Oman, 2011

We are

pleased to sincerely and warmly congratulate

Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election to the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth

session and to his brotherly country, Qatar, with which

we share deep fraternal relations. We are confident that

his diplomatic experience, especially in the field of

multilateral diplomacy, will have a great impact on the

success of this session. We wish also to express our

appreciation to his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss of

Switzerland, for his successful efforts in the conduct of

the previous session. We also extend our

congratulations to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on

the international community’s renewed confidence in

him, as evidenced by his re-election to his post for a

second term, so that he can continue his efforts to

revitalize the role of the United Nations and further

develop its work.

Each year, when we address the Assembly from

this rostrum, we begin by presenting the issue of the

Palestinian people. The international community has

worked to encourage negotiations between the

Palestinian National Authority and the Government of

Israel, the occupying Power. Unfortunately, the

situation remains at a standstill. For that reason, the

global community, and the United Nations in

particular, should act to fulfil its responsibility to find a

just and comprehensive solution. We believe that the

establishment of a Palestinian State on the basis of the

borders of 4 June 1967 and the recognition of that State

as a Member of the Organization will undoubtedly lead

to serious negotiations aimed at reaching a just, lasting

and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli

conflict.

Brotherly Somalia has been the victim of a

decades-long civil war caused by a weak leadership

that failed to reach a political consensus to end that

hateful war. We believe that, to save the Somali people

from the threefold threat of poverty, ignorance and

famine, the time is ripe for the United Nations to

intensify its efforts, in cooperation with regional

organizations, including the League of Arab States, the

African Union, the Organization of Islamic

Cooperation and the Inter-Governmental Authority on

Development, to devise a plan to bring peace to

Somalia. We would also stress the importance of

increasing the provision of humanitarian assistance to

the millions of Somali refugees and displaced persons.

We are confident that Somalia’s neighbours share our

belief in the need for political solutions to the chronic

crisis in that country. We also reiterate to the Secretary-

General that we are fully prepared to support the

efforts of the United Nations in that regard.

On 26 January 2011, my country submitted its

periodic report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva

in the context of the mechanism for the periodic review

of States’ reports. We in the Sultanate of Oman are

satisfied that we have come a long way in terms of

protecting human rights at all levels. We consider this a

national and spiritual commitment aimed at achieving

justice that also supports the dimension of a global

culture of human rights protection.

Our contemporary world is witnessing profound

changes in the demographic composition of the peoples

of the world, as young people now constitute the

majority of the world population. As they are the most

ambitious group, capable of mapping the future, the

international community should take this reality into

consideration in the elaboration of all manner of plans

in the economic, education and sustainable

development fields.

As our region is experiencing such profound

changes, we, like the rest of the world, believe that the

aspirations of young people to a better and more secure

world and decent livelihoods have prevailed and

should be accepted and welcomed by all Governments.

We in the Sultanate of Oman, in keeping with the

instructions given by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin

Said, have based all of our national economic and

social plans on empowering young people to make

maximum use of their potential to benefit from

technology and to achieve a society characterized by

prosperity and sustainable growth.

11-51384 52

Today’s world is facing numerous crises that

make it imperative for the international community to

work jointly to create conditions that are conducive to

finding solutions. The world may be on the brink of a

widespread food crisis, and many people live in fear of

food shortages. Efforts must therefore be made at the

international level to expand production through the

cultivation of larger areas and the use of advanced

technology to increase yields and to combat

desertification in vulnerable areas.

The continuing global financial crisis obliges us

to collectively rethink the principles underlying

investment and international trade in order to reach

appropriate solutions aimed at reducing the negative

impacts of the crisis on countries and societies,

particularly in the developing world.

An additional issue we must face is that of global

phenomena such as hurricanes, earthquakes and the

high level of environmental pollution, all of which lead

to major human and economic losses. We believe that

all countries, particularly the major industrialized

countries, should join together to find a solution aimed

at reducing industrial and environmental pollution and

greenhouse-gas emissions based on modern technology

in those fields.

In closing, we are hopeful that all countries will

seize the opportunity offered by the current session to

take practical steps and measures on all of the issues

under discussion. We hope that the session will meet

with every success.