Laos, 2012

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere

appreciation to Mr. Vuk Jeremić upon his election

to serve as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-seventh session. It is my firm belief that, with

his extensive experience and constructive initiatives,

he will guide the Assembly towards achieving its

objectives while serving the common interests of all its

members.

May I also take this opportunity to extend my

profound congratulations to Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz

Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-sixth session, on the successful discharge of his

duties.

Likewise, I would like to commend Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon for tirelessly leading United

Nations efforts to meet its obligations and achieve its

objectives, as well as working to improve the overall

working methods of the United Nations.

Over the past two years, the international

community has encountered complex challenges in

all areas. Regional political complexity and unrest,

especially in the Middle East, seem unlikely to be

resolved any time soon. The use of violence in any form,

as seen in attacks on diplomatic compounds in Syria,

is unacceptable to us. In addition, the global economic

and financial crisis affecting all parts of the world has

reached an alarming point, causing great concern for

all nations, and even for the European Union — a major

economic force.

Such crises have challenged the capacity

and credibility of the existing global governance

mechanisms designed by the international community

to address global challenges. This is a clear indication

that our joint efforts and actions have not yet produced

tangible outcomes.

Negotiations on climate change have shown no

progress, although the Kyoto Protocol is expiring this

year. Efforts to formulate an international instrument

to govern arms trade and prevent illegal trading,

which started some years ago, have also failed. There

has also been little commitment on the part of the

developed countries to help the most vulnerable groups of countries: the least developed countries (LDCs),

the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and the

small island developing States.

In the light of the current situation, it is more

crucial than ever to strengthen the United Nations,

the only universal Organization, in order to increase

its effectiveness in addressing important global issues.

To that end, all Member States should strive to extend

their full support and cooperation to revitalize the

United Nations, finding a harmonious balance between

national and international interests in order to address

the enormous global challenges in a timely and effective

manner.

In the current context, regional organizations have

played an increasingly important role in addressing

the global issues. In that connection, more and more

countries in the world now attach greater importance to

the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

and the ever-expanding ASEAN-initiated cooperation

frameworks. ASEAN is entering a crucial stage in

implementing its leaders’ commitment to establishing

an ASEAN community comprised of three pillars — a

political-security community, an economic community

and a social-cultural community — by 2015. I firmly

believe that, by utilizing its own resources combined

with external support, especially from its dialogue

partners, ASEAN will be able to realize its ultimate

goal of becoming a community that is politically stable,

economically integrated and socially and culturally

harmonious, thus contributing to the cause of peace and

prosperity in the region and the world at large.

As a member of the international community, the

Lao People’s Democratic Republic has done its utmost

to fulfil its international obligations by pursuing a

policy of cooperation with other countries based on the

principles of equality, mutual benefit, and respect for

the principles of national independence, sovereignty

and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,

thus building an international environment conducive

to national development.

Over the past year, despite numerous challenges,

the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has continued to

enjoy political stability and social order. There has been

good progress in developing the national economy. That

has laid a solid foundation for attaining the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and created

conditions conducive to the country’s graduation from

least developed country status by 2020.

Despite those achievements, the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic continues to face numerous

challenges and constraints. In addition to problems

resulting from the global and regional economic crises,

natural calamities and the remnants of war, such

as unexploded ordnance, continue to harm people’s

lives and pose major obstacles to national social and

economic development, including the attainment of

the MDGs. In that regard, we call upon all countries to

become party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions

with a view to fully banning the use of such weapons.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic feels

honoured to be entrusted with hosting the 9th Asia-

Europe Summit Meeting, which will be held on

5 and 6 November in Vientiane, the capital of the Lao

People’s Democratic Republic. That will provide a

great opportunity for the leaders of Asia and Europe

to discuss and exchange their views on global issues of

mutual interest.

The international community wishes to see the

restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine will not

be resolved without the full implementation of the

relevant Security Council resolutions supporting the

establishment of two States, Israel and Palestine, living

side by side in peace. The Lao People’s Democratic

Republic reaffirms its support for the membership of

Palestine to the United Nations.

The economic, financial and trade embargo

imposed on the Republic of Cuba has long caused

considerable hardship to the standard of living of the

Cuban people. That embargo must be unconditionally

and immediately lifted.

Owing to their geographical locations, the

landlocked developing countries are among the most

vulnerable Members of the United Nations. The special

challenges and major development obstacles they face

are the result of their great distance from world markets

and high transit transport costs, which impede their

national sustainable development efforts. Each year, the

landlocked countries bear a heavy financial burden in the

effort to improve their transit transport infrastructure

network in order to ensure that their export products,

which constitute a crucial part of their national income,

have better access to world markets. Those problems

are compounded when their national economies are

affected by financial or social crises, natural disasters

and climate change, inter alia. In addition, 50 per cent of the LLDCs are also LDCs. I therefore urge the

international community to devote greater attention and

provide assistance to that vulnerable group of countries

through full implementation of the Almaty Programme

of Action, as well as to play an active part in the 10-year

review of the implementation of the Almaty Programme

of Action, to be held in 2014.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic reiterates

once again its firm commitment and determination

to continue working closely with the international

community to build a peaceful world under a just and

more democratic new order, based on cooperation with

all countries in tackling the various global challenges

facing us. I am convinced that only through firm

determination will we be able to achieve the immediate

and long-term development objectives and ensure that

the world is secure, peaceful and prosperous.