Mauritius, 2011

The primary

purpose of the United Nations is to maintain peace and

security, as set out in the very first Article of its

Charter. This remains the top priority of the

international community and of the United Nations.

However, 66 years after the adoption of the

Charter, our definition of peace and security differs

from what it was in the immediate aftermath of the

Second World War. Our concerns today are wider than

the mere suppression of aggression or similar breaches

of peace. We are now equally concerned about the

threats to peace and security resulting from factors

other than armed aggression. Tensions exist, within

nations and among nations, as a result of unequal

access to resources, the lack of food security, or

existential threats because of the inability to address

climate change issues. Insecurity also results from the

absence of an adequate international mechanism for the

redress of grievances and the peaceful settlement of

disputes.

I propose to deal with four of the constitutive

elements of present-day security that the international

community and the United Nations should address,

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namely, the elements of economic, environmental,

human and legal security.

When peoples and nations feel inextricably mired

in poverty and face bleak prospects for development,

they are insecure about their future. That economic

insecurity may ultimately threaten global peace. The

current economic turmoil is deepening the despair of

those who live in need and is spreading despondency,

even in relatively affluent countries. The world

economy has yet to recover from the crisis of 2008.

Today, Europe and North America struggle with

budget deficits, unsustainable debts and high

unemployment. At the same time, the recent political

turmoil across the Middle East could mean that oil and

food prices will continue to rise. As developed

economies grapple with these serious challenges, the

developing world finds itself negatively impacted by

economic and financial crises resulting from failures in

which it had absolutely no part.

While the ability of established developed

countries to deal with economic and financial problems

is in question, the world is witnessing the rapid rise of

a number of emerging economies. As the economic

centre of gravity shifts eastward and creates new

opportunities, we must ensure that those formidable

global challenges do not create economic insecurity for

those who feel left behind and that they do not lead to

other threats to international security.

It is imperative that we manage these

transformations judiciously and with pragmatism. In

that context, I must stress the particular economic

vulnerabilities of small island developing States

(SIDS). The economies of SIDS remain highly volatile

because of their open economies, small economic size,

narrow resource base, disadvantages in economies of

scale, high export concentration, dependency on

imports and high vulnerability to energy- and food-

price shocks.

We reiterate that SIDS need to be granted

preferential treatment as part of a global strategy to

ensure economic security. Regrettably, SIDS have been

denied the formal recognition of their specific

vulnerabilities that would entitle them to special

consideration. My delegation fully supports the

implementation of the Barbados Plan of Action and the

Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of

the Programme of Action for the Sustainable

Development of Small Island Developing States.

As there are increasing concerns over issues such

as employment, food security, climate change and

access to water, it is a matter of regret that trade talks

that could give a boost to international trade, and

therefore to economic security, are stalled.

On a broader note, I must say that talks on trade

and other economic issues, to the extent that they take

place at all, are held in sectoral and often restricted

forums. While the specialized nature of these

negotiations, or of the scope of the matters being

addressed by standard-setting organizations, may

require dedicated sectoral frameworks, it is imperative

that the international community ensures that those

frameworks are legitimate ones, with universal

membership. It is also imperative that, as an apex body,

the United Nations have a holistic view on global

economic, financial, trade and development issues.

During the 1970s, the United Nations played a

significant role in shaping the conceptual framework

for a new international economic order. The United

Nations has adopted a number of landmark resolutions

that have laid the normative foundation for a more

equitable economic order. The United Nations still has

a role to play in shaping the world economic order to

ensure economic security, in accordance with its

mandate under the Charter. The United Nations is the

only international organization with not just the

necessary legitimacy and universality but also the

responsibility to have an overview of global economic

development. In doing so, the United Nations will

ensure policy coordination among forums for various

sectors, set principles and guidelines for sector-specific

negotiations, and assume its ultimate responsibility for

the economic security of all nations.

To reaffirm its responsibility with respect to

economic security, the United Nations must not only

undergo reforms in its institutions and working

methods, it must also re-balance its focus on political

and economic issues. In this regard, the Economic and

Social Council must be given the prominence it was

intended to have as one of the principal organs of the

United Nations. And in assuming its responsibility with

respect to economic security, a reformed and

revitalized United Nations will have to work more

closely with regional cooperative institutions, which

are the pillars of international cooperation.

The high food prices of 2007 and 2008 and the

global economic crisis led millions of people into food

25 11-51360

insecurity and raised the total number of people who

go hungry to more than 1 billion. Commodity prices

remain high and the risk of repeated crises is real. With

the projected increase in world population to

9.1 billion by 2050, and the rising costs of production,

there is a risk of persistent price volatility. That will be

exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The

international community must therefore seriously

address the issue of food insecurity around the world.

Economic security also entails working towards a

more inclusive national society without discrimination,

eliminating inequalities and fostering wider

participation on the part of all sections of the

community in national development and governance.

Two days ago, at our 14th meeting, we gathered

to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption

of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

We welcome the progress achieved in the fight against

racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related

intolerance since 2001. We nonetheless recognize that

in spite of these efforts, many people continue to be

victims of these despicable practices.

We commend the United Nations on the success

of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on

Youth (see A/65/PVs.111 and 112) and the adoption of

the outcome document (resolution 65/312).

Development and security will require greater

participation by young people in the formulation of

strategies and policies.

In that same spirit, we welcome the establishment

of UN-Women and its overarching vision of a world in

which societies are free of gender-based discrimination

and where women and men have equal opportunities,

respect and consideration. A more inclusive world,

where women’s intellectual and economic potential is

fully realized, will promote economic security.

In June of next year, world leaders will meet in

Rio de Janeiro to renew their political commitment to

sustainable development and, hopefully, to adopt

concrete measures that will contribute to greater

economic security. But before we can move ahead, we

will also have to consider why so many past

commitments have not been honoured. We look

forward to the oceans receiving the attention that they

deserve at Rio, as part of the broader economic agenda.

Small island States in particular are relying on the

international community to give due attention to the

sustainability of the oceans in the context of the United

Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

(Rio+20) and beyond. The sustainability of oceans is

crucial to the security and, in some cases, the very

survival of many small island States.

Humanity as a whole is now increasingly

concerned about its environmental security, probably

more than it has ever been in its history. For some

small island nations, this concern is, in fact, an

existential one. In recent decades the United Nations

has brought to the fore the concept of sustainable

development and the measures required to promote

such development. The preparatory work under way for

Rio+20 has highlighted the serious gaps we still face in

this area. The disruptions resulting from climate

change pose a real threat to global security.

Climate change is real. Extreme weather

phenomena such as super-storms, floods, droughts and

heat-waves are already upon us. Climate change is

affecting us in our daily life, and it threatens the very

survival of many small islands. Mauritius is already

experiencing the adverse effects of climate change. Air

temperature has risen by 0.6° to 1.1°C in different

microclimates over recent decades. The sea level is

rising at the rate of 1.2 millimetres per year in the

south-west Indian Ocean. Our annual rainfall has

decreased by 8 per cent compared to the 1950s.

Extreme weather conditions such as flooding are

becoming more frequent.

Without international cooperation and concerted

action, the impact of climate change will be

devastating for all our nations. My delegation firmly

believes that the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change is the primary

international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating

the global response to climate change. Small island

nations are economically vulnerable, and their

vulnerability is exacerbated by the dramatic

consequences of climate change. Small island States

rely on the international community for their security.

Mauritius is committed to the concept of the

green economy. We recognize that it is not a one-size-

fits-all notion. Countries need to reflect their own

national priorities and realities in their implementation

of it.

My Government has been pursuing a sustainable

development strategy. The Maurice Ile Durable project,

which we adopted in 2008, is taking shape, and a

whole range of measures have already been

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implemented. We propose to increase the share of

renewable energy in the generation of power from the

present 18 per cent to 35 per cent by 2025, by making

more intensive use of biofuels and wave, solar and

wind energy. To that end in May last year I set up a

full-fledged ministry with responsibility for sustainable

development. We are engaged in a national

consultation process to formulate strategies and

policies that have public support and are designed to

protect the environment, deliver social justice and

create a sustainable economy.

Climate has impacted the water cycle both

directly and indirectly, and will continue to do so, by

affecting precipitation and evaporation cycles as well

as water availability and patterns of water

consumption. Many regions of the world are already

experiencing reduced rainfall. As climate change

intensifies and water scarcity becomes more acute, the

threat of tensions among different nations and different

users may increase. The international community must

therefore work together to address this pressing issue.

Environmental security must be a priority of the United

Nations in promoting global security.

As well as dealing with the existential threat that

climate change poses for some nations, people around

the world continue to be concerned about their own

security. I will mention four such concerns.

Disarmament is a major component of

international security strategy. The threat to humanity

posed by the continued existence of nuclear and other

weapons of mass destruction is a universal concern.

Our failure to resolve the issue of disarmament

continues to undermine global development and

security. A significant reduction in the production of

conventional weapons and eventually a world free of

nuclear weapons are goals that will be achieved only

over time, and that will require patience and

perseverance. As a matter of fact, the international

political environment is now probably more conducive

to the realization of these goals than it has ever been.

Terrorism continues to be a threat to security.

Recent events have reminded us that acts of terrorism

can be perpetrated by extremists from all points on the

political spectrum, and that terrorism is equally capable

of breeding in both poor and rich countries. The

international community needs to follow up on the

United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and

enhance international cooperation in that regard.

The World Drug Report 2011 again shows that

drug trafficking and consumption remain significant.

Narco-trafficking and drug money in organized crime

and terrorist activities are a threat to stability and

security at the national and regional levels. As we

celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1961 Single

Convention on Narcotic Drugs, let us recommit our

efforts to fight drug trafficking as part of the global

strategy to ensure human security.

We are 30 years into the fight against HIV/AIDS,

which is an ever-present threat to human security. I am

convinced that we have achieved more in the 10 years

since the special session of the General Assembly on

HIV/AIDS than we did in the previous two decades. It

is heartening that the High-level Meeting on

HIV/AIDS held in June renewed the political

commitment of Governments to halting and reversing

the spread of HIV/AIDS and to ensuring that, by 2015,

no child is born with HIV (see resolution 65/277,

annex).

Mauritius fully adheres to the UNAIDS vision of

uniting for universal access. The National AIDS

Secretariat, which I set up in May 2007, pursues its

work to achieve zero new infections, zero

discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths in

Mauritius.

Article 2 of the United Nations Charter provides

that all Members shall settle their disputes by peaceful

means. Article 33 spells out the means and ways of

doing so. In the same spirit, the Charter provides in

Chapter XIV for the establishment of the International

Court of Justice.

However, recourse to international adjudication

for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States

has, historically, required the consent of the States

concerned. In recent times, a number of bilateral or

multilateral agreements have provided for the prior

commitment of States to submit to arbitration or

adjudication. We welcome that development.

Security requires the appropriate legal framework

for the redress of grievances or the settlement of

disputes. The international community has yet to set up

adequate machinery for the peaceful settlement of

disputes that is available to all States.

The General Assembly has decided to convene a

high-level meeting during the sixty-seventh session on

the rule of law. We welcome that decision, but we want

27 11-51360

to stress that the debate on the rule of law must apply

at both the national and international level. We would

therefore look forward to the Assembly discussing the

rule of law as it applies to inter-State relations as part

of the forthcoming debates.

Allow me to give as an example the difficulties

that my own country has experienced in resolving a

dispute with the former colonial Power, the United

Kingdom, relating to decolonization. The Chagos

Archipelago, which is part of Mauritian territory, was

excised from Mauritius prior to independence, in total

disregard of resolutions 1514 (XV) and 2066 (XX) and

the principles of international law, and was declared

the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory. The

United Kingdom has failed to engage in any

meaningful discussions with us on the matter.

When the Government of Mauritius consequently

announced in 2004 that it would refer the dispute to the

International Court of Justice, the United Kingdom

immediately amended its declaration, under Article 36

of the Court’s Statute, to reject the jurisdiction of the

Court with respect to certain disputes with a member or

former member of the Commonwealth. That illustrates

the kind of difficulties that a State may face in settling

a claim under international law. The States involved in

the dispute may refuse to negotiate in good faith and

seek to ensure that no international tribunal can

determine the law applicable to the dispute.

We call on the United Nations to keep under

review the whole issue of the settlement of disputes,

including by judicial means, and to set standards of

conduct for all States with respect to negotiation,

conciliation, mediation or other forms of non-judicial

and peaceful settlement of disputes or, alternatively, to

the submission of the dispute to adjudication.

In that context, Mauritius is particularly pleased

to welcome the decision of the President of the General

Assembly to adopt as the theme of its current session

the role of mediation in settling international disputes.

We affirm our full support in advancing that cause.

Greater legal security also requires better global

governance. In that respect, the United Nations must

lead by example. The United Nations must recognize

that the world has changed since 1945. Current efforts

to adopt reforms in relation to the Security Council, the

revitalization of the General Assembly and the working

methods of our Organization must be given the sincere

and strong support that is required.

My delegation continues to believe that

comprehensive reform of the Security Council should

include reform in the membership of both the

permanent and the non-permanent categories. Africa

should no longer be deprived of its right to permanent

representation on the Council. My delegation fully

supports the African common position enshrined in the

Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.

We equally believe that Latin America also fully

deserves permanent representation on the Council.

Mauritius further reiterates its support for India’s

rightful aspiration to a permanent seat in a reformed

Security Council.

We also look forward to a more all-inclusive

United Nations system that can effectively address

issues of international security, with the admission of

Palestine as a Member State. The United Nations and

the international community have a duty to restore to

the Palestinian people their dignity and their right to

statehood and security. Mauritius supports the

application for full membership of the United Nations,

submitted to the Secretary-General yesterday by the

President of the State of Palestine (A/66/371, annex),

and the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people

to take their rightful place in the international

community. We welcome the statement by President

Abbas at the 19th meeting that Palestine extends its

hands to the Israeli Government and the Israeli people

for peacemaking and for building cooperative relations

between the States of Palestine and Israel.

We are also pleased to welcome the emergence of

South Sudan as an independent and a sovereign State

and its admission to the United Nations.

Before I conclude, I wish to say a few words

about matters of interest to our region.

As a coastal State of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius

is concerned by piracy, which poses a threat to global

commerce. It hinders economic development and has

become a major security issue in the region and

beyond. We welcome the response of the international

community to that serious threat. Cognizant of the

problems that arise in connection with the prosecution

and detention of pirates, Mauritius has offered to assist

with the prosecution and detention of pirates. Mauritius

and the European Union signed an agreement in July

this year to enhance our capacity to contribute to the

international effort under way in that regard.

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If the international response to the famine in

Somalia is not commensurate with the immense and

immediate needs of the people, we fear that the

problem of piracy will only worsen.

The continued unlawful occupation of the Chagos

Archipelago by the United Kingdom is a matter of

concern for the region. Mauritius welcomes the support

of the African Union and of the Non-Aligned

Movement for the territorial integrity of our country.

The purported declaration of a marine protected area

around the Chagos Archipelago by the United

Kingdom, in breach of the United Nations Convention

on the Law of the Sea, is another cause for concern.

That is why, in December of last year, Mauritius

commenced arbitration proceedings against the United

Kingdom under the 1982 Convention on the Law of the

Sea.

As regards Tromelin, Mauritius and France made

progress with an agreement on joint management,

without prejudice to our sovereignty. However, we

need to continue our dialogue for at the end of the day,

the territorial integrity of Mauritius will not be

complete without the return of Tromelin.

As a member of the Southern African

Development Community (SADC) and current Chair of

the Indian Ocean Commission, Mauritius welcomes the

signing last week of an agreement between leading

stakeholders on a road map for the restoration of

democracy in our neighbouring State of Madagascar.

That agreement was reached following the relentless

efforts of SADC and the Indian Ocean Commission to

bring the parties together. Implementation of the road

map requires the holding of national and local

elections, for which significant resources need to be

mobilized. We call on the United Nations and the

international community to extend all their support for

the successful implementation of the road map.

(spoke in French)

The lack of security on the economic,

environmental, legal or even, in some cases, existential

fronts calls for a review of the mandated obligations of

the United Nations. While the initial concerns of the

founding fathers about threats to international security

remain valid, the international community today is just

as concerned by other threats to its security and other

challenges to be tackled.

I would add that, in updating this concept of

security and, by extension, in redefining the role of the

United Nations, the international community must also

foster dialogue among cultures and civilizations. We

welcome the Secretary-General’s initiative to create the

Alliance of Civilizations, whose mission is to improve

understanding and relations among nations and peoples

of different cultures and religions and to assist efforts

to halt the forces that fuel divisions and extremism.

Tensions are often caused by ignorance, by fear

of others and by feelings of justice denied. Thus it is

crucial not only to maintain dialogue among nations

and peoples, but also to promote the understanding of

cultures and civilizations.