At the outset, I should like
to congratulate Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-fourth session. I am confident that his extensive
diplomatic experience and talent will contribute to the
fruitful and successful work of the General Assembly
at this session.
 In recent decades, the world has made
considerable progress in terms of technology,
information and economic and social development,
which, due to globalization, is being spread throughout
the world. However, the negative aspects of this
phenomenon, such as international terrorism,
extremism, transnational organized crime, narcotics
trafficking, pandemic outbreaks and emerging
ecological challenges, pose a serious threat to the
international community. The United Nations plays the
key role in coordinating Member States’ efforts to
effectively meet the challenges of modern times and to
attain the Millennium Development Goals.
 Tajikistan regards peacekeeping as one of the
most important aspects of the work of the United
Nations. Last year, for the first time ever, citizens of
the Republic of Tajikistan joined police forces in
peacekeeping operations, contributing to efforts to
strengthening peace and stability in conflict zones. A
national strategy on the development of Tajikistan’s
peacekeeping capacity is currently being drafted.
 Tajikistan attaches the utmost importance to
strengthening the disarmament process. We hope that,
at the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a
constructive exchange of views will take place on
urgent issues related to the practical implementation of
that agreement. We are convinced that the
establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones is equally
important at the regional and global levels. Tajikistan
is therefore prepared to work to enhance its practical
implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on a
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, which
came into effect on 21 March 2009.
 We support the leading role played by the United
Nations in combating the illicit trade in small arms and
light weapons. We hope that important measures for

5 09-52228

coordinating further steps in this direction will be
developed at the next Biennial Meeting to be held on
the Programme of Action.
 Tajikistan supports the efforts of the international
community to achieve the comprehensive prohibition
of the use of anti-personnel mines. For our part, we are
meeting our commitments under the Convention on the
Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their
Destruction, by providing mine-risk information to the
Secretary-General on an annual basis.
 The first international conference to address the
issues of the consequences of landmines was held in
Dushanbe, the capital of my country, in June 2009.
Tajikistan has long suffered the effects of landmines.
We believe that Central Asia must be free from the
threat of mines and we call upon the international
community to do its utmost to achieve this noble goal.
 The international community continues to fight
terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime
and illicit drug trafficking. These combined threats
give rise to greater concerns. We therefore consider it
essential to expedite the adoption of a comprehensive
convention on international terrorism. Double
standards must be avoided in this endeavour, since
terrorism has no national or religious affiliations.
 The prevention of illicit drug trafficking is an
integral part of the common struggle against terrorism.
Tajikistan has developed bilateral, regional and
multilateral short- and long-term programmes of action,
and ratified approximately 30 intergovernmental
agreements.
 The Drug Control Agency established by the
President of the Republic of Tajikistan, with the active
involvement of the United Nations, has now been in
existence for over a decade. The total value of heroin
seized during these years, in terms of its average price
in Europe, is estimated at $1.12 billion. This initiative
has helped save more than 36 million lives from drug
addiction. The Tajik initiative to establish an
anti-narcotics security belt around Afghanistan was
launched from the lofty podium of the General
Assembly at its twentieth special session in 1998.
 We believe that rendering assistance to
Afghanistan’s target programmes could be one way to
counteract the drug threat emanating from that country.
Regrettably, the efforts undertaken to date and the
resources allocated by the international community to
address this challenge have not always been sufficient
to counteract the increasingly aggressive spread of
narcotics. In our view, the borders of the countries
neighbouring Afghanistan should be regarded as the
front line in this struggle, and efforts to reinforce that
line should be enhanced. For many years, Tajikistan
has acted as a buffer zone against the spread and export
of narcotics, terrorism, extremism and other negative
phenomena emanating from this area.
 We are profoundly interested in strengthening
lasting peace and stability in our neighbour
Afghanistan because the security of Central Asia
depends in every respect on the situation in
Afghanistan. Today, it is obvious that the Afghan issue
cannot be resolved by military means alone, but
requires a comprehensive approach taking into account
all the many factors involved. First and foremost,
social and educational projects and programmes should
be implemented in that country. We support the current
efforts at peaceful rehabilitation and believe that the
international strategy of action in Afghanistan should
to a larger extent rely upon the Afghan people
themselves, and that priority should be given to
ensuring close and efficient cooperation with the
country’s authorities.
 The world situation is rapidly changing because
of the financial and economic crisis. It not only
undermines our efforts and capacity to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals, but imposes new and
complex tasks. We highly appreciate the United
Nations role and efforts to address the current threefold
crisis and mitigate its consequences.
 It is well known that the global financial and
economic crisis was caused primarily by the most
advanced and wealthy countries, which unreasonably
inflated banking assets on the basis of unsecured loans.
We therefore believe that these countries must bear
their share of responsibility towards the developing
countries, whose already difficult situation was further
aggravated by the global financial crisis. Partial write-
offs of the debts incurred during the crisis, ongoing
increases in donor assistance and rational management
of labour migration would be very helpful in this
situation. In my opinion, it is high time for a number of
forums to be replaced by practical support for the
efforts of the developing countries to mitigate and
overcome the impact of the crisis. If the crisis should

09-52228 6

persist over the long term, it may be fraught with ever-
more serious consequences.
 Along with other Member States, Tajikistan
supported the outcome of the United Nations
Conference on the World Financial and Economic
Crisis and Its Impact on Development. We highly
appreciate the efforts undertaken by the High-level
Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, and
deem it necessary to enhance assistance to the
developing countries in the form of financial and
economic support and the transfer of modern
technology and seed stocks.
 Meanwhile, in our opinion the efforts to solve the
problems caused by the energy crisis have not been
successful enough. We believe that, along with the
Millennium Development Goals, access to energy
should be given top priority. Tajikistan, which ranks
eighth in the world in terms of available hydropower
resources — the total amount of which is estimated at
527 billion kilowatt hours — currently utilizes less
than 5 per cent of its potential, and over the past
18 years has endured a chronic energy crisis for eight
months of every year, primarily in autumn and winter.
In recent years, the electricity shortage has been
exacerbated by abnormally severe and long winters, the
result of climate change. It is perfectly logical that, in
the absence of explored hydrocarbon resources,
Tajikistan should develop its hydropower engineering
in a concerted and comprehensive manner.
 The completion of the construction of a number
of small, medium-size and large hydropower stations
will help to provide energy not only to the whole of
Central Asia, but to neighbouring countries as well. In
this regard, the implementation of such regional
projects as the Central Asia-South Asia Electricity
Transmission and Trade Project will define the
development prospects of our vast region, which
includes Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
 The ever-increasing need for cost-efficient and
environmentally sound energy requires the construction
of hydropower stations and water reservoirs, which are
essential to providing reliable volumes of water,
especially in years of drought. As hydropower facilities
generate energy by utilizing water rather than by
consuming it, hydropower engineering plays an
important role in developing energy production and the
socio-economic sphere, as well as in environmental
protection not only in Tajikistan but in the entire
Central Asian region.
 Global climate change requires a comprehensive
and integrated approach to the use of natural resources.
We are deeply convinced that the Copenhagen meeting
of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change will
endorse a new comprehensive agreement on this issue.
 Every year, natural disasters cause severe damage
to agriculture, the environment and the entire economy
of countries such as ours. In Tajikistan, 93 per cent of
the terrain consists of mountains. The damage done to
our country’s economy in recent years by such natural
disasters as mud flows, landslides and floods is
estimated at hundreds of millions of United States
dollars. Tragically, that damage entails human
casualties.
 An assessment of the impact of climate change on
Tajikistan’s glaciers has shown that, during the period
of observation begun in 1930, the total area of the
glaciers has been reduced by approximately one third.
Since glaciers and snowcaps are the main sources for
water runoff into the rivers, there is a probability that
in the near future river capacity will be diminished by
5 to 15 per cent. At the same time, water consumption
has increased, due to demographic growth and the
expansion of areas of irrigation. In the previous
century alone, the total area of irrigated land increased
from 2.5 million to 9 million hectares, while the
population of Central Asia grew from 20 million in
1956 to 63 million people today. In these
circumstances, the countries of the region should
review their programmes and strategies with regard to
water use, especially in agriculture, and take
consolidated and concerted action to promote
sustainable development.
 From this lofty rostrum, we should like once
again to remind everyone of the problems caused by
the degradation of the Aral Sea. The large-scale use of
land for cultivating such agricultural crops as cotton
and rice, which consume a great deal of water, has
become the primary cause of this ecological disaster.
 The most reasonable solution to the current
situation, which is characterized by the salinization of
soil and the irretrievable loss of 30 to 60 per cent of
irrigation water, would be to adopt specific water-
saving measures, such as the rehabilitation of irrigation
systems, the reclamation of irrigated land, the

7 09-52228

introduction of advanced irrigation technologies and
the partial replacement of cotton and rice with crops
that consume less water, which would also help to
address the food crisis issue.
 Only an integrated and mutually beneficial
approach of the countries of the region towards the use
of water energy and other natural resources can help to
resolve the interrelated energy, food and environment
problems and to ensure the sustainable development of
all Central Asian countries. It is no secret that
humankind is already facing a shortage of safe
drinking water, which is not accessible to more than
1 billion people on the planet, while in some countries
the price of freshwater currently exceeds that of petrol.
 As a country that has one of the largest amounts
of freshwater resources in the world, Tajikistan is
convinced that creating an economic mechanism for
the cross-flow of water and energy resources between
upstream countries that are rich in water resources and
downstream countries where hydrocarbon deposits are
primarily located would promote long-term mutually
beneficial cooperation among those States.
 Having put forward the idea of using safe
drinking water from Lake Sarez to meet the needs of
the population of the entire region, we propose specific
measures in that area. We hope that the United Nations
and other international organizations, regional
commissions and relevant institutions can offer
constructive and unwavering assistance on that issue,
which is of utmost significance to our region.
 As the initiator of the International Year of
Freshwater 2003 and the International Decade for
Action, “Water for Life”, 2005-2015, Tajikistan
believes that it is of paramount importance to expedite
the implementation of the United Nations water agenda
and to enhance it by achieving the Decade goals. World
Water Day on 22 March 2010 will mark the fifth year
since the commencement of the Water Decade. In that
regard, Tajikistan proposes holding on that day a high-
level dialogue of the General Assembly to discuss the
implementation of the international water Decade and
the Millennium Development Goals on water and
sanitation. That event could be a milestone in the
midterm review of the implementation of half of the
Decade and evaluation of the progress in achieving the
Millennium Development Goals.
 My Government has already put forward a
proposal to hold a conference for a midterm review in
Dushanbe in 2010 that would serve as one of the
preparatory events for the United Nations millennium
review summit in 2010. I hope that that initiative will
find understanding among and receive support from all
Member States.
 Bearing in mind the water crisis, which has been
aggravated by population growth and global climate
change, the international community should take
specific measures to ensure the fair and integrated use
of water resources in order to meet the needs of the
people, environment and economies of all countries
around the world. To that end, the Republic of
Tajikistan has proposed declaring 2012 international
year of water diplomacy, with the aim of developing,
within the United Nations, further coordinated steps
towards the rational use of water resources at the
national, regional and international levels. Our country
intends to further promote that issue at the General
Assembly, and hopes for the support of all Member
States.
 Next year will mark the beginning of the third
five-year term on the way towards the international
community’s achieving the Millennium Development
Goals. The year 2010 will be a landmark in the
assessment of our efforts to meet global challenges,
overcome difficulties and evaluate the progress in
attaining the goals outlined in the United Nations
Millennium Declaration.
 In conclusion, I would like to stress that, as an
advocate of broad-based cooperation, Tajikistan
believes that only collective and coordinated efforts
and effective regional and international cooperation
can serve as a foundation for our common success in
that area. The mutual understanding and cooperation
that have prevailed in this Organization since its
establishment remain the only way to a bright and clear
future and to universal peace and prosperity.


Since the last session of the General

11 09-52598

Assembly, a number of crises have tested the
capabilities of multilateral institutions to face them
firmly and with unified purpose. The international
community has come to understand that only joint
action in which developing countries are full
participants can offer sustainable responses to these
emergencies. Fortunately, we see some positive signs
of economic growth in some places.
 Nevertheless, insecurity and uncertainty prevail.
The insecurity results from the persistence of armed
conflicts, terrorism and transnational organized crime,
which threaten our achievements in sustainable human
development. The uncertainty is linked to the
negotiations that will lead to the United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in
December. Global warming is now a threat to humanity
of incalculable proportions, to which we all contribute
and for which we all, without exception, are
responsible.
 Contributing to sustainable human development
requires, first, conditions conducive to international
peace and security. As President Felipe Calderón
pointed out in the Security Council summit (see
S/PV.6191), nuclear proliferation and highly
insufficient legal access to peaceful uses for atomic
energy demand a renewed commitment to disarmament
and the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime.
 I also echo the emphatic call, issued by global
civil society at the sixty-second Annual Conference of
the Department of Public Information for
Non-Governmental Organizations, held in Mexico City
this year, that we, the Governments of the world, fulfil
our responsibilities to attain our goal of a world free of
nuclear weapons.
 The promotion and protection of human rights
constitute a universal ethical imperative and an
obligation that no government can renounce. The
progress attained in this field at the national level has
been possible thanks to my country’s close alignment
with the international system for the promotion and
protection of human rights, which has proved an
invaluable tool for promoting improvements in our
national structures.
 It is clear that to attain full sustainable human
development we must tackle poverty and inequality,
fostering a development that ensures access for all
people to adequate food, health, education and
housing.
 In response to the health emergency that Mexico
faced some months ago with the outbreak of influenza
A(H1N1), the World Health Organization gave its full
support to the timely, energetic and responsible actions
of my Government. This is proof that the United
Nations system is capable of mobilizing coordinated
action by States and avoiding unilateral measures that
are not appropriate in response to such emergencies.
We must continue to update our protocols for action.
 For Mexico, meeting the Millennium Development
Goals is a State commitment. Our priority continues to
be the eradication of poverty. We must make the
necessary structural changes to reduce inequality and
attain prosperity for all. We must implement policies
that ensure that concrete action is taken based on the
Monterrey Consensus on financing for development,
that the Doha Round is successfully concluded and that
contributions by developed countries and multilateral
development banks to projects in countries with low
growth rates are increased.
 It is imperative to address urgent needs such as
food security in order to reduce inequality and
strengthen the capacities enjoyed by our peoples. Food
security is the very foundation of development.
Therefore, we must ensure food security by eliminating
market distortions, boosting production through the use
of technology and improving productivity without
making sacrifices on the environmental agenda.
 The recent Group of 20 Summit in Pittsburgh
demonstrated that the scale of the global financial
crisis requires a firm response, both in coordinating the
measures taken by individual countries to mitigate
impact in areas such as unemployment and in avoiding
protectionist measures. There is still much left to do,
but it is a fact that the timely intervention by the Group
of 20 allowed further resources to be channelled to the
international financial institutions and strengthened the
participation of developing countries in the decision-
making bodies within those institutions.
 The United Nations must realize that we are
witnessing a reconfiguration of global economic
governance, and that policies must be adjusted to this
new reality. We require an Organization that is strong,
effective and efficient. The cuts that are being imposed
on all countries at home must also be reflected in
United Nations system budgets. If it remains passive,
alienated and conformist, our Organization risks losing

09-52598 12

its relevance as the premier universal and legitimate
forum for solving the major problems of humanity.
 The challenges of global warming have made it
clear that the absence of economic incentives is one of
the main reasons that the commitments under the
Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change have not been fulfilled.
For this reason, Mexico has proposed, in the
preparatory negotiations for the Copenhagen
Conference, an innovative financing scheme, known as
the Green Fund, which would reward the efforts of
States that adopt policies aimed at reducing greenhouse
gas emissions, without jeopardizing their development
goals. The Green Fund fully responds to the principle
of common but differentiated responsibility. It is not
just another financial mechanism that obeys the
conventional criteria.
 All countries must be able to receive financing,
but the scale of the contributions will result from a
combination of factors that take into account, among
other things, their level of development, the size of
their population and the volume of their emissions.
Least-developed countries will not be obliged to
contribute. This initiative of President Felipe Calderón
has received growing support from Member States,
which reinforces the will of my Government to
continue moving forward with all parties in the
negotiations prior to Copenhagen.
 The negotiations aimed at achieving
comprehensive Security Council reform have made
significant progress through a process that has heard
debate on all aspects of reform and identified proposals
that can garner the broadest possible consensus. We
must continue negotiations towards compromise
solutions which would increase the representative
nature of the Council and translate into greater
accountability, without jeopardizing its effectiveness.
 The world has undoubtedly changed since 1945,
and remains in a state of permanent mutation, as the
ongoing discussions on the international economic and
financial architecture demonstrate. It is absurd to argue
for static institutions in a world that is anything but
static.
 As we presented our candidacy as a
non-permanent member of the Security Council for the
2009-2010 term, Mexico announced that it would seek
to foster closer communications between Member
States and the Security Council, something which is
essential if the Council is to accomplish its tasks. As
President of the Council during the month of April,
Mexico made progress in increasing the transparency
of that body by issuing information on a significant
number of the Council’s consultations. We will keep
working to enhance the effectiveness and legitimacy of
the Council in several ways. First, we will seek to
strengthen the work of the Council in preventing
international crises relating to massive human rights
violations and strengthening protection for the
thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees.
Secondly, we will seek to focus the Council’s attention
on preventing conflicts, and not just managing them,
by incorporating in its resolutions mandates that link
security with strengthened development aid and
humanitarian assistance. Thirdly, we wish to make
development assistance a fundamental strategy for
conflict prevention and reconstruction.
 The situation in Honduras has made evident the
importance of continuing to improve our means in
preventing actions that suspend democracy and the rule
of law. We can celebrate the fact that the international
community responded unanimously to the forceful
interruption of constitutional order in Honduras and the
ousting of President José Manuel Zelaya. Mexico,
together with the majority of countries of the
hemisphere, has acted within regional mechanisms,
including the Rio Group, which we chair, to secure
President Zelaya’s return to office and that democratic
order is restored based on the initiative of President
Arias of Costa Rica. We issue an emphatic call to the
de facto authorities to continue the dialogue with the
commission established under the auspices of the
Organization of American States, to abstain from any
act that would endanger the inviolability of the
Embassy of Brazil, where President Zelaya is located
and to respect his physical safety and that of those who
are with him.
 Let us work together for a world that is more
secure and more just, a world where in the words of the
great Octavio Paz, liberty can take root — a prosperous
world anchored by the rights and freedoms of
individuals.


I
would like at the outset to welcome the election of
Mr. Ali Treki to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, which is taking
place at a time when major challenges continue to test
the effectiveness of our Organization. From this
rostrum, I would also like to pay tribute to his
predecessor, Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, and to
his courageous and energetic actions throughout his
term. I also thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for
his exceptional work at the head of our Organization at
a time in history when important reforms are being
undertaken.
 I wish to emphasize the extent to which, now
more than ever, the United Nations symbolizes hope in
the face of the major challenges threatening our planet,
which no nation can meet alone. People have never had
such need of that hope.
 The Summit on Climate Change, held recently at
the initiative of the Secretary-General, called once
again upon the collective conscience of all nations
large and small, united and stirred by a common
resolve to work to build the better world of which the
founding fathers of our Organization dreamed. In this
village that our world has become, we Members of the
United Nations are the guarantors of people’s liberties
and rights, their security and their future, their dignity
and the promise of world peace.
 Mr. Hackett (Barbados), Vice-President, took the
chair.
 I know what solidarity owes to the dedication of
the United Nations, and what peace owes to its actions,
commitment and determination. And I foresee what the
future will owe it. It is here that are forged freedom
and human rights, solidarity and universal justice — in
a word, the destiny of humankind. The men and women
here know that more than a billion people still live on
less than a dollar a day and that children die
unnecessarily of hunger and disease. All of us here
know how climate change is abetting these scourges
and how the countries least responsible for it suffer the
most from its effects. Producing only 3.8 per cent of
greenhouse gas emissions, our continent is the most
affected by global warming. Poor populations are its
main victims. The agriculture, fauna and infrastructure
of coastal regions are on the front line.
 The Brundtland report of the World Commission
on Environment and Development (A/42/427, annex),
submitted to the General Assembly in 1987, gave us,
more than 20 years ago, the following definition of
sustainable development: “development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs”
(Ibid., p. 54).
 Sustainable development is not a concept, as we
have all learned at our own expense; it is an issue
fraught with genuine responsibilities. The balance of
ecosystems has never been so threatened. Urgent
measures are required in Africa and in all nations to
guarantee food security, combat drought and
desertification, and restore natural ecosystems. Such
measures require the mobilization of significant
resources.

09-52470 8

When one’s main resource is the forest, one bears
an immense responsibility. We represent the Earth’s
second most important environmental lung, after the
Amazon. Together with our Latin American brothers,
we are aware of our responsibility as guardians of
forests that represent an essential treasure for all
humankind.
 Since the 1990s, the Congo has worked
continuously with the international community to
combat global warming and to implement a policy of
forest protection. Today, our action is more essential
than ever. Our forests represent vast carbon sinks of
global importance for regulating the greenhouse-gas
effect. They are our common salvation and home to
400 species of mammals, more than 1,000 species of
birds and more than 10,000 species of plants, 3,000 of
which are endemic. Gorillas, forest buffaloes,
chimpanzees, bonobos and forest elephants — these
are what must inspire our action, as they help to
maintain the ecological functions of natural systems.
 In 1999, the countries of the Congo basin
launched a unique forestry experiment by proclaiming
their common resolve to preserve their biodiversity and
promote the sustainable and joint management of their
forest ecosystems, as well as by ensuring the use of
resources for Central Africa’s economic and social
development. The resulting plan is one of the strategic
components of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development. It represents a significant contribution
by Central Africa to the effort to address the problems
related to global warming. Unfortunately, the funds
necessary for the programme’s implementation are still
lacking.
 The countries of the region have nonetheless
made great progress in forest preservation. Today,
Africa requests that the forthcoming Copenhagen
Conference consider mechanisms for adaptation,
mitigation, capacity-building, technology transfer and
financing based on the principle of equity. In
Copenhagen, we must take earnest account of the
forests, which represent carbon sinks of global
importance for regulating and stabilizing our planet’s
climate.
 The economic and financial crisis, whose effects
we continue to feel, is the most serious economic
recession that the world has experienced since the
Great Depression of the 1930s. This crisis should help
to raise our awareness. It justifies an overhaul of the
international financial architecture and can enable us,
through new commitments, to realize the vision of a
more unified and equitable world. But time is running
out, in Africa more than elsewhere, and the adoption of
decisive measures can wait no longer.
 Halfway towards the deadline for achieving the
Millennium Development Goals, our success will
depend on the international community’s new choices
and on the effective implementation of announced
measures. The commitments undertaken at the April
2009 London summit of the Group of 20 must be
honoured, and we hope that the meeting to be held in
Pittsburgh will fulfil all our expectations.
 In its capacity as African Union co-mediator,
together with Libya, of the crisis between Chad and the
Sudan, the Republic of the Congo welcomes the
willingness, expressed by both parties at the African
Union summit, to relaunch negotiations based on the
Doha Agreement of 3 May 2009. We also note with
satisfaction that the tripartite initiative aimed at a joint
settlement in the subregion, with the assistance of the
United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in the
Central African Republic, the General Secretariat of
the Economic Community of Central African States,
the Commission of the Central African Economic and
Monetary Community and the General Secretariat of
the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States, should
enable us to curb the insecurity on the borders of
Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad for
the long term.
 We welcome the significant progress seen
recently in relations among the countries of the Great
Lakes region on our continent. The warming of
relations between the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Rwanda, the revitalization of the Economic
Community of the Great Lakes Countries, and the
normalization of relations between Uganda and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo reflect the common
will of the Great Lakes countries to work to
consolidate peace.
 With respect to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, we
encourage any initiative to promote sustained dialogue
between the parties in the quest for a definitive and
equitable solution to the crisis.
 We welcome the unanimous adoption, on
24 September 2009 at the historic Security Council

9 09-52470

summit (see S/PV.6191), of resolution 1887 (2009),
which reflects the determination of the international
community to work towards disarmament and nuclear
non-proliferation for a safer world.
 In the light of these many challenges, we call for
strict compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty in all its aspects, including the right of all
countries to develop nuclear technologies for civilian
purposes.
 The Congolese people renewed their confidence
in me last July. That confidence is based on the concept
that we call the “path of the future”. That path proposes
opening the Congo to modernization and
industrialization, to the pursuit of peacebuilding, the
strengthening of democracy and the rule of law, to the
promotion of good governance and to the protection of
human rights. We have pledged to open a new path to
the future and to mark it with proper behaviour and
clean technologies. We have pledged in my country to
never sit on our hands and watch the Earth suffer. That
is a promise which I repeat here.
 Our African storytellers have often said that men
were the dream of the Earth. I solemnly promise that
not only will Africans do everything in their power to
never become its nightmare; they will, on the contrary,
open up a gateway to the future for all of us.


Mr. President, His
Excellency Mr. Joseph Kabila Kabange, President of
the Republic, is unable to attend but has instructed me
to convey to you his most heartfelt congratulations on
your election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. The head of State
has no doubt that your vast experience in the
Organization, broadened by your talents and your
knowledge, will help you to overcome the myriad of
challenges that come with your new office. He
expresses his wish also for every success in your work
at this regular session.
 Let me, as I begin my statement, commend your
predecessor, Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, and
express to him our gratitude for his excellent service as
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third
session, which has just been completed, and this to the
satisfaction of all Member States.
 Lastly, I pay well-deserved tribute to Secretary-
General Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his commitment to the
quest for peace and security worldwide, in general, and
for his very commendable involvement in restoring

33 09-52598

lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
my country, in particular.
 At this time when the sixty-fourth regular session
of the General Assembly is beginning, it is worth
dwelling on the situation currently prevailing in certain
regions of the planet. In the Middle East, the situation
continues to be tenuous and to be the focus of attention
of the global public. The Democratic Republic of the
Congo recognizes the right of the people of Israel to
live in peace in a State with internationally recognized
borders, just as it would like to reiterate that the
settlement of this conflict specifically entails
recognition of the fact that the Palestinian question is
at the heart of the very problem in the Middle East.
 The situations in Afghanistan and in Iraq continue
to be of concern. The Democratic Republic of the
Congo urges the international community to eradicate
the scourge of terrorism, so that those two countries
can fully return to their place on the international
scene.
 In Africa, and speaking just about our own
geographic area in the central and southern portion of
the continent, we would like to refer to the healthy
progress made in the implementation of the agreements
reached in 2006 between the Government of Burundi
and the Forces Nationales de Libération; the smooth
evolution of the inclusive political dialogue in the
Central African Republic; the needed promotion of
good-neighbourly relations between Chad and the
Sudan; the admittedly slow but sure and determined
promotion of democracy; and the consolidation of
peace and stability in Southern Africa.
 I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely
thank the South African facilitation, the Economic
Community of Central African States, the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) and the
international community, as well as other bilateral and
multilateral partners, for the efforts that they have
continued to make to achieve the considerable progress
that we hail today.
 With respect to the Republic of Madagascar, I
would particularly like to express my full satisfaction
with the mediation by the eminent SADC representative
with respect to the political dialogue. Here, I would
like to reiterate the SADC position, which rejects and
condemns any unilateral decision that would violate
the spirit of the Maputo agreements.
 No social or economic order remains safe, if it
fails to bring beneficial effects to the greatest number
of people. The crisis of the global financial system
continues to undermine global economies worldwide,
be they developed or developing. For my country, in
particular, this crisis has led to a significant drop in
export commodity prices, declining currency reserves,
the growing cost of imports, with a depreciation of the
national currency, declining growth rates and a decline
in budget and tax revenues.
 The consequences of this turn of events are
considerable. This crisis has led to a shortfall in
resources to finance infrastructure. It has led to broad
job loss, worsening of social conflict, and, particularly
at a time when we are coming out of a complex
conflict, a shrinking budget to finance the necessary
restoration of State authority throughout the national
territory in order to complete the establishment of
peace. It is urgently necessary therefore to review the
international financial system.
 The Democratic Republic of the Congo is aware
that we will need colossal resources to ensure
sustainable development in a world context that has
seen surging food and energy prices and a global
financial crisis. These phenomena are compounded by
the effects of climate change. That is why I welcome
the holding by the Secretary-General on 22 September
2009 of the high-level event on this issue. If we do not
make decisions on the fate of present and future
generations with respect to global warming and climate
change and if we are not able to prevent rising sea
levels, desertification or the extinction of species and
the loss of biodiversity, inter alia, our world will
inevitably move towards the risk of a disaster for
which the African continent will be the first to bear the
costs.
 The issue of adopting a post-Kyoto agreement
that would require polluter countries to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions and financially compensate
those who have forests needs to be seriously considered.
 The Democratic Republic of the Congo accounts
for more than half of the forests in the Congo basin,
which is the second largest in the world after the
Amazon region. This area has an enormous asset that it
will defend at the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, scheduled for December 2009 in Copenhagen.

09-52598 34

 With respect to reform of the United Nations
system, the Democratic Republic of the Congo agrees
with the view that the current United Nations system is
no longer, in its current design, in keeping with the
expectations of those who promote it or even with the
letter of Charter, which is its inspiration. That is why
we would like to reiterate our plea for the full
representation of Africa in the decision-making bodies,
and more specifically in the Security Council.
 Regardless of the outcome of the current
negotiations on this matter, my delegation continues to
be of the view that any viable reform of the Security
Council must take into account the political and
numerical weight of Africa in the General Assembly,
especially since two thirds of the situations before the
Security Council involve Africa.
 With respect to the responsibility to protect, we
believe that it is up to each State to protect its people
from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or
ethnic cleansing. We are also of the view that the
principal role of the international community in these
areas should be to determine how to build institutional
capacities and provide substantial assistance to States,
more specifically to the Administrations of countries in
post-conflict situations, so that they can acquire the
means to ensure that they have the resources to provide
this protection.
 I have very succinctly addressed the major
challenges that today’s world faces and for which we
need to build a common response. I have talked about
reform of the United Nations and about the
responsibility to protect. I have not addressed the
Democratic Republic of the Congo or the troubled
region of the African Great Lakes. Three years after the
success of the electoral operations in 2006, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo is now, at long last,
facing the trying process of normalizing democratic
life. We understand that restoring the rule of law is an
urgent priority.
 In that context, peace and stability can only
persist if the citizens realize that politically sensitive
issues can be resolved by legitimate and fair means.
The rule of law cannot go hand in hand with
corruption. It is no exaggeration to assert that the
efforts initiated recently by the President of the
Republic and the Government to fight corruption and
to put an end to the rule of impunity have begun to
bear fruit. However, we accept that much remains to be
done in terms of capacity-building to ensure proper
administration of justice.
 The Congolese experience of the 2006
democratic elections was built on a difficult legacy of
the dark years of foreign occupation followed by an
internal rift, the consequences of which are still seen
today in the ongoing use of rape as a weapon of war.
To address that situation, at the request of the
Congolese authorities, the first investigation of the
International Criminal Court began by considering the
serious crimes that had been committed on the territory
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1 July
2002. The rest is well known: the first three cases
before the International Criminal Court are based on
that submission and the national courts have also been
called upon to work on those issues.
 The Congolese courts currently involved are
certainly already playing an important role in restoring
the rule of law, but a successful transition from war to
peace, from a divided past to a shared future, cannot be
envisaged for the people of the Democratic Republic of
the Congo without a mechanism that can bring a sense
of justice to all citizens, establish or renew civic trust,
restore the duty of memory and reconcile the people
and the communities.
 The sexual violence perpetrated against women
and girls in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of
the Congo is, in our view, the most shameful and
gravest crime witnessed by humankind in the twenty-
first century. Statistically, 80 per cent of the crimes
committed in the entire country took place mainly in
the two provinces in the East of the country most
affected by the effects of war, namely South and North
Kivu. In fact, 60 per cent of the rapes were committed
in North Kivu and 20 per cent in South Kivu. Justice
must be done to the women and girls who have been
raped.
 I can already attest to the strong resolve of His
Excellency President Joseph Kabila Kabange to put an
end to impunity for the perpetrators of those heinous
crimes, whether civilian or military. Despite the
apocalyptic picture, the situation that persists in the
East of my country continues to improve.
 In conformity with the relevant provisions of the
Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the
Great Lakes Region, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, working with Rwanda and Uganda respectively,
launched joint military operations last year and early

35 09-52598

this year with a view to disarming and, where
necessary, forcing the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance
Army, on the one hand, and those of the Forces
démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), on the
other, to return to their respective countries. As part of
the same military operations, called Kimia II, the
Forces armées de la République démocratique du
Congo (FARDC) are carrying out an offensive against
the elements of the FDLR that have remained in the
mountains of South Kivu, in order to bring peace to
that region.
 The results, I repeat, are positive. By way of
illustration, the authority of the State has been restored;
the FDLR command posts in North and South Kivu
have been destroyed; more and more FDLR troops are
surrendering to the FARDC and to the United Nations
Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC); several FDLR elements have
returned to their country of origin; all the
communication and supply lines in North and South
Kivu are now open; the fight against the illegal
exploitation of natural resources and the protection of
Virunga National Park have been strengthened; and the
incidents of rape and all other forms of sexual violence
against women have seen an appreciable decline.
 Peace is gradually being established to the great
benefit of the Congolese people. Moreover, fruitful
talks aimed at benefiting our bilateral and multilateral
relations with Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda are under
way, and the future looks better.
 The return to normalcy in our subregion is
enabling us to make efforts towards the urgent
peacebuilding and economic recovery of the country.
As the President of the Republic continues to
underscore, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has
resolutely undertaken to strengthen and promote the
ideals of national reconciliation, peace, democracy and
good governance within its borders, and is
unquestionably committed to a policy of openness
without exclusion based on dialogue and cooperation
of all kinds with all countries that favour peace and
dialogue. Our wish today is to see the international
community step up its efforts and continue to support
the process of bringing about peace and unity.
 On the elections, my country is preparing to hold
city, municipal and local elections, which represents a
great meeting of the people with its history. The steps
to update the national register of the Independent
Electoral Commission started in the first half of 2009.
 The Democratic Republic of the Congo is already
involved in the reform of its institutions. It is important
to conclude those various reforms, in particular in the
area of the administration of justice. The Congolese
justice system will be more effective and efficient if it
has the international community’s support, especially
in terms of capacity-building.
 Reform of the security system is also under way.
The reform of the army and police services has had the
consistent support of bilateral partners and of the
United Nations through MONUC, its Mission in the
Congo. My country is firmly committed to working to
successfully conclude that reform aimed at ensuring
not only its peace, unity, territorial integrity, national
sovereignty and stability but also those of the entire
subregion by preventing the reoccurrence of the
security problems and tensions seen there.
 In addition, the Government is doing its utmost,
through duly identified ways to increase prosperity, to
implement programmes in order to meet the basic
needs of the people, in particular on health, education,
food self-sufficiency, basic infrastructure, electricity
and drinking water for all, not to mention, of course,
the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS as well as
poverty alleviation.
 Like other post-conflict countries, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo underscores the urgent need to
organize and hold an international conference on the
financing of its reconstruction as soon as possible. For
us, it is a question of building a new Congo, a nation
opening up to the world at the centre of a continent full
of change, a country where every foreigner,
indiscriminately, can be free, assured of the protection
of his investments, to work for his better future. All
that foreigners do to contribute to our development will
be duly acknowledged and appreciated.
 Emerging from a long war with many outside
implications, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
my country, is fully aware of the importance of
regional cooperation. The most fervent wish of the
Congolese people is to restore relations of trust and
cooperation with all its neighbours, without exception.
The Government intends to pursue a policy of
dialogue, openness, friendship, cooperation and good-
neighbourliness, because the country has always
strived to work to bring about a more united Africa that

09-52598 36

stands together, distinct in its greater understanding,
tolerance, peace and solidarity.
 By way of conclusion, allow me to reiterate that
so much war and fratricidal violence has taught us that
the most expensive peace is still less onerous than the
cheapest war. In this regard, I appeal for international
solidarity during this stage of building our hard-won
peace, for a peaceful and stable Democratic Republic
of the Congo is an asset to our planet’s common
destiny.
 I would be remiss if I did not conclude my
statement without thanking once again all those whose
commitment, courage and determination have helped
and continue to help my country embrace the concepts
of negotiation and peaceful settlement of crisis by
casting aside war and the use of force.


Mr. President, I
wish to congratulate you on your election as the head
of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and
to assure you that the delegation of the Republic of San
Marino will do its utmost in collaborating with you
throughout the session.
 In my first speech before this Assembly as
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San
Marino, I would like to express my most sincere thanks
to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, for guiding this Organization with great
energy and extraordinary dedication. I wish to mention
his admirable commitment in the area of reform and
his constant and important involvement in world
affairs.
 The United Nations reform process is fundamental
to ensuring future world stability and must remain a
priority in our efforts, not only because we have the
duty to guarantee that the Organization and all its
activities are fully effective, but in particular in order
to preserve its primary and essential value. We cannot
afford to witness a decentralization of the substantial
role of the United Nations caused by the impossibility
of reaching agreement on measures to be implemented
for the improvement of its functioning.
 Moreover, I would like to express the
appreciation of San Marino for the work accomplished
in the General Assembly with the contribution of all
States Members of the United Nations, as well as for
the attention paid to particularly relevant issues, such
as the world economic and financial crisis, climate
change and the global food crisis.
 The Republic of San Marino supports the process
of the revitalization of the General Assembly. That
process is a political reform necessary to reaffirm the
Assembly’s role as the most representative body of the
United Nations, as well as the role and leadership of its
President. San Marino believes that the reform should
make the activities of the General Assembly more
efficient and effective, improve its relations with the
other main United Nations bodies to avoid duplication
of work and aim at the effective implementation of its
resolutions.
 The Security Council reform process, which the
Republic of San Marino has been following with
commitment and interest since the beginning, is also
very important. We are grateful to the Afghan Chair for
the important activity carried out and for the way in
which it has presided over the intergovernmental
negotiations aimed at reaching the widest possible
political agreement on Security Council reforms.
 San Marino believes that the aims of the reform
should be to make the Security Council more
democratic, transparent, efficient, accountable and

09-52598 2

representative, to restore the balance between the
Security Council and the General Assembly, and to
enhance its cooperation with the Secretariat. It is
important that this process allow for the development
of a sense of belonging to the Security Council among
all Member States, thus avoiding the risk that it could
be perceived as an isolated body within the United
Nations. Moreover, the reform should take into
consideration the legitimate interest of all States, big
and small, in being elected to the Security Council.
 San Marino participates with commitment and
interest in the intergovernmental negotiations on the
reform of the Security Council and regrets that, to date,
no reasonable compromise has been reached to make it
more representative, democratic and possibly less
paralyzed by cross-vetoes concerning fundamental
issues.
 Mr. Acharya (Nepal), Vice-President, took the
Chair.
 The reforms of the General Assembly and the
Security Council are encompassed in a wider process
of transformation and strengthening of the role of the
United Nations within the global governance system.
San Marino believes that the United Nations plays and
must continue to play a pivotal role in managing the
global governance system and that the United Nations
reform process must be aimed at reaching this
objective.
 Today’s world is characterized by marked
differences in terms of power, wealth, income and
social well-being among nations and peoples, and
within individual nations. Unfortunately, the world is
beset by numerous ethnic and interreligious conflicts,
which are sometimes fuelled by economic and
geopolitical factors originating outside the area of the
conflict. Moreover, global warming, which is also a
consequence of indiscriminate energy consumption in
developed and developing countries, is one of the
major causes of disasters and is leading, inter alia, to a
reduction in agricultural yields in tropical and
subtropical countries. Furthermore, this year in
particular the world economy has undergone one of the
most devastating financial crises in history, whose
consequences are clear to everyone.
 These challenges can be faced only through
global and coordinated action, and the United Nations
has the responsibility and the duty to be at the centre of
this process. Only by tapping into the rich and varied
cultures and traditions represented by the United
Nations is it possible to manage the global governance
system in such a way as to achieve sustainable human
development. That the United Nations might relinquish
its role as leader of the global governance system in
favour of other bodies would be a defeat for all.
 Unfortunately, the widespread poverty that affects
such a large percentage of the global population,
causing hunger, disease and underdevelopment, is one
of the most endemic problems faced by States. Despite
the efforts made and the commitments undertaken at a
global level, poverty continues to plague the whole
planet.
 San Marino values the efforts and success of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) over the last
60 years and is proud to host Jacques Diouf, FAO
Director-General, as the official speaker at the
investiture ceremony of the new Captains-Regent, the
heads of State of the Republic of San Marino, which
will take place on 1 October 2009.
 San Marino endorses the Millennium Development
Goals — which have unfortunately become more
difficult to achieve because of the crisis we are
currently facing — and believes we must continue in
our commitment.
 The strengthening of multilateralism — included
by the Assembly President in the theme proposed for
this general debate, namely “Effective responses to
global crises: strengthening multilateralism and
dialogue among civilizations for international peace,
security and development” — is, in my opinion, a
central element. In fact, international organizations,
and the United Nations in the first instance, promote
the affirmation of democracy, rule of law, freedoms
and human rights as a condition for economic and
social development, cultural growth and education.
 The current world economic and financial crisis
is the greatest global disaster since the very birth of the
United Nations, all the more so because it has added to
a severe food crisis that has affected many regions of
the world. As this crisis concerns all countries and
regions indiscriminately, it is now one of the major
challenges our Organization has to face.
 The Republic of San Marino, as a small State,
attaches great importance to the role of the General
Assembly in the lives of our nations. It has welcomed
the high-level Conference on the World Financial and

3 09-52598

Economic Crisis and has supported its outcome
document (resolution 63/303, annex), which is the
result of long and complex negotiations. However, I
note with regret that the uncertainty in the preparation
of the Conference and the difficulties encountered in
drafting the final document discouraged the
participation of many world leaders, whose presence
could have made that United Nations conference an
historic event.
 The task of the United Nations is to find, through
coordinated and global action, the right methods to
mitigate the impact of the crisis and to achieve
sustainable economic growth and development, taking
into account the negative effects of the crisis on the
attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
 Climate change has become a central issue on the
United Nations agenda in the last three years, thanks to
the commitment and efforts undertaken by the
Secretary-General in this regard. Climate change,
which in the 1990s was already among the main
environmental concerns, has now become an absolute
priority on the political agenda of all States, including
the smallest ones like our Republic. The deep changes
caused by human intervention in the energy dynamics
of the climate system are indeed the elements of this
concern for the present and immediate future.
Therefore, urgent and significant changes in social and
economic development patterns cannot be further
postponed.
 San Marino has recently submitted its first
national communication in accordance with the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
That communication represents the beginning of a
process, first of all of a social and cultural nature,
aimed at making all citizens of our country aware of
the need to face climate changes and effectively
commit to reducing as much as possible the impact of
these changes.
 Among the most serious challenges we have to
face at national and international levels, terrorism in all
its forms and manifestations is of primary importance.
The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the
General Assembly in 2006 represents a fundamental
initiative, because for the first time all Member States
agreed to a common strategic and operational approach
to counter terrorism. Such a strategy laid the
foundations for a coordinated response to this
emergency by envisaging preventive measures and the
strengthening of the role of the United Nations in the
fight against terrorism. It also recognizes that counter-
terrorism measures and the protection of human rights
are not conflicting goals; on the contrary, they are
complementary and mutually reinforcing.
 However, an effective response to terrorism must
also be based on education in order to foster
understanding and respect for each other as a sine qua
non condition for achieving justice and peace. Indeed,
hatred, lack of understanding and injustice provide
breeding grounds for terrorist groups and organizations
to recruit new members.
 My country focuses great attention, both at the
national and international levels, to the promotion and
protection of human rights, with special attention paid
to those of the weakest and most vulnerable groups. I
am pleased to recall that this year we celebrate the
twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a
fundamental instrument that has been ratified by a
large number of States. However, we must not forget
that still today 9.2 million children under the age of
five die every year from largely preventable causes and
more than 100 million school-age children do not have
access to education. Furthermore, many children are
robbed of their childhood, are victims of sexual
violence, are used by armies or armed groups as
soldiers or sold as sexual slaves.
 San Marino applauds and supports the United
Nations and UNICEF for the efforts undertaken
worldwide in order to improve the life of these
children. We also actively endorse the United Nations
commitment to women’s rights.
 Finally, the protection of human rights is strictly
connected to the need to guarantee every human being
and every population the possibility of living in peace
and justice. It is therefore necessary to give new
momentum to the disarmament process. An important
step was taken last year in this regard by adopting the
Convention on Cluster Munitions, an instrument that
will prove essential to protecting affected populations
from those weapons, which have devastating effects on
civilians. The Republic of San Marino attaches great
importance to this Convention, which is focused on
human dignity and the interests of victims, and hopes
that it will promptly enter into force. We therefore call
upon the States that have not yet ratified it to do so as
soon as possible.


On behalf of Her
Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the
Hellenic Republic, Ms. Dora Bakoyannis, who
unfortunately could not be in New York today, I would
like to address the General Assembly.
 Allow me first to congratulate the President of
this body, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki. I am confident
that his extensive prior experience will serve us well
and guide us through the trials that we are called upon
to address. I would also like to pay tribute to
Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for his tireless efforts
to promote the work of the General Assembly during
its sixty-third session.
 I cannot but take pride in addressing the General
Assembly of the most important ecumenical institution
humankind has ever created, the original idea of which
was initially conceived and put into practice by Greeks
25 centuries ago. The ancient Greek Amphictyony was
the precursor and matrix of the concept of
multilateralism, which is the only way to deal
effectively with the many and varied challenges faced
by the international community. The United Nations is
in fact, along with the various regional alliances and
organizations, the essential framework for joining
forces and collectively confronting our common threats
and promoting our common values.
 Greece currently has the privilege of being at the
helm of one of the most important regional security
organizations, the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE’s
consensus-based decision-making process, along with
its comprehensive approach to security, is a testament
to the power of multilateralism. Greece has pledged to
be an honest broker and to work with every single
participating State to realize the common vision for
peace, security and development for all 56 members of
the organization. The Corfu Process, our common
promise to turn the page on European security within
the framework of a structured all-inclusive dialogue,
proves once more that where there is a will there is a
way.
 Indeed, our annual gathering at the United
Nations is important, but it is not enough. What is
needed first and foremost is the political will to turn
words into deeds. We stand at a most critical juncture

27 09-53165

for our environmental, social and economic future, and
all of us — policy-makers, diplomats, scientists,
activists and concerned citizens alike — have a
responsibility to preserve the habitability of our planet
and hand over to our children a better world than the
one bequeathed to us.
 It was Aristotle who said that nature acts as if she
foresees the future, and currently nature’s auguries are
not encouraging at all. We cannot afford to forget that
our planet is in a state of environmental emergency.
Scientific evidence on the issue is compelling. The
socio-economic impact of climate change on the global
economy, if left unchecked, is likely to dwarf the
current economic recession.
 Now is the time to speed up our joint efforts to
effectively address the negative impact of climate
change, while respecting the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities and the respective
capabilities of each country. Copenhagen will be the
litmus test of our commitment to an ambitious, all-
inclusive climate change agreement.
 The urgency of the situation is such that, if I may
paraphrase the man who first set foot on the moon,
even if man now takes a giant leap in trying to mitigate
the consequences of climate change, it will
unfortunately still only be a small step for mankind.
But small steps are important too. Greece continues to
strongly support the financing of climate change
adaptation and mitigation projects and of low-carbon
development strategies. We have repeatedly proven our
commitment to this effect by supporting the most
vulnerable countries’ adaptation to climate change
through the provision of a total sum of €21 million
through the end of 2011.
 The challenges posed to all nations by the current
economic crisis require an ambitious and imaginative
range of responses that provide effective and lasting
solutions. The United Nations can play a vital role in
achieving these objectives. Our commitment to the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) needs to be
reaffirmed. Regenerating the world economy and
promoting sustainable pro-growth policies are
fundamental to solving the crisis and essential to
maintaining and improving progress towards the
achievement of the MDGs. Support for the most
vulnerable nations, which have been even more deeply
affected by food insecurity and climate change, is
where a special effort must be made.
 Our action against hunger and want has not yet
produced the desired results, while humanitarian and
development aid needs to be streamlined in order to be
more effective and productive. Synergetic multilateral
action is urgently needed. People living on the edge
have run out of time. They need to know whether the
decisions of their leaders at the Pittsburgh summit are
the right decisions that will put us back on the road to
development.
 We know that climate change, the economic crisis
and the North-South divide are exacerbating pressures
on people to migrate. These crises are creating living
conditions that contribute to one of the greatest
disgraces of humanity and one of the greatest insults to
human dignity — the modern slave trade or human
trafficking.
 Some 192 million people have been forced from
the lands of their birth. Almost a million people have
been arrested since 2000 while trying to cross from
Turkey to Greece in their quest for a better life. This
modern form of the slave trade has claimed thousands
of lives. We owe it to them and to the people who have
lost their lives to change things, to fight traffickers and
work together to discourage illegal migration by
bringing development and giving a vision to countries
that migrants leave.
 Athens will host the Global Forum on Migration
and Development from 2 to 5 November 2009. We seek
specific proposals for actions and policies and we want
to formulate best practices for adoption by the
participating States.
 Terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to
international peace, stability and security. The
international commitment to confronting terrorism
must remain strong, and our efforts to successfully
address this challenge should be intensified. But if our
efforts are to be successful and self-sustaining, they
must garner the broadest possible consensus and
acceptance and be based on respect for the fundamental
principles of international law and international
humanitarian law and on full respect for and the
protection of human rights.
 This brings me to an issue that has come to the
forefront of international attention and concern — the
issue of human rights. Respect for human rights is one
of the cornerstones of the contemporary legal order.
Human rights conventions and institutions have raised
the awareness and sensitivity of States, Governments,

09-53165 28

civil society, international organizations and
non-governmental organizations.
 Greece has submitted its candidacy for a seat on
the United Nations Human Rights Council for the
period 2012-2015, as it wishes to play a proactive role
in the protection of human rights. We believe that the
Council can play a crucial role in the improvement of
the situation of human rights worldwide. That role
should not be restricted to pointing out the violators,
but should mainly help overcome shortfalls and
implement universal standards.
 Interest in the protection of human rights must be
genuine and anthropocentric, and protection must be
carried out in full compliance with the fundamental
principles of international law and the Charter of the
United Nations.
 We should award a special place to gender issues
in the system of human rights protection. Women’s
rights deserve all our attention, because they continue
to be violated systematically and flagrantly in many
corners of the world. Education and equal working
opportunities are key areas.
 As I said earlier, Greece approached its current
term in office as OSCE Chair with a heightened sense
of responsibility and sensitivity, based on the belief
that security and stability are not and should not be a
zero-sum game. In the post-cold-war era, where
security challenges are multifaceted and interlinked,
the security needs of all States should be given due
consideration despite contradictory and often mutually
exclusive political perceptions of what is right and just.
 Since January, our aim has been to build
consensus and achieve collective and comprehensive
solutions to deep-rooted and protracted conflicts,
convinced that enhancing the security of one will
undoubtedly enhance the security of all. Our efforts
have been based on mutual trust and confidence and on
the realization that security is both indivisible and
comprehensive. In some cases however, as in Georgia,
consensus has been elusive.
 Our most important collective achievement has
been the launching of the Corfu Process, a profound
and open debate on the future of security in Europe.
The Corfu Process marks a pan-European effort to
revisit and redefine the broader European security
system. At the Athens Ministerial Meeting in
December, we aim to lay a solid foundation, so that our
dialogue will start producing tangible results.
 A few days ago the Security Council adopted
resolution 1887 (2009), thus taking an important step
in the direction of advancing nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation. We applaud that important decision.
Yet, practical tools are essential for the achievement of
high-minded political goals such as this. Greece firmly
believes that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons remains the cornerstone of the
nuclear non-proliferation regime. Broad participation
in it, along with the conclusion of comprehensive
safeguards agreements and the implementation of the
additional protocol, is, beyond any doubt, the most
effective answer to threats of nuclear proliferation. It is
equally important to have additional ratifications of the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the early drafting
of a fissile material cut-off treaty.
 As regards major international and regional
issues, conflicts and flashpoints, Greece fully
subscribes to the European Union (EU) policy and
action, as described by its presidency. The role of the
EU in the handling of a number of urgent and difficult
situations, such as piracy in Somalia, has proved to be
vital, successful and effective.
 The broader region of South-Eastern Europe and
the Eastern Mediterranean is at the forefront of Greek
foreign policy. It is a vital region from a geopolitical
and geo-strategic perspective, but also one of the most
volatile areas of the world. Our vision for the region
incorporates the consolidation of security, stability and
development. Our aim is to work with all neighbouring
States in the region to promote stability, democracy
and robust economies, with the ultimate goal of
elevating the quality of life of the citizens to the
highest European standards. This vision is founded on
four pillars: first, the establishment and safeguarding
of good neighbourly relations; secondly, the full
integration of all the countries of South-Eastern Europe
into European and Euro-Atlantic structures; thirdly, the
enhancement and further deepening of regional
cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, economy
and trade; and, last but not least, the strengthening of
bonds and cultural interaction at the level of civil
societies. We are doing everything in our power to
materialize this vision.
 We continue to build upon the agenda of the
Thessaloniki European Council of 2003, which laid the

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foundations for the integration of the Western Balkan
countries into the European Union, on the condition, of
course, that the accession criteria and requirements are
fully met. The prospect of a future within Europe for
almost all the Western Balkan countries is now within
reach and seems more feasible than ever.
 At the same time, Greece is promoting regional
cooperation by financing of and participating in
significant infrastructure projects, and by joining
forces with other neighbouring countries to establish a
reliable and adequate energy-distribution network. It is
one of the top investment and trade partners in most of
the neighbouring countries, thus contributing to the
development of the entire area.
 Above all, we are working hard to establish and
consolidate good neighbourly relations by pursuing and
promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes on the
basis of international law. However, long-standing
disputes persist. For the past 15 years Greece has
participated in United Nations-led negotiations on the
issue of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. Greece has participated in good faith.
Regrettably, no substantive or tangible progress has
been made so far, despite the fact that Greece has taken
a huge step towards a compromise. We have accepted
the use of the term “Macedonia” along with a
geographical qualifier that reflects reality. Of the large
geographical region of Macedonia, only a part falls
within our neighbour’s territory. So how can this
country claim exclusive rights to the name? The
persistence of the leadership in Skopje in claiming
exclusive rights to the name by denying a geographic
qualifier and the anachronistic rhetoric and policies
that run contrary to the principle of good neighbourly
relations raise serious questions as to that
Government’s real motives. Greece is negotiating for a
solution that will respect the dignity of both countries
and both peoples. We are negotiating for a clear
solution to which both sides will agree and which our
neighbour will use with pride in its dealings with
everyone — a solution that will make everyone a
winner.
 The Cyprus issue is still an open wound at the
very heart of Europe. Thanks to the efforts of President
Christofias, a new round of talks has started under the
auspices of the United Nations. This gives rise to hope,
but there is still a long way to go, and there are many
hurdles and difficulties to overcome. Greece supports a
definitive, sustainable and just solution, based on the
United Nations resolutions and compatible with
European Union values, principles and institutional
framework, one that will lead to the reunification of the
island. We strongly believe that the two communities
should be left alone, with no external pressures,
guidance or interventions, to decide on their common
future. The solution must be theirs and theirs alone.
Artificial deadlines, strict time frames and threats of a
permanent division have no role in the quest for a
durable solution. They add unnecessary pressure and
strain to the delicate negotiating process and raise
questions about the true intentions of those promoting
them.
 The current situation in Cyprus is unacceptable.
Turkish military forces continue to occupy part of the
territory of a European Union member State. Turkey —
a European Union candidate — refuses to recognize a
fully fledged European Union member and future
partner. Once-vibrant cities like Famagusta remain
ghost towns. The families of missing persons continue
to wonder about their loved ones’ fates, while the
unspeakable atrocities of the past come to light, little
by little. This picture is unimaginable in the eyes of the
average European citizen and completely incompatible
with today’s European reality. We hope that the Cypriot
people — both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots —
will be able to leave behind the painful past and look,
reunited, to the future that awaits them within the
European family, which constitutes the best guarantee
for their security and prosperity. Turkey, which holds
the key to the solution of the Cyprus issue, knows full
well that such a solution would also speed up its own
journey to the European Union.
 Greece is probably the most sincere supporter of
Turkey’ s accession to the European Union — and this
is true even at a difficult time. It is our conviction that
Turkey would be a better neighbour for Greece if it
carried out all necessary reforms and became a
European Union member State. Turkish membership
would contribute to stability in our region. Yet, this is
not a blank check, nor is it a leap of faith. In order to
become a member of the European Union, Turkey will
have to fulfil all the criteria set by the European Union.
 The Government I represent has invested in
Greek-Turkish rapprochement. Kostas Karamanlis is
the first Greek Prime Minister to have paid an official
visit to Ankara in 40 years. We dared to turn the page.
We went beyond words, but we have not seen an active
response from the other side. Turkey declares that it

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wants zero problems with its neighbours. Yet, Turkish
fighter jets kept flying only a few metres above the
rooftops of Greek islanders’ homes throughout the
summer. The Turkish Parliament maintains a threat of
war against my country.
 Disputes should be settled peacefully and in
accordance with international law. The United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea, which embodies
customary law, shows the way to settle maritime
boundary disputes peacefully. Greece would welcome a
decision by Turkey to follow the example of the other
160 Members of the United Nations that have ratified
the Convention. Such a move, along with clear
political will on the Turkish side to invest in friendly
relations with Greece, could strike a definitive blow to
the tensions and mistrust in our bilateral relations and
contribute to the promotion of peace and stability in
our entire region.
 Aristotle proposed that it is possible to fail in
many ways, while to succeed is possible in only one
way. It is our conviction that this one way is effective
multilateralism led by the United Nations. We need the
leadership of the United Nations, if we are to carry out
our ultimate mission — safeguarding the dignity, lives
and freedoms of the citizens we represent. We need to
give the Secretary-General the tools to guide this
Organization, so that the United Nations can once
again take up its central role in international life and
meet the myriad challenges facing humanity. We have
to identify the weaknesses of the United Nations and
we must have the courage to redress them, using
common sense, just as we would do at home, in our
countries, because every failure of the United Nations
is a personal failure for each and every one of us, and
because the world is changing, and we have to change
with it.


I would like to
join previous speakers in congratulating His
Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya on his
election to the post of President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. I wish him every
success. I should also like to thank his predecessor,
Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for his work. I would
like to express my profound respect and appreciation to
the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, for his leadership in mobilizing the
international community to make our world a better
place to live.
 We all recognize that the security of every State
of the world can be better promoted and ensured with a
multilateral security system. That paradigm was a
principal reason behind the creation of the collective
security system that has the United Nations at its core.
Yet, after more than 60 years since the founding of the
United Nations, the question remains of whether the
contemporary international security architecture is
addressing effectively and in a timely manner the
multifaceted and interconnected challenges and threats
confronting our world today.
 The global character of today’s challenges and
threats makes geographic distance irrelevant when it
comes to the formulation of security policy, as threats
as we know them today transcend national borders and
entire continents. The indirect repercussions of these
threats may be as devastating and as costly as their
direct impact. The interconnected and intertwined
nature of current threats requires that we reconsider the
very concept of security in broader terms that are not
confined to the traditional military aspect of security,
but also include its political, economic, energy,
cultural, information and other dimensions.
 The security of each State and, more broadly,
international peace and security will depend upon
whether States follow the norms and principles of
international law and use them as a guiding tool for
shaping their foreign and security policies. Following a
common set of norms and rules on the international
arena contributes to the transparency and predictability
of State behaviour and hence consolidates international
peace and security.
 Unfortunately, the unlawful use of force has still
not been eliminated from international relations.
Civilian populations are still suffering today in many
places around the world due to the manifest failure of
individual States to fulfil their most basic and
compelling responsibilities. Armed conflict, military
aggression and foreign occupation involving the most
serious international crimes are but a few vivid
examples from our recent history of the bitter
consequences of non-compliance by individual States
with the norms and principles of international law.
Governments that fail to obey the rules of international
conduct will inevitably infringe upon individual
liberties and freedoms at home, thus undermining
democratic development.
 The most vivid example of misconduct when it
comes to the norms and principles of international law
is the almost two-decades-long, and still unresolved,
Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorny-Karabakh conflict,
which also stands out as a major threat to international
and regional peace and security. As a result of the
aggression carried out by Armenia, almost one-fifth of
the territory of Azerbaijan has been occupied,
approximately 1 million ethnically cleansed
Azerbaijanis have become internally displaced persons
or refugees and thousands of Azerbaijan’s historical
and cultural heritage artifacts have been destroyed or
looted.
 In its four resolutions on the conflict, the Security
Council has reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and the inadmissibility of the
use of force to acquire the territory of the other States.
It has also recognized Nagorny-Karabakh as a part of
Azerbaijan and called for an immediate, complete and
unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from
all occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The General
Assembly — in resolution 62/243, which was adopted

61 09-52470

on 14 March 2008 and which is entitled “The situation
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan” — expressed
respect and support for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally
recognized borders.
 As reflected in those resolutions, the approach of
the General Assembly and the Security Council is fully
consistent with the position of Azerbaijan, which from
the beginning advocated a step-by-step approach to
settling the conflict as the only viable option. A number
of important steps have to be taken, starting with the
withdrawal of Armenian forces from all the occupied
territories, the rehabilitation of those territories, the
return of internally displaced persons to their homes in
and around the Nagorny-Karabakh region and the
opening of all communications channels for mutual
use. That will make it possible to eliminate the
consequences of the conflict, and will pave the way for
the establishment of a durable peace and stability in the
region that is conducive to the establishment of the
legal status of the Nagorny-Karabakh region within
Azerbaijan, with due account taken of, and an equal
hearing for, the voices of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of the region.
 The current settlement process offers some hope
of breaking the stalemate in the process of resolution
of the conflict. The acceptance by Armenia of the step-
by-step approach to a settlement to the conflict on the
basis of the principles and norms of international law
and the decisions and documents adopted in that
framework, as reflected in the joint declaration signed
in Moscow in November 2008 by the Presidents of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation, is a
positive sign. Azerbaijan is ready to continue talks with
Armenia’s leadership for a secure and stable South
Caucasus region and beyond, which will make it
possible to take advantage of the existing ample
regional opportunities for the benefit of all.
 Against the background of the negative
developments in the region to which I have referred, let
me briefly share some information about the positive
economic performance of my country.
 Azerbaijan has minimized the impact of the
global economic downturn on its economy and
managed to sustain growth. Having maintained its
dynamism in 2009, as of today our gross domestic
product (GDP) growth stands at almost 4 per cent. We
have recorded a drop in the poverty rate since 2003,
from 44 per cent to 13 per cent. The Government of
Azerbaijan has substantially improved trade and
investment conditions in an effort to strengthen
national competitiveness and spur private-sector
development, especially in the non-oil sector. Non-oil
GDP growth is at almost 16 per cent, the highest rate in
5 years. In recognition of its results-oriented reforms
and thought-out economic policy, Azerbaijan was
qualified by the World Bank as one of the world’s top
reformers.
 Azerbaijan — a strategically located country with
a young and skilled population, great resources and a
dynamic economy — is inevitably taking a leading role
in the region and increasingly becoming a pivotal
player and credible actor beyond the region. The
successful implementation of such infrastructure
projects as the Baku-Supsa and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil-exporting pipelines and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
gas pipeline have not only boosted our economy, they
have also contributed to the development of
neighbouring States. A modern energy infrastructure
coupled with vast energy resources have transformed
Azerbaijan into an energy hub of international
importance. Azerbaijan has proven itself a reliable
partner and an indispensable and secure energy source
for Europe and beyond.
 Azerbaijan’s location at the crossroads of major
East-West and North-South transport corridors and its
rapidly developing national transportation
infrastructure, which is connected to regional highway
and railroad networks, highlights the strategic
importance of my country. The completion of the
construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad and the
commissioning of the brand new seaport at Alat, on
Azerbaijan’s coast on the Caspian Sea, will increase
the role of Azerbaijan as a communications hub linking
Europe with Asia.
 Azerbaijan has also put forward an initiative to
establish a Trans-Eurasian information superhighway,
which is expected to serve as a major element of the
East-West transport corridor and facilitate the
provision of Internet service, telecommunications
systems, e-information resources and e-economies to
20 countries of the region.
 Today we are living at a time of heightened
religious and ethnic awareness, which in certain
instances has taken exaggerated forms and is
sometimes maliciously exploited to fuel conflicts on

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ethnic, religious or cultural grounds. The broad
recognition by the Member States of the United
Nations of the role of the dialogue among civilizations,
and specifically of inter-cultural and inter-religious
harmony in maintaining international peace and
security, can only be praised.
 We fully support the recommendations of the
Secretary-General on the importance of increasing
educational efforts to eliminate hate messages,
distortion, prejudice and negative bias from textbooks
and other educational media and to ensure a basic
knowledge and understanding of the world’s main
cultures, civilizations and religions.
 As a country where long-standing traditions of
tolerance and peaceful coexistence of different
religions and ethnic groups over centuries have become
an inseparable part of the culture, Azerbaijan has
repeatedly demonstrated its determination to act as a
natural bridge bringing together different continents,
cultures and civilizations through the promotion of
inter-religious and intercultural dialogue based on
mutual respect and understanding among peoples of
different cultures and religions.
 Azerbaijan was among the first countries to join
the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative by Turkey
and Spain. Azerbaijan has hosted a number of
important events in recent years, with a view to
translating into concrete actions the recommendations
contained in the Alliance of Civilizations report of the
High-level Group appointed by the Secretary-General.
Most recently, we held the Baku International Forum
on Expanding the Role of Women in Cross-cultural
Dialogue, which we believe will raise awareness about
the role of women in that regard. In December 2008,
we hosted a conference of culture ministers from
Council of Europe member States. For the first time in
the history of the Council of Europe, ministers from
member States of the Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization and the Arab League
Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization
joined the event. The Baku declaration adopted at the
conference envisages, inter alia, an intercultural
dialogue between European and neighbouring States.
 At the fifth Islamic Conference of Culture
Ministers, Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku was declared
the Islamic culture capital for 2009. This autumn we
will be hosting the sixth Conference of Ministers of
Culture of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,
where we will continue discussions of our future
actions in fostering dialogue among civilizations.
 The multilateral system, with the United Nations
at its heart, is undergoing serious changes that will test
its strength, viability and credibility. This requires
more dedicated efforts aimed at strengthening the
United Nations and promoting the effectiveness of the
Organization through the implementation of its
decisions and resolutions. Azerbaijan believes that, as
the only truly global organization, the United Nations
has to be stronger and capable of engaging on a range
of pressing global issues in every part of the world, as
well as addressing the aspirations and concerns of each
Member State. We continue to support reform of the
Organization so that it may be renewed and revitalized
and made more responsive.