There have been few occasions on which an open debate of the Security Council has been more necessary. What is under discussion is not merely the future of the International Criminal Court (ICC) — a landmark achievement in the history of international law — but also, and what is more, the role and t…
We welcome this opportunity to speak on the issue of international terrorism. We thank the European Union for its initiative to move the issue to the attention of a larger public, which the plenary meetings of the General Assembly provide. The United Nations has to assert its leadership role in desi…
I would like, first of all, to reiterate the feelings of deepest sympathy and compassion which the Government of Liechtenstein has already conveyed to our host country, the United States of America, and, in particular, to the victims of the horrendous attacks on 11 September. We have all been affect…
It gives me particular pleasure to address this item on our agenda, since the Council of Europe is the oldest political organization in Europe and one whose high standards and principles concerning the rule of law, human rights and democratic institutions are exemplary.
In the view of my delegation…
This is a day of celebration. Today we mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention and its near-universal ratification, as well as the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, have for the first time brought into sharp focus the h…
I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General for his report on the work of the Organization, which we have before us. This document. together with the complementary oral presentation made on 20 September, is a remarkable effort to restore the United Nations to its rightful r…
The adoption by the General Assembly of the International Plan of Action on Ageing in December 1982 marked the beginning of a new awareness about the ageing process from birth throughout the life cycle. Since then the questions of promoting active ageing, as well as ensuring fuller participation and…
This fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a very
Fifty years after its adoption, the Declaration constitutes international customary law and thus reflects the universal nature of all human rights. Its provisions apply to every human being worldwide. In addition, the …
Among the many anniversaries which the General Assembly is commemorating this year, there is one that attracts relatively little attention but is certainly worthy of our interest and appreciation. It was five years ago that the General Assembly decided in its resolution 48/5 to invite the then Confe…
I wish to state for the record our position on the draft resolution on the scale of assessments which we are in the process of adopting.
First of all, we would like to say that we are gratified to note that it has been possible to elaborate a new scale of assessments which commands consensus among …
It has been said many times that the end of the cold war has brought about major changes for the United Nations. To an even greater extent, this also applies to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has reshaped and even reinvented itself over the past few years.
The…
Since Liechtenstein has been a long-standing supporter of the activities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), I should like briefly to share some thoughts with the Assembly on the future role of the OSCE and the potential of enhanced cooperation with the United Nations …
The figures put forward to describe the scale and severity of the humanitarian crisis caused by the global proliferation of landmines vary from estimate to estimate. The facts behind the figures, however, remain the same. The social, economic and environmental impact is tremendous. With regard to th…
In the past, families have often been defined as the "smallest democracy at the heart of societies". When the International Year of the Family was being launched, it was affirmed that families as the fundamental group units of society are entitled to maximum protection and assistance to enable them …
When the Assembly adopted resolution 46/182 in December 1991, few could have predicted the number, magnitude and complexity of humanitarian crises that the United Nations has since had to address.
It is a sad reality that calls for humanitarian assistance have never been as numerous as they are now…
