Allow me at the outset to extend to Mr. Mogens Lykketoft my warm congratulations on his election to the high office of President of the General Assembly at its seventieth session. He assumes this office at an historic moment when the United Nations has just adopted an ambitious agenda for the future of humankind. The task ahead needs all hands on deck and he can count on our cooperation and support during his presidency.
I wish to commend Mr. Sam Kutesa, a distinguished son of Africa, for the dynamism with which he steered this body over the past year. We particularly appreciated his leadership in promoting inclusive dialogue and seeking consensus on the many sensitive issues that he presided over during his tenure of office.
The theme of this session — “The United Nations at 70: the road ahead for peace, security and human rights” — aptly complements the deliberations of the Summit meeting on the post-2015 development agenda. It is our expectation that the United Nations will draw from its seven decades of experiences to give birth to a new era of peace, equality and justice, a new era that recognizes and fosters the commonality of our common fate through renewed international cooperation and solidarity. The African Union welcomes the priorities the President has proposed, for they go in tandem with our own development plan, the Agenda 2063, which recognizes the intrinsic and inextricable linkages between peace, security, development and the full realization of human rights.
The African Union Constitutive Act recognizes that while peace and security are imperative for our progress, conflict is a major impediment to the socio- economic advancement and integration of the continent. Consequently, the Common African Position on the post-2015 development agenda designates peace and security as one of its six key pillars. It is a top priority for us.
The prevalence of peace not only creates conditions conducive to development, but also ensures that the maximum possible resources can be dedicated to development programmes and projects. We welcome and encourage the continued cooperation between the
United Nations and the African Union, principally through the latter’s Peace and Security Council, in advancing peace and security in Africa.
In January, the leaders of the African Union adopted Agenda 2063 as our continent’s plan to accelerate deepened economic integration of our countries and regions. Its main objective is to improve the well- being of the continent’s citizenry through sustained and balanced economic growth. At the African Union Summit in Pretoria, South Africa, in June this year we agreed on the Agenda’s first 10-year development plan.
During these initial 10 years, the flagship programmes will include the creation of a continental free-trade area, an African centre for disease control, a pan-Africa university of science and technology to develop skills for the value addition and beneficiation of the continent’s vast mineral resources, a single aviation market, a high-speed train, and a pan-African e-network.
The successful implementation of Agenda 2063 calls not just for the commitment of African stakeholders but also for the support and engagement of partners beyond the borders of our continent. Africa is not looking for handouts. Rather it is looking for partners in massive infrastructure development, in creating and exploiting the value chains from its God-given natural resources, and in improving the quality of life of the continent’s citizens. The entire world stands to benefit more from an economically empowered African continent than from one emasculated by deprivation and with an over- dependence on others.
Adaptation to change is the most crucial ingredient for the vibrancy and effectiveness of any organization, including the United Nations. While the world has drastically changed since 1945, the United Nations, and indeed the global governance architecture, remains mired in a long bygone era. This archaic hierarchy among nations threatens to erode the confidence and support that the United Nations commands among the majority, but disadvantaged, of its membership. We are disappointed that we have lost the opportunity of this anniversary to address this burning issue of Security Council reform in a manner that satisfies the just demands and expectations of the majority among us.
I wish to reiterate our strong attachment to Africa’s common position on Security Council reform contained in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. I call on all genuine friends of Africa and all those
who value justice, fairness and democracy to support Africa’s just and reasonable proposals.
We equally call for the revitalization of the General Assembly, the sole universally representative and democratic organ of the United Nations, so that it can effectively carry out its Charter-mandated responsibilities. Accordingly, we fully support the call for inclusivity and transparency in selecting our Organization’s Secretary-General by ensuring that the General Assembly plays a more significant role in that process. After all, the Secretary-General is at the service of all the Member States, and not only that of an exclusive, privileged few.
Respecting and upholding human rights is the obligation of all States and is enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Nowhere does the Charter arrogate the right to some to sit in judgement over others in carrying out this universal obligation. In that regard, we reject the politicization of this important issue and the application of double standards to victimize those who dare think and act independently of the self-anointed prefects of our time. We equally reject attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. We are not gays. Cooperation and respect for each other will advance the cause of human rights worldwide; confrontation, vilification and double standards will not.
Self-determination and independence are intrinsic and fundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all peoples everywhere, without distinction. We are deeply concerned by the continued denial of this basic right to the Saharan people. We urge the United Nations to expeditiously finalize what must be done to conclude the decolonization of the Western Sahara.
In the Middle East, the suffering of the Palestinian people continues unabated. What does Mr. Obama say about that? We reiterate our unwavering support for the just cause of the Palestinian people. Do we agree, Mr. United States? We also reiterate that lasting peace in the Middle East can be achieved only through negotiations to achieve a two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders. We are concerned at the increase in tensions in that region and urge the United Nations to assume its responsibility and bring an end to this senseless conflict.
The promotion of gender equality is critical for the realization of the post-2015 development agenda. The African Union has designated 2015 as the Year
of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Agenda 2063 in order to mobilize our individual and collective actions around this key issue. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the achievement of human development, progress and the elimination of the scourge of poverty and deprivation. We must continue to build upon the achievements that have been realized since the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The growing list of phenomena that neither respect nor know any borders makes it imperative that we mobilize all mechanisms for cooperation to effectively overcome them. Terrorism and extremist violence, communicable diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, bird flu, and Ebola cannot be overcome single-handedly. The United Nations and its specialized agencies are the place and the mechanism for this indispensable and necessary cooperation.
For some months now, we have watched heartbreaking and harrowing scenes of desperate refugees seeking to enter Europe in search of safety and shelter from the ravages of conflict in their own homelands. We have also read of the tragedy and loss of life in the Mediterranean. The majority of the affected people are from Syria or from other countries devastated by conflict and instability, induced in great part by the destabilizing policies of external forces.
This tragic situation could have been avoided through respect for the independence of other countries and non-interference in their internal affairs. In the case of Libya, we are witnessing the results of abusing the authority of the Security Council and ignoring the opinion of regional organizations, in this instance the African Union, that are supposed to be the partners of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security.
My country, Zimbabwe, is committed to a fair, just and effective United Nations in which multilateralism, inclusivity and transparency replace unilateralism, exclusion and back-room deals. The Charter of the United Nations is built on the bedrock of the sovereign equality and independence of its Members, without distinction as to their geographical size, economic might or any other endowments or qualifications. We are deeply attached to these principles and call on other Members of the United Nations to be similarly disposed. The United Nations was set up, among other purposes, to
 “develop friendly relations among nations”. Zimbabwe desires and is committed to nurturing friendly relations with other nations, but it cannot tolerate interference in its domestic affairs.
We invite other countries with which we may have differences of whatever nature — including the United States and the NATO Powers — to eschew threats, pressures and punitive actions in favour of reconciliation, friendship and dialogue. I therefore denounce in the strongest terms the illegal sanctions that are imposed on my country by the European Union and the United States of America and call for their immediate and unconditional removal. We do not know what wrong we have done to the United States. I would kindly ask it to leave us free and independent to do our own thing. Once more, I put on record that my country is desirous to live in harmony with all countries big and small. We have peace in Zimbabwe just now. We do not want war. We do not want interference. We do not want to hear of regime change at all.
The seventieth anniversary of our Organization has been marked by the adoption of a far-reaching Agenda that has the potential to drastically transform our world in all aspects. We are under no illusion about the challenges that lie ahead, but we are not discouraged, either. Humankind has, over the epochs, demonstrated an immense tenacity in overcoming inertia and resistance to change. Now is our time to leave our own positive mark on the history of human development and interaction. Posterity expects no less from us.


The United Nations was created, not to lead humankind to heaven but to save it from hell. These were the apt words of Mr. Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as the second Secretary-General, from 1953 to 1961, and saw things for what they were. The United Nations was created according to the people’s will 70 years ago, following the Second World War, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Today, in a world beset by armed conflict, violent extremism, radicalization and terrorism, in a world where war, persecution and violations of human rights force millions and millions of people — men, women and children — to leave their homes and to take to the road in mass exoduses in search of safety and dignity, the achievement of that goal seems far more urgent than ever.
The choice of theme for the seventieth session of the General Assembly, “The United Nations at 70: the road ahead for peace, security and human rights”, was
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wise indeed. As we have said many times from this rostrum, human rights and the rule of law are closely interconnected and one cannot exist without the other. I shall not revert again to the historic adoption of the post-2015 development agenda except to recall that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in San Francisco in June and commenting on the importance and scope of this universal programme, observed that we were the first generation that could put an end to poverty in the world and the last generation that could take action to prevent the worst consequences of a warming Earth.
That observation should cause us to renew our commitment to a better future for all, to show solidarity, to unite our forces, pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations. As we did when we reached agreement on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must spare no effort to come together at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris in December, so that we can accept an ambitious and binding climate change agreement that applies to all countries and will keep the increase in global warming to below 2°C. As President of the European Council, Luxembourg will spare no effort to ensure that the Paris meeting will be a success. We must seize this historic opportunity.
Another priority project during Luxembourg’s presidency of the Council in which I will invest all my energies is that of migration. According to the data of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, today there are 59.5 million displaced persons, including refugees, or more than at any time since 1945, at the end of the Second World War. As the Secretary- General noted, the continuous flow of migrants and the surge of human misery bring us face to face with our responsibilities as political leaders, as members of the international community and, obviously, as human beings.
In times of crisis, unfortunately, various unilateral vague desires and nationalist or populist reflexes seem to reappear. We saw that happen again, tragically, in the summer. But no country can face the unprecedented crisis of migrants and refugees alone. Withdrawing into ourselves is not the answer. We must act together, as the countries of origin, transit and destination of migrants, and respond to the challenges posed by migrant movements in the Mediterranean, the Balkans
and elsewhere. Only if we firmly anchor our actions in respect for our international commitments, shall we find a solution worthy of our shared values, the values for which the United Nations and the European Union were founded.
At the level of the European Union we took a first step during the past week by deciding to relocate within the countries of the Union 120,000 people who clearly need international protection. Other decisions will follow shortly. The European Union will respond to the urgent needs of refugees by donating at least an additional €1 billion to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme and other such bodies. We will increase our assistance to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis. We will help Western Balkan countries deal with the flow of refugees, including through pre-accession instruments.
We cannot simply deal with the symptoms of the crisis. We must also tackle the root causes of migration and of refugee flows: development inequalities, especially in Africa; conflict and violence; the absence of the rule of law; persecution and violations of human rights; and impunity. That brings us back to the interconnectedness of security, development and respect for human rights and the need to adopt a comprehensive, integrated approach for the most effective application to development and migration of a combination of foreign policy, security, trade and cooperation instruments. The upcoming Valletta summit on migration on 11 and 12 November will provide an opportunity for us to discuss a comprehensive approach to the question of migration with our African partners, an opportunity which I welcome.
For more than four years, Syria has been synonymous with war, violence and exodus. One in six Syrians has now fled the country. One out of two has had to leave home. Every day 9,500 persons are added to the list of displaced persons. Every minute a family is forced to abandon everything. A whole of generation of children has been exposed to war, violence and death and deprived of fundamental freedoms, protection and education. More than 220,000 people have lost their lives. Indiscriminate aerial bombing, the release of barrel bombs, the acts of violence and the violations of human rights and international law continue unabated. The sieges continue. The denial of assistance and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance persist. Crimes
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against humanity and war crimes are committed every day with impunity.
That cannot continue; it must be stopped. The situation is the Security Council’s responsibility and it is the responsibility of all of us. The solution to the Syrian conflict cannot be humanitarian, nor can it be military.
Today, the worst thing is the indiscriminate shelling in an undisciplined way and without prior coordination. The people are waiting for us to end the carnage rather than to make it worse.
A solution to the conflict can only be political. As we have said time and again, any lasting settlement requires a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, in line with the Geneva communiqué (S/2012/522, annex). Words must be followed by actions. It is time for negotiations to finally begin. All of us must support Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura in his efforts. The fate of the Syrian people and the stability of Syria and of its neighbours within and beyond the region depend on it.
In that context, I will say a word on the destructive barbarism of the terrorist group Daesh and the urgent need to combat it. The tragic current situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya, and its repercussions in Europe, demonstrates that the international community must work together to stop the advance of Daesh. The day before yesterday, my country participated in a summit meeting organized by President Obama, which was the continuation of a discussion held in the Security Council one year ago (see S/PV.7272). The Assembly can continue to count on our country’s support in combating Daesh and violent extremism, whether in terms of preventing radicalization, exchanging intelligence, countering the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters or taking measures against terrorist financing.
I must mention another tragedy at the heart of the tumult in the Middle East, which is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The year 2015 was sadly emblematic of the impasse of the peace process, which, at present, is only that in name. In an environment characterized by a total lack of prospects and the continuing cycle of revenge, the idea that there might be an alternative to the two- State solution is beginning to gain public support and to be applied on the ground. During my travels in the region last month, I was able to see that development for myself. But it involves an illusion, and perhaps a
very dangerous one. The two-State solution remains the only way forward. The conditions for that solution are obvious, both with respect to the 1967 borders and the establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of the two States.
The call to stop the settlements is not a matter of Israel-bashing, as it was described by the Prime Minister of Israel earlier today. Rather, it is a call to reason, to give the resumption of negotiations a chance. But to save the two-State solution, we must change our mindset. We must think outside the box. Now is no longer the time for efforts that lead nowhere. We must encourage a new negotiating format, broaden the circle of participants so that there is a greater involvement of Europe and especially of the Arab countries, reactivate the role of the Security Council and set a reasonable time frame within which to conclude the negotiations.
Israel has the right to live in peace and security, but it is clear to me that Israel’s security in the long and medium term will depend on the creation of a sovereign and democratic State of Palestine, living alongside it. The two-State solution is the only solution that is just and moral for both parties. As of yesterday, the Palestinian flag began to fly beside those of the States Members of the Organization. Let us all work to make it become more than just a symbol.
The comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which the E3+3 and the European Union reached after several years of negotiations with Iran, demonstrates that we should not lose faith in the power of diplomacy, even when tackling the thorniest of issues. The international community has made considerable efforts in those negotiations with Iran, which also serve the security interests of Israel. Let us be less fatalistic. Israel’s right to exist is not affected by that agreement. In fact, the opposite is the case. We believe that the full and rigorous implementation of the Joint Plan of Action, adopted on 14 July, will mark a fundamental turning point for peace and security in the region.
We could also say much more regarding other regions in the world, including Africa, as well as my own continent, Europe, where a conflict dating from another era started to affect Ukraine in February 2014 and is still ongoing. Thanks to substantial mediation efforts and commitment on the part of Germany, France and the European Union; thanks to close cooperation between regional and international organizations, first and foremost among them the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and thanks to
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the continuous monitoring of the United Nations, especially of the human rights situation in the Crimea and in eastern Ukraine, the foundations of a settlement of the crisis in Ukraine have been established in recent months. Commendable efforts have also been made with respect to regional autonomy and decentralization. The upcoming regional elections will be critical. It will be especially vital to hold them throughout the country and, therefore, in the Donbas region, under the authority of Ukrainian law. It is essential that each party fully respect the commitments entered into in the Minsk agreements.
When we talk of Ukraine, the Middle East, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Mali or Burkina Faso, there is one constant in all the situations, which is that diplomacy and the commitment to human rights and the rule of law must prevail, if we are to solve today’s profound crises. Our Secretary-General has fully risen to the challenge with the Human Rights Up Front initiative, firmly reminding us of our collective responsibility to protect and to place human rights at the centre of United Nations efforts to prevent conflict. To that end, all the actors and organs within the United Nations system must play their respective roles.
Allow me to focus on the particular role of the Security Council and its members. According to the Charter of the United Nations, the primary responsibility for maintaining peace and international security was conferred upon the Security Council to “ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations”. The paralysis of the Council, when populations are threatened with horrific crimes, runs counter to the spirit of the Charter. That is why we welcome and support the initiative launched by France aimed at ensuring that the permanent members of the Security Council refrain from using the right of veto in cases of mass atrocities.
But beyond the permanent members, each of the Member States must assume its responsibility. Each one has its role to play, in working towards decisive action by the Security Council to prevent or halt mass atrocities. We therefore encourage all Member States to support the code of conduct as it relates to the action of the Security Council against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It will be officially launched on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. The same code of conduct has been developed by the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, of which Luxembourg is a
member. The responsibility to protect must cease to be an abstract principle and become a concrete reality.
At 70 years of age, the United Nations must be able adapt in order to be up to the challenges it faces. On that account, we welcome the ongoing reviews that aim to make United Nations actions more efficient in its peacekeeping operations, peacebuilding or in the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), which recognizes women’s indispensable role in peace and security. Luxembourg will continue to engage with the numerous Member States that wish to push forward a reform of the United Nations. I am obviously thinking, in particular, about a reform that would make the Security Council more effective, transparent and representative of today’s world.
Let me conclude my remarks as I began them, with a quotation. This one is from Mahatma Gandhi. I understand it as an exhortation and a reminder of the responsibilities that we must shoulder, if we want to realize the dream of the creators of our Organization, which is the dream of a world of peace and dignity for all and the dream of a better world: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.


As I take the floor for the last time before the General Assembly after five years in office as President of the Union of the Comoros, I wish to discharge the duty of conveying to the General Assembly a message of solidarity from the Comoran people. In the name of the Government of the Comoros, and on my own behalf, I would also like to express our sincerest thanks to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and to all those who have helped to make our stay in New York so warm, in particular the authorities of the United States of America. Lastly, I would like to congratulate the President on his election to lead the General Assembly at its seventieth session, the importance of which is manifestly clear.
This session opens at a crucial moment in the development of humankind. Since man first appeared on Earth, we are the first generation in the vast expanse of time — perhaps 3 million years after the appearance of our remote ancestors — to be aware of the physical laws that govern us and of the unfortunate effects of the irrational use of natural resources. As in 1918, after the Great War, that incomparable horror, and as in 1945, after the victory over fascism, that base ideology, but also as in the 1990s, when we faced the absurdity of an arms race in weapons of mass destruction, today as before, nothing prevents us from uniting to effectively combat pollution and poverty.
As world leaders aware of our responsibility in the face of impending disaster, we must rationally work here and now to save humankind, and we are capable of
doing so. We must take advantage of this unprecedented international setting to harness the efforts of all nations to make our planet sustainable and equitable before 2030, through a programme of surpassing ambition. Therefore, at the moment when the Assembly has just adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), I wish to commend the outstanding and consistent work that was done under the impetus of the Secretary-General.
My country, the Union of the Comoros, fully endorses the agreed Agenda, which consolidates the gains of the Millennium Development Goals while paving the way to a new era through 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be met over the next 15 years. We must therefore commit ourselves to putting a definitive end to poverty in all its forms, to eradicating hunger and to promoting sustainable agriculture in order to guarantee food security, good health and the well-being of all all. We must also guarantee a quality education for all without exception, promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and ensure gender equality, as well as the full empowerment of women.
It is also our duty to ensure the availability, sustainable management and cleanliness of water for all and to guarantee access to clean, affordable and sustainable energy in order to promote sustained economic growth. To that end, several countries should immediately begin work on major projects to build resilient infrastructure, to promote sustainable, inclusive industrialization and to encourage innovation everywhere that will reduce inequalities within and among countries. We cannot imagine that humankind will thrive on Earth unless urgent action is taken to combat climate change and its impacts, while conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
It is in this way that we will promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosуstems, manage forests sustainably, combat desertification, combat and halt land degradation and put an end to the loss of biodiversity. We will need to find ways and means to continue to build peace throughout the world in the framework of sustainable development. And we must have access to justice for all, and establish effective and accountable institutions at all levels. Lastly, we must build a world without poverty or inequalities, a sustainable world through a new road map that will save humankind. Therefore let us take on ambitious goals, for our very survival depends on it.
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As I stressed earlier, we face a situation similar to that which our very close ancestors experienced with sadness and suffering, but against which they struggled until victory was achieved. I call it slavery, a system that almost exterminated a large part of humankind, quite simply because one side thought itself superior to all the others. We face a situation somewhat similar to that experienced by our countries during the two world wars, but for which our peoples gave their lives with courage and temerity until the final victory to save humankind from chaos. We face legitimate questions that were asked by our ancestors when, for half a century, they powerlessly bore witness to an arms race that was leading humankind inexorably towards its own destruction, but where common sense eventually prevailed. We face a situation akin to that faced by almost all African countries, including my own, which for decades were subjected to the misdeeds of colonialism, but against which the valiant peoples of Africa, Latin America and Asia fought until acquiring their sovereignty and the independence of their territories, thereby saving humankind from indignity, decadence and shame.
Today, the world is directly following the consequences of wars that forced millions of men, women and children to leave their homelands, to board makeshift boats and to take refuge and live in inhumane conditions, and sometimes even to remain indigent. If we add to that the barbaric acts perpetrated by terrorist movements, which are increasing throughout the world, especially in Africa, it is time for that international community to speak with one voice and with firm conviction and to decisively say, “never again”.
In a world of complete deprivation, where each nation must take part in safeguarding international security, how can we, in a small country like mine, be engaged in the fight if, at the same time, we must be on the front lines to defend our dignity, which has been disregarded by a permanent member of the Security Council of the Organization, whose primary role is to ensure compliance with the norms of international law?
I must underscore that the Union of the Comoros is the only country in the world, which, at the time of its accession to independence, did not benefit from respect for the law. Unlike all former colonies, the archipelago of the Comoros, composed of the islands of Mayotte, Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore, which was admitted to the United Nations as an independent State and subjected to international law, has been separated
from a part of its territory by the former colonial Power, France, in contravention of all norms and principles governing international relations.
Those present here will recall that, against the will of the Comorian people, France exercised its veto and continues to exercise its power over our territory. Given what is happening in Eastern Europe today, we wonder what significance the European Union gives to compliance with international law by accepting the Comorian island of Mayotte as a European outermost region, contrary to the relevant resolutions of the African Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement.
At previous sessions, I informed the Assembly that we had signed a political declaration with President François Hollande in Paris that enabled us to hope that bilaterally a solution could be found that would give Comorians back their dignity. Unfortunately, to date France has refused to acknowledge that all Comorians, from whichever island they come, may freely move around the islands. Separated families, abandoned minors, displacements of populations in makeshift boats, precisely as is occurring in the Mediterranean Sea — all of that leads me to urge the Secretary- General to demand the application of international law, as France itself is rightly claims each time that international norms governing international life are contravened.
Of course, the main objective of the high joint council established between France and the Comoros is to facilitate bilateral dialogue and rebuild the trust that had disappeared between the two countries. However, we must note that the main mission assigned to that Council — facilitating movement of goods and peoples — has still not been accomplished. By continuing to defy international law on the issue of the Comorian Island of Mayotte, France has prevented the expected results and progress from being achieved in the dialogue between the two parties. From this rostrum, therefore, I once again appeal to the French authorities for us together to find ways and means to put an end this human tragedy, which every day causes Comorian families to plunge into mourning. I also address the community of nations, which those in this Hall represent, to ask that international law be applied so that a lasting solution to this dispute can be found.
With political will, nothing is impossible. I therefore welcome the fact that Palestine has finally been able
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to hoist its flag at the United Nations. I also welcome the fact that Cuba and United States of America have proved that, even after half a century of conflict, States can find formulas adapted to overcome deadlocks and foresee a peaceful future for their peoples. Lastly, I welcome the historic agreement concluded between Iran and the countries of the P5+1 on the nuclear issue, which augurs well for a calmer international cooperation.
In a few months, after five years in office in a rotating presidency that fell to the island of Moheli, a Comorian from the island of Grand Comore will succeed me, in accordance with our Constitution. In that electoral democratic process under way, I would appeal for support from the international community and from the friends of the Comoros for the victory of our young democracy. I also appeal to everyone here that, after the scheduled elections, Member States will support our country on the path towards stability, development and well-being of the Comorian people.
As my country stands ready, after 40 years of independence, to begin the second phase of its history, I remain confident that in the future the next President of the Comoros will be able to say from this rostrum of free countries,
“We have now achieved the territorial integrity and unity of my country, the Comoros, within its borders inherited from colonization.”
I also remain confident that my successor will be able to say from this rostrum of free countries,
“I thank the United Nations for having actively acted for the achievement of the main goals inscribed in our common Charter.”
Lastly, I remain confident that a President from the Comoros will be able to say to his compatriots from the four islands,
“The time has come for all of us to work together to build our free, open and prosperous country, one which is confident in its future and in its people’s destiny.”


I am most delighted and indeed honoured to represent my country for the first time at this high rostrum and to address the General Assembly at this anniversary session. The seventieth anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations gives us the opportunity to learn lessons from the past and to reflect on the ways and means we need to face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges and build together a better future for the coming generations.
We are all proud that today the United Nations remains the leader in maintaining peace and security and promoting sustainable development and human rights. The Organization also remains durably at the core of effective multilateralism, the prominent confirmation of which is the outcome document ( resolution 70/1) of the United Nations Summit on the adoption of the post- 2015 development agenda, held a few days ago here in New York.
In that respect, I have great pleasure in highlighting the fact that, throughout the entire preparatory process and during the Summit, the Republic of Moldova advocated the adoption of the new development road map, which bears on the present and future of our planet. The integration of the economic, social and environmental pillars of the new framework Agenda is the key to an old issue that the United Nations has debated for years — the essence of sustainable development and how to put it into practice.
With the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations and its Member States are engaging in an advanced model of sustainable development for humankind that will address poverty and inequality and combat climate change. We support the United Nations and Member States’ initiatives and actions directed at addressing climate change through ambitious measures to promote clean power at the national and international levels. We believe that if everyone put their shoulders to the wheel, we would be more likely to reach the targets and create a better world.
The Republic of Moldova is making its own contribution to the effort. The Sustainable Development Goals constitute an important chapter in the governing programme for the future. Among many of our endeavours, we seek to increase the ratio of domestic renewable energy consumption to 20 per cent by 2020 and to promote a green economy. My country is on track to ratify the Low-Emission Development
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Strategies and Plans and, at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, intends to support the European Union’s mechanisms for reaching these goals. Moreover, the implementation of the European Union-Moldova Association Agreement, concluded last year in Brussels along with the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) as its component part, represents the strategic direction that complements our sustainable development efforts.
The European Union agenda and the United Nations commitments go hand in hand and embody our affiliation with the universality of goals and responsibilities for development and peace by way of embracing European core values and principles and strengthening our partnerships in the region. The first anniversary of our Association Agreement with the European Union entitles us to assert that the progress achieved in different fields confirms once again the sagacity of the choice made by the Republic of Moldova on its way forward to European integration. The gradual implementation of the Association Agreement and the creation of the DCFTA zone have brought us politically and economically closer to the European Union and helped us to advance in the development and modernization of the country and of Moldovan society in the spirit of European and universal values.
Although the Republic of Moldova, given its geographical position and dimensions, does not often manage to influence the international agenda, our experience in migration managing, gained during the implementation of the action plan for liberalizing the visa regime and the Mobility Partnership, allowed us to become, inter alia, an important voice in the Global Forum on Migration and Development and in the discussions on the United Nations post-2015 development agenda.
Nevertheless, much remains to be done. Reiterating the commitment assumed by the Republic of Moldova to continuing reforms and bringing the country into the big European family, we are fully open to a further efficient dialogue with our European partners on the implementation of our priorities, including macrofinancial stabilization, reform of the judiciary and prosecution systems, the fight against corruption, deepening reform of public administration, education and social areas, and the consolidation of cooperation in ensuring energy security and the interconnection of transport networks. This progress has been achieved
with the help of our development partners, and we are grateful to the European Union and its member States, especially our neighbour, Romania, and to the United States for their continued financial and technical assistance and unprecedented political support.
From the same perspective, in attaining the strategic objectives of European integration and the sustainable socioeconomic development of the country we also count on the support of all development partners and United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies. In this respect, the cooperation and assistance programmes of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are of invaluable importance to my country. We firmly believe that, with the support and assistance of our development partners, we will firmly pursue the path of European integration.
The world we live in is becoming increasingly turbulent and unsafe. Illegitimate military force and other forms of violence are widely used by States and non-State actors as a means to promote their interests. Gross violations of international law and a dramatic decrease in trust among States have already undermined the central pillars of the international system.
Regrettably, after a period of relative stability, the system of security and cooperation in Europe has been seriously shaken. The annexation of Crimean by the Russian Federation, in flagrant violation of international law, and the outbreak of armed conflict in the eastern regions of the Ukraine have directly challenged international peace and security. These major negative developments have reactivated a fundamental question on our agenda: What should be done to restore order and ensure respect for the norms and principles of international law?
The search for an answer will take time, but this exercise is very much needed. In the meantime, it is critical to bring the military hostilities in the Donbas region of Ukraine to an end. The continuation of the conflict will cause more suffering, more victims and more destroyed infrastructure. There is one simple truth to be kept in mind — the longer a conflict goes on, the harder it is to find a sustainable solution. In this respect, the Republic of Moldova supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas in accordance with the Minsk agreements and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukraine. We express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this difficult time.
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The Republic of Moldova has also gone through a conflict. For more than two decades, my country has been divided as a result of the Transnistrian conflict. But in spite of external and domestic challenges, the Republic of Moldova will firmly pursue the peaceful settlement of this conflict. By restoring trust and promoting dialogue, we should move step by step to a comprehensive resolution of the Transnistrian conflict. The solution should be based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, and on identifying a special status for the Transnistrian region within the internationally recognized borders of my country. We express our hope that all our external partners will make efforts to advance the conflict-resolution process towards that goal.
Additionally, we reiterate our firm position with regard to the imperative of Russia’s withdrawing its military forces and munitions from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, in accordance with the constitutional provisions of my country and international commitments. In the same context, we believe that the existing peacekeeping operation has fulfilled its mandate and needs to be transformed into a civilian mission with a relevant international mandate.
The Republic of Moldova fully supports all measures taken by the United Nations in the field of combating international terrorism, promoting disarmament and non-proliferation, and pleads for the active participation of all Member States in their implementation. My country has ratified and our delegation has deposited with the Secretary-General its ratification instrument of the Arms Trade Treaty. The Treaty should not only ensure transparency and accountability in transfers of conventional weapons, but should also prevent illicit arms trafficking, especially to unrecognized separatist entities. In the context of the complex security situation in the Eastern European region, this is of vital importance.
Being convinced that the security deterioration in our region calls for an effective mechanism for small arms and light weapons control, we are also engaged in implementing the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, and support the relevant Security Council resolutions. Today, we are pleased to state that during the past three years, with the support of our partners, we have
succeeded in destroying all stocks of cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines in our country.
We also share the international community’s concerns about the emergence of new terrorist threats to our democratic values, human rights and world peace. As a sponsor of Security Council resolution 2178 (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters, the Republic of Moldova is in favour of the adoption of appropriate measures for its implementation. In the same vein, apart from the fact that the Republic of Moldova has participated for many years with military observers in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, the Sudan, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, starting from 2014 our country has contributed a contingent of more than 40 servicemen to the multinational peacekeeping Kosovo Force.
During the past year, important progress has also been made in cooperating with the European Union in the field of a common security and defence policy, particularly by participating for the first time in the European Union-led crisis management missions and operations including the European Union Training Mission in Mali in 2014 and the European Union Military Advisory Mission in the Central African Republic in 2015. Thus, the Republic of Moldova is transitioning from being a security observer and beneficiary to becoming an active participant and contributor to establishing security building, peace and stability in Europe and in the world. As a European Union-associated State, the Republic of Moldova is determined to contribute to the consolidation of the European Union’s position as a regional and global actor.
When humankind is confronted with deepening crises, raising increasing human rights implications, and the needs of people are evolving, United Nations expertise and independent assessment are crucial. Especially for that reason, the Republic of Moldova welcomes the innovative approach of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to brief Member States on new developments in a prompt manner, which will contribute to strengthening prevention and early warning. My country stands for universal respect for the principles of international law and human rights that arise from their indivisibility and interdependence, and believes that ensuring the availability of efficient, solid and rapid reaction mechanisms to foster respect for and
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promote fundamental freedoms without exception is of crucial importance.
The seventieth anniversary could and should become an influential incentive for further real reforms and for the reaffirmation and strengthening of the role and work of the United Nations. We welcome and support every concrete effort directed at ensuring the reform of all United Nations structures, including the General Assembly, its subsidiary bodies, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council, with the purpose of enhancing their efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, transparency and equitable regional representation. Along this line, we particularly reiterate previously expressed positions on the imperative of allocating one non-permanent seat in a reformed Security Council to the Eastern European Group of States and of ensuring equitable regional rotation in the process of the election of the Secretary-General by entrusting for the first time the highest position in the Secretariat to a national coming from an Eastern European country.
Finally, having had this privilege of congratulating the entire United Nations family on the seventieth anniversary of the Organization, we express our conviction that all Member States will further engage by uniting efforts and resources to confront the new threats and challenges, thereby safeguarding peace, humanity and our planet, as the founders of the United Nations urged us to do. Pledging to constructively contribute to the attainment of this noble assignment, my delegation and my country are confident that this anniversary session will lead to the advancement of sustainable peace and development and to environmental and human rights protection for the benefit of the world.


It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to express my sincere congratulations on the President’s well-deserved election as President of the General Assembly at its seventieth session. I also express my deep gratitude to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his hands-on leadership of the Organization at a very demanding time.
The state of the world today, 70 years after the founding of this unique Organization, is at best a mixed one. While the newly drafted Charter of the United Nations asserted its primary principles as the maintenance of international peace and security after the Second World War, today a set of threats, mostly created by humans, challenges societies throughout the world and pose a threat to security, basic rights, dignity, our ecosystem, health care, State viability, governance, national and community cohesiveness and even cultural and religious identity. However, it
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also poses a serious challenge to the United Nations existing mandate, structure, resources and traditional approaches to dealing with global issues.
The Organization has tried its best to keep up with and adapt to an evolving environment, but if we look at the past seven decades, we see that our predecessors did their best to deal with a litany of conflicts, arms races, social and economic upheavals, ideological contests and geostrategic rivalries. But never has the world or the United Nations faced such fast-paced change, both constructive and harmful. Such abrupt fluctuations heighten expectations and immediate demands for solutions and answers. Those monumental tasks — coupled with population growth, unprecedented mobility, connectivity and access to information and technological know-how — necessitate constant negotiations, legal frameworks and new management and leadership skills. They also encompass inherent risks and security concerns.
At the same time, as the world shrinks and the human village grows, we are faced with the ugly aspects of globalization and inter-dependence. We are seeing the emergence of societies of haves and have-nots, subgroups, disenfranchised communities, abject poverty, upscale corruption, injustice, repression, sectarianism, terrorism and criminality, among others. At some point, it is the United Nations and other specialized and multilateral organizations that will need to be ready to drive the agenda and provide the required platform for decision-making. We urge future reforms to take the needs of our times into account and to offer flexibility and fast-track problem management for the work at hand.
Allow me to dwell on the case of my own country as a prime example of a nation in transition, as well as of a country exposed to multiple risks and threats at the forefront of our fight against international terrorism and extremism. Afghanistan is suffering, and its people demand solutions that are practical, verifiable and durable. The presence of terrorist sanctuaries and support networks in Pakistan continues to cause trouble inside Afghanistan. The Haqqani Network has been identified as a main culprit. It needs to be dismantled, as has been our demand in the past.
Our demands are legitimate, as our people continue to suffer at the hands of terrorist elements who cross into Afghanistan and indiscriminately victimize our citizens. That matter needs to be addressed on a bilateral basis and facilitated by trusted international partners.
As a case in point, over the past 48 hours, hundreds of militants, some of whom are foreign fighters, organized attacks in Kunduz province, where heavy fighting is raging. The day before, more than 10 spectators at a sports stadium were killed and many more were injured in Paktika when a bomb was detonated.
Those attempts will fail to subdue us, just as they failed to do so on other occasions over the past few years. In the broader context, Afghanistan continues to be the victim of terrorist organizations and violent extremists, including Daesh-type cells that are trying to find a foothold. Another fact is clear to Afghans across the board, namely, were it not for an external support system, access to arms and munitions, rest areas and hospitals and funding and training, as part of strategic collusion with powerful elements in our neighbourhood, this guerrilla-style low-intensity warfare would have been history by now.
We call on Pakistan to do what its leadership promised to us a few months ago when they agreed to crack down on known terror outfits, meaning the enemies of Afghanistan. We agreed to a paradigm change in our relations and engagement towards peace talks with the Taliban. Events turned out differently after it was divulged that the Taliban leader had been dead for over two years and the episode was a sham. A loss of trust can have irreparable consequences for all sides. We need to learn from that.
We have reached the one-year mark for the anniversary of the national unity Government. I am delighted to report to the General Assembly that Afghanistan has achieved significant milestones in the past year. Thanks to the exemplary generosity of our friends, the progress made in Afghanistan over the past 14 years cannot be discounted. We succeeded in prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable, improving living standards, providing access to education to boys and girls and improving health-care quality. Life expectancy has increased by an average of 20 years since 2001, with Afghans living well beyond the mere 40 years of age that was once the norm. Improvement in the health of women and children is particularly notable, as illustrated by the 54 per cent increase in the number of infants delivered and the 62 per cent decrease in infant mortality.
Thanks to the Government’s focus on gender equality, equity and equal opportunity, female political participation has also been strengthened. During the 2014 election, 35 per cent of voters were females.
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Women now claim 11 per cent of judgeships, with an additional 20 per cent in training.
Moreover, we are also strengthening laws and regulations that deal with torture, and we are taking necessary measures to prevent and prosecute individuals involved in any form of torture, as per the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.
We sincerely thank the international community for the exemplary support it has provided and for the generosity and patience it has so tirelessly bestowed upon us as a war-torn nation. I would very especially like to mention the United States of America, NATO, the European Union and the entire donor community for the blood of their soldiers, the sacrifices of their civilian workers and their expertise and encouragement.
As mentioned earlier, the recently escalating security issues have slowed down State-building and overall progress. But, through their patriotism and resilience, our national security forces have demonstrated their readiness to face the challenges posed by the Taliban and their terrorist and violent extremist groups. Furthermore, President Ghani and I prioritized a comprehensive reform agenda to root out corruption from our society and institutions and to promote transparency and efficacy at all levels of Government, the judiciary and at the national and subnational levels. An important component of our reform agenda concerns necessary changes in the work of our electoral institutions to strengthen the credibility and integrity of our future elections. In that respect, the reform commission recently presented a comprehensive set of recommendations, and we plan appropriate steps to implement them. We are confident that those efforts will go a long way in the consolidation of participatory democracy in our country.
In addition to security challenges, the menace of the illicit drug trade in Afghanistan is having an adverse impact on the economy and society. However, we have a new comprehensive action plan to combat the drug economy more effectively. We appreciate the contributions made by donors, especially the assistance provided by the United States. We are determined to meet the 10-year-long goal of defeating narcotics once and for all.
Regional cooperation on the drug problem is another key pillar of our strategy. Beyond cooperation on counter-narcotics, the unity Government is committed to enhancing regional engagement and
building constructive relationships based on win-win formulas, and turning Afghanistan into a connectivity hub for energy, trade, transit, transport, pipelines and fibre optics. The sixth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, held in Kabul recently, agreed to work on ways to develop and consolidate partnerships towards promoting regional economic cooperation and integration in Afghanistan and across the region. Success stories are already taking shape, such as the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project and the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, turning Afghanistan into a land bridge connecting China and India through South Asia and Central Asia to the Middle East and Europe.
My Government has a strong political will to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) with the support of the international community, while we implement the remainder of the Millennium Development Goals and targets.
I would like to add Afghanistan’s voice in support of a reformed Security Council that is more inclusive, representative and transparent. Like most Member States, we agree that the Security Council is in dire need of comprehensive reforms to better confront twenty-first century challenges.
My Government supports the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. We reiterate our long-standing position that a two-State solution offers the best guarantee for long-term and sustainable solutions to the conflict.
In addition, I would like to express my strongest condemnation of the terrible acts against humanity committed by all sides in Syria, especially the Islamic State in Iraq and Shams. The people of Syria and Iraq are suffering. As a war-ravaged country, we feel their pain, dispossession and trauma. I call upon the global community to take prompt and urgent action and to facilitate a political solution through talks.
We look to the United Nations to remain beside us for years to come on our journey into the transformation decade. As we move forward, we expect a strategic realignment in the support role of the international community and the United Nations. In that regard, we welcome the outcome of the work of the tripartite review commission to determine the guiding principles of the United Nations future engagement in Afghanistan.
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In conclusion, let me reiterate my Government’s steadfast commitment to promoting the very principles on which the United Nations was founded. We are confident that, with the continued support of the family of nations represented in this noble Organization, we will realize our shared goal of a peaceful, stable and prosperous nation that is a catalyst for security and prosperity in our region and beyond.


I bring to this forum, the largest and most representative of today’s world, the greetings of the people and the Government of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay — a greeting that expresses our passion for peace and freedom; our commitment to democracy, human rights, justice and solidarity; our commitment to the sustainable development of our country; and our desire for a humankind that, despite the redundancy, places at its core human beings — all human beings, men and women of this world without exception or excuse. We are all equal before the law, but above all we are all equal before life.
Although I come from Uruguay, I am not here to talk about the problems of Uruguay. I would modestly like to discuss problems affecting humankind as a whole. Weeks ago the world public opinion was moved by the image of a dead child on a beach after the sinking of the vessel with which, like so many other victims of the conflict in their country, he was trying to find a place in the world where he could find the protection to which he was entitled. The international reaction was immediate, but we hope that it was not ephemeral, that we not forget this tragedy that hit us and shamed us, to act with determination and efficiency in finding
solutions to the global tragedy of the exodus of millions of human beings.
Uruguay, as a nation nurtured by immigration and as a people that received international solidarity when it needed it, accepts this unavoidable duty. It is imperative to avoid a repetition of this tragedy, but it is also necessary to address the causes that brought it about. Always, and not just in matters of health, prevention is better than cure. Prevention means recognizing others as the same as us, which is much more than “tolerating” them”, respecting and promoting their rights, all their rights; betting on democracy as a form of government and state of society; educating and training for dignified life, decent work and full citizenship; respecting the planet on which we live, which, moreover, is still the only one on which the human species can survive as such. If we continue to destroy this world in the short term, humankind and future generations are sure to be homeless.
Prevention also means rejecting all forms of terrorism and discrimination so that there are no dead children on the beaches of the world because they cannot find a place to live, rejecting terrorism and discrimination wherever they arise and in all circumstances and places. Prevention is thinking boldly and acting sensibly with an eye on future generations, but as there is no future without a present, prevention is also thinking and acting according to our hopes, needs and possibilities.
A moment ago, I made a reference to health, no doubt because of my work experience — since I am a physician and until very recently was in the full exercise of my profession and vocation — but not only from experience. As the leader of my country, I am well aware that public health is a key and essential component of the sovereignty of nations, a right of individuals, a factor in the development of societies and an unavoidable responsibility of States.
From that perspective, we face a disturbing and unavoidable reality at the level of the whole of planet Earth. Indeed, according to recent studies and reports of the World Health Organization, first, the global burden of disease is shifting from acute, infectious diseases to chronic non-communicable diseases; the two must be fought, by working to keep acute diseases from appearing and by acting to prevent non-communicable chronic diseases from occurring. Secondly, chronic conditions such as heart disease and strokes are
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currently the leading cause of death worldwide. If we add other non-communicable diseases linked mainly to the lifestyle that we are developing as we advance, it is obvious that there is little left to say. Over 60 to 70 per cent of morbidity and mortality worldwide is due to chronic non-communicable diseases — cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and so on. Accordingly there is still so much to be done.
That task should have no borders of any kind, because the complex of problems underlying them know no borders. That is so much the case that the mere mention of the complex global landscape brings to mind Africa and Asia in particular, as well as Latin America, where many low-income and middle-income countries currently face a double burden of morbidity. Infectious diseases are killing people mercilessly and impacting us deeply, while chronic non-communicable diseases are also insidiously killing our populations.
At the same time, malnutrition and risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, such as overweight and obesity, have been said to also affect high-income countries and remain prevalent in the world. It is estimated that cancer has been costing Latin America $4.5 billion annually in terms of direct costs for physicians’ consultations, studies, diagnoses, treatment, medication, hospitalization, palliative care and more. There are indirect costs as well, such as travel and accommodations, lost work days and productivity. How much of that money could be saved if, rather than using it to treat the effects of these diseases, it could be put into social policies to improve people’s lives by offering better education, better health and dignified living conditions for our peoples?
It may be unpleasant to mention this aspect, but it is part of an uncomfortable reality that we must change, because if we do not adopt immediate measures by the year 2030, 1 million Latin Americans will die annually of cancer alone, and more than 7 million people globally will die from a preventable disease that, with early diagnosis and proper treatment, can be cured. Cancer will kill more people in the world every year than those killed during the Second World War. We are facing a brutal pandemic and, I humbly suggest, we must be aware of the reality we are currently suffering a pandemic that the humankind has never before known.
Life is precious; it has no price. In order to address and reverse the growing morbidity and mortality
from cancer and other non-communicable diseases, it is important to adopt political positions and policies and to implement systemic strategies to end poverty, generate social inclusion, promote education, encourage healthful lifestyles, and strengthen integrated health systems, including national programmes for the primary prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term follow-up of these diseases. In regard to healthful lifestyles, physical activity and sports are important, as is a healthful diet, as opposed to the harmful and highly processed foods of an industry that growing exponentially.
We must control smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse. Based on our experience, we feel that it is indispensable to include tobacco and alcohol in our policies on drugs. We know it is not easy, but it is possible to regulate those markets without resorting to prohibitionist dogmatism and respecting the rights of individuals and making public health a matter of State sovereignty and social progress. Above all, I reiterate that the fight against smoking is also one against its vector of transmission, which is not mosquitoes, birds or rats but a multinational tobacco industry that, in order to double its profits, has no problem killing its own customers.
Uruguay has been a world leader in the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Beginning in January 2014, Uruguay adopted a law on the control and regulation of cannabis, and we are working on measures related to controlling alcoholism, perhaps with a zero-tolerance policy in certain cases and circumstances. Finally, with regard to that issue, nothing can be achieved in isolation. Everything requires sensitivity, resolve and perseverance on the part of all Governments and peoples throughout the world.
In the area of international cooperation, we are not starting from zero. There are a number of institutional frameworks and modalities and very many projects under way. Could the implementation of the former and the progress of the latter be improved? No doubt, but rather than inventing new ones, let us make better use of what we already have. To that end, we certainly will need more human, material and financial resources, but there is one resource without which all these things, as abundant as they may be, will always be insufficient. I am referring to the resource of political will, which in this case is more than an ideological dilemma or a question of left, right or centre; it is an ethical issue.
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It is not ethical that, in some circumstances, tribunals and multinational organizations are able to prioritize trade over the defence of the fundamental human right to health and life. That is what Uruguay is suffering from. A major international tobacco company — I would cite only its initials so as not to offend certain sensibilities, but it is in fact Philip Morris — has appealed against Uruguay for bringing the issue of tobacco control to the World Health Organization. That is the situation Uruguay faces. Perhaps because we are a small country, we have been chosen for that role, not just to punish Uruguay but so that other countries of the world do not follow the path Uruguay has taken to fight against tobacco and to provide a better quality of life to its people.
Calling for ethics in the twenty-first century, I realize, might appear to be naïve or anachronistic, but the reality indicates the opposite. As we stated, we need only look at the news of the past few weeks to see that in some aspects, none of them trivial, the world really seems to be a kind of lunatic asylum run by its own patients. That is terrible, but if humankind wants to survive and progress, it cannot resign itself to such a terrible situation. It cannot become resigned to war or to the humiliation of poor people who have nothing to eat, nor can we close our eyes 24 hours after seeing a Syrian boy dead on a Turkish beach.
From our own perspective as a Latin American country and as Latin Americans, we cannot fail to mention three situations that are prominent on the agenda of our region. The first is the restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba as an indispensable step in the normalization of bilateral relations between the two countries. We commend that step, and while we are aware of the complexity of the process under way, we are confident with regard to its future, particularly with regard to the key element of ending the economic, trade and financial embargo imposed on Cuba more than 50 years ago by the Government of the United States. As it has done on previous occasions, Uruguay will vote in favour of the General Assembly’s draft resolution calling for an end to the embargo. Hopefully it will be the last time that the Assembly will have to pronounce on the issue.
The second situation in Latin America is the tension that has existed for several weeks on the border between Colombia and Venezuela. We call for calm, respectful and open dialogue between the Governments of these brother countries in order to deal with this
situation, whose main victims are the peoples of the two countries, especially their socially most vulnerable sectors.
The third situation is the peace talks in Colombia, another complex but decisive process for our brother country and our region as a whole. We support this process and are ready to cooperate with it under the terms agreed to and demanded by the parties. Uruguay is not omnipotent, nor does it claim to be omnipresent or infallible, but neither is it indifferent.
In 2008, our country officially submitted its candidacy for a seat on the Security Council as a non-permanent member for the period 2016 to 2017. We did so based on our commitment to this Organization, of which we are a founding member; on our adherence to international law and multilateralism; on our firm rejection of all forms of terrorism and discrimination; on our conviction that the only means capable of resolving conflicts are the peaceful ones laid down in the Charter of the United Nations; and on our confidence in the value of the Security Council’s efforts to fulfil its primary function of maintaining international peace and security.
Uruguay has contributed to peace and security with a concrete and unwavering commitment that began before the creation of the United Nations, has been maintained over the Organization’s 70-year history and today is manifest in its participation in the peacekeeping operations whose mandates come from that very Security Council. We want to bring our values, commitment and efforts to bear as a non-permanent member of the Council for the period 2016 to 2017. We rely on the support of those here to help us do that, and we will not disappoint them.


This is the second year that I have come to the General Assembly as President of Panama, representing a peaceful, healthy and noble people, to whom I send my greetings from this rostrum, as I also greet the rest of the world’s people.
Like the illustrious Panamanian Ricardo J. Alfaro, who took part in the international conference in San Francisco when the Charter of the United Nations was drafted there in 1945, I stand here today to reaffirm our commitment to human rights and international peace and security. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of the thousands of men and women of this Organization, in particular those who have given their lives to achieve the objectives of the United Nations.
I preside over a Government whose foreign policy is based on dialogue and consensus, as well as on the continuing search for social peace and the common good. That was in evidence during the historic Summit of the Americas that was held in Panama in April, which became the stage for the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the United States of America, both of whose people and Governments we congratulate on taking that important step. We hope that the process of normalizing relations between them will culminate in a fair and just end to the economic blockade of Cuba. It will be a major challenge for Latin America to maintain the spirit of fraternity that prevailed in Panama during the Summit, but we are determined to do so.
I congratulate the Governments of Colombia and Venezuela on the progress achieved in Quito with respect to normalizing relations between them in order to guarantee the well-being of their peoples and to strengthen the unity between them as part of the great
family to which we all belong and within which we are all eager to overcome any differences through dialogue. I reiterate our support for the Colombian peace process and to welcome the agreements recently reached there. We call for that same resolve and determination that the Government of Colombia brought to bear in its peace efforts, which we all supported, to be applied to dismantling the structures for producing drugs, which have introduced such violence to that country and to the countries that serve as conduits for transporting narcotics to the main consumer markets.
In order to ensure the well-being and prosperity of all nations, armed conflicts and territorial disputes must end. We strongly condemn terrorism. It is unacceptable in the twenty-first century for human beings to be burned alive or decapitated on the basis of their faith. The international community needs to close ranks to protect humankind and to promote dialogue and tolerance as the only mechanism for achieving peace. Panama will stand firm in the belief that, together, we can meet such challenges. We call on the great Powers that united more than 70 years ago to bring an end to the Second World War to continue to work with all Member States on a road map to defeat terrorism and to bring lasting peace to all the countries of the world.
Peace depends on recognizing the legitimate aspirations of all peoples. In that regard, in recognizing the hope of the people of Palestine to become a State, Panama calls on the State of Israel and on Palestine to reach an agreement that will permit the coexistence of the Jewish State of Israel and the State of Palestine. The future of humankind depends on the structural capacity of each nation to address its people’s problems so that people do not attack each other.
The world today is facing two different kinds of war: armed conflicts and the ongoing wars that are being waged against poverty, inequality, the lack of opportunities and organized crime, which engender insecurity and violence, leading many young people to feel excluded and to fall prey to organized crime and terrorism. The best tool for addressing those scourges is to design State policies that offer our young people a better education, more opportunities and decent jobs and that permit them to grow up in safe neighbourhoods and communities with adequate public infrastructure. That is a task that requires the participation of Government, the private sector and civil society.
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In this era of telecommunication and social networks, Panama recognizes that the exchange of information and intelligence among Governments is crucial. With the development of air and maritime connectivity, Governments and their security agencies must be able to distinguish between a tourist or business traveler and elements of organized crime. Panama is aware of its responsibility as a transit country and is moving to develop a regional security centre to combat crime in a more coordinated fashion and to support other countries of the region in that effort.
Our country is not immune from the illegal flow of migrants escaping war and seeking a better future. We reiterate our commitment to treating them with dignity and to offering them humanitarian assistance. We are taking the relevant measures in that regard and are building the necessary infrastructure in our country. Hundreds of migrants, including Africans, Latin Americans and others, pass through Panama each month, leaving their families and children behind on journeys that can take upwards of two years. When I recently asked one migrant why he had left his country, he replied that he was simply seeking a place where there was peace. We all have an obligation toward migrants. Just as we joined forces to fight the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS, we need to continue our joint struggle to solve the problems that lead our brothers and sisters to migrate from their countries.
I am convinced that the most effective way to combat inequality and seek better days for humankind is through the honest management of our countries’ resources for the benefit of our people. In a world of such conspicuous wealth, there is no justification for the poverty that afflicts millions of its citizens. Heads of State and their collaborators must understand that politics is a form of service and that we are the temporary custodians of resources that belong to our people and for which we are accountable.
In today’s world, women suffer disproportionately from the effects of inequality, poverty, war, forced displacement during conflict, human trafficking and unequal opportunities. Therefore, Heads of State and Government and the United Nations have a critical role to play in defending and promoting the rights and freedoms of women. I reiterate the call that I made during the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment to the effect that countries must provide more resources to combat
femicide, trafficking in persons and all acts of violence against women.
We are facing major challenges, but we also have enormous opportunities to change course and ensure a better planet for future generations. In the light of the upcoming summit on climate change in Paris, we call on all countries to reach a definitive, universal and inclusive agreement that will enable us to jointly address the damage caused to our planet, which has been so severely affected by our unsustainable practices.
The Coalition for Rainforest Nations consists of some 52 member countries and is co-chaired by Panama. The Coalition proposes to include a commitment to reducing emissions, which have been exacerbated by deforestation and forest degradation, and to strengthen mechanisms for financing. Those mechanisms also include climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. We all have the right to have access to safe drinking water, and that is one of the main challenges for our Governments. Protecting our water resources and our oceans, recovering our forests, expanding the production and distribution of safe drinking water for everyone in our countries and providing appropriate solid-waste treatment are also priorities on our agenda.
Our citizens need access to decent housing and a modern and efficient public-transport system, which are essential for improving the quality of life, and family life in particular. All States are obligated to ensure that their people have access to education and public-health systems. In our country, we have invested heavily in building, remodelling and equipping schools and hospitals, and in providing appropriate human-resources training. We are therefore taking very positive and decisive steps to reach those goals. Our economy continues to grow, and we are making progress with our social and public infrastructure plans. Those large infrastructure projects, together with a robust international financial system, will enable our service-based economy to grow and will help produce new and better employment for our young people.
In 2016, Panama will conclude our canal expansion. That and the expansion of our ports, airports and financial system are the two most important pillars of our service-based economy. Protecting our financial and logistical systems in order to ensure that they are used only for legitimate purposes is our responsibility. That is why we have strengthened our security and intelligence cooperation with other Governments. We
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have enacted important laws and undertaken reforms that protect our financial system from any negative practices. In accordance with the conclusions reached at the third International Conference on Financing For Development, held recently in Addis Ababa, I am very pleased to announce that Panama is making a commitment to increasing its international cooperation in the area of fiscal transparency.
We also announce our commitment to making further progress in automatically exchanging data and information on tax matters at the bilateral level, as our main trading partners have done. That exchange must be contingent on the right of each country to take measures that are commensurate with its capacities, national circumstances and international geopolitical realities. Each country has the right to take the necessary measures in the area of the automatic exchange of data and information that should be used for the common good. Those measures should ensure that such information will not be utilized for any purposes that would harm the competitiveness of some countries or be a detriment to others. We propose that the discussion of those particular issues be incorporated into the regular agenda of the United Nations, so that such initiatives can be discussed by countries on an equal footing. Our privileged geographical location contributes significantly to the development of our economy and our citizens. We also have a global vision of development that reflects our country’s motto, which is “Pro Mundi Beneficio” or “For the Benefit of the World”.
Strengthening the United Nations system is also our responsibility. We must review the governance structure of the United Nations, and in particular the Security Council, in order to achieve greater transparency and geographical representation. That is why Panama is actively participating in the current reform process of the Security Council and is working to bring about a rapprochement in country positions. Since the birth of the Organization, we have always reaffirmed our commitment to working together with all countries as we seek to establish the common good and to build a better world. That is why, at this very rostrum from which His Holiness Pope Francis made a call for millions of Catholics to support the United Nations on the seventieth anniversary of this noble Organization, I, as a Head of State, reaffirm Panama’s commitment to ensuring that our capacities are at the service of the international community and to working hand-in-hand
with all nations, so that we can move forward towards a world that is more just and more equitable and in which peace and dialogue will always prevail.


On behalf of President Desiré Delano Bouterse and the Government and the people of the Republic of Suriname, I would like to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventieth session, a landmark anniversary for our global body of nations. We pledge our full support to you in the successful execution of your duties. We also wish to take this opportunity to salute your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa, for his skilful leadership and commitment in helping to shape the new global agenda, and we wish him well in his future endeavours. And we would like to pay tribute to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his sterling efforts in guiding our Organization through these challenging times for international peace, prosperity and security.
At its inception 70 years ago, the United Nations made a commitment to saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, establishing global justice and promoting social progress. The ensuing seven decades have unquestionably brought many achievements. The United Nations, in collaboration with its Member States, specialized organizations and other relevant stakeholders, including civil society, has promoted and assured access to education for boys and girls around the world, brought humanitarian relief to those in need, assisted societies in restoring democracy and supported defenders of human rights. It has given a voice to marginalized groups, especially the elderly, women, young people, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities, and played a crucial role in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
However, despite such advances, there still remain challenges such as armed conflicts, the rise of fundamentalism, disregard for fundamental human rights and freedoms and global health concerns such as
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HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases, as well as the devastating effects of climate change and natural disasters. My Government therefore applauds the timely and inspiring themes chosen for this general debate and for the session as a whole: “The United Nations at 70: a new commitment to action” and “The United Nations at 70: the road ahead for peace, security and human rights”. Given that context, it was only fitting that we should adopt our new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1). In that spirit, therefore, we, the global community, must recommit to the ideals of peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.
Combating climate change is high on my Government’s national agenda. Last Wednesday, my President reiterated its importance for our country’s development and future in his address to Parliament on the occasion of the presentation of our annual budget and our Government policy statement for the period 2015-2020.
Although Suriname is South America’s smallest country, we are home to about 8 per cent of the world’s untouched tropical forest. With around 94 per cent of the country covered by rainforest, we can proudly inform the Assembly that we are the greenest nation on Earth. Approximately 12 per cent of our total acreage, including the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been designated a natural protected area. Our rivers carry between 10 and 15 per cent of the world’s supply of fresh water. We can be seen as almost unique, since we are one of the few carbon-negative countries in the world.
Despite such wondrous natural blessings, my country continues to see the first effects of climate change. Suriname has 239 miles of low-lying coastline and is listed as one of the seven countries in the world most vulnerable to the effects of the rising sea level. My Government looks forward to the establishment of a new global agreement on climate change in Paris later this year. It should include specific actions aimed at meeting mitigation and adaptation commitments. It will be necessary to make the provision of financial resources a priority, especially for small island developing States and countries with low-lying coasts, if we are to implement the necessary measures effectively. In that regard, we welcome the further implementation of the Green Climate Fund, including the ongoing efforts to create a logical framework model for financing for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation in Developing Countries, or REDD-plus. In the context of its intended nationally determined contribution, the Republic of Suriname will submit a new climate action plan to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Americas are committed to peace and security as a precursor of sustainable development. The proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace is testimony to our use of a multifaceted approach to assure the long-term development of our continent and peoples. My Government underscores the critical importance of the processes of dialogue and diplomacy as essential contributing elements to democracy, peace, stability and security. My Government therefore supports the peaceful and negotiated settlement of various types of dispute, including border disagreements.
My Government welcomes the positive steps taken towards normalizing bilateral relations between the Republic of Cuba and the United States of America. Suriname has a longstanding friendship with the people of Cuba, and we are of the view that the ongoing process of strengthening relations will help to enhance peace, stability, unity and development in the Americas. We agree with the international community that lifting the economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba should be a top priority.
Decades ago, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a cornerstone document that has inspired the adoption of various standard-setting human rights instruments at the international and regional levels.
My Government is concerned about the loss of life and destruction resulting from current violence and ongoing armed conflict. We are also concerned about the current humanitarian crisis caused by the huge numbers of refugees fleeing the Middle East and Africa.
Issues related to gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly that of increasing women’s political participation at all levels, continue to be of particular interest to the international community. My Government applauds the commitments made in that regard by the Heads of State and Government at last week’s global leaders’ meeting here in New York. It is vital that we undertake the necessary measures to prevent all forms of discrimination at all
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levels, including establishing relevant legislative and administrative frameworks.
Despite the many positive developments with respect to shaping the international agenda over the past seven decades, the socioeconomic development of and existing social inequality in a number of regions still remain alarming. My Government is of the view that human-centred economic development policies are instrumental in guaranteeing the realization of social developmental goals for the benefit of our peoples and countries. My Government emphasizes that there is an urgent need for an international enabling environment, including access to financing for development, in order to alleviate all forms of poverty and to create economic opportunities that enable all peoples and countries to prosper.
Indeed, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can fulfil a critical role in gradually advancing sustainable development and equality. At the national level, my Government adopted the integrated Strategy for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes the centrality of the human being in our developmental efforts.
The United Nations at 70 is at a critical stage to become a more efficient and effective global institution, adequately resourced and fit for the challenges ahead. We the peoples of the world have to carry forward the renewed hopes and aspirations of the Organization. Suriname stands ready to play its part in strengthening multilateralism in partnership with other States and civil society to protect and preserve the planet and to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to develop his or her fullest potential for a better life.