I would like to
congratulate the President on his assumption of the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth
session. We are confident that his extensive diplomatic
experience will inform his leadership at this session. I
assure him of my delegation’s full support.
 During the sixty-fifth session of the General
Assembly, we benefited from the skilled leadership of
His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss. I wish to recognize
his sterling contribution to the work of that session.
 We join others in welcoming the newest Member
of the United Nations family — the Republic of South
Sudan. The emergence of South Sudan as a sovereign
State underscores the fundamental value and relevance
of the theme of this year’s General Assembly session,
namely, “The role of mediation in the settlement of
disputes by peaceful means”. We salute the tenacity of
the people of South Sudan in their struggle to gain
statehood after five decades of conflict. We urge all
sides and factions not to allow rivalries and revenge to
impede growth and development. The international
community must assist South Sudan as it embarks on
the daunting journey of stabilization and nation
building.
 We look out at a global political landscape that is
marked by turbulence and uncertainty. The
developments over the past several months in the
Middle East and North Africa in particular are stark
reminders that the legitimate aspirations of citizens for

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freedom, inclusive Government and respect for human
rights cannot be indefinitely suppressed.
 Longstanding disputes and pockets of political
instability and conflict continue to fester in several
parts of the world, resulting in social and economic
dislocation and humanitarian crises. If the United
Nations is to effectively respond to those situations of
conflict, its preventive diplomacy capacity, including
mediation capacity, must be strengthened.
 Many conflicts have their roots in racial and
religious intolerance, resulting in social exclusion,
marginalization and the alienation of people. The High-
level Meeting to commemorate the tenth anniversary of
the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme
of Action against racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance, obliged us to
reflect on the global community’s inadequate
compliance with the objectives of the Programme of
Action. Recognizing the danger in such situations of
potential conflict and providing full support for the
Programme are congruent with the principles implied
in the theme for this session of the General Assembly.
 Related to that is the continued support of the
international community for the project to erect a
permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the
trans-Atlantic slave trade, as a visible message of the
Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Jamaica
thanks all those countries that have contributed to the
erection of the memorial and looks forward to its
completion within a reasonable time frame.
 Peace and development are mutually reinforcing
and intrinsically linked to growth and prosperity. It is
therefore important that we consciously seek to
strengthen and support the role of the Peacebuilding
Commission, recognizing the linkages between
peacekeeping and peacebuilding and the transition
from stabilization to consolidation.
 The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
is long overdue. It is time to end the occupation of
Palestinian territory. It is time for the people of
Palestine and Israel to live in peace and mutual
security. Jamaica remains unwavering in its support for
a just, lasting and comprehensive agreement that
recognizes the Palestinian State within the pre-1967
borders and guarantees the security of Israel. The focus
must now be on ending the stalemate and reviving
direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine. In that
regard, Jamaica welcomes the declarations to the
General Assembly by both Palestine and Israel of their
readiness to do so.
 Both sides must now re-engage in good faith,
taking no action that could undermine the possibility of
a durable solution. Central to that must be Israel’s
cessation of settlement building and expansion in the
occupied territories and, on the part of the Palestinian
leadership and people, the renunciation of violence
against Israel and acceptance of its right to exist. The
door to peaceful negotiations will not be forever open,
nor can there be a continuing delay to Palestine’s
assumption of its rightful place in the global
community of States.
 The spread of globalization is well advanced, and
our economies and growth prospects are interlinked in
a vast network of economic opportunities. In these
difficult financial times, developing countries are
forced to take painful policy decisions aimed at
recalibrating our economic plans to address immediate
challenges while laying the groundwork for the
fulfilment of our long-term development goals.
 The balancing act that this involves can have dire
consequences for our most vulnerable nationals. We all
have to take ownership of our own development
process and the necessary steps to provide an economic
environment that is conducive to growth and
prosperity. To that end, we are compelled to adopt
approaches that are innovative, pro-active and
collaborative. It is through adopting such approaches
that many countries and regions have made significant
inroads in the attainment of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
 I wish to refer to the struggles of two
neighbouring Caribbean countries to achieve
development. Haiti, in the wake of its disruptive
disaster, and in line with its successful efforts for
political organization, needs the continued support of
the international community to foster its development,
if its democratic gains are to be consolidated. Cuba
must have the space to foment its own development,
free from the decades-long embargo that has slowed its
growth, but not its will to improve the welfare of its
people and that of other developing countries. A strong
Cuban economy, integrated into the Caribbean
marketplace, is essential to the region’s development.
 We are faced with the reality that, although we all
operate in one global economy, with the same
aspirations for growth and sustainable development,

29 11-51384

we do not all have the same resources or capabilities.
In addition to being acutely vulnerable to the vagaries
of the global economic environment, the development
prospects of many developing countries are frequently
undermined by environmental degradation and climate
change.
 Classifications that are ostensibly positive, such
as our own designation as an upper-middle-income
country, serve to obscure several of the development
challenges that we continue to face, particularly in
accessing development financing and assistance, which
are critical to our development process and the
attainment of the MDGs. The range of socio-economic
characteristics and levels of development of countries
that fall in the middle-income category is indicative of
the need for us to move towards harmonization of the
criteria used in classification and resources allocation.
 Developing countries like ours have undertaken
painful adjustments to achieve fiscal discipline and
macroeconomic stability within an open economy. We
continue to pursue free trade agreements at the
regional, hemispheric and global levels. However, the
missing link to progress is the urgent need to build
capacities in developing countries through
infrastructure development, institution-building and
expanding and enhancing productive capacity for
competitiveness and to meet international quality
standards.
 Moving from an economy primarily driven by
commodities to one that is value-added, knowledge-
based, innovative and technology-driven is a
transformation that, although challenging for
developing countries, must be achieved. Without
effective partnerships between the large and small
economies for mutual benefit, balanced trade and
shared growth, that is unlikely to occur.
 I speak here positively of the increasing South-
South cooperation that offers hope to many developing
countries. We have long recognized that we can
maximize our growth prospects through increased
economic partnerships and investment opportunities,
which ultimately lead to improvements in trade
relations. Indeed, the reality is that development aid is
an essential resource, which is used by developing
countries to offset the financial burden involved in the
execution of major development projects.
 Unfortunately, much development aid and
assistance to developing countries continue to fall short
of the agreed goal of 0.7 per cent of gross national
income, as some of our developed partners fail to meet
their commitments. Closing the gap between
commitment to development and the provision of
resources that will facilitate the implementation of its
various components requires political courage. We
commend those partners who have maintained or
exceeded their official development assistance targets
despite their own economic challenges.
 We continue to count on the support of our
partners and the international community to help drive
our social and development goals and to keep our
safety nets in place. International financial and
development assistance help to strengthen our
development process and to address setbacks from
external shocks on our economic planning and social
investments. Development funding is critical in the
recovery of our agricultural, mining and tourism
industries, which are often adversely affected by
climate change and the impact of natural disasters. So,
too, are the transfer of technology and capacity
building.
 We urge our partners to recommit to the
development agenda, both here at the United Nations
and within the context of the Bretton Woods
institutions. We reiterate our call for the reform of the
international financial institutions towards increased
transparency and accountability, and an increased role
for the developing countries in decision-making.
 We welcome the increased attention that the
Group of Twenty (G-20) has paid to development
issues and are encouraged by the consultative approach
in its relations with the United Nations. It is imperative
that the G-20’s activities in respect of development
accord with the central role of the United Nations in
economic development.
 The Doha Development Round of trade
negotiations, which began in good faith nearly a
decade ago, has the potential to significantly improve
the development prospects of most developing
countries. We therefore urge the full re-engagement of
all parties in the process, so that we might move
beyond the current impasse and usher in a new era of
multilateral trade relations. This must take into account
the preservation of policy space and flexibility for
developing countries in areas that are integral to our
ability to build competitiveness and trade capacity. We
remain hopeful that at the eighth Ministerial

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Conference, to be held in December, we will consider a
package of measures as the basis for a more balanced
trade regime that will serve as a catalyst for increased
economic growth and prosperity worldwide. We must
commit to ensuring that development remains a central
objective of the negotiations.
 We support coordinated and collaborative efforts
within the context of the review and implementation of
the Aid for Trade Initiative in support of developing
countries. We will continue to work with our
international partners and aid and development entities
in expanding the Initiative to build on the supply-side
capacity and infrastructure of developing countries, so
that we can take advantage of trade opportunities and
connections within the global economy.
 Jamaica has embarked on an export-led trade
policy with the full involvement of the business sector
within the context of the World Trade Organization
Trade Policy Review institutional framework. The
strategic formulation of our trade policy process
includes collaboration with the private sector
particularly given its central role and expertise in
manufacturing and exporting. Our success in trade
development is strongly dependent on partnerships
with the private sector as we agree to policy directives
and pursue an export-led trade initiative, while being
mindful of our resources and capacity to export, as
well as business opportunities and market intelligence
globally.
 Other critical challenges such as food security,
energy security, climate change, poverty and diseases,
continue to demand the attention of the international
community. Precisely because of their transnational
character, many of these problems require multilateral
cooperation and action in an inclusive framework that
involves both developed and developing countries.
 A year ago, world leaders gathered at the General
Assembly to take stock of the progress made towards
the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
We renewed our commitments to achieving those
targets by 2015. We acknowledge the support and
partnership in the midst of the global economic
challenges. Nonetheless, with four years left until the
2015 deadline, we are deeply concerned at the slow
pace of delivery on commitments made in several key
areas, namely, ODA, trade, debt relief and access to
new technologies and affordable essential medicines.
 Jamaica renews the appeal made by our Prime
Minister at the summit last year for an emergency
programme to re-energize the MDG agenda. Without
such a programme, those targets will remain elusive in
2015 and beyond. The fiscal policy requirements
attached to the resources made available for developing
countries through institutions like the International
Monetary Fund cannot assist in meeting the MDG
targets in the short run. It is therefore critical that we
reinvigorate the Global Partnership for Development
aligned with MDG 8. Critical also must be the
channelling of resources and the fiscal space to support
programmes for economic empowerment and capacity
building. More concessionary loans and grants and
debt-for-equity swaps should be among the instruments
used.
 Jamaica is on track to meet most of the MDGs
despite the economic and financial challenges. Through
assistance from the Global Fund, we have significantly
increased access to antiretroviral drugs and reduced the
rates of HIV/AIDS infection, mother-to-child
transmission and AIDS mortality. At the High-level
Meeting on AIDS held in June, Member States
committed to bold new targets for the AIDS response,
including scaling up investments. As a result of its
reclassification as an upper-middle-income country,
Jamaica will not be eligible to access those funds. This
puts us at risk of reversing the gains made in halting
the spread of HIV. We again urge that the factors used
by the relevant multilateral agencies in the
measurement of a country’s wealth be reviewed, as
their classifications often bear no resemblance to the
realities on the ground. They must more carefully take
into account a country’s indebtedness and capacity to
pay, as well as its fiscal capacity to finance
programmes that are taken for granted in respect of
middle-income countries.
 We are pleased that the international community
embraced the proposal made by the Caribbean
Community for United Nations emphasis on
non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the silent killer of
millions around the world. The High-level Meeting on
NCDs last week allowed us for the first time to agree
to measures to significantly reduce NCDs. The political
declaration we adopted (resolution 66/2, annex), while
not as ambitious as Jamaica would have preferred,
provides a good basis to address the prevention and
control of NCDs. We urge the United Nations system
and Member States to expeditiously implement

31 11-51384

measures to achieve the agreed targets and indicators
on NCDs.
 The famine in the Horn of Africa, precipitated by
the worst drought in half a century, is of grave concern
to us all. It has heightened our awareness of the
devastating impact of natural disasters on poor
developing countries. We must adopt more concrete
measures on food security, building on the progress
made from the World Summit on Food Security and
working closely with the World Food Programme and
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs to strengthen international
humanitarian response and assistance, particularly in
areas that are prone to disasters and conflicts. The
plight of starving populations, including mothers and
infants in the region, must push us towards the
commitments of the World Food Summit Plan of
Action.
 To sustain the global food market and feed our
populations, we have to engage in greater investments
in science and research to boost agricultural
production — especially in poor rural communities —
as well as to offset the effect of drought and famine.
We equally have to increase investment in transport
and agricultural infrastructure to facilitate the storage
of food, its marketing and packaging and its
transportation to marketplaces.
 Speculative action in the global market, with the
attendant volatility in commodity prices, has generated
socio-economic tensions in various countries across the
globe. The constant increases in food prices not only
create further strain on the economy and on social
welfare, but also threaten food security and deepen the
economic challenges of countries that are already
striving to recover from the global financial crisis.
Jamaica therefore welcomes the initiative launched by
President Sarkozy of France for the G-20 to give
serious consideration to this question of financial
speculation in the prices of petroleum and food at the
summit to be held in November. This is a burgeoning
crisis, which the United Nations must also take
seriously.
 Climate change presents a clear and present
danger to human development, particularly in small
island developing States and least developed States.
Progress was made at the United Nations Climate
Change Conference in Cancún last December, when
common ground was reached between developed and
developing countries on several key issues. We must
now implement and operationalize those decisions. We
remain disappointed at the slow pace of climate change
financing.
 The United Nations Climate Change Conference
in Durban in December will provide yet another
opportunity to forge consensus on effective adaptation
and mitigation strategies within the context of an
ambitious post-2012 climate change framework. A
second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol is
essential, and we remain optimistic that at Durban we
will all demonstrate the necessary political will and
seriousness of purpose to achieve that.
 At the United Nations we share a common
background in the 1983 World Commission on
Environment and Development and the 1987 report
“Our Common Future” (A/42/427, annex). We share an
awareness that the nations of the world are
interdependent, experience interlocking crises and have
a common but differently shaded responsibility. We
have agreed on the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol. We share the conviction that inequality,
poverty and the environment and environmental
degradation are linked and that development and the
environment are inseparable. In the light of that
background, we urge a renewed commitment to the
pursuit of development that is sustainable, through
increased attention to all three pillars of sustainable
development — the environmental, the socio-political
and the economic — and a redoubling of efforts to
integrate sustainable development principles at the
international, regional and, most important, national
levels, and
 “meet[ing] the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs”. (A/42/427, annex,
conclusion, para. 1)
 As a small island developing State, we have a
vested interest in the successful outcome of the 2012
United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20) to review the implementation
of the commitments made 20 years ago at the
Conference in Rio de Janeiro. States and regions are
already assessing the progress that we have made and
the gaps that persist in our efforts to chart a more
sustainable course to development in the period since
the 1992 Conference. Significant gaps that cause

11-51384 32

concern relate to the transfer of technology, capacity-
building and the provision of additional financial
resources for development.
 In our efforts to strengthen the international
sustainable development architecture, the emphasis
should be on effectiveness, on the efficacy of
institutions that not only facilitate extensive policy
discussions, but that also move us towards fulfilment
of the ambitious vision that we all embraced in Rio in
1992. We should also aim for institutional flexibility,
which will allow us to address long-standing and
emerging challenges through increased cooperation and
coordination.
 Rio+20 will provide us with an excellent
opportunity to renew our commitment to Agenda 21,
the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and, in
respect of the small island developing States, the
Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius
Strategy on its implementation.
 As host to the International Seabed Authority,
Jamaica attaches great importance to ocean affairs and
the law of the sea. Next year marks the thirtieth
anniversary of the opening for signature of the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, drawn up in
Montego Bay. We encourage Member States to
appropriately highlight that landmark event at the
international level.
 The total elimination of nuclear weapons remains
an important goal for the international community.
While we have taken significant steps towards
achieving that goal, significant challenges remain. A
number of key players remain outside the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has still not
entered into force. As we look towards the start of the
preparatory process for the 2015 NPT Review
Conference, there must be unquestionable political will
to address those lingering deficiencies in our push to
achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
 We must continue to build on the momentum
gained from last year’s special high-level meeting of
the General Assembly on transnational organized
crime, which addressed measures to counter the
growing problem, including narco-trafficking and the
illicit trade in small arms and ammunition.
 Jamaica, like its partners in the Caribbean
Community, continues to face severe threats to our
long-term socio-economic development from illicit
trafficking in narcotic drugs, small arms and light
weapons and ammunition. We will remain resolute in
our fight against this menace both locally and abroad.
We have achieved marked reductions in crime and
criminal activities over the past year with our
multifaceted strategy to stem the problems, as well as
through the implementation of social intervention and
social transformation initiatives to stem the problem of
crime and violence. We continue to strengthen the
capacity of our security forces and to improve our
justice system, to ensure that criminals are caught and
prosecuted in a court of law.
 We firmly believe, however, that we will not see
the full impact of those efforts without an international
regime that regulates the sale and transfer of
conventional weapons, in particular small arms and
light weapons and their ammunition. To that end,
Jamaica is committed to ensuring that the 2012
Diplomatic Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty
results in a legally binding, comprehensive, objective
and transparent Treaty.
 In order for the United Nations to deliver on all
our expectations, its organizational structure must
reflect the geopolitical realities of the twenty-first
century. An effective response to global challenges
requires a reformed and dynamic United Nations.
Reform initiatives, spanning a number of years, have
led to the establishment of UN-Women, the reform and
strengthening of the Economic and Social Council, a
more coordinated and efficient response to
humanitarian crises and a change in the way we
conduct our peacekeeping missions. We must continue
our efforts aimed at revitalizing the General Assembly
so that it can effectively carry out its role and
responsibility as the chief deliberative and
policymaking organ of the United Nations.
 A glaring failure has been our inability to agree
on reform of the Security Council to ensure that it is
more democratic, responsive and reflective of today’s
political environment. For more than 15 years, the
debates for comprehensive and lasting reform of the
Council have achieved very little. The African
countries and our Latin American and Caribbean region
still have no permanent seat at the table. That injustice
cannot continue. Comprehensive reform can only be
achieved within the intergovernmental negotiating
process. Anything less will be nothing more than a
continuation of the status quo.

33 11-51384

 As we continue to work together to achieve
sustainable development for all, it is imperative that we
exercise the requisite political will and make good on
our commitments to the global development agenda.
The far-reaching effects of the multiple and
interconnected crises of recent years have reinforced
our interdependence and the important role of
economic cooperation and partnerships in securing
global peace and prosperity.
 We must redouble our efforts to address the
growing challenges of poverty, food insecurity, the
rising costs of food and energy, and climate change. It
is not good enough to engage in extensive
deliberations, to make commitments and issue
declarations without providing the means for their
implementation, including financing, capacity-building
and technology transfer. We must now go beyond grand
statements if we are to fully realize sustainable
development and rekindle the faith of the people we
serve in the United Nations.


Allow me
at the outset to congratulate you, Sir, and our brothers,
the people of Qatar, on your election to the presidency
of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Our
delegation will be of assistance to you in the
performance of your duties, and we are confident that
your experience and wisdom will be an important
factor in the success of the Assembly’s work. Our
thanks also go to your predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss,
for his presidency of the General Assembly at its
outgoing session. I should also like to warmly
congratulate the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
on his appointment to a second term and wish him
every success in his work.
 It is an honour to stand in front of the Assembly
one more time to brief members on the most notable
developments that Iraq is witnessing as it works on
building a modern State that lives in peace and security
with its people and its neighbours. Iraq is building a
homeland where everyone lives in peace and stability
regardless of sectarian, ethnic or factional affiliations;
a system where the rule of law prevails and human
rights are respected; and a system that is based on
democracy and the peaceful alternation of power. That
is the basis for the path on which we have embarked
and are continually implementing.
 The events currently taking place in the Arab
region have proved the rightness of the path that we
have been following. The values of change and reform,
which Iraq has called and will continue to call for, have
become an essential part of the aspirations of the Arab
people for freedom and for their ability to choose their
own political system on the basis of democracy and
human rights.
 We have come a long way in building our
political system, which is based on the National
Collaboration Government. Iraq has started to restore
the elements of strength that were lost due to more than
three decades of internal and external wars conducted
by the former dictatorship, due also to the international
isolation and the sanctions that Iraq experienced and to
the collapse of security institutions and outbreak of
sectarian strife that threatened its national existence
after the collapse of the former regime. We began to
overcome these negative elements and they became
history, thanks to our determination and steadfastness
and with the help and support of the international
community.
 With regard to development, having witnessed
the big improvement in security in Iraq, we are still
relying on the five-year plan for the years 2010-2014
announced by the Iraqi Government on 4 April 2010
and on the licensing rounds held between Iraq and
major companies on oil and natural gas investments to
improve our oil industry. That was done to turn the
wheels of development and push the economy to
advanced levels.
 It is expected that the five-year plan that has
already started will include about 2,700 strategic
projects in different sectors, with a cost of $186 billion.
The plan would provide about four million job
opportunities, which will positively deal with the
unemployment problem in Iraq. It is hoped that by the
end of this plan, the per capita income of Iraqi citizens
will have increased to $8,000 annually and poverty
levels will have decreased by 16 per cent.
 In addition, we were able to get rid of the
sanctions and restrictions imposed on Iraq as a result of
the invasion of Kuwait. On the basis of Security
Council resolutions 1956 (2010), 1957 (2010) and
1958 (2010), adopted on 15 December 2010, Iraq has
been freed completely from all the restrictions imposed
on it, which had prevented the country from taking
advantage of scientific and technological advances, and
has gained sovereignty over its financial resources.
 After that important stage in building our State,
we feel that we are taking firm steps on the road to
democracy and development and that we are opening

5 11-51185

the doors to investment in Iraq. Therefore, the
economic policy of Iraq is essentially based on
encouraging investment and providing the appropriate
legislative environment to protect investors and their
capital so that Iraq can become a safe and fertile
investing environment in many essential sectors, such
as oil, natural gas, electricity, reconstruction,
infrastructure and other economic sectors. From this
rostrum I call on all countries to open collaboration
channels with Iraq in the field of investment and to
take advantage of the available opportunities.
 Iraqi Kurdistan has witnessed important
developments in the fields of construction, the
economy, the culture and others. Thousands of villages
that were destroyed by the former regime have been
rebuilt. Cities, towns and roadways have been
modernized. The region now has more than 15 public
and private universities with more than 100,000
students, compared to the past when there was only one
university with a few thousand students.
 At the end of this year the United States forces
will withdraw, according to the agreement signed
between the two countries in 2008. During this year,
our security forces have shown a great ability to
combat terrorism and provide security. These forces are
capable and will efficiently fill the vacuum that the
withdrawal of the United States forces will create. That
will promote Iraqi national abilities to maintain the
gains achieved in the new Iraq.
 However, the need will push the Government of
Iraq to keep numbers of American experts and others in
order to benefit from their experience in the fields of
training and capacity-building, according to Iraq’s
needs. On this occasion, on behalf of the Government
and people of Iraq, I should like to express our thanks
and appreciation to the United States, other friendly
States and the United Nations that provided assistance
and support to the Iraqi people and Government in
order to enhance democracy and reconstruction.
 I avail myself of the opportunity of being here in
New York to express to the people of New York and to
all Americans feelings of sympathy and solidarity on
the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on
11 September.
 Regarding Iraq’s international and regional
relations, the Constitution of Iraq and the national
programme of the current Iraqi Government determine
the general foundations for our foreign policy. They
provide that Iraq is a founding and effective member of
the League of Arab States and is committed to its
Charter. Iraq is also a member of the Islamic world. On
this basis Iraq is working to host the Arab summit at
the end of March 2012.
 Moreover, Iraq respects the principles of good
neighbourliness and is committed to non-interference
in the internal affairs of other States. It seeks to solve
disputes by peaceful means, establishes its relations on
the basis of common interests and reciprocity, and
respects its international obligations. That is why we
invite our two neighbours, Turkey and the Islamic
Republic of Iran, to resort to diplomacy and positive
dialogue in order to solve the issues and to stop
bombing Iraqi territories in the Kurdistan region,
which is causing many innocent civilian victims. I
avail myself of this opportunity to thank His Holiness
Khamenei of the Islamic Republic of Iran for releasing
the two American prisoners in Iran.
 With regard to our obligations to disarmament
and nuclear non-proliferation, the Constitution of Iraq
was clear in determining the position of Iraq
concerning this issue. Article 9 E of the Iraqi
Constitution provides that
 “The Iraqi Government shall respect and
implement Iraq’s international obligations
regarding the non-proliferation, non-development,
non-production, and non-use of nuclear,
chemical, and biological weapons, and shall
prohibit associated equipment, materiel,
technologies, and delivery systems for use in the
development, manufacture, production, and use
of such weapons.”
On this clear position and commitment of Iraq to
international instruments concerning disarmament, the
Security Council on 15 December 2010 adopted
resolution 1957 (2010), which lifted all restrictions that
were imposed on Iraq.
 In this context we wish to confirm the legitimate
right of States to the peaceful use of nuclear power and
its technologies according to the rules and provisions
of the relevant international conventions. This right
constitutes one of the foundations of the disarmament
system and non-proliferation. Within this approach and
with regard to the nuclear issue concerning the Islamic
Republic of Iran, we believe in the legitimate right of
States to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
That right is guaranteed by international instruments, at

11-51185 6

the forefront of which is the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
 We affirm the importance of reaching a peaceful
solution in dealing with this issue. Dialogue and calm
diplomacy are the best means to achieve that goal. On
the other hand, any escalation will prejudice the
interests of all parties and will put the security of the
region at great risk.
 Iraq is concerned about the tragic situation of the
brotherly Palestinian people as a result of Israeli
practices, which are incompatible with international
laws, customs and international humanitarian law. Iraq
is doing everything in its power to support the struggle
of the Palestinian people to obtain all their inalienable
rights, in particular the right to establish an
independent State in its homeland, with its capital in
Jerusalem.
 In this regard, Iraq endorses and supports the path
embarked on by the Palestinian Authority to come to
the United Nations to achieve full international
recognition of a Palestinian State during the current
session of the General Assembly. Iraq calls on the
international community and all peace-loving forces to
stand by the Palestinian people in their legitimate
struggle to achieve their goals and demands that the
Israeli Government fully withdraw from all Arab
territories occupied in 1967. That would essentially
contribute to the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict
and bring a comprehensive and just peace to this vital
region of the world.
 Making the Middle East an area free of weapons
of mass destruction is crucial to achieve peace, security
and stability. That requires Israel to join the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to put
its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive
safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
 The countries of the Arab world are witnessing
significant developments and unprecedented reforms
and political changes, the effects of which will be
reflected in the future of the whole region and will
extend to areas beyond. Iraq, as an early actor in
initiating this change, supports the struggle of the Arab
people of the region to gain their freedom, choose their
political systems and exercise their right to peaceful
demonstrations and protests in the so-called Arab
Spring. We hope that these changes will contribute to
regional stability and security and avoid anything that
might threaten the unity and sovereignty of the
countries of the region or stir up strife or sectarian and
ethnic conflicts.
 In the area of international cooperation, Iraq will
work to promote cooperation with all countries that
stood with it and supported it in the stability of the
ongoing political process, in strengthening it and in
reconstruction. We refer here to the United States of
America and to the European Union. When we mention
these two parties we mention them not because they
are the only ones that stood with Iraq, but because we
are linked by mechanisms of action that should be
implemented. There are many other friends who stood
with us in the difficult times that we have experienced,
and we will remember that favour and develop
relations of cooperation with them.
 After the withdrawal of the United States forces
from Iraq by the end of this year, we will work to
enhance and expand the scope of cooperation on the
basis of the strategic framework agreement signed
between the two countries in 2008. According to that
agreement, relations will be for the long term and will
cover all aspects of life.
 The same is true for the European Union. After
finishing the drafting of the Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement between Iraq and the European
Union and its possible signing in the near future, and
signing a memorandum of understanding on the
strategic partnership in the field of energy between Iraq
and the European Union, the cooperation between the
two parties will take a broader scope in various fields
covered by those agreements.
 Our economic, commercial and political relations
with the People’s Republic of China are expanding and
improving. Our relations with neighbouring Arab
countries, India and Pakistan, are also constantly
improving.
 Regarding our relationship with the United
Nations, we will continue an approach of constructive
cooperation with all United Nations bodies, in the
forefront of which are the Security Council and the
Secretariat, and we will keep the commitments we have
made.
 I should like to take this opportunity to express
my appreciation for the efforts by Special Representative of
the Secretary-General Mr. Ad Melkert throughout his time
in Iraq. I wish him and his family success and good

7 11-51185

health. I welcome the new representative of the
Secretary-General. We will continue to cooperate with
him in a way that will enable him to carry out his task
in accordance with Security Council resolution 1770
(2007) and subsequent resolutions.
 The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
will receive all forms of support and assistance from
us, in particular during the next phase, and we will do
our utmost to provide the necessary protection for its
staff and premises.
 We look forward with confidence and optimism
to the future. Iraq is an emerging democracy and a
country brimming with a wealth of natural and human
resources. We are working to make it an important
factor in regional stability, security and prosperity and
a living example of democracy, federalism and the
voluntary coexistence of different ethnic and sectarian
groups and communities.


I heartily congratulate the
President on his unanimous election to preside over the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I wish him
every success and assure him that Malta, which enjoys
excellent relations and increasing cooperation with his
country, Qatar, will extend its full support and
collaboration in the tasks ahead of him. I would also
like to pay tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss,
for his leadership and effective role over the last 12
months.
 I would also like to convey my warm and sincere
congratulations to His Excellency Ban Ki-moon on his
re-election to serve our Organization as its Secretary-
General for another term. My Government would like
to put on record its appreciation for his firm and
capable leadership.
 Just two months ago this Assembly admitted by
acclamation the Republic of South Sudan as the
193rd Member of the United Nations. Malta is proud to
have been one of the Member States co-sponsoring the
resolution that ushered the new nation-State of the
Republic of South Sudan into the world community of
nations (resolution 65/308).
 Throughout the 12 months that have passed since
we last gathered here in this Assembly, we have all
been witness to the continuing upheavals and crises
resulting from the strife, poverty and social inequalities
that unfortunately persist in many parts of the world.
This situation has been compounded by food
insecurity, which in turn is exacerbated by the drought
and famine that threaten the survival of millions of
people, particularly in Somalia and the rest of the Horn
of Africa.
 Malta has long recognized the difficulties facing
countries in the Horn of Africa and has directed most
of its development and humanitarian aid to them
through development projects. The participation of
Maltese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in
implementing those projects has been pivotal in
enabling Malta to help relieve some of the most
pressing needs. My Government has also answered the
call of the United Nations for financial contributions to
assist in alleviating the sufferings of people in the Horn
of Africa. This we did through the Central Emergency
Response Fund.
 It is a matter of concern, however, that only four
years remain to meet the goals that we unanimously
agreed, in the Millennium Declaration of 2000
(resolution 55/2), to achieve by 2015. We
acknowledge, of course, that progress has been made in
some critical areas, notwithstanding continuing
adversities. But we are still not there.
 Within its limited means, Malta has been able to
financially assist and support NGOs and interested
individuals to carry out projects in developing and least
developed countries. Over the past 19 months, these
projects have included building schools, clinics,
centres for persons with disabilities, social housing,
and extensions at hospitals in various countries in
Africa, as well as in Central and South America.
 My Government continues to ask the membership
of this Organization to consider the case for assistance
in dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants who are
continuing to reach Malta as a result of the situation in
Libya and North Africa. We continue to call for
international solidarity and burden-sharing in dealing
with this phenomenon. It is also our hope that the
European Union’s Asylum Support Office, which
opened in Malta in June, will contribute to the task of
streamlining asylum policies in the European Union
and its member States and improve cooperation among
the authorities. In that context, may I express the
appreciation of the Government of Malta for the
assistance we have received so far from a number of
European States and the United States of America in
the resettlement process.
 The Mediterranean, which links Europe, Africa
and the Middle East, has not been spared the many
challenges and difficulties facing other parts of the
world. It is, however, also seeing the birth of hope in
the form of a new political and social reality as a result
of the sacrifices being made by the peoples of Tunisia,
Egypt, Libya and Syria as they strive to take back the
political leadership of their countries. Malta salutes
these brave people.
 As we heard a few minutes ago from His
Excellency Mr. Jibreel, who spoke on behalf of Libya,
these are turbulent times for Libya, a crucial and
momentous point in the history of the Libyan people.
During this time, Malta, which over the course of its
history has earned the title “nurse of the

51 11-51360

Mediterranean”, has also been serving as a safe
harbour, where thousands have found refuge and
assistance.
 As a Member of this esteemed Organization, of
the European Union and of the international contact
group on Libya, my Government has provided, over the
past several months, a humanitarian hub for the
evacuation of nearly 20,000 people, medical assistance
and relief efforts by intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, including such United
Nations agencies as the World Food Programme. Malta
is proud of this role, which it continues to play in
alleviating hardships, particularly those of the Libyan
people, to this very day.
 As a result of the courage, vision and tenacity of
its people, Libya is today on the threshold of assuming
its place in the community of free and democratic
nations. The approach taken by the Libyan National
Transitional Council (NTC) over these recent, highly
charged weeks has undoubtedly enhanced its standing
and legitimacy. We welcome the NTC’s determination
to ensure that justice, and not vengeance, will be
pursued by these brave people. It is important that the
process of national reconciliation take hold as soon as
possible and that it be underpinned by the fullest
respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms
of all segments of the population.
 Allow me, at this juncture, to take this
opportunity to join others in welcoming the delegation
of Libya as the new and rightful representatives of
Libya to the United Nations and in this Assembly.
 The next few months will be a major challenge
for the international community and the people of
Libya alike. At this defining moment the Libyan people
deserve the fullest international solidarity on the
political, economic and financial fronts. My
Government supports United Nations leadership in the
international community’s programme of action and
endorses the three fundamental principles under which
the United Nations intends to operate: Libyan national
ownership, rapid response and delivery and, lastly,
effective coordination. Close coordination, in particular
with the European Union, which we believe to be a key
player in post-conflict assistance and support, will be
especially crucial in this scenario.
 Egypt and Tunisia also deserve every
encouragement as they embark on the reforms ahead.
Democratic transition processes need to be sustained,
including from the economic perspective. A holistic
approach is a crucial element in maximizing
international endeavours, not least to stimulate
economic growth. Democracy stands a better chance of
flourishing if there is economic development and
tangible improvement in living standards enjoyed by
the entire population.
 At a time when people in the Middle East, North
Africa and beyond have embarked on a new path
towards freedom, dignity and prosperity, we must also
invest our efforts and determination to fulfil the long-
sought aspirations of the Palestinian people. The
dramatic developments unfolding in the Arab world
make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track even
more urgent than before.
 Malta was heartened by, and welcomed, the
speech of President Obama last May, in which he laid
out the foundation for future negotiations and outlined
a comprehensive vision for peace between Israelis and
Palestinians. The resumption of meaningful and
sustainable negotiations seemed, at the time, to be
within reach.
 Unfortunately, that was not to be. The time
frames set by the international community for the
establishment of a Palestinian State are now with us. A
political stalemate persists, despite the fact that from
an institutional perspective, the preparations for
statehood have been successfully completed. The
situation on the ground further complicates matters and
undermines the resumption of negotiations and the goal
of two viable States living side by side in peace.
 No effort should be spared to break the deadlock
in the Israeli-Palestinian talks. Getting Israelis and
Palestinians back to the negotiating table with the
political will necessary to embark on meaningful and
sustainable negotiations must remain the overriding
goal. Agreement on parameters for negotiations would
clearly be a step in the right direction. In this regard,
Malta fully stands behind the efforts of the European
Union, particularly those of its High Representative for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to make this
happen.
 My Government strongly believes that the
elements set out in the conclusions adopted by the
Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in
December 2009, December 2010 and May 2011
provide balanced parameters for the resumption of
negotiations.

11-51360 52

 Two weeks ago, the New York community and
the American people were joined by the international
community in commemorating the victims of one of
the most heinous crimes committed in recent history.
We all remember with sadness and sorrow that fateful
day of 11 September 2001, when the hand of evil
carried out a terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre
in downtown New York. The 10 years that have passed
since that tragic event, when nearly 3,000 innocent
people met their deaths and thousands more were
wounded, have not erased the scars or the pain.
 Terrorism continues to respect no frontiers. Many
States have been and continue to be the victims of
deadly attacks by terrorists. In Afghanistan, Iraq, India,
Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Indonesia, the United
Kingdom and China, terrorism has struck with intensity
and brutality. Only one month ago, another
reprehensible and deadly attack was carried out, on the
United Nations complex in Nigeria. Malta strongly
condemns those cowardly and horrible acts and pledges
to continue to work with other Member States to ensure
that such criminal acts are not only condemned in
absolute terms, but also suppressed.
 The events unfolding in North Africa highlight
that we must continue to promote and protect human
rights across the world. That is a responsibility that our
present generation bears on behalf of future
generations. It was in that spirit that, in my address to
the sixty-fourth session of the Assembly in 2009 (see
A/64/PV.6), I proposed the drafting of a universal
declaration of human responsibilities, as the second
part of a diptych to be formed with the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Such a declaration
would be open for signature to any Member State
wishing to subscribe to it.
 We have been encouraged to move forward in
presenting such a draft declaration by a number of
Member States that share with us a belief in the
growing need to embrace responsibilities and duties in
the international setting. In the light of that positive
response, my Government intends to call an
international gathering in 2012, at the official level but
with the presence of experts, to examine the draft
declaration that will have been prepared and finalize it
in such a way that it can be opened for signature in
2012. Malta strongly believes that such a declaration
would strengthen the solidarity that our rapidly
changing world demands.
 In conclusion, allow me to state that the
environmental sustainability of our planet is one of the
priorities of my Government. Malta is working towards
a successful outcome at next year’s United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development in the hope
that it will build further on the commitments agreed at
the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development. In that context, since 1988, when
Malta put the protection of climate for present and
future generations on the political agenda of the
Organization, my Government has worked to support
and endorse efforts that address climate change. Malta
has also made a contribution to the Special Climate
Change Fund.
 The coming 12 months under the presidency of
Ambassador Al-Nasser offer the membership of the
Organization challenging and exciting times. The
agenda of the Assembly is long and demanding. We
recognize that the President’s task will not be at all
easy, and we assure him of our full support.
 Malta will also continue to shoulder its
international responsibilities with vigour, commitment
and determination. We stand ready to work with other
Member States to make the Organization stronger and
better able to tackle the global challenges facing
mankind.


It is a distinct pleasure for
me to participate in the general debate of the General
Assembly for the first time since my election as
President of Croatia.
 At the outset, I would like to congratulate
Ambassador Al-Nasser on his election as President of
the General Assembly in its sixty-sixth session. I also
thank Joseph Deiss for his excellent work during his
presidency of the General Assembly in the preceding
session.
 Let me also congratulate Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on his re-election to that important and
challenging post and assure him of the full cooperation
of my country.
 Current challenges — the fall of autocratic
regimes, nuclear non-proliferation, terrorism, the
continuing global financial and economic crisis,
climate change, underdevelopment — require all of us
here at the United Nations to firmly stand together and
offer common solutions on the basis of solidarity,
responsibility and respect for the rights and dignity of
every person on the globe. Our responses to challenges
must not remain just words. We need to translate them
into concrete actions, aimed at advancing democracy,
enhancing development and well-being, protecting
human rights, respecting international law, ensuring

11-50871 32

social justice and promoting the rule of law, at the
domestic, regional and international levels.
 I welcome the President’s decision to hold this
debate under the theme of “The role of mediation in
the settlement of disputes”. Mediation has rightly been
recognized as an efficient and cost-effective tool,
which the United Nations has at its disposal in
addressing threats to the maintenance of international
peace and security. Political issues often lie at the heart
of crises. Therefore, the importance of early
engagement and preventive diplomacy, including
mediation, is even more significant in this period when
United Nations peacekeeping operations are
experiencing unprecedented demand and strain.
 My country has come a long way since the
conflict in the 1990s, when Croatia hosted a total of
five United Nations peacekeeping operations on its
territory. We have developed a stable democracy and a
free-market economy, and we serve as an anchor of
peace, security and stability in the region of South-East
Europe.
 That experience and the lessons learned have
been the backdrop for our engagement in the Security
Council, where Croatia has proved to be a responsible
and dedicated partner in the common effort to maintain
and build peace. We intend to pursue efforts with the
same vigour in the Peacebuilding Commission, the
Economic and Social Council and other United Nations
bodies for which Croatia is a candidate.
 When all efforts to avoid conflict fail, the
international community turns as a rule to the United
Nations to stop the hostilities and maintain peace.
Croatia will continue its engagement in peacekeeping
operations under United Nations auspices. But keeping
the peace is not enough. In countries emerging from
conflict, peace needs to be strengthened and
consolidated.
 Croatia has, in a relatively short time, effectively
transitioned from a donor-recipient to a donor-provider.
Today we share our knowledge and experiences with
countries in the region, as well as with other countries
in crisis, where our post-conflict experience in nation-
building is particularly relevant. My country, working
together with other Member States and the United
Nations as a whole — and acting with the same
enthusiasm and spirit that clearly characterized the
international community’s ambitions almost six years
ago when the Peacebuilding Commission was
established — stands ready to play its part in the
revival of the peacebuilding architecture and thorough
implementation of its core functions.
 Croatia has completed its accession negotiations
with the European Union (EU) and expects to become
a full member in 2013. Once it joins the EU, Croatia
will consistently advocate further EU enlargement and
will not use its outstanding bilateral issues to set
conditions for the progress of individual countries in
the process of their integration with the EU.
 I have held numerous meetings with my
counterparts in the region, in particular the Presidents
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. In our
meetings, we have discussed the continuation of the
reconciliation process, the resolution of outstanding
issues among the three States and our mutual political
support. Croatia has pledged technical assistance in the
process of integration into the European Union and has
stressed the need to jointly define regional networks of
infrastructure systems and submit them as regional
projects for funding from EU funds.
 As a member of NATO and a future member of
the EU, we have a keen interest to see South-East
Europe become a region of security, stability and
development. That may not happen overnight, but I
firmly believe that with sustained effort and targeted
actions by all politicians and peoples, the region will
lose its negative reputation as an arena of political
fragmentation often accompanied by bloodshed, and
will deservedly become known as an area where good-
neighbourly relations, tolerance and mutual
cooperation prevail, thus making it a European success
story of peacebuilding and reconciliation.
 However, without justice, efforts to ensure true
reconciliation and sustainable peace may be unable to
take root firmly. Croatia strongly supports determined
efforts to put an end to impunity for the most serious
crimes of concern to humanity and, in that context,
reaffirms its commitment to international criminal
justice in general and to the activities of the
International Criminal Court in particular.
 Croatia supports the main purpose and primary
functions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), namely, the establishment
of a lasting peace and reconciliation. Croatia
appreciates the efforts to implement the ICTY
completion strategy and its transformation towards
residual mechanisms. Full cooperation with the ICTY

33 11-50871

and respect for international justice are a lasting
commitment for us, not only in the context of the
Euro-Atlantic integration processes, but also as an
expression of Croatia’s core values and its role in the
international community. We greatly appreciate the
legacy of the ICTY, especially its contribution to
international law, justice and reconciliation. That
legacy has already improved national judiciaries in the
region through its promotion of high standards of
criminal responsibility for breaches of humanitarian
law. Further development of international law, both
international and national judiciaries and a better
understanding of justice will be based on this positive
legacy, but also on the lessons learned from some of
the ICTY’s weaknesses.
 Future development of international criminal law
should consider improving the efficiency of
international courts and of State cooperation, as well as
instituting a critical evaluation of some procedural and
substantive laws. In that regard, we should consider
more efficient measures to be taken in cases of
non-cooperative States, the position of victims and
their compensation, and the protection of witnesses, as
well as the concept of joint criminal enterprise, and
others.
 The protection of fundamental rights and
freedoms must be ensured when addressing very
serious security challenges, such as international
terrorism. Croatia strongly supports the values and
objectives of the United Nations Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy, since it confirms that the United
Nations is at the centre of global counter-terrorism
efforts. We had the privilege of chairing the Counter-
Terrorism Committee during Croatia’s membership in
the Security Council, and we are willing to share our
knowledge and experience with others, in the region
and beyond.
 The Arab Spring, which is rooted in the
legitimate aspirations of ordinary people for improved
economic opportunities and political participation, has
just moved into summer, but its democratic gains must
be preserved if we do not want to see another relapse
into instability. I believe that the course of recent
events in Libya has clearly confirmed that the coalition
forces and the Security Council took the right approach
in protecting civilians from the brute force of the old
regime. I hope that the democratic forces in Libya will
begin to build a new State that will provide the same
level of protection and equal opportunities for all
Libya’s citizens. It is crucial to work towards
establishing the rule of law throughout the country. We
trust that the National Transitional Council will
succeed in achieving that goal. My country is ready to
participate in Libya’s reconstruction, especially given
its experience in post-conflict nation- and institution-
building. Taking into account new political and
humanitarian priorities in the field, Croatia has sent
targeted humanitarian assistance to Libya, with an
emphasis on medical and humanitarian needs.
 In the same vein, Croatia has recognized the
legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, who need
and deserve wide and undivided support. We share the
international community’s belief that it is essential to
normalize the situation and prevent further mass
violations of human rights, strengthen democratic
standards and the rule of law, and assist those who
share the vision of a democratic Syria.
 Croatia shares the sense of urgency concerning
the importance of securing an early resumption and
conclusion of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, aimed at
achieving a two-State solution. The current
unprecedented and deep changes in the political
landscape of the Middle East call for urgent and highly
responsive action by all parties concerned. Mutual
recognition — Israel’s recognition of a Palestinian
State and Palestine’s recognition of the Jewish State —
constitutes both the starting point and the desired
outcome of peace negotiations. Failure to move
forward on a two-State solution now may have
unpredictable negative consequences, not only for
Israel and Palestine, but for the whole international
community. Given our recent experience of war and
reconciliation, Croatia calls on the leaders of the
parties concerned to shoulder their historic
responsibility for the future of their peoples and for
peace and stability in the Middle East.
 Recently, we witnessed an example of a new
State being created in a generally peaceful manner, and
I welcome South Sudan as the newest Member of the
United Nations. However, this and many other ongoing
crises, in the Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo and other places, confirm the
irreplaceable role of the United Nations in ending
conflicts; and in this context mediation, as the theme of
our debate, becomes even more relevant.
 Croatia continues to promote universal human
rights and supports the mainstreaming of human rights

11-50871 34

within the United Nations framework. In that context,
we give particular attention to issues such as the
abolition of the death penalty, gender equality and
combating all forms of discrimination, as well as the
promotion of the human rights of the most vulnerable
social groups, including women, children and persons
with disabilities. Croatia strongly supports the concepts
of the universality, interrelatedness and indivisibility of
all human rights.
 Croatia welcomes the establishment of UN-Women,
the new United Nations body focused on supporting
gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Croatia also supports relevant initiatives on the rights
of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and
will continue to be actively engaged in the follow-up
process to the 2008 joint statement on human rights,
sexual orientation and gender identity (see
A/63/PV.70).
 In response to dramatic changes in the world in
the last few decades, comprehensive reforms of the
United Nations system as a whole have been put
forward. Those proposals include structural reform and
improvements in the way United Nations bodies
function, as well as revitalization of the General
Assembly. Although there are many important elements
in this process, reforming the Security Council remains
essential. Croatia believes that the Security Council
must adequately represent the current structure of the
membership of the United Nations. We therefore
support enlarging the Security Council in both
permanent and non-permanent membership categories.
Taking into consideration that the number of members
of the Eastern European Group has almost doubled,
Croatia proposes that one seat be added for the Group
in the non-permanent category. Croatia is also aware of
the importance of resolving all the other elements of
Security Council reform.
 As we witness the increasing challenges
appearing around the world, it is clear that we must all
make every effort to strengthen the capability,
efficiency and credibility of the United Nations in
general. We welcome the establishment of the Change
Management Team, and look forward to seeing
proposals for streamlining processes, increasing
accountability and improving the efficiency of the
United Nations in delivering its mandates.
 The challenges and consequences of climate
change are undermining efforts to achieve sustainable
development. Climate change must be further
mainstreamed into the work of the whole United
Nations system, with a view to supporting efforts to
help the transition to low-carbon economies consistent
with sustainable development, to strengthen countries’
adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change,
and to minimize the possible security implications.
 In the light of diminishing natural resources,
environmental degradation, extreme poverty, hunger
and diseases, and social unrest, we agree with others
that sustainable development has become the defining
issue of our time. Our highly globalized and
interdependent world means that we share not only the
same challenges but a common fate. As a member of
the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee, Croatia will
be an active contributor to the preparations for next
year’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development, the Rio+20 Conference. This summit
meeting will provide a unique opportunity to
reinvigorate the spirit of Rio and to restate a blueprint
for political commitment, partnership and action on the
ground without revisiting the agreements reached at
Rio in 1992 or at Johannesburg in 2002.
 Finally, let me return to what this Organization
stands for. In order to achieve our common objectives,
we must demonstrate unity of purpose, firm resolve,
solidarity and responsibility. Or, as a famous composer
once said, “Only the pure in heart can make a good
soup.”


On
behalf of the people of Paraguay, Mr. President, I offer
you sincere congratulations on your election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth
session. I also thank Mr. Joseph Deiss for his laudable
work as President of the previous session, and
congratulate Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his re-appointment
as Secretary-General. Throughout his tenure at the
head of the Organization for the past five years, he has
demonstrated his gift for leadership and his

7 11-50702

unwavering commitment to world peace and
international security.
 The people of Paraguay and their President, in
consonance with our extraordinary national history,
believe deeply in the human being as the subject and
end of and reason for every effort designed to benefit
humankind. The centrality of humans in the history of
the universe in all their endeavours, interests and
conquests will be constantly proclaimed in this forum.
 In order to begin to discuss the future of
humankind, we must correct mistakes and rethink
paradigms that for decades, sometimes even for
centuries, have demonstrated their utter uselessness in
bringing about change for good. Restoring men and
women to centre stage in the concerns of the universe
is a fundamental step in order merely to begin to trace
a basic outline for a future of certainty that seeks to
replace the frustrations of managing the development
paradigm with the realities of a world in which well-
being is much more tangible.
 What good does it do to discuss development
plans if the goal of dignifying the human being is not
the beginning and the end of the process? At this stage
in history, when we are thrilled by the most incredible
technological achievements capable of keeping pace
with our flights of imagination and our dreams, where
does that leave the nightmare of starving children who
fight for a crust of bread, smile if they get it — and
still want to play? What benefit do we derive from the
media hype about these great global and commercial
achievements while in complicit silence the other half
of humanity is holding out its hand, begging for a little
help, for the love of God? What good does it do us to
continue supporting a way of creating happiness in the
world that has been loudly shown to be a failure over
and over again?
 Regions that enrich the economy of part of the
world with the natural abundance of their waters, their
oil, the precious stones hidden in the belly of their soil,
continue inexorably to accumulate debt while their
daily offerings increase the wealth of rich societies
every day. The poor neighbour in today’s world
possesses riches — those closer to the simplicity of
well-being and happiness, such as water, food, forests
and renewable energy — that are vital to its rich
neighbours. But unbridled wealth cannot be the basis
for political dominion and certainly not for wars and
military might. We live in societies because our
peoples and other human beings have mutual needs.
 Population growth is a serious global issue.
Sometimes it seems as though we live in a world that,
worse than resigning itself to poverty, resigns itself to
inequality, to the pornographic spectacle of scandalous
imbalances which reveal the inner workings of an
ostentatious world celebrating its shame, as described
by Gabriel García Márquez in his tale of Innocent
Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother. As long as
that continues, the dialogue between the rich bank that
sustains and coordinates the world economy and the
poor world that provides the natural resources will
gradually become senseless.
 My country’s growth rate in 2010 exceeded
15 per cent; but tensions made efforts to redistribute
that wealth and reduce inequality more difficult than
achieving the growth itself.
 I think that this is true all over the world. The
United Nations needs to discuss measures to enable or
assist Member States to work their way through fiscal
policies and international market regulations that
contribute to the stark reality of the huge fortunes that
exist in the hands of just a few in some countries as
compared with the inequalities, droughts, humanitarian
crises in others.
 Solidarity is a ten-letter word that is fine-
sounding but sometimes empty: empty of free will,
actions and especially results. Solidarity is no longer
simply a moral imperative; it is a prerequisite for
achieving progress and combating the dark side of
ignoring it: violence and crime.
 We live in a world which urgently requires a
paradigm shift. And we must admit that the world is at
a crossroads; because one discourse that has been
going on for five centuries in the name of progress and
another for six decades in the name of development
have only added uncertainty about any improvement in
the future lot of broad regions and thousands of
millions of people.
 The unrepentant incapability of the developed
countries to understand a very simple equation in order
to set up local development plans as local plans for
development means that known errors will be repeated
despite the urgent need for profound, convincing and
radical rethinking capable of harnessing the mutual
trust that can promote progress towards the only

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tangible parameter, the only valid outcome, the only
genuine reality, which is a good life for all men and
women.
 Achieving the good life for all should be the
paradigm of our time. It clearly entails envisioning a
post-development future in which thoughtfulness,
objectivity and goodwill coexist in harmony and
genuine solidarity reigns without delay between those
in the powerful and wealthy world and those who live
in poverty elsewhere.
 This is not just a moral vision. Of fundamental
importance to progress is the sharing of wealth. And
that brings me to the main theme of this forum,
avoiding future conflict and future violence. But the
paradigm of the good life requires plans that focus on
the dignity of human beings and the future rather than
on resource exploitation systems which almost never
benefit the people.
 In Latin America — the region to which my
Government is committed — we live the daily paradox
of poverty in the midst of the best basic conditions for
generating wealth. Historically, since colonial times,
our wealth has followed a one-way path to other
regions of the world, without generating any structural
improvements in our economies.
 We attend the prestigious world summits of the
developed countries where the lot of poor countries has
been debated for decades, yet we have had no luck.
When will the countries of Latin America realize that
we export nature, we export oxygen, we export fresh
water, we export food, we export renewable energy? It
makes no sense that our countries remain poor, when
we have so many assets and products that enrich the
rest of the world.
 Finally, on this subject, a paradigm shift to ensure
that human beings are at the centre of world concerns
requires commitment on the part of those who govern
the most powerful countries. We in turn must commit
to supporting them and not abandoning them if that
paradigm shift takes place. And the most intelligent
form of support is, as we have just mentioned, to
develop an awareness of what we are and the enormous
potential with which our countries are endowed.
 Paraguay reaffirms its steadfast commitment to
multilateralism based on a democratic and egalitarian
new world order, an order that will ensure the
comprehensive and effective development of our
countries. Paraguay therefore believes both in a
stronger and more democratic United Nations, as a
truly global organization, and in strengthening progress
in the regional integration of peoples. For example, we
have the Union of South American Nations —
UNASUR — and the future Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States, which provide
common space for nations that share a common history,
common values and common plans for sovereignty and
independence.
 Global change is picking up speed. The still
significant primacy of the central Powers in economic
and military terms, and therefore in political and
cultural terms, is facing demands for democratization
of the world order and progress in multilateralism. The
financial, energy, social and environmental crises are
proof of the contradictions and conflicts in the strategic
interests of the great Powers as well as the weaknesses
of the aid-dependent countries and those in the midst of
development. We believe in mediation as a remedy to
overcome social injustice and as a path towards peace.
 Among our peoples’ demands for strengthened
democracy, we see the spirit of the words of Nelson
Mandela when, in the past century, he said that there
can be no democracy with poverty and no democracy
with social inequality. That is why the theme of the
sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, on
strengthening the role of mediation in the settlement of
disputes by peaceful means, conflict prevention and
resolution, has taken on greater relevance.
 Article 1 of the United Nations Charter states that
the purpose of our Organization is
 “to take effective collective measures for the
prevention and removal of threats to the peace,
and for the suppression of acts of aggression or
other breaches of the peace”.
Thus, in the face of violence and today’s wars, whether
traditional or silent, short or long-term, there is a
demand for mediation as a mechanism for peace, as a
tool to overcome global social injustice and thus a
necessary foundation for achieving international peace
and security.
 In that context, we advocate mediation in order to
overcome global social injustice and both traditional
and silent wars. It must be based on the shared but
differentiated responsibilities of all countries,
developing and developed, in order to guarantee the

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conditions necessary for a peaceful world that relies on
the comprehensive and effective development of our
peoples. Lastly, it must avoid ruinous hypotheses at all
costs, such as those that led to “preventive attacks”,
which culminated in the loss of many lives, the
destruction of entire cities and vital elements of
universal culture, and sowed the seeds for the dreadful
mistrust of any subsequent such initiatives.
 The self-determination of peoples should not be
shaped by the political or economic interests of those
who oversee global equilibrium with weapons. It is,
and must be, written in stone.
 Paraguay plays an active role in United Nations
peacekeeping missions. Beginning this year, after more
than a decade of uninterrupted contributions of military
observers, Paraguay will be contributing a multirole
engineering unit to the United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti, the first to be deployed under our
national flag.
 The General Assembly should adopt the
necessary reforms so as to reaffirm its inherent nature
as a universal, democratic and equitable representative
body. In this way, its powers will be recognized and
will take precedence over those of other bodies in the
Organization, such as the Security Council, in order to
underscore the processes that help to overcome
violence and globalized social injustice and build the
multipolar, democratic and egalitarian world that we so
greatly desire.
 In the same vein, democratizing the Security
Council is becoming an increasingly urgent task. We
urge the Council to fulfil its primary role of promoting
world peace and avoiding war, which is why it must be
reformed and become more democratic. We must
accord greater legitimacy to the Council by making it
more representative of the new multilateral and
multipolar world order, and by gradually doing away
with veto rights.
 We must express our concern, here before the
General Assembly, regarding the actions taken in Libya
under resolution 1973 (2011) of the Security Council
and in the context of the responsibility to protect. We
believe that the use of force must always be a last
resort.
 That is why we are concerned about the crisis
affecting the United Nations Security Council, which
can be overcome only through its reform and
democratization. Thus, we insist and urge that efforts
continue to be made to that end so that the Council can
once again fulfil its mission of guaranteeing
international peace and security.
 In terms of foreign policy, Paraguay, as one of the
founding Members of the Organization, upholds and
reiterates the constitutional principles governing its
international relations: national independence, self-
determination of peoples, legal equality of States,
solidarity and international cooperation, international
protection of human rights, freedom of navigation in
international rivers, non-intervention, and condemnation of
all forms of dictatorship, colonialism and imperialism.
 In the 50 years since the embargo was imposed
on the people of Cuba, Paraguay has repeatedly
expressed its opposition to that economic, commercial
and financial blockade, as have the countries of Latin
America and the Caribbean. Paraguay has stood
together with those countries and called for the
immediate lifting of the embargo. In particular, we
deplore the impact of this unjust blockade on the
Cuban people, which is a consequence of positive laws
that affect free trade and the transparent practice of
international trade.
 In that respect, Paraguayan legislation does not
recognize the extraterritorial application of foreign
laws that violate the sovereignty of other States. This
practice also violates the principles of international law
that we, the Members of the United Nations, defend
and strive to uphold.
 Paraguay has consistently supported the
resolutions adopted by the General Assembly at
previous sessions which call for the lifting of the
economic, commercial and financial embargo against
Cuba. In full observance of resolution 65/6, entitled
“Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and
financial embargo imposed by the United States of
America against Cuba”, and before this Assembly,
Paraguay once again reiterates its support for the
resolutions adopted in that regard.
 Consistent with the stance it has taken in
international forums, in particular the United Nations,
and considering the resolutions that condemn the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, such as
Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973),
446 (1979) and 478 (1980), Paraguay established
diplomatic relations with Palestine on 25 March 2005

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and recognizes a free and independent Palestinian State
based on the borders of 4 June 1967.
 We are gratified that the agenda of the sixty-sixth
session of the General Assembly includes the
recognition of the free, sovereign and independent
State of Palestine. We are convinced that this is a
confirmation of the historic debt of the international
community to recognize the legitimate right of the
Palestinian people to have its own State with well-
defined borders. This will be a significant contribution
to the peace process in the Middle East.
 We believe that urgent efforts are needed to
design and build a new international financial
architecture, one that responds to the new era in which
we live and provides measures for avoiding systematic
cyclical crises and for developing regional mechanisms
for economic and financial cooperation. Under this
new framework, nations with common histories and
destinies can create their own spaces for cooperation
and economic partnerships.
 The countries of South America have focused the
actions of UNASUR on this goal. We are confident
that, by coordinating and linking our economic
initiatives, we will lay the foundation for integration,
which will not only protect our countries from crises
that are not of our creation, but also guarantee the
comprehensive development of our peoples.
 Paraguay is among those nation States which,
over the course of history, have fallen prey to various
vulnerabilities, given their geographic situation and
historical experience. Paraguay has been weakened by
a historic model of socio-economic development based
on the looting of its natural and strategic resources and
administered through relations of structural
dependence.
 That is why, in January 2010, Paraguay became
the Chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing
Countries. In that capacity, we urge transit countries
and their main neighbours, as applicable, as well as
international organizations and the most developed
countries, to increase their commitment to implement
the Almaty Programme of Action, addressing the
special needs of landlocked developing countries
within a new global framework for transit transport
cooperation. This will help such countries to overcome
their limitations and will facilitate their overall
development.
 As a complement to beginning the preparations
for the Conference of Landlocked and Transit
Developing Countries, which will help us to overcome
the adversities we face, we are promoting the
Multilateral Agreement for the Establishment of an
International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing
Countries, in the conviction that scientific advances in
that area will be of great importance in overcoming the
obstacles that such countries face.
 Regarding the Millennium Development Goals,
Paraguay reaffirms its full commitment to achieving
those goals and expresses its concern about the extent
to which they will be met by 2015. This is why we
encourage Governments, civil society organizations
and the private sector to work together to achieve
them.
 Given its commitment to the goal of fully
respecting the human rights of our peoples, Paraguay
has decided to present its candidacy for the Human
Rights Council for the term 2014-2017. We hope to
have the support of the international community.
 We must express our serious concern for the
environmental crisis, which is worsening on a daily
basis and even generating uncertainty about the
survival of the human race. We fully support
strengthening the only legally binding agreement in
this area, the Kyoto Protocol, and its further extension.
The agreements reached in Cancún are a great support
in improving emissions levels but they are voluntary in
nature, which contradicts the principle of climate
justice that our peoples so favour.
 Finally, I would like to thank all those who
helped the Paraguayan initiative for the International
Day of Friendship to come to fruition. The friendship
of individuals, peoples and nations is not exclusively a
question of diplomacy, much less a commercial
enterprise to make money from the inclination of
human beings to join together. Friendship is that bond
which must necessarily be based on solidarity, and, in
Paraguay, we believe that it is high time for the world
to make it happen.
 I am pleased that this initiative has become
universal. On behalf of the Paraguayan people, we
greet all the peoples of the world in the hope that we
will find the way to overcome global social injustices
and thus guarantee a world culture of peace and
friendship based on the well-being and genuine
development of all our peoples, without distinction.


Allow
me at the outset to warmly congratulate Mr. Al-Nasser
on his election as President of the General Assembly
and to assure him of the support of my delegation
throughout the sixty-sixth session of the Assembly.
 The Secretary-General, whom I heartily
congratulate on his unanimous reappointment,
introduced, at the opening of the general debate, the
priorities that he intends to implement during his
second term in office. His vision, which will guide our
endeavours and our deliberations during this period of
instability and uncertainty, sets forth the parameters for
a new form of global governance that will need to, on
the one hand, respond to the challenges that we face
and to the aspirations of our peoples and, on the other,
take into consideration the new realities of our time.
 Among these new imperatives of the twenty-first
century, sustainable development and the building of a
safer world require a more responsible approach on the
part of all our Governments and the renewal of our
unwavering support for the Organization, whose
crucial role in the prevention of conflicts, human rights
violations and natural disasters needs to be
strengthened and supported.
 It was Mr. Al-Nasser’s clear-sighted initiative to
make the role of mediation in the settlement of disputes
by peaceful means the theme of the general debate. Our
community now has a new Member — the Republic of
South Sudan — following a peace process that was
welcomed by all. Since the beginning of the year, we
have seen a great impetus towards freedom and
democracy among thousands of women and men across
the Arab world. The Arab Spring has highlighted once
again the universal nature of the norms and values of
the Organization. Justice, democracy, human dignity,
equality and freedom have led to renewed hope among
peoples for too long repressed. Today we face a great
challenge: not to disappoint them.
 The Government of the Principality reiterates its
support for and its solidarity with all who fight for
respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law,
and in that regard is hopeful that a just, lasting and
comprehensive settlement will enable the State of
Israel and a viable, sovereign and democratic
Palestinian State to live side by side in peace and
security.
 The past year has been rich in challenges for our
Organization. We have had to face great natural and
humanitarian disasters, emergency situations caused by
people and the fallout of the economic crisis. Each
time we turn to this Organization to safeguard
humanity’s shared assets, such as the environment,
health and peace.

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 We also turn to the United Nations to protect our
collective security. The deadly attack a few weeks ago
on the United Nations offices in Abuja, the capital of
Nigeria, cruelly reminded us of the innumerable risks
faced by United Nations personnel across the world —
in Côte d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, the Sudan,
everywhere where the United Nations has saved lives
or upheld rights. They sometimes pay the ultimate
price.
 But our Organization has limited resources and
cannot always deal with the multiplication of conflicts.
We must therefore focus above all on the prevention of
conflicts. What is a better prevention measure than
development? Last year from this same rostrum His
Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco reiterated
the Principality’s commitment to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (see
A/65/PV.4). Monaco seeks to be a responsible, reliable
and supportive partner, and its priorities continue to be
improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable
people.
 I wish to underscore the essential role of women
in the prevention and settlement of conflicts and in
peacebuilding. Women and girls must be at the centre
of our development strategies. It is now an established
fact that a society that guarantees equality between
women and men and promotes the economic
independence of women is a more prosperous society.
If we wish women to be able to realize their potential
in the economic sector, we need to get rid of obstacles
such as discriminatory regulations. We need to ensure
that women have equal access to economic resources,
particularly to land, credit, science and technology,
vocational training, information, communication and
markets.
 In this regard, the Principality of Monaco wishes
to reiterate its support for UN-Women and its
Executive Director, Ms. Michelle Bachelet.
 It is our shared responsibility to show our
commitment in the crucial gathering of 2012 — the
twentieth anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit — and
to create a solid basis for the comprehensive
development of a green economy.
 We are seeking to develop sources of renewable
energy, more environmentally friendly and healthy. But
in the short term, we are not in a position to abandon
nuclear energy or oil. As we have learned so painfully
through the Fukushima accident, we do not know
whether one day it will be possible to fully control all
the risks involved in nuclear energy. We thus continue
to burn hydrocarbons, sending their emissions into the
atmosphere. These pitfalls pose a great danger to our
collective security.
 It is time to put an end to the ideological debates
and the divides that separate us and that delay our
efforts to implement a green economy.
 The Secretary-General proposed that we establish
a new generation of development objectives to succeed
the MDGs after 2015. The Principality of Monaco
supports that initiative, which aims to encourage the
international community to set ambitious goals and to
provide the wherewithal to achieve them.
 As part of its contribution to that endeavour,
Prince Albert II wanted Monaco to contribute actively
to the preparatory work for the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development by organizing
in the Principality, from 28 to 30 November 2011, a
meeting of high-level experts on the sustainable
management of oceans. His Serene Highness would
like to see the international community place the seas
and oceans at the top of the political agenda at the
forthcoming Earth Summit.
 In spite of the development of a legal framework
to govern activities in the oceans, the negative impacts
of human activities on oceans and seas are becoming
increasingly visible. Marine pollution and
unsustainable practices in the exploitation of marine
resources are continuing to endanger marine
ecosystems, to the detriment of future generations.
Climate change has had a significant impact on oceans,
leading to the phenomena of acidification, rising sea
levels and coral bleaching. Sustainable management of
the oceans is an essential pillar of the green economy.
 Stronger prevention measures, at the service of
all Member States, both developed and developing,
will enable the Organization to carry out its role with
greater efficiency and flexibility. That requires the
strengthening of its institutions, taking greater account
of the role of the General Assembly, balanced reform
of the Security Council, increasing cooperation with
regional organizations, enhanced interaction with civil
society and private sector partnerships.
 I wish to hail the leadership and political courage
of His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, who

13 11-51390

endeavoured to impose the moral force of the United
Nations before the eyes of the entire world.
 The Principality of Monaco will not fail to work
for the improvement of global governance that our
community hopes and prays for. We share the
conviction regarding the immense importance of the
universal values upheld and defended by the
Organization, values to which future Members must
adhere, as we have done.