Kyrgyzstan

First of all, allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session and to wish you every success in carrying out that important task. It is also a great pleasure to express my gratitude to Mr. John Ashe for his successful and fruitful guidance of the previous session of the General Assembly. The current situation in the world vividly demonstrates that the ongoing instability, increasing disputes among the leading world Powers and the absence of a clear and comprehensible vision for the future of the world order have become part of our everyday life. War, conflict, a refusal to listen to one another and unilateral action are pushing the international community ever closer to the precipice. Such developments undermine our efforts to work together effectively to address today’s threats and challenges. It is no surprise that various terrorist and extremist groups are cunningly taking advantage of the prevailing political vacuum and fierce opposition among world and regional Powers in order not only to insinuate and assert their presence, but also to demonstrate their ability to directly influence the situation around the world. Therefore, the role of the United Nations as a platform for comprehensive dialogue is becoming ever more important. Kyrgyzstan has consistently advocated the further strengthening of the central coordinating role of the United Nations in international affairs so as to maintain peace, security and stability; to promote shared sustainable and constructive development; and to encourage broad international cooperation. We believe that the ongoing and emerging sources of global instability require a strengthened role for the United Nations in every possible way. The relevance of political and diplomatic conflict resolution is reconfirmed by the situations in Afghanistan, the Sahel, East and West Africa, Ukraine and Syria. In order to overcome the threats and challenges to peace, prosperity and creative development, we should firmly and resolutely move forward by uniting the efforts of the entire international community. Kyrgyzstan expresses its full readiness to participate in such constructive and effective international cooperation. Against the backdrop of such negative global political developments, the further strengthening of human rights principles and of the rule of law, based on constructive approaches and cooperation, is becoming all the more relevant. For Kyrgyzstan, these principles are an integral part of political development. The upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan, in 2015 and 2017, will serve as an important step in strengthening the democratic foundations of our country. We hope that the international community will provide effective assistance to Kyrgyzstan in implementing its far-reaching goals. In line with our commitment to democratic principles and the desire to make a further contribution to the dialogue on global democracy, Kyrgyzstan has announced its candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the period of 2016- 2018. We count on the support of members of the Assembly in that regard. The world today is at a difficult juncture, marked by increasing regional and international instability. All nations, regardless of their geographical location, face similar security challenges. Our region, in this regard, is no exception. It is obvious that the most serious external challenge to Central Asia remains the situation in Afghanistan, as well as the threats of terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking emanating from that country. As in the past, problems related to illegal drug- trafficking as a direct consequence of the situation in Afghanistan are among the most severe in the entire region. We are especially alarmed by the continuing strong link between terrorism and illegal Afghan drugs, which undermine the achievements in Afghanistan’s security situation and its ability to ensure law and order throughout the country. In this regard, it is necessary to pool efforts with the United Nations to promote security and stability in Afghanistan. In order to effectively curb these threats, we call for a more proactive international contribution, in order to strengthen the capacity of regional law-enforcement agencies and to promote regional cooperation. We attach particular importance to the Istanbul Process as an important dialogue in improving regional cooperation on Afghan issues. We count on the active participation of all parties in achieving practical results. We hope that the establishment of the new Government of Afghanistan by Mr. Ashraf Ghani and Mr. Abdullah Abdullah will be the starting point for the future stabilization in that war-weary country. Another important factor for regional instability is the unresolved border issue in Central Asia. Undoubtedly, a successful solution is in the best interests of all States of the region. The solution would greatly contribute to enhancing the regional transit potential of our countries, developing cross-border infrastructure, improving the economic situation and decreasing social tension. In this regard, I call on all Central Asian States to support the recent initiative of the President of Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Almazbek Atambaev, on the development and subsequent signing of bilateral agreements on border-related confidence-building, as put forward at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Dushanbe. I am confident that the successful implementation of that initiative would let us take historic steps towards the development of regional economic and trade relations, as well as in jointly maintaining regional stability. Amid the turmoil sweeping through the Middle East, it is especially important to focus our attention on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which we view as the major destabilizing factor for the region and the world. The use of force leads only to further bloodshed, destruction and hatred and does not solve any problem. In order to revive mutual trust, the conflict must be resolved by exclusively political and diplomatic means, on the basis of relevant resolutions of the Security Council. The theme of the present general debate, “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, is both timely and relevant. Next year, at the seventieth anniversary session of the United Nations, we will need to formulate and adopt new goals for the following 15 years. The evolving situation today illustrates that many countries, including Kyrgyzstan, are unlikely to achieve all the objectives proposed in the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) and the Millennium Development Goals in the next year. We believe that the goals not achieved should be refined in the light of gained experience and they should find proper reflection in the post-2015 goals for sustainable development. We advocate including countries with special development needs on the agenda of the post-2015 agenda. Kyrgyzstan falls into such a category. Ours is a developing, landlocked and mountainous State that is highly vulnerable to climate change. It is well known that extreme poverty in Kyrgyzstan has many causes, foremost among them a disadvantageous geographical location. More than 70 per cent of our territory is mountainous. The country lies 5,000 metres above sea level, with approximately one third of its total area lying 400 metres above sea level. Such States are characterized by remoteness, inaccessibility, informational isolation, severe geoclimatic conditions and a high cost of living. For Kyrgyzstan, the absence of access to the sea is yet another factor having a restrictive effect on our economic development. Remoteness from major international transport networks and high transportation costs hinder the development of multi-vector and diversified international economic relations and the implementation of the country’s large-scale investment projects. We believe that the establishment of an international development fund to provide support and assistance for the economies of developing landlocked countries would contribute to their sustainable economic development. This is especially important in the run-up to the second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, to be held in Vienna, where a new programme of action for the next decade should be adopted. The year 2015 will be a milestone for the entire world community. In addition to the adoption of the post-2015 agenda, we anticipate the adoption of an international legally binding instrument on climate change. On 23 September, on the margins of the General Assembly, the United Nations Summit on Climate Change was held, at which States outlined their vision for a solution incorporating adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. For Kyrgyzstan, as for all mountainous countries whose ecosystems are highly sensitive to climate change, these issues are of priority importance on the national agenda. Abruptly melting glaciers, rising temperatures, soil degradation, landslides, mudflows and floods cause significant economic damage and serve as vivid reminders of the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems. According to reliable forecasts, Kyrgyzstan’s ice cover could be reduced by 40 per cent by 2025, leading to a one third drop in the water available in the region. In that regard, conscious of the undoubted interconnections between the environment, climate change and sustainable development goals, we believe that it is essential that the interests of vulnerable countries be adequately and fairly reflected in future action at the global level. Speaking of regional problems in Central Asia, I should note that dealing as we are with global challenges such as climate change, the potential threat of an energy crisis and population growth, water resources are a key factor in prosperity, and in that regard, our basic position is that the issues of water resources and energy are indissolubly linked and inseparable from each other. It is crucial to understand that hydropower development is an essential precondition for our sustainable development. That is entirely consistent with the Secretary-General’s initiative in declaring the period between 2014 and 2024 the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All. It is clear that access to modern, affordable and environmentally friendly energy supplies is essential if developing countries are to achieve global development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration. The issue of affordable energy should unquestionably be appropriately reflected in the new world agenda of the United Nations post-2015. The recovery and secure storage of uranium tailings in Kyrgyzstan remains a serious transboundary problem for Central Asia. Most are concentrated in densely populated areas, and their condition has deteriorated in the last 10 years in the wake of closings of industrial enterprises and major production facilities. Moreover, a large part of these tailings are at risk of exposure to landslides and floods, as they are located in seismically active regions near the banks of Central Asia’s major transboundary rivers. Despite my Government’s efforts at the national level, along with the support of various international programmes and projects, the serious social, economic and environmental problems related to these issues continue. I would therefore like to urge the international community to assist Kyrgyzstan in dealing with this problem of radioactive and toxic waste through full rehabilitation of the contaminated areas, as envisioned in resolution 68/218, on the role of the international community in averting the radiation threat in Central Asia. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that no State can solve all the challenges it faces and maintain sustainable development in isolation. We cannot achieve our sustainable development goals and establish global order without the consolidated efforts of the international community. In that regard, I would like to assure the Assembly that Kyrgyzstan, in its partnership with the United Nations, stands ready to contribute to the search for new opportunities to solve the complex challenges of our time, as well as to contribute to strengthening stability and peace in the world.