Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the distinguished guests and participants to this important conference. It is a particular honour to welcome you, Mr Secretary-General, to Helsinki.

The end of Cold War marked the beginning of a period of turbulent transition in international politics. Dramatic changes in the world and the acute problems facing us all call for new thinking and new concepts, which are needed on both the national level and, also within the United Nations' system, in a multilateral context.

We are now at crossroads. Global confrontation is behind us, and we hope to enter an era of new opportunities, partnership and cooperation.

You, Mr Secretary-General, are skilfully leading the world organisation in these historic and challenging times. As you perform that task, you deserve the unequivocal support of the international community.

The United Nations was established to address international problems, to save future generations from the scourge of war, to engage all nations in work for peace and development, and to reaffirm the rights of all human beings. Governments created the United Nations 50 years ago to serve the people - each and every individual. The UN Charter and its principles remain as valid today as they have ever been.

Finland commends the Security Council for the active role that it is currently playing in resolving international crises. The Council must continue to be a body with the capacity to make decisions and take efficient action. However, we also recognise the need to revise the Council's composition so that it reflects today's realities, such as the growing role i.a. of Germany and Japan in world affairs.

The call for efficiency requires commitment by the Member States to the United Nations. Its financial situation remains critical as members ignore their obligations to the organization. The General Assembly has called for political efforts to correct the situation. A sound and viable financial basis for the world organization has to be found.

As has always been the case, the greatest challenge today is that of securing and strengthening peace. The Secretary- General's Agenda for Peace opened new avenues and provided a more comprehensive framework in which to embed the search for peace. The increasing importance of peacekeeping operations is the most significant feature of the Agenda. However, this has also focused attention on the limits to which the UN can stretch its role. The political conditions under which crisis-management and peacekeeping operations are mounted have also been changing. Nonetheless, the fundamental question remains, the one of commitment and political will: are the Member States willing to turn to international organisations and take part in collective efforts to deal with crisis situation?

To maintain peace and stability we also need cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations.

Preventive action - however difficult its implementation may be - is becoming increasingly important. The UN needs a capacity to conduct preventive diplomacy and promote confidence-building. Here the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OSCE offers a useful element. Its experience in early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management are positive.

At summit level, the OSCE has expressed the political will to provide, within the context of an appropriate resolution of the United Nations Security Council, a multinational peacekeeping force for Nagorno-Karabah following agreement between the parties to the conflict there to cease armed hostilities. The OSCE has to develop its own logistic capabilities in order to be successful in these tasks. The United Nations can be here of great assistance with its vast experience in peace-keeping operations.

Today, the maintenance of international peace and security must be seen in a wider perspective. We need an integrated approach. We need an understanding that a basis for peace is created through economic and social development, respect for human rights, and by strengthening democracy and good governance.

The UN needs a clear policy to tackle emerging crises and a system to provide early warning of problems that might endanger international stability.

I am convinced that the UN should establish an effective, integrated multinational crisis-management capacity to meet the challenges of emerging international conflicts. In this regard, I warmly welcome the recent proposal by the Secretary-General on a United Nations' rapid reaction force. It is a timely initiative. It should be carefully studied.

The Secretary-General's Agenda for Peace has also paved the way for an Agenda for Development. This should become an instrument for outlining the UN's role in development, in relation to many other actors in that field.

In two months' time we will be meeting at the Social Summit in Copenhagen. That will be an opportunity to amplify the concept of human-centered, socially oriented development, which is emerging from the series of UN summits and conferences.

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This Conference is a manifestation of the five Nordic countries' continued trust in the United Nations. It shows that our peoples and their elected representatives are confident that the United Nations is capable of developing with the times.

Nordic cooperation has served our nations well. And it has been of major service to the world organisation. It is my firm belief that Nordic countries will continue to make a useful contribution to the United Nations.

With these few thoughts I would like to declare this gathering, the "International Conference on the Nordic Countries in the UN - for Peace and Development" open. I wish you all fruitful and thought-provoking discussions, which will produce innovative ideas for promoting the Nordic input in helping the United Nations to enter the 21st century.