UN General Assembly
2007

I would like to begin by congratulating Mr. Kerim on his election as President of the General Assembly. I would also like to wish our Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, every success at his first full session of the General Assembly since taking office. He has been very active in his first nine months. The Netherlands fully supports his efforts to promote peace and development in the world and to make the United Nations more effective. I am convinced that the success or failure of the United Nations depends on three fundamental factors. The first is how much inspiration we draw from our common values: respect for human rights, for the rule of law and for our planet. The second is how much we shoulder our responsibility as members of the international community. And the third is how successful we are in making the United Nations more relevant and in increasing the impact of the international community. I will deal with each of these three themes in turn respect, responsibility and relevance.