Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada addresses the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010.Henny Ray Abrams
Prime Minister Stephen Harper escalated Canada's campaign to win a spot in the most powerful body of the United Nations with a speech Thursday that hailed the country's numerous contributions to international affairs.
Speaking in New York, Mr. Harper said Canada has been "a consistently reliable and responsible participant in UN initiatives around the world," citing especially the "heavy price" the country continues to pay to fulfill its obligations in Afghanistan.
Mr. Harper commended Canada's record on aid to Africa, highlighted its initiative to better the health of women and children worldwide, and underscored its diplomatic work toward peace in Sudan and Sierra Leone.
Only once did he mention Canada's ambition to secure a two-year term on the Security Council, the UN's highest decision-making body, at a vote next month.
"If we are elected, we will be ready to serve," he said. If selected, he continued, Canada would be guided by the UN's founding ideals and will "strive to further them."
Mr. Harper made his pitch at the annual opening debate of the UN's General Assembly, which began Thursday.
Canada's main rival in its Security Council bid is Portugal and so far the chances for success appear promising.
The Prime Minister used the occasion to advocate what he called "enlightened sovereignty," or "the idea that what's good for others may well be the best way to pursue one's own interests."
In Canada's case, even as it attends to its own affairs in trade or protecting the Arctic, "we shall be guided by the same advice we prescribe for others," he said from the podium of the UN's main chamber. "We will listen to their concerns. We will speak the truth. We will act with vigour."
He once again reiterated Canada's commitment to improving maternal and child health in poor countries. "Actions such as these are a moral imperative," he said. "Who, seeing his neighbour distressed, will pass by on the other side of the road?"
Mr. Harper has a packed schedule of meetings with world leaders in New York on Thursday. In the morning, he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres.
The Prime Minister commended the fresh round of peace negotiations under way in the Middle East and also noted his "disappointment with the unbalanced report" issued Wednesday by the UN's Human Rights Council. The report said Israel committed "grave violations" of international law in its deadly raid on a Turkish ship in May.
In the afternoon, Mr. Harper has plans to meet the leaders of Jordan, Ukraine and Vanuatu, which currently chairs the Pacific Islands Forum, a group of 16 countries. Later he will talk with former U.S. President Bill Clinton and attend a reception in the evening hosted by President Obama.