Message of Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe
to the occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary of United Nations Day, 24 October 2005

“Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. We commemorate United Nations Day every year since its inception in honour of the world Organization which is of crucial importance to the future of humankind.

The United Nations Member States have witnessed the Organization’s achievements in overcoming the various threats and challenges to the people all over the world during the past sixty years. We have also witnessed the Organization’s achievements in safeguarding the noble purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter to maintain international peace and security, and to attain cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian issues. The membership of the United Nations has nearly quadrupled to 191 states since it was founded. Thus the universality of membership testifies to the legitimacy of the Organization in international relations.

The world is also seeing the Organization’s persevering efforts in facing new challenges and threats of contemporary times which did not exist and could not have been anticipated when the United Nations Charter came into force on October 24 in 1945. These include globalization, environmental degradation, extreme poverty, communicable diseases, terrorism and transnational organized crime.

In order to find solutions to the challenges and threats confronting the international community, the United Nations always seeks the advice, cooperation and recommendations of its Member States, large and small, by convening summits, international and regional conferences in a timely and effective manner.

The United Nations Millennium Declaration was unanimously adopted by the leaders of the entire world at the historic Millennium Summit of the year 2000. The Millennium Development Goals, the road map for the implementation of the Declaration, was also adopted. In the Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Member States have pledged to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality and empower women, to reduce child mortality, to improve maternal health, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, to ensure environmental sustainability, and to develop a global partnership for development.

Five years after the Summit world leaders met again at the high-level meeting of the sixtieth United Nations General Assembly. They reviewed the Millennium Development Goals, rededicated themselves to the Goals and agreed upon to start the ten year countdown to the target 2015.

To fulfill the targets of the Millennium Development Goals, international cooperation and assistance are essential. The gap between developing countries and developed ones is widening because of the negative impacts of globalization. Countries are more interconnected and therefore collective efforts for security and development are more relevant than ever before. The role of the United Nations is therefore more vital than ever.

The world leaders also agreed upon measures to strengthen the United Nations. In fact, Member States have witnessed efforts to strengthen the Organization’s structure in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The United Nations Member States are desirous for changes which can address the interests of all nations. In this regard, all Member States are taking the opportunity to contribute to the process of reform. The outcome of the process of reform will be of utmost importance for the world organization in building a more secure world.

The outcome of the high-level meeting reaffirms the Charter of the United Nations and its principles and purposes, including the principles of State sovereignty, non-interference and the non-use of force in international affairs. These are principles that have withstood the test of time and essential for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Member States place high hope in the United Nations’ efforts to save succeeding generations not only from the scourge of war but also from the new threats and challenges ahead of us and to promote social justice, economic progress and better standards of life.

On this auspicious sixtieth anniversary of United Nations’ Day, let us renew our commitments to the United Nations’ efforts to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of international peace, security and development.”