We are
pleased to sincerely and warmly congratulate
Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election to the
presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth
session and to his brotherly country, Qatar, with which
we share deep fraternal relations. We are confident that
his diplomatic experience, especially in the field of
multilateral diplomacy, will have a great impact on the
success of this session. We wish also to express our
appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss of
Switzerland, for his successful efforts in the conduct of
the previous session. We also extend our
congratulations to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on
the international community’s renewed confidence in
him, as evidenced by his re-election to his post for a
second term, so that he can continue his efforts to
revitalize the role of the United Nations and further
develop its work.
Each year, when we address the Assembly from
this rostrum, we begin by presenting the issue of the
Palestinian people. The international community has
worked to encourage negotiations between the
Palestinian National Authority and the Government of
Israel, the occupying Power. Unfortunately, the
situation remains at a standstill. For that reason, the
global community, and the United Nations in
particular, should act to fulfil its responsibility to find a
just and comprehensive solution. We believe that the
establishment of a Palestinian State on the basis of the
borders of 4 June 1967 and the recognition of that State
as a Member of the Organization will undoubtedly lead
to serious negotiations aimed at reaching a just, lasting
and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
Brotherly Somalia has been the victim of a
decades-long civil war caused by a weak leadership
that failed to reach a political consensus to end that
hateful war. We believe that, to save the Somali people
from the threefold threat of poverty, ignorance and
famine, the time is ripe for the United Nations to
intensify its efforts, in cooperation with regional
organizations, including the League of Arab States, the
African Union, the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation and the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development, to devise a plan to bring peace to
Somalia. We would also stress the importance of
increasing the provision of humanitarian assistance to
the millions of Somali refugees and displaced persons.
We are confident that Somalia’s neighbours share our
belief in the need for political solutions to the chronic
crisis in that country. We also reiterate to the Secretary-
General that we are fully prepared to support the
efforts of the United Nations in that regard.
On 26 January 2011, my country submitted its
periodic report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva
in the context of the mechanism for the periodic review
of States’ reports. We in the Sultanate of Oman are
satisfied that we have come a long way in terms of
protecting human rights at all levels. We consider this a
national and spiritual commitment aimed at achieving
justice that also supports the dimension of a global
culture of human rights protection.
Our contemporary world is witnessing profound
changes in the demographic composition of the peoples
of the world, as young people now constitute the
majority of the world population. As they are the most
ambitious group, capable of mapping the future, the
international community should take this reality into
consideration in the elaboration of all manner of plans
in the economic, education and sustainable
development fields.
As our region is experiencing such profound
changes, we, like the rest of the world, believe that the
aspirations of young people to a better and more secure
world and decent livelihoods have prevailed and
should be accepted and welcomed by all Governments.
We in the Sultanate of Oman, in keeping with the
instructions given by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin
Said, have based all of our national economic and
social plans on empowering young people to make
maximum use of their potential to benefit from
technology and to achieve a society characterized by
prosperity and sustainable growth.
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Today’s world is facing numerous crises that
make it imperative for the international community to
work jointly to create conditions that are conducive to
finding solutions. The world may be on the brink of a
widespread food crisis, and many people live in fear of
food shortages. Efforts must therefore be made at the
international level to expand production through the
cultivation of larger areas and the use of advanced
technology to increase yields and to combat
desertification in vulnerable areas.
The continuing global financial crisis obliges us
to collectively rethink the principles underlying
investment and international trade in order to reach
appropriate solutions aimed at reducing the negative
impacts of the crisis on countries and societies,
particularly in the developing world.
An additional issue we must face is that of global
phenomena such as hurricanes, earthquakes and the
high level of environmental pollution, all of which lead
to major human and economic losses. We believe that
all countries, particularly the major industrialized
countries, should join together to find a solution aimed
at reducing industrial and environmental pollution and
greenhouse-gas emissions based on modern technology
in those fields.
In closing, we are hopeful that all countries will
seize the opportunity offered by the current session to
take practical steps and measures on all of the issues
under discussion. We hope that the session will meet
with every success.