In September
2000, before becoming an independent country and
while under the administration of the United Nations
Transitional Administration in East Timor, we came
to the General Assembly as observers in order to
familiarize ourselves with the grand designs for the new
century, in the form of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). Twelve years after Timor-Leste was
admitted into this prestigious Organization, here we
are again to take part in a review of what has been done
and of what has not been done, looking at reasons and
impacts.

Ultimately we want to revise the Assembly’s
manner of operation and redefine plans and strategies.
However, other speeches made both here and at the
Security Council open debate yesterday (S/PV.7272)
show the other face — the more troubling one — of world
problems, which is the general unquietness of spirit and
the pressure to use force in order to punish. I therefore
add my voice to all those who spoke before me in
stating my deep concern about the particularly difficult
time in which the community of nations is living. The
United Nations has been the unassailable forum for
approaching international issues and continues to be
the hope of millions of people throughout the world.

In the year 2000, the challenges came from the
condition of extreme poverty, educational deficits,
enormous scarcity in terms of doctors and medication
and lack of food production that affected the populations
of many underdeveloped countries. Fourteen years
later, little has been achieved despite the effort of the
community of nations. Fragile or conflict-affected
countries are the furthest from achieving the MDGs.
Worse still, the challenges of the year 2000 have taken
on a new path, with an increase in problems related to
the rise of tensions and conflicts in many parts of the
world.

The Organization’s true greatness and its global
leadership ability are measured in difficult times such
as these, where the search for peaceful solutions through
more intense dialogue may well determine the future
of humankind. In order to respond to the challenges,
we need an Organization that operates effectively.
We need an Organization that is more active and
less stereotyped — an Organization that strengthens
cooperation with other organizations, particularly
regional ones, and that acts with great respect for the
sovereignty and the particularities of each State.

Every action carried out so far has just been a
continuation of past measures that, in most cases,
failed to achieve results that can be considered positive.
We are witnessing an increasing loss of trust and we
are faced with a crisis of values. More than trying to
grasp the nature of the issues that are causing us to
react, we must seek to understand the true causes of
the problems. When faced with a threat that does not
respect borders and that jeopardizes our commitment
towards tolerance and peace, it is vital that we better
understand the interconnectedness of problems, so as
to locate the civility gap that prevents us from talking
to each other and from finding consensus.

We have always advocated the view that the use
of military force does not establish universal values
or build democracies. Misguided approaches that
fail to recognize the various and diverse elements of
threats or, worse still, that are based on contradictions
and conflicts of interest, only serve to fuel the fire of
radicalism and extremist actions. Accordingly, we must
reflect and think things over, because as they stand, we
are merely sliding into the darkness of war, upholding
the ancient principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for
a tooth”.

That is why I reiterate to the General Assembly
that our collective efforts to preserve world peace
and security must reject ill-conceived plans that are
only motivated by the strategic interests of the large
Powers and their will to dominate. Instead, we need a
plan that is more suited to the reality of each situation
and that provides a true response to the main causes
of the current crisis. This common agenda should not
manipulate facts to produce collective reactions, but
rather admit past mistakes related to the urge to impose

peace through war. Only by correcting our way of
thinking and acting will we truly be giving peace a
chance.

The responses to the crises faced by humankind
should not be weakened by the desire to end war by
waging war. Instead, they must be based on the desire
to build a world of peace, supported by dialogue and by
an effort — herculean, if need be — to respond to the
root causes of problems that lead to terrorism, racism,
extremism and intolerance. When dozens of millions
of people throughout the world suffer the horrors of
conflict and the countless abuses perpetrated in this
century of globalization, the actions by the international
community should give priority to the establishment
of the best mechanisms for resolving the problems
of exclusion, discrimination and marginalization of
groups, sects and ethnicities.

We must also ensure, from the very start, that the
societies emerging from the ashes of those conflicts and
committed to leaving the memories of the past behind
are entitled to a vital transitional period with respect to
their behaviours, their ways of thinking and acting, and
their own internal rules and commitments. Otherwise,
we will just be sowing the seeds for new conflicts that
we may end up reaping later on. The war in Iraq, which
has destroyed the legacy of a centuries-old civilization,
and the bloody conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria
and Ukraine, should make the international community
draw its conclusions about the international standards
applied in those contexts. The uncertainty and the
bloody anguish that surround Israel and Palestine,
with those two peoples destined to live side by side,
should alert us once and for all to the fact that fear and
insecurity for the future lead to hate, which is the root
of all evils.

Timor-Leste knows only too well the consequences
and the scars of war. In addition to the hundreds of
thousands of Timorese killed, we also witnessed the
near-complete destruction of our country. A State
born without the ability to ensure and promote the
fundamental rights and liberties of its citizens is a
fragile State that is unable to carry out its main mission.

Immediately after the war, we started to reconcile
Timorese society. We wanted to achieve peace, since
without peace we could not feel free. We have also
embraced Indonesia in order to achieve true and
genuine reconciliation. Instead of feeding hatred
and vengeance, we nurtured solidarity and tolerance
between our communities. In that manner, we cultivated
a sound relationship of cooperation between our States
and our peoples.

Western democracies are prone to paying for costly
international tribunals for judging genocides. They also
tend to feel shocked by the human rights violations that
occur in developing countries. The issue with Indonesia
cannot be seen only in terms of the actions by its
military and its generals. Instead, it must be seen within
a broader perspective, in which the Governments of the
Western Powers sold sophisticated weapons like rifles,
warships, fighters, ammunition, tanks and cannons to
the Indonesian military, in addition to providing it with
training, so that it could decimate the Timorese. That is
why we Timorese and Indonesians preferred instead to
record the truth of the facts, to close this painful chapter
in our past and to look to the future, which required and
continues to require much effort to develop both nations
and improve the living conditions of both peoples.

With its pluralistic and tolerant society, Indonesia is
more than a close neighbour. Indeed, it is an inspiration
for Timor-Leste. Under the wise leadership of President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, we have witnessed the
establishment of a modern democracy that harmonizes
progress with the promotion of national, regional
and international peace. We sincerely hope that the
peaceful transition to President Joko Widodo will
bring more success to that great nation. And I say this
in a year when Timor-Leste is celebrating the twelfth
anniversary of its independence.

We have learned from our weaknesses and today
we are living in an atmosphere of social and political
peace. We are very familiar with the challenges that
are inherent in the efforts of developing a nation and
of building peace and security. We are very thankful
for the support that the United Nations and all donor
countries have provided to Timor-Leste. Nevertheless,
the years of partnership have also taught us important
lessons, which we have been sharing with the world,
particularly the fragile States. We are encouraging them
to take ownership of their processes and be committed
to the future of their citizens.

We have also started to be more internationally
active. We have been working hard within the scope of
the Group of Seven Plus, a group that brings together 20
fragile and conflict-affected countries. In addition to
sharing experiences and knowledge and seeking to put

the needs of those countries on the global development
agenda, we continue repeating, as many leaders have
been doing since yesterday, that without peace there
can be no development. In turn, without development
there can be no room for democratic transition, since
democracy is a dynamic process of assimilating
principles and values, rather than a process to be
measured by elections alone.

And that brings us to the subject of the general debate
at this sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly — the
post-2015 development agenda. Inequality is increasing
dangerously throughout the world, with wealth being
concentrated in the hands of a few to the detriment of
us all. Even after the world learned of the greed and
the corruption of the international financial system that
led to the global financial crisis, we are now seeing
how the faltering economic recovery is benefiting only
those who were responsible for the financial meltdown
in the first place. Despite the best efforts of the
Secretary-General and his team at the United Nations,
we are almost in 2015 and know that 2.2 billion people
throughout the world are already in or are entering the
ranks of the extreme poor, without even knowing what
the Millennium Development Goals are.

In that regard, I must draw attention to the incorrect
practice on the part of international organizations to
view each of the 193 States Members of the United
Nations in the same manner, regardless of whether they
are large or small, rich or poor, young or in a transitional
period or centuries-old, developed, with emerging
economies, or underdeveloped. And these development
indices create scales of values that are both unfair and
demotivating to the majority of the least developed
countries. Accordingly, all of us in attendance here
today have a historic opportunity to share our thoughts
on the enormous challenges ahead of us, so as to outline
a truly transformative agenda in which no country is
left behind.

However, the issue that deserves our collective
attention and requires urgent measures is the mitigation
of the environmental threats that continue to increase and
are hindering the legitimate perspectives of emerging
and developing countries. Fortunately, yesterday’s
summit on climate change raised expectations in
relation to actual action plans being implemented
in some countries. The plans will be expanded to
the global level next year in Paris. Some developed
countries have also committed to providing capital
to the Adaptation Fund, which is vitally important to
developing countries. Ms. Emilia Pires, the Minister
of Finance of Timor-Leste, was a member of the high-
level panel that advised the Secretary-General on that
agenda.

In 2013 and until August, Timor-Leste had the
honour of assuming the presidency of the sixty-ninth
session of the Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). As such, we had the
privilege of presiding over the session for one year
and working with ESCAP and the nations of the Asia-
Pacific region in order to achieve progress and improve
human development. Timor-Leste is committed to that
noble ideal and to that deserving mission of helping to
nurture a culture of peace in our region through the
gradual and persistent reduction of social inequalities
within each country and among countries.

However, in our region, including within the
scope of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
countries are cooperating and promoting peace,
which has enabled the rise of the Asian region, led by
China, and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of
poverty. However, we cannot but be concerned by the
developments in the East and South China Sea.

That brings us to a key issue that is of vital
importance to Timor-Leste. I am speaking of the need
to set maritime borders between countries in a clear and
serious manner, in line with international law. Back in
2002, when we began to walk our own path in freedom,
we saw a globalized world in which the arrogance of the
powerful and the ambition of the rich, who prey upon
the inexperience and ignorance of the poor and the
weak to act dishonestly and in bad faith, prevailed, as
a serious insult to universal values. And I must affirm
that big multinationals have always played an improper
and disloyal role, acting dishonestly and in bad faith
when dealing with poor countries.

Timor-Leste, a young, small and poor country,
was caught off guard in that sophisticated culture of
manipulation and deceit. Nevertheless, we want to
continue believing that international mechanisms, such
as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
contribute to justice between nations and understanding
between peoples, so as to defend sovereign rights and
the truth.

Today, those commitments are vital in order to
start rebuilding trust in the world system and to prevent
tensions from increasing. The strengthening of dialogue
and tolerance and the promotion of a new diplomacy

must be translated from a set of good intentions into
actual deeds in the international arena. But what is truly
intriguing is the fact that no decent country has yet
advocated the need to carry out inquiries to determine
the origin of the weapons used to massacre civilians,
particularly those used to kill women and children,
so as to identify the true beneficiaries of the world
crisis — those who are selling weapons to uncontrolled
gangs throughout the world.

Before I conclude, I would like to inform the
Assembly that this year, Timor-Leste has assumed
the rotating presidency of the Community of
Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). In that forum,
we want to use diplomacy and cooperation to nurture
our joint economic potential by making use of our
regional ties. We also want to spread a message of
peace, human rights and social justice throughout all
the forums in which we are represented.

Guinea-Bissau is a member of that community and
a country with which Timor-Leste has been closely
involved, including within the scope of the Group of
Seven Plus, particularly once Timor-Leste realized that
Guinea-Bissau had been left to its fate at the mercy of
international sanctions. After a devastating cycle of
coups, we felt that the people of Guinea-Bissau needed
peace and stability, and we saw how their leaders were
striving to achieve a collective commitment that would
benefit the people and the country.

Timor-Leste had the honour of providing financial
support and of sending a technical team to provide
assistance throughout the entire electoral process in
Guinea-Bissau. That process, which involved massive
democratic participation, was a success and restored
constitutional order in the country. Still, as we all know,
elections are but a starting point, and a State without
the means to ensure the basic needs of its people faces
countless challenges that can jeopardize the promise of
peace and national cohesion.

In line with the subject of the debate in the General
Assembly, I must say that it is now urgent to create
the conditions to enable Guinea-Bissau to move from
fragility to resilience by supporting its State agencies.
Guinea-Bissau needs to restore its public administration
and its State agencies, as well as to reform its defence and
security sector by modernizing its forces. Furthermore,
Guinea-Bissau requires a financial boost in order to
jump-start its economy.

Within the scope of the CPLP, we want to have
active collaboration with the authorities of Guinea-
Bissau and with its international partners, namely the
Economic Community of West African States, so as
to hold an international conference on aid to Guinea-
Bissau as soon as possible. The conference should start
by focusing on matters of extreme urgency, such as
salaries, food, security, fuel and health. Timor-Leste
has already contributed $6 million, which corresponds
to one month of public-sector salaries in the country.
I also urge every country in attendance to join Timor-
Leste and the CPLP countries, in keeping with the
highest values of international solidarity, in supporting
the consolidation of the achievements made so far by
the people of Guinea-Bissau. Indeed, that is something
that will also convey a promise of peace to the entire
African continent.

And I cannot talk about Africa — a continent
that is already wounded on the inside and ravaged by
hunger and poverty — without mentioning the scourge
of the Ebola virus, which is presently challenging the
international health system itself. That epidemic, which
is unprecedented in our time, requires a vital and urgent
commitment by the international community. This
morning in the Ebola campaign I found out that Timor-
Leste will provide $1 million as immediate support
within the spirit of solidarity that guides the Group of
Seven Plus, which includes Sierra Leone, Liberia and
Guinea-Conakry. Next year we will also be allocating
an equal amount to help fight the epidemic.

The great challenge in today’s world is liberating
people from fear. I am talking about the fear of
difference, insecurity, hunger, poverty and disease, the
fear of losing power or the fear of becoming a slave to
power. In today’s unbalanced and unequal world, we
need to have the courage to speak a language of trust
and tranquillity. We need to pacify minds, encourage
dialogue and free people from doubt and feelings of
injustice so that they acquire greater tolerance and
greater respect for differences and diversity. We need
to free people from the yoke of poverty and from the
deplorable conditions in which they are living so as to
ensure their right to development. We still have time
to write a different and more humane tale for today’s
generation and future generations.

Timor-Leste wants to make an active contribution
to a better world, where each country may live in
tolerance, harmony and tranquillity within a true
atmosphere of friendship and solidarity that promotes

peace. Such peace must start in the minds and behaviours
of the people at every level of society, so that they can
have a positive influence on the policies of the global
centres of decision-making. That is the only way for us
to believe that the baby from the Marshall Islands who
touched all our hearts two days ago may be certain that
her future is guaranteed and that she will be able to live
in those small islands that make up her country.


The year
2014 is a special one for Europeans — a special year
of commemoration. In the summer 100 years ago,
European diplomacy failed and the world slid into the
First World War. Seventy-five years ago, Germany
attacked its neighbour Poland, plunging the world into
the Second World War. Twenty-five years ago, the
Berlin Wall fell, bringing an end to the world’s decades-
long division into East and West.

However, merely to look back and remember would
not be enough in this year of commemoration. On the
contrary, we must ask ourselves: what have we learned
for the future? The most important lesson learned
from that history was the establishment of the United
Nations, for the United Nations embodies the world’s
hope for peace. That hope derives from an idea which
is as simple as it is revolutionary: there is peace when
the world sets rules for itself and replaces the law of
force with the force of law, when conflicts are resolved
at the negotiating table and not on the battlefield, when
the world renounces, step by step, the cynical logic of
violence.

To date, the United Nations has provided a universal
foundation for the hope for peace. But that universality
is under threat from the ghosts of the past and from new
demons.

In 2014 our world seems to be unraveling. Crises are
coming at us thick and fast. That is why it is not enough
simply to call upon the United Nations. No, we need to
breathe life into that call. Hope will remain but a hope,
an unattainable goal, unless States are prepared to take
on responsibility. The United Nations is not a forum
onto which we can shrug off responsibility. The United
Nations is a forum whereby we assume responsibility.

Germany, embedded in a united Europe, is prepared
to take on responsibility in and with the United Nations.
First and foremost we have a responsibility to the people
bearing the brunt of the suffering in the crises.

Next month Germany will host a conference in
Berlin to mobilize urgently needed humanitarian
assistance for the millions of Syrian refugees. My
country will play its part, and I sincerely hope that
many others will follow suit. Support is needed above
all by Syria’s neighbours. They are doing a tremendous
job but are also under tremendous strain due to the huge
influx of displaced persons and refugees from Syria.

The Ebola epidemic is raging in West Africa.
It is bringing suffering and death into the homes of
individual families. It is endangering the cohesion
of entire societies. That is why we are sending
humanitarian and medical assistance and setting up an
airlift to the region. I am delighted that many volunteers
in my country have responded to the call, saying, “I
want to go there to help on the spot”.

Above and beyond the immediate solidarity,
however, we need a long-term commitment. We need
the expertise of the World Health Organization and
the coordinating umbrella of the United Nations,
particularly in the long term as we try to strengthen
States and health-care systems. Germany will contribute
to both of those goals. We cannot bring the dead back to
life, but we may be able to prevent far too many more
people dying of Ebola who ought not to be dying if they
were treated. And we must certainly make sure that the
next epidemic does not have consequences as deadly as
the one we are still fighting.

If we are to move towards the hope of peace, we need
many small steps — the commitment of individuals,
bilateral diplomacy and regional initiatives. But none
of that can replace the United Nations. Only the United
Nations can provide a universal foundation for the hope
of peace. That foundation is international law, to which
everyone who belongs to the community of nations in
the United Nations, and those who want to belong, has
subscribed. That is what must be preserved; that is the
core of our hope for peace.

That is why I must here mention the conflict
in Ukraine. Some people in the Hall may regard it
as nothing more than a regional conflict in Eastern
Europe. But I am convinced that that view is incorrect.
I believe that that conflict affects each and every one of
us. Not just any State, but a permanent member of the
Security Council — Russia — has, with its annexation
of Crimea, unilaterally altered existing borders in
Europe and has thus violated international law. We
must counter that dangerous sign, because we must not
allow the power of international law to be eroded from
the inside. We must not allow the old divisions between
East and West to re-emerge in the United Nations.

Because so much is at stake in that conflict, not
only for the people of Ukraine but also for the future of
international law, Germany and its partners have taken
on responsibility and committed themselves vigorously
to defusing the conflict. I am under no illusion: a
political solution is still a long way off. However, just a
few weeks ago we were on the brink of a direct military
confrontation between Russian and Ukrainian armed
forces. I am happy to say that diplomacy prevented the
worst. Now the priority must be to bring about a lasting
ceasefire and achieve a political solution, one based on
the principles of the United Nations and preserving the
unity of Ukraine.

I am not discussing only Ukraine. As long as that
conflict is simmering and as long as Russia and the
West are in a dispute over Ukraine, there is a threat
of paralysing the United Nations. We therefore need a
Security Council that is able and willing to act to tackle
the new and, in the long term, far more important tasks
we are facing. The world of 2014 is plagued not only by
the old ghost of division, but also by new demons.

We are all shocked by the unspeakable brutality of
the terrorists who misuse the name of God in carrying
out their evil deeds. My question is, ought we not to
be particularly worried that the preachers of hate are
drawing in young people who have grown up in the
midst of our own societies?

That is why that, too, is not exclusively a regional
conflict — a problem in Iraq or in Syria or in Africa,

where terrorists are stamping on the fundamental rights
of women and girls in particular. That barbarity is
directed against every one of us, and against everything
for which the United Nations stands.

Precisely for that reason, our response needs
to go much further than the immediately necessary
humanitarian and military response. Germany is
making substantial contributions to both, including
militarily. But all that must be part of a political alliance
against the terror of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
My country is strongly committed to that alliance, and
I very much hope in particular that the societies of the
Middle East, realizing that far more is at stake than just
their security, will also join.

In a world haunted both by old ghosts and new
demons, we have to be able to pursue both paths. On the
one hand, we must steadfastly continue to work towards
political solutions in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in
Syria, but at the same time we must tackle the huge
tasks of the twenty-first century.

I am referring to the fight against climate change.
Germany is contributing $1 billion dollars to the Green
Climate Fund. And we will support our closest partner,
France, on the road to a successful Paris climate summit
in 2015 and to a universal and legally binding climate
convention, which we urgently need.

I am also referring to the digital age. Yes, the
Internet should be a global, free, open and safe space.
But that is not a matter solely for Government agencies
or big companies. That global, free, open and safe space
must be shaped by society as a whole. If we fail to act,
the vast technological possibilities will sweep aside the
human dimension. We need an international law for the
digital world. Resolution 68/167, which we introduced
together with Brazil, has made a start in that direction,
I hope, at the United Nations.

I am also referring to the post-2015 agenda, because
the fight against poverty begins with asking how we
actually create value. How do we create prosperity?
That question is not only directed at a few countries
in need of help. Rather, it is a call to the whole world
for more sustainable economic activity. With its shift to
renewable energies, Germany has set out on a path that,
although not easy, is one the world must take if we want
to preserve our natural resources and if the fight for
scarce resources, water and arable land is not to become
the major conflict of the twenty-first century.

Our children will judge us by those huge tasks.
They will look back, just as we are looking back at
our forebears in this year of commemoration. Having
learned from two World Wars, our forebears established
the United Nations as their lesson to us. If we want to
continue that lesson, if we want to master the tasks
facing us, then we must further develop this institution.
The United Nations is not a finished product. Perhaps it
will never be a finished product. It must evolve further,
so that in all its parts, including the Security Council, it
reflects today’s world.

I believe that the United Nations is worth every
effort, for in it lives the world’s hope for peace and a
legal order. I assure the Assembly that my country will
play its part in making that hope a reality, step by step.


First, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, I would
like to congratulate Mr. Kutesa for his election to the
presidency of the General Assembly and to express
Colombia’s support for his work in promoting a post-
2015 development agenda that responds to humankind’s
current challenges. The sustainable development
goals recently adopted after an open, transparent and
inclusive negotiation process should be at the centre of
that agenda.

In a world full of bad news, war, terrorism and
disease, I would like to bring a ray of hope to the
Assembly: that, after more than half a century of
conflict, Colombia will soon enjoy peace. If we achieve
this goal, which Colombians have unsuccessfully
sought for so long, there is hope for peace anywhere in
the world, despite how difficult things may seem right
now. Today, I can say to the international community
that we are closer than ever before to achieving that
peace. The process that has been taking place in
Havana over the past two years with the guerrilla group
known as the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de
Colombia (FARC) has been serious, realistic, credible
and effective and has produced concrete results.

We agreed on an agenda with five substantive
points, of which we have achieved agreements on
three: comprehensive rural development, political
participation and the illicit drug problem. In the first
of those areas, we have agreed to unprecedented
investment in agricultural development, working to
give farmers access to land and to generate a better
standard of living for farming families. Regarding
political participation, what we are striving for is very
simple. We want to broaden our democracy in order
to build peace and promote citizen participation, and
to forever sever the link between politics and arms.
Regarding the illicit drug problem, we have agreed
to continue dismantling the drug mafia structures,
promote a national crop substitution and alternative
development programme and address the issue of
consumption from a public health perspective. The
agreement also includes a commitment on the part
of FARC to contributing effectively to a definitive
solution to the illicit drug problem and to ending any
relationship it may have had with it.

A Colombia without coca and without conflict
was an impossible dream just a few years or decades
ago. Today, I can affirm that it is a real possibility.
We have already begun discussions on the last two
substantive points of the plan: the victims and the end
of the conflict. This war has left in its wake millions of
victims who never had a voice before and who are now
at the centre of the process. We are working to fulfil
the rights of victims to justice, truth, reparations and
non-recurrence. Above all, we are working to ensure
that there are no more victims.

In an act that I believe to be without precedent in
the history of the world, representatives of the victims
are explaining their situations, exposing their pain and
setting out their expectations before the Government
and guerrillas. The victims are the main protagonists
and the main beneficiaries of the peace that we seek.
Constanza Turbay, who represents the courage of our
women and who lost most of her family at the hands
of the guerrillas, had the opportunity to confront her
victimizers, look them in the eye and to directly hear
their expressions of sincere remorse. In her own words,
Ms. Turbay stated that the victims are “replacing
their pain with the hope of peace”. Another woman,
Ms. Juanita Barragan, who spent several years of her
youth within the ranks of the FARC, was able to tell her
former leaders in Havana: “Please do not enlist more
children to fight your war”. Today, Ms. Barragan wants
to be a lawyer and to work for children. There are so
many cases and so many voices that are finally being
heard.

We have also created a subcommittee that
includes active military and police personnel. This
subcommittee is beginning to consider the details of
a definitive bilateral ceasefire process, as well as the
demobilization and disarmament of guerrillas upon
signature of the final agreement. I can therefore now
report to the international community that Colombia has
made substantial progress in its effort to end the armed

conflict that has affected us to such a great extent, and,
inevitably, impacted the region and the world.

When the post-conflict phase begins, we will face
immense challenges in reintegrating those who have
demobilized, ensuring a State presence in conflict-
affected areas, and guaranteeing civic security.
The support and contributions of the international
community are key in that regard, and we call for
that support. I take this opportunity to express
our gratitude to the many nations and multilateral
agencies — especially the United Nations — for their
commitment to the peace process and their willingness
to provide all manner of support, not only now but also
in the future as we implement those agreements in the
post-conflict stage.

In my inaugural speech upon taking office for a
second term as President of Colombia on 7 August,
I stated the following, and repeat it today before the
world’s nations. While conflicts rage around the world,
Colombia aspires to bring the good news for humankind
that the final armed conflict in the western hemisphere
is coming to an end. If we are successful, as we truly
expect to be, we will be ready to share our experience
with other countries. We are sure that our case can
become a model and a beacon of hope for the world’s
other conflicts.

In Colombia, we seek peace because the suffering
of our fellow citizens pains us. We do not want any
more victims, or women or children involved in war.
We therefore understand the pain of and express our
solidarity with the many nations that today are suffering
from war and unutterable atrocities, due — it must be
said — to the impotence of the international community
We are not oblivious to the suffering of those who
live in such countries such as Syria, Iraq, Libya and
Ukraine and in regions like the Sahel. We condemn
the ruthless terrorism of the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Sham. We are not indifferent to the suffering of the
many families in Palestine and Israel who are victims
of armed confrontations, or to the loss of life due to
epidemics, such as Ebola in Africa.

As we approach the Organization’s seventieth
anniversary, we find ourselves at a defining moment in
the consolidation of the international system embodied
by the United Nations. Full respect for international
law and the purposes and principles enshrined in the
Charter is essential to attaining lasting solutions to
overcome conflict and achieve progress in fulfilling the
legitimate aspirations of the people. In confrontations,
we must restore the ethical principles that are
fundamental to the human condition, and children,
women and civilians must be spared such tragedies.

Colombia favours negotiated political solutions.
Today, we must ask questions that are not only rhetorical
but also true. Why are there people who stand against
peace? Why do some see war as the only way out?
Perhaps they do so because without war they would lose
their power, accustomed as they are to making a living
and profiting from it, and unable as they are to imagine
life without it. We have to convince the promoters of
war that this is not the way, and convert them into
promoters of peace. We are doing just that in Colombia,
and we must do the same in every corner of the planet.
The United Nations was established precisely to prevent
conflict and to seek peace.

Undoubtedly, the drug trade and drug trafficking
are fuelling the conflicts in Colombia and elsewhere in
the world. Colombia has promoted a serious, technical
and objective discussion of the methods and results
of the so-called war on drugs. This war has not been
won, but we have had some success at the hemispheric
level. Last week, at the Special General Assembly of
the Organization of American States in Guatemala, we
achieved hemispheric consensus on several positions
and adopted a resolution that shows that we can move
forward together on this issue. Those results will help
us to be more prepared to be able to achieve progress
at the United Nations special session on drugs that has
been called for 2016.

Last month, in the inaugural speech of my second
mandate, I set out for Colombians the vision that will
guide our actions. I want to make Colombia a country
of peace, a country with equality, and the most educated
country in Latin America by 2025. At the same time,
this vision also draws us towards the future sustainable
development goals for the post-2015 period — ambitious
goals that address humankind’s most pressing social,
economic and environmental problems.

The good economic climate that Colombia is
experiencing, progress in the social indicators,
particularly poverty reduction and job creation, and the
peace process itself allow us to believe in the possibility
of achieving this vision. It is this Colombia, the one
that is overcoming poverty, has regained control of its
territory, is growing at the world’s highest levels and

has successful social equality policies in order to find
more fairness, which is also searching for peace.

I envisage the same things for Latin America and
the Caribbean as I envisage for my country — that
we can be a region at peace, with greater equality and
better education; a region that makes the transition
from resource-based economies to knowledge-based
economies; a region in which entrepreneurship and
innovation are the engines of development; a region with
socially and environmentally responsible companies
that transform our future.

As I said in the Assembly in 2010 (see A/65/PV.15),
this should be the decade of Latin America and the
Caribbean. And now, before the world’s nations,
I reiterate the call on my region, Latin America and
the Caribbean, to remain true to that intention. To the
international community, I make an impassioned appeal
for us to put everything we can — everything — into
ensuring that the sense of humanity overcomes war. We
are losing our way when we look at the tragedies that
humankind is suffering without being pained by them,
without the world waking up and taking decisive action
to address them. We cannot allow ourselves to lose the
capacity to be shocked by war. It is time to wake up. It
is time to act.


At the outset, let me
say that it is my pleasure to join previous speakers in
congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. I am

confident that your experience in international affairs
will contribute to the success of the current session.
We stand ready to offer our full support during your
presidency. I would also like to take this opportunity
to commend your predecessor, Mr. John Ashe, for his
wise leadership of the General Assembly at its sixty-
eighth session. I also would like to thank Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon and United Nations staff around
the world for their continued efforts to promote global
peace and security and to achieve development and
well-being for all people.

We meet today, as we do each year, to renew
our commitment to the principles enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations, the basis on which
the Organization was founded, and to reiterate our
firm belief in its objectives, including creating a
peaceful and secure world and achieving prosperity
and development for all peoples. We believe that those
noble objectives can be achieved by doing two things.
The first is playing an effective and responsible role in
regional and international issues through constructive
dialogue, positive engagement and the peaceful
resolution of disputes. The second is by creating a
suitable environment for international relations, based
on the principles of good-neighbourliness, moderation,
tolerance and non-violence.

The United Arab Emirates is gravely concerned about
current forms of extremism, terrorism and sectarian
divisions in our region, which have become a grave
threat to international peace and security. In addition to
being a violation of human rights, terrorism threatens
the integrity and values of States, undermines their
social fabric, disrupts their security and development,
and erodes their cultural and human heritage. The acts of
terrorist organizations — indiscriminate killings, mass
executions, kidnappings and intimidation of innocent
women and children — are heinous criminal acts and
are strongly condemned by the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates also denounces the brutal
methods used by such groups in the name of Islam, as
Islam rejects such crimes, which are inconsistent with
Islam’s moderate approach and principles of peaceful
coexistence among all peoples.

As the international community must be aware,
besides the increased incidence of terrorist and
extremist acts in our region, most notably those
perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham
(ISIS), the threats posed by those terrorist and extremist
groups are expanding beyond our region to threaten
the rest of the civilized world. Various countries in
the region, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen,
Iraq, Syria, Libya and the States of the African Sahel,
are suffering at the hands of terrorist takfiri groups,
which have exploited unstable conditions in those
countries to create an environment that they believe
will guarantee them steady funding, logistical support,
training and recruitment. Those extremist and terrorist
organizations promote obscurantism, exclusivity and
an illicit ideology, and they perpetrate brutal acts to
impose their control and increase their influence in
order to achieve their goals. The current collective
action against the threat of ISIS and other terrorist
groups reflects the international community’s shared
conviction of the need to confront the imminent danger.
Civilized communities have no other option than to
stamp out that threat. It is a test in which we must
succeed.

With regard to Libya, the United Arab Emirates is
concerned about the deteriorating security conditions
and their repercussions on the stability of neighbouring
countries. We strongly oppose the terrorist acts that
have undermined the work of legitimately elected
institutions in Libya. The United Arab Emirates’s policy
towards Libya is to provide full and unconditional
support for the legitimate decisions taken by the
Libyan people through their nationally elected House
of Representatives.

The latest developments in our brother country,
Iraq, are increasingly alarming. ISIS has exploited
the sectarian practices of the former Government in
Iraq to garner the support of affected communities
in expanding their influence over large parts of the
country with extreme brutality. While the terrorist
groups are threatening the sovereignty of Iraq and its
social, cultural and religious fabric, they continue to
exploit the chaos in Syria to achieve their purposes
without any regard for sovereignty or national borders.

In that context, the United Arab Emirates believes
that the current collective action will address the
growing threat of extremist fighters in Syria as well as
in Iraq. In that regard, I welcome the recent decision
of the Security Council to confront and block the
extremist groups. The threat posed by extremist
fighters has increased in the midst of the violence
inflicted by the Syrian regime on the Syrian people.
At this critical juncture, we must support the moderate
Syrian opposition as part of an effective strategy to
counter extremism and terrorism.

From this platform, we express our deep concern
at the grave developments taking place in Yemen. The
Houthis, who are using violence to try to undermine
the political process and the constitutional legitimacy
of the Yemeni State, compel us to take a firm and
immediate stand against attempts to change the reality
through violence and force. We have to realize that an
exclusively sectarian and individualistic approach is
not an acceptable option to the Yemeni people, who
aspire to build an inclusive civil State that is capable
of committing to a national dialogue and continuing
the implementation of the Gulf Cooperation Council
initiative and its mechanisms. The United Arab Emirates
will continue to support the political transition process
in Yemen and will assist the efforts of the Yemeni State
to achieve stability and development.

In the light of the recent developments in the region,
it is incumbent on us, as nations that have pledged
to abide by the principles enshrined in the Charter,
to focus our efforts on combating that dangerous
scourge. The United Arab Emirates therefore calls
on the international community and Member States
to cooperate in combating terrorist groups and to
take comprehensive measures to fight them through
a clear, unified strategy. Those efforts should not
be limited to Iraq and Syria alone, but must also be
directed against the locations of those groups wherever
they exist. We wish also to stress the futility of taking
gradual measures to address those challenges. We must
intensify our efforts in order to combat the terrorist
groups promptly and effectively.

While our attention should be fully focused on
countering terrorism, the United Arab Emirates
believes that providing support to Governments facing
serious security challenges is of critical importance.
Active participation is also required to provide the
necessary assistance to restore peace and security in
those countries by helping them to strengthen their
legitimate institutions. In that context, we continue to
highlight the importance of respecting the sovereignty
and independence of States and supporting all political
efforts aimed at achieving peaceful settlements of
ongoing conflicts and disputes. Without those efforts,
violence will continue. The United Arab Emirates hopes
to see security and stability prevail in and throughout
all countries.

I once again reiterate the firm position of the
United Arab Emirates in rejection of terrorism and
extremism in all their forms. My country is fulfilling
its responsibilities and is committed to participating
constructively at the national, regional and international
levels to combat violent extremism and affiliated
beliefs and terrorist acts. The United Arab Emirates,
through its membership in the Global Counterterrorism
Forum, cooperates with international organizations and
with concerned countries to ensure that the territories
of the latter are not exploited by those who facilitate or
execute terrorist acts, as well as other related crimes,
such as the financing of terrorism, human trafficking
and the recruitment of people to commit those egregious
crimes. By hosting the Hedayah Centre for training,
dialogue and research to combat violent extremism,
the United Arab Emirates continues to support the
international community in building capacities and
exchanging best practices on that issue.

My country also continues to develop its national
policies and its legislative and executive systems in
order to deter and confront all terrorist acts, eradicate
the roots of terrorism and protect our youth from being
lured into a cycle of extremism and violence. To that end,
the United Arab Emirates recently adopted a federal law
on combating terrorist crimes. The law provides strict
penalties for those found guilty of inciting terrorism or
committing terrorist acts. The United Arab Emirates is
also strengthening preventive policies by establishing
centres for the rehabilitation of people influenced by
extremist and terrorist ideologies.

The United Arab Emirates hopes for the recovery
and restoration of security and stability in the region
so that Governments can carry out their duties and
obligations and their peoples can resume their normal
lives in a constructive way. That hope is driven by the
remarkable progress achieved by the new Government
in Egypt and its good governance in implementing its
political road map. Despite the challenges facing Egypt,
the signs of normalcy in public life and the revived
economy and culture are promising. Therefore, the
United Arab Emirates regrets the statements of some
representatives and their unacceptable questioning of
the legitimacy of the Egyptian Government.

The present Egyptian Government was freely
elected by the Egyptian people, who believe in its ability
to fulfil their aspirations. Questioning the Egyptian
people’s will and right to choose their representatives
is an interference in the internal affairs of Egypt and
undermines its stability. Accordingly, I emphasize that
the stability of our region depends on the stability of
Egypt.

The United Arab Emirates therefore calls on the
international community to provide the necessary
support to the Egyptian Government and its economy
in order to boost Egypt’s efforts to achieve progress and
prosperity. I would also like to commend the generous
initiative of the King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques, in convening the economic summit
to support the Egyptian economy. His is a visionary
approach to promoting Egypt’s future and maintaining
moderation in the region.

The United Arab Emirates expresses its
disappointment over the failure of the peace negotiations
between Palestine and Israel. We strongly condemn
Israel’s aggression against Gaza, especially the
destruction directed against the civilian population and
infrastructure, including some United Nations facilities.
We demand a thorough, transparent and independent
investigation to determine legal responsibility for the
damage. We hope that the continued failure of the peace
negotiations will not lead to a resurgence of violence
and the return to the region of a new and more brutal
form of terrorism.

The establishment of peace and security in the
region is a key element in achieving global stability
and a priority of our foreign policy, which derives
its principles from the Charter of the United Nations
and the provisions of international law. On the basis
of those principles, my Government again rejects the
continuing Iranian occupation of three islands that
belong to the United Arab Emirates — Greater Tunb,
Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. We demand restoration
of the full sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates
over the islands and emphasize that all actions and
measures taken by the Iranian authorities are contrary
to international law and custom and to all our common
human values. In that respect, we note that the Islamic
Republic of Iran has recently hoisted the Iranian
flag on the part of Abu Musa island allocated to the
United Arab Emirates under the 1971 memorandum of
understanding, in violation of the memorandum. My
country strongly condemns that action as a flagrant
violation of the memorandum of understanding and
regards it as devoid of any legal effect.

We therefore renew our call to the international
community to prevail on Iran to respond to the repeated
peaceful, sincere calls of the United Arab Emirates for
a just settlement of the issue, either through direct,
formal negotiations between the two countries, or by
referral to the International Court of Justice to finally
settle the dispute in accordance with the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the
provisions of international law.

The United Arab Emirates welcomes the ongoing
negotiations between the five permanent members of the
Security Council and the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed
at reaching a comprehensive settlement concerning the
Iranian nuclear programme. We affirm that, in order
to avert an arms race in the region, a final and strict
agreement must be achieved; the region cannot afford
further tension and instability. Nevertheless, the United
Arab Emirates believes that the peaceful use of nuclear
energy is a necessity in meeting the world’s growing
energy demands. My country is proud to be a pioneer in
this field and to successfully harness the peaceful use
of nuclear technology in compliance with the highest
standards of transparency, safety and security.

Despite the challenges facing the region, my
country has always sought to remain a model of
moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the
region, consistent with current international efforts. We
strongly believe that investment in human development
is important in the long term, and we therefore attach
great importance to the negotiations on the post-2015
development agenda and the sustainable development
goals. We welcome the results of those consultations,
which have placed the eradication of poverty at the
heart of the development agenda.

My country also supports the inclusion of goals
that would provide sustainable energy for all, develop
green economies, promote food security, supply
safe drinking water and ensure gender equality and
women’s empowerment. The United Arab Emirates is
committed to pursuing economic and social policies
aimed primarily at achieving the development of the
individual, providing all means necessary for a person
to lead a decent and productive life, and promoting
prosperity. In that context, I note that Dubai has been
chosen as the venue of the 2020 World Expo. It is a
great honour for us to act as host to this event, and we
thank all the countries that supported our candidacy.
We look forward to working with Member States to
organize an exhibition that meets the aspirations of all.

Comprehensive and sustainable development
cannot be achieved unless all segments of society
participate in the national development process.
Accordingly, the United Arab Emirates pays special
attention to women’s empowerment. My country now
occupies a prominent place among the countries of the

world in terms of women’s achievements and success
in all areas of life. Our efforts are not limited solely to
empowering women in the United Arab Emirates, but
also include supporting women throughout the region
and around the world.

Abu Dhabi will host a UN-Women Liaison Office
with the support and leadership of Her Highness
Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. We are also assisting
UN-Women in the preparations for the high-level
review on women, peace, and security. Those efforts
reflect the interest and participation of the United Arab
Emirates in international efforts to empower women
as effective partners and agents in preventing war and
resolving conflict, keeping in mind that women play a
key role in countering violence and promoting peace
and security throughout the world.

We must continue to devote special attention
to the issue of climate change. Recent international
reports indicate that the effects of climate change have
become a major challenge to development. But there
is still some time left to mitigate the impact through
international cooperation. In that context, we welcome
the outcome of the recent Climate Summit held a
few days ago at the United Nations. We are grateful
to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his efforts to
advance that important issue prior to the start of the
general debate of the General Assembly, and we thank
all the participating parties. We also urge all parties
to abide by the agreements reached and stress that the
developed countries must take the lead in that respect.

The efforts of the United Arab Emirates in the field
of renewable energy are seen in various parts of the
world. We host the International Renewable Energy
Agency in Abu Dhabi and make available more than
$500 million in the form of grants and low-interest loans
for renewable energy projects in developing countries.
We also have extensive and varied international
commercial investments totalling billions of dollars
in the renewable-energy sector. Such initiatives,
investments and grants all contribute to addressing
climate change and its impact throughout the world.

In conclusion, I would like to underscore that the
United Arab Emirates will continue to make every
effort to achieve our aspiration to contribute to a secure
and stable world, in which people can live in dignity,
peace and happiness.


The sixty-
ninth session offers us a theme that invites us to deepen

exchanges on the development model that we want for
the world post-2015. The theme, “Delivering on and
implementing a transformative post-2015 development
agenda”, is perfectly in line with the theme of the sixty-
eighth session, “The post-2015 development agenda:
setting the stage”.

At previous sessions, we have acknowledged that
development through the achievement the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) has not produced the
expected results for many States. Among the main
causes for this are the weakness of solidarity in financing
the Goals; their poor adaptation to the concerns and
realities of Africa; and the many global financial,
food, environmental and security crises that arose. The
unanimously welcomed drafting of a post-2015 agenda
gave us the opportunity to review the MDGs in greater
depth and to respond relevantly. Africa, for its part, has
adopted a Common Position that requires the adherence
of all States and their partners. This Common African
Position is part of the Africa Vision 2063. That is why
my country, Chad, fully supports it and hopes that
this approach will figure prominently in the post-2015
agenda.

Unfortunately, we note that on the eve of the
important post-2015 meeting, the same security risks
remain. Armed conflicts and the phenomenon of
terrorism are becoming persistant threats in several
areas of Africa. They are aggravated by the migratory
phenomenon that deprives our continent, Africa, of its
workforce. We must therefore join our efforts to bring
adequate and energetic responses to these phenomena,
which dangerously compromise the future of our
continent.

I take this occasion to hail the upsurge of
solidarity that we are witnessing on the part of the
international community in combating terrorism
and underdevelopment. Africa remains in favour of
various strategies for security and development in the
Sahel initiated by the United Nations, the European
Union and many other organizations. We hope that the
implementation of these programmes will be effective
so as to allow our continent to effectively combat these
ongoing phenomena.

Beyond international support, these security
challenges require African countries to take their
security into their own hands by implementing laws
that will ensure security at the national, regional and
continental levels. The countries of the Sahel — Burkina
Faso, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger and Chad — have
mobilized through the Group of Five countries of the
Sahel to combine their efforts in building a strong
system of resilience, good governance, security and
peace. It is well known that the security of one country
or region is directly linked to its development, that of its
neighbours, and thereby to that of the entire continent.

The terrorism summit convened by the African
Union Peace and Security Council, over which we
presided on 2 September in Nairobi, was a part of
these constant efforts. It sought to consider in depth
the terrorist threat and to agree specific and concrete
measures to consolidate the efficacy of collective
actions against this scourge. The summit also gave us
the opportunity to highlight our solidarity with Kenya
in particular, and more generally with the East African
region, which is facing the threat of the terrorist
Al-Shabaab group.

The decision to create such mechanisms as the
African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises
or the African regional force for the Sahel-Sahara
and Central Africa, was the fruit of this regional
and continental resolve to respond appropriately to
terrorism, which is progressively gaining ground in
Africa. We call on the countries of the Lake Chad Basin
Commission to take the necessary measures to bring
the joint multinational force into operation in order to
combat the terrorist activities of Boko Haram.

With respect to conflict resolution, Chad continues
to contribute to peace and reconciliation in Africa.
This goodwill is borne out by the organization on its
territory, at Amdjarass in the north, of a forum of peace
and reconciliation between the warring brothers of
Darfur. Chad welcomes the holding of the Brazzaville
forum on reconciliation and inclusive dialogue between
Central African brothers, where it played an active part
in seeking solutions to Central African crises.

My country welcomes the inter-Malian dialogue
towards a definitive return to peace and security in that
country. It welcomes the reconciliation process under
way in South Sudan to persuade the South Sudanese
to take up the peace pipe. We are convinced that
sincere dialogue and surpassing ourselves are virtues
that can assist in resolving these issues. My country
will continue to support this process of dialogue and
reconciliation.

Regarding the new Libya — a country that has barely
begun to exist as a homogenous entity after the fall of
the Al-Qadhafi’s regime and his assassination — the

violence has intensified and the people live in constant
fear. Libya’s neighbours are striving to assist that
brotherly country to recover its stability. The entire
international community is called upon to act on
the severe security situation in that country. Libyan
brothers of different political and social beliefs must
understand that peace can come only from the Libyans
themselves. They must therefore resolutely commit to
a political settlement, the only proper path to ensure
peace, unity and territorial integrity for Libya.

Chad, a neighbouring country of Libya, the Central
African Republic, the Sudan and Nigeria, is hosting
hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced
persons who have fled armed conflicts or terrorist
threats. Since 2003, we have welcomed more than
500,000 refugees from these neighbouring countries
and more than 200,000 Chadians repatriated from
Libya and the Central African Republic for security
reasons, including displaced Chadians. A national plan
for global response developed by the Government and
its technical and financial partners has been adopted
and is being implemented, but it requires the financial
and material support of the international community.

These various conflict situations are compounded
by other, no less important challenges such as poverty,
underdevelopment and illnesses. I note in particular the
severe Ebola crisis affecting certain countries on the
African continent, ravaging populations and gravely
affecting the economies concerned. Chad will make
its financial contributions to these countries. The
international community must act, and act quickly,
in a coordinated manner as the Ebola virus knows no
borders. I commend the upsurge of solidarity on the
part of the international community in containing the
spread of this scourge.

Beyond Africa, we call for a peaceful resolution
to the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and between
Israel and Palestine, to name but a few. On Palestine
specifically, we feel that the disproportionate use of
force and the human and material damage incurred
in Gaza are unacceptable and challenge the human
conscience. It is extremely urgent to find a solution
to this conflict, which has lasted for far too long. We
therefore call on all parties for restraint and dialogue in
order to reach a just, global and lasting solution.

Regarding the embargo to which Cuba has been
subject for many years, we once again reiterate our call
for it to be lifted, pure and simple.

Peace, stability and development are intrinsically
linked to respect for laws and universal shared values,
of which justice is the basis. Nevertheless, we note
with regret that these universal principles are not often
respected, especially by the powerful of this world. This
is the case for the International Criminal Court, which,
instead of being neutral, impartial and independent,
seems more to practise double standards and only
pursues the weak. Some 90 per cent of indictees are
Africans.

The debate on the reform of the Security Council
must be concluded, taking into account the interests and
concerns of all States so that it reflects the actual makeup
of the world. It is unjust that a billion inhabitants live in
the only continent without a permanent representative
in that organ.

At the national level Chad has a national development
plan for 2013-2015 and a national programme for food
security which seek to ensure resilient and emerging
development by 2025, supported by sustainable and
diversified sources of growth that create added value
and employment. The plan ensures that each Chadian
has appropriate access to basic social services, decent
housing and to adequate training opportunities. I
again thank all our partners who announced their
participation in financing these two programmes at the
Paris conference in June.

In order to promote a serene climate in national
political life Chad has implemented mechanisms for
political governance, the latest of which is the national
framework for political dialogue created in April 2013.
This mechanism is better adapted to current political
events as it includes civil society along with political
parties. These mechanisms have led to stability
conducive to economic and social development in a
country where challenges remain considerable.

To improve governance, Chad has adhered to the
monitoring mechanism of the African Union and the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. That
adherence clearly demonstrates our resolve to manage
our national resources in complete transparency. Chad
will continue to work to consolidate the rule of law and
good governance through substantial reforms of its
institutions, to combat unemployment by creating jobs
for youth, and to combat poverty and food insecurity.


As we enter a crucial session
of the General Assembly, we will define our post-2015
direction. Our way ahead must be based on the triangle
of security, development and human rights. If one of
those elements is not present, the other two will fail.

This year, we commemorated the grim anniversaries
of the First and Second World Wars. Both wars began
in Europe, but quickly spread throughout the world,
destroying the lives of countless millions. The League
of Nations and the United Nations were built on the
ashes of those wars.

Today again, global security and peace are
challenged by forces willing to rewrite the history
and rules of the international order. The aggression of
Russia against Ukraine has defied the basic principles
of the United Nations, uprooting the very foundation
of the international system. It has grabbed part of a
sovereign European country, using previously unseen
tactics of warfare and immense propaganda against
its neighbour. It enabled the tragic shooting down of
a civilian airplane. It has shown that agreements and
commitments do not matter, and it wantonly ignores
and manipulates international opinion. Those actions
cannot be qualified otherwise than as a threat to global
peace and security. The world, including the General
Assembly, has supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The illegal annexation of Crimea and Sebastopol by
Russia has been condemned and will not be recognized
by the international community.

Russia has a vital role to play in security and stability
in Europe and should be part of the solution — not part
of the problem. Latvia hopes that the ceasefire agreed
to on 5 September will be implemented in a sustainable
manner. Latvia therefore calls on Russia to immediately
withdraw its armed forces from Ukrainian territory and
stop sending weapons and mercenaries to the terrorist
groups. We call upon Russia to return to respecting its
international commitments and upholding international
law.

Seventy-five years ago, the decay of the
international system proved fatal to the Baltic States.
Two totalitarian regimes — one under Hitler and the
other under Stalin — divided Europe, and we lost our
freedom for 50 long years. Twenty-five years ago, more
than 2 million people joined hands and formed a human
chain across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic
way clearly illustrated the people’s demand for freedom
and restoration of their statehood. The Baltic people
made their choice. The Ukrainian people have the same
right to choose their own democratic path, human rights
and fundamental freedoms.

Latvia supports the complementarity of efforts
among international organizations at both the global and
regional levels to use all instruments at their disposal to
prevent the emergence of a frozen conflict in the eastern
region of Ukraine; to help and support Ukraine; to
uphold agreements and commitments and demand their
fulfilment by all parties, including Russia; to maintain
unity and reject attempts to divide Ukraine by reviving
spheres of influence and establishing hidden support to
terrorists as part of the new norms of Europe.

There is no alternative to an international order
based on the rule of law, democracy and respect
for human rights and providing the foundation for
long-term peace and security. The resolution of the
protracted conflicts in Transnistria, Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh should remain high on
the international agenda.

In addition, the security situation in the wider
Middle East is very fragile. A solution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict is paramount in order to establish
lasting stability in the region. Following the escalation of
violence in recent months, the international community,
including Latvia, has helped to address the emergency
humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza. We hope
that the current ceasefire will be fully respected by
both sides. However, only an agreement on a two-State
solution, achieved through direct negotiations, will
accomplish those goals.

We welcome the elimination of Syria’s chemical
weapons and related materials. While easing the
continuing human suffering of Syrians is the immediate
goal, the international community must continue
political efforts to find a solution to that horrific
conflict. Those responsible for war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Syria must be held accountable by
the International Criminal Court.

The limited ability of the Security Council to
address the urgent situations in Syria and Ukraine in
a timely manner underlines the need to move forward
with reform of the Council. Latvia supports the
expansion of the Security Council in both categories
of membership. At the same time, the French initiative,
aimed at restricting the use of the veto, merits our joint
attention.

The completion of the International Security
Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan this year
will be an important step towards assumption by the
people of full responsibility for peace and stability
in the country. Despite all the challenges, the legacy
of the mission is clear. Peace and security have been
strengthened, including greater respect for human
rights and greater opportunities for the Afghan people
than ever before.

The recent presidential elections clearly showed
the will of the Afghan people to live in a peaceful and
democratic society. The people of Afghanistan will
not be abandoned after 2014. International support
to Afghanistan, including security protection, will
be continued. I am convinced that cooperation and
confidence-building between Afghanistan and its
neighbours, including in Central Asia, will be key to
long-term security solutions in the region.

The growing negative impact of violent extremist
ideologies in Syria, Iraq and other countries is
alarming. Militant fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Sham (ISIS) have exploited instability in those
countries and now pose a threat to ethnic and religious
communities. In that context, Latvia joined the United
States in coordinated efforts by the international
community to counter ISIS. We strongly welcome the
adoption of Security Council resolution 2178 (2014) on
foreign fighters. Latvia has already begun to prepare
measures to prevent the recruitment of and support to
foreign fighters.

Latvia is concerned about the safety of journalists
during political unrest and conflict. All imprisoned
journalists must be released. Freedom of the media
and free access to information, including online, are
essential components of any democracy.

Armed conflicts in Africa have an impact upon
stability and the sustainable development of the people.
Latvia takes part in peace and security operations
in Mali and the Central African Republic in order to
contribute to conflict settlement and to improve the
security situation in those regions. Latvia is ready to
commit itself to strengthening United Nations global
peacekeeping.

Latvia welcomes the ongoing dialogue between
the E3+3 countries and Iran, which aims to negotiate a
comprehensive agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The parties involved, in particular Iran, must make
every effort to use the extended time frame to find a
solution. We must work towards revitalizing the global
disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. The success
of the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
depends on re-establishing trust and a common purpose
among the States parties. Latvia was one of the first
States to sign and to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty. We
urge all United Nations Members to do the same.

Peace and security are both enablers of sustainable
development and objectives in their own right. Without
peaceful societies, we cannot achieve sustainable
development. Each country has its own responsibility
for achieving that goal. Our societies need honest
and accountable Governments that protect them from
violence and crime and ensure fundamental freedoms
and sustainable economic growth.

Fourteen years ago, we, the States Members of
the United Nations, made a historic commitment to
eradicating extreme poverty and to improving the health
and welfare of the world’s people within 15 years. The
new development agenda should go further. We must

address global challenges, such as conflicts, terrorism,
inequalities, the absence of the rule of law, climate
change and natural disasters. The social, economic and
environmental dimensions of sustainability should be
addressed in a balanced way.

I thank the Secretary-General for his personal
engagement in bringing together representatives of
Governments, business, industry, finance and civil
society to discuss climate change this week. Latvia
supports the initiatives of the Secretary-General. The
post-2015 agenda must be consistent with all human
rights and be underpinned by the rule of law. It should
address inequalities and discrimination, including
by means of the advancement of information and
communications technology. Those are key enablers
for all spheres of development. Gender equality is
essential to shaping respectful and equal relationships
in society. Those values are important for Latvia. As
an aspiring member of the Human Rights Council for
the term 2015-2017, we will continue to promote such
values globally. Last but not least, the post-2015 agenda
should be built on strong accountability mechanisms
and a strengthened global partnership. That requires
the active engagement of Governments, civil society,
the private sector and the United Nation system.

In the first half of 2015, Latvia will assume the
presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Europe needs the world as much as the world needs
Europe. That is why the Latvian presidency will focus
on strengthening the European Union’s involvement
globally. We will actively work to promote Europe’s
cooperation with its neighbours and with the countries
of Central Asia. I affirm my country’s commitment
to actively engaging in efforts to shape our common
future.


I bring everyone warm greetings
from the people of Kiribati, on whose behalf I am once
again privileged to address this body. In my country we
begin all formal addresses by conferring blessings of
peace and good health on all present, so let me say Kam
na bane ni Mauri.

I echo the sentiments conveyed by previous
speakers in congratulating the President on assuming
the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-
ninth session. I am confident that under his able
stewardship, our Organization will continue its work
towards improving the security and quality of life for
all members of our global community, in particular
the most vulnerable. Let me also take this opportunity
to acknowledge with appreciation the commendable
leadership of his predecessor, Mr. John Ashe, for his
guidance and stewardship over the past year.

I also wish to commend the unwavering commitment
and hard work of our Secretary-General, Mr. Ban
Ki-moon, who has served as an able navigator of our
family’s ship, steering the United Nations through
the diverse and complex realities and the myriad of
challenges facing our peoples and nations around the
world. In particular, I wish to commend his sterling
leadership and demonstrated personal commitment to
the need to focus global attention on those who are most
vulnerable and who are on the front line of the many
major challenges facing us today as a global community.

We meet at a very critical time in the history of
multilateralism. The global community is in the process
of shaping a post-2015 development framework. We
are hearing stronger calls for United Nations reforms,
for reassessing the way we do things in our family of
nations. The membership is calling for a move away
from business as usual and for transformational
changes. We welcome the theme of the sixty-ninth
session — “Delivering on and implementing a
transformative post-2015 development agenda” — as it
aptly captures the call for changes by the membership.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, we concluded one of
the most successful conferences ever convened by the
Secretary-General on climate change. We applaud the
leadership and the Secretary-General’s very positive
initiative. Those of us on the front line of the impacts
of climate change welcome the renewed focus and the
rallying by the United Nations membership behind the
Secretary-General’s call for ambitious announcements
and commitments. The real challenge, however, is
in being able to translate those commitments and
announcements into action.

Three weeks ago, Samoa hosted the Third
International Conference on Small Island Developing
States. The United Nations and those who attended
declared it a resounding success. We thank our gracious
hosts — the Government and the people of Samoa.
Those very successful conferences signify recognition
by the United Nations and the membership of the need
to highlight the special case of those on the front line
of sustainable development, to refocus global attention
to the prevailing socioeconomic and environmental
challenges that continue to constrain efforts by small
island developing States (SIDS) to achieve sustainable
development. That is particularly pertinent now, as the
international community is in the process of shaping
the post-2015 development agenda.

The Small Island Developing States Accelerated
Modalities of Action provides a clear blueprint of
how the SIDS want to move forward in their efforts
to achieve sustainable development. The real test of
the success of the Samoa Conference, however, is in
the adoption of outcomes into genuine and durable
partnerships that can translate into activities on the
ground that will deliver tangible benefits to our people.

While SIDS heard the plight of some of the most
vulnerable, other United Nations processes are talking
about the graduation of those countries from the least
developed countries category. We believe that there is
a contradiction here. If we as a family of nations do
not act and do not work in partnership with those on
the front line of major challenges, whatever they may
be, then we will have failed in our efforts. I would like
to reiterate our deepest appreciation to the Secretary-
General for his demonstrated commitment and
leadership in focusing the United Nations and global
attention on the plight of the most needy, in alleviating
poverty, addressing the Ebola epidemic, raising the
voices of youth and women and their participation in
development, ending gender-based violence, promoting
peace and security, and acting against climate change
now.

As I have highlighted on numerous occasions
in the past, including earlier this week, the issue
of climate change remains the most single pressing
challenge for us in Kiribati. Climate change is an
existential challenge for low-lying island countries like
mine, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, the Maldives and

Tokelau, and I again call for urgent global action to
help those countries adapt and for international legally
binding commitments to cut greenhouse emissions.
The global community cannot afford to not listen to our
stories and to the plight of our peoples. Our plight is the
plight of the global community, further down the line.
Everyone’s future is on the line.

I have just returned from an Arctic expedition, to
the North Pole — hence, my loss of voice. I am still
overwhelmed today by what I witnessed with my own
eyes. The melting of the massive sheets of ice in the
Arctic region due to climate change will not only have
severe impacts on the lives of people in that region but
will also result in the demise of future generations in
other parts of the globe, in particular our most vulnerable
atoll island nations. It has been an eye-opener for me
to spend time in the past week in polar conditions. It
gave me a wider perspective of the immensity of what
is at stake beyond our own immediate concerns. That
visit to the Arctic region highlighted the stark reality
of the very direct connection between the destruction
of that polar region to what is happening to us in the
equatorial region, and the very unlikely possibility of
ever reversing that process once it has gone so far.

On Tuesday we heard the voice of a very talented
young woman, Ms. Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, a poet from
our part of the world, from the Marshall Islands. Her
voice represents the apprehension, the concern and the
voice of mothers from low-lying countries like ours
who lament what the future holds for their children
and their children’s children. Surely, we as leaders and
the mothers like Kathy and millions of others around
the world share, or should share, the same ultimate
goal — to leave to our children and grandchildren a
future that is better than what we inherited from our
forefathers. We from Kiribati salute Kathy for reaching
out and for touching the hearts of leaders who heard
her speak. May she touch many hearts and move many
more hearts.

The very sad reality is that we are just not on
course to achieve that. It is glaringly obvious that
we need to do things differently. We owe it to those
whom we represent — our people. For us, climate
change is not an event in the future. It is an event that
we are dealing with today. We simply cannot talk of
sustainable development without talking about climate
change. Earlier this week, I appealed to fellow leaders,
and will do so again today, for all of us to work together
against climate change and to move towards binding
international agreements, towards a clean energy
future, a healthier greener future for our children and a
healthier, greener home for our one planet, Earth.

What are we doing? Let us accept full responsibility
for our own development to improve the well-being of
our people into the future. We are determined to achieve
that by finding national solutions to overcome the
enormous development challenges that constrain our
efforts. My Government has mainstreamed sustainable
development principles into our national development
plan, policies and strategies. Climate change and
adaptation measures are integrated into our national
budgeting process and development programmes to
strengthen disaster risk management. We have adopted
an inclusive, whole-of-government and whole-of-nation
approach aimed at addressing climate change impacts
and strengthening our resilience.

Our strategy for migration with dignity is an
investment in the education of our people and upping
the skills of our young population to equip them with
the educational qualifications and employable skills
that will enable them to migrate with dignity to other
countries as a matter of choice and, in the worst-case
scenario, when our islands can no longer sustain human
life.

Last July, along with other frontline low-lying atoll
island States — Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, Maldives
and Tokelau — Kiribati initiated the establishment of
the Coalition of Low-lying Atoll Nations on Climate
Change (CANCC). The Coalition held its inaugural
meeting in Tarawa in July and produced an outcome
document that embraces the Coalition’s goals and
vision for building the resilience of our people in the
face of the challenges of climate change. The initiative
is prompted by the concerns we share regarding the
increasing severity of those challenges and the slow
pace of global action to address them. Our Coalition of
nations continues to support the ongoing negotiations
under the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, but we also emphasize that urgent
action must be taken now to assist our countries and
all vulnerable communities to adapt to the impacts of
climate change.

The Coalition initiative demonstrates our political
commitment and determination to find innovative
solutions to the threats we face from climate change.
We are looking at building up our low islands and
climate-proofing our infrastructure, and at our

development efforts to prepare and build the resilience
of our people in the face of the challenge.

We cannot do this alone, and we acknowledge the
support of our development partners and regional and
international organizations that have assisted us and
continue to support our efforts to address the challenge
of climate change. However, much more remains to be
done, including making climate-financing facilities
more accessible and flexible, as the solutions and
options for facing this challenge vary from nation to
nation.

The ocean plays a pivotal role in the sustainable
development of my country. Our vision for achieving
sustainable development hinges on the blue
economy — on the conservation and sustainable
management of our marine and ocean resources.
While we in Kiribati have been labelled a small
island developing State, we are in fact a “large ocean”
State that spans an ocean area of 3.5 million square
kilometres. The ocean has been an integral part of
our life since time immemorial. While it now poses a
serious threat to our survival from sea-level rise, it also
provides immense opportunities, not only as a source
of daily sustenance, but also as a means through which
we can realize sustainable development and achieve
livelihoods for our people.

Our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is one of the
largest in the world and is home to abundant tuna
resources that provide rich fishing grounds for our
distant fishing partners. We estimate that the total
annual landed value of the fisheries industry in our
EEZ is approximately $4 billion. Yet only 5 to 8 per
cent of that comes to us as resource owners, through
licensing fees. We have to ask, where is the equity and
fairness in that?

There is a need to review and restructure the
nature of public and private partnerships in the fishing
industry. A more equitable partnership based on mutual
respect, goodwill, fairness and accountability will go
a long way in providing an enabling environment for
sustainable development.

My Government is working to maximize the returns
from our large fisheries resource through value-adding
fisheries development, including on-shore processing.
Our limited capacity in terms of capital, technical
know-how, a lack of infrastructure, distance from
commercial and trade centres and air and sea transport
challenges stands in the way of our progress towards
that development aspiration. Direct foreign investment
and genuine partnership are therefore a way forward
in that regard. I am confident that such partnership,
forged around an equitable distribution of gains, will
be the development model going forward, with mutual
gains to be made.

Human activities have been responsible for the
accelerated degradation of our global environment, in
the pursuit of short-term economic gains without due
regard to the health of our oceans and our environment.
Never in human history has the health of our oceans
and planet Earth been so challenged. We all have a
shared responsibility and obligation with regard to the
protection of the ocean from further degradation and
the sustainable management of its rich biodiversity.

My country recognizes that shared responsibility
and, in 2008, established the Phoenix Islands Protected
Area (PIPA) in partnership with Conservation
International and the New England Aquarium.
UNESCO has inscribed PIPA on its list of World
Heritage Sites. In January 2015, we will completely
close off the Phoenix Islands Protected Area to all
commercial fishing activity across an area of more than
410,000 square kilometres, representing 11 per cent of
our total EEZ — about the size of the state of California.

PIPA is a rich fishing ground, so its total closure
on 31 December this year will entail loss of much-
needed revenue for Kiribati from fishing licence fees.
For us, it is a major but necessary short-term sacrifice
for the long-term health of our ocean and for sustaining
fish stocks for global food security. It demonstrates
our political commitment to the importance of marine
conservation and the sustainable management of marine
resources. It is our contribution to humankind and the
common good of all.

But the announcement of complete closure of this
vast marine protected area will amount to nothing
without monitoring and enforcement. We have therefore
established a PIPA trust fund to support our national
efforts in managing PIPA and monitoring that vast
marine protected area. We thank those who share our
vision and have contributed to the fund. We encourage
our partners who have not yet done so to join with us in
that massive undertaking.

The challenges we face in the twenty-first century
have taken on a new dimension. It is no longer a fight
to save a species here and a collapsed stock there;
the fight has become larger. It is now about how to

ensure the survival of whole peoples — communities,
villages, cities and nations. Entire ecosystems hang in
the balance, the ecosystems that provide us with the air
we breathe, the water we drink and much of the food we
eat. It is time to view our global development in a whole
new way. It is time to change business as usual. Indeed,
a paradigm shift and transformational development
approaches are necessary, starting from within our own
nations and moving out to regional and international
multilateral processes, institutions and partnerships.

It is high time we recognize that the new challenges
require that we draw on all the resources available to the
global community. Development and global challenges
do not belong to Governments alone. Let us bring in our
youth, our women, civil society, the private sector and
our traditional institutions. Let us be inclusive. Let all
those who have a contribution to make make it.

We welcome the inclusion of Taiwan in the
international processes of the World Health Assembly.
We hope that a similar inclusive approach will prevail
in respect of our other international institutions and the
United Nations processes, where Taiwan and all those
that can participate and contribute meaningfully for the
good of humankind can be brought in to do so.

We join in the broad international condemnation
of criminal extremism and express the hope that such
destabilizing tensions in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region
and elsewhere can be settled through peaceful means.
As distant as we think we are from the epicentres of
such events, they nonetheless impact on us in a very
real way in our part of the world.

In my country, even before the advent of climate
change, the atoll environment was indeed harsh. Life
on the low-lying atoll islands has always been difficult.
We have always worked on the principle of working
together as part of a community on the premise that
there will be some challenges that are larger than us and
need collaboration. The age-old test of our resilience
and our strength as a community is defined by the well-
being of the weakest member of our community. For us,
sustainable development must be inclusive. It requires
sincerity, goodwill, respect and the willingness to move
a little more slowly so as to assist and bring everyone
on board in order to move forward together.

I would like to bring those principles to the United
Nations. The pursuit of sustainable development
and lasting peace and security calls for and requires
sacrifice. It requires inclusiveness. It requires
collective and decisive action. It also requires political
commitment and political leadership from all of us
here, for the time to act is now.

On that note, I leave members with the traditional
blessing: may health, peace and prosperity be with us
all.