Vanuatu is honoured to join previous speakers in congratulating the President on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventieth session, and I would like to assure him of my delegation’s full support. Under his leadership we are confident that he will guide us successfully through the session. I would also like to offer warm thanks to the previous President of the Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa. His exemplary leadership has produced many important achievements that will continue to shape and strengthen the United Nations and enable it to execute its mandate effectively.
We are meeting today at a critical crossroads in history that presents us with a unique opportunity to change the lives of millions of people around the world, especially the most disadvantaged, for the better. The 2008 world financial crisis dramatically changed the global financial landscape. The banking crisis resulted in unprecedented unemployment and low economic growth around the world. The effects of the financial crisis are still being felt, and the recent volatility of the global financial markets has created further uncertainty.
Apart from that global economic challenge, we are witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis caused by conflict and violence. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are currently more than 60 million refugees in the world, a number unequalled since the Second World
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War. Climate change continues to be a major challenge for the world generally, and a major threat to small island developing States (SIDS) in particular. Its impact cannot be understated. The rise in sea levels and the effects of El Niño and unfavourable weather conditions point to a bleak future for humankind.
The uncertain global economic outlook, the adverse impact of climate change and the humanitarian crisis mean that the task ahead of us in implementing the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) is all the more daunting. That stark reality calls for immediate collective action. If we do not resolve this global crisis today, we run the risk of creating a world with no prospect of sustaining peace and security. For the world community, that blunt reality calls for global action to ensure that peace, prosperity and security can continue to be maintained in the future. That is the most important gift we can give our future generations.
I welcome the theme of the General Assembly’s seventieth session, “The United Nations at 70 — the road ahead for peace, security and human rights”. It is timely and relevant to our current global development challenges. Peace, security and human rights are the mutually reinforcing pillars of successful sustainable development and consistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. This year we are celebrating the 70 years of the existence of the United Nations, and on reflection, we can see that much has been achieved. We have experienced no major wars so far; millions have been lifted out of extreme poverty and remarkable progress has been made on the human rights front. Despite those achievements, however, significant challenges remain ahead.
The humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the conflict and violence of recent years has revealed a dark side of humankind, a world of haves and have-nots. The major Powers must do more to assist the surging refugee population, and I urge the most financially able countries to seriously consider donating to the coordinated Humanitarian Programme Cycle of the United Nations. What we need now is to address the underlying root causes of such conflicts — extreme poverty, hunger, the lack of good governance, a lack of adherence to the rule of law, poor economic growth, rising inequality and youth unemployment. Sustained and inclusive development is therefore extremely important to preserving peace, human rights and stability around the world. I commend the Secretary-
General’s approach to addressing this humanitarian crisis from a human rights perspective.
In the light of these global challenges, the role of preventive diplomacy as a key instrument in the maintenance of peace and security around the world is critical. Women’s role in this area should be enhanced, and we should focus most of our efforts on preventive diplomacy. Vanuatu will always play its part in maintaining international peace and security, and our deployment of peacekeepers to Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti reflects our commitment to that endeavour.
As part of the international community’s response, we have embarked on three important and ambitious global agendas, adopting the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, as well as drafting an agreement on climate change to be concluded in Paris at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) later this year. The 2030 Agenda promises to be transformative, particularly for those at the margins of society. While the Millennium Development Goals contributed immensely to human progress in areas such as gender equality, extreme poverty reduction and improved access to basic social services, there is room for more to be done. The 2030 Agenda covers a wide range of areas that are pertinent to my country’s sustainable development and a good complement to our national sustainable development aspirations.
We welcome the establishment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, on the conservation and sustainable management of oceans and seas. For too long we have observed the decline of the health of the oceans and seas as evidenced in dying coral, a profusion of marine pollution, damaged coastal ecosystems, declining fish stocks and ocean acidification. We recognize the need for a framework within which the implementation of SDG 14 can be progressively assessed, benchmarked and driven forward for the duration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We therefore support mandating the proposed triennial United Nations conference on the oceans and seas as the driver of progress evaluation for SDG 14.
I am delighted to see that a focus on gender remains an integral part of the 2030 Agenda. Achieving gender equality in my country, given our tradition and cultural makeup, continues to be a challenge. However, the political will to continue to advance women’s interests remains steadfast. We have made notable progress
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on women’s access to basic education and health services and their assumption of leadership positions in municipal councils, and today women have better access to basic financial services than ever before. As one of my country’s leaders, I want to see more tangible progress made in the advancement of women and girls and their active participation in national leadership. That can be expedited if more financial resources can be made available for helping my Government to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The success of the 2030 Agenda will depend on access to affordable financial resources and appropriate technology and on substantially improving national capacity. Regarding access to financial resources, the recently adopted Addis Ababa Action Agenda reflects most of the pertinent issues, and it is important for us to implement it swiftly. I join other global leaders in calling on all developed countries to meet their official development assistance (ODA) commitments, as agreed on in the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration. The ODA target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI), as well as the increased target of 0.2 per cent of GNI to least developed countries (LDCs) by 2020, must be met, for they are crucial to realizing the 2030 Agenda.
Development financing initiatives through South- South cooperation are complementary to this and will remain critical. On that note, 1 would like to take this opportunity to thank the President of China, His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping, for his recent announcement at the SDG Summit (see A/70/PV.7) that China will provide $2 billion to developing countries. That type of gesture and goodwill demonstrates real action and genuine partnership.
Access to technology is critical to the achievement of sustainable development. I welcome the United Nations initiative, launched in Istanbul, aimed at establishing a technology bank for least developed countries. My Government would greatly appreciate its speedy realization. In the area of technology, and particularly the development of information and communication technologies (ICT), Vanuatu has made tremendous strides in recent years. Our efforts were recognized last weekend when Vanuatu, along with a small number of other countries, received a United Nations award for ICT development, thus demonstrating the transformative role that ICT is playing in improving our people’s lives. It will continue to be a key tool for us in our implementation and achievement of the SDGs.
Regarding improving country capacity, I urge the United Nations to assist developing countries, particularly SIDS and LDCs, in developing their statistical capacities. For small island developing States, that remains a challenge and, as we know, it is the most important basis for formulating evidence-based policy, as well as assessing progress on the 2030 Agenda.
For small island developing States such as Vanuatu, climate change remains a major threat to our achievement of sustainable development. I am therefore grateful to see that Goal 13 of the 2030 Agenda highlights the importance of climate change. However, we should note that this Goal can be meaningful only if we reach a favourable agreement in Paris in December. The connection between climate change and sustainable development is clear. If we do not address climate change, SIDS cannot achieve sustainable development. In March, Vanuatu experienced a category-5 tropical cyclone that affected 60 per cent of the population and 64 per cent of its economy. According to our current assessment, it will take many years and more than $500 million to rebuild our economy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the international community for its swift response in assisting us immediately after the cyclone hit with disaster relief and operations. We look forward to its continued support for our recovery and reconstruction efforts, which we have just embarked on.
Our Pacific island leaders have continued to voice their concerns about climate change in regional and international forums. We are calling for a legally binding agreement limiting the increase in the average global temperature to well below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and for anchoring loss and damage provisions in the agreement. We are also calling for a financial package that will commit countries in the UNFCCC’s annex I category to providing $1 billion a year by 2020 in order to finance our adaptation and mitigation needs. These declarations represent our collective voice in the lead-up to the Paris Climate Change Conference and our call to ensure that the planet is saved for us and future generations.
Apart from focusing on climate change, we have also agreed to strengthen regional connectivity, improve productivity and boost economic growth to ensure peace and security in our region, all initiatives that are consistent with the 2030 Agenda. The relationship between the United Nations and the Pacific-based regional organizations is critical to the implementation
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of the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway. We welcome the recent adoption of resolution 69/318, on the relationship between the secretariat of the Pacific Islands Forum and the United Nations, and we hope that cooperation can now be translated into concrete action.
My delegation would like to remind the United Nations not to lose sight of decolonization issues, in the light of the emerging challenges that have been presented to us to address collectively. Vanuatu calls on the United Nations family to remain equally focused on finding ways to address this long-overdue issue. The United Nations membership must bring closure to its work on decolonization. The right to self-determination has been a fight endured by many generations. While many have lost their lives in the process, the dream continues for the United Nations and all nations advocating and promoting the democratic principles that still linger in the hearts of many, in the hope that one day their cries will be heard and the promise of a self-determined future delivered. The United Nations must continue the work of the Special Committee on Decolonization in order to maintain a meaningful dialogue on the question of New Caledonia. We thank the Government of France for its cooperation in moving the decolonization process forward. It is therefore important that all parties maintain a dialogue and ensure that all the issues are addressed.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome President Barack Obama’s recent decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and reopen diplomatic missions between the two nations. We hope the process will be completed soon with the lifting of the embargo on Cuba.
Like other small Pacific island countries, Vanuatu is a small, open and vulnerable economy. Its openness and small size mean that it is highly vulnerable to external shocks and that opportunities to exploit economies of scale are limited. Despite those challenges, we have been able to record economic growth for the past 10 years. The recent impact of Tropical Cyclone Pam, however, has erased the gains made over that decade. It will take many years to recover, making our efforts to achieve sustainable development somewhat daunting. As a result of this difficulty, my Government recently made a decision to request the United Nations to consider postponing our graduation from LDC status for some years. That will give us ample time to recover fully from the effects of the cyclone and rebuild our economy. I urge the membership of the United Nations
to support our draft resolution on the matter during the Assembly’s seventieth session.
My Government and people will work to mobilize domestic resources and ensure that our institutional capacity is geared to meeting the new development Agenda. Like many other developing countries, we acknowledge that we cannot achieve our sustainable development plans alone, and we therefore call on the international community to help us achieve those goals.
My Government believes that the ongoing tensions between the issues of the freedom of the seas and territorial claims has placed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant international conventions under huge pressure. However, I also believe that States must be willing to cooperate and seek peaceful solutions to any disputes that may have arisen. Umaenupne and Leka islands, commonly known as Matthew and Hunter islands, south of Vanuatu, have been a repository of our cultural heritage since well before the colonial era. As in the other 83 islands, people would use the freedom of the seas to visit their claimed cultural sites. For several decades now, my people have been denied their right to enjoy the freedom of the seas and their claimed territory. I would like to thank and commend the United Nations and the Republic of France for their willingness to hold a dialogue and allow my people their right to visit their claimed territory to perform cultural rituals. The Government of France is to be commended for its important role in advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples in our region and around the world.
I would like to place it on record that Vanuatu has declared the two islands and the water surrounding them a cultural and marine protected area. Cultural visits to the island will be undertaken to revive and empower our indigenous and cultural system. I also wish to put it on record that the Government of Vanuatu will strengthen its ties with its French counterpart in collaborative efforts to ensure that our ocean is safe from terrorism, piracy, climate change and illegal fishing.
In conclusion, the global challenges before us are overwhelming. The global economic uncertainty, the impact of climate change and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis at hand remind us that we need to think differently and adopt innovative approaches to resolve those challenges. We need to deviate from business as usual. That is important especially when implementing the ambitious 2030 Agenda for
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Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the soon to be adopted Paris climate change agreement. What we need are revitalized partnerships, international cooperation and collective wisdom to address those challenges. When we stand together, there is no limit to what we can do together.


It is my pleasure, at the outset, to warmly congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its seventieth session. I also wish to extend my deep appreciation to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa, for his commendable efforts in conducting the business of the sixty-ninth session of the Assembly.
Seventy years after the birth of the United Nations, with its promise of peace, justice and development for all and its call for all nations to act in concert for the common good, it is undeniable, however, that we continue to live in an unfair and unequal world — a world where conflicts and wars rage, where extreme
poverty persists in the midst of plenty, where children die from easily preventable diseases and where justice is routinely trampled.
The United Nations is itself a reflection of the unfair, unequal and undemocratic global order. In the United Nations, the overwhelming majority of Member States are marginalized. The General Assembly, which should be the most powerful organ, is bereft of real power and influence. Power and decision-making are dominated by a few among the few. Two decades of talk to reform the Organization have yielded zero results. The resistance of those who believe that they benefit from the current configuration is so stiff and the ranks of those who seek change are so divided by approaches driven by narrow national interests that the enthusiasm for reform is giving way to a disquieting paralysis.
Yet all Member States, peoples and political and social forces that thirst for peace, justice, equitable socioeconomic development and the protection and enhancement of the environment must not give up. We need to persist in our efforts to rebuild and revitalize the United Nations. We need to strengthen our solidarity and defend the time-tested principles of the equal sovereignty of nations, respect for territorial integrity, peaceful coexistence, the right of nations to choose their social and economic path of development, respect for the dignity and rights of citizens and migrants, and fidelity to the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We need to work and cooperate at the national, regional and global levels to achieve sustainable and equitable development, a lofty goal that underpins peace and social justice.
We need to fight to avert an environmental catastrophe that awaits humankind and threatens human civilization. That will require more than human ingenuity and advances in science and technology. We must realize that there can be no technological fix to the environmental challenge. It will require radical change away from economic and social systems based on greed, the maximization of profits for the few, massive inequality, and unsustainable and unhealthy patterns of consumption and gross wastage.
Eritrea is committed to striving for a fair, just, truly representative and effective United Nations, because it was and still is a victim of the United Nations and the Powers that have dominated the Organization. Six decades ago, we were denied our inalienable right to self-determination and independence. For three
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decades, we were savagely bombed from the air and the ground, with the aim of crushing our liberation struggle; and today we are being subjected to unfair and illegitimate sanctions and baseless accusations. The United Nations and its Security Council continue to countenance the illegal occupation of our sovereign territory in violation of international law and several Security Council resolutions.
Despite that hostility and injustice, Eritrea achieved independence by dint of a heroic struggle against tremendous odds. Today, Eritrea is making remarkable progress in building a nation based on citizenship and inclusiveness and respect for human dignity and rights. It is peaceful, stable, secure and harmonious, achieving unity in diversity, with its people animated by a common struggle and committed to a common future. It has avoided the pitfalls of sectarianism, radicalization and terrorism that have infected the surrounding region and many other areas in the world.
On another front, Eritrea is building a solid basis for sustainable development with social justice by prioritizing education, health, agriculture, industrialization, infrastructure, science and technology, all within a framework of regional cooperation and integration in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf region across the Red Sea. Eritrea welcomes the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), which are in accord with its development vision and priorities, and is determined to achieve them ahead of the 2030 deadline.
Maintaining its focus on development, Eritrea is fighting human trafficking and is working to stabilize illegal migration and give youth and women adequate opportunities to pursue a high quality of life and build their nation. Eritrea is also making its contribution to regional peace, stability and security in the Red Sea region and the Horn of Africa. Eritrea sees its own efforts to promote peace, justice, development and environmental protection as part of the global struggle for a better, fairer and more equitable world and for a strong, effective and truly representative United Nations.


On the ruins of a world ravaged by the Second World War, 51 countries decided to give humankind a forum for voicing opinions again and came together to proclaim the values enshrined in the Charter: dignity, human rights, equality, justice, tolerance and peace.
It is fitting that we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of our Organization, which has achieved so much. It would be difficult to imagine a world without the United Nations. It has contributed to reducing poverty in a great many countries, and it has achieved its primary goal: our generation is the first one not to have lived through a world war. However, if we wish to make an honest assessment we also need to be critical.
Today, close to 120,000 soldiers are currently active in United Nations peacekeeping missions. That means that the crises and the wars which ravage the world are still far too many in number. Today we have 60 million displaced persons worldwide, which is more than at any time since the United Nations was founded. Not only have we not made sufficient progress when tackling certain problems, but we have created new ones ourselves, such as global warming.
Even though we might not like to admit this, we must recognize that our behaviour continues to be marked by major inconsistencies. I should like to offer two examples of that. First, many countries continue to live in abject poverty when they have a wealth of natural resources. Secondly, we are concerned about movements of mass migration, yet, by causing global
warming, we are depriving entire populations of the basic conditions they need in order to remain where they are.
Let us ask ourselves why so many educated young people wish to leave their own countries. This concerns not only developing countries but also a considerable number of European States as well. We must acknowledge that we have not yet succeeded in achieving anything close to a fair global distribution of wealth, nor have we succeeded in establishing the rule of law as the norm. Corruption remains endemic.
We have to admit that we have not yet succeeded in combining growth with the protection of our environment. Furthermore, all too often national interests impede the formulation of joint responses. I am thinking here specifically of the refugee crisis in the Middle East and in Europe. Faced with such major flows of migrants, the solutions can only be joint ones. If we each continue to look after our own interests, we will all lose out in the end — the migrants will lose out, and the solidarity between States will fall by the wayside. If we fail to protect human dignity, we do ourselves a disservice, because to betray one’s own values is to betray oneself. I say once again, therefore, that the refugee crises require responses based on solidarity.
One cannot ask Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon to take in all the refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. These countries have already done so much, such admirable work, which has received too little recognition thus far. Similarly, it is not possible to ask a few European countries to take in all of the refugees. We will all be judged on how we respond to this traumatic humanitarian challenge.
Here we face yet another inconsistency. If countries seek answers to such large-scale phenomena as the current migration movements in an individualistic way, without coordinating, everything will be brought to a standstill. Human beings are not free from inconsistencies, none of us are. To some extent at least, that is part of human nature. However, when it comes to the actions of Governments, States and communities of States, we must strive to minimize such inconsistencies. As we all know, in order to address poverty, the challenges of migration, conflicts, terrorism, organized crime and climate change, collective action is vital.
The United Nations is more necessary than ever. What we require is a strong United Nations for a better world. To that end, we need to focus on three priorities.
The ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) that we have just adopted is a huge step forward. We need to continue to impart this momentum by achieving an ambitious agreement at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris.
As for the peace and security pillar, it affords us an opportunity to strengthen the United Nations, especially with regard to the protection of the civilian population. Switzerland is convinced that one cannot resolve a conflict through a purely military approach. The United Nations must base each of its actions on a political strategy aimed at finding a lasting solution to the conflict. That self-evident truth was apparent during the various peace and dialogue processes conducted in Geneva on Syria, Libya, Iran and Yemen.
As for the review of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), Switzerland will continue its effort to promote the participation of women in peace processes. We must also grant women more responsibility when it comes to security-related issues. Their involvement contributes to the duribility of peace agreements by expanding the agenda of negotiations and by improving the population’s commitment to such agreements.
The United Nations will review its global counter- terrorism strategy during the summer of 2016. The implementation of this strategy is a priority for Switzerland, especially the parts relating to terrorism prevention and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
Finally, Switzerland is also convinced that a strong United Nations is a United Nations capable of taking action and decisions when international peace and security are under threat. In this connection, we reiterate our long-standing call to the members of the Security Council not to block or vote against any resolution aimed at preventing or putting an end to crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.
Human rights are the third pillar of the United Nations. Here, Switzerland is proud to be seeking election to the Human Rights Council for the 2016-2018 term. Switzerland’s priorities on human rights are the
abolition of the death penalty, the implementation of the prohibition of torture, the promotion of women’s and children’s rights, and the protection of human rights defenders. It is also essential that the perpetrators of human rights violations be brought to justice. Switzerland here wishes to recall the important role played by the International Criminal Court in the fight against impunity.
As far as the humanitarian system is concerned, it has clearly reached its limits as a result of the growing number, longer duration and increasing complexity of crises. So far this year, 82 million people have required immediate humanitarian assistance. That is an unprecedented number. The World Humanitarian Summit, which is to be held in Istanbul in May 2016, will afford us an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the humanitarian system in order to enable it to better and more effectively respond to victims’ needs.
In December, Geneva will host the thirty-second International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. That will be an important opportunity to make progress towards the creation of an institutional framework in which to discuss how we can improve compliance with international humanitarian law.
Let us continue to work together to build a modern and effective United Nations by reforming its governance. In this context, Geneva, as one of the main centres of global governance, has an essential role to play. The United Nations can count on the full support of my country, Switzerland, to strengthen it during the next 70 years.


It was 70 years ago that, on behalf on their peoples, the first Member States of the Organization signed the Charter of the United Nations. We pledged ourselves to preserve future generations from the scourge of war and to build a new type of relationship, guided by a set of purposes and principles that sought to bring about an era of peace, justice and development for all of humanity.
However, from that moment there have constantly been wars of aggression and interference in the internal affairs of States, the ousting of sovereign Governments
by force, so-called soft coups and the recolonization of territories — all perfected by unconventional ways of acting, using new technologies and under the pretext of alleged human rights violations. The militarization of cyberspace and the covert and illegal use of information and communication technologies to attack other States are unacceptable, as is the distortion of the advancement and protection of human rights when used in a selective and discriminatory approach to validate and impose political decisions.
Despite the fact that the Charter calls on us to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person, for millions of people the fulfilment of human rights remains a utopia. Humankind has been denied the right to live in peace and the right to development. It is actually in poverty and inequality that the cause of conflicts should be sought — conflicts that were earlier generated by colonialism and the plundering of regional peoples, and later by imperialism and the distribution of spheres of influence.
The commitment made in 1945 to promoting social progress and better standards of living for the peoples, along with their economic and social development, remains an illusion when 795 million people go hungry, when 781 million adults are illiterate, and when 17,000 children perish every day from curable diseases. In the meantime, annual military expenditures worldwide amount to more than $1.7 trillion. Barely a fraction of that figure could actually resolve the most pressing problems afflicting humankind. Even in industrial nations, the welfare society, which was presented as the model to imitate, has practically disappeared. The election systems and the traditional parties, which rely on money and publicity, are growing increasingly detached and distant from the aspirations of their peoples.
Climate change is threatening the very existence of the human species. States should assume common but differentiated responsibilities, in view of the indisputable reality that not all countries are equally accountable for what has happened. Not all of us waste natural and human resources through irrational and unsustainable consumerism. The consequences of climate change are particularly for small island developing States and additional tensions to their fragile economies. The same is happening in Africa with the relentless advance of desertification.
We stand in solidarity with our Caribbean brothers and demand that they be treated in a special and differentiated way. We also support the African countries and demand fair treatment for them, as well as the transfer of technology and financial resources.
With the establishment of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and especially the signing by the CELAC Heads of State and Government in January 2014 of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, we have shown that we can move beyond our differences toward unity and the achievement of common goals in the framework of our diversity.
In the Proclamation we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in international law to settle disputes by peaceful means and our belief that full respect for the inalienable right of each State to choose its political, economic, social and cultural system is an essential condition for ensuring peaceful coexistence among nations. We demand that those principles be the basis for relations with other States in our region.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela can always rely on the solidarity of Cuba vis-à-vis the attempts at destabilization and subversion of its constitutional order and the destruction of the work begun by Comrade Hugo Chávez Frías and pursued by President Nicolás Maduro Moros for the benefit of the Venezuelan people. Likewise, our firm and unlimited solidarity goes to the Republic of Ecuador, its citizens’ revolution and its leader Rafael Correa Delgado, who has become the target of the same destabilization script applied against other progressive Governments in the region.
We stand in solidarity with the Caribbean nations demanding fair reparation for the horrors of slavery and the slave trade, above all in a world where racial discrimination and repression of communities of people of African descent have increased. We also reaffirm our conviction that the people of Puerto Rico deserve to be free and independent after more than a century of colonial domination. We stand in solidarity with the Argentine Republic in its fair claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich islands.
We reiterate our support for and solidarity with President Dilma Rousseff and the Brazilian people in defence of their major social achievements and the stability of their country.
We reaffirm our rejection of the intention to expand the presence of NATO up to the Russian borders, as well as the unilateral and unjust sanctions imposed on that nation.
We welcome the so-called nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which proves that engagement and negotiations are the only effective tools for settling disputes between States. We renew our confidence that the Syrian people are capable of solving their disputes by themselves and demand an end to external interference in that country.
A fair and lasting solution of the Middle East conflict unquestionably requires the true exercise by the Palestinian people of their inalienable right to build their own State within the borders existing prior to 1967, with its capital in East Jerusalem, which we strongly support.
Over the past few weeks, we have been moved by the images of waves of migration toward Europe. That is a direct result of the destabilizing actions promoted and executed by NATO in countries of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as of the poverty and underdevelopment prevailing in the countries of the African continent. The European Union should take full and immediate responsibility for the human crisis that it helped to generate.
After 56 years, during which the Cuban people put up heroic and selfless resistance, diplomatic relations have been re-established between Cuba and the United States of America. Now, a long and complex process begins towards the normalization of relations. But that will be achieved only with the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, the return to our country of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base, and the cessation of radio and television broadcasts and of subversive and destabilizing programmes against the island. Our people should also be compensated for the human and economic damage that they still endure.
While the blockade remains in force, we shall continue introducing the draft resolution entitled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. To all the 188 Governments and peoples that have sponsored our just demand here
and in other international regional forums, we reiterate the eternal appreciation of the Cuban people and Government for their continued support.
Cuba is celebrating with profound commitment the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. Despite the efforts that have been made throughout those years, not enough has been done to save present and future generations from the scourge of war and to protect their right to sustainable development without exclusions. The United Nations should be defended from unilateralism and should be deeply reformed to democratize it and bring it closer to the peoples.
As Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz, the historic leader of the Cuban revolution, stated in this same Hall 15 years ago
“Everyone understands that the United Nations basic role in the new century now upon us is to save the world not only from war but also from underdevelopment, hunger, diseases, poverty and the destruction of the natural resources indispensable to human life. And the United Nations must do this promptly — before it is too late.” The international community can always depend on Cuba to raise its honest voice against injustice, inequality, underdevelopment, discrimination and manipulation and for the establishment of a more equitable and fair international order that really focuses on the human being, his dignity and well-being.


It is my privilege to participate in the general debate in the year in which we mark the seventieth anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Conference, a decade and a half since the adoption of the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) and a decade since the 2005 World Summit.
Since 1945 and the end of the devastating war that took the lives of more than 50 million people,

the United Nations, firmly committed to promoting freedom from want and fear, has established itself as a determined and driving force behind the international community and positive changes in the world. Critics of the United Nations mission say we live in a world in which conflicts in many regions are perpetuating and affecting the lives of millions while new conflicts emerge and affect the lives of millions more; a world where arms proliferation jeopardizes innocent lives and undermines economic development; a world of extreme poverty, lacking a collective will to agree on the issues affecting us all, such as climate change. We live in a world with tens of millions of refugees and displaced persons.
Despite all of that, I do not think that the United Nations has failed in its mission. On the contrary, it has resolved or mitigated difficult situations and issues that no one could handle alone, and it continues to do so. That is why we gather regularly here in New York to discuss and develop instruments that demonstrate how the United Nations can better cope with various existing and emerging challenges. The failures do not fall only on our Organization, but predominantly on Member States, due to a lack of political will, and sometimes courage, to take bold but essential decisions.
Our common efforts with regard to human rights should focus on reinforcing the system that guarantees human rights both individually and collectively. We should support endeavours aimed at ensuring the protection of human rights as the essence of the strategies and operational activities of the United Nations. What we need for the present and for the future is for the United Nations to continue to exercise its global leadership role for the benefit of mankind. In that context it is encouraging that the Member States decided to give a greater role to the General Assembly in the upcoming election of the next Secretary-General. Given the fact that no Secretary-General has ever been elected from the Group of Eastern European States, we stand firmly in support of our Group’s request in that regard.
The Republic of Macedonia remains a staunch supporter of multilateralism with the United Nations at its heart, and believes in the benefits of multilateralism to the world. It remains the core principle of our foreign policy.
While we live in an era of unprecedented technology, with immense innovations that make our lives easier and with examples of the dedication of the scientific
community, such as the work on the Ebola vaccine that brought hope and a possible cure, humankind is still confronted with issues that threaten international peace and stability. They threaten our development and prosperity, and they threaten our future.
In this ever more globalized world, where today’s news is already in the past, where no one individual is isolated from the problems of the others, we need a bold shift in our policies. To resolve problems, the policies of commitment, cooperation and wisdom should be our common choice, with a proactive approach and maximum engagement. High moral standards must be the main pillars that articulate a new world reality. In their essence they embody freedom and human rights and solidarity for humankind. The United Nations must continue with this principle in mind: to protect democracy.
Those standards must remain at the heart of our new policies today, and we must keep this solidarity in mind. That is essential. The past 70 years of United Nations experience have led us to understand that all Member States must be committed to the process of United Nations reform. The future world should be multipolar and avoid the senseless wars that have caused so many nations to suffer. We should face reality and prepare the future for the coming generations.
The region of South-East Europe is now entering a phase of positive development, and, in general, national and regional primary objectives have been fulfilled or are within reach. Despite that progress, it is clear that certain longstanding unresolved or partially resolved bilateral issues are negatively affecting our present and on our near future. The Republic of Macedonia is facing an open dispute that has become a serious obstacle to our integration in international organizations. That dispute presents an obstacle to progress in building capacity aimed at preventing breakdowns in stability in times of great global stress.
Our region faces two key strategic and global challenges. The first is the refugee and migrant crisis, and the second and more dangerous one concerns the aspirations of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) to penetrate to a greater extent into Europe, which brings with it a more serious danger to European economies and to sustainable development. Even worse, the ISIS agenda is to destroy societies that are based on universal values and principles protected by the United Nations.
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Today, not just my country, but the whole of the Balkans and Europe are faced with thousands of refugees — children, women, elderly people and entire families who are fleeing the bloodshed in their home countries. Since the beginning of 2015, nearly 200,000 people, mainly Syrians, have transited through the Republic of Macedonia. Syria’s neighbours Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan are also heavily affected. The first signs of that heavy social burden are now being felt in the Balkan countries, whose economies cannot cope with the situation on their own.
For our part, we will do everything in our power to help those people who have needs and people who seek peace and cherish the hope for safe travel and for a safe and decent life. Regardless of the economic and sustainability aspects, we are trying to help them by overcoming certain weaknesses in the established system, with a strong commitment to contributing to the creation of positive solutions for the people based on their needs. However, we cannot do the job alone. The problem requires stronger engagement from the European Union in cooperation with the Balkan countries. Such a commitment would also be quite significant for the enhancement of cooperation on other practical levels.
In that manner, the challenge we face will have some positive effects. Besides helping the people in need, it will also mean significant improvements in standards in the Balkan countries and the implementation of European values and approaches through cooperation on solutions. What is also crucial — indeed the only way to resolve the refugee crisis — is for Europe to urgently address the main reason for their suffering — in this case, the Syrian conflict. The existing differences with regard to solutions must be put aside. We need unity and a concerted United Nations and Security Council position, such as, for example, that which achieved positive results in the agreement on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons, a situation in which diplomacy accomplished a great victory.
The situation in the Middle East is growing worse. The appearance of ISIS has worsened the situation even more. The security situation, aggravated by the presence of foreign fighters, has brought a new challenge for us in dealing with religious intolerance and extreme hatred. ISIS is not a threat only to the Middle East but is a global threat to which no country is immune, especially the countries of South-East Europe, where there is a bigger risk of greater penetration by ISIS and of greater
influence on the population. Those facts can have very serious consequences, leading to the destabilization of multi-ethnic societies. That is why peace in the Middle East in particular is an issue of the utmost importance. The P5+1 agreement with Iran is a positive development for the region, since it serves as a model that could be followed for the situation in Syria.
We need to pursue a policy of prevention, which is precisely what we have been discussing in the United Nations and in our region. That is why, through the joint efforts of the United Nations in the collective security area, especially the security services within the region, we must prevent the manifestation of extremism in the region by heading off isolated conflicts or efforts to destabilize the region. Actions to repress the core ISIS forces are a positive step forward. But we must also continue to address the populations in the region, based on social inclusion and the values of the United Nations, because extremist groups target them for recruitment.
South-East Europe must tighten its security arrangements and move forward to solve outstanding questions in accordance with the principles of the United Nations. That strategic effort must be an urgent priority for the United Nations. The Republic of Macedonia remains a positive, instructive actor, seeking to make a positive contribution to good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation in ways that unite cooperation with security. This year, our country is serving as the President of the Central European Initiative, and we are focusing on promoting regional interconnections and the development of infrastructure connections.
The main strategic and foreign policy priority of the Republic of Macedonia remains our membership in the European Union and in NATO. All reforms undertaken in the country bear that goal in mind. All problems are being resolved in that spirit. Despite the challenges we face, allow me to stress that we expect no obstacles on our path to the North Atlantic community.
One unanswered question relating to the permanent stability of our region that directly influences my country and remains on the United Nations agenda is the difference we have with Greece on the name of my country, that is, the difference we have with regard to our constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia. Resolving that issue with our neighbour is a priority that should be pursued in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and international law, which are defined. We seek discussions on a mutually agreed solution.
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Our position is clear. There is the reality that we are Macedonians, that we speak the Macedonian language and that we live in a country whose constitutional name is the Republic of Macedonia. International law must be abided by all and in all cases, not just in certain cases. That is why the decision of the International Court of Justice, handed down in favour of my country, must be respected by all Members of the Organization, precisely because the Court was founded by the United Nations and must be seen as a guarantor of the execution of the law and the bilateral agreements concluded under the auspices of the United Nations. Otherwise, trust in the United Nations will fall and sceptics who attack the validity of the Organization will gain strength.
In the 25 years since gaining independence, my country, the Republic of Macedonia, has seen a transformation of its region and of Europe. The impression has arisen, unfortunately, both in my country and elsewhere, that the United Nations is resisting dealing with our problem and is even an obstacle to progress on that and other issues in my country. Such an approach by the international community can set precedents and can, unfortunately, be easily manipulated to cause broad instability. Serious commitment is required if Greece is going to be motivated to improve its performance on the issue. Its inertia stems, at least partly, from its economic problems.
The international community’s failure to focus on my country has allowed key players to give minimum priority to the issue. As two friendly nations that, except for this issue, do not have any other problems with each other, we have to find a solution. We must respect and talk to each other and cooperate with each other in a positive spirit of friendship and cooperation with all countries in the region. My country will work towards that end, both for its own sake and for the sake of the region.
As we have done before, I would like to call upon the new Government in Greece, in the spirit of the good-neighbourly relations, to resolve this issue as neighbours, respecting the 1995 Interim Accord between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which is the cornerstone of our relations. The Accord is an agreement made under the auspices of the United Nations, and it by now should have brought about a resolution of the dispute, not its postponement. We have recently developed a new approach that should take us forward and create a positive climate
for resolving the issue. I hope that that approach will be pursued with the new Greek Government and that prejudices can be overcome.
Today’s generation of politicians should use the Accord, which was created 24 years ago as a purely political instrument and a road map. We need to move towards a commonly agreed solution supported by the citizens of both countries, which, while helping the Republic of Macedonia to move forward, will be a positive step for Greece and contribute to the positive atmosphere in the region. Such a solution will strengthen the region, so that it can deal with the challenges posed by radical elements and provide a better response to humanitarian crises.
We seek a permanent resolution of the issue, one that opens economic possibilities in the form of increased investment in our countries and the region. We must expand our ambitions to include large-scale infrastructure projects that involve the efforts of several countries and that will lead to growth in the economies of all countries in the region and the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs. Similarly, we will move forward on the strategic goal of lowering unemployment in our country, which has been a fundamental goal in my political life.
Many of us have had great economic successes in the past year. Although I may not sound humble in saying so, my country is one of the economic surprises of the past few years. We have attracted a lot of investment, including investments in large-scale projects, which has accelerated the economic progress of our citizens, developed education and improved standards in almost every sphere, which will naturally benefit the country and the region.
I would reiterate once again here, from this rostrum, as we invoke the purposes and principles of the United Nations, that it is incumbent on my country and our neighbour to the south to make full use of international law and justice so as to responsibly resolve the outstanding issue between us. As we try to overcome the issue for the sake of European values and our common future, the positions of both our countries must nevertheless be respected.
In this anniversary year, under the leadership of President Lykketoft, the General Assembly will address issues of critical importance for all of us. I would like to emphasize our support for him and wish him every success. The Republic of Macedonia will
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continue to work together with all States Members of the United Nations to strengthen international peace and security, promote human rights and achieve the global development goals.
Finally, I would like to express our gratitude for the Secretary-General’s leadership and tireless efforts aimed at taking our Organization forward.


We are speaking in the Assembly today, as His Holiness Pope Francis said, as an afterthought. The President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, appeared a few days ago in this Hall, addressing the Sustainable Development Summit (see A/70/PV.5). At this final stage of the debate we are not going to overwhelm the Assembly with long speeches, when so many renowned leaders, speaking on behalf of their States, have already delivered more informed views on the contentious issues that concern us.
All of us who have the singular privilege of using this unique platform in this unique forum, where we
discuss feelings, opinions, criticisms and reflections on the world’s most important issues, are influenced by the places that we come from and our particular perspectives on the world. It could not be otherwise, for we are the products of our origins and environment. It is natural that those of us who come from places of dire deprivation, pressing needs and miserable exclusion, see things differently from those from areas of wealth, abundance, power and superiority. We even differ in how we understand the universal terms of law, justice and equity. It is even true that we can question what is the truth itself, if we are not familiar with another’s perception of the truth.
We all react according to our own reality. How can victims who have to leave their homes and embark on terrible migrations for reasons of extreme poverty or situations of overwhelming violence, in search of a better life and an unclouded future for their loved ones, understand the concept of law and justice in the same way as those who enjoy all possible assurances and opportunities and who do not want their comfort disrupted by inconvenient strangers? Perhaps what we do not see in this dichotomy in the interpretation of essential human values is that there can be no peace or security for anyone unless there is peace and well- being for all. There is no stone wall, no human law, no physical obstacle that can contain the movement of human beings being compelled by the right to life.
Of course, it is our homelands that we belong to and that our hearts return to, our inalienable lands with their tears and smiles, setbacks and celebrations, hardships and riches, boundaries and expanses, reservations and dreams, gaps and opportunities. We all want to be born and die in our homelands. But for many, the cradle can sometimes also be the fence that limits us and constrains our yearning for the possible. The shadows of fear created by insecurity and the struggle for survival provoked by scarcity are powerful forces that can drive anyone to leave their homes and undertake a terrible journey to the unknown. Serious and desperate circumstances compel people to leave what they cherish the most. The urge to survive and the attachment to freedom know no borders. Mass migrations are only a symptom of other acute problems that must be addressed. And we all have a responsibility to address those problems, but, first and foremost, we need to produce results rather than just promises, because despair saps even the most long-suffering patience.
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The answer to that serious dilemma is not something that we have to invent. It lies at the foundation of the natural values of civilization, in the divine principles of spirituality where all religions converge, in the doctrines of the Charter of the United Nations that inspired the very existence of the United Nations — harmonious and respectful coexistence among brothers and sisters of the same world family, where all of us are citizens of a common home, regardless of race, gender, creed or origin; and where there is, of course, universal solidarity, so that no one abuses resources that others lack, and the offer of a fraternal hand where it is needed.


On behalf of His Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and myself, I, like the Heads of State and Government who have preceded me in this Hall, would like to congratulate you warmly, Mr. President, on your election to the
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presidency of the General Assembly at its seventieth session and to assure you of our support as you carry out your important and noble mission. I also wish to pay tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa, for the excellent work accomplished during his tenure. And I am especially pleased to salute His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of our Organization, for his continued commitment to peace, security and development around the world.
As we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations, which coincides with the adoption of a new cycle of development — a bearer of hope — it is impossible not to feel moved by the intolerable human tragedy of migration that is taking place before our eyes, and I take this opportunity to bow to the memory of so many who have been lost in the Mediterranean. In the face of that unprecedented humanitarian drama, the international community must take a concerted, comprehensive and coherent approach to finding a humane response to the crisis of the migrants and refugees who are risking their lives to flee poverty, misery, violence and wars. We must all share in that common responsibility.
In 1945, when the world was still just emerging from the greatest military and humanitarian tragedy of our time, a few States, joined later by others, brought the United Nations to the baptismal font. The adoption of our Organization’s founding Charter inspired a great hope in the nations and peoples of the world, a hope of seeing humankind freed from the scourge of war to able to build a new world of peace, security and social progress. The theme of this year’s general debate, “The United Nations at 70: a new commitment to action” offers us an excellent opportunity to take stock of the Organization’s achievements in relation to its Charter, and to consider its future in a world assailed by every possible kind of change.
The United Nations enjoys enormous authority and plays an irreplaceable role in helping humankind to progress on the basis of the Organization’s three essential pillars: peace, security and development. The 70 years of its existence have unquestionably been marked by its continually growing involvement in promoting democracy and the independence of nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, called the world’s attention to cases of torture and massive violations of human rights and created unprecedented international pressure for greater respect for human rights on a global scale.
When considering the Organization’s major achievements, it is also important to note the end of apartheid in South Africa, in which the United Nations was one of the main architects. It has played a similar role in promoting the rights of women, and in that regard, we should emphasize the historic World Conference on Women, held in Mexico in 1975, and the memorable Fourth Conference in Beijing in 1995, which enabled us to define priorities and standards for women’s rights and gender equality.
In the area of peace and security, peacekeeping operations around the world have helped save many lives and restore stability. In that connection, I would like to reiterate the Ivorian people’s gratitude for the invaluable role that the United Nations played and continues to play at our side. Thanks to its valuable support, Côte d’Ivoire has begun to make progress again, once again finding itself on the road to stability, growth and economic and social development.
The successes that have been achieved under the leadership of the United Nations should not blind us to the many challenges still facing the Organization and humankind. Indeed, peace and security are everywhere under threat. Transnational crime is expanding and threatening international trade. Incitement to extremism, including by terrorist groups, is gaining ground. Boko Haram, which has become what amounts to the Islamic State in West Africa, continues to sow desolation and terror. Cybercrime is growing, and poverty, despite efforts to eradicate it, remains an abiding concern and an obstacle to the development and well-being of peoples.
Besides such threats, we are witnessing the persistence of internal and regional conflicts in many parts of the world. The international community must be vigilant regarding the conflicts in the Middle East and the situations in Syria, Libya and Western Sahara. Concerning the issue of Western Sahara, Côte d’Ivoire would like to affirm its support for the negotiation process being conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, and we call on the parties to display a spirit of compromise in order to settle the dispute within the framework of the relevant Security Council resolutions and Morocco’s autonomy plan.
Our peoples have great and urgent expectations, and they believe that it is up to the United Nations to demonstrate a new commitment to action. That commitment should be embodied in the implementation
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of the programmes of the new post-2015 development agenda in the form of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), which the Assembly adopted at the special Summit devoted to promoting the new Sustainable Development Goals.
The new 2030 Agenda gives us a historic opportunity to promote an ambitious development programme aimed at significantly reducing poverty and hunger around the world, improving people’s health and education and fighting the adverse effects of climate change together. It should also promote good governance measures, which will help to redistribute wealth to the poor and vulnerable and bring back a genuine partnership for development so that we can build a world of prosperity, equality, security and peace, in the spirit and letter of the Charter of the United Nations.
Poverty, terrorism, epidemics, food and climate insecurity — today’s new threats to international peace and security — make fertile ground for the intolerance, fundamentalism and extremism of every sort that threaten the fragile edifice of world peace to which our populations legitimately aspire.
We cannot deny that the world is facing a time of great challenges, but it is also true that we have a historic opportunity to strengthen the foundations for inclusive development and a better world for both current and future generations. I am therefore delighted that this seventieth anniversary coincides with a year that gives us hope. Indeed, the third International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa from 13 to 16 July, enabled us to agree on ways to implement the 2030 Agenda that we have just adopted. We need to finish the job at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in December in Paris, in order to achieve a binding global commitment that will enable us to fight effectively against global warming.
The new development programme that we have just adopted capitalizes on the experience of the Millennium Development Goals and holistically integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely the economic, social and environmental dimensions. It puts us on the right path to make the transition to a better world for all humankind.
While we are justified in celebrating the new Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals as the
new consensual paradigm for development, the most difficult task is still ahead of us. Each State needs to operationalize all of those programmes through the establishment of appropriate policies and reforms at the national level.
That is the underlying purpose of the national development plan that has been drawn up by the Ivorian Government for the period 2016-2020 with a view to making Côte d’Ivoire an emerging country by 2020. Our objective is to halve the poverty rate in our country. With regard to the economy, according to the World Bank’s report Doing Business 2015, for the second consecutive year Côte d’Ivoire is among the 10 countries in the world that have implemented the largest number of reforms to improve the business environment.
As a result of those reforms, Côte d’Ivoire has been among the front-runners of high-growth countries in Africa and throughout the world since 2012. The average growth rate of the gross domestic product for the period 2012-2014 was above 9 per cent. During the past three years the per capita income has improved by about 20 per cent. In education, after introducing free schooling in 2011, the Government has made school attendance compulsory for all children aged from 6 to 16 years, beginning with the current school year, in order to translate into reality the right of all girls and boys in our country to high-quality education and training. With regard to health, in order to provide medical coverage for all Ivorians, we have initiated a system of universal health coverage, thereby enabling the most disadvantaged to be treated in the various health units of our country.
The year 2015, which is slipping rapidly away, is pivotal also because on 25 October our open and inclusive general elections will begin. In that connection, I welcome the decision of the Security Council in resolution 2226 (2015), of 25 June 2015, to authorize the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire to provide logistical support to Côte d’Ivoire during the elections. For its part, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, which has established a permanent framework for dialogue with the opposition, will do everything possible to ensure the credibility of the electoral process in order to consolidate the newly found peace.
With regard to the national reconciliation process, the National Commission for Reconciliation and Compensation for Victims, which the Government
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established to complete the work of the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is currently in the process of compensating victims. The demobilization, disarmament and reintegration process has been successfully completed with an 85 per cent reintegration rate of ex-combatants. All those results will be sustainable only if the economy performs well. The economic recovery we have seen over the past four years, with a constantly increasing growth rate, has benefited from the support of our partners, and I would like to thank them.
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the image of a better world conjured up by the founding fathers of our Organization is more compelling than ever. Our adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development opens up new prospects for development, for the benefit of peoples everywhere. We therefore appeal to the proven leadership of the United Nations and call for the decisive impact it can make in helping to push back the frontiers of poverty and to provide humankind with better access to safe drinking water, a rapid reduction in infant mortality, enhanced food security and a healthy environment.
Time is of the essence. The time has come for action.


I would first like to congratulate the United Nations on the seventieth anniversary of its founding, and Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, former Speaker of the Danish Parliament, on his election to preside over the General Assembly at its seventieth session.
The United Nations, established 70 years ago after the calamities of war, has been a beacon of hope for people all over the world, thanks to the trust and hope engendered by the spirit of the United Nations that made people its focus, despite the constraints of realpolitik. And despite the many challenges and criticisms directed at it, the United Nations has made tremendous contributions to promoting the common good of humankind. As we speak, the Blue Helmets of its peacekeeping operations, themselves a symbol of peace, are working to maintain international peace and security.
The adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a milestone in the history of human rights, while the establishment of the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court marked conspicuous progress towards institutionalizing the protection of human rights. The Millennium Development Goals, launched in 2000, have been the basis for the most successful poverty eradication campaign in the history of the United Nations, lifting hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty.
And few places in the world have seen the efforts of the United Nations make as much difference as the Republic of Korea. This year also has special meaning for my country, for it is one that brings both the joy of marking the seventieth anniversary of our liberation and the anguish attendant on the arrival
of the seventieth year of our division. In the past 70 years, the Republic of Korea has risen above the ordeals of partition and war and gone on to achieve industrialization and democratization simultaneously. The United Nations has stood with the Republic of Korea from the founding of our Government to this very day. The values and ideals upheld by the United Nations — global peace, the promotion of human rights and shared prosperity — have embodied the vision of the Republic of Korea itself. And the future that Korea envisions is aligned with the aspirations of the United Nations. The challenges we have overcome and the successes we have achieved over the years are a testament to the possibilities for success of the goal of the United Nations for a better world.
Notwithstanding these efforts of the United Nations and the international community, humankind today is confronted with multiple simultaneous challenges in all corners of the world. Today, there is no shortage of conflicts, large and small, or of extremely violent civil wars. The surge in extremist groups that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant represents is now a global concern that needs to be urgently addressed. A single photo of Aylan Kurdi captures how such instability is unleashing the greatest humanitarian refugee crisis since the Second World War. Global climate change is threatening the lives of even our future generations; Ebola and other infectious diseases are causing countless victims and awakening us to the importance of health security.
Today, no one in our global village is free from these global and transnational threats and challenges. As the international order experiences these tectonic shifts, now, more than ever, is the time for the United Nations to once again light up the beacon of hope and to illuminate the path to promoting international peace and security, human rights and collective prosperity throughout the world. Above all, the international community should rally around the United Nations and return to the founding spirit of the Charter of the Organization, which, in its Preamble calls for faith “in the dignity and worth of the human person”. We must build a United Nations that is strong, we must carry the banner of renewed multilateralism, and we must bear in mind that the value of human dignity is based on freedom, human rights, justice and the rule of law.
As a nation that puts the peace and happiness of our global village at the centre of its diplomatic endeavours, we will spare no effort in supporting the
United Nations as it addresses the challenges faced by the international community, and we will highlight the ideals of humanism and the need to live up to those ideals. The drive by the United Nations to produce a new post-2015 development agenda is also anchored in this people-centred spirit. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), adopted at the Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda three days ago (see A/70/PV.4), has set a historic milestone on the road to a better world that leaves no one behind.
Just half a century ago, the Republic of Korea was among the poorest countries in the world. Today, it is one of the world’s top 10 economies. In the course of achieving this “miracle on the Han River”, we drew immense strength from the assistance and development cooperation of the international community. In this regard, I believe the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be a potential stepping stone to a second and third miracle around the world.
The Republic of Korea, in its capacity as the current President of the Economic and Social Council, which will be playing a key role in the implementation of the development agenda, will actively contribute to achieving the development goals. Along the way, the Republic of Korea will proactively share its development experiences and know-how with the international community. In the meantime, we have been sharing with the developing countries the experiences of the Saemaul Undong, which served as a springboard for my country’s leap forward. I believe that the Saemaul Undong can maximize the utility of development cooperation with developing countries, given that it ignites a sense of confidence and ownership through competition and incentives and lays the groundwork for self-help in communities with the engagement of the local people.
Two days ago, we and the United Nations Development Programme and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development hosted a special high-level side event on the Saemaul Undong and agreed to work together to help eradicate poverty and build transformative local communities in developing countries. We will further expand our efforts so that the Saemaul Undong can progress as a new paradigm for rural development in developing countries.
Another important driving force behind our economic development is the human talent that has been nurtured through unsparing investment. Education
is the key element of the sustainable development agenda that helps to empower the individual and assist countries in attaining national development. We have been actively engaging in the Global Education First Initiative as a champion country. We hosted the World Education Forum 2015 with UNESCO last May, which culminated in the adoption of the Incheon Declaration and set the global education goals to be achieved by 2030. Going forward, the Republic of Korea is determined to continue its efforts in the area of education. In particular, we will continue to work with UNESCO to spread global citizenship education.
Next, Korea will also play a strong role in reinforcing global health security. In addition to dispatching a disaster response team to Sierra Leone to help fight Ebola late last year, at the second high-level meeting of the Global Health Security Agenda held in Seoul three weeks ago, the Republic of Korea announced that it would contribute $100 million over the next five years to support capacity-building in developing countries. Moreover, in support of developing countries over the next five years, it plans to pursue projects worth $200 million under the Better Life, Better Future Initiative.
Even as we were achieving rapid industrialization, we were expending a great deal of energy on ensuring the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature. Our designation of 5 April as Arbor Day and the promotion of forestation has led to a twentyfold increase in the number of trees per hectare over the past 50 years. Since 1972, we have designated green belt zones to curb development in the suburbs, thereby achieving harmony between the environment and development. Today, we are channelling our environmental advocacy into joining the international community’s response to climate change.
Dealing with climate change is an urgent task that we can no longer afford to put off. It is critical that the international community produce a concrete and meaningful outcome at the 2015 session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change this December. We believe that addressing climate change is not a burden, but a fresh opportunity to create future drivers of growth through technological innovation.
Guided by that belief, the Republic of Korea submitted a forward-looking intended nationally determined contribution last June. It is considering how to make the transition to a low-carbon economy and
actively participating in the climate negotiations. In addition, as the host country of the Green Climate Fund Secretariat and the Global Green Growth Institute, Korea will continue to support climate action by developing business models for new energy industries and sharing them with developing countries.
The recent United Nations review of peace operations, peacebuilding and women and peace and security in line with a changing security environment could not have come at a better time. As a country that experienced a devastating war and remains scarred to this day by partition, the Republic of Korea is acutely aware of the importance of peace and is strongly supporting the efforts of the United Nations to protect peace.
To date, my country has dispatched some 13,500 peacekeepers to 18 missions. Korean peacekeepers are held in high regard for their exemplary and community- friendly peacekeeping and reconstruction activities. Following consultations with the United Nations, the Republic of Korea plans in the near future to make additional deployments to peacekeeping missions, and we will strengthen our substantive partnership with the African Union.
To assist Syrian refugees fleeing the instability in the Middle East, the Republic of Korea will step up its humanitarian assistance to the relevant countries. It is also focusing its attention on laying the groundwork for peace in North-East Asia, a region that continues to experience persistent tensions and discord among countries. In North-East Asia, we see a deepening of the Asia paradox phenomenon, where political and security cooperation lags behind the high degree of economic interdependence among the countries in the region.
Recently, moves that could potentially have profound consequences for North-East Asia’s security order have led to misgivings among countries in the region. Japan’s new defence and security legislation should be implemented transparently and in a way that is conducive to friendly relations among the countries of the region and to regional peace and stability. Referring to North-East Asia with its continuing tensions and discord, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once described the lack of a regional cooperation mechanism as a “crucial missing link”. The reason that I proposed the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative was to remedy that omission and thereby
create a virtuous cycle of trust-building and increased cooperation.
Consultations among the countries of the region are currently under way on a range of potential areas of collaboration, including nuclear security, disaster management and health. The region’s cumulative experience in those areas will help to promote global peace and cooperation. Such efforts on our part will also help to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, which poses a serious threat to peace in North-East Asia and beyond. Resolving the North Korean nuclear issue should be accorded the highest priority if we are to safeguard the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and live up to the aspirations of humankind for a world without nuclear weapons.
A nuclear deal with Iran was reached in July. The international community should now focus its efforts on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, which is the last remaining non-proliferation challenge.
In recent weeks, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea once again publicly hinted at further acts of provocation that would violate the terms of Security Council resolutions. That would not only spoil the mood for the inter-Korean dialogue—which took so long to create—but would also undermine the efforts of the countries participating in the Six-Party Talks to reopen denuclearization talks. The Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would do well to choose reform and openness, over additional provocations, and to endeavour to free the people from hardship. Pushing ahead with provocations, including its nuclear development programme, will undermine the values of world peace espoused by the international community and the United Nations. If the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea resolutely gives up its nuclear ambitions and chooses the path of openness and cooperation, the Republic of Korea will work with the international community to actively support North Korea in developing its economy and improving the quality of life of its people.
Over the course of the past 10 years, the United Nations has made significant progress, not least in terms of protecting human rights and advancing freedom. Member States formally accepted the concept of the responsibility to protect at the 2005 United Nations World Summit, and legal accountability for those involved in genocide was defined with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and
the International Criminal Court. I believe that we should further strengthen the responsibility to protect in order to prevent the humanitarian crises our world currently faces from deteriorating further.
Last year, at this very rostrum, I stressed that sexual violence against women during armed conflict, whenever or wherever it may take place, is unquestionably a violation of human rights and humanism. This year marks the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. The international community should do justice to the occasion by paying greater attention to sexual violence against women in conflict situations. The most compelling reason is the fact that only a few of the victims of brutal sexual violence during the Second World War are alive today. Solutions that can bring healing to the hearts of those still living need to be devised promptly. The efforts made by the United Nations High Commissioners of Human Rights and Special Rapporteurs on this issue must not be allowed to come to nothing. There will be no unlocking the future if the past is not acknowledged.
We now hope that the spirit of enduring partnership with humankind that the United Nations embodies will resonate far and wide so that past wounds can be healed and a new future can unfold. One issue that has attracted great international attention in the realm of human rights over the past year is the human rights situation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, issued in February 2014, called for the active response of the international community to address the human rights issue in that country. In the wake of the report’s release, not only did the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly adopt relevant resolutions, but no less an organ than the Security Council took up the issue for discussion. We once again call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to heed the concerns of the international community and to take steps to improve its human rights situation.
Last year in the General Assembly (see A/69/PV.6), I proposed that a world ecopeace park be built as a space in which to dream dreams of peace within the demilitarized zone, the symbol of a divided Korean peninsula. However, the recent landmine incident in the demilitarized zone brought home the inescapable reality that peace on the Korean peninsula can be jeopardized in a single moment. Fortunately, the two
Koreas managed to reach an agreement on 25 August, following high-level talks, and are now at a juncture that may lead to a virtuous cycle of trust and cooperation. The impetus for moving this new virtuous cycle forward will come from the faithful implementation of the 25 August accord and from the fulfilment by both Koreas of their commitment to take concrete steps for reconciliation and cooperation. We must no longer use political and military reasons as excuses for turning a blind eye to humanitarian issues, such as the reunion of separated families. I hope we can again embark on the path to regaining our common identity as one nation, through the official dialogue and the various exchanges provided for in the 25 August agreement.
Very shortly, on 3 October, the German people will be celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of their reunification. In 1948, the United Nations blessed the birth of the Republic of Korea. Soon, I hope, the day will come when the entire world celebrates the reunification of Korea. Ending the seven-decade-long history of a divided Korean Peninsula, the last remaining vestige of the Cold War, will amount to nothing less than a contribution to world peace.
Not long ago, the Republic of Korea organized a journey by rail called the Eurasia Friendship Express, which passed through Russia and went all the way to Europe. Those who made the journey were deeply touched and moved by it. However, the train was unable to go through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea because the way was barred. I ask all those at the United Nations to lend us their strength in removing the barriers to unification and to make it possible for the spirit of peace to suffuse the Korean Peninsula.
A peacefully unified Korea will be a thriving democratic nation, free of nuclear weapons and steadfast in upholding human rights. What is more, a unified Korean Peninsula, both as a symbol of peace in our global village and a new engine of growth, will contribute greatly to peace and prosperity in North- East Asia and beyond. I hope that the United Nations and all peace-loving countries will work together so that the ideals of peace and human dignity dreamt of by the founders of the United Nations 70 years ago can also be fulfilled through the unification of the Korean Peninsula.
On this grand journey towards a better world, members can rest assured that the Republic of Korea will be a companion that the United Nations and the international community can count on.