Kazakhstan, 2007

I want to invite us all to take a short journey down memory

lane and recall that in 1946 the United Nations General

Assembly, convened for the very first time, by its very

first decision established a Committee to deal with the

problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy.

Almost nothing has happened since that time to

allay the fears of humankind. On the contrary, the race

to possess nuclear weapons, which even terrorist

organizations have now joined, has continued

unabated. Even though the community of nations has

long recognized the need to reform the international

security system, there has been no real progress.

The lack of an international consensus on the

issue has led to a dramatic weakening of the collective

security system. Speaking in general terms, we are

dealing with a systemic crisis of international

governability, and the international community is

running out of legitimate levers capable of stopping the

spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Quite apart from any ethical, economic or other

such considerations, we need to erect legal barriers to

stop proliferation. For this reason, Kazakhstan

proposes that the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of

Nuclear Weapons (NPT) should be adapted to

accommodate the new realities.

It should be acknowledged that the NPT has

become an asymmetrical agreement under which

sanctions are applicable only to non-nuclear States.

Yet, if nuclear Powers call for the development of

nuclear weapons to be banned, they themselves should

set an example by reducing and renouncing their

nuclear arsenals. That is not the case. This unfairness is

an inducement for those States that still aspire to

acquire weapons of mass destruction. I would only add

that, to our way of thinking, this aspiration is irrational.

The people of Kazakhstan have lived through all

the horrors of the effects of nuclear explosions. Four

hundred and fifty-six such explosions were conducted

at the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground.

It was for this reason that the first milestone

decision taken by Kazakhstan after gaining its

independence was to shut down the Semipalatinsk

nuclear testing site. That was followed by the

renunciation of its nuclear missile arsenal, the fourth

largest in the world, and the dismantling of its

infrastructure. I want to note here that at that time we

had not only the trained personnel but also practically

all means for delivery of nuclear warheads.

Those steps have shaped the strategy of our State

in the area of global security. For the first time in

human history, a nation possessing destructive force

has given it up voluntarily.

I am sure that by taking that action Kazakhstan

established trust in the world. Thanks to that step, the

country has witnessed an inflow of considerable

investment that has become the foundation for

impressive achievements in development known today

throughout the world. By taking that step, we

consolidated our independence, having received

security assurances from all nuclear-weapon States. I

have a question for others: why not follow our

example, instead of wasting astounding amounts on the

arms race?

Over recent years, international terrorism has

significantly undermined world security. International

drug trafficking serves as a financial pillar of terrorism.

Today, the international drug industry accounts for a

third of the annual volume of the “economy of

terrorism”. It is a well-established fact that terrorism

finds fertile ground in unstable and poor countries. We

have such a country in our region, Afghanistan. That

country is driving an ever-growing trade in drugs.

Poor countries need the assistance of developed

nations. They need assistance that would give tangible

results. Thanks to a thriving economy, our country,

until recently a foreign aid recipient, has joined the

group of “new donors”. Over the last few years,

Kazakhstan has seen its economy grow at an annual

rate of some 10 per cent. And now we are in a position

to help our neighbours.

We are concerned with the difficulties in the

process of reconstruction of Iraq and the stabilization

of the situation in Afghanistan. The peoples of our

region, like the entire international community, count

on a peaceful solution of the so-called crisis around

Iran. The best way to achieve that is for Iran, whose

people have a great history and culture, to prove the

peaceful character of its nuclear programme.

Today, the peacekeeping efforts of the United

Nations remain the most effective instrument for the

peaceful settlement of regional crises. Fifteen years

ago, from this rostrum, Kazakhstan put forward an

initiative related to the enhancement of the

Organization’s peacekeeping potential. We proposed

the establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping

fund, with States voluntarily contributing 1 per cent of

their military budgets.

That idea has been supported by the Secretary-

General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who has proposed to

redirect 1 per cent of global military spending to

development. I believe that such a decision would

constitute an important step towards the

implementation of the United Nations strategy to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Allow me now to draw the Assembly’s attention

to a number of issues that are important in the context

of Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the United Nations

and its Member States.

First, Kazakhstan welcomes the decision by the

General Assembly to identify problems involving

climate change as a priority theme of the current

session.

In this context, I would like to draw attention to

our initiative put forward at the Johannesburg Summit

on Sustainable Development, by reiterating our

proposal to establish, within the framework of the

United Nations, a register of global environmental

problems. Such an instrument would help us to develop

mechanisms for addressing environmental disasters.

By the 1990s, the Aral Sea, once a large inland

sea, had lost three fourths of its water. That spelled

disaster for millions of people living around it. The salt

from the exposed seabed is being sprinkled on the

entire Eurasian continent, damaging its environment.

The countries of the Central Asian region have done

much to rehabilitate the sea. However, without

consolidation of the efforts of the world community,

this problem cannot be solved. As I did at the 2002

Earth Summit, I again propose to give to the

international fund to save the Aral Sea the status of a

United Nations institution.

Secondly, a deepening global energy crisis and

the growing threat of negative climate changes taking

place on our planet present acute problems for the

world community. We share the concern of the leaders

of the Group of Eight (G-8) and Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation (APEC) countries over these problems. It

is advisable that we develop, within the framework of

the United Nations, a global energy and environment

strategy and discuss it at the 2012 World Summit on

Sustainable Development.

Thirdly, Kazakhstan forms part of the Caspian

region, which is playing a growing role in international

energy markets. As of today, Kazakhstan has the

world’s seventh largest reserves of oil, the sixth largest

reserves of gas and the second largest deposits of

uranium.

By 2017, Kazakhstan will be among the world’s

10 largest oil producers and exporters. Kazakhstan is

also increasing its gas production. Possessing large

deposits of uranium, we will be playing an important

role in the development of the nuclear energy sector.

That said, Kazakhstan is fully aware of its share of

responsibility for ensuring a global energy balance and

security.

To promote further diversification of energy

delivery to consumers and also to provide assurances

to energy producers, Kazakhstan proposes the adoption

of a Eurasian pact on stability of energy delivery.

Fourthly, the first-ever global United Nations

conference on problems faced by landlocked

developing countries, hosted by Kazakhstan in 2003,

adopted an international document, the Almaty

Programme of Action. We believe that it will facilitate

effective assistance to that group of countries.

Decisions on the development of regional cooperation

and transport and transit infrastructure adopted at the

latest session of the Economic and Social Commission

for Asia and the Pacific, held in Kazakhstan last May,

have become an important and logical step in the same

direction.

Fifthly, speaking of Asia, we must mention here

the issue of the establishment of a continental

arrangement for collective security. That has become

possible through the implementation of Kazakhstan’s

initiative to convene the Conference on Interaction and

Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA),

announced by me from this very podium, during the

forty-seventh session of the General Assembly in 1992.

Today, the CICA process brings together 18 States,

which occupy 90 per cent of Asia’s territory. Their

population makes up half of the people living on our

planet. Time has proven the relevance of the CICA

process, within which a political dialogue among Asian

States is gaining momentum.

Sixthly, we support joint efforts to reform United

Nations activities. In our view, the Security Council

should be enlarged in the categories of both permanent

and non-permanent members and on the basis of

equitable geographical representation and respect for

the sovereign equality of States. The working methods

of the Security Council should also be reformed in

order to increase its transparency and accountability.

The General Assembly should play a central role as the

main deliberative, decision-making and representative

body of the United Nations.

Most of the sensational predictions of an

inevitable “clash of civilizations,” fortunately, have not

yet been accurate. However, we should be clear that

interfaith tension feeds the social basis of international

terrorism and religious extremism. I believe that

seeking an accord between religions and the peaceful

coexistence of ethnic groups is a crucially important

element in the process of maintaining international

security.

Kazakhstan, a home to 130 ethnic groups

representing 45 religions, has set an example of

tolerance, which has become a decisive factor in efforts

to ensure peace, stability and the economic progress of

Kazakhstan.

Conscious of the critical importance of a dialogue

between world religions on key issues of the modern

world order, Kazakhstan hosted, in 2003 and 2006,

forums of leaders of world and traditional religions

where religious opinion makers were trying to find not

only a language of mutual understanding but also

mechanisms for easing interfaith tensions in the

planet’s hot spots.

I propose that the Third Congress of the Leaders

of World and Traditional Religions, scheduled for

2009, be convened under the auspices of the United

Nations. I also propose the proclamation of one of the

coming years as an international year of convergence

of cultures and religions.

Just days after the terrorist attacks on

11 September 2001, Pope John Paul II visited our

country. He said that that tragic event should not

become a cause for confrontation between religions. I

strongly believe that there are no problems in the world

that cannot be solved if we set harmony, tolerance and

spirituality against animosity, relying on mutual trust

and cooperation. That understanding instils hope and

enhances confidence in the future.

The United Nations plays a special role in the

strengthening of those hopes. We are not sceptical

about the legitimacy of international law and have faith

in the effectiveness of such multilateral mechanisms as

the United Nations in the promotion of security and

fairness. We are against attempts to weaken our

Organization. Kazakhstan associates itself with those

States that are willing to strengthen the role and

authority of the United Nations because they view it as

the only international body capable of influencing, in

an effective way, the issues of war and peace.