Cambodia, 2006

At the outset, on behalf of

the Cambodian delegation, let me extend our heartfelt

congratulations to you, Ms. Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of

the Kingdom of Bahrain, on your election to the

presidency of the sixty-first session of the General

Assembly. Your election to that important post is a

testament to Your Excellency’s distinctive abilities and

impressive achievements over the years. I am

convinced that under your direction, this year’s session

will achieve a successful outcome.

Please allow me also to pay tribute to the vision

and tireless efforts of Secretary-General Kofi Annan in

promoting global peace and in taking the necessary

steps to encourage many initiatives for the reform of

the United Nations. Our appreciation is also addressed

to His Excellency Mr. Jan Eliasson for his efficient

leadership as President of the sixtieth session of the

General Assembly, as well as for his countless

contributions to United Nations reform initiatives.

In the face of uncertainties and challenges, where

the world seems to be inundated with conflicts and

serious threats — such as the proliferation of weapons

of mass destruction (WMDs), terrorism, environmental

degradation and infectious diseases — it is important

for all of us to keep our commitment to maintain peace

and security in the world. In addition, I believe that the

reduction of global poverty and the achievement of

sustainable development in many developing countries

are vital for human security. At the same time, they are

a daunting task for the United Nations as a catalyst of

the international community in helping to improve the

situation of those countries.

Concerning the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction, Cambodia is of the view that the

international community needs to be more vigilant

about the issue and to ensure that WMDs or their

components do not fall into the wrong hands — those

of terrorists, organized crime groups or others —

which could have dangerous implications for

international peace and security. In that regard, we

need to strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) regime in order to secure a

better and more peaceful world for all. Nor should

small arms and light weapons be underestimated, as

they are an equally dangerous source of conflict,

transnational crime and violence in many regions and

countries.

The fight against terrorism remains of utmost

priority for all Governments and for the United

Nations, given the continuing threat posed by terrorism

despite the serious measures and actions that have been

taken by Governments and international and regional

organizations at various levels, including this world

body. To combat terrorism effectively requires, I

believe, more efforts, more technical capacity, more

education, more information-sharing among law

enforcement authorities and intelligence communities

and maybe more understanding in some specific cases

of the root causes of acts of violence which are

tantamount to reactions of despair.

Concerning the Middle East crisis, we have to

congratulate the Security Council on the adoption of its

resolution 1701 (2006) to end the recent war in

Lebanon. We call upon all parties concerned to fully

respect that resolution in order to prevent a repetition

of the conflict and further loss of innocent life. In the

same vein, the international community should work

more actively to help bring about a permanent end to

the violence between Palestine and Israel. I believe that

peace in the Middle East will be better guaranteed only

when the leaders of both sides — Palestine and

Israel — have the courage and wisdom to realize that

they cannot continue to destroy each other forever, but

must work together for a lasting peace in the region.

Both Israel and Palestine have the right to coexist

as independent and sovereign States. At the same time,

they need to overcome their historical animosity and

hatred towards each other. Whether they like it or not,

Israel and Palestine are destined to coexist as

neighbours forever. I strongly believe that a peaceful

solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would create

the foundation for durable peace and security in the

entire Middle East.

With regard to United Nations reform, it is clear

that in recent years, every State member of the world

body has wanted the United Nations to be reformed.

However, when the opportunity arises, we face a

deadlock on this very important issue, because too

much emphasis has been placed on reform of the

Security Council. In that regard, I think that we should

learn this lesson and try to avoid repeating such

mistakes in the future. In other words, we should take a

step-by-step approach and tackle minor problems first,

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such as strengthening the role of the Economic and

Social Council to deal with development, since that

issue is less controversial and there is more inclination

to support it.

Next, we might consider revitalizing the General

Assembly as the sole body representative of all United

Nations Member States. Afterward, we can move

forward to the reform of the Security Council. We have

to start first with issues where consensus could be

easily reached, and then move to the more difficult

ones, without having to completely stall the United

Nations reform process.

Since their adoption in 2000, by and large there

has been progress in achieving the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs). But in actuality there has

been little achievement for developing countries thus

far due to a number of factors, such as lack of financial

and human resources, including the negative impact of

globalization, which has led to a widening gap between

developed countries and poor nations.

In Cambodia, the Royal Government has set up

its own “MDGs”, called the Cambodia Millennium

Development Goals, with specific target priorities.

Since their establishment, Cambodia has made positive

progress in some areas, such as reducing poverty,

combating HIV/AIDS and improving the livelihood of

our people, thanks to the rectangular strategy of the

Royal Government, which yielded strong economic

growth over the past year.

Extreme poverty in the world today is an affront

to the whole world with 1.3 billion people still living

on the margins of life, earning less than one dollar a

day, while another 1.8 billion are living on less than

two dollars a day, in spite of the commitment to the

MDGs in 2000. Addressing this crucial problem

requires painstaking efforts at the national and

international levels. The eradication of poverty is, first

and foremost, the responsibility of the whole world and

requires the cooperation of the developed countries and

international organizations. Given the enormous

resources and wealth of this world, I believe that no

one on this planet should go hungry while in developed

countries there is an over-supply of food, which has led

to wasteful dumping.

To deal with global poverty, a comprehensive

approach and collective actions are needed. Official

development assistance, debt relief, market access,

transfer of know-how, foreign direct investment and so

forth must be addressed all together, so that developing

countries can catch up with the current globalization in

order to bridge the gap between peoples and nations in

this world where we all are living.

Finally, let me reiterate that our world today will

continue to face major global threats and challenges.

The role of the United Nations, as an Organization that

is representative of the whole world, in tackling these

phenomena is of paramount importance for humankind.

Therefore, Cambodia hopes that United Nations reform

can move ahead to significantly contribute to dealing

with these challenges successfully.