Please accept my expression of sincere appreciation to
our outgoing President, His Excellency Mr. Srgjan
Kerim, and my warmest congratulations to Mr. Miguel
d’Escoto Brockmann on his election as President of the
General Assembly at its sixty-third session. Brunei
Darussalam wishes him every success in the coming
year and we offer him our full support.
My congratulations also go to the Government
and people of Nicaragua. I offer them my very best
wishes for peace, happiness and prosperity. That is a
wish, of course, that we also offer all our fellow
members. We very much enjoy working with them,
sharing experiences, voicing concerns and hearing each
other’s thoughts and ideas. I say that because the
coming year is a very special one for Brunei
Darussalam. In September of next year, we celebrate
the twenty-fifth anniversary of our membership in the
United Nations. We thank the Organization and fellow
members for giving us the opportunity to play a part in
a world we all share.
The global challenges we now face demand that
every nation, big and small, work together. That is why
we will offer whatever we can to support this world
Organization. We will also support all its efforts to
address political, economic and social concerns. We
will help with recovery from natural disasters. We will
join fellow Members in protecting not only the
environment but also the cultures of small societies
like our own. We will respect the values of the various
faiths held by the people this Organization represents.
In more specific terms, that is why Brunei
Darussalam strongly supports the role of the United
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Nations in the Quartet working to establish a just and
lasting peace in the Middle East. It is why we ask the
World Trade Organization to recognize the impact its
work has on the stability of small, fragile societies. We
ask its strong and influential members not to give up
the search for a fair formula for an equitable world
trading system acceptable to all nations.
That is also why we acknowledge the work of the
Secretary-General with the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) to help our neighbour
Myanmar recover from the terrible effects of Cyclone
Nargis this year. It is the reason behind our work with
our neighbours in Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve
the priceless heritage of the Borneo rainforests by
placing over half our territory under environmental
protection in the heart of Borneo projects. It is why we
affirm the right of all small nations and fragile
societies, with all the values they uphold, to continue
their way of life with security today and hope for the
future. It is why we have supported worldwide
dialogue between faiths to promote tolerance and
respect for each other’s deepest beliefs.
I offer this appreciation and support for a
particular reason. A new generation of international
leaders is slowly beginning to shape the future. It is my
privilege here to speak not only on behalf of all our
people, but especially on behalf of that new generation
in our country. The twentieth century is, indeed,
history. The twenty-first century is plainly here,
creating its new set of internal and external dynamics.
We clearly recognize that in my region. That is why
ASEAN’s leaders have signed a new charter. We and
our fellow members of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) have acknowledged that fact by
amending the OIC charter and accepting the far-
reaching objectives of the Makkah programme of
action.
Underlying both those moves is the deep desire of
leaders who are passing the baton to their successors to
ensure that their people have hope and confidence in
the future by being given the chance to join the twenty-
first century. Our people must be able to participate to
the fullest. The new generation of leaders must have
the opportunity to help them do so. We have to provide
that confidence; by that I mean the confidence that
comes from education, modern training, health care
and the knowledge that their culture, values and faith
are safe.
If there is one broad lesson to be learned from the
security crises that have marked the start of the
century, it is that security is not an abstract concept,
nor is it simply the traditional tasks of upholding the
law and fighting crime. At its heart, it is a deeply felt
feeling of unfairness. What we are asking for is the
chance to address those causes at a very basic level.
In that task, we therefore turn to the United
Nations for help. We deeply acknowledge the work of
the United Nations agencies in the field and their
expert staff and selfless volunteers. In particular, we
thank the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World
Health Organization (WHO). We see the success of
both of these organizations as essential to providing
our people with the confidence I have mentioned.
In Brunei Darussalam, we had the privilege of
hosting our first UNESCO science and technology
camp in 2006 and we have been deeply impressed by
the agencies’ relevance to the needs of ordinary people
trying to meet the challenges of the modern world. We
especially support the commitment of UNESCO to the
process of dialogue and negotiation as the only lasting
means of resolving confrontation, no matter how
painstaking the process may be at times. In similar
fashion, we have also long supported the invaluable
work of WHO. We and our neighbours have greatly
benefited from the exceptional international research,
advice and technical assistance that this organization
has constantly offered, and for which we are all most
grateful.
I have briefly outlined Brunei Darussalam’s
support for the United Nations and its current
objectives. Above all, we are committed to the work of
its agencies as they attempt to help us all achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. I have spoken of how
a new generation of leaders can offer their people the
hope that comes from confidence in the future. The
United Nations is the organization that gives us a fair
chance to deliver on this hope. That is all we ask,
because for us the twenty-first century presents a
difficult journey, and the United Nations is the
compass that directs us towards a hopeful future.