PRIORITIES OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
AT THE 58th UNGA SESSION

At the 58th United Nations General Assembly session (hereinafter referred to as "58th UNGA"), the delegation of the Czech Republic will focus on issues related to the following five fields:

1. Strengthening of international peace and security, including the fight against international terrorism;
2. Strengthening of international law and respect for human rights;
3. Improvement of effectiveness of the UN system in achieving development goals of the millennium and ensuring just access to the advantages of globalization in accordance with the results of major UN international conferences;
4. Continuation of reforming and strengthening effective functioning of the UN in accordance with the Millennium Declaration;
5. Candidatures of the Czech Republic for elected UN bodies.

In keeping with procedures approved for the participation of countries acceding to the European Union in EU activities in the period between the signing of the Treaty of Accession and its entry into effect, the Czech Republic has been for the first time this year participating in discussions on EU priorities at the 58th UNGA session. On this basis, the Czech Republic fully shares and supports the EU priorities approved for the 58th UNGA session and will work, during the UNGA session, for close cooperation and for participation in EU activities as well as for coordination with individual member states and the other acceding countries. For the first time, the Czech Republic will have the opportunity to actively participate during the UNGA session in the formulation of common EU statements.

In this context, the priorities set for the delegation of the Czech Republic at the 58th UNGA session proceed also from the continuity of the fields of interest monitored by the Czech Republic in the UN, and adequately follow up the experience and results of the Czech presidency of the 57th UNGA session and reflect the specific experience of the delegation of the Czech Republic.

1. Strengthening of international peace and security, including the fight against international terrorism

The Czech Republic will support the important role of the UN and its cooperation with regional organizations and Member States in conflict prevention, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, post-conflict rehabilitation and long-term development. The Czech Republic will reiterate the importance of complex approach to the settlement and solution of conflicts and the interconnection between conflict prevention and post-conflict rehabilitation, and peacekeeping operations with stress on the following specific priorities:

· Creation of conditions for the stabilization of security situation and political and economic restoration and rehabilitation of Iraq with close and effective cooperation of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraqi representatives and other actors, including the strengthening of the role of the UN and other international organizations in the process of transition of the administration of Iraq into the hands of Iraqi representation elected in democratic elections;

· Support for the peace process in the Middle East based on the respective resolutions of the UN Security Council and the draft road map presented by the EU, UN, Russia and the United States;

· Preservation of the important role of the UN, NATO and other organizations within the stabilization of the security situation in Afghanistan;

· Support for the settlement of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the participation of the UN and the EU;

· Continuation of the stabilization of peace in the Balkans with stress put on the situation in Kosovo and in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

The Czech Republic will support international efforts in the field of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, including the means of their delivery. Commitments arising for the Czech Republic from NATO membership will remain the constant basis in this respect. Specific priorities in this field will include:

· Revitalization of the process of disarmament and revigoration of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including the prevention of their abuse by terrorist organizations;

· Pressing for the entry into effect of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the building of an international monitoring system and an appeal for observing the moratorium on nuclear tests;

· Prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in compliance with the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), to the universality of which the Czech Republic has been giving continuous support, and the commitments arising from membership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including the concern over the steps taken by the DPRK and its withdrawal from the NPT;

· Pressing for the system of safeguards within the IAEA and the negotiation of additional protocols, in particular in relation to countries in which certain issues need clarification (Iran). Stress on the strengthening of control of physical protection of nuclear installations and nuclear materials as part of prevention of nuclear terrorism;

· Opening of discussion on the preparation of a new international legal document on banning the production of fissile material for military purposes (Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty - FMCT);

· Strengthening of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC);

· Work for the universality of the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.

The other fields to which the Czech Republic will pay utmost attention will be issues of humanitarian demining and illegal trade in small arms and light weapons.

2. Strengthening of international law and respect for human rights

The protection of human rights and freedoms is one of the fundamental principles of the Czech foreign policy concept. The Czech Republic will continue to work for the strengthening of respect for human rights, including the monitoring of gross, massive or long-term violation of human rights as well as for effective observance of relevant international legal instruments and resolutions of the UN and for the strengthening of UN human rights mechanisms. The Czech Republic will press for the consistent approach by Member States to the compliance with assumed commitments and to the respect for human rights instruments with stress on the following specific priorities:

· Support for the present mandate of the UN Commission on Human Rights and activities of special rapporteurs of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

· Struggle against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance;

· Issues related to the rights of the child, in particular the protection of children against violence, abuse and engagement of children in armed conflicts as well as the protection of children against commercial sexual abuse;

· Strengthening of international mechanisms for ensuring equal opportunity for handicapped persons and support for the activities of the expert committee for the preparation of a new international convention on legal protection of handicapped persons;

· Protection against torture and in this context worldwide support for accession of countries to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture;

· Support for activities of treaty bodies and for efforts aimed at making their activities more effective.

The Czech Republic will work for the strengthening of international law in particular through support for international criminal justice and for activities of UN bodies dealing with the codification of international law. The Czech Republic will focus in particular on the following subjects:

· Support for the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the monitoring of development related to the International Criminal Court (ICC) with a view to the continued intention of the Czech Republic to become a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;

· Strengthening of the role of international law in resolving international conflicts, discussion on the role of international law in conflict prevention;

· Development of international legislation regulating fight against terrorism (UN universal convention on international terrorism);

· Work of the International Law Commission , in particular the subjects dealt with by the Commission (diplomatic protection);

· Activities and results of work of the ad hoc committees falling within the competence of the UN General Assembly and dealing with draft codifications of international law in selected fields (in particular draft articles on jurisdictional immunities of States and their property worked out by the Ad Hoc Committee on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property);

· Struggle against drugs, crime prevention and criminal justice;

· Struggle against trafficking in human beings (UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, suplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; and the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime);

· Work for the completion of the negotiation of the text and for the approval of the first global UN Convention against Corruption.

3. Improvement of effectiveness of the UN System in achieving development goals of the Millennium and ensuring just access to the advantages of globalization in accordance with the results of major UN international conferences

The Czech Republic regards the creation of a favourable political and economic environment for development, built on the functional system of law and knowledge and institutional potential of developing countries as the primary prerequisite for effective integration of countries into globalization processes. The Czech Republic therefore supports international economic cooperation, orientation of foreign development and humanitarian assistance towards good governance and the building of capacities. Specific priorities of the Czech Republic in this field will include:

· Implementation of the conclusions of the World Summit on sustainable development and the reflection of economic, environmental and social aspects of the concept of sustainable development in the political decision-making of governments and in the work of the civil society. Proceeding in this connection from the recommendations of the Working Group on integrated and coordinated follow-up to major UN conferences and summits, including active participation in the preparation of a high-level session within the 60th UNGA on development objectives of the Millennium Declaration;

· Deepening of coordinated and integrated approach to combatting HIV/AIDS, support for steps aimed at combatting malaria, tuberculosis and other contagious diseases;

· Support for integrated approach to the solution of global issues requiring greater cooperation and coordination and related to development, poverty, health and living environment (protection of drinking water resources, biodiversity, forest and primaeval forest complexes, struggle against desertification or contamination by communal and dangerous wastes), including support for the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD);

· Active participation in the high-level dialogue on " funding development";

· Preparation of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS);

· Greater engagement of functional ECOSOC commissions, and in particular of the CSD, in discussions on sectoral issues.

Strengthening of interaction between the UN and other important actors and international organizations of the BW, WTO, NGO system and private sector, including support for the "Global Compact" initiative of the UN Secretary-General that could improve the effectiveness and speed up the implementation of development programmes and projects, including the gaining of additional funds.

4. Continuation of reforming and strengthening effective functioning of the UN in accordance with the Millennium Declaration

The Czech Republic has always stressed the irreplaceable role of the United Nations as the top-level world organization and promotes such steps that are aimed at increasing the prestige and action ability of the United Nations and its effective functioning. At the 58th UNGA session, the Czech Republic will work for the consistent implementation of and elaboration on the conclusions of the Millennium Summit and the respective provisions of the Millennium Declaration so as to result in concrete measures. Its specific priorities in this field will include:

· Adoption of the UN budget for the 2004 - 2006 period so as to reflect priorities set by the Millennium Declaration;

· Approval of a new scale of assessment in respect of contributions for the year 2004 and possibly also for the following years so as to reflect the real economic capacities of individual Member States;

· Support for the initiatives of the UN Secretary-General aimed at improving the work of the management and administration of the UN, including the impact of these reform steps on the budget of the organization and improvement of the budget discipline;

· Approval of such a reform of the network of UN Information Centres that will make it possible to preserve the UN Information Centre in Prague;

· Solution of outstanding issues of revitalization of the UN General Assembly (clustering of agenda points , discussion of certain points of the agenda only once in 2 - 3 years instead of every year, withdrawal of the so-called inactive points, reduction of demands on documentation and reports, coordination of the work of the Main Committees and changes in working methods in selected committees);

· Continuation of debate on reforming the UN Security Council which should have more both permanent and non-permanent members (a maximum increase by five members in each category) with the preservation of the veto power for present and new permanent members.

An opportunity for supporting initiatives aimed at reorganizing and rationalizing UN administration will be the presidency of the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations, Ambassador Hynek Kmoníček, of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the UN General Assembly.

5. Candidatures of the Czech Republic for elected UN bodies

At the 58th UNGA session, the Czech Republic will not seek election into any important political body of the United Nations. The only candidature presented by the Czech Republic at the 58th UNGA is the candidature for membership of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Participation in the 58th UNGA session will be used, inter alia, for gaining support for candidacies to be presented by the Czech Republic in the longer run, in particular for membership of the Security Council in 2007, of the Economic and Social Council in 2005 and of the Commission on Human Rights in 2006.