My delegation offers
President Al-Nasser its warm congratulations on his
unanimous election as President of the General
Assembly at the current session and pledges its
unconditional support and cooperation in the discharge
of his onerous responsibilities.
I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to the
Secretary-General on his well-deserved re-appointment
and express my deep appreciation for his role in
enhancing the role of the world Organization as a
promoter of peace, security and development. His
unanimous re-election to his high post is a testimony to
his outstanding leadership of the United Nations over
the past five years and a vote of strong confidence in
his future endeavours.
On behalf of the people of Mongolia, I warmly
welcome South Sudan as the 193rd Member of the
United Nations.
Today the international community finds itself in
times of uncertainty. The recovery from the economic
and financial crisis has been uneven and sluggish. Its
social repercussions have been intensified by persistent
unemployment and poverty in many countries. Major
natural disasters occur all too often. Unprecedented
challenges stemming from climate change continue and
remain unaddressed.
The world’s population will reach 7 billion next
month, and it is a cause of great concern that over a
billion still suffer from hunger. The global economic
and financial crisis grossly affected our drive to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals. A number
of international negotiations and mediation efforts on
conflict resolution have yet to produce results.
In today’s globalized world, these challenges
require collective solutions. To this end, the existing
governance structure ought to be improved and
reformed. The involvement of international
organizations is critical to this process. The thematic
discussions on enhancing the role of the United
Nations in global economic governance and dialogues
with the Chairman of the Group of 20, held during the
sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, were the
first important step. What we need to do now is to
enhance the role and status of the United Nations,
including the Economic and Security Council, in global
economic decision-making.
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It has also become imperative to ensure full and
on-time delivery of the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and to formulate the post-2015
development agenda. That agenda should help ensure
the meaningful integration of developing countries into
the world economy, taking into account the
vulnerabilities of landlocked least-developed countries
and those susceptible to desertification and climate
change. The Doha Development Round of multilateral
trade negotiations, stalled for the past decade, has yet
to produce positive results towards this end.
Every sixth Member of the United Nations is a
landlocked developing country whose remoteness from
world markets and high transport costs are a major
impediment to its development. Along with other
members of this group, Mongolia is endeavouring to
advance our common interests at the United Nations
and in the World Trade Organization. The creation of
an international think tank for landlocked developing
countries, to be set up in Ulaanbaatar, will
unquestionably contribute to greater cooperation in the
implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action
and our relevant MDGs. I therefore call on all the
relevant parties to sign and ratify the multilateral
agreement establishing this institution, which will be
vitally important to landlocked developing countries.
Last year, we reviewed our progress in achieving
the MDGs and agreed to strengthen the partnership.
Yet, as was shown in the most recent MDG Gap Task
Force report, significant gaps remain in delivering on
commitments in the areas of aid, trade, debt relief and
access to new technologies. For Mongolia, 66 percent
of our MDGs are achievable by 2015. But our goals
relating to poverty, environmental degradation and
gender inequality are seriously off-track and will
require stepped-up action on the part of the
Government and the enhancement of our bilateral and
multilateral partnerships if we are to meet these
challenges.
Mongolia has been implementing targeted
policies and activities aimed at poverty reduction.
Alcoholism is one of the serious social ills associated
with poverty. As President, I initiated a nationwide
movement aimed at stopping alcohol abuse, curbing its
consumption and encouraging abstinence that has
enjoyed wide public support. With a view to
encouraging such movements in other countries, it
might be useful to look into the possibility of
promulgating an international convention aimed at
reducing alcohol consumption.
Climate change, drought, land degradation and
desertification have emerged as some of the gravest
challenges facing humankind. Yesterday’s High-level
Meeting on desertification marked an important step
forward in finding collective solutions to these
challenges. It is a matter of great concern that 2 billion
people and about 50 per cent of agricultural land
around the globe are affected by desertification, land
degradation and drought. We should therefore set up an
intergovernmental panel to conduct a comprehensive
study on the effects of these phenomena and to identify
action-oriented recommendations for affected
countries.
We look forward to the seventeenth Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Durban,
South Africa, later this year, to discuss a significant
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the
development of green economies. I believe that the
global transition to a green economy is critically
important for mitigating climate change and halting
desertification, land degradation, ecosystem
destruction and the loss of biodiversity, and that these
in turn will help reduce poverty.
Financial assistance and expertise are vital to
developing countries, including my own, in their
efforts to develop a green economy through the
introduction of green technologies and by building
national capacity in energy production, construction
and agriculture. I trust that the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development will produce
results that can take us further down this road. As a
country highly vulnerable to the impact of climate
change, Mongolia is supportive of global efforts to
combat its negative effects. With that in view,
Mongolia will host the Asia-Europe Environment
Ministers’ Meeting on Sustainable Water and Forest
Management in 2012.
The past year has witnessed dramatic
transformations. The Arab Spring has brought freedom
to millions, but it is far from over. The revolution for
freedom is not the hardest social change to make.
Building and developing a free, open and fair civic
society is even more difficult. That is what our
ancestors taught us, and these lessons have been
reinforced during our own democratic transformation
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over the past 20 years. Let me cite here the visionary
teaching of the founder of the great Mongolian State,
Chinggis Khaan, who was rightly chosen as the Man of
the Millennium. Chinggis Khaan once said that
conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is
dismounting and governing that is much harder. The
revolution for freedom is fought and won by the
combined efforts of thousands of people. However, in
one way or another, it is each and every person who
pays the price for freedom. It is my firm belief that
notwithstanding any challenges it faces, freedom is the
future of all humankind.
Beginning in July, Mongolia assumed the
honourable and responsible duties of President of the
Community of Democracies, an organization geared to
promoting and strengthening democratic norms and
values around the world. During its presidency over the
next two years, Mongolia will give priority to
promoting education for democracy and good
governance, eliminating corruption, building
partnerships with civil society and consolidating
regional cooperation.
Over the past 20 years of our own democratic
changes, Mongolia has fundamentally transformed its
former political, social and economic systems and laid
down all the necessary foundations for new democratic
governance, promoting and protecting a market
economy, free elections, freedom of the press and civil
society. We feel rightly proud of these
accomplishments.
We are fully aware, however, that many things
are far from perfect and that a lot more must be done to
nurture democratic values in every citizen. Most of all,
we must consolidate accountable and transparent
governance, free from corruption and secured by an
independent judiciary. Such governance should be
more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens, serve
them, abide by the rule of law and the principle of
impartiality, and have proper checks and balances. In
short, we are striving to develop a system of
governance that values its people and treats them with
dignity and respect.
To address these challenges and threats to
democracy and an open society, we are implementing a
Mongolia-specific MDG 9 on democratic governance,
human rights and zero tolerance for corruption. Within
this goal, we are endeavouring to make our governance
open and transparent; hence our full support for the
Open Government Partnership initiative. I would also
like to call on all Member States attempting to improve
their governance at the national level to join the Zero
Tolerance for Corruption Campaign.
The Arab Spring will be followed by the Arab
Challenge. Although the democratic process is a
homegrown phenomenon, it should be supported by
international cooperation. Here, I have a message for
the industrialized democratic countries: Do not
withdraw from the battle. Democratization does not
mean Westernization, however. Democracy should
develop naturally, in line with the historical, cultural
and development specifics of a given country.
Nonetheless, respect for freedom, justice and human
rights and strict observance of the rule of law are
common to all successful and responsible democracies.
Bad governance is the worst problem of all, and any
aspirations to improve and streamline it should
therefore be strongly supported at all times.
Libya has entered a new era as a result of the
relentless courage and patience of the rebels, who
persevered for many months in their struggle for
freedom, human rights and democracy. Colonel
Al-Qadhafi called his fellow countrymen “rats” who
should be brutally hunted down and exterminated. Now
he himself is being hunted like a rat from hole to hole
and trench to trench. That is the fate that awaits anyone
who represses people’s love for freedom and their
desire to live in dignity. Respectful of the aspirations
of the Libyan people, Mongolia has recognized the
National Transitional Council and offers its full support
to Libya’s transition towards democracy, justice and
human rights.
The international community should not shy
away from condemning the regime of Syria’s Bashar
Al-Assad, who has inhumanly and brutally chosen the
way of bloodshed to crack down on peaceful, freedom-
and justice-craving protesters by using combat
vehicles, snipers and military force. Let us
unanimously demand that he end his atrocities. We
must make the necessary decision to that effect without
delay, and help the courageous people of Syria, who
are losing dozens of their brave sons and daughters
every day.
The love of freedom is the greatest force in this
world. No tyranny, not even the cruellest regime, can
resist it forever. I direct these words to the authorities
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of Yemen and dictators seeking to suppress their
citizens’ fight for freedom.
It was a timely decision to make “The role of
mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful
means” the main theme of this general debate. The
main purpose of the United Nations is to settle disputes
by peaceful means. We commend the skilful diplomacy
of the Secretary-General and his envoys in resolving
disputes and conflicts in various corners of the world.
Member States need to work together to strengthen the
United Nations capacity to that end.
North-East Asia is a region where mediation
activities can be vigorously pursued. The region still
lacks a formal mechanism for building confidence and
strengthening regional cooperation. Therefore, we
believe that Mongolia’s proposal to set up a permanent
mechanism to promote peace and stability in North-
East Asia remains valid. We are ready to consult with
relevant countries to move forward with out proposal.
On 11 September 10 years ago, terrorists tore
down the twin towers, but they failed to tear down the
spirit of freedom they represented, and they will never
succeed in doing that. Mongolia stands with the
international community in its fight against terrorism
as a party to all of the United Nations conventions to
combat terrorism.
We need to reinvigorate our resolve to attain a
world free of nuclear weapons and to exploit nuclear
power solely for peaceful purposes. We were reminded
of the urgency and importance of strengthening the
safety and security of nuclear reactors by the tragic
accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
last March.
We commend the Secretary-General’s initiative to
hold a high-level meeting tomorrow to strengthen
international measures for nuclear safety and security
around the world. The 2010 Review Conference of the
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons gave renewed impetus for expanding
nuclear weapon-free zones around the world. The
proposed nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East
would contribute to the promotion of world peace.
Mongolia continues to work on further
strengthening its internationally recognized nuclear
weapon-free status. To this end, we are holding
consultations with nuclear Powers. From the highly
esteemed rostrum of the General Assembly, I would
like to underscore that there should be no doubt that
Mongolia will never accede to the dumping of nuclear
waste on its territory. It should go without saying that,
in today’s world, any attempt to enforce such decisions
would undoubtedly fail.
It is of historic importance to us that the
observance of the fiftieth anniversary of Mongolia’s
joining this global Organization coincides with this
session of the General Assembly. On 27 October 1961,
Mongolia became a full Member of the United Nations.
It has opened new frontiers of active engagement with
the international community for the global good.
Furthermore, this year Mongolia is marking the
2,220th anniversary of its statehood, centenaries of
regaining its independence and the establishment of a
modern diplomatic service, as well as the ninetieth
anniversary of the people’s revolution.
Over the past five decades, cooperation between
Mongolia and the United Nations has expanded both in
scope and substance. Today Mongolia is a party to
more than 240 multilateral conventions and enjoys
membership in over 110 international organizations.
United Nations assistance and cooperation have been
instrumental in developing human resources and
capacity-building, developing education, health and
information technology, reducing poverty and
developing an adequate response to natural disasters.
For its part, Mongolia has also endeavoured to
contribute where it could to the joint efforts of the
international community. My delegation is pleased to
recall that, at the initiative of Mongolia, the General
Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of
Peoples to Peace, the principles and guidelines for
international negotiations, resolutions on the annual
observance of Disarmament Week, the United Nations
Literacy Decade and resolutions relating to
cooperatives, rural women and landlocked developing
countries. Mongolian troops have courageously served
in the blue United Nations helmet in many hotspots
around the world, including in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Western Sahara, South Sudan,
Eritrea, Georgia, Sierra Leone, Chad and Darfur.
All in all, over the past five decades Mongolia
has been faithful to its obligations under the Charter
and striven to be an active Member State. We stand
strongly committed to further contributing to the
multifaceted activities of the United Nations. I am
pleased to announce our decision to present our
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candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security
Council for the term 2023-2024 at the elections to be
held at the seventy-seventh session of the General
Assembly, and humbly seek members’ valuable
support.
The contribution and leadership of the United
Nations in maintaining international peace, security
and promoting sustainable development continue to
grow. In this respect, I call on the General Assembly to
develop relevant solutions and decisions at this session
aimed at supporting the aspirations of countries and
peoples to better livelihoods.
The day-to-day activities of the United Nations
are of paramount importance to the cause of creating a
safe, free and just life for humankind, in which
everyone may enjoy integrity and dignity. We are
confident that the United Nations will succeed in its
continued reform efforts to this end.