General

Israel congratulates the UN Secretary General on his initiative to appoint a team of "prominent people" and receives this important and comprehensive report with satisfaction and esteem. In our opinion, the report constitutes a milestone in the history of the United Nations.

In Israel's view, the broad reforms introduced into the work of the General Assembly, the councils, the permanent committees, the secondary bodies and the UN secretariat are of great significance. Israel agrees with the report's authors that the reforms must result in the adaptation of the organization to the new challenges facing the world at the dawn of the 21st century, and believes that every change will make the organization more efficient and effective. The main players in the international arena have changed since the UN was established, and it is logical that the states, the main contributors to the UN, would expect more influence and responsibility in the realm of international peace and security.

Israel adopts the report's statements that the relevance and effectiveness of the GA has deteriorated, and that the Security Council failed in its handling of burning, fateful issues such as the genocide in Rwanda, the situation in Sudan, and other bloody conflicts. Israel also agrees that every effort must be made to implement all the conventions and commitments that states took upon themselves in the framework of Agenda 21, and that the Committee for Human Rights has become an irrelevant body with no impact on states that regularly and shamelessly violate the human rights of their citizens.

Social and Economic Development

States around the world have failed to deal adequately with the most immediate dangers to mankind, especially in Africa. In this context, Israel agrees with the report's conclusions concerning the connection between poverty, hunger, infectious diseases and environmental deterioration, and civil war and internal strife. Despite all the conferences that were held on all of these subjects during the 1990's, the situation has not improved and has even deteriorated.

We are very concerned about the extent of poverty and hunger in the world, especially in Africa, the scope of the AIDS epidemic, illiteracy, and the status of women. In this context, Israel believes that cooperation should be boosted between emerging nations and the developed nations, and is committed, through its Center for International Cooperation, MASHAV, to taking an active part in the world effort in the realm of social development. In this context, Israel is preparing detailed plans for millennium goals that include poverty eradication, education, leadership quality and the empowerment of women, and ensuring the food supply.

Regarding the challenges facing us in the realm of sustainable development and the environment, Israel agrees with the conclusions of the report. Israel is committed to continuing to implement the Kyoto Protocol, the promotion of Agenda 21, by, inter alia, developing alternative energy sources and participating in UN talks to formulate a long-term strategy to prevent global warming.

International Peace and Security

Israel agrees that the world is currently facing threats and challenges the likes of which did not exist sixty years ago. "A threat to one is a threat to all" is an acceptable statement, and non-state entities that employ terrorism constitute the main threat facing the world today. An effective international response is needed to the terrorist threats of groups and states that do not abhor suicide terrorism or the threat of unconventional terrorism. Until now, the UN has failed in its efforts to fight terror and in its attempts to define it. At the same time, we view with great importance the involvement of the Security Council in Resolution 1566, although it is only the beginning.

Israel is satisfied with the sincere attempt of the report to define "terrorism" and believes that ways must be found through relevant conventions, in order to provide an appropriate tool in the fight against this danger. The Middle East is in the midst of a very delicate and complex process of building peace and dialogue between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states. The member states must make every effort to prevent a renewed onslaught of terrorism of any kind, to prevent funding and aid to terrorism and to place terrorist groups, which jeopardize regional and world peace, under supervision and sanctions.

In general, we welcome the detailed attention and recommendations pertaining to nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological weapons, treatment that reflects an attempt to deal with the real problems and challenges to international security. Our experience in the Middle East, as in other regions, teaches us that in order to make progress in the realm of weapons control, there must first be a change in the political and security climate of the region. Some of the report's recommendations reflect a willingness to take this reality into account. It is regrettable that the report did not go further concerning the threat of proliferation of light arms, missiles and missile technologies.

Israel agrees that there is no need for a new draft or changes to Article 51 of the UN Charter. We accept the position of the states that the inherent right of self-defense must be implemented today in the context of the new threats posed to the international community by global terrorism and uncontrolled proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The General Assembly

Israel concurs with the experts that the GA has lost its vitality and the ability to bring subjects to completion. Its discussions repeat themselves and its resolutions are vague and impossible to implement. This situation decreases the relevance of the GA as a platform for introducing subjects into the global agenda, and damages the image of the UN in general.

Israel believes that every effort must be made to implement the report's recommendations concerning the GA, to redefine the work of the Assembly and its committees, to shorten its agenda and to decrease the number of resolutions. In addition, the recommendation to set up smaller committees with more specific purviews should result in the ability to draft clearer, more relevant resolutions.

The Socio-Economic Council

Any reform in the UN must include strengthening the Council and increasing its relevance by making basic changes in its work routine, turning it into a body more involved in what is happening in the field in social and economic development, infectious diseases, hunger and poverty. Israel believes that new bodies are not needed in addition to or instead of the Council, because the latter can, with better direction from the UN Secretariat, and with assistance from the donor states, call sessions more frequently, while stressing the efficiency and effectiveness of the discussions, similar to the Security Council. In this way, the Council will be able to meet the challenges and threats mentioned in the report.

Building Peace and Preventing Conflict

Israel agrees that the time has come for the UN to invest more effort in conflict prevention instead of wasting so much money on peacekeeping forces after the conflicts have developed. We are not convinced that establishing a political committee to work on building peace is the correct solution, but establishing an efficient and compact department in the political wing of the UN Secretariat, which will receive updates from the field, could be the right solution. The department would warn the Security Council about situations that are liable to develop into conflicts.

UN Secretariat

Israel concurs with other members that transparency and responsibility should be increased and monetary resources at the disposal of the UN should be utilized more efficiently in the regular budget as well as in the budget of the peacekeeping forces. We believe that the UN should promote needed reforms, which were decided upon some time ago, in the organization's human resources. Every reform should be implemented in accordance with the newly defined priorities of the UN and the requirements of the reform itself, without increasing the budget. In addition, we have confidence in the Secretary General of the UN, who is striving to improve his bureau's work.