Laos, 2002

On behalf of the delegation of Laos, I would

like, Sir, to convey to you my congratulations on your

election to the presidency of this fifty-seventh session

of the General Assembly.

The current session is taking place at a time when

Member States have entered the third year of the

process of implementation of the Development Goals

adopted at the Millennium Summit. During the past

two years, satisfactory progress has been made towards

those objectives, yet much more needs to be done. It is

our view that the war on poverty deserves our greatest

attention, for poverty causes millions of deaths and

does not allow for sustainable development.

Furthermore, our planet is facing the scourge of

terrorism in its various forms. Our Government will

work in a spirit of solidarity with the world community

in the combat against that scourge.

Since the end of the twentieth century, it has been

widely claimed that globalization provides tremendous

economic and development opportunities to nations.

However, it is evident that it has also brought

numerous challenges to the majority of the world's

population, in particular to those people living in

developing countries. The most notable effects of

globalization can be seen in the fact that the disparity

between the developed and developing countries

continues to increase.

Against this backdrop, while the developing

countries, with a sense of ownership and partnership,

have adopted various measures to cope with its

disadvantages, they still find themselves confronted

with the problem of securing financing and human

resources that can handle new technology; added to

this is the inability to access the market of the

developed countries. Although the International

Conference on Financing for Development and other

international conferences have given rise to some hope

that these disadvantages and challenges will be

addressed, the results have been far from satisfactory.

Moreover, the World Summit held in

Johannesburg earlier this month failed to respond to the

strong aspirations of the developing countries and of

the world community in addressing the issue of

sustainable development. Only by implementing the

commitments and pledges adopted at those

international conferences can we ensure fair and

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sustainable development and lasting peace for

humankind.

We continue to seek a world of peace,

coexistence and cooperation for development.

However, to our regret, violent disputes and conflicts

continue to rage in many parts of our planet due to the

legacies of history and other factors.

We are again gathered here in the conviction that

the United Nations, as the only truly universal

Organization, should have a greater responsibility and

a more important role to play, in accordance with

Charter and international law, in resolving various

disputes in the world and in preventing the emergence

of new hot spots and interference in the internal affairs

of independent and sovereign States.

We should also continue to call for reform of the

United Nations with a view to enabling it to rise to the

formidable challenge of poverty eradication and the

promotion of sustainable development. In particular,

the Security Council should be reformed so as to

ensure that it fulfils its responsibilities in safeguarding

peace and security. In this context, I would like to pay

tribute to the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, who has

worked tirelessly to render our Organization more

effective, and wish him even greater success in his

endeavours.

The Lao People's Democratic Republic shares the

international community's deep concern about the

excessive use of force in the Middle East since March

this year. In conformity with the common position of

the Non-Aligned Movement on the Middle East peace

process, the Lao People's Democratic Republic

believes that only a politically negotiated settlement

acceptable to both parties and implemented under

international supervision will bring peace, stability and

cooperation to the region. Such a settlement must be

based on respect for the inalienable rights of the

Palestinian people to establish an independent and

viable State of their own, so that they can live side by

side with Israel in peace and security within

internationally recognized borders, in accordance with

all relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Lao People's Democratic Republic also

expresses great concern about the issue of Iraq — an

independent and sovereign nation, and a State Member

of the United Nations. We are of the view that this

issue should be resolved by the United Nations through

political means.

With regard to the Caribbean region, the Lao

People's Democratic Republic reiterates its call for the

lifting of the economic, financial and trade embargo

imposed against the Republic of Cuba by the

Government of the United States of America. An end

to this long-standing and obsolete policy would not

only mean effective compliance with various General

Assembly resolutions, international law and the current

world thinking, but also promote economic prosperity

and cooperation in the region as a whole.

With regard to the Korean Peninsula, the Lao

Government welcomes the recent positive

developments, especially the inter-Korean ministerial

talks, as well as the preparation for negotiations

between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,

the United States of America and Japan. These

developments will help pave the way for the

achievement of the goal of the peaceful national

reunification of Korea, and significantly contribute to

the consolidation of peace and stability in East Asia

and the Asia-Pacific region.

While many other countries are taking advantage

of the benefits offered by globalization, the landlocked

developing countries are still marginalized due to their

geographical disadvantage. Their lack of territorial

access to the sea, and their remoteness and isolation

from major international markets, as well as the high

transit transport costs, continue to be major obstacles

for those countries in meeting objectives of national

economic development and poverty eradication.

Moreover, this geographical handicap deprives us of

our right to be competitive in the international trading

system and to fully benefit from it. As the country

holding the chairmanship of the Group of Landlocked

Developing Countries, the Lao People's Democratic

Republic expresses its appreciation to the General

Assembly for its decision, taken last year, to convene

in 2003 an International Ministerial Meeting of

Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries and

Donor Countries and International Financial and

Developmental Institutions on Transit Transport

Cooperation.

Over the past year, the Lao People's Democratic

Republic has recorded a number of important

achievements in the field of socio-economic

development. One event of significance was the

successful election of the fifth National Assembly on

24 February this year. This has contributed to the

gradual improvement of living standards of the Lao

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people across all ethnic groups and ensured and

strengthened political stability and social order.

While extending its cooperation to the

international community in many spheres, the Lao

People's Democratic Republic has contributed to the

strengthening of Asian solidarity and to the cause of

peace, friendship, cooperation and development for

nations throughout the world.