    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [September 23, 2008]
    [Pages 1227-1231]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City
    September 23, 2008

        Mr. Secretary-General, distinguished
    delegates, ladies and gentlemen: I'm pleased to be here to address the
    General Assembly.
        Sixty-three years ago, representatives from around the world
    gathered in San Francisco to complete the founding of the Charter of the
    United Nations. They met in the shadow of a devastating war, with grave
    new dangers on the horizon. They agreed on a historic pledge: to
    reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and unite their strength to
    maintain international peace and security.
        This noble pledge has endured trying hours in the United Nations
    history, and it still guides our work today. Yet the ideals of the
    charter are now facing a challenge as serious as any since the U.N.'s
    founding: a global movement of violent extremists. By deliberately
    murdering the innocent to advance their aims, these extremists defy the
    fundamental principles of international order. They show contempt for
    all who respect life and value human dignity. They reject the words of
    the Bible, the Qur'an, the Torah, or any standard of conscience or
    morality. They imperil the values of justice and human rights that gave
    birth to the United Nations, values that have fueled an unprecedented
    expansion of freedom across the world.
        To uphold the world's--words of the charter in the face of this
    challenge, every nation in this chamber has responsibilities. As
    sovereign states, we have an obligation to govern responsibly, and solve
    problems before they spill across borders. We have an obligation to
    prevent our territory from being used as a sanctuary for terrorism and
    proliferation and human trafficking and organized crime. We have an
    obligation to respect the rights and respond to the needs of our people.
        Multilateral organizations have responsibilities. For 8 years, the
    nations in this assembly have worked together to confront the extremist
    threat. We've witnessed successes and setbacks, and through it all, a
    clear lesson has emerged: The United Nations and other multilateral
    organizations are needed more urgently than ever. To be successful, we
    must be focused and resolute and effective. Instead of only passing
    resolutions decrying terrorist attacks after they occur, we must
    cooperate more closely to keep terrorist attacks from happening in the
    first place. Instead of treating all forms of government as equally
    tolerable, we must actively challenge the conditions of tyranny and
    despair that allow terror and extremism to thrive. By acting together to
    meet the fundamental challenge of our time, we can lead toward a world
    that is more secure and more prosperous and more hopeful.
        In the decades ahead, the United Nations and other multilateral
    organizations must continually confront terror. This mission requires
    clarity of vision. We must see the terrorists for what they are:
    ruthless extremists who exploit the desperate, subvert the tenets of a
    great religion, and seek to impose their will on as many people as
    possible. Some suggest that these men would pose less of a threat if
    we'd only leave them alone. Yet their leaders make clear that no
    concession could ever satisfy their ambitions. Bringing the terrorists
    to justice does not create terrorism; it's the best way to protect our
    people.
        Multilateral organizations must respond by taking an unequivocal
    moral stand against terrorism. No cause can justify the deliberate
    taking of innocent human life, and the international community is
    nearing universal agreement on this truth. The vast majority of nations
    in this assembly now

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    agree that tactics like suicide bombing, hostage-taking, and hijacking
    are never legitimate. This Security Council has passed resolutions
    declaring terror unlawful and requiring all nations to crack down on
    terrorist financing. And earlier this month, the Secretary-General held a conference to highlight victims of terror,
    where he stated that terrorism can never be justified.
        Other multilateral organizations have spoken clearly as well. The G-
    8 has declared that all terrorist acts are criminal and must be
    universally condemned. And the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
    recently spoke out against a suicide bombing, which he said runs counter
    to the teachings of Islam. The message behind these statements is
    resolutely clear: Like slavery and piracy, terrorism has no place in the
    modern world.
        Around the globe, nations are turning these words into action.
    Members of the United Nations are sharing intelligence with one another,
    conducting joint operations, and freezing terrorist finances. While
    terrorists continue to carry out attacks like the terrible bombing in
    Islamabad last week, our joint actions have spared our citizens from
    many devastating blows.
        The brutal nature of the extremists increasingly clear, the
    coalition of nations confronting terror is growing stronger. Over the
    past 7 years, Afghanistan and Iraq have been transformed from regimes
    that actively sponsored terror to democracies that fight terror. Libya
    has renounced its support for terror and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
    Nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are actively pursuing the
    terrorists. A few nations--regimes like Syria and Iran--continue to
    sponsor terror. Yet their numbers are growing fewer, and they're growing
    more isolated from the world.
        As the 21st century unfolds, some may be tempted to assume that the
    threat has receded. This would be comforting; it would be wrong. The
    terrorists believe time is on their side, so they made waiting out
    civilized nations part of their strategy. We must not allow them to
    succeed. The nations of this body must stand united in the fight against
    terror. We must continue working to deny the terrorists refuge anywhere
    in the world, including ungoverned spaces. We must remain vigilant
    against proliferation by fully implementing the terms of Security
    Council Resolution 1540 and enforcing sanctions against North Korea and
    Iran. We must not relent until our people are safe from this threat to
    civilization.
        To uphold the charter's promise of peace and security in the 21st
    century, we must also confront the ideology of the terrorists. At its
    core, the struggle against extremists is a battle of ideas. The
    terrorists envision a world in which religious freedom is denied, women
    are oppressed, and all dissent is crushed. The nations of this chamber
    must present a more hopeful alternative, a vision where people can speak
    freely and worship as they choose and pursue their dreams in liberty.
        Advancing the vision of freedom serves our highest ideals, as
    expressed in the U.N.'s Charter's commitment to the dignity and worth of
    the human person. Advancing this vision also serves our security
    interests. History shows that when citizens have a voice in choosing
    their own leaders, they are less likely to search for meaning in radical
    ideologies. And when governments respect the rights of their people,
    they're more likely to respect the rights of their neighbors.
        For all these reasons, the nations of this body must challenge
    tyranny as vigorously as we challenge terror. Some question whether
    people in certain parts of the world actually desire freedom. This self-
    serving condescension has been disproved before our eyes. From the
    voting booths of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Liberia to the Orange Revolution
    in Ukraine and the Rose Revolution in Georgia to the Cedar Revolution in
    Lebanon and the Tulip Revolution

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    in Kyrgyzstan, we have seen people consistently make the courageous
    decision to demand their liberty. For all the suggestions to the
    contrary, the truth is that whenever or wherever people are given the
    choice, they choose freedom.
        Nations in this chambers have supported the efforts of dissidents
    and reformers and civil society advocates in newly free societies
    throughout the new United Nations Democracy Fund. And we appreciate
    those efforts. And as young democracies around the world continue to
    make brave stands for liberty, multilateral organizations like the
    United Nations must continue to stand with them.
        In Afghanistan, a determined people are working to overcome decades
    of tyranny and protect their newly free society. They have strong
    support from all 26 nations of the NATO alliance. I appreciate the
    United Nations decision this week to renew the mandate for the
    International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The United
    Nations is also an active civilian presence in Afghanistan, where
    experts are doing important work helping to improve education,
    facilitate humanitarian aid, and protect human rights. We must continue
    to help the Afghan people defend their young democracy so the Taliban
    does not return to power and Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for
    terror.
        In Iraq, the fight has been difficult, yet daily life has improved
    dramatically over the past 20 months, thanks to the courage of the Iraqi
    people, a determined coalition of nations, and a surge of American
    troops. The United Nations has provided the mandate for multinational
    forces in Iraq through this December. And the United Nations is carrying
    out an ambitious strategy to strengthen Iraq's democracy, including
    helping Iraqis prepare for their next round of free elections. Whatever
    disagreements our nations have had on Iraq, we should all welcome this
    progress toward stability and peace, and we should stand united in
    helping Iraq's democracy succeed.
        We must stand united in our support of other young democracies, from
    the people of Lebanon struggling to maintain their hard-won independence
    to the people of the Palestinian Territories, who deserve a free and
    peaceful state of their own. We must stand united in our support of the
    people of Georgia. The United Nations Charter sets forth the equal
    rights of nations large and small. Russia's invasion of Georgia was a
    violation of those words. Young democracies around the world are
    watching to see how we respond to this test. The United States has
    worked with allies in multilateral institutions like the European Union
    and NATO to uphold Georgia's territorial integrity and provide
    humanitarian relief. And our nations will continue to support Georgia's
    democracy.
        In this chamber are representatives of Georgia and Ukraine and
    Lebanon and Afghanistan and Liberia and Iraq and other brave young
    democracies. We admire your courage; we honor your sacrifices; we thank
    you for your inspiring example. We will continue to stand with all who
    stand for freedom. This noble goal is worthy of the United Nations, and
    it should have the support of every member in this assembly.
        Extending the reach of political freedom is essential to prevailing
    in the great struggle of our time, but it is not enough. Many in this
    chamber have answered the call to help their brothers and sisters in
    need by working to alleviate hopelessness. These efforts to improve the
    human condition are--honor the highest ideals of this institution. They
    also advance our security interests. The extremists find their most
    fertile recruiting grounds in societies trapped in chaos and despair,
    places where people see no prospect of a better life. In the shadows of
    hopelessness, radicalism thrives. And eventually, that radicalism can
    boil over into violence and cross borders and take innocent lives across
    the world.
        Overcoming hopelessness requires addressing its causes: poverty,
    disease, and ignorance. Challenging these conditions is in

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    the interest of every nation in this chamber. And democracies are
    particularly well positioned to carry out this work. Because we have
    experience responding to the needs of our own people, we're natural
    partners in helping other nations respond to the needs of theirs.
    Together, we must commit our resources and efforts to advancing
    education and health and prosperity.
        Over the years, many nations have made well-intentioned efforts to
    promote these goals. Yet the success of these efforts must be measured
    by more than intentions, they must be measured by results. My Nation has
    placed an insistence on results at the heart of our foreign assistance
    programs. We launched a new initiative called the Millennium Challenge
    Account, which directs our help to countries that demonstrate their
    ability to produce results by governing justly and fighting corruption
    and pursuing market-based economic policies, as well as investing in
    their people. Every country and institution that provides foreign
    assistance, including the United Nations, will be more effective by
    showing faith in the people of the developing world and insisting on
    performance in return for aid.
        Experience also shows that to be effective, we must adopt a model of
    partnership, not paternalism. This approach is based on our conviction
    that people in the developing world have the capacity to improve their
    own lives and will rise to meet high expectations if we set them.
    America has sought to apply this model in our Emergency Plan for AIDS
    Relief. Every nation that receives American support through this
    initiative develops its own plan for fighting HIV/AIDS and measures the
    results. And so far, these results are inspiring. Five years ago, 50,000
    people in sub-Sahara Africa were receiving treatment for HIV/AIDS.
    Today, that number is nearly 1.7 million. We're taking a similar
    approach to fighting malaria, and so far, we've supported local efforts
    to protect more than 25 million Africans.
        Multilateral organizations have made bold commitments of their own
    to fight disease. The G-8 has pledged to match America's efforts on
    malaria and HIV/AIDS. Through the Global Fund, many countries are
    working to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB. Lives in the developing
    world depend on these programs, and all who have made pledges to fight
    disease have an obligation to follow through on their commitments.
        One of the most powerful engines of development and prosperity is
    trade and investment, which create new opportunities for entrepreneurs
    and help people rise out of poverty and reinforce fundamental values
    like transparency and rule of law. For all these reasons, many in these
    chambers have conducted free trade agreements at bilateral and regional
    levels. The most effective step of all would be an agreement that tears
    down trade barriers at the global level. The recent impasse in the Doha
    round is disappointing, but that does not have to be the final word. I
    urge every nation to seize this opportunity to lift up economies around
    the world and reach a successful Doha agreement as soon as possible.
        Beyond Doha, our nations must renew our commitment to open economies
    and stand firm against economic isolationism. These objectives are being
    tested by turbulence in the global financial markets. Our economies are
    more closely connected than ever before, and I know that many of you
    here are watching how the United States Government will address the
    problems in our financial system.
        In recent weeks, we have taken bold steps to prevent a severe
    disruption of the American economy, which would have a devastating
    effect on other economies around the world. We've promoted stability in
    the markets by preventing the disorderly failure of major companies. The
    Federal Reserve has injected urgently needed liquidity into the system.
    And last week, I announced a decisive action by the Federal

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    Government to address the root cause of much of the instability in our
    financial markets, by purchasing illiquid assets that are weighing down
    balance sheets and restricting the flow of credit. I can assure you that
    my administration and our Congress are working together to quickly pass
    legislation approving this strategy, and I'm confident we will act in
    the urgent timeframe required.
        The objectives I've laid out for multilateral institutions--
    confronting terror, opposing tyranny, and promoting effective
    development--are difficult, but they are necessary tasks. To have
    maximum impact, multilateral institutions must take on challenging
    missions. And like all of us in this chamber, they must work toward
    measurable goals, be accountable for their actions, and hold true to
    their word.
        In the 21st century, the world needs a confident and effective
    United Nations. This unique institution should build on its successes
    and improve its performance. Where there is inefficiency and corruption,
    it must be corrected. Where there are bloated bureaucracies, they must
    be streamlined. Where members fail to uphold their obligations, there
    must be strong action. For example, there should be an immediate review
    of the Human Rights Council, which has routinely protected violators of
    human rights. There should be a stronger effort to help the people of
    Burma live free of the repression they have suffered for too long. And
    all nations, especially members of the Security Council, must act
    decisively to ensure that the Government of Sudan upholds its commitment
    to address the violence in Darfur.
        The United Nations is an organization of extraordinary potential. As
    the United Nations rebuilds its headquarters, it must also open the door
    to a new age of transparency, accountability, and seriousness of
    purpose.
        With determination and clear purpose, the United Nations can be a
    powerful force for good as we head into the 21st century. It can affirm
    the great promise of its founding.
        In the final days of the San Francisco Conference, the delegates
    negotiating the U.N. Charter received a visit from President Harry
    Truman. He acknowledged the enormous challenges they faced and said
    success was only possible because of what he called an unshakable
    ``unity of determination.'' Today, the world is engaged in another
    period of great challenge. And by continuing to work together, that
    unshakable unity of determination will be ours. Together, we confront
    and defeat the evil of terrorism. Together, we can secure the Almighty's
    gift of liberty and justice to millions who have not known it. And
    together, we can build a world that is freer, safer, and better for the
    generations who follow.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:12 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. In
    his remarks, he referred to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United
    Nations; and Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organization
    of the Islamic Conference. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.