It is certainly a great opportunity for the
Principality of Andorra and the Government I represent
to address the Assembly. The United Nations is the
forum that, true to its origins, today represents the
greatest source of hope for many people, countries and
Governments.
In Andorra, we are aware of what being a small
Member country of the United Nations involves — that
is, a determination to engage in cooperation, hard work
and honest efforts. The world is the sum of our
possibilities and our efforts, and of the aspirations of
each of us.
The world in the twenty-first century is neither
better nor worse; it has the same defects, contrasts and
virtues as in earlier centuries, but the rules of play are
more dynamic. Thanks to new technology and social
networks, citizens now have greater weight than in
earlier times in alerting and motivating the political
and economic leaders and seeing that they remain
active.
Despite all that, today we live in a world of
patent contrasts, where hunger continues to be one of
our worst evils. More than a billion people suffer from
malnutrition and poverty. The consequences of the
food, environmental and economic crises have
compounded the situation of the most vulnerable
populations.
During the World Summit on Food Security in
Rome last November, we decided to adopt measures to
halve by 2015 the number of people suffering from
malnutrition and hunger, combining all possible efforts
to achieve the first of the Millennium Development
Goals. In the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Toronto,
the Secretary-General defended the position of the
most vulnerable populations and asked the 20 leading
world Powers to develop new policies for combating
poverty.
The struggle to combat climate change, however,
is still unresolved. The natural disasters that the people
of Haiti and Pakistan have had to deal with show how
devastating the effects of climate change can be. It is a
phenomenon that jeopardizes the poorest populations,
affects access to water, compounds malnutrition and
leads to violence. The economic impact on developing
States is terrible.
While the threats are real, the solutions are real
too. The possibility of dealing with them exists. During
the Copenhagen Conference, the States parties to the
Climate Change Convention initiated negotiations for
an agreement. We hope that at the Conference on
Climate Change to be held in Cancún in December, an
effective and scientifically ambitious text will be
adopted that will make it possible to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
Andorra is engaging in activities aimed at
combating climate change, particularly water treatment
and reduction of substances that deplete the ozone
layer. In the next few months our Government also
plans to approve ratification of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change.
It is clear is that the current crisis is forcing us to
rethink the structures of the global financial system to
make it more equitable, more ethical and at the same
time more sound, in order to ensure that world leaders’
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aspirations can — little by little, but more each time —
converge and agree on what the most vulnerable
peoples, countries and democracies truly need.
Andorra has succeeded in moving off the Grey
List of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), thanks to the signing, between
September 2009 and February 2010, of 17 bilateral
agreements on the exchange of tax information. Our
firm commitment to the recommendations of OECD
and the international community as a whole, as
expressed at the G20 meetings, has laid the foundations
for our business structure and boosted confidence in
Andorra’s financial sector.
We wish to move forward on the road to
transparency and international cooperation in
combating tax fraud. We therefore believe that a
permanent European mechanism for financial stability
should be established, as well as very strict regulation
of the products known as derivatives. It would also be
desirable to create a European agency to rate the
solvency of the financial activities and of its
administrations.
We also wish to continue to work, from a
perspective of respect, in an Organization such as the
United Nations, reformed and consolidated, able to
help the international community to move forward at
this stage of its history, avoiding any exacerbation of
the inequalities that fuel violence and hatred.
We therefore need to promote an international
definition of minimum social guarantees for all
mankind. Andorra firmly believes that the United
Nations can ensure the necessary equilibrium, respect
for all States — regardless of their economic, political
or military power — and the application of
international law. The United Nations Charter urges
Member States to apply tolerance and to combine their
efforts to maintain international peace and security —
in short, to ensure that the aspirations and needs of all
coincide.
In the last 65 years, the United Nations has taken
many actions to promote disarmament, development
and the rule of law and democratic practices, and it
continues to do so. The Organization and its Member
States have been supported by non-governmental
organizations and grass-roots movements, which have
worked to ensure that the tragic experiences of the
twentieth century are not repeated.
One of the features of my country is that we have
no army. For more than 700 years Andorra has lived in
peace, without a single armed conflict. Today,
determined to show our international commitment to
disarmament, Andorra intends very soon to ratify the
Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Let us remember that the founding principles of
our Organization are equality, the defence of human
rights and the prohibition of any form of
discrimination.
The Human Rights Council is the principal forum
for the discussion of the defence of human rights.
Thanks to the Universal Periodic Review, all Member
States are subject to a unique exercise in dialogue,
which encourages us to respect human rights and
fundamental freedoms. This process is proving to be
effective, but there are still a number of challenges to
overcome. Andorra will undergo this review for the
first time in the coming month of November.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, Andorran civil
society and, in particular, the Andorra National
Committee for UNICEF have carried out many
activities jointly with Andorran institutions to raise
awareness of that text and educate the population on
the importance of defending the rights of the child.
Combating violence against women is one of the
priorities of the Government that I represent. On
14 April this year, we created the Secretariat for
Equality and Welfare, with the objective of
coordinating the range of actions aimed at promoting
the status of women and establishing new policies in
the area of gender. This year, we are celebrating the
fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration
and Platform for Action at the Fourth Conference on
Women, held in Beijing.
During the March 2010 session of the
Commission on the Status of Women, we recognized
that women have an essential role to play in promoting
broad and sustainable socio-economic development.
Progress has been made on improving the status of
women, but, unfortunately, it is not enough. We must
continue promoting the rights of women and fighting
domestic violence.
According to a report by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the most
profitable illegal activity in Europe is human
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trafficking. Eighty-four per cent of the victims of
human trafficking in Europe have been enslaved for the
purposes of sexual exploitation. It is important to focus
on that issue from the perspective of protecting
victims, which will certainly be integrated into the
development of the United Nations Plan of Action to
Combat Trafficking in Persons, adopted on 30 July
2010 (resolution 64/293).
Over the coming months, Andorra will ratify the
Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings, which is a compelling
demonstration of our State’s international commitment
to this fight and of our will to support international
instruments aimed at protecting human rights and
preserving the fundamental values of our democratic
societies.
The Government that I represent commends the
recent decision by the United Nations to create the
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women (UN Women). I wish this
new body the greatest success; it can count on the full
support of my country, and we will work in solidarity
with Michelle Bachelet.
At present, we are all experiencing a profound
global economic crisis, which threatens the European
model of society. This crisis is also cultural and affects
values such as solidarity.
As we celebrate 2010 as the International Year for
the Rapprochement of Cultures, we have the
opportunity to remember the relevance of cultural
diversity. Learning about others, tolerance and respect
for human rights and human dignity are the ingredients
needed to build a harmonious and peaceful society.
Perhaps as a result of the small size of Andorra,
or of its geographical surroundings — abrupt and
extremely beautiful — in the Pyrenees, we have been
able to develop natural and strong human relationships,
through which our attachment, commitment or
disagreement with all people is shown sincerely,
without filters and without doublespeak. Therefore,
when large-scale natural disasters, humanitarian crises
or international emergencies occur, Andorra responds,
and it does so sincerely, with voluntary contributions
commensurate with international norms and additional
contributions when called for by the situation. Andorra,
in accordance with its national budget, is always
present and always does its part. Based on this
solidarity, we support and promote international
development cooperation, and our country has a
number of non-governmental organizations that devote
vigorous efforts to working in this area.
The challenges we are forced to face are
numerous. We have the good fortune of being able to
work together in order to overcome them. It is indeed a
great responsibility, but it is also a great opportunity. It
is an opportunity to come up with solutions that meet
the needs of those worst off.
In conclusion, I should like to wish you, Sir, the
best of luck and the greatest of success over the
coming year. I am convinced that you will make great
progress towards improving the individual and
collective impact of our Organization.