San Marino, 2010

I wish to

congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of

the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. We are

confident that your considerable expertise in the field

of foreign policy and economics will be decisive for

the success of all sectors of United Nations activity. I

also wish to thank the outgoing President, His

Excellency Ali Abdussalam Treki, for the excellent

work carried out during the Assembly’s sixty-fourth

session.

I would like to express special thanks to the

Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon,

for his energy and extraordinary determination in

leading this Organization. In particular, San Marino

appreciates the interest he has shown towards all

Member countries, without any distinction, regardless

of their size. My Government has particularly

appreciated the Secretary-General’s commitment in the

field of reforms and his constant presence in all

international politically relevant situations and in

emergency situations. His presence in Haiti and

Pakistan in the days following the terrible events that

we all witnessed demonstrates not only the

determination to affirm United Nations presence during

crises, but also a personal and particular sensitivity

towards tragedies deeply affecting people.

At a time characterized by major global

challenges that the international community is called

upon to face, the United Nations reform process

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becomes fundamental for future world stability and

must remain the target of all our efforts. We have the

duty to guarantee the full effectiveness of the

Organization’s activities, with a view to preserving and

strengthening its essential value as a point of reference

for the international community and for any individual.

We cannot afford to see the role of the United Nations

weakened through inability to reach agreement on the

measures to be taken to improve its functioning.

I have the pleasure to reiterate again this year the

support San Marino grants to the revitalization process

of the General Assembly. In that regard, I wish to thank

Argentina and Slovenia, Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc

Working Group on the revitalization of the General

Assembly, for the Group’s recently approved report

(A/64/903), which is the outcome of considerable

efforts and many informal meetings with the States

Members of the United Nations.

This reform is particularly important for my

country, since the General Assembly is the most

democratic body of the United Nations and, as such,

the most effective and sometimes the only forum where

a small State can express its opinions. San Marino

therefore hopes that through this reform, the Assembly

may work more efficiently and improve its relations

with the other main bodies of the United Nations to

avoid duplication of activities and effectively

implement its resolutions.

The Republic of San Marino has been following

with interest the Security Council reform process since

1994, and it is grateful to the Afghan Chair of the

intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform for

the important work he has carried out this year and for

the wisdom and impartiality with which he has

presided over negotiations aimed at reaching the

broadest possible agreement. San Marino believes that

the reform should lead to a more democratic,

responsible, transparent and efficient Security Council.

The reform should also bring about a more balanced

relationship between the Security Council and the

General Assembly, as well as more effective

cooperation with the Secretariat. Those objectives can

be achieved only through a permanent dialogue among

States and increased flexibility in the respective

positions.

I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the

choice of the theme for this year’s session — the role

of the United Nations in global governance. That is a

particularly complex subject, since it concerns the

global threats that affect the destinies of our peoples in

an increasingly direct way: climate change and

biodiversity, the economic, financial and employment

crises, food security, public health, disarmament and

the proliferation of weapons, and the fight against

terrorism.

Today, the theme of global governance is

inevitably linked to a new way of conceiving

multilateralism and to a new form of international

cooperation, one that acknowledges the interdependence

of the problems we face at the international, national and

regional levels. We have learned from the crises of the

last few years that it is necessary to adopt an integrated

and comprehensive approach, more efficient

mechanisms for coordinating our policies, and a global

and coordinated course of action.

San Marino believes that the United Nations has a

duty to be at the core of that process and to play a

leading role in managing global governance, not only

because of its deeply democratic nature, with universal

participation and undisputed legitimacy, but also

because — thanks to the richness and diversity of

cultures and traditions represented here — it can adopt

an approach that harmonizes the interests of the entire

international community and aims at sustainable

development for all peoples.

Last year, the world economy suffered a

devastating financial crisis, the consequences of which

are still evident to all. Today, unemployment has

reached extremely high levels in many countries.

Increases in the prices of food products and persistent

inequalities contribute to higher poverty rates and

cause high social tensions and violence. The global

economic and financial crisis has severely hit every

country in the world, with no distinctions, thus

becoming one of today’s major challenges for our

Organization as well. Some have been able to

withstand the crisis, while for many others it is

unfortunately still a very immediate problem,

influencing all decisions.

Despite the gradual recovery of the global

economy this year, it is fundamental that we always

coordinate policies, and coordinate them effectively,

with a view to guaranteeing balanced, inclusive and

substantial growth. In that regard, San Marino

recognizes the essential role played by the Group of 20

(G-20), which in 2009 was able to prevent a global

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economic depression by taking coordinated and timely

action. However, the G-20 decision-making process

should be even more inclusive and transparent, so that

its decisions can translate into effective action at the

global level. That requires developing specific

mechanisms through which the interests, concerns and

aspirations of countries outside the G-20 can be taken

into account, with particular reference to developing

countries, in order to favour G-20 actions

complementary to those of the United Nations.

Over the last two years, the Republic of San

Marino, well aware of the interconnectedness of global

economic and financial policies, has intensified its

efforts to make its legislative instruments and practices

relating to transparency and international cooperation

compliant with international standards established by

the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development and MONEYVAL. Within a short period,

laws to combat money-laundering and terrorist

financing were adopted, banking and financial

supervision services were reorganized and amendments

were made to company legislation, eliminating

anonymous companies.

The San Marino Government expresses its

satisfaction with resolution 64/289, on United Nations

system-wide coherence, which the General Assembly

unanimously adopted on 2 July. That resolution, the

result of year-long negotiations, is an historic

achievement for the reform process of the United

Nations, in particular for strengthening the entire

system. It provides for a higher degree of coordination,

efficiency and transparency, while avoiding

fragmentation, waste, duplication of tasks and effort.

A fundamental element of that resolution is the

establishment of the new United Nations Entity for

Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, to be

known as UN Women, which will become operational

on 1 January 2011. The mandates of four existing bodies

concerned with the promotion of women’s rights will be

transferred to this new entity, which will strengthen, in

terms of capability, efficiency and responsibility, the

United Nations system in the field of gender equality

and the empowerment of women.

The Republic of San Marino pays special

attention to this subject and over the last few years has

promoted several national initiatives making women in

San Marino aware of their rights and of the State

protection mechanisms available to them. At the

international level, San Marino has joined several

campaigns aimed at raising awareness of women’s

rights among the public and national authorities, such

as the Unite to End Violence Against Women

campaign, launched by the Secretary-General in 2008.

I would like to underline on this occasion the

fundamental importance of the efforts of the

international community, as well as pressure exerted by

civil society, to achieve higher standards of human

rights protection. Moreover, we cannot forget that

women and children are always the most vulnerable

section of society in situations where rights and

fundamental freedoms are violated. In several

countries, women have to face very difficult situations:

many of their rights are often violated and the authors

of the violations go unpunished. The international

community must spare no effort to ensure that the

dignity, rights and fundamental freedoms of all human

beings are duly protected.

San Marino also believes that the international

community should be responsible for working as

effectively as possible to combat human trafficking.

Today that modern form of slavery still affects millions

of people, the majority of whom are also women and

children. The Republic of San Marino attaches the

utmost importance to the adoption last July of

resolution 64/293, which contains the United Nations

Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons.

The collective commitment to combating

trafficking in persons led to the adoption of that

resolution, the result of long consultations and complex

negotiations. San Marino guarantees its support for this

initiative and will cooperate with all Member States in

order to implement the Plan of Action. This initiative is

particularly important to us, since this year we ratified

the United Nations Convention against Transnational

Organized Crime, its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and

Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and

Children, and its Protocol against the Smuggling of

Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.

As underlined in the Secretary-General’s report

“Keeping the promise” (A/64/665), the Millennium

Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals

have brought about a slow but progressive

improvement in the fight against extreme poverty,

hunger and disease and in the promotion of gender

equality, education and environmental sustainability.

31 10-55122

However, the report outlines that progress has been

discontinuous and uneven from one region to another.

We have recently witnessed a series of severe and

unprecedented crises, including the world economic

and financial crisis, the food and energy crisis, the one

related to climate change, humanitarian crises —

including the recent earthquake in Haiti and the huge

floods in Pakistan — and those caused by the increased

number of conflicts. After having obtained good

results, we are now experiencing a severe setback, and

an even more structured commitment will be necessary

to overcome those obstacles and achieve the Goals by

2015.

The Republic of San Marino expresses its

satisfaction with the General Assembly’s High-level

Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development

Goals, which recently concluded. The outcome

document of that meeting (resolution 65/1) aims at

developing effective strategies for action and, most of

all, at renewing the commitment and responsibility of

each country to achieving the Goals set.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the strong

commitment of the Republic of San Marino in favour

of the implementation of the ideals of the United

Nations and of the principles enshrined in its Charter.

We will guarantee our support to all initiatives

necessary to reach such an aim.