Tunisia and the United Nations

Tunisia attaches great importance to the United Nations and to its role in world affairs, as a forum for dialogue and consultation between member nations as well as a framework for joint action.

Tunisia's diplomatic activity within the UN system has intensified since the political change of November 7th, 1987. It has since played a particularly active part in the activities of major UN bodies as well as those of international conferences and forums.

The Millennium Summit and the Security Council Summit held last September were two excellent opportunities to discuss mankind's present as well as its future. For Tunisia, they were an opportunity to underscore the urgent need to achieve a quantum leap in international relations and to support the call for developing the Security Council's mission and membership.

It was also an opportunity for President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to reiterate his proposal to set up a World Fund for Solidarity and Poverty Eradication, as a mechanism to reinforce existing humanitarian instruments in the most deprived and poverty-stricken regions in the world.

As part of its 55th session, the UN General Assembly adopted, on December 20, 2000 a resolution paying tribute to President Ben Ali's initiative and invited the UN secretary general to undertake the necessary consultations with the member states and the international financial and development institutions concerned by human and economic development in developing countries so as to consider the practical measures necessary for the setting up of this fund and report them to the 56th session of the UN General Assembly.

Tunisia's presence in the Security Council

Tunisia's election as a member of the Security Council for a two-year period, starting January 1, 2000, is an opportunity for Tunisian diplomacy to pursue even more actively its efforts aimed at promoting international peace and security.

Since becoming a member of the UN Security Council, Tunisia has contributed effectively to the Council's discussions, working to reinforce the principle of international legality and preserve international peace and security. In this effort, Tunisia has endeavored to promote consensus between Council members.

It has also played an active part in the Security Council's discussions aimed at developing a new approach to addressing international security issues. In this regard, Tunisia has contributed to the debate on a number of questions such as the protection of refugees and displaced persons. Tunisia has stressed the need to give due care to humanitarian issues arising from conflicts, while reiterating the principle of the sovereignty of nations when dealing with such issues.

Tunisia's contribution to Security Council proceedings has also included addressing security issues on the Council's agenda. In this respect, it has contributed to the peace-keeping mission decided by the Council for the Congo Democratic Republic and has responded to the UN call to mobilize Tunisian experts in managing this operation. Tunisia's participation in this UN mission builds on a long tradition of involvement in peace-keeping operations in the Congo during the sixties and, since the 1987 Change, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia Herzegovina, Haiti, the Central African Republic, Somalia and in dealing with the situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia and in Kosovo.
In July 2000, Tunisia ratified the international agreement on the safety of UN officials and of individuals related to the Organization, an agreement regulating peace-keeping activities.

During its chairmanship of the Security Council as of February 2001, Tunisia will strive, as sincerely as ever, in the light of the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and within the framework of cooperation with all parties, to contain the hotbeds of tension and conflicts in the world, and to give precedence to dialogue and concord in addressing problems.

Tunisia's presence in the United Nations General Assembly

Tunisia has endeavored, during every annual session of the UN General Assembly, to state its views on major issues, and to contribute to the formulation of orientations developed by member states.
Regarding the important issue of reforming the United Nations System so as to allow it to adjust to progress and meet the challenges of our times, Tunisia has stated the need for the Organization to gain added efficiency in addressing the vital issues for the majority of peoples worldwide, as well as issues related to development and the promotion of better living standards around the world. Tunisia has also stressed the need to adopt coordinated policies providing for the success of UN-initiated development projects, considering that the deterioration of security conditions is often caused by the degradation of the social and economic conditions of individuals.

One of the pending reform issues currently being addressed by the General Assembly is the reform of the Security Council. Since 1993, when a working team was set up to address this issue, discussions have been ongoing as to the ways and means of extending Security Council membership and improving its working procedures in order to keep in tune with the progress achieved in international relations since the end of World War II.

In this respect, Tunisia has reiterated its conviction in the need to extend Council membership in terms of both permanent and non-permanent seats, according to the principle of equitable geographic representation in order to safeguard the interests of developing nations in the Council. Based on this principle, Tunisia has defended the Organization of African Unity's standpoint calling for two permanent seats for Africa, to be dealt out on an alternating basis. Tunisia has also reiterated the need for enhanced transparency in Council procedures and the need for restricting veto rights.

Tunisia's presence in the Economic and Social Council and its committees

Tunisia, which attaches great importance to the proceedings of the Economic and Social Council, was elected a member of this body for the 1996-1998 period. This membership was marked by an intense activity aimed at reinforcing the part played by the Council, based on its mandate as set forth in the UN Charter.
Tunisia has stressed the need to devote adequate attention to the concerns of developing nations, taking into consideration the difficulties faced by such countries in meeting economic and social challenges, caused for the main part by lack of adequate financial resources as well as by indebtedness and the negative effects of globalization.

Tunisia takes part actively in the activity of the Economic and Social Council's specialized committees, such as the Human Rights Committee, the Sustainable Development Committee, the Committee on the Status of Women, and the Social Development Committee.

Its involvement in such committees constitutes an opportunity to shed light on Tunisia's achievements in various fields, and its comprehensive vision of human rights, its pioneering role in consolidating the rights of women, promoting better social conditions of all sections of society, and protecting the environment.

Tunisia's presence in specialized international agencies and organizations

Tunisia's election as a member of UNESCO's executive council illustrates its keen interest in cultural and educational matters; it further demonstrates the international community's high regard for the role of Tunisia.
Tunisia's membership of the International Migration Organization comes as a reinforcement of the mechanisms used by the Tunisian Government to provide Tunisian citizens living abroad with all due care and to keep in tune with all international developments and policies related to migration, so as to protect the rights of Tunisians living abroad and to defend their interests at all levels.

Tunisia's presence in UN-sponsored international conferences

Tunisia has participated in all UN-sponsored conferences on such topics as human rights, the environment, social development, women's rights, housing, population, and development.
It has endeavored to play an effective role in such conferences and in formulation of recommendations and work programs, relying in this on a rich experience which has been the hallmark of its endeavors since the 1987 Change.

Such conferences allow Tunisia to promote the commitment to the rule of law, respect for human rights, promotion of tolerance, and social and cultural integration of all individuals and sections of society.

Tunisia's diplomacy has played a very active role in the year 2000 on two important occasions: (1) the meeting held in New York to follow-up on the work program of the Beijing Conference on promoting the rights of women; and (2) the meeting held in Geneva to follow-up on the recommendations adopted in the Copenhagen Conference on social development .

The proceedings of the first meeting were an opportunity for the Tunisian delegation to highlight the pioneering experience of Tunisia in promoting the rights of women; an experience which was duly noted in the recommendations of the Beijing Conference. The participating delegations were able to witness Tunisia's commitment to reinforcing the status of women.

The second forum was an opportunity for the Tunisian delegation to present Tunisia's pioneering experience in the area of social development and to highlight the deep human dimension of the policies adopted in this field. This was also an opportunity to shed light on the results of the National Solidarity Fund's intervention to promote needy areas and eradicate poverty.