To address
the General Assembly on behalf of Slovak citizens is
a great responsibility. It is a great responsibility for all
of us who have been entrusted with such a mandate by
our citizens. They rightly expect that this unique global
Organization will seek and find effective solutions
to bring greater peace, stability and prosperity to
humankind.
I believe that with President Ashe’s experience we
will succeed in that task. I wish to thank his predecessor,
Mr. Vuk Jeremi., for the vigour with which he presided
over the General Assembly at its last session. I convey
my deepest respect to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
whose foresight and impartial service epitomize the
values of the Organization.
We have been going through a period of controversial
changes and unperceived opportunities, as well as
unprecedented challenges. The one thing that remains
unchanged, however, is the power of our joint efforts
and cooperation. Thrown off balance, the world expects
that we will assume responsibility for taking resolute
action together and on behalf of humanity, not governed
solely by our narrow national or corporate interests.
The time has come to learn to respect our diversity
and become in truth the United Nations. Achieving the
two primary goals of this Organization — peace and
prosperity for all — remains our greatest challenge and
our primary responsibility. Effective multilateralism is
therefore in the national interest of us all.
Our resolve and ability to respond effectively are
being tested by the current Syrian crisis. The conflict
threatens the entire region. It is frightening not only
because of the number of casualties and refugees; what
is equally alarming is the inability of the Security
Council to take any effective action. Thoughtful
reflection on all the possible consequences of a military
intervention in Syria makes it clear that there is only
one good solution to this conflict, the diplomatic one.
We must not be afraid to choose compromise solutions
that could serve as a basis for positive resolution of the
problem in the future.
The United Nations plays a key role in ensuring that
civilians have access to humanitarian aid, and that those
who commit crimes against humanity are punished and,
above all, in enforcing a truce and launching talks on
stable post-conflict arrangements under the “Geneva
II” initiative. Slovakia condemns the use of chemical
weapons on principle as a crime against humanity
and requests urgently that the perpetrators be brought
before the International Criminal Court. Continued
engagement on the part of the United Nations is
essential, since there is no functioning alternative to
its role.
Our recent experience in addressing international
and national crises and conflicts in various regions of the
world, including the so-called Arab spring, encourages
us to be extremely cautious when considering action
by the international community. The analysis of the
consequences of such action must be at least as detailed
and elaborate as that of how to conduct a potential
intervention.
Slovakia’s involvement in international crisis
management and in building and maintaining
peace, stability and prosperity has long focused on
Afghanistan, where the Slovak Republic has provided
military as well as civilian and humanitarian aid. We
greatly appreciate the work done by the United Nations
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and its challenging
role in assisting the Afghan Government with its
security, political and economic transition.
Indeed, security, economic development, good
governance, the protection of human rights for all and,
last but not least, the preparation and organization of
free elections, must be the founding pillars in building
a new Afghan State. The upcoming presidential
election will be a milestone in Afghanistan’s history.
The key to success of all these processes, even beyond
2014, is national reconciliation, based on the principles
of constitutionality and respect for human rights.
Afghanistan needs consistent, predictable and targeted
support and assistance both from its neighbours and
the entire international community. We consider
cooperation between the United Nations and regional
organizations pivotal in that regard.
Africa remains a vulnerable continent with a high
concentration of conflicts. We believe that it will be
able to make progress towards stability, prosperity and
greater cooperation in a sustainable manner, with help
from the United Nations and regional organizations
such as the African Union. The 50 years of the African
Union’s existence have contributed to increased
cooperation and development throughout the continent,
and I believe it will stay on that path. Preventing
conflicts and resolving their primary causes are long
and complex processes. Africa still needs attention and
assistance from the international community, with a
focus on preventive diplomacy and national ownership
of all processes. The Slovak Republic supports more
intensive cooperation between the United Nations and
the African Union, as well as closer relations between
the African Union and the European Union.
We continue to pay close attention to the security
situation in the Middle East. We are glad to see some
positive signals among the worrying news from this
part of the world. Slovakia welcomes and supports
the renewal of talks between Israel and Palestine. It
seems, however, that talks are not enough. A number of
binding agreements and resolutions have been agreed
on to date in order to resolve numerous issues, but they
have not been sufficiently complied with. We therefore
expect more in the way of implementation of agreed
solutions. That is vital to peace, security, stability and
further development in the entire region.
Terrorism remains one of the most serious threats to
peace and security. It plays a key role in many conflicts
and most of its victims are civilians. We should keep
our resolve to do everything to reach an agreement on
a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
We will find a solution only through joint efforts under
the auspices of the United Nations.
We cannot have a secure, safe and stable environment
without effective arms control and disarmament
procedures in place as the basic instrument for conflict
prevention. The signing of the Arms Trade Treaty has
shown that the United Nations has the potential to
make history and contribute substantively to greater
security in the world through its shared commitment
to a responsible approach to arms trading. Slovakia
believes that the collective efforts of the international
community can ensure that the Treaty will soon enter
into force, and we are prepared to do whatever is
necessary to promote that. With regard to eliminating
nuclear threats and their secondary consequences for
health and the environment, Slovakia actively supports
the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-
Ban Treaty, which we consider to be an important pillar
of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
I wish to particularly stress — and I repeat this
at every meeting here at the United Nations — that
security sector reform is a key component of post-
conflict development and effective reinforcement
of the rule of law. In the context of the consolidation
process, we therefore consider it an inseparable part of
the security/rule of law/development structure. If we
cannot give people security, safety, education and jobs,
they will be quick to draw guns again in desperation.
Unfortunately, experience offers proof of that. Slovakia
closely cooperates with the United Nations in building
the effective and adequate capacity essential to
security sector reform and emphasizing national and
local ownership of all processes. The United Nations
is a guarantor of an impartial system of support to its
members in that area.
Enduring peace requires respect for freedom,
democracy, the rule of law and human rights. The
culture of impunity has no place in today’s world.
The role of the International Criminal Court in the
multilateral system is irreplaceable in that regard, as
it focuses on preventing the perpetrators of the most
serious crimes from going unpunished. But its decisions
must be unquestionable. The Slovak Republic welcomed
the adoption of amendments to the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court in June 2010. Therefore,
we call on all United Nations Members that have not yet
done so to ratify the Rome Statute and its amendments.
This year, we celebrate the twentieth anniversary
of the World Conference on Human Rights and the
adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme
of Action. Those historic documents are still relevant
and represent a priority objective that the activities
of the international community should pursue. They
confirm that the universal nature of all human rights
and fundamental freedoms is beyond question. At the
same time, they emphasize the interconnection between
peace and security, economic and social development,
and respect for human rights.
There can be no peace without economic stability
and prosperity. Ensuring sustainable development and
social stability is beyond doubt the most effective way
to prevent conflicts. That is an agenda in which the
United Nations has enormous potential; however, it is
one of the most fragmented within the United Nations
system. We appreciate that this issue is among the key
priorities of the current session.
Its relevance is also evident in a series of important
side events that focus on meeting the Millennium
Development Goals and the development agenda in
general. We particularly appreciate the initiative of
the General Assembly in organizing the High-level
Meeting on Disability and Development with the aim
of ensuring the inclusion of people with disabilities
in the development agenda beyond 2015. There are
some 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide,
many of them living in poverty, who are still excluded
from equitable access to education, health care, jobs,
and social and legal support systems. This dialogue
is another step forward towards the empowerment
of people with disabilities. We want to stress the
importance of including this issue in the development
agenda beyond 2015. We are also paying increased
attention to ensuring access to energy supply, water and
safe food for all.
Slovakia wants to actively participate in the
preparation of the development goals beyond 2015
and is getting ready for a new stage in development
cooperation. We have only recently become a
member of the Development Assistance Council of
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development, reflecting our commitment to becoming
a full-fledged member of the international community
of donor countries. Slovakia has thoroughly studied
the report of the High-Level Panel on the Post-
2015 Development Agenda, which sets out a global
framework for development cooperation goals. The
goals and measures must be coherent with and integrate
development, social and environmental aspects in line
with the outcome of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development in Rio.
The new goals must ensure effective and measurable
results. The crucial task will be identifying resources
to meet the new sustainable development goals. Our
efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals
have been hindered by the ongoing lack of public funds
and resources. The economic and financial crisis has
helped to reveal a number of systemic deficiencies in
the distribution and control of resources, in particular
public ones, as well as the need to draw on innovative
resources, including private ones, in the process.
Slovakia wants to contribute to the discussion through
its work in the Committee of Experts on Sustainable
Development Financing.
Until recently, Slovakia was a recipient of
development assistance. Naturally, it now wants to give
back by supporting countries dependent on assistance
from the international community. This year, we
celebrate the tenth anniversary of the establishment of
a national system for official development assistance.
The focus of the development assistance provided by
Slovakia reflects the needs of countries that rely on such
assistance and responds to the global challenges within
the international community. Slovakia has experience
in political and economic transition and integration
into European and trans-Atlantic structures. Slovakia
now primarily shares the lessons it has learned from
building civil society and public governance reforms
with the countries of the Eastern Partnership and the
Western Balkans, as well as others, including Kenya
and Afghanistan. Slovakia concentrates on poverty
eradication by facilitating access to health care and
education and by enhancing the status of women and
young people in those countries.
We are going through turbulent times. The United
Nations has the potential to be a global leader in ensuring
peace and prosperity for all. But if its effectiveness is
not enhanced, the Organization’s relevance will be
at risk. In order to perform all its tasks, the United
Nations must be strong, inclusive and open. Global
links require strengthening existing partnerships with
regional organizations, partners from the private sector
and, last but not least, civil society. We understand
that the United Nations needs sufficient financial and
human resources to effectively fulfil its mandates, but
we call for their more efficient use.
This year, Slovakia celebrates the twentieth
anniversary of its sovereign existence. It was only
natural that the first steps of Slovakia as a sovereign
State led to the United Nations. The principles and
objectives of the United Nations represent the firm
cornerstone of Slovak foreign policy, based on the
values of effective multilateralism. Over these 20 years,
Slovakia’s cooperation with the United Nations has
strengthened and intensified as Slovakia has grown
and as its position as a stable democratic country and a
reliable, proactive partner at the international level has
been strengthened. Thanks to that development, in June
I was able to host a summit of 20 Eastern and Central
European presidents in Bratislava, where we discussed
ways to address the current financial and economic
crisis and on good regional cooperation.
Slovakia has been contributing to a wide range
of United Nations activities through its work in the
Organization’s main bodies and its direct involvement
in more than 17 peacekeeping operations, as well as by
implementing over 400 humanitarian and development
projects in more than 20 countries worldwide. Having
won the trust of its partners, Slovakia has been elected
to all relevant United Nations bodies, enabling it to
promote and enforce even more effectively the values
of the United Nations in all three main pillars of its
work. I can assure the General Assembly that Slovakia
will continue its tireless efforts to serve and assist in
meeting the United Nations goals as a reliable partner.