UNITED NATIONS MILLENIUM DECLARATION.Values and Principles WE, HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT, have gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of from 6 to 8 September 2000, at the dawn of a new millennium, to reaffirm our faith in the Organization and its Charter as indispensable foundations of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. We recognize that, in addition to our separate responsibilities to our individual societies, we have a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity Human dignity is an expression that can be used as a moral concept or as a legal term. Sometimes it means no more than that human beings should not be treated as objects. Beyond this, it is meant to convey an idea of absolute and inherent worth that does not need to be acquired and , equality and equity at the global level. As leaders we have a duty therefore to all the world's people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs. We reaffirm our commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which have proved timeless and universal. Indeed, their relevance and capacity to inspire have increased, as nations and peoples have become increasingly interconnected and interdependent. We are determined to establish a just and lasting peace all over the world in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter. We rededicate Verb 1. rededicate - dedicate anew; "They were asked to rededicate themselves to their country" dedicate, devote, commit, consecrate, give - give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause; "She committed herself to the work of God"; "give one's talents to a ourselves to support all efforts to uphold the sovereign equality of all States, respect for their territorial integrity Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states. Conversely it states that border changes imposed by force are acts of aggression. and political independence, resolution of disputes by peaceful means and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, the right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation, non-interference in the internal affairs Internal affairs may refer to:
We believe that the central challenge we face today is to ensure that globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation becomes a positive force for all the world's people. For while globalization offers great opportunities, at present its benefits are very unevenly shared, while its costs are unevenly distributed. We recognize that developing countries and countries with economies in transition face special difficulties in responding to this central challenge. Thus, only through broad and sustained efforts to create a shared future A Shared Future – Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland is a consultation document on Northern Ireland launched by John Spellar on 2005-03-21, then junior minister at the Northern Ireland Office. , based upon our common humanity in all its diversity, can globalization be made fully inclusive and equitable. These efforts must include policies and measures, at the global level, which correspond to the needs of developing countries and economies in transition and are formulated and implemented with their effective participation. We consider certain fundamental values to be essential to international relations international relations, study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, in the twenty-first century. Freedom Men and women have the right to live their lives and raise their children in dignity, free from hunger and from the fear of violence, oppression or injustice. Democratic and participatory governance based on the will of the people best assures these rights. Equality No individual and no nation must be denied the opportunity to benefit from development. The equal rights and opportunities of women and men must be assured. Solidarity Global challenges must be managed in a way that distributes the costs and burdens fairly in accordance with basic principles of equity and social justice. Those who suffer or who benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. Tolerance Human beings must respect one other, in all their diversity of belief, culture and language. Differences within and between societies should be neither feared nor repressed re·pressed adj. Being subjected to or characterized by repression. , but cherished as a precious asset of humanity. A culture of peace and dialogue among all civilizations should be actively promoted. Respect for nature Prudence must be shown in the management of all living species and natural resources, in accordance with the precepts of sustainable development Sustainable development is a socio-ecological process characterized by the fulfilment of human needs while maintaining the quality of the natural environment indefinitely. The linkage between environment and development was globally recognized in 1980, when the International Union . Only in this way can the immeasurable riches provided to us by nature be preserved and passed on to our descendants. The current unsustainable patterns of production and consumption must be changed in the interest of our future welfare and that of our descendants. Shared responsibility Responsibility for managing worldwide economic and social development, as well as threats to international peace and security, must be shared among the nations of the world and should be exercised multilaterally. As the most universal and most representative organization in the world, the United Nations must play the central role. Peace, Security and Disarmament We will spare no effort to tree our peoples from the scourge of war, whether within or between States, which has claimed more than 5 million lives in the past decade. We will also seek to eliminate the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or . We resolve therefore: * To strengthen respect for the rule of law in international as in national affairs National Affairs, Inc. is a U.S. organization which published both The National Interest and The Public Interest. The organization was run by Irving Kristol, and featured board members such as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former U. and, in particular, to ensure compliance by Member States with the decisions of the International Court of Justice, in compliance with the Charter of the United Nations, in cases to which they are parties. * To make the United Nations more effective in maintaining peace and security by giving it the resources and tools it needs for conflict prevention, peaceful resolution of disputes, peacekeeping, post-conflict peace-building and reconstruction. In this context, we take note of the report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations A broad term that encompasses peacekeeping operations and peace enforcement operations conducted in support of diplomatic efforts to establish and maintain peace. Also called PO. See also peace building; peace enforcement; peacekeeping; and peacemaking. and request the General Assembly to consider its recommendations expeditiously ex·pe·di·tious adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency. See Synonyms at fast1. ex . * To strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Charter. * To ensure the implementation, by States Parties, of treaties in areas such as arms control and disarmament One of the major efforts to preserve international peace and security in the twenty-first century has been to control or limit the number of weapons and the ways in which weapons can be used. Two different means to achieve this goal have been disarmament and arms control. and of international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus "comprised of the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and human rights law, and call upon all States to consider signing and ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (or Rome Statute) is the treaty which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It sets out the Court's jurisdiction, structure and functions and it provides for its entry into force 60 days after 60 States have . * To take concerted action against international terrorism Noun 1. international terrorism - terrorism practiced in a foreign country by terrorists who are not native to that country act of terrorism, terrorism, terrorist act - the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain , and to accede To consent or to agree, as to accede to another's point of view. To enter an office or to accept a position, as to accede to the presidency. as soon as possible to all the relevant international conventions. * To redouble re·dou·ble v. re·dou·bled, re·dou·bling, re·dou·bles v.tr. 1. To double. 2. To repeat. 3. Games To double the doubling bid of (an opponent) in bridge. v. our efforts to implement our commitment to counter the world drug problem. * To intensify our efforts to fight transnational crime Transnational crime is a term used by some elements of law enforcement and academia. The word "transnational" describes crimes that are not only international, that is, crimes that cross borders between countries, but crimes that by their nature have border crossings as an in all its dimensions, including trafficking, as well as smuggling smuggling, illegal transport across state or national boundaries of goods or persons liable to customs or to prohibition. Smuggling has been carried on in nearly all nations and has occasionally been adopted as an instrument of national policy, as by Great Britain in human beings and money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. . * To minimize the adverse effects of United Nations economic sanctions Economic sanctions are economic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas. on innocent populations, to subject such sanctions regimes to regular reviews and to eliminate the adverse effects of sanctions on third parties. * To strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, and to keep all options open for achieving this aim, including the possibility of convening an international conference to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers. * To take concerted action to end illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons, especially by making arms transfers more transparent and supporting regional disarmament measures, taking account of all the recommendations of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. * To call on all States to consider acceding to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel an·ti·per·son·nel adj. Abbr. AP Designed to inflict death or bodily injury rather than material destruction: antipersonnel grenades. Mines and on Their Destruction, as well as the amended mines protocol to the Convention on conventional weapons. Development and Poverty Eradication We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want. We resolve therefore to create an environment-at the national and global levels alike-which is conducive to development and to the elimination of poverty. Success in meeting these objectives depends, inter alia [Latin, Among other things.] A phrase used in Pleading to designate that a particular statute set out therein is only a part of the statute that is relevant to the facts of the lawsuit and not the entire statute. , on good governance within each county. It also depends on good governance at the international level and on transparency in the financial, monetary and trading systems. We are committed to an open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial system. We are concerned about the obstacles developing countries face in mobilizing the resources needed to finance their sustained development. We will therefore make every effort to ensure the success of the High-level International and Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development, to be held in 2001. We also undertake to address the special needs of the least developed countries. In this context, we welcome the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries to be held in May 2001 and will endeavour to ensure its success. We call on the industrialized in·dus·tri·al·ize v. in·dus·tri·al·ized, in·dus·tri·al·iz·ing, in·dus·tri·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To develop industry in (a country or society, for example). 2. countries: * To adopt, preferably by the time of that Conference, a policy of duty- and quota-free access for essentially all exports from the least developed countries; * To implement the enhanced programme of debt relief for the heavily indebted poor countries Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) are a group of 37 least developed countries with the highest levels of poverty and debt overhang, which are eligible for special assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. without further delay and to agree to cancel all official bilateral debts of those countries in return for their making demonstrable commitments to poverty reduction; and * To grant more generous development assistance, especially to countries that are genuinely making an effort to apply their resources to poverty reduction. We are also determined to deal comprehensively and effectively with the debt problems of low- and middle-income developing countries, through various national and international measures designed to make their debt sustainable in the long term. We also resolve to address the special needs of small island developing States According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, small island/developing states (SIDS) are low-lying coastal countries that share similar sustainable development challenges, including small population, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility , by implementing the Barbados Programme of Action and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly rapidly and in full. We urge the international community to ensure that, in the development of a vulnerability index, the special needs of small island developing States are taken into account. We recognize the special needs and problems of the landlocked developing countries Landlocked developing countries (LLDC) are developing countries that are landlocked. The economic and other disadvantages experienced by such countries tends to place them amongst the least developed countries (LDC) in the world. , and urge both bilateral and multilateral donors to increase financial and technical assistance to this group of countries to meet their special development needs and to help them overcome the impediments of geography by improving their transit transport systems. We resolve further: * To halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world's people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and, by the same date, to halve the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. . * To ensure that, by the same date, children everywhere, boys and girls boys and girls mercurialisannua. alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling and that girls and boys will have equal access to all levels of education. * By the same date, to have reduced maternal mortality by three quarters, and under-five child mortality by two thirds, of their current rates. * To have, by then, halted, and begun to reverse, the spread of HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , the scourge of malaria and other major diseases that afflict af·flict tr.v. af·flict·ed, af·flict·ing, af·flicts To inflict grievous physical or mental suffering on. [Middle English afflighten, from afflight, humanity. * To provide special assistance to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. * By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers as proposed in the "Cities Without Slums" initiative. We also resolve: * To promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to combat poverty, hunger and disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable. * To develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work. * To encourage the pharmaceutical industry to make essential drugs more widely available and affordable by all who need them in developing countries. * To develop strong partnerships with the private sector and with civil society organizations in pursuit of development and poverty eradication. * To ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies, in conformity with recommendations contained in the ECOSOC 2000 Ministerial Declaration, are available to all. Protecting our Common Environment We must spare no effort to free all of humanity, and above all our children and grandchildren, from the threat of living on a planet irredeemably spoilt by human activities, and whose resources would no longer be sufficient for their needs. We reaffirm our support for the principles of sustainable development, including those set out in Agenda 21, agreed upon at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) or Earth Summit, an 11-day meeting held in June, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to discuss the global conflict between economic development and environmental protection. . We resolve therefore to adopt in all our environmental actions a new ethic of conservation and stewardship and, as first steps, we resolve: * To make every effort to ensure the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, preferably by the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 2002, and to embark on the required reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases. * To intensify our collective efforts for the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. * To press for the full implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity, known informally as the Rio Treaty, is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. and the Convention to Combat Desertification desertification Spread of a desert environment into arid or semiarid regions, caused by climatic changes, human influence, or both. Climatic factors include periods of temporary but severe drought and long-term climatic changes toward dryness. in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa. * To stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources by developing water management strategies at the regional, national and local levels, which promote both equitable access and adequate supplies. * To intensify cooperation to reduce the number and effects of natural and man-made disasters. * To ensure free access to information on the human genome sequence. Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance We will spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development. We resolve therefore: * To respect fully and uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Universal Declaration of Human Rights Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. Drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was adopted without dissent but with eight abstentions. . * To strive for the full protection and promotion in all our countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all. * To strengthen the capacity of all our countries to implement the principles and practices of democracy and respect for human rights, including minority rights. * To combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. * To take measures to make preparations; to provide means. See also: measure to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and their families, to eliminate the increasing acts of racism and xenophobia Xenophobia Boxer Rebellion Chinese rising aimed at ousting foreign interlopers (1900). [Chinese Hist. in many societies and to promote greater harmony and tolerance in all societies. * To work collectively for more inclusive political processes, allowing genuine participation by all citizens in all our countries. * To ensure the freedom of the media to perform their essential role and the right of the public to have access to information. Protecting the Vulnerable We will spare no effort to ensure that children and all civilian populations that suffer disproportionately the consequences of natural disasters, genocide, armed conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies are given every assistance and protection so that they can resume normal life as soon as possible. We resolve therefore: * To expand and strengthen the protection of civilians in complex emergencies, in conformity with international humanitarian law. * To strengthen international cooperation, including burden sharing in, and the coordination of humanitarian assistance to, countries hosting refugees and to help all refugees and displaced persons to return voluntarily to their homes, in safety and dignity and to be smoothly reintegrated into their societies. * To encourage the ratification and full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, often referred to as CRC or UNCRC, is an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. and its optional protocols on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography Child pornography is the visual representation of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity or the visual representation of minors engaging in lewd or erotic behavior designed to arouse the viewer's sexual interest. . Meeting the Special Needs of Africa We will support the consolidation of democracy in Africa and assist Africans in their struggle for lasting peace, poverty eradication and sustainable development, thereby bringing Africa into the mainstream of the world economy. We resolve therefore: * To give full support to the political and institutional structures of emerging democracies in Africa. * To encourage and sustain regional and subregional mechanisms for preventing conflict and promoting political stability, and to ensure a reliable flow of resources for peacekeeping operations on the continent. * To take special measures to address the challenges of poverty eradication and sustainable development in Africa, including debt cancellation, improved market access, enhanced official development assistance and increased flows of foreign direct investment, as well as transfers of technology. * To help Africa build up its capacity to tackle the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic pandemic /pan·dem·ic/ (pan-dem´ik) 1. a widespread epidemic of a disease. 2. widely epidemic. pan·dem·ic adj. Epidemic over a wide geographic area. n. and other infectious diseases. Strengthening the United Nations We will spare no effort to make the United Nations a more effective instrument for pursuing all of these priorities: the fight for development for all the peoples of the world, the fight against poverty, ignorance and disease; the fight against injustice; the fight against violence, terror and crime; and the fight against the degradation and destruction of our common home. We resolve therefore: * To reaffirm the central position of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative de·lib·er·a·tive adj. 1. Assembled or organized for deliberation or debate: a deliberative legislature. 2. Characterized by or for use in deliberation or debate. , policy-making pol·i·cy·mak·ing or pol·i·cy-mak·ing n. High-level development of policy, especially official government policy. adj. Of, relating to, or involving the making of high-level policy: and representative organ of the United Nations, and to enable it to play that role effectively. * To intensify our efforts to achieve a comprehensive reform of the Security Council in all its aspects. * To strengthen further the Economic and Social Council, building on its recent achievements, to help it fulfil the role ascribed to it in the Charter. * To strengthen the International Court of Justice, in order to ensure justice and the rule of law m international affairs. * To encourage regular consultations and coordination among the principal organs of the United Nations in pursuit of their functions. * To ensure that the Organization is provided on a timely and predictable basis with the resources it needs to carry out its mandates. * To urge the Secretariat to make the best use of those resources, in accordance with clear rules and procedures agreed by the General Assembly, in the interests of all Member States, by adopting the best management practices and technologies available and by concentrating on those tasks that reflect the agreed priorities of Member States. * To promote adherence to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. * To ensure greater policy coherence and better cooperation between the United Nations, its agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions and the World Trade Organization, as well as other multilateral bodies, with a view to achieving a fully coordinated approach to the problems of peace and development. * To strengthen further cooperation between the United Nations and national parliaments through their world organization, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in various fields, including peace and security, economic and social development, international law and human rights and democracy and gender issues. * To give greater opportunities to the private sector, non-governmental organizations and civil society, in general, to contribute to the realization of the Organization's goals and programmes. We request the General Assembly to review on a regular basis the progress made in implementing the provisions of this Declaration, and ask the Secretary-General to issue periodic reports for consideration by the General Assembly and as a basis for further action. We solemnly reaffirm, on this historic occasion, that the United Nations is the indispensable common house of the entire human family, through which we will seek to realize our universal aspirations for peace, cooperation and development. We therefore pledge our unstinting support for these common objectives and our determination to achieve them. |
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