Liechtenstein, 2009

It is a great honour for

me to address the General Assembly, a body that

represents the heart of multilateral diplomacy, for the

first time tonight. As such, it is called to fulfil the

expectations and hopes of peoples and individuals

around the world — hopes for peace, hopes for an end

to poverty and suffering and hopes to see human rights

respected.

Since my arrival in New York a couple of days

ago, I have been encouraged by the multiple calls for

international cooperation and the renewed commitment

to multilateralism. For Liechtenstein, the United Nations

has always been the epitome of multilateralism. We

believe that genuine multilateralism is needed today in

order to address the challenges before us.

On disarmament and non-proliferation, we seem

to be finally about to enter a new era.

On climate change, the United Nations is working

hard to seal the deal. Last Tuesday, an unprecedented

number of heads of State or Government gathered in

this Hall to discuss climate change threats. We applaud

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for this excellent

initiative. The Liechtenstein delegation left that

meeting with the belief that a breakthrough is possible

because everybody seems to understand the gravity of

the situation. We are approaching Copenhagen with the

firm conviction that we must listen to the voices of

those who are most at risk — those whose very

survival is at stake. What is now required from us is a

leap of faith — no half-hearted compromises, no more

postponing, and no more talk about concessions either.

Copenhagen is not about giving up something — other

than our self-destructive habits. It is about investing

into the future of our planet.

The global financial and economic crisis has

rippled through our countries and disrupted the lives of

people worldwide. It has also deeply affected our

progress towards the achievement of the Millennium

Development Goals. While much attention has been

paid and much money has been mobilized to keep the

world economy afloat, another crisis has emerged in its

wake. It is a crisis of global governance, and it may

have lasting repercussions.

We acknowledge that there are times when

concerted action by groups such as the Group of Eight

and the Group of 20 (G-20) can bring us closer to

solutions for everyone. But we cannot ignore the gap

between those who are taking decisions and the rest of

us. Good and effective solutions require the support of

those who are to implement them. Most important,

rules must apply to everyone equally, on the basis of a

level playing field.

The notion of sovereign equality is one of the

core principles of the United Nations Charter. Indeed,

it is the main pillar of genuine multilateralism. I was

therefore pleased to accept an invitation from the

Foreign Minister of Singapore to discuss issues of

global governance together with some other colleagues

and friends. I look forward to continuing those

exchanges and I hope that the G-20 and other partners

will find interest in our input and ideas. Our goal is

positive engagement, productive cooperation and the

highest possible quality in decision-making.

The drafters of the United Nations Charter

understood that the inclusion of all States was a

prerequisite for effective multilateralism. In today’s

interconnected world, we must uphold this principle

more than ever. But the practice of the Organization

has sometimes veered away from the ideals of

inclusion, transparency and legitimacy.

On international peace and security, the Security

Council is mandated to carry out its functions on behalf

of all of us. Our understanding is therefore that the

Council’s legitimacy depends on the extent to which its

actions reflect a very wide political consensus. Often,

45 09-52592

though, the Council shows little interest in including in

its decision-making process those who are instrumental

for implementation. Together with the other members

of the Small Five Group, we will continue to work for

inclusion and transparency in the Council’s work. We

will also look for further improvements in the

Council’s sanctions procedures. As numerous judicial

challenges have shown, those procedures must be

brought closer to international standards of human

rights and due process. Such improvements would go a

long way in improving the effectiveness, perception

and legitimacy of sanctions.

The composition of the Security Council is

outdated. This is sadly almost the only agreement we

have found after many years of controversial

discussions on its enlargement. Our position on the

matter is clear. None of the proposals submitted at the

2005 World Summit, or variations thereof, will receive

the necessary support in the Assembly, let alone in the

ratification process. We see only two avenues towards

expansion. We can wait for a massive institutional

crisis to hit the Organization and then expand the

Council under enormous public pressure, or we can

work in a cooperative manner towards a solution that is

both a compromise and politically sustainable. We

believe that only the latter approach is in the best

interest of the Organization. As a result of the last

session, there are now clear ideas on the table on how

to bridge the gap. They deserve a thorough review

during the coming months.

Over the past two decades, multilateralism has

perhaps been most successful in the area of

international criminal justice. The first generation of

international tribunals has had a tremendous impact,

and is now approaching the conclusion of its work.

Most important, we have created the International

Criminal Court — an institution that seemed a distant

dream not too long ago. During its first years in

operation, the Court has been remarkably successful. It

has also been subject to controversial political

discussions. This is not surprising, because justice can

be difficult and can seem inconvenient. That is

particularly true in situations of ongoing conflict. But it

is not a choice. To quote Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

the debate is no longer between peace and justice but

between peace and what kind of justice. Indeed, peace,

development and justice go hand in hand. These tasks

must be fulfilled, first and foremost, by States

themselves. We must therefore galvanize efforts to

strengthen national judiciaries, in accordance with the

principle of complementarity.

The International Criminal Court will not be able

to put on trial all perpetrators of the most serious

crimes. But its work illustrates the world’s consensus

that there must be accountability for these crimes and

that impunity is no longer an option. The 2010 review

conference will give us the opportunity to add the

crime of aggression to the list of crimes under the

active jurisdiction of the Court. We hope that we will

find it in ourselves to seize this historic event.

The General Assembly remains the heart of

genuine multilateral work. We must trust that the

President will lead the Assembly in a manner that

reflects the priorities of the membership as a whole.

Important negotiations are ahead of us. We will prepare

the 2010 summit on the Millennium Development

Goals, continue discussions on the arms trade treaty,

move ahead with various reform processes, negotiate both

a new budget and a new scale of assessments, address

human rights both in specific situations and thematically,

keep working on the promotion of the rule of law at all

levels, work to strengthen the framework for development

and humanitarian assistance, and much more.

Looking at the work programme ahead, it seems

to us that the General Assembly does not need much

revitalization. There are numerous concrete challenges

in front of us, to which we Member States must rise.

We must look beyond our short-term domestic interests

and work hard to make progress on our comprehensive

agenda. The renewed expressions of commitment that

we have witnessed in this Hall over the past days give

us confidence. The Assembly will do its best to live up

to the world’s expectations and, more than ever, strive

in unison.