Romania, 2009

At

the outset, I would like to address to Mr. Ali

Abdussalam Treki my warmest congratulations on his

election as President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-fourth session. I wish him every success in

meeting this challenge.

My country is proud of its historic commitment to

tolerance, fostering rapprochement and confidence-

building in international debates. Romania has always

demonstrated its resolve to enhance multilateralism, be

it by bringing parties in conflict together, overcoming

artificial boundaries or promoting cooperation between

developed and developing countries.

I take this opportunity to pay tribute to an

important event for Central and Eastern Europe, which

we are commemorating this year. It has been 20 years

since the autumn of change that reshaped Europe and

opened the way to historic opportunities for the former

Eastern bloc. Two decades have passed since the fall of

the iron curtain, and we now recognize that the power

for change that democracy represents is one of the

most potent European values. It remains the hope of

millions of young people throughout the world who

defend freedom of expression, multi-party systems,

respect for diversity and freedom of the press. We must

never forget our history. After two decades of

democratic change, we must never forget where we

started. That is what now strengthens the values that

are shared throughout Europe and that allow us better

to understand democracy’s transformational sweep

throughout the world.

We now face the most important challenges

humanity has ever faced. The negative impact of

climate change has only been exacerbated by the global

financial and economic crisis, the food crisis, the rise

in energy prices and pandemics. The world is

experiencing increasingly tense situations that make

our efforts to meet the challenges of the new century

even more sensitive. We have now to address terrorism,

the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

prolonged conflicts, failed States, food and energy

insecurity, migration, poverty and the violation of

human rights.

I hope that, in the face of not just of one but of

many challenges, Member States will make this

situation an opportunity for visionary change. Through

the implementation of solutions to the economic and

financial crisis and responses to the negative effects of

climate change, we can aspire to create greener

economies and jobs, societies more responsible in their

use of energy, improved infrastructure, and financial

instruments strong enough to support such a transition.

(spoke in English)

I would like to refer to a key topic on the United

Nations agenda: climate change. I do not intend to

reiterate all its negative effects or the danger it poses to

the very existence of humankind. Members are well

aware of all of them, and we have been speaking about

them extensively over this past week. However, I do

want to stress the principles that underpin Romania’s

approach to this issue and that we would like to invite

Members to consider as well.

Nature is part of our daily life. If we respect

nature, we can take long-term benefits from it, making

us better prepared to design and build our future.

Respect is essential. We are all affected by climate

change. There is no boundary to protect a certain

country or a certain area. It is not as if something

happening in the Pacific is not also the business of

somebody living in a developed European capital. That

means that we all have a common responsibility

towards others. We must be aware that everything we

do and any decision we take has an impact on others.

That is why it is so important to base our decisions on

such values as human respect, solidarity and

responsibility.

41 09-52592

We commend the Secretary-General for his

dedication and commitment in dealing with this issue.

By bringing us together as world leaders seeking

consensus on what is to be done about climate change,

he has rallied us to work towards the Conference in

Copenhagen. We expect an ambitious agreement to be

reached in Copenhagen.

Another challenge that affects us all is that of the

global financial and economic crisis. Again, solutions

must be to the benefit of all. We need to join forces

rapidly to resume economic growth and development,

reform financial instruments and preserve international

stability. The world financial system no longer meets

the needs and realities of our time. The institutions

monitoring that system have to be reformed. We need

to create an early prevention and early warning

mechanism, and the United Nations should be

entrusted with more resources and prerogatives as the

main coordinator for the delivery of global public

goods. Our task will be to ensure discipline and

predictability within the system, while preserving the

freedom of the market as the main engine of economic

growth. We welcome in this respect the commitments

undertaken at the summit of the Group of Eight to

discourage protectionism and ensure the conclusion of

the Doha negotiations by 2010.

We need a twenty-first century multilateralism

that is both innovative and pragmatic. Romania is

devoted to that cause and seeks to expand its

cooperation with the United Nations in ever more

creative and pragmatic ways. To illustrate Romania’s

interests and its more concrete contributions to the

United Nations system, I am proud to point to just two

major projects that came to fruition this year. The

opening of the first emergency transit centre for

refugees in Timisoara, the first such body in the world,

was the result of excellent cooperation with the United

Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the

International Organization for Migration. The second

project is the signing, here in New York, of a

memorandum of understanding between the

Government of Romania and the United Nations

regarding the training of United Nations close

protection personnel within the Centre for Excellence

of the Romanian Protection and Guard Service, to be

opened soon in Bucharest.

In all our endeavours to identify a stronger

multilateral approach to guaranteeing a safer and more

sustainable system, we should all consider at least four

essential elements. The first is managing the current

economic crisis so as to secure sustainable

development and growth. The second is staying

focused on the demanding and interconnected issues of

climate change, poverty, food security, health, energy,

migration and the lack of democracy in some parts of

the world, while maintaining international peace,

security and stability. The third element concerns the

consolidation of international law. The fourth concerns

strengthening and increasing the efficiency of

international institutions.

The United Nations and its bodies must be at the

centre of this renewed multilateralism with what the

Organization does best — promoting development and

security while advancing democracy, human rights, the

rule of law and social development. At the Millennium

Summit, we all pledged to boost the role of this unique

and indispensable Organization. Indeed, in recent

years, the United Nations has undergone a wide-

ranging process of realignment and reform. However, it

is also very evident that reform of some of the most

important United Nations bodies is still slow and

inconsistent. I hope that, in the months and years to

come we will see more progress in this respect.

Romania continues to share the view that the

overarching goal of reforming the Security Council

should be to achieve a more effective, transparent and

representative body, and will join in any effort to that

end. Since the intergovernmental negotiations in

February, the reform process has shifted into a higher

gear, allowing us to pursue the mandate set forth at the

2005 World Summit.

Another significant decision contained in the

2005 Outcome Document (resolution 60/1) concerns a

crucial issue: the responsibility to protect. A few

months ago, the General Assembly held a very

constructive debate on how to implement this concept.

The responsibility to protect is one of the most

important conceptual evolutions for the United

Nations. This path should be thoroughly explored by

Member States, as it holds tremendous preventive

potential.

Solutions to the challenges of the twenty-first

century should also make more use of efficient regional

mechanisms. I am referring to organizations such as

the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian

Nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,

09-52592 42

and NATO, which are either cooperative bodies or ones

directed towards regional integration.

The potential of smaller, knowledgeable groups

of States to address the problems of a region is high. If

supported, such regional groups can more easily muster

political will and the capacity to act. This is

particularly true in situations related to peace and

security, where swift and decisive action is often

required.

While serving its mandate in the Security Council

in 2005, Romania promoted the Council’s resolution

1631 (2005), which sought to strengthen cooperation

between the United Nations and regional organizations

in maintaining peace and security. Since then, a lot has

been done in this respect, but the potential for action

under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter is

still to be fully unleashed.

Unfortunately, there are still crises around the

globe that cannot be resolved by regional means alone.

We continue to face protracted regional security

challenges, such as those in the Middle East and

various parts of Africa, as well as the South Caucasus

and the Black Sea region. Reconstruction efforts in

Afghanistan are turning out to be more complex and

difficult than we all initially thought. Such situations

require our undivided attention and comprehensive

efforts.

My country is investing a great deal in the

stability and security of the world. More than

1,500 Romanian troops serve in United Nations-

mandated and -authorized missions in all areas of the

globe, from Kosovo to Afghanistan, from Bosnia and

Herzegovina to the Sudan. In recent years, Romania

has been honoured to be able to participate, along with

its allies and partners, in the stabilization and

reconstruction of Iraq. At the end of June, Romanian

troops concluded their mission there, leaving Iraq with

the satisfaction of an accomplished mandate. The Iraqi

security framework has improved significantly. The

same could be done in Afghanistan. By keeping its

commitment steady and deepening it when needed, it

will be possible for the international community to

succeed in consolidating a sovereign Afghan nation.

Among the perils that threaten us most, terrorism

and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

remain of major concern. Nuclear proliferation is of

particular concern, given the increasing accessibility of

technology capable of large-scale destruction. In this

context, we urge those Member States that are

considering nuclear programmes to fully heed the

concerns of the world community and to abide strictly

by international norms and regulations.

Lately, there have been encouraging signs in the

realm of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

We highly appreciate the recent agreement of the

Presidents of the United States and the Russian

Federation for nuclear arsenal cuts, confirming the

commitments undertaken by those two States. As there

have also been positive indications from the United

States with respect to its ratification of the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the

international community can now feel confident that

the biggest nuclear Powers are determined to advance

the nuclear disarmament process.

(spoke in French)

It has been said that violence begets violence, but

to ignore or not take into account the basic principles

of human rights would be to do the same. In the same

way, intolerance fuels further intolerance. We can

debate historical themes, but we cannot deny history

altogether. The tragedies, crimes against humanity and

genocides are sins of the past, but they should also be

lessons for the present and the future.

We have already demonstrated our willingness

and capacity to accept our past in a critical way.

Romania reiterates its commitment to combating

extremism, xenophobia and all forms of racism and

discrimination. At the same time, my country actively

promotes diversity and multiculturalism, as well as

intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the

framework of the International Organization of la

Francophonie and the Alliance of Civilizations.

Unfortunately, democracy is too often a slippery

term in the diplomatic framework of the United

Nations. But we cannot have a stable world and meet

the challenges that face us without promoting certain

values — freedom, democracy, the rule of law and

respect for human rights — that have been of proven

benefit to humanity. We must continue to help the men,

women and children of the world to choose their future

freely, enjoy decent employment and trust the authority

of law and justice.

Democracy and the rule of law constitute the

immune system of human society. Just as it is

impossible to fight off disease when the immune

43 09-52592

system is weak, poverty spreads in a degraded

environment. Whether it is a matter of creating equality

in the areas of gender and health, achieving education

for all or ensuring a clean environment, it is not merely

a matter of funding, it is just as much about

establishing the basic principles of human rights and

democracy.

I should like to conclude by expressing my

conviction that there is no challenge too great for our

countries as long as we remain united. No threat is too

powerful to destroy us if we succeed in mobilizing our

wisdom and our capabilities.