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It is an honour for me to take the floor
at the opening of the 67th regular session
of the U.N. General Assembly, first of all, let me begin
by a moment of silence to pay tribute to all
diplomats from many countries who have lost their lives,
and who's quest for service of their common humanity
and for a quest for better understanding. The General Assembly
has passed a milestone. Since the first hall was convened,
in Central Hall, Westminster, London, in January 1946,
until the calling to order of this new session, precisely 66 years
and 8 months have elapsed. This General Assembly is now two thirds
a century old. Two thirds of a century during which
this Assembly—and the planet—have been witness to both great achievements and
grave injustices; have seen both human triumphs, and human
tragedies. Two thirds of a century during which the peoples of the world
made powerful progress: We have launched humans
into orbit. We have mapped the human genome and unlocked various mysteries
of life and science. We have pulled hundreds of millions of people
out of abject poverty. And yet it has also been
two thirds of a century during which we suffered deep disappointment
:The worst incidents of terrorism in the world’s history, including the largest terror
attack ever, here in New York on September 11, 2001;
The failure to anticipate and prevent genocide in Cambodia
and Rwanda; The stubborn persistence of totalitarianism
and despotism. Some developments were predictable.
Others no one foresaw, and nobody could have scripted.
As we stand on the threshold of the next third of a century, we are reminded
of that old adage “the only constant is change.”
the only constant is change. Indeed,
our world is changing constantly and swiftly in every
field. On the geopolitical level, this change takes the form
rebalancing of power and new possibilities.
Never since the Cold War, have we
seen so much change which has happened so quickly. In this
period of turbulence where change could be rapid and
unexpected, it's all the more important to focus specifically on the
constants that remain true. Canada is a maritime nation bordered by three oceans.
Please allow me, then, to use a nautical analogy. At one time,
sailors would navigate by the North Star. Winds and currents would shift;
storms would blow; ships might even veer off course. But the North
Star remained fixed—as a guide, and as a goal.
In the same way, the only way for us to navigate the seas of change is to
follow fixed principles and chart a course for immutable goals.
In our opinion, those goals are the well-being and prosperity, the security,
and the dignity of humankind. These objectives are reflected
in the Purposes inscribed in Article 1 of the UN Charter. We owe it
to those we serve, the people of this planet, to maintain consistent
in that direction. They will judge our success by how
well we further the ends of prosperity, security, and
human dignity. You measure results by measuring the results. Not
by weighing best efforts. Not by counting good intentions. And not by calculating
inputs. I do not propose, therefore, to dwell extensively on reform of
the United Nations. This organization is not a mere goal; it is merely the means
accomplish goals. However, the United Nations must spend less time looking at
itself, and more time focused on the problems that demand its attention.
I make this observation in a constructive and positive spirit.
Canada was an original signatory to the United Nations Charter, and
Canada remains the seventh-largest contributor to the budget of this organization.
Our commitment to the United Nations has been tested and it is proven.
Our commitment to the United Nations is important, and not in spite of our commitment,
but because of our commitment to this body, we cannot and will not participate in endless,
fruitless inward-looking exercises. Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United
Nations will devote it's attention to what the United Nations is achieving, not to how
the UN arranges its affairs. I believe the UN spends
too much time on itself. It must now look outward.
The preoccupation with procedure and process must yield to
substance and results. If the UN focuses on the achievement of goals—
such as prosperity, security and human dignity—then reform will take care
of itself. As the international community sets its sights on a post-
2015 development framework, it should not forget the work that remains to be done and the
commitments it has made. The UN Commission on Information
and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health, co-chaired by Prime Minister
Stephen Harper and President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania,
is the type of initiative that Canada would like to see more of in the future, and its
recommendations need to be integrated into a post-2015 framework.
The Preamble to the United Nations Charter reflects our collective determination
to achieve “better standards of life” for all humankind.
It sets as a goal, “the economic and social advancement of all peoples.”
This is no mean ambition. Those of us who recognize a Creator
Those of us who recognize a Creator accept the responsibility to use the Creator’s gifts
to improve the well-being of all. Openness and engagement
are vital to progress and prosperity.
Since before recorded history, societies have reached out, to their neighbours, and beyond.
As soon as human beings invested, and invented in transport
we invented trade, exchanging not just the fruits of the earth, but also
goods, practices, and ideas. Informed by our
successes and failures—that is, having benefited from engagement, and having
paid the price of isolation—humankind has learned these lessons
:You cannot develop understanding by building walls between cultures.
You cannot achieve prosperity by erecting walls between economies.
And you cannot advance a people by putting walls between them and the
state. The longer it is necessary for humankind to debate
how to make people better off. There is no special alchemy required.
Blessed with the benefit of human experience, we know what produces prosperity
:Free trade among open societies operating under transparent,
consistent and fair rules. As Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon recently wrote: “Engaging in the world is the best path
to a better future.” The fight for the economic and social advancement
of all peoples is manifested in the struggle for open markets, open society,
and open-mindedness. It is a struggle in which Canada is decidedly
not neutral. We recognize that the well-being of Canadians
depends both on openness at home and on openness to the world.
Canadians know from experience the connection between trade and prosperity.
After all, in order to support the world’s 10th-largest economy
with only the world’s 36th-largest population, we must be a
trading nation. We are expanding trade at a rate of unparalleled ambition,
and consequently we’re looking for partners.
But we recognize fully that sustained trade requires stability and it requires
security. The United Nations will also be judged by how
well it advances the security of humankind. The goal of
security is not separate from the objective of well-being. Security is, after
all, a vital part of people’s well-being. Once again,
openness and engagement are important means to achieve the goal. While
there may sometimes be tension in the means of execution, there
exists no fundamental conflict between national security and the open society
:both seek to protect the same values, the same rights, the same freedoms.
It is not enough for a society to protect its own security. As members of the global
community, global security affects all of us.
Or, as Nelson Mandela eloquently put it: "Freedom would be
would be meaningless without security in the home and in the streets.”
Thus, our freedom is strengthened when others are free. And
our liberty is diminished so long as any of our brothers and sisters are imprisoned
by fear. Because a threat to one is a threat to all,
our security is enhanced when we cooperate to protect fragile democracies
or to block the forces of instability. The crisis in Syria
is a real test of this organization’s ability to achieve
results. While the brutal and repressive regime of Bashar al-Assad continues
the slaughter of its own people, the United Nations has failed to impose binding
sanctions that would stem the crimson tide of this bloody assault.
Until the last syllable of recorded time, the world will remember and history will judge
Member States that are allowing the atrocities to continue.
Many people of the world, including many of the citizens we represent,
cannot understand why this organization—despite the sound and fury of debate
in this great Assembly—has been unable to take concrete steps.
What business is it of ours? Our citizens
would argue that the business is our common humanity, and our mandate is the strengthening
of humanity’s bonds. It is difficult to fault their logic.
The late Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “He who passively accepts
evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating
with it.” And if the collective interest in our shared humanity does not motivate us
us to act, then the self interest of our own security should.
After all, a stockpile of chemical and biological weapons does not respect
national sovereignty or recognize territorial integrity.
Who among us would be secure if the chemical and biological weapons of another
Member State fell into the wrong hands? That’s why Canada
calls on the Syrian regime to ensure that its stockpile of chemical weapons remains secure
against possible use or proliferation by those who would do evil.
When a post-Qadhafi Libya declared its willingness to destroy previously
unknown stockpiles, Canada stepped in and provided $6 million
to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in order to achieve
this vital objective. Until such an opportunity arises in
Syria, Canada stands ready to assist neighbouring states in taking measures
to reduce the threat of proliferation of these weapons. Until
that time, Canada continues to call for an immediate end to the violence.
And he must be replaced by a new order that protects Syria’s
territorial integrity and respects all religious minorities and all the rights
of each and every citizen. I’ve seen the despair
of the Syrian people first hand on the Jordanian border. The heart-wrenching little girl who told me
all she wanted to do was to go home. This experience
will no doubt leave a lasting scar on the children caught in the middle this tragedy. We
must ensure they have an opportunity for a better life. For a life free of fear.
For a life full of opportunity. I pledge to you that Canada will work to address
the urgent humanitarian crises wrought by the violence of that last
18 months. It behooves all member states that can, to improve
conditions for Syrian civilians affected by this great struggle against
tyranny and for dignity. Today,
the most significant threat to global peace and security remains the regime
in Iran: It refuses to comply with Security Council Resolutions.
It routinely threatens the existence of Israel.
It foments hatred against the Jewish people and incites genocide.
It provides aid, comfort and support to terrorist groups.
And it is guilty of widespread and massive repression of
the human rights of its own people, including the repression of gays
and religious minorities. A nuclear Iran would embolden an already
reckless regime and perpetuate a very destabilizing factor for not just an
already fragile region but the entire planet. Not only has the Government of
Canada formally listed the Iranian regime as a state sponsor of
terrorism, under Canadian law; We have also suspended diplomatic relations.
Some may ask why a country committed to openness and engagement would suspend
relations. We don’t take these decisions lightly.
On a practical level, the regime’s blatant disregard for the Vienna Convention
on Diplomatic Relations created legitimate concern for the safety
and security of our civilian diplomats. But there is also
a great principle at stake. While Canada prizes engagement
and open relations, there can be no open engagement with a regime that
dishonours its word, repudiates its commitments, and threatens
to perpetuate crimes against humanity. Canada’s philosophy
is captured by the wisdom of first UN Secretary-General, killed 51 years
o while fighting for peace and justice. He advised
:“Never for the sake of peace and quiet deny your convictions.”
That’s why Canada has imposed some of the toughest economic sanctions against the
Iranian regime. But let me be absolutely clear,
quarrel is not with the people of Iran, but instead with the regime that
aims to silence their voices. Canada urges Iran to comply
with its international nuclear obligations and to cease sensitive enrichment
activities. We support the P5+1 process.
Iran needs to seize the opportunity provided by the international community and
negotiate in good faith, by showing demonstrable progress and by meeting its nuclear obligations.
The Iranian regime still has a chance to redeem itself.
In fact, I encourage Iran to look to some of its neighbours, some of whom Canada has
supported in building peaceful-purpose nuclear energy programs.
We will continue to work closely with the United States, European Union and other allies
to put pressure on Iran to comply with its important international obligations.
Rather than accept as inevitable the conflict Iran seems intent on
provoking, Canada seeks a peaceful alternative. Iran must act immediately
to stop all enrichment and abandon technology that could be used for weapons.
Iran is thoroughly testing the will of the international community.
This, too, must end. The world's security is closely
linked to the third goal that should animate this organization: protecting the dignity
and worth of every person by upholding and protecting
fundamental freedoms. The great poet Kahlil Gibran inspired us to remember
that, “safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end
of a human being.” This is not simply a question of beliefs and values.
It is a requirement for action. Protecting human rights and human dignity is an obligation
that each state owes its citizens, and a mutual obligation
of all members of the international community must share. History teaches
that the open society—tolerant, pluralistic and free—is the best
guarantor of human rights and dignity. Often,
a threat to the security of humankind is coupled with the crushing of human rights.
Yet human rights abuses that don’t threaten security still
concern us all. The enslavement of others is a vicious human rights
issue and it takes many forms: Whether the notorious
political prison camps of North Korea; Or forcible recruitment by the
“M23” group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
Or the early and forced marriage of young girls, a truly barbaric form
of slavery. Another, despicable type of enslavement
is the criminalization of sexuality: jailing, torturing and killing people for
who they are, and whom they love.
Other abuses enslave the soul, by suppressing—sometimes suppressing
with brutal force—the rights to worship freely, to practise a faith, and to hold
religious beliefs. Wherever they occur, assaults on human dignity
are unacceptable. At the start of my
address, I observed that results matter. This organization was created to achieve
certain goals, and will be measured on its success in doing so.
No one ever said that it would be easy to make real progress in advancing the prosperity
and well-being, the security, and the dignity, of humankind.
It is not easy. But it is essential.
Despite the challenges, despite the frequent setbacks, despite the often
heavy price, we know that the nations and people of the world
are up to the challenge. As we celebrate Mohandas Gandhi’s birthday
tomorrow, let us be inspired by his words: “You must not lose
faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops
of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” Emboldened and bolstered
by our faith in humanity, let us move forward. Let us move forward, together, to secure the
the results that this organization was established to achieve.