Malta

I would first like to congratulate Mr. Jan Eliasson upon his election to the 10 presidency of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session. He has an important and challenging task ahead. In carrying out his duties, he can be assured of my full support and of that of the Maltese delegation. I take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the outgoing President of the fifty-ninth session, His Excellency Mr. Jean Ping. The last 12 months have demanded exceptional leadership and commitment from the presidency of the General Assembly. I wish to join others in congratulating Mr. Ping on the firm and successful way in which he has guided this Assembly in the preparations leading to the summit which was just concluded. The summit has passed on to us significant tasks in the continuing endeavour to sustain and reinforce the processes of multilateral cooperation. It is right that we should take as the central theme of our discussions the follow-up and implementation of the summit conclusions. In the light of the discussions our leaders had last week, we approach these responsibilities all the more inspired by the imperative for collective action. Such action is incumbent on the international community, as much in dealing with the short-term challenges it has to overcome as in defining the long-term objectives which it seeks to achieve. Among the most immediate and visible challenges confronting us is the way in which we respond to the natural disasters which at one time or another engulf peoples and societies around the world. The past 12 months have produced awesome evidence of the way in which humanity remains subject to the forces of nature. The tsunami late last year and Hurricane Katrina only a few weeks ago are only the most prominent among recent major catastrophes which intensify both our sense of vulnerability and our sense of solidarity. In extending our expression of grief and sympathy to the Governments and people afflicted by such disasters, the Maltese people have also extended their offers of succour and relief. While times like these remind us that nature can be unpredictable in its ferocity, they also teach us that it must always be treated with respect. If managed responsibly, nature’s resources can improve our lives considerably. However, if those resources are ruthlessly exploited, humanity will be the ultimate loser. It is unfortunate but true that the blind forces of nature are not the only cause of extensive suffering among fellow human beings. Political and economic developments, over which Governments, individually or collectively, have at least some element of control, are also factors in play. Nowhere are the combination of natural and man-made causes more dramatic than in those instances of unregulated and often tragic migration flows. Over the last few years, Malta, like many countries, has been caught in the worrisome increase of unregulated human trafficking across the Mediterranean. In our case, as a small island with a very high population density, the problem quickly assumed crisis proportions. Malta has a strong and longstanding commitment to help those who need humanitarian assistance. We shall stand by that. We are deeply conscious that long- term action in this area needs to be premised on profound respect for human dignity and strict adherence to the rule of law, including international humanitarian law. However, the international community must not allow the rights of refugees and persons requiring humanitarian status in accordance with international law to be undermined and prejudiced by international criminal organizations specialized in human trafficking activity. In our case, our ability to respond to genuine cases is fast becoming overwhelmed by the huge increase in illegal immigrants, who are the object of an international criminal network of human traffickers. Illegal immigration constitutes a collapse of the international legal order and must be addressed unequivocally by the world community as such in order to ensure that the rule of international law is restored in that regard. Countries of origin and transit need to assume their responsibility to uphold the rule of law by vigorously clamping down on international criminal activity in human trafficking. The United Nations and its agencies, particularly the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, are called on to address this issue, which, if it is not addressed, could prejudice the rights of genuine refugees and persons qualifying for humanitarian status in accordance with international law. 11 At the same time, the spirit of solidarity inspiring action in this area needs also to be put to use in addressing the roots of illegal economic migration, a phenomenon that is harmful not only to the individuals themselves — who fall victim to callous criminal organizations, often paying with their lives — but also to the economic and social development of the countries of origin. For that reason, we welcome the summit statement reaffirming the principle of solidarity and burden-sharing with regard to assisting genuine refugee populations and their host communities. In that context, we look forward to the General Assembly’s high-level dialogue on international migration and development, to take place in 2006. It will give us an important further opportunity to discuss the multidimensional aspects of that problem and identify appropriate ways of dealing with them. Malta will take an active and constructive part in that dialogue. Last week’s summit provided important new guidelines in many critical areas requiring collective action. In the area of development cooperation, there has been a rededication to the objectives first defined in the Millennium Development Goals. Malta joins its partners in the European Union in strengthening its commitment towards increased and more effective development assistance in the coming years. We have set ambitious goals for the successful completion by next year of the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. Malta’s national contribution will be commensurate with its possibilities and its level of economic development. Nevertheless, it will take inspiration from our constant endeavour to strengthen and enlarge the areas of peace, prosperity and security for all peoples of the world. We will have a renewed opportunity to reaffirm those commitments in November, when Malta hosts the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and assumes the chairmanship of the Commonwealth for the next two years. Peace and prosperity must be rooted in human dignity. Our leaders devoted a significant part of their discussions last week to the question of human rights. The summit decisions on this subject may not have gone as far as some of us would have wished. Nevertheless, they were an important step towards the objective of equipping the United Nations with a more effective institutional structure to deal with the defence and promotion of human rights worldwide. In the current session of the General Assembly, we will aim to bring to fruition the summit’s decisions in the area of human rights, especially the establishment of the Human Rights Council. Another area where questions of human dignity are of paramount importance relates to the principle of the responsibility to protect. Our leaders have taken a brave step by reconciling the different strands of that principle, which seeks to encapsulate an important moral duty in the development of the law of nations. Respect for State sovereignty, the strict parameters on the use of force and the overarching commitment to respect and defend human dignity and the right to life owed to all individual human beings are all vital aspects of the decisions taken by the summit in this regard. Further work in that area must continue to be inspired by the sense of solidarity which is shared by people around the world and the common, worldwide ethical responsibility to act to defend the innocent. Effective post-conflict peacebuilding is an important dimension in which the international community can give practical expression to the notion of collective responsibility. We therefore strongly welcome the agreement to establish the Peacebuilding Commission, which underlines and reinforces the United Nations capacity in the area of peacekeeping and peacebuilding. That is an area of international cooperation where the interface between action at the regional and global levels is critical. The task entrusted to us by the summit to finalize the modalities of the Peacebuilding Commission by December this year is among the most far-reaching responsibilities of the current session of the General Assembly. Another area where international cooperation is especially important concerns the fight against terrorism. Notwithstanding the differences that might remain on the precise interpretation and scope of the concept, there is a widespread commitment to resisting and eliminating that outrageous and horrific attack on the everyday order and serenity of life in our societies and the right of ordinary people to a secure and peaceful life. On the basis of that recognition, we urge immediate steps to intensify and expand concrete actions that respond to the immediate concerns of our citizens. The elements of a counter-terrorism strategy announced by the Secretary-General earlier this year provide a useful pointer in the right direction. 12 We need to take our collective action against terrorism further. Malta believes that no terrorist action is ever excusable, and our action against terrorism must be unequivocal, firm and decisive at all times and in all instances. However, we must deeply analyse and examine the roots of the problem. In particular, we must not be passive when we see situations around the world where States have been unable to provide a social welfare net for their peoples and where, as a consequence, the poor and the desperate conglomerate around extremist organizations, which may also practice terror while simultaneously providing welfare assistance to strengthen their popular base. Social responsibility for the provision of welfare should be in the hands of the State, which represents society in all its diversity. In my view, it is imperative that international development programmes should also have that particular focus. The ultimate objective of the current session of the General Assembly should continue to be progress towards the conclusion of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Aside from agreeing on a new set of tasks and measures for reform, at last week’s summit our leaders reaffirmed and further developed the concepts and principles that lie at the heart of the United Nations. Those concepts and principles will inspire the deliberations of the Assembly’s current session as it considers the many specific issues on its agenda. Issues of peace and security are a major part of that agenda. They are particularly poignant today, the International Day of Peace. Malta welcomes the recent evolution of the situation in Palestine, marked by Israel’s disengagement from the occupied territories in Gaza and parts of the West Bank. We urge the parties concerned to maintain the momentum for peace that has been created. We acknowledge and salute the bold and tough decisions taken by both the Israeli and the Palestinian leadership, which are making this development possible. We have a clear sense of the complexities and sensitivities involved for both sides in pursuing their respective actions. Together with our partners in the European Union, Malta wishes to encourage this latest development as a path towards the full resumption of the Middle East peace process. This calls for a continuing determination by both sides not to allow obstacles to stand in the way of their carrying out the next set of actions called for under the Quartet road map: Israel’s freezing of all settlement activity, and the cessation of all violent attacks by Palestinians against Israelis everywhere. We are convinced that the ultimate objective — the existence of two neighbouring, viable sovereign States, living in peace and security, is within reach and certainly worth the effort and sacrifice involved at this stage. In the Mediterranean, regional cooperation continues to be strengthened through the Barcelona process and other initiatives for subregional consultation. Within the broader framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, countries to the north and the south of the Mediterranean are working together on a wide range of actions to further peace, prosperity and progress in their region. Those actions include areas of primary interest for Malta and its immediate neighbours, such as the management of migration flows, the promotion of human rights, democratization, counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism efforts, the acceleration of increased market integration and the objective of improving the social and economic living conditions of all peoples in the region, especially the most vulnerable among them. The further economic, social and political integration of the Euro-Mediterranean region is the primary challenge of the countries belonging to it and would have beneficial consequences for the international community as a whole. Malta is particularly interested in developments relating to the future enlargement of the European Union. Following the entry of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, the next stages of that process could encompass a number of countries in our region, such as Croatia and Turkey. Malta believes that the further enlargement of the Union would provide an impetus for positive reform in European countries in general and for the creation of a wider European area of peace, stability, democracy and human rights dedicated to the prosperity of its peoples in a spirit of solidarity. Malta welcomes the fact that the European Union is increasingly acting as a promoter of peace and cooperation in regions beyond its immediate vicinity. That is the case with regard to the framework for wider cooperation provided by the Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. 13 The expansion of political rights and political participation is an essential dimension of the broader strategy to combat extremism in its various manifestations throughout the world. Malta welcomes the intensifying transatlantic engagement in this regard which, especially in the Middle East, seeks to foster wider participation in support of home-grown economic, political and educational reform efforts for societies in the region. The European Union is also cooperating increasingly with the African Union in the implementation of actions and decisions agreed within the framework of the United Nations. We hope that that encouraging development will further reinforce the many peacekeeping, humanitarian relief and reconciliation efforts under way in many parts of the African continent. The institutional set-up and functioning of the United Nations have been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent months. This has laid bare some of the weaknesses of our Organization. At the same time, it has highlighted the many areas in which our Organization is playing a unique and indispensable role in the process of multilateral cooperation. Regrettably, instances of human and institutional failures have been brought to light. At the same time, the much larger number of instances where the institutions are working well and where individuals are acting with admirable commitment and dedication have also been given prominence. In particular, developments in recent months have placed in a sharper focus the commitment and dedication of the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in carrying out his exceptionally complex and demanding task. I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest admiration and support for the Secretary- General for the major contribution that he has been making towards effective multilateralism and respect for the international rule of law. Our challenges have never been as global as they are today. Recent natural disasters have emphasized to all of us our vulnerability as the human race. Globalization in all its aspects, including global communication, has not only brought home to us the immediacy of events and information, but has also further accelerated dynamic change in all aspects — political, economic and social — in all societies on Earth. The situation of constant flux and dynamic change further increases the need for the United Nations to be a reformed, effective focal point for the international community, one that is ready to respond to, and proactively work to meet, the challenges of peace, security and development. This year, which marks the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations, it is useful for us to approach the exercise of reform keeping in mind the words of the Secretary-General in his report, “In larger freedom”, that “the principles and purposes of the United Nations, as set out in the Charter, remain as valid and relevant today as they were in 1945, and that the present moment is a precious opportunity to put them into practice”. (A/59/2005, para. 153).