Allow me to first congratulate
Mr. John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda on assuming
the presidency of the General Assembly at this session.
Mongolia pledges its full support to him.
We gather here at the United Nations to collectively
assess the state of the world, share our thoughts and our
vision, and agree on common actions. I shall begin by
reviewing where we are today.
Over 70 million people around the world join the
middle class each year. The Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) have improved the lives of billions of
people. The world has attained poverty-reduction
targets — in some places, even ahead of the proscribed
deadline. Rather than seeing 2015 as the end, we should
view it as the beginning of a new era. In this era, we
should build on our successes, attend to gaps and meet
emerging challenges.
Sadly, we face many such challenges. Today, over
200 million people are jobless, over 50 million children
are not in school, and one in eight of our fellow citizens
still goes hungry. Yet over $900 billion dollars are
earmarked for military expenditures every year. Only
a fraction of that sum is spent on health care and
education. Such a state of affairs should not be tolerated.
When it comes to the climate, a temperature
increase of more than two degrees Centigrade would
be disastrous, if not catastrophic. Our environment
is changing rapidly. On the production side, global
consumption far exceeds our fragile planet’s capacity.
Resources are being exhausted. Humankind is gravely
endangered. We are running out of time. The world has
too many hungry people, too much violence and too
little commitment to human rights. We need to change
that.
I want to share with the Assembly Mongolia’s
views and experience. Mongolia is a great nation with a
rich history. It is an old nation with a young heart. We
are fortunate to have abundant natural resources, which
offer great growth prospects and a unique opportunity
for economic development and social progress. With
double-digit percentage growth, we are one of the
world’s fastest developing economies.
Mongolia has achieved many development goals
in areas such as universal primary education, reducing
child mortality and improving maternal health.
However, our fifth national MDG progress report
suggests that more needs to be done. To reach our
development goals, the Government is working closely
with all national stakeholders, including political
parties, the private sector, research institutions, civil
society and the media. Likewise, we invite investors
to work together for our common interests. Just a
few days ago, we hosted the World Economic Forum
Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Mongolia. That
event gathered representatives of multiple stakeholders
to explore future economic pathways for my country’s
development.
Mongolians care deeply for the environment. We
take seriously our shared responsibility to confront the
threat from climate change. That is why we are promoting
a green development policy. We have also created and
preserved national parks to curb desertification. At the
same time, these scenic parks form the backbone of
new ecotourism. They will generate both conservation
income and green jobs.
My country is creating an Asian super-network
for green development. It will produce renewable
energy and provide it to Asian consumers. Mongolia’s
first wind farm, which is privately owned, is now in
operation. Wind energy has the potential to produce
electricity well beyond the country’s needs.
We face many environmental challenges, including
land degradation, deforestation, natural disasters and
pollution. Those issues need to be resolved urgently
and collectively. Environmental education and wider
public participation are vital to resolving those
challenges. This year we hosted the United Nations
World Environment Day. Indeed, we are at the centre of
the green economy. The Mongolian people, particularly
our young people, are committed to building a better
environmental future.
Last year I spoke of the importance of Mongolia’s
battle to root out corruption at all levels. We are combating
corruption — the scourge of democracy — with a zero-
tolerance policy at every level of Government. As a
result, Mongolia moved up 26 places in Transparency
International’s rankings of States.
Transparency is the key to fighting corruption.
Citizens have the right to know how their taxes are spent
at every level of Government, from national agencies to
the local administration. Our “glass account” system
ensures that all funds are accounted for openly and
transparently. Citizens deserve access to information
and a say in how their communities are developed.
The best Government is the one based on strong civic
participation.
Mongolia believes in democratic development. Over
20 years ago, it was unimaginable that Mongolia would
one day chair the Community of Democracies. That
well-known and highly respected global democratic
movement is dedicated to promoting freedom and
democracy. Hundreds of human rights activists and
democratic leaders from many countries gathered in
Ulaanbaatar last April. The Ulaanbaatar Declaration
charts a future course for promoting democracy. Our
initiative, the Asia Democracy Network, and the
ministerial consultative meeting, have laid a solid
foundation for democratic development.
I believe that efforts to foster civic engagement
are more effective with democracy education. The
implementation of resolution 67/18, on education for
democracy, will strengthen democratic institutions
and improve the human rights situation for more of our
fellow citizens, because knowledge is power.
We all must focus on promoting human rights. In
the past two decades, Mongolia has been learning and
advancing democracy at home. With a view to supporting
emerging democracies, we initiated and established an
international cooperation fund and have already started
implementing several projects. We are actively sharing
the lessons of parliamentary democracy and conducting
legal reform with Kyrgyzstan. We organized training
for diplomats and public servants from Afghanistan.
We are also discussing the possibility of cooperation
with Myanmar and other emerging democracies.
I call on Member States to support our policy of
protecting and promoting democratic governance
and human rights. I humbly ask for States’ support of
Mongolia’s candidature for the Human Rights Council
in the elections to be held in 2015.
Peace and security remain a fundamental human
right.
Today people the world over are distressed by
endless cycles of conflict. Military forces and weapons
are being used to settle disputes. Thousands of human
beings are losing their lives, millions are displaced and
many more are suffering. The grave situation in Syria
is the latest example. We hope that the United States-
Russian initiative will bear fruit and lead to a peaceful
resolution of the Syrian conflict.
Mongolia firmly supports non-proliferation and the
complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
We cannot tolerate the use of chemical weapons and
strongly condemn any violation of universally accepted
international law.
This morning I participated in the High-level
Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament (see A/68/PV.11).
As a country with internationally recognized nuclear-
weapon-free-status, uniquely situated between two
nuclear-weapon States that are permanent members of
the Security Council, Mongolia has been working hard
on nuclear disarmament and the non-proliferation of
nuclear weapons.
As a result of our efforts, the five nuclear-weapon
States, permanent members of the Security Council,
have issued a joint declaration recognizing Mongolia’s
unique status. They pledged to respect that status and
not to contribute to any act that would violate it. Their
joint commitment ensures that we will not be used as
a pawn in any future nuclear plans or strategies. That
is Mongolia’s contribution to greater confidence and
stability in the region.
Strengthening peace and stability in North-East
Asia is one of Mongolia’s national security priorities.
We firmly believe that dialogue and open discussions
foster confidence. We have therefore put forth an
initiative: the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on North-East
Asia Security. We invite the other States of the region
to jointly address various issues of common interest,
including security issues in North-East Asia.
Mongolian military officers and troops are
honoured to serve along with their fellow United
Nations peacekeepers to maintain international peace
and security. We are very proud of our peacekeepers
for their dedicated service and their invaluable
contributions to the cause of peace.
We all know the complexity of contemporary
conflicts. Our peacekeepers are serving in areas
with high security threats and risks. To support and
encourage our peacekeepers, last February I took a trip
to South Sudan and visited the United Nations Mission
there. During my visit, I met the President of South
Sudan and offered my support to him and to his nation,
the youngest member of the international community.
Let us make our world safer and more prosperous.
Let us be fearless when it comes to fighting for fairness,
transparency and the rule of law. Where there is the rule
of law, there is less corruption and more human rights.
Where there is transparency, there is less economic
disparity and greater accountability.
Where citizens are engaged and informed, good
things happen. We must be fearless in our efforts to
promote and achieve a fair, open and transparent world
community.