At
the outset, it pleases me to extend, on behalf of the
Government and people of the State of Kuwait, our
sincere congratulations to the President of the General
Assembly and to his friendly country, Uganda, on
his election as President of the Assembly at its sixty-
ninth session. We are certain that his vast experience
in international affairs will enable him to conduct the
deliberations of the Assembly at this session wisely and
ably, and we wish him success in that endeavour. We
also note with praise the successful manner in which his
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. John Ashe, conducted
the deliberations during his presidency of the previous
session.
In that regard, I would also like to pay tribute to the
tremendous efforts exerted by His Excellency Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon in leading the Organization, in
accordance with the visions and ideas derived from
the principles and purposes of the Charter, to maintain
international peace and security and achieve its goals in
a sustainable manner by confronting the kinds of risks
and challenges engulfing the world, whether they be
chronic or recent.
In its nearly 70 years of existence and service, the
United Nations has witnessed increasing challenges,
as represented by numerous incidents and crises, and
has overcome exceptional political and economic
milestones. That has made it a haven and a destination
for all the peoples and nations of the world, bestowed
upon the Organization a wider scope of action to contain
crises and given it a more significant role in reaching
solutions and achieving further accomplishments.
However, the deep-rooted and wide-ranging
international transformations of the past few years have
made the continuation of the Organization, based on
its current executive mechanisms and administrative
structures, an obstacle to achieving its historic mission.
When we speak of change for the better, it is crucial
to seek comprehensive reform by proposing scenarios
and solutions aimed at reviving the Organization, its
organs and its specialized agencies in order to ensure
the enhancement and development of their capacity to
become more proactive, in line with modern times, and
to deepen their understanding of the basic requirements
of Member States.
Reform should start with the Security Council, as
the organ entrusted with the maintaining international
peace and security and the closest to reality; it is also
the most effective and is already predisposed to measure
its accomplishments according to its mandates. The
State of Kuwait, which currently presides over the Arab
Summit and coordinates the Arab Group, would like
to stress the importance of thoroughly and carefully
addressing the structural flaws in the composition
of the Council, in particular the issue of expanding
the category of permanent membership by ensuring
permanent Arab representation in the Council, based
on the demographic dimension of the Arab Members,
whose population exceeds 350 million and whose
number increased from five States in 1945 to 22 at
present. That represents nearly 12 per cent of the total
number of States Members of the United Nations, in
addition to the fact that the issues relating to the Arab
States and their region top the agenda of the Council.
Several countries of the Middle East are facing
tremendous security, political and humanitarian
challenges and an exceptional situation, due to the
inability of the Security Council to carry out its
functions, which has led to the aggravation and
deterioration of the situation in many States of the
region. The recent Israeli military aggression against
the Gaza Strip lasted for 50 consecutive days, during
which the non-stop killing and machine of destruction
continuously targeted everything human, mowing
down thousands of unarmed civilians, the majority
of them elderly, women and children. That action
appears to have been emblematic of the series of Israeli
violations of the most basic rules of international law
and international humanitarian law, and constitutes
yet another addition to its bloody history of rejecting
all regional and international initiatives to lay the
foundations of a just and lasting peace.
In that regard, the State of Kuwait welcomes the
ceasefire agreement signed on 26 August, as well as the
international and regional initiatives undertaken to end
to that crisis and aggression, primarily those promoted
by our sister Arab Republic of Egypt. In that context,
we renew our call on the Security Council to assume
its responsibility to provide international protection
to the Palestinian people and territory, pursuant to the
provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949,
and to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to halt its
unilateral practices aimed at imposing a policy of faits
accomplis, such as illegal settlements and the unlawful
siege of the Gaza Strip, in addition to attempts to
change the demographic nature of Jerusalem by means
of Judaization. Israel must be compelled to return to the
negotiating table with a view to ending its occupation
of all Palestinian and Arab lands, as well to achieve the
establishment of a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem
as its capital, in accordance with the relevant Security
Council resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the
road map and the Arab Peace Initiative.
As the crisis in Syria, now entering its fourth year,
escalates into a bloodier phase, our concern about the
potential regional and international repercussions of the
failure of that State has given way to anxiety about the
exacerbation of the cycle of violence, which has already
claimed the lives of more than 190,000 people, created
3 million refugees and displaced another 6 million
people. In that regard, the State of Kuwait welcomes
Security Council resolution 2165 (2014) on opening
new border crossings to deliver aid to the affected
Syrian people. We hope that all concerned will pool
their efforts to ensure the swiftest possible delivery
of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people in the
besieged areas and throughout Syrian territory and
beyond.
In response to the ripple effects of that intensifying
humanitarian crisis, the State of Kuwait hosted two
international donor conferences, in January 2013 and
January 2014, to support the humanitarian situation in
Syria. Pledges made at those two conferences totaled
$3.8 billion, of which the State of Kuwait contributed
$800 million. That sum was delivered in its entirety to
specialized United Nations agencies, as well as to other
governmental and non-governmental organizations
concerned with humanitarian affairs. In that regard,
we reiterate the importance of continued regional and
international efforts to reach a political solution that
satisfies the aspirations of the Syrian people for a free
and decent life, according to the Geneva communiqué,
and that preserve Syria’s unity, security and stability.
With respect to the sisterly Republic of Yemen,
the State of Kuwait, as the current chair of the Gulf
Cooperation Council, has sought within its mandate
to establish peace and stability in Yemen, and to fulfil
the aspirations of its people for development and
prosperity, in accordance with the Gulf States initiative
and its executive mechanism. However, tensions due
to the continued rivalry between some factions, along
with the resulting deterioration in the security and
political situations, are a source of concern, because
of their potential negative impact on the future of the
political process in Yemen. They also pose a threat
to the country’s unity and territorial integrity. We
reiterate our full support for enforcing the outcome
of the national dialogue and for addressing the acts
of violence and terrorism that some separatist groups
continue to provoke.
With respect to the situation in Libya, the State of
Kuwait renews its support to the legitimately elected
Libyan Government, as an integral complement to the
process of democratic transformation that will ensure
the security, unity and territorial integrity of Libya.
The State of Kuwait also emphasizes the need for the
international community and the Security Council
to honour their commitments by fully adhering to
resolution 2174 (2014), in order to guarantee a better
future for Libya and its people.
Within the same region, concerning Iran’s nuclear
programme, the State of Kuwait supports the ongoing
efforts to resolve that issue by peaceful means and in a
manner that will guarantee the Islamic Republic of Iran
and all the countries of the region the right to use nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes, under the supervision and
monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA). We also emphasize the importance of reaching
international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme,
based on full Iranian commitment to cooperating with
the IAEA, implementing all relevant Security Council
resolutions and enforcing the highest standards of
safety and security in its nuclear facilities.
The State of Kuwait reiterates its principled and
firm rejection of all forms of terrorism and extremism,
whatever their reasons, motives or sources. It also
believes that promoting the culture of tolerance and
coexistence among peoples and nations should be a
priority in its internal and external policies, which are
derived from the tolerant teachings of Islamic Sharia.
The State of Kuwait emphasizes its full support for
all international efforts to combat and put an end to
the terrorist threats facing the world, which aim to
undermine the elements of international peace and
security. Kuwait welcomes resolution 2178 (2014)
adopted yesterday by the Security Council, reinforcing
international efforts to combat terrorism and foreign
fighters.
In that regard, we denounce the actions of the so-
called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as
well as its terroristic practices and acts of aggression in
parts of Iraqi and Syrian territory. We equally condemn
ISIL’s grave violations of human rights and international
humanitarian law. We reiterate our commitment
to support the efforts and endeavours of the Iraqi
Government to overcome the destructive scourge of
terrorism that currently threatens its security, stability
and territorial integrity and that is adversely and clearly
affecting the political process in that country.
The giant leap represented by new communications
technologies, thanks to which the United Nations has
been able to expand the reach of its lofty message,
has also increased the complexity of monitoring
and assessing the fast-paced global environment, as
well as handling its output and consequences. The
aggregate expertise and experience represented in our
Organization at the professional, technical and political
levels is embodied in the United Nations Millennium
Declaration (resolution 55/2). The Declaration’s clearly
identified priorities and simple terms have played a
major and significant role in improving the lives of
millions of people in many regions of the world. The
Declaration has also set an example by demonstrating
the importance of partnership in international
work, through cooperation and coordination among
Governments, and the promotion of the role of civil
society organizations and the private sector.
By drawing on modern technology and scientific
advances, the Millennium Development Goals
have provided the peoples and nations of the world
with renewed hope for creating a better world, and
have created an incentive to achieve them. The
Organization has encouraged Member States to
devise a comprehensive and ambitious post-2015
development plan with sustainable development
in all three dimensions — economic, social and
environmental — at its core. That plan will address
new dangers and challenges and anticipate future
conditions, which will be different from those we face
today.
In that regard, the State of Kuwait welcomes the
Climate Summit that the Secretary-General convened
two days ago, and reiterates that climate change has
negative repercussions on development throughout the
world and in the Arab region in particular. There is a
clear need for international action and solidarity within
the framework of the sustainable development goals,
according to the principle of shared but differentiated
responsibility, in order to guarantee that all States
benefit equally from the new agenda. In that regard,
special attention and treatment should be provided to
the developing countries, which are the States most
adversely affected by climate change.
Since winning its independence and joining the
global Organization, the State of Kuwait has never
been far removed from the crises and challenges
facing the world. Our founding fathers defined a
purely humanitarian approach to helping the needy
and restoring hope to those who have lost it, bypassing
the traditional bases for giving, which were largely
rooted in geographic location, ethnic origin or political
affiliation. Their sons have followed that approach,
giving greater priority to contemporary trends
through the pillars that define our foreign policy. That
commitment rests on devising and developing methods
for providing assistance and aid to the majority of the
world’s countries by promoting activities that would
support the message of the United Nations in creating
a world in which security and stability prevail, and
people live in peace and prosperity.
The establishment in 1961 of the Kuwait Fund
for Arab Economic Development was an expression
of the sincere desire of the State of Kuwait to support
the development efforts of Arab States and friendly
countries by providing soft loans and technical
assistance. In pursuing that approach, and in order to
show its keen interest in supporting the humanitarian
role of the United Nations, the State of Kuwait has
doubled the amount of its fixed annual voluntary
contributions to a number of international agencies
and organizations, including its recent donation to the
World Health Organization to combat the spread of the
Ebola virus in West Africa, giving wider horizons and
broader reach to the humanitarian work of the State of
Kuwait.
Our wide-ranging diplomatic efforts at the regional
and international levels, led by His Highness Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the
State of Kuwait, were recognized by the international
community with an exceptional and unprecedented
international honour when the Secretary-General
presented His Highness with a certificate of appreciation
in recognition of the outstanding role in humanitarian
leadership played by His Highness, the Government
and the people of the State of Kuwait in saving the lives
of millions of people.
To conclude, I would like to emphasize that the
State of Kuwait adheres to the multilateral international
system, as well as to the principles and purposes of
the Charter of the United Nations. Kuwait believes
in the critical importance of furthering all efforts to
ensure the continuity of our venerable Organization
by ensuring that all States fulfil their responsibilities
and commitments under international conventions
and conferences in order to help find just and lasting
solutions to global threats and challenges, and to reach
the loftier goal of maintaining international peace and
security.