Lao

The reappointment of Mr. Ban Ki-moon as Secretary- General is testimony to his able leadership and great achievements in guiding the universal Organization over the past five years. I take this opportunity once again, on behalf of the Lao Government and people, to express to him my sincere congratulations and to wish him great success in the discharge of his noble duty, especially as we seek to overcome ongoing multiple crises and challenges. In the same vein, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is pleased to work closely with all the States Members of the United Nations at this sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly under the presidency of Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in international affairs and diplomacy. I also commend Mr. Joseph Deiss on his success as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. 39 11-51384 Like other delegations, I welcome South Sudan as the 193rd Member of the United Nations. The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has always stood firm in upholding the peaceful settlement of disputes and in preserving international peace and security in view of creating an environment conducive to the promotion of development cooperation. In this connection, in recent decades the Lao Government has continued to pursue a consistent foreign policy of peace, independence, friendship and cooperation aimed at ensuring tangible benefits for the Lao people, thus contributing to maintaining regional and international peace and security. This policy direction was reaffirmed at the Ninth Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party held in March. By pursuing this policy in response to external challenges, over the past decades the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has firmly upheld and maintained political stability and social order, thereby laying a solid foundation for continued economic development and social progress. As a result, we have achieved considerable progress in social advancement and poverty reduction. For the next five years, the Government has identified immediate and medium-term targets to accelerate economic development in all aspects so as to build a strong basis for the implementation of the national strategy to transform the country into an industrialized and modernized nation and achieve the ultimate goal for graduating from least developed country status by 2020. In this globalizing and integrated world, all nations big and small, rich and poor, have become more interdependent than ever. None of us can survive in isolation from the international community. Although the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has in the past recorded satisfactory achievements in its national socio-economic development endeavour, the country will continue to confront daunting challenges. As a small, least developed nation, the country has been vulnerable to external shocks. Therefore, it shares with other countries the desire to reside in a peaceful and secured world. That being said, all nations must continue to enhance development cooperation, to ensure tangible benefits for their peoples based on mutual respect, solidarity, understanding and assistance, and avoid the use of threat, interference and force. Nevertheless, it is unfortunate that we have faced multiple challenges over the past year caused by regional conflicts, and spreading social unrest, coupled with financial and economic crisis and devastating natural disasters, which have become more frequent. All this has posed severe threats to global peace, stability, security and development cooperation. Against this backdrop, these multiple challenges are not only obstructing developing countries, the least developed in particular, in pursuing their national development efforts and achieving the international development goals, but are also further reversing development. In such circumstances, we believe that the United Nations, as the only universal Organization, should further enhance its role in order to address the challenges in a more timely and just manner in response to the common aspirations of all Member States. Towards this end, we must accelerate the United Nations reform process, which has been pending for years, to achieve a more concrete outcome. It is more critical than ever for all Member States to enhance our cooperation in a sincere and trustworthy manner, without taking advantage of one another, in the effort to reform the United Nations bodies and improve their effectiveness. Security and political stability remain critical to advancing the socio-economic development of all regions. The United Nations should therefore play a more critical role in maintaining international peace and security by effectively carrying out its duty to address regional conflicts, especially with regard to the situation in the Middle East, which has gone unresolved for decades. Against this backdrop, the United Nations should play a more effective facilitating role in urging all parties concerned to find a solution and realize the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and within internationally recognized borders, as stipulated in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. In this regard, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic supports Palestine’s application on 23 September for full membership in the United Nations. Another important concern remains the issue of the economic, trade and financial embargo imposed on Cuba for several decades, which has seriously affected the Cuban people. We believe that it is now time for that embargo to be lifted unconditionally. 11-51384 40 Peace and security in South-East Asia have contributed to creating an environment conducive to the socio-economic advancement of the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At present, ASEAN is continuing its efforts to accelerate community-building by 2015 based on three pillars: the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Indeed, we have made steady progress in our common endeavour. In its community-building efforts, ASEAN aims to implement free trade areas among its 10 member countries, as well as between ASEAN and its dialogue partners. In the same vein, our organization has further strengthened its external cooperation by maintaining ASEAN centrality in all ASEAN-initiated frameworks, such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus and the East Asia Summit. In addition, ASEAN has started to discuss its long-term vision and role beyond the year 2015. All of this has contributed to maintaining peace, stability and development cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region and in the world at large. The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is another important mechanism for facilitating international cooperation. Over the past 15 years, ASEM has developed remarkably and become an important forum for leaders to consider measures to respond to emerging regional and global challenges. In that context, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is honoured that ASEAN member countries have entrusted it with hosting the ninth ASEM Summit, to be held early in November 2012 in Vientiane, its capital. The Lao Government has made the preparations for the Summit a top priority. In that regard, I take this opportunity to invite the leaders of ASEM member countries to attend the Summit. It will provide an excellent opportunity for leaders from the two regions to discuss important issues related to promoting peace and enhancing effective cooperation among the countries of Asia and Europe in this new era. Socio-economic development in a country that has suffered the consequences and legacy of war has never been easy. One of the main obstacles and hindrances to our efforts to advance socio-economic development is unexploded ordnance, which continues to have an extensive and serious negative impact on the livelihoods of the Lao people, both directly and indirectly. The Lao Government has made every effort and mobilized financial means to clear the contaminated areas, particularly agricultural and inhabitable lands across the country, as well as to raise public awareness and help victims to reintegrate into society. In discharging its duties as President of the First Meeting of States Parties to the Conference on Cluster Munitions, over the past year the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has received invaluable support and assistance from the international community, including States parties and non-State parties, international organizations, in particular the United Nations Development Programme, civil society organizations and international non-governmental organizations. All have contributed to the early implementation of this humanitarian Convention. On that note, on behalf of the Lao Government and people, as well as on my own behalf, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation to all countries and international organizations for their support and assistance. These were clearly reflected in the broad participation in the First Meeting of States Parties, which was hosted by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in November 2010. Furthermore, I would like to congratulate those countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention. The number of States parties to the Convention has now increased to 63. I hope that other countries that are not yet States parties will consider acceding to it in the near future. It is more crucial than ever that the international community seize the opportunity to fulfil its obligation to promote and enhance cooperation as a means of addressing pressing challenges, which no country can do on its own. Against that backdrop, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic reaffirms its consistent determination to work closely with the international community, thereby helping to make this world a peaceful, equal and just place, free of fear and deprivation. I am convinced that close cooperation and mutual assistance will enable us all to achieve our common goals.