This session of the General
Assembly is taking place at a time when the
international community is faced with formidable
challenges and threats of a much more complex nature.
Global problems ranging from poverty, violence,
inequality and disparity, terrorism, natural disasters and
other acute problems have been further impeded by the
current global financial, food and energy crisis. As we
live in an increasingly globalized and interdependent
world the solutions demand our concerted action.
The main theme of this session, namely, the
impact of the global food crisis on poverty and hunger
in the world, is most timely. Steep increases in staple
food prices lead to a global food crisis. Today millions
of vulnerable people in poor countries who were
probably making ends meet, face even greater
challenges. It is a tragic setback that more than
75 million additional people have been driven into
hunger and poverty because of the food crisis. The
economic challenges posed by soaring food prices are
daunting. They take a toll on inflation rates, breed
economic protectionism, and further impede economic
development for developing nations. Those countries
also had to cope with consequent macroeconomic
implications concerning the nexus between food price
increases and the overall inflation rate.
The Government of Mongolia, having recognized
the urgent need to address the food crisis, took the
necessary actions at both policy and practical levels to
reduce its severe impact on the vulnerable strata of its
population. My Government has designated this year as
the year for food supply and safety and aims to achieve
three main objectives: promoting food production to
reduce the country’s dependence on imported goods;
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raising public awareness about food quality; and
ensuring safe food production and processing in the
country.
In pursuit of the first objective I launched at the
beginning of this year the third national crop
rehabilitation drive, or campaign to reclaim virgin
lands, to revive domestic agricultural production. As a
result of that nationwide campaign Mongolia is
expected to ensure self-sufficiency in major staple food
products by 2010.
Countries throughout the world find themselves
intimately affected by oil price hikes. In our case the
situation is aggravated by the fact that the surge in
imported petroleum prices tends to be followed by
overall price increases. Coal remains the primary
energy source used for electricity and heating in many
countries. The use of inefficient coal-burning
technology causes air pollution, impacting negatively
on the population’s health and the environment.
Therefore, research, development and deployment of
clean coal technology are indeed top energy priorities
for coal-producing countries such as Mongolia.
The most effective way to mitigate these factors
is to improve energy efficiency and pursue energy
diversification. In this regard, Mongolia commends the
efforts of Member States and international
organizations in research and development and the
deployment and transfer of innovative energy
technologies such as renewable sources, cleaner and
lower carbon technologies and nuclear power. These
efforts are crucial as we seek to reduce our dependence
on fossil fuels. Ensuring energy security is a challenge
that requires a comprehensive solution both nationally
and internationally. No country in the world is
endowed with or has developed all possible energy
sources, so every country has a vested interest in
energy cooperation and has something to contribute to
it.
Mongolia gives special priority to energy
cooperation in our region. An institutional foundation
for such cooperation has already been laid with regular
sessions of the Senior Officials Committee on Energy
Cooperation in North-East Asia. The first session of the
Committee, hosted by the Mongolian Government in
November 2005, established the Intergovernmental
Collaborative Mechanism on Energy Cooperation in
North-East Asia.
The Tavan Tolgoi, Mongolia’s huge coal coking
project has an important role to play in such
subregional cooperation. Such subregional cooperation
in the energy sector, combined with ongoing efforts to
spur the implementation of the Greater Tumen River
Initiative, could be conducive to furthering the
prospect for economic integration in North-East Asia,
one of the most dynamic and diverse regions of the
world.
Since the adoption of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, we have passed
the midpoint in our efforts to implement them.
Progress on MDG implementation around the globe
reveals a sharply contrasting picture. Some countries
find themselves in more advanced stages of
achievement, while others are still lagging far behind
on all or many important Goals. Thus, there is an
urgent need to foster an effective global cooperation
aimed at assisting off-track countries in their efforts to
reach the relevant targets by 2015. In this regard, my
delegation looks forward to tomorrow’s high-level
discussion to come up with bold and specific
commitments to action.
With rich deposits of coal, copper, gold,
molybdenum and uranium, most of them still largely
untapped, Mongolia indeed has an unprecedented
opportunity to embark upon the path of rapid economic
growth and sustainable development — if we are able
to overcome the partisan divisions which have in our
recent past all too often obstructed our onward
movement. It is with this in mind that the two main
political parties, in an unprecedented move, set aside
their long-standing differences and formed a unity
Government only a few days ago, following the fifth
democratic general elections, of 29 June.
The result of the elections, concluded to have
been free and fair by more than 80 observers from
more than 20 countries, gave an undeniable majority to
my party, the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party
(MPRP) with 45 out of the total of 76 seats in
parliament. However, in the face of the pressing need
to forge a national consensus on major development
issues, the MPRP has decided voluntarily to give away
its right to unilaterally form its own Government and
has concluded an agreement with the Mongolian
Democratic Party. Our two parties’ historic decision to
work hand in hand is testimony to our commitment to
the well-being and prosperity of the people of
Mongolia.
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I call it the fourth historic choice of my people
over the last 100 years, following the declaration of
independence in 1911, the abolition of feudalism in
1921-1924 and the embrace of democracy in 1990. I
am most confident that this unity will greatly
contribute to pulling our efforts together to collectively
succeed in achieving the MDGs by 2015 and our
MDG-based comprehensive national development
strategy by 2021, thus substantially improving the
living standards of our people and upgrading Mongolia
to a middle-income country.
In our globalized world, no nation can achieve its
goals all on its own. That includes Mongolia.
Constructive engagement in world affairs through
multilateral cooperation mechanisms, with the United
Nations at the centre, and deeper integration into the
world economy will thus continue to be the cornerstone
of Mongolia’s foreign policy. I understand all too well
that the existence of a stable, peaceful and prosperous
world is a condition for the fulfilment of my
Government’s — or any other Government’s —
promise to its people.
With this in mind, I wish to reaffirm Mongolia’s
strong resolve to continue its active engagement in the
work of the United Nations and other multilateral
organizations and processes, and our commitment to
the world Organization as a central coordinating
instrument of the common efforts of the family of
nations to address the complex challenges of our times.