Allow me, on behalf of the Republic of Uzbekistan, to
welcome the participants in the General Assembly at
its sixty-second session and wish this forum success in
its work.
I am not mistaken if I say that the world
community is looking forward to concrete results from
the realization of the development goals formulated in
the Millennium Declaration. A special role has been
assigned to the United Nations in achieving the
objectives set by the Declaration, including elaborating
fair and acceptable approaches to the issues of the
access to, and use and distribution of, natural
resources; maintaining environmental sustainability;
combating transnational threats; and establishing a
free, tolerant and stable developing world in the
context of globalization.
One of the most serious problems of the present
day is the reasonable use of natural resources and,
above all, water and energy resources. Various and
ambiguous approaches in this sphere hamper the
process of development and lead to conflict situations
and sometimes to ecological catastrophes. The fate of
the Aral Sea may serve as an example. The receding of
the Sea has tragic consequences not only for the
peoples of Central Asia but also for the larger
subregion and even all of Eurasia.
It is necessary to underscore that the major point
is the use of resources and watercourses of
transboundary rivers, which over the span of centuries
have met the vital needs of States and peoples living
along these rivers. The Republic of Uzbekistan
believes that all decisions on the use of the
watercourses of transboundary rivers, including the
construction of hydropower facilities, must in no way
inflict ecological damage or infringe upon the interests
of the population of countries in the neighbouring
territories.
The Convention on the Environmental Impact
Assessment in a Transboundary Context of February
1991, the Convention on the Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
of March 1992, and the Convention on the Law of the
Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses
of 1997 directly point to the reasonable use of
transboundary river resources. Those Conventions
require that transboundary waters be used in a
reasonable and equitable way, taking into particular
account their transboundary character, in the case of
activities that have or are likely to have a
transboundary impact.
In the case of the infliction of damage, all
measures must be taken to repair or mitigate such
damage, and, if necessary, the issue of compensation is
to be considered. It is underscored in United Nations
Conventions that the watercourse States shall cooperate
on the basis of sovereign equality, territorial integrity,
mutual benefit and good faith. According to those
fundamental requirements of the Conventions,
authoritative international experts must give guarantees
that the construction of hydrotechnical facilities will
not have irremediable ecological consequences and
will not throw off the established balance of the use of
watercourses of transboundary rivers by all States
located in the basin of those rivers.
We are convinced that those requirements must
be fulfilled in the implementation of various projects
building hydropower facilities in Central Asia with the
participation of both national and transnational
companies, so as not to allow for a catastrophic
deterioration of the ecological situation in the region.
We would like to remind investor countries who have
expressed a wish to participate in the implementation
of such projects of those conditions.
The current situation in Central Asia
demonstrates the interlinking of many contradictory
processes, which could negatively influence security
not only in our region, but also far beyond its limits.
Uzbekistan has consistently supported the effective
post-war recovery of Afghanistan. We strongly believe
that stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan should be
accomplished not through militarization, but through
demilitarization, the resolution of outstanding social
and economic problems and support to the country’s
population through the active participation and
assistance of the world community. Certainly, the most
important conditions for that are the reaching of a
consensus, the taking of coordinated measures by all
parties interested in stabilizing and reviving
Afghanistan and curbing the ever-present drug threat
that emanates from that country.
The matter of shaping and promoting an ideology
of tolerance, mutual understanding and cultural
diversity has taken on a special urgency in the context
of maintaining peace and security at the regional and
global levels. The Republic of Uzbekistan makes its
own contribution to the support of the dialogue among
cultures and civilizations, which must be maintained in
the framework of international law without strain or
pressure, without attempts to impose unacceptable
values and moral norms and by preserving respect for
peoples, thought processes which have been shaped
over many centuries and millennia. The correctness of
such an approach was particularly stressed during the
international conference on Uzbekistan’s contribution
to the development of Islamic civilization, held in
Uzbekistan in August 2007, and attended by prominent
scholars, theologians and government and public
figures from different parts of the world.
The designation by the Islamic Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization of Tashkent, the
capital of Uzbekistan, as a world capital of Islamic
culture represented the recognition of the role and
significance of Uzbekistan in Islamic civilization.
Uzbekistan has for centuries been a centre of
enlightened Islam, which seeks to strengthen in the
consciousness of people such eternal values as the
aspiration towards kindness and peace, tolerance in
inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations, and mutual
respect and accord among peoples, regardless of the
colour of their skin or their beliefs. That is why we are
seriously concerned about some negative
interpretations of the historical role of Islam and the
deliberate distortion of historical facts. We resolutely
oppose the transformation of counterterrorism into
Islamophobia and into an overt or covert stand-off with
the Islamic world.
In such circumstances, the role of the United
Nations is more important than ever before in
encouraging and promoting cultural diversity, tolerance
and mutual understanding among religions. In that
context, Uzbekistan welcomes the High-level Dialogue
on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and
Cooperation for Peace to be held on 4 and 5 October.
In conclusion, I wish to express the sincere hope
that the results of the work of the General Assembly at
its sixty-second session will promote the successful
realization of the joint efforts of Member States to
address challenges and threats to global security, as
well as the further peaceful development of the world’s
nations.