Let me begin by
praising His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdelaziz
Al-Nasser for his steady stewardship as the President
of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly. In
his work he can count on the constructive engagement
of the Bulgarian delegation. Allow me also personally
to praise him for the theme he has chosen for this
session. I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to his
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his

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outstanding leadership of the previous session’s busy
agenda. Last but not least, let me congratulate the
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his
reappointment to the helm of the United Nations. He
has proven himself to be a diligent, hard-working
leader who believes strongly in consensus and
harmony, qualities that the United Nations needs now
in its top administrator and will undoubtedly need even
more in years to come.
 I begin by welcoming the work of delegations at the
United Nations High-level Meeting on non-communicable
diseases. Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic
respiratory diseases and diabetes are now responsible
for more deaths than all other causes combined.
Bulgaria welcomes the negotiated final document.
More than 80 per cent of cardiovascular and diabetes
deaths, almost 90 per cent of deaths from chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and more than two
thirds of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-
income countries. Bulgaria also particularly welcomes
the High-level Meeting on nuclear safety and security.
The effects of nuclear accidents have no respect for
national borders. To adequately safeguard our people
we must have firm international consensus and action,
as well as agreement on stringent international safety
standards.
 Today we stand on the doorstep of historic
change in the Middle East, the scale of which can only
be compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the
sweeping transformation of Central and Eastern Europe
after the end of communism. Both processes are quite
different but share a fundamental similarity — people
have come out of the bondage of fear. Although the
circumstances in each country are different, the root
causes for what is happening in the Middle East are
quite similar. Corrupt leadership breeds dissent, and
with no democratic process in place, that dissent pours
out on to the streets. Young people want to be engaged
in the future of their countries, not forced into a world
of virtual reality by frowning aging dictators. Millions
of people who live on the brink of poverty and see a
privileged few reap the benefits of economic freedom
will demand fair economic opportunities for all.
 Add to that the feeling of revival and the demand
of millions of young Arabs to be respected, and you
have the makings of a revolution of Arab dignity and
self-respect, an historic revolution indeed. As change
swept across the Middle East and North Africa, some
leaders cringed in fear, others embraced it. Those who
opposed their people are no longer in positions of
power, and their countries are moving on and looking
to democratic elections. Those who embraced change
have initiated far-reaching reforms and responded to
the legitimate demands of their people. His Majesty
King Abdullah II of Jordan and His Majesty King
Mohammed VI of Morocco should to be commended
for their vision and willingness to reform. They have
shown the way forward.
 At the same time, the international community
has been appalled by the developments in Syria.
Instead of responding to the legitimate demands of the
Syrian people for the fulfilment of promised reforms,
the Government cracked down violently on protesters.
The protesters did not have unrealistic demands. They
did not ask for anything out of the ordinary. According
to the United Nations more than 2,600 people have
been killed since March. The Government in Damascus
questions those numbers. Even if only one person had
been killed, it would have been one person too many.
 The responsibility for repression lies squarely
with the authorities and no one else. I use this
opportunity to call on President Al-Assad, who has
made many promises to his people and the
international community, to come out from the
shadows, change the Constitution, dismantle the
machinery of repression and immediately call for
internationally supervised elections. The people of
Syria have the right to elect their own Government and
hold it accountable. The time for transition has come.
 At this session we welcomed the 193rd Member
of the United Nations. Our hearts go out to the people
of South Sudan, who have struggled for independence,
and we commend the visionary leadership of their
Government for paving the way for their independence
in a peaceful manner. We also welcomed the new
representatives of a free Libya, free from the
oppression of the Al-Qadhafi dictatorship. It was at the
gates of Benghazi in February that the international
community, acting on a mandate of the United Nations
Security Council, acted swiftly to prevent a massacre
and protect civilians against attacks from their own
Government.
 The people of Libya proved that they could stand
up and defend their right to freedom. Our thoughts go
out to the families of all those who lost their lives in
this struggle and fell victim to the crazed ambitions of
a deluded dictator. Bulgaria stands ready to assist the

19 11-51197

people of Libya in rebuilding their country. Our
friendship is strong and has been tested through the
years.
 We know at first hand the brutality that
Al-Qadhafi was capable of. The five Bulgarian nurses
and a doctor who spent eight years of their lives in a
Libyan jail, much of it on death row, are still haunted
by their tortures. Let me quote one of them who
recently said in an interview, “We died every time the
cell door opened.” Now safely back home, they need to
be able to close that chapter of their nightmares. Like
the nurses, innocent victims of a brutal dictatorship,
the Libyan people do want to see justice, not revenge.
Such justice will be sought when the dictator and his
cronies are brought before a court of law.
 No matter how successful we are individually we
cannot truly enjoy the fruits of our own development if
we live in an insecure environment. Regional
cooperation and good-neighbourly relations are vital
for the well-being of our countries and our societies.
Let me turn briefly to the Balkans.
 The European Union was created to make war
impossible in a continent that has seen at least a
century of conflicts. Europe will not be whole and
complete until our neighbours in the Balkans are part
of our Union. It falls to us to say it loud and clear: to
make war impossible in the Balkans we must see all
countries that have emerged from the former
Yugoslavia as part of the European Union. That is our
historic mission. It is our destiny. That is why we will
continue to work tirelessly to remove the obstacles to
European Union enlargement in the Balkans, to
strengthen regional cooperation and develop good-
neighbourly relations in a region that has seen too
much division and violence.
 With particular vigour, we will continue to
encourage the European Union-facilitated dialogue
between Belgrade and Pristina. Bulgaria welcomes the
pragmatic approach taken by both Kosovo and Serbia
during their first meetings. It is important that they
build on this momentum and continue to engage in a
constructive and pragmatic manner. All must show
restraint and prevent the build-up of tension. That is
vital for the security, prosperity and, ultimately, the
European perspective of the region.
 Bulgaria is a country that has a proud and
turbulent history. Our history teaches us that nations
are strong when their civic spirit is strong. It teaches us
that you must find pride not only in great historic
battles and ancient legends but in great feats of civic
activism, in standing up for your values and protecting
your neighbours. One such inspiring example is the
fact that the Jews of Bulgaria survived the Second
World War because hundreds of religious and
community leaders, politicians, ordinary men and
women, stood up and refused to be part of Hitler’s
madness. My country today is the product of the
traditions of Christians, Jews and Muslims, who all
form the fabric of the Bulgarian nation. That is our
richness and makes us quite unique in the Balkans.
That is why we cannot remain uninterested in
developments in the Middle East, particularly with
regard to the elusive prospects for peace between the
people of Israel and the people of Palestine.
 Over the course of the past year, we have seen the
tireless efforts of the United States Administration and
the European Union High Representative for Foreign
Affairs and Security Policy, Mrs. Catherine Ashton,
trying to find a way to resume direct negotiations.
Those efforts, including the agreed Quartet statement
of today, need to be applauded, encouraged and
supported by all. It was in the United Nations in 1947
that the State of Israel was born. It was born as a home
for the Jewish people, a beacon of hope for a
community that had been persecuted and oppressed for
thousands of years. Today, the landscape is changing.
Slowly but surely the region is moving towards
democracy. Democracy, accountable government and
the rule of law are ultimately in the long-term interests
of all, Jews and Muslims, Arabs and Israelis.
 The Palestinian people have a right to a State of
their own. Indeed we, the international community,
have an obligation to support the establishment of a
viable and democratic Palestinian State in the West
Bank and Gaza: a Palestine that lives side-by-side with
the State of Israel, a Palestine that lives in security and
mutual recognition with the State of Israel, a Palestine
that has secure borders based on the 1967 lines with
mutually agreed land swaps.
 Both Palestine, as the home of the Palestinian
people, and Israel, as the home of the Jewish people,
must guarantee that all ethnic and religious groups
have full rights and protection under law. Let me also
make one point very clear. To refuse the right of Israel
to exist means to refuse the right of the Palestinian
people to have a State of their own. I can accept
criticism of the policies of any Government but I

11-51197 20

cannot stand idly by when the right of existence is
denied to anyone, no matter what their religion or
ethnicity is. To dismiss the importance of such policies
would mean to fail the very values of our civilization.
Bulgaria will never accept that, nor should any other
nation in the global community.
 Bulgaria believes very strongly that the definitive
solution to peace can only come through direct
negotiations, but direct negotiations can resume only
on the basis of trust and a real understanding of the
security concerns and legitimate aspirations of both
sides. Rebuilding trust between both parties is a
prerequisite to resuming negotiations. Unilateral
action, changing the realities on the ground cannot be a
substitute for negotiations.
 Obstacles should be overcome, and preconditions
should be removed. If the leaders of Palestine believe
that the settlement policy is an obstacle to peace, the
leaders of Israel must refrain from such activities in
order to give peace a chance. If the leaders of Israel
believe that no preconditions to a final settlement
should be put in place, then the Palestinian leaders
must refrain from such actions to give peace a chance.
 Bulgaria recognized the Palestinian State in 1988.
We hold our friendship with both Israel and the
Palestinian people dear. That is why we urge the
immediate resumption of negotiations as the only road
to peace. Bringing both sides to the negotiating table
remains our top priority. I am sure that the United
States, working in concert with the European Union,
can facilitate this process based on a vision outlined by
President Obama.
 Allow me to turn briefly to my delegation’s
vision for the kind of leadership, the kind of United
Nations we need for the next decade. An Organization
created by 51 Member States functions today with
193 Members.
 In order for the United Nations to be adequate to
the challenges facing it today its institutions need to be
reformed, first and foremost in the composition of the
United Nations main body that guarantees international
peace and security. We must build on the progress
achieved so far in the negotiations on Security Council
reform and move the process to a more results-oriented
phase. Bulgaria considers that enlargement of the Council’s
two categories of permanent and non-permanent members
is one option that enjoys the support of a considerable
number of delegations. The increase in the number of
non-permanent seats should provide for a just
representation of the Eastern European Group, whose
membership has more than doubled over the past two
decades.
 Transparency is impossible without
accountability. First, the United Nations must be
accountable to its Member States through a continued
striving to improve management and the enforcement
of strict budgetary discipline, especially in the current
period of economic turmoil. We, the Member States,
must also be accountable to the United Nations by
fulfilling all our commitments, including by paying our
financial contributions to the Organization fully,
unconditionally and on time — a principle that
Bulgaria upholds and adheres to closely.
 We all also need to be accountable to future
generations for our actions. It is easy to speak of
sustainable development, but at the moment we are not
even remotely close to making it a reality. On the
contrary, the damage we have done to the planet’s
geology, climate and ecosystems for most of the last
century is so significant that scientists are increasingly
asserting that the human race has actually managed to
push the Earth much faster than usual into a new,
possibly more unstable and dangerous geological
period.
 We need both wise and courageous leadership
from the United Nations in our efforts to guarantee
peace and security — wise, so as to avoid the
temptation to use force when it seems to get results
faster than mediation and negotiation, and courageous,
to take responsibility when the use of force is a must.
The United Nations will benefit much from
strengthening its cooperation with regional security
organizations. The cooperation with the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization in Afghanistan is an excellent
example. International support has to continue beyond
2014 for Afghanistan. We were all saddened by the
brutal murder of a great Afghan leader, former
President Rabbani. His work must inspire us to
continue supporting the Afghan Government’s efforts
to achieve reconciliation and reintegration.
 It is high time for bold and decisive actions in the
field of disarmament and non-proliferation as well. It is
the legal and moral obligation of all of us to honour the
commitments undertaken under the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the
outcome document of the 2010 Review Conference. A

21 11-51197

strengthened and robust NPT regime is in the interest
of all States, especially with the growing risk of
non-State actors getting access to weapons of mass
destruction. All States Parties, including the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are bound by
the NPT regime. Leaving the NPT should not be
without consequences. Cooperation with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also
essential. As long as Iran continues not to provide
greater transparency with regard to of its nuclear
activities, the concerns of the international community
will remain valid. Full compliance with Security
Council resolutions and with the provisions of the
IAEA safeguards agreement is crucial for a diplomatic
solution of this case.
 The sad anniversary of the 11 September 2001
attacks in New York, which we commemorated this
year, the more recent tragic events in Oslo, the terrorist
attacks in Mumbai and other cities of the world prove
that terrorism is a global cancer that does not

discriminate against developed or developing countries
and societies. Its eradication requires decisive action.
The successful conclusion of the negotiations on the
comprehensive convention on international terrorism
has Bulgaria’s full support.
 I began my statement by focusing on the
challenge of tackling non-communicable diseases.
Human suffering caused by various illnesses is further
exacerbated owing to the effects of the series of global
crises in food, finance and energy and the threats
associated with climate change. Taken together, these
and other new challenges impede progress towards the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
We must be twice as vigilant as we have been until
now. Our world today faces challenges that will shape
its tomorrow. We need to be able to meet these
challenges in a bold manner, with a clear vision for the
future, and tackle them together as a global community
of nations.


In June 2009, humankind was still witnessing
with perplexity the worst economic crisis since the
Great Depression and its devastating consequences on
employment, hunger, poverty, trade, foreign direct
investment, credit, tourism, remittances and health and
education. At that time, my country, Ecuador, felt a
moral obligation to participate, through its head of
State, in the United Nations Conference on the World
Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on
Development, convened by the then-President of the
General Assembly, Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann.

11-51681 28

 On that occasion, the President of the Republic of
Ecuador emphasized that the global financial debacle,
which, it goes without saying, originated in the main
financial markets of the North, was a symptom of crisis
in a system in which the speculative-financial economy
took precedence over the real economy. In other words,
that system entailed waiting for money to create more
money and stability of its own accord, instead of
stimulating the production of goods and services to
meet the needs of human beings.
 For Ecuador, the gravity of the crisis alone should
have marked a shift towards a stronger role for the
United Nations in global economic governance, with a
view to overhauling the international financial system
and democratizing international relations by
establishing a new world economic order.
 Unfortunately, with the exception of a scant few
cosmetic changes in the governance of the Bretton
Woods institutions, the paradoxical multi-million-
dollar bailout of the some of the sectors responsible for
the crisis and a fragile mechanism to follow up on the
commitments contained in the Outcome of the 2009
Conference (resolution 63/303, annex), nothing has
changed. The world continues to await some sign of
financial and monetary regulation and coordination
that would ensure economic stability, access to credit,
full and productive employment, trade financing, debt
sustainability, social safety nets and, of course, a true
global alliance that would protect and promote
development to benefit our people, which is the sole
objective of our efforts.
 In its current state, the United Nations has been
unable to rise to the challenges stemming from global
economic instability, which have been exacerbated by
this new stage in the 2009 financial crisis. That is why
Ecuador is aggressively and resolutely promoting the
creation of a new regional financial architecture
capable of mitigating the adverse consequences
affecting our economies as a result of their
involvement in the international financial system.
 In that regard, and without abandoning the
pursuit of comprehensive reforms of the global
financial and economic system, my country has
suggested an approach, while taking into account the
political, economic and social circumstances of each
region, involving the adoption of regional monetary
agreements that include a semi-flexible exchange rate
regime and a common reserve fund so as to create a
truly regional exchange rate regime and a regional
currency.
 In the case of Latin America, this proposal had its
origins in Latin American forums through the creation
of the Bank of the South. Its main aim is to fund
multinational development projects and to bolster local
and regional currencies linked to a common reserve
fund for Latin America, which would enable us to deal
with the crisis and prevent billions of dollars from our
region being paradoxically deposited into the banks of
developed countries. In the same way, this fund is
complemented by a regional payment system, which
has started to work through the Unified Regional
Payment Clearing System, with excellent results to
date. This system is leading the way towards a
common physical currency in our region.
 These regional initiatives can, and should be,
integrated into a regional integration framework that
extends beyond the economic and financial spheres.
Such is the case with the Union of South American
Nations, the headquarters and secretariat of which is
located in our capital, Quito, the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States and the Bolivarian
Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples’
Trade Agreement. My country stresses that these
regional responses should be considered as
complementing the urgent global measures required for
better understanding and cooperation among regions.
 At the same time, Ecuador urgently calls for a
comprehensive reform of the world economic and
financial system, including measures such as the
creation of an economic coordination council and an
independent mechanism to restructure and solve the
problem of sovereign debt, which, among other
proposals, should be discussed in a follow-up meeting
to the 2009 conference.
 However, apart from the economic and financial
crisis, the crisis of multilateralism has also been
reflected in the lack of a timely and suitable response
by the United Nations to the political crises that have
occurred, in particular in the Middle East. These have
once again demonstrated the urgent need to conclude
the long-delayed process of a comprehensive reform of
the Security Council. This reform of one of the main
organs of the United Nations should be primarily
aimed at democratizing its decision-making
mechanisms, guaranteeing full respect for the principle
of equitable geographic distribution, including regional

29 11-51681

representation, improving the Council’s working
methods and strengthening the relationship between the
Council and the General Assembly. All of this would
provide the Council with the necessary legitimacy,
effectiveness and representativeness to implement its
mandates.
 At the sixty-fifth session, Ecuador took over the
chairmanship of the Special Committee on
Decolonization with the conviction that, starting in
2011, which marked the beginning of the third
International Decade for the Eradication of
Colonialism, we need new strategies that will lead, in
the near future, to the decolonization of those
territories that are still on the Committee’s list.
 Ecuador recognizes that peaceful means of
solving disputes are the only legitimate mechanisms
capable of guaranteeing sustainable and lasting peace
for peoples. Among these is mediation, the central
theme proposed by the President of the Assembly for
the sixty-sixth session. Imposing solutions by force
will never perpetuate peace — quite the opposite. We
have witnessed the failure of these methods, which
leads to war. We have suffered the failure of these
wars. My country condemns abusive interpretations of
Security Council resolutions, which systematically lead
to more violence, bloodshed and human rights
violations and which do not foster friendly relations
among countries.
 Ecuador’s position with regard to the Middle East
has as its founding principle our full adherence to the
standards and principles of international law and strict
compliance with United Nations resolutions. Forty-
three years after having accepted the partition of
Palestine into two States, on 24 December 2010 the
Government of Ecuador, in a gesture of historic justice,
recognized Palestine as a free and independent State,
within its 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its
capital. My country therefore gave its full support to
accepting Palestine’s request to become a full State
Member of the United Nations, as formally requested
by the Palestinian President a few days ago. We also
support all initiatives directed towards consolidating
lasting peace, to benefit not only Palestine and Israel,
but the entire region. This is a historic time for the
United Nations, and Ecuador hopes that the
Organization will rise to the occasion.
 Concerning our region, Ecuador once again
firmly condemns the economic, trade and financial
blockade imposed by the United States of America
against Cuba and demands the immediate and
unconditional lifting of all unilateral measures imposed
in an extraterritorial fashion by that country against our
sister Caribbean nation. The blockade has inflicted
serious economic, social and even humanitarian
suffering on the population.
 With regard to the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro,
20 years after the adoption of the international
principles and instruments that set a new course for
international relations, we are now reaching a
watershed moment. Through it, we will be able to take
stock of the implementation, both in the past and over
the coming decades, of these principles and
instruments. This would enable renewed political
commitment to sustainable development, which will
require action on the three pillars, which we define as
the economic, social and environmental areas.
 In order to implement the elements pending from
the Rio conventions, Ecuador believes that we should,
first, comply with commitments to reduce greenhouse
gases in order to stabilize the temperature at levels that
will enable us to restore balance to the planet while
upholding the principle of shared but differentiated
responsibilities and equity; secondly, insist on the
transfer of the new and additional financial resources
promised by developed countries, considering the huge
efforts that we developing countries are making in
facing global threats; thirdly, remember that
sustainability is not just an environmental question, but
a shift in the relationships between capital, labour,
nature and politics; fourthly, fix terms for technology
transfers that will enable developing countries to make
progress in capacity-building and in finding options in
their pursuit of sustainable development; and fifthly,
draft international instruments in the field of
sustainable development in order to achieve equality,
not just with regard to a green economy or a
strengthened institutional framework, but also in order
to include development in the comprehensive approach
to improving quality of life, with adequate links
between the three pillars to which I have referred —
what we in Ecuador call “living well”.
 Four years ago, here in the Hall, my country
made an unequivocal gesture of its commitment to the
fight against the global challenge of climate change
and the promotion of sustainable development. Indeed,
in 2007, Ecuador presented to the world the forward-

11-51681 30

looking Yasuní ITT initiative, an innovative and
revolutionary idea. Under the initiative, the State of
Ecuador committed to leaving 856 million barrels of
oil underground indefinitely under the Yasuní National
Park, thereby preventing the emission of 407 million
metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
that would have been produced by the burning of these
fossil fuels. All this was conceived as a swap in
compensation for the estimated value of 50 per cent of
the revenue that the exploitation of those resources
would generate.
 The Yasuní-ITT initiative, known today
throughout the world, represents a concrete, effective
measure for combating climate change and preserving
the rich biodiversity of the area, along with its water,
the rights of indigenous people living in the park and
nature itself. By foregoing the right to exploit the oil
reserves that lie beneath the Yasuní National Park and
the economic resources that would be required to
develop them, Ecuador hopes that the international
community will contribute at least half of what the
country would have received in profit, acting under the
principle of co-responsibility on the part of countries
that have historically been most responsible for climate
change.
 In a parallel event that took place here at the
United Nations on 23 September with the support of
the Secretary-General and the President, President
Rafael Correa reminded the international community
about the Yasuní-ITT initiative. The proposal has been
enthusiastically received by countries, organizations,
citizens, visionaries and leaders from around the world,
adding up to significant support from both individuals
and the private sector. That response has allowed
Ecuador to broaden its initiative in a manner that will
transform the governance of public resources at the
global level. For example, we have begun to shape the
concept of net avoided emissions, which President
Correa introduced last year at the Cancún Climate
Change Conference. That and the Yasuní-ITT initiative
are two visionary proposals from a developing oil-
producing nation of the South as a contribution to
global challenges in the area of sustainable
development.
 Throughout this session, Ecuador will continue to
defend with particular emphasis the right to
development, the human right to water, the rights of
indigenous peoples, the rights of women, girls and
boys, the rights of people with disabilities, the rights of
older adult men and women, the rights of migrant
workers and their families and the rights of all
vulnerable members of society.
 For this reason, my country reiterates its concern
about, and rejects, legislation adopted by certain States
whose application leads to measures or practices that
restrict the full exercise of migrant workers’ human
rights and fundamental freedoms. By the same token,
we reaffirm that even as they exercise their sovereign
right to implement such measures to control their
borders, States have the obligation to guarantee the
human rights of migrant workers and should promote
measures that favour family unification and the
protection of minors. States also have the responsibility
to strengthen laws that punish any act of violence
against migrant workers, particularly hate crimes that
foment discrimination based on ethnic, racial or
religious differences, as well as crimes against migrant
workers that are committed with racist or xenophobic
motives.
 Ecuador is a peaceful land that espouses universal
disarmament and condemns the development and use
of weapons of mass destruction. For that reason, we
place great importance on disarmament and
international security, and note with concern the
shrinking space for enforcing agreements in those
areas.
 The international community has not produced a
single instrument through which the nuclear States
pledge to refrain from using nuclear weapons against
non-nuclear countries during the process aimed at
destroying all such arms. It would seem that within the
Conference on Disarmament the only interest and
concern is to advance within the framework of nuclear
proliferation, downgrading or, even worse,
marginalizing all possibility of progress in the realm of
nuclear disarmament. For that reason, my country
supports the ongoing negotiation process within the
Conference on Disarmament, which includes all
pending matters.
 As a proponent of universal disarmament, peace
and sustainable development in harmony with nature,
and as a signatory to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which
established the world’s first nuclear-free region,
Ecuador sincerely hopes that the pending aspects
regarding the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in
the Middle East will be resolved.

31 11-51681

 My country wishes to express its full support for
initiatives aimed at establishing transparency in the
area of conventional weapons and for combating illegal
trafficking in small arms and light weapons, including
landmines and cluster bombs. We also support
measures taken within the context of the Programme of
Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit
Trade in and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. We look
forward to the United Nations Conference on the Arms
Trade Treaty, whose outcome document should be an
objective, predictable and non-discriminatory
instrument.
 Since 1953, Ecuador has been part of the great
United Nations undertaking to maintain peace and
security across the world. We have increasingly
contributed to United Nations armed forces for
peacekeeping missions in various countries. We are
currently participating in Haiti, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire,
Liberia, the Central African Republic and the Sudan.
 Since 2004, we have participated in the United
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti as part of the
Chilean-Ecuadoran company of engineers that is
helping to build new infrastructure for that country’s
development, with due recognition from the authorities
and the local populace.
 Ecuador foresees increasing its participation in
peacekeeping operations, but our intentions go beyond
that. As a troop-contributing country, we wish to
increase the number of units and armed forces
personnel taking part in such operations. We have
made great efforts to show our commitment to joining
the international community in its struggle to ensure
that regions experiencing the greatest upheaval can
resolve their differences and achieve the peace that is
so necessary.
 Let us not be deceived — global multilateralism
is in deep crisis. The United Nations system has not
adequately responded to the convulsive moment
through which we are living. Climate change, the
Palestinian question, the crisis in Libya and investment
in development are just a few examples that illustrate
its ineffectiveness. Solutions to the great problems of
our planet are no longer reached within these walls.
The most powerful countries of the world rely on other
forums, exclusionary and anti-democratic ones, to
decide for everyone else. If we do not act today on
those and other urgent themes, such as the reform of
the international monetary and economic systems as
well as that of certain United Nations bodies, there will
be no point in debating ways to restore the role of this
world body in global governance. It is up to us to
resolve this grave dilemma.


The annual general debate of the General Assembly
always serves as an opportunity for the international
community to consider the state of the world through a
series of exchanges and thus combine innovative ideas
to support our desire to create a community that will
ensure a better future for all. Burkina Faso always
participates in this meeting of the world partnership
with great interest.
 Before I go any further, please allow me,
Mr. President, to offer you sincere and warm
congratulations from the Government and people of
Burkina Faso on your election to the presidency of the
General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, for which
you have chosen the theme of strengthening mediation
as a means of preventing and settling conflicts. Burkina
Faso fully supports this choice and is committed to
sharing with the international community its
experience in peace negotiations, particularly with

21 11-51670

regard to the role of mediator for the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that
President Blaise Compaoré played in settling the crises
in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea.
 I would also like to commend your predecessor,
Mr. Joseph Deiss, on the efficiency with which he
guided the work of the sixty-fifth session. And I
congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on his
successful reappointment to the leadership of the
United Nations. I wish him health and every success
for his second term.
 I salute the Republic of South Sudan’s
achievement of independence and international
sovereignty, and welcome it to the great family that is
the United Nations. The Government of Burkina Faso
offers its sincere and willing cooperation to the South
Sudanese people and authorities.
 Much has happened since our last session to
affect the development of the world and our States.
Some countries have been victims of natural
catastrophe; others have experienced financial,
political and social crises. At the beginning of the year
my country, Burkina Faso, also had to deal with social
demands arising from the difficult national and
economic situation. Fortunately, those demands, which
were followed by social unrest, were resolved, thanks
to a sustained and inclusive dialogue initiated by
President Compaoré. This dialogue, involving all of the
country’s social classes, enabled the Government to
conduct an exchange of views with every element of
our society on their concerns, with the aim of arriving
at suitable solutions.
 Furthermore, the Government of Burkina Faso,
within the framework of strengthening the rule of law
and improving and reinforcing our system of political
and institutional governance, established an advisory
council for political reform aimed at continuing with
the political and institutional reforms that began
several years ago. In the economic and social areas, as
part of our accelerated growth and sustainable
development strategy, my Government, despite its
modest budget and many other constraints and
priorities, continued its efforts to build a functioning
economy, with a particular emphasis on strengthening
certain key sectors, including education, health, water,
training and youth employment; on improving
socio-economic infrastructure, especially roads; and on
encouraging the business environment.
 Needless to say, this progress was made possible
thanks to the cooperation and support of our bilateral
and multilateral partners. I take this opportunity to
acknowledge and thank them for their continuing
commitment to supporting us and for their backing for
our efforts to meet the Millennium Development
Goals.
 At the subregional and continental levels,
Burkina Faso, working within the framework of the
West African Economic and Monetary Union,
ECOWAS and the African Union, will continue to be
constructively involved in strengthening the integration
process. While we proclaim our faith and deep
attachment to the regional integration process taking
place in Africa, we are convinced that regional
integration must be pragmatic and based on concrete
achievements, which represent the only way we can
realize our peoples’ legitimate aspirations. At the
regional level, we recognize the value of all the
initiatives that the African Union has taken to manage
and settle conflicts on our continent. Burkina Faso
reaffirms its continuing readiness to contribute to
maintaining peace, security and stability all over
Africa.
 The world is currently experiencing times of
enormous uncertainty and anxiety as a result of
international economic and financial instability,
increased poverty, continuing deterioration of the
environment and a growing number of natural
disasters. In particular, the recent international
financial crises are dangerously compromising the
balance of our economies and putting our social
cohesion to a terrible test. They demand a response,
constant vigilance and firm solidarity on all our parts.
 The harmful effects of climate change have
spared no country; natural disasters, in particular, have
compromised and shaken the foundations of
development for many of us, especially the least-
developed countries, which are especially vulnerable
and suffer the most. In tackling this scourge, special
attention and renewed effort on the part of the
international community are more necessary than ever
in regard to climate issues, as well as every other
environmental concern. Among other initiatives,
Burkina Faso commends that of Mrs. Hilary Clinton,
Secretary of State of the United States, for the Global
Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, from which countries
such as Burkina Faso could benefit greatly.

11-51670 22

 The High-level Meeting held during this session
on the theme “Addressing desertification, land
degradation and drought in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication”, as well as the
signing by various countries, including Burkina Faso,
of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic
Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of
Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to the
Convention on Biological Diversity, are also events
worthy of commendation.
 Burkina Faso considers particularly important all
issues connected to the advancement of women and, to
that end, has spared no effort to improve the social and
legal status of women in our country. We therefore
commend the Organization’s establishment of
UN-Women, and hope that this new body, which
should be adequately funded, will be a genuine catalyst
for United Nations activities in defence of women’s
rights. More specifically, we hope it will provide
strengthened support for pro-women policies in
developing countries. We are pleased that during this
session the African Group will be introducing a draft
resolution intended to ban female genital mutilation
worldwide. We hope that it will be supported by the
entire international community.
 For more than a decade we have been working on
the process of reforming the United Nations in order to
enable it to be in step with the demands of a world in
constant change. Unfortunately, despite significant
progress, much still remains to be done. Burkina Faso
believes that the reforms must take into account the
interests of all Member States and increase our
Organization’s effectiveness in managing the peace and
security, stability and development of all parties.
 At the dawn of the third millennium, our hope
and wish was that this millennium would see us
reconcile with one another and bring peace, security
and stability. Sadly, our planet is still beset by
numerous conflicts, many of which bear the mark of
international terrorism, which, needless to say, Burkina
Faso firmly condemns in all its forms and
manifestations. That is why Burkina Faso, which
fervently advocates for the prevention and settlement
of conflicts through dialogue, commends the adoption
by the General Assembly of resolution 65/283 on
strengthening the role of mediation in peaceful
settlement of disputes and conflict prevention and
resolution. We are pleased that that resolution was
introduced by the Group of Friends of Mediation, of
which Burkina Faso is a member.
 As we did in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and
Darfur, Burkina Faso is fully prepared to contribute
wherever it is called upon for mediation, peacekeeping
and peacebuilding. The organization of free and
transparent elections in Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire came
as a result of the successful facilitation efforts of
Mr. Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso.
 The Ouagadougou Political Agreement allowed
Côte d’Ivoire to emerge from crisis. What it needs now
is peacebuilding and reconciliation. We take this
opportunity to thank the Secretary-General, who
effectively supported the efforts of ECOWAS and the
inter-Ivorian dialogue facilitator. Beyond facilitation,
we are prepared to assist all countries in our subregion
in their quest for peace and stability in post-conflict
situations. We call on the international community to
support peacebuilding efforts, especially in Côte
d’Ivoire and Guinea.
 Burkina Faso participates in the African Union-
United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, with a
force of 800 men. The signing on 14 July 2011 of the
Doha Document for Peace in Darfur between the
Government of the Sudan and the Liberation and
Justice Movement represents significant progress
towards restoring lasting peace.
 Thanks to the trust placed in us by the African
Union and the United Nations we were able to support
the peace process, and we call on all parties to the
conflict to sign the Doha Document. We express our
recognition and profound gratitude to the Emir of
Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
Al-Thani, for his support, which was critical to the
success of the process.
 In the framework of the Implementation Follow-
up Committee, my country will continue to contribute
to peacebuilding. We call on the Justice and Equality
Movement, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the
Government of the Sudan to bring hostilities to a
complete halt in Darfur as soon as possible.
 In North Africa a will for change has found
expression in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Burkina Faso
expresses its solidarity with those countries in their
quest for freedom and democracy. We reiterate our will
to strengthen fruitful links of cooperation. Burkina
Faso reaffirms its recognition of the Transitional

23 11-51670

National Council in Libya, and we encourage it to
continue to promote democracy, national cohesion,
stability and security for all people living in Libya.
 In the Middle East we closely follow the progress
of the Palestinian question, and we support Palestine’s
request to be admitted to the United Nations as a full
Member State. We reiterate our call for a lasting,
comprehensive peace in the region that guarantees the
freedom and right to self-determination of the
Palestinian people and the security of the State of
Israel.
 Burkina Faso believes in multilateralism, in
solidarity among peoples and in the virtue of dialogue
among nations. My delegation notes with great
satisfaction the peaceful climate that currently prevails
in the relationship between the Republic of China on
Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. That will
favour the granting to the Republic of China on Taiwan
the place that it deserves in the concert of nations,
including its genuine participation in the activities of
international organizations such as the International
Civil Aviation Organization and conferences such as
those on the United Nations Climate Change
Convention.
 In conclusion, I wish to express the desire that the
virtues of international solidarity and dialogue among
nations will continue to inspire the United Nations,
which is the pre-eminent forum for multilateralism, so
that together we can respond to the challenges that our
world faces.


It gives me great pleasure to begin my
statement by warmly congratulating Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon on his re-election to the post in which he
has carried out his duties with such effectiveness and
honesty. His contributions to the Organization, the
international community and the multilateral system
over these first five years are well known. We know
they will continue to be so in the years to come.
 I would also like to congratulate the President of
the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly,
Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser. His
experience, ability and dedication are guarantees of
fruitful work.
 I extend my best wishes to both as they exercise
their vital functions, and they will have Costa Rica’s
full support for their efforts in favour of peace,
security, democracy, disarmament, human rights,
respect for the rule of law, sustainable development,
mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
 I am also very pleased to welcome South Sudan
as a new Member of the Organization. I believe that its
people will enjoy a prosperous, peaceful and safe
future. The emergence of this new State is a testament
to what can be achieved, even in situations of endemic
violence, through serious negotiations between the
parties and international mediation.
 The intense and invigorating, but still uncertain,
currents of political and social change that have swept
through North Africa and the Middle East this year are
proof of the universal force of democracy as an
aspiration, of free expression as an incentive, and of
respect for human dignity as the most urgent demand.
 Our admiration for the peoples of those countries
is as great as our hope in their capacity to forge social
and political systems in peace, systems that are
tolerant, free and dynamic, in which people are
respected and whereby a country can be open to its
neighbours.
 We also hope that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
will soon come to an end, with two sovereign and
democratic States living in peaceful coexistence.
 From its deepest collective roots, Costa Rica fully
identifies with the principles of democracy, peace and
human rights. These are values that we share with the
immense majority of Central Americans.
 Disrespect for those values, together with social
exclusion, the outrages of militarism and the deadly
echo of the Cold War, plunged much of Central
America into a series of intense conflicts for almost
four decades. After tens of thousands of deaths, our
region was able, through dialogue and mediation, to
overcome the worst manifestations of political
violence. In those overwhelming days, Costa Rica
made a decisive contribution by shaping and realizing
the Esquipulas Accords, which opened the door to
reconciliation.
 Since then, progress has been slow and erratic.
Fifteen years ago, as part of that process, Central
American countries signed the Framework Treaty on
Democratic Security in Central America. But the time
that has elapsed since then has not sufficed to secure
the peace, liberty, democracy and development in the
region that we promised our peoples.
 Even worse, we are now victims of a new and
terrible form of aggression. I am referring to the cold,
disastrous and fierce onslaught of transnational
organized crime. Such activities have generated
insecurity, weakened institutions, corrupted officials,
fostered addiction, cut short the lives of thousands of
young people, destroyed families and turned humble
single mothers into criminals. This scourge has eroded
the basic fabric of our society and has jeopardized the
very existence of the rule of law in some countries.
 Today, I wish to repeat the comments I made on
22 June at the International Conference on Regional
Security in Central America, held recently in
Guatemala. Our region has fallen victim to a perverse
geopolitical situation. As Costa Rica is located between
the major production centres and the world’s largest
consumer market for drugs, we have become a target in
the dynamic of death that both create. We must bear the
burden of exponentially increasing material,
institutional and human costs. What are instances of
mere collateral damage for some of the main actors in
this conflict are, for the people of Central America,
extreme challenges and a source of deep wounds.
 That is where our greatest frustration lies. That is
why we demand that the international community, in
particular the largest consumers of drugs and producers

11-50871 36

of the weapons that create violence, fully assume its
share of responsibility without further delay.
 The International Conference on Regional
Security in Central America, which was attended by
the Presidents of all of the countries in the region, from
Mexico to Colombia, was a hopeful turning point.
There, we were able to coordinate our strategies.
There, we agreed on the need for a comprehensive
approach to violence that includes measures to
strengthen institutions and the rule of law, as well as
comprehensive initiatives to prevent and fight crime. In
addition, we were able to catch the attention of, and
obtain some promises from, the international
community.
 Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether the
strategies can be translated into effective actions, or
whether we will have enough support from external
resources to drive them forward. Those resources are
not merely aid. They are a morally inescapable and, in
practical terms, indispensable form of compensation
that we need to make at least part of the investment
necessary to establish peace, stability and security.
 The Secretary-General of the United Nations has
insisted, quite rightly, on the need to promote
preventive diplomacy. I join in that call as President of
Costa Rica and as a citizen of Central America. I insist,
before the world, that we can wait no longer to act in
order to avoid an even greater tragedy in our region. It
is already late; to wait even longer will be tragic.
 Preventive diplomacy demands political will. We
are approaching another moment in which it will be put
to the test. I refer to the upcoming United Conference
on the Arms Trade Treaty, which Costa Rica has
actively supported, along with other States. We need to
have the Conference produce a robust, comprehensive
and demanding instrument capable of effectively
controlling the flow of the death machines that provoke
all types of conflict.
 Preventive diplomacy, in its deepest essence, also
means fostering democracy and human rights and
respecting the rule of law as the cornerstone of security
and international coexistence. Costa Rica knows it
well. Since we abolished the army in 1949, our only
lines of defence have been the deep civic beliefs of our
people, the strength of our institutions and the
instruments provided by the multilateral system. The
security of the 26 other disarmed democracies in the
world also depends on those defences. We deserve to
be heard and paid attention to.
 A little less than a year ago, our faith in
international law and the instruments and institutions
that underpin it was put to the test. Last October,
Nicaraguan troops and civilians invaded and occupied
part of our national territory, in clear violation of our
sovereignty, the border treaties and international law.
After exhausting the possibilities of a suitable bilateral
agreement, we appealed to various forums of the
regional and international system. Our neighbour’s
Government rejected several of them. Finally, thanks to
urgent measures ordered by the International Court of
Justice, the Nicaraguan forces had to leave our
territory.
 However, while we await the Court’s final ruling,
Nicaragua, ignoring the Court’s orders, has continued
specific provocations to and violations of the
provisional measures. Furthermore, it has threatened
other actions that could infringe on our territory. We
hope that that does not occur. But, if it were to, we will
vigorously reinstate our actions before the machinery
of the international system.
 All that we request of the Organization and the
multilateral system in general is rapid and timely
consideration of possible aggressions. The
international community cannot make its preventive
action conditional on actual armed violence between
brothers. It should react not only in relation to the
quantity and scale of the explosive blasts, but to the
severity and persistence of the violations.
 Otherwise, the message to the world would be
disastrous. It would imply that the shortest route for
mobilizing international diplomacy is that of blood. As
a country and as a people, we emphatically reject that
notion.
 Based on our firm belief in the importance of the
rule of law, human rights and humanitarian law, I
informed the Assembly a year ago of our aspiration to
become a member of the Human Rights Council.
Today, I am grateful for the generous support that it
gave us in achieving that goal. We will remain faithful
to the promises made at the time and to the proposals
that we called for during the review of the Council in
Geneva and New York.
 In particular, I urge Member States to support an
initiative whose time has come: the United Nations

37 11-50871

declaration on human rights education and training,
which Costa Rica supports together with a group of
like-minded countries. After its unanimous adoption by
the Council, it will soon be submitted to the General
Assembly. We are confident that it will receive similar
support.
 When education, deterrence and other preventive
mechanisms are unable to avert the worst assaults on
human dignity, the international community faces other
obligations. Among them is the protection of civilians,
contained in the responsibility to protect. My country
recognizes that concept as a principle and guide for
action, whether preventive or reactive, on the basis of
legitimate and well-founded decisions. We hope that
such a concept, like human security, is very clearly
defined within the Organization.
 Moreover, the fight for human rights requires that
perpetrators of crimes against humanity be held
accountable and punished. Today, the International
Criminal Court is the main multilateral mechanism for
achieving that goal. I reiterate our support of its
activities and urge all States Members of the United
Nations to ratify the Treaty of Rome. I also urge that
we should all, as Member States, be more active and
resolute in our support for the greater effectiveness,
relevance and significance of the United Nations;
hence, the importance of its reform process.
 Costa Rica has joined and will continue to join
initiatives that push for the best possible changes.
Among other things, we will continue to work
constructively for the ongoing improvement of the
working methods of the Security Council, through the
Small Five group, and for a more representative
composition of that organ, in accordance with the
guidelines of Uniting for Consensus.
 Costa Rica is a middle-income country. Thanks to
its commitment to democracy, peace, good governance,
the efficient use of international cooperation and its
investments in health and education, Costa Rica has
achieved high levels of human development. Together
with other States with similar characteristics, we
exemplify the success of international cooperation as a
key factor in achieving such results. However, we still
face serious challenges with regard to poverty, income
distribution, regional differences and the consequences
of the economic crisis and natural disasters, among
others.
 We have been responsible, effective and ethical
partners. We have made progress in development, but
have still not been able to consolidate it to the point of
dispensing with international assistance. We still need
that assistance to fully secure our achievements. We
look forward to the support and understanding of donor
countries and the institutions of the United Nations, in
particular the United Nations Development
Programme. Our relative success should not be
penalized, but bolstered.
 Costa Rica has focused on sustainable social and
environmental development. We have taken significant
steps to sustain our growth through clean energy and a
low-carbon economic model. Our goal is to become
one of the first carbon-neutral countries in the world,
and we are working diligently to achieve it.
 On that path, in which every local action has
global links, we have confidence in the next
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Climate Change Conference, to be held in Durban at
the end of the year, and in the coming United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development, planned for
next year in Rio de Janeiro. However, we are also
concerned about the lack of progress made in earlier
negotiations.
 I conclude these words by reiterating our deep
commitment to the principles set out in the Charter of
the United Nations. I am delighted that yesterday we
celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the International
Day of Peace, a Costa Rican initiative that was adopted
by consensus by Member States. It gives me even
greater pleasure that its theme this year is “Peace and
democracy: Make your voice heard”.
 As national and international leaders, we should
always heed the voices of our peoples. We should
listen to them, respect them and incorporate them in
our initiatives. That is part of our democratic
responsibility, the basis of good governance, the seed
of meaningful change and the foundation of legitimacy.
 As President of Costa Rica, a discrete, noble,
fraternal and free people, I promise not to relent in our
efforts to achieve a better country and a better world.


I
wish to begin by congratulating Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser on having assumed the presidency of the
General Assembly at its current session. I am confident
that, with his outstanding ability and great experience,
he will fulfil his lofty mission. I also wish to thank
Mr. Deiss for his contribution as President at the
previous session. I further wish to take this opportunity
to warmly congratulate the Republic of South Sudan on
becoming the 193rd member of the United Nations
family.
 The first decade of the twenty-first century is
now behind us. During that decade, the trend towards a
multipolar world and economic globalization gained
momentum. Countries became increasingly
interdependent. Revolutions in science and technology
brought profound transformations to human society.
However, various traditional and non-traditional
security threats and global challenges were intertwined
with those changes, and the world was far from a
peaceful place.
 As the second decade of the new century begins,
the world has entered an extraordinary historical stage
in its pursuit of peace and development, and continues
to undergo profound and complex changes. Uncertainty
and instability are increasing despite the generally
peaceful international environment. Development is
becoming an increasingly serious issue, and promoting
common development has become a more important
and pressing task than ever before.
 Global development is now at a new critical
juncture. Global recovery remains fragile, international
financial markets are volatile and the pursuit of
sustainable development faces daunting challenges.
The world economy therefore has to meet the crucial
test of maintaining growth. Some countries in West
Asia and North Africa are in continual political
turmoil. Terrorist threats are spreading and global
challenges growing. The international community faces
a critical test in maintaining stability.
 The gap in development between the South and
the North is as wide as ever. The number of people
living in absolute poverty has increased by 64 million
owing to the international financial crisis. Nearly
1 billion people suffer from starvation. Urgent action is
needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
It is imperative to step up international cooperation to
help the least developed countries (LDCs) meet the
basic needs of their people. In the face of these
challenges, we share an important mission to achieve
common development, and we also have rare new
opportunities.
 Economic globalization has made the interests of
countries more closely interconnected. Ensuring
security through cooperation and promoting
development through stability has become our shared
desire. Countries are addressing development
challenges in innovative ways. To overcome the crisis,
developed countries have taken steps to improve their
fiscal conditions, adopted stimulus measures and
accelerated economic structural adjustment.
Developing countries as a whole have maintained good
growth momentum. In particular, the rapid growth in
some emerging economies has driven the growth of the
world economy.
 Progress has been made in the reform of the
global economic governance structure, and various
regional cooperation mechanisms are expanding.
Efforts to accelerate the development of a green
economy and explore new modes of sustainable growth
have created new momentum and space for common
development. Faced with new opportunities and
challenges, we should work as a team to overcome our
difficulties and pursue mutual benefit and common
development. This is the responsibility and mission
that history bestows upon all of us. To fulfil our
mission, we need to take the following steps.
 We should foster sound momentum for global
economic recovery. The underlying impact of the
international financial crisis has yet to dissipate, and
economic recovery is still fragile and uneven. We
should intensify consultation and coordination, and
send a strong message of solidarity and win-win
cooperation so as to strengthen international
confidence in global recovery and growth. We should
work for a fair, just, inclusive and orderly international
monetary and financial system, and promote the voice
and representation of emerging markets and developing
countries.
 China supports the transition of the Group of
20 (G-20) from a short-term crisis response mechanism
to a long-term mechanism of economic governance.
The G-20 should play a bigger role in global economic
governance and in promoting the full recovery and
growth of the world economy.

11-51384 42

 We support the efforts of emerging markets to
explore new modes of international economic
cooperation. We strongly oppose protectionism in all
its forms and call for strengthening the multilateral
trading regime. The concerns of the least developed
countries should be addressed, and efforts made to
make the Doha Round achieve its development
objectives.
 We should lay the political foundation for
cooperative development. All countries, big or small,
strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the
international community, and their equal right to
development should be protected. Mutual respect and
equality are the basic norms governing international
relations and constitute an important guarantee for
common development. In the current context, it is of
particular and practical importance to adhere to the
purposes and principles of the Charter of the United
Nations, to uphold the authority and role of the United
Nations, to observe in good faith the principle of
non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and to
promote democracy in international relations.
 We should respect the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of all countries. The internal affairs of each
country should be decided by its own people. We
oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs
by whatever means and under whatever pretext.
 The diversity of the world is a valuable asset for
the development of human society. It should be seen as
a positive factor that allows countries to learn from one
another, and should not be used as an excuse for the
big to bully the small or the rich to ride roughshod over
the poor in international relations. We should respect
the right of each country to pursue the development
path of its choice and we should respect the diversity
of civilizations. We should seek common progress by
drawing on one another’s strength with an open and
inclusive mind, pursuing common ground while
preserving differences.
 We should foster a security environment
conducive to stability and development. History has
repeatedly shown that stability and development go
hand in hand. Without stability, there can be no
development; without development, there can be no
stability. In keeping with the purposes and principles of
the United Nations Charter, we should always use
peaceful means to settle international disputes and
hotspot issues. We should oppose the wilful use or
threat of force, terrorism, separatism and extremism in
all their forms, and we should uphold the common
security of humankind.
 China respects the independent choice of the
people of the Sudan and South Sudan, and hopes that
the new-born country of South Sudan will enjoy
stability and development. The international
community should continue to support and encourage
the Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their outstanding
issues appropriately through dialogue and consultation,
pursue amicable relations and common development,
and uphold regional peace and stability. China has
encouraged the Sudan and South Sudan to resolve their
dispute through peaceful negotiation and has worked
hard to advance the peace process between them. We
support the proper settlement of the Darfur issue. We
will continue to work with the international community
to play a constructive role in advancing regional peace,
stability and development.
 China has consistently supported the just cause of
establishing an independent Palestinian State, and
supports Palestine’s membership in the United Nations.
We support efforts to achieve a two-State solution
through political negotiation so as to establish, on the
basis of the 1967 borders, an independent Palestinian
State that enjoys full sovereignty, with East Jerusalem
as its capital. We believe that progress should be made
in parallel in the peace talks between Syria and Israel
and Lebanon and Israel, with an ultimate view to
achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in
the Middle East along with peaceful coexistence
between the Arab countries and Israel. We hope that
the international community and the parties concerned
will make unremitting efforts to this end and sustain
the Middle East peace process.
 China is greatly concerned about the turbulence
in West Asia and North Africa. We stand for the
principle of non-interference. We respect and support
the efforts of countries in those regions to
independently handle their internal affairs, and we
respect their aspirations. We hope that the parties
concerned will resolve their differences through
political dialogue and speedily restore stability and
order in their respective countries.
 Libya has now entered a critical transition from a
state of war and turmoil to national reconstruction.
China respects the choice of the Libyan people and
recognizes the National Transitional Council (NTC) as

43 11-51384

the governing authority of Libya and the representative
of its people. We hope that, under the leadership of the
NTC, the parties in Libya will launch an inclusive
process of political transition through which they will
maintain ethnic harmony and national unity, restore
stability as soon as possible and begin economic
reconstruction. China supports the leading role of the
United Nations in Libya’s post-conflict reconstruction,
and urges the speediest possible operationalization of
the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.
 China is also greatly concerned about
developments in Syria. We hope that parties in Syria
will exercise restraint, avoid all violence, further
bloodshed and conflict, and act quickly to ease
tensions. We believe that a Syria-led, inclusive political
process aimed at promoting reform through dialogue
and consultation is the right way to resolve the current
crisis in Syria. The international community should
respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial
integrity of Syria, and address the Syrian issue
cautiously so as to prevent further turbulence and
repercussions on regional peace.
 China welcomes the positive developments on the
Korean peninsula. We believe that dialogue and
consultation are the only effective way to address the
issues of the peninsula. The Six-Party Talks are an
effective mechanism for advancing the denuclearization
of the Korean peninsula and for upholding peace and
stability both on the peninsula and in North-East Asia.
 China has worked hard to promote peace through
dialogue, and has played a unique role in easing
tensions and maintaining peace and stability on the
Korean peninsula. China welcomes the recent
resumption of dialogue between the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea,
as well as between the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea and the United States. We hope that the
parties concerned will seize the opportunity, remain
engaged in dialogue and work for an early resumption
of the Six-Party Talks.
 We should promote balanced development
between the South and the North. The uneven
development between South and North is the biggest
imbalance in the global economy. Without balanced
development, there can hardly be sustainable
development. Unless underdeveloped countries shake
off poverty and grow their economies, there can be no
common global prosperity.
 Achieving the Millennium Development Goals on
a global scale and on schedule is an urgent and arduous
task. Developed countries should honour their
commitments on official development assistance, open
their markets, reduce and cancel debt, and their step up
financial and technological support to developing
countries. International financial institutions should
use their resources to help developing countries, and
particularly the LDCs, on a priority basis. Developing
countries, on their part, should explore growth models
that are conducive to development and poverty
alleviation in order to achieve a higher level of
development.
 Food security has emerged as a major challenge.
The Horn of Africa is suffering from massive famine
triggered by the most severe drought in 60 years. The
international community should scale up assistance,
stabilize the price of food and other commodities, and
help developing countries enhance their capacity for
autonomous development so that all countries and
regions can enjoy the benefits of common
development.
 The world witnessed major development,
transformation and adjustment in the first decade of the
twenty-first century. During this period, China enjoyed
sustained and fast development, and its relations with
the outside world underwent profound changes.
China’s achievements in development, and its possible
future course, have become a focus of international
attention. Over the past 10 years, China’s economy
continued to grow, and its people’s living standards
rose markedly, thanks to the hard work of the Chinese
people. Today, China has become the world’s second-
largest economy, largest exporter, second-largest
importer and largest emerging market. The basic living
needs of China’s 1.3 billion people are being
adequately met, and the number living in absolute
poverty has fallen drastically.
 On the other hand, the difficulties China faces in
terms of development should not be ignored. We
remain a developing country with a large population, a
weak economic foundation and serious imbalances and
lack of coordination in our development. China will
have to make persistent and strenuous efforts to
achieve its development goals. Guided by our recently
adopted twelfth five-year plan for economic and social
development, we will pursue scientific development,
accelerate the shift in our growth model, advance
scientific and technological innovation and increase

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reforms and openness designed to promote long-term,
steady and fast economic development, as well as
social harmony and progress. The world will see a
more open China, with more sustainable development
and greater social harmony.
 China’s development has brought real benefits to
the Chinese people and contributed to global
development and prosperity. During the past 10 years,
China imported close to, on average, $750 billion
worth of goods annually, creating more than 14 million
jobs for the relevant countries and regions. At the end
of the twelfth five-year period in 2015, China’s total
economic output will be around $8.6 trillion. It is
expected that China will import about $10 trillion in
goods in the next five years, which will further boost
world economic growth. China needs the world in
order to be able to continue to develop, and China’s
development will in turn contribute more to the shared
development of the world as a whole.
 As a developing country, China is committed to
enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation with other
developing countries, based on equality, and to
enhancing its efforts to provide them with assistance
and support. China has cancelled 380 debts incurred by
50 heavily indebted poor countries and LDCs, and will
phase in zero-tariff treatment for 95 per cent of exports
from the African LDCs with which China has
diplomatic relations. We have completed more than
2,100 projects, including building schools and
hospitals, in other developing countries, and trained
150,000 professionals in various fields for them. In
sympathy with the pain of the countries and people in
the Horn of Africa hit by famine, China has decided to
provide those countries with RMB443.2 million in
emergency food assistance and cash for purchasing
food to help them overcome the famine.
 China has made notable efforts to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. As it continues to
develop, China will create more opportunities for
world peace, development and cooperation. To advance
common development, we must foster a sound
international environment. Over the years, China has
been dedicated to creating a peaceful international
environment in which it can develop. At the same time,
it has contributed to enhancing world peace through its
own development. China has actively assumed
international responsibilities as its capacity permits,
and has worked to promote the peaceful settlement of
issues in troubled areas.
 China participates actively in international
peacekeeping operations; with a total of more than
19,000 personnel deployed in 28 United Nations
peacekeeping missions, China is the largest contributor
of United Nations peacekeeping personnel among
Security Council permanent members. China has
provided assistance in cash and kind to countries hit by
earthquakes and tsunamis, and has sent rescue teams to
carry out humanitarian relief operations in the affected
areas. China is actively involved in the fight against
piracy and in other areas of international cooperation.
All these efforts have contributed to maintaining world
peace and stability.
 The tide of history is surging forward. In the next
decade, peace, development and cooperation will
remain trends of the times, and China will not waver in
its pursuit of development and progress. Peaceful
development is the strategic choice that China has
made to build a modern, strong and prosperous country
and to make a greater contribution to the progress of
human civilization. China will stay on that path,
pursuing an independent, peaceful foreign policy and a
win-win strategy of opening up its society.
 We are committed to achieving a better life for
the Chinese people and greater development and
prosperity for all humankind. We will achieve those
goals through hard work, reforms and innovation, and
by conducting long-term friendly exchanges and
establishing equality-based, win-win cooperation with
other countries. A prosperous, harmonious and stable
China that lives up to its responsibilities will make a
greater contribution to the prosperity and stability of
the world and the common development of humankind.
Let us work together to deepen cooperation and
achieve development by sharing opportunities and
meeting challenges together, and thus build a
harmonious world of lasting peace and common
prosperity.


At the outset, I would like to convey to the
President, on behalf of His Excellency Army General
François Bozizé, Head of State and President of the
Central African Republic, who it is my honour to
represent here, our heartfelt congratulations on his
election to preside over the General Assembly at its
sixty-sixth session. He can rest assured of our full
readiness to cooperate with him to ensure the success
of his challenging task. I would also like to pay well-
deserved tribute to his predecessor, His Excellency
Mr. Joseph Deiss, for the talent and dedication that he
demonstrated as he steered our work throughout the
sixty-fifth session of the Assembly. To His Excellency
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, I convey my heartfelt
congratulations on his reappointment to the head of the
Organization.
 Lastly, the Central African Republic welcomes
the admission of South Sudan, a brotherly
neighbouring country, as the 193rd Member State of
the United Nations.
 In proposing “The role of mediation in the
settlement of disputes through peaceful means” as the
central theme of the general debate of the sixty-sixth
session of the Assembly, the President has placed our
deliberations at the very heart of those problems that
are of current concern to the international community.
It must be recalled that the maintenance of
international peace and security around the world
continues to be the primary mission of the
Organization, and that, for Member States, mediation
continues to be an indispensable tool in the peaceful
settlement of conflicts. The Central African Republic
remains committed to the principles of the United
Nations Charter, which enshrines language pertaining
to the peaceful settlement of conflicts — principally
through mediation and prevention.
 The international community faces many
challenges to which we need to provide tailored
responses in order to together build a better world.
 We attach particular attention to the issue of
climate change and the environment. Protecting the
environment and combating climate change are major
challenges, as well a priority for the international
community, given the many and varied risks that they
pose to ecosystems and economies.
 The commemoration, next year, of the twentieth
anniversary of the first Earth Summit on sustainable
development will be devoted to forests. Tropical
forests, including those in the Central African
Republic, are exposed to various harmful and
destructive activities associated with the pressure
exerted by social problems and natural disasters. The
countries concerned have recognized the need to
formulate land-use policies in order to conserve their
biodiversity, both in terms of flora and fauna, in these
regions.
 Furthermore, the drought that is currently
afflicting the Horn of Africa, where approximately

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12 million human lives are threatened, is a source of
major concern and requires broad-scale mobilization
by the international community.
 That brings me to the issue of food security. The
Central African Republic will support a draft resolution
on food development, some provisions of which would
be incorporated in the various resolutions of the
Assembly and in other United Nations meetings
throughout the year.
 Nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament
remain a priority. The Central African Republic
welcomes the renewed interest in disarmament on the
part of the international community. Greatly concerned
by the nuclear threat to all of humankind, non-nuclear-
weapon States are entitled to call upon those who
possess nuclear weapons to fully shoulder their
responsibilities by implementing specific measures to
bring about genuine nuclear disarmament. For its part,
the Central African Republic will spare no effort to
support any United Nations initiative to that end.
 Today, terrorism remains a scourge of the
international community. In resolution 1963 (2010), the
Security Council declared its intent to hold a special
meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on
28 September 2011, open to all United Nations
Member States, to mark the tenth anniversary of the
adoption of its resolution 1373 (2001) establishing the
CTC. It should be recalled that the CTC has done a
great deal in assisting Member States in undertaking
actions to combat this scourge by strengthening the
implementation of standards and border controls, as
well as in the fight against the financing of terrorism.
 The Central African Republic remains committed
to the universal values of human rights, democracy and
good governance. We reaffirm our commitment to
working throughout this sixty-sixth session with the
other Members of the United Nations to provide
responses that uphold those values.
 The fight against impunity and against violations
of human rights is a given for our community. We hope
to see it placed within an overall approach that does
not hinder the process of political crisis and conflict
resolution around the world or undermine regional and
international efforts provided for by the United Nations
Charter.
 The Central African Republic attaches special
importance to the reform of this Organization and all
its bodies with regard to their structures, modes of
operation and work methods. For this reason, we
remain committed to the African position regarding the
Security Council. Indeed, in all the ongoing crises in
the world, the Security Council has gradually imposed
the authority of the United Nations, placing it at the
service of international peace and security. Its action is
and remains legitimate. Its authority will be further
strengthened when we reach an agreement on its
expansion, which will enable us to take the emergence
of new Powers into account by giving a more equitable
place to all continents.
 Like many African States, my country has been
engaged on the path towards democratic governance
since the 1990s. As part of our democratic process, we
have endeavoured to improve the management of
public policy on the political, economic and social
fronts. We are aware that much remains to be done in
these spheres.
 The renewed trust of the Central African in His
Excellency General of the Army François Bozizé
Yangouvonda, President of the Republic and Head of
State, has given him the opportunity to pursue the
successful task he began on 15 March 2003. We are
determined to break with instability and at long last to
turn the page on political-military upheavals. That will
enable him to focus on reconstruction. In other words,
we will do everything to consolidate that peace that
guarantees enduring development. Without peace and
security, there can be no economic development that
benefits the population as a whole.
 It is from this standpoint that the Central African
Government held a round table in Brussels with our
development partners on 16 and 17 June in order to
raise the awareness of the international community
with respect to the funding needs of the programmes
outlined in the second poverty reduction strategy paper.
 The matter of security remains at the very heart
of our concerns. Part of the population of the Central
African Republic continues to suffer the aggression of
rebels belonging to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)
of Joseph Kony. The activity of the LRA, a cruel and
barbaric rebellion from a country that shares no
borders with the Central African Republic, remains the
source of atrocities, destruction, looting, rape, forced
recruitment and the deportation of men, women and
children. Mobilization on all sides and the shared

17 11-51398

allocation of resources are needed to eradicate that
scourge once and for all.
 The Government of the Central African Republic
greatly appreciates the initiatives of the United
Nations, the African Union and the United States on
this issue. We continue to believe that the Republic of
South Sudan will join other affected countries in this
relentless struggle against a cross-border enemy that
harbours vague ambitions harmful to the stability
required for development of our subregion.
 The December 2010 withdrawal of the United
Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and
Chad left a security vacuum that my country is trying
to fill despite our limited resources. The same holds
true for Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in the
Central African Republic deployed by the Economic
Community of Central African States, whose mandate
expires at the end of December 2013.
 Reinforcing the capacities of our defence and
security forces, which are slated to take over from the
international forces, is still far from complete. I should
like here to thank the United Nations through its
Peacebuilding Fund, which has been supporting the
Central African Republic in its tireless quest for peace
and stability.
 In the light of all this, I appeal once again to the
international community to take urgent action in order
to build peace and prevent conflict in the Central
African Republic. We welcome in advance all
commitments that have been or will be made on our
behalf. We are convinced that the dividends of those
efforts will benefit both the Central African Republic,
which lies at the heart of the African continent, and the
entire subregion.