2022 Speech - Japan
| Session Number | 77 |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
| Country | Japan |
| Country Code | JPN |
| Speech |
We stand at a historic watershed moment. Seventy-seven years have passed since the establishment of the United Nations, yet we are still witnessing devastation in Ukraine and around the world. What would the founders of the United Nations, who were determined not to repeat the scourge of the world wars, think if they saw the challenges to the international order that we are facing?
We have all gathered here at the General Assembly because we stand with the fundamental vision and principles of the Charter of the United Nations — to realize an international community in which Member States unite to maintain peace and security and all people can enjoy economic and social development. Is that not what we are aiming for? It is imperative to maintain an international order in which the rule of law is firmly established. The United Nations has played a central role in the development of such an international order. However, today we see its foundations being gravely shaken. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an act that tramples on the vision and principles of the Charter. It is crucial for all countries to be under the rule of law, not the rule of force. We absolutely cannot allow that. The United Nations does not exist solely for the benefit of the great Powers. It exists for the entire international community, founded on the principle of the sovereign equality of all Member States. It exists to fulfil the claims of not just the powerful and loud States but also of the voices that often go unheard but are equally legitimate. And it is especially relevant at a time when the existing international order is being tested around the world. Now is the time to return to the vision and principles of the Charter and to mobilize our strength and wisdom in order to ensure an international order that is based on the rule of law. To that end, we must reform the United Nations and strengthen its functions. The late Secretary-General Hammarskjold, who was killed in the line of duty while attempting to mediate a ceasefire during the Congo crisis, said that “[i]t is our responsibility to remedy any flaws there may be” in the institutions of the United Nations.” In order to realize the world to which the Charter aspires, we must tackle head-on the strengthening of the functions of our Organization. In order to demonstrate Japan’s strong commitment to the United Nations and to multilateralism, I would hereby like to outline Japan’s commitment to realizing our Organization’s vision. First, we must reform the United Nations, including the Security Council, in order to return to the vision and principles of the United Nations Charter, with the strengthening of the Organization’s functions, including with regard to disarmament and non-proliferation. Secondly, we must bring about a United Nations that promotes the rule of law in the international community. Thirdly, we must promote efforts based on the concept of human security in the new era. We must face the fact that the credibility of the United Nations is at stake due to the aggression against Ukraine by Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council. We, the States Members of the United Nations, must act to restore this Organization’s credibility. There are frequent discussions about the dysfunctionality of the Security Council. We have debated that issue for 30 years. But what is truly needed now is not a discussion for the sake of discussion, but actions towards reform. Even among the permanent member States of the Security Council, there are some countries that have shown a willingness to embrace reform. But there can be no reform without negotiation. The various positions cannot be compromised or converge without any negotiation. The time has come to start text-based negotiations in order to reform the Security Council. The Summit of the Future, in 2024, is an excellent opportunity to broadly review the nature of the United Nations. By all means, let us gather a wide range of wisdom, including from experts, and build momentum. Faced with the crisis of the international order caused by Russia’s aggression, the General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning Russia in the strongest terms with an overwhelming majority (resolution ES- 11/1). At that time, the United Nations was a beacon in the dark night, clearly indicating the direction in which the international community should go. The General Assembly proved to be the sole universal organ that represents all Member States, pointing us in the direction of the international community’s just cause. Japan is determined not only to reform the Security Council, but also to work earnestly to further revitalize the General Assembly and to push the United Nations so it can pursue an even greater role in the maintenance of peace and security. Japan will also continue to support the Secretary-General as he oversees the activities of this Organization. Even threatening to use nuclear weapons, as Russia has done, not to mention actually using them, is a serious threat to the peace and security of the international community and is absolutely unacceptable. As a Prime Minister from Hiroshima, I am immensely dedicated to the realization of a world without nuclear weapons, driven by the sentiments from the hibakusha, the victims of the use of nuclear weapons. Last month, the sole opposition by Russia blocked the unity and concerted efforts of the international community to reach consensus on an outcome document that would maintain and strengthen the non-proliferation regime, which is the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. That caused me great dismay, just as it did for the overwhelming majority of the Member States. However, I refuse to relent, because we are only one country away from adopting the draft final outcome document by consensus. I believe that document represents a new foundation for the international community to proceed with realistic engagements on nuclear disarmament in future. As the only nation to have ever suffered atomic bombings during war, Japan has a unique historical role, and we renew our resolve to realize a world without nuclear weapons. We will continue to make pragmatic efforts to achieve that goal. We must ensure that Nagasaki remains the last place to suffer an atomic bombing. This is the twentieth year since the Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration, signed by Prime Minister Koizumi and Chairman of the National Defence Commission Kim Jong II. Japan’s policy remains unchanged. Japan seeks to normalize its relationship with North Korea, in accordance with the Japan-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Pyongyang Declaration, through comprehensively resolving the outstanding issues of concern, such as the abductions and the nuclear and missile issues, as well as putting the unfortunate past behind us. Japan is prepared to engage in dialogue on matters of mutual concern. I am determined to meet with President Kim Jong Un, without any conditions, and will seize any opportunity and give my all to take diligent action in that regard. Japan has also made long-term contributions in the field of peacebuilding. Japan first participated in a full-scale peacekeeping mission in Cambodia in 1992. Thirty years later, many Cambodian personnel wearing blue helmets are protecting the peace and future of places such as Mali, the Central African Republic and Lebanon. Then Lieutenant Colonel Teav Chanrithy was one of many deployed to Lebanon after Japan’s peacekeeping training. Since then, he has been active as a peacebuilder, mentoring younger generations at the peacekeeping operations training centre for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. The torch of peace created through Japan’s contributions to peacekeeping operations will be borne beyond generations and across borders. Japan supports it. Japan is fully committed to the realization of a United Nations that promotes the rule of law in the international community. The rule of law is not reserved for one particular State or region. We need to remind ourselves that the rule of law is especially important for vulnerable nations. Strengthening the rule of law based on international law will, in the long run, benefit all States and lead to the sustainable growth and sound development of the international community. On the basis of that conviction, Japan has been playing an active role in various fields in cooperation with other countries, including efforts towards the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific. In 1970, overcoming serious divisions among Member States at the time and with persistent dialogue, the General Assembly adopted resolution 2625 (XXV), entitled “The Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States”, also known as the friendly relations declaration. That Declaration, the fruit of our predecessors’ wisdom, serves as a foundation from which the basic principles for the promotion of the rule of law are drawn. The following basic principles for States emerge from that Declaration: first, to break away from rule by force and pursue the rule of law through observing international law in good faith; secondly, to not allow any attempts to change the status quo of territories or areas by force or coercion; and thirdly, to cooperate with one another in addressing serious violations of the principles of the United Nations Charter. We are convinced that those basic principles serve as the basis to hold an increasingly divided international community together while ensuring respect for human rights and achieving sustainable development. Starting in January, Japan will serve as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. By listening not only to the big voices but also the small voices, we intend to take action to strengthen the rule of law in the international community. Japan will strengthen efforts based on the concept of human security in the new era. People deserve to enjoy a high-quality life, free from anxiety and fear. The concept of human security has not changed, but now we are standing at a historical watershed moment and facing a new challenge. Today, in addition to global pandemics, we see the use of force and coercion against other countries, food and energy insecurity, inflation and climate change. These are all interconnected and threaten the safety of people now more than ever, further exacerbating poverty and disease. The Sustainable Development Goals aim for a society in which no one is left behind, and their achievement requires the realization of human security in the new area. In doing so, the key is to enhance the resilience of individuals, societies and nations to cope with the changes and challenges specific to our times. Adjumani district, in Uganda, is facing difficult and complicated issues, such as the increasing influx of refugees from neighbouring countries and rising costs due to the situation in Ukraine, which is just one example of the difficult and complex challenges that the world is facing today. Moini Fred, an administrator from Adjumani, learned through the Japan International Cooperation Agency training how to incorporate the views of both refugees and his compatriots in running his district. Despite its own economic difficulties, Adjumani district continues to provide administrative services as well as support to refugees, and Mr. Fred is working hard to build a cohesive community free of ethnicity- or nationality-based tensions. With an unsteady international order and amid growing anxiety, Japan will work with the United Nations in order to realize human security in the new era, including on initiatives through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. In addition, Japan will also continue to invest generously in people. At the eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in August, I announced the investment of $30 billion in Africa as the sum of public and private financial contributions over the next three years, with an emphasis on investment in people. Japan will also focus on human-resource development and capacity-building in other parts of the world. Based on my conviction that education is the foundation of peace, I will serve as an education champion and promote cooperation through human- resource development based on the outcome of the United Nations Transforming Education Summit. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has also illustrated the importance of human health and efforts to protect people from disease. Japan has provided a total of approximately $5 billion to support the COVID-19 response, including vaccine-related assistance through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility and other programmes. Japan has also decided to contribute $1.08 billion to the Global Fund over the next three years. Japan will continue to take a leading role in strengthening the global health architecture and achieving universal health coverage in the post-COVID-19 era as we approach next year’s Group of Seven summit, which I will preside over. Japan is also contributing steadily to the creation of a world where people can enjoy a high-quality life in a safe environment. Our emergency assistance and support to strengthen the resilience of food systems in order to ensure food security, as well as our role in the development of international standards and norms in the field of information and telecommunications through the efforts at the International Telecommunication Union and other organizations, are just a few examples. In order to promote those efforts, Japan will also revise its Development Cooperation Charter, which articulates the basic policy of our development-cooperation policies. I support the Secretary-General’s leadership in presenting Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) as a response to the current and future challenges facing the international community. As history experiences this dramatic change, Japan will continue to support suffering people around the world under the concept of human security in the new era. Japan will work together with the United Nations and Member States towards the maintenance of peace and stability underpinned by an international order based on the rule of law. It is precisely because we stand at a watershed moment in history that Japan continues to have strong expectations for the United Nations. Times change, but one thing remains the same: the vision and the principles of the United Nations. With that conviction, I am determined to work with everyone in order to strengthen the United Nations. |