Let me begin by adding my
voice to the many salutations directed to Mr. Ban
Ki-moon on being elected as the Secretary-General of
the United Nations. I wish him a fruitful tenure of
office, trusting that through his work the poor of the
world will have good reason to increase their
confidence in this Organization of the nations of the
world.
 Again, I reiterate the many thanks to Her
Excellency Ms. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, for the good
work she did as the President of the General Assembly
at its sixty-first session. Equally, my congratulations go
to Mr. Srgjan Kerim on his election as the President of
the General Assembly at its sixty-second session.
 We meet here today, under the theme of
responding to climate change, at this session, which
marks the half-way point in the freely agreed period
during which the nations of the world committed
themselves to work, individually and collectively, to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 Billions of the people of the world know as a
matter of fact that the consequences of climate
change   be it droughts, floods or unpredictable and
extreme weather patterns   undermine our common
efforts to achieve the MDGs. Today, we all understand
that the costs of doing nothing about climate change far
outweigh those of taking concrete measures to address
this challenge. It is clear that delaying action on this
matter of climate change will hit poor countries and
communities hardest. Yet the pace of climate change
negotiations is out of step with the urgency indicated
by science.
 I would therefore urge that we collectively aim
for a significant advance in the multilateral
negotiations when our negotiators meet in Bali in
December this year. Together, we must ensure that we
build a fair, effective, flexible and inclusive climate
regime under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol,
and we must agree to this as a matter of urgency.
Though we have different responsibilities, and
developed countries clearly have an obligation to take
the lead, we all have a common duty to do more and
act within our respective capabilities and in accordance
with our national circumstances.
 The World Summit on Sustainable Development
correctly reaffirmed sustainable development as a
central element of the global action against poverty and
the protection of the environment and identified
important linkages between poverty, the environment
and the use of natural resources. These linkages are
real to billions of the poor; the combination of their
empty stomachs, their degraded environment and their
exploited natural resources, for which they benefit
nothing, defines hopelessness and a heart-wrenching
existence.
 Many of these wretched of the Earth know from
their bitter experience how their resource-rich areas
were transformed into arid, uninhabitable and desolate
areas forcing migration to better-endowed regions, thus
exacerbating conflicts and the struggle for scarce
resources.
 Gathered here as representatives of the peoples of
the world, we know very well that climate change,
poverty and underdevelopment are not acts of God but
human-made.
 Clearly, the starting point for a future climate
regime must be equity. A core balance between
sustainable development and climate imperatives will
have to be the basis of any agreement on a
strengthened climate regime. Any deal on fair use of
the ecological space will have to be balanced by a deal
giving all countries a fair chance in the development
space.
 Under the aegis of the United Nations, but also
within our regional bodies, we have adopted many
programmes and declarations, with clear
implementation targets aimed at addressing the
challenges of climate change, poverty and
underdevelopment. As this conclave knows very well,
the many lofty agreements include, among others,
those adopted at the Rio Earth Summit, the
Copenhagen Social Summit, the Millennium Summit,
the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the
Monterrey International Conference on Financing for
Development. At all these summits and others, we have
adopted declarations using moving and solemn words
that express our profound understanding of the gravity
of the challenges facing the modern world and have
unequivocally committed ourselves to defeating any
and all of the miserable and dehumanizing conditions
facing large parts of humanity.
 Indeed, this collective asserted, in paragraph 11
of the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2):
  “We will spare no effort to free our fellow
men, women and children from the abject and
dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty. ...
We are committed to making the right to
development a reality for everyone and to freeing
the entire human race from want.”
Yet the poor, whose hopes have been raised many times
as we have made declaration after declaration against
poverty and underdevelopment   and as we are doing
now on climate change   can be forgiven for thinking
that this important global leadership often sounds like
an empty vessel.
 That this collective is able to express, always
eloquently, the dire circumstances characterizing
poverty is without doubt. However, this Organization,
which should pride itself on visible actions and results
in the fight against climate change and poverty, finds it
difficult to demonstrate decisive progress in that
regard. The reasons for that are not hard to find.
Although the concepts of freedom, justice and equality
are universal and fully embraced by the United
Nations, this global Organization has not itself
transformed and designed necessary institutions of
governance that are consistent with the noble ideals
that drive modern democratic societies.
 Because the nations of the world are defined by
the dominant and the dominated, the dominant have
always become the decision-makers in the important
global forums, including at this seat of global
governance. Accordingly, the skewed distribution of
world power   political, economic, military,
technological and social   replicates itself in
multilateral institutions, much to the disadvantage of
the majority of the poor people of the world.
 Indeed, even as we agree on the important
programmes that should bring a better life to the
billions of poor, the rich and the powerful have
consistently sought to ensure that, whatever happens,
the existing power relations are not altered and
therefore that the status quo remains. The results of
that situation are that the United Nations can and does
correctly identify problems and appropriate solutions
necessary for making the world a better place for all of
humanity. Naturally, the dominant and the powerful
very often respond positively to agreed programmes if
these would advance their own narrow interests.
 At the same time, the poor will continue to strive
for improvement of their wretched conditions. They
therefore see the United Nations as a natural
instrument for helping to accelerate the process of
change for the better. Hence, they correctly see
implementation of all United Nations programmes as
being central to the efforts relating to climate change
and the struggle against poverty and
underdevelopment.
 Yet the cold reality is that it will be difficult for
the United Nations, in its present form, to fully
implement its own decisions and therefore to help the
poor to swiftly achieve the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Indeed, until the ideals of freedom,
justice and equality characterize this premier world
body itself, the dominant will forever dictate to the
dominated, and the interests of the dominated   which
are those of the majority of humanity   will be
deferred in perpetuity. Thus, noble statements will
continue to be uttered on all matters facing the
majority of the people of the world, such as the need to
successfully conclude the Doha Development Round,
while little is done to implement the many critical
agreements necessary to pull the poor out of the morass
of poverty and underdevelopment.
 We in my own country are of the firm belief that
we will achieve the MDGs. Having emerged from more
than three centuries of colonialism and apartheid, we
inherited two interlinked economies, which we
characterize as the first and second economies. The
two economies   one developed and globally
connected and the other localized and informal
display many features of a global system of apartheid.
As South Africans, we have sought to strengthen the
first economy and to use it as a base for the transfer of
resources to strengthen and modernize the second
economy, and thus embark on the process of changing
the lives of those who subsist in the second economy.
 Indeed, without the requisite resource transfers, it
will not be possible to achieve the MDGs, because our
second economy cannot on its own generate the
resources needed to bring a better life to millions of
poor South Africans. I mention this because, as we all
accept, central to the global attainment of the MDGs is
the critical matter of resource transfers from the rich
countries of the North to the poor countries of the
South.
 Many developing countries   especially those of
my own continent, Africa   do not have the material
base from which to address and attain the MDGs on
their own. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for
massive resource transfers through development
assistance, investment, trade, technology transfers and
human resource development to these poor countries if
we are to achieve the MDGs and successfully adapt to
the devastating impacts of climate change.
 If we do not succeed in building a climate change
regime that balances adaptation and mitigation,
underpinned by the transfer of technology and financial
resources, we will place an unmanageable burden on
future generations. In that regard, given Africa’s
specific and dire challenges, we believe it is important
to enter into a partnership with Africa using the African
Union’s programme the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), which the Assembly has
adopted, so that the measures that the continent has
undertaken, with limited resources, for the regeneration
of all the African countries can be strengthened by
support from the international community, guided by
the programmes of the United Nations.
 As history teaches us, it was because of the
massive resource transfers in the aftermath of the
Second World War that Western Europe recovered and
was set on its development path. A similar intervention
helped to put a number of Asian countries on their own
development trajectory. The question we should ask is,
why is there an absence of the same resolve to assist
poor nations today? The global village to which we
constantly refer should encourage us to expand human
solidarity. Thus, we would build a durable bridge over
the river dividing our common global village and
regrettably ensuring that one human being lives a
fulfilling life while another experiences a miserable
existence.
 Representing the citizens of the world, we have
set for ourselves programmes requiring that all of us
work together to create better living conditions for
humanity and ensure that we achieve that which is
necessary for our mutual prosperity.
 Together, rich and poor, developed and
developing, North and South, we can and must truly
hold hands and address the challenges of climate
change and sustainable development, work together to
defeat poverty and underdevelopment and ensure that
every human being is saved from the indecencies and
humiliations that are inseparable from poverty. But to
do that, we need first and foremost to implement the
decisions that we have adopted freely in this eminent
house of the representatives of the global community.
And so, let our actions speak louder than our words.


On behalf of  the people and the Government of the Republic of
Mozambique and, indeed, on my own behalf, I would
like to associate myself with the previous speakers in
congratulating you most warmly on your election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second
session. We are confident that with your experience
and wise leadership, as demonstrated throughout your
remarkable academic and diplomatic career at the
service of your country, and with the support of us all,
the deliberations of this session will be crowned with
success.
 Mr. President, my delegation would like to take
this opportunity to pay tribute to your predecessor, Her
Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, for her
dedication and the innovative manner with which she
presided over the deliberations of the sixty-first session
of the General Assembly.
 We also wish to reiterate our special tribute to the
Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
for his election to this post, and we salute him for his
commitment to the continued search for solutions to
the many challenges faced by humanity, and for his
hard work on behalf of our Organization.
Mr. Secretary-General, we would like to reaffirm our
full readiness to continue cooperating with you for the
successful discharge of your difficult but noble
mission.
 We commend the selection of the theme of
climate change as the main discussion topic for this
session, as it is an urgent and important issue for our
countries and for the future of our planet. Thanks to the
revolution in convergence technology in the areas of
informatics, broadcasting and telecommunications,
with implications for time and space compression, we
have been following with emotion and on a regular
basis, and in some instances in real time, the effects of
climate change on our planet. We have witnessed the
reduction in the availability of water resources and the
tragic consequences for human beings, fauna and flora;
the increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme
meteorological phenomena, such as extreme
temperatures, earthquakes and tsunamis, resulting in
the occurrence of natural disasters whose consequences
are incalculable; the reduction of glaciers and the rise
of sea level; to mention but a few of the potential
impacts of climate change, the full effects of which are
yet to be clearly determined.
 The impact of these phenomena is felt more
harshly in developing countries, such as ours, given
our deficient forecasting capacity in terms of human
and technical resources. When these disasters strike
our countries, our limitations and our lack of capacity
to face them become more obvious. Examples of such
limitations include: a lack of infrastructure, such as
roads and bridges, preventing rescue personnel from
providing timely assistance, even to citizens at great
risk; a lack of means to assist the victims; and a lack of
resources to mitigate the suffering of the survivors.
 Given that we live in a global village, the effects
of climate change are also felt in developed countries.
Phenomena never before recorded with the magnitude
and frequency with which they manifest themselves
today are beginning to be a cause of concern for the
citizens of these countries.
 To digress a little from the discussion at hand, we
would like to express our solidarity with and
compassion to all victims of the natural disasters that
have affected different regions of the planet in recent
years. In honour of the victims of these disasters, let us
all reaffirm our commitment to continue together to
strive for a better world, a world free of these threats to
human life and possessions, and to fauna and flora.
 That is a collective commitment and aspiration
that we have already assumed through several
instruments, such as the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21
and the Kyoto Protocol. More than ever, and in the face
of recurrent and increasingly devastating tragedies,
there is a need for the involvement of all the members
of the international community in the implementation
of the global actions provided for in these joint
undertakings.
 By the same token, we should ensure that the
three pillars of sustainable development, namely,
economic development, social development and the
protection of the environment should be approached
and tackled by all of us, in an integrated, coordinated
and balanced manner. Let us all keep in mind the
strong relationship between these commitments and
our collective desire to attain the Millennium
Development Goals.
 We note with great satisfaction that the
international community continues to be committed to
addressing, in a structured and sustainable manner, the
challenges imposed by climate change. In this context,
we welcome the decisions on climate change taken by
the Heads of State and Government of Group of Eight
(G-8) at their last summit held in June of this year in
Germany.
 We would also like to congratulate the Secretary-
General, for his initiative in appointing three eminent
persons as Special Envoys on Climate Change. The
convening of the High-level Event on Climate Change,
just two days ago here in this General Assembly Hall,
opens up new prospects for the renewed momentum
necessary for substantial progress to be made during
the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations
Framework Agreement on Climate Change, scheduled
for December of this year in Bali, Indonesia.
 We are hopeful that this Conference will build
consensus on future actions, including concrete targets
aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and a
post-Kyoto agreement to be binding on all nations.
May this Conference not frustrate expectations,
particularly those of the developing countries.
 It is our hope that in Bali consensus will be
reached in some key areas. First, we would like to see
the provision of funding of the national action plans for
adaptation to climate change, proposed by developing
countries parties to the Framework Convention on
Climate Change. The second element is the Adaptation
Fund, established in conformity with the Kyoto
Protocol, to provide assistance for developing
countries, in particular the least developed countries, in
the funding of their adaptation activities. The third is
the implementation of the Buenos Aires Programme of
Work on Adaptation and Response Measures.
 Mozambique is a country prone to various types
of natural disasters, which cyclically have resulted in
the loss of human lives, the destruction of huge
agricultural areas, property and social and economic
infrastructures and increased soil erosion and a
decrease in or outright loss of biodiversity.
 This state of affairs is aggravated by the shortage
of physical infrastructures for water management, such
as dams and dykes, and for food conservation, such as
silos. In addition, over 70 per cent of our population
lives in rural areas, and natural resources are their
principal source of livelihood. Hence the need for
sustainable use that does not jeopardize the country’s
environmental balance.
 Because of this permanent vulnerability,
environmental issues in general, and climate change in
particular, form an integral part of the Government
agenda. Particular attention is thus given to reducing
the vulnerability of citizens to famine caused by
drought, reducing human and property losses,
mitigating the suffering of the population as a result of
disasters and ensuring quick and harmonious
reconstruction processes.
 The activities under way include mapping the
areas at risk, improving the early warning system,
improving the conditions for the population to store
agricultural produce, the provision of training and civic
education for our citizens on natural disasters and their
impact on the life of the country and the establishment
of a national emergency operations centre, which
operates 24 hours a day non-stop.
 The introduction and implementation of these
measures give priority to and rely on the active
participation of our citizens. For us, the involvement of
our citizens, who are the primary and ultimate
beneficiaries of these governmental actions, is a key
factor in ensuring the success of activities aimed at the
preservation of the environment and mitigating the
adverse effects of climate change. The positive impact
of these actions was in evidence and widely
acknowledged during the recent floods, cyclones and
high tides that we experienced earlier this year. These
measures were recently put to the test once again, when
a warning was sounded on the possibility of a tsunami.
 In recognition of the fact that the mitigation of
and adaptation to climate change and the prevention
and reduction of natural disasters require the
engagement of the international community, the
importance of strengthening regional, continental and
international coordination cannot be overemphasized.
In the framework of the report of the High-level Panel
on System-wide Coherence in the areas of
development, humanitarian assistance and the
environment (A/61/583), we advocate the
strengthening of the Global Environment Facility
within the United Nations system. We thus encourage
the United Nations to enhance its institutional capacity
and resources to better assist Member States to
incorporate adequate environmental policies in their
national development strategies. In this regard, special
attention should be given to developing countries with
limited resources to fund their national capacity-
building for dealing with issues related to climate
change.
 From this rostrum we once again call upon all
United Nations Member States to accede to and fully
implement all the instruments that have been adopted
to revert and mitigate the impact of climate change.
These instruments include the Kyoto Protocol, Agenda
21 and the Rio Declaration, whose contents were
reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development, held in Johannesburg in 2002.
 As members of the United Nations family, we
have the historic responsibility of securing a bright
future for our children and for the generations to come
by preserving a quality environment. That is why
today, more than ever, the time has come for us to join
our hands and work to preserve our planet. To act
against climate change is, in the last analysis, to
preserve world peace and security and to ensure
necessary conditions to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, which should be viewed and
assumed as the minimum that can now be demanded.
Indeed, let us not postpone until tomorrow what we
can, and must, all do today, as tomorrow may be too
late.


It is an
honour for me to speak before this Assembly. The
United Nations is the very embodiment of the
commitment we have all made to contribute to peace
and security and to create better living conditions in a
greater climate of freedom. For its part, the
Government I represent has never ceased strengthening
its actions in the international arena. The Canadian
Government is a responsible partner and a fully
engaged Power. We are guided by unwavering
principles. Canada’s commitment is not only linked to
our interests, but above all to the values that inspire
Canadians, which are freedom, the rule of law,
democracy and human rights. They are the values
underlying our presence in Afghanistan, in Haiti, in the
Sudan and elsewhere in the world.
And they are the values and aspirations that are
embodied in the Preamble to the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights: the inherent dignity and the rights of
all members of the human family are the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace. Article 1 of the Declaration
says further “All human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights”.
 Those are not abstract concepts. They are real and
concrete concepts with effects both immediate and
profound. Promoting them is not enough. They must be
protected and defended, particularly when they are
under assault   in Burma, in Afghanistan, in the
Sudan, in Iran and elsewhere.
 In Kabul, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
confirmed the desire of the United Nations to stabilize
Afghanistan. Canada has engaged its political
commitment and practical capabilities to rebuild
security, democracy, human rights and prosperity in
that country.
 Canada believes that a united international
community must support efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.
International organizations, including the United
Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the
World Bank, must work towards that common goal. No
one country can do that alone. To fully implement
Security Council decisions, we must work in close
partnership, both with the Government of Afghanistan
and with our friends and allies.
 To ensure a successful commitment, Canada
deploys the necessary resources, as with our mission in
Afghanistan. Under the terms of a clear United Nations
mandate, Canada joined the coalition of the
International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
More than 60 countries and international organizations
have undertaken with us to help the democratically
elected Afghan Government rebuild its country.
 Canada believes that the efforts of the countries
and organizations working in Afghanistan are
commendable and also reflect the core principles
espoused by the United Nations. The challenge is great,
but the principles we are defending are greater still.
 The countries assisting Afghanistan are united by
a single conviction: there can be no reconstruction
without security. Democracy and political stability
cannot flourish in a climate of terror. Health care and
education cannot be provided where anarchy prevails.
Economic development is impossible when chaos is all
around. Security is the crucial foundation on which
everything depends, but long-term security requires
sustainable investment in the country’s development;
one goes hand in hand with the other.
 Thanks to the assistance of Canada and the
international community, Afghanistan has made
progress. Afghan police officers are currently being
trained, Afghan refugees are returning home and
Afghan children are learning to read and write. Canada
is having a real and direct impact on the lives of the
Afghan people and is contributing to the achievement
of the vision of the future expressed in the Afghanistan
Compact which was signed in 2006. In order to make
that vision a reality, it is crucial that the United Nations
and the Government of Afghanistan ensure the
fulfilment of the Compact. And yes, despite the
incidents of intimidation and violence, the situation of
the Afghan people is improving.
 Last year, Prime Minister Harper emphasized
here that the United Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan was the most important special political
mission of the United Nations. The Canadian
Government continues to support the leadership role of
the United Nations in Afghanistan. For that reason,
Canada supports having a new high-level United
Nations special envoy for Afghanistan.
 In the past year, our Government has
demonstrated its multifaceted commitment to that
mission. We have increased our development spending,
our diplomatic presence and our military engagement.
We welcome Security Council resolution 1776 (2007).
It extends the authorization of the International
Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and calls on
Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and
funding. The Canadian Government encourages
members of the Assembly to actively support that
resolution and its implementation.
 There are other challenges we must also meet. In
Haiti, the Canadian Government has asked the Security
Council to extend the mandate of the United Nations
Stabilization Mission in Haiti. That represents
Canada’s most substantial development programme
and its largest stabilization mission in the Americas.
 In Burma, it is imperative to restore democracy
and human rights. We expect the United Nations to be
at the forefront of those efforts. Although we have
disagreed on occasion with the decisions and processes
of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the
convening of a special session of the Human Rights
Council on Burma is an example of the sort of activism
and engagement that Canada expects of that body,
especially in dealing with countries that perpetuate
human rights violations.
 In the Sudan, innovative peacekeeping missions
are creating a security framework which will become
the foundation upon which a durable peace can be
built. The international community must demonstrate
the political will to find new solutions. Those solutions
must be aimed not only at immediately ending the
horrific violations of human rights occurring daily in
Darfur, but also at addressing the issues of freedom and
democracy that must form the foundation for a durable
peace. Canada’s substantial contribution to the Sudan
continues in the form of humanitarian assistance and
equipment. Of course, we condemn the intolerable
attack against soldiers of the African Union force.
 The scope of the challenges we must overcome to
maintain our security is such that no country can hope
to tackle them alone. We, the Member States, can and
must show the determination and political will so that
the United Nations may truly reflect the principles that
its founders wanted it to embody.
 Canada is and will remain a committed partner
for all those who seek to work for freedom, to work for
democracy and to work for human rights and the rule
of law.


Allow me to congratulate you,
Sir, on your election as President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-second session. I also welcome
the highly respected Secretary-General to the first
session of the Assembly convened since he assumed
his post.
 I would like to start by saying that my country is
proud to be one of the founding fathers of the United
Nations in its current form. The Czech Republic, a
successor State of Czechoslovakia, participated
actively in all kinds of United Nations activities in the
past and it will continue to do so in the future. We take
part in the work not only of the United Nations itself,
but also of its specialized organizations and agencies
such as UNESCO, the United Nations Development
Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the
International Atomic Energy Agency and many others.
We have always supported any meaningful initiative
that leads to the increase of stability and prosperity in
the world.
 I am proud to confirm that the Czech Republic
has the ambition to be elected to the Security Council
as a non-permanent member for the period 2008-2009.
I believe that we can be trusted by the majority of
Member countries and that we deserve their votes. We
are convinced that we have already demonstrated our
devotion to freedom, democracy, international
cooperation, economic development and respect for the
sovereignty of countries belonging to the community
of nations. My country served in the Security Council
in 1994-1995. We tried to do our best. We were reliable
and committed to hard work. I can assure the Assembly
that we will now do an even a better job.
 We have always recognized the principal
responsibility of the Security Council for maintaining
peace and security. Since the 1990s, the Czech
Republic has contributed to more than 20 United
Nations peacekeeping missions and United Nations-
mandated operations in the Balkans, Asia and Africa.
We deeply believe in the prevention and non-violent
resolution of disputes and conflicts. That can be proved
by our own behaviour; witness the peaceful dissolution
of Czechoslovakia in 1992. Over the past several years,
we have also multiplied our official development
assistance.
 In the past 18 years, the Czech Republic has
undergone radical and dynamic development, which
was made possible by the fall of communism and by
our rapid departure from that oppressive, inhuman and
inefficient political, social and economic system. Our
transformation strategy, based on the acceptance of
political pluralism, parliamentary democracy and a
market economy, was successful.
 A further important impetus to our development
was our approaching the European Union and our entry
into it three years ago. Today, the Czech Republic is a
full-fledged member of the Union and will hold the
European Union presidency in the first half of 2009. It
might be of interest to the Assembly that the slogan of
the Czech presidency will be Europe without
barriers. We mean by that the removing of both
internal and external European Union barriers. I fully
support that concept, as I strongly believe in the need
to remove barriers that hinder economic progress,
especially in developing countries.
 We consider the United Nations to be an
extremely important and, in fact, irreplaceable
platform. There is no substitute for it in the current
world. It is a platform for meetings and consultations,
for dialogue and, eventually, for reaching agreements
on treaties among nations sharing the same or similar
values and political stances. This unique platform is
based on the plurality of views of its 192 Member
countries and on our mutual respect for our sometimes
differing positions. The ambition of the United Nations
is not, and should never be, the search for one
obligatory, unitary view imposed by some of us on
those who disagree.
 I did not use the term “platform” by chance and
without purpose. By using it, I implicitly object to the
alternative concept: the concept of global governance
based on the indefensible idea that the world can be
globally governed, masterminded, controlled, managed
and/or even planned. To aspire to do that is something
we can never accept. It is an ambition based on the
abuse of reason and on the pretence of knowledge.
Democracy is something else.
 There are some among us who prefer the
operational efficiency - or the ability to act - of this
Organization to the recognition of the existence of
different views. They want to make decisions in an
easier and faster way. Our communist past tells us that
we should not do that. We also want the United Nations
to be reasonably operational, but we categorically
oppose that happening at the expense of individual
Member States. We have to respect the views of
individual member countries regardless of their size. It
is crucial that every Member State has equal status and
that its voice not be ignored.
 We have to go forward. The United Nations needs
changes. We do support reform of the United Nations,
because the Organization should reflect the current
situation in the world more than the situation of the era
when it was founded. Some changes are inevitable, and
we should discuss them seriously.
 To our great regret, in the world at present we are
witnessing many cases where there is a lack of freedom
and democracy. Our task for the future is to minimize
such cases. However, I do not see and hear the terms
"freedom" and "democracy" as much or as often as
they deserve. We hear other words more frequently:
aid, government initiatives and interventions, social
justice, positive rights, environment, resources,
climate, problem solving, facing threats and global
challenges among others.
 Here we have to be very careful. We should
support meaningful activities, not programmes that in
effect put constraints on local development. We should
use natural resources efficiently and protect the
environment, but not in a way that restricts human
activity and harms economic development. We would
help global development more by reducing barriers
than by providing conditional aid. Reducing
protectionism and lowering export subsidies is a far
more efficient way to help developing countries than
anything else. We should not allow developing
countries to be blocked from their own economic
growth by additional burdens imposed upon them that
they will not be able to bear.
 At the conference on climate change held the day
before yesterday, I resolutely warned against the
unjustified alarmism of global-warming activists and
their fellow-travellers in some Governments and
international organizations, but even that potential
problem, as well as any other, can never be solved
without relying on freedom, free markets, free trade
and other attributes of free society.
 Preserving the environment is very important, but
we have to be modest in our attempts to control the
complexities of the world. Let us use the potential of
this Organization as much as possible. Let us
cooperate, let us listen to each other, let us negotiate to
the last possible moment and let us try to understand
others. The Czech Republic tries to follow those rules.


Allow me at
the outset to congratulate Mr. Kerim on his assumption
of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-
second session. There is no doubt that his deep
familiarity with the academic world, tied to his
experience in the political world and in business, is a
major asset that will help him to lead us confidently in
the Assembly’s work. I sincerely hope that our debates
will be fruitful and lead to the adoption of relevant
resolutions.
 Allow me also to welcome our new Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who recently honoured us
with his first visit to Haiti in August. We are firmly
convinced that the new Secretary-General will rapidly
bring to bear his experience of the United Nations
system, his vast learning and his broad open-
mindedness in carrying out the reforms that most
Members of our Organization know to be necessary.
 Despite its difficulties, our Organization remains
the principal forum offering all States, large and small,
the same space for dialogue to address the fundamental
issues surrounding our coexistence and future on this
planet. May the Secretary-General be assured of the
support of the Haitians in his efforts to increase the
effectiveness of the United Nations and to enable it to
achieve its full potential.
 I am speaking here on behalf of a people that has
endured great suffering over the past 200 years:
material deprivation of all sorts, vulnerability to
natural threats and disasters, poor access to health care
and education, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
children from malnutrition, and a very young
population   65 per cent below the age of 25
denied any true opportunity for employment.
 I speak on behalf of a people that seems to be
depopulating itself as its most competent professionals
forsake a life of difficulties to the benefit of other
countries or businesses, and as its children, women and
senior citizens, weary of living what seems to be a
hopeless existence, take to the open seas on makeshift
boats, seeking a better life under other skies.
 I speak on behalf of a State whose neighbours,
including the most powerful among them, sometimes
portray it as a threat to regional security because Haiti
appears too frequently on the agenda of the General
Assembly or the Security Council, with a burdensome
array of problems of insecurity or political unrest.
 I speak on behalf of a country that analyses
somewhat prematurely describe as a failed State
because it has trouble making its institutions
operational and organizing a way of life appropriate to
the majority of its citizens, and because the State itself,
unfortunately, often finds itself waging an endless war
against its own children.
 Haiti is on the way to bidding farewell to that
State   slowly, patiently, yet resolutely. The organized
armed gangs responsible for violence against innocent
people have been dismantled and there is no longer any
forbidden zone for peaceful citizens anywhere on our
territory.
 The management of our economy has improved
considerably. We have stopped printing money. That
has reduced the inflation rate   which had run
rampant for several years and which just a few months
ago reached 40 per cent   to less than 10 per cent. Our
gross domestic product has seen moderate but
sustained growth, after having been negative for more
than 10 years.
 We have worked patiently to establish an
atmosphere of calm and collegiality within the political
class, which is a condition essential for enabling the
political forces to put an end to their perpetual
factional disputes and to mobilize around genuine
national reconstruction plans.
 The Security Council will soon extend the
mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH) for another year. Such an
extension would be most appropriate. This reminds us
that our victory over insecurity, the holding of
democratic elections, the improvement of governance
in the country and the strengthening of our judicial
system were possible thanks in large part to the efforts
of United Nations forces within the framework of the
Organization’s peacekeeping programme. Certainly, the
members of our national police, although young,
inexperienced and underequipped, have proved to be
courageous and determined in the fight against
insecurity, but MINUSTAH’s support at their side has
been greatly appreciated. Let me take this opportunity
to express once again our thanks to the Organization,
to the Security Council and to the friendly countries
that mobilized their own resources and citizens to
come to the assistance of Haitians at this difficult time
in their history.
 Haitians, recalling that they belong to a people
who fought for their freedom and carried the torch of
liberty to many other shores of the continent, continue
to see the presence of foreign armed forces on their soil
as a wound to their national sovereignty. Practically
speaking, however, that is the only realistic formula
currently available that is enabling Haitians to regain
freedom and live in peace.
 It is now up to Haitians to benefit from this
period of calm by pulling themselves together,
reconsidering their fate with a positive vision of the
future and returning to daily life as a disciplined,
hardworking and law-abiding people while our State
strengthens its internal cohesion, modernizes its
judicial system and improves its governance and its
capacity to intervene, so that it can create and maintain
an environment conducive to economic recovery and
genuine sustainable development.
 The adoption of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) was an act of awareness. Nevertheless,
halfway towards the deadline set for achievement of
the Goals, it seems clear that many of us   including
my country   will not meet the 2015 targets, despite
the considerable progress made in various areas.
Mobilizing resources to support the pursuit of the
MDGs is a difficult but essential task. It is not only
necessary for ethical reasons or because the
international community must honour its commitments.
Problems that cannot be resolved in a poor State will
spill over to richer States, which will thus be forced to
revisit problems that they had already overcome by
themselves at the national level.
 The General Assembly has included in the agenda
for the present session an item relating to cooperation
in combating the activities of transnational organized
crime. In that connection, I should like to highlight my
country’s efforts to fight against corruption and illicit
drug trafficking. In Haiti, we are currently developing
ways to deal with corruption. We have begun to work
to strengthen State structures and to plan legal and
regulatory reforms to be established to ensure that that
endemic evil disappears from our institutional
practices, both in politics and in business.
 But the fight against drug trafficking is of another
scale entirely, because it sets us squarely against
sophisticated and well-organized adversaries who have
access to powerful international networks in both drug-
producing and drug-consuming countries. We are
sensitive to the human suffering and social upheaval
attributable to drug abuse, and we are aware of the
efforts being made to treat and rehabilitate addicts,
primarily in the major drug-consuming countries.
However, trafficking also has harmful effects on the
economic, social and political structures of small States
such as mine and poses a serious threat to their
sovereignty and security, even if they are only transit
States. The approach that has emerged from various
international conferences focuses on prevention and
demand-reduction in consumer countries first and then
to reduce supply in producing countries and suppress
trafficking networks.
 Haiti and the Dominican Republic are on the
trade route of one of the most intense flows between
the producer countries of South America and the
consumer countries of North America. We are firmly
committed to helping the countries of the North
eliminate the drugs that arrive in their countries by way
of our territory as a place of transit. But we cannot deal
with this scourge alone, and our efforts to improve the
monitoring of our land, sea and air borders and
strengthen our institutions come up against the power
of the networks put in place by the traffickers.
 The solutions developed to deal with these
problems will clearly yield no results if we do not
urgently address the issue of economic development,
because, as has been eloquently stated in reports of the
Secretary-General, development is another name for
peace.
 It follows from that observation that we need a
new culture of international solidarity based on a
comprehensive and coordinated approach in which the
fight against poverty goes hand in hand with
sustainable development. It is an approach in which
development assistance and the fight against insecurity
are supported by the efforts of more developed
countries to open up their markets, to encourage flows
of foreign direct investment and technology transfers
and to support the private sector and entrepreneurial
initiatives: a comprehensive approach in which rich
and poor understand that they are co-owners of this
planet and that its fate is in all our hands.


I am pleased to extend my warmest
congratulations to you, Sir, on your election as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second
session. We have every confidence in your efforts to
strengthen peace within a global system characterized
by justice, balance and stability.
 I would also like to congratulate your
predecessor, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, on her
successful efforts to advance debate and dialogue on
the main concerns and problems of our day.
 I also wish to congratulate and thank Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon, who, from the day he took
office, began to promote the reform of the
Organization, in addition to addressing international
peace and security issues.
 Allow me, in particular, to welcome the fact that
the General Assembly at its sixty-first session focused
on development issues, together with the fight against
poverty, the adverse effects of climate change,
economic globalization, promoting dialogue and
understanding between civilizations and religions,
introducing modern good governance systems, and the
consolidation of democracy.
 Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,
which is an urgent priority, requires that we all
intensify our efforts and promote cooperation and
coordination so as to establish conditions conducive to
sustainable, comprehensive and balanced development.
 We believe that encouraging the spirit and values
of understanding, dialogue and complementarity
between civilizations and nations, upholding the rule of
law, and expanding justice and equity are the speediest
way to ensure peace and security in the world and
eradicate hatred and confrontation between peoples.
The continuation of seemingly intractable problems,
the widening of the gap between rich and poor, the
existence of structural dysfunctions in the global
economy, the absence of justice, and the prevalence of
injustice and despair are factors that perpetuate pockets
of tension and conflict and encourage extremism and
terrorism.
 We in Mauritania have rejected terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations. We strongly condemn it and,
at the same time, we continue to adhere to Islamic
values in our society   which are based on tolerance
and the rejection of violence and extremism and call
for understanding and brotherhood.
 Under the Charter of the United Nations we are
committed to join efforts to maintain international
peace and security. That commitment continues to be
undermined by conflict situations, some of which have
persisted since the founding of the Organization. The
Arab-Israeli conflict is undeniably the one that
generates the most antagonism and most threatens
international peace and security. That conflict
continues despite the fact that the framework setting
out the general conditions for a just, comprehensive
and lasting settlement of the conflict has been defined
and reaffirmed over the years by the Security Council
and the General Assembly. Those basic requirements
constitute the very essence of the Arab Peace Initiative.
That Initiative guarantees peace, security and the
recognition of the State of Israel by Arab countries in
exchange for an end to the occupation of Arab
territories and an agreement to seek out mutually
acceptable solutions for other outstanding issues. Israel
must seize this historic opportunity and subsequently
comply with international law so that the peoples of the
region can at last live in peace   and in particular so
that the Palestinian people can regain their usurped
rights and be able to establish an independent State,
with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
 Mauritania is of course following closely the
issue of the Western Sahara. We are pleased with the
recent steps that have led to the resumption of direct
negotiations. We reiterate our support for the efforts of
the Secretary-General to find a definitive solution
acceptable to all parties that guarantees stability in the
region.
 With regard to Darfur, we are pleased about the
agreement reached between the Government of the
Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations. We
hope that all parties will join efforts to ensure that
peace, understanding and accord prevail as soon as
possible among our Sudanese brothers and sisters.
 As for the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, we were
pleased to note the remarkable progress made on the
path towards civic peace in the country. We hope that
overall stability will prevail in that brotherly country
and that it will once again assume its rightful place in
the West African subregion and in the continent as a
whole.
 The African Union, working with the United
Nations, is making intensive efforts to resolve the
crises on the African continent. However, social and
economic progress undoubtedly offers the best solution
to those conflicts. Africa’s share of the world economy
has declined in the past two decades. The continent
now lags behind in achieving the Millennium
Development Goals. Yet, there are real signs of
improvement in the situation on the continent. New
economic opportunities now exist, thanks in large part
to the growing demand for emerging markets, but
Africa still needs further official development
assistance and greater flows of foreign direct
investment. I should like to point out that African
countries are of course primarily responsible for their
own development. They must also ensure the rule of
law, promote good governance and establish a
framework conducive to direct foreign investment.
 This year, we in Mauritania improved the
democratic process by establishing a pluralistic system
based on a Constitution that guarantees the right of the
peaceful transfer of power. Our country has therefore
undergone a major democratic transformation. We have
done so through presidential elections conducted in an
atmosphere of transparency, honesty and open
competition   as was noted by national and
international observers, including the United Nations,
the European Union, the League of Arab States, the
African Union, the International Organization of la
Francophonie and the Organization of the Islamic
Conference. In the same atmosphere of freedom and
pluralism, municipal and legislative elections made it
possible to choose the representatives of the people to
municipal councils and the two houses of Parliament.
We paid particular attention to Mauritania’s women in
both elections, with 20 per cent of contested seats
reserved for them. As a result, women are now more
represented than ever in the legislative and executive
branches, as well as in local administration, diplomacy
and management.
 Moreover, my Government has made sustained
efforts to strengthen national unity and to ensure
transparency in the management of public affairs.
Among other things, those efforts have led to steps to
secure the dignified return of Mauritanian refugees
residing in Senegal and Mali, so as to usher in a new
era of brotherhood and national reconciliation in our
country.
 In the same vein, we have enacted a law
criminalizing slavery. A high court of justice was also
established in order, if necessary, to prosecute the
president of the country and senior Government
officials through an integral procedure that aims at
institutionalizing the norms of good governance,
modernizing institutions and strengthening the
oversight mechanism through greater and direct
participation by the representatives of the people and
of civil society. We are more determined than ever to
persevere along this path because we believe it is the
best way to strengthen national unity and achieve
development, security, stability and prosperity for the
nation and for our citizens.
 Mauritania is resolutely committed to
contributing to relations of cooperation and solidarity
in our region, in accordance with the ambitions and
aspirations of our people. In this framework, our faith
in the Arab Maghreb Union as a strategic choice for the
region and our faith in the Arab League and the African
Union are unwavering, given our firm commitment to
the spirit of fraternity and solidarity and to relations of
cooperation, friendship and good neighbourliness that
link our country to its Arab and African environment.
At the same time, our country remains determined to
strengthen the bases of dialogue, exchange and
understanding between peoples and civilizations,
namely within the framework of the
Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.
 Mauritania reiterates its commitment to the ideals
and purposes of the United Nations, the only
multilateral framework at the service of humanity as a
whole. Faced with the multiple challenges and threats
in today’s world, it is our common duty to make the
United Nations a melting pot where we can harmonize
our efforts to implement the priorities stated in the
Millennium Declaration and at various international
conferences. In a globalized world marked by the
accumulation of wealth and an unprecedented
acceleration of technological and scientific progress, it
is up to us to benefit equitably from the possibilities
that are offered to all peoples and to establish the best
living conditions coupled with greater freedom. We
took this commitment when we created the United
Nations more than 60 years ago. Today we have the
means to assume our responsibilities and to uphold this
often reiterated commitment.


Mr. President, at the outset I wish to
congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the
presidency of this session of the General Assembly. It
is a great pleasure for me to address the General
Assembly for the third time in order to take stock of
the actions of the international community and to
express commitment and share our thoughts regarding
the priorities on our agenda.
 When this world forum was created six decades
ago, it was an expression of will and necessity; out of
will came commitment and out of necessity came
awareness. The States represented here today are more
committed and are more conscious than ever of the
need to advance in establishing peace, combating
poverty, protecting human rights, and furthering
democracy and international law.
 In our complex and uncertain world new and old
challenges, new and old conflicts exist simultaneously.
Our cooperation has improved in quality, but poverty
continues to affect a large sector of the world’s
population. We are moving forward in promoting and
protecting human rights, but gross violations persist.
We seek peace, prosperity and dignity for all. What
measures and instruments do we have to meet these
challenges? How can we adapt them in order to
respond more effectively?
 Today, we know that no State alone can
effectively address the global agenda and guarantee
human development in a world that is increasingly
uncertain and interdependent   though no less
stimulating and creative for that. The means exist at the
universal, regional and bilateral levels, as well as at the
level of our many interrelationships. The structures and
organizations that the international community has
built with so much effort form a complex framework
that we must reform, strengthen and update. Spain
promotes effective multilateralism inspired by values
and principles sustained by the people. The
international community recognizes the need for a
greater political consensus and effective cooperation, a
trend seen within the United Nations system as well as
in regional structures such as the European Union
(EU), the Iberoamerican Community of Nations, or the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE). Spain participates in those organizations,
where optimism on progress is tangible. Despite the
sometimes slow pace of progress, there is a global
political awareness of the challenges affecting
demography, sustainable human and economic
development and their link to climate change.
 Peace is possible and necessary   real peace, not
just the absence of war. We need to clear the way for
peace and political reason in the Middle East, a region
fraught with violence and dramatic tension, which in
turn affects the security and confidence of the
international community. We must choose the power of
words over that of arms, trust over mistrust,
commitment over fear and dialogue and effective
concerted action over disagreement. Spain wishes to
help the parties and joins with the Quartet and its
representative in seeking a final solution. In order to do
this, we must establish an open dialogue without
preconditions and draw renewed inspiration from the
Madrid Conference. For peace to be complete, it must
include Syria and Lebanon.
 The meeting proposed by President Bush is an
appropriate occasion to formalize everyone’s
commitment to this desired peace. Spain unreservedly
supports that initiative.
 We wish for a peaceful, viable and democratic
Palestinian State, living in peace with Israel, and an
Israel that is secure and has good relations in its region.
The international community must support and assist
parties in their efforts. Spain is firmly determined to
make its contribution effective.
 Spain’s commitment in the region is also
demonstrated by its participation in the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). I truly hope that
the Lebanese political forces will reach a consensus
resolution of their political crisis without interference.
I appeal for a political agreement in the name of peace,
in the national interest of Lebanon and in the interest
of the region.
 The conflict in Western Sahara is one of the main
obstacles to the integration process of the Arab
Maghreb Union. We are actively committed to seeking
a just and final political agreement that respects the
principle of self-determination within the framework of
the United Nations. Spain trusts that with the
assistance of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy
and the support of friendly nations, all parties will
make progress and that the direct negotiations that
have already been initiated will culminate in an
agreement.
 Constructive trust is fundamental, and that was
behind the dialogue forum on Gibraltar in which
important agreements were reached on matters of local
cooperation of benefit to all. Spain hopes to make
progress in reaching a final solution to the sovereignty
dispute in accordance with the resolutions and
decisions of the United Nations.
 We have seen uneven progress in conflicts with a
history of devastation and violence. We have also seen
progress and change in conflicts that had been
deadlocked, such as those in Georgia, Nagorny
Karabakh and Transdniestria, as well as in that relating
to the status of Kosovo.
 Peace is possible and necessary, and we are
moving towards it despite being hit by terrorism, which
poses a serious threat to peace and security. This global
violence aims at undermining the stability of free and
democratic societies and, as we agreed a year ago in
the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
(resolution 60/288), we must prevail over that violence
by coordinating our efforts and responding collectively.
We are pleased that, in our determination to defeat
terrorism, victims and their families have not been
forgotten, and that the international community
continues to urge respect for them. I believe that this is
a well deserved acknowledgement and that without it
the strategy against global terrorism would be
incomplete.
 Spain participates in peacekeeping operations
authorized and mandated by the Security Council, in
Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Allow me, here
in the General Assembly, to express my gratitude to the
Spanish armed forces, the State security forces and
others engaged in cooperative efforts for their work
and solidarity in favour of peace. In particular, I pay
heartfelt tribute to those Spaniards who have lost their
lives in this effort and to their families and friends;
only four days ago two Spanish soldiers died in
Afghanistan. To assist in the logistics of peacekeeping
operations, Spain has offered to establish a United
Nations support base in Quart de Poblet in Valencia. A
communications centre will be established there for the
development of peacekeeping operations on the
ground.
 It is possible to defeat poverty. It is an ethical and
political duty, a duty that Spain is firmly determined to
shoulder. I am pleased and proud to say that my
country today is the eighth-largest contributor to the
United Nations system; our goal is to devote 0.7 per
cent of our gross domestic product to development aid
by 2012. In only three years, backed by political and
social consensus, we have reinforced cooperation and
increased its volume   to nearly €4.5 billion this year.
Spain has expressed profound solidarity with and
commitment to the goals set forth in the alliance
against hunger and poverty.
 We want access to drinking water and sanitation
to be a universally enjoyed right. Water will be the
central theme at International Expo Zaragoza 2008.
That event will give participating countries and visitors
insights into the fundamental aspects of water in the
twenty-first century, such as the environment,
international cooperation and prospects for scientific,
technological and economic management. I encourage
and invite members to participate in the 2008 Zaragoza
exposition on water and sustainable development.
 Spain wishes to assist in the structural
strengthening of the United Nations and believes that
institutional and managerial reform taking account of
global civil society inputs is a priority.
 That comment, Mr. President, is intended to
highlight the progress made on the Security Council
issue at the sixty-first session of the General Assembly,
during the mandate of your predecessor. It is essential
for this very sensitive aspect of reform to be resolved
through a political decision adopted by consensus, and
not in haste.
 We welcome the Human Rights Council as a
forum to debate issues related to rights and freedoms.
Spain reiterates its trust in that body and its desire to
become a member next year. The protection and
promotion of human rights is a fundamental pillar of
Spain’s foreign policy, because we are convinced that
the violation of these rights leads to oppression and
violence. We hope for the adoption at this session of a
draft resolution on the abolition of the death penalty or,
at the very least, on a universal moratorium.
 The Alliance of Civilizations will mobilize the
international community and global civil society to end
the risk of polarization caused by the prejudices,
erroneous ideas and extremism that can disrupt
peaceful coexistence. Mr. Jorge Sampaio, the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, has presented
an implementation plan programme, and a trust fund
for voluntary contributions has been set up with the
support of the Group of Friends, involving more than
70 States and international organizations.
 This has been a good year for Spain, and we
would like to share it with the international community.
Our presence abroad has increased due to the active
involvement of our citizens and our institutions,
economic stability and business activity, all of which
has been conducive to greater openness to the rest of
the world. This is not the time to be discouraged;
rather, it is a time for commitment and optimism. An
objective and rational analysis of the progress that the
international community has made in recent years
should inspire hope and strengthen the will to work
towards the development of a balanced agenda that
addresses the challenges of our times. The States
members of the General Assembly are more aware than
ever that only through united action in solidarity can
we meet these challenges effectively by using political
dialogue, preventive diplomacy and public and
humanitarian diplomacy. Spain sees the situation as
positive. In that regard I would quote the Spanish poet
Blas de Otero: “I ask for peace and I ask to speak ... in
defence of man and his justice”. That means a
commitment to action, not rhetoric.


Allow  me at the outset, Sir, to congratulate you on your
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-second session. I am confident that, with your
wisdom and experience, you will lead our work to
success. I wish you every success. I also wish to
commend Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-
Khalifa, from the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain,
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-first
session, for all her constructive and concrete efforts to
ensure the success and positive results of the
Assembly’s work.
 The sixty-second session of the General
Assembly coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of my
country’s joining the United Nations, on 30 September
1947. The Republic of Yemen was one of the first
countries to realize the importance of participating and
interacting in an international forum that serves noble
human objectives, the reason for which this
Organization was established. We also became aware
of the role of the United Nations in safeguarding
international peace and security and in promoting
cooperation among Member States with the aim of
achieving prosperity for all societies.
 On this occasion, I cannot fail to refer to the
transformations that the Republic of Yemen has
undergone since its inception on 22 May 1990, be it in
human development, freedoms, democracy or
protection of human rights. However, during the past
two years in particular we have had significant success
in establishing good governance and enlisting popular
participation in local council elections, and we have
embarked on an integrated ambitious programme for
economic, political, social, judicial and administrative
reform. This has come to be known as the National
Reform Agenda.
 The presidential and local elections held in
September 2006, the transparency and fairness of
which were attested to by all international observers,
are evidence of the practice of democracy, freedom of
expression, peaceful change of government, political
pluralism, and decentralization in the management of
State affairs. Yemen has also granted local councils
broad authority. Several pieces of legislation to combat
corruption were passed by the Yemeni Parliament,
including the establishment of a Supreme Anti-
Corruption Commission. They deal with procurement,
tenders and bidding, and the establishment of an
independent Commission, financial disclosure for
public servants and basic reform in the judiciary. The
Government now seeks to amend the laws that govern
the press in order to remove all constraints.
 Yemen has acceded to several international
agreements relating to the fight against corruption,
including the initiative of international transparency in
the mining and extraction industry sector.
 Today the world is witnessing political changes in
Yemen: freedom of expression and of demonstration
for its citizens, accorded to them by the constitution
and by law. Even though some people have used these
freedoms to cause anarchy and violence, the
Government has dealt with them in consonance with
the constitution and the law.
 I reiterate that my country abides by the approach
that it decreed for itself: democracy, political
pluralism, peaceful change of authority and recourse to
the ballot box as the best and only way for change. It is
worth recalling here that the Government of Yemen has
declared its intention to amend the constitution so as to
reduce the presidential term of office from seven to
five years and the term of office of Parliament
members from six to four years. It also intends to
amend the law pertaining to local administration, so
that governors would be elected directly, and to turn
local administration into local government, so that
more decentralization and participation in governance
can be realized.
 As it moves along this path, Yemen faces several
challenges in the areas of development, poverty and
unemployment. These challenges compel Yemen to call
on other States and on international organizations to
help it overcome obstacles and to increase their
development aid to Yemen, especially as the per capita
assistance provided to the Yemeni individual does not
meet the internationally accepted standard.
 No one today questions the existence of global
warming, the results of climate change that the world is
experiencing, or the damage that is being inflicted on
the environment. Hence, it is only natural to stress that
we should all assume our common responsibility to
contain the damage caused by some wrong-headed
policies and practices, given that the devastating
effects of such policies are evident to each and every
one of us. Over the past year we have seen floods,
hurricanes and global warming in many regions of the
world. The future has in store more catastrophes that
may affect or wipe out millions of people, especially in
the third world. Consequently, the poor would continue
to pay for the luxuries of the rich.
 We would like to recall all the agreements
relative to the environment and the resolutions that
have been adopted at conferences to protect it. We
should therefore seek to contain the climatic changes
that result in desertification and flooding.
 The tense situation in the Palestinian territories
and the violence the Palestinian people are facing from
the Israelis are matters that run contrary to the
provisions of the United Nations Charter, international
law, international agreements, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva
Convention. While the Arabs in the past have been
criticized for not providing an Arab vision to put an
end to the Arab-Israeli conflict, they were indeed
surprised that, when they presented their own Arab
Peace Initiative, it was totally ignored by Israel and the
international community, in spite of all the elements
that would secure a comprehensive and just solution to
the conflict. Thus, it is our hope that the Arab follow-
up committee of the Arab initiative will have created a
positive atmosphere leading to an international
conference to be held under international supervision
to achieve peace in the Middle East. It is also our hope
that the United States of America will keep its promise
regarding the establishment of the Palestinian State on
national soil, with Holy Jerusalem as its capital, based
on the principles of total sovereignty, viability, and
return of refugees; and we hope that the solution will
be widened to include total Israeli withdrawal from the
Golan and the Sheba’a farms. We emphasize the
importance of the participation of all the parties
concerned in the international conference to be held
soon.
 On this occasion, we call on our Palestinian
brothers to return to dialogue, to unite their positions,
to abide by the Arab Peace Initiative, to reorganize the
Palestinian house in accordance with the constitution
and Palestinian legitimacy. I refer here to the recent
Yemeni initiative to bring the Palestinian factions
together to serve the unity and ambitions of the
Palestinian people.
 The Republic of Yemen welcomes Security
Council resolution 1770 (2007) on Iraq. From this
rostrum it calls on the international community to stand
with the elected Iraqi Government to extend its
authority, to put an end to sectarian violence, to control
all the armed militias and to face the terrorist elements
that seek to spread anarchy and undermine legitimate
resistance and efforts at national reconciliation. We
emphasize the necessity for dialogue among all the
national groups in Iraq in order to reach a common
vision that could restore Iraq’s security and stability
and its pioneering role in the region. The Republic of
Yemen calls on everyone to stop interfering in the
internal affairs of Iraq, to respect its unity and Arab
character, to put an end to the occupation of its lands
and to reject any plan to divide it.
 Regarding the Sudan, we welcome its
Government’s acceptance of an expansion of the forces
and mandate of the African Union-United Nations
Hybrid Operation in Darfur. We support the efforts of
the Sudanese Government to restore peace in that
region in accordance with the security plan presented
by the Security Council, provided that the sovereignty,
territorial integrity and unity of the Sudan will never be
jeopardized under any pretext.
 The Republic of Yemen blesses the reconciliation
agreement signed by the Somali factions in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which came about as a
result of African, Arab and international efforts. Yemen
calls on all international actors to provide further
assistance and support to the Transitional Federal
Government in a manner that would enable it to rebuild
Somalia. We emphasize the importance of providing
enough African peacekeeping forces to stabilize and
normalize the security situation in Somalia. That would
hasten the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. As has
always been the case, the Republic of Yemen will
remain a partner in the reconciliation process,
supporting all the parties, rejecting any foreign
intervention in Somalia and emphasizing the need for
reconstruction in Somalia, with a view to enabling the
Transitional Federal Government to rebuild State
institutions.
 The Republic of Yemen emphasizes the right of
countries to possess nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes. It continues to support a special General
Assembly declaration of the Middle East as a zone free
from all nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
destruction, and resolutions demanding that Israel
abide by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in order to guarantee the
stability of the region and to prevent a nuclear arms
race there.
 The Republic of Yemen emphasizes the
importance of achieving the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), adopted in 2000. We also support the
objectives set out in the Monterrey Consensus. My
country is convinced that the mobilization of financial
resources for development and the effective use of
those resources in developing countries and countries
in economic transition, are two crucial areas in which
true international partnership should be encouraged. It
is worth mentioning that the responsibility of creating
and managing development programmes is first and
foremost the responsibility of national Governments, in
accordance with their priorities, needs and
specificities, and in keeping with international
strategies stemming from the Millennium Development
Goals. This should take place in partnership with donor
countries and international organizations, and in
accordance with national goals and programmes
devoted to human development.
 The Republic of Yemen wants the human being to
be the centre and goal of its development and has
placed the MDGs high among the priorities of its
policies and its five-year development plan for the
period 2006-2010. It has strenuously sought to take the
social, economic and environmental dimensions of
development into consideration. It has also involved
civil society organizations in implementing these
strategies. In addition, my country is working with
donor countries, international specialized agencies and
other institutions to implement our third five-year plan,
with the objective of alleviating poverty by supporting
small-scale programmes, expanding technical
education, enabling women, providing investment
services and opportunities and strengthening good
governance. This is an ambitious plan that requires
international support if it is to fully achieve its
objectives of bringing about a qualitative change in
human development in Yemen.
 There have been difficulties, however, in the
implementation of this ambitious reform programme,
including frequent increases in the price of food stuffs,
such as wheat flour, which has affected the standard of
living of Yemeni citizens, placing increasingly heavy
burdens on them. Accordingly, it is incumbent on rich
States to consider how to deal with inflation in
international markets, so that countries’ efforts to
implement their reform programmes will not be
jeopardized and so that those countries can strike a
balance between the costs of reform on the one hand
and living standards, social peace and political stability
on the other.
 In conclusion, allow me to express on behalf of
the Government of the Republic of Yemen our deep
thanks to the Secretary-General, His Excellency
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his sincere and strenuous efforts
at the helm of the Organization. We are confident that
he is capable of leading it with a view to bringing
about justice and fulfilling the principles and values of
the United Nations to which we all aspire. We look
forward to his continued leadership, especially in the
search for a just and comprehensive peace in the
Middle East.


It is indeed an honour for
me to extend to Mr. Kerim the sincere congratulations
of the Government of Somalia upon his election to the
presidency of the General Assembly. His tenure comes
at a crucial period for the international community as
tensions and instability have surfaced and the United
Nations has also embarked on a series of world-
changing reforms. My delegation is confident that he
will rise to the challenges and steer this body
competently during the sixty-second session.
 Fitting tribute is also due to his predecessor,
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, for her sterling
guidance and exemplary way of steering the
proceedings of the sixty-first session of the General
Assembly during some of the most trying times for the
United Nations.
 Permit me also to express on behalf of the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia my
sincere felicitations to the new Secretary-General, Mr.
Ban Ki-moon, who has had a distinguished career in
international diplomacy and who brings that extensive
experience to the United Nations. Those skills will be
crucial in his new assignment. We are confident that he
will be a beacon of hope in keeping the United Nations
ideal alive during the years ahead.
 May I also take this opportunity to congratulate
Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro on her appointment to the High
Office of Deputy Secretary-General.
 The President returned to the Chair.
 One of the major principles of the United Nations
Charter is to maintain peace and security, and to that
end to take effective measures for the prevention and
removal of breaches to world peace and security. It is
in that conviction that I appear before this body to
underscore the concerns of the Federal Government of
Somalia on political and security matters related to the
roles that should be assumed by the international
community.
 Regrettably, we feel that our major efforts in
nation-building and State-institution development have
met with an unreceptive response and reticence of an
inexplicable nature. Collective action by this world
body has been more consistent and vigorous, until very
recently, in coming to the rescue of nations in dire need
of help. A case in point concerning that
incomprehensible attitude is the long-delayed adoption
of a resolution on the timely deployment of a
peacekeeping mission in Somalia. If that stand
continues, it will reveal only a lack of commitment and
indirect acquiescence to prolonging the agony of the
Somali people. We call upon the United Nations to
come out without delay in support of the deployment
of the multinational forces.
The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia
has diligently embarked on implementing the tasks
mandated by our Charter before the end of the
transitional period in 2009. Those include, among other
things, securing democratic transformation, putting in
place permanent constitutional legality, establishing a
multi-party democratic society, and setting up regional
autonomous administrations. The federal institutions in
charge of that arduous task are working hard to provide
the nation with a federal constitution that upholds those
fundamental obligations, thus signalling a new era of
tranquillity for the Somali people.
 The efforts of the Federal Government
culminated in the convening of a peace and national
reconciliation conference in Somalia this year,
indicating that national consciousness is regenerating
within our society and a self-healing process has
begun.
 Despite disruptive intimidations by terrorist
elements that tried to hijack the proceedings, the
conference came to a successful conclusion.
Representatives of all walks of life in the Somali
community attended the conference and dealt with
issues of concern in every aspect. In that regard, we
pay special tribute to the helping hand of the Ethiopian
forces and the Uganda-led African Union Mission in
Somalia, which effectively dealt with the terrorists,
who are gradually fading away.
 Here, I wish to underscore that peace, security
and the well-being and prosperity of individuals and
nations alike are at stake in the fight against terrorism.
It is our view that the only viable response to terrorism
is a collective response of all nations, and it is for that
reason that the United Nations system has a pivotal
role to play and vital contributions to make in many
aspects of counter-terrorism, from promoting the rule
of law and effective criminal justice systems to
ensuring that countries have the means to counter
terrorism. No other institution has the means to unify
nations in the fight against that evil, and there is no
better venue for nations to forge their protective
measures.
 Our efforts aimed at nation-building, restoring
peace and stability, conflict resolution, reconstruction
and rehabilitation cannot have the expected impact
unless the required funding resources and the needed
equipment and supplies are made available as the days
of institutional disharmony are replaced by an immense
aspiration to rebuild the country. We therefore reiterate
our repeated calls for a pledging conference, and
appeal to the donor community to show serious
commitment to organizing and convening an
international donor conference, in coordination with
the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.
 Another area that cries out for speedy action is
the humanitarian needs in Somalia. As members are all
aware, the protracted civil war and persistent
fragmented conflicts over the past two decades have
been exacerbated by natural disasters that have not
only devastated public and private institutions, but
have also torn the socio-economic fabric of society and
contributed to grave humanitarian crises. We appeal to
the world community to make generous contributions
and to work closely with the Somali authorities to
ensure that humanitarian access is provided to the most
vulnerable populations. Meeting those humanitarian
needs will ultimately provide a strong foundation from
which recovery, reconstruction and development can
emerge in the future.
 This historical moment requires bold initiatives
on the part of the President of the General Assembly,
who, in tandem with the Secretary-General, is called
upon to provide the vision and strength of conviction
necessary to carry the United Nations forward to face
the myriad challenges to the Organization. We are
confident that, by working together closely, we can and
shall meet the challenges ahead.