Ukraine

Mr. President, first of all I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of the important post of President of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. Let me also 21 pay tribute to His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte for his highly professional and fruitful work accomplished at the helm of the General Assembly. A year ago the Secretary-General stressed in this Hall that the United Nations had reached a fork in the road. This is still true today. We have a long list of problems, but we do not have a clear vision of how to deal with them. To choose the right way, to solve a conflict between wishes and resources, between desirable and achievable, we should concentrate on priorities. Let me outline Ukraine’s vision of the most important issues on which the United Nations should focus. The tragedy in the Russian city of Beslan and other recent terrorist attacks leave no doubt that fight against terrorism is truly the major priority. We express our sympathy to the victims and strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The underlying reason for terrorism is to create chaos, to disrupt the global system of peace and security established and promoted by our Organization. Thus, we have to act collectively. We have to overcome old prejudices and to establish a spirit of confidence and a new culture of international cooperation, which would embrace the whole spectrum of political, law enforcement and security instruments. Creation of a new and efficient system of information exchange on terrorism will help prevent new attacks and save priceless human lives. We support the views expressed by previous speakers on the need for a broader approach to address the complex and interdependent nature of security. To prevent terrorist acts and to eliminate the roots of terrorism, the United Nations must promote better understanding, a global rapprochement between various civilizations and religions. There are universal values of peace and security which are a cornerstone of our Organization and which can serve as a basis for a new atmosphere of tolerance in the world. Ukraine, as a country actively participating in the stabilization forces in Iraq, is concerned by the terrorist insurgency and continuing violence there. Although the situation in Iraq remains difficult, there are some positive trends. Ukraine welcomes the transition of power to the Iraqi people and the formation of the interim government. It is important to ensure effective implementation of the timetable for a comprehensive political transition process in the country, particularly through the holding of free and fair elections, with the highest standards possible under the current circumstances. Security Council resolution 1546 (2004) clearly envisages a central role for the United Nations in a comprehensive political transition in the country and in the reconstruction process. However, the Iraqi crisis and the international fight against terrorism have revealed the need to strengthen the United Nations as a key instrument for safeguarding international peace and security. Institutional reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, which should become truly representative and balanced, is an important task. We understand the reasons behind the suggestions to enlarge the Council in both its permanent and non- permanent membership, and we are ready to carefully consider relevant proposals. In this respect, Ukraine attaches primary importance to the allocation of an additional non-permanent seat to the Group of Eastern European States. But reform must not only involve some structural changes. We should not have to embark on reform every 20 years when a new balance of power emerges in the international arena. Universal criteria and a common understanding of threats and challenges are necessary to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of our Organization in the twenty-first century. We fully share the view expressed by the Secretary-General at the beginning of the general debate that the rule of law should be a priority both at home and in international affairs. We look forward to the outcome of the deliberations of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. United Nations authority should be increased, particularly through its greater involvement in conflict prevention and resolution. As President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine emphasized, conflict prevention should be pivotal to the philosophy of United Nations work in the new millennium. In our region, frozen conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorny-Karabakh and Transdnistria need to be solved as soon as possible. As one of the major contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations and the largest in Europe, Ukraine is deeply concerned by the increasing danger to the lives of peacekeeping personnel. We 22 stand for the universal application of the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel and call upon all Member States to abide strictly by its provisions. The role of the United Nations in the field of non- proliferation and disarmament should also be strengthened. This year Ukraine will mark the tenth anniversary of its accession to the Treaty on Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Its landmark decision to eliminate the third largest nuclear arsenal and to relinquish nuclear capability has significantly enhanced the international non-proliferation regime and global security. We hope that Ukraine’s positive example will be followed by other countries that now entertain the erroneous idea that they can protect their security through access to nuclear weapons. All achievements by the international community may come to naught if our populations succumb to HIV/AIDS. This disease has killed more people annually than have all armed conflicts on the planet added together. We highly appreciate the work carried out by the United Nations, its specialized agencies and by the Secretary-General personally to combat this pandemic. Ukraine supports the initiative to hold a high- level meeting in June next year to review progress in the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. At the same time, we believe that millions of our infected fellow citizens need concrete action. We are convinced that HIV/AIDS poses a fundamental challenge, not only to human health and well-being, but also to the very security of our world. In this regard, we attach particular significance to the Organization’s declaration of a global emergency alert in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The main focus must be placed on prevention and treatment of the disease. As Ukraine President Kuchma stressed last year at the high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS, we need to elaborate a clear system to encourage sponsorship of medical projects as well as to expand the educational campaign on preventing the pandemic. In the same vein, a leading role should be played by the mass media. Ukraine has launched an active mass media campaign with the involvement of all social groups, and we are ready to lead a regional media movement in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Another pressing problem is trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Ukraine spares no effort in addressing this issue. This year Ukraine became a party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its two Optional Protocols. However, tackling those issues requires a comprehensive approach and the close cooperation of the international community. We need to create a truly functioning and efficient mechanism to combine the efforts of the countries of origin, transit and destination. Effective strategies to combat human trafficking should be based on both law enforcement measures and improvement of the economic and social conditions of potential victims. Ukraine welcomes the appointment of the Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, and stands ready to render every support in implementing the respective mandates. Last year the world observed the seventieth anniversary of the horrible genocidal famine, which took the lives of over 7 million Ukrainian people. Taking this opportunity I wish once again to express our gratitude to all States that signed the joint statement on the seventieth anniversary of the great famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine — Holodomor — or whose parliaments adopted acts of condemnation and sympathy, and to all organizations and individuals that took part in the events to honour the victims of the great famine. The international community must thoroughly study that phenomenon in order to prevent its recurrence. We hope that the newly appointed Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide will also duly focus on this issue. Almost two decades have passed since Ukraine was struck by another tragedy — the Chernobyl disaster. Ukraine together with other interested delegations put forth an initiative to hold, within the framework of the sixtieth session of United Nations General Assembly in spring 2006, a special plenary meeting to commemorate the victims of the Chernobyl disaster. Ukraine has fulfilled its commitments related to the closure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. What needs to be done today is to construct a new safe confinement. We expect that funds for this purpose promised by the Group of Seven in 1995 will be fully provided. 23 Chernobyl remains a searing wound, which proves every day how fragile our world is and how easily nature can be damaged. No one should doubt our commitment to the preservation of our environment. That is why Ukraine is so sensitive to environmental protection, whether it concerns building of roads, construction of new power plants or the reopening of a navigable waterway. It was fashionable some years ago to criticize the United Nations for its inability to solve the most important problems. Today we all come to this Assembly with the ever-stronger conviction that there is no alternative to our Organization. I am confident that despite all obstacles and doubts of the past, we can act for the attainment of the United Nations goals that are common to all of us. We can act swiftly, collectively and with a vision.