My country notes with profound disappointment that, despite the efforts to disarm Iraq within the framework of United Nations Security Council resolutions 1284 (1999) and 1441 (2002), a military intervention has been launched against Iraq without the explicit authorization of the United Nations Secu…
I should like to take this opportunity, Sir, to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of March and to wish you every success in your work. I wish also to thank Ambassador Pleuger for the excellent work he did last month.
Switzerland has taken note of the…
I would like to request that a correction be made to paragraph 8 of the draft resolution recommended in paragraph 7 of document A/57/532/Add.5 so as to bring it into line with the draft resolution that was adopted within the framework of the Second Committee.
After the words “of genetic resources”,…
Switzerland is deeply concerned about the alarming situation which continues unabated in the Middle East. The upsurge of violence has caused many deaths and is inflicting tremendous suffering on the civilian population. It is compromising the future of an entire generation and sacrificing their righ…
The coordination of United Nations emergency humanitarian assistance for victims of armed conflicts, crises and disasters has been discussed by the General Assembly for over 10 years. Similarly, the creation of a humanitarian segment within the Economic and Social Council yearly substantive session …
It is an honour and pleasure for me to speak here as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and as a Swiss parliamentarian, one of the
initiators of the referendum on Switzerland’s joining the United Nations.
I am grateful on two counts. I would like to thank the Swiss Gov…
In recent years, there has been significant progress in international mine action. However, the world is far from being rid of this scourge, since millions of anti- personnel mines remain buried in the ground or in stockpiles. Much remains to be done; a world free of anti-personnel mines can be ac…
The world has become a much smaller place, due to the new technical facilities and the tremendously increased speed with which we can communicate across borders and continents. Information and communication technologies (ICT) permit us to transport signals for text, sound and pictures at the very sa…
I should like first of all to thank and congratulate the Secretary-General and his team for the report before us today. I would also like to express our gratitude to you, Mr. President, and to the Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, for having presented the report to the permanent representa…
It is has been two years since the Millennium Summit, when our heads of State and Government solemnly adopted the Millennium Declaration, vigorously reaffirming their commitment to defending the principles of human dignity, equality and equity and their determination to give their all to establishin…
I am particularly pleased that it is on the subject of Africa that Switzerland is participating for the first time as a Member State in a substantive debate in this Assembly.
A long-standing partner of the African continent, Switzerland welcomes this initiative designed by Africans for Africa, thro…
It is imperative, now more than ever before, that all the peoples of the world act in a spirit of solidarity. The United Nations embodies this spirit. In joining the United Nations, Switzerland sends you a message of solidarity. This makes me proud and happy.
I would like to add my thanks to those …
The Security Council is now called upon to tackle a question of considerable import, and for that reason, I am grateful to you, Mr. President, and to the other members of the Council for giving me the floor.
The Council is discussing a peacekeeping operation — one to which Switzerland, moreover, co…
First of all I would like to express my thanks for the invitation to this General Assembly meeting on information and communication technologies (ICT) for development. I thank the President for organizing the meeting; it is very opportune, since we have started in earnest to prepare for the World Su…
Ten years ago, resolution 46/182 was adopted in this Hall with the aim of strengthening the coordination of United Nations emergency assistance destined for victims of conflicts, crises and natural disasters. The resulting coordination mechanisms have demonstrated their value — and sometimes also th…
The international mine-action community has recently made significant progress in its effort to eliminate the threat of anti-personnel mines. The heinous danger of these mines can only be eliminated through the joint efforts of international organizations, governments, non-governmental organizations…
The tragic events of last September and those that have followed seem to have profoundly changed the way we understand the issues that are being debated today at the international level. Today more than ever we understand that poverty, conflicts, the swift deterioration of natural resources, the den…
Over the course of its history, Switzerland has had to invent and constantly reinvent ways of living together. The coexistence of different cultures, religions and traditions does not just happen but, instead, requires constant effort. Now that the world has become what is commonly called a global v…
My delegation wishes at the outset to thank the Secretary-General for his excellent report on cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector. This document and its annexes give an extremely exhaustive overview of existing ways and means for coopera…
As this is the first time that my country is speaking at this session, allow me, Sir, to convey the heartfelt congratulations of Switzerland on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session. I can assure you of my delegation’s full support throughout this session…
