Monaco, 2005

In 1945,

in the aftermath of a war that tore apart all the peoples

of the world - a war during which the most basic

human rights were violated - a few leading countries

came together at the San Francisco Conference, here in

the United States of America, and created the United

Nations. Collective security had to be restored, human

rights had to be reinstated and our world needed to

move towards greater justice and freedom.

Much has been achieved over the past 60 years.

Today, our Organization consists of 191 Member

States. We hope - and many heads of State or

Government expressed this wish during the recent

summit - that we are beginning a new phase in the

quest for collective security and respect for human

rights and in the fight against poverty and disease,

which continue to affect so many peoples.

To that end, the international community must be

better represented, particularly in the Security Council.

Further progress must also be made through the

establishment of the Human Rights Council, the

achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) to combat poverty and the more efficient

management of the Organization.

Once again, on behalf of His Serene Highness

Prince Albert II, I wish to pay tribute to the President

of the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session and

to you, Sir, on your election to the presidency at the

sixtieth session. I hope that, throughout our debates at

this session, the momentum for change will continue to

build. I would also like to pay tribute to the

Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, who has pursued

those noble objectives with tenacity and farsightedness.

The Principality of Monaco fully endorses the

outcome document, and will support its

implementation so that we can, together, achieve new

progress in the coming months.

The Government of the Principality of Monaco

has, over the past few years, reoriented its international

cooperation policy in order to contribute more

effectively to the achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals. Thus, the main focus of Monacoís

cooperation policies are those defined in the

framework of the Millennium Development Goals: the

preservation of the environment in the broad sense of

the term; the fight against poverty; and support for

education and health care.

Monaco's official development assistance (ODA)

has continued to increase, multiplying fivefold in the

past 10 years - an effort that will continue in the years

to come with a view to reaching the 0.7 per cent target

as soon as possible. Likewise, we endorse the

Declaration on innovative sources of financing for

development.

Through its voluntary contributions to the United

Nations and several other institutions and agencies,

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including the United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization, the World Health

Organization, the Joint United Nations Programme on

HIV/AIDS, UNICEF, the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the United

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to name but

a few, the Principality sponsors activities aimed at

assisting developing countries and the most

underprivileged populations.

Over one third of our cooperation funding is

provided within the framework of multilateral

assistance, and the increase over the past few years

has, of course, also benefited bilateral assistance.

The General Assembly proclaimed 2005 as the

International Year of Microcredit in an effort to

promote such programmes globally. The Principality

has, for many years, accorded special attention to

microcredit, as part of our financing for development

programme, in particular through its cooperation with

UNDP. In this regard, funds provided by Monaco

provide support for small businesses in Africa that are

operating under conditions of extreme poverty, with a

view to improving the standard of living of the most

vulnerable people, particularly women.

Our cooperation efforts are directed mostly

towards the countries of the Mediterranean region and

the least developed countries in Africa, especially

those of sub-Saharan Africa, because we also believe

that we need to open up spaces for regional solidarity

throughout the world.

The Mediterranean is an ecoregion with which

the Principality has, historically, been closely involved.

The implementation of cooperation plans to protect the

Mediterranean environment, both coastal and marine,

is therefore a priority.

Monaco also provides assistance to a number of

French-speaking countries in areas relating largely to

poverty eradication, health care and education.

Working in complementarity with the Government,

Monacoís non-governmental organizations are also

committed in those countries. I would like to

underscore that the Principality is ready to participate,

to the best of its abilities and within its financial

means, in initiatives in the areas of health care and

training.

During his recent address from this rostrum,

Prince Albert II expressed great sadness in connection

with the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in

the United States.

Almost one year ago, South-East Asia suffered an

unprecedented natural disaster. The solidarity shown in

the aftermath of that tragedy and the effectiveness of

the response to it, on the part of not only humanitarian

workers but also civil society, make it clear that the

resources and the capacity do exist to allow for shared

responsibility for the future welfare of the peoples to

whom the Charter is dedicated. The Principality of

Monaco has mobilized` its efforts by undertaking a

great many private and public activities in this respect.

The Principality of Monaco has always been a

staunch defender of humanitarian law. We support in

principle and on the basis of our convictions any action

aimed at alleviating difficult situations resulting from

natural or manmade disasters.

The Principality of Monaco is a small State that

enjoys a certain level of wealth. It cannot change the

world on its own, but it intends to set an example in the

field of cooperation.

The creation of the Human Rights Council and

the establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission will

mark a turning point in the history of the Organization.

Even more importantly, they represent a response to

developments in multilateral relations.

In keeping with the document just adopted, the

General Assembly will also have to strengthen the

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

establish the rule of law assistance unit within the

Secretariat; and work constructively to ensure that the

emerging concept of responsibility to protect becomes

positive law as soon as possible.

In this regard, I would insist on the imperative

need to put an end to impunity for crimes committed

against children.

The defence of the rights and interests of children

has always been one of our major concerns. Indeed,

any act of violence against a child is a violation of the

lofty principles for which the United Nations stands. In

order to build "a world fit for children", in compliance

with the measures adopted during the special session of

the General Assembly on children, held in May 2002,

the Government of the Principality is deeply dedicated

to promoting the concept that there should be no statute

of limitations for the most serious violations of the

rights of children, and that we should expand the

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powers of national jurisdictions by providing them

with universal competence in that area.

Prince Albert II, during his address to the General

Assembly at its fifty-ninth session, invited the

international community to give thought to a plan to

address the impunity that continues to prevail with

regard to the most heinous crimes committed against

children.

In that context, the Principality has stressed the

promotion of that concept in the resolution on the

Rights of the Child, adopted last year by the General

Assembly, and it has reaffirmed its position during the

session of the Human Rights Commission held last

April in Geneva. It is the wish of the Principality to

pursue its undertaking with the support of the

international community on those crucial matters.

In other respects, the Monegasque Government

has paid close attention and contributed financially to

the global study on violence against children led by

Professor Pinheiro, which will present its conclusions

in October 2006. Likewise, the Principality actively

participated, along with the European Council, in the

triennial programme of action - for the period 2005-

2007 - entitled "Childhood and violence", whose

conclusions, like that of the global study on violence

against children, will enable us to make specific

recommendations to States. The Principality of

Monaco will always support all international initiatives

aimed at enhancing the protection of children.

Respect for the environment is also one of our

concerns. Mr. President, it was in your country,

Sweden, just over three decades ago that environmental

law was born. The Stockholm Conference saw the

emergence of a discipline that met a need: to address

the protection of natural resources and of our

environment in an organized manner.

Furthermore, we have decided to join the Kyoto

Protocol, and we hope, in the tradition of the

Oceanographic Institute ó created 100 years ago by

Prince Albert I of Monaco ó to make our contribution

to studies on the future of our planet.

However, the United Nations Environment

Programme is no longer the ideal forum to coordinate

action and ensure its effectiveness because of the

extremely rapid expansion of this field and given the

many conventions, protocols and agreements that have

been adopted. That is why we support the idea of

creating a United Nations environmental body.

Globalization must not make us forget that we

come from different regions and cultures that should

enrich one another and not be a source of clashes or of

conflicts.

We believe in interaction between the United

Nations and regional organizations; one sets the

general rules, and the others facilitate their

implementation at the local level.

The reforms just adopted at the High-level

Plenary Meeting strengthen the unique position of the

General Assembly as the guarantor of the systemís

coherence.

I can assure the Assembly that Monaco will

continue resolutely to make its contribution, however

modest, to building a better world, with full respect for

our differences.