Rupel Outlines Slovenia's Positions on UN Reform

New York, 20 September

Slovenian FM Dimitrij Rupel welcomed the Outcome Document of the ongoing UN summit as "an important step towards an effective reform of the UN". Nevertheless, Slovenia misses "a more ambitious platform" with clearer solutions about how to cope with the challenges and threats of the 21st century.

In his address to the 60th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Rupel stressed that what Slovenia missed the most in the document was "a definition of terrorism" and a higher level of agreement on the Human Rights Council.
"A definition of terrorism would provide clarity and thus a better insurance policy for human rights," he stressed. He added that the UN cannot be successful in dealing with the threats if it had problems with the very definition of terrorism.
Regretting that the Human Rights Council has been left without the necessary vision, Rupel said that Slovenia would like it to be "a standing Council", a kind of a principal UN body capable of dealing with all human rights in all countries, he said.
Rupel was happy to note, however, that the document does state "that there is no development without security and no security without development, and that development and security highly depend on the respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy".
Since human rights and the rule of law are of highest priority for Slovenia, the country welcomes the "Responsibility to Protect" principle as a conceptual breakthrough which should prevent future tragedies of the kind of Srebrenica, Rwanda or Darfur, according to Rupel.
Nevertheless, Slovenia is "rather disappointed" that the Outcome Document contains no provisions about disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Rupel also called on UN member states to continue to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals, adding that as one of the ten new EU member states, Slovenia "committed itself to attain 0.33% of GDP as its contribution to development aid by 2015".
Rupel moreover welcomed the establishment of a Democracy Fund, a Peacebuilding Commission, and the proposed strengthened role of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Here he also mentioned the dialogue of civilisations, stressing that any differentiation between "us" and "them" was unacceptable. As OSCE chairman-in-office, he wished for a binding foundation for permanent cooperation between the UN and the OSCE.
Last but not least, Slovenian Foreign Minister Rupel said Slovenia expected that in the course of the 60th session a consensus would be reached on concrete forms of the UN institutional reform in order to make the Organisation more efficient.

Rupel Outlines Slovenia's Positions on UN Reform

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