Laos, 2011

The

reappointment of Mr. Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-

General is testimony to his able leadership and great

achievements in guiding the universal Organization

over the past five years. I take this opportunity once

again, on behalf of the Lao Government and people, to

express to him my sincere congratulations and to wish

him great success in the discharge of his noble duty,

especially as we seek to overcome ongoing multiple

crises and challenges.

In the same vein, the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic is pleased to work closely with all the States

Members of the United Nations at this sixty-sixth

session of the General Assembly under the presidency

of Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, a veteran diplomat

with extensive experience in international affairs and

diplomacy. I also commend Mr. Joseph Deiss on his

success as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-fifth session.

39 11-51384

Like other delegations, I welcome South Sudan as

the 193rd Member of the United Nations.

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic has always stood firm in upholding the

peaceful settlement of disputes and in preserving

international peace and security in view of creating an

environment conducive to the promotion of

development cooperation. In this connection, in recent

decades the Lao Government has continued to pursue a

consistent foreign policy of peace, independence,

friendship and cooperation aimed at ensuring tangible

benefits for the Lao people, thus contributing to

maintaining regional and international peace and

security. This policy direction was reaffirmed at the

Ninth Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary

Party held in March. By pursuing this policy in

response to external challenges, over the past decades

the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has firmly

upheld and maintained political stability and social

order, thereby laying a solid foundation for continued

economic development and social progress. As a result,

we have achieved considerable progress in social

advancement and poverty reduction.

For the next five years, the Government has

identified immediate and medium-term targets to

accelerate economic development in all aspects so as to

build a strong basis for the implementation of the

national strategy to transform the country into an

industrialized and modernized nation and achieve the

ultimate goal for graduating from least developed

country status by 2020.

In this globalizing and integrated world, all

nations big and small, rich and poor, have become

more interdependent than ever. None of us can survive

in isolation from the international community.

Although the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has in

the past recorded satisfactory achievements in its

national socio-economic development endeavour, the

country will continue to confront daunting challenges.

As a small, least developed nation, the country has

been vulnerable to external shocks. Therefore, it shares

with other countries the desire to reside in a peaceful

and secured world.

That being said, all nations must continue to

enhance development cooperation, to ensure tangible

benefits for their peoples based on mutual respect,

solidarity, understanding and assistance, and avoid the

use of threat, interference and force. Nevertheless, it is

unfortunate that we have faced multiple challenges

over the past year caused by regional conflicts, and

spreading social unrest, coupled with financial and

economic crisis and devastating natural disasters,

which have become more frequent. All this has posed

severe threats to global peace, stability, security and

development cooperation.

Against this backdrop, these multiple challenges

are not only obstructing developing countries, the least

developed in particular, in pursuing their national

development efforts and achieving the international

development goals, but are also further reversing

development.

In such circumstances, we believe that the United

Nations, as the only universal Organization, should

further enhance its role in order to address the

challenges in a more timely and just manner in

response to the common aspirations of all Member

States. Towards this end, we must accelerate the United

Nations reform process, which has been pending for

years, to achieve a more concrete outcome. It is more

critical than ever for all Member States to enhance our

cooperation in a sincere and trustworthy manner,

without taking advantage of one another, in the effort

to reform the United Nations bodies and improve their

effectiveness.

Security and political stability remain critical to

advancing the socio-economic development of all

regions. The United Nations should therefore play a

more critical role in maintaining international peace

and security by effectively carrying out its duty to

address regional conflicts, especially with regard to the

situation in the Middle East, which has gone

unresolved for decades. Against this backdrop, the

United Nations should play a more effective

facilitating role in urging all parties concerned to find a

solution and realize the vision of two States, Israel and

Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and

within internationally recognized borders, as stipulated

in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. In

this regard, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

supports Palestine’s application on 23 September for

full membership in the United Nations.

Another important concern remains the issue of

the economic, trade and financial embargo imposed on

Cuba for several decades, which has seriously affected

the Cuban people. We believe that it is now time for

that embargo to be lifted unconditionally.

11-51384 40

Peace and security in South-East Asia have

contributed to creating an environment conducive to

the socio-economic advancement of the member

countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN). At present, ASEAN is continuing its efforts

to accelerate community-building by 2015 based on

three pillars: the ASEAN Political-Security

Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and

the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Indeed, we

have made steady progress in our common endeavour.

In its community-building efforts, ASEAN aims

to implement free trade areas among its 10 member

countries, as well as between ASEAN and its dialogue

partners. In the same vein, our organization has further

strengthened its external cooperation by maintaining

ASEAN centrality in all ASEAN-initiated frameworks,

such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, the ASEAN Regional

Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus

and the East Asia Summit. In addition, ASEAN has

started to discuss its long-term vision and role beyond

the year 2015. All of this has contributed to

maintaining peace, stability and development

cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region and in the

world at large.

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is another

important mechanism for facilitating international

cooperation. Over the past 15 years, ASEM has

developed remarkably and become an important forum

for leaders to consider measures to respond to

emerging regional and global challenges. In that

context, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is

honoured that ASEAN member countries have

entrusted it with hosting the ninth ASEM Summit, to

be held early in November 2012 in Vientiane, its

capital. The Lao Government has made the

preparations for the Summit a top priority. In that

regard, I take this opportunity to invite the leaders of

ASEM member countries to attend the Summit. It will

provide an excellent opportunity for leaders from the

two regions to discuss important issues related to

promoting peace and enhancing effective cooperation

among the countries of Asia and Europe in this new

era.

Socio-economic development in a country that

has suffered the consequences and legacy of war has

never been easy. One of the main obstacles and

hindrances to our efforts to advance socio-economic

development is unexploded ordnance, which continues

to have an extensive and serious negative impact on the

livelihoods of the Lao people, both directly and

indirectly. The Lao Government has made every effort

and mobilized financial means to clear the

contaminated areas, particularly agricultural and

inhabitable lands across the country, as well as to raise

public awareness and help victims to reintegrate into

society.

In discharging its duties as President of the First

Meeting of States Parties to the Conference on Cluster

Munitions, over the past year the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic has received invaluable support

and assistance from the international community,

including States parties and non-State parties,

international organizations, in particular the United

Nations Development Programme, civil society

organizations and international non-governmental

organizations. All have contributed to the early

implementation of this humanitarian Convention.

On that note, on behalf of the Lao Government

and people, as well as on my own behalf, I would like

to express my most sincere appreciation to all countries

and international organizations for their support and

assistance. These were clearly reflected in the broad

participation in the First Meeting of States Parties,

which was hosted by the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic in November 2010. Furthermore, I would like

to congratulate those countries that have ratified or

acceded to the Convention. The number of States

parties to the Convention has now increased to 63. I

hope that other countries that are not yet States parties

will consider acceding to it in the near future. It is more crucial than ever that the international

community seize the opportunity to fulfil its obligation

to promote and enhance cooperation as a means of

addressing pressing challenges, which no country can

do on its own. Against that backdrop, the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic reaffirms its consistent

determination to work closely with the international

community, thereby helping to make this world a

peaceful, equal and just place, free of fear and

deprivation. I am convinced that close cooperation and

mutual assistance will enable us all to achieve our

common goals.