On behalf of the Holy See, I am pleased to
warmly congratulate you, Mr. President, on your
election as President of the General Assembly at its
sixty-fifth session, and to offer our best wishes for the
successful fulfilment of your mandate. In this new
period of work for the General Assembly, the Holy See
wishes to offer its genuine collaboration in tackling the
numerous challenges faced by the international
community. The 65 years of existence of the United
Nations are a unique event in history in and of
themselves, particularly when contrasted with the
annihilation of hopes placed in the peace conferences
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of the beginning of the twentieth century, and later in
the League of Nations.
The existence of the United Nations shows that
humankind has found in the Organization a response to
the terrifying tragedies of the two World Wars. Despite
the imperfection of its structures and its way of
functioning, the United Nations has sought to bring
solutions to international problems in the economic,
social, cultural and humanitarian fields, and has tried
to fulfil the mandate given to it by its Charter, namely
to be a centre for the coordination of the action of
States with a view to the maintenance of peace and
friendly relations among peoples.
The dialogue among the representatives of States
that is renewed every year in the plenary of the General
Assembly, which remains open and lively in the other
bodies and agencies of the United Nations family, has
been the basic tool for fulfilling this mandate. There
have been times when this dialogue has been, more
than anything else, a clash of opposing and
irreconcilable ideologies and positions. However, the
United Nations has become irreplaceable in the life of
the people of the world in the search for a better future
for all the inhabitants of the planet.
It is from the perspective of this productive
international dialogue carried out through the
discussions and deliberations that take place in this
Hall that I would like to recall important developments
related to international peace and security that took
place during the sixty-fourth session of the Assembly.
First of all, the Holy See welcomes the entry into
force on 1 August of the Convention on Cluster
Munitions. This instrument, which the Holy See was
among the first States to ratify, does represent an
important result for multilateralism, based on
constructive cooperation among Governments and civil
society, as well as the connection between
humanitarian law and human rights.
Another important result was the positive
conclusion last May of the eighth Review Conference
of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons with the publication of a consensus-
based document that provides for different actions
related to the three main pillars of the treaty: nuclear
disarmament, the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons
and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Among these,
an important sign of hope was a decision to convene,
before 2012, a conference to establish a Middle East
zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of
mass destruction.
Furthermore, also in the area of peace and
disarmament, the first meeting, last July, in New York,
of the Preparatory Committee for a Conference on the
Arms Trade Treaty, which is set for 2012 is also worth
mentioning. This meeting showed that the process,
which has begun for the treaty, is shared by all States
that are aware of the need to legally settle the issue of
the arms trade for reasons of peace, humanitarian
protection and social and economic development.
In the context and spirit of successful
international dialogue, we should also welcome the
signing of the New START treaty between the United
States and the Russian Federation. That signing is a
step forward in relations among the nuclear Powers,
and the Holy See hopes that it will open new prospects
and lead to substantial arms reductions in the future.
Similarly, during this session of the General Assembly,
a High-level Meeting was held, some days ago, on
revitalizing disarmament negotiations, which was very
useful for discussing ways to give new life to the
Conference on Disarmament and to continue to build a
consensus on the major obstacles to agreement on
disarmament, in particular, the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cut-
off Treaty. We must do everything possible to achieve a
world free from nuclear weapons, and the Holy See
supports all efforts along these lines.
During the previous session of the General
Assembly, the United Nations made an unprecedented
contribution to international cooperation and peace in
Haiti, where, during the earthquake of 12 January
2010, the head of the United Nations Mission,
Ambassador Hédi Annabi, died, as did his assistant,
Mr. Luiz Carlos da Costa, along with 82 other civil
servants and members of the peacekeeping forces. On
behalf of the Holy See, I would like to extend our
sincere condolences to the Secretary-General and the
national authorities of the States of the persons who
died, as well as their families and colleagues. Their
sacrifice should serve as an impetus for a new global
commitment to maintaining peace.
The Holy See has always recognized and
appreciated actions carried out by United Nations
peacekeeping forces. The important increase in
requests for intervention in recent years shows the
increased confidence in United Nations activities in
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cooperation with regional organizations, but it also
highlights the importance of the growing role played
by the United Nations and regional organizations in
preventive diplomacy.
Likewise, the action of the Peacebuilding
Commission remains fundamental to rebuilding the
social, legal and economic fabric that was destroyed by
war and to avoiding the relapse into conflict. Initiatives
to prevent conflicts, to peacefully resolve conflicts, to
separate warring parties and to promote reconstruction
deserve generous political and economic support from
all States Members of the United Nations. Support
from all would be an eloquent show of confidence in a
destiny based on solidarity for humankind.
If we think that normative developments with
regard to disarmament and the non-proliferation of
weapons have shown signs of progress, there are
reasons for concern with respect to the many obstacles
to global security and peace. Above all, military
spending in the world continues to be excessive and
even to increase. The problem of the exercise of the
legitimate right of States to the peaceful development
of nuclear energy in accordance with effective
international monitoring of non-proliferation remains
relevant. The Holy See encourages all parties involved
in settling various ongoing controversies, in particular
those with respect to the Korean peninsula and the
Persian Gulf region, as well as adjoining regions, to
carry out an honest in-depth dialogue that would be
able to harmoniously reconcile all rights of the nations
concerned.
The recent terrible natural catastrophes in
Pakistan add to the difficulties caused by conflicts that
have beset that region. In addition to the humanitarian
response, which must be generous, and other
associated measures, there must also be a broader
effort at mutual and deeper understanding of the causes
of the hostilities.
Moreover, genuine dialogue, trust and generosity
in putting aside peripheral or short-term interests are
the way to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict
between the State of Israel and the Palestinians.
Dialogue and understanding among the various parties
involved is also the only way to achieve reconciliation
in Iraq and Myanmar, for example, as well as to
resolve ethnic and cultural problems in Central Asia
and the regions of the Caucasus and to calm recurring
tensions in Africa, such as in the Sudan, just before
decisive elections.
There is a significant economic component to
most of those conflicts. Substantially improving the
living conditions of the Palestinian people and other
peoples living under civil or regional wars will no
doubt make a crucial contribution to transforming
violent opposition into patient and peaceful dialogue.
The High-level Plenary Meeting on the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) took place
here several days ago. All Member States once again
solemnly committed themselves to make every
necessary effort to achieve the MDGs by 2015. The
Holy See welcomes the reiterated will to uproot
poverty, which it hopes will resolutely be brought to an
end. However, it is important to underscore that we
will not achieve the Goals without fulfilling two great
moral imperatives.
On the one hand, it is essential that rich and
emerging countries fully honour their development
assistance commitments and immediately establish and
operationalize a financial and trading framework that
on the whole favours the weakest countries. On the
other hand, rich and poor alike should ensure an ethical
political and economic change that guarantees good
governance and eradicates all forms of corruption.
Otherwise, we risk reaching the year 2015 not having
achieved sufficient results, except — and this would be
sad and paradoxical — in the areas of population
control and promoting minority lifestyles, as
introduced in certain paragraphs of the recently held
summit. In that case, the Millennium Goals would
become a veritable fraud vis-à-vis the comprehensive
human development of peoples.
With regard to the environment, which is the
subject of Millennium Goal 7, the participation of more
than 115 heads of State and Government at the
Conference of the States Parties to the Framework
Convention on Climate Change held in Copenhagen in
December 2009 demonstrated the attention and
importance attached to an issue as complex as the
climate on the international agenda. The Holy See
hopes that the next session of the Conference of the
States Parties will take a political decision that will
make the negotiations on a legally binding agreement
more concrete.
At the heart of that debate is the establishment of
a development model based on a new energy system.
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Nevertheless, it is important to recall the ethical issues
associated with this matter. It is not just about
achieving a world less dependent on fossil fuels and
more devoted to energy efficiency and alternative
fuels, but about changing unbridled and irresponsible
consumption behaviour. As my delegation has often
observed with regard to the Millennium Goals, it is that
behaviour, and not population growth and improving
living conditions in less developed countries, that
places a growing and unsustainable burden on
resources and on the environment.
The positive results achieved by the international
community in the course of the Assembly’s previous
session would not have been possible without dialogue
among Governments, which are being joined with
growing determination and effectiveness by civil
society interlocutors. However, to be honest and
effective, that dialogue must be genuinely dia-logos —
an exchange of wisdom and wisdom shared. The
dialogue must move quickly from an exchange of
words and a search for balance among opposing
interests towards a genuine sharing of wisdom for the
common good.
It is precisely for that reason that Article 1 of the
Charter links the promotion of human rights with the
defence of peace, settlement of disputes and resolving
international problems of an economic nature. Nations
are not separate entities, independent of the peoples
who comprise them. The fundamental national interest
of all Governments should be the establishment and
maintenance of the necessary conditions for the full
development of the material and spiritual good of
every inhabitant of their countries. The promotion of
and respect for human rights are therefore the ultimate
goal of dialogue and international affairs, as well as the
indispensable conditions for genuine and fruitful
dialogue among countries.
The Holy See is also attentively following the
work of the Assembly’s Third Committee and of the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
This statement in the general debate is also an
opportunity for me to express our support for the
Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees and all
specialized agencies and bodies working in the broad
field of human and humanitarian rights. In that regard,
the Holy See also believes that, although slow, the
progress made in the discussions on the principle of the
responsibility to protect is cause for hope.
Nevertheless, resolute and effective attention is still
lacking with regard to the problems of refugees, people
who have been forcibly expelled and large-scale
displacements.
The history of the development of human rights
itself illustrates that respect for religious freedom is the
cornerstone of the entire human rights architecture.
When that freedom is lacking, absent too will be the
recognition of the transcendent nature of every human
person, which entails a dignity that existed before, and
is superior to, the political and normative awareness
and that creates an irrepressible framework of freedom
and responsibility. If religious freedom falters, all
human rights are at risk of becoming something that
government grants — or, at best, the result of a balance
of social forces, which are variable by nature, because
they will have no foundation other than balance or
agreement itself.
Beyond criticism of the organizational limitations
and lack of effectiveness of the United Nations, we see
that there is a universally shared awareness of the need
for the Organization, as well as a universal feeling of
gratitude for its efforts. All of us understand that, by
virtue of its numerous bodies, the Organization
constitutes an essential forum for dialogue and
understanding between nations. The best way of
guaranteeing that the United Nations continues to carry
out its historic mission of coordinating and keeping all
States united around the common goals of peace,
security and comprehensive human development for all
will be to continuously focus on the dignity of all men
and women and effectively respect it, beginning with
the right to life — even of the weakest, such as unborn
children and the terminally ill — and religious
freedom.