UN General Assembly
2001

operational promptly, and I urge those States which have not yet done so to ratify the Rome Statute. Sweden also welcomes the initiative by the Secretary-General to involve global business in promoting human rights through the Global Compact. We need to join forces to prevent violent conflicts. We need to work against hatred and suspicion between peoples and to stimulate a dialogue between and within cultures. Preventing violent conflict is a primary obligation of Member States under the United Nations Charter, but it took us half a century to start working towards this goal systematically. We now have a better understanding of the complex root causes of conflicts. The responsibility of preventing conflict ultimately rests on every Government. Successful long- term prevention cannot be imposed from the outside, but the local parties should be encouraged and assisted in containing an emerging conflict. The Secretary-General’s report on conflict prevention is a very valuable contribution to the development of a global strategy. I urge all Member States to take an active part in its follow-up.