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 Home > News & Policies > June 2005

For Immediate Release
June 20, 2005

EU-US Declaration on the 60th Anniversary of the Signing of the San Francisco Charter

Sixty years ago, on June 26th, 1945 the San Francisco Charter creating the United Nations was signed. Born out of the desire "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice... has brought untold sorrow to mankind" (Preamble of the Charter of the UN), the United Nations has ever since provided the framework for the nations of the world to strive for peace and security, prosperity and international cooperation based on respect of international law. We salute the groundbreaking work accomplished six decades ago by the authors of the Charter and we rededicate ourselves to the noble principles and values embodied in this fundamental text.

Today, the world faces threats and challenges, both old and new, which can only be addressed in common, based on a spirit of cooperation, shared institutions, and a rule-based international system as exemplified by the United Nations.

True to the inspiration of the San Francisco Charter, the nations of the world are called to define a new international consensus on the ways and means to manage together the burning questions of our time. In this respect, the High Level Event on Millennium Review in September of this year provides an opportunity to assess the implementation of the commitments of the Millennium Declaration and the results of the major UN Summits and Conferences.

It also offers the occasion for the international community to promote the emergence of a United Nations better oriented towards the threats and challenges of our time, more responsive to the needs of its members and more efficient and effective in the way it operates.

The United States and the European Union share the objective of such a renewed United Nations and are willing to cooperate closely in order to contribute to a balanced and ambitious outcome of the September High Level Meeting. They share, inter alia, the perspective that the interlinked dimensions of peace and security, human rights, rule of law, democracy, and development need to be addressed coherently, within more efficient and transparent institutions and procedures.

Satisfactory solutions need to be found in the crucial areas of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The creation of a properly configured Peacebuilding Commission can provide useful and timely guidance for the management of post-conflict situations.

Achieving the development goals of the Millennium Declaration will require significant additional resources, which should come from many sources, as set out at Monterrey, including increased foreign direct investment, trade, remittances, public aid and private charitable contributions. Developing countries will need to make concerted efforts in their own development through good governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights and sound policies that promote sustainable development and empower individuals to participate more fully and freely in economic activity. We underline the importance of national ownership for development strategies. We stand ready to increase our financial assistance to countries with good governance and sound policies and transparent, ambitious and accountable strategies to achieve long-term economic growth and reach the internationally-agreed development goals in the Millennium Declaration.

The strengthening and mainstreaming of the dimensions of human rights, rule of law and democracy should be achieved, inter alia, through the creation of a new, effective and credible Human Rights Council and the establishment of a UN Democracy Fund.

The improvement of the overall performance of the UN system will imply major reforms in the budget and management areas, including accountability and oversight mechanisms

On these issues as well as on other questions that will be on the agenda of the High-Level meeting, the US and the European Union will consult closely in the weeks and months to come in order to contribute to a successful and substantive outcome in September.

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