Ukraine

Allow me, first of all, to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the high post of President of the General Assembly at its sixty-second session. On behalf of my delegation, let me wish you, sir, every success in your important mission and assure you of our full support. I would like to extend warm words of appreciation to your predecessor, Mrs. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, whose extensive diplomatic experience and skilful guidance throughout the sixty-first session greatly contributed to its success. Allow me also to take this opportunity to express our support for the ambitious plans and consistent efforts of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, to re-energize the Organization, strengthen its capacity and update the United Nations system in the new century. International terrorism remains one of the most serious threats facing humankind today. Last year the General Assembly, by adopting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, made a concrete contribution to combat terrorism in a coordinated manner at the national, regional and international levels. We believe that the adoption of a definition of terrorism during the current session would be a starting point in assessing counter-terrorism measures taken by each State. My country joined the anti-terrorist coalition at its inception and has made a significant contribution to its activities. In the last five years, all 13 international counter-terrorism treaties have been ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament. On the governmental level, we support international anti-terrorist efforts, in particular, through participation in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. This fall, we plan to organize in Ukraine the third international forum on measures to counteract acts of nuclear terrorism with the participation of civil society, scholars and non-governmental organizations. Disarmament and non-proliferation are among the most important challenges on our agenda. As a country that voluntarily renounced its military nuclear arsenals, Ukraine is truly disappointed that a world without weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) remains a distant dream. The international community continues to be intimidated by the threat of WMD proliferation. The strengthening of international legal norms and political instrument to prevent WMD proliferation remains a top priority. In this regard, I would like to stress the importance of the universalization of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, as well as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Commemorating in 2007 the tenth anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Ukraine is ready to contribute to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) efforts on ensuring universal adherence to the CWC, particularly by Middle East countries. With this in mind, Ukraine proposes to host next year, together with the OPCW, an international conference with the participation of, inter alia, countries from the Middle East and North Africa. The anticipated outcome of such a conference might be a joint statement of the intention of the countries concerned to adhere to the CWC. We are convinced that the only way forward is to make simultaneous progress in the areas of both non- proliferation and disarmament. We cannot but underscore our concerns over the recent tendencies that have already caused the erosion of the multilateral regime in the arms control and disarmament spheres with a negative impact on mutual trust and confidence among States. The very recent events around the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe have seriously put into question the future of this important arms control instrument, widely recognized as the cornerstone of European security. Speaking about global peace and security, I cannot but draw attention to the problem of the protracted conflicts in the GUAM Group area. These conflicts create instability and insecurity and constitute a threat to peace in the region. There is no doubt that these conflicts endanger the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries of the region, while also hampering their economic and social development. We are concerned that numerous international efforts to settle those conflicts have yielded no results. It is crucially important that the world community continue taking practical steps to that end. In our opinion, the United Nations, regional organizations and other relevant mechanisms should harmoniously complement one another, using their comparative advantages in peacemaking efforts. In this context, I would like to stress Ukraine’s unequivocal support for a lasting settlement in Kosovo. That objective cannot be achieved by undertaking unilateral steps nor by steps seeking to bypass the United Nations. A hasty settlement can only destabilize the situation in the region and have negative implications for the entire system of international relations, since similar scenarios could be pursued by separatist entities in other regions. Ukraine has always supported United Nations peacekeeping efforts, both politically and practically. We are glad to note that the recent noticeable increase in peacekeeping activities has taken place in accordance with the reform strategy of Peace Operations 2010. That is especially important in light of the ongoing and expected deployments in the future. In this context, Ukraine supports the Secretary-General in his efforts to strengthen the United Nations capacity to manage and sustain peace operations. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that next year will mark the sixtieth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping operations. In this regard, our delegation proposes to adopt, at the sixty- third session of the General Assembly, a special declaration to commemorate this event. United Nations credibility will always be measured by its ability to respond adequately to various threats in all regions of the world. No organization is better equipped to deal with those issues. The United Nations should lead multilateral efforts with a view to reaching solutions in the interest of all. But, to address them effectively, we need to take further steps in reforming and improving existing mechanisms of the United Nations in order to make this Organization more relevant in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, the process of reforming the Security Council, which is the key element within the process of renewing the United Nations, is still only an agenda item. We are of the view that the reform process can only benefit from new, creative approaches that will eventually bring about tangible results. In this regard, I would like, once again, to stress Ukraine’s position that one of the necessary elements of Security Council reform should be the allocation of an additional non-permanent seat to the Group of Eastern European and other States, whose membership has more than doubled since 1991. In today’s world, adherence to sound economic, social and environmental policies and good governance are the key factors in achieving sustainable development. We share the view, expressed in a number of statements during this session, that sustainable development is a global challenge. Ukraine believes that only through concerted efforts, using universal, multilateral mechanisms as well as regional and subregional forums, will those challenges be adequately addressed. For Ukraine and other countries of the region, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation has become an important element in achieving internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals. At the same time, the forces of nature, complemented by reckless and irresponsible human behaviour can disrupt development plans, reshape continents and even wipe out whole countries from the world’s map. Science has shown, on many occasions, that climate change, global warming and pollution may cause sudden and dramatic consequences if not addressed in timely, proper and effective ways. Ukraine is firmly committed to the international agreements in the area of climate change, including the United Nations Framework Convention to Combat Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. This year, we marked the twenty-first anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, the worst technological disaster ever faced by humankind. Chernobyl severely affected my country and the entire region. We call upon United Nations agencies and individual donors to continue to provide assistance to the affected States and to work together on the implementation of the relevant programmes in a spirit of cooperation. Ukraine, as a 2007 coordinator of the Chernobyl Agenda, has proposed, together with the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, the adoption at the sixty-second United Nations General Assembly session, of a new resolution on strengthening international cooperation to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. In this regard, we would welcome broad support for that initiative during this General Assembly session. Ukraine is approaching the seventy-fifth anniversary of one of the most tragic pages in its history the Holodomor or Great Famine. The artificial famine of 1932-33, perpetrated by the Soviet totalitarian regime for the purpose of annihilating the rural population, the backbone of the Ukrainian nation, took the lives of millions of innocent people. For more than seven decades this horrific crime, which ranks among the worst catastrophes ever experienced by humankind, still awaits adequate international condemnation. We sincerely hope that the United Nations, as a collective moral authority and effective instrument in safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms, will raise its voice and denounce the horrendous disaster that was purposely inflicted on the Ukrainian population in the early 1930s. By doing so, due tribute will be paid to honour the memory of millions of our compatriots who were outrageously deprived of their lives. It is important to remember the past in order to learn from it and to avoid repeating crimes against humankind in the future. A decision of the General Assembly to establish an international day of remembrance of victims of genocide would be a worthwhile and timely contribution to the attainment of that goal. Likewise, it could facilitate the effective implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as the world approaches the sixtieth anniversary of those instruments in 2008. We are confident that this event deserves the adoption of a special resolution. In the context of human rights, Ukraine attaches great importance to the harmonious coexistence of civilizations, dialogue and cooperation among various cultures and peoples. In this regard, we support the Alliance of Civilizations established under the initiative of the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey, and we intend to join the Group of Friends of the Alliance in the near future. The problems before us are daunting. We believe that the United Nations is the only Organization with the worldwide membership, global reach and universal legitimacy needed to address today’s global threats and challenges, which no country can resolve on its own. I take this opportunity to reaffirm Ukraine’s readiness to continue making an active contribution to the further strengthening of our Organization.