Statement by

H. E. Dr. M. Javad Zarif

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran

before

the General Assembly on “ Agenda Item 10:

Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization”

New York, 4 October 2002

…………………………………

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

I wish to begin by expressing my gratitude to the Secretary-General for producing a comprehensive and thoughtful report on the work of the organization. This report bears witness to the extensive and unrelenting efforts made by Secretary-General and his colleagues in the Secretariat to advance the goals of the organization.

My delegation applauds the Secretary-General for his significant focus, both in his report and in his insightful address to this Assembly, on the constructive change that multilateralism makes possible, as well as the opportunities and solutions that it provides. We believe that such a focus is especially of great importance at this stage of international relations. We are pleased that the leadership of the United Nations has taken the lead in developing the principles and practice of multilateralism and, in so doing, proficiently lived up to the expectation of the whole international community.

Undoubtedly, a growing tendency for unilateral action that has intensified in the past year or two in international politics lies at the origin of the ongoing uncertainty and insecurity and, if unchecked, may cause a dangerous and widening rift between those who tend to act unilaterally and the wider international community. And as such, it poses fundamental risks to the international system, in the sense that it has already given rise to conflicting conceptions of how the great public goods namely, security, peace, environment, health, trade, aid and so many other things can be achieved.

The unilateral policy and behavior is not compatible with the globalized and interconnected nature of the current international system and is thus not sustainable in the medium and long term. A glance at the actual world reveals that, as the Secretary-General correctly states in his report, “no single country has the capacity to cope with the political, economic, environmental and technological challenges of an interconnected world.” It is obvious that the current international structure is not unipolar in the sense that one superpower, no matter how powerful it may be, could effectively resolve important international issues alone.

It is against this background that the vision provide by the Secretary-General on the need to enhance multilateralism takes on more importance. Inasmuch as the United Nations is a universal organization and unilateral approach runs counter to its very existence, it is appropriate and commendable that the leadership of this Organization plays a leading role in preserving and promoting cooperation and coordination at the international level.

Mr. President,

Driven by this vision, clearly, the leadership of the Secretary-General has made a significant difference on the issues of peace and security. To the extent possible, the United Nations did its best to live up to the expectation of the world community with regard to the challenge of terrorism in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11^th. The Secretary-General’s report refers to multi-pronged efforts undertaken by the United Nation with a view to mobilizing and harmonizing the global struggle against terrorism. In our view the United Nations is remarkably playing its part in building on the new focus by the international community on weak or collapsed States, like Afghanistan and mobilizing for their reconstruction. In the case of Afghanistan, UNAMA has played a positive role, since its establishment last March, as a positive example of an integrated UN mission designed to address almost all aspects of the situation.

We also concur with the Secretary-General that “terrorism has political, economic, social and psychological roots.” While nothing at all can justify the killing of innocent people, we believe that, unless political issues that serve as breeding grounds for terrorism are effectively addressed, unilateral military and forcible measures would be able only to cut terrorism’s limbs. To address these issues more appropriately, we believe that there is a need for closer coordination between the Secretary-General and the Security Council.

As to the Palestinian question as one of the lingering political issues, it is unfortunate that the Israeli regime frustrated and finally defeated all efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his representative, which aimed at alleviating the plight of the Palestinian people. The assertion by the Secretary-General who repeatedly affirmed that security cannot be achieved while no move toward the restoration of the basic rights of the Palestinian people is in sight has fallen into deaf ears.

The proposal made in last April by the Secretary-General to establish a multinational force was a courageous initiative, which, if implemented, could have had a great impact in lessening the suffering of the Palestinian people. Moreover, the effort by the Secretary-General with a view to organizing an investigation into the crimes committed during Israeli incursion into Jenin refugee camp, which was blocked by the Israelis, is also worth recalling. Regrettably, the Security Council failed to act on these initiatives or follow through on them and, in general, the Council continued, in the period under review, with its pattern of inability in putting an end to the occupation of the Arab lands or taking any action that might improve the plight of the Palestinians. It is needless to recall that several actual vetoes or threats to veto lie at the origin of the paralysis of the Security Council on the Palestinian question. In the final analysis, the failure of the Council to enforce the implementation of its numerous resolutions risks the erosion of its authority.

Mr. President,

In the area of disarmament, like the Secretary-general, we are disheartened at the low level of international cooperation in relevant multilateral forums. Regrettably, as he states in his reports, negotiations on a number of issues in the Conference on Disarmament remained deadlocked. The unilateralist tendency is having its impact on the issue of peace and security, thereby rendering the task of the United Nations in conducting multilateral negotiations on strengthening the ban on the weapons of mass destruction more difficult. Moreover, an inclination to unilateral approach is blocking the negotiations on the protocol on the BWC. As a result, over the period under review, the UN has only been successful in achieving some progress in implementing the Program of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and an increase in the number of participants in the UN Register of Conventional Arms; a modest progress which is indicative of long way yet to be traveled.

Mr. President,

On the field of development, we concur with the view of the Secretary-General that the collaboration among UN system, Bretton-Woods Institutions and WTO should be continued and further strengthened. Obviously, the aim of this cooperation is to achieve the internationally agreed development goals contained in the Millennium Declaration, Financing For Development, World Summit on Sustainable Development and other major conferences and summits. We also agree with the Secretary-General that reinforcing the institutional capacity of the UN Regional Commissions to implement regional programs is an important and challenging task for the UN. As a matter of fact, “implementation” is a challenge at all levels. Fortunately, Doha, Monterey and Johannesburg, have clearly defined how to address the challenge of putting the development concerns of the vast majority of countries, the developing countries, at the center of the activities of the international organizations in particular the United Nations. In light of the outcomes of these conferences, we are of the view that the UN can and should further improve its work. To perform its leadership role, it is of crucial importance for the UN to take concrete measures for the implementation of the outcomes of these conferences which relate to institutional and organizational aspects of its work. To this end, chapter 10 of the WSSD Plan of Implementation, which has anticipated new changes in the work of the UN system as well as relevant other conferences, should be implemented in an expeditious manner. Operationalization of these outcomes, which have the endorsement of world leaders, would enable the UN to succeed in the important aspect of its work, which is the promotion of development.

Finally, Mr. President, my delegation has also noted the emphasis placed in the report on the efforts made towards ensuring sound financial management, mainstreaming performance management and consolidating the reform of human resources management within the Secretariat. Findings and conclusions of various inspections, in-depth evaluations, audit activities and investigations undertaken during the past year demonstrate the importance of an intensified mechanism of accountability, which is to be instilled throughout the Organization. Such a mechanism, as a key element in successful accomplishment of the reform in human resource management, is imperative for full implementation of all mandated programmes approved by Member States. We believe the Office of Human Resource Management should continue its central role to effectively supervise, among other things, the recruitment process to ensure that, while attracting highly qualified staff, the principle of equitable geographical distribution is respected, including in filling vacancies in senior management positions. Strengthening the United Nations to be credible and capable of responding to the challenges emanating from the ongoing globalization process and relevant to all Member States entails enhanced capacity of the Secretariat. We hope another round of reforms initiated recently by the Secretary-General would help the Secretariat’s programme of work further align itself with the demands and concerns of Member States, particularly developing countries.

Thank you Mr. President.