Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I should like to convey my congratulations to the co-presidents of this High-Level Plenary Meeting, their Excellencies the President of Gabon and the Prime Minister of Sweden, who – I am sure – will lead our deliberations very ably.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the President of the 59th Period of Sessions of the General Assembly, Mr. Jean Ping, for his efficient leadership during the preparations for this Plenary Meeting. I have no doubt that his successor, Ambassador J an Eliasson, will implement our decisions successfully.
Above all, however, we owe the holding of this Meeting to Secretary General Kofi Annan, who expressed his belief two years ago that the United Nations were at a critical moment and initiated the steps to see it through this juncture.
Before proceeding with my statement, I would like to reiterate, on my own behalf, and on behalf of the government and the people of Spain, my most sincere condolences and solidarity to the authorities and to the people of the United States of America, as host country of our Organization, for the tragic aftermath of hurricane “Katrina” that has caused so many victims and destruction.
Mr. President,
I would like to start pointing out that we should strengthen multilateralism, turning it into that useful tool in order to base international order on the three fundamental pillars- interdependent and indivisible- of peace and security, respect for human rights and sustainable development.
Our societies are every day more conscious of the complex prospect of our present world. We can’t disappoint them. The commemoration of the 60t anniversary of our Organization affords the ideal opportunity to agree an ambitious programme of reforms aimed at reinvigorating and strengthening the different multilateral mechanisms and institutions of the United Nations system. The United Nations is today, without doubt, the most powerful and inclusive multilateral instrument in the world.
Mr. President,
This Plenary Meeting has an ambitious agenda. A review about compliance with the Millennium Goals needs to be done. There is no more urgent or crucial task for the international community today. I believe that all of us have come here with the conviction that we are still far from reaching our objectives and yet we cannot disappoint the expectations created. The new and complex realities emerging at the beginning of the 21st century highlight that the world is dramatically struggling between progress and inequality, without having tools good enough in order to allow progress to benefit everyone equally. The reports and information available about the huge needs, inequalities, injustices and suffering that millions of human beings are still going through are devastating. They break our hearts, especially, those affecting children and the most vulnerable people.
Spain has experienced a sustained economic development, and thus understands solidarity as a rising social and personal value. For that reason, we would not be faithful to our principles if we were not ready to translate our prosperity into co-operation and commitment to others.
I am therefore pleased to reiterate Spain’s firm determination to increase our commitment to the eradication of poverty and to the development of the least favoured countries of the world, emphasizing particularly on the needs of Africa, although not forgetting medium-income nations too, especially those in Latin America. Spain is firmly committed to peacekeeping efforts and considers that these should be strengthened. A good illustration of this commitment is the unselfish contribution of our armed and security forces in several parts of the world, including Haiti, the Balkans and Afghanistan.
I want to pay my sincere tribute to all those involved in peacekeeping and international cooperation missions, devoting their best efforts up to the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. They are a moving example of dedication to the others. I am thinking, in particular, of our soldiers who died recently in Afghanistan in the performance of the mission entrusted to them under the mandate of the Security Council to support the current process of reconstruction and political transition.
No State can hope today to resolve on its own the common challenges and threats to the coexistence and well being of our peoples. Terrorism, always cruel, unjustified and inhuman, the proliferation of weapons of mass dest ruction, the illegal arms trade and the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law all require a decisive and collective response, based on solidarity and should be duly reflected in the conclusions that we shall adopt.
I would like to express before this Assembly Spain’s full support for the global strategy against terrorism outlined by the Secretary General in Mad rid on 10th March of this year and recall that one of its main components has to be the assistance and support for the victims and their families.
Mr. President,
The reform of the United Nations bodies is necessary to adapt the Organisation to its new challenges. The promotion and protection of human rights is central to Spain’s foreign policy priorities and we therefore support the creation of a Human Rights Council which would assume more effectively the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights, perfecting and incorporating into its work the various existing protection mechanisms.
Revitalising the General Assembly in order to focus its attention on the priority issues of our time; reforming the Security Council – based on the broadest possible agreement – to make it more effective, more democratic, more representative and truly capable of ensuring compliance with its decisions; a reinforced Economic and Social Council in an interdependent and globalised world; creating a Peace Building Commission, capable of filling the void that has existed until now in post-conflict situations and, lastly, strengthening of the Secretariat and management improvement of the Organisation are all objectives Spain shares and hopes actively to contribute to achieve them.
Before concluding, I want to express the satisfaction of the Spanish Government for the Secretary General’s endorsement of a Spanish initiative co-sponsored by Turkey, by establishing a High Level Group that will present a report before the end of 2006 with a view to a plan of action for an Alliance of Civilisations.
Mr. President,
In a year marking the 50th anniversary of Spain’s membership of the United Nations, allow me to reiterate my country’s faithful and firm commitment to the Aims and Principles of the Charter, to effective multilateralism and to a renewed United Nations.
Thank you, Mr. President.
