On behalf
of Spain, I would like to congratulate Ambassador Ashe
on his new responsibility as President of the General
Assembly and to convey to him our firm support and
best wishes. His abilities are a guarantee of good work
for the next 12 months. I would also like to thank his
predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for his
effective work during the past year and to wish him
success in his new role.
This General Assembly is the hub of the international
system. In it, we all have the same rights, regardless of
our size, population or economic development. It is the
organ of the United Nations that embodies the sovereign
equality of States. The decisions we take here present
the international community with a body of opinion that
is difficult to rebut. This is the debating Hall of global
legitimacy. We are all permanent members here, and
it is here that multilateralism takes on its full meaning
and effect.
Spain has faith in the United Nations and is firmly
committed to the Organization, because we subscribe
completely to the purposes and principles it embodies.
Our commitment to the United Nations is not mere
rhetoric. Spain is the sixth largest contributor to the
system. That commitment legitimizes our aspiration to
serve the goals of the United Nations in the Security
Council in the 2015-2016 biennium. We shall do so in
the same spirit of dialogue and consensus as on the most
recent previous occasion when the Assembly placed its
trust in Spain. In the 10 years that have passed since
then, my country has continued to demonstrate by its
actions its resolve to faithfully serve the goals of the
United Nations — the maintenance of international
peace and security, the peaceful resolution of conflicts,
international cooperation for development and the
promotion and observance of human rights.
The maintenance of international peace and
security is a prerequisite for the progress of humankind.
Spain believes firmly in the threefold values of peace,
security and development, which is why more than
130,000 Spanish soldiers have served in United Nations
peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions in
every region of the world since 1989. Spanish troops
are currently serving under the blue flag of the United
Nations in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,
where since 2006 they have helped to ensure peace and
stability in a country that is located in a particularly
turbulent region.
Spain works to promote disarmament,
non-proliferation and arms control, and it took an active
part in the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations. We have
also participated in various international initiatives
to prevent nuclear terrorism. Spain has suffered the
violence of terrorism and knows that new threats from
non-State factions call for a global response through
international cooperation. We must comprehensively
implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism
Strategy and arrive at a global convention to combat
that menace, which transcends borders. The people of
Spain know from experience that the responsibility for
terrorism lies with the terrorists alone; it is exclusive
to them and non-transferable, whatever its perpetrators
may claim. We should always honour the memory of
the victims, which is key to denying social or moral
legitimacy to terrorism of any kind.
Our commitment to working for peace and security
in the world was made evident this year during the
crisis in Mali. Spain initially supported the African-led
International Support Mission in Mali, and thereafter
the deployment of the United Nations Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. Spanish troops
in the European Union mission in Mali are training
the country’s armed forces, which are responsible
for ensuring the country’s national sovereignty and
territorial integrity, with full respect for human
rights. Mali is defeating terrorism and has regained
its territorial integrity, an unquestionable success that
we can all be proud of. But it is only the first step.
The return to constitutional order, with the holding of
presidential elections, marks the start of a second phase
of building the open and inclusive institutions that are
essential to Mali’s future. In the long term, we must
continue to support development throughout the Sahel
as the only way to promote security, democracy and
prosperity in the region.
The entire Assembly should welcome the role
played by African organizations in that crisis. Special
recognition is due to the African Union, which celebrates
its fiftieth anniversary this year. Spain has very close
ties with Africa. That continent’s concerns are ours,
too. We participate in the African Union’s summits
and in funding the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development, and we were the first non-African
country to contribute directly to the African Union
Commission’s budget. Spain has launched a strategic
partnership with the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) and continues to strengthen
its ties with other regional organizations in Africa. We
back up those commitments with genuine support. Over
the past four years, Spain has contributed €100 million
to ECOWAS and the same amount to the African
Development Bank.
For the past two years, we have been witness to
the courageous and determined efforts of Arab peoples
to assert their dignity, consolidate their democratic
systems and exclude those who promote violence and
the violation of fundamental human rights. The road
to democracy is not easy, but there cannot and must
not be any turning back. Democracy has to be an
effort undertaken by all of society, working towards
coexistence and inclusiveness, an effort which is based
on dialogue, tolerance and respect for human rights.
That undertaking should be embraced by every country,
not just at the political level but also at the social and
economic. To support those processes of democratic
governance, Spain has launched the Masar programme,
aimed at Governments and civil society in North Africa
and the Middle East.
The Assembly is aware that the situation in Syria
has become an intolerable, heartbreaking human
tragedy, as well as a growing threat to regional and
international peace and security. The brutal attack with
sarin gas against civilians in Damascus — confirmed by
the report of the United Nations Mission to Investigate
Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the
Syrian Arab Republic (see A/67/997) — has been
widely condemned in the international community,
which firmly believes that that act must not be repeated
or go unpunished.
The proposal by Russia and the United States that
will allow international control and the subsequent
destruction of all stocks of chemical weapons in Syria
has been applauded by all. It is now necessary for the
Security Council to adopt a resolution to establish
a legally binding prohibition on the use of chemical
weapons in Syria and to ensure their mandatory
destruction. Much rests on that question. As the
Secretary-General remarked, it constitutes a challenge
to international security, one that if not resolved will
represent a collective failure.
Spain firmly believes that only political dialogue
between the parties will put an end to the increasingly
violent conflict, as was highlighted by the report
(A/HRC/24/46) presented to the Human Rights Council.
Therefore, we support the efforts of Mr. Lakhdar
Brahimi, Joint Special Representative of the United
Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, to
promote a political transition in Syria.
Spain is confident of the success of the “Geneva
II” conference. In that respect, I reiterate before the
Assembly my call to the parties to demonstrate a
constructive attitude. Spain will continue to bolster
the opposition forces in order to ensure an orderly and
inclusive transition to democracy.
Finally, it is essential to maintain the humanitarian
effort to help reduce the suffering of Syria’s internally
displaced population and that of the refugees in
neighbouring countries.
In a related context, I wish to emphasize that
the Middle East peace process is taking on a new
perspective. Last year, in this very forum, it was
decided by a significant majority to recognize Palestine
as a United Nations Observer State. The current
negotiations are perhaps the last chance to reach a
just, comprehensive and lasting peace for the two
States, Israel and Palestine, to live in peace, security
and prosperity. At this crucial time for the region, the
political leaders concerned, with the support of the
international community, must take the bold decisions
necessary to achieve the historic goal of peace, and
thereby promote stability in the entire region and the
world.
My country is a staunch advocate of dialogue and
the use of peaceful means for the settlement of disputes.
We believe that conflict prevention is one of the main
instruments for ensuring peace and security. Therefore,
we have participated in the Peacebuilding Commission,
the establishment of the Alliance of Civilizations and
the establishment, with Austria and Saudi Arabia, of
the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre
for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.
We believe in mediation for the peaceful settlement
of disputes. That is why we are a member of the United
Nations Group of Friends of Mediation. Within the
Group, together with Morocco, we have launched the
initiative on mediation in the Mediterranean region,
which has recently started producing results.
The General Assembly has developed a consolidated,
universal legal doctrine on decolonization, which Spain
has endorsed wholeheartedly. Once again, I must submit
to the Assembly the question of Gibraltar, which the
Organization included in 1963 in the list of Non-Self-
Governing Territories awaiting decolonization. The
only such territory remaining in Europe, it affects our
territorial integrity.
Since that date, the United Kingdom has ignored the
mandate of the General Assembly and the commitment
made to Spain in the 1984 Brussels Declaration. That
anachronism continues to inconvenience the citizens of
Gibraltar and the surrounding area. Resting its case on
the legitimacy granted by the universal doctrine of the
General Assembly, Spain once again reiterates its call
to the United Kingdom to resume bilateral dialogue and
regional cooperation.
Western Sahara remains one of the unresolved
issues at the United Nations. Spain supports the search
for a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable solution,
one that provides for the self-determination of the
people of Western Sahara within the framework of the
United Nations and in accordance with the purposes
and principles of the Charter. Accordingly, Spain fully
endorses the work carried out in that respect by the
Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy.
I would like to highlight the contribution of
Latin America and its regional organizations to
multilateralism. Their constructive input on global
issues, such as the environment and development, is
of fundamental importance. During the forthcoming
Ibero-American Summit in Panama, we will address
global challenges in the political, economic and social
contexts and offer some joint responses.
The General Assembly has declared 2013 the
International Year of Water Cooperation. The human
right to water and sanitation is essential for sustainable
development and the fight against poverty. That is why,
in 2008, Spain set up the Cooperation Fund for Water
and Sanitation, endowed with $1 billion for projects in
Latin America. Moreover, conscious of the strategic
value of water in ensuring peace and security, Spain
and Algeria have planned to launch a water strategy for
the Western Mediterranean.
Thanks to the work of the United Nations, there
is broad awareness of the crucial importance of the
fight against climate change, which is a direct and
immediate priority. Next year will be the year of the
small island developing States and will provide an
excellent opportunity to jointly address the problems
they face. Their efforts to adapt to climate change and
to mitigate its harmful effects must be supported, as
they produce the least pollution yet suffer the most
from its consequences.
As a nation, Spain acts in solidarity and has
made every effort to promote the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It has
channelled its solidarity through the multilateral
system of the United Nations in the belief that that
system guarantees the principle of neutrality in the
allocation of funds to effectively achieve the ultimate
goal, namely, the eradication of poverty.
In 2007, Spain, together with the United Nations
Development Programme, established the MDG
Achievement Fund, which has had a real impact on
the lives of 20 million people through more than
130 programmes in 50 countries, disbursing almost
$1 billion. The evaluation of the Fund, which concludes
its activities this year, will be a key reference both for
analysing compliance with the MDGs and for developing
the post-2015 development agenda. The preparation of
that agenda is the central theme of this session of the
General Assembly. For Spain, the post-2015 agenda
should be focused on truly sustainable development,
should be universal and should acknowledge the
importance of transparent institutions in achieving
inclusive growth.
We must therefore clearly define the sustainable
development goals in order to complete the process
that began in Rio de Janeiro last year. However, it must
not be forgotten that only a little more than two years
remain to achieve the MDGs. While we can be pleased
with the progress made in many areas, there is still a
long way to go.
As the Spanish economy starts to grow again, we
will significantly support these efforts with generous,
intelligent and effective investment in development
cooperation.
My country’s solidarity can also be seen in terms of
humanitarian aid, for which Spain is the world’s eighth
largest donor. The United Nations is able to respond
to humanitarian crises in West Africa and the Sahel
faster and more effectively, thanks to the World Food
Programme humanitarian aid storage and distribution
centre that we built in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Spain has always been a crossroads of cultures,
religions and traditions. Ours is an open, pluralistic
and tolerant country that respects and integrates the
diversity that comes with globalization. The protection
and promotion of human rights is a responsibility of the
institutions to which all citizens must contribute. Spain
was the third country in the world to ratify the Optional
Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, and I urge other States to
do likewise.
We also take a special interest in promoting the
rights of persons with disabilities. That is why we
joined the Philippines in co-facilitating the outcome
document of the High-level Meeting on the Realization
of the Millenium Development Goals for Persons with
Disabilities (resolution 68/3), which took place just a
few days ago. I am proud to say that in recognition of
that commitment, Spain has been awarded the Franklin
D. Roosevelt International Disability Rights Award,
which Her Majesty Queen Sofia accepted a few days
ago in this very city.
We will also continue to support the work of
UN-Women, as we have since its inception. Equality
between women and men, the full participation of
women in all areas, and efforts to end violence against
women and girls are indispensable for true development
and constitute a priority for Spain, both nationally and
internationally.
Our commitment to multilateralism is inseparable
from our desire for a decisive and efficient United
Nations. That is why this session of the General
Assembly must tackle the issue of Security Council
reform, which can be achieved only through the
broadest possible consensus founded on the principles
of accountability, transparency and cooperation, with a
view to enhancing the legitimacy of and support for the
Council’s actions.
It is also necessary to bring the Organization
into line with its means and to rationalize resources
so that, together, we may achieve more with less. We
therefore give our unconditional support to the progress
being made towards system-wide consistency and the
“Delivering as one” initiative, to which Spain is the
leading contributor. At the same time, the universal
character of the United Nations means that we must
preserve its multilingualism.
In 2005, Spain announced its candidacy to become a
non-permanent member of the Security Council for the
2015-2016 biennium. My speech today has underlined
the main reasons why I believe that Spain has shown, not
with mere words but with concrete actions, its readiness
to serve the United Nations in the Security Council,
with the same commitment to dialogue and solidarity
that we have shown since joining the Organization. We
have but a single objective: to uphold human dignity.
All our efforts in favour of peace, freedom, democracy,
justice, human rights and sustainable development are
directed towards that goal. Spain knows that its efforts
to uphold human dignity will bear greater fruit through
the United Nations, just as the General Assembly may
be sure that, in this endeavour, it can count on Spain.