San Marino, 2013

On behalf of

the Government of San Marino, I wish to congratulate

His Excellency Mr. John Ashe on his election as

President of the of the General Assembly at its sixty-

eighth session. His long experience as Ambassador of

Antigua and Barbuda and his in-depth knowledge of

the Organization are precious resources for the United

Nations. The Republic of San Marino supports the

essential elements of his programme, mentioned in his

inaugural address (see A/68/PV.1), and ensures its full

cooperation in all work of the General Assembly.

My country also wishes to express special thanks to

His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

energy, commitment and extraordinary determination

to the benefit of the United Nations. We appreciate

the sensitivity demonstrated by the Secretary-General

towards all Member States, without distinction, and

his constant presence in all international politically

relevant and emergency situations. His visit this year

to our Republic on the occasion of the Investiture

Ceremony of Their Excellencies the Captains Regent

marked a significant moment in the history and public

life of our small State, and was an honour for the San

Marino people.

The theme chosen this year’s session — “The post-

2015 development agenda: setting the stage” — places

at the heart of our debate the need to pursue the

Millennium Development Goals and to comply with

the obligations undertaken. It also serves to reaffirm

that it is only through the determined commitment of

the Organization that those Goals can be effectively

achieved.

We believe that significant progress has been made

in achieving many of the Goals, such as the eradication

of extreme poverty, access to drinkable water,

combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and

the improvement of the health conditions of women

and children. However, we are well aware that the full

achievement of those objectives is still far off. Despite

the progress made, we are deeply concerned for regions

in the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, that require

urgent and effective action, as well as for those countries

experiencing conflicts and post-conflict situations

where the population lives in extreme conditions.

San Marino, like many other countries, believes that

in setting the fundamental objectives of the post-2015

agenda, due account must be taken of the challenges

that in the course of the past years — that is, since the

adoption of the Millennium Declaration — have become

more urgent. Among the challenges, peace and security,

the elimination of inequalities and environmental

sustainability are, in our view, top priorities, not only

among States but also within States, owing to their

magnitude and urgent nature.

Peace is the indispensable condition for building

and fully implementing a development model centred

on the human individual. Therefore, dialogue and

negotiation, as tools to resolve conflicts, should be

pursued with greater effort and determination by the

entire international community, which considers this

search to be a fundamental mission of the Organization.

Similarly, when crimes against humanity are

committed — crimes that the Secretary-General has

recently denounced and documented, after a strong

condemnation — united action to eliminate chemical

and nuclear weapons is needed in order to avoid

responding to violence with violence. Too many violent

conflicts have recently defined the internal life of some

States and the relations among them. There are far too

many dead, in particular civilians, to talk of satisfactory

conditions of peace. But peace can be founded only

on respect for human rights, social justice and the

emancipation of the weakest segments of society.

The Republic of San Marino reasserts its own

commitment to the goal of a world free of any form

of racism and racial discrimination, where the freedom

of expression and association, and above all the

freedom of religion, are guaranteed and the personal

fulfilment of individuals is ensured. To that end, we

shall be guided by the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights. Furthermore, San Marino praises the high-level

meetings marking the first part of the session of the

General Assembly, because the themes discussed are

not only urgent but also extremely important.

The Republic of San Marino has always paid special

attention to the most vulnerable groups, such as women,

children, the elderly and the disabled. Today, women are

still the victims of discrimination and violence in many

parts of the world, including in the most developed

countries. In the poorest regions of our planet, maternal

mortality remains a challenge. Moreover, women are the

most vulnerable to HIV infection. Trafficking in women

is far from being resolved. Women are often subject

to abuse and to humiliating and degrading treatment,

including polygamy, child marriage, kidnapping and

sexual violence, including domestic violence. Women

living in conflict and post-conflict situations are often

subject to sexual violence, mass rape, torture, summary

executions.

The advancement of women’s rights and the

elimination of all barriers to their full participation in

political, economic and social life must be top priorities

for the United Nations, along with the promotion of their

economic opportunities and equality in all sectors.

The United Nations has the duty to protect children,

the most vulnerable victims of violence, abuse and

exploitation. In the most poverty-stricken areas of the

world, the infant mortality rate is still unacceptable

and a very high number of children suffer from chronic

malnutrition, which is the main cause of child mortality.

My country hopes for the universal ratification of the

Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional

Protocols and their full implementation.

The international community must strive for the full

inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in

the economic, social and cultural life of the community.

Despite the significant steps forward taken over the

last years in terms of equality and non-discrimination

against disabled persons, much remains to be done for

the implementation of the Convention on the Rights

of Persons with Disabilities, through the adoption of

legislative measures and national and international

policies. The Republic of San Marino welcomes the

convening of the High-level Meeting on the Realization

of the Millennium Development Goals and Other

Internationally Agreed Development Goals for Persons

with Disabilities (see A/68/PV.3) and fully supports its

outcome document (resolution 68/3).

In particular, it must be stressed that the protection

of disabled persons can be more easily achieved if the

social and economic policies of individual States and

international organizations pay due attention to the

institution of the family as the natural environment

in which human beings are born and develop their

awareness of the rights and duties regulating coexistence

among people.

My country’s priorities include environmental

sustainability and the prevention of and response to

natural disasters. Over the last years, certain regions

of the world have been shaken by unprecedented

natural disasters. In Asia, Latin America and Africa,

in particular in the Horn of Africa, local communities

have suffered from extreme conditions, experiencing

the tragic consequences of their vulnerability and of

food and health uncertainty.

Our thanks go to the Secretary-General, the Office

for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the

Central Emergency Response Fund for their prompt and

crucial intervention in favour of populations affected

by natural disasters. However, individual Member

States must do more and give rapid and effective

support to populations in emergency situations, both by

investing in the most vulnerable regions so as to build

the capacities necessary for preventive action and by

providing them with the moral and financial support

necessary to cope with disasters.

The Republic of San Marino attaches great

importance to the issue of preventing and responding to

natural disasters. Despite its small size, it ranks fifty-

first on the list of donors to the Central Emergency

Response Fund.

Lastly, the finalization of the post-2015 development

agenda cannot be separated from a discussion on the

strengthening of global governance mechanisms, since

the achievement of the new development goals will be

the result of cooperation among all Member States.

San Marino believes that the United Nations has the

duty to retain its leadership role in global governance

management.

My country is a traditional sponsor of the annual

draft resolution entitled “The United Nations in global

governance”, to be submitted in 2013 for the third time.

It reiterates the need for a more inclusive, transparent

and effective approach to solving the world’s problems

and recognizes the central role to be played by the

United Nations in global governance.

Indeed, the highly democratic nature and the

universal character of the United Nations grant it

indisputable legitimacy and a patrimony deriving from

the cultural diversities and the traditions it represents.

This leads to an approach focusing on humankind and

the promotion of human rights in which the needs of the

entire international community are taken into account.

Indeed, global problems require global solutions.

Against that background, our Organization must

adapt. The political role and authority of the General

Assembly, and reform of the Security Council, are the

core issues of such a reform process. The demands

made today by the peoples of North Africa and the

Middle East require a review of working methods

and the decision-making process in order to ensure

that solutions are reached in the context of which the

interests and positions of all parties concerned are duly

taken into account.

The Republic of San Marino has always believed

in the power of dialogue, democracy and respect for

others. That is why, in its centuries-old history, it has

never fought any war. Drawing on that experience,

we believe that — and this is our contribution to the

general debate — the Millennium Development Goals

and the definition of the post-2015 development agenda

need to be set within this perspective.