I am pleased and honoured at the outset to express our
heartfelt congratulations on the election of Mr. Vuk
Jeremić as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-seventh session. We have every confidence in his
efforts and in everything that he will undertake in order
to maintain the gains made in preserving international
peace and security and to promote an international
order that will ensure peace, prosperity and progress
for all humankind. I am firmly convinced that the
proficiency, political skills and spirit of responsibility
that he demonstrated when he twice served as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia will give
him the ability to do so.
I would also like to underscore the continual
efforts of Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and
his determination to promote dialogue as an effective
tool for cooperation and to formulate the best possible
solutions to international issues.
We would like, too, to congratulate and thank
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his steadfast
activities to preserve international peace and security
and to promote the Millennium Development Goals, as
well as to mobilize the international community to deal
with climate change, which now has a negative impact
on the future of humankind.
The sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly
is taking place at a time when many regions of the
world are facing particularly difficult political and
economic conditions. Aware of the importance of the
role and responsibility of our citizens in steering the
destiny of the country, we in the Islamic Republic of
Mauritania have been able to carry out a peaceful,
smooth transition from a repressive totalitarian regime
and the mismanagement of public wealth to democratic
rule based on credible constitutional institutions,
thereby restoring the rule of law.
We are also pleased to see that the peaceful
settlement of national and international disputes is the
theme selected for this session of the General Assembly,
and we appreciate the results of the high-level dialogue
on that important subject.
From that standpoint, my country has enacted a
series of laws and reforms enshrining individual and
collective political freedoms, guaranteeing the people
as a whole the full exercise of those basic rights, subject
to the rule of law, and ensuring the independence of
the judiciary. In that context, the Islamic Republic
of Mauritania has sought to fulfil all the obligations
and commitments it undertook under the tripartite
agreement with the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, on the one hand, and the
Government of the host State, the sister Republic of
Senegal, on the other. The agreement concerned the
organized return of Mauritanians who had been living
in Senegal since the end of the 1980s. The operation
was completed in perfect accord with all the parties
involved and consisted of the organized return of 106 contingents, totalling 24,536 refugees, between
29 January 2008 and 25 March 2012.
Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the
Islamic Republic of Mauritania, personally presided
over an official ceremony on 25 March in the city
of Rosso, which is the capital of the state of Traza.
That was an opportunity for the High Commissioner
for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres, to solemnly
proclaim that the issue of the Mauritanian refugees
in Senegal was finally closed. Along the same lines,
the Government undertook to resolve the issue of the
so-called humanitarian debt by paying those victims
who were entitled to compensation and by settling the
situation of members of the armed and security forces,
Government workers and contract civil servants, whose
rights were also restored.
There has been a genuine and transparent political
dialogue between the parties of the President’s majority
and certain democratic opposition parties, which led to
an agreement late last year. The agreement included the
creation of a national independent electoral commission
that is completely autonomous and that will fully
oversee the upcoming elections, beginning with the
legislative and municipal elections. In addition, there
have been many important constitutional reforms, as
called for by the democratic opposition.
Mauritania has worked to strengthen good
governance by ensuring transparency in the
management of public funds and by enhancing the
independent judicial system, particularly by improving
the conditions of judges and guaranteeing their
independence. The economy has seen sustained growth,
including the implementation of ambitious programmes
aimed at improving the living conditions of the people,
especially those with low incomes.
Since the accession to the presidency of Mr. Ould
Abdel Aziz, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has been
reactivating its presence in regional and international
organizations, first and foremost in the United Nations
and its specialized agencies. We adhere fully to its
noble ideals, and we comply with the resolutions, as a
strategic choice for our foreign policy. In this regard, we
reaffirm our support for reform of the United Nations
system, particularly the Security Council.
We reiterate our desire to see the African continent
receive a permanent seat on the Council, since it
is the only continent that does not have permanent
representation in the body that addresses international peace and security. That is true despite the fact that one
billion people inhabit the continent of Africa and two
thirds of peacekeeping operations take place there. In
addition, we call for a permanent seat on the Council
for the Arab Group because of its demographic weight
vis-à-vis the global population and its considerable
economic potential, in particular in the area of energy.
My country provides effective support to
intergovernmental efforts that have been taking place
for a number of years to find a solution that enjoys
the consensus of Member States on the reform of
the United Nations in general, the working methods
and mechanisms of its decision-making bodies, and
above all, membership in the Security Council and
the issue of defining its authority and codifying its
working relationship with the General Assembly in
order to ensure the effectiveness of our Organization
in faithfully reflecting the will of the international
community.
We note with great satisfaction the tireless efforts
to achieve consensus during the sixty-seventh session,
including with regard to the conclusions of the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development,
which will undoubtedly contribute — if they are
implemented, obviously — to limiting the major risks
facing our planet, in particular the phenomena of global
warming and climate change, which are now the clear
concern and danger facing humankind.
We welcome the outcomes of the Second Conference
to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of
the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent,
Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms
and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which led to a
consensus agreement on a programme of action to
prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.
Despite the efforts made and results achieved
during the Assembly’s sixty-sixth and earlier sessions,
including the Millennium Summit, despite the
establishment of goals and the adoption of an agenda to
achieve them, most developing countries, particularly
the least developed, are falling short of achieving their
objectives. This is due to a range of factors, including,
for example, endemic unemployment, particularly
among young people; the prevalence of extreme poverty
among the most vulnerable segments of society; and the
slowing of growth and stagnation of the global economy.
Foreign direct investment is declining in Africa. The
prices of basic goods on international markets are rising, which has a direct impact on purchasing power in many
poor countries, where a large part of the population lives
on less than $1 per day. Rates of net financial transfers
to developing countries are falling, and revenue from
tourism is falling acutely. Infant mortality is rising.
The heavy debt burden seriously slows the economies
of developing countries, especially least developed, and
directly affects the already modest financial resources
of the countries, thereby hampering their ability to
meet their basic needs in terms of infrastructure and
public services.
Against this worrying backdrop, we call on rich
countries and donors to honour their commitment to
contribute to the economies of developing countries,
giving priority to least developed, so that they can have
acceptable access to public services, thus ensuring
peaceful civil order, security, stability and social
cohesion in those countries, and thereby safeguard
peace around the world.
At the initiative, and with the support, of President
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, our Government has
endeavoured to provide citizens decent living
conditions and to help them in times of crises. In this
connection, an emergency intervention plan, known as
the 2012 Hope Plan, supported by some $170 million
of State budgetary resources, was launched to deal
with declining agricultural production and pastures
declining owing to a lack of rain last year, as our
country is greatly dependent on farming and livestock-
raising. This ambitious plan is providing food and
drinking water for both people and livestock, and at
affordable prices with a view to mitigate the impact of
the crisis, in particular for the poorest segments of the
population. This plan has been unanimously received
as a clear success on all levels. It has allowed us to avert
famine, epidemics and serious malnutrition in children,
pregnant women and nursing mothers. Even livestock
epidemics have been averted, with losses being kept
within reasonable limits.
Our Government is also working tirelessly to
broaden access to education and to improve both the
quality and quantity of teaching and to broaden health
coverage throughout the nation. We have built a modern
cancer hospital, which is among the best equipped in
the region, and a cardiology hospital and a diabetes
centre, not to mention the establishment of 50 dialysis
centres. All of this was achieved in a record time of
just over three years since the accession to power of President Ould Abdel Aziz following the elections of
18 July 2009.
Our subregion, the Sahel, has been for some years
a haven for organized crime networks of many types,
from smuggling drugs, weapons and munitions to
human trafficking, illegal immigration, hostage-taking
and especially terrorism. Together they have led to the
extremely serious situation currently unfolding in our
friendly neighbour, Mali, whose northern regions in
particular represent a serious threat to the security of
the entire subregion.
Given those conditions, we are following
developments in Mali with great concern. Reaffirming
our deep commitment to the unity and territorial
integrity of Mali, we hope that the international
community, through the Security Council, will fully
shoulder its responsibilities and take the necessary
decisions, in consultation with the Government of Mali
and neighbouring countries, with a view to achieving
a swift solution that would ensure the re-establishment
of State authority throughout the territory, a return
to peaceful civil order for all of Mali’s people and
the complete and lasting eradication of terrorism and
organized crime in northern Mali and the Sahel as a
whole.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania has steadfastly
taken principled positions with regard to that tragic
crisis. We swiftly condemned the military coup d’état
that ousted the elected President and interrupted
the electoral process. We have strenuously rejected
separatist claims and unequivocally condemned the
occupation of northern Mali by armed terrorist groups.
We have continuously reaffirmed our commitment to
the unity, territorial integrity and social cohesion of
sisterly Mali.
My country swiftly and early took all appropriate
measures to accept refugees from Mali. Today there
are more than 110,000 in a camp that has become
the second largest city in Mauritania in terms of
population, after the capital Nouakchott. Despite the
severe constraints linked to drought and the scarcity of
financial resources, Mauritania is providing shelter to
those refugees in satisfactory conditions that meet with
the approval of international humanitarian agencies,
including the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, with whom we work very closely and
maintain constant contact. My country is perfectly aware of the close
relationship between security, development and
democracy and of the fact that security is a necessary
condition for development, for the establishment of
democracy and for strengthening the institutions of
the rule of law. We have therefore made the adoption
of the necessary array of legislation a top priority and
has committed to adopting measures to guarantee
the security and safety of our citizens and of foreign
nationals residing in our country among our hospitable,
warm people. Our armed and security forces have
resolutely and courageously faced criminal terrorist
armed groups that have threatened our security and that
of our guests. We have therefore been able to secure our
borders and restore our sovereignty in each area of our
country, and we now control all access points, despite
the great length of our borders.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is most
seriously following the dramatic developments of the
situation in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic. We call
on all parties involved to put an end to the escalating
violence and to focus on dialogue in order to find
a peaceful solution to the crisis so that the brotherly
Syrian people can avoid further horror, desolation and
destruction, as well as to ensure the unity and territorial
integrity of Syria and the cohesion of its social fabric.
We have every hope that the mission of the Special Joint
Representative of the United Nations and the League of
Arab States, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, whom my country
fully supports, will be able to open the path to a positive
solution to that crisis, which poses a serious threat to
the peace and security of the entire Middle East and
the entire world, with extremely negative effects on the
Syrian economy.
We enthusiastically welcome the democratic
changes that took place in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt
and Libya. We are convinced they will contribute to
consolidating civil peace and security and will bring
about a shining future for those fraternal countries and
peoples.
We have the firm hope that the agreements recently
reached between the Sudan and the Republic of South
Sudan will lead to the peaceful settlement of all
pending issues between those two States. My country
is also wholly satisfied with the recent legislative and
presidential elections in Somalia. We hope they will
strengthen peace and security in that brotherly country,
which has been devastated for two decades by the
collapse of central power and by a number of other difficulties, including the destruction of infrastructure
and the displacement of its people, armed conflicts
between warlords, and the activities of armed terrorist
groups that have sown terror among innocent civilians.
My country is closely following the issue of
Western Sahara. We reiterate our full support for the
efforts of the Secretary-General and of his Special
Envoy aimed at bringing about a lasting, comprehensive
and fair solution that would have the consent of both
parties and would serve to uphold peace and security
in the region and thereby promote the establishment
of a progressive, prosperous Arab Maghreb, which our
people legitimately hope for.
The Israeli-Arab conflict is a permanent source
of hatred and hostility and a serious threat to peace
and security in a vital region of the world. The legal
framework and the general conditions to address that
situation have been defined and reiterated for a long
time now, in a spate of resolutions in the Security
Council and the General Assembly. That has all been
formally confirmed via the Arab Peace Initiative,
which is based on the principle of land for peace
and which aims at resolving the ongoing conflict,
Therefore we urge the international community to
grant the request that Mahmoud Abbas, President of
the Palestinian Authority, made in the last Assembly
session, seeking the recognition of the Palestinian State
by the international community, within the borders of
4 June 1967.
That is the only way to end the suffering of the
Palestinian people, which has gone on for almost as
long as this Organization has existed. It is also the way
for the international community to shoulder its historic
responsibility with respect to Palestine and the desire
to achieve justice and to ensure credibility and equity
between the two parties to the conflict, in compliance
with the relevant resolutions of international legality.
We also reiterate our condemnation of the standing
embargo of the Gaza Strip and the crimes perpetrated
by the Israeli war machine against Palestinian civilians,
along with the massive destruction of their properties
and infrastructure.
It is no longer acceptable that all those paths
continue to be firmly closed off to an unarmed
Palestinian people, who have been assigned to fictitious
negotiations that are themselves an insurmountable
obstacle to their achieving their most basic right, which
is the establishment of their national independent State on the borders of 4 June 1967, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif
as its capital.
Promoting a culture of peace and the values
and spirit of tolerance among different peoples and
civilizations and establishing equity and justice among
and between peoples at a global level are the right ways
to safeguard peace and security in our world. There are
outstanding issues without any prospects for solution.
There is a huge gap between rich and poor. There are
imbalances in the global economic infrastructure and
an absence of genuine justice, equity, and equality. All
of those issues have contributed to the escalation of
areas of tension and the expansion of the phenomenon
of terrorism.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania rejects
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We are
committed to our Islamic values, which require that we
respect tolerance and fraternity and reject any form of
extremism and violence. The international community
urgently needs to study the reasons for extremism and
the best ways to uproot and eradicate that problem.
The noble ideals by which the international
community was guided during the creation of this
Organization will be respected only if the States and
peoples of the world can benefit from the potential
of development to provide the conditions for a decent
life for all human beings, especially in developing
countries, while respecting the values of freedom and
equity. That is how we will be able to achieve the values
that are at the very basis of the United Nations.


Allow
me to begin by congratulating Mr. Vuk Jeremić on
his election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-seventh session. I am convinced that with
his leadership and drive, this lofty institution will be
capable of facing the numerous challenges that will
arise in the next 12 months.
I also wish to express my gratitude to his
predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. I join
others in congratulating him on his work and wish him
all the best in his new endeavours.
Spain believes that the United Nations has a
fundamental role to play. That is why I wished to
participate in this general debate, the first since I took
the oath of office as President of the Government of
Spain. It is always an honour for a Head of Government
to address the General Assembly. I do so today on behalf
of a country that is committed to the international
community and to the pursuit of joint solutions to the
problems we face.
The result of that commitment is our desire to serve
once again in the Security Council for the period 2015-
2016. In my statement, I shall refer to the reasons for Spain’s resolve to work in the Council with an open and
constructive spirit, committed to peace and international
security, the promotion and protection of human rights,
and the search for sustainable development for all.
In addition to the serious economic and financial
situation, the international community is facing today
more numerous and more complicated challenges
than ever before. The Organization and its General
Assembly are key if we are to confront them. Year after
year, we discuss those problems here and their possible
solutions. For that reason, I believe that we should ask
ourselves today if we have improved since last year.
While it might seem otherwise, I believe we have.
In one year, we have witnessed the unbreakable
will of the Arab citizens to consolidate democratic
systems in their countries. In Spain, we went through a
difficult but successful transition to democracy. Hence,
we know that the road is not and will not be easy. Our
experience can be useful for all Arab countries that
are going through transition processes. I reaffirm our
commitment to building open, inclusive and democratic
societies whose institutions satisfy the yearnings for
dignity and for the development of its citizens. In those
processes, there is no room for movements that promote
violence, whatever its justification. Any attack or
aggression against people or institutions is unacceptable
and deserves our most full-throated condemnation.
Last year, we also dedicated our efforts to finding
solutions to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, and
especially to the situation in Somalia. The difficulties
persist, but Somalia is advancing towards normality.
Cooperation in the fight against piracy in the Indian
Ocean is stronger than ever, and during our recent
presidency of the Contact Group on Piracy off the
Coast of Somalia, we moved forward in the search of
an international response to that criminal phenomenon.
Similarly, humanitarian efforts in that region have
allowed for an improvement of the situation. Four
months ago, Spain and the World Food Programme
(WFP) signed an agreement to locate the largest food
storage facility in the world in the Canary Islands.
The WFP facility will allow faster and more efficient
responses to food emergencies on the African continent.
Afghanistan continues moving forward in the
direction of stability — a road that Spain has pursued
together with the Afghan people for more than a
decade. In that effort, we have bequeathed resources,
infrastructures and, unfortunately, the life of many of our fellow citizens. My country will continue to
contribute to the development of Afghanistan and its
search for much-needed stability and security.
This year, in Rio de Janeiro, we reaffirmed
our common vision in favour of an economically,
socially and environmentally sustainable future.
Since their conception, Spain has been committed to
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with
the largest cooperation programme in its history,
valued at almost $1 billion, implemented through the
Spain-United Nations Development Programme MDG
Achievement Fund. Negotiations are under way to set
new goals for sustainable development and to bring the
institutional structure in step with that commitment.
Spain will maintain an active and constructive presence
in the process.
The fight against international impunity has also
seen important advances this year. The International
Criminal Court initiated its first case against a Head of
State, demonstrating that the international community
is closer than ever to ending impunity for serious
crimes. I would like to reiterate today the call for the
universal ratification of the Rome Statute.
I would like to make special mention of the valuable
and increasing role that Latin America has played
in the development of the multilateral system. The
achievements and progress that the region has attained
in the consolidation of democracy, economic growth
and regional integration are reflected in its greater
international presence.
Latin America has shown its potential by
strengthening the multilateralism promoted by the
Organization. Spain is proud to share in that spirit at
the Ibero-American summits and will be hosting this
year’s summit in Cádiz, Spain. That forum reflects the
Ibero-American community’s wager on the promise of
dialogue, equality and mutual respect, with our eyes
firmly set on the future.
I believe that those steps forward, among others,
attest to an encouraging year, despite its difficulties. It
is proof that the multilateral system is responding to the
present crisis and promoting respect for and the active
protection of human rights, as well as the presence and
participation of women in all areas regions. But, of
course, there are problems on which there has been little
or no progress at all or that have emerged throughout
the present year. Those problems deserve as much if not
more of our attention in the 12 months that lie ahead. First of all, I would like to mention the crisis in
Syria. A year ago, in the General Assembly, an urgent
appeal was made to the Syrian regime to halt the abuses
and crimes against its people. Despite the international
community’s efforts, the situation has not ceased
to deteriorate. Thousands of innocent victims, the
unbearable suffering of the civilian population and the
serious risk of the conflict expanding to neighbouring
countries compel us to act. Today, I reiterate the call to
end all violence in Syria and urge President Al-Assad
to accept his responsibility and make way for a political
process that will allow a peaceful resolution to the
conflict. We support the efforts of the Joint Special
Representative, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, to reach this
goal. The international community, the United Nations,
the League of Arab States and the European Union
continue to be prepared, through different mechanisms,
to come to Syria’s aid.
In this uncertain regional scenario, Lebanon has so
far managed to keep itself on the margin of the spiral of
violence, an achievement that has been reached in good
measure thanks to the contingent of United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon, in which Spain is an active
participant.
Another year has passed without progress in the
Middle East peace process. We defend the idea that
the solution to the conflict in the Middle East lies
in the existence of two States, the Israeli State and
the Palestinian State, living in peace and security.
Any delay in achieving that goal leads to growing
frustration that will affect the rest of the world. The
international community, and, above all, the actors
involved must have the courage to adopt the measures
and decisions needed to achieve that comprehensive,
just and durable peace that responds to the legitimate
yearnings of both peoples. My Government, committed
to the goal of peace, is convinced that the creation of a
viable Palestinian State is a key element in the solution
of the conflict. It will bring beneficial effects for the
security and welfare of Israel, for the normalization
of regional relations and, finally, for the international
community as a whole. Until then, the parties must
avoid endangering the viability of a two-State solution.
The situation in Mali and the entire Sahel region
is particularly serious. The humanitarian crisis has
been aggravated by political instability and an armed
revolt, which has deteriorated into terrorist movements
that have caused considerable harm to the population
in northern Mali. Spain unreservedly condemns violence and supports the efforts of the United Nations,
the African Union, and the Economic Community of
West African States to reach a solution to the crisis.
Those efforts must count on the decisive support of
the countries of the region, whose people also endure
insecurity caused by the situation. And above all, the
process must be led by the people of Mali themselves,
who need to overcome their institutional crisis and
re-establish the territorial integrity of their country.
On other matters, I would like to highlight the
efforts of the international community in general and of
the E3+3 Group in particular to relaunch conversations
with Iran with the goal of eliminating all doubts raised
by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
regarding its nuclear enrichment programme. Those
conversations are sustained by the desire to reach a
political and diplomatic solution and are an opportunity
that we hope all actors involved will take advantage
of. We reiterate our appeal to Iran to comply with
the relevant resolutions without delay and to ratify
and observe the additional protocol of the IAEA’s
comprehensive safeguards agreement.
I would also like to express our support for the Six-
Party Talks as a framework for finding a diplomatic
solution to the crisis raised by the nuclear programme of
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We consider
that the country must put a stop to its nuclear activities
with military aims in a complete and verifiable manner,
and it must comply with all Security Council resolutions
on the matter and respect its commitments to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
This year we have moved towards a more peaceful,
just and sustainable world. However, as reflected in
the cases I have just mentioned, much remains to be
done. To achieve this, Spain will continue to work with
the United Nations, for we believe that only through
a concerted effort of the international community can
we find solutions. My country’s wish to serve on the
Security Council in 2015 and 2016 responds precisely
to the conviction that in the Council Spain can continue
playing an active role in the search for joint solutions
to common problems. That conviction is supported by
Spain’s accomplishments to date, by our demonstrated
commitment to multilateralism and by the initiatives
led by our country in the search for international
understanding and sustainable development.
Spain will continue to contribute, to the best of
its ability, to peacekeeping operations by providing troops and through the United Nations operational
field support base at Quart de Poblet, in Spain. Our
commitment to the United Nations will remain firm,
as we actively participate in those initiatives that we
have been supporting in the past few years because we
believe that they are key to achieving the future we
desire.
Disarmament and non-proliferation must be shared
objectives for the entire international community. We
believe that it is necessary to reactivate the Conference
on Disarmament with an ambitious programme of
work. Spain also supports renewing the General
Assembly mandate to proceed with the negotiations
of an arms trade treaty. We will continue to work for
a solid, effective and legally binding document that
reflects the defence of human rights and international
humanitarian rights.
As a member of the Human Rights Council, we will
continue to defend the undeniable link between respect
for human rights and peace and security in the world.
We will also continue to work towards a universal
moratorium on the death penalty.
My country will continue to support negotiations
within the United Nations of a comprehensive
convention on international terrorism. Terrorism is a
vicious trait that unfortunately Spain knows very well.
I would like to take a moment today to remember and
pay tribute to all the victims of terrorism. In July, a
High-Level Conference on Victims of Terrorism
was held in Madrid in the framework of the Global
Counterterrorism Forum. There we reiterated that
victims can plan an important role in the complete
delegitimization, in both social and moral terms, of
terrorism. I wish to acknowledge the support of the
Secretary-General and of the President of the General
Assembly in this task.
We will continue to promote the goals of
UN-Women, after a first year full of work and results.
In that regard, Spain, which has been the biggest
donor to this entity during its first year, maintains its
commitment to equality between men and women and
to the efforts to put an end to violence against women
and girls.
My country is a firm defender of dialogue and
the use of peaceful means to resolve controversies.
For that reason, next Friday, together with Morocco,
we will present an initiative to promote mediation
and to develop national and local capacities in the Mediterranean basin. The initiative will be the first
embodiment in that region of resolution 65/283 and of
the work of the Secretary-General and the Group of
Friends of Mediation.
Spain maintains its active commitment to a just,
enduring and mutually acceptable political solution to
the dispute in Western Sahara, a solution that provides
for the self-determination of the Saharan people in
accordance with the principles and objectives of the
Charter of the United Nations. As a member of the
Group of Friends, Spain firmly supports the work of the
Secretary-General, his Personal Envoy and the United
Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.
Between countries that are friends and allies, as
is the case between Spain and the United Kingdom,
a direct and sincere dialogue should make it possible
to overcome any differences. Therefore, I would
like to call upon the United Kingdom to renew the
bilateral dialogue on the decolonization of Gibraltar in
accordance with the parameters indicated by the United
Nations and enshrined in the Brussels Declaration of
1984. We have already lost too many years.
The efforts of the Member States of the United
Nations will not be sufficient if they are not accompanied
by the necessary adaptation of the United Nations to the
current world. The Secretary-General has launched a
process aimed at reforming the Organization, which my
country is following closely. I would like to reiterate
that Spain supports his efforts, and we call upon the rest
of the Member States to continue their open dialogue on
his proposals, analysing them without any prejudices
and showing sufficient courage to break with the status
quo when necessary.
In that regard, I should like to reiterate our support
for the reforms of the Secretary-General in the area of
peacekeeping operations. Likewise, Spain is a strong
driving force behind the Delivering as One initiative,
which is an essential undertaking aimed at modernizing
the United Nations system, improving its effectiveness
and efficiency in the fight against poverty and
inequality, and thereby making it possible to do more
with less. Proof of Spain’s commitment to that initiative
is the fact that my country has been the largest donor
thereto, providing more than half of the total funding.
Lastly, the Security Council must also adapt,
as quickly as possible, to the realities of the twenty-
first century, which are very different from those that
existed when it was created. In the coming months, we will continue to be open to dialogue on this issue,
and we hope that, under the leadership of President
Jeremić, we will be able to find common ground among
the different positions on the issue on which we can
build a new Security Council that is more effective,
inclusive, representative and responsible to the General
Assembly.
We are facing many challenges. Spain is strongly
determined to contribute to those efforts so that in 12
months, when we meet here again, the list of problems
before us is shorter and we can have a United Nations
that is more effective and efficient than it was a year
previously. The United Nations will continue to be a
guarantor of international peace and security, and a
driving force for the protection of human rights and the
promotion of sustainable development for our future
and that of our children. The General Assembly can
count on Spain to participate in that endeavour with the
same determination as always.


I would like to congratulate
President Jeremić on his election to serve as the highest
representative of the General Assembly at its sixty-
seventh session. In recent decades, his country has gone
through a difficult period. I am sure his experience as
the Serbian Minister for Foreign Affairs who saw the
consequences of one kind of peacefully negotiated
settlement and armed international intervention will
benefit this year’s General Assembly and contribute
to making our deliberations less formal and more
practical.
Mr. Tanin (Afghanistan), Vice-President, took the
Chair.
The Czech Republic firmly believes that
international disputes and conflicts can and should
be settled by peaceful, not military, means. We have
been systematically demonstrating that for a long time.
When the division of Czechoslovakia was taking place
20 years ago and the situation was emotionally strained
and painful for us, it never crossed the mind of any of our
politicians that the problem should be addressed by any
other than peaceful means. The difficult negotiations,
undertaken solely by our own representatives, resulted
in achieving a settlement that political representatives
and, especially, citizens in both the newly established
States considered then and still consider to be a positive
solution.
Our experience affirms that it is the domestic
politicians, in particular, who should be the driving force of negotiations rather than international teams
or former political figures from abroad. The mandate
of the negotiating parties must be rooted as firmly as
possible in domestic conditions and local traditions.
External observers must not succumb to the temptation
of imposing the settlement that they themselves regard
as the right one, but which is not in line with long-
term natural developments in the country or region
in question. For a number of reasons, those inevitable
preconditions are often not met in attempts at peaceful
conflict resolution. It is therefore no wonder that we
often see the opposite results to those that the architects
of a particular settlement would have wished.
We must ask ourselves what successful peace
talks and international missions are. Do external
interventions improve the situation or do they make it
worse by hindering spontaneous processes that could
reintroduce stability in the region, possibly with smaller
sacrifices compared to the price paid through external
intervention? For instance, are the developments in
Iraq, the unresolved Cyprus issue or the independence
of Kosovo a success of the United Nations or not?
Let me say a few words about Syria. As a country
that has recent historical experience of a transition
to democracy, the Czech Republic wishes Syria to be
able to take the same path. However, we do not see
a feasible solution now. Our immediate effort must
focus on helping the people affected by the current
tragic situation in the country. The Czech Republic has
already sent humanitarian aid to Syria and to Syrians
f leeing into neighbouring countries. We have set up a
medical evacuation programme for wounded Syrian
refugees. Czech experts took part in the United Nations
observer mission in Syria. Our Embassy in Damascus
is also providing assistance. Two months ago, the Czech
Republic accepted the request of the United States for
representation in diplomatic and consular matters in
Syria.
There is no doubt that we must look at the situation
in Syria from a broader and longer-term perspective.
We should know what needs to be done tomorrow and
the day after tomorrow. I am afraid that that is the most
important lesson learned from other similar issues,
such as the recent military intervention in Libya.
Allow me to affirm that the Czech Republic will
continue to be an active United Nations Member. The
Czech Republic observes and applies the principles
and standards of international law in its foreign policy and promotes their international application. We
will support United Nations activities in the fields
of disarmament and the non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons. Those issues are among our security policy
priorities. The Czech Republic will continue to take
part in United Nations peacekeeping operations, as
well as in humanitarian and development programmes.
It also supports efforts to reform the United Nations,
including the Security Council, which in 2005 began to
work towards responding to our changed international
environment and promoting a more balanced
representation of individual regions and States.


It is an
honour to address the opening of the sixty-seventh
regular session of the General Assembly.
First of all, allow me to begin with a moment of
silence in tribute to all the diplomats, from so many
countries, who have lost their lives in the service of
our common humanity and in the pursuit of deeper
understanding among countries.

With the opening of this session, the General
Assembly has passed an important milestone. Since the
first session was convened in Central Hall Westminster
in London in January 1946 until the calling to order of
this new session, precisely 66 years and eight months
have elapsed. The General Assembly is now two thirds
of a century old — two thirds of a century during which
the Assembly and the planet have been witness to both
great achievements and grave injustices and have seen
both human triumphs and human tragedies.
It has been two thirds of a century during which
the peoples of the world made powerful progress. We
have launched humans into orbit. We have mapped the
human genome and unlocked various mysteries of life
and science. We have pulled hundreds of millions of
people out of abject poverty. And yet it has also been
two thirds of a century during which we suffered deep
disappointment — the worst incidents of terrorism
in the world’s history, including the largest terror
attack ever, here in New York on 11 September 2001;
the failure to anticipate and prevent genocide in
Cambodia and Rwanda; and the stubborn persistence
of totalitarianism and despotism. Some developments
were predictable. Others no one foresaw, and nobody
could have scripted.
As we stand on the threshold of the next third of a
century, we are reminded of that old adage, “the only analogy. At one time, sailors would navigate by the
North Star. Winds and currents would shift, storms
would blow, ships might even veer off course, but the
North Star remained fixed — as a guide and as a goal.
In the same way, the only way for us to navigate the
seas of change is to follow fixed principles and chart a
course for immutable goals. In our opinion, those goals
are the well-being, prosperity, security and dignity of
humankind, objectives that are reflected in the purposes
inscribed in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter.
We owe it to those we serve — to the people of this
planet — to maintain consistent effort in that direction.
They will judge our success by how well we further
the ends of prosperity, security, and human dignity. One
measures results by measuring the results themselves,
not by weighing best efforts, not by counting good
intentions, and not by calculating inputs. I do not
propose, therefore, to dwell extensively on reform of
the United Nations. This Organization is not a goal; it
is merely the means to accomplish goals. However, the
United Nations must spend less time looking at itself,
and more time focused on the problems that demand its
attention. I make that observation in a constructive and
positive spirit.
Canada was an original signatory to the Charter,
and is today the seventh-largest contributor to the
budget of this important Organization. Our commitment
to the United Nations has been tested and is proven.
Our commitment to the United Nations is important.
Nevertheless, because of our commitment to this body,
we cannot and will not participate in endless, fruitless
inward-looking exercises.
Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations
will henceforth devote primary attention to what the
United Nations is achieving, not to how the United
Nations arranges its affairs. The United Nations spends
too much time on itself. It must now look outward. The
preoccupation with procedure and process must yield
to substance and results. If the United Nations focuses
on the achievement of goals — such as prosperity,
security and human dignity — then reform will take
care of itself. As the international community sets its
sights on a post-2015 development framework, it should
not forget the work that remains to be done and the
commitments it has made.
The United Nations Commission on Information
and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health,
co-chaired by Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen
Harper, and President Jakaya Kikwete of the United
Republic of Tanzania, is the type of initiative that
Canada would like to see more of in the future, and its
recommendations need to be integrated into a post-2015
framework.
The Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations
reflects our collective determination to achieve “better
standards of life” for all humankind. It sets as a goal
“the economic and social advancement of all peoples”.
That is no mean ambition. Those of us who recognize
a Creator accept the responsibility to use the Creator’s
gifts to improve the well-being of all. Openness and
engagement are vital to progress and prosperity. Since
before recorded history, societies have reached out to
their neighbours and beyond. As soon as human beings
invented transport, we invented trade, exchanging not
just the fruits of the Earth, but also goods, practices and
ideas. Informed by our successes and failures — that
is, having benefited from engagement and having paid
the price of isolation — humankind has learned several
lessons. We cannot develop understanding by building
walls between cultures. We cannot achieve prosperity
by erecting walls between economies. And we cannot
advance a people by putting walls between them and
the State.
It is no longer necessary for humankind to endlessly
debate how to make people better off. There is no
special alchemy required. Blessed with the benefit of
human experience, we know what produces prosperity:
free trade among open societies operating under
transparent, consistent and fair rules. As Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon recently wrote, “engaging in the
world is the best path to a better future”.
The fight for the economic and social advancement
of all peoples is manifested in the struggle for open
markets, open society and open-mindedness. It is a
struggle in which Canada is decidedly not neutral. We
recognize that the well-being of Canadians depends
both on openness at home and on openness to the world.
Canadians know, from experience, the connection
between trade and prosperity. After all, in order to
support the world’s tenth-largest economy with only
the world’s thirty-sixth-largest population, we must be
a trading nation. We are expanding trade at a rate of
unparalleled ambition, and consequently we are looking
for partners. But we fully recognize that sustained trade
requires stability and security.
The United Nations will also be judged by how
well it advances the security of humankind. The goal of
security is not separate from the objective of well-being. Security is, after all, a vital part of people’s well-being.
Once again, openness and engagement are important
means of achieving that goal. While there may at times
be tension in the means of execution, there exists no
fundamental conflict between national security and the
open society; both seek to protect the same values, the
same rights and the same freedoms.
It is not enough for a society to protect its own
security. Global security affects all of us as members
of the global community. Or, as Nelson Mandela
eloquently put it, “freedom would be meaningless
without security in the home and in the streets”. Thus,
our freedom is strengthened when others are free, and
our liberty is diminished so long as any of our brothers
or sisters are imprisoned by fear. Because a threat to
one is a threat to all, our security is enhanced when we
cooperate to protect fragile democracies or to block the
forces of instability.
The crisis in Syria is a test of this Organization’s
ability to achieve results. While the brutal and repressive
regime of Bashar Al-Assad continues the slaughter of
its own people, the United Nations continues to fail to
impose binding sanctions that would stem the crimson
tide of that bloody assault. Until the last moment of
recorded time, the world will remember and history will
judge Member States that are allowing the atrocities to
continue.
Many people of the planet, including many of the
citizens whom we represent, cannot understand why
this Organization — despite the sound and fury of
debate in this great Assembly — has been unable to
take concrete steps. Some ask, “What business is it
of ours?” Our citizens would argue that the business
is our common humanity, and our mandate is the
strengthening of humanity’s bonds. It is difficult
to fault their logic. The late Martin Luther King Jr.
once said: “He who passively accepts evil is as much
involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who
accepts evil without protesting against it is really
cooperating with it”. And if the collective interest in
our shared humanity does not motivate us to act, then
the self-interest of our own security should. After all,
a stockpile of chemical and biological weapons does
not respect national sovereignty or recognize territorial
integrity. Who among us would be secure if the
chemical and biological weapons of another Member
State fell into the wrong hands? That is why Canada
calls on the Syrian regime to ensure that its stockpile of chemical weapons remains secure against possible use
or proliferation by those who would do evil.
When the post-Al-Qadhafi Libya declared its
willingness to destroy previously unknown stockpiles,
Canada stepped in and provided $6 million to the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
in order to achieve that vital objective. Until such an
opportunity arises in Syria, Canada stands ready
to assist neighbouring States in taking measures to
reduce the threat of the proliferation of those terrible
weapons. Until that time, Canada continues to call for
an immediate end to the violence. Al-Assad must be
replaced by a new order that protects Syria’s territorial
integrity and all the rights of each and every citizen.
I have seen the despair of the Syrian people first
hand on the Jordanian border, where a little girl heart-
wrenchingly told me that all she wanted to do was to go
home. That experience will no doubt leave a lasting scar
on the children caught in the middle of the tragedy. We
must ensure that they have the opportunity for a better
life — for a life free of fear and full of opportunity.
I pledge that Canada will work to address the urgent
humanitarian crises wrought by the violence of the past
18 months. It behoves all Member States in a position
to do so to improve conditions for the Syrian civilians
affected by their great struggle against tyranny in
pursuit of dignity.
Today, the most significant threat to global peace
and security remains the regime in Iran. It refuses to
comply with Security Council resolutions. It routinely
threatens the very existence of the State of Israel. It
foments hatred against the Jewish people and incites
genocide. It provides aid, comfort and support to
terrorist groups. It is guilty of the widespread and
massive repression of the human rights of its own people,
including gays, lesbians and religious minorities.
A nuclear Iran would embolden an already reckless
regime and would perpetuate a very destabilizing
factor not just for an already fragile region, but also
for the entire planet. The Government of Canada has
not only formally listed the Iranian regime as a State
sponsor of terrorism under Canadian law, but we have
also suspended diplomatic relations. Some may ask
why a country committed to openness and engagement
would suspend relations. We do not take such decisions
lightly.
On a practical level, the regime’s blatant disregard
for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations created real and legitimate concern for the safety and
security of our civilian diplomats. But there is also a great
principle at stake. While Canada prizes engagement
and open relations, there can be no open engagement
with a regime that dishonours its word, repudiates
its commitments and threatens to perpetuate crimes
against humanity. Canada’s philosophy is captured in
the wisdom of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second United
Nations Secretary-General, killed 51 years ago while
fighting for peace and justice. He advised: “Never, for
the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience
or convictions”. That is why Canada has imposed some
of the toughest economic sanctions against the Iranian
regime.
However, let me be absolutely clear. Our quarrel
is not with the people of Iran, but with the regime,
which aims to silence their voices. Canada urges Iran
to comply with its international nuclear obligations and
to cease sensitive enrichment activities. We support
the process of the five plus one group of countries.
Iran needs to seize the opportunity provided by the
international community and negotiate in good faith
by showing demonstrable progress and by meeting its
nuclear obligations.
The Iranian regime still has the chance to redeem
itself. In fact, I encourage Iran to follow the example
of some of its neighbours, some of whom Canada has
supported in building nuclear energy programmes for
peaceful purposes. We will continue to work closely
with the United States, the European Union and
other allies to put pressure on Iran to comply with its
important international nuclear obligations. Rather than
accept as inevitable the conflict that Iran seems intent
on provoking, Canada seeks a peaceful alternative. Iran
must act immediately to stop all enrichment and must
abandon technology that could be used for weapons.
Iran is testing the will of the international community
to its utmost. That, too, must end.
The world’s security is closely linked to the third
goal that should animate this Organization, namely,
protecting the dignity and worth of every person by
upholding and protecting fundamental freedoms. The
great poet Kahlil Gibran inspired us to remember that
safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and
beautiful goal of a human being.
That principle is not simply a question of beliefs and
values. It includes a requirement for action. Protecting
human rights and human dignity is an obligation that
each State owes its citizens. It is a mutual obligation that all members of the international community must
share. History teaches us that an open society that is
tolerant, pluralistic and free is the best guarantor of
human rights and dignity.
A threat to the security of humankind is often
coupled with the crushing of human rights. Yet human
rights abuses that do not threaten security still concern
us. The enslavement of others is a vicious human rights
abuse. It takes many forms, such as the notorious
political prisoner camps of North Korea, the forcible
recruitment by the Mouvement du 23 mars group
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the early
and forced marriage of young girls, which is a truly
barbaric form of slavery. Another despicable type of
enslavement is the criminalization of sexuality: jailing,
torturing and killing people for who they are and whom
they love. Other abuses enslave the soul by suppressing,
sometimes with brutal force, the right to worship
freely, to practise a faith and to hold religious beliefs.
Assaults on human dignity, wherever they occur, are
unacceptable.
At the start of my address, I observed that results
matter. This Organization was created to achieve
certain goals, and it will be measured by its success
in doing so. No one ever said that it would be easy to
make real progress in advancing the prosperity, well-
being, security and dignity of humankind. It is not easy
but it is essential. Despite the challenges, the frequent
setbacks and the cost, which is often heavy, we know
that the nations and peoples of the world are up to the
challenge. As we celebrate Mohandas Gandhi’s birthday
tomorrow, let us be inspired by his words: “You must
not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a
few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not
become dirty.”
Emboldened and bolstered by our faith in humanity,
let us move forward together to secure the results that
this Organization was established to achieve.
constant is change”.

The only constant is change. Indeed, our world
continues to change and at a rapid pace in all domains.
At the geopolitical level, change means a rebalancing
of power and new opportunities. Not since the Cold
War has so much change occurred so quickly. In
these turbulent times, when change can be swift and
unexpected, it is all the more important that we focus
with precision on the constants that remain true.

Canada is a maritime nation bordered by three
oceans. Please allow me, then, to use a nautical


I bring the Assembly the warm
greeting of “Yokwe” from the Marshall Islands.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands was born first
in the hearts and minds of the Marshallese people, but
we also forged our nationhood under the auspices of the
United Nations f lag. The United Nations is truly our
second home. Our unique story, from United Nations
Trust Territory to Member State, deserves ref lection
by the international community, two decades after we
were welcomed as a United Nations Member.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will
be reviewed in three years’ time. The Marshall Islands
is now firmly committed to making stronger progress,
especially with regard to achieving full access to
adequate education and decent employment and to
ensuring a sustainable environment. The MDGs are
not distant figures or statistics. The MDGs are in the
faces of our Marshallese children; the MDGs are in our
classrooms and hospitals. One of the most immediate
and necessary steps is to better integrate our bilateral
and regional development pathways with the MDGs, to
ensure that all efforts move in the same direction and
towards the same common goals.
As the Asia-Pacific region rises in the global
spotlight, so also must the Marshall Islands. Our
national future is still within our grasp, and our future
need not be so difficult if we and our partners undertake
the hard actions needed to change it.
Today, the Marshall Islands commits to being a key
success story in the Pacific. We will move with specific
actions to make firm and measurable progress towards
the MDGs and towards economic independence resting
on an expanded private sector, especially in regard to
our primary drivers of fisheries and tourism. We simply
have no other alternative but to rewrite our future.
We look to the future with targets in mind instead of
generalities. I have asked my Government for specific,
quantifiable development goals. I have also asked my
Government to list the necessary actions, to be taken by
ourselves and by our partners, needed to achieve them.
Today I am encouraging bilateral partners, especially
our closest partners, as well as the Secretary-General and the Pacific Islands Forum and its regional agencies,
to respond. Next year I hope to present the Assembly
with a report not about our plight but about our progress.
It is easy, and indeed rightful, to place blame on
the international community, especially concerning
climate change and fisheries, spheres where the open
political assurances of our partners too often fall victim
to their own self-interest once the negotiating doors
close. Yet the ultimate burden for achieving greater
national success must be on the Marshall Islands
Government and the Marshallese people. However
unfair multilateral outcomes may be to the smallest
nations, we must and will do whatever is in our national
power to assure a viable future. Nothing will stand in
our way.
The Marshall Islands is far from alone. Many
nations in the Pacific islands region share similar
challenges. Our collective Pacific progress must be a
key pillar of the 2014 global conference on small island
developing States, to be held in the Pacific. The next
summit of the Pacific Islands Forum will be held next
year in the Marshall Islands, and this meeting will
reveal firm and dramatic progress not only towards
basic social and environment goals, but also how a very
real expansion of public-private partnership will be
jump-started in the Pacific.
Since 1954, Marshallese leaders have visited the
United Nations to address the ongoing impact of the 67
nuclear tests conducted on our lands during our status
as a United Nations Trust Territory. That is our first
foreign policy issue, and it is more than a historical
legacy. It is a contemporary reality for our local
communities. The United Nations authorized many of
those tests through two resolutions, in 1954 and 1956,
which also made assurances of our basic human rights
and our full and safe return to our land, while today too
many Marshallese remain nuclear nomads, still unable
to safely resettle. While I acknowledge the important
efforts taken to date, the half-life of radioactive material
remains for generations, and much more needs to be
done.
But today, for the first time since the trusteeship
resolution of 1956, the United Nations has finally spoken.
Earlier this month, Mr. Calin Georgescu, Special
Rapporteur on human rights and toxic wastes, presented
his report regarding the nuclear testing programme
in the Marshall Islands (A/HRC/21/48/Add.1) to
the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Special Rapporteur has presented significant findings that
indicate that the pain, mistrust, progress and failures
of the Marshallese people over decades have a human
rights dimension and that the international community
must respond with more than silence. The Marshallese
people have paid too heavy a price for the only instance
in which the United Nations explicitly authorized the
use of nuclear weapons.
I urge all relevant actors — the United States and
the wider international community and its agencies — to
join with the Marshall Islands and the Pacific Islands
Forum members in welcoming the Special Rapporteur’s
specific recommendations as a way forward to ensure
progress on regaining the very human rights that
should never have been lost. The Special Rapporteur’s
report must not be allowed to only collect dust on the
shelf; it should instead be a foundation for new efforts,
particularly with key international agencies. We have
no more time for well-worn accusations. The Marshall
Islands must not fail to advance the human rights of its
own citizens. Where old solutions have not worked, we
must not fail to find new ones.
We are not only a small island State, but truly a
large-ocean nation. Our sustainable fisheries represent
a primary pathway to the very economic strength
and social development I have just called for today.
Yet our aspirations are too often undermined by the
narrow commercial self-interests of those nations at the
Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission that
might otherwise seek to embrace us as close political
partners. For us, our collective Pacific development is
not an isolated issue bound in technical jargon. It is the
very hope and economic survival of our entire nation,
and indeed the whole Pacific region. We realize only a
penny of true benefit for every dollar of fishing activity,
and despite scientific warnings, pressure on key fish
stocks has only increased, not diminished. Decades of
global lip service at the United Nations to sustainable
development seems to be lost on some of our fishing
partners.
The parties to the Nauru Agreement have become
a watershed political movement, recently achieving
certification of a sustainable fishery by the Marine
Stewardship Council, which is perhaps the largest such
fishery in the world. In the Pacific, we are already
deep into advancing the very sustainable development
measures agreed to at the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20), and we are growing
our own Pacific-driven commercial brand. It remains to be seen if key distant-water fishing nations will
continue to join us in forging a landmark sustainable
fishery or if they will choose to be left on the sidelines.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is among
the low-lying nations in the world, and sea-level-rise
projections of more than a metre pose complex risks to
our future statehood, risks that we are only beginning
to unpack and address. Last year’s watershed agreement
on the Durban Platform, prepared at the 2011 United
Nations Climate Change Conference, has moved the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) into a new chapter of a single,
legally binding protocol applying to all nations by 2020.
It has also redoubled urgent efforts needed to close the
global mitigation gap. The time for endless North-
South division is now over, and the all-too-predictable
finger-pointing must end.
But the world can no longer wait for negotiators.
We must do more than pat ourselves on the back if
we are serious about reducing the risks to our future.
More action is needed by all nations and all actors in
all possible settings and negotiation forums. As the
Marshall Islands, we have a national energy plan and
UNFCCC target to cut our own emissions, boost our
efficiency and pursue new technology, such as ocean
thermal energy conversion, which can make us a
carbon-negative nation. I ask the rest of the world, will
it also meet us in increasing that ambition? Will it come
soon enough?
Climate adaptation poses perhaps the most complex
challenges for a low-lying nation, but we must overcome
them nonetheless. We cannot rely only on an uncertain
architecture of global climate finance to address the
very critical adaptation efforts that will be necessary
for our continued survival. In the large scale — up to
$100 billion a year — of the future Green Climate Fund
and other efforts, our relatively modest needs can easily
be overlooked. Our increasingly urgent needs on the
ground can no longer be met with paper studies and
disconnected pilot projects. Yet the Marshall Islands is
at present heavily reliant on international assistance. We
have little other means to provide for adaptation. The
growing belief, however wrong, that we must finance
some of our own adaptation efforts is perhaps the most
compelling reason to rapidly expand our private sector.
We must also create financial security through the debt
for adaptation swap being pursued by the Marshall
Islands and other small island nations. The United Nations cannot fail the needs of the most
vulnerable nations and must better harness the efforts
of all necessary actors. The Marshall Islands urges
other nations to facilitate the meaningful participation
of Taiwan within the United Nations system and the
international community. Taiwan should be able to
participate as an observer in the UNFCCC and the
International Civil Aviation Organization, as it does
in the World Health Assembly, and its potential for
meeting the MDGs should be recognized.
The international community must not fail to act,
not only to address long-term threats, but also to ease
the most immediate security concerns. Recent tension
in the broader Pacific Rim is an important matter for
the Pacific Islands region, which can grow only when
there is security and stability. I urge that those issues,
including that of the East China Sea, be peacefully
addressed through an inclusive dialogue involving all
key actors.
The smallest nations in the world, many of which
are in the Pacific, are beginning to play important and
unique roles on the international stage. But nations
such as the Marshall Islands also depend greatly on
firm multilateral action. Accordingly, they must be able
to rely on the United Nations and its Members for more
than symbolism. It is decisive and bold leadership that
are so urgently needed in this international hour.


His Majesty King Mohammed VI asked me to
convey his appreciation and respect, and I am pleased
to read my speech at the sixty-seventh session of the
General Assembly.
First, I would like to warmly congratulate Mr. Vuk
Jeremić, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-
seventh session, on his election. That election is a mark
of esteem for the friendly country of Serbia as much as
it is a recognition of the vast diplomatic experience he
brings to the presidency.
I also would like to commend Mr. Jeremić’s
predecessor, Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, on
his efforts and achievements during the past year.
Similarly, I would like to commend Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his untiring action and his
keen desire to tackle crises. I applaud his initiatives
aimed at enabling the United Nations to rise to the
growing challenges facing our world.
Sweeping changes are affecting today’s
international arena. They include, in particular, a
protracted global economic crisis that has various
implications and consequences. There are also a growing
number of hotbeds of tension, political disputes and
armed conflicts, as well as complex global challenges
that exceed the capabilities of individual States, such
as achieving sustainable development, protecting the
environment, ensuring respect for human rights and
fighting against the growing scourge of international
terrorism and all forms of organized crime.
Given the current changes in the world, we, the
States Members of the United Nations, ought to provide
the Organization with the means it needs to tackle those
challenges. To that end, we must expand the scope of
the Organization’s actions and revitalize its approach,
while preserving its principles and purposes, so as to
make it an active player in ensuring effective political
governance and an instrument for equitable economic
governance.
The Kingdom of Morocco fully backs the decision
to give special importance to resolving disputes by
peaceful means. My country applauds the General
Assembly’s decision to make the strengtheing of the
foremost principle in the Charter of the United Nations
the key objective of the current session.
Achieving international peace and security remains
the core historic mission entrusted to the United Nations.
The tens of thousands of United Nations peacekeepers
serving throughout the world to protect civilians and
working to bring about the right conditions for political
dialogue between the concerned parties clearly attest to
the vital role played by our Organization in that regard.
The Kingdom of Morocco takes pride in being one
of the first States to have contributed to peacekeeping
operations under the United Nations banner. So far,
my country has sent more than 50,000 members of
the Royal Armed Forces to places around the world to
serve in promoting the lofty objectives of the United
Nations. Morocco will remain committed to managing
crises and will support efforts to promote preventive
diplomacy.
The experience gained by the United Nations in
conflict-affected countries points to the importance
of securing smooth, systematic transition from peace
restoration to peace consolidation. That requires, above
all, a prompt response to the pressing needs raised by
current developments and threats. Otherwise, the threat
of a return to violence and partition will continue to
hang over the countries and regions concerned.
During the past year, the African continent has seen
a serious deterioration in the situation on the continent,
particularly in the Sahel and the Sahara regions, owing
to criminal, terrorist and separatist activities, which
now threaten the stability of the countries concerned.
Our sister nation, the Republic of Mali, is
confronted with a situation that threatens the country
and its national unity and territorial integrity. Despite
the sincere efforts exerted by countries in the region,
including Morocco and the Economic Community of
West African States, the contribution of the United
Nations is also needed in order to achieve national
consensus, overcome the political crisis and confront
separatist activities in the north. Only an independent,
focused effort on the part of the United Nations can
help achieve those objectives. I should like, in that
respect, to reiterate to our brothers in Mali Morocco’s
commitment to continue to provide them with aid and  active support for the success of the political process
and the preservation of their country’s national unity
and territorial integrity.
At the same time, the Kingdom of Morocco lauds
the notable progress made in several parts of Africa,
especially in the sister nations of Côte d’Ivoire and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, towards the
promotion of national reconciliation and a return to
political normalcy. Moreover, Morocco reiterates
its firm commitment to pursuing cooperation and
solidarity programmes with various African sister
nations, using efficient, dy!аmic approaches to South-
South cooperation for the benefit of African citizens.
The changes witnessed in the Arab region reflect
the will of the peoples involved to build democratic
societies where human rights are respected and where
citizens enjoy equal opportunities and a dignified life.
The peoples in the sister nations of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
and Yemen have ushered in a new era and have made
great headway towards a democratic transition, despite
a complex and tumultuous political environment, a
fact that makes it incumbent upon the international
community to provide support and assistance to those
countries to deal with the constraints and difficulties
that they face.
It is, on the other hand, most regrettable that the
Syrian people are each day paying a daily price in
blood for their freedom. They yearn for the kind of
democratic change that would enable each component
of the Syrian population to contribute to achieving the
desired change. Morocco, as the only Arab country
sitting on the Security Council, has significantly
contributed to mobilizing international support for the
League of Arab States’ initiatives and resolutions. We
call for concerted efforts and decisive action to compel
the Syrian regime to put an end to the violence. We
also call for a political transition process that would
allow for the full spectrum of opinions to be heard,
the aspirations of the Syrian people to be fulfilled, and
Syria’s national unity and territorial integrity, as well
as for stability in the entire region, to be ensured.
At the same time, it is necessary to raise the financial
resources required to meet the needs of refugees
in neighbouring countries and those of internally
displaced persons, as well as to ease the suffering of
our Syrian brothers and put an end to their tragedy. In
that regard, Morocco continues to show its solidarity by providing medical services on a daily basis to Syrian
refugees in the sisterly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
The rapid developments in the Arab region must
not distract us from the fundamental, longstanding
challenge of resolving the Palestinian issue. In
that regard, the Kingdom of Morocco calls for the
mobilization of international support to back the steps
taken by the Palestinian National Authority to secure
non-member State status. At the same time, my country
is of the view that negotiations are the best way for the
Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national
rights and to set up an independent, fully viable and
geographically contiguous Palestinian State, living side
by side with Israel, in peace and security. I therefore look
forward to seeing the international community change
its approach to resolving that crisis by reconsidering
its intervention mechanisms and work methods in order
to ensure that direct negotiations are resumed very
soon and in the best possible circumstances, under the
auspices and with the commitment of the inf luential
Powers.
That cannot be achieved if the fait accompli
policy is allowed to continue. In that regard and in my
capacity as Chair of the Al-Quds Committee, I have
strongly condemned the Israeli plan for the Judaization
of occupied East Jerusalem, as well as the Israeli plans
to wipe out the city’s spiritual and cultural identity
and change its demographic and urban features. Let
me reaffirm, in that regard, that there can be no peace
without East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent
Palestinian state.
Steadfast in its belief in the importance and
effectiveness of joint regional action, the Kingdom
of Morocco has undertaken initiatives and bilateral
contacts to inject fresh momentum into the Arab
Maghreb Union. Indeed, my country believes that such
a strategic, inclusive regional bloc is urgently needed;
not only does it meet the legitimate aspirations of our
peoples, but it is also necessitated by the security and
development challenges facing the five Maghreb States.
In a bid to overcome obstacles that might hinder the
realization of that Maghreb ambition, the Kingdom of
Morocco has contributed in a sincere, dedicated manner
to negotiations aimed at finding a realistic, mutually
acceptable political solution to the artificial regional
dispute over the Moroccan Sahara — a solution that
would guarantee the Kingdom’s national unity and
territorial integrity, allow for reunification to take place, and respect the characteristics of the region’s
populations.
Morocco remains committed and willing to
negotiate on the basis of the principles established and
repeatedly reaffirmed by the Security Council, as well
as the autonomy initiative, which the international
community has deemed serious, realistic and credible.
Morocco will also continue to cooperate constructively
with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara, on the basis of the mandate entrusted
to it by the Security Council — a mandate that will not
change in any way; neither in form nor substance.
I cannot conclude without referring to the need for
collective, effective and concerted action against all
forms of extremism, hatred, xenophobia, provocation
and rejection of those different from us and the
undermining of their beliefs, for whatever reason and
in whichever form. Given the increase in appalling
acts of that kind, often with tragic consequences, I
believe national efforts to tackle them must be part of
a concerted international strategy that should take into
account existing constructive initiatives, build on the
mobilization of all United Nations bodies, be based on
clear commitments, and encourage law-making and the
dissemination of national and regional best practices in
that area.
It is up to us as Member States to provide the
necessary means and to reiterate our political will to
support the Organization and reform its structures and
intervention mechanisms. The aim is to enhance its
effectiveness in terms of achieving peace and security
and promoting cooperation, while enabling it to fulfil
its indispensable mission of furthering tolerance and
coexistence, for the benefit of all mankind.


It is a great
honour to address the General Assembly. I would like
to join other speakers in congratulating His Excellency
Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his election to preside over the
General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I am
sure that his diplomatic experience will contribute to
the success of the work of this session. I assure him
of the full commitment of the Mozambican delegation
to contributing to the success of this session. I
equally congratulate his predecessor, His Excellency
Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar, for
his commitment and dedication in leading the Assembly
at its most recent session.
I would also like to share with the Assembly our
satisfaction at the progress made during the most recent
session’s debate, held under the theme “The role of
mediation in the peaceful resolution of disputes”. That
theme merited special attention by the international
community in various forums and was highlighted by
the adoption, last May, of the Helsinki final document,
which defines the principles regarding the role of
the States in the mediation of disputes. The Helsinki document and the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful
Settlement of International Disputes, adopted in 1982,
which set a precedent for the peaceful resolution of
international disputes, represent a strengthening of the
principles that guide States’ actions in the search for
solutions to disputes through peaceful means.
We salute the timely choice of the theme “Bringing
about adjustment or settlement of international disputes
or situations by peaceful means” for this session, at a
time when various factors are hastening the advent of
conflict. Those factors, both internal and external in
nature, are due to political and/or economic factors.
They include the quest for self-determination, socio-
political exclusion, the use of natural resources, wealth
distribution, border disputes and cultural and religious
intolerance.
Therefore, we believe that conflict resolution
processes should prioritize a holistic approach to
resolving conflict, through a free and ongoing dialogue
among the parties to a conflict, thereby following
universally accepted principles such as dialogue based
on truth and the responsibility of the major stakeholders
at the national, regional and international levels;
participation aimed at reaching real solutions and
sustainable development based on an understanding
of the need to strengthen the synergies between peace,
development and democracy; and the fight against
poverty and promotion of sustainable development.
The importance we attribute to these principles
stems from our experience in a process of reconciliation
and peacekeeping, in which a constant and interactive
dialogue within Mozambican society has allowed for the
consolidation of national unity, peace, development and
the fight against poverty so as to further participatory
democracy.
It is therefore with pride that, on October 4,
Mozambique will celebrate 20 years of peace in
an atmosphere of stability and economic growth,
accomplishments that are the result of an inclusive
dialogue, a process of national reconciliation and our
observance of the principles of democracy, freedom
and justice.
The failure of preventive measures leads us to
resort to mechanisms for conflict management and
resolution. For those mechanisms to be successful, we
need to re-evaluate the mandates of, and conventional
approaches to, peacekeeping operations, given the
underlying changes that have come about in the actual nature of conflict itself since the establishment of the
United Nations. Given the multidimensional nature
of current conflicts, efforts aimed at their prevention,
management and resolution require the cooperation
of various stakeholders at the national, regional and
international levels under Chapter VIII of the United
Nations Charter.
We believe that success in the prevention,
management and resolution of conflicts is directly
linked to an understanding of their nature. The scope
and facilitation of mediation should be extensively
informed by the nature and dynamic of the particular
conflict, so as to allow for a better analysis and effective
action and to ensure that all parties to the conflict take
an integral role in its resolution. In order to pursue
these objectives, focus should be placed on cooperation
with regional and subregional organizations.
We note with concern the persistence of an
environment of tension and instability in Africa,
in particular in Madagascar, the eastern part of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau,
Somalia, the Sudan, South Sudan and Mali.
In the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) region, the various conflict resolution processes
are based on a regional architecture for the prevention,
management and resolution of conflicts. This is
substantiated within the SADC organ for cooperation in
the political, defence and security areas by instruments
that create the conditions for dialogue. To facilitate
its intervention in this area, the SADC organ created
a mediation unit that is based on the participation of
a group of elders who, through their deep knowledge
of the internal dynamics of the countries referred,
have been contributing to peacebuilding, security and
stability in the SADC region.
The SADC Summit of Heads of State and of
Government recently held in Maputo in August
thoroughly examined ways to improve the organization’s
intervention in the prevention, management and
resolution of conflicts. SADC thus reiterated its
commitment to working with the parties to the conflicts
in the Republic of Madagascar, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zimbabwe
while at the same time reinforcing its partnership with
the international community.
The mediation efforts of SADC for the resolution
of the political deadlock in Madagascar and the SADC
facilitation of the implementation of the comprehensive political agreement in Zimbabwe, continue to make
progress towards the establishment of conditions for
free, fair and credible elections to take place in both
SADC countries.
With regard to Madagascar, the efforts of the
mediation team led by the former President of the
Republic of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, resulted
in the signing by 10 of the 11 political groups in
Madagascar of the SADC road map to end the political
crisis in that country.
In Zimbabwe, the political situation is generally
stable, as the inclusive Government has made
tremendous progress in the socioeconomic and political
areas. The process for the establishment of a new
constitution, which will guide future elections, is at an
advanced stage.
SADC reiterates its appeal for the complete lifting
of the economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in
order to contribute to the country’s economic recovery
and that of other countries in the region, with which
Zimbabwe maintains close economic ties.
However, SADC and the international community
continue to be concerned with the prevailing climate
of instability and the subsequent humanitarian crises
in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Cooperation mechanisms among SADC, the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region,
the African Union and the United Nations and, above
all, extensive comprehensive internal dialogue among
the Congolese are needed in seeking lasting solutions
to the instability in eastern Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
With regard to Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, as
Chair of the Community of Portuguese-speaking
Countries, continues to be committed to seeking a viable
solution in order to restore constitutional order to that
country through internal dialogue and the coordinated
intervention of the international community. The
people of Guinea-Bissau yearn for peace, stability and
development. They want to be the masters of their own
destiny, which was why they fought for liberation. That
culminated in the country’s independence, whose thirty-
ninth anniversary was celebrated on 24 September.
Regarding Somalia, the Sudan and South Sudan,
Mozambique is delighted by the progress in the
respective political processes. We are confident that such achievements will contribute to lasting peace and
stability in those countries.
We follow with concern the lack of progress in
seeking viable solutions to the political process in
the Middle East. That process is a challenge not only
for the countries involved and for the region, but also
for the world at large, owing to its implications for
international peace and security. We therefore appeal to
all relevant actors to engage in a constructive dialogue
and to work towards a peaceful solution that guarantees
peace, security and stability.
We reiterate our belief in the importance of the
ongoing commitment of the United Nations towards
the prompt implementation of the relevant resolutions
of the Organization. We further reiterate that internal
dialogue, regional cooperation and the realistic
intervention of the United Nations must be the priorities.
We reaffirm our unequivocal support for the
cause of the Palestinian people, who have been denied
their inalienable right to self-determination. We fully
support the principle of establishing the two States of
Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace.
Similarly, we reaffirm our support for the
international community’s engagement in seeking a
sustainable solution to the issue of the Western Sahara’s
self-determination. We cannot understand or accept the
delays in conducting the referendum already agreed on
by all parties under the auspices of the United Nations.
Mozambique continues to follow with concern
the maintenance of the unjust economic embargo
against Cuba, which impedes the economic and social
development of that sisterly country. Mozambique
therefore reiterates the call of the majority of Member
States for the immediate lifting of the embargo.
The nature of the challenges that we face in the
area of international peace and security lead us to
affirm before the Assembly the increasing relevance
of multilateral mechanisms for the peaceful resolution
of disputes or situations of conflict. We note with
satisfaction that, throughout more than a half a century
of its existence, the United Nations has made undeniable
achievements in the maintenance of peace and in the
prevention and resolution of conflicts.
In order to more effectively respond to the growing
challenges to resolving conflicts, we must pursue more
resolutely the reform agenda of the United Nations
system, in particular Security Council reform and the revitalization of the General Assembly. In that task, we
believe that those two organs must adopt the following
approach. The steps should include a comprehensive
strategic plan of action and a detailed programme to
address conflict situations; strengthening the capacity
of resource mobilization for peacekeeping missions; the
negotiation and implementation of sustainable political
solutions; and engaging in a long-term perspective. The
Security Council must play a more proactive role in the
solution of conflicts by, inter alia, fully implementing
the resolutions that it adopts.
We therefore reiterate the validity and relevance of
the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter
and of other international instruments. Such values must
remain the main source of inspiration in the pursuit of
political and lasting solutions to conflicts. Mozambique
thus believes that multilateral organizations, such
as the United Nations, the African Union and other
subregional organizations, play a fundamental role in
the pursuit of peace and development.
The resolution of conflicts is a crucial condition for
the achievement of internationally agreed development
goals, including the Millennium Development Goals,
in particular by African countries and least developed
countries. In that context, as part of the ongoing
discussions on establishing a post-2015 development
agenda, Member States must act jointly in seeking
points of convergence that will make it possible to
adopt consensus and sustainable solutions for the well-
being of our people.
In that connection, we would like to express our
optimism over the consensus understanding reached
at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development. We are aware of the fact that the
success of such an agreement depends on an integrated
approach towards the economic, social, cultural and
environmental components, as well as on defining a
comprehensive framework for resource mobilization
under the terms of the common vision of resolution
66/288, entitled “The future we want”.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate Mozambique’s
commitment to continuing to cooperate with the United
Nations in seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts and
to peace, stability and sustainable development.