In presenting his report (A/57/1) on the work of the Organization on 12 September, the Secretary-General made a strong appeal for multilateralism. That might seem surprising before an audience that should epitomize the spirit of multilateralism. But while the international community indeed rallied i…
Let me first extend my congratulations and a warm welcome to Switzerland, a neighbouring country of Liechtenstein, on its membership in the United Nations. Switzerland has for centuries lived the ideals of the United Nations as a place where peoples of different ethnic backgrounds, languages, cultur…
There have been few occasions on which an open debate of the Security Council has been more necessary. What is under discussion is not merely the future of the International Criminal Court (ICC) — a landmark achievement in the history of international law — but also, and what is more, the role and t…
Unsurprisingly, the issue of terrorism, which has dominated much of
our work for the past three months in New York, has also had a great influence on the activities of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In this regard, the Committee of Minister…
Let me first join previous speakers in expressing our heartfelt sympathies to the host country and to the bereaved families for the loss of their loved ones in yesterday’s disaster.
Ever since 11 September, the fight against terrorism in all its forms has rightfully been at the top of the agenda of…
Some commentators have interpreted the events of 11 September and the developments thereafter as a clash of civilizations. Those who had pronounced inevitable the advent of such a clash seemed almost pleased to see their “vision” come true. We believe that they are wrong. Terrorism is neither an exp…
We welcome this opportunity to speak on the issue of international terrorism. We thank the European Union for its initiative to move the issue to the attention of a larger public, which the plenary meetings of the General Assembly provide. The United Nations has to assert its leadership role in desi…
I would like, first of all, to reiterate the feelings of deepest sympathy and compassion which the Government of Liechtenstein has already conveyed to our host country, the United States of America, and, in particular, to the victims of the horrendous attacks on 11 September. We have all been affect…
Among the many commendable initiatives taken by the Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, his effort to redirect the United Nations from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention is one of the most significant. The pattern of responding to rather than anticipating a crisis is obviously deeply r…
It gives me particular pleasure to address this item on our agenda, since the Council of Europe is the oldest political organization in Europe and one whose high standards and principles concerning the rule of law, human rights and democratic institutions are exemplary.
In the view of my delegation…
Allow me to begin my remarks by congratulating you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. I wish you much success in guiding the Assembly to a fruitful outcome and I pledge to you the full support of the Liechtenstein delegation. I woul…
Today, we are at the beginning of a new century and a new millennium. Never before in history has humanity undergone such far-reaching political, economic and social changes at such a breathtaking pace. We usually refer to this process as globalization. Information and communications technology empo…
Four years after Dayton, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a complex and volatile one. Many positive developments, offering encouraging signs for the future, and the strong involvement of the international community have, beyond any doubt, made a major contribution to the relative stab…
The initiative for a dialogue among civilizations, launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran, is in our view one of the most interesting and promising projects under consideration by the General Assembly. Liechtenstein has thus joined the sponsors of draft resolution A/54/L.60, which will be adopted …
This is a day of celebration. Today we mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention and its near-universal ratification, as well as the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, have for the first time brought into sharp focus the h…
When the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was established five years ago by Security Council resolution 955 (1994), the task it faced seemed almost impossible to accomplish. Not only was the Tribunal to deal with a genocide the dimensions of which will probably never be known in their enti…
I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General for his report on the work of the Organization, which we have before us. This document. together with the complementary oral presentation made on 20 September, is a remarkable effort to restore the United Nations to its rightful r…
The adoption by the General Assembly of the International Plan of Action on Ageing in December 1982 marked the beginning of a new awareness about the ageing process from birth throughout the life cycle. Since then the questions of promoting active ageing, as well as ensuring fuller participation and…
This fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a very
Fifty years after its adoption, the Declaration constitutes international customary law and thus reflects the universal nature of all human rights. Its provisions apply to every human being worldwide. In addition, the …
Among the many anniversaries which the General Assembly is commemorating this year, there is one that attracts relatively little attention but is certainly worthy of our interest and appreciation. It was five years ago that the General Assembly decided in its resolution 48/5 to invite the then Confe…
