It is a great honour for
me to address the Assembly on behalf of His Majesty
7 11-51197
King Mswati III, Head of State of the Kingdom of
Swaziland. His Majesty King Mswati III, Her Majesty
the Queen Mother, the Government and the people of
the Kingdom of Swaziland send best wishes and
congratulations to the State of Qatar and Mr. Al-Nasser
on his election to the presidency of the General
Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We are confident
that his wide experience and diplomatic skills will
ensure success in the challenging issues that face this
session. I should also like to commend the excellent
work of his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss.
The founders of the United Nations envisaged an
international Organization whose primary strength
would rest in its Members acting collectively and
cooperatively in resolving international problems. In
this regard, the theme of this general debate, “The role
of mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful
means”, pertinently captures the initial vision.
The pursuit of peace and security in many parts
of the world is vital to a future of continued
coexistence. We owe it to posterity to maintain a
habitable world. International efforts to intervene and
mediate in internal conflicts should not be taken lightly
and interlocutors should be alert to the sensibilities
involved in every specific situation. History has taught
us that transplanted solutions never work successfully.
There is no one-size-fits-all in the pursuit of peace
because every situation and era is unique. The
international community should also be quick to spot
irrelevant forces that seek to champion narrow
interests.
The Kingdom of Swaziland wishes to
congratulate the Republic of South Sudan on the
independence it obtained this year and celebrated on
9 July. Credit must also go to the Republic of the
Sudan for its steadfast resolve to see to it that the
process was successful. The efforts of the High-Level
Panel on Darfur and the Panel of the Wise
commissioned by the African Union are also
acknowledged. The African Union has been
instrumental in utilizing the vast experience of former
leaders of Africa as it seeks to identify African
solutions for African problems. My country wishes to
reiterate its commitment to this concept.
For a similar reason, the Kingdom of Swaziland
prays with the people of Libya that there will be a swift
end to the current conflict and a sustainable solution
that has the quest of peaceful resolution as the
watchword when dealing with any transitional
difficulties. In this regard, we look forward to the
formation of an all-inclusive Government that will
ensure that Libya moves towards a brighter future. The
world needs a unified and stable Libya to resume its
place in global affairs.
It would be remiss of me if I did not mention the
hugely damaging long-term effects of the war in
Somalia. The difficulties are now compounded by a
terrible famine. While the blame might be placed on
climate change, nevertheless we hold the view that
Somalia would manage this latest humanitarian
disaster — the famine — considerably better if the
international community were to collaborate on a
sustainable political solution, which is essential for
economic recovery. Sadly the world appears to have
forgotten Somalia, with only the African Union and
other regional arrangements dealing with the effects of
the war in that country.
The piracy problem, which has clearly deepened,
is one of many signs that Somalia needs a
comprehensive political intervention that involves all
international interlocutors. There has been a great deal
of support for the fight against piracy, but not as part of
a more holistic approach. The world surely does not
want to send the message that its interventions take
place only when specific interests are threatened.
In the same spirit, the Kingdom of Swaziland
encourages the Quartet on the question of Palestine to
remain resolute in finding common ground between
Israel and Palestine. We are well aware that there have
been setbacks before, but we are optimistic that at the
end of it all there will be a groundbreaking solution,
with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace
and harmony.
The Kingdom of Swaziland joins the rest of the
world in its condemnation of terrorism and threats to
international peace and security. In the same spirit, we
recall the 9/11 criminal attacks that occurred 10 years
ago and all who were affected. We therefore commend
the Secretary-General for hosting the Symposium on
International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, which
underscored the importance of greater international
cooperation among States on a whole range of counter-
terrorism topics, as covered in the United Nations
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We hope that the
recommendations thereof will provide a source of
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reference to all Member States, international
organizations and relevant stakeholders.
The promotion and protection of human rights are
a common objective of all countries. While great
achievements have been made in international human
rights cooperation since the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, challenges still exist. As
a developing country, we believe that greater
importance should be attached to the right to
development so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of
globalization. The international community should pay
more attention to economic, social and cultural
rights — such as the right to life, the right to food and
the right to health — and promote international
cooperation in this regard. The developed countries
should do more to honour their commitments in terms
of development assistance, technology transfer, debt
reduction and market access so as to create favourable
conditions for the effective promotion of the universal
realization of the right to development.
The Kingdom of Swaziland voted in favour of
resolution 60/251, which established the Human Rights
Council. We also formed part of the consensus on
resolution 65/281 on the review of the Human Rights
Council adopted this year. To this end, we also support
the engagement of Member States in the Universal
Periodic Review mechanism, which examines the
human rights situation in all countries. Our country
will be among those to be considered at the Universal
Periodic Review in October 2011, and we look forward
to engaging in an open and candid dialogue with other
members of the Council.
Throughout the past session, we pursued many
development topics, notably the High-level Meeting on
HIV/AIDS in June at which our political will to
intensify our efforts to eliminate the scourge was
reaffirmed. The Kingdom of Swaziland is proud to
have made great strides in this regard. For example, the
percentage of children born HIV-free to HIV-positive
mothers enrolled in the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission programme has risen to 83 per cent and is
expected to reach 100 per cent by 2015.
In today’s highly integrated and interconnected
world, almost all issues demand the full participation
of international partners. Taiwan is one of the leading
economic and technological powerhouses of the world
today, and the Kingdom of Swaziland is of the view
that Taiwan can contribute successfully to the
international community. We therefore urge the United
Nations to find a suitable way to allow for Taiwan’s
meaningful participation in its specialized agencies and
mechanisms, including the International Civil Aviation
Organization and the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. There is no doubt that
the there is a functional need to include the people of
Taiwan in the United Nations system and that their
inclusion would be in the common interest of the
international community.
In conclusion, may I say that the Kingdom of Swaziland has confidence in the initiatives already taken towards the renewal of this Organization and looks forward to a new dynamic and vibrant working period.