Slovakia, 2008

The international

community is increasingly confronted with old

problems coupled with a new set of challenges of a

truly global nature. And as Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon said at the opening meeting, under these

circumstances we face another daunting challenge —

the challenge of global leadership.

We, the united nations of the world, must indeed

exercise our leadership, authority and responsibility

under these increasingly complex circumstances. We

need to start here, at the United Nations, notably in the

Security Council, but also in the General Assembly, the

Economic and Social Council and other bodies.

Cooperation among our countries and with

international organizations must broaden. Real

partnerships with the private sector and civil society

must be pursued more vigorously.

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As part of the European Union efforts, we

promote coordinated measures to help developing

countries increase the food supply and tackle the

current crises in a sustainable manner. Furthermore,

fairer international trade rules must be adopted to

stimulate agriculture production, beginning in

developing countries, and to allow access to foodstuffs.

This year we are at the midpoint of assessing the

achievements in moving towards reaching the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. So

far, overall progress on the MDGs has been uneven, at

best. Moreover, rising food prices, record energy costs,

energy and pipeline security challenges, climate

change, growing scarcity of water resources and the

recent meltdown of financial centres that started here

in the United States — all that threatens to reverse the

existing advances towards the MDGs. Most, if not all,

of the MDG targets can still be reached, but only if we

all work towards them with doubled energy and

commitment.

As a former recipient country that has

successfully navigated the transition process, Slovakia

itself now also provides official development

assistance to help meet the MDGs, among other goals.

We are pleased that the democratization of the

United Nations is among the key priorities of the year.

We support democratization in the sense of increased

partnership among the key United Nations bodies and

of respect for one other’s mandates.

Slovakia would like to place renewed emphasis

on the advancement of the agreed United Nations

reform measures, including the management reform of

the United Nations Secretariat.

Slovakia remains convinced of the need to reform

the Security Council. Based on our own recent

experience from serving on the Council, we emphasize

the need to make it more representative, more open and

more transparent. The Council needs to be enlarged in

both its categories. Slovakia supports the ambitions of

Germany, Japan, Brazil and India to become permanent

members of the Security Council, as well as permanent

representation of Africa on the Council. The regional

group of Eastern European States needs to be allocated

at least one additional non-permanent seat. We thus

fully support the launching of intergovernmental

negotiations on Security Council reform.

This year we mark the sixtieth anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The

promotion and protection of human rights and

fundamental freedoms, as well as cultivation of the

culture of inter-religious and inter-ethnic tolerance,

remain my country’s priorities for action in the United

Nations. Slovakia was elected a member of the Human

Rights Council this year. We will promote universal

respect for the protection of human rights and

fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of

any kind and in a fair and equal manner.

Justice is a prerequisite for peace, security and

development, not a contradiction to them.

Responsibility to protect should be another leading

policy and principle for our joint action, both in

relation to genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and

crimes against humanity and in cases of large-scale

natural disasters and catastrophes. We can no longer

afford another Rwanda in Darfur or elsewhere.

In this context, we would like to especially

commend the African Union for its increasingly active

role in putting an end to the most serious crises in

Africa, especially the African Union-United Nations

Hybrid Operation in Darfur and the African Union

Mission in Somalia. Here, I would like to acknowledge

a continuously growing cooperation between the

European Union and the United Nations, currently in

some 20 operations and cases.

Nationally owned reform of the security sector,

particularly in post-conflict environments, is critical to

consolidating peace and stability; promoting poverty

reduction, rule of law and good governance; extending

legitimate State authority; and preventing countries

from relapsing into conflict.

Since its membership in the Security Council,

Slovakia has been actively engaged in security sector

reform-related efforts as it works in support of the

recommendations of the Secretary-General. We are

committed to continuing our work as coordinator of the

group of friends of security sector reform, as well as to

further promoting regional and subregional activities in

that area, following a successful workshop in South

Africa and a later one in Asia and Latin America.

New challenges to global security should not

divert our attention from old and more traditional

threats. The world is unfortunately full of disputes,

conflicts and crises. We consistently support their

resolution through negotiations and peaceful means,

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with a central role for the United Nations based on full

respect for the principles of international law —

notably those of sovereignty and territorial integrity —

and we reject the use of force and unilateral action.

That is relevant to the recent developments in

Georgia and in the Western Balkans, where we

underline the importance of the European and

transatlantic perspective for all countries as an

essential element in promoting peace, stability and

economic progress in the region. One lesson that we

have learned is that frozen conflicts and unresolved

disputes, if left to fester, tend at times to move into a

dangerously hot stage, spread instability and fuel

extremism. The conflict in the Middle East is telling in

that respect. I should like to stress, as others have, that

calls from this rostrum for the annihilation of the State

of Israel are unacceptable and deplorable.

We all recognize the importance of supporting the

Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to ensure

stability and development in the country and to prevent

Afghanistan from becoming once again a haven for

terrorists. This year, Slovakia has decided to double the

number of its soldiers serving in southern Afghanistan,

but it is obvious that lasting peace and stability in

Afghanistan will depend on solid improvements in the

living conditions of Afghan citizens and in good

governance.

Slovakia supports enhanced United Nations

cooperation in implementing the Global Counter-

Terrorism Strategy. To be more effective, we need an

agreement on a comprehensive United Nations

convention against international terrorism as soon as

possible.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

and their means of delivery continues to pose a serious

threat to international peace and security. We are in

particular concerned about our inability to close the

issue of the Iran nuclear programme in a way that

would be considered by all to be in conformity with the

non-proliferation regime. We welcome the extension of

the mandate of the Security Council Committee

established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004).

The tasks confronting us in the year ahead are

enormous. They can be accomplished only through our

strong and sustained political commitment, working

through multilateral mechanisms with the United

Nations in the lead and at the centre.