It is an honour
for me to represent my country, the Principality of
Andorra, in the Assembly, which for almost seven
decades has been meeting annually to speak of peace,
development and justice, and particularly this year,
in which we are marking two historic events that are
closely linked to the birth of the United Nations.
The year 2014 will mark 100 years since the
beginning of the First World War and 70 years since
the landing of the Allies in Normandy, which was the
beginning of the end of the Second World War. Those
two armed conflicts caused humanity to open its eyes
to a new reality: the old balances among European
Powers no longer served to maintain peace in the
world. The policy of blocs was ineffectual in preventing
conflicts with enormous destructive capacity. Further,
the foreign activities of countries, focusing solely and
exclusively on their national interests, proved in some
cases to be the cause of the conflicts.
The two World Wars raised humankind’s awareness
in that the world needed a global order that would
ensure peace and security and promote development
and justice. Those functions could no longer be
provided by a single country, however powerful and
large, or even by a bloc of countries; rather, there had
to be multilateral action. That was the raison d’être of
the United Nations, of which the highest expression is
this General Assembly.
I wanted to begin with a brief historical reference,
because I believe that the challenges of peace and
security in the world of today are not very different
from the challenges of peace and security of the world
of yesterday, of 1914 or 1944. Certainly there is a
variety of challenges, but they have a very significant
common denominator: they can be resolved only with a
vision that is global, multilateral, effective and, above
all, respectful of the principles that inspire this General
Assembly.
The conflicts in Syria, Palestine or Ukraine, which
threaten peace and security and stability, will not be
resolved optimally or effectively with a partial or short-
term vision. Any solution that veers away from the
founding principles of the United Nations is condemned
to be unstable, not lasting and, unfortunately, quite
often a solution that leads to new conflicts.
Therefore Andorra has always championed and will
continue to champion the discussion of and solutions
to those conflicts under United Nations auspices. We
did so when we co-sponsored the draft resolution in
the Security Council that would have requested that the
case of Syria be referred to the International Criminal
Court (ICC), because without justice there can be no
lasting peace — neither in Syria nor anywhere else.
Also, in the same spirit we have been unflagging
in our defence of a solution to the Palestinian conflict
that obtains peaceful coexistence for two States, in
compliance with United Nations resolutions. A solution
must be based on mutual recognition and mutual respect,
because the aspirations of the Palestinian people to have
their own State are noble and respectable, but also noble
and respectable are the aspirations of the Government of
Israel to ensure life and security for its citizens. Along
the same lines, we do not believe that any solution to
the Ukrainian conflict can be stable unless it respects
the principles of international law and unless it comes
as the fruit of a sincere dialogue — neither in Ukraine
nor anywhere else.
The risk and threat to international peace and
security arising from the emergence of the Islamic
State in Syria and Iraq require a clear response from
the international community vis-à-vis the extremists.
There can be no excuse or mitigating factor for the
criminal acts of barbarism, sectarianism and — let us
be clear — terrorism to which the Islamic State resorts
as a strategy for its action and communication. There
can be no double-standard discourse. The Islamic State
murders innocent people in cold blood. We all feel as
if we are British, American or French citizens when
watching the recent savage executions. We must also
all feel as if we were Syrian or Iraqi citizens — true
victims of those extremists, though not always so
visible in the media. There can be no room for inaction
or for impunity.
New threats, also global in nature, have appeared,
such as the phenomenon of foreign combatants. In
that connection, Andorra co-sponsored the recent
Security Council resolution 2178 (2014). We must have
a response to rechannel efforts to tackle the challenges
and immediate threats. In the long run we must be able
to persevere in the fight against sectarian discourse,
extremist discourse, and discourses of hate. On that
point, education must play an essential role, together
with the other values of the United Nations, now and
in the future.
The actions taken by my country in the United
Nations over the past year have focused primarily on
education. That matter requires, perhaps more than
any other, a vision that integrates long-term thinking.
Promoting access to quality education for all the
citizens of our planet has always been a priority of the
United Nations, because when we speak of education
we are speaking also of fundamental rights and of
development. But I would go further. Education is
also an instrument for creating awareness of a global
citizenry. If there is not a broad majority of citizens of
the world who believe in the principles and values of
the United Nations, our actions will always be in vain.
I am convinced that the only way to create global
awareness is through education. Education is the best
weapon in the fight against hatred and violence of all
kinds. Andorra therefore welcomes and has participated
from the beginning in the Global Education First
Initiative promoted by the Secretary-General, because
it brings a universal vision together with local action.
It also shows that diversity is strengthened in a global
focus, and with diversity we can strengthen democracy.
Andorrans, because of our historical and
geographical circumstances, have understood for some
time that education must have a twofold focus, local and
global. We have also long understood that cooperation
among the different States strengthens the quality of
our educational systems and opens new opportunities
for our citizens. I say “educational systems” because
the citizens of Andorra can have access on an equal
footing, and without cost, to French, Spanish and
Andorran education. Those three public education
systems are complemented by the offer in Andorra of a
Catholic religious education, accessible also to a great
part of our population.
Perhaps without being fully aware of it, or perhaps
because fortune has placed us between two great
European nations, it is true that for decades now we
Andorrans have educated ourselves in diversity and
in being multicultural. That has not caused us to lose
our identity; on the contrary, our identity has been
reinforced. Sometimes we are not even aware ourselves
of the educational richness of our country and of the
great asset that that is. For that reason the Government
of Andorra has focused a great deal of its policy and
action abroad on education. In 2012 and 2013, during
the Andorran presidency of the Council of Europe, that
is how we acted. It is also what we have shown through
participating in the Global Education First Initiative,
together with 15 other countries from all continents.
That was an honour for Andorra.
That activity abroad is also reflected coherently
in internal policies in Andorra. We have suffered the
effects of the international economic crisis for years. We
have had austerity in our public spending, but that has
not undermined our educational system. It will never
affect our educational system, or undermine it, because
education is the best passport to the opportunity for a
future that is better for all.
The need for multilateral action is clear not only
in the matter of education but also, and perhaps even
more intensely, in the fight against global warming.
What we each can do unilaterally will not accomplish
much if there is no global commitment. It is in the fight
against climate change that we can see most clearly that
unilateral actions have a limited reach. Andorrans are
very aware of that, given that our primary economic
sector is winter and mountain tourism — a tourism
threatened by global warming. The Pyrenees are
heating up at 0.2°C each decade, and precipitation has
dropped by 2 litres per square metre each year.
It is clear that a programme of local action is
required. We are working, together with the population
through education and awareness, on policies to reduce
our impact on the environment. We are preparing
studies to seek ways to mitigate the effects of climate
change and also to seek alternative and complementary
systems. Over the years ahead, we will deploy great
efforts to bring about alternative energy sources.
But all that is not enough, nor are the many
actions being implemented by Governments in
countries represented enough. National domestic
environmental policies are important, but if we are to
limit carbon dioxide emissions we must have a global
commitment. Without effective implementation of such
a commitment, the fight against climate change will not
bear the hoped-for fruits. We have a year to prepare for
the Paris Conference, a year to mobilize our efforts.
It is also time for the international community
to mobilize to fight the Ebola virus that so seriously
affects Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. It also affects
us; let us not deceive ourselves. It is the time to show
solidarity, to help. Now is the time, in the weeks and
months ahead, when we must tackle that disease,
which, unfortunately, does not recognize — nor will it
recognize — borders. It is urgent. Beyond that it is, in
my opinion, a global emergency.
Three years ago, the Minister for Foreign Affairs
of the Principality of Andorra came to this Assembly
and spoke, among other things, of an ambitious reform
programme for restructuring our economic model (see
A/66/PV.27). The programme hinged on transparency,
economic openness and a homogenization that would
respect certain Andorran specifics. Today, three
years down the road, we can make a very satisfactory
assessment of the implementation of that policy. Our
country has implemented a fiscal model that works
with our European neighbours, a moderate system that
taxes all income and promotes economic productivity.
We have also opened 100 per cent of the Andorran
economy to foreign investment, as we believe that a
more open world is a more transparent world, one with
more opportunities for all, and in particular for those
who deserve it the most. A country such as ours, which
for many years has been open to immigration, cannot
continue to allow our citizens to have different levels
of rights economically. They must all have the same
economic rights. In that process we have broadened all
economic rights to all foreign residents, who represent
more than half of our population, because a more open
economy is also a fairer and more democratic society.
At the same time, along with its domestic reforms,
Andorra has negotiated double-taxation agreements
with France and Luxembourg and is negotiating one
with Spain that I am convinced will be concluded soon.
We think we can have a similar agreement with other
European and other countries. Those agreements show
that there is a commitment in Andorra to a more open and
transparent global economy. That is a firm commitment
on the part of our Government with regard to generating
more opportunities for our business sector. We are also
firmly determined to move towards greater integration
of our economy in the single European market. For us,
going global begins in Europe.
I wanted to sum up some of our principal
domestic reforms because I understand that a spirit
of multilateralism and a global spirit must prevail.
The efforts of a country working for transparency and
economic cooperation make sense and will be effective
only if they are accompanied by equal efforts by all
countries — again, by all countries. Andorrans are
committed to moving in that direction, and to do so
together with the international community, because we
know that it is only thus, only by working globally, that
progress will be effective, equitable and stable.
The statement of the Head of Government of a
country of 468 square kilometres and 70,000 inhabitants
will never make the headlines or be discussed in
prime time on the world’s big international television
channels. But representing a small country gives us
some advantages, including one that I believe we
should underscore today. No one is as aware as we are
of the importance of multilateral forums when it comes
to resolving conflicts, strengthening international law
and finding global solutions. No one is as aware as we
are that to preserve individual identities and diversities
we must have a collective resolve and joint action.
History has accustomed Andorrans to being affected
by the geostrategic decisions of bigger countries and to
suffering indirectly the effects of instability occurring
beyond our borders. We know that in the great causes of
humanity such as the fight against climate change, our
individual actions will not have much influence if not
accompanied by collective action. I could say the same
of building a global economy that is more equitable and
more transparent. I have always said that the reality
for Andorra is also the reality for all, that for the
great questions we address, the solutions all hinge on
consensus — otherwise they are not solutions. We must
have broad consensus based on individual convictions.
The convictions of Andorra are clear: they are the
principles and values that almost 70 years ago inspired
the birth of the United Nations. Let us never forget the
reason for this great Organization. If we forget, we are
not worthy of being here.