Allow me, Madam, to congratulate you
upon your election as President of the sixty-first
session of the General Assembly. I also wish to take
this opportunity to convey our high appreciation to
Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his commendable
achievements throughout his two consecutive terms of
office, in the maintenance of peace and the promotion
of socio-economic development the world over.
Despite the fact that today’s global trend is
towards peace and development cooperation, the
international situation continues to undergo rapid and
complex changes. Numerous events during the past
year demonstrate that world peace, justice and security
are far from being secured, due to the use of force in
the settlement of international problems and violations
of the sovereignty of Member States. All of this creates
major impediments to peace and development
cooperation among States and peoples.
Globalization offers new opportunities for
economic development, yet its benefits are unevenly
shared. Developing countries, in particular the most
vulnerable groups, namely the least developed
countries, landlocked developing countries and small
island developing States, have taken important steps to
launch trade liberalization and further integrate
themselves into the world economy. Nevertheless,
those countries continue to face many problems,
primarily the lack of basic infrastructure, access to
markets, capital, new technology, financing and
investment. In order to solve those problems, the
international community must create an enabling
environment conducive to development, whereby the
interests of developing countries can be tangibly
promoted.
To enable the United Nations to meet the
challenges ahead, it should be reformed in a
comprehensive, inclusive and balanced manner. This
would enhance the important role of the Organization
in maintaining international peace and security and
promoting the peaceful settlement of disputes and
international cooperation for development. In addition,
the United Nations reform process should include the
revitalization of the General Assembly, the
strengthening of the Economic and Social Council and
reform of the Security Council in order to render it
more legitimate, democratic and effective.
Despite the failure of the recent United Nations
Conference to Review Progress Made in the
Implementation of the Programme of Action to
Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, the
06-53329 2
Lao People’s Democratic Republic considers that the
Programme of Action is a living document and remains
a framework for cooperation that empowers States to
work towards its full and effective implementation.
The historic first meeting of heads of State or
Government of the Group of Landlocked Developing
Countries, held on 14 September 2006 in Havana,
Cuba, adopted a declaration reaffirming the right of
access to and from the sea of landlocked countries, in
accordance with international law, and underscored the
importance of a midterm review to assess the
implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action. In
my capacity as Chairman of the Group of Landlocked
Developing Countries, I appeal to the international
community to further address the special needs and
problems of that vulnerable group and to lend us
support and assistance in our efforts to bring the
midterm review process to a successful conclusion.
The country supports General Assembly
resolutions that call upon the Government of the
United States of America to put an end to the
economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed
on the Republic of Cuba.
In the Middle East, there is an urgent need to
implement Security Council resolution 1701 (2006),
which would bring normalcy to the situation in
Lebanon and pave the way for a comprehensive
solution to the Palestinian problem, in conformity with
the relevant United Nations resolutions.
The situation in the Korean peninsula requires
that problems should be resolved by peaceful means. In
that regard, we call for the resumption of the Six-Party
Talks based on the principles and commitments set out
in the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005, in order
to promote peace and security in the region.
The international community is deeply concerned
to see the people of Iraq continue daily to endure
significant losses in human lives and property. My
country expresses the hope that peace, security and
national unity will be restored as soon as possible.
In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
following the election of members of the National
Assembly of the sixth legislature, held in early 2006, a
new Government has been formed with the main tasks
of consistently pursuing the policy of overall
restructuring and ensuring the effective implementation
of our five-year socio-economic development plan.
That achievement would contribute to strengthening
the nation’s political stability and social security and to
consolidating solidarity throughout society.
Over the past five years, the national economy
has grown at an annual average rate of 6.3 per cent, the
incidence of poverty has declined from 48 per cent of
the population in 1990 to 28.7 per cent in 2006, and
opium cultivation has been completely eradicated.
Public investment was concentrated in areas such as
infrastructure and social development, particularly
human resource development which focuses on
education, health and culture. Moreover, foreign direct
investment has swiftly increased.
For the coming years, the Government will
concentrate all its efforts and actively mobilize all of
the country’s forces and potential, in conjunction with
favourable conditions and opportunities provided by
the international community, for the purpose of
ensuring the successful implementation of our national
socio-economic development plan for the period 2006-
2010, with a view to achieving steady economic
growth at an annual rate of 7.5 per cent.
It is expected that by 2010, the slash and burn
method of cultivation will definitely be terminated and
that the problem of poor households will be basically
solved. In addition, policies of support for small and
medium enterprises will be implemented concurrently
with the promotion and gradual expansion of
industrialization, with a view to further improving the
living conditions of our people and raising them to a
higher level.
Similarly, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
will further expand its relations and cooperation with
the international community and will contribute
actively to the regional integration process, particularly
the integration of countries members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with the aim of
enhancing the role of the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic as an efficient partner of the countries in
South-East Asia and other regions of the world.
In closing, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
reiterates its determination to work in unison with the
international community to create an environment
conducive to promoting the well-being of all countries
and peoples the world over.