Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, and to wish every measure of success for the very effective presidency of the Gambia. I should also like to acknowledge the important contribution made by Gabon and to hail the presence among us at this meeting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Libyan Arab…
When the Secretary-General issued document A/51/950, entitled “Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform”, on 14 July 1997, scarcely five months ago, it seemed impossible that the General Assembly might be adopting such far-reaching decisions today.
We meet today thanks to the initiative,…
My delegation wishes to state its position on the six resolutions amended today.
We wish to place on record our conviction that the replacement, in the six resolutions adopted in the Second Committee, of the concept of sustained economic growth and sustainable development with a phrase from the med…
I wish briefly to explain my delegation's position on resolution 52/173, just adopted.
Cuba attaches great importance to the item on assistance in mine clearance, and in this respect has supported the adoption of the resolutions that have been submitted to the General Assembly on this question sinc…
Allow me, through you, Sir, to thank the Bureau of the Open-ended Working Group on the
The debate and negotiations that took place during the three sessions of the Working Group held in 1997 covered, in a balanced way, the substantive and diverse issues included in both clusters, and demonstrated t…
The item on the situation in the Middle East has been on the General Assembly's agenda for years. Many resolutions have been adopted by this organ at its regular and its special sessions. The consideration of the item is of singular importance and significance this year because of the current situat…
The delegation of the Republic of Cuba wishes to acknowledge the efforts of the Secretary-General aimed at strengthening and revitalizing the role of the United Nations. We also wish to acknowledge the personal contribution made by you, Mr. President, and of the Ambassadors of Brazil and Norway in t…
This year is especially significant: we are marking the fortieth anniversary of the entry into force of the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The record of the international community’s efforts since then to preserve the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to increase their e…
Agenda item 156, “Towards a culture of peace”, is on the General Assembly’s agenda for the first time, and it is therefore logical that it attracts our interest and attention. The fact that the General Assembly has not considered the issue before does not mean that it is unknown or remote from us. S…
I should like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ambassador Somavía for introducing this report and for his constant, daily efforts in this field.
The presentation of the report of the Security Council to the General Assembly should constitute a model of substantive reflection and debate not only on…
I should like at the outset to endorse the statement made by the delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
The World Summit for Social Development had the virtue of strengthening the recognition of the human being as the subject and end of any development…
Ernesto Che Guevara, Commander, Minister and head of the Cuban delegation to the nineteenth session of the General Assembly, stated 33 years ago, from this very rostrum:
And, as if he could already see the present, he added:
“Imperialism seeks to convert this meeting into a pointless competition i…
First of all, my delegation wishes to thank the coordinator of this important issue, our colleague from Mexico, Marta Peña, for the results obtained in the negotiations on this issue, which urgently requires the preparation of specific policy guidelines for the use of gratis personnel in the Organiz…
My delegation has listened very carefully to the proposals made by various delegations. We support the opinion expressed on behalf of the Group of 77. Furthermore, we suggest, in connection with the proposal of the delegation of the United States of America, and since it was our understanding that t…
As was announced in a statement by the President of the General Assembly on 13 December 1996, the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the delegations of the administering Powers …
Only a few days ago the international community, and especially the peoples of the Middle East, appealed once again to the United Nations Security Council to shoulder its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and take appropriate measures so that Israel would reverse…
The Cuban delegation fully supports the priority on sustained growth and economic development. We think that this should be one of the priorities kept in mind in ongoing negotiations on economic matters. The Cuban delegation also believes that the text that refers to the restructuring of the Centre …
The delegation of Cuba voted in favour of the draft resolution introduced by the delegation of Italy since it considers that there is true merit in its underlying spirit. In the view of the delegation of Cuba, the proclamation of World Television Day could and should serve, above all, to promote rel…
The delegation of Cuba wishes to explain its vote in favour of resolution 55/7 on oceans and the law of the sea.
My country is firmly committed to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the legal framework within which all activities related to oceans and seas should be carried out.…
Tomorrow will be the thirty-sixth anniversary of the adoption by the Assembly of resolution 1514 (XV), which contains the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Since that time, many countries have gained independence and become Members of the Organization.
H…