U
N I T E D N A T I O N S
N A
T I O N S U N I E S
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
REMARKS
TO THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE 16TH NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT SUMMIT
Tehran,
30 August 2012
AS
DELIVERED
I thank our hosts for organizing this
important Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and I would like to pay tribute to
Egypt as the outgoing chair of the last three years.
I am grateful for the hospitality of the
Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The recent
earthquake saddened us all. The United Nations stands ready to assist in
any way.
Last month, I visited the Brijuni Islands
in Croatia in what was once Yugoslavia. Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal
Nehru and Josip Tito met there in 1956 to help define the Non-Aligned Movement
in its early days.
The leaders agreed that: “Peace
cannot be achieved through division but by working for collective security on a
world scale and by expanding the region of freedom…”.
At that time, nations and people were
speaking of freedom from superpower rivalries and colonial domination.
But freedom has other meanings, as well.
Today, we see an equally powerful
yearning for freedom within nations – the freedom to participate, the freedom
to make one’s voice heard and the freedom to choose one’s government.
Since the last NAM Summit in
Sharm-el-Sheikh in 2009, this part of the world has been at the epicentre.
Tunisia. Egypt. Libya. Yemen and beyond.
The Arab Spring was not imposed or
exported. It did not arise from an external conflict or dispute between
states.
It came from within -- from people.
People who stood up for a better future.
People who spoke out for universal
values.
In some places this has brought
transformation and new beginnings, but in others, we see suppression and
frustration.
That is why I have urged world leaders to
listen seriously and sincerely. Listen to the appeals of people – for
justice, for human rights, for dignity.
Today, the Non-Aligned Movement
represents nearly two out of three members of the United Nations. You
contribute four out of five United Nations peacekeepers.
I thank you for those tremendous
contributions.
As we look ahead together, we must build
on our strong partnership.
You represent diverse societies joined by
common goals. I urge you to unite as well to promote and protect the
values embedded in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of association.
For much of your membership, this
internal effort should be the next frontier of action for your people.
Our organizations must keep pace in
changing times. Long-held assumptions may need to change.
In too many places, for example, military
spending continues to dwarf investments in people. Climate change is a
clear and present danger. Too many women are still denied opportunity.
NAM members include some of the world’s
youngest societies.
We must guide these youth to a world that
resolves problems through cooperation, not confrontation.
Yet tragically, too often, conflict has
replaced dialogue.
We see far too many political disputes
within and between states in the Non-Aligned Movement.
I am concerned, for example, with the
failure of Sudan and South Sudan to finalize their borders and prevent further
bloodshed.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
the security situation and sexual violence against women remain a source of
deep concern.
We continue to closely follow the unrest
in Mali that has profound implications for the region. I commend the
African Union for its firm stand against unconstitutional changes of
government.
I urge all NAM members to work within the
principles of the UN Charter to resolve disputes peacefully.
But it is not sufficient to focus on
lowering tensions between NAM countries, as important as that is. We must
prevent conflict between all UN member states.
And from this platform – as I have
repeatedly stated around the world -- I strongly reject threats by any member
state to destroy another or outrageous attempts to deny historical facts, such
as the Holocaust.
Claiming that another UN Member State,
Israel, does not have the right to exist, or describing it in racist terms, is
not only utterly wrong but undermines the very principles we have all pledged
to uphold.
Today the United Nations and the NAM face
the supreme challenge of answering people’s aspirations.
I see two paths for rising to this
challenge: prevention to help deal with a society’s political grievances; and
sustainability to help address society’s developmental challenges.
With your support, we are improving the
capacity of the United Nations to respond early to conflicts.
But prevention starts at home -- by
strengthening democratic institutions, safeguarding human rights, ensuring
popular participation and guaranteeing the rule of law.
Syria is only the latest example of what
happens when that truth is ignored.
The crisis in Syria started with peaceful
demonstrations that were met by ruthless force. Now, we face the grim risk of
long-term civil war destroying Syria’s rich tapestry of communities.
Those who provide arms to either side in
Syria are contributing to the misery. Further militarization is not the
answer. The situation cannot be resolved with the blood and the bodies of
more than 18,000 people and counting.
There should be no more bullets and
bombs.
I urge all parties, in the strongest
possible terms to stop the violence now. The Syrian government has the
primary responsibility to resolve this crisis by genuinely listening to the
people’s voices.
Our diplomatic efforts will be led by the
Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab
States, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi. He will need the united support of the
international community.
And all who have influence must be part
of the solution to this crisis and work in close cooperation with the Joint
Special Representative.
There is no threat to global peace and
harmony more serious than nuclear proliferation.
Assuming the leadership of the NAM
provides Iran with the opportunity to demonstrate that it can play a moderate
and constructive role internationally. That includes responsible action
on the nuclear programme which is among the top concerns of the international
community.
This concern has been demonstrated in repeated Security Council resolutions,
including under Chapter VII authority, calling for transparency and full
cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
For the sake of peace and security in this region and globally, I urge the
Government of Iran to take the necessary measures to build international
confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.
This can be done by fully complying with the relevant Security Council
resolutions and thoroughly cooperating with the IAEA.
I urge, also, constructive engagement
with the P5+1 to quickly reach a diplomatic solution.
And I urge all the parties to stop
provocative and inflammatory threats.
A war of words can quickly spiral into a
war of violence. Bluster can so easily become bloodshed.
Now is the time for all leaders to use
their voices to lower, not raise, tensions.
Let me also note that efforts to create a
Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass
destruction are under way.
Let us remember that it was Iran itself,
38 years ago, that proposed the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in
the Middle East.
As Secretary-General, I am absolutely
committed to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of
mass destruction. I also share your desire to strengthen controls against
the illicit arms trade. Let us keep working for these common goals.
There can be no talk of international or
national security without focusing on sustainable development.
We have made important progress in
reducing poverty, yet inequality is rising. And last year, official
development assistance decreased for the first time in years.
We must intensify our work to meet
the Millennium Development Goals and bolster resilience to environmental,
economic and social shocks.
While staying focussed on what must
be done now, we are also looking ahead – looking to define a post-2015 global
development agenda that is both bold and practical.
This includes follow-up to the
Rio+20 Conference, where the international community agreed to establish
universal sustainable development goals (SDGs).
We need your political leadership
and the full engagement of the NAM and the G-77 and China group.
In this period of profound
transition, NAM continues to define its evolving identity and address changing
notions of sovereignty in an age of interconnectedness.
As you engage in that process, your role
at the United Nations will remain crucial.
We must also keep working together
for greater democratic governance in international decision making. That
includes strengthening the UN from within and working to ensure that global
institutions and bodies – including the Security Council – accurately reflect
the realities and dynamics of today’s world.
The United Nations and the
Non-Aligned Movement have a close history over fifty years. Guided by our
shared principles of peace, justice and equality, let us work together to meet
the pressing challenges of our time.
I thank you very much for your
leadership.
