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<html> <head> <meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 10"> <meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <style> p { margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px } body { font-family: "Arial", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal } </style> </head> <body> May 20, 2005 (8:15 p.m. EDT) No. 92 MINISTER PETTIGREW CHAIRS HUMAN SECURITY NETWORK MEETING Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew chaired the seventh Ministerial Meeting of the Human Security Network (HSN) in Ottawa from May 18 to 20, 2005. During the meeting, ministers and representatives reviewed the human security elements contained in the March 2005 report of the UN Secretary-General, In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All, and discussed specific ideas for HSN strategic engagement in the lead-up to the September 2005 summit. In this regard, the Network has agreed to hold a meeting in June, hosted by Canada, on the human rights aspects of the UN reform process. At the close of the Ministerial Meeting, the Network adopted a statement outlining its positions on the key human security aspects of the Secretary-General’s report. The HSN is a cross-regional group created in 1999 to maintain dialogue and identify areas for collective action on human security issues. The Network includes Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and Thailand, as well as South Africa as an observer. Canada was the Chair of the Network from May 2004 until May 2005. At the close of this Ministerial Meeting, the Chair was transferred to Thailand for one year, and Costa Rica was admitted as a new member. For more information, visit the HSN on line at <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012429/http://www.humansecuritynetwork.org/">http://www.humansecuritynetwork.org</a> or visit Canada’s Human Security Web site at <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012429/http://www.humansecurity.gc.ca/">http://www.humansecurity.gc.ca</a>. - 30 - The HSN Ministerial Statement on Human Security and UN Reform is attached. For further information, media representatives may contact: James Christoff Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (613) 995-1851 Media Relations Office Foreign Affairs Canada (613) 995-1874 <a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012429/http://www.international.gc.ca/">http://www.international.gc.ca</a> Human Security Network Ministerial Statement on Human Security and UN Reform May 20, 2005 We, the ministers and representatives of the Human Security Network*, gathered in Ottawa, Canada, for the Network’s seventh annual Ministerial Meeting, welcome the March 2005 Report of the United Nations Secretary-General, entitled In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All. We are pleased to see that the Secretary-General has adopted human security as a conceptual framework for his report. We fully support the comprehensive approach taken by this report, which acknowledges the direct link between development, security and human rights, noting that all three are imperative and mutually reinforcing. A world of larger freedom will not be attained without a dramatic reduction in poverty. Development is also the front line of a collective security system that takes prevention seriously. We believe that the concept of state sovereignty entails responsibility and includes the dignity of people. We fully support the idea that the protection and promotion of the rule of law, human rights and democracy are both ends in themselves and essential for a world of justice, opportunity and stability. We strongly support the idea of mainstreaming human rights, in particular gender mainstreaming, into all aspects of the UN’s work and in the areas highlighted in this statement. We further support the report’s emphasis on the vital role of regional organizations, which are an essential component of the global multilateral system, and the need to further strengthen coordination between the UN and these regional institutions. Looking ahead to the landmark 60th Anniversary Summit of the UN, we strongly advocate the importance of making full use of this critical moment, which represents our best opportunity to achieve meaningful improvement in an institution that is essential to our collective security. To this end, we take the following positions on the key human security aspects of the report, which we believe warrant serious consideration by the broader UN membership.  * Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand, and South Africa as observer. Freedom from want   1.       We reaffirm our commitment to the Millennium Declaration and to fulfilling the internationally agreed development goals, especially the Millennium Development Goals, and support the Secretary-General’s emphasis on the importance of meeting “the implementation challenge.”   2.       We acknowledge the importance of strengthening the UN mechanisms relating to development and the need to make their work more coherent. We therefore welcome the Secretary-General’s proposals to revitalize the Economic and Social Council as the main body responsible for development policy, including coordination and harmonization of UN policy and assessing progress towards fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals.   3.       We agree with the Secretary-General that, in order to address broader development issues, there is a need for global action within the context of sustainable development on a number of priority areas, inter alia, environmental sustainability, natural disaster reduction, strengthening regional and global institutions, migration, and infectious diseases.   4.       We welcome the report’s attention to gender equality in relation to development, in particular the call for national strategies to overcome pervasive gender discrimination.   5.       We support the characterization of the HIV/AIDS pandemic as a public health crisis with a devastating impact on economic and social stability, and on governance and security structures. We reaffirm the importance of responding to HIV/AIDS as robustly as we do to other threats to human security. We also note the devastating impact of malaria and TB. We support the Secretary-General’s call to provide urgently the resources needed for an expanded and comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS, as identified by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and its partners, and to provide full funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Such a response must take into account full respect for human rights. Freedom from fear   6.       We believe that bringing the system of collective security in line with contemporary security challenges and expectations requires a renewed international consensus regarding the international community’s role in responding to such conflicts, one that is guided by the principles and norms of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and is carried out in cooperation with regional organizations.   7.       We agree that there is a need to strengthen the UN’s peacebuilding capacity, and support the creation of an intergovernmental Peacebuilding Commission as well as a Peacebuilding Support Office within the Secretariat. The Peacebuilding Commission, in our view, should work in partnership with national governments in the countries concerned, and serve as a forum for the UN, donors and other external agencies to agree with the government of a post-conflict country on a shared strategy for peacebuilding.   8.       We strongly encourage that greater attention be paid to the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls, including measures to end impunity, and to gender equality in relation to security and conflict situations. In order to achieve sustainable development and peace, we must ensure women’s full and equal participation at every stage of conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding processes and reconstruction efforts.   9.       We also urge that greater attention be paid to the ongoing problem of children affected by armed conflict, both girls and boys. We support the strengthening of UN monitoring, reporting and accountability mechanisms for the rights of children in situations of armed conflict. We urge UN country teams to ensure that such monitoring and accountability mechanisms also reflect attacks against the civilian population more broadly, with a view to having a more effective international response to such violations. We also strongly encourage that greater attention be paid to child soldiers, including children associated with armed groups (both state and non-state actors), in disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and rehabilitation processes, as well as to the follow-up of demobilized children.   10.     We support the Secretary-General’s efforts to comprehensively address the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by international staff in peacekeeping operations, and emphasize the responsibility of member states, especially troop-contributing countries, to ensure effective action against this problem.   11.     Terrorism poses a fundamental threat to human security. A global challenge, terrorism requires a united, coordinated and comprehensive international response based upon common and agreed international norms and standards, including the rule of law, good governance and the respect for international human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law. We support the Secretary-General’s counter-terrorism strategy and the five pillars on which it rests. The problem of terrorism is multifaceted and it is therefore vital for any strategy to be comprehensive in nature and scope. We are convinced that counter-terrorism measures must be respectful of international human rights law and ensure that innocent persons from particular religious or other groups are not targeted. Within this context, we are pleased with the efforts of the Secretary-General, and welcome the recent decision of the UN Commission on Human Rights to create a special rapporteur who will report to the Commission on this matter. We hope the recent adoption of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention will provide momentum for the finalization of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, as called for by the Secretary-General.   12.     As the UN High-Level Panel indicated, transnational organized crime erodes human security. We support the Secretary-General’s call for the ratification and implementation, by member states, of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols, as well as the UN Convention against Corruption, and for international cooperation for the strengthening of domestic criminal justice and rule of law systems. We encourage greater attention to trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in particular for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour.   13.     We have long maintained that the threats posed by small arms, light weapons, and ammunition must be addressed through a people-centred approach in order to ensure that those most at risk are protected. We are pleased that the report draws attention to the need to establish instruments to mark and trace small arms and light weapons and prevent illicit brokering. We, however, underline the importance of addressing small arms in the broader context of conflict prevention and development, in particular in preparation for the 2006 Review Conference of the UN Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons. We further call on states to support the implementation of regional initiatives and action plans aimed at reducing the human suffering caused by the proliferation and misuse of small arms, light weapons and ammunition. We commend South Africa and Mali, who have pioneered and are continuing to destroy surplus small arms, light weapons and ammunition, and encourage others to follow suit.   14.     We are also pleased that the report calls on states to accede to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel (AP) Mines and on Their Destruction and fully implement its obligations. In this regard, we highlight the success of the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, through the adoption of an ambitious Action Plan and a powerful political Declaration. The Action Plan recognizes the direct links from the Convention and mine action to broader goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and the resultant need to mainstream mine action into development programming. It also reasserts our collective commitment to improving the lives of landmine survivors, while recognizing the importance of sustaining resources to achieve these tasks, all within the Convention’s prescribed deadlines. The Network emphasizes the importance of promoting universal observance of the Convention’s norms. We believe that regional cooperation is an essential factor in the implementation of the Convention. Furthermore, the Network acknowledges the problem of non-state actors using AP mines and welcomes activities in favour of encouraging non-state actors to respect a ban on AP mines.   15.     The UN plays a critical role in helping to provide urgent protection and assistance to individuals and communities affected by conflict or natural disasters. We are therefore pleased by the attention devoted in the report to humanitarian issues, the protection of civilians, including the plight of internally displaced persons, the importance of full and unhindered humanitarian access, disaster preparedness and response, and more predictable and flexible funding of emergencies. We welcome the emphasis placed on strengthening the UN humanitarian response system, and also welcome the mainstreaming of disaster reduction in all UN development agendas, and each of our governments is committed to supporting the Secretary-General’s efforts to enhance the UN’s capacity in this regard.   16.     We support the overriding importance of redoubling our Millennium Declaration commitment to conflict prevention, and emphasize the need to provide the Secretary-General with enhanced capacity in the area of preventive diplomacy.   17.     Recognizing that it will sometimes become necessary for the Security Council to authorize or endorse the use of force, in keeping with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, we support the Secretary-General’s recommendation that the Security Council adopt a resolution setting principles to guide its future decisions regarding the use of force as a means of improving both the quality and legitimacy of these decisions. We further encourage the Security Council to do so in consultation with the membership of the General Assembly as well as with regional organizations. Freedom to live in dignity   18.     Human rights and the rule of law are at the core of human security and conflict prevention, and are closely interlinked with human development. We welcome the report’s strong emphasis on human rights and the strengthening of UN human rights machinery, especially the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the treaty bodies. We support strengthening the effectiveness of the main UN body dealing with human rights, the Commission on Human Rights, and welcome the proposal by the Secretary-General to elevate its status within the UN structure to a standing body with a view to enhancing its effectiveness, legitimacy and credibility. In this context, we welcome the important proposal of the Secretary-General for the establishment of a Human Rights Council, and we call for further consideration of this proposal by UN member states. We agree that its members should demonstrate a commitment to the respect for human rights, and encourage further discussion of the proposal for a “peer review” of every UN member state. We support the High Commissioner’s stronger involvement in the deliberations of the Security Council, and the implementation of its decisions.   19.     We support a greater presence in the field by the United Nations to promote and protect human rights, including through assistance to strengthen national human rights protection system and institutions in member states in accordance with the “Action 2 “ initiative of the Secretary-General. In this context, we urge cooperation with non-governmental organizations, particularly national membership organizations.   20.     In light of the resurgence and growth of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in many parts of the world, and taking into account the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are committed to eradicating this scourge, as emphasized by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. In this regard, we recognize the pivotal importance of human rights education in promoting a worldwide culture of human rights and understanding. We therefore welcome the proclamation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education and commit ourselves to its implementation.   21.     It is essential that we integrate gender equality as a cross-cutting theme throughout our consideration of the report, at the Summit and beyond. We particularly support the report’s recognition that direct interventions to advance gender equality are required, including eliminating discrimination and violence against women and increasing women’s representation in decision-making bodies. We encourage a stronger emphasis in the future on women’s rights. We emphasize the need to fully implement the Beijing Platform for Action and the Cairo Program of Action.   22.     We respond positively to the Secretary-General’s call to embrace the concept of the responsibility to protect. We emphasize that, in accordance with the principle of sovereignty enshrined in the UN Charter, responsibility for the protection of civilians rests primarily with the state. Where national authorities are unable or unwilling to ensure such protection, the international community has a responsibility to act, using diplomatic, humanitarian and other methods, in conformity with the UN Charter and international law, to protect civilian populations from the worst threats to their physical security, particularly genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In responding to such crises, we emphasize that the United Nations should consult relevant regional organizations and, where possible, authorize these organizations to lead international action. We also acknowledge the need to engage in dialogue as widely as possible with all parties on this matter.   23.     We are pleased to see the importance placed upon accountability for serious international crimes in the report. We reaffirm the essential contribution of the International Criminal Court, and other international or mixed war crimes tribunals, to ending impunity for these terrible crimes. We encourage states that have not yet done so to adhere to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal Court. As ministers and representatives of the HSN, we undertake to promote these ideas both in our respective regions and at the UN in order to achieve a far-reaching outcome at the September 2005 Summit that should better equip the international community to face the challenges of the 21st century. _______ [South Africa stated that its support for this Ministerial Statement is without prejudice to the Ezulwini Consensus, which remains the current “Common African Position” on UN reform.] </body> </html>

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