Andorra, 2014

It is an honour

for me to represent my country, the Principality of

Andorra, in the Assembly, which for almost seven

decades has been meeting annually to speak of peace,

development and justice, and particularly this year,

in which we are marking two historic events that are

closely linked to the birth of the United Nations.

The year 2014 will mark 100 years since the

beginning of the First World War and 70 years since

the landing of the Allies in Normandy, which was the

beginning of the end of the Second World War. Those

two armed conflicts caused humanity to open its eyes

to a new reality: the old balances among European

Powers no longer served to maintain peace in the

world. The policy of blocs was ineffectual in preventing

conflicts with enormous destructive capacity. Further,

the foreign activities of countries, focusing solely and

exclusively on their national interests, proved in some

cases to be the cause of the conflicts.

The two World Wars raised humankind’s awareness

in that the world needed a global order that would

ensure peace and security and promote development

and justice. Those functions could no longer be

provided by a single country, however powerful and

large, or even by a bloc of countries; rather, there had

to be multilateral action. That was the raison d’être of

the United Nations, of which the highest expression is

this General Assembly.

I wanted to begin with a brief historical reference,

because I believe that the challenges of peace and

security in the world of today are not very different

from the challenges of peace and security of the world

of yesterday, of 1914 or 1944. Certainly there is a

variety of challenges, but they have a very significant

common denominator: they can be resolved only with a

vision that is global, multilateral, effective and, above

all, respectful of the principles that inspire this General

Assembly.

The conflicts in Syria, Palestine or Ukraine, which

threaten peace and security and stability, will not be

resolved optimally or effectively with a partial or short-

term vision. Any solution that veers away from the

founding principles of the United Nations is condemned

to be unstable, not lasting and, unfortunately, quite

often a solution that leads to new conflicts.

Therefore Andorra has always championed and will

continue to champion the discussion of and solutions

to those conflicts under United Nations auspices. We

did so when we co-sponsored the draft resolution in

the Security Council that would have requested that the

case of Syria be referred to the International Criminal

Court (ICC), because without justice there can be no

lasting peace — neither in Syria nor anywhere else.

Also, in the same spirit we have been unflagging

in our defence of a solution to the Palestinian conflict

that obtains peaceful coexistence for two States, in

compliance with United Nations resolutions. A solution

must be based on mutual recognition and mutual respect,

because the aspirations of the Palestinian people to have

their own State are noble and respectable, but also noble

and respectable are the aspirations of the Government of

Israel to ensure life and security for its citizens. Along

the same lines, we do not believe that any solution to

the Ukrainian conflict can be stable unless it respects

the principles of international law and unless it comes

as the fruit of a sincere dialogue — neither in Ukraine

nor anywhere else.

The risk and threat to international peace and

security arising from the emergence of the Islamic

State in Syria and Iraq require a clear response from

the international community vis-à-vis the extremists.

There can be no excuse or mitigating factor for the

criminal acts of barbarism, sectarianism and — let us

be clear — terrorism to which the Islamic State resorts

as a strategy for its action and communication. There

can be no double-standard discourse. The Islamic State

murders innocent people in cold blood. We all feel as

if we are British, American or French citizens when

watching the recent savage executions. We must also

all feel as if we were Syrian or Iraqi citizens — true

victims of those extremists, though not always so

visible in the media. There can be no room for inaction

or for impunity.

New threats, also global in nature, have appeared,

such as the phenomenon of foreign combatants. In

that connection, Andorra co-sponsored the recent

Security Council resolution 2178 (2014). We must have

a response to rechannel efforts to tackle the challenges

and immediate threats. In the long run we must be able

to persevere in the fight against sectarian discourse,

extremist discourse, and discourses of hate. On that

point, education must play an essential role, together

with the other values of the United Nations, now and

in the future.

The actions taken by my country in the United

Nations over the past year have focused primarily on

education. That matter requires, perhaps more than

any other, a vision that integrates long-term thinking.

Promoting access to quality education for all the

citizens of our planet has always been a priority of the

United Nations, because when we speak of education

we are speaking also of fundamental rights and of

development. But I would go further. Education is

also an instrument for creating awareness of a global

citizenry. If there is not a broad majority of citizens of

the world who believe in the principles and values of

the United Nations, our actions will always be in vain.

I am convinced that the only way to create global

awareness is through education. Education is the best

weapon in the fight against hatred and violence of all

kinds. Andorra therefore welcomes and has participated

from the beginning in the Global Education First

Initiative promoted by the Secretary-General, because

it brings a universal vision together with local action.

It also shows that diversity is strengthened in a global

focus, and with diversity we can strengthen democracy.

Andorrans, because of our historical and

geographical circumstances, have understood for some

time that education must have a twofold focus, local and

global. We have also long understood that cooperation

among the different States strengthens the quality of

our educational systems and opens new opportunities

for our citizens. I say “educational systems” because

the citizens of Andorra can have access on an equal

footing, and without cost, to French, Spanish and

Andorran education. Those three public education

systems are complemented by the offer in Andorra of a

Catholic religious education, accessible also to a great

part of our population.

Perhaps without being fully aware of it, or perhaps

because fortune has placed us between two great

European nations, it is true that for decades now we

Andorrans have educated ourselves in diversity and

in being multicultural. That has not caused us to lose

our identity; on the contrary, our identity has been

reinforced. Sometimes we are not even aware ourselves

of the educational richness of our country and of the

great asset that that is. For that reason the Government

of Andorra has focused a great deal of its policy and

action abroad on education. In 2012 and 2013, during

the Andorran presidency of the Council of Europe, that

is how we acted. It is also what we have shown through

participating in the Global Education First Initiative,

together with 15 other countries from all continents.

That was an honour for Andorra.

That activity abroad is also reflected coherently

in internal policies in Andorra. We have suffered the

effects of the international economic crisis for years. We

have had austerity in our public spending, but that has

not undermined our educational system. It will never

affect our educational system, or undermine it, because

education is the best passport to the opportunity for a

future that is better for all.

The need for multilateral action is clear not only

in the matter of education but also, and perhaps even

more intensely, in the fight against global warming.

What we each can do unilaterally will not accomplish

much if there is no global commitment. It is in the fight

against climate change that we can see most clearly that

unilateral actions have a limited reach. Andorrans are

very aware of that, given that our primary economic

sector is winter and mountain tourism — a tourism

threatened by global warming. The Pyrenees are

heating up at 0.2°C each decade, and precipitation has

dropped by 2 litres per square metre each year.

It is clear that a programme of local action is

required. We are working, together with the population

through education and awareness, on policies to reduce

our impact on the environment. We are preparing

studies to seek ways to mitigate the effects of climate

change and also to seek alternative and complementary

systems. Over the years ahead, we will deploy great

efforts to bring about alternative energy sources.

But all that is not enough, nor are the many

actions being implemented by Governments in

countries represented enough. National domestic

environmental policies are important, but if we are to

limit carbon dioxide emissions we must have a global

commitment. Without effective implementation of such

a commitment, the fight against climate change will not

bear the hoped-for fruits. We have a year to prepare for

the Paris Conference, a year to mobilize our efforts.

It is also time for the international community

to mobilize to fight the Ebola virus that so seriously

affects Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. It also affects

us; let us not deceive ourselves. It is the time to show

solidarity, to help. Now is the time, in the weeks and

months ahead, when we must tackle that disease,

which, unfortunately, does not recognize — nor will it

recognize — borders. It is urgent. Beyond that it is, in

my opinion, a global emergency.

Three years ago, the Minister for Foreign Affairs

of the Principality of Andorra came to this Assembly

and spoke, among other things, of an ambitious reform

programme for restructuring our economic model (see

A/66/PV.27). The programme hinged on transparency,

economic openness and a homogenization that would

respect certain Andorran specifics. Today, three

years down the road, we can make a very satisfactory

assessment of the implementation of that policy. Our

country has implemented a fiscal model that works

with our European neighbours, a moderate system that

taxes all income and promotes economic productivity.

We have also opened 100 per cent of the Andorran

economy to foreign investment, as we believe that a

more open world is a more transparent world, one with

more opportunities for all, and in particular for those

who deserve it the most. A country such as ours, which

for many years has been open to immigration, cannot

continue to allow our citizens to have different levels

of rights economically. They must all have the same

economic rights. In that process we have broadened all

economic rights to all foreign residents, who represent

more than half of our population, because a more open

economy is also a fairer and more democratic society.

At the same time, along with its domestic reforms,

Andorra has negotiated double-taxation agreements

with France and Luxembourg and is negotiating one

with Spain that I am convinced will be concluded soon.

We think we can have a similar agreement with other

European and other countries. Those agreements show

that there is a commitment in Andorra to a more open and

transparent global economy. That is a firm commitment

on the part of our Government with regard to generating

more opportunities for our business sector. We are also

firmly determined to move towards greater integration

of our economy in the single European market. For us,

going global begins in Europe.

I wanted to sum up some of our principal

domestic reforms because I understand that a spirit

of multilateralism and a global spirit must prevail.

The efforts of a country working for transparency and

economic cooperation make sense and will be effective

only if they are accompanied by equal efforts by all

countries — again, by all countries. Andorrans are

committed to moving in that direction, and to do so

together with the international community, because we

know that it is only thus, only by working globally, that

progress will be effective, equitable and stable.

The statement of the Head of Government of a

country of 468 square kilometres and 70,000 inhabitants

will never make the headlines or be discussed in

prime time on the world’s big international television

channels. But representing a small country gives us

some advantages, including one that I believe we

should underscore today. No one is as aware as we are

of the importance of multilateral forums when it comes

to resolving conflicts, strengthening international law

and finding global solutions. No one is as aware as we

are that to preserve individual identities and diversities

we must have a collective resolve and joint action.

History has accustomed Andorrans to being affected

by the geostrategic decisions of bigger countries and to

suffering indirectly the effects of instability occurring

beyond our borders. We know that in the great causes of

humanity such as the fight against climate change, our

individual actions will not have much influence if not

accompanied by collective action. I could say the same

of building a global economy that is more equitable and

more transparent. I have always said that the reality

for Andorra is also the reality for all, that for the

great questions we address, the solutions all hinge on

consensus — otherwise they are not solutions. We must

have broad consensus based on individual convictions.

The convictions of Andorra are clear: they are the

principles and values that almost 70 years ago inspired

the birth of the United Nations. Let us never forget the

reason for this great Organization. If we forget, we are

not worthy of being here.