I should like
to begin by congratulating the President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-eighth session, Ambassador
John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda. We are fully
convinced that he will be a manifest example of how
small States can shoulder the responsibilities deriving
from participating in the international community. It is
both an honour and a great responsibility to address the
Assembly on behalf of the people and the Government
of the Principality of Andorra. It is doubly an honour as
we are celebrating 20 years since our country became a
Member of the United Nations.
In 1993, with the approval of the Constitution and
our entry into the United Nations, Andorra’s 700-year
reality as a sovereign, democratic country that had no
army and had remained neutral — few countries can
make such a claim — in the heart of the Pyrenees
was formally recognized. The visit of the Secretary-
General to our country in April on the occasion of
the twentieth anniversary of our Constitution served
to reiterate once again Andorra’s commitment to the
principles and values of the United Nations. Those
principles and values must not remain mere high-
sounding declarations and founding charters, but must
be translated into greater effectiveness in improving
people’s lives.
It is particularly worth noting the emphasis that the
United Nations has placed on development in recent
years. I refer to the Millennium Development Goals
adopted in 2000, which are to be assessed definitively in
two years’ time. It was particularly relevant to directly
link the main principles of peace, democracy and the
negotiated resolution of conflicts and human rights
with more specific matters of extreme importance,
such as the eradication of poverty and hunger, universal
primary education and the sustainability and protection
of the environment.
At this session of the General Assembly, we have
discussed and we will continue to discuss the definition
of new goals to be introduced after 2015. However, we
must not forget that all reports indicate that we shall
reach that date without having accomplished most of
the Goals set in 2000. Over the past 13 years we have
advanced very little with respect to the sustainability
and protection of the environment. Child mortality
continues to increase in the poorest regions and
countries. Achieving universal primary education
by 2015 is totally unviable, and progress towards
preventing and treating AIDS in the poorer countries
remains inadequate. A great deal of work remains to
be done.
It would not, however, be fair to emphasize only
what we have not done and to forget all the progress
that has been achieved in other areas. Since 2000, the
proportion of people living in extreme poverty has
been halved. The share of the world’s population with
access to safe drinking water rose from 76 per cent in
1990 to 89 per cent in 2010. Notable progress has been
achieved in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis,
and the goal of reducing hunger by 50 per cent in 2015
would appear to be achievable, which would be a great
success. Andorra applauds the decision to conjoin the
United Nations main principles with specific objectives
to solve the great problems faced by humankind.
We must not give the impression that we are just
a group of Heads of State and Government who have
met in a First World city, full of fine words and good
intentions, but completely ineffective when it comes to
solving the problems threatening the lives and dignity
of millions of people all over the world. Unfortunately,
that is the image that we have at times projected to
the international community. That is why I said that
we applaud the fact that specific objectives have been
set, that we evaluate progress towards meeting them
and that we come here to explain that progress and
shortcomings.
I hope the goals of the post-2015 agenda will be
even more ambitious and that we will be able to dedicate
even more effort to realizing them. That is because
the citizens of the world need to know that those who
proclaim the expansion of democracy and the rule of
law are the same people who have striven to reduce
poverty, hunger and child mortality and to promote
gender equality and universal education, which are so
important. Otherwise, we will run the risk of citizens
perceiving their institutions and the United Nations as
being far removed from their everyday lives and real
problems. Even more seriously, we would run the risk
of words such as “democracy”, “human rights” and
“international law” becoming meaningless.
A year ago, on the occasion of the sixty-seventh
session of the General Assembly, we condemned and
repudiated the Benghazi attack. Today, one year later,
we must all feel that we are citizens of Nairobi. We
must stand with those who condemn terrorism and
defend the principles of the United Nations. A year
ago we used this platform to express our deep concern
about the civil war in Syria, in particular the conflict’s
devastating effects on the Syrian population. We said
then that the conflict was creating a terrible dilemma
for the international community — that of finding
the right balance between a diplomatic resolution and
respect for the rule of law.
The use of chemical weapons against civilians,
which we condemn and which is contrary to all the
values that the General Assembly upholds, places the
international community in a scenario that requires
firm and strong answers. The strong reaction to the
situation led by the United States and France, along
with the pragmatic attitude of Russia, has generated
the momentum to advance in the search for that fair
balance.
First is the issue of reaching agreement on the
evidence and destruction of such chemical weapons;
second is the issue of taking advantage of this dynamic
in order to make greater diplomatic efforts to achieve a
peaceful solution to the conflict. That will require new
steps towards furthering the Geneva process. Nor must
we forget the humanitarian dimension of the Syrian
conflict, which is not only a priority but a terrible loss
and a cruel emergency.
The resumption of negotiations between Palestinians
and Israelis can also be included in the dynamic
of our quest for the right balance, based on a two-
State-solution, between the legitimate demand of the
Palestinian people for a peaceful and democratic State
and the desire of Israelis to obtain assurances for their
existence, safety and security.
Each and every time we are unable to resolve a
conflict, we are jeopardizing the principles and values
that are most valued by the international community:
peace, security, dialogue, human rights and democracy.
It is not always easy for the international community
to find a fair and effective way of responding, perhaps
because we are responding to the problems rather than
preventing them. Therefore, I would like to return to
what I said at the beginning of my speech. We cannot
allow the principles and values of the United Nations
to be relegated to high-flown declarations that have
no positive impact on people’s lives. Peace, the rule of
law and democracy must be accompanied by effective
respect for human rights and a substantial improvement
in the living conditions of people, which means less
poverty, less hunger, more education and more gender
equality. An ambitious development agenda that is
implemented effectively is the best way of preventing
conflicts and ensuring peace and security.
Early in my statement, in recalling Andorra’s
admission into the United Nations 20 years ago, I
referred to the more than seven centuries of peace
in our country, which is a relevant point to make at
an event such as this. I am sure that other Andorran
representatives have raised this point. We are proud of
our country’s peaceful history, but we are also keenly
aware that Andorra, a small State, would probably not
have enjoyed more than 700 years of peace had there
been any great inequalities among its inhabitants, had
the laws not been fair or had tyranny reigned instead
of a parliamentary regime, since there cannot be peace
without justice in Andorra or anywhere else.
All of us who are here today, all of us who have
spoken from this rostrum this week, are obligated to
ensure peace and justice, democracy and development,
human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
All the principles and values to which we are firmly
committed must always go hand in hand. It is a long and
difficult path, but it is the only way in which a better
world can possibly come about.
Referring to what President Obama said a few
days ago (see A/68/PV.5), it is obvious that we live in
a world of imperfect choices. This difficulty must not
be used as an excuse for our failure to act. As President
Hollande stated from this very rostrum (see A/68/PV.5),
the United Nations has a responsibility to act, and the
worst decision is to take no action at all.