Laos, 2014

On behalf of the Government of the Lao People’s

Democratic Republic, I would like to extend my

sincere congratulations to you, Sir, on your election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth

session. I assure you of our full support and cooperation

in the discharge of your duties. I would also like to

sincerely commend His Excellency Mr. John Ashe for

the successful completion of his work as President of

the Assembly at its sixty-eighth session.

We have just over 450 days remaining for the

attainment of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs). While many countries have made considerable

achievements and will achieve the MDGs, others, like

the least developed countries, have seen slow progress

and face various challenges in achieving all Goals

within the time frame. Moreover, complex regional

and international situations, such as armed conflicts,

political unrest, pandemics and environmental

degradation, among others, have inevitably brought

about more obstacles to those countries’ efforts to

realize the MDGs.

Against that backdrop, based on past experience,

it is evident that socioeconomic development in any

country can succeed only in an enabling, lasting and

secure environment. Only under such conditions could

we employ all efforts and draw on all potential and

resources available in the country for development in

the most effective and sustainable manner.

Over the 39 years of its existence, since the war

ended, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has

deployed all its efforts in national development,

starting from the period of healing the wounds of war

to the era of formulating and implementing the seventh

five-year national socioeconomic development plan,

based on the renovation policy set by the Lao People’s

Revolutionary Party. The achievements made in each

period are the results of lessons learned through actual

development activities carried out and from adapting

to specific conditions within the country and to the

external environment.

Lessons learned from friendly countries, both

near and far, are valuable assets. We therefore would

like to express our sincere appreciation to all friendly

countries for sharing their knowledge and experience,

including both successes and failures, with the small

and young Lao People’s Democratic Republic in each

period.

The mid-term review of the implementation of the

seventh five-year national socioeconomic development

plan has shown that the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic has made remarkable achievements in many

areas, especially in maintaining a steady pace of

economic growth, political stability and social order,

thus ensuring that the Lao people of all ethnic groups

can enjoy their legitimate rights and freedom and can

actively participate in national development. That has

laid a solid foundation for the country to move towards

realizing its ultimate goal of graduating from the least

developed country status by 2020. The achievements so

far were made possible not only due to national efforts,

but also through the support and cooperation extended

by friendly countries and development partners,

including international organizations, especially the

United Nations system.

Nevertheless, the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic has also been affected by the global financial

and economic crisis in recent years. That has given rise

to major obstacles to national economic development as

well as to the implementation of various development

goals. In that regard, the Lao Government has taken

timely measures to stabilize its macroeconomy, aimed

at promoting sustained growth in the coming years.

In addition, as a landlocked and least developed

country, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

remains vulnerable. It still faces numerous challenges,

especially in achieving some of the MDG targets,

including reducing child malnutrition, ensuring gender

equality in education and reducing child and maternal

mortality.

Minimizing the impact of unexploded ordnance

(UXO) dropped during the war also remains a challenge.

Taking into account the importance of dealing with

that matter, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has

adopted a localized millennium development goal on

addressing the impact of UXO, as its national MDG 9.

Reducing the impact of UXO remains a huge

burden and task for the country, as it hampers national

development and the eradication of poverty. In that

connection, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

is one of the countries that initiated the process to

formulate the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The full and effective implementation of the Oslo

Convention is of great importance, because it will lead

to a total prohibition of the use, production or transfer

of cluster munitions.

In that connection, I take this opportunity to convey

our congratulations to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize

and the Republic of the Congo on their ratification of

the Oslo Convention, which increased the total number

of States having done so to 86. We hope that other

countries will also consider becoming parties to the

Convention.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic shares

the common concern over the escalating armed

conflicts in different parts of the world, which are

posing increasingly major threats to the international

community. We urge all parties concerned to exercise

the utmost restraint and refrain from taking any action

that could cause loss of people’s lives or property. Only

through addressing those conflicts by peaceful means

can we ensure mutual trust. Resentment and hostility

against one another lead to escalating violence and use

of force, resulting in loss of life and property and pain

and suffering for innocent people.

In addition, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

shares the strong concern about the escalating conflict

in Palestine, which has led to loss of Palestinian lives.

We therefore urge a peaceful resolution of the issue of

Palestine.

In this era of interdependence, cooperation and

engagement are key factors for peaceful and mutually

beneficial coexistence. The enforcement of isolation and

of sanction measures imposed on any country may not

benefit the international community. On the contrary, it

may cause losses to all and lead to increasing hostility.

Likewise, the unilateral embargo on the Republic of

Cuba — a sovereign State — for many decades has had

a major impact on the lives of the peace-loving Cuban

people. Therefore, it is now time to lift the embargo.

In this complex and challenging global environment,

the United Nations, the only universal organization,

under the leadership of Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon, has made tireless efforts to seek ways and

means to address these international issues, promote

cooperation for sustainable development and poverty

eradication and maintain peace, stability and security

in the world. I would like to take this opportunity

to commend the Secretary-General for his various

initiatives in addressing issues of common concern,

including the organization of the Climate Summit,

which has just been successfully concluded.

Nevertheless, amid complex and unpredictable

circumstances, the United Nations needs to strengthen

itself through the reform of various organs so that it

can more effectively carry out its mandate and fulfil

its obligations. The international community is hoping

to see further tangible progress next year on the

reform of the United Nations, on the occasion marking

the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the

Organization.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) is a regional organization that has enjoyed

rapid growth, and all ASEAN-initiated mechanisms

are bearing fruitful results. We are therefore convinced

that ASEAN community-building in 2015 will be

successful, turning ASEAN into a single market and

production base with increased competitiveness, thus

promoting trade and investment in the region and

between ASEAN and its external partners. ASEAN is

now earnestly mapping out the ASEAN Community

Post-2015 Vision, aimed at strengthening and ensuring

ASEAN unity while promoting peace and security in the

region and the world at large. On that note, we hope that

the international community will continue to support

the implementation of the ASEAN Community Post-

2015 Vision, as well as the Lao People’s Democratic

Republic’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, after ASEAN

becomes a Community.

Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) compose

one of the groups of countries in special situations that

are recognized by the international community. After

10 years of implementation of the Almaty Programme of

Action on addressing the specific problems and special

needs of LLDCs, it has been noted that many objectives

have not been realized, thus those countries continue to

face daunting challenges and marginalization in many

areas.

More than half of the LLDCs are also least developed

countries. In that context, the second United Nations

Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, to be

held in November in Vienna, is of great significance

to LLDCs, as it will conduct the 10-year review of the

implementation of Almaty Programme of Action and

adopt a new programme of action for the next decade.

On that note, we would like to call upon all stakeholders,

including transit countries and development partners,

to participate actively in the Conference with a view to

ensuring its successful outcome. Also, we call on the

international community to support the implementation

of the new programme of action in order to help

those countries overcome their special problems and

challenges and achieve sustainable development.

The year 2015 will mark the seventieth anniversary

of the founding of the United Nations. We hope that

the international community will spare no effort in

building a peaceful, secure and prosperous world.