Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
At the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations
[Delivered at the UN General Assembly Hall, New York City, New York, U.S.A, October 24, 1995]
Our bridge to the future
AS A SIGNATORY to the United Nations Charter in San Francisco in 1945, and as the current chairman of the Group of 77, the Philippines has considered it an exciting privilege to take part in the work of the United Nations.
In five turbulent decades, we have seen the decolonization of virtually the whole world, the rise of human rights to the forefront of world concerns, the engagement of our world community in reform for the welfare of children, women, minorities and the environment, and most of all, the work of reengineering development in the poor regions of the world.
Agenda for development
Now we must ensure that this organization is adequate to meet the challenges of a new era.
Let us remember that from the beginning, the United Nations was created to help improve “standards of life in larger freedom” all over the world.
Today, we know that poor countries, given the right policies and just a little assistance, can actually develop and raise their living standards.
Yet, sadly, we find in the developed countries and even in some of the more advanced developing nations a deplorable effort to turn back the tide—by closing their markets to exports and raising false issues about the environment and labor standards.
We, therefore, must now press forward even more intensely the U.N.’s work to spread economic progress and social justice, the lack of which are the root causes of conflict.
With equal dispatch, let us strengthen the U.N. agencies involved in promoting social justice and economic progress. The fact remains that the gap between rich and poor nations endures—and, in some cases, is widening by dangerous proportions. Peace cannot grow in any society gripped by poverty and misery.
Our peace mandate
In the work of peace-making, clearly adjustments are in order. Although the threat to global peace from nuclear confrontation has greatly diminished, in its place have arisen many regional and ethnic conflicts that are as deadly and which constitute both a challenge and an affront to the collective conscience of mankind.
Therefore, we should not neglect the chance to push the United Nations to a more forthright stand against all acts, methods and practices of terrorism. Terrorism is a dagger aimed at the very heart of each nation’s security and global stability.
At the same time, we must condemn the grotesque obsession with nuclear weapons and other instruments of mass destruction, and work concertedly for the conclusion next year of a comprehensive test-ban treaty that would put a stop to all nuclear testing for all time.
Human rights
Mr. President, excellencies:
On behalf of the Group of 77, I also draw the Assembly’s attention to the problems arising from the large-scale migration of workers. For the great majority of them, migration means deprivation of rights, double standards in the eyes of the law and, worse, exposure to violence and abuse.
We urge the convening by the United Nations of an international conference to deal with the plight of migrant workers. That the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families still has to be ratified by many countries is just one more reminder of the difficult road we still have to travel.
Reforming the U.N. structure
Finally, Mr. President, excellencies:
Let us not allow this commemoration to pass without dealing with the issue of reforming the United Nations—its organization, its processes and its finances.
The most efficient organization in the world cannot effectively function without stable and predictable financing. We, therefore, call upon all members to fulfill their financial obligations to the United Nations, and do so on time.
We support reform of the U.N. Security Council itself. We believe membership should be enlarged and reapportioned to ensure equitable representation of all geographic regions and of the developing countries.
Mr. President, excellencies:
This is not to express impatience with an institution that has served our world with such dedication for half a century.
This is rather to express the hope that our United Nations of the future will even be more caring and proactive, and be the bridge to the fulfillment of our people’s aspirations.