Essential to the world, essential to my country.

Perspectives: After the Soviet Union

Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ten years ago, its constituent republics joined the United Nations as newly independent States. The USSR was an original member of the world Organization from 24 October 1945, as were Belarus (the erstwhile Byelorussia) and Ukraine. In a letter dated 24 December 1991, President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation informed the Secretary-General that the membership of the Soviet Union in the Security Council and all other United Nations organs was being continued by the Russian Federation, with the support of the twelve member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Subsequently, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were admitted to the United Nations, joining Belarus and Ukraine along with the Russian Federation. In this special feature, we bring perspectives on the United Nations today from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uk raine and their role in its continuing renewal and development.

At turning paints in the development of civilization, the role and significance of international relations and world politics for mankind's very survival are reassessed. This is happening right now, having crossed the threshold of a new century and a new millennium. The realities of the modern world, the profound changes in paradigms, and new social and cultural aspirations call for new kinds of international cooperation. The historical experience of the past century reaffirms the enduring significance of the solidarity and unity of peoples and the commonality of mankind's most basic interests and hopes. The United Nations has proved to be the best structure for realizing this age-old political ideal and has become its global incarnation. The over fifty years of eventful history of this unique international Organization have revealed the contradictions between idealism and power politics, between solidarity and selfish national interests.

The United Nations was established as a reflection of mankind's most cherished hopes for world peace, justice, human rights and democratic freedoms. Throughout its existence, it has mirrored the state of world development, as well as mankind's successes and failures. The United Nations was meant to become a community of nations and ensure the triumph of the lofty ideals of humanism, the principles of international law and respect for human rights throughout the world. It was meant to serve as the conscience of the world and of those who, in the opening lines of its Charter, proudly proclaimed: "We, the peoples

Since LS founding, the United Nations has not been able to realize its ideals owing to the contradictory nature of historical developments. However, its mere existence kept the cold war from escalating into a new global conflict.

Its contributions to the elimination of apartheid and the decolonization process, through which over sixty States gained their independence, are beyond question. Its tireless efforts to strengthen peace, dialogue and development are indisputably recognized all over the world. At the same time, the serious failures and disappointments that the United Nations has encountered along the way are likewise largely indisputable, and responsibility for them lies with its Member States.

There is much talk about the need to reform the United Nations. Yes, it does need to be reformed and strengthened. It cannot be denied that the United Nations must be renewed if it is to become effective and efficient, better managed and less unwieldy. However, reform can succeed only if Member States unite their efforts to strengthen the basic principles that are the underpinnings of the Organization: multilateralism and universality. In a rapidly changing world and in the face of globalization, Member States must do their utmost to ensure that radical transformations take place without serious complications and serve all mankind.

In the light of the growing number of brutal armed conflicts within States, the questions of war and peace, sovereignty and the right to intervene, and the role and place of the United Nations in the political and legal systems of international relations in the twenty-first century are particularly acute. In this context, the possibilities of activating the mechanism for the collective maintenance of peace and security, provided for in Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and the whole concept of United Nations peacekeeping take on a new dimension.

The lively debates in the Security Council on these issues in recent years have brought to light the wide divergence of Member States' approaches to maintaining or restoring international peace and security, observing the principle of State sovereignty, observance of human rights, and "intervention on humanitarian grounds". It is high time to reassess the new trend in international practice--the use of force to solve problems--and to study it in depth, with a view to improving existing systems of international security and building new ones. There is a constantly growing need for the practical implementation of an effective strategy for averting conflicts through preventive diplomacy and eliminating the real causes of the social, economic, political and humanitarian nature that give rise to them.

In order to build a civilized world in the next century, Member States must demonstrate their political will to find reliable means of solving these problems and take joint responsibility for them in the light of the fundamental purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The United Nations capacity for action and its fate will depend in large measure on this. On the threshold of the new century, there is no shortage of predictions, both optimistic and pessimistic, about the future of the Organization. In my view, the central role of the United Nations in solving international problems will not only be maintained but will increase.

First, the United Nations has truly become the embodiment of global solidarity--the international community's sole, indispensable instrument for coordinated global action.

Second, its universality makes the United Nations an inalienable instrument for dialogue among peoples. Like no other organization, it ensures a balance between the national interests of its Member States and the international interests of the entire global community. It has acquired a great deal of valuable experience in the search for reasonable compromises that protect national interests without encroaching upon the interests of the international community.

Third, globalization, encompassing all spheres of modern life, has led to the vital need to find solutions to international problems on a multilateral basis. It also leads to growing interdependence in the modern world and to an increasing number of global problems that cannot be solved single-handedly. The safeguarding of international security and economic development, the solution of environmental and population problems, the eradication of poverty and the fight against international terrorism and illicit drug trafficking call for solutions through multilateral efforts. And the best structure for achieving this goal is the United Nations. Herein lies its uniqueness. Herein lies its strength.

For many new States, access to the lofty rostrum of the United Nations has meant international recognition of their sovereignty and self-determination. That happened on 2 March 1992 for my country--independent Kazakhstan--a new State on the political map of the world, a country with a rich historic and cultural past. I am proud to have had the privilege of arranging for its admission to membership of the United Nations and making a statement on behalf of the people and President of Kazakhstan from the world's most prestigious rostrum on the historic day when Kazakhstan became a United Nations Member State.

I first had the occasion to participate in the work of the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session as a member of the delegation of the former Soviet Union and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. At that time in 1990, no one could foresee that in just a little over a year, eight former Soviet republics would become members of this world Organization. I recall the shock and confusion that prevailed in the United Nations in the last days of 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. But I also remember the sincere sympathy and support of Member States for the newly independent States, including my country.

For Kazakhstan, the United Nations is the guarantor and embodiment of its sovereignty. The great respect for this unique and universal Organization among the multi-ethnic people of my country is being corroborated by its fruitful cooperation with the United Nations. The United Nations in Kazakhstan means assistance to children and mothers living in the environmental disaster zone of the Aral Sea, in rehabilitating the population's health and overcoming the consequences of nuclear testing in the area of the Semipalatinsk test site. It also means support through the system of micro-credits for those who are experiencing difficulties during the country's transition to a market economy.

Kazakhstan in the United Nations means the unprecedented act of closing the nuclear test-site and its voluntary renunciation of its status as a country with the world's fourth largest nuclear capacity. It means a real contribution to the strengthening of regional stability and security, as well as the timely and unwavering financial support for the Organization, in spite of Kazakhstan's own difficulties.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the peoples of the United Nations face the new tasks and complex problems of an uneasy, changing world. A reflection of this world, with its hopes and imperfections, is the United Nations. I believe that my modest personal experience in the Organization over eight years and my increasing respect for and faith in it give me every right to say: "The United Nations is essential to the world. The United Nations is essential to my own country."

Ambassador Akmaral Arystanbekova served as the first Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations from 1992 to 1999. She was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and is currently Ambassador to France.