Poland, 2011

At the

outset, I would like to cordially congratulate Mr. Nassir

Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of the State of Qatar on his

election to the post of President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I assure him of our

full support for his endeavours in that capacity.

I am honoured to speak on behalf of my country

at this session of the General Assembly and to be able

to address in this historic place representatives of all

the countries of the world. Our participation at this

session is also an opportunity for dialogue, a chance to

get acquainted with the problems of nations from

different regions of the world and to learn about their

achievements and aspirations — and also their

concerns and fears. It is an opportunity for reflection

on how to deal with the challenges faced by

humankind — by all of us.

I speak here on behalf of a country that over the

past two decades has become a symbol of positive

change — change that required courage and hard work.

At the time of the collapse of the communist system,

Poland was a country with a devastated State economy

and an impoverished society. It was a country uncertain

of its borders and its place in Europe. Thanks to deep

economic and political transformations, Poland has

become a country that enjoys stable democracy and a

dynamic economy. It has become a country that makes

an important contribution to international relations in

Europe and to security and stability in its immediate

environment and beyond.

Since 2008, in the course of the financial crisis,

the Polish economy has maintained a positive growth

rate. It is the only country in the European Union to do

so. That was possible thanks to the work and the

entrepreneurial spirit of the Polish people and thanks to

successive Governments’ courage in making difficult

decisions.

In its foreign policy, Poland is building good-

neighbourly relations with the countries of Central and

Eastern Europe, strengthening the security and unity of

Europe. A hallmark of Polish foreign policy remains its

solidarity with nations that aspire to live in freedom

based on democracy and respect for human rights. That

11-50871 2

is an obligation derived from our national experience,

the experience of the non-violent struggle of the

Solidarity trade union, which paved the way for

democratic and economic transitions in the countries of

the former communist bloc.

We now stand ready to share our experience. That

is our active and consistent approach in relation to the

societies of Eastern Europe and, recently, in relation to

the societies of Arab States, some of which have taken

up a challenge similar to ours 20 years ago. We wish

them luck, perseverance and courage, not only to fight

for change but also to conduct dialogue and

communicate with all those who can take part in this

process. From our Polish experience we know that

sometimes the inability to communicate and reach

compromises and to overcome internal divisions — the

inability to open oneself to dialogue with those who

just recently were seen as enemies — hinders progress

and can cause the failure of movements initiating

major, necessary changes.

Today I speak on behalf of the country that holds

the presidency of the Council of the European Union

(EU). The Union has become in recent decades a

laboratory of huge positive developments in

international life. The beginning of the integration

process, with the creation of the European Coal and

Steel Community 60 years ago, was a Copernican

revolution in international relations. A mechanism to

effectively eliminate war between countries that

seemed to be permanently in conflict with each other

was successfully introduced. Archenemies have

become irreplaceable friends. The number of countries

that have opted for cooperation rather than conflict has

been steadily growing.

That has given Europe an unprecedented long

period of peace and enabled economic and social

development not only in the sphere of the market but

also in the field of human rights and in equalizing the

levels of development. The European Union provides

its members with security, stimulates their

development and provides assistance to less developed

regions and social groups. That is possible thanks to a

principle of solidarity that goes beyond State borders.

The European Union has introduced a new

quality to international life globally. It stabilizes its

neighbourhood and is an inspiration and a role model

in various regions of the world, where integration

initiatives derive from the European experience. The

European Union is also an active participant in the

process of shaping a better world order for everyone.

The progress that the world has experienced after the

Cold War in the fields of human rights, international

security and arms reductions, environmental

protection, sustainable development and many other

areas is for the most part due to the initiatives and

involvement of the European Union — as Mr. Herman

Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council,

said here earlier (see ).

I am convinced that not only will Europe’s

current difficulties — at the moment related to the

financial standing of some of its member States — be

overcome but that the EU will actually emerge stronger

from the crisis. I am also convinced that the European

social model and the model of EU relations with the

outside world will remain an important point of

reference for other regions of the world. Poland, which

currently holds the presidency of the Council of the

European Union, will spare no effort in ensuring that

Europe remains committed to global affairs and can be

counted on, as always. Europe’s solidarity with the

world and its openness will remain our priority.

The challenges facing the international

community are considerable. The past decade in

international life has been turbulent and difficult. Its

beginning was marked by the tragic terrorist attacks

here in New York, on 11 September 2001. The spectre

of global terrorism has hung over the world, in the fear

that terrorist organizations one day may make use of a

weapon of mass destruction. Fortunately, our worst

fears have not materialized and it has been possible to

significantly reduce the terrorist threat.

At the same time, the atmosphere of the war on

terror has been a hindrance to fostering trust,

strengthening international stability and solving other

important problems. In the past decade we have had to

deal with increasing tensions between rich and poor,

and between more and less developed countries and

regions of the world. There have been signs of cross-

cultural mistrust. Climate change negotiations, the new

World Trade Organization (WTO) trade round and

non-proliferation discussions are stalled. The Middle

East peace process is not advancing. In addition to

those negative trends, the international community was

hit by the financial crisis in September 2008.

We cannot ignore these disturbing phenomena

and signals. Nonetheless, there is good reason to be

3 11-50871

optimistic and to believe that we can overcome

difficulties and effectively face challenges. Hopes have

been engendered by the economic growth that has been

seen in many countries and regions that were once

referred to as underdeveloped countries or the third

world. Many countries have been able to seize the

opportunities made available by globalization and give

their societies prospects for development and

prosperity. The responsible attitude of many

Governments, within the Group of 20 and beyond,

prevented the financial turbulence of 2008 from

escalating into an economic crisis similar to the Great

Depression of 1929. Openness and interdependence

prevailed over protectionism and economic

nationalism. President Barack Obama’s initiatives to

reduce nuclear arms and ensure their non-proliferation

should be viewed in a similar manner.

The Arab Spring, notwithstanding the dramatic

events surrounding it, is yet another step in the

transition of countries in various regions of the world

towards democracy and the empowerment of

individuals and societies on the basis of respect for

their aspirations to live in freedom and prosperity.

These are aspirations to a life that is in harmony with

values and standards that are not — as they were

considered to be until recently — exclusively Western.

Everyone, everywhere, is entitled to embrace those

values; however, it is necessary to respect the local

aspects and dimensions of these aspirations and rights,

which cannot be separated from their cultural context.

The path to solving key global problems

inevitably leads us to the United Nations or its

specialized agencies. Not so long ago we faced the risk

of a marginalizing of the United Nations, or even the

building of parallel structures. The United Nations,

however, remains indispensable in its role, as defined

in the Charter and the main United Nations documents,

especially those from the years 2000 and 2005. We in

Poland combine optimism with realism, so we like the

description of the United Nations that says that our

Organization was not created to take mankind to

heaven, but to save humanity from hell.

The Organization faces many tasks, whose aim is

to protect the international community against crises

and a decline at the international level. The United

Nations must defend the already achieved level of

civilized relations among nations, a key factor of which

is the move away from violence towards the self-

determination of nations, democracy and material

prosperity.

I see the main tasks of the Organization as falling

within the framework adopted in the 2005 World

Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1), which focused on

the triad of development, security and human rights. I

am aware of the complexity and extent of the problems

related to development, which encompass the issues of

trade, finance, economic growth, environmental

protection and development aid. I am aware of the

limitations of the United Nations in this area, where the

main instruments are in the hands of private entities —

corporations, banks, stock exchanges and investment

funds. The United Nations and its specialized agencies,

the Bretton Woods institutions and others have proved

in the past how useful they are in this area.

Today our Organization must ensure the effective

provision of aid to the poorest and to those in real

need. They are the ones that are hardest hit by the

crisis. Our responsibility is to limit the scourge of

hunger in the world and help in combating pandemics

and in providing access to drinking water. Without

ensuring a minimal subsistence level for people, as

well as health care and basic education, it is difficult to

expect the poorest and those in real need to begin to

fend for themselves.

We must agree on a new paradigm for global

economic trade. Global equilibrium requires that States

with a high surplus of exports over imports begin to

switch to growth, stimulated by internal consumption.

Incidentally, it was domestic demand that saved Poland

from the economic crisis following 2008. If we fail to

balance the relationship between these two groups of

economies — export- and import-oriented — there will

be more turbulence in the global system. Developing

countries must increasingly take responsibility for the

global economy. This includes responsibility for the

least developed countries, which cannot be limited to

imports, as this prevents the development of their own

manufacturing and export potential. United Nations

agencies and entities not related to the Organization,

such as the WTO, must assist in the evolution of this

paradigm.

The issue of international security, in both its

broader and narrower senses, requires a new approach.

Here I shall confine myself to the latter. Poland has a

strong interest in progress in the reduction of nuclear

and conventional arms. We are concerned about the

11-50871 4

prospect of returning to the arms race, as well as by the

increase in spending on armaments on a global scale.

More attention should be paid to the categories of

weapons that today account for the most deaths. They

cause conflicts, mainly internal, and they are the main

factors of instability in various regions of the world. It

is from that perspective that we should reform the

United Nations Conference on Disarmament. We fully

support the efforts of the Secretary-General to that end.

Security in a broad sense and respect for human

rights and the various forms of a transition towards

democracy, that is, ultimately building a lasting peace,

depends on the ability to communicate, to negotiate

and to compromise. In that respect, the role of the

United Nations is irreplaceable. The United Nations

has been, is and must remain the main forum and

instrument for international mediation. We in Poland

and Europe know from our own experience the value

of this way of resolving difficult social and political

problems. The Polish round table of 1989 paved the

way for transformation in our part of Europe. I am

convinced of its usefulness in the process of the Arab

Spring, particularly with respect to the difficult

situation that arose in Syria, a country of great Islamic

culture and tradition. We are ready to share this

experience with the societies that would like to do so.

Mediation is an irreplaceable way to achieve lasting

and just peace.

This also applies to solving very difficult

problems in the relations between Israel and its

neighbours, especially with the Palestinian Authority. I

urge the United Nations and the Secretary-General to

actively use this means of building trust and peace

between peoples, cultures and different social groups

who frequently, and for legitimate reasons, find

themselves in a situation of conflict or even war.

The spirit of solidarity must permeate the activity

of our Organization, which aims for peace, security,

development and respect for human rights. Si vis

pacem para solidaritatem (A/55/PV.17, p. 32) are

words expressed here in 2001 by former Auschwitz

prisoner and Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs

Wladyslaw Bartoszewski. The spirit of solidarity has

been the source of Polish success since 1989, and

continues to be a value and source of strength for the

entire European Union. Nevertheless, it also continues

to be needed on a global scale at this time of openness

and interdependence between countries, economies and

societies. This requires an awareness of the unity of

humankind and a consciousness of the deep

commonality of interests among the members of the

international community. The failure to respect this

will mean failure to effectively take on the challenges

the international community faces. In that regard, I

have only highlighted a few examples.

Finally, being here, I cannot resist recalling the

important words of my great compatriot, Pope John

Paul II. Speaking in the Hall in October 1995, he said:

“The answer to the fear which darkens human

existence at the end of the century is the common

effort to build a civilization of love, founded on

the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice

and liberty. And the soul of the civilization of

love is the culture of freedom: the freedom of

individuals and the freedom of nations, lived in

self-giving solidarity and responsibility.”