September 8, 2000-Calling globalization "the central challenge we face today," world leaders attending the United Nations Millennium Summit this evening adopted a visionary Declaration on the future role of the United Nations.
The Millennium Summit Declaration was adopted by acclamation following three days of unprecedented meetings which brought together the largest gathering of world leaders in history. One hundred Heads of State, 47 Heads of Government, three crown princes, five Vice-Presidents and three Deputy Prime Ministers took part in the event, which drew some 8,000 delegates and 5,500 journalists.
The Declaration spells out values and principles, as well as goals in the key priority areas of peace, development, the environment, human rights, protecting the vulnerable, the special needs of Africa, and strengthening the UN. In addition, leaders called for specific follow-up, requesting the General Assembly to regularly review progress in implementing the Declaration.
"We believe that the central challenge we face today is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the world's people," the Declaration states in its opening section. "For while globalization offers great opportunities, at present its benefits are very unevenly shared, while its costs are unevenly distributed."
The opening section also identifies six core values as "essential" to international relations, namely freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility. In addition, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the UN and express their determination to establish a just and lasting peace all over the world in accordance with the UN Charter.
The Declaration sets out a number of measures in the area of peace and disarmament, including providing the UN with the necessary resources for conflict prevention, peacekeeping and related tasks. Leaders also resolve to counter the world drug problem and fight transnational crime. In addition, they say they will strive to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, while working to end the illicit traffic in small arms.
It also sets a specific timetable for reducing poverty (halving the number of people in extreme poverty by the year 2015), ensuring universal primary education for boys and girls (by 2015), reducing maternal mortality (by three quarters by 2015), halting the spread of HIV/AIDS (by 2015) and improving the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers (by 2020).
Other measures to achieve poverty eradication concern promoting gender equality, working with the private sector, and providing access to information technology. In addition, the Declaration commits Member States to "an open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial system."
On the environment, the leaders declare, "We must spare no effort to free all of humanity, and above all our children and grandchildren, from the threat of living on a planet irredeemably spoilt by human activities, and whose resources would no longer be sufficient for their needs." The Declaration also calls for such measures as ensuring the entry-into-force of the Kyoto Protocol, which contains binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases, and pressing for full implementation of treaties on biodiversity and desertification.
Edited from a UN Newservice story
http://www.un.org/News/
UNEP commends Millennium Summit Declaration for its environmental insight
Nairobi, 11 September 2000-The Millennium Summit Declaration adopted last week at United Nations headquarters in New York reveals a strengthened commitment to the environment and recognizes the link between respect for nature and world peace, the UN Environment Programme's Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer, said here today.
Toepfer welcomed the Declaration's comprehensive chapter on the environment and highlighted the call by Heads of State to intensify cooperation on reducing the negative consequences of natural and manmade disasters.
"Effective information, early warning, monitoring and assessment are crucial if we are to head-off disasters before they happen," he said. "This is exactly why UNEP has substantially increased its resources and capacity over the past two years in this vitally important area."
In UNEP's view, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty remain humanity's central challenge. The world's governments must work together to create a policy framework that is conducive to sustainable development and the elimination of poverty while addressing the special needs of Africa and the least developed countries.
Toepfer welcomed the Summit's special reference to the importance of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change so that it enters into force as soon as possible. He also expressed the hope that the Declaration will give added momentum to the adoption of a new ethic of global environmental stewardship and responsibility.
The links between economic growth and environmental protection formed the core message emanating from the Global Ministerial Environment Forum, held three months ago in Malmo, Sweden, under the aegis of UNEP.
"We must have a fuller understanding of the process known as globalization while fostering a greater UN role in harnessing globalization's benefits and in softening its negative impacts," concluded Toepfer. "This should include strengthening environmental policies to ensure that sustainable development no longer remains an abstract concept but becomes a concrete reality."
From a UNEP News Release
Home