Andorra, 2010

It is certainly a great opportunity for the

Principality of Andorra and the Government I represent

to address the Assembly. The United Nations is the

forum that, true to its origins, today represents the

greatest source of hope for many people, countries and

Governments.

In Andorra, we are aware of what being a small

Member country of the United Nations involves — that

is, a determination to engage in cooperation, hard work

and honest efforts. The world is the sum of our

possibilities and our efforts, and of the aspirations of

each of us.

The world in the twenty-first century is neither

better nor worse; it has the same defects, contrasts and

virtues as in earlier centuries, but the rules of play are

more dynamic. Thanks to new technology and social

networks, citizens now have greater weight than in

earlier times in alerting and motivating the political

and economic leaders and seeing that they remain

active.

Despite all that, today we live in a world of

patent contrasts, where hunger continues to be one of

our worst evils. More than a billion people suffer from

malnutrition and poverty. The consequences of the

food, environmental and economic crises have

compounded the situation of the most vulnerable

populations.

During the World Summit on Food Security in

Rome last November, we decided to adopt measures to

halve by 2015 the number of people suffering from

malnutrition and hunger, combining all possible efforts

to achieve the first of the Millennium Development

Goals. In the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Toronto,

the Secretary-General defended the position of the

most vulnerable populations and asked the 20 leading

world Powers to develop new policies for combating

poverty.

The struggle to combat climate change, however,

is still unresolved. The natural disasters that the people

of Haiti and Pakistan have had to deal with show how

devastating the effects of climate change can be. It is a

phenomenon that jeopardizes the poorest populations,

affects access to water, compounds malnutrition and

leads to violence. The economic impact on developing

States is terrible.

While the threats are real, the solutions are real

too. The possibility of dealing with them exists. During

the Copenhagen Conference, the States parties to the

Climate Change Convention initiated negotiations for

an agreement. We hope that at the Conference on

Climate Change to be held in Cancún in December, an

effective and scientifically ambitious text will be

adopted that will make it possible to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions.

Andorra is engaging in activities aimed at

combating climate change, particularly water treatment

and reduction of substances that deplete the ozone

layer. In the next few months our Government also

plans to approve ratification of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change.

It is clear is that the current crisis is forcing us to

rethink the structures of the global financial system to

make it more equitable, more ethical and at the same

time more sound, in order to ensure that world leaders’

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aspirations can — little by little, but more each time —

converge and agree on what the most vulnerable

peoples, countries and democracies truly need.

Andorra has succeeded in moving off the Grey

List of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD), thanks to the signing, between

September 2009 and February 2010, of 17 bilateral

agreements on the exchange of tax information. Our

firm commitment to the recommendations of OECD

and the international community as a whole, as

expressed at the G20 meetings, has laid the foundations

for our business structure and boosted confidence in

Andorra’s financial sector.

We wish to move forward on the road to

transparency and international cooperation in

combating tax fraud. We therefore believe that a

permanent European mechanism for financial stability

should be established, as well as very strict regulation

of the products known as derivatives. It would also be

desirable to create a European agency to rate the

solvency of the financial activities and of its

administrations.

We also wish to continue to work, from a

perspective of respect, in an Organization such as the

United Nations, reformed and consolidated, able to

help the international community to move forward at

this stage of its history, avoiding any exacerbation of

the inequalities that fuel violence and hatred.

We therefore need to promote an international

definition of minimum social guarantees for all

mankind. Andorra firmly believes that the United

Nations can ensure the necessary equilibrium, respect

for all States — regardless of their economic, political

or military power — and the application of

international law. The United Nations Charter urges

Member States to apply tolerance and to combine their

efforts to maintain international peace and security —

in short, to ensure that the aspirations and needs of all

coincide.

In the last 65 years, the United Nations has taken

many actions to promote disarmament, development

and the rule of law and democratic practices, and it

continues to do so. The Organization and its Member

States have been supported by non-governmental

organizations and grass-roots movements, which have

worked to ensure that the tragic experiences of the

twentieth century are not repeated.

One of the features of my country is that we have

no army. For more than 700 years Andorra has lived in

peace, without a single armed conflict. Today,

determined to show our international commitment to

disarmament, Andorra intends very soon to ratify the

Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Let us remember that the founding principles of

our Organization are equality, the defence of human

rights and the prohibition of any form of

discrimination.

The Human Rights Council is the principal forum

for the discussion of the defence of human rights.

Thanks to the Universal Periodic Review, all Member

States are subject to a unique exercise in dialogue,

which encourages us to respect human rights and

fundamental freedoms. This process is proving to be

effective, but there are still a number of challenges to

overcome. Andorra will undergo this review for the

first time in the coming month of November.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the

Convention on the Rights of the Child, Andorran civil

society and, in particular, the Andorra National

Committee for UNICEF have carried out many

activities jointly with Andorran institutions to raise

awareness of that text and educate the population on

the importance of defending the rights of the child.

Combating violence against women is one of the

priorities of the Government that I represent. On

14 April this year, we created the Secretariat for

Equality and Welfare, with the objective of

coordinating the range of actions aimed at promoting

the status of women and establishing new policies in

the area of gender. This year, we are celebrating the

fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration

and Platform for Action at the Fourth Conference on

Women, held in Beijing.

During the March 2010 session of the

Commission on the Status of Women, we recognized

that women have an essential role to play in promoting

broad and sustainable socio-economic development.

Progress has been made on improving the status of

women, but, unfortunately, it is not enough. We must

continue promoting the rights of women and fighting

domestic violence.

According to a report by the United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the most

profitable illegal activity in Europe is human

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trafficking. Eighty-four per cent of the victims of

human trafficking in Europe have been enslaved for the

purposes of sexual exploitation. It is important to focus

on that issue from the perspective of protecting

victims, which will certainly be integrated into the

development of the United Nations Plan of Action to

Combat Trafficking in Persons, adopted on 30 July

2010 (resolution 64/293).

Over the coming months, Andorra will ratify the

Council of Europe Convention on Action against

Trafficking in Human Beings, which is a compelling

demonstration of our State’s international commitment

to this fight and of our will to support international

instruments aimed at protecting human rights and

preserving the fundamental values of our democratic

societies.

The Government that I represent commends the

recent decision by the United Nations to create the

United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the

Empowerment of Women (UN Women). I wish this

new body the greatest success; it can count on the full

support of my country, and we will work in solidarity

with Michelle Bachelet.

At present, we are all experiencing a profound

global economic crisis, which threatens the European

model of society. This crisis is also cultural and affects

values such as solidarity.

As we celebrate 2010 as the International Year for

the Rapprochement of Cultures, we have the

opportunity to remember the relevance of cultural

diversity. Learning about others, tolerance and respect

for human rights and human dignity are the ingredients

needed to build a harmonious and peaceful society.

Perhaps as a result of the small size of Andorra,

or of its geographical surroundings — abrupt and

extremely beautiful — in the Pyrenees, we have been

able to develop natural and strong human relationships,

through which our attachment, commitment or

disagreement with all people is shown sincerely,

without filters and without doublespeak. Therefore,

when large-scale natural disasters, humanitarian crises

or international emergencies occur, Andorra responds,

and it does so sincerely, with voluntary contributions

commensurate with international norms and additional

contributions when called for by the situation. Andorra,

in accordance with its national budget, is always

present and always does its part. Based on this

solidarity, we support and promote international

development cooperation, and our country has a

number of non-governmental organizations that devote

vigorous efforts to working in this area.

The challenges we are forced to face are

numerous. We have the good fortune of being able to

work together in order to overcome them. It is indeed a

great responsibility, but it is also a great opportunity. It

is an opportunity to come up with solutions that meet

the needs of those worst off.

In conclusion, I should like to wish you, Sir, the

best of luck and the greatest of success over the

coming year. I am convinced that you will make great

progress towards improving the individual and

collective impact of our Organization.