAHAM - ADDRESS TO THE 57TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
2002/11 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY
THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
TO THE 57TH UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
UNITED NATIONS, New York
September 12, 2002
Thank you Mr. President. I would like to congratulate you on your election as President
of the General Assembly and assure you of my delegation's cooperation as you undertake your important
responsibilities.
Yesterday, people the world over paused to remember the victims of the tragic events of one year ago. I had
the opportunity of attending the interfaith service yesterday, where you and the Secretary-General spoke
movingly about how the commemoration of this event must reinforce this institution's vocation as the forum
dedicated to achieving world peace. Canadians entirely subscribe to the sentiments that you expressed. The
attacks of last September were a cruel and devastating blow to the United States and, indeed, to us all. I am
proud to say that Canadians stood in solidarity with our closest ally at that terrible moment. When the terrorists
struck that day, they were also attacking the very principles of international law, security and humanitarianism
that are embodied in the UN Charter. We believe that our ultimate response to the challenge of September 11
is thus to rededicate ourselves to our beliefs and to the principles upon which the United Nations was founded.
Now, more than ever, the main challenge for each of our countries, and for the United Nations, is to manage
our interdependence. Environmental degradation and endemic poverty, the proliferation of disease and
epidemics, the increasing threat of terrorism and organized crime: these are serious, complex issues that no
one nation can confront alone. To succeed, our countries must work together, while also drawing on the
expertise of civil society. Such cooperation is a formidable challenge, and one that the UN is best suited to
meet.
Recognition of our interdependence in no way threatens our respective sovereignty. In fact, it gives each of us
even more tangible means to act, and to succeed, through the sharing of our information, resources and
initiatives.
The principles of multilateralism are best articulated in the Millennium Declaration, which assigns a decisive role
to the United Nations Charter--and rightly so, for it is much more than our constitution. Indeed, it is our heart
and soul. It reconciles national interests with the highest moral and ethical standards; standards that must
govern the actions of each state. For us, the Charter is the key to unlock the door to the world of peace,
security and justice that we hope to build.
The terrorist threat leads us to work together and, tragically, illustrates the extent of our interdependence. It
demonstrates the urgency of finding solutions that are equal to the task at hand, and whose effectiveness
hinges on new partnerships among our countries.
Our reaction to terrorism must be steadfast, to be sure, and we must make no concession to the agents of
terror. But if we want our reaction to be truly effective, it must enhance both national security and individual
human security. In fact, democratic governance, as well as security, find their most solid foundation in societies
in which rights and freedoms are respected and where, as a result, dissidence more often than not takes
constructive, rather than violent, forms.
What's more, the fight against terrorism challenges us to find ways to open our hearts and minds to the
diversity of our world, its cultures and its religions. Now more than ever, we must promote dialogue and
understanding, and encourage people to be tolerant of other people. In this way, we will help to eradicate at its
source much of the pain in the world today, which all too often translates into rising hatred, extremism and
fanaticism of all sorts.
Multilateralism has definitely proven its worth over the past year. For example, dozens of countries have offered
their resources and experience to Afghanistan's new leaders, as members of the coalition against terrorism or
of the Afghanistan Support Group. They have also contributed to the various UN programs seeking to establish
political stability and representative government.
The G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, concluded at
Kananaskis in June, is another concrete example of our joint commitment to battle terrorism and other threats
to peace. Canada, as Chair of the G8, was a strong advocate of this major effort designed to strengthen
international security and strategic stability. Canada will continue to work to make this initiative a success.
At all times, Canada is ready to offer its support wherever it is needed, and we encourage the international
community to continue to do likewise. We also believe that the multilateral approach is useful in addressing the
obvious challenges posed by sustainable development. In this regard, the consensus that emerged from the
Monterrey Conference calls on all countries to work hand-in-hand to forge broader partnerships between
developed and developing countries.
The situation in Africa cries out for action. For too long now, inaction has taken a heavy toll in terms of human
suffering. However, hope is beginning to shine through. The New Partnership for Africa's Development, devised
by African leaders determined to meet the challenges of self-development and endorsed--at Canada's
urging--during the G8 Summit in Kananaskis, seeks to provide the people of Africa with conditions founded on
good governance and democracy, while ending their marginalization and offering them the chance to achieve
prosperity.
As we meet today, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis remains at an all too familiar impasse, despite the fact everyone
knows what is needed to restore peace. We all know that the targeting of civilians must stop. That the security
of Israel must be assured. That settlement-building must end. That the humanitarian needs of the Palestinians
must be met. That the Palestinian Authority must reform itself democratically. That the peace negotiations must
resume. We all know, in sum, that a road to a peaceful future must be built, a future in which two independent,
viable, secure and democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security.
Canada calls on the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel to start back on the road to peace. The
people and Government of Canada will accompany you and support you every step of the way.
We also meet here today in an atmosphere of deepening tensions caused by Iraq's continued flouting the will
of the international community and the differing opinions that prevail around us on how to address this situation
and bring this crisis to an end. Let there be no doubt, at the origin of today's tensions is the persistent refusal of
the Iraqi government to comply with its obligations to us all under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
For the past 11 years, Iraq has refused to demonstrate that it has abandoned its chemical, biological and
nuclear weapon research and development programs, and even today it remains unwilling to do so. But let
there also be no doubt: bringing Iraq into conformity with its international obligations must be the work of us
all--together.
We believe that our ability to find a solution to this challenge--one that is consistent with and, indeed, that
reinforces the international framework that we have so painstakingly constructed since the last devastating
world war--will define this generation and create precedents that may determine the future direction of our
world. It is with this in mind that Canada welcomes the powerful messages delivered here today by President
Bush affirming his country's commitment to work with the Security Council of the United Nations in resolving
this serious threat to our collective peace and security.
We therefore urge Iraq to seize this opportunity without delay, and to grant immediate and unconditional access
to UN weapons inspection teams in compliance with its UN Security Council obligations. The onus is clearly on
the Government of Iraq to take this step now. The onus is equally on us to ensure that our international
institutions emerge from this crisis reinforced and strengthened.
Such institutions may be new--as in the case of the International Criminal Court, a body that has the potential
of ensuring the integrity of our international legal system, upon which so much depends for the peaceful
resolution of our differences. I had the privilege of attending the inaugural meeting of the Assembly of States
Parties here in New York this week, and was encouraged by the depth of international political and public
support that exists for this important new body.
The people of the world want an end to impunity. They insist that their leaders no longer turn a blind eye to
gross violations of international humanitarian law, such as those we witnessed in the past century. Immunity
from the law is simply not acceptable. The state parties to the ICC Statute are more than willing to put into
action the proposition that we can best enforce rules of law that we have arrived at by our common accord and
that we are willing to have invoked against us. For the 79 states parties that attended the Assembly of States
Parties, and the many observer states close to ratifying the Rome Statute, our objective remains to work
resolutely and cooperatively to make this Court a reality.
The International Criminal Court represents a major change in the way the world works. The times we live in
demand many such innovative approaches. For example, in response to a call from the Secretary-General,
Canada, along with others, launched the independent International Commission on Intervention and State
Sovereignty. Its landmark report, The Responsibility to Protect, has shifted the parameters of the debate from
divisions over intervention toward agreement on the responsibility to protect people. The report holds that
sovereignty entails responsibilities as well as rights, that sovereignty is responsibility. When states are unable
or unwilling to afford protection to their own people, the international community has a responsibility to step in
temporarily and provide that protection. This report represents an opportunity for us to reinforce the UN in its
collective security mission. It is also an occasion to affirm the UN's fundamental norm-building role, and to find
better ways to prevent and, where necessary, alleviate human suffering.
Part of our shared responsibility to raise the credibility of multilateral institutions is to address their
shortcomings, including the United Nations itself. We are greatly encouraged that the Secretary-General and
his Deputy Louise Fréchette are proposing far-reaching organizational reforms. They can count on Canada's
support. We also support reform in other areas, notably the near moribund disarmament commission and its
glacial progress of non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, where recent gains such as the UN
Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons and the negotiations on an International Code of
Conduct on missiles are being overshadowed by myriad compliance problems.
Certainly, there are problems with multilateralism and the institutions we have created, but that should not
cause us to doubt the desirability of an effective rules-based system. Our objective should be to address these
shortcomings, where we see them, reform what we must, and in the process answer the criticisms of those
suspicious of an interdependent world. We will only persuade the skeptics by building better institutions to
implement the international rule of law, and to find solutions to our common problems.
Let us embrace cooperation, not division. Let us expand our sovereignty by pooling it. Let us be partners in the
larger enterprise of building peace and freedom. No one country can meet all the challenges of our times on its
own. Let us have confidence in our common humanity. Let us make the United Nations our principal instrument
for peace.
I pledge to you today that Canada will spare no effort in doing so.
Thank you.
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