Montenegro, 2008

It is my honour and

pleasure to welcome the election of Mr. Miguel

d’Escoto Brockmann as President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-third session. I wish him great

success in carrying out that complex, responsible and

challenging task. I would also like to express my

sincere gratitude and great respect to Mr. Srgjan

Kerim, President at the sixty-second session, for

successfully leading the Assembly during his tenure. In

addition, I would like to pay tribute to the Secretary-

General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and to emphasize our full

support for his efforts to strengthen the position of the

United Nations as a valuable factor in resolving the

issues on the ever-expanding international agenda.

Now, if the Assembly will permit me, I should

like to continue in my native language.

(spoke in Montenegrin; interpretation provided by the

delegation)

As the youngest United Nations Member,

Montenegro has left its mark on the international

scene. It gained its statehood centuries ago and

democratically restored it in 2006. For us, statehood

represents political freedom, but also political

responsibility. Both are qualities that we look for and

find in the United Nations: in the spirit of its Charter,

and in the promotion of mutual respect and equality

among nations and peoples.

Multilateralism lies at the core of the

international system and inspires strong motivation and

commitment. That is why the United Nations provides

a reliable framework for maintaining international

peace and security, strengthening democracy,

protecting human rights and freedoms, respecting

international law and fostering the economic and social

development of all States.

Today, the world Organization is going through a

process of necessary reform prompted by great

achievements, but also by some setbacks, and even

failures. Montenegro supports a process of pragmatic

reform at the United Nations. As a small State, we are

particularly interested in strengthening the authority of

the General Assembly and other main United Nations

bodies.

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The Security Council lies at the heart of the

overall reform process and needs to be transformed

taking into account equitable regional representation,

transparency and improvement in its working methods.

Montenegro supports intergovernmental negotiations.

We are undoubtedly faced with a very challenging and

complex process, but one to which Montenegro will

strive to contribute.

Respect for human rights and freedoms,

improvement of minority and faith-based rights and the

strengthening of good-neighbourly relations will

continue to be the foundation of our national stability,

as well of regional stability. Our engagement at

national, regional and international levels is therefore

focused on the rule of law and the fight against

corruption and organized crime.

This year we mark the sixtieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The

Declaration is still vital and applicable. We are fully

dedicated to its implementation and determined to

uphold its values and principles. In support of that,

Montenegro has presented its candidature for

membership of the Human Rights Council for the

period 2012-2015.

As the achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals represents one of the key

objectives of United Nations policy, it is only natural

that small and developing States, such as Montenegro,

should be resolved to make a concerted effort towards

those goals. Aware of all the challenges in

implementing that agenda, Montenegro shares the

Secretary-General’s opinion that yesterday’s high-level

event contributed positively to the increased

commitment to realize the goals that have been set.

Challenges that we are facing today, including

political problems, hotspots, blatant violations of

human rights and freedoms, proliferation of weapons

of mass destruction, terrorism, environmental

degradation and climate change, require an adequate

response and decisive action. We believe that no

effective or lasting response is possible without joint

action by the entire international community.

Countries in transition, such as our own, have

relevant experience and are strongly motivated to offer

continuous support to the implementation of the

Monterrey Consensus, in the light of the forthcoming

International Conference on Financing for

Development, to be held in Doha. Economic challenges

faced by countries in transition affect the dynamics and

quality of the way we tackle other issues, thus making

the implementation of the Millennium Declaration

imperative. Therefore, the development needs and

priorities of the African countries, discussed at length

during the 22 September high-level meeting, require

urgent global solidarity and support.

Montenegro fully supports United Nations efforts

to resolve the problems caused by the energy crisis,

especially rising food prices worldwide. We also fully

support the intention of the Secretary-General and of

the United Nations to focus the attention of the

international community on vital issues such as food

prices and food security, in addition to the issues of

climate change and the MDGs. The reason behind this

is obvious: everyone is affected and is hence

committed to solving those problems.

In the light of that, we agree with the proposed

United Nations action in the multilateral framework.

We commend the recent adoption of the Rome

Declaration on World Food Security, and strongly

believe that integrated international action is the best

response.

As an ecologically concerned State, Montenegro

cherishes an interactive relationship between the

environmental aspects of the protection of natural

resources, on the one hand, and the production and

distribution of organic food on the other hand.

Furthermore, Montenegro encourages the creation of

an international trade environment that favours small-

scale producers and developing countries. Public-

private partnerships on specific projects, as one form

of cooperation between my Government and United

Nations agencies in the field of energy efficiency, are

also of special importance for us.

Montenegro has many reasons to be satisfied with

the dynamics and results of its ongoing reform

processes. Promotion of democracy, equality and

tolerance among States and peoples has been and will

continue to be our political doctrine. We are motivated

by a desire for stability and economic and cultural

development, and we demonstrate this in practice in

our relationships with neighbours and regional

partners. It is also a basis for Montenegro’s progress in

European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Our European Union (EU) and NATO agenda is

based on the principles of democracy, a functional

market economy, efficient institutions and the rule of

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law. In the process of integration, special emphasis is

placed on the dynamics and time frame in which our

progress is being achieved — in all areas, including

political, legislative, economic and public administration

reform.

This year, Montenegro joined the Union for the

Mediterranean. We appreciate the support offered by

our EU partners and other members of that significant

initiative. Montenegro stands ready to make its

contribution and to take an active part in the

revitalization of the projects within that initiative.

Montenegro is taking a step forward in its

security policy, centred on multilateral cooperation,

with the aim of creating a legislative framework for the

deployment of our police, military and civilian

personnel to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Montenegro contributed to similar missions more than

100 years ago, in the nineteenth century, and we are

now preparing to implement our commitment again in

order to meet the current needs for fostering peace and

democracy.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the

commitment of Montenegro to contribute to the

strengthening and promotion of the United Nations in

our common effort to identify adequate responses to

multifaceted challenges the world faces today.