The previous session of the
General Assembly created high expectations for reform
and comprehensive renewal that would ensure the
continued success and relevance of the United Nations
well into the twenty-first century. Thanks to the
initiatives launched by the Secretary-General, today we
have the Peacebuilding Commission; the Central
Emergency Response Fund; the recognition of a
collective responsibility to protect, where a State fails
to protect its citizens from genocide and crimes against
humanity; and a new Human Rights Council. Lithuania
is committed to work to ensure that the new Human
Rights Council can strengthen the protection and
promotion of human rights around the world.
It is said that State-building is a long and difficult
process. That is precisely why United Nations
assistance in this area is much needed. The
Peacebuilding Commission brings renewed hope that
post-conflict countries can avoid slipping back into
chaos. But institutions alone do not count if they are
not supported by political will. Strong international
commitment is necessary in offering hope of a better
life wherever nations are struggling to get back on their
feet.
Lithuania’s lead in a Provincial Reconstruction
Team in Afghanistan has given us first-hand
understanding of the vital importance of the
sustainability and continuity of such efforts. However,
whether in Afghanistan or elsewhere, our efforts will
be successful only to the extent that the nations
themselves are fully engaged in post-conflict State-
building and rational, market-sound economic
development. Today, we welcome an increasing Afghan
capacity to rebuild the country, and we are encouraged
by the expansion of the International Security
Assistance Force area of responsibility. On the other
hand, the challenges ahead will require ever-increasing
focus and further efforts on the ground.
The tragic events in the Middle East over the past
12 months have vividly demonstrated the human and
financial costs of inability to reach compromises and
final solutions regarding problems that have divided
societies and poisoned the region for long years. Thus,
the effective promotion of a comprehensive peace plan
in the Middle East is topical as never before. Security
Council resolution 1701 (2006) and major donor
conferences offer hope for the development of a
sovereign and strong Lebanon. Let us make this a
reality by pooling our efforts and contributing to this
cause today, not tomorrow. The two States of Israel and
Palestine living side by side in peace is our goal.
Few security issues are as dramatic as terrorism,
with its indiscriminate targeting of civilian lives in an
ever-expanding geography. Five years ago, the people
of this very city suffered a brutal and cold-blooded
attack on the values of humanity and tolerance that
forever changed the world as we knew it. It is therefore
essential that we unite our efforts to ensure that this
never happens again. We welcome the Assembly’s
adoption of the United Nations Global Anti-Terrorism
Strategy (resolution 60/288), and we call for the
completion of work on a comprehensive convention on
international terrorism as soon as possible and for its
being put into practice.
To succeed in our fight against terrorism, we
must not yield to fears that separate; instead, we must
build on our common humanity. We therefore hope the
Alliance of Civilizations will become an integral part
of our interaction, promoting solidarity, inclusion and
understanding and reinforcing the values and principles
which extremists seek to undermine.
Furthermore, we should redouble our efforts to
tackle the issue of disarmament and non-proliferation.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the
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challenges to non-proliferation continue to mount.
Lithuania strongly supports the strengthening of the
effectiveness and efficiency of the IAEA Safeguards
System. Compliance with the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty and the relevant Security Council
resolutions is a key to global security. We therefore call
on all States to exercise full compliance in this area,
vital to our common peace and security.
At the same time, security, as it is typically
defined, has a broader meaning now. We should deal
with climate change, energy security and dire water or
food shortages with equal attention.
We must be firm in our common fight against
terrorism, but we must be just as firm in fighting
poverty and upholding the dignity of the individual. We
need to put the available resources to the best possible
use, such as ensuring significant progress in the
implementation of the internationally agreed upon
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Lithuania is proud to follow up on these
commitments. As a new donor country, we know that it
will take time to measure up to the high expectations in
the field. We provide increasing amounts of advice and
assistance, in more and more places. Over the past year
alone, our development aid has grown by 60 per cent.
We are determined to further increase our aid and
diversify its geography. We remember what it meant to
receive help when we needed it, and we know and
accept the responsibility to now help others in our turn.
Only a comprehensive approach can ensure that
the inextricable link between security, development,
and human rights that we all agreed on will translate
into a real and positive impact on the lives of countless
millions of human beings around the world.
As we pursue the commitments already
undertaken, we must look beyond tomorrow to be able
to empower the United Nations to deal successfully
with the challenging diversity of issues and concerns of
all our nations.
It is natural that in debating such vital issues as
the reform of the United Nations, we, the Member
States, have disagreements. However, we should also
remember that, while we discuss our disagreements
here in New York, millions of the poorest are suffering
from degrading starvation, millions of children are
dying from preventable diseases, and millions of
people have nothing to rely on but the United Nations
to protect them. If we want the United Nations to
effectively deal with development challenges, counter
new deadly threats and restore the value of human life
to countless people around the world, an ongoing
change is a must.
I therefore urge the United Nations to continue in
the vital areas of management reform and mandates
review in order to increase the Organization’s
efficiency and effectiveness for the benefit of all.
We also urge strengthening of international
environmental governance and translating the World
Summit agreement on the collective responsibility to
protect into a willingness to act, when such action is
needed, and ending impunity for the most serious
crimes of concern to the international community.
A vital element of the United Nations renewal is
the issue of Security Council reform. Lithuania has
consistently supported reform, in terms of both
membership and working methods. Enhancing the
Council’s legitimacy through such reform will enable it
to improve the discharge of its primary responsibilities
vis-à-vis international peace and security.
A renewed Security Council should give adequate
voice and representation to all regions. As a member of
the East European Group, Lithuania believes that this
Group, too, deserves better representation on the future
Security Council. Our collective experience of
dramatic and peaceful transformation of our societies
has a lot to offer. In this respect, we believe, our Group
can offer an excellent candidate for the post of
Secretary-General.
Despite its flaws, the United Nations remains the
only organization with the potential to embody a truly
global and effective spirit of multilateralism.
Therefore, whatever we do, we should continue to ask
ourselves: are we, the Member States, doing enough to
help the United Nations fulfil its promise to mankind?
We are a world family and we have responsibilities to
one another.