On behalf of the Government of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, I would like to extend my
sincere congratulations to you, Sir, on your election
as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth
session. I assure you of our full support and cooperation
in the discharge of your duties. I would also like to
sincerely commend His Excellency Mr. John Ashe for
the successful completion of his work as President of
the Assembly at its sixty-eighth session.
We have just over 450 days remaining for the
attainment of the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). While many countries have made considerable
achievements and will achieve the MDGs, others, like
the least developed countries, have seen slow progress
and face various challenges in achieving all Goals
within the time frame. Moreover, complex regional
and international situations, such as armed conflicts,
political unrest, pandemics and environmental
degradation, among others, have inevitably brought
about more obstacles to those countries’ efforts to
realize the MDGs.
Against that backdrop, based on past experience,
it is evident that socioeconomic development in any
country can succeed only in an enabling, lasting and
secure environment. Only under such conditions could
we employ all efforts and draw on all potential and
resources available in the country for development in
the most effective and sustainable manner.
Over the 39 years of its existence, since the war
ended, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has
deployed all its efforts in national development,
starting from the period of healing the wounds of war
to the era of formulating and implementing the seventh
five-year national socioeconomic development plan,
based on the renovation policy set by the Lao People’s
Revolutionary Party. The achievements made in each
period are the results of lessons learned through actual
development activities carried out and from adapting
to specific conditions within the country and to the
external environment.
Lessons learned from friendly countries, both
near and far, are valuable assets. We therefore would
like to express our sincere appreciation to all friendly
countries for sharing their knowledge and experience,
including both successes and failures, with the small
and young Lao People’s Democratic Republic in each
period.
The mid-term review of the implementation of the
seventh five-year national socioeconomic development
plan has shown that the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic has made remarkable achievements in many
areas, especially in maintaining a steady pace of
economic growth, political stability and social order,
thus ensuring that the Lao people of all ethnic groups
can enjoy their legitimate rights and freedom and can
actively participate in national development. That has
laid a solid foundation for the country to move towards
realizing its ultimate goal of graduating from the least
developed country status by 2020. The achievements so
far were made possible not only due to national efforts,
but also through the support and cooperation extended
by friendly countries and development partners,
including international organizations, especially the
United Nations system.
Nevertheless, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic has also been affected by the global financial
and economic crisis in recent years. That has given rise
to major obstacles to national economic development as
well as to the implementation of various development
goals. In that regard, the Lao Government has taken
timely measures to stabilize its macroeconomy, aimed
at promoting sustained growth in the coming years.
In addition, as a landlocked and least developed
country, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
remains vulnerable. It still faces numerous challenges,
especially in achieving some of the MDG targets,
including reducing child malnutrition, ensuring gender
equality in education and reducing child and maternal
mortality.
Minimizing the impact of unexploded ordnance
(UXO) dropped during the war also remains a challenge.
Taking into account the importance of dealing with
that matter, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has
adopted a localized millennium development goal on
addressing the impact of UXO, as its national MDG 9.
Reducing the impact of UXO remains a huge
burden and task for the country, as it hampers national
development and the eradication of poverty. In that
connection, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
is one of the countries that initiated the process to
formulate the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The full and effective implementation of the Oslo
Convention is of great importance, because it will lead
to a total prohibition of the use, production or transfer
of cluster munitions.
In that connection, I take this opportunity to convey
our congratulations to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize
and the Republic of the Congo on their ratification of
the Oslo Convention, which increased the total number
of States having done so to 86. We hope that other
countries will also consider becoming parties to the
Convention.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic shares
the common concern over the escalating armed
conflicts in different parts of the world, which are
posing increasingly major threats to the international
community. We urge all parties concerned to exercise
the utmost restraint and refrain from taking any action
that could cause loss of people’s lives or property. Only
through addressing those conflicts by peaceful means
can we ensure mutual trust. Resentment and hostility
against one another lead to escalating violence and use
of force, resulting in loss of life and property and pain
and suffering for innocent people.
In addition, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
shares the strong concern about the escalating conflict
in Palestine, which has led to loss of Palestinian lives.
We therefore urge a peaceful resolution of the issue of
Palestine.
In this era of interdependence, cooperation and
engagement are key factors for peaceful and mutually
beneficial coexistence. The enforcement of isolation and
of sanction measures imposed on any country may not
benefit the international community. On the contrary, it
may cause losses to all and lead to increasing hostility.
Likewise, the unilateral embargo on the Republic of
Cuba — a sovereign State — for many decades has had
a major impact on the lives of the peace-loving Cuban
people. Therefore, it is now time to lift the embargo.
In this complex and challenging global environment,
the United Nations, the only universal organization,
under the leadership of Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, has made tireless efforts to seek ways and
means to address these international issues, promote
cooperation for sustainable development and poverty
eradication and maintain peace, stability and security
in the world. I would like to take this opportunity
to commend the Secretary-General for his various
initiatives in addressing issues of common concern,
including the organization of the Climate Summit,
which has just been successfully concluded.
Nevertheless, amid complex and unpredictable
circumstances, the United Nations needs to strengthen
itself through the reform of various organs so that it
can more effectively carry out its mandate and fulfil
its obligations. The international community is hoping
to see further tangible progress next year on the
reform of the United Nations, on the occasion marking
the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the
Organization.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) is a regional organization that has enjoyed
rapid growth, and all ASEAN-initiated mechanisms
are bearing fruitful results. We are therefore convinced
that ASEAN community-building in 2015 will be
successful, turning ASEAN into a single market and
production base with increased competitiveness, thus
promoting trade and investment in the region and
between ASEAN and its external partners. ASEAN is
now earnestly mapping out the ASEAN Community
Post-2015 Vision, aimed at strengthening and ensuring
ASEAN unity while promoting peace and security in the
region and the world at large. On that note, we hope that
the international community will continue to support
the implementation of the ASEAN Community Post-
2015 Vision, as well as the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, after ASEAN
becomes a Community.
Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) compose
one of the groups of countries in special situations that
are recognized by the international community. After
10 years of implementation of the Almaty Programme of
Action on addressing the specific problems and special
needs of LLDCs, it has been noted that many objectives
have not been realized, thus those countries continue to
face daunting challenges and marginalization in many
areas.
More than half of the LLDCs are also least developed
countries. In that context, the second United Nations
Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, to be
held in November in Vienna, is of great significance
to LLDCs, as it will conduct the 10-year review of the
implementation of Almaty Programme of Action and
adopt a new programme of action for the next decade.
On that note, we would like to call upon all stakeholders,
including transit countries and development partners,
to participate actively in the Conference with a view to
ensuring its successful outcome. Also, we call on the
international community to support the implementation
of the new programme of action in order to help
those countries overcome their special problems and
challenges and achieve sustainable development.
The year 2015 will mark the seventieth anniversary
of the founding of the United Nations. We hope that
the international community will spare no effort in
building a peaceful, secure and prosperous world.