Mongolia, 2003

May I extend

my heartfelt congratulations to the President for his

unanimous election as President of the fifty-eighth

session of the United Nations General Assembly and

express my confidence that under his able stewardship

this session will successfully accomplish its mission.

For the 58-year-old United Nations, which has

been working throughout to maintain international

peace and security, the promotion of human rights and

fundamental freedoms and to foster development and

progress, the passing year has proved to be a

challenging period. Moreover, we feel deeply

concerned that the United Nations and its staff

members, who dedicate their lives to helping peoples

and countries affected by wars and armed conflicts

have turned into targets of terrorist acts. But it is our

earnest belief that the noble mission of the late Special

Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Sergio

Vieira de Mello, and other United Nations staff

members who lost their precious lives while helping

and assisting the people of Iraq, will not be in vain.

At the Millennium Summit, held at the turn of a

new century, world leaders reaffirmed their

commitment to the purposes and principles of the

United Nations Charter and proclaimed their firm

resolve to work together towards a more efficient and

revitalized United Nations.

However, the emergence of a complex

international situation and its subsequent developments

cast into doubt the ability of the United Nations to

develop a fast and adequate response to international

crises, to maintain international peace and security, to

prevent armed conflicts, to resolve pressing issues in

war-torn countries and effectively assist them in

building national reconciliation and reconstruction.

Even more important, the relevance of the United

Nations itself has been put into question.

It is therefore incumbent upon us to reaffirm

anew, at the highest level, our shared commitment to

implement the Millennium Development Goals

unanimously adopted at the Summit and to reiterate the

importance of enhancing the role of the United Nations

and multilateralism in addressing the formidable

challenges of the twenty-first century.

Mongolia has consistently supported the United

Nations as the singular world Organization to serve the

interests of its Member States and as a principal

instrument of multilateral cooperation, given its

underlying purposes and principles as well as its

universal representation. Mongolia stands for a

reformed and revitalized United Nations, adapted to the

evolving international realities, for its enhanced role

and greater involvement in all areas pertaining to the

maintenance of international peace and security,

resolution of pressing economic and social issues and

promotion of sustainable development.

As its practical contribution to United Nations

peacekeeping operations, Mongolia endeavours to

provide the relevant personnel to its various missions

and supports the efforts to make peace-building

missions more effective with an increased emphasis on

preventive diplomacy. While emphasizing the

increasing importance of ensuring the safety and

security of United Nations personnel engaged in

peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, my

delegation fully endorses the additional measures

recently adopted by the Security Council to this effect.

Mongolia has signed the Convention on the Safety of

United Nations and Associated Personnel and intends

to ratify it in the near future.

My delegation shares the concern over the slow

pace of the reform process of the United Nations

initiated by the Secretary-General a few years ago.

Hence, we believe that there is an urgent need to speed

up the reform through identifying innovative

approaches so that the United Nations and its Security

Council are able to effectively address the challenges

ahead.

Mongolia reiterates its support for a just and

equitable enlargement of the Security Council by

increasing the number of permanent and non-

permanent seats and ensuring representation of both

developing and developed countries, reviewing the

veto power and democratizing working methods of the

Security Council through enhancing the openness and

transparency of its work. We support the proposal of

the Secretary-General to establish a high-level panel of

eminent personalities entrusted with a mandate to

conduct a comprehensive analysis of evolving

challenges and ways of strengthening the United

Nations.

Some are portraying the contours of today's

world as unipolar. Others are challenging this, arguing

for a multi-polar world. It seems unreasonable to seek

to command humankind and the patterns of its

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existence under any particular roof or leadership, or to

try to tear it apart into different directions.

In today's world, characterized by globalization

and interdependence, it has become increasingly

evident that, despite divergent views, we all live in one

global village, breathe the same air and share a

common future. Mutual understanding and cooperation

are becoming the order of the day, rather than division,

fragmentation, marginalization or discrimination.

Indeed, contemporary human philosophy teaches us not

to alienate or estrange, but, rather, to interact and align

with one another.

In addition to the traditional threats emanating

from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

the spread of missile technology and inter- and- intra-

State conflicts, non-traditional threats, including

terrorism, organized crime, illegal drug trafficking,

scarce drinking water, environmental pollution and

global climate change, are having adverse effects on

regional and international security.

As a State party to the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), conventions

banning chemical and biological weapons and the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Mongolia

deems it important to ensure their universality; to

address disarmament issues in a comprehensive

manner; to further reduce all types of weapons; to help

the Conference on Disarmament to break through its

ongoing impasse; and to strengthen monitoring

mechanisms for the relevant multilateral treaties and

agreements.

As a nuclear-weapon-free country, Mongolia

actively supports the establishment of nuclear-weapon-

free zones in other parts of the world. Mongolia

believes that the nuclear-weapon States should provide

security guarantees to non-nuclear-weapon States and

States parties to the NPT, and supports the conclusion

of a multilateral treaty to that effect.

Mongolia is in favour of a nuclear-free Korean

peninsula and of a peaceful resolution of the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear

programme issue. In this regard, we are in favour of

continuing the relevant multilateral talks.

Mongolia fully supports the efforts being

undertaken by the international community to revive

the Middle East peace process and to implement the

road map, and supports the establishment of a just and

durable peace in the region, on the basis of ensuring

the legitimate interests of the parties concerned.

Mongolia shares the concern of other nations over

the precarious situation and continued loss of life in

Iraq despite the termination of major combat

operations. Mongolia is in favour of an increased role

and involvement of the United Nations in restoring

peace and stability in Iraq and in providing

humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.

With the rapid advance of globalization and

technological breakthroughs, we deem it important to

create an enabling environment for all countries

especially weak, small or vulnerable economies

equally to benefit from globalization, and for the

international community to offer support and assistance

to those countries in their social and economic

development and to enhance global partnerships for

development.

Recent years have been marked by an increased

emphasis on social and development issues, resulting

in a host of international conferences on sustainable

development, financing for development and food

security, all organized under the auspices of the United

Nations. The speedy implementation, at the national,

regional and international levels, of the decisions taken

at the social summits, as well as efforts to achieve the

goals agreed by the Millennium Summit and at

Monterrey, Johannesburg and Rome, have become the

top priority of the world community. The recent

Cancun Ministerial Conference of the World Trade

Organization has revealed the complexity of the

process, leading to a new round of talks on the Doha

Development Agenda.

Growing development disparities between haves

and have-nots; increasing poverty and unemployment

in the developing world, in particular the least

developed countries; the spread of HIV/AIDS; the debt

burden and trade inequalities, and the further

aggravation of such pressing issues remain our

immediate cause of concern. We cannot ignore the fact

that underdevelopment, poverty and social inequality

could serve as a breeding ground for confrontations

and armed conflicts. Hence, it has become imperative

for the international community to display genuine

solidarity and shared responsibility for our common

good.

International cooperation is crucial in effectively

addressing environmental challenges, including natural

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disasters, global climate change, air and water

pollution, and desertification. In this respect, small and

poor nations warrant greater attention and support.

Mongolia commends the outcome of the first

International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked

and Transit Developing Countries and Donor Countries

and International Financial and Development

Institutions on Transit Transport Cooperation, held in

Almaty, Kazakhstan, in August this year, under the

auspices of the United Nations. We consider that the

timely and expeditious implementation of the Almaty

Plan of Action will help landlocked developing

countries to become actively engaged in global

economic integration.

Fifty-five years have elapsed since the adoption

by the Assembly of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. The relevance of this fundamental

document has stood the test of time, as its underlying

ideals have been enshrined in both international treaties

and conventions and in national legislation, thus

becoming the universal norms of humankind. The ideas

contained in the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights have been carefully integrated into Mongolia's

1992 Constitution, and my country is firmly pursuing

policies to consolidate democracy and to protect and

promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Thirteen years ago, Mongolia irreversibly

embarked on the road to democracy and has

endeavoured to make its own contribution to the cause

of promoting democratic ideals. Earlier this month

Mongolia hosted the Fifth International Conference of

New or Restored Democracies, which resulted in the

adoption of the Ulaanbaatar Declaration and Plan of

Action. More than 600 representatives from 119

countries and a host of international and non-

governmental organizations participated in the

Conference, thoroughly discussing and sharing their

experiences on a wide range of issues under the main

theme of Democracy, Good Governance and Civil

Society'. It is gratifying to note that the Conference

successfully completed its ambitious agenda. My

delegation will actively collaborate with others in

ensuring effective follow-up to the implementation of

the Ulaanbaatar Declaration and the Plan of Action at

the national, regional and international levels.

The State and Government of Mongolia are

pursuing an open and multifaceted foreign policy and

undertaking specific measures to consolidate the

democratic reforms with a view to ensuring human-

centred development and human security, promoting

and protecting human rights and fundamental

freedoms, fostering political and economic stability

and achieving sustained economic growth.

In conclusion, may I express my confidence that

deliberations on the pressing issues before the

international community during this session of the

General Assembly will be productive and result in

sound decisions that contribute to the strengthening of

international peace and security and the advancement

of social progress and development. In this context,

you may rest assured, Sir, of the continued support and

full cooperation of my delegation.