A/60/PV.100 General Assembly

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Co-Chairs, Ambassador Diarra of Mali and Ambassador Verbeke of Belgium, for all their hard work on this matter over the past year. I would also like to thank Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu Aguirre of Mexico for his effective facilitation over recent weeks. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda items 46 and 120?

Armenia dissociates itself from the consensus on the decision to transfer the consideration of agenda item 40 to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly. Almost two years ago this item was introduced into the agenda of the General Assembly on the pretext of urgency. At the time, Armenia unequivocally opposed its introduction, stating clearly that all allegations levied against Armenia were false and unsubstantiated. Armenia’s statement was proved to be accurate after the dispatch to the region of a fact-finding mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Armenia is, and always has been, committed to the negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group, and stands ready to work constructively with the Co-Chairs — France, Russia and the United States — towards a comprehensive solution to the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. We believe that the OSCE Minsk Group is the most effective framework in which to deal with the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Armenia has stated previously that it is opposed to any motion that would divert the peace process from its tracks and might even create parallel processes. In this regard, it is with sadness that we note an effort by Azerbaijan, our negotiating partners, to keep an agenda item alive by transferring it to the sixty-first session — an effort that is both pointless and counterproductive. We remind the General Assembly that Armenia, in negotiating on behalf of Nagorny Karabakh within the OSCE Minsk Group framework, does so because Azerbaijan refuses to negotiate directly with the authorities of Nagorny Karabakh. Any Azerbaijani exploitation of this fact in international organizations will result in Armenia’s disengagement from the negotiation process. Armenia was against the inclusion of the item entitled “The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan” in the agenda of the fifty-ninth session. Armenia was against the transfer of that agenda item to the sixtieth session. Hence, Armenia dissociates itself from the decision to transfer agenda item 40, on “The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly.

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to include this item in the draft agenda of its sixty-first session?

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 40. Item 118 (continued) United Nations reform: measures and proposals The President: Members will recall that, at its 17th plenary meeting, on 20 September 2005, the Assembly decided to include this item in the agenda of the sixtieth session. Members will also recall that, in its resolution 55/285 of 7 September 2001, the General Assembly decided that this item should be considered biennially as from the fifty-sixth session. In that connection, this item would have been included in the agenda of the sixty-second session. However, as a result of the adoption by the General Assembly, also under this item, of resolutions 60/260 of 8 May 2006 and 60/283 of 7 July 2006 and decision 60/551 C of 7 July 2006, this item has been included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-first session. May I therefore take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 118?

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 119.

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 126.

The Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of agenda item 141.

The delegation of Costa Rica requests agenda item 160 be kept on the agenda for the sixty-first session. As we all know, inclusion of this item was initiated by my Minister for Foreign Affairs, whom I have consulted and who has asked me to request that it be kept on the agenda. It is an item on which Costa Rica intends to follow up. I apologize that this request was not made in writing. This document reached us quite belatedly, and I did not know that it was on today’s agenda until now.

We did not receive such an indication before the meeting. However, we take note of that comment and will pass it on to the new President of the General Assembly.

On behalf of the Spanish delegation, I wish to support the request made by the delegation of Costa Rica regarding agenda item 160 of the present General Assembly session. Since this item could not be fully considered during the present session, we would like the opportunity to consider it during the sixty-first session. In addition, I should like to remind all delegations — and in particular the Secretariat — that when the time comes, we will need to have a document in all the official languages, since the text of the Volcker Commission report is available only in English. To discuss this item properly, we will need to have a document in the various official languages. I wish to stress that my delegation is not requesting that the entire set of reports and all their annexes be translated into all the official languages; it would suffice to have a comprehensive summary with all the information necessary for a full discussion of the item.

I wanted to raise my voice and that of my delegation in support of the statement made by the representative of Costa Rica and of the statement of the representative of Spain with respect to translation.

It is likely that the General Committee will discuss this request at the outset of its work. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 160? Agenda items remaining for consideration during the sixtieth session of the General Assembly The President: I should like to remind delegations that the following agenda items, on which action has been taken at previous meetings, have remained open for consideration during the sixtieth session of the General Assembly: items 14, 15, 41, 44, 49, 54 (b) and (c), 55 (a), 71 (b), 72, 73 (a), 97 (i), 108, 112 (a), 114, 121 to 125, 127 to 140 and 142 to 152. As members are aware, those items — with the exception of sub-item (b) of agenda item 54, entitled “Science and technology for development”; agenda item 72, entitled “Holocaust remembrance”; agenda item 123, entitled “Programme budget for the biennium 2004- 2005”; and agenda item 146, entitled “Financing of the activities arising from Security Council resolution 687 (1991) — have been included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of those items at the present session? Statement by the President The President: The sixtieth session of the General Assembly is coming to an end. It has been a year of turmoil and a year of dramatic events in the world. Conflicts have erupted and taken a great human toll. Huge natural disasters have brought havoc and destruction. Terrorism has continued to plague us, and the silent disasters of poverty, disease and environmental degradation have continued to rage. There have also been positive developments. The number of conflicts has decreased. Millions of children have been educated. Democracy and respect for human rights have made some gains. But the trends are not clear. Hope is battling against hopelessness. Justice is living side by side with injustices, and losing lives is as common as saving lives. Today, we face an historic test of multilateralism. The issues confronting us are global and require global solutions. The challenge is whether we have the collective will to combine together for the greater good. The challenge is whether the multilateral system — primarily the United Nations — can rise to the occasion. One thing is beyond dispute: We have worked very hard. We have had innumerable meetings, conducted in an open, transparent and inclusive manner. The starting point for our work was the ambitious and far-reaching 2005 world summit outcome, based on the Secretary-General’s very fine report “In larger freedom”, with its emphasis on balanced progress on the three pillars of security, development and human rights. It was indisputably, I think members will agree, a long “to-do” list. What did we accomplish? This year, we established two new United Nations institutions. The first, the Peacebuilding Commission, will help countries emerging from the scourge of war to build stability and lasting peace. No longer will the international community turn its back once the fighting has stopped. Members should be proud that this General Assembly adopted the resolution establishing the Peacebuilding Commission before the end of 2005, just a few months on from the world summit. Now is the time to finally translate that into action in the field — in Burundi and Sierra Leone, to begin with. I urge all members to do this with the same zeal with which they established the Commission last December. The second new institution we created was the Human Rights Council. Now it, too, must prove itself. It is my firm conviction that we have created a Council that can take concrete steps forward in the promotion and protection of human rights. The Council’s work will be truly universal. For the first time ever, every country in the world will now have its human rights record reviewed. There will be no political selectivity or any place to hide. This year, we also agreed on an important resolution on development, designed to create maximum momentum for the commitments of 2005 to be implemented. I call on all to take careful note of that resolution and to act on it with vigour. With greater public awareness of poverty in the countries of the North, with better aid than ever before, and with so many Governments in the South committed to improving the lives of their peoples, we have a once- in-a-generation opportunity to make poverty history. It is a matter of both enlightened self-interest and simple human decency that we must not shirk that responsibility. We have also taken steps forward this year in our work on the environment, as well as on reform of this Organization in the areas of Secretariat and management reform, including mandate review. We have realized that a strong United Nations is in the interests of us all. We have also agreed on an important resolution on General Assembly revitalization. Last Friday, we all agreed on a counter-terrorism Strategy. It is a concrete plan of action. It is genuinely relevant and answers desperate calls from all over the world. By adopting it, we have sent a clear message that we are shouldering our responsibility to act together to fight the scourge of terrorism. At the same time, we have shown that the General Assembly can take assertive action on one of the most serious global threats facing the international community. Being here today on 11 September, 2006, in New York City, I am certain I speak for us all when I pay homage to all those who were victims on that dark day five years ago and to the thousands upon thousands of others who have been victims of terrorism all over the world, both before and after. Our work here at the United Nations must also pass the field test. That is, how will our decisions here improve conditions on the ground for the human beings concerned, who are suffering and who need our support? The Central Emergency Response Fund will ensure that never again must survivors of disasters perish while the international system shakes the fund- raising tin. Now, we have a way of making sure that the resources will be there the moment disaster strikes. Another important result this session was the agreement on improvements for the safety of United Nations and associated personnel in United Nations field operations. We can also be proud of the new dynamic and the new impetus we gave to the fight against HIV/AIDS at our high-level meeting in May and June. By this, we made a big difference to a pandemic which looms large over the development prospects of so many Member States, and it was no less gratifying to see the conclusion, in late evening in conference room 3, of the negotiations on the draft convention on the rights and dignities of people with disabilities — people who make up one in 10 of the world’s population. Some reforms we did not achieve. Work is still ongoing to reach agreement on the important matter of strengthening the Economic and Social Council. I urge members to finish the work on that world summit outcome early in the next session. Reform of the Security Council also remains unfinished business. That is an essential, but also difficult area of reform, as we all know. Our debate in July introduced, in my view, a new and more positive and sober tone to our deliberations, and gave hope for progress. It is crucial that that central organ of the United Nations be effective and seen as legitimate and representative of the world community. Lastly, the acknowledgement of the responsibility to protect in the world summit outcome was an historic advance. We, the Member States, must now live up to it. From the days before the creation of the United Nations, we must never forget the Holocaust, and during the life of the United Nations we have in the past seen the horrors of Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica without taking action. The same tragedy must not befall the people in Darfur or elsewhere. The responsibility to protect must move from declaration to action. Last September, I observed that the world summit outcome would be judged by our efforts this year to implement it. I believe that we have done fair justice to the document, but the issues that our leaders could not agree on have not gone away — far from it. Both non- proliferation and disarmament issues, and the desperate need to bring greater justice to world trade, have troubled us greatly this year. I call on all members to redouble their efforts to bring new energy to dealing with those challenges. But all in all, I, as President of the General Assembly, would say that we can be satisfied with what we together have achieved. The score card of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly is a good one. Members have, in my view, revitalized the General Assembly by their willingness and ability to take strong and decisive action. But, again, our work is not finished. Many items on our reform agenda represent work in progress. We need to make extra efforts to ensure that the United Nations principal organs work effectively and harmoniously together, and we have to make sure that we inside the United Nations family, together with all those outside, work better together, both at Headquarters and in the field. We should recognize and build on the great potential of regional organizations, the private sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations. We must simply remember that the word “together” is more powerful than the word “alone”. There are no fewer tensions in the world of September 2006 than there were in 2005. During the past two months we have seen growing tensions and explosions of violence in the Middle East. We must realize the futility of military confrontation and recognize the urgent need for political solutions. More than ever before, we also need to focus on the underlying lack of dialogue among civilizations, cultures and nations. There is an obvious need for deeper understanding, wider knowledge and greater mutual respect between different parts of the global community. This lack of understanding, knowledge and respect goes to the core of many of today’s problems. We must face these issues squarely and accept that, while doing so, we have to face some fundamental issues related to conflict, poverty, injustice and human indignity. Of course, the United Nations is not professing to be able to solve those problems alone. The United Nations is not a panacea or a universal cure or medicine. On some of those issues we have shown the way forward. The critics of the United Nations have not fallen silent — and rightly so, when it comes to pointing at festering conflicts, mass killings, hunger and global threats. But, at different times in the course of this year, we have seen Member States from all regions turn to the United Nations for multilateral solutions — common solutions. They have done so despite the suspicions and mistrust so evident in the world, and despite the fact that Member States often have widely differing agendas. On many occasions during this session, members rose above the national to the international. I am deeply grateful for that. We may thus, in several respects, have passed the test of multilateralism. For that I want warmly to thank you the representatives of the Member States, you the members of the General Committee, you the Vice- Presidents of the General Assembly, you the Chairs of the Main Committees and you the Co-Chairs and facilitators in the reform negotiations. Without your dedicated and skilful work I would have nothing to report today. I also want to thank Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his unfailing commitment to the principles and ideals of the United Nations, for his initiation and support of the reform process and, on a personal note, for his friendship over many years. My gratitude also goes to the Secretariat — especially to the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management and Under-Secretary-General Chen, who is at my side — as well as to the wider United Nations family. My gratitude also goes out to the many representatives of civil society and the community of non-governmental organizations, who are such great advocates for a strong United Nations and for international solidarity: we need more of that. Last, but certainly not least, I want to express my limitless appreciation and warm thanks to the great staff of my Office, which is indeed a microcosm of the United Nations. Their dedication, literally day and night, throughout this crucial year for the United Nations went beyond both labour laws and the normal call of duty for international civil servants. I also want to take this opportunity to extend the warmest of welcomes to my successor as President, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa. She is an accomplished lawyer, an experienced diplomat and a great believer in the United Nations. She is also the first female President of the General Assembly since 1969. It is about time, I guess everyone will agree. I know that all members will extend to her the same cooperation and friendship that I have been so privileged to enjoy. In conclusion, I would say well, “Well done”. But again, let us not forget that we have serious work ahead. Much is at stake: our common security, the well-being of all, the quality of our individual lives and, indeed, the quality of our heritage on planet Earth for the next generations. In all that, the United Nations and good multilateralism are indispensable for us all. Remember that the United Nations is only as effective as its Member States wish it to be. So I say to the members, though you may be weary, do not falter. This year’s reforms were unprecedented, but they were not enough. Have we kept alive the dream of a United Nations that can live up to the expectations and aspirations of our peoples? Have we reestablished the United Nations and international cooperation as the best way to manage our global affairs? We have only just begun. The real test was not this year or last year; the real test is the years to come. Will we tackle the hardest issues of all and follow through on what we have already done? Will the sixtieth session be remembered as a temporary peak of activity or as the start of a renaissance? If we are feeling daunted as we look at the year ahead, we can draw inspiration from my fellow countryman, Dag Hammarskjöld, who said in one of his “Markings” — better translated as “waymarks”: “When the morning’s freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles give under the strain, the climb seems endless and suddenly nothing will go quite as you wish. It is then that you must not hesitate”. Thank you for all you have done this year. In the interests of our peoples, do not hesitate as you carry the torch of multilateralism forward in this troubled and uncertain world. Minute of silent prayer or meditation The President: We are coming to the end of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. May I invite representatives to stand and observe a minute of silent prayer or meditation.

I would now like to invite to the podium the President-elect of the General Assembly at its sixty-first session, Her Excellency Ambassador Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa to hand over the gavel.