Luxembourg, 2011

Luxembourg is very pleased that the President of the

European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, was able for

the first time to address this Assembly on behalf of the

European Union (see ), and I align myself

fully with his statement.

Never before has the United Nations been so

indispensable; never before have expectations of it

been so great. We are going through a period of great

turbulence; a period, as the Secretary-General has said,

burdened by great difficulties, but also rich in

opportunity for the progress of humankind. It is our

duty to respond to the expectations placed on us by all

those across the world who seek peace, security and

dignity.

On 9 July 2011 a new State was born before the

eyes of the entire world. In January, during their

referendum on independence, the people of South

Sudan spoke loudly and clearly. More than 98 per cent

of the electorate voted for the independence to which

the southern part of Africa’s largest country had

aspired for so long. Luxembourg is proud to have

recognized South Sudan on 9 July, even before the

historic moment of its admission to the United Nations.

The independence of South Sudan is a testament

to the willingness of the two parties in the long

Sudanese conflict to implement the Comprehensive

Peace Agreement. It is now up to both parties to show

the same willingness to implement new agreements to

address the issues of good-neighbourly relations

between the Sudan and South Sudan. The two Sudans,

and their peoples first of all, will benefit if the

relationship finally becomes a constructive one,

allowing for socio-economic development on a new

basis.

The international community stands ready to

support both countries. The development of the Sudan

and support of the new State of South Sudan on its path

to viability, stability and prosperity are tasks that we

must all tackle together and cooperatively. The

European Union is actively engaged. Luxembourg fully

supports its efforts and is also committed bilaterally,

particularly regarding demining activities to help

remove the vestiges of a war that was so long that it

has marked several generations of Sudanese.

A few days ago, in recognizing the full powers of

Libya’s National Transitional Council, the Assembly

blessed, in a way, the end of Colonel Al-Qadhafi’s

dictatorial regime, one that suffocated the whole of

Libyan society for 42 years and did not hesitate to use

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heavy weapons against its own population without

discrimination, trampling on its people’s aspirations for

freedom.

The international community had to react, to

assume its responsibility to protect Libyan men,

women and children who were under fire — and who,

unfortunately, are still under fire in Sirte and Bani

Walid. We did not want to reproach ourselves yet again

for having hesitated too long, for having neglected our

responsibility to protect those unable to defend

themselves against the cruelty of their own authorities.

We did not want once again to be the powerless

witnesses of large-scale violence.

Our Organization was able to react and

demonstrate its capacity to act in a decisive, timely and

just manner. The General Assembly suspended Libya

from the Human Rights Council. Acting within the

remit of Chapter VII of the Charter, the Security

Council authorized all measures necessary to protect

the population and civilian areas under threat of attack.

The Council was able to act so decisively because the

international community, and the region in particular,

supported its action. The Arab League played a very

important role in this regard, which I heartily

commend.

Today, thanks to their courage and the resolute

support of the international community, the Libyan

people are free to choose their future. Together with

our European Union partners, we stand ready to

support Libya on its path to democracy and to help the

National Transitional Council in its immense task of

establishing a new State, in which human rights are

respected and every element of society can find a

place. As Mr. Jean Ping, who was President of the

General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session, put it so

well in Paris on 1 September, Africa will benefit

enormously from the emergence of a democratic Libya,

at peace with itself and with its neighbours. We will all

benefit from it.

In Tunisia and in Egypt, the people have also

prevailed in their quests for liberty and the rewriting of

the social contract, in the face of the supporters of their

former regimes. In other countries in the region, people

must, alas, continue to struggle to achieve respect for

their fundamental freedoms.

In Syria, the regime continues to conduct a brutal

campaign against its own population. Every appeal,

including that of the Secretary-General, to end the

violence and repression has so far remained

unanswered. As the Human Rights Council on

23 August decided, commendably, to send urgently an

independent international commission of inquiry to

Syria, the Security Council should also assume its

responsibility in the matter. The credibility of the

United Nations as a moral force, one that protects

civilian populations and their rights, is at stake.

Equally at stake is the capacity of the United Nations

to be present in crises, revolts and disasters that assault

peoples’ dignity and threaten their very existence.

Peace, security, dignity — these are also key

words when we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict: the right of two peoples to live in peace,

security and dignity.

A solution to this conflict, which has lasted too

long and has poisoned the entire region, must

necessarily be reached through the recognition of the

right of both parties — not just one of them — to live

in a sovereign and viable State. This is unfortunately

not yet the case, despite the hope inspired by the

courageous words of President Obama at this very

rostrum last year (see A/65/PV.11). On the contrary, we

have seen neither a halt to the illegal construction of

settlements, nor a significant lifting of the embargo on

the Gaza strip. The revival of direct peace talks was

short-lived.

We all heard Palestinian President Mahmoud

Abbas’s vibrant appeal yesterday, his call for

recognition of the his people’s legitimate right to a

State and for acceptance of the aspirations of Palestine

to have a seat in the Assembly and to fully assume its

place among the nations of the world. I can only hope

that his appeal will be heard. Israel’s legitimate desire

to live for the long term in security depends on the

realization of the right of the Palestinians to live in

dignity in their sovereign State.

But merely responding to this appeal is not

enough. It is imperative that negotiations between the

two parties start again as soon as possible. Only

negotiations will allow tackling the root causes of the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The parameters for a

settlement have been known for a long time. I fully

support the proposal made yesterday by the Quartet for

a strict timetable: one month to agree on the agenda

and modalities of the negotiations, and no more than a

year to reach a comprehensive agreement.

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I appeal to the parties to show proof of their

political will and ability to make the necessary

compromises and sacrifices so that by the end of 2012

peace in the Middle East finally becomes a reality.

From this rostrum, I reiterate firmly that the restart of

negotiations cannot again stumble over cement and

stones, and I dare believe that the Israeli Government

knows that. In their efforts both now and in the future,

the parties can count on the nations of the European

Union, including my country, Luxembourg.

The events over the past year in North Africa, the

Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa remind us of the

importance of a United Nations Organization with solid

means for prevention and mediation, for peacekeeping

and peacebuilding. Conflict prevention is one of the

principal obligations set out in the Charter of the

United Nations. Primary responsibility for that belongs

to Member States, but no State can act alone. Each

must be able to count on the support of the rest.

At the 2005 World Summit, we all committed to

promoting a culture of prevention, and we put in place

important new tools and mechanisms. The

Peacebuilding Commission, by uniting all concerned

actors and formulating integrated strategies, is an

essential element of these.

My country is deeply convinced of the relevance

of a broad and multidimensional approach to

peacebuilding. Luxembourg is proud to be an active

contributor to the work of the Peacebuilding

Commission, notably as Chair of the country-specific

configuration for Guinea established this February. Our

priority is to support the authorities in Conakry in the

areas of national reconciliation, security sector reform

and employment for women and young people. Since

2010 Luxembourg, in its national capacity, has been

supporting mediation conducted by the Community of

Sant’Egidio between the main political and civil

society actors in Guinea.

Both at the bilateral level and in its capacity as a

member of the European Union, Luxembourg sees

conflict prevention and providing support in post-

conflict situations as being at the heart of its activity

abroad, primarily through multilateral instruments,

with the United Nations, naturally, first and foremost

among them. The challenges we face are not limited to

political conflicts but also concern economic, social

and environmental transformation.

Let us remember that the Arab Spring began with

an act of social protest. We therefore agree entirely

with the priority that the President intends to give

during his mandate to sustainable development,

poverty eradication and achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals.

With our European Union partners, we will do

everything in our power to contribute ensuring that the

United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20), which will take place in Brazil

less than a year from now, in June 2012, is truly

successful. Rio+20 must set a range of ambitious goals

that will ensure that we stay on track with sustainable

development and preserve future generations’ ability to

live on our planet.

Sustainable development, in its three elements —

economic, social and environmental — has long been

at the centre of Luxembourg’s development

cooperation policy. I am happy to say that Luxembourg

has managed to maintain and even increase its efforts

in terms of official development assistance, which in

2010 reached 1.09 per cent of our gross national

product.

We no longer need to prove the close link

between security and development. For Luxembourg,

the links between security and climate change are

equally obvious. As the Secretary-General observed,

climate change must be seen as a threat multiplier.

Luxembourg’s commitment to combating climate

change, including through the Group of Friends created

here in New York for that purpose, is also part of our

strategy for preventing conflicts before climate change

makes them worse. In that context, my country offers

support and technical assistance to small island

developing States, particularly those in the Pacific,

whose existence is threatened by climate change.

Since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997,

Luxembourg, together with its European partners, has

made binding commitments to reduce its carbon

emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Luxembourg is also contributing to the fast start

finance initiative in order to tackle climate change. I

should stress that these resources are new and

additional to our official development assistance.

Among the numerous other challenges that

require a coordinated and collective response, I should

like to mention one in particular: the prevention and

control of non-communicable diseases. Non-communicable

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diseases not only cost 36 million human lives every year;

they also result in significant losses to national revenue

and pull millions of people below the poverty line.

They affect all of us and are having an increasingly

preponderant impact on developing countries. The

response to this challenge of epidemic proportions

must be global and universal.

I therefore commend the initiative on the part of

the Caribbean Community countries to put this subject

on the General Assembly’s agenda and to publicize,

beyond the medical community, the scope and impact

of the crisis in non-communicable diseases, including

in development terms. There is no question that the

debate in the High-level Meeting on the Prevention and

Control of Non-communicable Diseases, the round

tables and the various side events held in the last few

days have allowed us to reach that goal. We should

now fully implement the commitments undertaken in

the Political Declaration (resolution 66/2, annex). I can

assure the Assembly that Luxembourg will continue its

efforts to that end at the national, regional and

international levels.

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001,

whose tenth anniversary we have just commemorated,

were attacks against not only the United States, the

host country of our Organization, but against all of us,

against our values and principles, our convictions and

beliefs. Our Organization itself has become the target

of cowardly attacks. Such despicable acts must not,

however, lead us to turn inward. On the contrary, they

should encourage us to redouble efforts to continue to

act together in furthering the ideals and values of our

Organization and its Charter, to fight together against

terrorism and for a better and safer future for

generations to come, for development and respect for

human rights, for democracy and the rule of law. That

is our joint responsibility: the responsibility to prevent,

to preserve and to protect.

Luxembourg stands ready to shoulder its

responsibilities and to continue to work for an effective

multilateralism, including — if the Assembly affords

us the opportunity — as a non-permanent member of

the Security Council in 2013-2014.