I want to invite us all to take a short journey down memory
lane and recall that in 1946 the United Nations General
Assembly, convened for the very first time, by its very
first decision established a Committee to deal with the
problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy.
Almost nothing has happened since that time to
allay the fears of humankind. On the contrary, the race
to possess nuclear weapons, which even terrorist
organizations have now joined, has continued
unabated. Even though the community of nations has
long recognized the need to reform the international
security system, there has been no real progress.
The lack of an international consensus on the
issue has led to a dramatic weakening of the collective
security system. Speaking in general terms, we are
dealing with a systemic crisis of international
governability, and the international community is
running out of legitimate levers capable of stopping the
spread of weapons of mass destruction.
Quite apart from any ethical, economic or other
such considerations, we need to erect legal barriers to
stop proliferation. For this reason, Kazakhstan
proposes that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) should be adapted to
accommodate the new realities.
It should be acknowledged that the NPT has
become an asymmetrical agreement under which
sanctions are applicable only to non-nuclear States.
Yet, if nuclear Powers call for the development of
nuclear weapons to be banned, they themselves should
set an example by reducing and renouncing their
nuclear arsenals. That is not the case. This unfairness is
an inducement for those States that still aspire to
acquire weapons of mass destruction. I would only add
that, to our way of thinking, this aspiration is irrational.
The people of Kazakhstan have lived through all
the horrors of the effects of nuclear explosions. Four
hundred and fifty-six such explosions were conducted
at the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground.
It was for this reason that the first milestone
decision taken by Kazakhstan after gaining its
independence was to shut down the Semipalatinsk
nuclear testing site. That was followed by the
renunciation of its nuclear missile arsenal, the fourth
largest in the world, and the dismantling of its
infrastructure. I want to note here that at that time we
had not only the trained personnel but also practically
all means for delivery of nuclear warheads.
Those steps have shaped the strategy of our State
in the area of global security. For the first time in
human history, a nation possessing destructive force
has given it up voluntarily.
I am sure that by taking that action Kazakhstan
established trust in the world. Thanks to that step, the
country has witnessed an inflow of considerable
investment that has become the foundation for
impressive achievements in development known today
throughout the world. By taking that step, we
consolidated our independence, having received
security assurances from all nuclear-weapon States. I
have a question for others: why not follow our
example, instead of wasting astounding amounts on the
arms race?
Over recent years, international terrorism has
significantly undermined world security. International
drug trafficking serves as a financial pillar of terrorism.
Today, the international drug industry accounts for a
third of the annual volume of the “economy of
terrorism”. It is a well-established fact that terrorism
finds fertile ground in unstable and poor countries. We
have such a country in our region, Afghanistan. That
country is driving an ever-growing trade in drugs.
Poor countries need the assistance of developed
nations. They need assistance that would give tangible
results. Thanks to a thriving economy, our country,
until recently a foreign aid recipient, has joined the
group of “new donors”. Over the last few years,
Kazakhstan has seen its economy grow at an annual
rate of some 10 per cent. And now we are in a position
to help our neighbours.
We are concerned with the difficulties in the
process of reconstruction of Iraq and the stabilization
of the situation in Afghanistan. The peoples of our
region, like the entire international community, count
on a peaceful solution of the so-called crisis around
Iran. The best way to achieve that is for Iran, whose
people have a great history and culture, to prove the
peaceful character of its nuclear programme.
Today, the peacekeeping efforts of the United
Nations remain the most effective instrument for the
peaceful settlement of regional crises. Fifteen years
ago, from this rostrum, Kazakhstan put forward an
initiative related to the enhancement of the
Organization’s peacekeeping potential. We proposed
the establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping
fund, with States voluntarily contributing 1 per cent of
their military budgets.
That idea has been supported by the Secretary-
General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who has proposed to
redirect 1 per cent of global military spending to
development. I believe that such a decision would
constitute an important step towards the
implementation of the United Nations strategy to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Allow me now to draw the Assembly’s attention
to a number of issues that are important in the context
of Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the United Nations
and its Member States.
First, Kazakhstan welcomes the decision by the
General Assembly to identify problems involving
climate change as a priority theme of the current
session.
In this context, I would like to draw attention to
our initiative put forward at the Johannesburg Summit
on Sustainable Development, by reiterating our
proposal to establish, within the framework of the
United Nations, a register of global environmental
problems. Such an instrument would help us to develop
mechanisms for addressing environmental disasters.
By the 1990s, the Aral Sea, once a large inland
sea, had lost three fourths of its water. That spelled
disaster for millions of people living around it. The salt
from the exposed seabed is being sprinkled on the
entire Eurasian continent, damaging its environment.
The countries of the Central Asian region have done
much to rehabilitate the sea. However, without
consolidation of the efforts of the world community,
this problem cannot be solved. As I did at the 2002
Earth Summit, I again propose to give to the
international fund to save the Aral Sea the status of a
United Nations institution.
Secondly, a deepening global energy crisis and
the growing threat of negative climate changes taking
place on our planet present acute problems for the
world community. We share the concern of the leaders
of the Group of Eight (G-8) and Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) countries over these problems. It
is advisable that we develop, within the framework of
the United Nations, a global energy and environment
strategy and discuss it at the 2012 World Summit on
Sustainable Development.
Thirdly, Kazakhstan forms part of the Caspian
region, which is playing a growing role in international
energy markets. As of today, Kazakhstan has the
world’s seventh largest reserves of oil, the sixth largest
reserves of gas and the second largest deposits of
uranium.
By 2017, Kazakhstan will be among the world’s
10 largest oil producers and exporters. Kazakhstan is
also increasing its gas production. Possessing large
deposits of uranium, we will be playing an important
role in the development of the nuclear energy sector.
That said, Kazakhstan is fully aware of its share of
responsibility for ensuring a global energy balance and
security.
To promote further diversification of energy
delivery to consumers and also to provide assurances
to energy producers, Kazakhstan proposes the adoption
of a Eurasian pact on stability of energy delivery.
Fourthly, the first-ever global United Nations
conference on problems faced by landlocked
developing countries, hosted by Kazakhstan in 2003,
adopted an international document, the Almaty
Programme of Action. We believe that it will facilitate
effective assistance to that group of countries.
Decisions on the development of regional cooperation
and transport and transit infrastructure adopted at the
latest session of the Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific, held in Kazakhstan last May,
have become an important and logical step in the same
direction.
Fifthly, speaking of Asia, we must mention here
the issue of the establishment of a continental
arrangement for collective security. That has become
possible through the implementation of Kazakhstan’s
initiative to convene the Conference on Interaction and
Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA),
announced by me from this very podium, during the
forty-seventh session of the General Assembly in 1992.
Today, the CICA process brings together 18 States,
which occupy 90 per cent of Asia’s territory. Their
population makes up half of the people living on our
planet. Time has proven the relevance of the CICA
process, within which a political dialogue among Asian
States is gaining momentum.
Sixthly, we support joint efforts to reform United
Nations activities. In our view, the Security Council
should be enlarged in the categories of both permanent
and non-permanent members and on the basis of
equitable geographical representation and respect for
the sovereign equality of States. The working methods
of the Security Council should also be reformed in
order to increase its transparency and accountability.
The General Assembly should play a central role as the
main deliberative, decision-making and representative
body of the United Nations.
Most of the sensational predictions of an
inevitable “clash of civilizations,” fortunately, have not
yet been accurate. However, we should be clear that
interfaith tension feeds the social basis of international
terrorism and religious extremism. I believe that
seeking an accord between religions and the peaceful
coexistence of ethnic groups is a crucially important
element in the process of maintaining international
security.
Kazakhstan, a home to 130 ethnic groups
representing 45 religions, has set an example of
tolerance, which has become a decisive factor in efforts
to ensure peace, stability and the economic progress of
Kazakhstan.
Conscious of the critical importance of a dialogue
between world religions on key issues of the modern
world order, Kazakhstan hosted, in 2003 and 2006,
forums of leaders of world and traditional religions
where religious opinion makers were trying to find not
only a language of mutual understanding but also
mechanisms for easing interfaith tensions in the
planet’s hot spots.
I propose that the Third Congress of the Leaders
of World and Traditional Religions, scheduled for
2009, be convened under the auspices of the United
Nations. I also propose the proclamation of one of the
coming years as an international year of convergence
of cultures and religions.
Just days after the terrorist attacks on
11 September 2001, Pope John Paul II visited our
country. He said that that tragic event should not
become a cause for confrontation between religions. I
strongly believe that there are no problems in the world
that cannot be solved if we set harmony, tolerance and
spirituality against animosity, relying on mutual trust
and cooperation. That understanding instils hope and
enhances confidence in the future.
The United Nations plays a special role in the
strengthening of those hopes. We are not sceptical
about the legitimacy of international law and have faith
in the effectiveness of such multilateral mechanisms as
the United Nations in the promotion of security and
fairness. We are against attempts to weaken our
Organization. Kazakhstan associates itself with those
States that are willing to strengthen the role and
authority of the United Nations because they view it as
the only international body capable of influencing, in
an effective way, the issues of war and peace.