I wish to congratulate
Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I also
commend his predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser of Qatar, for his fine leadership during the
last session. In addition, I thank the Secretary-General,
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his tireless efforts in advancing
security, development and human rights, the three
pillars of the United Nations Charter.
Global security remains a serious challenge
today. States are increasing their military capabilities
and arms sales have tripled in the last year and are
reaching record levels. Closer to home, in the Asia-
Pacific region, new Cold War lines are being drawn
and low-intensity territorial disputes are brewing. That
situation provides the option of unilateral action, which
undermines the rule of law at the international level.
Those challenges now demand an effective multilateral
institution that responds meaningfully in real time to
uphold the rule of law. In that regard, Solomon Islands
welcomes this year’s theme on adjustment or settlement
of international disputes or situations by peaceful
means. It is our desire that States that find themselves
in international disputes adhere to the rule of law and
work towards ensuring global peace.
Solomon Islands emerged from an internal conflict
some 10 years ago. A regional peace initiative known
as the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
(RAMSI) has helped restore law and order and created
an environment for nation-building and development.
Our gratitude goes out to all our regional neighbours.
A national truth and reconciliation commission that
was set up in 2009 to investigate the causes of the conflict  submitted its report early this year. The Commission
has facilitated the national reconciliation and healing
process, and the Government has established a working
group to carefully consider the recommendations in the
report.
Solomon Islands commends the General Assembly
for convening the High-level Meeting on the Rule of
Law at the National and International Levels this week.
The rule of law is fundamental in guiding the conduct
of actors and addressing the realities within national
and international jurisdictions.
Since regaining peace and stability, Solomon
Islands has achieved some social and economic
progress. For example, economically, the country has
enjoyed steady growth in the last five years. External
reserves continue to improve and, as of February 2012,
they stand at 10 months import cover. In addition,
Solomon Islands is one of the 11 countries identified
by the World Bank in 2012 as having most improved
the ease of doing business in the country across several
areas of regulation. An economic core working group
has also been established to coordinate donor assistance
and is playing an important role in public finance
reforms, including debt management, and in creating
fiscal buffers that enable us to cushion external shocks.
In the health sector, I am pleased to report that we
have almost eradicated malaria from two of our nine
provinces. Infant mortality has significantly decreased
from 80 to 35 per 1,000 live births, and the maternal
mortality rate has also decreased from 500 to 200
deaths per 100,000 live births. The Government and
its development partners continue to fund medical and
health centres to deliver the services needed by our
people.
Major improvements in the law and order situation
have resulted in the reduction of major crimes and
created a safer environment in the country. We have
also successfully hosted a number of international
events, such as the Oceania football tournament of the
International Federation of Association Football, the
Festival of Pacific Arts and recently the visit by the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We have regained
our image of the country known as the happy isles in
the Pacific.
As part of our efforts to address governance
issues, Solomon Islands has intensified its national
consultations to determine the appropriate mechanisms
to improve political integrity and stability. National
consultations have been conducted to obtain feedback
from the community on the required institutions and
processes. Strengthening governance is expensive and
needs international partnership. I take this opportunity
to thank the Department of Political Affairs for its
assistance towards our electoral reforms.
After almost 10 years, RAMSI is now in its
transitional phase. The Government is working closely
with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
to ensure a smooth transition as the responsibility for
security and development is placed back in the hands of
the Government and community. My Government will
engage with various stakeholders, including United
Nations bodies, to consolidate the gains that have been
made so far and in building a resilient State.
Solomon Islands continues to strengthen its
relationship with the United Nations. This year we
opened a second diplomatic Permanent Mission in
Geneva. We are also pleased to see that the World Health
Organization office in Honiara has been upgraded from
a liaison office to the level of resident representative. We
request the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) to follow suit. I believe a stronger United
Nations presence at the country level will further
enhance understanding of the country’s development
priorities and challenges. The United Nations will only
be strengthened with a secretariat that represents the
diversity of its membership.
Solomon Islands recognizes the sovereignty,
independence and territorial integrity of Fiji.
We will continue to dialogue with Fiji and call on
the region and the international community to support
Fiji’s “Engaging with the Pacific” process and its road
map to the 2014 general elections. We welcome Fiji’s
commitment to hold its general elections in 2014.
Solomon Islands has also strengthened its mediating
role at the subregional level through the Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG). The MSG is made up of Fiji,
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the
Front de libération nationale kanak socialiste. Within
the MSG secretariat, a peacekeeping unit has been
established. However, Solomon Islands and the other
MSG members believe that the United Nations remains
the bedrock of international peace and security.
The promotion of human rights is fundamental
to creating a culture of peace and security. Solomon
Islands welcomes the ongoing intergovernmental
process to strengthen the effectiveness of human rights treaty institutions during this session. We recognize the
universality of human rights and call for the elimination
of double standards and the politicization of human
rights violations.
On the situation in the Middle East, I believe
the United Nations is uniquely placed to provide a
comprehensive solution to the region’s complex issues,
including the current situation in Syria. It is a region that
deserves freedom, democracy and long-term security.
Solomon Islands continues to support the work of the
Quartet and the good offices of the Secretary-General
in defusing tensions and advancing political discussion
on a two-State solution for Israel and Palestine.
There is no justification for the killing of innocent
civilians, wherever it may occur. We therefore join
the international community in expressing our deep
concern about the sad events in Benghazi.
With respect to Non-Self-Governing Territories in
the Pacific, Solomon Islands supports New Caledonia’s
aspirations to self-determination. I wish to inform
the Assembly that, last month, members of the MSG
undertook a second ministerial visit to the territory
to monitor progress under the Noumea Accord. We
encourage all efforts to enable the Kanaks to assume
leadership in determining their future. Solomon Islands
also joins its regional neighbours in supporting the
reinscription of French Polynesia in the list of countries
to be decolonized. We also support other peoples
within the Asia-Pacific region that aspire for self-
determination and independence.
I welcome the work done by the General Assembly
on strengthening the smooth transition process for
countries graduating from the group of least developed
countries. In working towards graduating from the
group, we are embarking on a number of development
initiatives. Under the Istanbul Programme of Action,
Solomon Islands is pursuing three high-value national
investments. First, with support from New Zealand, a
second international airport is being constructed in the
western part of our country. Secondly, the submarine
fibre-optic cable project is expected to go on line by
2014. Thirdly, Solomon Islands is in the process of
establishing two tertiary universities, the Solomon
Islands National University and the University of South
Pacific Solomon Islands Campus.
Those national projects place Solomon Islands on
a path to transforming its economy and ensuring that
inclusive and equitable economic growth takes root in the country. We have done this by unlocking domestic
and regional resources through the establishment of a
debt strategy in partnership with the private sector and
the Asian Development Bank.
Furthermore, we are taking steps to maximize
returns from our natural resources. As a party to the
Nauru Agreement, we have closed off pockets of high
seas between our exclusive economic zones in a bid
to protect and manage fish stocks. In that regard, we
have adopted the Vessel Day Scheme to guarantee an
equitable share of benefits. We hold the position that the
Scheme must be embodied in bilateral and multilateral
fisheries agreements. We call on all distant-water
fishing nations to respect that principled position.
In the mining sector, we are now a member of the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and we
continue to develop policy and translate it into local laws
and regulations. Mining presents a major opportunity
to broaden our economic base. In that regard, we will
be granting mining leases to a major nickel-mining
company before the end of the year. It is estimated that
the company will produce around 69,000 tons per year
and generate significant job opportunities.
At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20), we charted a new course to
develop an improved paradigm for advancing and
measuring the three pillars of sustainable development.
The full and timely implementation of the Rio+20
outcome (resolution 66/288, annex) is crucial. As we
approach 2015, we must accelerate efforts to achieve the
Millennium Development Goal targets in the remaining
three years.
Solomon Islands is implementing its national
development strategy for the period 2011-2020.
We call on our development partners to align their
assistance with the priorities that are contained in our
national development strategy. The proposed post-
2015 development agenda must take into account any
shortcomings in the implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals, and the sustainable development
goals must be viable economically, community-based
and time-bound. We look forward to working with
the experts who will be establishing the framework.
Solomon Islands is pleased to be one of the 50 countries
that UNDP will consult in developing the post-2015
global development agenda. We request that this
consultation process also mainstream issues of concern
to small island developing States into the agenda of the 2014 Global Conference on the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States.
I join my colleagues in the Alliance of Small Island
States in reiterating that climate change is an urgent
and irreversible threat to humanity. Solomon Islands is
deeply troubled by the current low ambition level of the
pledges by developed countries. There is a discrepancy
between what has been pledged and what is necessary to
stabilize temperature decrease. That means mitigation
must be prioritized at the eighteenth ordinary meeting
of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity in Doha and greenhouse-gas
emission levels meaningfully decreased. We need to
have certainty that we are working towards a temperature
increase of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and not
3 to 5 degrees Celsius, in order to ensure the survival,
viability and sustainable development of small island
developing States and least developed countries.
We deeply regret that some countries have opted
out of the Kyoto Protocol, some have refused to take
a second commitment and others have remained
undecided on taking a second commitment.
However, at the national level I am pleased to
announce that, in June, Solomon Islands launched its
national climate change policy, which mainstreams
climate change into all sectors of the country. Solomon
Islands is a country with rich biological and cultural
diversity. It is a member of the Coral Triangle Initiative
on coral reefs, fisheries and food security. This year, 22
Pacific Island countries and territories came together
in Solomon Islands to showcase their cultural diversity
and heritage. The region has indigenous biological and
cultural diversity, which makes it an indigenous and
biocultural hot spot. That hot spot remains fragile and
exposed to threats and needs international support. We
will be seeking ways and means of having that initiative
featured on the global agenda.
The reform of the Security Council must keep pace
with the changing global realities. We support the call
to make the Security Council more representative,
relevant and effective. After four sessions, we are
concerned about the slow progress of negotiations and
hope to see progress during this session.
My Government recognizes Taiwan’s flexible,
moderate and rational foreign policy, which continues
to promote friendly cross-Strait relations. Solomon
Islands continues to support Taiwan’s meaningful
participation in the United Nations system, including its aspiration to be a member of the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). Although not a member of ICAO, Taiwan
manages more than 1 million f lights and 40 million
passengers per annum. Similarly, Taiwan is the twenty-
second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas, but it is not
a member of UNFCCC. I firmly believe that it is our
shared responsibility to engage Taiwan in our efforts to
advance sustainable development and address climate
change.
With regard to Cuba, I thank the Government and
people of Cuba for the support they have provided to
the medical students of Solomon Islands. We join the
international community in calling for the immediate
lifting of the United States economic and trade embargo
against Cuba. Solomon Islands encourages the United
States to respect the principle of good-neighbourliness.
Finally, with regard to gender equality and the
empowerment of women, I would like to thank Member
States for their confidence in electing Solomon Islands
to the Executive Board of UN-Women. I also welcome
the call by the Secretary-General to convene the World
Conference on Women in 2015. Solomon Islands further
acknowledges the $320 million in regional assistance
from Australia to support gender programmes for
Pacific island countries. Women play a very important
role as peacemakers and leaders in Solomon Islands
society. Our gender challenge has grown with time.
Today we have national gender programmes that
support empowerment. We look forward to working
closely with Australia and the other Board members in
advancing the cause of women and girls.
Solomon Islands is committed to working closely
with the President in establishing an inclusive,
transparent and effective multilateral system. I would
also like to assure him of our support for our common
endeavour to build a peaceful and secure world for our
children and future generations.


First of all, allow me to
extend to Mr. Vuk Jeremič my sincere congratulations
on his election as President of the General Assembly
at its sixty-seventh session. I am convinced that his
extensive professional experience will contribute to the
successful work of the this session of the Assembly of
our universal Organization.
It is my great pleasure to convey my greetings to
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and to express my
country’s sincere appreciation for his tireless efforts
towards achieving the goals of the United Nations.
Once again, recent world developments have
proved that it is impossible to address global and
regional issues without strengthening the central role
of the United Nations in international affairs or without
collective initiatives in world politics that fully respect
the norms of international law. In that regard, it has
become obvious that the Organization needs rational
reform, as a result of which a renewed United Nations
will emerge that will be able to respond quickly and
appropriately to world developments and to effectively
meet the numerous global challenges and threats of the
next generation.

The efforts to strengthen United Nations
peacebuilding activities deserve further comprehensive
support. In that regard, it is my pleasure to note
that Tajikistan continues to make a considerable
contribution in that area by participating in United
Nations peacekeeping operations.
Tajikistan is convinced that respect for cultural
and religious diversity, as well as dialogue among
civilizations, is essential for global peace and
understanding. In that regard, we are deeply concerned
at the increase in many parts of the world of attempts to
denigrate religions, in particular Islam, by misusing the
freedom of expression. We strongly condemn such acts.
There is no doubt that the establishment of
comprehensive legal norms on human rights is one of the
major accomplishments of the United Nations. Human
rights, along with peace, security and development, are
the pillars of the United Nations system. As a signatory
to the major international treaties on human rights,
Tajikistan consistently implements measures aimed at
ensuring the protection and promotion of human rights
in the country.
With the intent of making a greater contribution
towards the implementation of the noble goals of the
Human Rights Council, the Government of Tajikistan
has decided to present its candidature to that important
body for the term 2015-2017. In that regard, we sincerely
hope that Member States will render their valuable
support to our candidature.
Within the context of the withdrawal of the
International Security Assistance Force from
Afghanistan, scheduled for 2014, the Afghan issue
will acquire critical importance not only for the
region but for the entire world. We believe that the
social and economic development of Afghanistan is
key to ensuring stable peace in that country. For that
reason, international assistance to Afghanistan should
aim first and foremost to fully restore its economy, to
further strengthen its social well-being and to create
employment. In that regard, the completion of projects
to build railroads, motorways, power transmission
lines and gas pipelines that connect Afghanistan with
Tajikistan and other countries of the region is of the
utmost importance.
Last March, Tajikistan hosted the fifth Regional
Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan,
which submitted specific proposals and projects in
various areas that will contribute to regional cooperation and include the participation of Afghanistan. As
a close neighbour of Afghanistan, Tajikistan has
participated actively in the rehabilitation of the Afghan
economy and the country’s social infrastructure. We
are convinced that the processes of multidimensional
regional cooperation should fully involve Afghanistan.
The prevention of drug trafficking is one of the
important areas requiring cooperative efforts on the part
of the international community. It is essential that the
international community coordinate measures aimed at
reducing both the demand and the supply of drugs, and
integrate efforts undertaken at the national level into
an international strategy for drug control. Tajikistan
has designed its own anti-narcotics strategy, which
includes short- and long-term programmes of action,
cooperation and interaction on bilateral, regional and
multilateral bases, and has begun to develop a new
anti-narcotics strategy for the period 2013-2020.
The Ottawa Convention calls on the international
community to put an end to the suffering and casualties
caused by anti-personnel mines, which kill and maim
hundreds of people, mostly innocent and defenceless
civilians, especially children, and that obstruct
economic development and reconstruction. Regrettably,
the suffering and misery that anti-personnel landmines
cause is a serious burden on those citizens of my country
who live along the border with neighbouring States. In
that regard, we are committed to the full and effective
implementation of the Convention, in cooperation with
all parties concerned. Tajikistan is a strong advocate of
a mine-free Central Asia.
The year 2012 will be remembered as a historic
moment. Two decades after their first meeting in Rio
de Janeiro, national representatives gathered there
again to discuss and identify the most effective ways of
achieving sustainable development. The United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development reiterated our
commitment to a path towards sustainable development
and to ensuring an economically, socially and
ecologically sustainable future for our planet: the future
we want. Ensuring sustainable economic development
designed to improve people’s living standards and
quality of life is a strategic goal of the Government of
Tajikistan. We give special attention to the effective,
rational and protective use of natural resources, the
primary dimension of a green economy.
Making access to energy a priority is the key to
achieving all the Millennium Development Goals.
It is especially crucial for developing countries and remote mountain territories located far from major
infrastructure. My country is no exception to that, and
our access to energy is the key to social and economic
development and poverty reduction. Regrettably,
however, we are compelled to state that due to a lack of
mutual understanding and cooperation in the region and
to disregard for Tajikistan’s legitimate rights and vital
interests, for the past 10 years our country has suffered
from a severe power shortage during the winter.
Because of its lack of other energy sources, it is
vitally important for Tajikistan, which has enormous
hydro-energy potential, to develop hydropower
in a planned and integrated manner. According to
international treaties, Tajikistan has every right to use
its natural resources, including hydropower, for the
benefit of its people. At the same time, we wish to make
it clear from this rostrum, with full responsibility, that
in developing its hydropower potential, the Republic
of Tajikistan has no intention of exclusively pursuing
its own interests at others’ expense. On the contrary,
we sincerely advocate mutually beneficial regional
cooperation and partnership. It is against that backdrop
that we should view Tajikistan’s active cooperation
with the World Bank in developing a technical,
economic, social and ecological assessment of the
Rogun hydropower station, a project of vital importance
to my country. Similarly, we expect that while the
assessment is being carried out, the parties concerned
in the region will abstain from hasty and unconsidered
statements and actions that may run counter to existing
international agreements and to the spirit of friendship,
cooperation and good neighbourliness.
Tajikistan attaches great importance to the
interests of landlocked developing countries, whose
location makes them vulnerable. It is obvious that
Tajikistan’s geographic isolation and lack of access to
the sea constitute a serious obstacle to its sustainable
development. Under the circumstances, it is clear that
a network of reliable and unimpeded transportation
and communications arteries connecting Tajikistan to
the outer world via its neighbours is becoming vitally
important. In that regard, we call for the elimination
of any artificial and economically unsupported barriers
and obstacles to transportation and communication
links among the countries of the region that do not
contribute to developing and strengthening regional
cooperation and partnership. We hope that the relevant
United Nations missions in the region will pay due
attention to this issue. International Year of Water Cooperation, initiated
by Tajikistan, which coincides with the twenthieth
anniversary of the proclamation of 22 March as World
Water Day. To implement the goals of the International
Year of Water Cooperation, Tajikistan proposes holding
a number of events in 2013, including, in particular, a
General Assembly thematic session and an international
conference dedicated to water cooperation issues. In
that regard, my country will present a draft resolution
for consideration by the Second Committee. I would
like to take this opportunity to express our sincere hope
that Member States will support this initiative.
Tajikistan, as a strong supporter of broad and
comprehensive cooperation, believes that only
collective, coordinated efforts and effective regional
and international cooperation can serve as a foundation
for joint success, render the world a better and safer
place and make the lives of the people of our planet
happier and more dignified.


I wish at
the outset to extend my heartiest congratulations and
the assurances of my cooperation and highest esteem
to President Jeremić on his election to the presidency
of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session.
Antigua and Barbuda looks forward to his leadership
and guidance throughout this session.
I extend congratulations also to your predecessor,
Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, on a job well done
and for his continued service to the international
community.
The theme of the sixty-seventh session of the
General Assembly, “Bringing about adjustment or
settlement of international disputes or situations
by peaceful means”, is judicious, for it accurately
summarizes how we as nations need to act in these
precarious times of insecurity and uncertainty. These
times and circumstances call for a heightened sense of
urgency and a stronger will among all nations to work
with and through the United Nations in embracing
multilateralism in its truest form.
The sixty-seventh session of the Assembly is
taking place in an environment of continued challenges
to international peace and security; international
democracy is being tested; there is unbearable poverty
throughout the world; the sluggish recovery of the world’s economy provides little hope; and disasters
induced by climate change are becoming more rampant.
As we look around our global community, we ask
ourselves what we can do to solve the many problems
we face, and how we can find and maintain the peace
that we so desire. Maybe if we ask ourselves not as
individuals but as nations what peace is, then, perhaps,
we can collectively resolve to find the answer so as to
achieve peace.
For Antigua and Barbuda, peace means respect
for human rights and the differences of others and the
protection of women, children and the elderly. Peace is
devoid of greed that ends in unparalleled wealth for a few
and nauseating poverty for many. Peace means global
health awareness, protection and accessibility for all.
Peace means democracies with active global citizens,
by non-violent change. Peace means eliminating nuclear
weapons and controlling small arms.
Peace is free of violence and requires the
acceptance of differences in race, gender and religion.
Peace is a position from which to value the limits of
nature’s resources, and it is characterized by the
absence of the ignorance and shortsightedness that
leads some to selfishly plunder Earth’s plenty. Peace is
the understanding that climate change is real and that
sustainability should be our priority. Peace means fair
trade and equality of equity in globalization.
Peace is the elimination of corruption in Government.
Peace is the understanding and the recognition that the
world’s problems can be solved only by the inclusion
of all countries. Peace therefore involves a wider and
equal representation in the Security Council rather than
membership by a selected few.
In 2011, we celebrated the International Year for
Peoples of African Descent. That year has passed,
and gone from the international agenda is the issue
of reparations for slavery, which is central to fighting
racism and racial discrimination and nurturing a
culture of peace among nations. The legacy of racial
violence, segregation and slavery against peoples of
African descent has severely impaired our advancement
as nations, communities and individuals across the
political, social and, most importantly, the economical
spectrums. In the words of Kwame Nkrumah, we can
no longer afford the luxury of delay. The time has come
for us to revisit the issue of reparations for slavery and
place it at the top of the international agenda.

Over 200 million persons in the Americas depend
on us. That is why I am reiterating a call I made in
the Hall in 2011 for former slave States to begin the
reconciliation process by issuing formal apologies for
the crimes committed by the nations or their citizens
over the 400 years of the African slave trade. While
nations in the developing world continue to grapple with
the effects of a world economic crisis that is not of their
own making, I call on former slave States to back up
their apologies with new commitments to the economic
development of those nations that have suffered from
that human tragedy.
Transnational crime is threatening the very
existence of peace in Antigua and Barbuda. Our small
size and lack of human and financial resources make
it difficult for us, as a small island nation, to address
that problem in an effective manner. The crime and
violence fuelled by the illicit trade in small arms and
light weapons are jeopardizing our major industries,
including tourism. Our health-care systems are weighted
down, and families are being torn apart. Nevertheless,
crime prevention and small arms control is a priority
for my Government. It is important to note that neither
Antigua and Barbuda nor our Caribbean Community
brothers and sisters manufacture small arms or light
weapons, yet one recent estimate indicates that there
are 1.6 million illegal firearms in the region.
Additionally, Antigua and Barbuda is deeply
saddened by the fact that, despite significant efforts,
strong will on the part of the majority of States and
the fact that a compromise was potentially within
reach, there was no agreement on a text for the recently
discussed legally binding arms trade treaty. The
Assembly can rest assured that Antigua and Barbuda
will not give up, and we will continue to advocate for a
legally binding treaty that will eliminate the threat that
is crippling our region.
Antigua and Barbuda is committed to the rule of law
and the process it enables for direct political dialogue
and cooperation among all States and international
actors. The rule of law facilitates international peace
and security, human rights and development for all. Our
joint responses to the threats to peace and security, along
with the opportunities arising from various political,
economic and social instabilities, must be guided by the
rule of law, as it is the basis for friendly coexistence and
interdependence between and among States.

My Government upholds the ideals of the recently
concluded High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law at the
National and International Levels and stands committed
to upholding that very important principle.
The Caribbean has been known as a zone of peace.
We value our ability to live and work together despite
our different religious and political beliefs and ethnic
backgrounds. Antigua and Barbuda therefore condemns
the brutal killing of the United States Ambassador to
Libya and the destruction of the United States Consulate
in Libya. We condemn any acts of violence or killings
disguised as actions to defend religious belief. If we are
to build an environment of peace around the world, we
must show tolerance for all peoples and beliefs.
The dangers posed by non-State actors acquiring
weapons of mass destruction are real and should be
seen by all countries, large and small, as the single most
destructive element threatening international peace and
security. Antigua and Barbuda is particularly concerned
by the lack of progress in the area of disarmament and
non-proliferation. There should be no compromise on
that issue. Antigua and Barbuda remains resolute in our
continued call for a nuclear-weapon-free world.
The recently concluded Rio+20 Conference on
Sustainable Development provided an international
platform from which to address the social, economic and
environmental challenges affecting the international
community. Those challenges are direct threats to
humankind and oftentimes jeopardize peace and
security for all.
In resolution 66/288, entitled “The future we want”,
Antigua and Barbuda saw the Rio+20 Conference as
securing comprehensive and inclusive sustainability
for small island nations, whose survival is contingent
on an outcome of commitments and actions from the
Conference.
At the recently concluded summit of the Alliance
of Small Island States, my country joined with other
small island States in sending a strong message to
the international community on the need for bold and
ambitious actions. We cannot wait for our lands to
disappear before we act. We must act now to respond to
the climate crisis and ensure that not a single country is
sacrificed, no matter how small.
The threat is real. Our sea levels are rising, there is
coral bleaching beyond our shores, and hurricanes are
becoming more recurrent and severe. The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change needs to take concrete
steps in order to protect small island developing States
and other exposed countries from the threats of climate
change.
The responsibility to mitigate climate change
should be at the forefront of the collective consciousness
of both developing and developed countries. However,
developed countries should accept their responsibilities
as the leading contributors to the extremely high
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which
are now threatening the welfare of present and future
generations. It is my Government’s hope that the selfish
act of inaction will dissipate in Doha and that a positive
outcome in the climate change negotiations will usher
in new hopes for humanity and compassion for our
planet.
Antigua and Barbuda is doing its part to protect
Mother Earth. My Government has embarked on a
renewable energy mandate. We are now shifting our
focus towards harvesting water and wind to meet our
energy needs. We are protecting our ecosystem with
strong legislation, and we are replanting mangroves
and protecting areas that are sensitive to pollutants.
Climate change and sustainability are high on my
Government’s development and investment priorities,
and we are ensuring that new and refurbished private
and commercial investments are in line with our green
approach to our society.
My Government also joins with member States of
the Alliance of Small Island States in calling on the
General Assembly to designate 2014 as the International
Year of Small Island Developing States in order to raise
awareness of the special situation of our members
and mobilize international support for our sustainable
development.
Over the past year, the United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti has made important progress in its
support to the Haitian people’s efforts to consolidate
democracy, stability and the rule of law and to move
forward on the path to social and economic development.
In spite of the progress made, the situation in Haiti
remains fragile, as the country strives to overcome its
daunting political, social and economic challenges.
I therefore stress the need for adequate funding
and continued implementation of the Mission in Haiti. I
would like to reiterate my Government’s strong support
for the Mission in Haiti and to stress that peace will only be achieved if we simultaneously address issues of
security, national reconciliation and development. I also
call on those nations that pledged assistance to Haiti to
honour their commitments. Those pledges are urgently
needed, now that the rebuilding phase is progressing
under a new Administration.
It has been nearly fi ve years since we started to see a
sharp downturn in the world’s economy. Unfortunately,
Antigua and Barbuda is among the small and developing
States that have yet to see significant improvements.
While we have made several attempts to curtail the
haemorrhaging of our fragile economies, it must be
said that we need greater cooperation, flexibility
and inclusion on the part of our developed partners.
Gross domestic product can no longer be the criterion
used in accessing concessionary financing and other
international financial relief; instead, mechanisms
should be put in place that take into consideration a host
of other elements, including the fragility of economies.
We are still in a crisis, a crisis of confidence in
global governance and the institutional capacity
for managing the international financial system,
international trade and international development
policies. We are also living in the era of globalization
where cooperative collectives — and not ambitious
and selfish empires — must be the order of the day in
international financial governance. A privileged few
should never be allowed to make financial decisions
that impact the socioeconomic livelihood of millions
without regard for that excluded majority. Economic
prosperity should be shared equally among countries
and within countries. The exclusive clubs of the
Group of Eight and the Group of 20 cannot repair the
fragmented international financial system without
taking due consideration of the majority of nations left
on the outside with much to offer.
My Government calls on developed countries
and the countries of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development to guarantee that their
response with regard to international tax matters will
involve improved international cooperation on tax issues
through comprehensive and supportive frameworks that
ensure the involvement and equal treatment of small
jurisdictions like Antigua and Barbuda without the
nuances of inappropriately branding us as tax havens.
Antigua and Barbuda has been proactive in its
approach to diversifying our economy. We entered
into the international gaming sector abiding by all prescribed international standards. Unfortunately,
our friend and developed partner, the United States
of America, was of the view that our gaming sector
contravened its domestic laws. Antigua and Barbuda
found it appropriate to seek international redress on
the matter through the dispute resolution mechanism
at the World Trade Organization. We prevailed, and
the United States was ordered to compensate Antigua
and Barbuda for its losses. Yet, years later, Antigua and
Barbuda is still engaging in negotiations with the United
States. I therefore call on the Government of the United
States to work with us to quickly resolve the matter so
that we can arrive at a settlement that is fair and just.
I also call on the United States to work cooperatively
with Antigua and Barbuda and other remote gaming
jurisdictions to forge an enlightened, reasonable and
reasoned way of addressing the regulation and licensing
of remote gaming services.
While we are on the matter of trade disputes, it
has been decades since the United States instituted its
embargo on Cuba. Time and time again the international
community, acting through the General Assembly, has
called on the United States to lift that trade embargo.
However, it continues unabated. Since its inception, the
embargo has inf licted untold economic damage on the
Cuban people, caused shortages and needless suffering
to the Cuban population, limited and restrained the
development of the country and seriously damaged
the Cuban economy. Through all of that, the Cuban
people have managed to preserve their sovereignty,
independence and right to self-determination. As a
country committed to the norms of the multilateral
trading system and to the freedom of trade and
navigation and a country that rejects the extraterritorial
application of another country’s national laws, Antigua
and Barbuda calls on the United States to immediately
and unconditionally lift its economic embargo against
the people of Cuba. It is time to turn a new page of
peace, cooperation and understanding, a time for global
healing and international community-building. The
continuation of the embargo further destroys the very
fabric of hope that we have created as a community of
nations in order to resolve the world’s issues.
The world is changing. Economies, policies and
countries are becoming more intertwined than ever
before. Antigua and Barbuda sees those relationships of
integration as positive steps towards achieving a world
that is not dominated by a few but represents rather a unification of leadership in the hope of combating most
of the world’s shortcomings.
The smaller developing countries in the Caribbean
and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS) are poised to make great strides in our integration
agenda. The ratification of the OECS Economic Union
is a major step in that direction. We have a stable
shared currency, with a monetary council that has been
instrumental in preventing further deterioration of our
economies. There have been renewed commitments
by all of the Caribbean Community countries to work
tirelessly to realize the full potential of the Caribbean
Single Market and Economy. Antigua and Barbuda has
joined the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our
America, an institution that is built on the principles
of solidarity, complementarity and cooperation.
The Community of Latin America and Caribbean
States — a new integration arm within our region — the
geographical position of our countries, our shared
cultures and values and our desires as developing
partners for a more just global community that is built
on fairness and peace give my Government hope that
all is not lost as regards multilateralism.
Antigua and Barbuda faces many challenges in the
prevention, care and treatment of non-communicable
diseases (NCDs). Heart disease, diabetes, cancer,
cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory diseases
continue to be the leading causes of death in Antigua
and Barbuda, with cancer and heart disease being the
top two causes. The burdens of the cost, the loss of
productivity and the disabilities as a result of chronic
diseases continue to weigh heavy on our health-care
system, since treatment for those diseases and their
complications, including dialysis, chemotherapy
and drug therapy, continue to be offered free of cost
to patients. The fight against NCDs remains high,
therefore, on Antigua and Barbuda’s health agenda.
Following our participation in the United Nations
High-level Meeting on the subject last year, the
Government of Antigua and Barbuda approved the
establishment of a multisectoral NCD commission
to provide leadership in that critical area, drafted
legislation for tobacco control, engaged civil society
and non-governmental organizations in drafting an
NCD policy and action plan and has supported plans for
the development of a comprehensive cancer treatment
centre in Antigua and Barbuda to serve the OECS.
The Ministries of Health and Agriculture continue to collaborate in the development of a food policy that will
address some of the risk factors for NCDs.
The fight against HIV/AIDS in my region is also
real. The figures are heartbreaking, and the outlook is
troubling. Despite some progress, much still needs to
be done to achieve the 2015 goal of universal access
to HIV prevention, treatment, support and care. My
Government is in the process of updating the code of
conduct to prevent discrimination in the workplace
against persons living with HIV/AIDS. We will not
tolerate injustice, intolerance and violence of any kind
against persons living with HIV/AIDS.
Many might believe that for countries like Antigua
and Barbuda, as a small island developing State, our
only concern is for development, but I stand here today
with grave concern that the disregard for world peace
and security threatens the very existence of humankind
and will push the international community into further
chaos and destruction. We cannot ignore from our tiny
peaceful shores the images that glare from our TV
screens of unrest, protest and demonstrations from
various corners of the world. The images are daunting,
the voices of change are deafening and the use of
force or threat of use of force to suppress the voices of
democracy is intolerable. The United Nations has to be
unified in its response so as to act in a peaceful manner
while protecting the rights of populations near and far.
The situation in Syria is disheartening. Children,
women and the elderly must be protected. I call on
both sides to exercise restraint and allow humanitarian
relief supplies to enter Syria. I also call on all nations
to cease supplying arms to the two sides in the conflict.
As leaders, our priority must be to urge all parties in
Syria to implement a ceasefire and stop the violence
immediately and completely. Every effort must be
made to implement Mr. Annan’s six-point proposal and
the relevant Security Council resolutions. The United
Nations and the Arab League must lead in that process.
Any threats of war must be suppressed, and negotiation
and mediation should be the order of the day. If it is not
addressed, the Syrian crisis will soon pose a serious
threat to international peace and security. Antigua
and Barbuda will continue to give its support to a just,
peaceful and appropriate settlement of the Syrian crisis
at an early date.
These are undeniably perilous times. An event can
occur in a distant part of the globe that can severely
impact Antigua and Barbuda domestically, an event that completely ignores the importance of achieving
tolerance by peaceful means. Our response may be
one of indignation but also a sense that we live in a
perilous atmosphere characterized by the intolerance of
peace. The multiplicity and interconnectedness of the
many global threats and challenges we face will test the
abilities of this Assembly. Is the United Nations up to
the task?
I am confident that by sharing our collective wisdom
and using it as a resource, the General Assembly at its
sixty-seventh session will take decisions of meaningful
and enduring benefit and peace for the peoples of the
world. I am equally confident that our deliberations
can lead to solutions that will ensure the protection of
all our peoples. I therefore call on all of us, as world
leaders, to rise to the challenges and move with haste to bring peace to the citizens of the world. We are leaders
and caretakers of humankind and, as such, our response
to those challenges will be recorded in the books of
history, which will reveal whether we had the ability to
act with constraint, effectiveness and fairness in order
to achieve stability through peaceful means. Let peace
reign.


It is a
happy coincidence — and one that gives me great
pleasure — that my fellow countryman, who is presiding
at this meeting, has given me the f loor.
Despite progress in the field of knowledge and
forecasting, the evolution of humankind remains
subject to uncertainties. In that connection, the work of the United Nations, which is the appropriate forum
for seeking collective solutions to the many challenges
that make up our world, is markedly affected by those
uncertainties.
The persistence and resurgence of hotbeds of
tension of all kinds pose a serious threat to peace and
international security, jeopardize the implementation
of all projects for sustainable development and pose
a dangerous threat to the promotion and protection
of human rights. In that context, it is appropriate that
the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly has
opened under the banner of the theme, “Bringing about
adjustment or settlement of international disputes or
situations by peaceful means”. My delegation welcomes
that choice, which is also in line with the theme of the
previous session on mediation and reflects in a timely
manner the concerns of the day and aspirations of our
States.
A year ago, speaking from this rostrum, I asserted
the importance and necessity of mediation as an
essential tool for the prevention and settlement of
conflicts, a tool that has proved itself, not only in Africa
but around the world. Having endured the horrors of
armed conflict for years in the 1990s, the Congo chose
the path of mediation and dialogue. Thanks to that
commitment, my country has been able to overcome
the sociopolitical upheavals of its recent history, and
today, the peace that reigns throughout the country has
cleared the way for the impetus needed to strengthen
our democratic process and economic development.
Two rounds of legislative elections were conducted
in an atmosphere of calm on 15 July and 5 August,
followed by the peaceful celebration on 15 August of
the fifty-second anniversary of our independence in
Kinkala, city seat of the Department of Pool, which had
endured violence for a long time; those events serve as
additional examples of positive developments.
Strengthened by that experience, the Congo would
like to voice its deep concern about the continuing
crises threatening peace and security, regionally and
internationally. For many years Africa has been the
theatre of choice for conflict. Today a number of African
countries — indeed, in some cases an entire region,
like the Sahel — are still at the mercy of instability
and increasingly complex crises. Several meetings
dedicated to conflicts in Africa are listed on the agendas
of high-level meetings during the General Assembly’s
current session, which is unquestionably an indicator
of instability in the world. However, we can agree that the conflicts and crises that have marked the African
continent for the whole of its post-independence history
have also enriched it with the experience of mediation
initiatives and have mobilized efforts aimed at settling
the conflicts by peaceful means.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is dealing
with a serious crisis in the eastern part of the country,
characterized by repeated violence that has resulted
in an intolerable humanitarian tragedy produced by
small armed groups of the Mouvement du 23 mars
and other opposition forces. That situation is a serious
threat to peace and security and to the integrity and
development of our brother country. Furthermore, the
political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian
consequences can be felt throughout the Great Lakes
region. The heads of State and Government of the
region, meeting at the International Conference on the
Great Lakes region, are fully committed to seeking
peaceful solutions.
I would like to take this opportunity, as I did this
morning, to commend again the initiative of Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon to organize a high-level meeting
on 27 September on the situation in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, which will certainly provide a
stimulus to the International Conference on the Great
Lakes Region, supported by the African Union. The
Congo, which is committed to that effort as a neighbour,
a State member of the Conference and a member of
the Peace and Security Council of the African Union,
concurs with the conclusions of that important meeting,
hoping to see them realized as soon as possible, so as
to enable the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
regain its stability and play the role expected of that
great country. Our region will continue with its efforts
to achieve the objectives we have sought and will use
every mechanism we have to attain them.
In December the Congo will host the thirty-fifth
ministerial meeting of the United Nations Standing
Advisory Committee on Security Questions in
Central Africa, which will allow us to celebrate the
twentieth anniversary of that General Assembly body
and continue our cooperation on settling crises in the
subregion.
The collapse of democracy in Mali, which was once
a fine example of democracy in Africa, represents a
relapse that my country has condemned, while calling
for a return to constitutional order. The deteriorating
humanitarian situation, combined with the risk of spreading terrorism, calls for urgent implementation
of the decisions of the Economic Community of West
African States, together with the support of the African
Union, the United Nations and the international
community, so as to ensure that that dangerous
precedent is not repeated anywhere else and that any
impulses towards destabilizing and partitioning States
by terrorist groups are quashed.
My delegation can only welcome the positive
developments in the political process established by
the African Union in Somalia, which culminated in
the election on 10 September of the new President
of the Republic, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
Many challenges remain, of course, particularly
those of security, unification and reconciliation and
establishing the rule of law, to name only a few. In
that regard, we must support Somalia by helping that
country to strengthen the gains of recent months,
focusing everything we do on working within a global
strategy for the reconstruction and development of the
entire Somali territory and maintaining a coordinated,
organized and coherent approach on the part of the
international community, in support of the efforts of
the African Union Mission in Somalia.
Regarding the dispute between the young Republic
of South Sudan and the Republic of the Sudan, my
delegation urges both countries to demonstrate the
necessary political will and to spare no effort to
successfully and implement sign the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement, as called for by the African Union
in envisioning the existence of two viable States
and a lasting peace. We support the African Union’s
negotiations in Ethiopia on that issue.
Outside the African continent, particularly with
respect to the Middle East, the ongoing violence in
certain countries continues to erode the prospects for
peace in the region, not to mention the blocked peace
process between Israel and Palestine, now deadlocked
for several decades and, even worse, 10 years after the
adoption of the Arab Peace Initiative. The Arab spring
has apparently not bloomed there, to the detriment of
the interests of a people who have the same right as any
other to live in peace with its neighbours in a viable
State. The Palestinian State has a rightful place in this
body.
The situation in Syria is particularly troubling, as
speakers before me have emphasized. Faced with the
risks of the general destabilization that that situation presents for the subregion and the world, we call for a
coordinated and negotiated settlement that takes into
consideration the interests of the various parties, so
as to put an end to the escalating violence and serious
violations of human rights.
Regarding the nuclear issue, which represents a
serious threat to humankind in general, it is essential
that the nuclear-weapon States take responsibility, as
they should, to implement specific measures that will
enable progress towards genuine nuclear disarmament,
while monitoring the ban on nuclear proliferation
with regard to military purposes. We reaffirm the
importance of respecting the three pillars of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, that is,
nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the right
of every State to develop nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes under the supervision of the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
The development agenda of the United Nations is
struggling to give sustainable support to our countries
in their unceasing efforts to improve their economic
development and their peoples’ well-being. The
commitments made by industrialized countries at the
major international conferences under the auspices of
the United Nations have still not been met. The global
economic and financial crisis continues to weaken the
economies of developed as well as developing countries
around the world. We are also concerned about the
ongoing crisis in the euro zone and its effects, which
are having a considerable impact on the achievement
of social development objectives at the international
level, including the Millennium Development Goals.
Areas such as the fight against poverty, employment,
education and health are affected by the crisis. In
that light, my delegation reaffirms the responsibility
and central role of the United Nations in forging the
spirit of solidarity and cooperation that can enable the
commitments made in the areas of aid and financing of
development to be respected.
Climate change remains a serious threat to the
equilibrium of mankind. Sadly, we have to admit that
we have not done enough to reverse its negative effects
on the environment. It is therefore important to waste
no more time and work to find solutions that will ensure
a better future for coming generations.
Along those lines, my delegation took an active part
in June at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20), a high-level exchange on the
challenge of sustainable development. The President of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, brought Africa’s
voice to the Conference, in his role as spokesperson for
the continent. While we welcome the analysis and the
reaffirmation of shared positions that the Conference
yielded, my delegation remains concerned about the
lack of real progress on the important issues of an
institutional framework for sustainable development
and for global environmental governance, as well as
plans for their implementation.
Although not all of Africa’s concerns were
addressed, Africa’s common positions are nevertheless
well represented in the Rio+20 final document (resolution
66/288, annex), thanks to the dogged perseverance and
resolve of the African Group, which maintained unity
and strove throughout the negotiation process to keep
the African point of view in the fore. I want to take
this opportunity here in New York to convey President
Sassou Nguesso’s words of appreciation to the African
Group and to extend his special thanks to the group of
experts led by Kenya and its Permanent Representative.
The sixty-seventh session of the Assembly is an
important forum for a follow-up to Rio+20. I once
again urge African delegates to speak with one voice
in defending African interests in the vital matter of
sustainable development. Especially important is the
intergovernmental process for developing proposals for
effective sustainable development financing strategies
to mobilize resources and put them to effective use.
I could well have raised many other issues, such
as Security Council reform and the need for genuine
global governance that takes into account people’s
desire for multilateralism. But I will limit myself to a
few words about certain concerns that should be taken
into account. First is the need for global governance
of political and security issues through the necessary
reform of the Security Council. We also need to address
global economic management by granting greater
authority to the Economic and Social Council. Finally,
there is the need for global environmental management
through an international institution with real power
to protect the environment and promote sustainable
development.
Our times demand the pursuit of those legitimate
goals, shared by the majority of Member States of our
world Organization. Its credibility and credit in the
world will increase if we meet the challenge of global
governance with a unified drive to create a more peaceful, prosperous and just world for the benefit of
all.


I would
like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate
President Vuk Jeremić on his election to the presidency
of the Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I also
pay tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, for his efforts during his tenure. I would
also like to commend the continuing commitment and
efforts of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Today our world faces a complex turning point in
its history, replete with challenges and opportunities.
The deep geopolitical upheavals in our region and the
serious problems resulting from the economic and
financial crisis attest to that.
We believe that our collective faith in multilateralism
will help us to unite our efforts to find solutions and
overcome the persistent uncertainty that has resulted
from those changes. The unprecedented extent of our
problems may risk worsening the existing imbalances
in relations among nations. All of us, without exception,
bear a responsibility for the future of our planet, which
we would like to be more just and more united.
No country has been spared the consequences
of the global crisis, and their management cannot be
considered by only a small number of States acting to the exclusion of the rest. Quite the contrary, we all
have the right to participate in finding solutions. The
slowdown in the world’s economy negatively affects
many countries, including those of the developed
world, which are facing a sovereign debt crisis and
increasing unemployment. Therefore, further efforts
are called for to prevent such situations from spilling
over to other regions of the world, in particular to
Africa. The response to the challenges of the crisis rests
with our capacity to find alternatives to the theories
and practices of the past, because the new realities of
our times require urgent implementation of appropriate
and more effective approaches and mechanisms for
addressing the crisis.
As in previous years, we continue to suffer from
the effects of the multidimensional crisis, whether in
economic governance or in political coordination. In
fact, the return of trust and growth should lead us to
step up our efforts to coordinate between the United
Nations and multilateral institutions in the economic
and financial fields. The United Nations and the Bretton
Woods institutions should complement each other and
act in complete political and economic coordination
and harmony.
As far as we are concerned, Algeria has shouldered
its share of responsibility. It has made enormous
sacrifices and continues to rigorously control and
manage its expenditures. The fiscal surplus that we
have achieved has allowed us to adopt a revived social
policy under our five-year plan 2010-2014 that involves
redistributing wealth while maintaining investments
for economic growth.
Algeria has always called for combating the
causes and not just the consequences of instability. We
have insisted on the important fact that development
and peace and security are interrelated, and that the
strategies of the United Nations and, in particular, the
Security Council, for lasting peace must be thought of
in harmony with socioeconomic development policies.
In that regard, at the regional level, Algeria is
contributing to the process of democratization and
the promotion of the rule of law and socioeconomic
development. The fight against hunger and poverty,
the protection of food security, agriculture, growth,
infrastructure, energy and renewable energy are areas
in which we cooperate with countries of the Maghreb
and the Sahel. Along the same lines, Algeria is sharing
with African and Arab countries and with its other
partners its experience in the area of fighting terrorism and the interrelated scourges of organized crime and
illicit trafficking in drugs and weapons, which are
widespread our region.
Algeria welcomes the recent changes in some
countries of North Africa and the Middle East that
reflected the will of their peoples, who are searching
for a democratic ideal, justice and dignity. Those are, in
fact, the founding principles of the Algerian revolution.
Committed to the principle of self-determination of
peoples and mutual respect among nations, Algeria
condemns all forms of violence and repression,
wherever they arise. We will continue to believe that
dialogue and negotiation are the best means for settling
disputes.
Algeria hopes that the people of Western Sahara
will exercise their right to self-determination. We
urge Morocco and the Frente Polisario to act in good
faith and initiate formal talks, under the auspices of
the United Nations, with a view to reaching a just and
lasting solution, pursuant to the norms and provisions
of international law.
The search for peace, security and development is
a priority for us all. That commitment was formally
reaffirmed by the countries of the Non-Aligned
Movement, including Algeria, at the Movement’s
sixteenth summit, held in Tehran last August.
We support the commitment of the United Nations
to conflict prevention through its unf lagging diplomatic
efforts, and we appreciate our Organization’s role in
promoting appropriate solutions to major crises within
the context of its tireless and comprehensive efforts to
bring about development.
Algeria is a member of the special joint committee
of the United Nations and the League of Arab States
to monitor the Syrian crisis. We supported Mr. Kofi
Annan and we will do the same with his successor,
Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, with a view to reaching a
political solution to the acute crisis that is unfolding
within that fraternal country.
In our region today, we are facing new risks and
threats that point to a return of terrorism in its more
violent manifestations, along with its interrelated
scourges of organized crime and trafficking in drugs
and weapons. It is in that context that we have to
consider the complex situation in brotherly Mali. That
crisis seriously threatens the security of the countries of
the Sahel. In fact the deep, root causes of the situation
can be attributed to the ills of severe underdevelopment and abject poverty. Algeria acts in concert with the
African Union, the Economic Community of West
African States and other regional actors concerned with
a view to reaching a peaceful and lasting settlement of
the crisis in Mali.
The roles played by the General Assembly and
the Security Council are essential for the preservation
and building of peace throughout the world and for
the realization of the principles and purposes of the
United Nations Charter in the areas of international
cooperation and development. Moreover, the missions
of those two principal and complementary organs are
based on legitimacy, contrary to the deadlock in the
reform process that began years ago. We must therefore
do everything possible to ensure that the General
Assembly, the most representative organ of the United
Nations, reclaims all its competence in that context.
The working methods and membership of the Security
Council must be revised to ensure its democratization in
terms of new permanent and non-permanent members
from the developing world, in particular from Africa,
the cradle of civilization.
Algeria is proud to celebrate this year the fiftieth
anniversary of its independence and of its membership
of the United Nations. Faithful to its principles,
Algeria has made a wise contribution to the complete
decolonization of Africa. Today it enjoys peace with
its neighbours with a view to completing the process
of regional integration. Algeria would like to become
a member of the Human Rights Council, for which
it is a candidate for the period 2014-2016, in order to
continue defending the values on which its history and
its determination to overcome adversity is based.
Everyone knows that the road of human rights
is littered with many pitfalls and obstacles, such as
authoritarianism, xenophobia, poverty, discrimination
and unilateral economic sanctions. In that regard, the
embargo on Cuba, which has lasted for more than half a
century and has created deprivation, is both unfair and
anachronistic.
Furthermore, attacks on Islam and Muslims are
a violation of human rights and a threat to peaceful
coexistence among peoples. We should all fight against
the phenomenon of Islamophobia, which is based on a
xenophobic ideology that erroneously likens Islam to
terrorism. That phenomenon must be fought. In that
context, the tragic events engendered by the infamous
video concerning Islam and its Prophet are reprehensible
in many respects. Similary, Algeria condemns acts of violence perpetrated against diplomatic officers and
missions, which are vehicles for friendly relations
and cooperation among peoples. Algeria proposes an
initiative under the auspices of the United Nations to
identify the ways and means to organize a response
that puts an end to such hateful events, which threaten
international peace and security. In that regard, we
cannot forget that the appropriate and responsible use
of freedom of expression should also endow our world
with a more human and brotherly face through the
promotion of dialogue among religions and cultures.
At the sixty-seventh session of the General
Assembly, Algeria would like to welcome the State
of Palestine as a new Member of the United Nations
family, recognized within its 1967 borders, with
Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. We believe that the
time has come for Palestine to be fully represented at
the centre of this irreplaceable international forum, the
United Nations. Recognition of the legitimate rights
of the Palestinian people to sovereignty and self-
determination is an inalienable right and a necessary
precondition for a just and lasting peace in the Middle
East, which is currently being prevented by the Israeli
policy of occupation.
In addition, the creation of a zone free of weapons
of mass destruction in the Middle East is an important
confidence-building measure. In that regard, we support
the efforts of the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs of Finland, Jaakko Laajava, as facilitator for
the conference on the establishment of a Middle East
zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of
mass destruction, to be held before the end of this year
in Helsinki.
Algeria is committed to a global and ambitious
agreement to protect the environment and promote
sustainable development. In that regard, we are grateful
to the Group of 77 and China, which we have the honour
to preside over this year, for its constant support and
cooperation, which has made it possible to achieve the
results of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development, the strengthening of the Nairobi
Work Programme and the preparations for the next
conferences on climate change and biodiversity. Algeria
urges Member States to shoulder their responsibilities
in implementing the commitments entered into under
the concept of common but differentiated responsibility,
that is, namely, the financing of the transfer of know-
how, technology and capacity-building in the area of
sustainable development. The President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelaziz
Boutef lika, has given new impetus to the programme of
reforms aimed at strengthening the democratic process,
the rule of law and the advancement of women. The
legislative elections of 10 May 2012 yielded a significant
increase in women’s representation, with 146 women
Members of Parliament, representing one third of the
Lower Chamber.
Our country has made tangible progress in the
political, economic and social areas, and we continue
our efforts to establish and consolidate our democratic
freedoms based on the principle of equal opportunity
embodied in our Constitution. Those steps have enabled
our country to achieve in general the Millennium
Development Goals prior to 2015. That led to Algeria
being chosen as one of the 50 countries selected by the
United Nations for consultations on the Millennium
Development Goals and the post-2015 development
agenda.
In conclusion, I thank members for their attention
and wish them every success in the work of our session.


Allow me to congratulate you, Sir,
on your election to preside over the General Assembly
at its sixty-seventh session. I expect your proficient
stewardship will guide the Assembly to success.
At the outset, I would like to express our profound
gratitude to the heads of State and Government and
peoples of the States Members of the United Nations,
the Secretary-General, the President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, representatives
of United Nations bodies and of many countries for
deep condolences they extended to us at the demise in
December last year of the great leader of our people,
Kim Jong Il. General Kim Jong Il devoted tireless
efforts until the last moment of his life to firmly
safeguarding the dignity and sovereignty of our country
and the prosperity and happiness of its people, as well
as to accomplishing the cause of global independence
and world peace and stability.
Today, having hailed dear respected Marshal Kim
Jong Un as the Supreme Leader of the Party, State and
Army, our people are striving to build a prosperous
and powerful socialist State. Dear respected Marshal
Kim Jong Un safeguards the peace and stability of the
Korean peninsula by carrying forward the Songun
policy of General Kim Jong Il in good faith. He wisely
leads the general advance march for developing our
economy, improving people’s livelihood, and devising
a development strategy of our own style and innovative
methods with his insight into the world. Our dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is firmly
determined to make our people, who have overcome
manifold hardships, enjoy a happy life to their heart’s
content in a prosperous socialist State. Dear respected
Marshal Kim Jong Un is implementing independent
foreign policy and opening up a new chapter in the
development of relations with other countries that are
friendly to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
not bound by the past. Our people are following dear
respected Marshal Kim Jong Un with absolute trust in
him and are vigorously advancing to the final victory
with full conviction in and optimism about the future,
single-heartedly united behind him.
The founding of the United Nations in the last
century gave hope to mankind following a tragic
world war — hope of achieving common prosperity
by ensuring peace and security and developing
cooperation among States based on the principle of
sovereign equality. Yet today, after the first decade
of the new century, that desire of the mankind has yet
to be achieved. At present in international relations,
high-handedness and arbitrariness are becoming ever
more undisguised, and the use of force and acts of
State terrorism aimed at infringing on sovereignty,
interference in internal affairs and effecting regime
change are being perpetrated under such pretexts as
non-proliferation and humanitarian intervention.
We are now witnessing the resurrection of the
outdated international relations of the first half of the
twentieth century, when a handful of great Powers
dominated the world by resorting to the use of force.
This resurrection tarnishes the credibility of the United
Nations, whose mandate is to ensure global peace and
security.
The fact that the theme “Bringing about adjustment
or settlement of international disputes or situations by
peaceful means” was chosen for the current session
shows the seriousness of the current international
situation. The most serious issue in the international
arena at present is a f lagrant violation of the principles
of respect for sovereignty and equality. Unless the
high-handedness and arbitrariness of certain countries
are thoroughly eliminated, it will be hard to say that
the United Nations is fulfilling its role and function as
a centre for coordinating cooperative relations between
States based on the principle of sovereign equality as
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
The unjustifiable interference, pressure and use
of force that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and the right to self-determination
and existence of Palestine should be rejected.
Democratizing the United Nations and, in
particular, strengthening the authority of the General
Assembly are urgent issues for enhancing the central
role of the United Nations in international relations.
The Assembly resolution adopted long ago on
dismantling the so-called United Nations Command
stationed in South Korea and the resolution adopted
annually on ending the United States blockade against
Cuba remain unimplemented. These are typical
examples that show the need to strengthen the authority
of the General Assembly.
It is quite natural for the General Assembly, which
represents the general will of all Member States, to
supervise the overall activities of the Organization. In
particular, it should be given the authority to undertake
final review of Security Council resolutions related to
peace and security, such as sanctions and use of force.
The abuse of the Security Council as a tool for pursuing
strategic interests by a handful of countries should
never be overlooked. Last April, the United States took
issue with our legitimate and peaceful space launch,
which followed universal international law, and forced
the Council to adopt an unjust statement. That alone
shows how the Council has been abused.
Security Council reform, which is at the core of
overall United Nations reform, is a matter that should
no longer be delayed. It should be carried out in a
manner that guarantees responsibility, transparency,
impartiality and objectivity in its activities and ensures
full representation of developing countries in its
composition.
Other United Nations bodies in which double
standards and the theory of force are extremely evident
are the Third Committee of the General Assembly and
the Human Rights Council. Politicization, selectivity
and double standards in deliberations on human rights
should be put to an end. We should never allow the
continuation of the practice whereby human rights
situations of selected countries are either called into
question or simply ignored in accordance with the
political purposes and interests of the West and the
Western standard values.
In the field of sustainable development, which
is now one of the three targets set by the United
Nations, the agreement reached in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held last June
in Rio de Janeiro, should be implemented. Practical
measures should be taken to solve such issues as
establishing fair international economic and trade
relations, fulfilling official development assistance
commitments, transferring environmentally clean
technologies to developing countries and strengthening
financial support.
Today, due to the ongoing hostile policy of
the United States towards the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, a vicious cycle of confrontation
and aggravation of tension continues to afflict the
Korean peninsula, which has become the world’s most
dangerous hotspot, a place where a spark could set off
a thermonuclear war. At the root of that hostile policy,
which has lasted for more than half a century, towards
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea lies the
intention of the United States to destroy the ideas and
system our people have chosen and to occupy the entire
Korean peninsula, in order to use it as a stepping stone
in realizing its strategy of dominating all of Asia.
Since the day the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea was founded, the United States has designated it
an enemy and refused to recognize its sovereignty. Since
then, it has pursued every kind of sanction, pressure and
military provocation against the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea for more than half a century. Its
hostile policy is most deeply rooted in the military field.
No precedent can be found in modern history for the
situation whereby the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea and the United States have continued as warring
parties after hostilities ended and for more than 60
years altogether.
With a view to eliminating the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea by force, the United States has
already finalized various war scenarios, and is waiting
for a chance to implement them, as it has outlined in a
contingency plan to impose military rule after a military
invasion. In accordance with those plans for military
operations, the United States has staged various joint
military exercises under different names in and around
the Korean peninsula for several decades. A typical
example was a combined military exercise named Ulji
Freedom Guardian, staged at the end of last August and
involving huge numbers of armed forces, which pushed
the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of
war.
It is only the patience and military deterrent self-
defence capacity of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that have prevented the continued military
provocations of the United States from turning into all-
out war on the Korean peninsula. However, this does
not mean that the patience of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea is inexhaustible. Our people value
peace and stability in pursuing their overall goal of
building a prosperous and powerful State. But the
dignity of our nation and the sovereignty of our country
are even more valuable.
Our principled stand is based on reacting to an
aggressor’s reckless provocations with an immediate,
corresponding strike in defence of our nation’s dignity
and sovereignty, and to respond to a war of aggression
with a just war of reunification of the country. The
realities of the situation on the Korean peninsula
prove that we have been absolutely right to have built
a military deterrent capacity for our self-defence, by
tightening our belts in order to pursue the path of
Songun and independence. Our military deterrent is a
mighty weapon that defends the country’s sovereignty
and a powerful means of preventing war on the Korean
peninsula, as well as a strong guarantee that enables
us to focus our efforts on economic construction and
improving people’s livelihoods.
The only way to prevent war and ensure lasting
peace on the Korean peninsula is to put an end to
the hostile policy of the United States towards the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. That policy
is the root cause that has made the Korean peninsula
the world’s most dangerous hotspot, and it is the chief
obstacle to lasting peace and security. The nuclear
issue on the Korean peninsula is also a product of that
policy. None of these problems, including the Korean
peninsula nuclear issue, can be resolved without first
ending the hostile policy of the United States, which
views the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as an
enemy target and tries to stif le it at any cost. That is the
essence of the process of our dialogue with the United
States and a lesson we have drawn from practical
experience.
Since the turn of the new century, North-South
summit meetings have been held twice, amid the joyful
enthusiasm of all our fellow countrymen. They resulted
in the adoption of the 15 June North-South Joint
Declaration and the 4 October Declaration, and created
an atmosphere in which the desire for reconciliation,
cooperation and reunification between North and South
reached a peak. Soon after taking office, however, the
new South Korean authorities annulled all inter-Korean agreements, including the 15 June North-South Joint
Declaration and the 4 October Declaration, which had
been warmly welcomed and were fully supported by the
entire Korean nation and the international community,
including the United Nations. Furthermore, the
confrontation between fellow countrymen and systems
have caused an extreme deterioration in inter-Korean
relations. The South Korean authorities rubbed salt in
the wounds of our people, who had suffered such a huge
national loss, even insulting our supreme dignity with
acts of political terrorism, and leaving inter-Korean
relations totally bankrupt. History will bring them to
justice.
The Government of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea will join hands with anyone who
truly desires the country’s reunification and national
reconciliation and prosperity. With responsibility and
patience, and relying on the nation’s concerted efforts,
it is making every effort to realize the historic cause
of national reunification by preventing interference by
outside forces and any attempt by anti-reunification
forces to achieve permanent national division.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will
continue to further strengthen and develop the relations
of friendship and cooperation with all countries that
respect its sovereignty, pursuant to the principles
of independence, peace and friendship on which its
foreign policy is based, and will actively cooperate with
the efforts of United Nations Member States to secure
world peace and stability and to achieve sustainable
development.


On behalf of the Government
of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, I
congratulate Vuk Jeremić on his election as President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. His proven skills and charming personality leave no
room for doubt that under his able leadership we will
achieve our goals for this session. Sri Lanka is also
pleased to endorse the theme proposed by him for this
year’s high-level debate.
For 67 years, the United Nations has provided the
premier forum for the resolution of international disputes
and the negotiation of landmark global goals. In the
conduct of international relations, Sri Lanka, a founding
member of the Non-Aligned Movement, firmly upholds
the tenets of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect
for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
non-interference in the internal affairs of other States,
equality and mutual benefit. Sri Lanka believes that,
in the settlement of international disputes, action must
be based on the fundamental principle of the sovereign
equality of States, a principle firmly enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations. The noticeable recent
tendency to selectively and arbitrarily intervene in the
internal affairs of States f lies in the face of this principle
and dilutes the confidence so carefully nurtured in the
United Nations system.
The global financial crisis has posed a major
challenge to the entire international community. In
this context, it is of the greatest importance to ensure
that any strategies employed to achieve recovery do not
impose unjustifiable burdens on developing countries,
as they strive to achieve better living conditions for
their people. A recovery that does not simultaneously
uplift developing countries will be, by its very nature,
unsustainable. It is paradoxical that the very countries
in which the financial crisis originated now seek to
provide policy prescriptions for others.
It has been noted that many countries of the South
have weathered the financial storm successfully. Sri
Lanka’s economy, which has been carefully managed
during this period, is one of the Asian economies
that has recorded impressive gains by any standard.
A growth rate of 8.2 per cent was achieved in 2011.
Following the end of the conflict in 2009, the areas
formerly controlled by terrorists, namely the northern
province, recorded a 27 per cent growth in gross
domestic product in 2011. The exponential boom in
agriculture and fisheries in particular has contributed
substantially to this result.
We are now at a significant juncture in human
history, as climate change looms as the greatest
challenge to the very existence of humanity. Many
developing countries, including my own, are still struggling to regain lost opportunities and improve the
livelihood of their people while staring global warming
in the face. Our carbon footprint remains negligible.
It is imperative that the developed world deliver on its
solemn undertakings to assist developing countries, as
we seek the common goal of arresting climate change,
which is caused by human activities.
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20), held in June 2012, demonstrated
convincingly the efficacy of United Nations processes.
The potential of the green economy, however, will be
less attractive if we do not clearly understand its long-
term consequences at the national level for sustainable
economic strategies. The transition to a green economy
must not generate negative externalities that retard
economic growth and perpetuate societal inequity
and poverty. Assistance to developing countries under
North-South development cooperation mechanisms
must take into account global initiatives to mitigate
the adverse consequences of too rigid an application of
green economic principles. The efforts of developing
countries themselves in this regard must be recognized
and further facilitated.
As Member States, we must respect the principles
patiently negotiated by the international community.
These are, in particular, the equality of rights,
the equal sovereignty of all States and the right to
development, as underlined in the Rio+20 outcome
document (resolution 66/288, annex). The interests of
the developing world must be entrenched and protected.
Hence, no constraining conditions should be applied to
development models or approaches adopted by Member
States that could prevent the achievement of sustainable
development together with the eradication of poverty.
The middle-income countries are the main driving
force for strengthening our global economy. Sri Lanka’s
balanced socioeconomic policy strategies propelled
us to middle-income status a few years ago. As we
have repeatedly emphasized, countries’ attainment
of middle-income status does not by itself provide a
solution to the issue of poverty and other development
challenges.
I wish to mention in particular that Sri Lanka
employs a unique development strategy that empowers
citizens, with special attention to social development
needs. It has continued to achieve transformational
change in the lives of its people by effectively
mobilizing available resources and delivering
sustainable and citizen-centred programmes. Sri Lanka has emphasized synergistic interactions between health
care and education, public infrastructure development,
including improved water and sanitation, transport
and communications, especially under an integrated
regional development approach, which we consider to
be important. We also enjoy a 98 per cent literacy rate,
with the score for girls being even higher. The success
of this strategy is reflected in Sri Lanka’s high ranking
on the human development index, of which we are
legitimately proud.
Sri Lanka has achieved many of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and is well on track to
realize all of them by 2015, including the eradication
of poverty. Eradicating poverty and improving the
quality of life of our people has been the cornerstone
of social development policies in Sri Lanka over
many decades. Sri Lanka’s key policy document,
“Mahinda Chintana —Vision for the Future”, has set
specific targets to combat poverty within the MDG
framework. A range of projects has been designed
for the eradication of poverty by 2016. Through the
Gama Naguma and Divi Naguma programmes, which
deal with village awakening and the enhancement of
livelihoods and incomes, we have been addressing
rural poverty eradication and ensuring food security.
These programmes continue to promote the concept
of self-employment, directing financial and technical
assistance to youth and women in rural areas, including
those who suffered from the terrorist conflict.
The contribution of women in Sri Lanka’s
successful realization of most of the MDGs is of great
significance. Women who are literate also encourage
their children to focus on education and aspire to higher
goals. It is through the participation of women that Sri
Lanka has been recognized for its achievements in the
World Health Organization breastfeeding promotion
and immunization programmes. I note with great pride
that Sri Lanka produced the first elected woman Prime
Minister in the world in 1960.
We have made genuine efforts to ensure that the
fruits of economic development are equally distributed
and are accessible, especially to the most vulnerable
segments of society. We have ensured that social
mobility is not confined to the privileged in the towns
and cities of the island, but penetrates deep into the
rural hinterland.
Three years ago, our Government ended the
terrorist challenge largely through its own efforts. Sri Lanka is firmly committed to redressing the grievances
of all parties affected by the internal conflict. After
the release of the report of the Lessons Learnt and
Reconciliation Commission, a local mechanism set in
place by the President of Sri Lanka, an action plan to
give expeditious effect to its recommendations was
adopted. A comprehensive national action plan for
human rights with specific timelines has been approved
by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Government has also
proposed a transparent and democratic process under a
parliamentary select committee to address post-conflict
reconciliation issues. That initiative has, regrettably,
been delayed by the failure of some opposition parties
to nominate their representatives.
Sri Lanka exemplifies the challenges faced by
a society emerging from the shadow of a sustained
conflict that spanned three decades; the country is now
entering an era of peace and tranquillity. The gradual
diminution of the challenges and the brevity of the
period that has elapsed since the end of the conflict
leave no room for doubt as to the degree of success
achieved by the Government of Sri Lanka with respect
to a wide range of issues relating to development and
reconciliation. It has only been about three years since
the conflict ended.
Prioritization was a central feature of the
Government’s plan of action. The progress on the
ground during the last three years with regard to
the resettlement of internally displaced persons; the
reintegration into society of thousands of ex-combatants
after exposure to programmes of livelihood skills
training, which equipped them to earn their living with
dignity and independence; the rapid completion of the
mine-clearance process; and the unprecedented focus
on infrastructure development leading to very visible
invigoration of the economy of the island as a whole,
and the Northern province in particular, are quite
apparent.
The experience of Sri Lanka demonstrates that,
with the dynamic leadership of high quality and the
unwavering commitment that President Mahinda
Rajapaksa has provided, along with an effective
political and military strategy and strong rapport with
all sections of the public, it is possible to prevail against
the most ruthless forces of terror. No one has a greater
commitment to reconciliation in an all-inclusive spirit
than our Government. Unhelpful external pressures
that support narrow partisan interests could easily
derail initiatives that have produced very substantial results and peace on the ground, as we begin a new and
exciting chapter in our country’s history.
In the international community’s quest to bring
some semblance of equity to economic development
across the continents, we must maintain increased focus
on the continent of Africa, especially through South-
South cooperation. Sri Lanka is vigorously expanding
its engagement with the region, especially in matters
relating to trade, investment, tourism and technical
assistance.
All of our current endeavours should have a stronger
focus on children and youth, who are the custodians of
our future.
We have continuously supported resolution 66/6 and
the need to end the unjust economic, commercial and
financial embargo against Cuba. Unilateral sanctions
of that nature, which harm ordinary people, have no
place in modern international intercourse.
Terrorism remains a scourge in the contemporary
world, threatens our societies and impedes the
socioeconomic progress of our people. As a country
that has emerged from ruthless and brutal terrorism, Sri
Lanka continues resolutely to support all multilateral
efforts to enhance peace and security and eliminate
all forms of terrorism, without discrimination. In our
collective quest to eradicate terrorism, the selective
application of principles and double standards must be
scrupulously avoided. Terrorism from whatever source
must be unequivocally condemned and countered.
It has been established that terrorism has developed
close links with transnational organized crime in the
form of cybercrime and identity theft, environment-
related crime, maritime piracy, the smuggling of
migrants and trafficking in persons and drugs.
Maritime piracy has emerged as a major threat to
international sea lanes and has added an additional
economic burden to global trade. Sri Lanka, which has
been a trading nation for centuries, eagerly supports
multinational efforts to counter that threat. But it must
be remembered that piracy originates on land and that
any solution to piracy must also address its causes and
developments on land.
The illicit transportation of migrants to greener
pastures overseas by criminal networks requires
our collective attention. Sri Lanka also continues to
cooperate closely in that regard with our bilateral
and multilateral partners. As a member of the Bali Process, we are committed to cooperation in capacity-
building, the exchange of best practices and law
enforcement cooperation. At the same time, we believe
in the necessity to share information in good faith,
acknowledging that action on the part of a variety of
Member States, with their various national interests, is
essential to counter the sophisticated human smuggling
rings.
One long-standing issue that weighs on the
conscience of the international community and which
needs our sustained collective attention is the restoration
of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Sri
Lanka fully supports the implementation of all relevant
United Nations resolutions on Palestine, which will
pave the way for the achievement of Statehood for
the Palestinian people and bring lasting peace to the
region. Sri Lanka fully supports Palestine in its efforts
to achieve full membership in the United Nations.
Sri Lanka unreservedly condemns the defamation
of all religions and religious leaders. While the right
to free speech is fundamental to our value system, that
right should not be abused in order to hurt the feelings
of the faithful, whether they be Buddhists, Muslims,
Christians, Hindus, Jews or followers of other faiths.
All available mechanisms must be employed to prevent
the defamation of all religions and the exploitation of
religious symbols for commercial purposes.
In conclusion, Sri Lanka is currently in the
process of making arrangements to host the World
Youth Conference in 2014. The primary objective
will be the strengthening of youth inclusion in
national decision-making processes in relation to the
development and implementation of the post-2015
development agenda. I cordially extend an open
invitation to all fellow Member States to join hands
with us to make that global event a success.