I wish to begin by
congratulating the President on his assumption of the
presidency at this session of the General Assembly. I
pledge Latvia’s full support to him.
 This year marks the twentieth anniversary of a
unique peaceful demonstration, namely, the Baltic
Way. On 23 August 1989, more than 1 million people
joined hands in a 600-kilometre-long human chain
across the three Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania. That event was dedicated to the fiftieth
anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between
the Stalinist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. The Pact
was another mile marker leading to the Second World
War and the occupation of the three Baltic States.
 The Baltic Way served as a powerful symbol of
the drive for democracy and freedom in our three
States. The importance of the Baltic Way was so
substantial that the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization added it to the
Memory of the World Register. The message of the
Baltic Way is very clear, namely, that if people and
countries truly commit to a common goal, and if they
join their efforts, even the most difficult challenge can
be met successfully.
 A look at today’s world reveals that never before
has international cooperation been so important. Never
before have we faced such a multitude of simultaneous
critical challenges of global significance. Many phrases
have been coined to describe the most severe problems:
the “three Es” crisis, for energy, economy and
environment, and the “three Fs” crisis, for finance,
food and fuel. But no matter what name we use we
must remember that those global issues require urgent
and concerted action at the global level.
 Since we met here last year, the financial crisis
has turned into a global economic crisis. It has struck
the world with its full strength. Consequences are
being felt by every State and by every economy. They
have an effect on international policy and make us
reconsider domestic policies as well. Latvia has
undertaken painful but necessary adjustments to the
downturn. We have learned our lessons. I am confident
that our economy and the entire global economic
system will come out of the crisis stronger than before.
 Current realities are serving to underline the
values of inclusiveness, tolerance and compassion, not
only domestically but also in the international arena. It
is self-evident that we can tackle the challenges only
by joint efforts. We should use the crisis as a catalyst
for looking beyond our individual gains. We should
therefore use it to look at how we can promote an open
international trade system. We hope for the prompt
conclusion of the long-overdue round of talks on the
Doha Development Agenda.
 Development is hard in times of crisis.
Developing countries are particularly severely affected
by its negative effects. We are well aware of the risk of
jeopardizing what has been done in achieving the
Millennium Development Goals. We must not give up.
Latvia is honouring its commitments to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals.
 Climate change is a global challenge that needs to
be tackled at the global level. The United Nations
Summit on Climate Change has demonstrated that it is
important to reach a comprehensive and fair agreement
on future global climate policy at the Copenhagen
Conference, to be held in December of this year. Such
an agreement should follow the principle of common
but differentiated responsibilities. Every country
should contribute according to its capabilities, but the
political will of every nation is what matters most.
 The stability and security situation in a number of
countries and regions of the world is of particular
concern to the global community. Afghanistan is
certainly one of them. The holding of presidential
elections in a fragile security situation was a
significant achievement by the Afghan people. It is
crucial to pursue balanced international involvement in

21 09-52425

Afghanistan, which should include both a civilian
surge and military efforts. We must continue our
assistance to Afghanistan and other countries in the
region in order to prevent the threat of festering
terrorism. It is important to understand that the value
of local knowledge of the situation and of regional
involvement cannot be overestimated. We remain
committed to the rebuilding process in Afghanistan
while paying special attention to upgrading its
infrastructure and strengthening its economy. Latvia
has contributed both military and civilian assistance to
the development of Afghanistan.
 Achieving peace in the Middle East is another
issue that remains at the top of the international
agenda. The two-State idea will become a reality only
when the Israeli Government sincerely works to make
it one. It will become a sustainable reality only when
Palestinian leaders settle their own differences in the
interests of their people. This year, Latvia provided a
rehabilitation programme for 18 Palestinian boys and
girls. They came to Latvia to participate in our
rehabilitation programme for traumatized children
from the Gaza Strip. Those children came to overcome
the psychological impact of the conflict they
experienced earlier this year.
 Latvia would like to reiterate its firm support for
the security and stability of Georgia, which must be
based on full respect for the principles of
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as
recognized by international law. The security situation
in and around Georgia is still very fragile. We regret
that the Security Council failed to agree on the
continuation of the United Nations Observer Mission
in Georgia. Unfortunately, despite all the efforts by the
international community, the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was forced to close
its Mission in Georgia.
 As a result, this year we lost two important
international instruments for promoting stability and
peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia. Latvia strongly
believes that the international community should
continue to look for a solution. We should work to
secure a full and effective United Nations and OSCE
presence in Georgia, including in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. Meanwhile, it is ever more important to
strengthen the only remaining international mission,
namely, the European Union Monitoring Mission in
Georgia, which has convincingly proven its pivotal role
in stabilizing the situation on the ground. We would
also like to stress the importance of the resolution on
the status of internally displaced persons and refugees
from the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. The resolution is an important show of
commitment to fundamental humanitarian principles.
 Choosing leadership is the right and the
responsibility of the people. We recently witnessed the
post-electoral crisis in Iran. We are concerned about
the deteriorating human rights situation and the violent
crackdowns there. If the Iranian Government seeks
recognition as the representative of its people, it should
respect human rights. If the Iranian Government seeks
the respect of the international community, it should
comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security
Council. By doing so, Iran could become a genuine
contributor to peace and stability in the whole region.
 Latvia has been steadfast in the global efforts to
combat the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. We are sure that the 2010 Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will be an
important milestone in that process. Latvia is
convinced that it will promote the aims of
non-proliferation, disarmament and the use of nuclear
energy for exclusively peaceful purposes.
 This fall we will celebrate the sixtieth
anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions. The
character of armed conflict is constantly changing, and
new challenges, such as terrorism, arise. Still, the
Geneva Conventions remain the bedrock of
international humanitarian law. Unfortunately, the
political will to fully implement the Conventions
remains insufficient. Violations of the provisions of the
Conventions and the norms of human rights law still
occur.
 Latvia therefore strongly supports the
International Criminal Court. It is a mechanism
designed to fight impunity and to promote compliance
with the norms of international law. Latvia commends
the work of the Court. We also call on all States to
fully cooperate with it.
 Mr. Gomes (Guinea-Bissau), Vice-President, took
the Chair.
 The concept of the responsibility to protect was
agreed upon at the 2005 World Summit. Latvia
supports that concept. It is important to work towards
its implementation. It would help us to create a world

09-52425 22

order where inactivity in the face of mass atrocities
becomes a thing of the past.
 Three years ago, the General Assembly decided
to establish the Human Rights Council. The Council
has already achieved some results. The Universal
Periodic Review mechanism is one of its most notable
successes. However, we believe that that process can
be further improved to avoid abuse of its shortcomings
in methodology and practice. The Human Rights
Council will undergo a review in 2011. We believe that
the Council can become even more credible, as well as
an effective body for the promotion and protection of
human rights.
 Latvia has a long-standing commitment and
experience with promoting human rights. We are ready
to share our experience in that area with the
international community. Latvia has therefore put
forward its candidacy for the Human Rights Council
for the year 2014.
 Latvia has always supported the strengthening of
the United Nations. The reform of the Security
Council, aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and
legitimacy of its work, is an important part of the
overall reform of the United Nations. The composition
of the Security Council must reflect the realities and
dynamics of today’s world. Latvia welcomes the
beginning of intergovernmental negotiations on
Security Council reform. We also emphasize the
importance of continued progress in that area.
 We note with concern that, at a time of global
recession, the United Nations budget is increasing
considerably. It is important to prioritize activities and
to continue the reform of the United Nations. We
would also like to see more transparency and budgetary
discipline in the process of budget planning and
implementation.
 Latvia is a candidate for next year’s elections to
the Economic and Social Council. We are willing to
share our experience in addressing global challenges,
such as sustainable development, poverty eradication,
the implementation of good governance and the rule of
law, fundamental freedoms and environmental stability.
 Latvia is already building up its expertise on the
functional commissions and activities related to the
mandate of the Council. We are an active participant in
the United Nations Forum on Forests, the Commission
on Science and Technology for Development, the
Statistical Commission, and the Commission on
Sustainable Development.
 The United Nations is the only truly universal
forum for dialogue and action. All States, big and
small, have the responsibility to contribute to the
fruitful work of the United Nations. Let me assure the
President that Latvia is ready to work closely with him
and all Member States to make the sixty-fourth session
of the General Assembly a successful one.


This morning, like all
other members of the Assembly, I listened with great
interest to President Obama’s statement. The President
spoke from the heart with great idealism and called
upon all of us to shoulder our common responsibility to
secure the future of the world by bringing about real
change. He expressed feelings, hopes and goals that I
share and that I also intended to express here.
However, since he said those things so well, I shall
forgo that part of my statement and confine myself to
reporting on the outcomes of the L’Aquila summit of
the Group of Eight (G-8), over which I had the honour
to preside.
 The L’Aquila summit brought together in that
grief-stricken city the representatives of 28 countries
representing more than 80 per cent of the global
economy. Our first order of business was to continue
the work being done on banking and financial market
regulations, which will again occupy us in two days’

09-52179 50

time at the Pittsburgh summit. We believed it crucial to
ensure solid and lasting growth. Economic activity
must once again be based on the principles of equity
and transparency. The new development model should
also be based on open markets and a rejection of
protectionism so that the poorest countries can benefit
fully from the growth opportunities provided by
international trade.
 After L’Aquila, we decided to revive the Doha
negotiations with a view to concluding them by 2010.
Our trade ministers have already met in India to
provide practical follow-up to that decision. Pittsburgh
will be an important opportunity to reaffirm the
political commitments undertaken at L’Aquila.
 Progress was also made in the area of climate
change. The major economies reached an agreement to
limit global warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-
industrial levels. The common front to combat climate
change was reaffirmed by the broad participation in the
meeting held here yesterday at the initiative of the
Secretary-General. I thank him for the leadership that
he demonstrated on that occasion — a quality so
essential to the success of the Copenhagen summit.
 L’Aquila reaffirmed a clear and fundamental
concept that I wish to reiterate today. Overcoming the
challenge of climate change will require commitment
on the part of all actors in the global economy, without
exception.
 In the area of food security, we decided to
establish a $20-billion fund for agricultural
development and the fight against world hunger. The
effort to restore agriculture’s place at the heart of the
international agenda is a common thread running
through the G-8 summit, the Pittsburgh summit of the
Group of 20 (G-20) and the food security summit that
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations will host in Rome in November.
 Too often in the past, the financial assistance
allocated to developing countries has failed to reach
those for whom it was intended. That is why we have
decided that such financing should be invested in the
implementation of concrete projects primarily targeting
agricultural infrastructure. The beneficiary countries
must also do their part. If it is to be effective,
assistance should be directed only to those countries
that promote democracy, are committed to good
governance, respect human rights and protect women
and children.
 Finally, we discussed the need to firmly counter
stock-market speculation and the manipulation of the
energy, commodities and food resource markets. This
is of the utmost importance. Speculation in food
products — wheat, rice and soy — has led to serious
crises, in particular on the African continent, where the
elderly and children have been dying of starvation. In
turn, dramatic fluctuations in oil prices have
contributed to financial and economic instability. Why?
Because the price of crude oil has risen from $70 to
$150 a barrel, only to drop to $32 dollars and then
bounce back to $70, despite a nearly 2 per cent
decrease in world consumption over the past year. We
know only too well that such fluctuations are caused by
speculation, whereby a barrel of oil is bought and sold
four to six times before it reaches the end user. And it
is precisely the interest of speculators that drives up the
price of a barrel.
 Thus, it is an absolute priority that the futures
market be more strictly regulated. In our view, we
should also consider a global system of strategic
commodity reserves in order to nip in the bud any
speculative tendencies. Impartial specialized agencies,
such as those of the United Nations, should also be
empowered. Finally, the fight against speculation must
also ultimately include the abolition of tax havens.
Much has been done to eliminate existing havens, but
we must also strengthen the monitoring role of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in
order to fight attempts to create new ones.
 In a nutshell, those are the main outcomes of the
L’Aquila summit. The crisis from which we are
emerging makes it incumbent upon all of us to address
the issue of effective governance. The G-8 still has a
major role to play in geopolitical, non-proliferation and
development issues, as confirmed at L’Aquila.
Together with the G-20, which is now developing
alongside it, we need to coordinate our actions to
tackle global economic governance and open it up to
all major countries wishing to contribute. In doing so,
we must, of course, respect the central role of the
United Nations, beginning with its most representative
organ, the General Assembly.
 As for the United Nations, we must also reform
the Security Council to make it more effective and
representative. Let me strike a note of caution,
however. Adding new national permanent members
would simply increase the sense of exclusion of all
countries that contribute actively to international peace

51 09-52179

and security and of those that could assume growing
responsibilities in the future.
 Finally, during the past century, the international
community faced even more tragic crises than it does
today. History shows that no crisis is insurmountable,
but we must be positive, resolute and, above all,
united. As President Obama recalled this morning, we
are all going to have to roll up our sleeves. That is the
key message sent from L’Aquila. Only through
common commitment will we be able to restore the
consumer confidence that is so indispensable to a
renewal of spending and investment. Only through
common action will we be able to overcome a crisis
whose roots lie also in the psychological soil of fear as
the determining factor.
 If we are willing and able to do this together, our
efforts will be successful and we will manage to limit
the depth and the duration of the crisis. I have no doubt
that we will succeed. I am absolutely sure of that.
 I thank representatives for their attention, and
offer my best wishes for their work.


I am indeed honoured to address
this body on behalf of the people of Kiribati, but let me
start by congratulating Mr. Ali Treki on his assumption
of the presidency of the General Assembly at this
session. The tasks ahead of him and indeed ahead of us
all are challenging. I am confident, however, that with
cooperative efforts and commitment from all of us and
with the President’s able leadership of this session, we
should be able to rise to the challenge before us. I also
take the opportunity to thank the President’s
predecessor, Mr. D’Escoto Brockmann, for his
commendable leadership during the previous session.
 Every year, we gather in this Hall to deliberate on
the daunting challenges that continue to confront us as
citizens of the international community. We gather as
leaders to find solutions to these challenges that will
ensure the survival of humanity not just today but
tomorrow and beyond.
 Climate change is indeed the greatest moral
challenge to humanity in our time, and I fear that our
children and grandchildren will look back and ask us
the question: “How is it that they knew what they knew
yet they did so little?” We simply cannot afford the
consequences of inaction. The people of my country
are already feeling the impacts of climate change,
which will only worsen over time. We, together with
those of other low-lying States, will become victims of
climate change.
 I have been advocating a combination of
pragmatic adaptation strategies for my people. It is our
overwhelming desire to maintain our homeland and our
sovereignty. However, with the inevitable decline in
the ability of our islands to support life — let alone
increasing populations — due to rising sea levels, we
must also provide opportunities for those of our people
who wish to migrate to be able to do so on merit and
with dignity. Our approaches will be time-relevant,
responding to the different levels of threat and impacts
of climate change on our islands and our people as
time goes by.
 We expect greenhouse gas emitters to take
appropriate action to mitigate these negative effects.
We ask for assistance with our adaptation efforts and
we ask those who might need our labour to be able to
open their doors. It is important to stress that these
options are not mutually exclusive.
 The President returned to the Chair.
 Our relocation strategy requires the support of the
international community. On previous occasions, I
have referred to existing initiatives with our regional
development partners, and I wish to say again that I am
grateful to the Governments of New Zealand and
Australia for their support through the Pacific Access
Category scheme, the Kiribati Australia Nursing
Initiative and the Australia-Pacific Technical College
programme. These are models that we believe can be
implemented more broadly as a win-win option for all
concerned. Pacific leaders have agreed to work
together to address climate change through the 2008
Niue Declaration on Climate Change.
 Internationally, the declaration adopted by
Alliance of Small Island States leaders a few days ago
outlines the issues of importance to small island
developing States and calls for action on climate
change, particularly leading up to Copenhagen.
Resolution 63/281 on climate change and its possible
security implications is a landmark decision of the
General Assembly that acknowledges the link between
climate change and security. I commend our Pacific
ambassadors in New York for initiating and driving
that resolution, and I thank the sponsors for their
support.
 I appreciate that reaching consensus in
Copenhagen will not be an easy task, but I do believe
that it is possible and that it is imperative that we do
so. If we can mobilize trillions of dollars to address the
challenges of the global economic crisis, then we must
be equally capable of taking the action necessary to

27 09-52463

deal with the challenges of the global environment.
Over the past few days, I have been deeply heartened
to see leaders’ strong commitment to tackling this
common challenge together, to hear leaders resolve to
look beyond national interests and focus on the global
interest, and by their understanding of the predicament
of those on the front line of climate change.
 To be able to see leaders’ strong determination to
seal the deal in Copenhagen — a deal that, among
other things, will address the plight of the most
vulnerable — has given me hope and restored my faith
in humanity and in the relevance of our global
community and our global leadership. I take this
opportunity to strongly commend the Secretary-
General for his initiative in organizing the high-level
Summit on Climate Change. That Summit provided us
with the opportunity as leaders to talk face to face and
to agree on a way forward for the climate change
negotiations. I also thank my fellow leaders for their
understanding, compassion and political will
collectively to address this crisis and its impacts.
 It is now absolutely necessary that we capitalize
on this collective political will. We must direct our
negotiators to act accordingly to ensure that our
common resolve as leaders is in fact given effect. I
know that we will not be able to agree on all issues, but
at the same time I am sure there are some fundamental
issues that we cannot afford not to agree on. Let us not
waste any more time on diplomatic talk, language,
drafting of amendments, posturing and empty
platitudes. We know what needs to be done. It has been
called many things — a new world order, the grand
bargain, a new green deal — but Copenhagen gives us
the opportunity to enter into a global compact for
action on climate change between developed and
developing countries, North and South, East and West.
This might be our last chance. If we do not act now,
who the hell is going to do it?
 We have declared the Phoenix Islands Protected
Area (PIPA), the largest marine protected area in the
world, covering more than 400,000 square kilometres
of ocean area. It constitutes something like 11 per cent
of our exclusive economic zone. PIPA is a collective
partnership between my Government, Conservation
International and New England Aquarium. The
preservation of the Phoenix Islands and the
surrounding ocean is our gift, our statement to
humanity, in the face of climate change. It is our
contribution to international efforts to significantly
reduce biodiversity loss by the year 2010. Even now as
we confront the possibility that our islands will become
uninhabitable within this century due to rising sea
levels, we recognize the value of protecting something
that we firmly believe to be the common heritage of all
mankind.
 We are indeed encouraged to see the emergence
of ocean conservation and management initiatives in
the Pacific. Such initiatives include the Micronesia
Challenge, the Coral Triangle Initiative and the Nauru
Agreement. Kiribati and the Pacific are committed to
the sustainable conservation and management of its
oceans. At the Pacific Islands Forum in Australia last
month, the leaders of the Pacific adopted the Pacific
Oceanscape initiative, aimed at promoting
collaboration and exchanges between marine protected
areas in the region and with other partners. We call for
support for this initiative from the international
community.
 The impacts of the climate crisis, the
international financial crisis and the food and energy
crisis have ended our efforts to achieve sustainable
development and our way forward towards achieving
the Millennium Development Goals. The particular
economic and environment vulnerability of Kiribati as
a small island developing State should be taken into
account when considering us for graduation from least
developed country status. Assistance provided to the
least developed countries helps us at this point in time
in our efforts to address challenges we face as a nation.
To lose that assistance would be detrimental to our
efforts and to the livelihood of our people. We reiterate
our call to the United Nations to reconsider the listing
for the graduation of Kiribati and other countries in the
Pacific.
 On the issue of global governance, the United
Nations is undergoing change to adapt to the realities
of our time. It must maintain its relevance if it is to
address the security challenges that the world continues
to face. We believe that the United Nations should be
an inclusive Organization, particularly for States such
as Taiwan that make a contribution to world harmony
and have demonstrated time and again their willingness
and ability to contribute positively to international
cooperative efforts. Taiwan has demonstrated its
commitment to international peace and security
through its contributions to national, regional and
international development programmes. It is only fair
and fitting, therefore, that Taiwan should be allowed to

09-52463 28

participate meaningfully in meetings and activities of
the United Nations organs. Given the impact of climate
change and the demands of aviation safety and security
on its development and the well-being of its people, we
now appeal for the meaningful participation of Taiwan
in the work and activities of the International Civil
Aviation Organization and the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
 In concluding, in the face of the common
challenges facing the global community, it is
encouraging to hear leaders call for a new global order
in which our interests as fellow citizens of the planet
override our national interests, particularly where
global human security and lives are under serious
threat. This goal reaffirms the principle of collective
responsibility for the common challenges that we face.
 The United Nations will and must continue to
play a significant role in the new world order,
particularly in mobilizing the political will and the
necessary action and resources required to implement
it. Copenhagen will be the test of the political will and
commitment that we have declared over the past few
days as leaders. It will determine the fate of the most
vulnerable and eventually the whole of humanity.


It is a great privilege and
honour for me to address the General Assembly, to
which people of the world look with high hopes and
expectations to find effective solutions to the multitude
of challenges and threats that spare no one.
 First, let me congratulate you, Sir, on the
assumption of your duties as President of the General
Assembly at the sixty-fourth session and also express
my delegation’s appreciation to your predecessor, His
Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for his
work during the sixty-third session.
 Slovakia fully associates itself with the statement
delivered earlier by the Prime Minister of Sweden on
behalf of the European Union. I would like to
contribute to this debate with some additional remarks.
 Slovakia is a keen believer in effective
multilateralism and the central role of the United
Nations in that regard. We therefore greatly welcome
the main theme of our deliberations during this general
debate, with a focus on achieving tangible results on
the three pillars of the work of the United Nations:
peace and security, human rights and development.
 We welcome the attention that the Organization
has paid to the issue of climate change, as well as to
increasing food security and eliminating the negative
effects of the financial and economic crisis, especially
in the most vulnerable States and populations. Slovakia
calls for reaching an ambitious, balanced and
comprehensive agreement on climate change in
Copenhagen at the end of 2009 that will replace the
Kyoto Protocol. Also, we need to elaborate an action
plan and strengthen global strategies for food security
in the world. It is essential not to lose sight of the
Millennium Development Goals and to maintain our
efforts to achieve them by the year 2015.
 We have in recent years invested considerable
effort in elaborating and implementing our own
concept of official development assistance, through a
number of bilateral and multilateral projects. The
western Balkans, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Africa
have been among our priority geographic areas in this
regard.
 Slovakia’s commitment to the issues of economic
and social development prompted us to present our
candidature for membership of the United Nations
Economic and Social Council at the elections to be
held in the General Assembly later this year. We
appreciate the endorsement of our candidature by the
Group of Eastern European and other States and will
do our best to gain the trust and support of all of the
Organization’s Member States. Slovakia is committed
to serving as an active and engaged member of the
Economic and Social Council, and would like to
contribute tangibly to making that important United
Nations organ as relevant and as effective as possible.
 The United Nations has achieved remarkable
results in peacekeeping over past decades. We
recognize its continued efforts to adapt peacekeeping
so that it can respond better to current and future
challenges. More emphasis should be put on ensuring
that peacekeepers and other United Nations actors on
the ground are properly equipped and trained,
including in the area of the so-called critical
capabilities. It is our belief that preventive diplomacy
should be used whenever possible in order to avoid
conflicts in the first place.
 Slovakia continues to be actively engaged in
numerous peace and security endeavours of the
international community. We are currently participating
in international crisis-management operations under
United Nations command or Security Council mandate
in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Kosovo, Bosnia and
Herzegovina and the Middle East. We are doing our
best to contribute to peacekeeping, peacebuilding,
stabilization and reconstruction efforts in those parts of
the world and will continue to do so in the future.
 In addition, Slovakia remains actively engaged in
the area of security sector reform, an issue that we
began promoting within the United Nations during our
non-permanent membership in the Security Council.
Slovakia, as the initiator and chair of the United
Nations Group of Friends of Security Sector Reform,
will continue working to ensure that the United

09-52586 48

Nations system is able to react in an adequate, timely
and systematic manner to the needs of Member States
relating to security sector reform. After a useful
African regional workshop, held in Cape Town as a
joint South African and Slovak project, we have now
teamed up with key partners, namely, Argentina and
Indonesia, in two other important regions, Latin
America and South-East Asia. The Buenos Aires
workshop will be held just a few days from now.
 As I have already mentioned, we are glad to see
that significant progress has been achieved in
preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention and
mediation support. This has recently been
demonstrated, for example, in the role played by
United Nations mediation teams in helping to find
peaceful and negotiated solutions to crises in Kenya,
Zimbabwe, Madagascar and elsewhere. Slovakia will
contribute further to that work. We are, in this regard,
very pleased that the first United Nations Regional
Centre for Preventive Diplomacy, located in Central
Asia and led by a Slovak representative, has achieved
good results so far and has fully proved itself as a
meaningful and necessary project. We are convinced
that issues such as conflict prevention cannot be seen
in isolation. They are connected with respect for
human rights, protection of civilians, gender equality,
protection of children in armed conflict and so forth.
As a serving member of the United Nations Human
Rights Council, Slovakia works to promote universal
respect for the protection of human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all, at national and
international levels.
 Among the key tools that the United Nations has
at its disposal for protecting those who are most
endangered and vulnerable is the concept of
responsibility to protect, one of the most important
achievements of the 2005 World Summit. We believe
the international community should focus more on the
protection of civilian populations from genocide, war
crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
Nor can we forget our obligation, under international
law, to prevent the incitement of those most serious
crimes, which should be referred to the International
Criminal Court, established for the purpose of ending
impunity for perpetrators of such crimes.
 Much of the Organization’s ability to deal with
current threats and challenges depends on the existing
institutional framework. The United Nations Security
Council is at the centre of that framework. Slovakia is
a long-term advocate of enlarging the Security Council
in both of its membership categories. The composition
of an enlarged Security Council should better reflect
new global realities. Appropriate attention must also be
paid to the Council’s working methods. We are pleased
that the intergovernmental negotiations have begun and
believe that things will move forward in the interest of
making the Security Council a truly relevant and
efficient body.
 The old saying “If you seek peace, prepare for
war” has resulted in an unprecedented arms race,
which in itself has become a source of fear and
insecurity. Slovakia is particularly concerned about the
risk of weapons of mass destruction and their means of
delivery falling into the hands of non-State actors,
especially terrorist groups. In this connection, Slovakia
is ready to work with all partners towards the
successful outcome of the 2010 Review Conference of
the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, which should result in an enhanced
international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Our
priority is to outlaw nuclear testing and see the
Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty come into force.
Slovakia also calls for an early start to substantive
negotiations on an arms trade treaty, which is essential
for reducing the unacceptable human cost resulting
from the proliferation of conventional arms.
 Slovakia, together with the other members of the
European Union, is deeply concerned about Iran’s
continued defiance despite its international obligations,
including the Security Council’s demands that it
suspend its nuclear activities. We note that Iran has
agreed to continue talks with the P5+1 group of the
five permanent members of the Security Council plus
Germany, and we call on Iran to commit to diplomatic
negotiations in order to restore the trust of the
international community and make real and urgently
needed progress. The deteriorating human rights
situation and the violent suppression of the popular
protests that erupted in Iran after the elections in June
is a cause of much concern to Slovakia. We have also
repeatedly and strongly condemned the nuclear test and
missile launches carried out by the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea. We call on North Korea to
reverse its position on the Non-Proliferation Treaty and
join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
 Let me now turn to some regional issues that
Slovakia pays particular attention to. As a matter of
priority, Slovakia has been closely following

49 09-52586

developments in the western Balkans. We continue to
promote full respect for international law, including the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of States within
their internationally recognized borders. At the same
time, we welcome and support a peaceful and
constructive approach to seeking solutions to disputes.
We believe that the future of the entire region and its
people lies in the European perspective and that there
is no meaningful alternative to that.
 Promotion of full respect for international law
and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States
within their internationally recognized borders is also
the principle that guides us in the case of Georgia.
Slovakia was very disappointed when, earlier this year,
the Security Council was unable to agree on extending
the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in
Georgia. The termination of the Mission complicates
the already unstable situation in the region, as well as
the security conditions for civilians in the conflict
zone. We firmly support a peaceful and lasting solution
to the conflict in Georgia and hope that the Geneva
talks will yield positive results.
 In addition to participating in the United Nations
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus operation on a long-
term basis, Slovakia has been actively engaged for
more than 20 years in the confidence-building process
between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
political leaders, and we are committed to continuing
our active engagement. A combination of military and
development aid activities characterizes our long-term
active engagement in Afghanistan. Slovakia, as a
member of the International Security Assistance Force
operation, is helping to establish a secure and stable
environment in Afghanistan.
 In conclusion, Slovakia hopes that the last year of
the first decade of this millennium will bring all the
States of the international community closer together in
order to overcome the negative consequences of the
financial and economic crisis, among others.
 This represents a basic step towards the possible
settlement of many other conflicts and problems that
the international community is facing. In our view, we
have to intensify our efforts, in this regard, and adopt
appropriate measures on the local, regional and global
levels in the spirit of solidarity and common
responsibility. We strongly believe that the United
Nations and its specialized agencies must be directly
engaged in this process and guide the world for the
welfare of this generation and of those of the future.
 I should like once again to reaffirm Slovakia’s
support for your work, which, through pursuing the
priorities of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session, will address the main ills that pain the
international community today.


It is indeed an honour and a
pleasure for me to extend my very warm
congratulations to Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his
well-deserved election to the presidency at the sixty-
fourth session of the General Assembly. I hope that
during his presidency he will help advance the
revitalization of the General Assembly, reinforce
multilateralism and promote dialogue among
civilizations. I promise Mr. Treki my personal
cooperation as well as that of the Tanzanian delegation
in the discharge of his responsibilities.
 Allow me also to use this opportunity to pay
tribute to his predecessor, His Excellency Father
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for a job very well done.
I thank him for the honour he recently bestowed upon
the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the founder President
and Father of the Tanzanian nation.
 Our deep appreciation also goes to our illustrious
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his diligent
service to the United Nations and to humankind. His
exemplary leadership and commitment to action in
addressing the global challenges we are facing are
appreciated by many of us. We wish him and his entire
team great success in the future.
 For over five years now, a number of countries in
Eastern Africa, including Tanzania, have been
experiencing unprecedented drought. We have never
seen anything like this before. Maybe the effects of
climate change are taking a toll. As a result of this,
agricultural production has been affected severely
causing acute food shortages. There is an acute
shortage of pasture and water for our livestock and
wildlife in the game parks that is resulting in the deaths
of many of our animals. Rivers have been drying up
frequently thus causing interruptions in hydropower
generation.
 The effects of the drought are threatening to
reach catastrophic proportions if the shortage of rain
continues for the next few years. It is important for the
United Nations to be aware of this growing danger and
to look into ways of assisting us. We should not wait to
act until graphic pictures of emaciated and dying
children dominate TV screens and newspapers.
 History has taught us that the greatest successes
in the development of nations began with agriculture.
No doubt, therefore, the low levels of development in
Africa today are indicative of the underdevelopment of
our agriculture. Indeed, African agriculture is
backward and productivity is low. It needs to be
transformed, it needs to be modernized. The African
green revolution has taken too long to happen.
 Concerted efforts by African Governments and
Africa’s development partners are required.
Unfortunately, there is not as much interest on the part
of our development partners to support agricultural
transformation in Africa as there is for other sectors.
This is an unfortunate omission which needs to be
corrected. We look to the United Nations to take the
lead in this regard.
 Allow me to pay tribute to President Barack
Obama for demonstrating keen interest in assisting the
transformation and modernization of Africa’s
agriculture. African leaders were humbled by his
commitment at the meeting he held with leaders from
sub-Saharan Africa on 22 September of this year. I
appeal to other leaders to emulate his example.
 Another issue that I would like to raise for
discussion and action is the problem of youth
unemployment in Africa. Africa faces one of the
biggest unemployment challenges on the planet.
African youth make up 37 per cent of the working age
population in Africa, but they are 60 per cent of the

09-52425 18

unemployed. In some nations youth unemployment is
up to 80 per cent. Africa has the fastest-growing and
most youthful population in the world. Over 20 per
cent of Africa’s population is between the ages of 15
and 24. As a result, a constantly rising number of
young Africans has been entering, and will continue to
enter, a labour market that has not been fast-growing.
 Beyond economic costs, high rates of youth
unemployment have had negative consequences in our
continent. We have seen how some youths with no job
prospects, and little hope of getting any, have become
the fuel being added to the raging fires of conflict in
many parts of our continent. They simply fall prey to
the machinations of war lords, criminal gangs and
political manipulators, to the detriment of peace and
stability in their countries.
 Creating job opportunities for Africa’s youth is an
enormous task that Governments of our poor
economies cannot carry out alone. Friends of Africa in
the international community, both from Government
and the private sector, have an important role to play in
that regard. Allow me to commend the Danish
Government for showing the way. In April 2008, it
formed the Danish Commission for Africa to address
youth unemployment challenges on the continent. The
Commission, on which I was fortunate to serve, came
up with five bold initiatives that I believe, if strong
international partnership can be forged to implement
them, can turn the large youth unemployment problem
from a challenge into an opportunity. I humbly ask this
body for the opportunity for the Commission’s report
to be presented to the General Assembly. At the same
time, I propose that the Assembly consider declaring a
decade to focus on youth employment in Africa,
possibly 2011 to 2020.
 Two days ago, we held the fruitful high-level
Climate Change Summit. I would like to thank
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and commend him for
his leadership on this important and challenging issue
of our time. The event will go a long way towards
paving the way for a comprehensive agreement in
Copenhagen in December 2009.
 It was heart-warming indeed to hear President
Barack Obama assure this world body that the United
States will join other nations in the joint endeavour to
save our common planet. We are also happy that, under
the leadership of Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the
United Kingdom, consensus has been emerging on
making additional resources available to assist
developing nations in their efforts at adaptation,
mitigation and the pursuit of clean development.
 Allow me now to talk about three side events that
have taken place during this session of the General
Assembly.
 The first one was the panel discussion on
accelerating the implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), which was organized by
Ms. Helen Clark, the new Administrator of the United
Nations Development Programme, together with
Mr. Douglas Alexander, the United Kingdom’s Secretary
for International Development. At that meeting,
important impressions were made about successes and
shortcomings with regard to the implementation of the
MDGs to date. The meeting was a curtain-raiser for
next year’s MDG summit. I hope all of us will take
seriously the observations and conclusions that were
made, so that there will be no default come 2015.
 The second was the meeting on maternal and
child health convened by Prime Minister Gordon
Brown with the support of Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and World Bank President Robert Zoellick.
The meeting was a great success. I was impressed and
encouraged by the commitment made by Prime
Minister Brown and by the support of the World Bank
to save the lives of millions of innocent mothers and
children who die of causes that can be prevented.
While I applaud and thank Prime Minister Brown for
his leadership, I appeal for unqualified support for the
outcome of the meeting, for the sake of saving the lives
of many women and children in Africa and elsewhere
in the developing world.
 The third was yesterday’s launch of the African
Leaders Malaria Alliance. That was a landmark event
at which African leaders made an unequivocal
declaration of commitment to end malaria in their
respective countries. The Alliance provides the
mechanism for advocacy, collective action and follow-
up on measures to build capacities to eliminate the
number one killer disease in Africa. Malaria can be
prevented, cured, controlled and eliminated in Africa.
Many countries in the world have done so; why not us
in Africa? I would like the General Assembly to
acknowledge that historic event and render support to
the work of the African Leaders Alliance against
malaria. Once again, I would like to thank Mr. Ray
Chambers, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for

19 09-52425

Malaria, for successfully organizing that event. I would
also like to thank all African leaders for their support
and commitment.
 The gains made in the area of development can
easily be eroded if the foundations of peace and
stability are threatened. It is a matter of great comfort
and pride that peace reigns in most parts of Africa,
except for one or two hot spots — Somalia in
particular and, to some extent, Darfur. There is calm in
the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Burundi is enjoying peace after many years of
civil war and instability, which has facilitated the
return of many Burundi refugees from Tanzania.
However, there are more than 160,000 Burundi
refugees who have chosen to remain in Tanzania and
are applying to become Tanzanian citizens.
 We have in principle accepted their request and
are now finalizing the procedures to grant them
citizenship. However, I want this body to know that my
Government has decided that, if accepted, they will be
moved from the refugee camps in which they reside at
the moment and will be resettled in various places in
the country. We do not want them to remain with the
refugee mentality. We also do not want Tanzanians to
continue to consider them refugees. That is going to be
a very expensive exercise for which the support of the
United Nations and other friends will be necessary.
 Tanzania remains committed to contribute to
peace in Africa and the world. I promise that we will
continue to play that historic role to the best of our
ability. In that regard, we are making good progress on
our promise to scale up our participation in United
Nations peacekeeping operations. We have
peacekeepers in the United Nations mission in
Lebanon, and we are ready to increase their number.
We are also in the final preparations of deploying a
battalion of peacekeepers in Darfur. We are going to
honour the request made by the United Nations to work
with the United Nations Organization Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in the
training of the armed forces of that country, under the
Mission’s security sector reforms for the country. My
message today is that we are ready to do more
whenever requested.
 Let me add my voice in support of the two-State
solution for an Israel and a Palestine living together
side by side at peace with one another. Tanzania is of
the strong opinion that that is the best way to
sustainable peace in the Middle East.
 With regard to Western Sahara, we call upon the
Security Council to expedite the process of giving the
people of Western Sahara the opportunity to decide on
their future status. That matter has dragged on for too
long, namely, since 1975. The time has come to end the
impasse.
 I would like to reiterate that the reform of the
United Nations will be incomplete without the
structural reform of the Security Council. That reform
should include Africa’s attainment of two permanent
seats in the Council. Giving seats to Africa is not a
matter of favour; it is a matter of correcting the
historical injustice against the continent and its people.
 Let me conclude by echoing Africa’s appeal to
the United Nations and the international community to
support Africa’s position with regard to unconstitutional
changes of Government in Africa. In recent years, the
ghosts of unconstitutional changes of Government have
again haunted Africa — through military coups and
so-called mass action instigated by insatiable
demagogic politicians. There are people who want to
get into leadership by using undemocratic shortcuts.
The African Union has taken a strong position, which
is enshrined in its Constitutive Act, not to recognize
such Governments and to suspend them from
membership of the organization until democracy is
restored.
 Such decisions of the African Union would
benefit so much from, and actually would be
strengthened by, the support of the international
community and in particular the United Nations. Africa
has young polities, and its democracy is still fragile.
What the African Union is trying to do is to entrench a
culture of democratic values and governance. The
support of the United Nations and the international
community is very critical in that regard. A decision to
the contrary would undermine the African Union’s
good intentions. Africa needs the United Nations to
support that historic position.


Let me begin by
congratulating you, Sir, on your election as President
of the General Assembly. I assure you of our full
support in your important functions.
 As many colleagues have already underlined, the
international climate negotiations are at a crucial stage.
The Copenhagen Conference is a real possibility for
change. We need political determination and solidarity
to reach a new climate agreement that is global,
effective and fair. The responsibility lies with all of
us — industrial countries, emerging economies and
developing countries alike — to take the decisions that
will so profoundly shape the future of humankind.
 I thank the Secretary-General for convening the
Summit on Climate Change at the beginning of the
current session of the General Assembly. We had a
good discussion on issues that still need to be
addressed before December. The meeting delivered a
clear message that we are committed to working hard
to seal the deal.
 A global climate agreement is a precondition for
comprehensive sustainable development. The poorest
are the most vulnerable when struggling with the
adverse effects of climate change. The new agreement
must include elements of solidarity and international
support in coping with the needs of adaptation. Climate
change will affect especially seriously the lives and
livelihoods of women, but women are also powerful
actors in combating it. We need to ensure their full
participation in the negotiations and in the
implementation of the new agreement.
 Gender, food production and climate change are
all interlinked. We know that 70 per cent of the world’s
poor are women and girls. We also know that the

45 09-52425

majority of agricultural labourers are women. If we
really want to combat climate change and avoid a
global food crisis, we need to pay close attention to the
role of women, especially in least developed countries.
 While the negative consequences of climate
change are universal, their impact on small island
developing States and countries with low-lying coastal
areas is particularly grave. Those countries are
threatened by the rise of sea levels and by extreme
weather conditions. They need particular attention and
assistance.
 In September 2000, we committed ourselves here
to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty
and to reach the Millennium Development Goals. We
reiterated that pledge at the 2005 World Summit. Now,
in 2009, we have to demonstrate our resolve to live up
to that commitment when faced with a contracting
world economy as well.
 The solution of the current financial and
economic crisis should be based on the concept of fair
globalization. Our action, while striving to achieve
sustainable economic growth, must address the goal of
decent work for all. It is really essential that we honour
our commitments to development in spite of our budget
constraints.
 In the world economy, the tectonic plates are in
motion and new actors are emerging. We need to
develop a new global consensus on business ethics,
integrity and sustainable economic growth. We must
work together so that trust in international financial
institutions can be re-established. Let us make them
more transparent, accountable and sustainable.
 I sincerely hope that the Pittsburgh summit of the
Group of 20 will agree on further measures for global
recovery. But we should also make full use of the
United Nations to promote inclusive and equitable
cooperation on issues that are truly global.
 While climate change and the global economic
downturn cause problems in many parts of the world,
Africa is the continent that suffers the most. The
international community must remain attentive to
Africa’s needs. I am glad to note that positive
developments have also taken place in Africa. During
this decade, the number of conflicts in Africa has
decreased. The African Union is committed to
strengthening the organization’s capacity in conflict
prevention. Finland is contributing to that important
effort by supporting the build-up of the peace
mediation structures of the African Union.
 The latest developments in the Middle East peace
process provide a reason for cautious optimism. It
seems that the parties are willing to take some steps.
Countries outside the region are committed to
supporting those efforts. It is my belief that, with that
broadening consensus, we can reactivate the peace
process soon.
 Finland values highly the United Nations Charter
and the central role given to the Security Council. We
actively participate in efforts to make that body more
representative and efficient. Finland is a candidate to
become a non-permanent member of the Security
Council for the period 2013 to 2014. At the same time,
we hope that progress on the Council’s reform can be
made during this session of the General Assembly.
 Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and
1820 (2008) on women, peace and security were
important achievements. Their implementation in all
countries and in all situations is urgently needed. The
international colloquium on women’s empowerment,
leadership development and international peace and
security, which was held last March in Monrovia,
adopted a call to action on resolution 1325 (2000) and
a call for action on gender and climate change. As a
follow-up to the colloquium, Finland and Liberia
convened a side event today here at the United
Nations. In a word, it was a success. I hope that the
next success will be in Copenhagen, and that women
will make a contribution to it.
 Security Council resolution 1820 (2008) strongly
condemns sexual violence in conflicts. We must treat
systematic rape as a forbidden weapon of war. Victims
of rape and sexual abuse must have access to legal
processes, and rapists must be prosecuted and
condemned. In our view, the appointment of a special
representative of the Secretary-General on women and
armed conflict would enhance the implementation of
those resolutions. We hope that all Member States will
support that proposal. I want to thank Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon for bringing up the question of
violence against women in his opening address to the
General Assembly yesterday.
 Civilian populations need protection in conflict
situations. At the United Nations World Summit in
2005, the responsibility to protect was accepted as a
general principle applicable to genocide, crimes against

09-52425 46

humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Further
efforts are urgently needed to save civilians from
violence.
 This morning, the Security Council held a debate
on nuclear security issues. I am sure that we are all
pleased that disarmament is now strongly returning to
the international agenda. I sincerely hope that that will
lead to real progress.
 Finally, I would like to underline that we have to
try to find things that unite us — and not things that
divide us — if we want to be midwives of the future
and not guardians of the past. Lasting peace can be
built only through open dialogue between cultural and
religious communities, in our countries and worldwide.
Finland supports all initiatives, such as the Alliance of
Civilizations, to stimulate intercultural communication.
I wish those efforts the best of success in promoting
mutual understanding and peace. I promise that Finland
will support them.


At the outset, I would like to congratulate
Mr. Treki on his election to the high post of President
of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session and
wish him every success as he presides over the session.
 Eight years ago, on 11 September, Ms. Zhannetta
Tsoy, a citizen of Kazakhstan, having kissed her
daughter and husband, left for her first day at a new job
in New York’s tallest building. Two hours later, she
perished, along with 3,000 Americans and citizens of
other 91 countries. She was buried under the debris of
what had once been the World Trade Centre’s Twin
Towers. On that day, as Kazakhstan’s ambassador in
Washington D.C., along with all Americans and others,
I felt acutely how fragile, vulnerable and
interdependent our world had become. This terrorist act
and the world’s unity in its strict condemnation showed
that only together can we make our present and our
future safer and better. Indeed, the key to the
successful resolution of today’s most acute problems
lies precisely in the world’s unity and understanding.
 President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
and our entire people have supported the global fight
against terrorism from the start by assisting the efforts
of the international coalition in Afghanistan. However,
there has never been and there will never be a purely
military solution to the Afghan problem. We note with
satisfaction that coalition members have begun to pay
more attention to non-military aspects of security.
 To the best of its ability, Kazakhstan is also
assisting the international efforts to rehabilitate
Afghanistan. We provide considerable humanitarian aid
to that country. Moreover, we are developing a long-
term educational programme to train qualified Afghan

53 09-52470

specialists, and are also considering other forms of
assistance to that country.
 Long-term stability in Afghanistan is impossible
without effective measures to tackle illicit drug
trafficking. The Central Asia Regional Information and
Coordination Centre has been established in Almaty,
with the support of the United Nations, to fight illicit
drug trafficking. As the Chairperson-in-Office of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) in 2010, I intend to make the stabilization of
the situation in Afghanistan — a regional neighbour of
the OSCE — one of the organization’s greatest
priorities.
 The prospect of the proliferation of nuclear
weapons, along with the risk of their acquisition and
use by terrorist organizations, remains one of the most
serious threats to mankind. As a country that has
experienced the horrors of nuclear tests, shut down the
world’s second-largest nuclear testing site, at
Semipalatinsk, and voluntarily renounced the world’s
fourth-largest nuclear and missile arsenal, Kazakhstan
has an absolute moral right to call for more decisive
action in the area of disarmament and for the radical
strengthening of the non-proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction regime. In particular, Kazakhstan
deems it important to ensure the soonest possible entry
into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty. We welcome the efforts of United States
President Barack Obama to give new impetus to the
non-proliferation process and to eliminate the nuclear
threat.
 Kazakhstan is in favour of strengthening and
ensuring the universality of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We must
recognize that the Treaty is asymmetric in that it
provides for sanctions only against non-nuclear-
weapon States, whereas the nuclear Powers themselves
should set the example of reducing and renouncing
their nuclear arsenals. In this regard, Kazakhstan
welcomed the unanimous adoption yesterday of
Security Council resolution 1887 (2009) and believes
that this historic decision opens a new era in
humankind’s efforts to create a world without nuclear
weapons. It is gratifying that the measures being
undertaken today by the international community
reflects the principled position that President
Nazarbayev has expressed more than once from this
rostrum and in bilateral meetings with heads of
nuclear-weapon States and of States with nuclear
ambitions.
 It is necessary now more than ever to take even
more decisive actions. Our President has proposed the
development of a new universal treaty on
comprehensive horizontal and vertical nuclear
non-proliferation. The configuration of the new treaty
and its contents will largely depend on the proposals of
all interested States. An effective measure to strengthen
the non-proliferation regime could be the establishment
of an international nuclear fuel bank under the auspices
of the International Atomic Energy Commission.
Kazakhstan is ready to consider the possibility of
locating it on our territory.
 One important contribution made by Kazakhstan
and other States of Central Asia to the implementation
of the NPT was the entry into force in March of the
Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central
Asia. The peculiarity of the Zone is that it is located
between two of the world’s largest nuclear Powers. The
Zone could play a large practical role in preventing the
uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear materials and in
countering nuclear terrorism. We count on support for
the Central Asian Zone, above all from the nuclear
Powers, including their possible extension of negative
security guarantees. We support the United States of
America’s initiative to convene a global nuclear
security summit next year.
 I wish to draw the attention of the General
Assembly to a proposal of the President of Kazakhstan
on declaring 29 August international day for a world
free of nuclear weapons. That date has deep symbolical
meaning. On that day in 1949, the Soviet Union
conducted its first nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk test
site in Kazakhstan, and on the same day in 1991 the
test site was shut down forever by decree of our
Government. We hope that the General Assembly will
support this initiative.
 Today, humankind is experiencing the most
serious global financial and economic crisis in decades.
According to the International Monetary Fund,
approximately 50 States have edged to the brink of an
economic catastrophe. At the same time, the present
crisis was largely inevitable. Unfortunately, the world’s
economic development and the great leap forward in
technology over the past 60 years could not solve such
eternal problems as poverty and hunger. The gap
between the rich and the poor continues to grow. More

09-52470 54

than a billion people live on less than $1 a day. Despite
our exceptional achievements in modern science and
medicine, almost 10 million children under five die
every year of curable diseases. More than 30 million
people worldwide live with HIV, while only 3 million
of those have access to antiretroviral therapy.
 The economic crisis has forced us to rethink and
revisit many conceptual approaches that earlier seemed
etched in stone. It has demonstrated once again the
urgency of unifying all States’ efforts in addressing
modern challenges. The leader of our country was
among the first to share his vision for the world’s post-
crisis development. He proposed drafting an
international law on a single world currency, and the
eventual establishment of a world emissions centre, a
world anti-monopoly currency committee and a world
committee on market freedom. The United Nations
with its structural bodies and specialized agencies is
the only global organization capable of addressing such
large-scale issues.
 At a time of acute social and economic
breakdowns, the danger of inter-ethnic and
inter-religious conflicts increases considerably.
Located at the confluence of Asia and Europe and
having maintained peace and harmony in a multi-ethnic
and multireligious country throughout its years of
independence, Kazakhstan is ready to act as a bridge of
mutual understanding and tolerance between the East
and the West.
 As Chair of the OSCE in 2010 and of the 2011
ministerial conference of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference, Kazakhstan is eager fully to use
this unique opportunity to strengthen constructive
cooperation between diverse cultures and civilizations
and to take concrete measures on this issue.
Furthermore, since 2003 our country has hosted three
Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions, supported by the United Nations.
 At Kazakhstan’s initiative, the General Assembly
adopted resolution 62/90 at its sixty-second session,
declaring 2010 the International Year for the
Rapprochement of Cultures. We call on United Nations
Member States to participate actively in celebrating the
Year. Kazakhstan fully supports the goals of the
Alliance of Civilizations and calls on all Member
States and agencies of the United Nations system to
contribute to strengthening tolerance and mutual
understanding in the world.
 In the current circumstances, the regional aspect
of solving global problems takes on added importance.
Our country is firmly committed to the consistent
strengthening of regional cooperation for security and
development in Central Asia. A unique security
architecture is being created in Eurasia, its most
important elements being organizations such as the
OSCE, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-
building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, the Collective Security
Treaty Organization and NATO. In that regard, CICA,
convened as a result of an initiative introduced by
President Nazarbayev from this rostrum in 1992, has
become an effective mechanism for strengthening
regional security and cooperation. In 2010, as our
country takes up the chairmanship of the OSCE, we
intend to work for the good of all its member States to
strengthen the organization’s effectiveness in
addressing new challenges and threats, as well as to
further strengthen confidence-building and security
measures in the Euro-Atlantic community.
 In today’s rapidly changing world, the adaptation
of the United Nations to modern realities is an
important task for all Member States. Kazakhstan
supports the reform process for the United Nations and
its main bodies based on the principled position of the
need to increase the effectiveness, authority and
relevance of our global Organization. We are
convinced that there is no alternative to the United
Nations in the modern world, and there never will be.
We support reforms on three principal tracks:
revitalization of the work of the General Assembly,
reform of the Security Council and coherence of the
United Nations system.
 Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Junior said:
 “Men often hate each other because they fear
each other; they fear each other because they do
not know each other; they do not know each other
because they cannot communicate; they cannot
communicate because they are separated.”
Regrettably, those words are often true today, but they
should not be so tomorrow. In an age of globalization
and unprecedented interdependence in the world, there
should no longer be mistrust, fear and hatred, but the
principles of trust, understanding and cooperation
should triumph. Only together can we properly address
the difficult challenges facing humankind today and
make our world safer and better.


I am greatly honoured to
have this opportunity to speak in this body on behalf of
the people and the Government of Tuvalu, who wish
me first of all to convey their warmest greetings and
felicitations to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session.
 At the outset, let me associate myself with
previous speakers in extending our special
congratulations to Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki on his
election as President of the Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session, as well as to reassure him of our support
during his presidency. I also wish to highly commend
his predecessor for his exemplary leadership and
dedication to the work of the Assembly during his
presidency over the past year.
 As we begin the sixty-fourth session of the
Assembly, the effects of the global financial and
economic crisis loom over our heads. For a small
island economy like Tuvalu’s, which is highly
dependent on the import of products from overseas, the
impact of the global financial and economic crisis has
been severe. The price of basic food items has risen
dramatically. My people are suffering from events that
are not of our making. The financial and economic
crisis and its impact on development and the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals is
a global crisis that requires the cooperation of all
countries. Unfortunately, as is always the case, it will
be poor small countries such as Tuvalu that will have
to bear the burden.
 Globalization has also left its mark in the context
of swine flu. Tuvalu has not been immune to that
pandemic. We are grateful that the World Health
Organization has issued a call to action to help poorer
countries respond to the outbreak of swine flu.
Outbreaks such as this highlight the need for trade
reforms with respect to access to medicines. In that
context, the right to health and access to affordable
medicines should not be a right for rich nations only.
Every human being has the right to a healthy life.
 This year is a special one for the people and the
Government of Tuvalu, not because of something that
we have achieved and are proud to celebrate but,
strangely enough, because of something that has
happened for the very first time in the history of my
country and that we strongly condemn. This has to do
with the actions of pirates off the coast of Somalia. For
four long months, 12 Tuvaluan seafarers were held
captive by Somali pirates aboard a German-registered
ship. Those brave Tuvaluan seamen were subject to
various privations and will suffer the effects of that
unlawful imprisonment for a long time.
 The international shipping community cannot be
held hostage to the demands of such thieves and
criminals. This scourge must end. We strongly
condemn that inhumane form of organized crime and
strongly urge the United Nations and the international
community to bring the pirates to justice through the
application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, as
well as to take immediate action to tackle the problem
head-on. We also call on the United Nations to
establish a special task force to address the issue of
piracy.
 The year 2009 will hopefully be a watershed in
the global fight against climate change. In a few
months, we will meet at Copenhagen to seal the deal
on climate change. As the leader of one of the countries
of the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate
change, I hold out great faith for that Conference. But
my faith will be diminished if key milestones are not
achieved. Allow me to refer to some of those
milestones.
 First, the international community must commit
to a rapid course of action to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions so that global temperatures do not increase
by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial
levels. Anything higher would be disastrous for Tuvalu.
Global emissions must peak by 2015, and decline
dramatically thereafter.
 Secondly, while we work to develop a new
climate change agreement in Copenhagen, we must not
abandon the Kyoto Protocol, which is a cornerstone of
action to address climate change. Let me repeat: we
must not abandon the Kyoto Protocol. I fear that some
countries are hoping that the Kyoto Protocol will
disappear so that they can make weaker emissions-
reduction commitments. I hope that will not happen, as
it would certainly be a significant step backwards.

09-52586 14

 Thirdly, we need serious commitments from key
greenhouse-gas-producing countries. The United States
must take a leadership role and drastically reduce its
emissions. I strongly appeal to President Obama to
deliver a significant commitment on emissions
reductions. We also call on key developing countries to
dramatically reduce their emissions. Since the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
was developed, in 1992, the economies of a number of
developing countries have grown rapidly. They must
now contribute their fair share to emissions reductions.
 Fourthly, we need a strong commitment in terms
of financing and resources to help vulnerable countries
build their resilience to the impacts of climate change.
That means that we need a commitment to new money.
It would be foolhardy to simply reshuffle existing
overseas development assistance to support actions to
address climate change. This is a new threat, and we
must find new money to address it.
 Fifthly, we need to reduce emissions resulting
from deforestation and forest degradation, but in a
coherent way. In that regard, carbon markets will not
deliver climate change outcomes. We must develop
new funds to carefully build the capacity of forested
developing countries to reduce their deforestation
rates. Whatever actions we take, we must ensure that
the rights of indigenous peoples are properly protected.
 The possible security implications of climate
change on the livelihoods and well-being of the most
vulnerable countries, especially small island
developing States such as my own country of Tuvalu,
cannot be ignored. Instead, they should be recognized
and addressed vigorously by the United Nations as part
of the collective efforts by all its appropriate subsidiary
bodies.
 Despite the concerns expressed by some Member
States on the engagement of the Security Council on
the issue of the security implications of climate
change, I am pleased to note that the Assembly’s
resolution on the possible security implications of
climate change (resolution 63/281), which was initiated
by Pacific small island developing States more than a
year ago, was finally adopted by consensus at a plenary
meeting of the Assembly in June of this year. Tuvalu
looks forward to the Secretary-General’s report on the
possible security implications of climate change, as
required under that resolution.
 Globalization has made Tuvalu a very vulnerable
country. It is vulnerable to global economic shocks,
highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and,
not least, vulnerable to disease outbreaks. However,
despite the wide recognition given and reiterated with
regard to our vulnerability in many different United
Nations forums, such as the Rio, Barbados, Mauritius
and Johannesburg conferences and in several major
United Nations events, including the Millennium
Summit, the General Assembly and the Economic and
Social Council have not taken it seriously into
consideration when addressing the question of Tuvalu’s
graduation from least developed country (LDC) status.
 We strongly believe that Tuvalu’s economic and
environmental vulnerability, like that of any other LDC
and small island developing State (SIDS), cannot be
totally ignored, especially in view of the impact of the
current economic global crisis. Although we are
pleased to welcome the latest decision of the United
Nations Committee for Development Policy not to
recommend Tuvalu for graduation from LDC status for
the next three years, we continue to appeal to this
Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and our
development partners to carefully reconsider and
review the criteria and graduation rules for LDC
graduation. We strongly believe that no LDC that is
recognized as highly vulnerable should be forced to
lose its LDC status.
 One of the priority areas highlighted in the
President’s statement at the opening of the sixty-fourth
session of the General Assembly is United Nations
reform and democratization. We could not agree more,
especially on the necessity and importance of the
reform and revitalization of the General Assembly and
the Security Council to enable them to fulfil their roles
comprehensively.
 We commend the progress of the
intergovernmental negotiations on the question of
equitable representation on and increase in the
membership of the Security Council and other related
matters. We fully recognize the need to restructure and
expand the Security Council to reflect a fair and
balanced representation of all regions. In this context,
we believe that small island developing States should
be allocated a seat on the Security Council.
 As a full Member of the Organization, Tuvalu is
proud to be part of the United Nations family and
enjoys a sense of ownership through the establishment

15 09-52586

of a long-overdue United Nations joint presence office
in Tuvalu in May this year. Although we appreciate its
establishment, we hope that it will not create another
layer of bureaucracy among United Nations
implementing agencies, but that it will be more
responsive to the aspirations and needs of Tuvalu in a
more coherent, efficient and effective manner. More
importantly, it is crucial that the office focus on the
establishment of more concrete development projects
on the ground for the benefit of the people of Tuvalu
rather than mostly on enabling activities.
 I am compelled again to draw the attention of
United Nations Member States to the plight of the
people and Government of Taiwan. As a proud nation
of 23 million people, Taiwan must be given the right to
self-determination — a principle that must be upheld
by the United Nations. Taiwan also has all of the
hallmarks of nationhood. It has a democratic system of
Government and it is certainly a responsible
international player in world trade, development and
diplomatic relations; not least, Taiwan has a clearly
defined territory.
 Although Tuvalu appreciates the long-overdue
courtesy finally accorded to the Government of Taiwan
to participate as an observer to the World Health
Organization’s (WHO) World Health Assembly this
year, Tuvalu strongly believes that Taiwan deserves to
participate more fully as a member of WHO and other
United Nations specialized agencies. Tuvalu therefore
reiterates its strong appeal for Taiwan’s aspirations and
desire to participate meaningfully as a full member of
the specialized agencies of the United Nations to be
given the proper and urgent attention they deserve.
 In conclusion, my Government acknowledges
with full confidence that globalization and its impact in
every corner of the globe cannot be denied. This makes
the role of the United Nations even more important.
However, we need to conclude the long-overdue
reforms of the United Nations, especially the Security
Council and the General Assembly, to enable the
Organization to deliver its services in a more
transparent, coherent, efficient and effective manner.
 We must work together to rebuild the global
economy. We must work together to combat climate
change, with special recognition given to the plight of
the most vulnerable countries, especially the LDCs and
SIDS. Not least, we must work together to ensure that
everyone enjoys a healthy life. We will continue to
support the United Nations and sincerely hope that it
will not abandon the concerns of a small island country
like Tuvalu.