Mr. Chairman, Excellencies
Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
ALLOW me first to
congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran as the new Chair of NAM and also
extend our appreciation for the excellent organization of the Preparatory
Ministerial Meeting of the Sixteenth NAM Summit. I would also like to express
our sincere appreciation to Egypt as the out-going Chair for the exemplary
leadership in the past three years.
Mr. Chairman,
The world has changed since
the birth of NAM and the challenges that we face today are more complex. In
today’s international order, we often witness the hypocrisy of powerful States
claiming to champion freedom, democracy and good governance but at the same
time have been known to behave in the most oppressive manner. We see them arm
twisting and bullying small states to their will, all in the name of progress
and democracy.
Equality and freedom have
commonly been identified as important characteristics of ‘good governance’.
These two characteristics can be well argued as outright pre-requisites for
peace and security.
At the international level,
good governance calls for every sovereign nation to be treated equal before the
law and be entitled to equal protection by the law. No country should be
discriminated due to its size, historical and cultural background, its system
of government, its beliefs and ideals.
The rights and interests of
every nation must be upheld and their concerns addressed for lasting
international peace and stability. But is this the case?
Sadly, this is not always
the case. It is against this backdrop that Malaysia believes in a policy of
inclusiveness in the international decision-making process. It is against this backdrop that global
governance should be framed and the Movement must show solidarity in calling
for change in that direction.
Therefore, the theme of this
interactive debate “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance” is timely.
Together, NAM must advocate
and lead the way in building an international order based on inclusion,
justice, equality, human dignity, understanding and respect for cultural
diversity by being more assertive on these principles.
Additionally, these
principles should be articulated and practised within the principles of
sovereign equality and non-interference in the domestic affairs of states. Has
NAM exploited its strength and leveraged on its influence in dealing with
issues and challenges confronting the international community?
Mr. Chairman,
When we think of joint
global governance, we cannot run away from discussing the current efforts to
reform the UN and its organs, primarily the General Assembly and the Security
Council. We agree that the values and principles of the UN Charter should always
be respected and upheld.
However, the failure to
arrive at and implement decisions undermines UN’s relevance and effectiveness.
Here, I would like to once again highlight what have been said many times
before in many international forums that the UN needs urgent reform.
That is why Malaysia will
continue to call for comprehensive reforms of the United Nations including the
revitalisation of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policy-making
and representative body.
Equally important are also
reforms to the Security Council to reflect the geopolitical realities of the
21st century. The Security Council should ideally be more democratically
represented, competent and effective in maintaining international peace and
security.
We all agree that the
Council needs to be reformed and but we have not agreed on how. Progress will
never be made with this difference of opinions. We must find compromise within
the different views and articulate positions in areas of convergence that
reflects the overarching views and positions of NAM.
Only then, we can capitalise
on our strength in numbers and present a unified position. Only then, we can
hope to move the reform process forward.
Let me cite a few clear
examples. For many years, we have been struggling to find solution to the
Question of Palestine. Despite no fewer than 200 resolutions by the Security
Council and twice as many resolutions by the General Assembly, the Palestinian
issue remains unresolved.
This is a glaring display of
UN’s weaknesses and a clear call for addressing this paralysis. Another example
is Syria where we see the inability of the Permanent Members of the Security
Council to find a just solution to the senseless and unceasing violence there.
Mr. Chairman,
It has been seven decades
since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and we
have seen vast developments in this area since then. The UDHR is not intended
to exhibit a particular point of view of any one people or group of peoples or
any particular political or philosophical system. Human rights should not be
applied in a vacuum and Article 29 (1) of UDHR demonstrates this.
Global governance in human
rights has evolved with numerous treaties on human rights and treaty bodies.
Although there are basic elements that the world needs to agree on, the way of
addressing any human rights issue, from one country to another, should be
different due to unique sovereign differences in culture and religion and this
is where sensitivity is needed when dealing with human rights across borders.
Additionally, we must not
allow human rights to be used as a tool to impose one’s values over others,
destabilize and interfere in other countries’ internal affairs. Politicisation,
selectivity and double standards should be eliminated from the international
processes involving the issue of human rights.
I believe NAM can relate to
this due to the diversity of its members and I stress that we must learn to
respect and accept each other’s values and differences in the context of human
rights.
Mr. Chairman,
Global governance does not
only concern itself with geopolitical realities but also geo-economics. The
Euro debt and the sub-prime crises have taken a tremendous toll on the world’s
economy especially their impact on developing countries.
These problems exist because
of structural problems in the economy of developed countries marked by the lack
of proper corporate governance and sovereign financial mismanagement. Isn’t it
unfair that many are made to suffer by the action of the irresponsible and
excessive few?
These crises have once again
demonstrated to us the ineffectiveness of the Bretton-Woods system with
institutions created to cater for global economic situations nearly 60 years
ago. Malaysia calls for reforms of such international financial institutions,
particularly, their decision-making process.
There is an undeniable need
for comprehensive, substantive and structural reforms. Malaysia also supports
the call for equitable participation and representation of developing countries
in the decisions made by international financial and monetary institutions.
Mr. Chairman,
Before I end, allow me to
reiterate that in these changing times, NAM will continue to face new and
complex challenges. Staring at these new realities, NAM members have no other
options but to come and work together as a single and cohesive entity with
collective understanding and cooperation.
These would ensure the
resilience, strength, relevance and effectiveness of our Movement in addressing
these kinds of challenges. I am
certain that we can jointly strive towards achieving lasting peace.
Mr Chairman,
Let me end now by thanking
you for the excellent arrangement and assure you the full cooperation of my
delegation in ensuring the success of our deliberations here. We look forward to working with the Islamic
Republic of Iran as Chair of our Movement in a host of important issues.
Thank you.
DATUK SERI ANIFAH AMAN
NAM XVI SUMMIT, TEHRAN
28 AUGUST 2012
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