The Chronicle interview.

Jan Kavan, who was elected President of the fifty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, served as the Czech Republic's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and Security Policy from 1999 to 2002 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 2002. He is currently a Deputy in the Czech Parliament.

Mr. Kavan studied journalism at Charles University in Prague and became one of the leaders of the 1960s student movement there. Following the Soviet invasion in 1968, he was placed on the Communist Party's blacklist of "representatives and exponents of the rightist movement". After nearly twenty years in exile, during which he actively assisted Czech anticommunist activists, he returned to the Czech Republic and was elected to Parliament. He wrote over a hundred articles for the daily press and specialized periodicals in the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries, edited two books on Czech opposition movements and contributed to four books on this subject, which were published in the 1980s. He has also received a number of medal and awards for his contribution to human rights and democracy in his country.

Sanjay Sethi of the Chronicle spoke with Mr. Kavan on 24 September.

For the first time in its history, the United Nations General Assembly elected its President three months before the opening of the session over which he would preside. How has the preparation helped you for the tasks ahead?

The adoption of General Assembly resolution 56/509, in which it decided that its President, Vice-Presidents and the Chairmen of the Main Committees would be elected at least three months before the opening of the regular session, was certainly a step forward in our continuous process to revitalize the work of the Assembly. This early election has far-reaching implications. It is not a pure procedural modification, but has also mainly organizational and functional consequences. It has allowed a smooth transition between the successive presidencies, and thus encouraged all staff members of my office to function in a much more efficient manner.

In the weeks following my election, I held numerous consultations with representatives of different countries to share with them my priorities and get a sense of their objectives and expectations for the fifty-seventh General Assembly. Thus we established direct relations that are conducive for constructive deliberations. I also had the opportunity to exchange views and discuss various aspects of my future work with my predecessor, President Han Seung-soo. Those discussions enabled my team and me to prepare ahead of time for the presidency.

I must also emphasize that I used this time, before assuming fully my functions, for consultations with the Secretariat about the schedule of meetings for the Assembly. In this regard, unprecedented progress was achieved; for the first time, the General Assembly has a comprehensive draft programme of work available at the beginning of its session.

You have expressed a commitment to the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Now that the Summit has concluded, what do you see as its impact on the agenda of the General Assembly?

The Political Declaration adopted in Johannesburg calls on the General Assembly to institute a follow-up mechanism to facilitate, evaluate and monitor the implementation of the outcomes of the Summit. This is a clear task for our fifty-seventh session. The General Assembly should adopt, according to the Implementation Plan formulated in Johannesburg, sustainable development as a key element of the overarching framework for UN activities. The concept of sustainable development is here to stay and will be an indispensable part of our deliberations. It will be reflected in all related resolutions and will form an integral part of programmes relating to development cooperation. Despite the complexity and difficulty of the subject, world leaders in Johannesburg were able to reach a reasonable consensus--I hope that this will have a very positive influence on the working atmosphere of our session. It is equally significant that the WSSD, the biggest-ever UN summit, was successfully held and concluded in Africa, as the region's development is one of the very important topics on our agenda.

Following the one-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, do you see the United Nations as having a greater obligation in combating terrorism? If so, how can the General Assembly act to meet these new obligations?

The fight against international terrorism certainly became a priority for the international community in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

The international community was able to act with unprecedented unity, with the United Nations at the forefront. Now we need to uphold and reinforce that coalition; we need to continue to strengthen existing UN instruments. In this respect, I highly commend the work of the Counter-terrorism Committee that greatly contributed to the implementation of the historic Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). Further, the set of UN treaties on combating terrorism should be signed and ratified by all Member States.

On the part of the General Assembly, we have an important task to resolve since we still lack a comprehensive convention against terrorism. There will be substantive difficulties in the negotiating process of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Sixth Committee on this issue. As you know, the definition of international terrorism is the main issue that has not been resolved, but we cannot give up and must remain committed to finalization and adoption of the Convention.

In your statement to Czech Radio, you mentioned that you want to reform the structure of the General Assembly in order to allow for "less bureaucracy, more efficiency, more transparency and better communication". What specific changes are necessary to strengthen the Assembly's activities and how do you propose to do this?

I intend to build on the achievements made by President Han and continue with the fruitful discussion about revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. I assure you that the majority of Member States support the process of revitalization as well. Throughout the general debate, supportive references were made to the UN reform in general and, of course; the discussions will again continue during this session in various working groups. We are eagerly looking forward to the new proposals on how to further strengthen the role of the United Nations.

Speaking about less bureaucracy and more efficiency, I would like to point out that although it is not a new problem, the solution is not easy. Less complicated measures have already been taken, whereas more difficult ones remain on the agenda and are open for consideration. Member States will have a chance to address this at the informal consultations of the working group on the revitalization of the General Assembly. As a contribution to rationalization of the agenda, I started my presidency with a timely introduction of the programme of work, in which some items were clustered in a way that provides opportunities for joint debates of inter-linked issues. When it comes to better communication, I want to have regular informal consultations with the Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, as well as with the Secretary-General, to share information and discuss ideas on issues of common interest.

Although security issues are primarily under the jurisdiction of the Security Council, what can the General Assembly do to help prevent armed conflicts worldwide?

In my view, the role of the General Assembly in conflict prevention is extremely crucial. We need to look at this in a comprehensive manner, recognizing that successful preventive strategies should include social and economic development, accountability and good governance, and respect for human rights. This question should not only be limited to the Security Council and the General Assembly. The role of the Economic and Social Council, Bretton Woods institutions and civil society organizations should also be taken into consideration.

Very recently, we all witnessed the significance of the General Assembly during the discussion of possible actions against Iraq. The immediate impact of the general debate speeches and subsequent reaction of the Iraqi Government were clear proof of the positive influence of the Assembly.

Time will show whether Iraq's offer of the unconditional return of UN inspectors is honest and credible, but the Assembly's capability to prevent military action, at least at this stage, was without doubt very important.

Given the recent floods in the Czech Republic and throughout Central and Eastern Europe, what responsibilities do world leaders have in taking preventative measures to deal with natural disasters? Do you see the General Assembly as a vehicle in addressing these problems?

It is the responsibility of societies and their leadership to respond to any natural or man-made disasters that harm or even threaten to harm society. During the last five years, we have twice experienced large-scale floods in the Czech Republic, and it is evident that we may not be able to suppress the occurrence of floods in the future. There was indeed a learning process after the first series of floods in 1997. To some extent, that incident prepared us in avoiding some property damage during the 2002 flood. However, we must admit that the second flood has taught us new painful lessons.

During the past decade, the international community along with the Czech Republic has become aware of the dangers posed by natural disasters. With this year's phenomenon of floods and other disasters, there is a greater awareness and acceptability of the fact that prevention and preparedness are the best options. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, which is discussed on a regular basis by the Second Committee, is a good illustration of this point. Measures supported by the international community, which decrease the vulnerability to natural disasters, are steps in the right direction and include sound environmental policies leading to the improvement of basic infrastructure, timely dissemination of information to the public, and improving the capacity of the public administration to manage prevention, as well as mitigation of the impact of disasters.

Let me also express my appreciation for the swift reaction and offer of help by the Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance in Geneva.

You have been an integral part of the Czech Republic's economic transition for the last twelve years. How have the United Nations and its specialized agencies helped in advancing your country's economic development, as well as other transition democracies in Eastern Europe?

The support and help of the United Nations and its specialized agencies for the countries in transition after the cold war were invaluable. Their support concentrated not only on creating economic stability and advancing economic development in the Czech Republic and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, but also providing advice on questions of governance and creation of infrastructure to align their economic activity into the world economy.

For the Czech Republic in particular, it benefited from the UN Development Programme projects on environment. However, since 2001 the country has become a net contributor to UNDP due to its rapid reform and performance in the economic sector. This is reflected by the fact that the Czech Republic has been a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development since 1995.

Throughout your career, you have been a committed human rights activist, as well as an advocate for democracy, and have also been a refugee from Communist Czechoslovakia. Given your personal experiences, what responsibility do you feel the United Nations has in protecting the rights of refugees in the non-democratic world?

The problem of refugees is an urgent one--it is urgent because the number of refugees worldwide remains high. And it is urgent because it involves vulnerable people who find themselves in the most distressing circumstances, forced to abandon their livelihoods and possessions while fleeing from persecution, violence and abuse of their individual human rights. They are often further traumatized by the negative reception in the country of asylum.

Historically, the very birth of the United Nations is linked to the plight of refugees generated by the world wars. It was the need to protect these vulnerable communities that led to the creation of a separate organization, which was the precursor to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. For over fifty years now, UNHCR has been and is the lead UN agency protecting and assisting refugees and internally displaced people. Millions depend on UNHCR to provide them with legal and material assistance, while seeking permanent solutions to their situation. The credit for alleviating the plight of refugees also goes to its partners in the UN system, as well as to other multilateral organizations and most significantly to nongovernmental organizations. But apart from the responsibility of the United Nations to care for refugees, the ultimate responsibility lies with the Governments to prevent conditions that generate refugees, through mechanisms of conflict resolution, democracy, good governa nce, observance of human rights and socio-economic development.

New York has much to offer culturally and artistically. Do you hope during your spare time to be able to take advantage of the opportunities in the city and indulge any of your personal interests, for example, in music or the arts?

Unfortunately, I am very busy, so I don't know how much spare time I will have. I am not only the President of the General Assembly but also a member of Parliament in the Czech Republic. This is also not my first time in New York. But whenever I have the opportunity, I would very much like to go to the Guggenheim or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also enjoy many of the city's jazz clubs, but again I don't know how much time I'll have--perhaps, after a year, I'll be able to come back again and really enjoy New York.