Slovenian Activities in the UN
Issues of international peace and security are among the main priorities of Slovenia's efforts in the United Nations. In addition to peacekeeping, Slovenia has been contributing to the maintenance of international peace by expressing its views and making its proposals concerning the security issues on the agenda of the United Nations, most notably those relating to the threats to the peace and security in the region of South-Eastern Europe.
Slovenia is strongly involved in activities of the international community regarding the stability of South Eastern Europe. Slovenia is active member of the Stability Pact and it has concluded several free-trade agreements with the country of the region. Slovenian companies are ambitiously involved into business in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia and FRY. As a future member of the EU, Slovenia participates in the activities of the EU and the international community in endeavours to stabilise the region and in a long term to assure the European future also for this part of Europe. Regarding the stability of the region, Slovenia especially:
- Insists on the full realisation of the Dayton Peace Agreement as a basic precondition for peace and stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Supports territorial integrity of Macedonia and full implementation of Ohrid Agreement, since it believes that Macedonia can prosper and develop when relations among all parts of its population - Macedonians and Albanians in particular - are harmonious;
- Supports the international presence in Kosovo, especially the activities of UNMIK and KFOR as well as implementation of the Security Council Resolution 1244. Slovenia believes that the development of the self-government after successfully conducted elections to the Assembly is the right way to assure that Kosovo will be a safe place for all its population and will be able to develop its material and human resources.
- Successfully endeavours to establish friendly relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, after it became a new member of the UN. In this context, the agreement pending the succession issues among five successor states was achieved in 2001. Slovenia supports the dialogue between Serbia and Montenegro on future relations based on freely expressed will of both republics.
- Considers that the return of refugees and internally displaced persons in all war-affected parts is most important to assure the full normalisation of live and functioning of democratic institutions.
- Supports the work of the ICTY since there can be no real understanding and mutual respect without bringing those responsible for crimes to justice.
In the field of disarmament Slovenia has supported or has taken an active part in a number of recent initiatives, including: the conclusion of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines. By its accession to BWC Slovenia contributes to the international efforts aimed at eradication of BW. Slovenia supports the current endeavours aimed at strengthening the BWC through the development of an effective verification regime. Slovenia is willing to partake in measures to be agreed at during the negotiations in Geneva.
Slovenia advocates early negotiation on and conclusion of FMCT, as fulfilment of one of the major commitments made during the historic 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. (Another commitment was CTBT, which has unfortunately still not entered into force, due to the failure of a number of states concerned to sign and/or ratify it). Slovenia is concerned at the current stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament, which has so far failed to advance on this issue. Slovenia hopes that next year the Conference on Disarmament will be able to begin negotiations with a view to speedy conclusion of FMCT, thus fulfilling one of the mentioned commitments.
Slovenia is a state party to the Ottawa Convention on the ban of production, use, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction. Slovenia was one of the most active participants in the so-called Ottawa process, which resulted in the conclusion of this convention. Slovenia has already started the destruction of its stockpiles of APM's. As a state party to the Ottawa convention Slovenia advocates a total eradication of this weapon, which poses grave threat to civilians long after the conflicts are over.
Slovenia also established an International Trust Fund (ITF) for demining and victims assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a view to assist that country in dealing with the consequences of the armed conflict, notably clearing of mine fields and rehabilitation of APM victims. Recently, the ITF expanded its activities so as to include areas of Croatia and Kosovo.
Slovenia is actively supporting the efforts in the field of protection of the environment and promotion of sustainable development. As an Alpine country, Slovenia is particularly active in the efforts for preservation of Alpine environment and biodiversity and it held the presidency of the Alpine Convention from December 1994 to October 1998. Slovenia has actively contributed to a number of United Nations conferences, including the Conference on Human Settlements in 1996 (HABITAT II), especially in the effort to define the framework for the implementation of the human right to housing.
In the field of human rights Slovenia is participating actively in the United Nations efforts for the strengthening of the human rights organs and mechanisms. In the period 1994-1997 Slovenia was chairing the Working Group of the Third Committee of the General Assembly which is dealing with the issues of continuing adaptation of the United Nations human rights machinery to the existing and future needs in the promotion and protection of human rights. Slovenia supports the United Nations efforts for the eradication of massive and flagrant violations of human rights and for the strengthening of universality, indivisibility and inter-dependence of all human rights, civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural.
Slovenia believes that in the new Millennium, the role of the international community and of the UN in particular in preventing massive violations of human rights, genocide and mass murders should be reconsidered. State sovereignty shall not be an obstacle for the involvement of the international community and the UN to prevent such crimes.
Slovenia supports the United Nations efforts in the field of progressive development and codification of international law and actively participates in the current consideration of such basic areas of international law as the responsibility of states under international law and the issues of state succession. Slovenia was actively involved in the efforts to establish the International Criminal Court (ICC). In that context it supported, together with the other like-minded countries: an adequate, sufficiently broad jurisdiction of the ICC and its independence; an adequate scope of powers of the Prosecutor; and an adequate definition of complementarity between the ICC and the municipal courts.
Slovenia strongly supports the conclusion of the comprehensive convention to eliminate the intrenational terrorism. It is sad that even in times when it is clear that terrorism is main threat to security and peace the progress in drafting the convention is slow.
Slovenia actively participates in the efforts for the reform of the United Nations. We believe that a sound financial basis of the United Nations is essential and that it cannot be established without a clear commitment of all the United Nations member states to pay their contributions in full and on time and without conditions. We support reforming the Security Council. In that context Slovenia believes that:
- the working methods of the Security Council must be improved and its transparency enhanced;
- the number of both the non-permanent and permanent members of the Security Council needs to be increased - up to a total not exceeding 25;
- the use of the veto by the permanent members needs to be transparent and possibly curtailed.
Slovenia attaches great importance also to the improvement and rationalisation of other UN organs, including the General Assembly. For smaller countries and their relatively small missions it is difficult to cover all activities which tend to multiply instead of being rationalised. Slovenia believes that reforms of the organisation should include also ongoing endeavours of the Secretary General to make the work of the UN more rational.