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Ärende: Press Release (050914) for Wed, 2005 Sep 14
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President Addresses United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 14, 2005

President Addresses United Nations High-Level Plenary Meeting
United Nations Headquarters
New York, New York

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙Fact Sheet: President Bush Addresses the United Nations High-Level
Plenary Meeting

9:48 A.M. EDT

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.)

END 10:13 A.M. EDT
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