Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at a dinner for the diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace on 14 April 2005

With the arrival of spring, my husband and I take great pleasure in welcoming the accredited heads of diplomatic missions to Finland and their spouses as well as our Finnish guests to this traditional dinner, for the sixth time now.

Strengthening international cooperation and developing the multilateral system to govern the global world are timely issues as we prepare for the United Nations' summit in September.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report to the General Assembly provides a good and ambitious starting point for this work. We can succeed at the autumn summit. This requires strong political will on the part of all members - together with willingness to compromise. In this process, the European Union must show that it is a credible and responsible international actor. Finland lends her full support to the UN Secretary-General and we hope that he will play a strong role in preparing the September summit.

Finland is in favour of most of the proposals in the Secretary-General's report. We are still assessing the proposals in more detail - like other countries, no doubt. Finland wants to keep non-governmental organizations closely involved in the preparation process. In addition to activity at the state level, achieving the goals set for the summit and carrying out reforms require an active civil society and work at the "grassroots level". In the spirit of the Helsinki process, this cooperation must also include the business world, which should have the courage to look for new places to invest also in Africa.

The overriding theme of the Secretary-General's report is the triangle formed by development, security and human rights. Finland supports this broader concept of security. It emphasizes the importance of peace, fundamental and human rights, democracy, the rule of law and good governance. We must see the whole picture. When progress takes place in one of these areas, it reinforces development elsewhere. The goal should be a "virtuous circle".

Given the challenges of globalization and new security risks, no state can maintain or develop her own or its citizens' security, welfare and prosperity alone. We live in a shared world in which security and economics are plainly linked.

With regard to the UN development agenda, Finland has emphasized a comprehensive approach to implementing the Millennium Declaration. The Millennium Development Goals reflect an urgent and endorsed set of priorities. Radically reducing poverty and improving the position of women and children are top priorities. The developing countries must take an active stance and work in a persistant manner to achieve their own goals. But they cannot manage alone. The industrialized countries must show solidarity, which should be reflected in the quantity and quality of development aid.

The Millennium Development Goals must also be seen as part of a broader development agenda. Measures aimed at dynamic and sustainable growth, improving employment and social fairness and promoting sustainable development support broad-scale security. The recommendations in the report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization - including on such things as cross-border movement of people and ensuring decent jobs - and their implementation are meant to support this.

The Secretary-General correctly draws attention to environmental issues in his report. The final document to be approved this autumn must emphasize the environmental aspect in order to strengthen sustainable development. We must recognize our responsibility for the kind of world we will leave to our children and future generations.

New threats to our security underline the significance of the UN and its Charter. The right to react in self-defence and the Security Council's broad powers to intervene when security is threatened allow the use of force when this is necessary. We support the Secretary-General's desire to reaffirm the Charter's provisions in this respect. We also welcome the Secretary-General's proposal that the Security Council should approve principles concerning the use of force.

The Secretary-General's views with regard to nuclear disarmament and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are correct. The report's recommendations concerning terrorism should be ratified at highest political level. It is important for the members of the UN to reach a consensus that terrorism is not justified in any circumstances.

The UN has nearly 60 years of experience in peacekeeping work, and we must continue to recognize our responsibility in this sector. I fully support the Secretary-General's views regarding closer cooperation between the UN and regional organizations. The European Union must take an active role in crisis management and should step up its cooperation with the UN. Finland will go on participating in the UN's crisis management work. Developing military and civil crisis management tools is one of Finland's foreign policy priorities.

Respect for human rights is a cornerstone of balanced social development. Finland wants human rights to be given their proper place in UN work as prescribed by the Charter. It is equally important to strengthen human rights institutions. Finland's point of departure is that the final document to be approved this autumn must clearly support the importance of the gender mainstreaming approach in all issues.

In order to achieve all this, the UN must reform itself as an institution. Finland supports a comprehensive reform of the UN. This means reestablishing the General Assembly's prestige and strengthening the role of the economic and social sector. In our opinion, the Security Council must be reformed to bring it in line with the modern world. Finland hopes that a consensus can be achieved before the summit in September. Finland is in favour of increasing the number of permanent and non-permanent members in the Security Council. However, we do not see any justification for expanding the right of veto. Finland is positively disposed towards establishing a new Peacebuilding Commission, although many practical questions remain to be resolved. This new body would strengthen the link between crisis management and development issues, among other things.

The coming summit will offer a unique opportunity to make the world a better place for us and for our children to live in. I appeal to all of you; a successful outcome in September requires broad commitment and strong political will - from all of us. Let us work together for a better, fairer and safer world.