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57th
United Nations General Assembly
U.S. Principal Goals
Letter dated August 29, 2002 from
Ambassador John D. Negroponte
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations
to Permanent Representatives of Missions to the United Nations
outlining US principal goals for the 57th General Assembly.
Dear Ambassador:
The
57th United Nations General Assembly will open in a world
transformed. Nearly half the UN membership lost nationals in the horrific
terrorist attacks of last September 11. In the year since, the
international community has responded with determination not only to combat
the menace of terrorism, but also to press on with enduring priorities of
global concern.
The upcoming
General Assembly gives us the chance to reinvigorate that common purpose and
refine the UN’s ability to meet the challenges of a changed world.
President Bush, Secretary Powell and the U.S. Mission to the UN are
committed to making this year’s General Assembly a success, and we look
forward to working with your government to that end. I would like to take
this opportunity to outline for you our principal goals for this session.
In the coming weeks, the U.S. will focus its
efforts at the General Assembly on the following objectives:
Re-energizing international counter-terrorism efforts
The
unprecedented unity of the UN membership in responding to the terrorist
attacks of last September has led to real progress against this common
enemy. The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), created to oversee the
implementation of landmark
Security Council resolution 1373, has done vital
work to mobilize international action through the UN.
This General Assembly, we urge all nations to comply fully with the
provisions of 1373 by, among other things, freezing the assets of
terrorists, denying them safe-haven, and bringing them to justice. We also
encourage all nations to join the U.S. in becoming party to all 12 of the
international conventions and protocols against terrorism. Furthermore, we
call on all countries to fulfill their pledges of assistance to Afghanistan,
to ensure that country never again becomes a breeding ground for terrorism.
Keeping UN discussion of the Middle East constructive, not divisive
This General
Assembly, we would like to work with others to make discussion of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict constructive, not divisive. Action at the
General Assembly needs to be supportive of the peace process, led by the
U.S. and others through the
Quartet, that aims to bring both parties to the
negotiating table. The end goal is a vision of two states – Israel and
Palestine – living side-by-side in peace and security. We need to break the
bad habit of injecting the Israeli-Palestinian issue into unrelated UN fora;
it does nothing to bring the two sides closer together.
Supporting the “New Partnership” for development, especially with Africa
On the eve of the international
conference on
Financing for Development last March, President Bush launched the
Millennium
Challenge Account – a 50% increase in U.S. assistance to developing
countries over three years, reaching $15 billion a year by fiscal year
2006. These new funds will go to countries that commit to just governance,
investing in the education and health care of their people, and promoting
economic freedom. We will promote these principles and emphasize that they
represent a proven path to development.
This General
Assembly is also an excellent opportunity to build on the breakthrough of
the Monterrey Consensus – the agreement by the international community that
good domestic policies and effective mobilization of private resources are
essential for successful development. We believe the General Assembly’s
various development-related resolutions should be updated and consolidated
to reflect this important step forward.
The U.S.
supports the efforts of African leaders to produce the
New Partnership for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD), and its approach of primary African
responsibility in partnership with the international community. The review
of the UN’s Agenda for African Development at the high-level plenary session
on September 16 will be a valuable chance to assess what has – and has not –
worked in the UN’s support of development in Africa.
Working for a more efficient and effective UN
We look forward
to the Secretary-General’s UN reform plan, which we hope will help make the
UN leaner and more effective. During consideration of the revised 2002-3 UN
budget, as well as the outline for the 2004-5 biennium, we will continue to
stress the need for budget discipline. The budget will need to include a
clear order of priorities, and identify programs and activities for
elimination. Our goal is not cost cutting for cost-cutting’s sake, but to
direct UN resources away from obsolete, inefficient programs towards higher
priorities.
We are seeking
the re-election of our candidate, Sue McLurg, to the Advisory Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). As the largest contributor
to the UN, it is a high priority for the U.S. to continue to have a voice on
this important Committee. We appeal for your support in the upcoming
November election.
We would like to
work with others to prevent costly follow-up to UN conferences. Keeping
conference follow-up in the General Assembly would free significant
resources for more cost-effective priorities, and allow more meaningful
reviews of progress.
Promoting human rights and democracy
We hope you will
join us in seeking strong, accurate human rights resolutions on Iraq, Iran,
Sudan, Cambodia, and Burma. We will also seek to co-sponsor resolutions
promoting democracy, the rights of women, children, religious minorities,
and other issues.
The U.S. will
rejoin the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in 2003, and we urge countries
with strong human rights records to run for CHR membership. We must not
allow the CHR’s credibility to be undermined by backing candidates who
violate the human rights of their own people.
We are also
seeking the election of our candidate, Ruth Wedgwood, to the
Committee on
Human Rights – the expert subsidiary body to the
International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights. The election takes place on September 9, and we
urge your support.
Other Issues
At this year’s General Assembly, the
Sixth Committee will consider a proposal to ban human reproductive cloning.
We do not think this goes far enough and would favor a complete ban on human
cloning for any purpose. We hope that you will join us in calling for a
total ban.
Thank you for
taking the time to review these important matters. The entire U.S. Mission -
and I personally – look forward to working with you to make the 57th
General Assembly a success.
Sincerely,
John D. Negroponte
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