I would like to congratulate
Mr. Ali Treki on his unanimous election to preside over
the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session. His
election is a deserved tribute to his personal qualities
as a seasoned politician and diplomat and also to his
country, Libya, with which Malta has long-standing
ties of friendship and cooperation. I am sure that under
his wise leadership and experience this august
Assembly will be guided throughout his term to a
successful and fruitful outcome.
My delegation’s thanks and appreciation are
extended to his distinguished predecessor, Father
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for the dedicated manner
in which he presided over the work and activities of the
sixty-third session.
Malta would like to take this opportunity to
commend and thank the Secretary-General for his
unstinting efforts in guiding our Organization in the
maintenance of international peace and stability
worldwide. Under his leadership the United Nations
has made important strides in raising awareness and in
many instances responding effectively to the critical
situation of the poor and more vulnerable. It was
therefore of great satisfaction to my Government and
the Maltese people that we had the honour and
privilege to welcome him to Malta last April.
This year Malta is marking three important
anniversaries. The first is the forty-fifth anniversary of
our country’s independence, on 21 September 1964;
the second is the fifteenth anniversary of the coming
into force on 21 March 1994 of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change; and the
third is the fifteenth anniversary of the coming into
force on 16 November 1994 of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Over the past 45 years, Malta has made good on
the pledge it made when it joined this Organization. In
this regard, I would like to avail myself of this
opportunity to renew today, on this forty-fifth
anniversary of Malta’s United Nations membership,
our pledge and our unwavering faith and trust in the
ideals and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the
United Nations.
One of the issues which in the coming weeks will
be at the top of the international agenda is the
Copenhagen Summit. Two days ago, this Hall
witnessed one of the largest-ever gatherings of Heads
of State and Heads of Government to debate the future
of our planet Earth. During this unique summit we all
agreed that the challenges posed by climate change
have become the most urgent and critical faced by
humankind.
It will be recalled that in 1988, when Malta took
the initiative to formally submit the issue of climate
change as a political item on the agenda of the forty-
third session of the General Assembly, few of us would
have thought at that time that this issue of climate
change would become in the span of two decades one
of the principal critical issues dominating the
international environmental concerns of this new
century. Throughout these 20 years, Malta has been in
the forefront of those ensuring that climate change
continues to be one of the top-priority issues of our
times. Our commitment of 20 years ago remains
steadfast and as strong as ever. As we have heard
during the past few days, the outcome of the
Copenhagen Summit must signal a turning point. Malta
strongly believes that it is the duty of all countries,
large and small, rich and poor, to contribute their fair
share to this concerted effort, which must be global if it
is to succeed.
09-52425 54
On 16 November of this year, Member States will
commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the coming
into force of the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea, which has been described as the
constitution for regulating humankind’s activities
relating to the oceans. It was 42 years ago that, in this
Hall, Malta once again called on Member States to
undertake a reform of the law of the sea, which
eventually culminated in the adoption of the current
Convention on 10 December 1982.
It is also necessary to see the 1982 convention in
the light of some pressing and contemporary problems
which are either being addressed inadequately or not
being addressed at all. Among these deficiencies are
the provisions dealing with piracy, illicit traffic in
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the rules
relating to the protection and preservation of the
marine environment and the rules dealing with
submarine cables and pipelines. Examples of omissions
are the trafficking of human beings, the safety and
security of navigation, the transportation of weapons of
mass destruction, and climate change.
In the light of the issues I have just mentioned,
Malta feels that the time has come for the General
Assembly to examine possible approaches to a review
of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. In this
context, Malta would like to propose that the General
Assembly, through its relevant bodies, undertake
appropriate consultations among its Member States to
revise the Convention in view of the passage of time
and the emergence of new and critical issues over the
years. My delegation will be ready to enter into
consultations with other interested Member States to
advance this proposal further.
Just as it was necessary in 1948 to recognize the
need for a universal declaration of human rights as a
fundamental condition for the enjoyment of freedom,
justice and peace for all men and women around the
world, so it has become vital now to have a
concomitant declaration on human duties of the present
generation, including our responsibilities towards
future generations. We have the overall task of
conserving the human species in the sacredness of its
life and in its continuity, as well as of preserving the
environment, in all its manifestations. We believe that
such a declaration emanates naturally from that
doctrine of the common heritage of mankind, which
my country first mooted before this Assembly in 1967
and which eventually led to the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Malta believes that human duties are intrinsic to
the personality, oneness and uniqueness of the human
being, and are as inalienable as human rights. Those
duties do not arise from laws or obligations but are
inherent to the human being. Such duties relate to
human beings themselves and to their fellow beings,
and in a special manner to their family, to the
community at all levels and to the natural and cultural
environment in which their life evolves. The envisaged
declaration, strengthening and fulfilling the thrust of
the 1948 universal instrument, should mark the work of
this Assembly as a consummate service to the
international community. It should stand out as a major
achievement of the United Nations at the beginning of
the third millennium of our era. It is in this spirit that
Malta proposes that consideration be given to the
drafting of such a declaration on human duties and
responsibilities.
Conflicts around the world have continued to
affect the political, economic and social development
of many countries and a large part of our societies. It is
tragic that in the past decade more than two million
innocent children were killed and six million seriously
injured in conflicts. The role of the United Nations in
preventive diplomacy and support to peace processes
must enjoy strong and sustainable political backing
from Member States.
A number of hotspots, from Somalia and
Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and the Middle East, continue to challenge our
collective search for peaceful and long-lasting
solutions for these war-torn countries and regions.
Malta therefore welcomes our Organization’s
engagement through its peacekeeping missions and
peacebuilding mechanisms to foster political dialogue
and reconciliation among the warring parties. We
believe that assisting countries emerging from conflict
in the rebuilding of the lives of their populations would
contribute in no small way to providing the necessary
support to nationally driven efforts in the achievement
of sustainable peace and development.
One of the long-standing issues of which the
United Nations has been seized since its inception is
the question of the Middle East. Indeed, peace in the
Middle East continues to evade our ongoing efforts.
Malta reiterates its vision of a two-State solution, with
55 09-52425
both States living in secure and guaranteed frontiers,
each recognizing the other’s sovereignty, and the right
to peaceful coexistence. Malta calls in both parties to
engage fully in resumed negotiations to this end,
resulting in a viable Palestinian State on the basis of
the June 1967 borders. This is not a view which we
have adopted today. It is a vision that has been ours for
decades, believing as we do that peace in the Middle
East determines peace in the Mediterranean and
beyond.
Malta’s strategic geographic location in the
Mediterranean has placed it in the privileged yet
responsible position of building bridges between the
two continents. In fact, Malta’s vocation towards peace
and security in the Mediterranean continues to occupy
an important place of my Government’s foreign policy
priorities. During the past 12 months, Malta has
continued to build on the achievements made so far by
enhancing the dialogue between countries in the
Mediterranean region and the European Union and also
with the League of Arab States. It is with a strong
sense of political commitment and direction that we in
Malta bear the responsibility of hosting the liaison
office aimed at strengthening cooperation between the
European Union and League of Arab States, which is
due to be opened this coming October. Malta believes
that the liaison office will render a major contribution
to deepening mutual understanding through practical
cooperation between Europe and the Arab world, as
well as enhancing intercultural dialogue.
Members will recall that last year I raised the
issue of the influx of illegal immigrants who risk their
lives in crossing the Mediterranean to seek a new
beginning. I had indicated that our size and our
financial and human resources, which are very limited,
make it extremely difficult for Malta to cope with the
large number of these unfortunate people arriving on
our shores on their way to mainland Europe. Malta has
always dealt with this situation with great
responsibility, humanity and benevolence, paying due
respect to every human being without any exception.
And we will continue to do so. At the same time, the
problem of illegal immigration is an international
phenomenon driven by external factors which cannot
always be prevented or even mitigated by the countries
directly affected by the problem. We therefore strongly
feel that the United Nations should address the issue of
illegal immigration in a holistic way so as to find
solutions to a humanitarian problem that Malta and
other like us, especially in the Mediterranean, are
currently facing. Much more needs to be done, and all
of us, including countries of origin and countries of
transit, need to step up our efforts in order to deal with
this challenge.
My Government is deeply appreciative of those
countries that have come forward to assist us in coping
with this phenomenon, including the United States of
America, France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal,
Slovenia and Slovakia. My Government also hopes that
other countries will come forward to assist in
alleviating the burden which Malta carries — a burden
so acutely disproportionate to the country’s population,
wealth and land area.
In his report on the work of the Organization, the
Secretary-General has laid emphasis on the need to
embark on a multilateral effort of immense magnitude
“that draws upon the strengths and contributions of all
the countries of the world, as well as their citizens”
(A/64/1, para. 4). Malta believes that such an effort
must find its foundations in this Organization where all
Member States are equal and where the many
challenges facing humankind can be addressed in a
cohesive and coherent manner. The global challenges
which the United Nations faces are our challenges. We,
as Member States, have an obligation and the
responsibility to ensure that our Organization lives up
to the commitments and decisions that we, as heads of
State and Government, solemnly undertake to
implement in the best interests of our constituencies
and societies.
Allow me to conclude by stating that Malta
continues to strongly believe that together, as Members
of the United Nations, we can and should continue to
support the Organization, our Secretary-General and all
those who contribute to making our world a better
place for present and future generations. I know that
Malta intends to do so.