A/65/PV.63 General Assembly

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 31?

On behalf of the States members of the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic — Angola, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo and Uruguay — I have the honour to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.22, entitled “Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic”, under agenda item 35. An organization that has been in existence since 1986, the zone of peace is a mechanism of South-South cooperation that brings together 24 countries from Africa and South America. Its States members are key players in the international arena and are guided by the desire to broaden cooperation in the field of concerted political and diplomatic action so as to give greater expression to their common interests within the international community. Zone of peace member States are fully committed to democracy, political pluralism and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development. In that connection, another important goal that the zone of peace actively pursues is to increase bilateral cooperation between its members, especially in areas such as economic cooperation; crime prevention; combating drug trafficking and the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and transnational organized crime and piracy; fostering peace, stability and security, including through conflict prevention and peacebuilding within the zone; scientific research, environmental and marine issues. Since its creation, the zone of peace has been involved in several initiatives in different corners of the world, having provided, inter alia, forums for presenting, discussing and furthering ideas with the goal of informing the national policies governing our productive sectors, and thus promoting bilateral or multilateral cooperation. To cite a few examples, the zone of peace organized the following events over the past few years. In March 2007, a workshop was held in New York, the first in a series of events leading to the sixth Ministerial Meeting of zone of peace member countries in June that year. The workshop focused on economic cooperation and nuclear non-proliferation, among other issues of interest to the countries of the zone. In April 2007, the zone of peace held a workshop in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on issues relating to combating and preventing crime and on peacekeeping operations. The workshop discussed, inter alia, ways in which zone member countries could implement national, regional and international legal instruments to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including through full participation in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. Also in 2007, a workshop was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the country that then held the presidency of the zone of peace. The workshop focused on marine issues, particularly the promotion of the fishing resources of the countries of the zone. As the Assembly will recall, 2007 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, so the workshop was a good opportunity for highlighting the importance of promoting the sustainable use of marine genetic resources, as well as the importance of fighting illegal fishing. On 18 and 19 June 2007, the sixth Ministerial Meeting of zone of peace member countries, held in Luanda, Angola, adopted the Luanda Ministerial Declaration and Plan of Action, which was circulated in a letter to the Secretary-General from the Permanent Representative of Angola, contained in document A/61/1019. The zone of peace has made strides in implementing the Luanda Plan of Action with the holding, also in Luanda, of a meeting of national focal points of the zone on 15 and 16 April 2008. The meeting discussed ways in which national focal points could play a catalytic role in mobilizing and coordinating our national sectors, as well as transparency in the structure of zone organs. More recently, on 6 and 7 December, States members of the zone met, at the invitation of Brazil, in Brasilia, with a view to further refining the identification of areas for enhanced cooperation. Member countries agreed on the need for an exchange of best practices and focused capacity-building in the areas of mapping and exploring the seabed, as well as for strengthened cooperation in the environmental area and on aerial and maritime transportation, port safety and security. Both individually and as a community, zone member countries are committed to preserving peace and promoting development. This year’s draft resolution affirms the connection between those two undertakings. It also calls upon States to work together to promote the objectives of peace and cooperation established in resolution 41/11 and reiterated in the Luanda Final Declaration and the Luanda Plan of Action. On behalf of the States members of the zone, allow me to express our profound gratitude and appreciation to those countries that joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

The Assembly will now take action on draft resolution A/65/L.22. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I take the floor to announce that, since the issuance of document A/65/L.22, the following countries have become sponsors of the draft resolution contained therein: Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Togo and Uruguay.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/65/L.22. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt it?

I now give the floor to the representative of the United Kingdom, who wishes to make a statement in explanation of position following the adoption of the resolution.

The United Kingdom would like to explain its position with regard to this issue. The United Kingdom welcomes continuing cooperation between States in the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic. However, with reference to the Luanda Declaration, the United Kingdom reiterates its well-known position on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. There can be no negotiation on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish.

We have heard the only speaker in explanation of position. I now give the floor to the representative of Argentina, who wishes to speak in exercise of the right of reply.

With regard to what has been said by the representative of the United Kingdom in connection with agenda item 35, my delegation would like to make the following statement in exercise of the right of reply. The delegation of Argentina fully reiterates the statement made on 24 June in the Special Committee on Decolonization by our Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship. The Government of Argentina recalls that the Malvinas, South Sandwich Islands and South Georgia Islands and their surrounding maritime areas are part of Argentine national territory, are being illegitimately occupied by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and are the subject of a sovereignty dispute between our two countries that is recognized by various international organizations. The United Kingdom’s illegitimate occupation led the General Assembly to adopt resolutions 2065 (XX), 3160 (XXVIII), 31/49, 37/9, 38/12, 39/6, 40/21, 41/40, 42/19 and 43/25, all of which acknowledge the existence of the sovereignty dispute concerning the question of the Malvinas Islands and urge the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume negotiations in order to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute as quickly as possible. For its part, the Special Committee on Decolonization has repeatedly voiced the same sentiment, most recently through a draft resolution adopted on 24 June. Likewise, on 8 June the General Assembly of the Organization of American States adopted a new statement on the question in similar terms. The Republic of Argentina reaffirms its legitimate rights of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia Islands and South Sandwich Islands and their surrounding maritime areas, which are an integral part of Argentina’s national territory.

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 35?

Before we proceed, I would like to consult members with regard to our consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 122, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union”. Members will recall that, pursuant to paragraph 7 of the annex contained in resolution 55/285, of 7 September 2001, “A joint debate shall be held on the cooperation item, during which all or some aspects of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations may be addressed”. I have been informed that a request has been made that sub-item (a) be taken up separately at a later date to be announced. May I take it that the Assembly agrees to take up that sub-item accordingly?

I now give the floor to Mr. John Freeman, Deputy Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Please accept our congratulations, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, as well as our best wishes for success. It gives me great pleasure to address the Assembly on behalf of Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), under sub-item (p) of agenda item 122, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons”. The Assembly has consistently reiterated the importance of such cooperation. I wish to take this opportunity to convey to Member States our sincere appreciation for the strong support they give to the work of the Organization in its pursuit of the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In his message to the fifteenth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which recently concluded in The Hague, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed the importance that the United Nations attaches to enhancing cooperation with the OPCW. He also emphasized the need to continue to work together in a spirit of partnership with a view to promoting the Convention’s universality and its full implementation. The Assembly has been provided the report on the work of the Organization for the year 2008, as well as the report for 2009, which was approved by the Conference of the States Parties earlier this month. Since the Director-General of the OPCW last reported to the Assembly, in 2008, considerable progress has been made in advancing the disarmament agenda of the Organization, with more than 63 per cent of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles having been destroyed. Of the seven possessor States, three have already eliminated their declared stockpiles. The two major possessor States are advancing steadily in their destruction programmes. As of the end of November, the United States of America had eliminated 82 per cent and the Russian Federation 49 per cent of their respective stockpiles. For its part, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya overcame a series of difficulties and delays to recently commence the destruction of its category 1 chemical weapons. It is expected to complete that process by May 2011. Iraq’s accession to the Convention was a significant development during the last biennium. Iraq declared a small quantity of chemical weapons, which were secured and rendered unusable under the activities authorized by the Security Council. Given the conditions of that cache of weapons, their recovery and destruction pose unique challenges. Currently, the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW is providing assistance to Iraq in clarifying its initial declaration and devising the most appropriate approaches to destroying those weapons. The destruction of chemical weapons is a major undertaking, given its intrinsic technical complexities and its financial and safety implications. More than 90 per cent of the declared stockpile of chemical weapons has been declared by the two major possessor States, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. In spite of their best efforts to date, both States have indicated that they are unlikely to meet the final destruction deadline of 29 April 2012. As both States have spared no effort in enhancing and accelerating their destruction programmes to meet their Treaty obligations, we hope that the question of meeting the final destruction deadlines will be resolved in a constructive manner. The traditional spirit of consensus and cooperation that characterizes the work of the OPCW promises to ensure an outcome satisfactory to all concerned. This question is currently being considered by the OPCW Executive Council, with informal consultations being carried out by its Chairperson. The OPCW is rapidly approaching a new chapter in its life, namely, the post-disarmament era. Indeed, in any scenario, the great majority of declared chemical weapons will have been destroyed by 2012. As a result, the chemical weapons-related verification effort, which today amounts to 85 per cent of inspection activity, will scale down. As a comprehensive treaty, however, the Convention’s non-proliferation aspects will continue to remain relevant. OPCW industry verification is the Convention’s principal non-proliferation tool. One thousand nine- hundred such inspections have been conducted at industrial facilities on the territory of 81 States parties since the Convention entered into force in April 1997. Reinforcing the non-proliferation aspects of the Convention will be crucial to the long-term success of the CWC. That is so because of the very large number of facilities that must be appropriately covered by the verification regime. It is important to strengthen that regime to verify the most relevant facilities in a number sufficient to maintain confidence in compliance with the Convention. These issues are being considered by the OPCW’s policymaking organs. In that light, in order to reflect on the next phase in the evolution of the Organization, the Director- General has decided to establish an independent advisory panel to review the implementation of the Convention and make recommendations for future OPCW activities. The panel will be wholly independent and its members will serve in their personal capacities. Ambassador Rolf Ekéus of Sweden has kindly accepted the invitation to chair the panel, which will comprise experts from relevant fields such as diplomacy, industry and science and technology and will be geographically representative. The panel, which will convene for its first meeting in The Hague this week, will hold a small number of meetings before submitting its final report in June 2011. Verification of industry is a crucial mechanism, but not the only one, for ensuring compliance with non-proliferation. Under the Convention, States parties are required to establish and reinforce the administrative and legislative measures necessary to redress any breach of the Convention within their jurisdiction. That objective is especially important, as it constitutes the most practical means of addressing contemporary threats relating to chemical terrorism. Effective domestic implementation also means fulfilling the requirements of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004). A year before the Council adopted that landmark resolution, the first Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, held in 2003, adopted an action plan to boost effective national implementation of the Convention globally. Today, a total of 185 States parties — or 98 per cent — have established or designated a national authority, as required by the Convention. Forty-six per cent of the States parties have enacted legislation covering all key areas of the action plan, and 70 per cent of them have laws in place that cover various aspects of the Convention. The OPCW’s institutional capacity and experience in assisting States in their implementation efforts are particularly relevant to the objectives of resolution 1540 (2004). In that context, the Organization has continued to contribute to the initiatives promoted by the United Nations in various regions of the world on the implementation of that important resolution. One of our most notable achievements has been the near-universal acceptance of the Convention, whose membership has grown faster than any other comparable treaty. With its membership of 188 States parties, there remain only a small number of countries that have not joined the Convention. The CWC constitutes a strong moral and ethical imperative rooted in the tragic human suffering that has been inflicted by chemical weapons, especially in the past century. Today, our Organization renews its appeal to the seven remaining countries to join the Convention as a means not only of enhancing their own national security but also as an affirmation of their commitment to global peace and security. The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons decided to hold a conference on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. In accordance with the terms of that decision, the OPCW looks forward to making a substantive contribution to that process. In view of contemporary security threats, emanating particularly from concerns about terrorism, a number of OPCW States parties are seeking the Organization’s support to increase their national capacities in the event of an attack or threat of attack with chemical weapons. For that purpose, the OPCW conducts regular capacity-building and training programmes for the relevant authorities of States parties, such as civil defence organizations. Delivering a quick response also necessitates adequate preparations by the OPCW to coordinate actions with member States that have pledged assistance and with relevant international organizations. In that area, the highlight of this year was our latest major field exercise on the delivery of assistance, called ASSISTEX III. That large-scale exercise, which was conducted in Tunisia from 11 to 15 October, included the participation of teams from 11 States parties and from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance. International cooperation in promoting the peaceful uses of chemistry is also an important goal of the CWC. The OPCW has been successful in providing a large number of well-targeted programmes aimed at building national and regional capacities relevant to the peaceful uses of chemistry. In that context, I am pleased to report that the OPCW will make an appropriate contribution to the activities to be organized next year under the aegis of UNESCO to celebrate the 2011 International Year of Chemistry. Apart from contributing to relevant events, the OPCW will itself host a conference on international cooperation and chemical safety and security. The international community can take due satisfaction from having created an effective safeguard against chemical weapons. Achieving the goals of the Convention requires the support not only of its States parties, but also of other key stakeholders that have a crucial role to play in its implementation. In that context, cooperation with the United Nations is especially vital and indispensable to ensuring the Convention’s ultimate success. Let me therefore once again express the readiness of the Technical Secretariat to continue along the path of enhancing and expanding interaction and cooperation between our two Organizations in pursuit of our common quest to eliminate forever the threat of chemical weapons.

I now give the floor to the representative of Belarus to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.6.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Collective Security Treaty Organization has had observer status in the General Assembly since 2004. Since then, the CSTO secretariat has established contacts with the Department of Political Affairs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate. The signing in March of a joint declaration on cooperation between the secretariats of the United Nations and the CSTO gave new impetus to relations between the Organizations. The current mechanism for the CSTO’s peacekeeping activities provides opportunities for harnessing its potential in peacekeeping operations, including under the aegis of the United Nations. The aims of the CSTO — a regional and international organization whose statute entered into force on 18 September 2003 and was registered with the United Nations Secretariat on 16 December of that year — are to strengthen peace, international and regional stability and the protection, on a collective basis, of the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of its States members. In achieving those goals, the members of the CSTO give priority to political means in cooperation with the United Nations. The results of the CSTO’s activities have enabled us to speak of the real potential of its cooperative action with the United Nations based on the principles of partnership and coordinated effort. Considering our growing struggle with new challenges, as well as the importance that the United Nations attaches to developing multilateral cooperation with regional organizations, we believe that the Assembly’s adoption of draft resolution A/65/L.6, on cooperation between the United Nations and the CSTO, would be significant in the light of the agreement on 2 March and the signing, on 18 March, of the joint declaration on cooperation between the Secretariat and the CSTO. Following that statement on behalf of the member States of the CSTO to introduce the draft resolution, the delegation of Belarus, would like to express its deep gratitude to the delegation of the Russian Federation for its thorough work in preparing, and achieving agreement on, the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the CSTO, including on the text of today’s statement. In our capacity as current Chair of the CSTO, we would also like to inform the General Assembly that, on 10 December, the Council for Collective Security, the highest body of the CSTO, discussed more than 30 items on its agenda and took a range of decisions on them, including a declaration by CSTO member States and a statement on CSTO peacekeeping forces, which are directly linked to cooperation between the CSTO and the United Nations. In particular, the declaration notes that CSTO member States intend to closely coordinate their international activities and develop practical cooperation with international and regional organizations, while also paying special attention to the issue of cooperation with the United Nations vis-à-vis the General Assembly’s resolution on cooperation with the CSTO as agreed in the joint declaration with the United Nations signed on 18 March. The CSTO member States’ statement of 10 December notes the central role of the United Nations in conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding. We also noted, inter alia, the preparedness of member States of the CSTO to carry out peacekeeping activities and, under specific conditions, to provide forces for peacekeeping activities being carried out under the aegis of the Security Council.

I now give the floor to the representative of Namibia to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.11.

I take the floor under sub-item (m) of agenda item 122, “Cooperation between the United Nations, national parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union”, in order to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.11, which the General Assembly considers in plenary meeting on a biennial basis. This has always been a consensus resolution, and we firmly believe that it will continue to be so. As the current holder of the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Namibia has taken the initiative to sponsor this year’s draft resolution for debate in the Assembly. We therefore put forth draft resolution A/65/L.11 as a group of 13 Member States. Today, we are joined by more than 50 other sponsoring States. The full list of sponsors is available in document A/65/L.11/Add.1, which has been circulated by the Secretariat. I would like to inform representatives that the list of sponsors is still open at the Conference Officers’ desk here in the Hall. Each new draft resolution seeks to carry forward the partnership between the United Nations and the IPU, and usually succeeds. That is attested to by the Secretary-General’s report (A/65/382) and by the growing cooperation between the two Organizations over the years. It was only eight years ago that the IPU gained permanent observer status in the General Assembly, but we can all acknowledge that the road we have travelled together has been an impressive one. This year’s draft resolution builds on the language agreed in the preceding one, namely, resolution 63/24, of 18 November 2008. It also serves as a follow-up to the outcome document of the third World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, held earlier this year in Geneva (see A/65/289), the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (resolution 65/1) and the report of the Secretary-General and the vision of the IPU President on building a strategic partnership between the United Nations and the Union. On that last point, allow me to underscore that the current President of the IPU, who was here with us in New York just two weeks ago for the annual parliamentary hearing at the United Nations, is Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia. Those participants who have been here for a while will recall that Mr. Gurirab is a product of the United Nations system. He served as a representative of the South West Africa People’s Organization for many years in this Hall before assuming a number of high offices, including as first Minister for Foreign Affairs of an independent Namibia, President of the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session and Prime Minister of Namibia. He played a major role in the drafting and adoption of the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2)10 years ago. It was in the Millennium Declaration that, for the first time, Heads of State and Government pledged to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and national parliaments, in various fields and through the world organization of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, including peace and security, economic and social development, international law, human rights and democracy and gender issues. As I mentioned earlier, the operative paragraphs of draft resolution A/65/L.11 are based largely on the language agreed in 2008, which, among other things, established that rather than examining the purely international relations between the two global organizations, as of its sixty-fifth session the General Assembly would examine how the United Nations as a system engages with national parliaments under a separate agenda item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations, national parliaments and the IPU”. The IPU report on how parliaments organize their work with the United Nations (A/65/289, annex II), which has been circulated in the General Assembly and referenced in the draft resolution, was to provide a possible starting point for discussion. Paragraph 14 of the draft resolution seeks to make operational the decision of the General Assembly contained in resolution 63/24. In addition to that, new elements include the potential for substantive cooperation between the IPU and the new UN Women in areas such as the empowerment of women, institutional gender mainstreaming, support to parliaments in promoting gender-sensitive legislation, combating violence against women and the implementation of relevant United Nations resolutions. In the past few years, we have seen how the IPU has helped to organize and generate a parliamentary contribution to major United Nations processes, be they the review of the Millennium Development Goals, the International Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen and Cancún and the Assembly’s high-level meetings on financing for development and HIV and AIDS. That is something that we acknowledge and that we encourage should be continued. The draft resolution is also inspired by the idea of further enhancing, within existing resources, the parliamentary dimension of the work of the United Nations as an important component of its undisputed international governmental nature. The importance of enhancing the parliamentary dimension of United Nations activity should also be seen in the context of the current international juncture, in the role played by national parliaments in shaping national policies and in the exercise of greater transparency and accountability at all levels. Its importance should also be seen from the perspective of the centrality it attributes to the role of the multilateral system, and specifically the United Nations. Before I conclude, I would like to correct a mistake in paragraph 7 of the draft resolution, which should read as follows: “Further encourages the Inter-Parliamentary Union to strengthen its contribution to the United Nations human rights treaty body system and to the Human Rights Council, particularly as it relates to the universal periodic review of the fulfilment of human rights obligations and commitments by Member States.” In conclusion, allow me to commend draft resolution A/65/L.11 for consensus adoption by the Assembly today.

I now give the floor to the representative of Kazakhstan to introduce draft resolutions A/65/L.29 and A/65/L.32.

I should like to recall that resolution 58/84, of 9 December 2003, granted the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC) observer status in the General Assembly, while resolution 63/15, of 3 November 2008, dealt with cooperation between the United Nations and EURASEC. I have the honour, on behalf of the member States of the Community — the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation — to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.32, on cooperation between the United Nations and the Eurasian Economic Community. We welcome the report of the Secretary-General (A/65/382); which deals, inter alia, with the implementation of resolution 63/15 and includes important recommendations. We also wish to express our satisfaction with the mutually supportive and beneficial collaboration that has been forged between the Community and the United Nations. We attach great importance to the regular meetings of the Secretary-General with leaders of regional organizations, including the Secretary-General of EURASEC. We are confident that the efforts by the United Nations to expand and enhance its multifaceted and multidimensional agenda of cooperation with its regional partners will pay dividends. Kazakhstan continues to strongly support the collaboration between our two organizations, which is making a significant contribution to overcoming contemporary problems and challenges at both the regional and global level. That joint synergy has enabled the effective launching of a number of noteworthy projects and programmes. The systematic and comprehensive interactive processes of inclusion and integration have over time become more mature and active. That has led increasingly large numbers of countries from neighbouring subregions to pay attention to areas such as ensuring economic development and trade. We support the further strengthening of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Community and the United Nations. As EURASEC is developing rapidly, strengthening cooperation with the United Nations can go a long way in addressing diverse key issues — including those of transport, energy, tourism, environmental protection, migration, education and other areas — and, especially, in overcoming emergency situations. The issues of water, energy resources management and the development, dissemination and transfer of technologies have particular importance for the sustainable development of EURASEC member countries. Steps have been taken to establish a customs union, a free trade area and a single energy market. This year, considerable progress has been achieved with regard to regional economic integration with the establishment of a customs union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. Now that intensive and concrete actions are in line with achieving the Millennium Development Goals, they serve to reinforce commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, which are also enshrined in the Community’s constitutive documents. EURASEC member States also recognize the value of regional and subregional cooperation in meeting the challenges of the global economic and financial crisis. They have therefore established an anti-crisis fund within EURASEC as a multilateral response to the current critical situation. We acknowledge with satisfaction the programme of activities of the Eurasian Development Bank to promote the advancement of EURASEC States members and facilitate their full integration into the Community. Through its recent initiatives focused on extensive structures for multilateral regional cooperation aimed at ensuring sustainable development, stability, peace and security, EURASEC has become an important partner of the United Nations system in our region. In his report, the Secretary- General highlights the main achievements of that cooperation. We very much welcome that cooperation and strongly encourage that it be strengthened on an ongoing basis. In that respect, I urge Member States to note the progress that has been achieved by EURASEC in its cooperation with the Economic Commission for Europe, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. That partnership has enabled the Community, as a collective entity and together with its individual member countries, to work in additional new areas, including water and energy resources management, energy efficiency, development, the dissemination and transfer of technologies, trade facilitation, investment promotion, transport, the environment, capacity-building and education, science and innovation through biotechnology and nanotechnology. With a view to strengthening the outcome of that cooperation, Kazakhstan, as current Chair of the Community and on behalf of the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation, commends to the General Assembly draft resolution A/65/L.32, on cooperation between the United Nations and EURASEC. We consider the consensus adoption of the draft resolution to be a very important milestone. We wish to thank all delegations that have participated in its elaboration and joined us as sponsors. I now have the honour to address the Assembly on behalf of the member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) — the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and my own country, the Republic of Kazakhstan — to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.29, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”. The declaration establishing the SCO was signed on 15 June 2001 by the Presidents of its member States. Mongolia, the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoy observer status in the SCO. The SCO Charter reaffirms the adherence of its member States to the goals and principles of the Charter of United Nations and to the norms and principles of international law concerning the maintenance of international peace and security and the development of good neighbourly and friendly relations between States. That cooperation takes place in the spheres of politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport and environmental issues, to mention but a few areas. Other priorities of the SCO include stability in the region and building a democratic, fair and rational political and economic international order. The Council of Heads of Government of SCO member States is the supreme governing board of the SCO. The implementation of the goals and tasks embodied in the SCO Charter is coordinated by the following bodies: the Council of Heads of Government, which is made up of Prime Ministers of SCO member States, the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers and the meetings of heads of ministries and agencies of SCO member States, including ministers of defence, foreign trade, transport, education and culture. The SCO secretariat is located in Beijing. The permanent representatives of SCO member States are appointed to the secretariat and the executive committee of the SCO regional anti-terrorist structure, which is one of several standing bodies of the organization. Regular meetings are held between heads of judiciary, law enforcement and customs agencies. All activities are coordinated by the Council of National Coordinators of SCO member States. The SCO has enjoyed observer status in the General Assembly since 2004. Our organization cooperates closely with the United Nations system on most of its major mandate areas and activities. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is the SCO’s principal partner, a memorandum of understanding having been signed in January 2008. That represents the first step towards strengthening the institutional framework for cooperation between the SCO and United Nations bodies. Future prospects for joint work with the United Nations system in the areas of environmental protection, humanitarian efforts and migration look very promising. It is becoming obvious that, in order to enhance cooperation and coordination to address our common objectives, it is essential to make the relationship between the SCO and the United Nations more systematic. That is why we have introduced today’s draft resolution, which enunciates the overall goals and programmes of the SCO aimed at strengthening peace, security and stability in the region by countering terrorism, separatism, extremism, illicit drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime. It also highlights activities for promoting regional cooperation and environmental protection and reducing the danger of natural disasters. Other related areas also feature in the draft resolution. The goals of the SCO and the issues it addresses converge with those of the United Nations and its global agenda. The draft resolution therefore emphasizes the importance of strengthening dialogue, cooperation and coordination between the United Nations system and the SCO and proposes that the United Nations Secretary-General continue to hold regular consultations with the Secretary-General of the SCO through the existing United Nations interagency forums and platforms, including the annual consultations with heads of regional United Nations organizations. The draft resolution also proposes that the specialized agencies, programmes and funds of the United Nations system and other organizations cooperate with the SCO to achieve common goals. It recommends that their respective heads commence consultations with the Secretary-General of the United Nations to explore how collaboration can be forged with the SCO. I believe that the draft resolution will be adopted by consensus.

I now give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.33.

As the Chair of the Arab Group for December 2010, I have the honour to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.33, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States”, on behalf of Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Draft resolution A/65/L.33 recognizes the need to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations system and the League of Arab States and its specialized agencies in order to achieve the goals shared by the two organizations. It requests the United Nations Secretariat and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, within their respective fields of competence, to strengthen their cooperation for the realization of the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, to strengthen international peace and security, ensure economic and social development, promote disarmament, end colonialism and ensure self-determination and the eradication of all forms of racism and racial discrimination. The draft resolution also calls on the institutions, agencies and programmes of the United Nations system to strengthen cooperation between the League of Arab States and its specialized institutions in all areas and to continue cooperation in order to ensure follow-up of multilateral proposals that seek to strengthen and broaden cooperation between the two organizations in all areas. Cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States in all areas reflects the keenness of Arab States to ensure ongoing consultations in order to implement United Nations resolutions. One of the main goals of the League of Arab States is to find a just and lasting solution to the situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine in accordance with international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. The United Nations has full responsibility for the issue until a definitive solution is found to the question of Palestine.

I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Tibor Tóth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

I have the pleasure to address the Assembly under the agenda sub-item “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization”. I am here to report on the status of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the progress achieved by the Preparatory Commission. The United Nations has worked relentlessly to maintain international peace and security through collective action. Ridding the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons has been a key area. Active and sustained cooperation among States, and between them and international organizations, is vital for achieving that noble ambition. The Preparatory Commission works closely with the United Nations, and this is the right moment to thank the Secretary-General for his unwavering support as Depositary of the Treaty. Enhanced cooperation in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament reinforces the cooperative security structures that promote international peace and security. The General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission (resolution 63/16) is an embodiment of the importance of such cooperation. It is a necessity if we are to realize peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons. Most of the past decade has been particularly challenging for multilateralism and nuclear non-proliferation. It witnessed the erosion of the multilateral approach and the retraction of previous commitments on nuclear disarmament. The CTBT felt the full brunt of those realities. The Treaty endured especially difficult times politically. Yet despite those challenges and the less than favourable political environment, a certain momentum has carried it through. States signatories have proved their conviction in the noble goals of the Treaty, making political, financial and scientific investments. The Treaty promises to be, as it has always been, a uniting force in the multilateral system. The international community has rallied around the Treaty, bringing it to near universal membership. Since I last addressed the Assembly (see A/63/PV.36), two additional States have signed the Treaty and eight have deposited their instruments of ratifications. Today, 182 countries have signed the Treaty. Ten years ago, there were only 50 ratifications. Today 153 States have ratified the Treaty, representing a threefold increase in ratifications. That is indeed an outstanding achievement. The Treaty was and remains the rallying point for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The international community’s belief in this unique political and scientific arrangement, as an all-inclusive, democratic, non-discriminatory legal instrument, is overwhelming. What lies behind this political determination is a vision aimed at bringing an end to nuclear weapons, a strong desire to establish an international norm against nuclear testing and a firm political will to advance the Treaty’s entry into force. But for the Treaty to enter into force, the signature and ratification by the remaining nine annex 2 States are still required. I am also pleased to report that there has been substantial progress in the development of the Treaty’s verification system over the past decade. The Commission is within sight of the fulfilment of its mandate. Through commitment and very hard work, we are approaching the point of readiness for the Treaty’s entry into force and the preparedness level of the verification system. The number of certified International Monitoring System stations has increased from zero to nearly 260 in the past 10 years. In parallel with the steady installation and certification of stations, the activities and services of the International Data Centre have multiplied significantly. The volume of data and data products shows significant growth. Progress in the on-site inspection regime has also been steady. The Commission recognizes the unique value of the investment with which member States have entrusted it. Its members have invested approximately $1 billion in the System. The System is truly unprecedented in its global reach. It is a significant asset of the international community. That investment is a platform for scientific knowledge and capacity development in member States. Whether in the area of early tsunami warning, aviation safety, climate change or marine life research, the four monitoring technologies provide clear benefits. The System has been tried and tested by the two test explosions by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2006 and 2009. Those tests have been deplored by the international community. They posed a direct challenge to the Treaty and the Commission. But they demonstrated the reliability of the System. The two events tested our technical capabilities and procedures. They proved the value of the Verification System to the international community. The international community’s investment has proved to be sound and effective. Coupled with on-site inspections, the Treaty’s verifiability need not be questioned. Recently, renewed efforts have been made towards global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Aspirations for realizing the dream of a world free of nuclear weapons have been revived. The conclusion of the New START agreement was an important milestone. High-level events such as the global Nuclear Security Summit and the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons have deepened that sense of optimism. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched his five-point nuclear disarmament proposal. Proposals to rid the world of all nuclear weapons have been put forward by influential leaders worldwide, as well by highly respectable non-governmental actors. The Security Council’s summit in 2009 also reaffirmed its commitment to work towards a world without nuclear weapons (see S/PV.6191). The Article XIV Conference of States signatories held here in New York in 2009 was attended by more than 110 countries, 40 of them at the ministerial level. In its consensus Final Declaration, hold-out States were called on to sign and ratify the Treaty for it to enter into force. The political will of the international community is evident. Multilateralism has not withered away. Multilateral and plurilateral action to face common challenges are indeed still possible. It is perhaps the only way forward in a world of increasing complexity. But we must seize the moment. We need leadership by States that have ratified the Treaty, and by those that have yet to ratify it. There is no doubt that ratification by the United States could be a transformational act, for both the Treaty and the non-proliferation regime. United States ratification would reinforce the hitherto excellent cooperation between that country and the Commission in building and operating monitoring stations on United States soil. More than 90 per cent of the facilities foreseen by the Treaty to be hosted by the United States have already been built and certified. In Russia, more than 70 per cent of the stations have been built and certified. Ratification of the Treaty by all nuclear-weapon States, and completion of the monitoring facilities on their territories, can only reinforce the Treaty’s democratic, non-discriminatory character, and assure all States parties of equality in obligations and transparency in verification. But control systems can function only through acceptance by all actors of the necessity, effectiveness and fairness of the rules-based system. In this regard, the steps that must be taken to strengthen the arms- control, non-proliferation and disarmament architecture are pretty clear. The entry into force of the Treaty is among the first steps that must be taken. It provides a firm legal barrier against nuclear testing, thereby curbing the development of new types and designs of nuclear weapons. It also ensures that peaceful uses of nuclear energy are indeed peaceful, and are crucial in a world in which we see the resurgence of nuclear energy. Since more and more States are mastering the nuclear fuel cycle, technology alone will no longer be the determining factor in a State’s decision to use nuclear energy for peaceful or weapons purposes. Legal instruments upstream of the nuclear fuel cycle are facing increasing difficulties when it comes to delineating between prohibited and permitted activities. A nuclear test provides unquestionable downstream proof of the intentions of a State. The Treaty thus provides the last and clearly visible barrier between the two. That legal line must be drawn clearly and irrevocably. Having the Treaty in force would also create an incentive for ending production of fissile material for weapons, pending the negotiations and entry into force of a fissile material cut-off treaty, as well as reducing stocks of such materials. The Treaty could also serve as a regional confidence- and security-building measure. In that regard, I am pleased to note the entry into force earlier this year of the Pelindaba Treaty, establishing the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. This is a most welcome development. Nuclear-weapon-free zones and the Treaty are bound together in spirit and letter, and share a common history. The zones and the Treaty complement each other. Both contain legal obligations to prohibit nuclear tests. While the Treaty is not yet in force, it is already effectively in force in all the States covered by existing zones. The Treaty and its organization bolster nuclear-weapon-free zones by providing States with a powerful verification mechanism. States covered by existing zones should have no political obstacles to ratifying the Treaty. They have already made a legally binding commitment not to test nuclear weapons or to allow nuclear testing in their territories. Nevertheless, around 30 per cent of the States in these zones have yet to ratify the Treaty. Signing and ratification by those States will have a significant impact on both the universalization of the Treaty and its entry into force. It will also further strengthen those countries’ non-proliferation and disarmament obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Equally, the ratification of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty by African States that have already ratified the CTBT but not the Pelindaba Treaty will significantly boost membership of the latter. It will further strengthen the resolve of African nations: no nuclear weapons and no more nuclear testing. By ratifying the CTBT, countries unequivocally state that the Treaty is fundamental to their own national security interests. Such action can also pave the way for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. The ratification of the CTBT by Egypt, Iran and Israel, all of which are annex 2 States, can have wide-ranging implications for security in a subregional and regional context. Ratification by these three States would reinforce the political commitment made by 90 per cent of the States in the Middle East to the norm of non-testing. Such a step would be a positive catalyst for other security issues affecting the region. The CTBT represents an opportunity to build confidence and promote regional stability. The Treaty is clearly of great significance for the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime. It has a key role to play in today’s security environment. More than 2,000 tests were conducted prior to the Treaty’s conclusion in 1996. Every test eroded global security and widened the gap in political trust. In the past decade, there have only been two nuclear test explosions. The difference is clear. But it is high time for concrete action. The entry into force of the Treaty may be the single defining factor for the nuclear non-proliferation regime in the years ahead. We must seize the moment. There is no room for complacency, no place for inaction. The present moment in time is the moment of truth, the moment for action. I sincerely hope that we will not let it slip away. We cannot afford to. It is too precious to let it pass by.

I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.34.

As the Chair of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization at its thirty-fifth session, South Africa has the honour to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.34, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization”. The draft resolution is aimed at ensuring that this important issue will remain on the agenda for continued consideration by this organ. With regard to the issue of the prohibition of the testing of nuclear weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an important measure to accomplish our common goals of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. Although it has not yet entered into force, my delegation welcomes the renewed momentum towards this important objective. The CTBT constitutes a core element of the international nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime. Its entry into force needs to be achieved without delay and without conditions, in accordance with the relevant constitutional processes. While the moratoriums on nuclear-weapon testing declared by certain countries are welcome, such moratoriums cannot replace the legally binding commitments under the CTBT. South Africa notes with great satisfaction the steady and continuing progress in the preparations to ensure a fully operational CTBT verification regime at the entry into force of the Treaty. South Africa welcomes the efforts towards securing the necessary ratifications to ensure the entry into force of the Treaty. On both of those counts, my delegation wishes to express its deep appreciation to the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission and the Provisional Technical Secretariat for their tireless efforts, as set out in the report that the General Assembly is considering today (A/65/382). Recent events have shown that we cannot become complacent about achieving the Treaty’s entry into force and that we should intensify our efforts to achieve that goal. They have also shown the urgent need for us to provide the Provisional Technical Secretariat with the necessary tools to fulfil the requirements of the Treaty, pending its entry into force. South Africa would welcome the adoption of this draft resolution without a vote, and we thank delegations for their sponsorship.

I now give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Greece to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.35.

On behalf of the member States of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), I have the honour to introduce the draft resolution under sub-item (d) of agenda item 122, which is contained in document A/65/L.35 and is entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization”. At the outset, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the valuable support and positive spirit demonstrated by all countries sponsoring the draft resolution. BSEC is the oldest as well as the most institutionally mature and representative regional economic organization in the wider Black Sea area, advancing enhanced cooperation in many areas and promoting a spirit of friendship and good neighbourliness, mutual respect and confidence between its member States. In recent years, the wider Black Sea area has attracted considerable attention as a hub for energy and transport between Europe and Asia. The interest generated by the activity of BSEC has increased likewise, as attested by the increased participation of Observers and Sectoral Dialogue Partners alike in the work of the Organization. The enhancement of regional economic cooperation within BSEC, as well as between BSEC and other regional or international organizations, is a safe way of easing tensions and creating the necessary preconditions for addressing the many challenges that still exist in the region. In this respect, the United Nations and its family of institutions in particular could provide an important contribution to regional confidence-building and a more prosperous, peaceful and secure world. In this context, I would like to underscore the great importance that all BSEC members attach to cooperation with the United Nations. Within the framework of the draft resolution before us, I think there are ample opportunities for enhancing that cooperation, in particular in areas where BSEC is most active. That cooperation will be instrumental in bringing the wider Black Sea area closer to its neighbours and the world. It will also encourage us all to move quickly forward through concerted efforts, common initiatives and the implementation of joint programmes. To that effect, priority areas already existing within BSEC — such as the environment, transport, energy, institutional reform and good governance, trade and economic development, agriculture and combating organized crime — could constitute the necessary basis for developing additional joint projects in the region, including through the mechanisms of the BSEC Project Development Fund and the BSEC Hellenic Development Fund. In recent months, under the current Greek chairmanship-in-office, BSEC has expanded its activity in the areas of green development and entrepreneurship, under the motto “Black Sea turns green”, with the aim of enhancing awareness on environmental issues and helping foster business synergies in this dynamically growing sector. In this context, the BSEC Ministers for Foreign Affairs adopted the Thessaloniki Declaration for the Black Sea, on combating climate change in the wider area, thus conveying the common vision for “greening” the Black Sea and expressing the support of all the peoples in the region for the success of the United Nations negotiations on climate control in Cancún. In all the areas I have mentioned, the existing cooperation between BSEC and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations should be enhanced. We believe that the Black Sea Trade and Investment Promotion Programme, which is now entering its second decade and which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme with the support of Greece and Turkey and the participation of BSEC, provides a very inspiring success story for such joint programmes. In conclusion, I would like to express the hope that this year’s draft resolution will be adopted without a vote, as in the past; as well as my conviction that, once adopted, it will further enhance United Nations- BSEC cooperation, contributing to the promotion of both the principles and objectives of the United Nations as well as the purposes and goals of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.

I now give the floor to the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.40.

In its capacity as the Chair of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Islamic Republic of Iran has the pleasure of introducing the draft resolution entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Economic Cooperation Organization” (A/65/L.40) on behalf of its member States, namely, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Among other things, the draft resolution invites various relevant bodies of the United Nations system and other international institutions to join in an effort to attain the sustainable economic development of the Economic Cooperation Organization region. Member States of the ECO have vigorously pursued goals and objectives of the organization, including through the progressive removal of trade barriers and the promotion of intraregional trade; the gradual integration of their economies into the world economy; the development of transport and communications infrastructure linking member States with each other and with the outside world; the effective utilization of the agricultural and industrial potential of the region; cooperation on combating narcotics; ecological and environmental protection and the strengthening of historical and cultural ties among the peoples of the region. Accordingly, the ECO has embarked on several projects in priority areas of its cooperation, including energy, trade, transportation, agriculture, food security and drug control. The draft resolution highlights the overall satisfaction of ECO members with the efforts undertaken by the United Nations system and relevant international and regional organizations in order to extend technical and financial assistance to the ECO, and encourages them to continue their support. The ECO, as a thriving regional organization, has bright prospects. The organization and its members are resolved to realize the ECO’s goals and objectives. In doing so, they continue to seek the cooperation of and assistance from all relevant partners, in particular the United Nations. The member States of the ECO therefore invite the General Assembly to adopt the draft resolution contained in document A/65/L.40. A small editorial correction should be made to paragraph 6, where the reference should be to “member States” rather than “States members”.

I now give the floor to the representative of Turkey to introduce draft resolution A/65/L.41.

In my country’s capacity as the current Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, it is my honour to introduce the draft resolution contained in document A/65/L.41, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe”. At the outset, I would like to reiterate our belief that strengthening the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations contributes to the promotion of the purposes and principles of the United Nations. We welcome the Secretary-General’s report on the cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations (A/65/382). In this context, the Council of Europe is one of the regional organizations with which the United Nations has been cooperating for a long time. Established in 1949 to prevent the recurrence of the tragedies that Europe had experienced by replacing tensions and conflicts with trust and cooperation, the Council of Europe has since become a significant actor in defending and promoting the principles of human rights, pluralist democracy and respect for the rule of law. It has been playing a remarkable role in finding solutions to the problems facing European society. The Council of Europe aims to bring its members’ national legislation in line with each other, thus creating common norms through conventions and protocols that are also open to the participation of States from other regions. Apart from its standard-setting role, the Council of Europe also follows up on the implementation of these standards in its member States through its independent monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Having assumed the chairmanship of the Council of Europe in November 2010, we set out as our priority reinforcing the political role, influence and visibility of the Council in the international arena. The draft resolution demonstrates the wide range of areas where the United Nations and the Council of Europe cooperate and where the Council of Europe’s activities contribute to furthering the goals of the United Nations. Those areas include, but are not limited to, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; the promotion of democracy and the rule of law; the fight against racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance; the protection of the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons; the fight against trafficking in persons; the protection of children’s rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women; the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities; the promotion of intercultural dialogue and the fight against transnational organized crime and terrorism. The first version of the draft resolution was prepared by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and forwarded to Permanent Missions in New York by the outgoing chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. As the current Chair, we would like to thank the outgoing Chair for the support it extended to us as a co-facilitator during the consultations process. We would also like to express our gratitude to all delegations for their constructive and cooperative approach during the consultations, which resulted in the text before us here today being acceptable to all the concerned Missions. We sincerely hope that text will be adopted by consensus in the General Assembly. In addition to the 33 countries named in the text of draft resolution A/65/L.41, 16 others also joined as sponsors as I took the floor. I would like to call on all States members of the Assembly to support and further strengthen cooperation between the two organizations.

We concur with the assessment of the representative of Belarus concerning the cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), as well as with that of the representative of Kazakhstan concerning the work of the United Nations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC), in connection with their introductions of the draft resolutions on those subjects (A/65/L.6, A/65/L.29 and A/65/L.32). In connection with the discussion of the item on the agenda, I would like to make some observations concerning the work of EURASEC and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC). The outcome of the recent United Nations summit on the Millennium Development Goals held here underlined once again that, in order to achieve progress in terms of international development, it is essential to step up regional integration processes. In this regard, we have given particular attention to the work of the Eurasian Economic Community, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. In that time, the Russian Federation has been an active and engaged member of EURASEC. It was present at its creation and participated in its main initiatives. EURASEC’s recent concrete achievements include the entry into force of the customs union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia and the establishment of the Anti-Crisis Fund and a high-tech centre. A significant step forward within the framework of the integration process was the completion of the establishment of the treaty and legal basis for a single economic area among Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. That will allow the single economic area to begin its work as early as 2012, produce an agreed economic policy, ensure the free movement of capital, services and the workforce, and provide States members with reciprocal access to infrastructure. We believe that the priorities for interaction between the United Nations and EURASEC are reflected objectively in the draft resolution on cooperation between the two organizations. We thank our partners from the other delegations for their constructive and positive attitude to the draft resolution, as well as for their co- sponsorship of it. The process of economic integration in the Commonwealth of Independent States area has been appreciably assisted by the Eurasian Development Bank, a needed and dynamically growing mechanism for development financing. The Bank’s portfolio already includes many large-scale projects. It has great potential for expanding its work further, including in the area of strengthening partnerships in development coordination with international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Development Bank. On a separate note, we should like to touch on the relationship between the United Nations and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization. We continue to consider BSEC to be the main, fully fledged forum for cooperation in the Black Sea region. We support efforts to step up the practical impact of its activities. We believe it particularly important to foster efforts to implement priority projects within BSEC, including developing a ring road around the Black Sea, renovating regular passenger and ferry crossings between Black Sea ports, establishing a Black Sea electricity grid, cooperating in post-emergency cleanup, and jointly combating organized crime. Another priority for BSEC, noted by the representative of Greece in his introduction of draft resolution A/65/L.35, is the protection of the environment. Its central pillar was included in the recently concluded Joint Declaration on Combating Climate Change in the wider Black Sea area, which was presented to participants at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancún. We consider the implementation of the Declaration to be an important regional contribution to solving global problems related to climate change. We are also in favour of mutually advantageous and equal cooperation between BSEC and all its international partners, including the European Union, and of strengthening the ties between BSEC and the United Nations. The main priorities for cooperation between BSEC and the Organization are reflected in the corresponding draft resolution, of which the Russian Federation is a co-author.

I would like to start by expressing Egypt’s sincere appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia; to Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, Secretary-General of the IPU; and to Ambassador Anda Filip, Director of the Office of the Permanent Observer of the IPU to the United Nations, for all their efforts to strengthen the relationship between the IPU and the United Nations. I would like also to thank His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for all their efforts to strengthen and develop this cooperation. Egypt has always believed in the importance of enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and the IPU, one of the key organizations aimed at ensuring the complementarity of the efforts of Governments and parliaments in support of the United Nations system in order to achieve the Organization’s objectives, particularly on issues that require legislative or financial support and that touch on the welfare and prosperity of all peoples. This covers a huge range. As a strong believer in the central role of national parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Egypt played an active part in solidifying the cooperation between the United Nations and the IPU, and thus introduced this agenda item and resolution 51/7 to the General Assembly in 1996. The international community’s confidence in the accumulated experience of the IPU was further highlighted by the proposals submitted by Egypt that were included in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (resolution 60/1), stressing the importance of strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and national and regional parliaments, in particular through the IPU. Through its conferences and specialized meetings, the IPU makes valuable contributions in many important fields, such as disarmament; nuclear non-proliferation; addressing various specific problems of world economic and social development, including financing for development, globalization, the liberalization of trade, climate change and food security; as well as combating the spread of pandemics and their devastating human, economic and social impact. It also plays an important role in supporting Member States’ efforts to promote and protect human rights through its close and systematic relationships with the relevant United Nations bodies. In this context, we encourage the IPU to work closely with the new United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in areas such as the empowerment of women and gender mainstreaming, and to enhance its interaction with the United Nations on all issues of common interest. The cooperation between the United Nations and the IPU in addressing existing and emerging challenges was demonstrated most recently by the parliamentary hearing at the United Nations aimed at engaging with permanent representatives during several sessions discussing issues of paramount importance to all our countries and peoples. Those discussions covered the world economic and financial crisis and efforts to achieve sustainable recovery; reform of the international financial system; and global governance, particularly strengthening the role of the United Nations. In all these discussions, there was a common recognition of the important role that parliamentarians can play in these and other areas, particularly through their legislative capacities, to avoid protectionism, enhance regulations that can help prevent the recurrence of crises, and push for greater democracy, transparency and accountability in global economic governance. We believe that the IPU can play an active and constructive role in the reform of the United Nations, including the ongoing processes of the revitalization of the General Assembly and the reform and expansion of the Security Council. All those efforts reaffirm the central role of the United Nations in global governance in conjunction with the main theme of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly. The role of the IPU is of equal importance in the promotion of peace, understanding and tolerance, where the Union actively participates in international efforts, including those of the United Nations, to promote dialogue among cultures, civilizations and religions. Finally, as Egypt believes in the important role of the IPU in supporting the international community’s endeavours to achieve internationally agreed goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, we emphasize the need to continue developing and ameliorating the cooperative relationship of the United Nations with the IPU, including through the active engagement of the IPU in the major United Nations deliberative processes and the review of international commitments and goals.

Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations is fundamental to the success of the United Nations and its bodies in achieving their objectives. It is key to peace and security, to economic and social development, and to deepening understanding of and appreciation for both the diversity of the international community and the shared humanity that unites us. The expertise and skills of regional organizations complement those of the United Nations system. Acting together, they have the potential to produce results beyond the sum of their constituent parts. Canada has a particular interest in this issue, as it is a member of or has established partnerships with many regional organizations, such as the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Organization of American States, the Commonwealth, NATO, the Caribbean Community, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF) among others. This depth and diversity of relationships demonstrates the importance Canada places on the involvement of regional players and organizations. This year, as host of the Group of Twenty (G-20), Canada was pleased to invite the Secretary-General to participate in the G-20 Toronto summit to help ensure that wider United Nations perspectives were represented in the discussions. Canada is very pleased with the progress that has been made in reinforcing this cooperation. However, great efforts are required to make cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations more effective. These efforts must be guided by respect for each organization’s mandate and responsibilities and by achieving the best division of labour among them. For example, donors and countries contributing to peace missions under the aegis of various organizations must ensure that troops and support personnel are appropriately trained and equipped to carry out their mandates. States must ensure that mandates are carried out in full respect for the principles of efficiency, transparency and accountability. These principles have never been more relevant than today, when popular opinion so often questions the value of multilateral cooperation. The partnership between the United Nations and the African Union illustrates efforts to strengthen coordination, especially in the areas of peace and security. Key collaborative efforts are under way to foster African solutions to threats to peace and security on the continent. The establishment of the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa is a positive step in that direction, as are efforts to support the development of structures and institutions that can serve the needs and meet the aspirations of the peoples of Africa to greater freedom, increased stability and enhanced prosperity. Extensive cooperation among the relevant bodies of the United Nations and the African Union, and indeed all regional organizations, seeks not only to meet existing challenges, but also to provide the tools to further democratic governance, respect for human rights and economic and social development over the long term. In so doing, it serves to meet the criteria set out in Chapter VIII of the Charter for this type of cooperation and ensures that it remains consistent with the purpose and principles of the United Nations. I would like to highlight further examples of cooperation with regional partners that are relevant to the United Nations. Canada applauds the outcome of the third ASEAN-United Nations summit, which took place in late October 2010 in Hanoi. The declaration issued following the summit sets out an ambitious agenda for cooperation that includes the Millennium Development Goals, peace and security, human rights and humanitarian assistance. It is worth specifically noting the work that will soon be undertaken to prepare and implement the ASEAN-United Nations Strategic Plan of Action on Disaster Management 2011-2015, which will no doubt contribute to capacity-building in a region all too often affected by natural disasters. Like Canada, the United Nations Development Programme became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977. Canada remains a strong supporter of the assistance provided by the United Nations to the ASEAN community- building process. The joint cooperation between the United Nations and NATO in Afghanistan remains of vital importance to the international community in our common efforts to combat terrorism and provide greater security in that country and the region. At their summit in Lisbon, NATO leaders committed to strong and productive cooperation between NATO and the United Nations. Canada is committed to working in both organizations to ensure deeper practical cooperation and political dialogue, particularly in managing crises in which both organizations are engaged. The United Nations and regional and other organizations must also cooperate closely to incorporate fragile and conflict-affected States into the world economy and to further recovery, reconstruction and development efforts in these contexts. (spoke in French) In 2008, on the last occasion on which the General Assembly considered this theme, Canada was proud to highlight the development of relations between the United Nations and the International Organization of la Francophonie. The OIF has diplomatic capabilities in the areas of prevention and mediation that we would like to see strengthened so that it can more effectively help to resolve international crises in francophone countries and fully participate in finding collective and realistic solutions. Such mediation efforts can contribute to achieving the objectives of the United Nations. As it has done in recent years, Canada, in cooperation with other member countries, will continue to ensure that cooperation between the two organizations remains productive, that francophone capabilities are used to the fullest extent in carrying out United Nations mission, especially in supporting peacekeeping missions in French-speaking countries, and that the relationship becomes a model of complementarity between United Nations action and that of regional organizations. Canada has long been engaged with its African counterparts in finding durable solutions to protracted conflicts across the continent, both through its direct bilateral counterparts and through its engagement in support of African institutions, in particular the African Union, ECOWAS and SADC. Canada has participated in several capacity-building programmes with these institutions, particularly on peace and security. We support these institutions taking a leadership role on crises in the region. In this respect, I would like to highlight two recent positive examples. Via the International Contact Group, ECOWAS was a key leader in the mediation and resolution of the crisis in Guinea. This active regional engagement helped Guinea to reach a peaceful and democratic solution to the political crisis. Currently, ECOWAS and the African Union are playing an active role in pushing for a resolution to the political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. ECOWAS and the African Union have recognized Alassane Ouattara as the legitimate winner of the presidential elections and called for outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo to yield power. Canada has also taken this position. Canada has enjoyed an excellent partnership with ECOWAS, particularly through a wide range of activities related to conflict prevention, mediation and management in West Africa. That partnership includes the work of several institutions, including the three ECOWAS-designated Centres of Excellence: the Peacekeeping School in Bamako; the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra; and the African Centre for Strategic Research and Studies in Abuja. Canada was also pleased to learn of the launching of a United Nations roster of senior security sector reform experts, as well as its immediate operational use in 2010 in the context of a joint mission with ECOWAS. This is an example of the kind of concrete cooperation between the United Nations and regional mechanisms that supports positive innovations for all partners involved. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Canada’s membership in the Organization of American States (OAS). Our decision to become a full member came at a significant moment for Canada and our hemisphere. The Americas stood at the dawn of a period that has seen the restoration or consolidation of democratic institutions across the region and the development of new and more effective mechanisms for cooperation, notably the Summits of the Americas. The Summits have served not only to stimulate regular dialogue among leaders on the major issues and challenges for the hemisphere, but also to contribute to developing action in support of economic growth, democratic development and enhanced security. As part of the current deepening of Canada’s engagement in the Americas, we emphasize effective, results-oriented multilateralism. Canada continues to view the OAS as the key multilateral organization in the Americas and as a crucial venue for cooperation among hemispheric partners. We are keen to see it continue to play a robust role in the region in service of all its members’ needs. To that end, we actively support efforts to better define the common future priorities of the OAS and to ensure that its resources are aligned with those priorities. Within the OAS, consistent with Canada’s position within the United Nations system, the promotion and defence of human rights rank among our top priorities. The OAS is a substantial partner of the United Nations in Haiti. Canada’s engagement in Haiti has been continuous for many years and we have supported joint United Nations/OAS efforts to promote respect for human rights and institution-building, beginning with the creation of the International Civilian Mission in Haiti in 1993. This was the first fully integrated field mission jointly led by a regional organization and the United Nations, and it was deployed before a political settlement had been reached. The OAS remains involved in Haiti, in cooperation with the United Nations system, to this day. The core mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) reflects the principles and priorities shared by the countries of the Americas and attests to the fact that some 15 OAS member States contribute to the Mission. The OAS has also been active in support of relief efforts and in contributing to the long-term response of the international community to the earthquake that struck the country in January. The OAS and the Caribbean Community have worked with MINUSTAH to support the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council in the preparation and conduct of Haiti’s presidential elections and to coordinate international electoral assistance. That process has not been without difficulties, but the effort reflects the ongoing commitment of the OAS to institution-building and the restoration of Government structures as part of Haiti’s long-term development process. (spoke in English) Canada warmly welcomes the action the Assembly is taking today to highlight and reaffirm the importance of cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. Our capacity to properly manage the wide range of issues facing us will determine how cooperation between regional organizations and United Nations bodies, especially the Security Council, develops. The collective efforts to construct flexible, responsive and effective institutions and arrangements to meet the complex political, economic and social challenges that the international community is confronting at the start of a new millennium deserve all our support.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 58/84 of 9 December 2003, I now call on the Secretary-General of the Eurasian Economic Community.

The United Nations is the main international forum for harmonizing the interests of many countries and has a positive impact on the sustainable social and economic development of every region of the world. The member States of the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC) — Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan — are all active Members of the United Nations working to develop international cooperation in the interests of the timely achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In the post-crisis development of the global economy, and in conditions of increasing global interdependence, the role of international institutions and integration organizations continues to grow. Today, EURASEC is one of the most dynamically developing integration associations. Its member States participated actively in the successful summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Astana, at which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the significance of sustainable development as a basis for safer world. This year, our organization celebrated the tenth anniversary of the signing of its founding Treaty. In that time, we have witnessed the success of such concrete achievements as the creation of a customs union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, as well as the establishment of the Anti- Crisis Fund and a high-tech centre. The current free trade regime within the EURASEC framework has increased the volume of reciprocal trade between member States more than fourfold, from $29 billion in 2000 to $123 billion in 2008. The customs union established within the framework of EURASEC has been functioning since 1 January. The customs union commission, a supranational body, was established and authorized to conduct tariff and non-tariff regulation of foreign trade, and the Union’s customs code entered into effect. The timely establishment of the EURASEC Anti- Crisis Fund made it possible to furnish financial assistance to Community member States to help them overcome the effects of the world financial crisis. Tajikistan has already received $70 million in financial aid, while Kyrgyzstan’s application for a loan is now under consideration. Early in 2010, work began on establishing a further and more advanced stage of integration — a single economic area. On 9 December, heads of States completed 17 international agreements assuring, within the framework of a single economic area, the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour, as well as unified, functioning mechanisms for economic regulation. Those documents come into force on 1 January 2012, signalling the start of a full-fledged single economic area between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. In developing the customs union and the single economic area, EURASEC is moving towards the creation of a Eurasian economic union, aimed at bringing the region into complementary and mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, international economic associations and the European Union with a view to creating a single economic area. In that regard, at its current stage of development EURASEC enjoys the practical results of integration that can further enhance international interaction and promote successful cooperation with the United Nations. I am pleased to note that the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and UNESCO are now among EURASEC’s key partners. Since the adoption in 2008 of resolution 63/15 on cooperation between the United Nations and EURASEC, focused cooperation among the Governments of our countries, EURASEC and the United Nations has produced progress in a range of specific areas. In accordance with the 12 December 2008 decision of the EURASEC Interstate Council at the Head of State level, we intensified efforts to produce a draft concept on the efficient use of water and energy resources in the Central Asian region. That issue has become a focus of our cooperation with UNECE and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Considering the experience of United Nations entities in formulating conceptual documents and their significant reserves of expertise, we count on the support of the aforementioned organizations in inviting international experts to work on our draft concept and attract funding sources for this project. On a separate note, I would like to emphasize the relevance of the international conference on the theme “Water for Life”, which was held under the auspices of the United Nations in June 2010 in Dushanbe and drew the attention of the international community to the issue of water problems in the region. EURASEC, in cooperation with ESCAP, is currently implementing a joint project on strengthening the institutional capacity to support energy efficiency in Central Asian countries. As part of this project, two regional workshops are being held in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to develop relevant guidelines for the participating countries. Innovative activities are another area of cooperation between the United Nations and EURASEC. Since July 2010, EURASEC, alongside UNECE and the Eurasian Development Bank, has been undertaking performance reviews on innovation. The pilot review, dedicated to the innovation performance of the Republic of Belarus, was presented earlier this month at the annual session of the UNECE Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration in Geneva. In accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the secretariat of EURASEC and UNIDO, we have launched a project to develop investment and technology promotion networks for EURASEC countries. We maintain continuous contacts with IAEA on coordinating international institutions participating in the implementation of the programmes to rehabilitate territories affected by the negative impact of the uranium mining industry. EURASEC, together with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNDP, participated in an international high-level forum, held in June 2009 in Geneva, on the theme “Uranium tailings: local problems, regional consequences, global solution”. The forum adopted a joint declaration that set expressed the intention to resolve the problem of uranium tailings and provide comprehensive assistance to implement all agreements reached. The cultural and humanitarian sphere is also gaining in importance. Pursuant to a memorandum of understanding, we are cooperating with the secretariat of UNESCO, primarily in the field of biotechnology. To conclude, I wish to highlight once again that economic interaction among EURASEC member States is a crucial element in the system to ensure the effective maintenance of stability in Europe and Asia. Considering the extensive positive experience we have had in such collaboration, EURASEC welcomes the strengthening of the role of the United Nations in the region and has a sustained interest in the further development of fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation. I thank the Assembly for supporting the adoption of the draft resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and EURASEC (A/65/L.32). For this meeting, EURASEC has specifically developed brochures on innovative technology under way in our countries in the coming year and on the tenth anniversary of our organization. I will donate these brochures and materials to the United Nations library.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 62/76 of 6 December 2007, I now call on the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Eurasian Development Bank.

When the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) was established on the initiative of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan in 2006, it was conceived as a significant instrument for financial integration in the post-Soviet era. Recently, the geographical scope of the work of the Bank has expanded as new States have become members of the Bank. The Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Tajikistan have become full participants in the Bank. Other States have also shown interest in becoming members of the Bank. We are convinced that joining the Eurasian Development Bank provides every State with new opportunities to attract long-term investment to implement large-scale national economic projects. In selecting investment projects, we are guided by the Bank’s mission to strengthen integration processes and enhance the competitiveness of the economies of member States of the Bank. Other international organizations are also working in this area. In this regard, the issue of cooperation and coordination is decisive in achieving positive results from the combined work of international development institutions. There is a need to develop and implement cooperation mechanisms leading to specific results. EDB has good experience with partnerships with such organizations as the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC), the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia. To that end, the Bank is actively harnessing existing technology assistance mechanisms and financial support for research into current issues in various areas of cooperation, promoting the adoption and implementation of socially responsible decisions, including by improving the effectiveness of investment projects. For example, at the request of the Council for Transport Policy at the EURASEC Integration Committee, the Bank is financing a comprehensive infrastructure plan to develop the highways and railways on the list of EURASEC transport routes. It is clear that building transport corridors linking the western and eastern parts of the continent will facilitate the development of transport capacity for the States of Central Asian and the entire area. The constructive corporation and partnership within EURASEC was demonstrated by the decision by the EURASEC Heads of State to endow the Bank with management functions for the EURASEC Anti-Crisis Fund. The Fund was set up with a view to overcoming the negative impact of the international financial crisis by providing stable credit and financing for intergovernmental investment projects. The Bank has already started work in this area and allocated the first tranche of the funds. Without a doubt, this is one of the main integration projects in the post-Soviet area, and we trust that other member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States will display interest in this. We have also had a positive experience in our cooperation with the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, resulting in the drafting of a regional report on climate change and water resources in Central Asia, which was presented to the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul in 2009. The report was well-received and is currently the first major regional research paper on this issue. One important practical consequence of the report was the publication of the results of work to develop international water use services. In supporting international initiatives on the Aral Sea issue, and in particular the Special United Nations Programme for the Economies of Central Asia, the Bank provided technical help to the International Fund on Saving the Aral Sea in financing the preparation of the regional report on security and technical cooperation in Central Asia. As part of work on this document, international and regional practices on water resource use were examined and recommendations issued to the countries of Central Asia. Previously, the Bank supported the United Nations Special Programme’s activities on international seminars to look into water loss in Central Asia with the participation of experts from the Russian International Science and Technology Centre. The Bank is also looking into the rational exploitation of hydroelectric energy use in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, primarily by building small-scale hydroelectric plants. The Bank is working with UNECE and ESCAP on energy efficiency and energy provision, providing hydroelectric and other sustainable sources of energy. The Bank is providing expert support and technical assistance to the organization in this field. Greater attention is being paid to cooperation with United Nations agencies on innovative development for member States of the Bank. In this respect, a review of innovative development practices in the Republic of Belarus is being prepared with the participation of the UNECE, from which new investment projects may result. Just a week ago, the preliminary conclusions and recommendations of this process were considered at the fifth session of the UNECE Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration in Geneva. We hope this project will make a significant contribution to that country’s development activities. Other Bank member States have shown a great deal of interest in this area and together with UNECE we are preparing a similar project for the Republic of Kazakhstan. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once more that the Eurasian Development Bank is ready to cooperate actively with those organizations whose activity is aimed at creating the conditions for the full economic development of the Bank’s member States and the realization of their economic potential.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 64/124 of 16 December 2009, I now call on the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

It is a genuine pleasure for me to be here today to share the recent activities of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) and to emphasize the growing synergies between PAM’s efforts and those of the United Nations. A year after PAM’s attaining observer status at the General Assembly, I will first give a brief outline of the evolution of relations between our two institutions. As many here know, our Assembly, made up of 26 member States, all bordering or neighbouring the Mediterranean, is a unique platform for parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue in the region. PAM was born in 2006 as a result of the transformation and maturation of a regional political process begun within the Inter- Parliamentary Union in the late 1980s, known as the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean. PAM’s field of action encompasses political, socio-economic and environmental issues. Our efforts focus on issues that are strategic to our region, such as the fight against terrorism and organized crime; the regional aspects of the Middle East peace process; and, at the request of the United Nations, other sensitive geopolitical issues of the region, such as the Balkans. We also endeavour to foster the changes necessary to develop regional socio-economic integration; address the challenge of climate change; make more rational use of limited natural resources; better protect the environment, such as by dealing with the thorny question of the discharge of toxic waste at sea; and promote the sustainable management of energy by ensuring the security of supplies and encouraging the use of renewable power sources. We also deal with problems related to migration, particularly the worrisome issues of trafficking in human beings, human rights, and the status and condition of women. PAM attaches special importance to the promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, which is, in our view, essential in order to make the Mediterranean region prosperous and stable. Although the institutional framework may differ, and we employ our own methods, the subjects of interest to PAM intersect to a large extent with those of the United Nations. Our Assembly also considers the Charter of the United Nations to be the basis of all legitimate international action, and the member parliaments of PAM have chosen to exploit the resources of parliamentary diplomacy in order to support United Nations efforts in the region. Since its founding, PAM has spared no effort to develop excellent relations with the entire United Nations system. Senior United Nations officials have made valuable contributions to many of our meetings, and members of various national delegations have represented PAM at many United Nations meetings. As examples of United Nations officials who have participated in PAM meetings, we would mention Sir John Holmes, former Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Ms. Karen AbuZayd and Mr. Filippo Grandi, former and current Commissioners-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; Ambassador Robert Serry, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process; Ms. Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; and Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. Representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Food Programme and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have also participated in our work, and specific agreements have been signed with the World Meteorological Organization and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. My presidency, which came to an end a few weeks ago, endeavoured to continue the work carried out by my predecessor, Mr. Abdelwahad Radi, to strengthen and boost cooperation in the Mediterranean and to establish PAM on the regional and international scene. The Assembly rewarded these efforts last year when it granted PAM observer status as an autonomous, regional, inter-State organization. That is the result of the work done by all of our parliamentarians, who, individually and collectively, committed to implementing our Assembly’s programme and vision in order to make the Mediterranean serve as a bridge rather than an obstacle between its shores. The new President of PAM, my friend the Egyptian parliamentary deputy Mohammed Abu El Enein, is committed to continuing that work over the next two years. In the context of its new observer status, PAM has participated actively in a large number of United Nations events, including the Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen; the fifty-fourth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, held in New York; the third Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations; the eleventh session of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, also in New York; and the United Nations African Meeting on the Question of Palestine, in Rabat. Obviously, representatives of PAM have also participated in high-level meetings at the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, particularly the Millennium Development Goals summit and the High-level Meeting on Biodiversity. The synergies between the United Nations and PAM are especially apparent in three areas. First, in the peace process in the Middle East, the international PAM-United Nations meeting in support of the Israeli- Palestinian peace process, held in Malta in February, brought together members of parliament, diplomats and experts from the entire region, as well as Quartet representatives. The aim was to contribute to the resumption of negotiations on issues essential to resolving the conflict: Jerusalem, water, borders, refugees and settlements. The progress made there was further strengthened by the appearance in October of the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, at our fifth plenary session, held in Rabat. I should emphasize that it was the first official visit Mr. Rivlin had made to an Arab country, and on that occasion he met with the Vice-President of the Palestinian National Council. In the field of scientific research and education, enhanced cooperation between PAM and the United Nations was established last month in Paris at the launching of the PAM/UNESCO Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Mediterranean Region, whose goal is to better articulate relations between political decision makers and scientific experts. PAM has also been active in economic affairs. The launch in May in Lisbon of the PAM Panel on External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean gave our region a platform to bring together members of parliament, national agencies promoting investment, banks and other major economic players in order to promote development and economic integration in the Mediterranean. The Panel’s first operational meeting, held last month in Naples, witnessed the active involvement in this project of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Bank, with their proposal to host the next meeting in Geneva in the spring of 2011. Next year’s agenda will enable PAM to strengthen its relations with the United Nations in other highly political areas, particularly the PAM/United Nations international parliamentary meeting in support of the constitutional reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will take place in Malta in spring 2011 at the invitation of the Maltese Parliament. That meeting is the follow-up to a PAM Bureau mission to Sarajevo in June, carried out at the Secretary-General’s request, and to the fruitful consultations conducted on that occasion with the Collegium of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Special Representative of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Before concluding, may I once again thank the Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs for making available to us Mr. Sergio Piazzi, a United Nations senior official who has been Secretary-General of our Assembly since its establishment. This is additional evidence of the excellent atmosphere of cooperation that exists between the United Nations and PAM. With this brief outline of our Assembly’s activities I hoped to emphasize how the activities of PAM and the United Nations complement each other. This first year of work in our status as observer in the General Assembly has been a very rich one. The cooperation between our organizations has been fruitful in many areas. PAM is committed to continuing along that road so that our joint efforts can bring about a prosperous, stable world to the even greater benefit and the peoples who live on the shores of the Mediterranean.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 57/32, of 19 November 2002, I now call on the Secretary General of the Inter- Parliamentary Union.

It is a particular pleasure to take the floor at a time when the General Assembly is led by a formidable Swiss politician. As an organization of national parliaments that has its headquarters in Geneva, the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) owes much to the Parliament, Government and people of Switzerland. I bring the greetings of the President of the IPU, Speaker Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia. A fortnight ago, the President of the General Assembly and Mr. Gurirab jointly opened the annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations which, I believe, injected a strong parliamentary contribution into the discussions on global economic governance and the central role of the United Nations system that the President coordinates here. Let me begin by thanking Ambassador Emvula and the delegation of Namibia for spearheading consultations with Member States and for introducing a substantive and visionary draft resolution (A/65/L.11). I would also like to thank all the delegations that have sponsored it. Allow me also to extend a special word of thanks to the representatives of Egypt, India, Chile and Italy, whose countries have led and held the presidency of the IPU in recent years and who have all shown strong and proactive support. As the latest report of the Secretary-General amply demonstrates (A/65/382), there has been much cooperation between the United Nations, national parliaments and the IPU over the past two years. Without dwelling on the details of this broad agenda, I would like to highlight a few points of particular relevance. At the end of last year, the General Assembly mandated the IPU to contribute to preparations for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summit. The issue was high on the agenda of the third World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, held earlier this year. Parliaments around the world have offered us information on how they are performing legislative work on the MDGs. Our findings were put before our parliamentary summit and were shared with United Nations Member States. The speakers who met in Geneva pledged to do more than try to factor the development goals into daily parliamentary schedules and have them enacted into law. They also encouraged all parliaments examining draft budgets and bills to consider their effects on the fulfilment of the MDGs. The IPU will continue mobilizing parliamentary action towards the achievement of the MDGs by the target date of 2015. This, I would suggest, will anchor the role of the United Nations in global governance more firmly in the bedrock of national politics. I arrived in New York today from Cancún. The IPU was present at the Climate Change Conference, bringing together members of parliament, building support among parliaments for a sound international agreement and feeding their viewpoints into the Conference. Indeed, for many years the IPU has engaged parliaments on issues that are central to the ambitions of the United Nations, such as financing for development, gender, HIV/AIDS, climate change and least-developed countries. The draft resolution before the Assembly acknowledges the value of such exchanges and proposes more systematic engagement with the IPU. Other paragraphs of the draft resolution build on the joint work we have conducted within the Peacebuilding Commission, the Development Cooperation Forum of the Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council and its Universal Periodic Review. We salute the establishment of UN Women and look forward to strong cooperation in the years ahead. When it comes to the political empowerment of women, and speaking out against violence against women, we know we have something unique to share. We are also looking closely at how national parliaments can bring a much more profound appreciation of the mutually supportive roles of men and women into the fabric of politics. Behind the jargon of gender mainstreaming, the IPU is currently undertaking pioneering work aimed at instituting real change in parliaments so as to make them gender-sensitive. The prospects are exciting, and the draft resolution rightly recognizes this. The IPU promotes democracy and helps build strong parliaments. Representative, transparent, accessible, accountable and effective parliaments are vital to peace and development. Both our institutions have much to contribute in this field, and we welcome the fact that the draft resolution specifically encourages us to help facilitate closer cooperation between the United Nations and parliaments at the national level, including in terms of strengthening parliamentary capacities, reinforcing the rule of law and helping to align national legislation with international commitments. The IPU is pleased that the General Assembly is proposing a stand-alone agenda item, for consideration at its sixty-sixth session, on interaction between the United Nations, national parliaments and the IPU. As Ambassador Emvula said, this is more than a procedural review of the growing cooperation between two organizations. It seeks to open up the discussion on how the United Nations, as a system, can relate more coherently to parliaments and parliamentarians. Legislatures form a constituency that can bring significant weight to global governance, making it more transparent, accountable and effective. This is not about setting up new institutions; quite the opposite. What we want is a candid exchange on what works well and what does not. Earlier this year in Geneva, parliamentary leaders started this debate, based on an IPU survey on how parliaments today organize their work with the United Nations and on an IPU position paper on parliamentary engagement with the United Nations. The time has now come, we believe, to widen that discussion to include the Member States of the General Assembly.

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 54/5 of 8 October 1999, I now call on the Secretary-General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.

At its fifty-fourth session, the General Assembly, by its resolution 54/5, granted observer status to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC). After that, resolution 55/211, on cooperation between the United Nations and BSEC, opened up new avenues for BSEC to develop working relationships with other organizations within the United Nations system and beyond. Allow me to give the Assembly just a brief summary of developments in relations between BSEC and the United Nations during the period from 2009 to this year. On 6 April 2009, on the margins of the Alliance of Civilizations Summit in Istanbul, I met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the ongoing and future cooperation between our two organizations. For the first time, BSEC has contributed to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations — specifically, those that took place in Cancún. At their meeting in Thessaloniki on 26 November, the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of BSEC adopted a joint Declaration on combating climate change in the wider Black Sea area. The Declaration was presented in Cancún last week by Greece, which currently chairs BSEC. The joint Declaration, if implemented, will be a small step towards saving the planet and its passengers: the human race and all other living species. We need to make sure not just that future generations will survive on this planet, but that Earth itself will survive to offer those generations a place to live. The planet can survive without humankind, but not vice versa. Imposing pollution taxes will not make pollution disappear. The planet does not function according to our economic strategies. Earth does not accept money to become clean. It is for us the passengers to do it, without taking into account economic considerations. Green energy is interrelated with planetary environmental protection. In a split second of astronomical history, human greed has exhausted the savings of billions of years of energy conservation made by our planet. Consequently, we must immediately start operating on our vast daily energy income from the sun, wind, tide and water. And since we cannot produce solar cells and high-tech turbines without oil, it is imperative to emphasize research into new technologies. We maintain very close and enhanced cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), particularly in the area of transport, and continue to maintain our contacts at the highest level. I took part in UNECE’s Inland Transport Committee sessions, and in Geneva in June 2009 we organized jointly with UNECE a seminar on implementing annex 8 to the International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Control of Goods. On 18 and 19 November in Ioannina, Greece, we organized a joint conference on improving road safety in the BSEC region, held to help implement resolution 64/255, which proclaimed 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The conference adopted the Ioannina declaration, which reaffirmed the importance of addressing road safety in the BSEC region; supported continuing and further strengthening joint BSEC-UNECE actions addressing road safety; and invited all BSEC member States to set their own national road-traffic-casualty reduction targets and to monitor progress. This must be done, since human life is priceless and cannot be measured in monetary terms. All efforts towards reducing deaths are worthwhile and noble. BSEC will follow up the conference through its working groups. Our cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme continues to develop. The Black Sea Trade and Investment Promotion Programme, launched in December 2006, has proved successful through its contribution to increasing intra-BSEC trade and investments. BSEC has also taken part in the activities of the Alliance of Civilizations since its acceptance as a Friend of the Alliance in November 2009. I participated in the Alliance Group of Friends meeting held in New York on 24 September. We also participated in the fifth meeting of focal points, held in Berlin last month. Hopefully, humankind can gain from this initiative, if it gets proper follow-up. A point that could be added to the Alliance’s agenda is that because all religions believe in the immortality of the soul, wars become futile, since no one is actually killed. BSEC’s success depends on concrete, effectively implemented common projects. We have two ongoing transport infrastructure projects of major significance: the Black Sea highway project and the development of the motorways of the sea in the BSEC region. The highway ring project envisages a four-lane ring-road system, approximately 7,100 kilometres long, connecting BSEC member States with each other, and Europe’s road network with that of Asia. The project to develop the motorways of the sea is about strengthening maritime links between the ports of BSEC member States. Both projects are ongoing. In February, we launched an important pilot project establishing a BSEC permit system for road transit of goods, with the participation of seven BSEC member States. The new system is expected to facilitate the work of road transporters and foster trade relations among the participating countries. The BSEC permit is used for a single round trip only; trucks holding a BSEC permit are allowed, during that single round trip, to transit through the territories of all participating member States without having to present any other bilateral transit permit. The term of the pilot project was extended for an additional year last month. Before concluding, I would like to pay tribute to Greece, the current Chair of BSEC, for drafting and introducing the draft resolution (A/65/L.35) that is now before the General Assembly. I also wish also to thank the sponsors of the draft resolution, which I hope will be adopted by consensus. Its adoption will give further impetus to BSEC’s cooperation with the United Nations, its specialized agencies and others in pursuing the objectives and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and those of the BSEC Charter. BSEC will continue to play its role, making determined efforts to strengthen multilateral cooperation in order to meet the global challenges of this millennium.