I am honoured to be here
today and to represent the brave and resilient people of
Pakistan before the Assembly. As participants may
know, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Syed Yusuf
Raza Gilani, was due to visit New York and address
this House. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister could
not come owing to the humanitarian disaster caused by
the floods in Pakistan. Once again, I feel privileged to
be able to deliver the remarks of the Prime Minister to
the General Assembly.
 I bring to Mr. Al-Nasser and to all the nations of
the world assembled here salaam, peace and the
greetings and good wishes of the people of Pakistan.
We are delighted to be able to address the General
Assembly under the leadership of Mr. Al-Nasser. This
is an important session of the Assembly, and the State
of Qatar is a truly deserving and able country for this
occasion. The Pakistani people have intimate, brotherly
relations with his great country, and I speak for my
people in welcoming his presidential term. His election
to this high office is as much a tribute to his
outstanding qualities as it is to the high esteem in
which his country is held in the comity of nations.
 Why are we here? Other than the allure of New
York City, why have we converged at the General
Assembly? Pakistan is here because it believes in
multilateralism. Each September we return to this great
city and this grand stage so that we can restate and
reaffirm the principles and values of multilateralism. It
is and has been one of the abiding central tenets of our
foreign policy. We are committed to the very idea of
the United Nations.
 To us, the idea is very simple. We can do more
together than we can apart. We can solve complex
problems by consensus rather than through
unilateralism. Multilateral cooperation can help us deal
with the spectrum of global challenges, old and new, in
our interdependent world. As we grow more and more
dependent on one another, the space for unilateralism
and unidimensional answers to the most difficult
questions shrinks. Those who are sceptical of the future
of multilateralism are living in the past. The future, our
collective global future, is, God willing, bright. It is the
United Nations and multilateralism that will safeguard
that future.
 Pakistan believes in the promise of the United
Nations: a world free from the scourge of war; a world
governed by rules and norms of civility, of decency, of
goodwill; creating a better future for the peoples of the
world; and inter-State conduct premised on the respect
for the immutable principles of the United Nations. We
must ensure that the United Nations is the best
representation of the aspirations of our peoples.
 We must do better. There is far too much distance
between those aspirations and the sometimes dark
realities of our times. We are constantly struggling with
difficult choices and cycles: expediency versus values,
interests versus ideals. There is conflict, discord and
death. Natural and man-made calamities spread fear
and destitution among millions, and often exacerbate
and expose already unacceptable levels of poverty and
deprivation. We face these challenges in every country.
We cannot afford to face them alone. The importance
of togetherness and of our faith and collective
commitment to the ideals, principles and values of the
United Nations cannot be overstated.
 Togetherness, or multilateralism, of course, does
not mean uniformity or conformity. It does not mean
falling in line. Instead, it means harmony, tolerance,
respect for diversity and a pragmatic, cognitive
realization that no one system, no single prescription,
no one raah, or path, works for all. Each society, every
culture offers a path for the march of mankind.
Preconceived assumptions about the superiority of one
way or the other must not be allowed to contaminate
the spirit of the United Nations.

7 11-51681

 Pakistan’s oldest spiritual traditions and most
beloved poets and peers have taught us that there can
be no progress where the mind is divorced from the
heart. Faith in the United Nations is a manifestation of
the best rational traditions and the most cherished
traditions of idealism and believing in something. We
believe in the United Nations. The spirit of the United
Nations must permeate all our endeavours. The peoples
of the world await the advent of the true age of the
United Nations. We must reassert our promise to
deliver it.
 I would like to compliment the Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his tireless efforts in
bringing to bear the vast reservoir of goodwill,
compassion and common humanity of Member States
in successfully addressing a wide array of challenges.
 On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I wish to
convey our grateful thanks to the Secretary-General
and the international community for their support and
solidarity, expressed so generously in the wake of the
devastating floods last year.
 This year again, heavy monsoon rains have
caused widespread flooding. Millions have been
affected, with about 5.4 million people rendered
homeless. Human and economic losses, as well as the
pressing requirements of relief and rehabilitation,
obliged us to seek international assistance. We again
thank the international community for its support and
solidarity.
 The Pakistani people continue to consistently
demonstrate their immense reservoir of courage,
forbearance and generosity. God willing, we shall
overcome this misfortune through the same fortitude
and resilience that our people have been blessed with.
 At this session of the General Assembly, Pakistan
is seeking election to a seat on the Security Council. In
soliciting the support of President Al-Nasser, I wish to
assure him that we would discharge our responsibilities
with utmost dedication to the high ideals and principles
of the United Nations.
 Pakistan attaches the highest importance to
promoting the goals of peace, security and stability in
the world. In our own region, we have relentlessly
endeavoured to create an environment of shared
prosperity and peace. A democratic, progressive and
prosperous Pakistan embedded in a stable, secure and
prosperous region guides the framework of our foreign
policy and could yield enormous benefits not only for
the peoples of our region but for those of the world as
well.
 We have reached out to our immediate
neighbours with a sincere desire to join hands in
bringing about durable peace and development through
a win-win approach. Situated as we are on the
crossroads of Central, South and West Asia, we realize
the enormous opportunities that ensue from pursuing
with diligence the vision of common development and
cooperation.
 I am happy to note that both Pakistan and India
are now engaged in a substantive dialogue process that
we in Pakistan hope will be uninterrupted and
uninterruptible. We certainly intend to make that
engagement fruitful and to premise it on the promise of
a mutually rewarding enterprise that would enable us
to make the best use of the complementarities that
exist.
 We look forward to resolving all outstanding
issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,
which is among the oldest on the agenda of the United
Nations and the subject of several Security Council
resolutions. A peaceful resolution that accords fully
with the aspirations of the Kashmiris is indispensable
for durable stability, as is the need to safeguard their
fundamental human rights.
 The reality of a nuclearized South Asia imposes
both on Pakistan and on India the onerous
responsibility to work together to create mutual
confidence, avoid an arms race and enhance strategic
stability. We look forward to moving in that direction
in the dialogue process.
 Pakistan is also firmly committed to promoting
stability and peace in Afghanistan. We respect and
support the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan
for reconciliation and peace, under the leadership of
President Karzai.
 We strongly condemn the terror attacks in Kabul,
in which many precious lives were lost. We also
express our sympathy to our brothers and sisters and
the leadership of Afghanistan on the tragic
assassination of Mr. Burhanuddin Rabbani, former
President and Chairman of the Afghan High Peace
Council. Such cowardly attacks will never succeed in
deterring our proud Afghan brothers and sisters from
realizing the noble goals of reconciliation and peace.

11-51681 8

 Pakistan fully supports an Afghan-led and
Afghan-owned inclusive process of reconciliation and
peace in Afghanistan. We want to see Afghanistan as a
united, independent and sovereign State. We urge all
concerned to join the reconciliation process. We also
call for a de-escalation and cessation of violence.
 The road ahead for peace in Afghanistan and our
region as a whole is full of challenges. The complexity
of the situation and the ground dynamics need to be
analysed objectively and carefully. Clarity and
strategic coherence, especially among Afghanistan, the
United States and Pakistan, are of the utmost
importance. It is for that reason that we attach
importance to the work of the Trilateral Core Group.
We also attach considerable importance to the
Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Commission for
Reconciliation and Peace.
 It is only by charting a clear road map that we
will be able to bring about the necessary operational
policy coordination to achieve our shared goals and
objectives. Given the volatility of the situation, it is
perhaps understandable that there is a high level of
anxiety and emotion. However, we must not lose sight
of the goals. We must work together closely and as
responsible partners in a cooperative manner, and not
rush to judgements or question each other’s intentions.
 A cooperative endeavour, in full solidarity with
the people of Afghanistan, is the only way of ensuring
peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Pakistan is
willing to do its best with international partners and,
most notably, the Governments of Afghanistan and the
United States, to acquit itself of that high responsibility
at this defining moment in one of the most important
struggles of our times.
 Pakistan has always upheld the realization of the
inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including
their right to an independent homeland with Al-Quds
Al-Sharif as its capital. Here, I would like to reaffirm
our principled position. President Mahmoud Abbas
made an historic and memorable case for his people
(see ). We stand by him and the Palestinian
people. We stand by our brothers and sisters, and we
agree that the current situation is no longer sustainable.
We support the quest of the State of Palestine for
membership of the United Nations.
 In North Africa and the Middle East, we have
witnessed important developments. Pakistan believes
that the aspirations of the people must be
accommodated peacefully, without external
interference and in a manner consistent with the
principle of sovereignty, unity and the territorial
integrity of States.
 Very few countries have been ravaged by the
monster of terrorism as brutally as Pakistan. We are
keenly aware of the threat that terrorism poses to
Pakistan, to Pakistan’s neighbours and to the rest of the
world. Some 30,000 innocent Pakistanis — men,
women and children — have been killed. The ever-
valiant Pakistani armed forces have defended Pakistan
and the rest of the world, at the highest cost. Our
troops have sacrificed 6,532 shuhada, or martyrs.
Some 19,190 of our strongest, bravest and most
honourable boys have suffered injuries. It does not stop
there. We have seen 3,629 of our police and
paramilitary personnel embrace shahadat, or
martyrdom. Since 2002, 10,720 of those men and
women of the police and paramilitary services have
been injured.
 The grieving mothers, daughters, sisters and
wives of those brave men and women are a constant
reminder of our need to be vigilant and to fight the
menace of terrorism. Pakistan’s most popular leader,
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated
in 2007. Numerous politicians have lost sons, brothers
and fathers at the hands of terrorists. Our streets are
filled with armed police posts. We cannot enter our
parks, shopping centres, churches or mosques without
being searched and frisked. Terrorists have attacked
our military installations, the grave sites of our
spiritual leaders, our minorities and the very idea of
Pakistan. If I began recounting Pakistan’s sacrifices
and suffering, I would be here till next September. We
do not take terrorism lightly. We cannot afford to. We
have suffered far too much at its hands.
 Our nation is united in its determination to
eliminate the spectre of terrorism from our soil, our
region and the world. It is important to enhance
international cooperation to totally obliterate terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations.
 Our resolve is inspired by Allama Muhammad
Iqbal, the legendary poet philosopher, to whom
Pakistan owes a debt of gratitude. Iqbal said:
 “The eagle does not fall from its soaring height
 If you have the will, there is nothing to fear from
adversity”

9 11-51681

 Pakistan has the will. We do not fear adversity. It
is Pakistan’s firm determination not to allow any space
on its territory for militants and terrorists. On the
regional plane, we must all pledge that our respective
territories will not be allowed to be used by terrorists
against others.
 The issue of organizing, financing, arming,
supporting and abetting terrorist violence needs to be
addressed seriously and effectively. Notable success
against Al-Qaida and its affiliates has been registered
in recent years. It is well known that, following the
Tora Bora bombing and consequent dispersal of
Al-Qaida, it was Pakistan’s intelligence and security
agencies that interdicted a large number of Al-Qaida
operatives. Very recently, Yusuf Al-Mauritani, the chief
operative of Al-Qaida, was arrested in a joint Inter-
Service Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency
operation.
 We must demonstrate complete unity in ranks,
avoid any recrimination, build greater trust and, more
important, bring about the requisite operational
coordination in combating the menace. Otherwise, I am
afraid that terrorists are the only ones who will gain.
Eliminating terrorism is in our national interest. We
believe that our success is critical to regional and
global peace and security.
 Despite our limited capacity and constraints, we
have done all that we can towards realizing the vision
of a bright future for our people and the peoples of
Afghanistan and the region. We have actively
advocated and worked for closer regional economic
integration. We believe that, unless we prioritize
development and create win-win scenarios in terms of
mutually beneficial joint ventures in connectivity,
infrastructure, energy and trade, we cannot succeed in
changing the picture. We need to give hope and provide
a silver lining to those who have not seen peace for
three generations and have only taken up mercenarism
and guns as a means of livelihood.
 Pakistan’s commitment to eliminating terror and
militancy is irrevocable. We believe that action to that
end warrants a comprehensive approach that deals not
only with the violence, but also its root causes. That
requires enhancing international cooperation in
multiple domains.
 Pakistan has reached out to all countries of the
world to establish mechanisms and arrangements,
including intelligence cooperation, mutual assistance in
legal and criminal matters, and joint operations where
required. We believe that is a global issue which needs
to be addressed effectively.
 Pakistan supports initiatives to strengthen the
United Nations. However it is important not to start
anything that could prove divisive or potentially
unravel the essential pillars of the United Nations. The
process of Security Council reform must be carried out
in a manner to reinforce the confidence of the world’s
peoples in that body and enhance its credibility and
effectiveness. Such reform must enjoy the full
consensus of the international community and accord
with the fundamental principle of sovereign equality.
 I remain committed to the vision of Pakistan’s
martyred leader, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto,
who reminded us time and again that selective morality
is by definition, immoral, and that fundamental human
values alone must guide our actions.
 Pakistan attaches high importance to United
Nations peacekeeping functions and is a major troop-
contributor to United Nations peacekeeping. Pakistan
has consistently been among the top United Nations
peacekeeping contributors for many years. We have
over 10,000 troops in the United Nations Blue
Helmets.
 We also attach importance to United Nations
work in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.
Our collective endeavours in those fields would show
more effective results if we could enhance security for
all through non-selective and non-discriminatory
approaches. Normative work must be premised on
principles.
 We applaud the work of the United Nations in
multiple domains. The specialized organizations,
bodies and institutions are veritable examples of
accomplishments based on shared goals and broadened
fields of cooperation. Pakistan played a leadership role
in conceiving and piloting the One United Nations
Initiative. That is a potentially vital actor in global
development and aid effectiveness. Despite the Paris
Declaration and its reaffirmation at Accra, we have a
long way to go. The One United Nations Initiative in
Pakistan has struggled to achieve the lofty goals that it
set, but we continue to invest hope in its eventual
success.
 Of course, the most important kind of
harmonization is the one that takes place between

11-51681 10

people, between hearts and minds, between nations. We
place immense importance on our ability to promote
harmony and tolerance among and between societies,
cultures, faiths and nations. We know the price to be
paid when those values are breached, having lost the
Governor of our most populous province, Salmaan
Taseer, and our valiant Minister for Minority Affairs,
Shahbaz Bhatti, to acts of violence perpetrated by
extremists. For us, the process of harmony and
tolerance begins at home, and we take it very seriously.
We are committed and our resolve is strong.
 At the international level, we are confident that
the United Nations provides the best global forum, as it
is fully equipped to enhance understanding and
goodwill among all members of the international
community. Respect for beliefs, cultures and traditions
are the hallmark of civilized conduct. We are
particularly concerned over campaigns that tend to
stigmatize Islam and Muslims. Islam is a religion of
peace. It is important that the international community
celebrate our common humanity and unity in diversity.
 The systemic fault lines in the global economic
landscape have surfaced lately and remain a source of
immense concern. The debt and financial crisis added
another worrying dimension to the existing disparity
between developed and developing countries and
highlighted the need to promote holistic development
and economic growth. That requires revisiting the
fundamentals and readiness to equitably address the
underlying issues.
 As a democratic country committed firmly to the
ideals, values and principles of the United Nations,
Pakistan will continue to do its best for the cause of
global peace and prosperity. Under the leadership of
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed
Yusuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistani nation is moving
ahead, confident of itself and its enormous capabilities.
As a vibrant democracy, we are in the process of
accomplishing a historic societal transformation. The
challenges our people have dealt with have empowered
and emboldened us further.
 We will remain unflinchingly democratic. We will
defeat those that seek to terrorize us. We will empower
women. We will protect the weak and the vulnerable in
our midst, especially minorities. We will stand up for
the weak and vulnerable abroad. We will support the
human rights of Kashmiris. We will speak in support of
the Palestinians. We will educate our children. We will
protect our children. We will face any and all
challenges with determination and faith. Most of all,
we will be a peaceful and prosperous society. There
will be challenges, but we will overcome each one of
them.
 We do not anticipate undertaking that alone. With
our neighbours and our friends, we will undertake it
all, in a spirit of togetherness and of harmony. We will
forge ahead despite the darkness of our times in the
spirit that helped to build this great institution. That
spirit speaks to the very heart of Pakistan’s identity —
it is the spirit of the United Nations. Let us join hands
and march forward, for the good of the peoples of our
countries and for the good of the world.
 I will conclude my statement with the words of
Pakistan’s founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, which is the quintessential expression of
Pakistan’s foreign policy. Mr. Jinnah stated, in a radio
broadcast of February 1948:
 “Our foreign policy is one of friendliness and
goodwill towards the nations of the world. We do
not cherish aggressive designs against any
country or nation. We believe in the principle of
honesty and fair play in national and international
dealings and are prepared to make our utmost
contribution to the promotion of peace and
prosperity among the nations of the world.
Pakistan will never be found lacking in extending
its material and moral support to the oppressed
and suppressed peoples of the world, and in
upholding the principles of the United Nations
Charter.”


We are living in times of
breathtaking change. Much of it is good change:
scientific and technological progress making real
advances for humankind, an ever more interconnected
world strengthening economic opportunity and
developmental potential, the profound transformations
that are sweeping through North Africa at present.
 But there is also much that is disturbing: violent
conflict in many parts of the world, growing
environmental damage to our planet, the ravages of a
global financial and economic crisis, the continuing
scourges of poverty, inequality, human rights abuses,
terrorism and extremism and a range of other threats to
global peace and security.
 To respond to these multiple and interrelated
challenges, we have one constant anchor: the United
Nations. No other organization is as well equipped to
develop common answers to the big questions of our
time. No other organization has the same global impact
and legitimacy. With our increasing need for global
solutions, the United Nations, which represents almost
all the countries on earth, has the political, moral and
legal authority to act. While there may be no easy
answers to the questions being posed, our best chance
of finding effective responses lies in the collective
deliberation and action provided for by this
Organization.
 Ireland is deeply committed to the United
Nations. We look to it to uphold and defend the
universal values of peace, security, human rights and
development that are set out in the United Nations
Charter. The Charter tells us that all human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights. The United
Nations is the embodiment of freedom and equality. It
is a bulwark defending these core human values in a
changing and uncertain world.
 Freedom and equality: these are the values that
underpin Ireland’s response to key global and regional
challenges. It is our deep commitment to freedom and
equality that places Ireland in the vanguard of
international efforts to resolve conflict, to create and
maintain peace, to eradicate hunger and
underdevelopment, and to put an end to human rights
abuses around the world.
 The values of freedom and equality and the
essential ideals of the Charter are not just words
written on a page. Since we assembled here 12 months
ago, we have seen them expressed in North Africa and
the Middle East in a million acts of courage and
liberation. We have watched the people of the Arab
Spring, who have asserted their rights and stood up to
oppression and corruption. Tahrir — freedom — has
now passed into all our vocabularies as a byword for
all those no longer prepared to see their basic human
rights suppressed.
 The events of the past nine months in North
Africa and the Middle East are historic in their sweep
and profound in their implications. These have been
genuinely popular movements demanding reform,

25 11-51384

freedom and equality. The leadership role exercised
within them by women has been striking and
inspirational.
 The people of the Arab Spring have stood up and
stood together to assert their basic rights and freedoms:
the right to choose their own leaders, the right not to
live in fear of the knock on the door, the right to live
freely and openly, the right to provide a decent life and
a hopeful future for themselves and their families.
They remind us that the human thirst for basic
freedoms is unquenchable, and they should inspire us
in the work we do here. In rising up to grasp their own
destiny, the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya are
tracing the path of those others, once in the shadow of
the Iron Curtain, who, in demanding those ordinary
freedoms, created extraordinary history.
 The United Nations has, of course, played an
indispensable role in supporting these developments.
Starting with the key Security Council resolutions 1970
(2011) and 1973 (2011), it has led international efforts
to support the Libyan people. I would like to extend a
warm welcome to the representatives of the National
Transitional Council who took up Libya’s seat at the
United Nations this week, and I pledge Ireland’s full
support as they seek to rebuild Libya and to fulfil the
democratic aspirations of the Libyan people.
 We cannot know the final outcome of the events
we are witnessing. We must ensure that the democratic
changes under way are consolidated and that the
promise of profound improvements in human rights in
the countries concerned, in particular in relation to the
role of women, is fully realized.
 However, the situation in Syria continues to
arouse the deepest international concern. President
Al-Assad and his Government seem oblivious to the
demands of the Syrian people for change and to the
lessons of the Arab Spring elsewhere. They appear
determined to respond with further oppression and
violence. Our basic message to the Syrian leader is
this: no leader who refuses to listen to what his people
are saying and to act on their clearly expressed desire
for peace and reform can expect to remain in power.
 In the Middle East peace process, the search for
freedom and equality has yet to bear fruit. The Arab-
Israeli conflict remains depressingly deadlocked.
Unless this deadlock is broken, the opportunities for
yet another generation of children will be destroyed.
 The situation in the Middle East is urgent. After
20 years of failed initiatives, disillusionment about the
ability of the political process to deliver a settlement is
deepening. Young Palestinians in particular are
frustrated and despairing. The position of the moderate
Palestinian leadership is under threat. Never has it been
more important to show that politics works and that a
peaceful, just and lasting settlement is within reach
through negotiation.
 Everybody knows what a final and
comprehensive settlement would involve: two States,
based on the 1967 borders with mutually agreed land
swaps, living side by side in peace and security. It is
more pressing than ever to launch direct negotiations
that would address all the core issues and culminate in
such an agreement within a specified time frame.
 Ireland has long been an advocate of the
establishment of a sovereign, independent Palestinian
State within borders based on those of 1967. We want
to see the peoples of Palestine and Israel living as good
neighbours in peace, security and prosperity as soon as
possible — and this can come about only through
negotiation. Ireland strongly opposes all action that
serves to hinder or delay negotiations, such as violent
attacks on civilians and their property or Israel’s illegal
settlement of occupied Palestinian territory.
 The decision of President Abbas to seek
membership in the United Nations for Palestine is
entirely legitimate and understandable. Palestine has
the same right to membership in the United Nations as
Ireland or any other Member of this Organization.
Some would seek to argue that Palestine cannot be
recognized as a State because its borders remain to be
agreed on. But if the borders of Palestine are still a
matter for negotiation, then so, by definition, are those
of Israel, which is rightly a full Member of the United
Nations.
 Membership in the United Nations of itself,
however, would not change the unstable and
unacceptable situation on the ground. It does not
remove the compelling need for negotiations. Nor will
it offer a legitimate excuse to avoid negotiations.
Whatever happens here at the United Nations,
negotiations must resume as soon as possible. The
statement issued last Friday by the Quartet provides a
framework for precisely that.
 What recognition of Palestinian statehood would
do, however, is to give dignity and support to the

11-51384 26

Palestinian people, who have suffered for too long. It
would also be a tangible demonstration of the
commitment of the international community and the
United Nations to an agreed settlement between two
sovereign States, living side by side in peace, security
and prosperity.
 The day will come, not too far off, when the
General Assembly will be asked to vote on a proposal
to admit Palestine as a Member of the Organization, or
perhaps, as an interim step towards the achievement of
that goal, to accord Palestine non-member observer
State status. Provided that the resolution is drafted in
terms that are reasonable and balanced, I expect Ireland
to give its full support. In Ireland, we know from our
own experience that peace does not come easily. It
requires political will and difficult compromises. But
we also know the benefits of peace. There can be no
doubting the hugely transformative power for the
Middle East region of a final end to the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
 The international community has invested far too
much effort and resources over the past decades not to
do all it can now to assist a return to direct talks by the
two sides. In the words of Martin Luther King, we
cannot ignore the fierce urgency of now.
 I again urge the Government of Israel to halt all
settlement expansion. I also call on it to end the unjust
blockade of Gaza by opening up land crossings to
normal commercial, human and humanitarian traffic.
 The search for freedom and equality drives the
enormously important work being done by the United
Nations and by its individual Member States in the area
of development.
 The Millennium Development Goals provide the
essential framework for international development
efforts up to 2015. As we look beyond 2015, the United
Nations must remain central to the fight to end poverty
and hunger in the world.
 A century and a half ago, the streets around this
building where we now meet, and throughout this great
city, were thronged with tens of thousands of Irish
people who came here as refugees from famine. To this
very day, the memory of that time remains with the
Irish people.
 Hunger remains humankind’s greatest enemy. As
we meet today in New York, some 12 million people
are struggling to find food to keep their families alive
in the Horn of Africa. Seven hundred and fifty-
thousand are at imminent risk of death from hunger.
The immediate cause of this crisis is drought, but its
severity is the result of a combination of factors,
including conflict, insecurity and persistent
underdevelopment. We have a moral obligation to act
in the face of such suffering.
 Ireland is providing over $67 million to the Horn
of Africa in 2011 and 2012, in direct life saving
humanitarian assistance and through measures to
enhance food security. The clear lesson of previous
humanitarian emergencies in Africa is that we must
address the causes in order to prevent future crises. The
need to address the systemic global hunger crisis is,
and will remain, central to Ireland’s development
assistance programme. Our objective is to save lives
today and build new futures for communities ravaged
by hunger. The Scaling Up Nutrition movement,
launched at the United Nations a year ago, makes a
clear link between under-nutrition among mothers and
babies and the building of a healthy, educated and
prosperous society in the future.
 We need to act together now to provide long-term
sustainable solutions that will decisively break the
cycle of food shortages. We believe that a strong focus
is essential on building the productivity of smallholder
farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, 80 per cent of whom are
women and the primary care givers of children and
providers of food, fuel and water.
 We know that climate change is
disproportionately affecting their lives and their
livelihoods. Their farms and livestock are less
productive. Their coping mechanisms are less
effective. Over time, they are vulnerable to abject
poverty and despair. I believe that there is a compelling
case for “climate justice”, namely, bringing
developmental fairness to bear on the climate change
agenda.
 The global financial and economic crisis presents
major challenges for all of us in our efforts to maintain
solidarity with developing countries. Aid budgets are
under significant pressure. But we will not turn our
backs on the world’s poorest. In Ireland, despite the
economic difficulties that we are facing, and because
we recognize our moral obligation and our interests,
values and principles as a member of the international
community, development will remain at the heart of
our foreign policy. We remain committed to the United

27 11-51384

Nations target of providing 0.7 per cent of gross
national income to Official Development Assistance
(ODA). We will continue to work to achieve that
target.
 As Ireland will sustain its ODA effort, we will
also maintain our longstanding engagement across
critical areas of United Nations work. We remain
strongly supportive of the vital role of the United
Nations in peacekeeping and conflict resolution.
Recently a 440-strong battalion of peacekeepers from
the Irish Defence Forces returned to serve with the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the first
country to which we deployed peacekeepers more than
half a century ago.
 A deep attachment to the values of freedom and
equality and other core human rights principles
underpins our candidature for election to the Human
Rights Council at the elections to be held in 2012. If
elected, we look forward to making a strong
contribution to the work of enhancing the Council’s
performance and promoting respect for human rights
worldwide.
 We will continue to push for the disarmament
machinery of the United Nations to become more
responsive to twenty-first century imperatives. Key
challenges for the year ahead include the
implementation of the agreements reached at last
year’s Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, as
well as the negotiation of a robust arms trade treaty.
We will maintain a strong focus on the implementation
and universalization of the Convention on Cluster
Munitions, adopted in Dublin three years ago.
 Regional organizations have always been vital
partners for the United Nations in the areas of peace,
security and conflict resolution. Next year, Ireland will
chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE). We look forward to making our
contribution to the resolution of the so-called
protracted conflicts within the OSCE region. Our
chairmanship will be a practical demonstration of
Ireland’s strong commitment to multilateralism and
will draw on our own national experience of conflict
resolution.
 Over the past week, the Assembly has heard of a
formidable array of challenges facing the world. Peace
and security, human rights, the elimination of hunger:
these are among the great moral imperatives of our
time. Underlying each of them is the need to assert the
freedom and equality of all human beings. Now more
than ever, the United Nations is demonstrating that it is
the home for these fundamental values and goals and
the arena in which we can best pursue collective
solutions.
 Ireland will play its full part in the search for
those solutions. Whether it is to bring peace to parts of
the world ravaged by conflict, relief to those threatened
by famine and starvation or protection to those
afflicted by human rights abuses, we will make our
contribution. We will stand up, in the Assembly and
elsewhere, for fairness, for justice, for freedom and for
equality, in the conduct of international relations.


The primary
purpose of the United Nations is to maintain peace and
security, as set out in the very first Article of its
Charter. This remains the top priority of the
international community and of the United Nations.
 However, 66 years after the adoption of the
Charter, our definition of peace and security differs
from what it was in the immediate aftermath of the
Second World War. Our concerns today are wider than
the mere suppression of aggression or similar breaches
of peace. We are now equally concerned about the
threats to peace and security resulting from factors
other than armed aggression. Tensions exist, within
nations and among nations, as a result of unequal
access to resources, the lack of food security, or
existential threats because of the inability to address
climate change issues. Insecurity also results from the
absence of an adequate international mechanism for the
redress of grievances and the peaceful settlement of
disputes.
 I propose to deal with four of the constitutive
elements of present-day security that the international
community and the United Nations should address,

11-51360 24

namely, the elements of economic, environmental,
human and legal security.
 When peoples and nations feel inextricably mired
in poverty and face bleak prospects for development,
they are insecure about their future. That economic
insecurity may ultimately threaten global peace. The
current economic turmoil is deepening the despair of
those who live in need and is spreading despondency,
even in relatively affluent countries. The world
economy has yet to recover from the crisis of 2008.
 Today, Europe and North America struggle with
budget deficits, unsustainable debts and high
unemployment. At the same time, the recent political
turmoil across the Middle East could mean that oil and
food prices will continue to rise. As developed
economies grapple with these serious challenges, the
developing world finds itself negatively impacted by
economic and financial crises resulting from failures in
which it had absolutely no part.
 While the ability of established developed
countries to deal with economic and financial problems
is in question, the world is witnessing the rapid rise of
a number of emerging economies. As the economic
centre of gravity shifts eastward and creates new
opportunities, we must ensure that those formidable
global challenges do not create economic insecurity for
those who feel left behind and that they do not lead to
other threats to international security.
 It is imperative that we manage these
transformations judiciously and with pragmatism. In
that context, I must stress the particular economic
vulnerabilities of small island developing States
(SIDS). The economies of SIDS remain highly volatile
because of their open economies, small economic size,
narrow resource base, disadvantages in economies of
scale, high export concentration, dependency on
imports and high vulnerability to energy- and food-
price shocks.
 We reiterate that SIDS need to be granted
preferential treatment as part of a global strategy to
ensure economic security. Regrettably, SIDS have been
denied the formal recognition of their specific
vulnerabilities that would entitle them to special
consideration. My delegation fully supports the
implementation of the Barbados Plan of Action and the
Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of
the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States.
 As there are increasing concerns over issues such
as employment, food security, climate change and
access to water, it is a matter of regret that trade talks
that could give a boost to international trade, and
therefore to economic security, are stalled.
 On a broader note, I must say that talks on trade
and other economic issues, to the extent that they take
place at all, are held in sectoral and often restricted
forums. While the specialized nature of these
negotiations, or of the scope of the matters being
addressed by standard-setting organizations, may
require dedicated sectoral frameworks, it is imperative
that the international community ensures that those
frameworks are legitimate ones, with universal
membership. It is also imperative that, as an apex body,
the United Nations have a holistic view on global
economic, financial, trade and development issues.
 During the 1970s, the United Nations played a
significant role in shaping the conceptual framework
for a new international economic order. The United
Nations has adopted a number of landmark resolutions
that have laid the normative foundation for a more
equitable economic order. The United Nations still has
a role to play in shaping the world economic order to
ensure economic security, in accordance with its
mandate under the Charter. The United Nations is the
only international organization with not just the
necessary legitimacy and universality but also the
responsibility to have an overview of global economic
development. In doing so, the United Nations will
ensure policy coordination among forums for various
sectors, set principles and guidelines for sector-specific
negotiations, and assume its ultimate responsibility for
the economic security of all nations.
 To reaffirm its responsibility with respect to
economic security, the United Nations must not only
undergo reforms in its institutions and working
methods, it must also re-balance its focus on political
and economic issues. In this regard, the Economic and
Social Council must be given the prominence it was
intended to have as one of the principal organs of the
United Nations. And in assuming its responsibility with
respect to economic security, a reformed and
revitalized United Nations will have to work more
closely with regional cooperative institutions, which
are the pillars of international cooperation.
 The high food prices of 2007 and 2008 and the
global economic crisis led millions of people into food

25 11-51360

insecurity and raised the total number of people who
go hungry to more than 1 billion. Commodity prices
remain high and the risk of repeated crises is real. With
the projected increase in world population to
9.1 billion by 2050, and the rising costs of production,
there is a risk of persistent price volatility. That will be
exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The
international community must therefore seriously
address the issue of food insecurity around the world.
 Economic security also entails working towards a
more inclusive national society without discrimination,
eliminating inequalities and fostering wider
participation on the part of all sections of the
community in national development and governance.
 Two days ago, at our 14th meeting, we gathered
to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption
of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
We welcome the progress achieved in the fight against
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance since 2001. We nonetheless recognize that
in spite of these efforts, many people continue to be
victims of these despicable practices.
 We commend the United Nations on the success
of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on
Youth (see A/65/PVs.111 and 112) and the adoption of
the outcome document (resolution 65/312).
Development and security will require greater
participation by young people in the formulation of
strategies and policies.
 In that same spirit, we welcome the establishment
of UN-Women and its overarching vision of a world in
which societies are free of gender-based discrimination
and where women and men have equal opportunities,
respect and consideration. A more inclusive world,
where women’s intellectual and economic potential is
fully realized, will promote economic security.
 In June of next year, world leaders will meet in
Rio de Janeiro to renew their political commitment to
sustainable development and, hopefully, to adopt
concrete measures that will contribute to greater
economic security. But before we can move ahead, we
will also have to consider why so many past
commitments have not been honoured. We look
forward to the oceans receiving the attention that they
deserve at Rio, as part of the broader economic agenda.
Small island States in particular are relying on the
international community to give due attention to the
sustainability of the oceans in the context of the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
(Rio+20) and beyond. The sustainability of oceans is
crucial to the security and, in some cases, the very
survival of many small island States.
 Humanity as a whole is now increasingly
concerned about its environmental security, probably
more than it has ever been in its history. For some
small island nations, this concern is, in fact, an
existential one. In recent decades the United Nations
has brought to the fore the concept of sustainable
development and the measures required to promote
such development. The preparatory work under way for
Rio+20 has highlighted the serious gaps we still face in
this area. The disruptions resulting from climate
change pose a real threat to global security.
 Climate change is real. Extreme weather
phenomena such as super-storms, floods, droughts and
heat-waves are already upon us. Climate change is
affecting us in our daily life, and it threatens the very
survival of many small islands. Mauritius is already
experiencing the adverse effects of climate change. Air
temperature has risen by 0.6° to 1.1°C in different
microclimates over recent decades. The sea level is
rising at the rate of 1.2 millimetres per year in the
south-west Indian Ocean. Our annual rainfall has
decreased by 8 per cent compared to the 1950s.
Extreme weather conditions such as flooding are
becoming more frequent.
 Without international cooperation and concerted
action, the impact of climate change will be
devastating for all our nations. My delegation firmly
believes that the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change is the primary
international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating
the global response to climate change. Small island
nations are economically vulnerable, and their
vulnerability is exacerbated by the dramatic
consequences of climate change. Small island States
rely on the international community for their security.
 Mauritius is committed to the concept of the
green economy. We recognize that it is not a one-size-
fits-all notion. Countries need to reflect their own
national priorities and realities in their implementation
of it.
 My Government has been pursuing a sustainable
development strategy. The Maurice Ile Durable project,
which we adopted in 2008, is taking shape, and a
whole range of measures have already been

11-51360 26

implemented. We propose to increase the share of
renewable energy in the generation of power from the
present 18 per cent to 35 per cent by 2025, by making
more intensive use of biofuels and wave, solar and
wind energy. To that end in May last year I set up a
full-fledged ministry with responsibility for sustainable
development. We are engaged in a national
consultation process to formulate strategies and
policies that have public support and are designed to
protect the environment, deliver social justice and
create a sustainable economy.
 Climate has impacted the water cycle both
directly and indirectly, and will continue to do so, by
affecting precipitation and evaporation cycles as well
as water availability and patterns of water
consumption. Many regions of the world are already
experiencing reduced rainfall. As climate change
intensifies and water scarcity becomes more acute, the
threat of tensions among different nations and different
users may increase. The international community must
therefore work together to address this pressing issue.
Environmental security must be a priority of the United
Nations in promoting global security.
 As well as dealing with the existential threat that
climate change poses for some nations, people around
the world continue to be concerned about their own
security. I will mention four such concerns.
 Disarmament is a major component of
international security strategy. The threat to humanity
posed by the continued existence of nuclear and other
weapons of mass destruction is a universal concern.
Our failure to resolve the issue of disarmament
continues to undermine global development and
security. A significant reduction in the production of
conventional weapons and eventually a world free of
nuclear weapons are goals that will be achieved only
over time, and that will require patience and
perseverance. As a matter of fact, the international
political environment is now probably more conducive
to the realization of these goals than it has ever been.
 Terrorism continues to be a threat to security.
Recent events have reminded us that acts of terrorism
can be perpetrated by extremists from all points on the
political spectrum, and that terrorism is equally capable
of breeding in both poor and rich countries. The
international community needs to follow up on the
United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and
enhance international cooperation in that regard.
 The World Drug Report 2011 again shows that
drug trafficking and consumption remain significant.
Narco-trafficking and drug money in organized crime
and terrorist activities are a threat to stability and
security at the national and regional levels. As we
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1961 Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs, let us recommit our
efforts to fight drug trafficking as part of the global
strategy to ensure human security.
 We are 30 years into the fight against HIV/AIDS,
which is an ever-present threat to human security. I am
convinced that we have achieved more in the 10 years
since the special session of the General Assembly on
HIV/AIDS than we did in the previous two decades. It
is heartening that the High-level Meeting on
HIV/AIDS held in June renewed the political
commitment of Governments to halting and reversing
the spread of HIV/AIDS and to ensuring that, by 2015,
no child is born with HIV (see resolution 65/277,
annex).
 Mauritius fully adheres to the UNAIDS vision of
uniting for universal access. The National AIDS
Secretariat, which I set up in May 2007, pursues its
work to achieve zero new infections, zero
discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths in
Mauritius.
 Article 2 of the United Nations Charter provides
that all Members shall settle their disputes by peaceful
means. Article 33 spells out the means and ways of
doing so. In the same spirit, the Charter provides in
Chapter XIV for the establishment of the International
Court of Justice.
 However, recourse to international adjudication
for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States
has, historically, required the consent of the States
concerned. In recent times, a number of bilateral or
multilateral agreements have provided for the prior
commitment of States to submit to arbitration or
adjudication. We welcome that development.
 Security requires the appropriate legal framework
for the redress of grievances or the settlement of
disputes. The international community has yet to set up
adequate machinery for the peaceful settlement of
disputes that is available to all States.
 The General Assembly has decided to convene a
high-level meeting during the sixty-seventh session on
the rule of law. We welcome that decision, but we want

27 11-51360

to stress that the debate on the rule of law must apply
at both the national and international level. We would
therefore look forward to the Assembly discussing the
rule of law as it applies to inter-State relations as part
of the forthcoming debates.
 Allow me to give as an example the difficulties
that my own country has experienced in resolving a
dispute with the former colonial Power, the United
Kingdom, relating to decolonization. The Chagos
Archipelago, which is part of Mauritian territory, was
excised from Mauritius prior to independence, in total
disregard of resolutions 1514 (XV) and 2066 (XX) and
the principles of international law, and was declared
the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory. The
United Kingdom has failed to engage in any
meaningful discussions with us on the matter.
 When the Government of Mauritius consequently
announced in 2004 that it would refer the dispute to the
International Court of Justice, the United Kingdom
immediately amended its declaration, under Article 36
of the Court’s Statute, to reject the jurisdiction of the
Court with respect to certain disputes with a member or
former member of the Commonwealth. That illustrates
the kind of difficulties that a State may face in settling
a claim under international law. The States involved in
the dispute may refuse to negotiate in good faith and
seek to ensure that no international tribunal can
determine the law applicable to the dispute.
 We call on the United Nations to keep under
review the whole issue of the settlement of disputes,
including by judicial means, and to set standards of
conduct for all States with respect to negotiation,
conciliation, mediation or other forms of non-judicial
and peaceful settlement of disputes or, alternatively, to
the submission of the dispute to adjudication.
 In that context, Mauritius is particularly pleased
to welcome the decision of the President of the General
Assembly to adopt as the theme of its current session
the role of mediation in settling international disputes.
We affirm our full support in advancing that cause.
 Greater legal security also requires better global
governance. In that respect, the United Nations must
lead by example. The United Nations must recognize
that the world has changed since 1945. Current efforts
to adopt reforms in relation to the Security Council, the
revitalization of the General Assembly and the working
methods of our Organization must be given the sincere
and strong support that is required.
 My delegation continues to believe that
comprehensive reform of the Security Council should
include reform in the membership of both the
permanent and the non-permanent categories. Africa
should no longer be deprived of its right to permanent
representation on the Council. My delegation fully
supports the African common position enshrined in the
Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.
 We equally believe that Latin America also fully
deserves permanent representation on the Council.
Mauritius further reiterates its support for India’s
rightful aspiration to a permanent seat in a reformed
Security Council.
 We also look forward to a more all-inclusive
United Nations system that can effectively address
issues of international security, with the admission of
Palestine as a Member State. The United Nations and
the international community have a duty to restore to
the Palestinian people their dignity and their right to
statehood and security. Mauritius supports the
application for full membership of the United Nations,
submitted to the Secretary-General yesterday by the
President of the State of Palestine (A/66/371, annex),
and the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people
to take their rightful place in the international
community. We welcome the statement by President
Abbas at the 19th meeting that Palestine extends its
hands to the Israeli Government and the Israeli people
for peacemaking and for building cooperative relations
between the States of Palestine and Israel.
 We are also pleased to welcome the emergence of
South Sudan as an independent and a sovereign State
and its admission to the United Nations.
 Before I conclude, I wish to say a few words
about matters of interest to our region.
 As a coastal State of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius
is concerned by piracy, which poses a threat to global
commerce. It hinders economic development and has
become a major security issue in the region and
beyond. We welcome the response of the international
community to that serious threat. Cognizant of the
problems that arise in connection with the prosecution
and detention of pirates, Mauritius has offered to assist
with the prosecution and detention of pirates. Mauritius
and the European Union signed an agreement in July
this year to enhance our capacity to contribute to the
international effort under way in that regard.

11-51360 28

 If the international response to the famine in
Somalia is not commensurate with the immense and
immediate needs of the people, we fear that the
problem of piracy will only worsen.
 The continued unlawful occupation of the Chagos
Archipelago by the United Kingdom is a matter of
concern for the region. Mauritius welcomes the support
of the African Union and of the Non-Aligned
Movement for the territorial integrity of our country.
The purported declaration of a marine protected area
around the Chagos Archipelago by the United
Kingdom, in breach of the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea, is another cause for concern.
That is why, in December of last year, Mauritius
commenced arbitration proceedings against the United
Kingdom under the 1982 Convention on the Law of the
Sea.
 As regards Tromelin, Mauritius and France made
progress with an agreement on joint management,
without prejudice to our sovereignty. However, we
need to continue our dialogue for at the end of the day,
the territorial integrity of Mauritius will not be
complete without the return of Tromelin.
 As a member of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and current Chair of
the Indian Ocean Commission, Mauritius welcomes the
signing last week of an agreement between leading
stakeholders on a road map for the restoration of
democracy in our neighbouring State of Madagascar.
That agreement was reached following the relentless
efforts of SADC and the Indian Ocean Commission to
bring the parties together. Implementation of the road
map requires the holding of national and local
elections, for which significant resources need to be
mobilized. We call on the United Nations and the
international community to extend all their support for
the successful implementation of the road map.
(spoke in French)
 The lack of security on the economic,
environmental, legal or even, in some cases, existential
fronts calls for a review of the mandated obligations of
the United Nations. While the initial concerns of the
founding fathers about threats to international security
remain valid, the international community today is just
as concerned by other threats to its security and other
challenges to be tackled.
 I would add that, in updating this concept of
security and, by extension, in redefining the role of the
United Nations, the international community must also
foster dialogue among cultures and civilizations. We
welcome the Secretary-General’s initiative to create the
Alliance of Civilizations, whose mission is to improve
understanding and relations among nations and peoples
of different cultures and religions and to assist efforts
to halt the forces that fuel divisions and extremism.
 Tensions are often caused by ignorance, by fear
of others and by feelings of justice denied. Thus it is
crucial not only to maintain dialogue among nations
and peoples, but also to promote the understanding of
cultures and civilizations.


“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more.” (The Holy Bible, Isaiah 2:4)
 Far from achieving Isaiah’s prophecy, humankind
continues to face serious challenges at this time when
His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss has passed the baton
to the new President after presiding brilliantly over the
General Assembly at its previous session. I have no
doubt that on his election to the presidency of the
Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, the President brings
to it great strengths, bolstered in particular with the
understanding and mastery of international realities he
has acquired as, among other positions, Permanent
Representative of his country, and having sat on the
Security Council during Qatar’s non-permanent
membership.
 The President did well in choosing as the theme
for his term “The role of mediation in the peaceful
settlement of disputes”. Under the guidance of
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, sustained efforts have
been made in this area. Here I would like to pay tribute

17 11-51191

to him for the work he has done during his first term
and to congratulate him on his re-election on 21 June
as head of the Organization. I would also like once
again to thank him for the Organization’s unfailing
support during the multiple crises that my country,
Niger, has undergone in recent years. More generally,
we have seen his commitment to the concerns of the
African continent and hope that his new term will
enable him to continue on the same path.
 The choice of theme for the current session is
proof that the prophecy of Isaiah, whose verse is
rightly engraved in front of the United Nations
building, has been slow to become reality. Indeed, the
international situation has been and continues to be
characterized by serious tensions. We might have
thought that the end of the cold war would open the
way to an age of full and lasting peace around the
world. Unfortunately, owing to a lack of the ability or
perhaps even the will to attack the evil at the root, our
hope for a world free of conflict, like the line of the
horizon, recedes as we approach it.
 The root of the evil is bad political and economic
governance. The promises of freedom, equality, justice,
the rule of law and solidarity that have been made to
the people of the world at the global and the national
levels have not always been kept. The absence of
global economic regulation, the domination of
financial capital over even the real economy, the
growth of inequalities between and within nations are
just so many factors in the chaos, crises and conflicts
that are disturbing peace around the world. Besides,
can a world where several billion people live in
poverty be peaceful? What do the billion human beings
who are hungry have to lose? Can the Somalis, who are
suffering the tortures of hunger right now, or the
inhabitants of the Sahel, who deal with hunger over
and over again, believe that they live in a just, humane
world? Can extreme poverty coexist peacefully with
extreme wealth?
 Today, 1,210 people, that is, 17 per 100 million of
the world’s population, control revenues of
$4,500 billion — 8 per cent of the world’s aggregate
gross domestic product (GDP) — while the income of
20 per cent of the poorest represents only 1.5 per cent,
and that of the 2.5 billion people who live on less than
$2 a day — 40 per cent of the total population —
represents only 5 per cent. Thus a thousand or so
people have an income one and a half times larger than
all the 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day.
Besides being morally shocking, this situation is
economically inefficient, since it strangles economic
growth. Furthermore, the implementation of structural
adjustment programmes that began in the 1980s is a
perfect illustration of bad global economic governance.
The liberalization and privatization touted by such
programmes were conducted anarchically; even today,
such liberalization has been applied only in sectors
where weak countries such as ours have no relative
advantages. As we know, such liberalization did not
affect the markets for labour or agricultural products.
My country, Niger, has suffered greatly from such
policies.
 This is, finally, where we should recall that the
promise made by the world’s wealthy nations,
beginning in the 1970s, to increase their public
development aid to 0.7 per cent of GDP has still not
been kept. If you add to that the recent crises in
banking and sovereign debt, along with the shortfall in
direct investment in Africa, where there is nonetheless
great scope for economic growth, you can understand
the inadequacy of global economic growth, particularly
the collapse of economic growth in wealthy countries.
The economic elasticity and resilience we need to cope
with the crises will grow only with the development of
the countries of the South. The world’s equilibrium
depends on the balanced development of all its regions;
in particular, the creation of a powerful middle class in
every region of the world will strengthen economic
growth, stability and peace.
 For more than 60 years, the Middle East has been
one of the most turbulent regions on the planet. We had
great hopes for the resumption on 9 May 2010 of
indirect negotiations between the Israelis and
Palestinians, mediated by the United Nations. The start
of direct bilateral negotiations represented real hope
for reaching a global peace agreement based on a two-
State solution, with an independent and viable
Palestinian State living side by side in peace and
security with Israel and its neighbours.
 It is undoubtedly the failure of those talks that
has led the Palestinian Authority to take steps to
achieve recognition of the State of Palestine based, on
the one hand, on the 1967 borders, and on the other, on
its admission as a full Member of the United Nations.
This is the moment for our Organization to take a bold
decision designed to settle the Israel-Palestinian
problem definitively, a settlement without which the
Arab Spring will be unable to guarantee peace and

11-51191 18

security in the entire Middle East. Indeed, the failure of
democracies to resolve this long-standing crisis will
inevitably reinforce terrorism and will erase the
democratic achievements of the Spring.
 My country, Niger, one of the 122 Member States
that have already recognized the State of Palestine, is
supporting its request for full membership in the
United Nations, as presented this morning at this sixty-
sixth session of the General Assembly.
 The tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks
against the United States, commemorated last
11 September, and the recent suicide attack against the
United Nations headquarters in Abuja in Nigeria prove
that no region of the world is safe from terrorism. We
firmly condemn all acts of terrorism, wherever, for
whatever reason and by whomever they are committed,
as they present one of the most serious threats to peace
and security.
 Terrorism, as the Assembly knows, attacks the
values that constitute the essence of the United Nations
Charter: respect for human rights, the rule of law, the
rules governing war and the protection of civilians,
tolerance among peoples and nations and the peaceful
resolution of disputes.
 In Niger, we face this threat on our northern
border with Algeria, to the west with Mali and to the
south with Nigeria. I would like to pay a well-deserved
tribute to the Nigerian security and defence forces,
some of whom have given their lives in their
commitment to protecting our country from terrorism.
 Along with that threat, of course, we also have to
face criminal organizations that traffic in weapons,
drugs and human beings. All of these threats have been
exacerbated by the Libyan crisis. Indeed, arms depots
have been pillaged in Libya. Those weapons are now
distributed throughout the Sahara and Sahel area and
risk ending up in the hands of terrorists. Given the
regional nature of the threats, Niger is determined to
work jointly with other countries, especially in our
subregion, to deal with the situation. The risk to the
stability of the entire subregion, where some countries
experience recurrent rebellions, should not be
underestimated.
 We hope that there will be a rapid solution to the
crisis, which would not just have a security impact on
Niger, but also an economic and social impact, given
the work stoppage on the road construction that was
being financed by Libya, the return from Libya of over
210,000 migrant Niger nationals and the arrival of
increasing numbers of Libyan refugees fleeing the war.
Niger is a democratic country, governed by the rule of
law, and we will treat these refugees in compliance
with our laws and international law. Until now, our
country, with very limited means, has been bearing this
terrible burden alone. Our country therefore requires
support and help from the international community in
terms of both the security and the economic issues, as
we are on the frontlines of the war against terrorism.
 Niger would also like to see a rapid return to
peace and stability in this brotherly country and
reconciliation among Libyans. We are concerned by the
situation, because the democratic institutions that our
countries are trying to build are still fragile. We are
concerned because the reality of widespread poverty
provides a breeding ground for terrorism.
 My country, Niger, believes that, apart from
immediate security solutions, the strengthening of
democratic institutions and economic and social
development are the only ways to confine terrorism
and guarantee peace. Democratic values are universal.
It has been decisively proven: there is no such thing as
climate determinism, which would condemn hot
countries to despotism and temperate countries to
democracy. In understanding this, the world has made a
quantum leap, convincing even those who would
believe that the fight for democracy is simply a new
version of the mission to civilize, which was the
justification for the colonialism of the past century
brought about by the alliance of the sword and the
censer.
 As a Muslim, I would like to say that terrorism
has nothing to do with Islam. Islam has always
emphasized fraternity and justice. It has always
emphasized the intrinsic unity of all human beings and
their equality, whatever their origins. Islam therefore
proclaims that all men are equal like the teeth of a
comb in the hands of a weaver. Islam is a religion of
tolerance.
  “I do not serve that which you serve, nor do
you serve Him Whom I serve: nor am I going to
serve that which you serve, nor are you going to
serve Him Whom I serve: you shall have your
religion and I shall have my religion.” (The Holy
Koran, CIX: 2-6)

19 11-51191

 Those are the divine words, full of tolerance,
from a sura of the Koran. Thus, terrorism has nothing
to do with Islam, with real Islam, which is a religion of
the happy medium, and the fight against terrorism
should not be considered a religious conflict, a clash
between two civilizations, a struggle between Judeo-
Christian civilization and Muslim civilization, or a
fight to the death between the Christian West and the
Muslim East. The world must not return to the
religious wars of the Middle Ages. Quite the opposite,
it should be able to integrate the values of two
civilizations that are, at their root, both from the same
area, the Middle East.
 Climate change is another challenge that the
world is facing. Greenhouse gases are one of its causes.
The least developed poor countries, of which Niger is
unfortunately a member, only produce 1 per cent of
those gases. We in Niger suffer from the effects of
climate change on a recurring basis. Indeed, our people
live off of subsistence agriculture and livestock-
raising. Those two sectors, on which the poorest, in
particular women and children, rely, are very
vulnerable to climate change. The droughts and floods
in Niger over the past 10 years show, needless to say, a
trend towards a growing number of extreme weather
events.
 In view of this, we decided to implement the
Three Ns initiative, that is, “the people of Niger
Nourishing the people of Niger”. As we believe that
drought does not need to necessarily bring about
famine, we have decided to increase the yields of rain-
fed agriculture, to promote irrigation, to modernize
livestock-raising methods and to implement a robust
policy of environmental protection. As we know that
the harvest this season will be poor, we have decided to
implement an emergency irrigation programme, to
rebuild our food stocks and to alert the international
community to the situation. From this rostrum I renew
my country’s appeal to the international community for
aid for Niger, which, in addition to threats from the
Libyan crisis, from terrorists and from criminal
organizations of every kind, is also facing severe food
insecurity.
 The terrible recurrent drought that Niger lives
with spurred our decision to restructure our economy.
Our country has significant mineral resources —
uranium, gold, coal, cement, which are already being
mined, as well as oil, the first barrel of which will be
produced before the end of 2011. While the curse of
mineral resources has had unfortunate results in other
countries, we will exploit our resources to the sole
benefit of the people of Niger. In accordance with the
Extraction Industries Transparency Initiative, we mean
to invest the profits to the benefit of the people of
Niger, especially in agriculture, animal husbandry,
energy and transportation infrastructure, education,
health and access to water. The resulting boost to our
economy will allow us to create tens of thousands of
jobs, especially for young people. Niger encourages
private investment, especially foreign direct
investment. Besides the legal protection we offer by
promoting the rule of law, we have also just adopted a
law on public-private partnerships in order to expedite
funding.
 We have the duty to create a fairer and more
humane world. To achieve that noble aim we need new
global governance. That will require a profound reform
of international organizations, in particular the United
Nations, the World Trade Organization, the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The
democratization of those institutions is absolutely
necessary; it is a sine qua non condition for peace and
stability in the world. For decisions to be accepted and
implemented by everyone, they must be taken in a
collaborative, participatory way.
 I would like to focus now on our great
Organization. The United Nations is at once a
permanent space for political dialogue among the
countries we represent and a forum for the expression
of the solidarity necessary among our peoples. It is also
where we turn for the realization of our hopes. For all
those reasons, reform of the United Nations must
proceed faster. Africa takes a common position on this
issue, which my country shares. We deeply believe
that, given its worldwide mandate to deal with major
issues like peace, security, development and human
rights, the United Nations must be fair, representative
and democratic. We believe in an ongoing
revitalization of the General Assembly, the common
forum that we all hold dear. We have no doubt that the
President of the Assembly will move forward the
process of democratizing the United Nations. The same
is true of reform of the Security Council, which we all
await and which Africa has always called for, through
its representatives, especially the Committee of Ten
African Ministers of Finance and Central Bank
Governors.

11-51191 20

 Before concluding, I want to return to the theme
of mediation. Our countries and the United Nations
itself could increase their effectiveness in managing
issues of peace, security and development if they
sought resolution through mediation. The importance
of the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of
disputes is incontestable. In fact, it is an essential tool
in the peaceful settlement of disputes, which the
Charter itself recommends to States in Article 33.
 In Niger we have experienced the benefits of
mediation, through the United Nations, the African
Union and the Economic Community of West African
States, in our recent political and institutional crisis. It
is true that mediation can be tedious, but in the end it
bears fruit. We endorse every effort that aims to
promote peace through mediation, both in active and
potential conflicts. We also encourage the Department
of Political Affairs to keep the principle in mind in its
work.


I
should like, first of all, to associate myself with
previous speakers in congratulating the President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session and the
members of the Bureau for their election. We would
also like to thank the President of the sixty-fifth
session for his work in presiding over the Assembly
last year.
 We also take this opportunity to congratulate His
Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his appointment to a
second term as Secretary-General of the United
Nations. That reappointment is vivid testimony of his
successes in contributing to the promotion of
international peace and security, human rights and
sustainable development.
 The process of consolidating peace in Burundi,
with the support of the United Nations, led to the
successful organization of the 2010 elections through a
process of consensus and thanks to an electoral code
that was published following consultations with all
stakeholders. That spirit of dialogue in the process of
consolidating peace, also allowed our parliament to
establish an ombudsman position and an independent
National Human Rights Commission. This same
process has allowed us to develop a second set of
instruments in our campaign against poverty, namely,
the law governing political parties, new property rights
codes, Burundi Vision 2025, a national strategy for
democratic government, and the fight against
corruption.
 Genuine democracy now exists in Burundi. The
examples referred to earlier, along with maintaining
channels of communication, holding meetings with
civil society and the process of implementing

23 11-51191

transitional justice mechanisms, are all additional proof
of this fact. Burundi has opened a dialogue with
everyone. We can all note with satisfaction, then, that a
new chapter has been opened in the history of Burundi.
 Democratically elected institutions have led to
peace for the first time. The people have decided what
should be done, and there has been a peaceful transfer
of power. I pay tribute to the people of Burundi for
being able to break with the tragic habits of the past, in
which the outcome of elections was not respected.
Today, the institutions that have been established are
legitimate and have the constitutional duty to protect
the people, ensure the stability of the country and
promote development.
 Let us, however, have no illusions. There is still
insecurity in the aftermath of the socio-economic
reinsertion of former combatants. There are also
ongoing problems with the transitional regime, along
with a temporary decline in the economic situation of
our people, which is traceable to problems in
agriculture, climate change and a spike in prices
generally and oil.
 We should not forget the fact that Burundi is a
post-conflict country. In that connection, we are
pleased by the surrender of more than 80,000 weapons,
which people have handed over. Furthermore, a
disarmament commission has been established and the
national police have begun to scout for weapons and
confiscate them from criminals.
 In the area of development, Burundi is continuing
its efforts to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals. The number of children is rising, as is that for
teachers, because primary education is now free. We
have undertaken a number of reforms to train our
young people for employment. The Government has
undertaken to bring together people in villages so as to
ensure the provision of basic services such as drinking
water, energy, health care, schools and decent housing,
which facilitates reconciliation, security and job
creation. This is in addition to free health care for
children aged 5 and under and for pregnant women and
women who give birth in public health clinics.
 To that end, community-level endeavours have
enabled us to build more than 2,024 schools and more
than 80 health centres and set up more than
2,000 pumps for the provision of drinking water — all
of this in three years and without any external
assistance.
 Numerous development efforts are being
undertaken in several key national sectors aimed at
enhancing the lives of our people, taking advantage of
the integration of Burundi into the East African
community.
 We regret the continuing security-related
incidents caused by armed bandits, land conflicts and
the presence of negative forces in certain areas of the
Great Lakes region. We were shocked by the terrible
tragedy that took place in Gatumba on 18 September
2011. On that dark night, a bloody attack took place in
a nightclub that caused the deaths of about 40 people —
children, young people, elderly people — of all ethnic
groups, genders and political leanings.
 The Government reached out to the suffering
people, paying the costs of the funerals and attending
them. The Government also decided to provide
treatment for all those who were injured during the
tragedy, and a three-day period of mourning was
announced and observed.
 We strongly condemn that heinous attack and
have called for an inquiry, which should be concluded
within a month. Thanks to genuine cooperation on the
part of the people, who, having demonstrated
considerable restraint, denounced those who allegedly
planned and carried out the attack, we are pleased to
say that we have made progress in the investigations.
 This is yet a further reflection of the commitment
of the people of Burundi to peace, which should
reassure everyone with regard to the viability and
stability of Burundi. That act, while it calls for further
vigilance on the part of us all, should not be considered
to reflect the current state of our country; if should be
seen as an act of terrorism — an isolated incident
within the overall context of peace in our country. Such
acts of terrorism, massacres and crimes against
humanity are, unfortunately, being carried out in a
number of countries, which makes it incumbent upon
all of us firmly to combat them and bring their
perpetrators to justice.
 We call on the international community to
unreservedly condemn this heinous act and to assist us
in prosecuting the masterminds and their henchmen.
We call also on the international community to support
the operationalization of the National Independent
Human Rights Commission that, in a positive step, was
recently established in Burundi.

11-51191 24

 We take this opportunity also to note that
investigation commissions are at work to shed light on
the assassinations that have taken place in various parts
of the country. We hope that the truth about these
events will soon be known and those responsible will
be brought to justice.
 Our domestic situation is satisfactory, but we
cannot but be aware of regional and international
concerns. Thus the situation in Somalia, in which
Burundi is deeply involved through its participation in
the African Union Mission in Somalia, requires
additional partners in order for the country to be
stabilized and prepared for elections. Those efforts
should be carried out in the context of international
measures to combat terrorism and also to ensure food
security.
 In order to be successful in the combat against
terrorism, global governance must be able to meet that
challenge. There is therefore an urgent need for reform
of the Security Council and ongoing interaction
between the Council and the General Assembly on all
issues of global interest.
 Before closing, we would like to congratulate
South Sudan on having joined the family of nations,
and we support the resolve of the Sudan and of South
Sudan to seek ways to peacefully settlement post-
referendum issues.
 We would like to close by calling on the
Assembly to speed up the quest to find a balance
between development and the survival of our planet.


On behalf of
the Vietnamese delegation, I wish to congratulate you,
Sir, on your unanimous election as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I am
confident that your diplomatic skills and experience
will help to ensure the great success of the current
session. I would like to take this opportunity to express
my deep appreciation to Mr. Joseph Deiss for his
significant contributions to the fruitful outcome of the
sixty-fifth session.

11-51670 26

 The Vietnamese delegation also wishes to
congratulate His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his
reappointment as Secretary-General. We believe that,
with the cooperation of Member countries, the
Secretary-General will make ever greater contributions
to the operations of the United Nations and, thus, to
global peace and development. We most warmly
welcome the Republic of South Sudan as the
193rd Member of the Organization.
 Today, peace, cooperation and development
remain the over-arching themes of our time. Yet
tensions and conflicts persist in most continents and
regions, owing to unresolved differences within nations
and the threat and use of force. Climate change, natural
disasters, pandemics, transnational crime, the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and
international terrorism are still the challenges that
demand effective responses. The world economy’s
unstable recovery, coupled with economic downturns
in many developed nations, has exposed developing
countries to the risks of even more unequal terms of
trade, rising protectionism, dwindling financial
resources and the erosion of gains relating to the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Multilateral
negotiations on issues of common interest, such as
disarmament and climate change, have not yielded
results that meet our expectations.
 The current situation compels nations to promote
dialogue and cooperation so as to surmount common
challenges, man-made and natural alike. Peace,
security and stability remain the intense desire of all
nations and are prerequisites for development. The key
to success lies in each nation’s own efforts, as well as
in enhanced international cooperation and
multilateralism based on respect for the fundamental
principles of international law and the Charter of the
United Nations, while taking into account the
legitimate interests of all countries, especially
developing ones. In that regard, Viet Nam commends
you, Mr. President, on the theme that you have
proposed for the general debate, namely, the peaceful
settlement of disputes.
 As rightly pointed out by the Secretary-General,
never has the United Nations been so relevant and so
urgently needed by so many people around the world.
It must deliver concrete results that make a real
difference in the daily lives of the world’s people. With
its universal membership, the Organization
undoubtedly enjoys a unique legitimacy and should
thus be at the forefront of global governance and
multilateral cooperation.
 Over the past several years, the United Nations
has played a crucial role in ending conflicts and
promoting peace processes in various regions. We
deeply value the initiatives that place the needs of the
poorest and most vulnerable at the centre of the
international agenda, as well as initiatives to mobilize
resources and capacities to fulfil internationally agreed
action plans, including the MDGs; facilitate
multilateral negotiations on climate change, as well as
on disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction; provide solutions to such pressing
issues as desertification, non-communicable diseases,
nuclear safety and security; and respond to the global
financial and economic crisis. We cannot help
mentioning the efforts of the United Nations funds,
programmes and specialized agencies to establish
norms and set agendas in accordance with their
mandates, so as to assist developing countries in their
development endeavours.
 At the same time, the international community
looks to the Organization as a source of inspiration and
strength, as a universal organization that can act
decisively to counter any tendency that may undermine
its credibility or contradict its fundamental values and
founding purposes and principles. The Organization is
therefore expected to uphold the values of peace and
security, international law and multilateralism. It is
also expected to become more responsive and effective
on the ground, with the ultimate objective of better
serving the needs and interests of Member States, in
particular the developing countries.
 As world peace and security are always our top
priority, the United Nations should continue its
concerted and coherent efforts to promote the peaceful
settlement of civil wars and local conflicts in various
regions of the world, especially those in North Africa
and the Middle East, while preventing others from
erupting.
 We must cultivate a culture of peace and dialogue
and promote the peaceful settlement of disputes. In that
regard, Viet Nam supports efforts to end violence and
strengthen national reconstruction and reconciliation in
Afghanistan and Iraq. As regards Palestine’s
application for full membership in the United Nations
Organization, Viet Nam wishes to underline the fact
that we recognized the State of Palestine in 1988. We

27 11-51670

have always supported the just struggle of the
Palestinian people for their inalienable rights,
including the right to establish an independent and
sovereign State that coexists peacefully with Israel
with the pre-June 1967 borders. In that spirit, we affirm
our strong support for Palestine’s efforts to soon
become a full United Nations Member.
 We support United Nations efforts to translate the
outcomes of the 2010 Review Conference of the
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons and the recently concluded High-
level Meeting on nuclear safety and security into
concrete results. We also support the Organization’s
efforts to revitalize the work of the Conference on
Disarmament and move multilateral disarmament
negotiations forwards.
 In parallel with security concerns, the
international community, with the United Nations at
the centre, should work for more equal international
relations, a fairer international economic and financial
architecture and more just institutions. Developing
countries must have a greater role and say in
international governance. They should be enabled to
take part in the globalization process in a more
proactive and effective manner. Developed countries,
for their part, should deliver on their obligations and
commitments, including the maintenance of
macroeconomic stability, contribution to the successful
conclusion of the Doha Round, the elimination of
unfair trade measures and an increase in development
assistance.
 Given the continued need to draw on the thinking
and action towards a more stable and healthy global
economic environment, we wish to recommend that the
United Nations convene a meeting in the General
Assembly or the Economic and Social Council to
follow up the Outcome of the Conference on the World
Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on
Development (resolution 63/303), which was held in
June 2009.
 In the meantime, the United Nations should
undertake measures to prevent the unilateral use of
economic means against developing countries. Viet
Nam strongly calls for an end to the economic embargo
against the Republic of Cuba.
 Moreover, to promote inclusive and sustainable
development, political commitment and efforts, with
the central coordinating role played by the United
Nations, must be doubled for the attainment of
equitable and sustainable development for all. Four
years from the agreed target date of 2015, it is essential
that the global partnership for development be
expanded, both in breadth and depth, so as to provide
countries in need with relevant policy experience,
resources and best practices to achieve the MDGs and
maintain the process thereof.
 Equally important is to begin developing a vision
for a global development platform for the post-2015
period. We must also work much harder together to
ensure the fruitful outcomes of the forthcoming
seventeenth session of the Conference of Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change in South Africa and the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil.
 Viet Nam is committed to working with other
Member States to revitalize the General Assembly as
the principal deliberative, policymaking and
representative organ, to enhance the overarching role
of the Economic and Social Council in the
development sphere, and to enlarge Security Council
membership and improve its working methods. We also
look forward to more coherent, consistent and effective
development activities of the United Nations system so
as to align them effectively with the national priorities
of recipient countries. In an effort to contribute to
United Nations reforms, Viet Nam has been active in
implementing the Delivering as One initiative and,
together with the United Nations and other partners,
has made tangible progress.
 Viet Nam welcomes the adoption of resolution
65/281 on the review of the Human Rights Council. We
wish to stress that the operation of the Human Rights
Council and other United Nations human rights
mechanisms should continue to be improved in order to
become more effective, consistent and efficient, while
focusing more on dialogue and experience-sharing. To
further contribute to that end, we have presented Viet
Nam’s candidature for membership of the Human
Rights Council for the term 2013-2016.
 The year 2011 is important for Viet Nam since we
have successfully organized the eleventh party
congress and the elections of State bodies. We have
also adopted a socio-economic development strategy
for the next decade. During the past 25 years of
comprehensive renewal, Viet Nam has made significant
achievements in many aspects and the country has

11-51670 28

integrated extensively into international life. We have
managed to establish and strengthen stable and long-
term frameworks of relations with major countries and
global and regional economic and political centres.
 Building on those achievements, in the coming
period, Viet Nam is determined to comprehensively
step up the renewal process, with higher quality and
effectiveness, as well as national industrialization and
modernization, in combination with the development of
a knowledge-based economy.
 In an effort to broaden and deepen our relations
with other countries, Viet Nam will continue an
independent foreign policy for peace, cooperation and
development. Viet Nam is a reliable friend and partner,
as well as a responsible member of the international
community, working for the prosperity of every nation,
national independence, global peace, democracy and
social progress.
 We shall enhance international integration and
proactively participate in and contribute to regional
and international multilateral forums, such as the
United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting, the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned
Movement and the Group of 77 and China, on solving
global issues of nuclear security, nuclear disarmament,
crime prevention, climate change, sustainable
development and cooperation on the Mekong River.
 Furthermore, we are always willing to share with
other countries our experiences in South-South and
tripartite cooperation, financing for development,
enhancing aid effectiveness and mainstreaming the
MDGs into national socio-economic strategies.
 We shall work closely with the other members of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and other stakeholders for peace, stability, cooperation
and development in South-East Asia, East Asia and
beyond through ASEAN-led mechanisms and
instruments, such as the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the South-East Asia
Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone, the ASEAN Regional
Forum and the East Asia Summit.
 In that regard, Viet Nam welcomes and supports
contributions to peace and security in the Eastern Sea.
Like other ASEAN members, Viet Nam is strongly
committed to dialogue and confidence-building
mechanisms and stands ready to support and
participate in any effort to find peaceful settlements to
disputes, in accordance with international law,
including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea, and that are acceptable to all parties
concerned. Pending such a solution, we will, along
with the parties concerned, strictly observe the
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the Eastern
Sea. We welcome the stated commitments to working
together towards the conclusion of a code of conduct in
the foreseeable future.
 This year’s session of the General Assembly is
taking place at a crucial juncture as the world is faced
with daunting challenges. It is my firm belief that only
by undertaking joint efforts and enhancing multilateral
cooperation could we meet the expectations and
aspirations of our peoples and manage to set out the
right direction for the long-term development of the
United Nations. Viet Nam remains strongly committed
to that endeavour.