Mongolia

Allow me, Sir, to join preceding speakers in congratulating Mr. Opertti and the members of the Bureau on their well-deserved election, and to wish them every success in discharging their duties. May I also take this opportunity to express my delegation?s deep appreciation to Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko of Ukraine for his outstanding stewardship of the work of the fifty-second session of the General Assembly. One of the pressing issues that mankind is facing today is globalization and the growing interdependence of States and their effects on international relations. These objective processes will to a great extent determine the nature of international relations at the outset of the coming millennium. They open up enormous opportunities and at the same time are fraught with grave challenges. So far, the future does not seem to be bright for some, especially for the least developed, the weak and the vulnerable, which could result in an even wider gap between the rich and the poor, between nations and within them. The increasing interdependence of States and its effects are clearly demonstrated by the Asian financial crisis, which spilled over to some other parts of the world, adversely affecting the world economy, exacting high economic and social costs and raising serious concerns about the operations of financial markets. We believe that the present financial crisis calls for the international community to create a crisis early warning system. Therefore, naturally, these issues are on the minds of peoples and on the agenda of this Assembly. We believe that the high-level meetings held last week in this Assembly will provide a good basis for serious, constructive and fruitful debate and decisions on these issues. After decades of virtual isolation from world development, Mongolia is taking active measures to integrate itself into the global economy on the basis of whatever comparative advantage it has. Though concrete steps have been taken in the past few years, including opening up its economy to the outside world and joining the World Trade Organization, the negative consequences of globalization, which are felt especially by the weak and vulnerable, including by the landlocked developing countries, risk marginalizing it economically, if not politically. We therefore believe that the world community, when searching for adequate responses to globalization, should take into account the challenges that these vulnerable States and those in transition are facing and take measures to facilitate their adaptation to the changing realities. 21 We believe that the international community should pay increasing attention to the situation of landlocked developing States. They are handicapped by their geographical location and remoteness from world markets, which, as experts point out, curtails their annual growth by 1 to 3 per cent at the very least. It is no wonder that of the 30 landlocked developing countries, 16 are among the least developed, with per capita gross domestic product of less than $400. The progressive marginalization of those countries is evident from the fact that the 300 million people who live in those countries share only 0.5 per cent of world trade, with the trend moving towards further decrease. Like other landlocked developing countries, Mongolia is taking measures to overcome the difficulties inherent to landlocked countries by closely cooperating with itstransit neighbours. In this regard, Mongolia is looking forward to concluding a subregional agreement with Russia and China that would facilitate transit transportation for all three countries and the subregion in general. Bearing in mind the state of the world?s economy and the role that the United Nations could play, Mongolia supports the efforts to increase the role of the United Nations in economic and social development, especially of weak and vulnerable States, and in creating an effective mechanism of international cooperation for development. Likewise, it is in favour of convening international conferences on development financing and on partnership for development. Mongolia believes that the notion of development should not be limited only to economic growth. In this regard, we fully agree with the wider notion that is reflected in the human development reports. Economic development, like other human activities, is directly connected to the state of the world?s environment — in fact, with the future of mankind. In many countries, especially those that are environmentally vulnerable, the question of protecting the environment is directly linked to their security and even ultimate survival. The changes in the world climate, its caprices that we see and feel, lead us to believe that greater attention and efforts are needed to cope with this ever growing and creeping danger, the effects of which are incalculable. Therefore, we believe that the first International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction should be followed by a second decade with greater focus on reaching the targets set forth, as well as strengthening existing mechanisms and creating, where necessary, new international mechanisms. Mongolia, following its centuries-old tradition of living in harmony with nature and the environment, declared 15 per cent of its territory — an area larger than Central Europe — a protected natural reserve. In the near future that area will comprise one third of its vast territory. Political stability is essential for economic development and fruitful cooperation. The end of the cold war was an important milestone in international relations that raises hopes for further strengthening peace and developing cooperation among nations. However, the post-cold-war years have vividly demonstrated that peace and stability need constant efforts by States to deepen mutual trust and to settle disputes by political means. Though some political flashpoints have been eliminated and problems solved, new ones are still arising. As reflected in the general debate the situations in the Middle East, in the Balkans and in southern Africa are causing concern on the part of the international community. Mongolia supports solving those problems on the basis of negotiation, in the spirit of cooperation, without the use or threat of force. In this connection, we would like to reiterate that the Korean peninsula should be turned into a zone of peace, stability and prosperity in the interests of the Korean people, as well as the peace and security of North-East Asia. In another part of the Asian continent, in South Asia, the international community was shocked by nuclear tests that could exacerbate tensions and undermine the existing nuclear non-proliferation regime and the test ban. Mongolia, situated between two nuclear Powers, stands strongly against any nuclear tests and, like other countries, expressed its deep concern and regret over the recent tests. Therefore, we welcome the declaration of the People?s Republic of China not to resume nuclear tests and express the hope that the latest encouraging signals from Pakistan and India will lead to strengthening the non-proliferation regime and moving closer to the objectives of nuclear disarmament. In this respect, Mongolia supports the eight-Power Declaration entitled “Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: the need for a new agenda”. Likewise, we express the hope that the negotiations on banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices will soon lead to the conclusion of a verifiable international treaty. Mongolia believes that non-nuclear-weapon States can, in their own way, contribute to strengthening nuclear security and enhance stability. In this context, it welcomes 22 and supports the efforts of the Central Asian States to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in their region. For its part, Mongolia is working to institutionalize its nuclear- weapon-free status, which would turn its territory into an area of peace, stability and predictability. All nuclear- weapon States, as well as the entire Non-Aligned Movement, fully support Mongolia?s efforts to institutionalize its nuclear-weapon-free status. Mongolia is in favour of strengthening the arms control and verification regimes set up by the Conventions on chemical and biological weapons. They will, in our view, given a genuine will to enforce them, strengthen international security. Likewise, Mongolia supports international efforts to curb the spread of conventional weapons, especially of small arms and light weapons. International peace and security will be strengthened when and if international law is strictly observed. We believe that international law should be strengthened as the core of security relations. In this connection, Mongolia welcomes the recent adoption by the Rome Conference of the Statute of the International Criminal Court. We are in favour of a truly independent court and look forward to its early establishment and coming into operation. This would constitute an important milestone in strengthening international law and justice. Mongolia condemns all acts of international terrorism. Therefore, it resolutely condemns the recent terrorist bombings in Kenya, Tanzania and Northern Ireland and believes that international terrorism should be fought by joint efforts and in full accordance with the norms and principles of international law. It believes that acts of terrorism should be condemned wherever, by whomever and against whomever they are carried out. The fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an event of special significance. It is connected with the tremendous changes that have taken place over the last half-century in the concept of human rights and the practice of ensuring them. Thanks to the Declaration, unprecedented high standards have been set for protecting human dignity. Since the adoption of the Declaration in 1948, those standards have been strengthened and further developed by numerous international treaties and conventions and have become truly universal. The legal foundations reflecting the world standard of protection and promotion of human rights were laid down in Mongolia?s 1992 Constitution. Since then it has been further developed and concretized by relevant legislation and the establishment of the necessary administrative and legal machinery based on United Nations human rights treaties and conventions to which Mongolia has acceded. At present preparations are under way for the establishment of a national human rights commission. A draft law to that effect has been submitted to the Parliament for its consideration and adoption. As it confronts the many global problems before it and approaches the new millennium, the world community places great hopes in the activities of a strong and well-equipped United Nations. In that connection, Mongolia firmly supports the Secretary-General?s reform package. In implementation of decisions and recommendations of United Nations summit conferences on major global social and economic problems, and in support of the so- called silent revolution, my Government has adopted a national action programme for the twenty-first century and, in close partnership with bodies of the United Nations family and non-governmental organizations operating in Mongolia, is launching an ambitious project: the One-World Conference Series, which is aimed at ensuring an integrated follow-up to the world conferences and summits held in the early 1990s. Reform of the United Nations cannot be complete without the reform and expansion of the Security Council. In that connection, I would like to reiterate my Government?s conviction that the Council should reflect political realities, and, besides becoming more effective, its membership should be enlarged to reflect more equitable representation. It is our hope that the General Assembly debates on this important issue will soon result in concrete decisions. We believe that energetic efforts should be undertaken to make the Millennium Assembly an occasion for reforming and revitalizing the Security Council. On the proposal of Mongolia, the General Assembly is drafting a set of guiding principles for conducting international negotiations. We believe that the development and adoption of such a set of principles would contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of negotiations as the most universal instrument for international cooperation. 23 My Government continues to pursue its political and economic reforms. Mongolia?s commitment to the irrevocable realization of the principles of democracy, liberalism and market economy is irreversible, despite the great difficulties of the transition period. The future major policy priorities will continue to include, inter alia, strengthening of democratic institutions, enhancement of the basis of political stability, acceleration of privatization in the economic field, and social protection of the population, especially of its vulnerable groups. On behalf of the Mongolian people and its Government, I take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to the international community, especially donor countries and international financial institutions, for their assistance to Mongolia since it joined the community of open societies and democratic nations. A century that has been full of dramatic and consequential events is drawing to a close. It has been a century of great social upheaval and experimentation as well as of unprecedented social progress and technological advances. We believe that a more promising millennium is in store for all humankind and that the world community will be able to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Mongolia stands poised at this historic juncture to make its contribution to the efforts of the United Nations to bring about a brighter and more secure future.