George W. Bush
Speech to the United Nations Concerning U.N. Corruption and Related
Issues
United Nations, New York City, New York
September 15, 2005
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary
General, Mr. President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
Thank you for the privilege of being here for the 60th anniversary of
the United Nations. Thank you for your dedication to the vital work and
great ideals of this institution.
We meet at a time of great
challenge for America and the world. At this moment, men and women along
my country's Gulf Coast are recovering from one of the worst natural
disasters in American history. Many have lost homes, and loved ones, and
all their earthly possessions.In Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana,
whole neighborhoods have been lifted from their foundations and sent
crashing into the streets. A great American city is working to turn the
flood waters and reclaim its future.
We have witnessed the
awesome power of nature -- and the greater power of human compassion.
Americans have responded to their neighbors in need, and so have many of
the nations represented in this chamber. All together, more than 115
countries and nearly a dozen international organizations have stepped
forward with offers of assistance.To every nation, every province, and
every community across the world that is standing with the American
people in this hour of need, I offer the thanks of my nation.
Your response, like the
response to last year's tsunami, has shown once again that the world is
more compassionate and hopeful when we act together. This truth was the
inspiration for the United Nations. The U.N.'s founding members laid out
great and honorable goals in the charter they drafted six decades ago.
That document commits this organization to work to "save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war," "reaffirm faith in fundamental
human rights," and "promote social progress and better standards of life
in larger freedom." We remain committed to those noble ideals. As we
respond to great humanitarian needs, we must actively respond to the
other great challenges of our time. We must continue to work to ease
suffering, and to spread freedom, and to lay the foundations of lasting
peace for our children and grandchildren.
In this young century, the
far corners of the world are linked more closely than ever before -- and
no nation can remain isolated and indifferent to the struggles of
others. When a country, or a region is filled with despair, and
resentment and vulnerable to violent and aggressive ideologies, the
threat passes easily across oceans and borders, and could threaten the
security of any peaceful country.
Terrorism fed by anger and
despair has come to Tunisia, to Indonesia, to Kenya, to Tanzania, to
Morocco, to Israel, to Saudi Arabia, to the United States, to Turkey, to
Spain, to Russia, to Egypt, to Iraq, and the United Kingdom. And those
who have not seen attacks on their own soil have still shared in the
sorrow -- from Australians killed in Bali, to Italians killed in Egypt,
to the citizens of dozens of nations who were killed on September the
11th, 2001, here in the city where we meet. The lesson is clear: There
can be no safety in looking away, or seeking the quiet life by ignoring
the hardship and oppression of others. Either hope will spread, or
violence will spread -- and we must take the side of hope.
Sometimes our security will
require confronting threats directly, and so a great coalition of
nations has come together to fight the terrorists across the world.
We've worked together to help break up terrorist networks that cross
borders, and rout out radical cells within our own borders. We've
eliminated terrorist sanctuaries. We're using our diplomatic and
financial tools to cut off their financing and drain them of support.
And as we fight, the terrorists must know that the world stands united
against them. We must complete the Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism that will put every nation on record: The
targeting and deliberate killing by terrorists of civilians and
non-combatants cannot be justified or legitimized by any cause or
grievance.
And the world's free nations
are determined to stop the terrorists and their allies from acquiring
the terrible weapons that would allow them to kill on a scale equal to
their hatred. For that reason, more than 60 countries are supporting the
Proliferation Security Initiative to intercept shipments of weapons of
mass destruction on land, on sea, and in air. The terrorists must know
that wherever they go, they cannot escape justice.
Later today, the Security
Council has an opportunity to put the terrorists on notice when it votes
on a resolution that condemns the incitement of terrorist acts -- the
resolution that calls upon all states to take appropriate steps to end
such incitement. We also need to sign and implement the International
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, so that all
those who seek radioactive materials or nuclear devices are prosecuted
and extradited, wherever they are. We must send a clear message to the
rulers of outlaw regimes that sponsor terror and pursue weapons of mass
murder: You will not be allowed to threaten the peace and stability of
the world.
Confronting our enemies is
essential, and so civilized nations will continue to take the fight to
the terrorists. Yet we know that this war will not be won by force of
arms alone. We must defeat the terrorists on the battlefield, and we
must also defeat them in the battle of ideas. We must change the
conditions that allow terrorists to flourish and recruit, by spreading
the hope of freedom to millions who've never known it. We must help
raise up the failing states and stagnant societies that provide fertile
ground for the terrorists. We must defend and extend a vision of human
dignity, and opportunity, and prosperity -- a vision far stronger than
the dark appeal of resentment and murder.
To spread a vision of hope,
the United States is determined to help nations that are struggling with
poverty. We are committed to the Millennium Development goals. This is
an ambitious agenda that includes cutting poverty and hunger in half,
ensuring that every boy and girl in the world has access to primary
education, and halting the spread of AIDS -- all by 2015.
We have a moral obligation
to help others -- and a moral duty to make sure our actions are
effective. At Monterrey in 2002, we agreed to a new vision for the way
we fight poverty, and curb corruption, and provide aid in this new
millennium. Developing countries agreed to take responsibility for their
own economic progress through good governance and sound policies and the
rule of law. Developed countries agreed to support those efforts,
including increased aid to nations that undertake necessary reforms. My
own country has sought to implement the Monterrey Consensus by
establishing the new Millennium Challenge Account. This account is
increasing U.S. aid for countries that govern justly, invest in their
people, and promote economic freedom.
More needs to be done. I
call on all the world's nations to implement the Monterrey Consensus.
Implementing the Monterrey Consensus means continuing on the long, hard
road to reform. Implementing the Monterrey Consensus means creating a
genuine partnership between developed and developing countries to
replace the donor-client relationship of the past. And implementing the
Monterrey Consensus means welcoming all developing countries as full
participants to the global economy, with all the requisite benefits and
responsibilities.
Tying aid to reform is
essential to eliminating poverty, but our work doesn't end there. For
many countries, AIDS, malaria, and other diseases are both humanitarian
tragedies and significant obstacles to development. We must give poor
countries access to the emergency lifesaving drugs they need to fight
these infectious epidemics. Through our bilateral programs and the
Global Fund, the United States will continue to lead the world in
providing the resources to defeat the plague of HIV-AIDS.
Today America is working
with local authorities and organizations in the largest initiative in
history to combat a specific disease. Across Africa, we're helping local
health officials expand AIDS testing facilities, train and support
doctors and nurses and counselors, and upgrade clinics and hospitals.
Working with our African partners, we have now delivered lifesaving
treatment to more than 230,000 people in sub-Sahara Africa. We are ahead
of schedule to meet an important objective: providing HIV-AIDS treatment
for nearly two million adults and children in Africa. At the G-8 Summit
at Gleneagles, Scotland, we set a clear goal: an AIDS-free generation in
Africa. And I challenge every member of the United Nations to take
concrete steps to achieve that goal.
We're also working to fight
malaria. This preventable disease kills more than a million people
around the world every year -- and leaves poverty and grief in every
land it touches. The United States has set a goal of cutting the malaria
death rate in half in at least 15 highly endemic African countries. To
achieve that goal, we've pledged to increase our funding for malaria
treatment and prevention by more than $1.2 billion over the next five
years. We invite other nations to join us in this effort by committing
specific aid to the dozens of other African nations in need of it.
Together we can fight malaria and save hundreds of thousands of lives,
and bring new hope to countries that have been devastated by this
terrible disease.
As we strengthen our
commitments to fighting malaria and AIDS, we must also remain on the
offensive against new threats to public health such as the Avian
Influenza. If left unchallenged, this virus could become the first
pandemic of the 21st century. We must not allow that to happen. Today I
am announcing a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic
Influenza. The Partnership requires countries that face an outbreak to
immediately share information and provide samples to the World Health
Organization. By requiring transparency, we can respond more rapidly to
dangerous outbreaks and stop them on time. Many nations have already
joined this partnership; we invite all nations to participate. It's
essential we work together, and as we do so, we will fulfill a moral
duty to protect our citizens, and heal the sick, and comfort the
afflicted.
Even with increased aid to
fight disease and reform economies, many nations are held back by
another heavy challenge: the burden of debt. So America and many nations
have also acted to lift this burden that limits the growth of developing
economies, and holds millions of people in poverty. Today poor countries
with the heaviest debt burdens are receiving more than $30 billion in
debt relief. And to prevent the build-up of future debt, my country and
other nations have agreed that international financial institutions
should increasingly provide new aid in the form of grants, rather than
loans. The G-8 agreed at Gleneagles to go further. To break the lend-
and-forgive cycle permanently, we agreed to cancel 100 percent of the
debt for the world's most heavily indebted nations. I call upon the
World Bank and the IMF to finalize this historic agreement as soon as
possible.
We will fight to lift the
burden of poverty from places of suffering -- not just for the moment,
but permanently. And the surest path to greater wealth is greater trade.
In a letter he wrote to me in August, the Secretary General commended
the G-8's work, but told me that aid and debt relief are not enough. The
Secretary General said that we also need to reduce trade barriers and
subsidies that are holding developing countries back. I agree with the
Secretary General: The Doha Round is "the most promising way" to achieve
this goal.
A successful Doha Round will
reduce and eliminate tariffs and other barriers on farm and industrial
goods. It will end unfair agricultural subsidies. It will open up global
markets for services. Under Doha, every nation will gain, and the
developing world stands to gain the most. Historically, developing
nations that open themselves up to trade grow at several times the rate
of other countries. The elimination of trade barriers could lift
hundreds of millions of people out of poverty over the next 15 years.
The stakes are high. The lives and futures of millions of the world's
poorest citizens hang in the balance -- and so we must bring the Doha
trade talks to a successful conclusion.
Doha is an important step
toward a larger goal: We must tear down the walls that separate the
developed and developing worlds. We need to give the citizens of the
poorest nations the same ability to access the world economy that the
people of wealthy nations have, so they can offer their goods and
talents on the world market alongside everyone else. We need to ensure
that they have the same opportunities to pursue their dreams, provide
for their families, and live lives of dignity and self-reliance.
And the greatest obstacles
to achieving these goals are the tariffs and subsidies and barriers that
isolate people of developing nations from the great opportunities of the
21st century. Today, I reiterate the challenge I have made before: We
must work together in the Doha negotiations to eliminate agricultural
subsidies that distort trade and stunt development, and to eliminate
tariffs and other barriers to open markets for farmers around the world.
Today I broaden the challenge by making this pledge: The United States
is ready to eliminate all tariffs, subsidies and other barriers to free
flow of goods and services as other nations do the same. This is key to
overcoming poverty in the world's poorest nations. It's essential we
promote prosperity and opportunity for all nations.
By expanding trade, we
spread hope and opportunity to the corners of the world, and we strike a
blow against the terrorists who feed on anger and resentment. Our agenda
for freer trade is part of our agenda for a freer world, where people
can live and worship and raise their children as they choose. In the
long run, the best way to protect the religious freedom, and the rights
of women and minorities, is through institutions of self-rule, which
allow people to assert and defend their own rights. All who stand for
human rights must also stand for human freedom.
This is a moment of great
opportunity in the cause of freedom. Across the world, hearts and minds
are opening to the message of human liberty as never before. In the last
two years alone, tens of millions have voted in free elections in
Afghanistan and Iraq, in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, in
Kyrgyzstan, in Ukraine, and Georgia. And as they claim their freedom,
they are inspiring millions more across the broader Middle East. We must
encourage their aspirations. We must nurture freedom's progress. And the
United Nations has a vital role to play.
Through the new U.N.
Democracy Fund, the democratic members of the U.N. will work to help
others who want to join the democratic world. It is fitting that the
world's largest democracy, India, has taken a leadership role in this
effort, pledging $10 million to get the fund started. Every free nation
has an interest in the success of this fund -- and every free nation has
a responsibility in advancing the cause of liberty.
The work of democracy is
larger than holding a fair election; it requires building the
institutions that sustain freedom.Democracy takes different forms in
different cultures, yet all free societies have certain things in
common. Democratic nations uphold the rule of law, impose limits on the
power of the state, treat women and minorities as full citizens.
Democratic nations protect private property, free speech and religious
expression. Democratic nations grow in strength because they reward and
respect the creative gifts of their people. And democratic nations
contribute to peace and stability because they seek national greatness
in the achievements of their citizens, not the conquest of their
neighbors.
For these reasons, the whole
world has a vital interest in the success of a free Iraq -- and no
civilized nation has an interest in seeing a new terror state emerge in
that country. So the free world is working together to help the Iraqi
people to establish a new nation that can govern itself, sustain itself,
and defend itself. It's an exciting opportunity for all of us in this
chamber. And the United Nations has played a vital role in the success
of the January elections, where eight and a half million Iraqis defied
the terrorists and cast their ballots. And since then, the United
Nations has supported Iraq's elected leaders as they drafted a new
constitution.
The United Nations and its member states must continue to stand by the
Iraqi people as they complete the journey to a fully constitutional
government. And when Iraqis complete their journey, their success will
inspire others to claim their freedom, the Middle East will grow in
peace and hope and liberty, and all of us will live in a safer world.
The advance of freedom and
security is the calling of our time. It is the mission of the United
Nations. The United Nations was created to spread the hope of liberty,
and to fight poverty and disease, and to help secure human rights and
human dignity for all the world's people. To help make these promises
real, the United Nations must be strong and efficient, free of
corruption, and accountable to the people it serves. The United Nations
must stand for integrity, and live by the high standards it sets for
others. And meaningful institutional reforms must include measures to
improve internal oversight, identify cost savings, and ensure that
precious resources are used for their intended purpose.
The United Nations has taken
the first steps toward reform. The process will continue in the General
Assembly this fall, and the United States will join with others to lead
the effort. And the process of reform begins with members taking our
responsibilities seriously. When this great institution's member states
choose notorious abusers of human rights to sit on the U.N. Human Rights
Commission, they discredit a noble effort, and undermine the credibility
of the whole organization. If member countries want the United Nations
to be respected -- respected and effective, they should begin by making
sure it is worthy of respect.
At the start of a new
century, the world needs the United Nations to live up to its ideals and
fulfill its mission. The founding members of this organization knew that
the security of the world would increasingly depend on advancing the
rights of mankind, and this would require the work of many hands. After
committing America to the idea of the U.N. in 1945, President Franklin
Roosevelt declared: "The structure of world peace cannot be the work of
one man, or one party, or one nation." Peace is the responsibility of
every nation and every generation.
In each era of history, the
human spirit has been challenged by the forces of darkness and chaos.
Some challenges are the acts of nature; others are the works of men.
This organization was convened to meet these challenges by harnessing
the best instincts of humankind, the strength of the world united in
common purpose. With courage and conscience, we will meet our
responsibilities to protect the lives and rights of others. And when we
do, we will help fulfill the promise of the United Nations, and ensure
that every human being enjoys the peace and the freedom and the dignity
our Creator intended for all.
Thank you. (Applause.) |
