Tajikistan

We all pinned great hopes on the advent of the twenty-first century with regard to a more stable and secure world and sustainable development for humanity. We were all eager to expand the positive achievements of the twentieth century, which witnessed rapid technological and social progress, the beginning of the space age, the advancement of democracy and the globalization of the planet. We all wanted to leave behind the destructive impact on human history of two world wars, continued blood conflicts, millions of refugees, poverty and the destitution common in most countries of the world. It had seemed that, at this junction of centuries and millennia, humanity would rediscover and appreciate more deeply the value of a world without wars or violence and the significance of solidarity and mutual understanding, of true human rights and respect of the views of others. Now, however, it has become clear that it is impossible to comprehend the dynamics of global development or to find adequate answers to modern challenges without the United Nations as a leader. The impression had been that, in the new century, our civilization would embark on the path towards a global society where harmony would prevail over hatred and stability put an end to suspicion — a society where the agreed rules of conduct set out in international law, binding for all, would stand in the way of isolationism and separatism; where all internationally relevant issues, including the most urgent ones, would be resolved at the negotiating table; and where the use of force would not be the rule but, rather, the exception, and only when sanctioned by collective decisions of a capable and representative Security Council. Unfortunately, the twenty-first century has brought more new and menacing challenges than solutions to the numerous problems faced by humankind. The number of wars and military conflicts has not diminished but increased. The peaceful resolution of the inter-Tajik conflict achieved under United Nations auspices is more the exception than the rule in the context of the efforts to achieve peace undertaken by the United Nations. The world’s peoples increasingly feel that the world is in a state of permanent war rather than working towards development. Every day we hear about the dangers of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the struggle against international terrorism. These are urgent problems, and we cannot but be concerned about them since weapons of mass destruction are capable of destroying hundreds of thousands of human lives, while acts of terror can destabilize entire countries. For those reasons, we are firmly resolved to transform Central Asia into a region free of nuclear weapons. The recent tragic events in the town of Beslan, in the Russian Federation, are clear evidence 9 that the forces of international terrorism are, day by day, becoming more daring and continue to challenge the whole of humankind. Tajikistan resolutely condemns the acts of violence perpetrated against defenceless women and children in North Ossetia and appeals to the international community to undertake urgent collective measures to combat this scourge of the twenty-first century. It is comforting that the international solidarity demonstrated in the struggle against such a bloodthirsty and treacherous enemy as terrorism is gaining in strength. Tajikistan has been actively waging, at the regional and international levels, a multifaceted struggle against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. At the same time, in order to definitively put an end to terrorism, it is very important to reach a universal understanding of its nature and manifestations in order to eliminate any obstacles that stand in the way of the development and adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. While we can rightly be proud of having created, within a short period of time, a united anti-terrorist coalition of States, unfortunately we cannot say that we have achieved the same degree of solidarity in the fight against poverty and destitution. For decades, States with low levels of income have not been able to free themselves from their destructive debt burden so as to be able to enjoy the advantages of civilization. For instance, Tajikistan, which lived through a civil conflict, continues to face urgent economic and social problems, despite having made some economic progress. Eighty per cent of the population of Tajikistan still lives below the poverty line. Because of the lack of access to the sea, many regions of our country are cut off from the outside world, which results in our paying higher prices for imported goods and increased transit fees. Forty per cent of all budget revenues go to servicing external debt, which limits the Government’s capacity to meet the urgent needs of the population. Writing off a portion of the accumulated debt would make it possible for those countries to invest in education, health care and environmental protection, and, in the case of Tajikistan, could be helpful in rehabilitating the social sphere, which has suffered as a result of the civil conflict and natural disasters. However, the idea of exchanging debt for sustainable development has not yet garnered solid support among creditors. In that area, we still encounter inertia and a lack of political will. It is clear to us that the resolution of political issues, including those related to international security, depends, to a great extent, on social and economic development and on the achievement by all countries of the Millennium Goals. In a globalized world, achieving the Millennium Goals will require the utmost solidarity as well as interaction among the international community as a whole, with the United Nations as a leading coordinator, in its capacity as the most universal and representative international Organization. The key to success lies in developing a common and comprehensive approach to addressing poverty- related issues, enhancing the means available as well as seeking innovative ways of securing financing for development, eliminating ecological threats, addressing demographic problems, ensuring an equitable international finance and trade system, and dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters. Failing that, the situation will remain the same: a quarter of the world’s population will continue to prosper, using more than half of the world’s resources, while the majority of the world’s population, finding themselves marginalized, will remain mere observers of global economic development. The ever-increasing severity of these problems makes them global threats to international peace and security. For that reason, we support the Secretary- General, Kofi Annan, in his efforts to restore the balance of priorities on the agenda of the international community. The international community should also strive to ensure maximum coordination of the actions taken at the global level in terms of monetary, financial and international trade policies. In that connection, it is important to strengthen the role of the United Nations as the key force for political mobilization in those areas. That requires, on the basis of the Monterrey consensus, a further reinforcement of the interaction among the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, which Tajikistan hopes to join in the near future. 10 The issues of economic rehabilitation, poverty eradication, improved living standards for the population and long-term sustainable development are among the top priorities for Tajikistan, as an economy in transition. At the same time, for a number of reasons, Tajikistan still needs the assistance of the international community in supporting national efforts to ensure long-term sustainable development in the country. We appreciate the continued efforts of the donor countries and United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme and others to assist vulnerable segments of the population, as well as their support in the ongoing transition to a socially oriented market economy. Given our own experience, we support the priority attention given by the United Nations to increasing the effectiveness of the assistance rendered to countries in post-conflict situations and to receiving feedback in that area. There is no doubt that the United Nations is the key player in providing timely and coordinated responses to post-conflict situations. The success of the United Nations in this area depends to a great extent on a qualitative interaction with host Governments in the area of reinforcing national potential, the introduction of effective instruments and mechanisms for the coordination and mobilization of resources, and increased interaction with the Bretton-Woods institutions in the context of a joint assessment of their needs and specific project activities. In this regard, it is noteworthy that one of the lessons learned from the peaceful settlement of the inter-Tajik conflict is the need for donor countries to be active not only during the crisis but also in the post- conflict period. I am convinced that strengthening the foundation of peace and stability in countries living through conflict requires not only humanitarian assistance but also actual help in addressing economic problems and support for countries’ efforts to create a dynamic and stable economy. As a rule, these kinds of investments, within the framework of a peaceful process, turn out to be instrumental in strengthening young democracies born out of conflict. There is no doubt that the parliamentary elections to be held in Tajikistan in early 2005 will prove once again the vitality and irreversible nature of the peace process in Tajikistan and the robustness of the country’s democratic institutions. Achieving ecologically sustainable development on the global, regional and national levels remains an issue of top priority. Tajikistan intends to continue to contribute to the implementation of the relevant decisions of Johannesburg and other international forums. The 2005-2015 International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, to be launched on 22 March 2005, was initiated by our country and is expected to combine efforts undertaken by Governments, the United Nations, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. These efforts are aimed at identifying effective ways of achieving the internationally agreed goals in the area of fresh water resources, developing strategies, programmes and laws to protect water environments and increasing investment and voluntary donor contributions, two activities associated with ensuring access to fresh water to all persons in need. We ask the Governments of all countries, as well as United Nations agencies, to undertake practical activities within this decade. This is the key to success, and it will require a great deal of work. In some regions of the world, the international community is faced not only with the problem of conflicts and wars that interfere with long-term development, but also with illicit drug trafficking, which poses a threat to civil society. We cannot help being concerned with the fact that global demand for prohibited drugs is not decreasing. For instance, the volume of criminal transit of narcotics via Tajikistan constitutes a serious threat to our social, political and economic stability as well as to the security of the region as a whole. Afghanistan remains a major supplier of narcotics. Their production this year has set a record. The President of Tajikistan, Mr. Emomali Rakhmonov, regards the struggle against illicit drugs as one of the top priorities for our country. Thanks to the cooperation with the United Nations and interaction within Shanghai Cooperation Organization of the last five years, Tajikistan has become one of the leading countries in the world in terms of narcotics interdiction. Over this period, the law enforcement bodies of Tajikistan and the Russian border guards have confiscated about 40 tons of narcotics, with heroin constituting more than half of this total. As a result, millions of dollars have been removed from 11 circulation and hundreds of thousands of people the world over have been saved from narcotics dependency. According to Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Tajikistan sets a good example for other countries as to how one can successfully struggle against drugs. The achievements of Tajikistan in this area are considered as a good basis for strengthening the struggle against the narcotics threat, but we are combating the results rather than the roots of the problem. In autumn 2005, heads of State and Government will meet in this General Assembly Hall to discuss progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We attach great importance to this event, which coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations. We expect this forthcoming event to give the necessary political impetus to the international community in its progress towards the achievement through combined efforts of the Millennium Development Goals in the interest of a more stable, just and prosperous world.