For centuries, Icelanders have based their existence and livelihood on the conservation and sustainable use of the resources of the sea — literally living and dying by the ocean. For that reason, healthy oceans and sustainable fisheries have been at the core of Iceland’s ocean policy for decades. We…
I would like at the outset to thank the Secretariat, including the able staff of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, for the valuable assistance provided to Member States through the preparation of reports and all other activities. I would also like to thank the two coordinators, …
The transatlantic slave trade is a dark chapter in Western history. Although slavery existed in ancient times, the scale of this abhorrent practice was unprecedented. For 400 years,
millions of people were subjected to abuse and deprived of their freedom and dignity. Many did not survive the diffic…
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the legal framework for all our deliberations on the oceans and the law of the sea. Iceland welcomes recent ratifications of the Convention, which bring the total number of States parties to 161. By ratifying and implementing the Conventio…
The catastrophic events that have devastated up to 20 million people and claimed the lives of more than 1,600 in Pakistan are among the most dramatic of their kind in living memory. I take this opportunity to express the sincere condolences and the deepest sympathy of my Government to the Government…
The comprehensive report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (A/HRC/12/48) has concluded that there is evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, committed both by Israel during Operation Cast Lead and in the West Bank, as w…
I would like, at the outset, to thank the Secretary-General for his concise and valuable report on the work of the Organization (A/64/1).
The past year has been a gruelling one for the world and for the United Nations. The global financial and economic crisis has affected the well-being of millions…
The elements of the concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P) may be neither new nor original, but the acknowledgement by world leaders in 2005 that they had a responsibility to protect their citizens from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity certainly did mark a n…
As a sponsor, my delegation is very pleased that consensus was established on today’s resolution. The text may fall short of the expectations of some, but the patience and hard work of the original drafters, the Pacific small island developing States, have finally borne fruit. For the first time, we…
I have the honour to deliver this explanation of position on behalf of the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The Nordic countries welcome today’s long-awaited unanimous decision to create a new and consolidated gender entity of the United Nations. This is a fresh s…
This year, the fiftieth anniversary year of the United Nations, the achievements of the Organization in the area of international law have once again been brought into focus. I refer primarily to the adoption in August of the Agreement on Straddling
Traditionally, the law of the sea has been the sp…
I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the five Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - in addressing the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council.
I should like, first of all, to take this opportunity to thank the …
May I congratulate Foreign Minister Essy of Côte d’Ivoire on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session. I am confident that he will steer our work to a successful conclusion, and I pledge him the full support of my delegation.
I wish also to take this opportu…
