Madame / Mr. Chair, Fellow Delegates, and Distinguished Guests:
The Republic of Austria is honored to be a member of such an esteemed body. We look forward to working together, deliberating, and engaging in the coming days with the nations of the world on the issues of international terrorism, private military contractors and their role in worldwide conflicts, post-revolutionary nation stabilization, and economic growth (particularly concerning the stabilization of EU). Through discussion and compromise we strongly believe that we, as members of the esteemed United Nations, have the ability to improve the lives of future generations.
The Republic of Austria is eager to work with the UN on the issue of growth in the Eurozone. As a member of the European Union, Austria obviously has many interests in this issue. We believe that the greatest threat to growth within the Eurozone, Europe, and the world is the sovereign debt crises affecting many European countries. Recognizing this, Austria has worked with other Eurozone countries in setting up measures to contain the debt crises to Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. However, the crisis appears to be spreading to other countries such as Italy and Spain. To deal with this, Austria has supported the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility and the agreement that was reached on October 24th of this year in Brussels. Austria recommends greater fiscal involvement of other UN members in dealing with the debt crisis in the Eurozone, especially the countries less affected by the economic downturn. With greater involvement from non-Eurozone members, Austria believes that the risk of debt contagion will be greatly reduced or eliminated, investors will regain confidence, and strong economic growth in Europe will be restored. This will not only benefit the economies of Europe, but also the world economy as a whole.
The Republic of Austria recognizes the need to create guidelines for post-revolutionary nation stabilization, especially at such an important crossroads as the months following the Arab Spring. Countries currently in the process of post-revolutionary stabilization are important to the global economy, and all these stabilizing countries have citizens whose rights are protected by the Charter of the United Nations. Austria recognizes that while all nations have political sovereignty, revolutions can pose a threat to both the world security and the international economy. Additionally, such changes have the potential to cause harm to the nation itself as it attempts to rebuild. As a member of the EU, Austria has been a part of many successful relief initiatives, and it looks to continue to help provide aid with a new focus on stabilizing nations. According to the European Union's description of humanitarian aid, "The EU is present in all trouble spots . . . Its relief activities are global, sometimes taking place away from the cameras of the world media in so-called forgotten crisis zones and areas of post-conflict instability." Austria contributes to ECHO, the EU's department for handling relief operations, and it also supports the actions of the EEAS (European External Action Service) in the event that an immediate crisis occurs. Austria supports the belief that support and relief should be done regionally. For example, Europe and the Middle East should provide aid as possible to the countries that are stabilizing in North Africa. Thus, strong American economies should provide aid for struggling American nations, and strong Asian economies should provide aid for struggling Asian economies. This regional restriction will enable countries to provide support to the post-revolutionary nations while keeping local interests and ideals in mind. Countries can then return to stability with the help of their neighbors. This regional rebuilding process will ultimately support international relations and economies as well as human rights.
For more than half a century, neutrality has been a major focus of Austria’s foreign policy, yet we also recognize that defense and armed forces are essential businesses and necessities within the rights of every nation. Regarding private military contractors (PMCs), and in order to clarify discussion around the issue, Austria would like to define a private military contractor as a defense contractor, a business organization, or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Austria fully supports the efforts of the EU’s Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its goals to reduce sizes of militaries and provide adequate training for soldiers, even in private firms. However, Austria simultaneously reaffirms the outlined procedure for PMCs in the Montreaux Document of 2008, signed by 17 nations and drawing on the 2006 Swiss Initiative: international law does not apply to PMCs, and thus these firms have no legal basis recognized by the international community. However, their conduct is permissible in cases where military reinforcements are needed if human rights are recognized and upheld and if illegal arms trafficking is not involved. The UN’s Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries would be used in all cooperating nations, with government consent, to monitor human rights statuses and to ensure that mercenary groups respect the laws of the nation in which they act. With appropriate training, these firms may be useful additions to armed conflicts. The Republic of Austria looks forward to collaborating with the present delegates represented in the United Nations, and to coming to a consensus on the proper employment of private military contractors.
The Republic of Austria is concerned with the heightened state of terrorism within the global community and is interested in addressing some of the major problems, and developing a standard international response through a resolution developed within the general assembly. As a nation, we have always tried to play an active role in the international community, joining the U.N. in 1955, and we look forward to working to improve the success of the U.N. in its international efforts to quell terrorism. Our nation defines terrorism as violent or otherwise harmful acts carried out with the intention to strike fear within the citizens of the world. We are interested in ensuring that the nations of the U.N. can work together in order to ensure the safety of the citizens of the world, while also ensuring the protection of privacy and individual rights as well. The Republic of Austria proposes that the nations of the U.N. decide to keep in place the organizations and committees already put in place, such as EUROPOL, EUROJUST, and the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy of 2006. EUROPOL facilitates the exchange of information between EU Member States and analyses information gathered from the EU area and other international cooperation partners to gain concrete insights into potential threat scenarios. EUROJUST supports the EU Member States in the investigation and prosecution of serious cross-border and organized crime and promotes EU-wide cooperation among national judicial authorities on criminal cases. These programs have proven invaluable, and for that reason, the Republic of Austria stands behind them.
In conclusion, the problems facing the Republic of Austria cannot be solved by Austria alone. Assistance from the United Nations is required, and from all nations present at this conference. We have faced problems such as these before, and we will face them again. The EU economic situation, the stability of post-revolutionary nations, the threat of terrorism, the us of PMCs—all these can be solved peaceably and constructively, because if we dedicate ourselves, work cooperatively, set aside our differences and focus on our similarities, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. As Benjamin Franklin once nobly stated, “If we do not hang together, we will hang separately.” Danke schön.
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