UN General Assembly
2013

action. We must face that challenge. Malta firmly believes that more can be done by the community of nations gathered here to support the fragile democracies that are struggling to take root where dictators formerly ruled. More can and should be done to ensure that the economies of the region are able to flourish, that intraregional trade is supported and that cultural exchanges are fostered. More needs to be done to stop the violence and bloodshed that risk becoming the norm for those of us who see the evolution of events. Malta calls upon the international community to look with compassion on the innocents in Syria. That is a humanitarian catastrophe with no end in sight — a horrendous and indiscriminate tragedy. Each child’s death and each mother’s wail should shame us all. People are morally outraged around the world, and justifiably outraged, for there can never be any justification for the appalling suffering that is taking place. The Mediterranean Sea basin remains awash with promise but polluted with pain and prejudice. The