Let me begin,
Mr. President, by warmly congratulating you on your
election and extending the best wishes of the Irish
Government and the Irish people for a successful term
in office.
 It is indeed a very great honour to participate in
this general debate and to share this unique global
platform. Ireland cherishes its membership in the
United Nations. We believe strongly in the purposes,
the principles and the potential of this great global
Organization of ours. And we are proud of the role we
have ourselves played in developing that potential over
the past five decades. We are determined to maintain
this role and to remain steadfastly at the service of the
United Nations.
 Rarely have the challenges facing the global
community been as formidable, or as pressing, as those
of today. And rarely has the need been greater for
collective action and for the facilitating framework that
is uniquely provided by the United Nations. Our
discussions in New York over the past week have
highlighted some of the most urgent issues on the
Organization’s agenda at present, including climate
change, global poverty and hunger, and nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation.
 We are also confronted with the global financial
and economic crisis — the most severe in a generation —
which is leaving its mark on every family and
community across the world. Governments everywhere
are facing a daunting task, as they work to mitigate the
effects of global recession and economic turbulence
and to limit the impact of the crisis on those in greatest
need. Once again, the United Nations provides a
framework for the development of collective responses
and solutions.
 The summit of world leaders hosted by Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon in New York last week on
climate change displayed the strength of international
commitment on this issue. The Secretary-General has
been a powerful advocate of collective action to tackle
this major threat to our planet and our future
generations. It now falls to us, the Member States, to
redouble our efforts to ensure a successful outcome to
the Copenhagen Conference in December.
 The promise that the United Nations embodies to
tackle all these global threats can only be realized
through continuing efforts to make this a stronger and
more effective Organization. Ireland has played, and
will continue to play, an active role in championing the
reform agenda at the United Nations.
 In the area of system-wide coherence, the reform
agenda is already producing good results and helping
to deliver a more effective and relevant United
Nations. The One United Nations Initiative is
delivering improved development performance at the
individual country level. Ireland warmly welcomes the
progress being made in the General Assembly and, in
particular, the recent decision to establish a new gender
entity to promote gender equality. I encourage early
action to make the new entity operational during the
Assembly’s current session.
 The need for greater progress on other parts of
the United Nations reform agenda still remains. A
positive start has been made to the intergovernmental
negotiations on Security Council reform. But more
urgency is required in transforming the Council to
make it more representative and reflective of twenty-
first century realities, as well as to improve its
functioning and increase its transparency.
 I would like to devote some time today to
discussing the critical issue — indeed the scandal —
that is hunger in our world today. Tonight, over one
billion people will go to bed hungry and malnourished.
That is one in seven people inhabiting the planet today.
This scandal represents perhaps the biggest collective
failure of mankind. In the last few days — during the
past week in the General Assembly — world leaders
have come together to discuss the most complex and

09-52604 4

daunting of global challenges, including climate
change and non-proliferation. Yet, the simple challenge
of putting food into the mouths of everybody on the
planet still remains beyond us.
 I speak today as the representative of a country
that has experienced famine and hunger and whose
population was decimated by the Great Famine in
Ireland in 1847. A year ago this week I accompanied
our Prime Minister — our Taoiseach — here to the
United Nations Headquarters to present to Secretary-
General Ban the report of our Hunger Task Force. The
key recommendation in that report was a call for global
leadership to tackle hunger. I was therefore greatly
encouraged last Saturday to see such leadership by
Secretary-General Ban and United States Secretary of
State Clinton aimed at constructing a road map to
translate rhetoric and commitment on hunger into real
action — and real action on the ground. The Global
Partnership for Agriculture and Food Security initiative
holds the promise of contributing to a world free from
chronic hunger.
 It is clear what we must do. We must tackle
hunger in a comprehensive way and address the
fundamental causes of hunger. We need to invest in
agriculture and agricultural research and, in particular,
to support women farmers. We need to invest in rural
infrastructure, enhance nutrition and support national
and regional plans. Ireland has placed food security
and related sectors as a cornerstone of our aid
programme. By 2012 we will ensure that 20 per cent of
our aid programme is hunger-focused. We are well on
our way to meeting this objective. But above all we
need, at a global level, to summon the political will to
end this scandal. Nothing short of the complete
eradication of hunger on the planet should satisfy us.
 Peacekeeping and the maintenance of
international peace and security have always been
central to the role of the United Nations. Ireland is
deeply proud of the long-standing contribution that we
have made to United Nations peacekeeping operations
across the world. For over half a century, there has
been a continuous tradition of Irish peacekeepers
serving the cause of peace under the United Nations
blue flag somewhere in the world. This goes to the
very heart of our commitment to the United Nations
and the values it represents — a commitment that is, I
should say, an integral part of our foreign policy and
that helps to define us as a nation.
 It is clear, however, that both the Organization
and contributing countries are being severely stretched
in terms of the demands made by a steadily escalating
number of peace support operations around the world.
The Secretary-General’s paper, “A New Partnership
Agenda: Charting a New Horizon for United Nations
Peacekeeping”, is therefore a very welcome initiative,
and we look forward to contributing to its early
consideration by the General Assembly.
 Regional organizations, such as the European
Union and the African Union, play a vital role in
helping the United Nations to fulfil its peacekeeping
responsibilities. As the Secretary-General acknowledged
when he visited Dublin last July, without the unique
contributions of regional organizations such as the
European Union, United Nations operations would not
be able to achieve their goals and could, in fact, fail
entirely. The successful transition earlier this year from
the European Union-led force in Chad and the Central
African Republic (EUFOR) to the United Nations
Mission there shows how important and effective this
partnership has become, as does the similarly
successful transition to the European Union Rule of
Law Mission in Kosovo.
 In Ireland we have known the terrible human cost
of conflict. The Irish Government has been developing
over the past years a focus on conflict resolution work,
building on our own practical experiences with the
Northern Ireland peace process.
 Complementing the work of others, especially the
United Nations, we hope that we may be able to make
a distinctive contribution to conflict resolution efforts
in other parts of the world. As one example, we are
engaging actively in Timor-Leste, using lessons
derived from our own peace process to help increase
confidence in policing and security arrangements in
that country. I am also proud that, in relation to
Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), the Irish
Government is sponsoring a major lessons-learned
exercise involving interactions between women from
Timor-Leste, Liberia and Northern Ireland.
 Building peace and ending conflict cannot be
accomplished without also removing the very means of
conflict. Last year, Ireland was proud to host the
diplomatic conference that adopted the Convention on
Cluster Munitions, a historic agreement aimed at
banning the production and use of these most
destructive of weapons. I warmly welcome the

5 09-52604

considerable progress that has been made this year
towards the Convention’s entry into force. We now
need fewer than 10 further ratifications to achieve this,
and I urge all Governments that have not yet signed
and ratified the Convention to do so at the earliest
opportunity.
 Ireland has always been strongly supportive of
the leading role played by the United Nations in
working to promote non-proliferation and remove the
threat posed by nuclear weapons. Indeed, Ireland was
the first country to sign and ratify the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. Next year’s Review
Conference will be of critical importance for efforts to
help strengthen the international non-proliferation
system, at a time when the threats it faces have perhaps
never been greater. We encourage all Member States to
work actively and constructively to achieve a
successful outcome, and Ireland will engage fully in
that effort itself. Ireland also applauds and welcomes
the renewed focus on nuclear disarmament. We
encourage the United States and Russia particularly as
they work towards a legally binding follow-on
arrangement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty,
which expires at the end of this year.
 Ireland would like to see the active engagement
of the United Nations in monitoring human rights
situations around the world maintained and
strengthened. The Human Rights Council and other
human rights mechanisms must be enabled to address
the most difficult human rights situations in a timely
and effective manner. Continued support will also be
needed for the International Criminal Court and the
international tribunals in their efforts to promote
justice and combat impunity. Ireland urges the fullest
cooperation by all Member States in this regard.
 At the 2005 World Summit, the Assembly
endorsed the important concept of the responsibility to
protect. It is now imperative to take that work forward
to put this concept into practical effect, based on the
consensus resolution at the end of the sixty-third
session (resolution 63/308).
 Let me turn now for a moment to the situation in
the Middle East. Ireland very much welcomes and
supports the renewed international efforts made in
recent months to reinvigorate the Middle East peace
process with a view to bringing about a comprehensive
and lasting peace settlement. Particular praise is due to
the United States Administration and to the United
States Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, for their
intensive engagement aimed at achieving the
resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority, as well as the promotion of
peace between Israel and all of its neighbours. We are
of course fortunate in Ireland to have had the benefit of
first-hand experience of George Mitchell’s formidable
skills, patience and tenacity as a peacemaker, and we
hope he can bring these unique skills to this particular
process.
 With our European Union (EU) partners, we
stand ready to work closely with our Israeli and
Palestinian partners and to support the United States
and the Quartet in their efforts. It is vitally important
that all parties contribute to confidence-building by
fully honouring their commitments and obligations
under the Road Map. This must include real efforts to
halt all settlement activities and improve the living
conditions of civilians on the ground in the Palestinian
territories. Ordinary people must see in their daily lives
the benefits that will derive from peace and must be
encouraged to take risks for peace.
 Nowhere is this more urgent than in Gaza. We
wish to see all border crossings fully and immediately
opened to normal commercial and humanitarian traffic.
We have all been shocked by the violence and
widespread civilian casualties that took place during
the conflict in Gaza at the start of this year. There must
be some form of accountability for the most serious
violations of international law that occurred at that
time. The Human Rights Council is now addressing
this issue in considering the comprehensive report
prepared by Justice Goldstone and his team
(A/HRC/12/48).
 Like many others in the international community,
Ireland has followed recent events in Iran with
mounting concern. We urge Iran to comply fully with
all of its obligations and commitments in terms of
protecting the basic human rights of its own citizens. It
is equally urgent that Iran respond to the demands of
the international community to cease uranium
enrichment and to answer satisfactorily all questions
regarding its nuclear activities, particularly in the light
of the latest revelations regarding the previously
undisclosed nuclear site at Qom. The international
community is ready to engage with Iran and has made
generous offers to do so. It is for Iran now to decide
whether it wishes to pursue the path of engagement or
to opt for increasing isolation. We very much hope that

09-52604 6

the forthcoming discussions with Iran, to begin on
1 October, will mark the start of a constructive
engagement on the major issues of international
concern.
 The continuing humanitarian tragedy of Darfur
horrifies world opinion and simply cannot be ignored. I
want to pay tribute to the United Nations and
international humanitarian staff, who are working
tirelessly and selflessly under the most difficult of
circumstances. I think in particular of Sharon Commins
and Hilda Kuwuki, two brave and dedicated aid
workers with the Irish agency GOAL, who were
kidnapped in Darfur on 3 July. The Irish Government is
grateful for all the assistance we have received from
the United Nations and others in our efforts to secure
the release of these two women. We fervently hope that
the day of their release from captivity is not far off.
The people of Darfur and of all Sudan richly deserve
peace. We must all collectively continue working to
promote the United Nations-African Union mediation
in Darfur, to support full implementation of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement and to ensure that
justice and the defence of human rights prevail
throughout Sudan.
 In Burma/Myanmar, Ireland condemns the recent
conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi and again calls for her
immediate release and that of all political prisoners and
for the launching of a genuine, inclusive political
dialogue. International pressure is needed on Burma’s
leaders, notably from other countries in the region, to
change course and move to democracy.
 In Sri Lanka, there remains an urgent need to
improve the humanitarian situation of those fleeing the
recent violence in the Tamil areas. The Sri Lankan
Government must cooperate fully with the United
Nations to alleviate the plight of those affected. It must
also work for a political settlement which meets the
aspirations of all communities in Sri Lanka.
 Let me say in conclusion that, as the international
community faces a formidable array of challenges,
there has never been a greater need for the United
Nations itself. With each new challenge that appears,
the value of common action to address it at a global
level becomes ever more apparent. There is a much
clearer appreciation of this Organization’s potential to
deliver an effective response to these challenges. Let us
seize the moment and work together to ensure that the
opportunity we have at present is transformed into real
achievement on the ground.
 We can all be justly proud of the record of the
United Nations over the past half century. The
challenge for us, the Member States, is whether we can
mobilize the political will needed in order to ensure
that the United Nations can deliver even more in the
future. Ireland, for its part, commits itself to doing
everything in its power to realize the full potential of
the United Nations, this unique voice of the
international community, in the pursuit of a much
better and a much safer world.


The
delegation of the Niger — which I have the honour to
lead and which brings the message of His Excellency
Mamadou Tandja, President of the Republic — is more
than pleased to see you, Mr. President, presiding over
the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. Your
election, which the Niger welcomes with pride, is
without a doubt both recognition and endorsement of
your exceptional abilities as a seasoned diplomat,
which you have demonstrated throughout your
distinguished career. We in the Niger are well placed to
attest to your commitment to the cause of Africa and of
our common subregion, specifically through the
Community of Sahel-Saharan States, that other forum
in which our countries work together for the same
goals that are enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations. Thus we consider ourselves to be in your good
hands, ready to advance the work of the Organization
in this time of formidable challenges.
 I should like to renew our congratulations to the
outgoing President, Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann,
on his active and very full presidency, and to state that
the Niger was honoured to serve alongside him in its
capacity as Vice-President at the sixty-third session.
 On behalf of the Niger, I should like to reiterate
our profound gratitude to Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon for his unflagging efforts to make the United
Nations a more just and effective Organization, able to
meet the expectations of its Members.
 My delegation welcomes your decision, Sir, to
declare as the very apt theme for the Assembly’s
current session the strengthening of multilateralism and
dialogue among civilizations for international peace,
security and development. In our view, this theme has
the potential to spur Member States to greater initiative
in realizing the goals that we are pursuing, namely,
those of preserving international peace and security.
We are pleased, in this regard, by the renewed
dynamism in cooperation between the Security Council
and regional organizations, in particular the African
Union. We believe that this direction has the potential

27 09-52598

to lead to lasting solutions to the problems of peace
and security in Africa.
 We are convinced that such cooperation will yield
results even on the most delicate issues, such as the
implementation of the political-legal concept of the
principle of universal jurisdiction. While my delegation
welcomes the inclusion of this topic in the agenda of
the General Assembly, we should like once again to
endorse the concerns already expressed by the African
Union and to urge Member States to avoid using this
principle inappropriately. We hope that our debate in
this common forum will make possible a better
understanding of this concept and a better definition of
the framework governing its eventual application.
 We note the progress that is being made in
various areas in the prevention and management of
conflicts, both in Africa and elsewhere. And we
welcome the commitment and goodwill of all parties
carrying out concerted actions to ensure international
peace and security.
 The recommendations of the special summit on
conflict prevention and management held in Tripoli
reflect the will of African leaders to take on issues that
have always slowed our continent in its march towards
progress and prosperity. It is at this level that the theme
of multilateralism — which you, Mr. President, have
selected for the sixty-fourth session — takes on all its
meaning. Indeed, the United Nations, as the common
framework enjoying the highest level of participation
by countries and other actors in the world, should serve
as a laboratory in which we work towards the goal of a
more balanced international community.
 Governed as it is by the laws of globalization, the
current international scene is, as we know, much more
complex today than in the past. We must address and
manage the consequences of the international financial
crisis and, for countries in the Sahel such as the Niger,
the recurrent effects of food insecurity. We must
address climate change in a concerted and coordinated
manner, and we must constantly question the current
formulas for preventing conflict and maintaining
international peace and security.
 My delegation supports such initiatives, which
must be inclusive, because they must benefit from the
contributions and perspectives of everyone, including
the most vulnerable countries. In particular, we support
the various discussions under way on this subject,
whether in the General Assembly, the Economic and
Social Council or the Security Council, or even in the
context of specific initiatives such as the discussions
being held by Canada on peacekeeping operations.
 We in the Niger have made undeniable progress
in the area of combating poverty and promoting basic
development, thanks to the bold actions of the
President. Through projects designed specifically to
meet the needs of Niger’s people, he has enabled our
country to finally give meaning to development. Today,
development is palpable in every corner of the Niger
because of proactive and systematic efforts to build
classrooms and health clinics, dig wells, build local
drinking water systems and promote a microcredit
system designed specifically for the most vulnerable
rural women. The head of State is doing this to
improve the living conditions of our people, who
suffered from the political instability that characterized
our country during the 1990s, which one could
describe as a lost decade for Niger’s development. In
late August, a meeting was held in Niamey for the
second 2009 review by the Poverty Reduction and
Growth Facility of the International Monetary Fund.
The Niger’s performance in those areas was
acknowledged and commended at the meeting, which
brought together representatives of the World Bank and
of our country’s Ministry of Economy and Finance.
 I recall these aspects of the situation in Niger
because, as members are aware, a referendum was held
in our country on 4 August 2009 to adopt a new
constitution. It formalizes the return to a presidential
Administration more suited to the realities of our
country and introduces new provisions such as that
establishing two chambers, Parliament and the Senate.
The referendum, held in an atmosphere of calm and
transparency by the National Independent Electoral
Commission, enabled us to adopt the new constitution,
which formalizes the arrival of the sixth Republic.
 Therefore, I wish to take this opportunity to
reassure the international community, development
partners, civil society and other actors and entities that
may be justifiably concerned about the political
situation in the Niger that the country is not in a
situation of lawlessness or insurrection, as some would
have one believe, but rather is a place where all people
freely express their opinions within the framework of
the democratic process, to which we are deeply
committed.

09-52598 28

 The sovereign people of the Niger have chosen to
refashion the Republic around certain values with
which they identify. In this new endeavour, President
Mamadou Tandja has solemnly pledged that no group
or structure will be overlooked. Following the
referendum, the President recalled his willingness to
work with all citizens of the Niger in the interest of the
country and its people. The forthcoming legislative
elections, to be held on 20 October, and the municipal
elections in December 2009 will be opportunities for
large-scale mobilization to ensure better representation
for the people in the conduct of State affairs. It is this
reality of a Niger marching towards development,
resolutely committed to building its future and more
determined than ever to lift its people out of poverty,
that we must bear in mind.
 We fully support any joint action that can
contribute to general and complete disarmament. We
have been at the forefront in fulfilling our
commitments in this area, and we are resolved to
continue to work in that regard within our modest
means. Our most recent initiative was to ratify the
Convention on Cluster Munitions on 14 May 2009 — a
formality that made the Niger one of the very first
countries to do so and accelerated its entry into force.
We believe that this gesture, although it may seem
minor, assumes its full meaning in the context of the
difficult path towards complete disarmament. For us,
this initiative, together with our country’s ratification
of the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons,
Their Ammunition and Other Related Materials,
adopted by the Economic Community of West African
States, is a significant contribution to disarmament at
our level.
 We are following the various processes carried
out at various levels to reform the United Nations
system. This includes reform of the Security Council,
with regard to which we call for greater recognition of
Africa’s role through the Ezulwini Consensus; the
ongoing preparations to ensure the success of the
United Nations climate change conference in
Copenhagen; and the summit convened by the
Secretary-General and just concluded here in New
York, which benefited from the valuable guidance of
heads of State and Government. In addition, there is
United Nations system-wide coherence; the definition
of the new concept of the responsibility to protect,
which needs to be clearly defined and set out, as in the
Constitutive Act of the African Union; and, finally, the
follow-up to the outcome document of the Conference
on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its
Impact on Development, which the previous President
of the General Assembly wished to begin by appointing
facilitators.
 With regard to all those issues and many other
important concerns, such as those referred to in the
outcome document of the Follow-up International
Conference on Financing for Development to Review
the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, held
at Doha at the end of 2008, we wish to express once
again our ongoing concern that we should develop an
inclusive and transparent approach at all levels that
takes into account the concerns of both large and small
countries.
 We are following with great interest, and often
concern, the progress of the commitments made within
the framework of the Millennium Development Goals,
and we note that it remains mixed. At the same time,
adverse phenomena are placing constraints on both
developed and developing countries, such as the world
economic and financial crisis. These problems now
require that all of us redouble our efforts to keep our
commitments. In that regard, we will closely follow the
preparations for the 2010 mid-term review conference,
which, we hope, will result in efforts to accelerate the
attainment of the agreed objectives. We also take this
opportunity to reaffirm the irreplaceable nature of the
New Partnership for Africa’s Development as a
relevant African initiative that must enjoy the support
of the United Nations and of the international
community as a whole.
 We welcome the decision to convene the Fourth
United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
Countries, and we salute the host country, Turkey, for
its generous initiative vis-à-vis our group of countries.
We also thank other countries and partner organizations
which have always remained sensitive to the many
constraints and concerns of our countries. We also
know that, if significant progress has been made in
10 years in recognizing our difficult conditions and
establishing useful partnerships in that regard, it is
thanks to the coordination of the Office of the High
Representative for the Least Developed Countries,
Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States. We thank him for his initiatives,
which remain essential for least developed and
landlocked countries in the Sahel, such as the Niger.

29 09-52598

 I should also like to express my Government’s
appreciation to the President of the General Assembly
for his decision to devote part of this session to the
subject of the dialogue among cultures and
civilizations. We believe that that issue is worthy of
much attention and of action throughout the sixty-
fourth session. Indeed, we must maintain the
momentum begun by eminent Member States through
the Third Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue
and Cooperation for Peace, held in 2008; the High-
Level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural
Understanding and Cooperation for Peace; and the
international conference on dialogue among
civilizations and cultural diversity, held from 2 to
4 June 2009 in Kairouan, Tunisia. We must develop
these initiatives, for which my delegation reiterates its
congratulations to the Governments of the countries
concerned.
 Along the same lines, my delegation applauds the
Government of the Philippines, which has decided to
organize a special meeting at the ministerial level for
the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, under the
theme “Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation for
Peace and Development”, from 1 to 3 December 2009
in Manila. That shows that the theme continues to draw
the interest of many States and that you, Mr. President,
were aptly inspired in identifying it as a topic of
interest for the international community.
 I would like to conclude my statement by
renewing my delegation’s delight at the direction that
you, Sir, have suggested for the current Assembly
session and by reiterating our full confidence in your
leadership, which promises a very fruitful and dynamic
term in the pursuit of common objectives of the
international community. As always, you can count on
the unflagging support and readiness of the
Government of the Niger throughout your term.


I am honoured to return to
this chamber of hope, peace and cooperation. I wish to
convey the warm greetings of the people of Pakistan.
We are delighted to see you, Mr. President, presiding
over the General Assembly. The high ideals of the
United Nations have inspired our vision of a global
society that is based on peace and justice, freedom and
human rights, equality and equal opportunity, freedom
from want and hunger, tolerance and harmony — a
global society that believes in the sovereign equality of
nations large and small, and that promotes truth and
reconciliation.
 On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I assure you,
Mr. President, of our cooperation in fashioning a safer
and better world in which all children — yours and
mine — shall live in peace and harmony. This is a
world in which we shall all depend on one another. It
demands a return to the path of the United Nations. It
calls for reforming the United Nations on the principles
of equality and consensus building.
 In Pakistan, the will of the people has prevailed.
Our people have witnessed a profound democratic
transformation. We have entered a new era of
democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
Democracy in Pakistan is of great importance not only
to our country, but also to our region and the world.
Pakistan has struggled hard for democracy. My late
wife, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, led the fight
for democracy and laid down her life for it. Following
in the footsteps of her great father, Shaheed Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto, she made the ultimate sacrifice so that our
nation might live in democracy. We are now following
in her footsteps. I, my party, my people and Pakistan’s
democracy are grateful to the international community
and to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for constituting
an international commission of investigation into her
assassination. We are confident that the commission
will bring out all the dimensions of her life, work and
tragic assassination.
 The world supports our struggle for democracy,
and we are grateful for that support. Democracy in
Pakistan is beginning to achieve successes in the fight
against militancy. The real challenge now is to make
democracy sustainable, and indeed irreversible. This
requires that democracy should be able to deliver. It
should meet the aspirations of our people to progress
and prosperity. It must give our people peace and
stability.
 Unfortunately, our neighbourhood has witnessed
decades of conflict. Pakistan has suffered greatly from

29 09-52463

terrorism and religious extremism. Terrorism and
extremism were not previously known to our society
and culture. Religious extremism entered our society
and the region when we all in the free world decided to
confront a rival ideology. The policy was based on the
exploitation of religion to motivate Muslims around the
world to wage jihad. It was a policy whereby jihadi
leaders were referred to as the moral equivalents of
George Washington. It was a policy that allowed
warlords and criminals to destroy civilizations to come.
The virus multiplied and has affected the world.
 To eliminate militancy we must strike at its roots.
Surgery alone will not be enough. We need to address
the causes of deprivation, poverty and illiteracy. We
need to adopt dialogue, development and a wise use of
force as our strategy.
 Pakistan has firmly responded to the challenges
of extremism and militancy. Democracy has given our
people ownership of the fight against terrorism. Today,
our nation stands fully united in this struggle. Our law
enforcement agencies have, within a short span of
time, cleared a large area in Malakand of militants. Of
the more than 2.5 million civilians who were forced to
leave their homes, about 2 million were hosted by their
relatives and friends. I salute the host families.
Democracy and political ownership of the war have
proved to be the chief weapons in the fight against
militancy. In the short span of 10 weeks, most of the
internally dislocated have returned to their homes. We
are now engaged in rebuilding their lives.
 Pakistan appreciates the international community’s
support and understanding of our efforts. We urge the
international community to further reinforce this
support. We are determined to eliminate terrorism and
extremism from our territory. To that end, the early
return of peace and stability in Afghanistan is critical.
The flow of weapons across the region must stop. The
funding and support to militants by drug barons and
other elements must stop.
 We also believe that regional cooperation against
terrorism and extremism holds great promise. We
emphasize regional efforts for peace and stability.
Pakistan will continue to work with Afghanistan and
the international community for the early restoration of
peace and stability in that country. Pakistan has hosted
almost 3 million Afghan refugees for the past three
decades. We have been providing for them on our own.
We call upon the world to help in the safe return of the
refugees to their homes.
 Pakistan’s democracy has begun to deliver. We
are doing more in self-interest. We urge the world’s
democracies to do more for the peace and development
of the people affected by militancy and terror. We need
to create economic opportunities for our people. We
urge our friends and partners to help Pakistan by
providing market access for the economic revival and
well-being of their own people.
 Pakistan desires friendly relations with India. We
believe that dialogue is the only way forward. The
absence of dialogue leads to tensions that must be
avoided. We look forward to the resumption of the
composite dialogue process. We seek a peaceful
resolution of all outstanding issues with India.
Meaningful progress towards a resolution of the
Kashmir dispute is necessary for durable peace and
stability in South Asia.
 Pakistan also supports the rights of the
Palestinian people as guaranteed in several United
Nations resolutions. Durable peace in the Middle East
requires that the issue of Palestine be addressed
meaningfully.
 We also call for the immediate release of Aung
San Suu Kyi.
 All nations seek security. Peace and security are
closely linked. Equal security for all is important. We
support all efforts for arms control, disarmament and
non-proliferation. The principle of equal security is of
fundamental importance for achieving those objectives.
Imbalances in security, especially at the regional level,
need to be redressed. Pakistan will continue to play a
constructive role in promoting conflict resolution and
restraint in South Asia and in promoting initiatives on
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation on the basis
of non-discrimination.
 Pakistan’s priority is economic development. We
wish to build on our internal strengths. In this effort we
seek partnerships. We seek to develop a win-win
situation. We are engaged in economic revival by
developing our agriculture, building mega-hydro
projects, initiating water conservation projects,
undertaking infrastructure projects, promoting regional
trade and cooperation and encouraging, beyond
Government, the corporate sector in development. We

09-52463 30

need to develop a framework for cooperation that will
deliver quickly.
 In overcoming the challenges faced by the world,
the United Nations has a central role to play. Guided by
its principles and the high ideals in its Charter, the
United Nations is destined to succeed. A democratic
Pakistan will continue to uphold the ideals and values
of the United Nations. Together we shall succeed. In
the words of my leader and martyred wife Shaheed
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, “time, justice and the forces
of history are on our side”.


At the outset,
Sir, it is a pleasure for Mali to congratulate you on
your election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-fourth session and on your outstanding
management of our work. The trust placed in you does
honour to the whole of Africa and is a brilliant tribute
to the great Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and its leader,
whose commitment to African unity and just causes is
acknowledged by all. I assure you of our full support in
your new responsibilities and congratulate your
predecessor, Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann of
Nicaragua, on his excellent work throughout his
mandate.
 I also congratulate Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on his strenuous efforts to strengthen the role
of our Organization, and reaffirm our desire for his
success in his assigned missions.
 The current general debate is a timely opportunity
for us to consider together the urgent problems facing
the international community, to share our worries and
concerns about the challenges that affect the world, and
to find sustainable solutions pursuant to the heartfelt
aspirations of our peoples.
 While the financial and economic crisis that burst
onto the scene last year has spared no country, it
undoubtedly weakened the economies of the
developing countries, especially in Africa, a continent
that has long been marginalized. Fluctuations in food
and oil prices have decreased revenues and exacerbated
inflation in many developing countries.
 The current multifaceted crises in the realms of
finance, food, energy and the environment have
plunged hundreds of millions of people into poverty
and aggravated circumstances already straitened by
unemployment and the high cost of access to basic
services. The plight of the most vulnerable strata of
society in developing countries, especially women and
children, calls for action by the international
community and should be at the heart of international
concerns.
 Even as this year we celebrate the twentieth
anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, hundreds of millions of children still live at risk
and in extreme poverty. More than 26,000 children
under the age of five die each day in developing
countries of diseases that for the most part could have
been avoided if adequate resources had been mobilized
and effective measures put in place to respond to
immediate needs.
 The breadth and complexity of the challenges that
must be met cannot distract the international
community from its responsibilities. It goes without
saying that the resolution of the world financial and
economic crisis requires a democratization of the
international monetary system, notably the institution
of a new international financial architecture based on
the genuine participation of all nations, including
developing countries. Only a global and cooperative
effort will succeed in laying the groundwork for a
lasting recovery. It is also essential to strengthen global
development partnerships in order to create conditions
favourable for the reduction of poverty, the
improvement of health and education, gender equality
and environmental protection, as set out in the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 In this regard, the Government of Mali has
launched an innovative project to focus the MDGs on
the 166 Malian municipal districts most vulnerable to
food shortages. That initiative, inspired by the
Millennium Village approach, is part of the economic
and social development project instituted by the
President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Amadou
Toumani Touré. The project’s principal aim is
 “to assure robust and sustainable growth that
produces opportunities and prosperity for all
citizens; to open the way to the achievement of
the MDGs by 2015, thus allowing all Malians to
enjoy the fundamental rights of all human beings
to have enough to eat, to have access to potable
water, to enjoy basic services within a radius of
five kilometres and to send their children, both
boys and girls, to primary school; and to create
good working conditions for the majority of the
country’s young people”.
 As part of that initiative, the Forum on Initiative
166, organized by the Malian Government in the

39 09-53165

margins of this session of the General Assembly, has
increased awareness among development partners and
donors alike of the need to support the efforts of the
more than 2.5 million people living in nearly 3,000
villages in the 166 districts to raise themselves out of
extreme poverty and launch their own social and
economic development process.
 Despite the progress made in developing
countries with regard to the MDGs, the 2015 deadline
looms on the horizon and much remains to do. We dare
believe that the pledges made by the industrialized
countries, notably at the Group of 20 summits held in
Washington, D.C., London and Pittsburgh, will be
honoured.
 We also urge donor nations, international
financial institutions and development organizations to
give full attention to the special circumstances of the
group of landlocked developing nations. Given their
lack of access to oceans, their isolation and their
removal from international markets, those countries
face great difficulties in their endeavours to ensure
their economic growth and social well-being and to
participate in the global economy and international
commerce. We remain convinced that pushing forward
the implementation of the Almaty Programme of
Action for landlocked countries will greatly contribute
to the realization of the goals identified.
 Climate change remains one of the greatest
challenges of the day. We welcome the Secretary-
General’s initiative to convene a summit devoted
exclusively to climate change and environmental
degradation. We believe that the international
community must intensify its efforts to reach an
international accord at the Conference in Copenhagen
this December.
 The maintenance of international peace and
security is a prerequisite for all development. That is
why Mali remains firmly devoted to the ideals of peace
and stability both inside and outside its borders. In that
spirit and at the initiative of the President of Mali, a
regional conference will shortly be convened in
Bamako on peace, security and development in the
Sahelo-Saharan region. Our most ardent wish is to
transform that area into a haven of peace, stability and
prosperity.
 Mali welcomes the progress made in Africa in
restoring peace, stability and post-conflict
reconciliation under the auspices of the African Union
and the United Nations. We reaffirm our active
solidarity with the peoples of the Middle East and will
continue to support the relevant United Nations
resolutions on the Middle East and the Palestinian
question.
 International terrorism is yet another serious
threat to international peace and security. Mali
therefore firmly and unequivocally condemns terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations, and applauds the
General Assembly’s adoption of the Global Counter-
Terrorism Strategy (resolution 60/288), as promoted by
our heads of State and Government at the 2005 World
Summit.
 Today more than ever, our nations must
coordinate their efforts to overcome together the great
challenges faced by humanity. The strengthening of
international cooperation demands greater solidarity.
That is in the interest of us all, because humanity needs
to harness all of its potential if it is to achieve
harmonious and sustainable development in an
environment of peace and security.


In
speaking to the General Assembly in France’s name
today, I am well aware that we all have a historic
responsibility in the current circumstances.
 In the midst of a financial, economic and social
crisis that has no precedent in the history of the United
Nations, and faced with the threat a global ecological
disaster, we must now invent a new world where the
follies of yesterday are no longer possible. That is our
responsibility. Now we all know towards what
catastrophes our obstinate attempts to solve the
problems of the twenty-first century with twentieth-
century ideas and instruments may lead us. No one
among us can claim any longer that he did not know.
There is a universal awareness that the path that
the world has taken over the past few decades is a dead
end. This awareness is born of sorrow, suffering and
fear. We are politically and morally accountable for the
suffering on our planet. Tens of millions of men and
women have lost their jobs and their homes. A billion
human beings are suffering from hunger, and hundreds
of millions have no access to water, energy or minimal
health care.
 To those hundreds of millions of people, we, the
heads of State and Government, and no one else, must
restore hope. Those who are paying the price of the
crisis had no role in bringing it about. We owe an
answer to the people who are outraged by the
behaviour of those in the financial world who led us to
the brink of chaos and continue to seek to enrich
themselves indecently. We owe an answer to those who
are still dying in absurd wars from another age, while
humankind has so many challenges to face.
 France’s answer is unambiguous. Things cannot
go on as they were. We must change. We cannot allow
it to start all over again, leading to another disaster
tomorrow. After such a strong disavowal of our usual
thinking and our deep-rooted prejudices, the task
before us is precisely the same as that faced by men of
good will who sought here to build a new political,
economic and monetary world order after the Second
World War. The generation that preceded us was equal
to its responsibilities. The question today is: Will we be
equal to that same responsibility?
 The world will change. It cannot be otherwise.
The only question is: Will the world change because
we are able to act with wisdom, intelligence and
courage, or because fresh crises will arise if we are not
wise enough to take the path of radical change?
 The truth is that we have already waited too long
to regulate globalization, fight global warming and
curb nuclear proliferation. And I should like solemnly
to tell the leaders of Iranian that they would be making
a tragic mistake in relying on the passive response of
the international community in order to pursue their
military nuclear programme.
 We have waited too long to re-establish peace in
the Middle East by giving the Palestinian people the
State to which they are entitled in the name of law and
in the name of justice. And we have waited too long to
guarantee the people of Israel the right to live in
security, which the tragedies of history have made so
necessary for them.
 We know what we need to do now: increase the
number of permanent and non-permanent members of
the Security Council. I say in the name of France, it is
unacceptable that the African continent does not have a
single permanent member on the Security Council — it
is unacceptable because it is unjust. It is unacceptable
that the South American continent, with such a great
power as Brazil, or India with its population of one
billion, or Japan or Germany, should be excluded from
among the permanent members of the Council. It is
unacceptable, and I say here that the legitimacy of the
United Nations is riding on this reform. Either the
United Nations reforms and its legitimacy will grow, or

09-52179 46

the reform fails and then decisions will be taken
outside the United Nations.
 We must reform the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank; that is indispensable. Voting
rights need to be more equitably distributed. The
missions of both the Fund and the Bank need to be
redefined. To maintain the Fund as the guardian of an
orthodoxy that has been so severely shaken by the
crisis would be a tragic mistake.
 The international system has to be reformed. We
cannot have a politically multipolar world with a single
currency. That is not acceptable; it is not possible. We
have to re-engineer the financial capitalism system. If
we have a system in which the real price of risk or the
real price of rare resources is not being paid, that is a
suicidal system.
 We need to eliminate tax havens, for we must not
tolerate places where money derived from speculation,
crime and fraud is stashed. It is up to us. No one in the
world would understand if we were to fail to live up to
this objective.
 We need to curb the price swings of commodities
that are subject to excessive speculation, starting with
oil, since this instability is unsustainable. The countries
that have commodities must be paid a fair price for
their resources. We must not accept the speculation that
destabilizes the world over the costs of commodities.
 In Copenhagen, we need to commit to
quantitative targets for greenhouse gas emissions. We
can no longer put off the moment of choice. We need to
set up a world environment organization. We need to
acknowledge the legitimacy of the principle of a
carbon tax border adjustment mechanism so that
nobody can profit from environmental dumping.
 We cannot let the law of trade be the only law. I
believe in free trade, but there are fundamental
standards. We are members of the World Health
Organization. How can we impair the right to health of
those who have nothing? We are members of the
International Labour Organization, which has defined
the fundamental standards in this field. How can we
accept that those standards be flouted? The right to
health, the right to a minimum respect for one’s social
rights and the right to protection of the planet are just
as important as the right to trade. There is no single
right that is more important than the others.
 We cannot ask developing countries and poor
countries to comply with these standards if we, the
rich, do not help them in their efforts. We all belong to
the same human race. We all live on the same planet.
We are all facing the same challenges.
 So yes, we need to be able to share our
technology. France is ready to do so, and so are the
other wealthy countries of the world. Yes, we will need
to come up with further resources for development
assistance and for meeting the ecological challenge
together. I do not hesitate to say that we will find these
resources by taxing excessive gains from speculation
and profits. We do not have to look far for resources;
they are right there. I would like to appeal to all States,
to all international organizations, that the
recommendations made by the commission chaired by
Joseph Stiglitz be disseminated broadly. Let us make
no mistake about the way we measure economic
growth.
 The task is a huge one, and it is only just
beginning. That is all the more reason for starting now
and starting quickly. We have little time remaining.
Each of us needs to realize what would happen if we
had to go home and explain to our fellow citizens that
we have been incapable of reaching an agreement, of
finding new solutions at a time when they are suffering
so grievously from the consequences of the crisis. I
wish to say very clearly that nothing would be worse
that a mediocre compromise in Pittsburgh and in
Copenhagen. World opinion and the current
circumstances demand that we find a real solution to
the problems and not just to pretend.
 If we do nothing, the threat of the worst crisis is
not behind us but ahead of us. We are at one of those
moments in history when political decisions will have
a profound and lasting impact on the future. We have
no choice; we must take risks, since the greatest risk
today would be to do nothing, to let ourselves be
carried along by the force of habit, to think that we still
have time. France has come to tell you that we have no
more time.
 I hope that this year, 2009, is when a new world
order — a more fair, more efficient world order — will
be established, one that each of us will be comfortable
with.


It
is an honour to take the floor at the sixty-fourth session
of the General Assembly.
 At the outset, on behalf of His Excellency
Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of
Burundi, and our entire delegation, we join preceding
speakers in warmly congratulating you, Mr. Ali
Abdussalam Treki, on your election to the presidency
of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.
Your election is a tribute to you and to your country.
My delegation and I personally wish you every success
in your noble mission. Our congratulations go also to
the other members of the Bureau. We also take this
opportunity to pay a well-deserved tribute to your
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann, for his commitment and for the quality of
the work accomplished during his mandate.
 Here, we wish to reaffirm our support for His
Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Once
again, we wish him every success and assure him of
the full cooperation of the Republic of Burundi in
seeking peaceful and courageous solutions to the
problems facing today’s world. We hail him in
particular for his devotion to the cause of peace and
development, which he has continued to demonstrate
for the world in general and for Burundi in particular.
 Finally, our gratitude goes to the international
community, the Peacebuilding Commission, the United
Nations Integrated Office in Burundi, the European
Union, the Regional Initiative for Burundi and the
Republic of South Africa for their efforts to restore
peace, which is now a reality and which we hope will
be irreversible in Burundi. We urge all States in the
Great Lakes region to continue to engage in dialogue
and cooperation to ensure comprehensive political
stability and development in the region. We take this
opportunity to request that consultative status in the
General Assembly be granted at this session to the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
 The present session of the General Assembly is
taking place at a time when the Burundian people are
welcoming the progress made on the path of peace.
Indeed, the war in Burundi is now over. The last rebel

09-52586 2

movement, the Forces nationales de liberation, has laid
down its weapons and has become a political party that
is actively participating in the country’s democratic
life. The movement’s top leaders have been appointed
to posts in the area of public administration. Some
former combatants have joined the army or the police,
and the others have been demobilized and are
benefiting from the process of reintegrating into
normal socio-economic life. We wish to thank all our
partners for their support for Burundi’s considerable
peacebuilding and democratization efforts.
 With the return of peace and democratically
elected institutions, the Burundian people are
beginning to regain confidence in the institutions of the
Republic. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are
returning to their former villages, and Burundian
refugees who were in neighbouring countries have
returned. However, the reintegration of former
combatants, IDPs and refugees is not taking place
without difficulties or constraints.
 Indeed, Burundi, as an African country with one
of the highest population growth rates, has an acute
land-shortage problem, which has given rise to
property disputes. In order to preserve social harmony,
a commission for land and other assets has been
established to resolve all disputes arising between
repatriated persons and their fellow citizens who have
remained in the hills, where land is considered a
unique treasure.
 Burundi is facing the problem of financing the
professional reintegration of thousands of men, women
and even children who have served as combatants. The
international community’s support is thus essential to
assist us in the process of socially reintegrating those
sectors of the needy population so that the gains of
peacebuilding will not be undermined.
 Furthermore, the Burundian Government
recognizes that illegal firearms in the hands of the
civilian population constitute a serious threat to peace.
In order to address that problem, the Government has
established a commission to encourage people to
voluntarily turn in their weapons. As the commission
has a time-bound mandate, the Government has
launched a large-scale programme to recover all
weapons and clamp down on crime linked to firearm
use. A decree regulating legal firearms possession has
just been signed by the President.
 Judicial reform is being carried out to ensure
equitable justice and combat impunity. The
Government welcomes the support of the international
community in this area. To further consolidate the
peace dividend, we must meet the challenges of
knowing the truth so that we can achieve national
reconciliation. It is imperative that the Burundian
people succeed in the transitional justice process. That
will enable them to bury the hatchet of war and build
their future on a solid foundation of peace and mutual
trust.
 Mindful of the fact that it would not enjoy peace
for long in a troubled Africa, our country has
responded positively to the international community’s
appeal to contribute to peacekeeping in countries at
war. Thus, Burundi is participating in the United
Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, to restore peace to
Côte d’Ivoire; the United Nations Peacebuilding
Support Office in the Central African Republic, in
Chad and the Central African Republic; and the African
Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, in
Darfur and Somalia. Unfortunately, our contingent
deployed in Somalia as part of the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has, over a two-year
period, been the target of three suicide attacks that
have claimed the lives of 25 soldiers and left 35 others
wounded. To that grisly toll, we must add three victims
of the crash of an Ilyushin aircraft into Lake Victoria in
March this year.
 Those facts show that Burundi is paying a heavy
price in the international mission to contribute to the
quest for peace in Somalia. Because of this loss of life,
some in Burundi are calling for a troop withdrawal. We
believe that, in its current configuration, the Mission
can continue and be completed only with considerable
efforts by the international community.
 To that end, the Government of Burundi believes
that AMISOM’s mandate should be changed to allow
contingents to protect themselves against deadly
attacks and to take the offensive or pursue aggressors,
if necessary, in accordance with Chapter VII of the
Charter. We believe that contingents must be equipped
with sufficient resources in terms of quality and
quantity. We believe that strike helicopters and funds
for information-gathering on the ground must be
provided. We also believe that additional troops should
be deployed without delay in order to make the
Mission truly continental in character. And we believe
that the long-promised sanctions against countries,

3 09-52586

organizations and individuals who support Islamist
groups should at last become a reality.
 The Government of Burundi remains steadfast to
its commitments vis-à-vis AMISOM. However, we
would like to see the international community respond
as soon as possible to the concerns that I have
expressed here, which are well-known to all partners
who wish to see the return of peace in the Horn of
Africa.
 This meeting is taking place a few months before
the holding of general elections in my country aimed at
reinvigorating institutions at every level. I would like
to underscore here that the Government is committed
to making sure that those elections are transparent and
that they are held in an atmosphere of calm. An
independent national electoral commission has already
been put in place, based on a political compromise
between the various parties. In addition, a new
electoral law has just been promulgated. The Ministry
of the Interior has also been strengthened in order to
support the commission. The partnership between the
electoral commission, the Government and donors has
just been formalized through an agreement between the
United Nations Development Programme and the
Government of Burundi on a project to provide support
for the elections.
 In that regard, the Government will provide the
independent national electoral commission a $7 million
package for the entire endeavour. We are counting on
the varied support of the international community to
mobilize all the necessary resources to make the
electoral process a success. We welcome the
willingness expressed by the Secretary-General to
bring BINUB’s mandate in line with the electoral
environment. I need not recall that BINUB’s mandate
should be agreed between now and the end of
December of this year. A successful outcome to the
elections will enable us, in coordination with the
Secretary-General, to redefine the mission of the
United Nations in Burundi by focusing major attention
on programmes aimed at lasting development.
 Burundi must make a success of its electoral
process if it is to be able to pursue its economic
development. Our strategic framework to combat
poverty, which is the point of reference for all efforts
in that regard, has been in the process of
implementation since 2007. An assessment of that
effort over the past two years reveals satisfactory
results overall, despite the fact that the performance
indicators we wanted to achieve with regard to certain
macroeconomic policies have not yet been realized.
 In an effort to improve the effectiveness of the
assistance provided to Burundi, the Government,
working in partnership with donors, has put in place a
partners’ coordination group that provides a forum for
discussion in which development partners are
consulted on all technical and policy issues in
connection with the implementation of our national
strategy on development and peacebuilding. Today,
genuine dialogue and active partnership take place
throughout the process, from the planning to the results
assessment stages.
 With the support of the World Bank, Burundi
hopes to hold a meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group
on Burundi next month in Paris, with a view to
mobilizing funds destined for sectors that have been
identified as having the potential for quickly
contributing to economic growth and playing a
catalysing role — namely, those of the energy,
agricultural, private sector, tourism, information
technology and communication infrastructure sectors.
We count on the existing partnership to provide the
necessary financing.
 The Government has come to understand that, in
order to fully restart economic growth, it needs to
promote good governance in the management of public
affairs and further improve the business environment.
To that end, the Government, with the support of its
partners, has begun a series of reforms aimed at
improving public finance management and facilitating
private domestic and foreign investment in our country.
A new investment law has therefore been promulgated,
which the Government has adapted to bring it in line
with the East African Community’s model. A value
added tax is already in place and an agency to promote
investment will soon become operational.
 Burundi aims to meet the challenge set at the
international level to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, as underscored in the Outcome
adopted at the September 2005 World Summit of heads
of State or Government (resolution 60/1). We are
pleased to inform the Assembly that, thanks to our
policy of free primary education and health care for
children under the age of five and pregnant women,
Burundi is achieving results that merit support. For
instance, thanks to that policy, the number of pregnant

09-52586 4

women giving birth in hospitals or health centres
increased from 22.9 per cent in 2005 to 56.3 per cent in
2008.
 In July 2009, the Government of Burundi decided
to provide free malaria treatment and mosquito nets for
its entire population. The Government has also decided
to take responsibility for the medical treatment and
follow-up for women beginning in the first month of
pregnancy, with a view to better protecting the health
of mothers and children. That policy includes an
information campaign aimed at curbing the number of
births. A national body will soon be established that
will be responsible for providing health insurance for
people living in rural areas or working in the informal
sector.
 Education for all is another of the Millennium
Development Goals that the people of Burundi are
working to achieve. Thanks to community development
efforts, our people built more than 700 schools and
health centres in the course of 2008, so as to allow all
school-age children to benefit from free primary
education, as decided in 2005 by our country’s
President. However, we still face the ongoing problem
of providing the necessary financial resources to equip
those schools and health centres, provide them with
drinking water and pay their staff. I need not point out
that these exceptional steps have been taken to
contribute to our country’s progress in the run-up to
2015.
 Moreover, the Government would like donors to
mobilize additional resources to ensure the
sustainability of our achievements. We would like to
take this opportunity to heartily thank partners that
have already supported the implementation of our
policy to provide free primary education and health
services for pregnant women and children under the
age of five. We appeal to those who are still hesitant to
come to our assistance in order to help us to overcome
the numerous challenges to which I have referred here.
 The global financial crisis has not spared
Burundi. While the cost of raw materials has dropped
in general, the decrease has been especially sharp in
the price of coffee, which is our main export product.
The Assembly will of course understand that, when our
gross domestic product and our economy’s
macroeconomic indicators perform poorly, they
undermine the social protection efforts undertaken by
the Government.
 The volatile market for petroleum products also
has a destabilizing impact on Burundi’s economy, as it
produces external shocks that are difficult to bear.
Despite the economic policy interventions that have
been taken to counteract the negative effects of
disturbances in international markets, the economies of
developing countries must nevertheless reiterate the
appeal for restoring order with regard to such current
issues as those pertaining to the stability of
international financial markets, the implementation of
trade agreements, technology transfers and the need to
increase assistance and investment in Africa.
 Given the situation, we would like once again to
invite developed countries and the Group of Eight in
particular to translate into action the commitment they
undertook to raise official development assistance
contributions to 0.7 per cent of GDP by 2015, as well
as to honour the promise made in Scotland to increase
development aid by $50 billion per year starting in
2010, with half of this sum allocated to Africa.
 Climate change constitutes a threat to peace and
food security in Africa and around the world. We
therefore call for the adoption of courageous measures
to limit the production of greenhouse gases and for
incentives to encourage reforestation policies, the
protection of equatorial forests, the responsible
management of water and energy resources, and the
use of clean and renewable energies. Burundi endorses
the common African Union position that was set out by
the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and will be reaffirmed
at the Copenhagen Conference. We welcome measures
announced by President Barack Obama, the European
Union and Japan to considerably reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, manage toxic waste responsibly and
provide financial and technological resources to least-
developed and landlocked countries.
 Burundi renews its pledge to the United Nations
to continue working to ensure that the peoples of the
entire world cooperate in peace and defend the values
of freedom, solidarity and tolerance. These values must
guide the international community in resolving the
bloody conflicts that threaten some parts of Africa, the
Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan, and will help us to
fight terrorism and other forms of transnational crime
effectively.
 I cannot conclude my address without reaffirming
the commitment of my country to multilateralism,

5 09-52586

which represents our single best hope for responding to
all threats to peace and security in the world.


On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, I
wish to congratulate you, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, on
your election as President of the General Assembly at
its sixty-fourth session. I believe that with your rich
experience, you will lead the Assembly at this session
to great success. Viet Nam commends you, Sir, for the
theme you proposed for this high-level general debate,
namely, effective responses to global crises —
strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among
civilizations for international peace, security and
development.
 I further wish to express our high appreciation to
His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for
his contributions to the work of the General Assembly
at its sixty-third session.
 The year since the Assembly’s sixty-third session
has not been a long span of time, yet it has been
characterized by the many challenges it brought to the
entire international community. Every part of the world
has suffered from the negative and far-reaching
impacts of the global financial crisis and economic
downturn. That further aggravates the challenges in
terms of food security, energy security and climate
change facing developing countries in particular. In the
meantime, tension and conflicts persist in various
regions, and the threats of the proliferation of weapons

17 09-52470

of mass destruction and of international terrorism
continue to demand effective responses.
 Because of all this, the past year has also
witnessed enormous efforts on the part of the
international community, both in thinking and in
action, not only to address the immediate problems but
also to create a more sustainable foundation for
common peace and prosperity. In due course, nations
have been able to draw valuable lessons on governance
over domestic development and to gain a fuller
understanding of the meaning of multilateral
cooperation. It is evident that no single country could
respond to the financial and economic crisis and to the
series of current global challenges. It is equally evident
that policies and measures of imposition and unilateral
use of force to address international security and
political issues would only result in more tension,
confrontation and impasse.
 Given the many difficulties at the present time,
we are encouraged by recent positive — although not
solid — signals from the world economy. The first
summit of the Security Council on nuclear
non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament has
highlighted the question of disarmament on the
international agenda. Viet Nam recognizes the active
contributions of the United Nations and the Secretary-
General in the furtherance of discussions on and direct
support for the implementation of concrete measures in
relation to issues of international concern. In this
connection, Viet Nam hopes that this Assembly will
focus its deliberations on the following issues.
 Respect for the fundamental principles of
international law and the United Nations Charter in
international relations is the determining factor for
peace and security and a prerequisite for all the
activities undertaken by the international community.
On that basis, the United Nations should continue to
make active contributions to easing tension and
peacefully resolving outstanding disputes and conflicts,
including those relating to the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea and Iran.
 It is Viet Nam’s hope that early progress will be
made in the negotiations for a peaceful,
comprehensive, just and lasting solution in the Middle
East on the basis of ensuring the fundamental national
rights of the Palestinian people and the legitimate
interests of all parties concerned. We fully support the
national reconciliation and reconstruction process in
Afghanistan and Iraq and strongly condemn terrorist
acts against civilians in those countries and in other
places in the world. We oppose the unilateral use of
economic sanctions against developing countries and
support the General Assembly resolutions on the
necessity of immediately ending the economic,
commercial and financial embargo imposed against
Cuba.
 An effective and comprehensive response to
today’s economic and financial crisis is the top concern
of the international community. In the immediate term,
that includes urgent measures to curb the pace of the
downturn, encourage an early recovery of the world
economy and minimize the negative impacts of the
crisis, particularly on the realization of the Millennium
Development Goals in developing countries.
 In the long run, the response will embrace
considerations of development paradigms suitable for
individual nations and reforms of the international
system of economic relations, which has for quite a
while shown many irrationalities. It is also imperative
to promote the role of the United Nations in designing
international strategies and mechanisms to address the
energy and food crisis, pandemics and climate change,
including issues to be discussed at the Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen this December.
 The United Nations reform process should also
continue to meet the emerging, complex requirements.
Viet Nam shares the common view that reform should
be undertaken in all United Nations agencies, with
Security Council reform conducted in such a way as to
broaden its representation and render its operational
methodology more democratic and transparent. Efforts
to reform the machinery should go hand in hand with
efforts to renew content and to pay due attention to the
balance among the fields of activity of the United
Nations. United Nations operations should also be
provided with sufficient resources.
 Next year, Member States will commemorate the
sixty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, while
also reviewing the Organization’s activities and the
10-year implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). To prepare the ground
for recommendations to be submitted to the leaders of
Member States at the sixty-fifth session, we need to
discuss what lessons can be drawn from United
Nations activities in all spheres, what activities should
be prioritized and what conditions are necessary for the

09-52470 18

Organization fully to carry out its mandates and
functions in the interest of all nations.
 In the recent past, Viet Nam has continued to
record major achievements in the process of renewal,
in general, and initial positive gains in response to the
impact of the global economic and financial crisis, in
particular. We have also been successful in our foreign
policy, which is based on openness and strives to
diversify and ensure the multilateral character of our
external relations in the spirit of being a friend and
reliable partner of all nations and an active,
constructive, cooperative and responsible member of
the international community.
 As a non-permanent member of the Security
Council, we have been an active participant in and an
effective and responsible contributor to the
maintenance of world peace and security. As a peace-
loving nation, Viet Nam always strongly supports and
contributes to the peaceful settlement of international
disputes and conflicts, the fight against transnational
crime and international terrorism, and the promotion of
disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction. As a country that experienced
decades of war with devastating consequences,
including the long-term effects of the Agent Orange
toxic chemical, and as a country that has made
important achievements in development, Viet Nam has
always striven towards the effective Security Council
action in supporting reconstruction efforts in countries
emerging from conflict.
 In its work, Viet Nam sets high store by
consultation and cooperation with other members of
the Security Council and the United Nations, as shown
by our initiative to consult Member States on the latest
annual report of the Security Council. I would like to
take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude
and appreciation to all Member States for their
cooperation, without which Viet Nam would not have
accomplished this undertaking.
 In the future, Viet Nam will continue to work
actively for world peace, stability, cooperation and
development, thus contributing to efforts of the United
Nations and the international community in
accelerating the resolution of social issues and global
challenges, as well as the implementation of
development programmes and the Delivering as One
initiative.
 This session of the General Assembly is taking
place at a crucial juncture. During 2009, the world has
witnessed many significant changes, which have
demanded corresponding policy decisions from us. I
believe that only by standing shoulder to shoulder to
enhance multilateral cooperation can we, as
responsible leaders, meet the expectations and
aspirations of our peoples and map out a path for the
long-term development of the United Nations. Viet
Nam will always be a supportive, active and
responsible participant in this noble mission.


Let me join others in
extending our sincere congratulations to Mr. Ali
Abdussalam Treki on his unanimous election to preside
over this session of the General Assembly. I am
confident that under his able stewardship this session
will mark an important milestone in meeting the
formidable challenges of our times.
 And the challenges we face as a human family
are unprecedented indeed. No nation, no country is
immune to the ruthless grip of the multitude of global
crises: economy and finance, fuel and food, flu
pandemics and climate change. These and other global
challenges require global solutions underpinned by a
new multilateralism. Multilateralism that is effective,
proactive and commensurate with today’s demands.
Never has the world needed an effective
multilateralism as much as we do now; as the
Secretary-General has rightly put it, “This is the
ultimate multilateral moment” (A/64/1, para. 4).
 Mongolia highly commends the strong leadership
of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the effort to
make this Organization the centre of the new
multilateralism. We also applaud his unwavering
commitment to mobilizing broad political support to
address today’s pressing challenges. Thanks to his
initiative, on the 22nd of this month we witnessed an
unprecedented gathering of world leaders. That has
provided the necessary political impetus for
Copenhagen, and I was both humbled and honoured to

09-52470 12

serve as one of the co-chairs of the round tables. As a
result, we have all agreed that in Copenhagen we must
reach the long-awaited agreement. The political will
was clearly displayed. The deal must be within our
grasp.
 Climate change poses a truly existential threat to
humanity. As a country intimately affected by climate
change, Mongolia deems it important to complement
global efforts with those at regional and subregional
levels. With that in mind, we have proposed a
North-east Asia Summit on Climate Change. A series
of preparatory meetings have been held over the last
two years, including meetings with experts and young
people, and with senior officials and ministers, in
March and May respectively.
 It has become increasingly evident that extensive
effects of climate change have already appeared in
most parts of the subregion, which has become more
exposed to drought; desertification; reduced water
resources; land degradation; increased occurrence of
natural disasters and melting of permafrost, glaciers
and snow cover. The resulting poverty, food shortages
and spread of infectious disease will have an increasing
effect on the sustainable development of the countries
in the region. Hence the urgent need for joint efforts to
redress the situation, mitigate risks and enhance those
countries’ adaptive capacity. We remain hopeful that
they will continue their active engagement in the
preparations for the Summit next year.
 Allow me to share briefly our views on issues we
deem important as we collectively seek to identify
effective responses to the global crises. First, my
delegation believes that the multiple nature of the
crises has to be taken into account in order to find an
adequate response at the global level. This in itself is a
daunting task, requiring of us the courage to rise
beyond mere national or group interests in order to
survive collectively in our one — global — human
village.
 Secondly, in all our policies and actions we need
to focus on people — on the human costs of
overcoming the dire consequences of multiple crises.
According to the World Bank’s latest report, released
last week, the ongoing global economic, financial and
food crises have plunged hundreds of millions more
people into the iron grip of poverty, hunger,
unemployment, illiteracy and ill-health.
 Despite this grim situation we are nonetheless
encouraged by a broadly shared recognition that the
vulnerable countries, including landlocked developing
countries (LLDCs) ought to be assisted to withstand
the harsh impact of the crises. In this regard, we look
forward to the Group of 20 meeting in Pittsburgh to
substantially increase support and assistance to
vulnerable and low-income countries.
 Every sixth Member of the United Nations is a
landlocked developing country with inherent
development handicaps. Indeed, lack of territorial
access to the sea, remoteness from world markets and
the consequent high transportation costs and undue
delays are major impediments for LLDCs. Hence,
Mongolia, together with other like-minded countries,
has endeavoured to promote the common position and
interests of the Group of LLDCs at both the United
Nations and the World Trade Organization. The recent
establishment of an international think tank for LLDCs
in Ulaanbaatar will, in our view, enhance our
coordinated efforts for the effective implementation of
the Almaty Programme of Action and the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
 Thirdly, the marginalization and inadequate
representation of the developing world in global
decision-making constitute another drawback to the
strength of the new multilateralism. Hence the need for
a reformed global governance structure. Mongolia
believes that, with its impartiality and universal
legitimacy, the United Nations is uniquely placed to
serve as the centre of the new multilateralism. Our
world Organization has embarked on a process of
reform in order to better respond to multifaceted
challenges. Important progress has been made in
several reform areas, yet more efforts are needed to
adapt the United Nations to the realities of the twenty-
first century.
 We expect the General Assembly negotiations on
Security Council reform to make meaningful progress
at this session by meeting the demand of the
overwhelming majority of Member States to expand
the Council in both the permanent and the
non-permanent categories. A revitalized General
Assembly, a greater role for the Economic and Social
Council in global economic governance and enhanced
United Nations capacity in building democracy and
peacebuilding are also needed. Mongolia fully supports
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s efforts to improve

13 09-52470

the management, efficiency and internal cohesion of
the United Nations system.
 With a view to making our humble contribution
to promoting effective international cooperation in the
economic, social and related fields, Mongolia has
proposed its candidature for consideration at the
election next month for membership of the Economic
and Social Council for 2010-2012. We are deeply
grateful to our fellow members of the Asian Group for
their endorsement of our candidature and look forward
to the kind support of the broader membership of the
United Nations.
 Fourthly, in order to find effective solutions to
global crises we need to do away with the triple
deficit — a deficit of political will and commitment; a
deficit of implementation; and a deficit of resources —
that all too often has impeded the pursuit of our
common efforts. Those are some of the issues that in
our view warrant the consideration of the international
community in order to formulate our collective
approach to the pressing challenges at hand.
 Mongolia has continuously based its foreign
policy on active participation in multilateral
cooperation through the United Nations. Our
engagement has ranged from non-proliferation and
disarmament to promoting democracy and literacy and
from addressing the special needs of LLDCs to
responding to climate change and contributing to
peacekeeping operations, programmes and funds.
 As a North-East Asian nation with an
internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free status,
Mongolia stands for a nuclear-weapon-free Korean
peninsula. Achieving a comprehensive solution to the
nuclear issue through dialogue is of utmost importance.
We hope that all countries concerned will look to the
future in the interest of peace and stability in the
region. We stand ready to contribute to this effort.
 Yesterday the international community witnessed
another strong signal of strengthened multilateralism,
particularly in the area of nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation. The Security Council summit
chaired by President Obama (see S/PV.6191)
confirmed the path towards a world free of nuclear
weapons by adopting the historic resolution
1887 (2009).
 Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of the
renowned Brahimi report (A/55/305), which charted a
renewed vision for United Nations peacekeeping
operations. We are proud that Mongolia has joined the
ranks of active members of the United Nations
peacekeeping family. With its latest deployment of a
battalion to the United Nations Mission in the Central
African Republic and Chad, we have become one of
the top 20 troop contributors. Mongolia stands
committed to enhancing its contribution, including
through hosting training for civil police and medical
personnel at its peacekeeping operations training
centre.
 Later this year we will observe the twentieth
anniversary of the start of the democratic evolution in
my home country. Mongolia is proud of its successful
democratic transition and major gains in the political,
economic, social and spiritual areas of the life of our
society. Yet, as a young democracy, my country is also
intimately aware of the complex challenges faced by
countries in transition. Democracy and respect for
human rights are, in our view, inherently woven into
the MDGs. Proceeding from this premise, Mongolia
was the first country to adopt, in 2005, its own ninth
MDG, on strengthening human rights, fostering
democratic governance and zero tolerance to
corruption.
 We believe in international cooperation and
support for democratization efforts. In this regard,
Mongolia applauds the increased role of the United
Nations in fostering democracy and good governance.
The United Nations Democracy Fund is a notable
example and Mongolia is proud to serve on its
Advisory Board. The United Nations has also been an
important stakeholder in the success of the new or
restored democracies process.
 Over the past nearly five decades of Mongolia’s
membership in the United Nations, our multifaceted
cooperation has made a valuable contribution to our
development. I am pleased to underscore that this
received a considerable boost from the official visit to
Mongolia of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last July.
We will closely work with the United Nations to ensure
effective follow-up to the visit.
 In conclusion, I reiterate Mongolia’s strong
resolve to continue its active participation in
multilateral cooperation. We will spare no effort to
ensure that the world Organization remains a centre for
coordination of the efforts of the community of nations
towards peace and development in the years to come.


Allow
me at the outset, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, to
congratulate you and your fraternal country, the Great
Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, on your
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-fourth session. We are confident that your
experience and knowledge of the role and influence of
the United Nations in international relations will play a
great part in the success of the work of this session. I
also take this opportunity to express our thanks to your
predecessor, His Excellency Father Miguel d’Escoto
Brockmann of friendly Nicaragua, for his excellent
efforts in guiding the work of the previous session. I
wish also to express our appreciation to Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for his tireless efforts to enhance
the effectiveness of the Organization’s machinery. We
wish him every success.
 There is no doubt that the United Nations has
achieved much during its more than 60 years of joint
international action. Its achievements have made a
positive contribution to the maintenance of
international peace and security. The Organization has
provided technical assistance to developing countries
in their socio-economic development projects, and has
helped to reach consensus on many political issues and
conflicts, contributing to the development of
international peacekeeping mechanisms.
 And yet the Palestinian issue remains unresolved
despite all the efforts of Arab countries and the
international community. We believe that the Arab
Peace Initiative and international peace efforts are the
most appropriate way to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict
on the basis of an end to occupation, the return of Arab
lands occupied since 1967, the establishment of an
independent Palestinian State on the West Bank and
Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital and the
removal of all the illegal and illegitimate Israeli
settlements. This would indeed help to achieve
peaceful coexistence and positive cooperation between
Arab States and Israel, and would contribute greatly to
opening new horizons of cooperation, progress and
development in the region and the world at large. Peace
based on those principles would be one of the most
important achievements of the people of the region and
would pave the way towards ending regional crises and
eradicating the root causes of terrorism.
 We thus call on Israel to seize the historic
Initiative and join the efforts to establish a just and
comprehensive peace in the Middle East, one that
would bring security and peaceful coexistence to all
the States and peoples of the region. Squandering this
historic opportunity would constitute a grave loss for
the Israeli people, and we would all regret it.
 We welcome the recent positive developments in
Iraq. We hope that such developments will continue in
order to achieve security and stability in that country,
contribute to the success of the comprehensive national
reconciliation efforts and help establish positive,
cooperative relations with neighbouring countries,
allowing Iraq to resume its distinct positive role in the
region at all levels.
 We look forward to positive results from the
Darfur peace talks, to be held in Doha, Qatar, between
the Sudanese Government and the Darfur opposition.
We hope that the parties concerned can build a
framework for a political agreement that would help
realize security, stability and development in Darfur.
We also welcome the policies of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh
Ahmed, President of the Transitional Federal
Government of brotherly Somalia, and his efforts to
achieve peace in his country. We urge all of our
brethren and all factions in Somalia to renounce
violence and embrace dialogue. We support international
efforts to combat piracy and armed robbery against
commercial ships off the coast of the Horn of Africa.

37 09-52598

 We welcome the continued cooperation between
the friendly Islamic Republic of Iran, the international
community and the International Atomic Energy
Agency. In this respect, we see some positive signs that
could lead to a sound diplomatic solution.
 There is no doubt that the efforts exerted by the
rich industrialized nations to restore stability and
balance to the international capital markets have begun
to bear fruit. This could lead to the recovery of the
world economy. We believe more international effort is
needed to reach consensus in the Doha Round of trade
negotiations, taking into account the interests of all
States, including the developing countries. In light of
the serious shortages of food, water and medicine from
which many countries are suffering, we urge the rich
industrialized countries to increase investment in
agriculture research, food security and the supply of
water and medicine, for these have a direct impact on
humankind.
 It is also our hope that the Climate Change
Conference to be held in Copenhagen at the end of the
year will adopt a long-term plan to protect the
environment and reduce harmful carbon dioxide
emissions.
 In conclusion, I would like to express our deep
thanks and gratitude to the President of the General
Assembly for his efforts in leading the work of this
session. We urge all Member States to take the
necessary practical measures to help us reach
consensus on all the issues on our agenda.