Mongolia, 2013

Allow me to first congratulate

Mr. John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda on assuming

the presidency of the General Assembly at this session.

Mongolia pledges its full support to him.

We gather here at the United Nations to collectively

assess the state of the world, share our thoughts and our

vision, and agree on common actions. I shall begin by

reviewing where we are today.

Over 70 million people around the world join the

middle class each year. The Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) have improved the lives of billions of

people. The world has attained poverty-reduction

targets — in some places, even ahead of the proscribed

deadline. Rather than seeing 2015 as the end, we should

view it as the beginning of a new era. In this era, we

should build on our successes, attend to gaps and meet

emerging challenges.

Sadly, we face many such challenges. Today, over

200 million people are jobless, over 50 million children

are not in school, and one in eight of our fellow citizens

still goes hungry. Yet over $900 billion dollars are

earmarked for military expenditures every year. Only

a fraction of that sum is spent on health care and

education. Such a state of affairs should not be tolerated.

When it comes to the climate, a temperature

increase of more than two degrees Centigrade would

be disastrous, if not catastrophic. Our environment

is changing rapidly. On the production side, global

consumption far exceeds our fragile planet’s capacity.

Resources are being exhausted. Humankind is gravely

endangered. We are running out of time. The world has

too many hungry people, too much violence and too

little commitment to human rights. We need to change

that.

I want to share with the Assembly Mongolia’s

views and experience. Mongolia is a great nation with a

rich history. It is an old nation with a young heart. We

are fortunate to have abundant natural resources, which

offer great growth prospects and a unique opportunity

for economic development and social progress. With

double-digit percentage growth, we are one of the

world’s fastest developing economies.

Mongolia has achieved many development goals

in areas such as universal primary education, reducing

child mortality and improving maternal health.

However, our fifth national MDG progress report

suggests that more needs to be done. To reach our

development goals, the Government is working closely

with all national stakeholders, including political

parties, the private sector, research institutions, civil

society and the media. Likewise, we invite investors

to work together for our common interests. Just a

few days ago, we hosted the World Economic Forum

Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Mongolia. That

event gathered representatives of multiple stakeholders

to explore future economic pathways for my country’s

development.

Mongolians care deeply for the environment. We

take seriously our shared responsibility to confront the

threat from climate change. That is why we are promoting

a green development policy. We have also created and

preserved national parks to curb desertification. At the

same time, these scenic parks form the backbone of

new ecotourism. They will generate both conservation

income and green jobs.

My country is creating an Asian super-network

for green development. It will produce renewable

energy and provide it to Asian consumers. Mongolia’s

first wind farm, which is privately owned, is now in

operation. Wind energy has the potential to produce

electricity well beyond the country’s needs.

We face many environmental challenges, including

land degradation, deforestation, natural disasters and

pollution. Those issues need to be resolved urgently

and collectively. Environmental education and wider

public participation are vital to resolving those

challenges. This year we hosted the United Nations

World Environment Day. Indeed, we are at the centre of

the green economy. The Mongolian people, particularly

our young people, are committed to building a better

environmental future.

Last year I spoke of the importance of Mongolia’s

battle to root out corruption at all levels. We are combating

corruption — the scourge of democracy — with a zero-

tolerance policy at every level of Government. As a

result, Mongolia moved up 26 places in Transparency

International’s rankings of States.

Transparency is the key to fighting corruption.

Citizens have the right to know how their taxes are spent

at every level of Government, from national agencies to

the local administration. Our “glass account” system

ensures that all funds are accounted for openly and

transparently. Citizens deserve access to information

and a say in how their communities are developed.

The best Government is the one based on strong civic

participation.

Mongolia believes in democratic development. Over

20 years ago, it was unimaginable that Mongolia would

one day chair the Community of Democracies. That

well-known and highly respected global democratic

movement is dedicated to promoting freedom and

democracy. Hundreds of human rights activists and

democratic leaders from many countries gathered in

Ulaanbaatar last April. The Ulaanbaatar Declaration

charts a future course for promoting democracy. Our

initiative, the Asia Democracy Network, and the

ministerial consultative meeting, have laid a solid

foundation for democratic development.

I believe that efforts to foster civic engagement

are more effective with democracy education. The

implementation of resolution 67/18, on education for

democracy, will strengthen democratic institutions

and improve the human rights situation for more of our

fellow citizens, because knowledge is power.

We all must focus on promoting human rights. In

the past two decades, Mongolia has been learning and

advancing democracy at home. With a view to supporting

emerging democracies, we initiated and established an

international cooperation fund and have already started

implementing several projects. We are actively sharing

the lessons of parliamentary democracy and conducting

legal reform with Kyrgyzstan. We organized training

for diplomats and public servants from Afghanistan.

We are also discussing the possibility of cooperation

with Myanmar and other emerging democracies.

I call on Member States to support our policy of

protecting and promoting democratic governance

and human rights. I humbly ask for States’ support of

Mongolia’s candidature for the Human Rights Council

in the elections to be held in 2015.

Peace and security remain a fundamental human

right.

Today people the world over are distressed by

endless cycles of conflict. Military forces and weapons

are being used to settle disputes. Thousands of human

beings are losing their lives, millions are displaced and

many more are suffering. The grave situation in Syria

is the latest example. We hope that the United States-

Russian initiative will bear fruit and lead to a peaceful

resolution of the Syrian conflict.

Mongolia firmly supports non-proliferation and the

complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

We cannot tolerate the use of chemical weapons and

strongly condemn any violation of universally accepted

international law.

This morning I participated in the High-level

Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament (see A/68/PV.11).

As a country with internationally recognized nuclear-

weapon-free-status, uniquely situated between two

nuclear-weapon States that are permanent members of

the Security Council, Mongolia has been working hard

on nuclear disarmament and the non-proliferation of

nuclear weapons.

As a result of our efforts, the five nuclear-weapon

States, permanent members of the Security Council,

have issued a joint declaration recognizing Mongolia’s

unique status. They pledged to respect that status and

not to contribute to any act that would violate it. Their

joint commitment ensures that we will not be used as

a pawn in any future nuclear plans or strategies. That

is Mongolia’s contribution to greater confidence and

stability in the region.

Strengthening peace and stability in North-East

Asia is one of Mongolia’s national security priorities.

We firmly believe that dialogue and open discussions

foster confidence. We have therefore put forth an

initiative: the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on North-East

Asia Security. We invite the other States of the region

to jointly address various issues of common interest,

including security issues in North-East Asia.

Mongolian military officers and troops are

honoured to serve along with their fellow United

Nations peacekeepers to maintain international peace

and security. We are very proud of our peacekeepers

for their dedicated service and their invaluable

contributions to the cause of peace.

We all know the complexity of contemporary

conflicts. Our peacekeepers are serving in areas

with high security threats and risks. To support and

encourage our peacekeepers, last February I took a trip

to South Sudan and visited the United Nations Mission

there. During my visit, I met the President of South

Sudan and offered my support to him and to his nation,

the youngest member of the international community.

Let us make our world safer and more prosperous.

Let us be fearless when it comes to fighting for fairness,

transparency and the rule of law. Where there is the rule

of law, there is less corruption and more human rights.

Where there is transparency, there is less economic

disparity and greater accountability.

Where citizens are engaged and informed, good

things happen. We must be fearless in our efforts to

promote and achieve a fair, open and transparent world

community.