It is a great honour for me to address the Assembly
today on behalf of Montenegro and to reaffirm our
commitment to the United Nations and its Charter.
I wish to congratulate President Ashe on his
election to the presidency of the General Assembly at
its sixty-eighth session and to express the full support
of the Montenegrin delegation to him personally and
for the programme he has put forward. I wish also to
extend my gratitude to the President of the General
Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, Mr. Vuk Jeremi.,
our neighbour, for his energetic efforts and leadership,
which contributed to dynamic and constructive
discussions on various issues on the United Nations
agenda. It is a special pleasure for me to pay tribute
to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his
tireless efforts to build a safer and more prosperous
world.
The numerous challenges that the United Nations
is currently facing are far more complex than previous
ones. Those challenges are such that all of us have to
ensure, through joint efforts, coordinated and efficient
action to overcome them. That is our moral, collective
obligation towards the well-being of future generations.
The challenge of achieving sustainable development
and integrating its three dimensions is the greatest of
them all. It is encouraging that the General Assembly,
bound by the Rio outcome document (resolution
66/288, annex), is successfully addressing this priority.
With the establishment of the Open Working Group on
Sustainable Development Goals, the Intergovernmental
Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development
Financing and the High-level Political Forum, the
institutional framework as a platform for substantive
work has been strengthened.
In that context, the role of the United Nations
and the results of efforts to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 are becoming
more important than ever. I am certain that the United
Nations, guided by the synergy and pragmatic approach
of its Members and all stakeholders, will be able to
respond to that highly complex challenge. Such an
approach will contribute to our well-being and a safer
future for all of us, further strengthening the central
role of the United Nations in the system of global
governance.
To that end, poverty eradication and the other
unmet MDGs must remain at the heart of the post-
2015 development agenda. We must define future
sustainable development goals on the basis of the
experience and lessons learned from our success or
failure in accomplishing the tasks set by the Millennium
Declaration (resolution 55/2). Montenegro is working
diligently on the MDGs and is close to meeting them.
Our sustainable development goals must be clear,
universal, flexible and coherent, and represent a central
part of the post-2015 global development agenda. They
must clearly reflect political commitment to sustainable
development and promote economic development,
social inclusion, the sustainable use of natural resources
and protection of the environment as well peace and
security. As a member of the Open Working Group
on Sustainable Development Goals, Montenegro is
working assiduously to define those goals, taking into
consideration national characteristics and capacities
and individual countries’ development priorities.
After three years of strong economic growth in
Montenegro, the global economic and financial crisis
affected us, too, leading to a drop in investment, banks’
credit activities and foreign trade. The patterns of
economic growth have changed, so we have adapted
our economic policy to the new circumstances. At the
same time, the Government has adopted a medium-
term development plan modeled on the European
Union’s Europe 2020 strategy. The three pillars that
Montenegro will base its sustainable development on
are smart growth, sustainable growth and inclusive
growth. The national plan will make our structural and
institutional reforms more consistent with development-
oriented public measures and investments. Aware of
the importance of that issue, we are setting up a centre
for sustainable development in Montenegro that will
become operational in early 2014. We hope that in time
it will take on a regional role and become part of the
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, based on
the outcome of the 2012 United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development.
One issue that is inseparable from the post-2015
development framework is that of climate change.
Montenegro is committed to intensifying its efforts
to promote the adoption by 2015 of a comprehensive
and legally binding agreement that would apply to all.
We call on every country, in particular the major world
economies, to step up their efforts related to mitigating
the impact of climate change and reaching a global
climate agreement. In that regard, we emphasize our
full support for the Secretary-General’s initiative in
convening a conference on climate change in September
2014.
The maintenance and promotion of international
peace and security is a continuing challenge for the
United Nations. We note that in some crisis areas, such
as Mali, significant progress has been made in reducing
violence and instability, while the situations in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African
Republic, the Sudan and South Sudan still need the
continued attention and efforts of the Security Council
and other relevant actors.
Due to the overall consequences for the country
itself and for the broader region, the crisis in Syria
regrettably still monopolizes the attention of the global
body politic and is at the top of the agenda of the United
Nations. We are deeply concerned about the continuing
deterioration of the situation in Syria and most strongly
condemn any form of violence, killing of civilians and
violation of human rights. We especially condemn the
use of chemical weapons confirmed by the United
Nations inspection team, which Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon has labeled a war crime. We urge that those
responsible for crimes in Syria and for violations of
international law be brought to account.
The agreement reached between the United
States and the Russian Federation gives us hope for
a diplomatic solution to the crisis and an end to the
conflict in Syria through resolute action on the part
of the Security Council. We believe that a political
solution and a democratic transition are the only way
to end a tragic conflict that has led to a humanitarian
crisis of incalculable proportions, affecting the whole
region.
The case of Syria, among others, highlights the
importance of preventive measures and mediation
in preserving international peace and security.
Strengthening the capacity of the United Nations to
achieve an early response and suppress threats before
they become a source of conflict will be key to dealing
with similar situations in future. Montenegro supports
the promotion of the concept of the responsibility to
protect and its operationalization, with prevention as
an integral element. We are in favour of continuing the
debate on the international community’s responsibility
for taking timely and decisive action to prevent mass
suffering.
In the context of the situation in the Middle East,
we are particularly pleased by the resumption of
Palestinian-Israeli negotiations after several stalled
years, and we commend the mediation efforts of the
United States Secretary of State. Montenegro believes
that direct negotiations are the best way to reach a
comprehensive and sustainable settlement.
With the intention of taking on additional
responsibilities and contributing to the promotion
of global peace and security and the observance of
universal values, rights and freedoms as a responsible
and proactive member of the international community,
Montenegro is seeking a non-permanent seat on the
Security Council for 2026-2027.
Besides its strong support for improving the
conception and structural development of United
Nations peacebuilding and peacekeeping capacities,
Montenegro recognizes the importance of the rule of
law and the protection of civilians, particularly women
and children, and urges United Nations missions to
consistently fulfil their mandates in that area. We
condemn all forms of violence, especially sexual
violence against women and girls in conflict situations,
and we therefore support the implementation of the
agenda on women and peace and security and, in that
context, Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and
other relevant resolutions.
The adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty as the first
legally binding instrument in that area will undoubtedly
contribute to global efforts in the field of disarmament
and non-proliferation. I am pleased to emphasize that
Montenegro was a firm supporter of a comprehensive
and strongly worded Arms Trade Treaty from the outset
and was among the first 65 countries to sign it. We are
conscious of how important it is that the Treaty enters
into force as soon as possible and will therefore make
every effort to ensure its speedy ratification.
The increased integration of human rights into
every aspect of the work of the United Nations, ensuring
universal respect for human rights, and the effectiveness
of the United Nations system in the area of human rights
constitute the guidelines for action for Montenegro,
especially through the Human Rights Council, of which
my country is a member. By cooperating actively with
the Council and its special proceedings, as well as with
Member States, we contribute to timely and efficient
deliberations on issues relating to the promotion of
human rights and responding adequately to cases of
human rights violations.
At the national level, we are striving to strengthen
a political, social and economic environment that
allows for the free exercise of human rights without
any form of discrimination. We focus particularly
on strengthening the position and role of women in
society and on preventing violence against them and
other vulnerable groups, including children, disabled
persons and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community. As Chair of the Decade of
Roma Inclusion for 2005-2010, Montenegro has also
focused particularly on improving the position of Roma
in our society.
Montenegro remains committed to an effective
multilateral system in which the United Nations plays
a central role, and we support pragmatically oriented
initiatives and actions for its reform. We believe that
reforming and reorganizing the Security Council, as
the key actor in the maintenance of international peace,
is essential, as are revitalizing the General Assembly
and reforming the Economic and Social Council. In
general, such reform, particularly of the Security
Council, would contribute greatly to strengthening the
position, relevance and authority of the Organization
as a whole and bringing it into harmony with modern
geopolitical processes and challenges.
Montenegro’s work within the Organization is
based on the principle of multilateral cooperation and
respect for the principles and values enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations. We are aware of the
importance to our visibility and effectiveness at the
international level of strong and stable neighbourly
relations and of strengthening cooperation in all areas.
We are successfully implementing the internal
reforms required for the achievement of our main
foreign policy priorities — membership in the European
Union and NATO. The accession negotiations with the
European Union, after the provisional closing of two
chapters, are entering a new and more demanding
phase. The new approach in that phase of the process
is based on reforms in the areas of the rule of law,
strengthening judicial processes and the protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms, which are of
particular importance for the citizens of Montenegro.
In parallel, my country is strongly committed to
Euro-Atlantic integration. As a country that will soon
become a NATO member, we are working devotedly
on the fourth annual national programme and reform
implementation in order to be fully ready by the time
our invitation for alliance membership is formalized.
We believe that membership will also contribute to
reinforcing security in the Balkans, where events of the
recent bitter past can be attributed, in part, to a lack of
strong security arrangements.
Montenegro is seen as a stability factor in our
region, as confirmed by continuing advances in
political, economic, social and cultural cooperation
with all of its neighbours. With regional cooperation
high on our agenda, Montenegro actively participates
in regional organizations. We believe that the recently
launched West Balkans 6+2 initiative, the modalities of
which are the subject of intense discussion, will help
us to focus regional activities on specific development
projects of common interest to participating States that
are aimed at speeding up European integration and
improving the quality of life of our citizens. We believe
that those efforts, together with European Union
synergy, the South-East European Cooperation Process
and the Regional Cooperation Council, will draw the
States of the region closer together and to the common
goal of the European Union.
The international community, led by the United
Nations, with the active participation and decisive
contributions of all stakeholders, must continue its
search for adequate responses and channel its efforts
towards solving the increasingly complex issues and
challenges that we are facing. Each and every country,
irrespective of size, has, without any doubt, a part to
play in finding such solutions, based on the mutual
trust and cooperation necessary to build a better world.