President Halonen at United Nations lashes out at globalisation

"We believe that globalisation could and should be a force for a brighter future for all people. Unfortunately today’s globalisation falls short of this promise and is actually morally wrong and politically unsustainable."
      The words were those of Finnish President Tarja Halonen who spoke at a conference on poverty at the United Nations in New York on Monday.
      Other speakers at a seminar on the topic of globalisation were United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the French and Brazilian Presidents Jaques Chirac and Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, as well as Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa.
      Mkapa and Halonen together headed a working group on the social dimensions of globalisation, whose report was published last spring.
     
The ball is now moving into the court of the UN. The United Nations General Assembly convenes on Tuesday, and Finland and Tanzania are to propose a resolution that would give follow-up work to various UN organisations.
      Under the plan, progress would be assessed a year from now, when the UN Heads of State would also get an interim report on the implementation of measures outlined in the UN Millennium Declaration to reduce poverty.
     
During a break Halonen said that she was very satisfied with the participants in the seminar and the reception that the report had received. "The report seems to have gone through quite well on the level of priorities of different countries", the President said.
      She pointed out that the African Union had accepted the report as a basis for further action.
      As for the European Union, Halonen was not so sure. In her view the European Commission should seek to put problems brought up in the report onto the agenda of the EU summits.
      Halonen said that the Lisbon Declaration of 2000 could serve as a model. The declaration was aimed at making the EU the most competitive economic area in the world. However this goal has moved further away.
      Halonen placed special emphasis on the role of nation-states in the fairer distribution of the fruits of globalisation among people.
      Halonen said that the nation-state is still the main actor in globalisation. She noted that Finland, Tanzania, and Argentina have already made, or are making their own globalisation programmes.
     
There was at least one differing opinion. The representative of the United States warned that the increase in the input of governments was not necessarily the right solution.
      In the view of the current conservative administration in the US, globalisation will make the best progress if the role of various government regulatory measures is minimised, and if competition is allowed free rein.
      On questions of development, Halonen said that she was an optimist. The development goals of the millennium would be achieved at least partially, and Africa, which Halonen said had previously been seen as a "poor, old, and sad lady", is also making progress.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Halonen responds to criticism: Supporting the poor is in Finland’s interest (27.4.2004)
  Halonen criticised as global do-gooder; PM Vanhanen comes to President’s defence (26.4.2004)
  Our fair trade President (14.3.2004)
  Is President Halonen bringing morality back to Finnish foreign policy? (16.3.2004)
  Commission chaired by President Halonen issues report on globalization (25.2.2004)

Links:
  Address by the President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the United Nations, New York, September 20, 2004