Allow me at
the outset, Sir, to congratulate you on your election to
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the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-
fourth session. I wish you every success in your task.
I would also like to thank your predecessor, my
friend Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for his tireless
work during the previous session.
I would also like to thank His Excellency
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his effort to
strengthen the role of the United Nations.
This new session of the General Assembly
coincides with a unique international situation — one
of those situations that take shape at a critical juncture
of major historical developments. Such situations
present an opportunity to lay foundations, stress
principles and regulate systems of international
interaction and relations.
In our view, the present situation is similar to
those that prevailed on the eve of the conferences of
Vienna (1814), Versailles (1919) and Potsdam (1945).
This situation, and the opportunity it presents in
today’s world, is fertile ground for embarking on a
search for a different future. It comes in the wake of a
period of violent turmoil in which the world was
burned by the fires of World War II, was bitten by the
frost of the cold war, and went adrift — especially after
the 11 September 2001 tragedy — in the fallout from
the war on terrorism. This was followed by the
financial market crisis just last year.
The succession of major developments has
altered the world map, changed the balance of power
and influence, and brought in capable parties from
Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and
Africa. It has also generated a renewal-seeking
movement in the United States of America that we are
following with interest and we sincerely hope will
succeed.
We note that during the stages of the global
confrontation and polarization, and the significant
turmoil that followed both of them, the international
community lived in, and suffered from, severe
confusion, when it became clear that achieving world
peace and prosperity required more than the weapons
of the mighty Powers, more than a bipolarity of States,
more than the hegemony of one country — no matter
how advanced that country might be — and a broader
and more comprehensive global management of urgent
crises.
In such a situation, the significance of the
opportunity looms large, after long years of firestorms,
snow blizzards and dust storms, signalling to us that
the world requires something new. In fact, that obvious
fact stands out against the background of our harsh
prior experience.
However, we have been failing to pay attention to
it, despite the numerous appeals pointing to it and the
sincere attempts calling for renewal so that the
Organization can fulfil its mission in changing times
and remain a standard and reference of international
legitimacy. This requirement for change covers the
whole of the United Nations system with all its
branches and agencies.
It is clear to us that the serious crises of the world
were exacerbated when nations with major influence in
the international order decided to transfer tackling the
most important issues of war, peace and progress from
the United Nations framework to other extraneous
frameworks.
Such was the case with regard to conventional
and nuclear arms, security agreements and
arrangements covering the broad spectrum from outer
space to policy and economics. The reasons given for
going outside the United Nations framework were, as
some believed, that such issues were beyond the
capability of the smaller States that represent the
majority of United Nations Members.
Thus, according to this approach, the absence of
the smaller States would make dealing with the issues
at hand easier. But in the emerging circumstances and
realities, those who advocate the monopolizing of
international decision-making need to realize that we
live in one world. And in a world like this one, concern
is equal, even though the distribution of power may not
be.
This attitude represents for us a confirmation of
our view, by which we stand firm. Namely, that it is
time to go back to the United Nations system as a
framework that accommodates everyone, provides a
venue recognized by all, and has a Charter accepted by
all nations mindful that equal rights do not run counter
to a division of responsibilities which takes into
account the different levels of capability of the parties.
We are aware and appreciative of the great
importance of an overarching international authority as
expressed by a legitimate international order and
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governed by a Charter, by the law, and by an
experience of a harsh and bloody political history. That
appreciation stems from our intimate familiarity with
the crises and complex situations of the Middle East,
which became intertwined and increasingly ominous
when addressed outside the United Nations framework,
on the assumption that the new setting could yield
swifter and more effective solutions. In fact, that
approach was merely an aimless diversion that only
caused greater confusion and complexity.
Resorting to the authority of the United Nations
is essential not only to resolve intractable crises such
as the ones in the Middle East, but also to realize
aspirations that can be fulfilled only through a
legitimate international consensus and within an agreed
framework. One such pressing crisis is the quest for
alternative energy sources. Another equally urgent
issue is that of climate change and its definite impact
on the environment and life on this planet.
As for the issue of energy, while it would seem
that oil-producing countries are benefiting from
continued world dependence on their oil production, I
wish to stress to the Assembly that we consider global
security to be our security and global prosperity to be
our prosperity. There can be neither peace nor
prosperity when global civilization is threatened by an
energy crisis that is far greater than a war of any kind,
even a nuclear war.
With regard to the issue of climate change, I
should like to take this opportunity to thank His
Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the
United Nations, for having organized the Summit on
Climate Change yesterday within the framework of the
United Nations to discuss this most serious challenge,
which threatens not only the security of the planet but
also all life on it.
We believe that, while the United Nations system
comprises a comprehensive range of institutions, those
institutions require urgent renewal and strengthening
so that United Nations work will be commensurate
with the new realities in the community of nations on
all continents. At this session, we face a historic
situation — an opportunity that does not present itself
very often. It is the duty of the international
community, and in particular of its powerful members,
to shoulder their responsibilities by responding to that
opportunity.
Almighty God has blessed the State of Qatar with
vast hydrocarbon resources, including the giant North
Gas Field, whose resources make Qatar the third-
largest country in the world in terms of natural gas
reserves. Since the Field was discovered, the
Government has sought to develop concepts and plans
for projects to supply the local market with gas and to
export liquefied natural gas to world markets, as well
as for the gas-to-liquid process, petrochemical
industries and other projects using natural gas, whose
consumption is less harmful to the environment than
that of other fossil substances. While the State of Qatar
has sufficient reserves to meet its needs for decades to
come, we are fully aware of the future challenges
facing the international community in terms of the
implications of greenhouse gas emissions, climate
change and their negative effects on sustainable
development projects.
The State of Qatar is aware of the enormous
potential of clean and renewable energy sources — in
particular solar energy, which is abundantly available
in our climate. The Government has encouraged our
industries, educational institutions and scientific
research centres to develop renewable energy
technologies that will help to improve efficiency and
performance and are suited to local conditions.
The State of Qatar looks forward to a more
intensive international effort to share information and
expertise in the development of solar and other
renewable energies. We urge developed countries to
share modern technologies in that area and to
contribute to the implementation and financing of
renewable energy projects throughout the world.