I extend my delegation’s sincerest congratulations to the President on her very well-deserved election. I would like to congratulate her predecessor, Mr. Jan Eliasson, on his stewardship of the historic sixtieth session of the 9 06-53341 Assembly and to pay a special tribute to the Secretary- General for his dedicated service to the Organization over the past decade. It is also my pleasure to welcome Montenegro as the newest Member of our Organization. The Assembly is meeting against a backdrop of dire human tragedy. The recent wanton Israeli aggression in Lebanon has shocked the world. Most disconcerting has been the fact that the international community failed to respond promptly and effectively, as colossal devastation wrecked Lebanon and the Lebanese people. In the end, the Security Council redeemed itself by ordering a ceasefire in Lebanon. Let us hope that the Security Council will exercise its mandated responsibilities so that such atrocities and violations of human rights do not occur in the future under any pretext. Alongside Lebanon, the dire situation in Palestine has worsened owing to the continuous use of disproportionate force by the Israeli Government. We call upon the international community to make sincere efforts to put the peace process back on track. The scourge of terrorism knows no boundaries. It is professed and carried out by a handful, and the vast majority of victims are innocent men, women and children. Efforts to combat terrorism and its protagonists globally and nationally may have seen some positive results. However, action to combat terror by individual countries has created divisions between peoples and affected interfaith harmony. Many individuals are being subjected to racial or religious profiling, which foments suspicion, misunderstanding and even hatred. That is what the terrorists are actually looking for: to divide the nations of the world. We must ensure that they do not have their way. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has unequivocally declared that Bangladesh abjures religious extremism and does not and will not support any kind of militancy. The Prime Minister has reasserted her Government’s vow to eliminate all militants and their networks. She has called for the passage of tough laws to punish the perpetrators, whom she has repeatedly dubbed enemies of Islam, enemies of democracy, development, humanity and the people of the country — our country, beloved Bangladesh. In this connection, I must mention that a small group of extremists carried out a country-wide bombing attack on 17 August last year in Bangladesh. But the extremists underestimated the will of the Government and the people of Bangladesh. Instead of fear, there was anger. The Government mobilized all available resources to relentlessly hunt down the leaders and the operatives. I am proud to inform the Assembly that we have been able to bring all the leaders of the outlawed militant group to justice. Bangladesh today is what it has always been: a moderate, tolerant society that practises democracy and where the equal rights of each and every citizen are preserved. Our determined action did not allow the opportunists and the perpetrators of terror to destroy the values of democracy and tolerance that we treasure most. For smaller States, the United Nations remains the premier world body, addressing the challenges they face. Despite its shortcomings, the United Nations has proved invaluable in times of crisis and in the tasks of preserving global peace and security and promoting sustainable development. At present, we are seized of the issue of reform of the United Nations. Bangladesh holds that reform is a process and not an end in itself. We do not think that arbitrary deadlines or pressure in order to obtain a particular outcome are helpful. It is our belief that, for meaningful reform, an environment of mutual trust, confidence and respect for divergent positions is indispensable. We trust that the new Human Rights Council will not be a mere replication of the Commission on Human Rights. It must not indulge in politicization of its work. Bangladesh, as an elected member, is committed to advancing the work of the Council in a fair and balanced manner. We hope, too, that the newly constituted Peacebuilding Commission will fill the existing institutional gap in the United Nations system to facilitate the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. Bangladesh, being one of the largest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations, will bring its experience to the work of the Commission in all its aspects. As the United Nations deals with individual post- conflict situations, it must not lose sight of wider issues, such as disarmament and small-arms proliferation, as well as weapons of mass destruction. 06-53341 10 Bangladesh would like to see sustained efforts by the United Nations in these very critical areas. The Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit (resolution 60/1), which had development as its centrepiece, has hardly progressed beyond mere pledges. For the least developed countries (LDCs), the savings-investment gap and lack of capital remain the primary constraints to development. Official development assistance (ODA) to the LDCs in 2004, according to the most recent data available, amounted to $23.8 billion, or $35.70 per person living in these countries. This is certainly not sufficient to complement income or boost investment. Faster growth in exports, and the consequent rise in income, could help the LDCs accumulate the resources needed for development. For this, we would need unhindered market access for all LDC exports. The Doha development round must resume to ensure special and differential treatment for the LDCs. We would also need increased ODA, full debt cancellation, foreign direct investment and transfer of technology to enhance the global partnership for development. We can also increase capital flows to LDCs by addressing one of the fundamental inequities in the global financial system. It is utterly inefficient and unfair that the LDCs cannot utilize their own foreign exchange reserves — a staggering $28 billion — to finance their own development efforts and that these reserves yield very low interest, or none at all. On the other hand, when LDCs borrow against their own reserves, they pay a huge premium in interest or service charges. The United Nations system must lead the international effort to reform the global reserve system and to make arrangements that enable the LDCs to borrow at a zero mark-up of the interest rate against their own foreign exchange reserves. The General Assembly has just concluded the midterm comprehensive review of the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action for the LDCs. In this context, I would like to point out that, unless duty- free and quota-free market access for all LDC products is ensured, the agreed development goals and targets will remain unattained for a long time to come. We call on the developed countries to fulfil their pledges of support for the framework to facilitate aid for trade, to which they have committed many times over. An effective monitoring capacity under the auspices of the United Nations can significantly facilitate this task. Let me now turn to two issues that are of particular concern to Bangladesh. I begin with migration. Liberalizing the movement of labour can generate significant benefits and a win-win result for both sending and receiving countries, as well as for the migrants themselves. Numerous studies have found that a modest commitment under the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Trade in Services Mode 4 would offer substantial welfare gains for both developing and developed countries. It may even exceed the gain of complete market liberalization in merchandise trade. The second issue is the threat of natural disasters, which often undermine our development efforts. The Asian tsunami was a wake-up call for all of us. In these times of increasing global interdependence, disaster risk management is a matter of global concern, as the impact of a disaster in one region adversely affects others. Bangladesh has advanced considerably in the field of comprehensive disaster management. We stand ready to share our experience, which has been internationally recognized as the best-practice model. The United Nations must gear its efforts to introduce weather insurance and weather derivatives to manage the risks of natural disasters, especially in developing countries. Within weeks of her assumption to power five years ago with a massive mandate from our people, the Government of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia launched a reform programme to restore discipline in our country. Thanks to our relentless efforts, we could accelerate the growth momentum remarkably without destabilizing our macroeconomic fundamentals. After maintaining a growth rate of 6 per cent for the past five years, we expect a growth rate of 6.7 per cent this fiscal year, against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown. Given natural disasters, political unrest and many external shocks — such as the global economic recession, the phasing out of the Multifibre Arrangement and the oil price hike — that affect our economies, that is a remarkable achievement. Keeping our commitment to the Millennium Declaration, we have already achieved two Millennium Development Goals by ensuring access to safe drinking water and removing gender disparity in primary and secondary education. Enrolment in primary education has been ensured for 97 per cent of our children. Of course, there is no complacency on our part and we 11 06-53341 know that we should try to achieve 100 per cent enrolment in our primary schools. Apart from those achievements, Bangladesh has achieved remarkable success in the reduction of child and maternal mortality and malnutrition and in improving food security. We have begun channelling resources to targeted programmes in the light of our Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. Our development efforts, however sincere, will not reach their goals or even see the light of day unless they are complemented by international support. Bangladesh has been pursuing meaningful regional cooperation to improve the socio-economic conditions of South and South-East Asia. As the current Chair of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and as members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue and the Developing Eight Countries, Bangladesh has demonstrated its commitment to working with other countries of the region. We are working in total harmony with the nations of our region. Our recent partnership in the Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bears testimony to our commitment. The present Government will complete its tenure towards the end of next month and will hand over power to a neutral caretaker Government in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. We very much hope to return to work again with the General Assembly. We have had peaceful transfers of power over the past three elections under neutral caretaker Governments when the voters exercised their franchise freely and without fear or intimidation. The system has worked and has been accepted by the people. Democracy has taken firm root in our country and the next general election will be one more opportunity for the people to demonstrate that they are the ultimate source of power. I end with the assurance that we will work together for a better tomorrow for future generations.