Statement by H.E. Mr. Shigeki Sumi
Ambassador
Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations
At the High-Level Thematic Debate on
“The United Nations in Global Governance”
28 June 2011

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to H.E. Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the General Assembly, for convening this thematic debate on the “The United Nations in Global Governance”. I also would like to thank the respective panelists for their interesting presentations.

The United Nations system, including specialized UN agencies and the Bretton Woods Institutions, implements global governance in a wide range of areas, encompassing the political, economic and social fields. In that undertaking, the United Nations proper fulfills a central role. I wish to express my appreciation to President Deiss, who has been emphasizing the theme of “Reaffirming the central role of the United Nations in global governance” since assuming leadership of the General Assembly, for taking the initiative to convene this thematic debate on that subject. I welcome as well the adoption of General Assembly resolution A/RES/65/94 entitled, “The United Nations in global governance”, proposed by Chile and Singapore in conjunction with many other Member States.

The greatest task for the United Nations in the context of global governance is the maintenance of international peace and security. To meet this obligation, enhancing the activities of the Security Council and ensuring its effective functioning, approaching conflicts from a more comprehensive perspective and making progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation for the protection of peace, are essential. Moreover, the United Nations assumes a crucial role in the fields of economic and social development. In that regard, the attainment of the MDGs by the year 2015 is a particularly pressing challenge, which is integral to poverty reduction and human security. The current stagnation in the worldwide economic and financial situation is having a contributory adverse impact on attainment of the MDGs. To minimize such impact, the United Nations must work to strengthen its cooperation with relevant organizations and fora such as the G20, so that it can play a more effective part in global economic governance. The role that President Deiss has taken on in these areas thus is highly appreciated.

In addressing development issues including attainment of the MDGs, it is necessary as well to exercise preventive diplomacy and confront the various problems typical of a post-conflict situation. Assessments show that, even when a conflict has been resolved, 10 years further on, as many as half of the affected countries have relapsed into conflict. For peace to be maintained, for peacebuilding to take place, economic and social stability in the aftermath of conflict are indispensable. And the support to realize a seamless transition from reconstruction to development from the human security perspective is what is expected of the United Nations, as one component of its global governance. The Peacebuilding Commission is the organization that is key to meeting that expectation.

In the statement given upon the assumption of his duties in September last year, President Deiss asserted the central role of the United Nations in global governance and the importance, for that purpose, of internal reform of the Organization, in particular reform of the Security Council. In the current session of the General Assembly, review of the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, which had also been designated as a critical step in the UN reform process, has been completed. The major remaining task is Security Council reform. For the purpose of addressing the issues of international peace and security, which is the UN’s greatest task, it is necessary to reform the Security Council in such a way as to make the Council more representative and lend it greater legitimacy, while enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency. If we cannot progress this far, the United Nations eventually may well be marginalized. We highly value the resolve of President Deiss to achieve concrete results on Security Council reform during the current session of the General Assembly, and we are counting on him to take the initiative in this crucial matter.

Mr. Chairman,

For Japan’s part, while strongly impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake occurring in March this year, as well as the ensuing accident at the nuclear power plant, we are determined to overcome these difficulties and, through continuing cooperation with the international community, create a stronger, more open State. And we believe that it is precisely by continuing our ongoing contribution to the peace and prosperity of international society in the context of global governance, that we can best show our gratitude for all of the support and assistance extended to us during this very challenging time.

Thank you.