Lesotho, 2010

Allow me, Sir, to

congratulate you on your well-deserved election to the

office of President at the sixty-fifth session of the

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General Assembly. Your career as a leader and

diplomat speaks for itself. I assure you of my

delegation’s support during your tenure of office. I

should also commend your predecessor, His Excellency

Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, for a job well done.

The choice of theme for this session of the

General Assembly, namely, reaffirming the central role

of the United Nations in global governance, is not only

apt but inspired. The founding of the United Nations

was propelled by the determination to save future

generations from the scourge of war. It was driven by

the desire to reaffirm faith in fundamental human

rights, the rule of law and, not least, to promote social

progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

For the past 65 years, this Assembly of nations

has been convening here every year in pursuit of the

lofty ideals of the United Nations. Yet for 65 years, the

achievement of these ideals has eluded us.

Unilateralism and war remain the order of the day.

Disrespect for international law, vast economic

inequities, injustice and suppression of basic freedoms

are the challenges we face today, just as we did 65

years ago. In addition, we have climate change,

financial and economic crises, terrorism and religious

intolerance to contend with. Needless to mention, such

challenges have heightened threats to world stability

and international peace and security.

Let the events of the first decade of this

millennium be a lesson for all of us to learn and

treasure. We have learned a lesson in the futility of

unilateralism, intolerance and war; that selfishness in

world relations is suicidal. We have learned a lesson in

the value of collective decision-making and inclusive

development, if our planet and its inhabitants are to

survive. These lessons say to us that mankind must turn

away from the path of self-destruction. The route to

peace and stability is clear to all of us, yet we continue

to lose ourselves in the wilderness of instability and

poverty, because we are blinded by ulterior motives.

If we value the lessons of the past decade, we

must accept that war is brutal, destructive and

unacceptable. The founding fathers of the United

Nations were right when they affirmed the centrality of

the United Nations in global decision-making and

governance. We must admit that great injustices are

being committed during our times and that human

rights are being trampled upon as we stand by silently.

In this regard, for decades now, the people of

Western Sahara, Cuba and Palestine have been calling

on this august body for help in reversing the injustices,

humiliation and atrocities that are visited upon them by

colonialism, unilateral economic blockades and brutal

occupation. Even today, the people of these territories

are still calling. They are calling to you. Will you listen

and respond, or will you look or walk away? Surely we

cannot condone injustice and yet hope for peace.

Sustainable peace can only be based on justice and the

protection of basic freedoms for all.

By the same token, Zimbabwe must be freed from

unilateral sanctions, as her people work together under

the unity Government to determine their own future

under the leadership of their own choice. In addition,

external interests must not be allowed to take

precedence over the desire of the people of Madagascar

for democracy and stability in their country.

Somalia is a festering wound on the African

continent. Let us rise to the appeal that was made by

the President of the Transitional Federal Government

of Somalia to the Assembly a few days ago. He urged

us to assist the people of Somalia to join the

international movement for the achievement of peace,

the rule of law and the Millennium Development Goals

(see ).

Planet Earth is the only world in which we can

live in shared prosperity and peace. In the wake of the

devastating effects of climate change, we all converged

in Copenhagen with optimism, but left with mixed

feelings following lack of international consensus and

the necessary political will. In the meantime, climate

change continues to wreak havoc, particularly in those

vulnerable developing countries that do not have the

means to adapt to or mitigate the impacts of global

warming. Lesotho signed the Copenhagen Accord

because we believed that it represented a step forward,

even though it did not fully satisfy our aspirations. It is

our hope that, the forthcoming Conference in Cancún,

Mexico, will achieve international consensus, leading

to a legally binding regime on the management of

climate change.

The just-ended High-level Meeting on the

Millennium Development Goals confirmed to us that

the recent economic and financial downturn has

disrupted our strategies for achieving the Millennium

Development Goals by 2015. Despite this fact, we

appeal to our development partners to fulfil their

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official development assistance commitments to help

accelerate our progress in the achievement of the

Millennium Development Goals.

The world is still grappling with terrorism. For as

long as this menace exists, there will not be peace on

Earth. Terrorism knows no boundaries and does not

respect human life. There is neither a country nor an

individual who can claim immunity from terrorism.

Terrorist groups are benefiting from globalization by

decentralizing their operations, building new

partnerships with armed groups, and using advanced

technology to further their cause. This menace will not

be eradicated until we address the root causes, not the

symptoms, of terrorism.

Religious intolerance is closely related to

terrorism. We must acknowledge that religious

tolerance is a prerequisite to international peace and

stability, and that the world’s diversity of cultures and

religions must be respected and tolerated, as it

represents the strength and collective heritage of

humankind. Cultivation of the culture of religious

tolerance must be inscribed high on the agenda of the

international community.

One of the fundamental conditions for

maintaining international peace and security is our

commitment to the disarmament and non-proliferation

agenda. More than six decades after the founding of the

United Nations, disarmament sadly remains a major

challenge for the international community. Today we

see a steadily growing list of de facto nuclear-weapon

States. Proliferation of the weapons of mass

destruction must stop. So must the development of new

generations of nuclear weapons by nuclear-capable

States. We must strive for a nuclear-weapon-free

world. It is the responsibility of those States to stop

threatening the use of nuclear weapons as an option in

the pursuit of their foreign policy interests. Lesotho

will continue to join hands with all peace-loving

nations to support international disarmament and

non-proliferation regimes.

While the international community has registered

some successes in consolidating peace in some parts of

the world, a significantly large number of conflicts

remain unresolved. Some of these conflicts are in

Africa. As African leaders, we purposefully declared

2010 as the Year of Peace and Security in Africa. We

resolved to find African solutions to African problems.

However, we have acknowledged our shortcomings in

terms of capacity in peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

Consequently, we look to the international community

to complement our efforts and resources in this regard.

Conflict-affected countries must also have the

necessary political will to accommodate and facilitate

legitimate external intervention that is intended to

resolve conflict. At the same time, they must not

abandon their primary responsibility as Governments

to protect all their citizens.

In conclusion, it is my considered view that all

these challenges can be overcome, if we accept that the

United Nations is a place where a better and more

secure life for humankind must be championed. But its

structures should be reformed to efficiently fulfil this

noble mandate. Multilateral diplomacy should supplant

the traditional unilateral path in the resolution of

disputes. The United Nations must not be held hostage

to the desires of any single country or group of States.

Its actions should reflect as wide a consensus of

Member States as possible.

Let us continue to reaffirm the central role of the

United Nations in global governance. Let us remember

that might can never be right and can never defeat

collective resolve. It is only then that collectively we

shall be able to promote progress and better standards

of life in larger freedom.