YouSaid · the spoken record

Sergei Martynov,

lines on the record: 90
first: 2003-09-24
most recent: 2011-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“They should be aimed at a true promotion of human rights and protection of the real victims of human rights violations, and not at getting even with disagreeable nations by abusing an unjust instrument of country-specific resolutions. As a major step towards the practical promotion of human rights and the protection of victims of one of the most acute and painful phenomena of the modern world, Belarus has, together with a number of partners, elaborated a draft resolution on improving international coordination in fighting human trafficking, and will present it to the Assembly at this session. The global scale of that challenge requires from all of us not shallow talk, but truly coordinated and purposeful actions. We see the goal of these efforts as the 06-53609 18 elaboration of a United Nations strategy to fight human trafficking.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“There is also a large debit balance in United Nations activities outside the Economic and Social Council. There has been no substantial movement towards the enhancement of the role of the General Assembly as a principal organ of the United Nations. So far there has been no progress in reorganizing the Security Council, a key element in United Nations reform. The sluggishness of the Security Council in addressing the situation in Lebanon has not only caused sorrow and frustration, but once again convinces us of the disparity between the Security Council and the image of the world as we know it today. Having made right and important steps in the human rights area after the 2005 World Summit, the international community should take new actions at this session.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We have reduced unemployment to 1.5 per cent, and we are successfully curbing inflation. I am confident that the experience, approach and knowledge of Belarus will be a useful contribution to the work of the Economic and Social Council on the Millennium Development Goals. If the majority of nations give us the credit of trust, we will most actively and persistently work for a stronger role for the Council in addressing the development challenges. Together with those who share these approaches, we will work to reform the social and economic sphere of the United Nations. Reform measures are not working yet. Without them the activity of different United Nations funds and programmes at country level can never be effective. To continue a “business as usual” approach in these matters would mean leaving the Millennium Development Goals on paper.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Chernobyl’s direct damage in Belarus alone is equivalent to 35 annual national budgets. It is more than appropriate to recall today, in the year of its twentieth anniversary, the largest man-made disaster in the history of mankind. Having overcome a 50 per cent decline in the economy, and having rejected formulas that the International Monetary Fund tried to impose upon us, Belarus was the first country of the Commonwealth of Independent States to restore gross domestic product to its peak Soviet value and then raise the level to 120 per cent of that value. We have created a market economy with a strong social emphasis. We have preserved free education, including higher education, and health care, as well as the high quality and availability of social services for all people without exception.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“What is most important is that we have the know-how to do it. Having been left 15 years ago, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, without natural resources and foreign markets, without a national currency and international assistance, we have achieved our economic and social objectives. They may be considered modest when compared to those of the most developed countries, but they are of critical importance as a stage in our movement forward, as evidence of what a medium-sized State can achieve in the most difficult of circumstances. Among other hardships, we had to deal on our own with the Chernobyl disaster, whose radioactive contamination affected more than 20 per cent of our population and made it impossible to use more than 20 per cent of arable land and 30 per cent of forests.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Belarus was the first country in the world to voluntarily renounce the possession of the nuclear weapons it had at its disposal. Despite all the difficulties of the transition period, our country was among the first to respond to the plight of people struck by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004, and provided humanitarian assistance to the disaster-stricken countries of south-east Asia. Nor was our country an indifferent spectator of the recent conflict in the Middle East. At the height of the hostilities Belarus invited children from war-ravaged States to come to Belarus for health rehabilitation. The adherence of Belarus to the cause of development is also sincere and firm. Implementation of the international development agenda will be the indisputable priority of our work in the Economic and Social Council.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I appeal to Member States to support Belarus in the elections to be held during the current session. The Assembly may rest assured that the Republic of Belarus will not fall short of its expectations. As a Member of the United Nations since 1945, Belarus has never wavered in its devotion to the purposes and principles of the Charter. As a member of the Non- Aligned Movement since 1998, Belarus stands actively and resolutely for the implementation of the goals and principles of the Movement and the practical strengthening of its role in international affairs. Our responsibility and concern for the destiny of the world are sincere. There is much evidence to prove that. In its region the Republic of Belarus is a donor of 17 06-53609 international security.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“None is easily achievable. These problems are too old and too deep-rooted to be solved by incremental and shallow methods. Nobody treats a dangerous infection with aspirin. A serious task requires serious tools. That is why the time has come for deep transformation of the Bretton Woods institutions. They were established in a different era and for different purposes. They should be changed and made to serve the cause of global development. A special role in making development a success and not a problem will belong to the Economic and Social Council, as the major United Nations coordinating body on development. Special responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the members of the Council. Belarus is a candidate for membership of the Economic and Social Council for the period 2007- 2009.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Are we waiting for the spiralling extremism caused by the lack of prospects for the future? The situation is as clear as it can get. And it is clear that inadequate reflection of the priorities of development and development assistance in the 2005 World Summit Outcome document (resolution 60/1) was a serious mistake by the international community. How can we correct this mistake? We can do so only by earnest and not hypocritical practical efforts to implement the Millennium Development Goals. Before too long we will see new proposals based on the results of the large-scale study on raising system-wide coherence and coordination of actions of the agencies of the United Nations system in the field of development assistance. Our task is to implement these important initiatives in deed. The Millennium Development Goals are clear.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“In the same way, religious intolerance and the rejection of the beliefs and conventions of other people do not bring spiritual harmony and unity. They cause an outbreak of radicalism, fanaticism and extremism. Encouragement of religious tolerance within societies should become a responsibility of political and state leaders. International security and global stability are inseparable from the solution of the world’s development problems. Security and development are inseparable. This is not some artificial linkage created in the halls of the United Nations. Its real nature has been clearly shown by the events in the suburbs of Paris. Are we, here in the General Assembly, and our colleagues in the capitals of the richest countries, waiting for an even more alarming signal?”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Any help should come only then and in such manner as they wish, not as deemed appropriate by the ideologues of crusades in some capitals. There are no clever and foolish, no superior and inferior, no righteous and vicious peoples and religions; there are just people of the planet who are equally eager for happiness, uncomplicated and dignified. The five years that have passed since 11 September 2001 have proved with painful clarity that ideology and the practice of crusades do not bring peace and democracy. They lead to the devastation of States, the destruction of the fabric of life of entire nations, and the death of children, women and innocent civilians. They also result in an upsurge of terrorism, swelling the ranks of its followers and supporters.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Is it not absolutely clear that as long as there is no independent Palestinian State, peacefully coexisting with all its neighbours, and that as long as Iraq is not free from occupation, then terrorism and extremism will remain inevitable and invincible? Attempts to solve the problems of self-determination by violent measures, whether military or of any other kind, from the outside will result only in increasing the ranks of the ruthless disciples of terrorism and extremism. In the modern world free self-determination is not only an issue of State independence and sovereignty. It is also an issue of recognizing — not in word, but in deed — a diversity of ways for countries and peoples to progress. We must provide the Palestinians, Iraqis, Lebanese and other peoples with the possibility of building their own homes in the way they want.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“It is generally considered that the struggle of ideologies has passed into history together with the collapse of the bipolar world order. Yet in reality the world continues a painful quest for a system of ideas that could ensure its security, justice and prosperity. The 2005 World Summit and the current General Assembly debate are good evidence of this quest. Nowhere else but on this rostrum does one have such an acute sense that ideas and the struggle for them are no abstract matter. They permeate the flesh and blood of millions and billions of people. 06-53609 16 I hope that many of those present will agree that free self-determination is the main ideology of the modern world.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Here, the same simple, unconditional and clear principle should apply for all countries: equal among equals. The future of the United Nations rests on that. Belarus is ready to work with everyone to make that future happen.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“We call on Member States and all those who care about the fate of the millions of Chernobyl victims to support the Assembly’s adoption of the draft resolution on Chernobyl. Finally, we propose the convening of a special meeting of the General Assembly on 26 April 2006 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy. Belarus is a country that is used to relying on itself. We are not seeking any unfair international advantages nor do we follow anyone else’s political lead. We have confidence in the strength, talent and diligence of our people. That is what allows us to speak and act in a principled and honest fashion in the international arena, without reference to the wishes of the powerful. It is precisely for that reason that we stand for an open and honest dialogue at the United Nations. This is our common home.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Looking honestly at today’s world we cannot ignore the long-term effects of the Chernobyl disaster. The largest manmade disaster of the twentieth century, it has negatively impacted on the lives of millions of people and caused enormous economic damage. In Belarus alone, the disaster caused US$ 235 billion in damages. The Government of Belarus has accomplished much in the years since the disaster to minimize its effects. Now the time has come to assess the effectiveness of international assistance in that area and to chart the priorities for our joint work for the coming decade. Those are the issues that will be on the agenda of the international conference on the Chernobyl disaster to be held in April 2006 in Minsk.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Today, after all, fewer than half of Member States have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Just over a dozen countries have adopted national strategies or action plans to combat trafficking in human beings. But it will be possible to turn this social evil back only through a universal effort. In that respect, we consider it extremely important that all parties involved in that criminal trade be held responsible, including the consumers of those human commodities. It is high time for us to launch a decisive and organized campaign at the United Nations against all forms of trafficking in and exploitation of human beings, and to forge a global partnership against slavery and trafficking in human beings in the twenty-first century.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Today, as never before, we need to take an honest look at our world, which would allow us to discuss critical problems in a free and transparent manner and to look together for ways to solve them. An honest look at today’s world, for instance, would not allow us to overlook the problem of trafficking in human beings. This disgrace of the twenty-first century has overtaken all regions of the world. The most vulnerable — women and children, whose protection should be the priority task of the United Nations — serve as living merchandise. Forced adolescent labour, the sexual enslavement of women and girls and trafficking in human organs should be decisively opposed by all States and prohibited in their legislation. There is much to do in this sphere.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“At the summit, the President of the Republic of Belarus stressed that this can ensure the stability of the world and is an enduring value of our civilization (see A/60/PV.5). In today’s unipolar world, this value is not only belittled but challenged as well. What is behind the calls we heard in this Hall last week to “help those who wish to help themselves”? In practice this is a selective approach which recognizes the right to development only for those countries which have adopted government and economic reforms in accordance with a strictly defined model. Let us consider whether we need to clone this model the world over. Does it represent the strength and the value of our civilization? Does it represent the value of the United Nations? What can this one-sided world give to people? Will it be a comfortable home for our children?”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Does the United Nations really need reform which creates preconditions for the more frequent and more arbitrary use of force at the sole discretion of the mighty? We are against reform which would turn the Organization created out of the ashes of the Second World War into an instrument of diktat by the militarily and economically most powerful States. Does the 17 United Nations need reform which would divide countries into those “worthy” and those “unworthy” of international assistance, into pupils and teachers in matters of governance and social development? We do not want such reform. To preserve and build upon the core values of the United Nations Charter, taking into account the realities of today, is the major task of genuine reform that our Organization really needs. The diversity of routes to progress is among those core values.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“In this Organization everyone has equal rights and all work together to create the main product: peace. Yet I have to mention this because under the banner of reform there is a move to turn our Organization — de facto and de jure — into an instrument for the domination of some States by others. We all have witnessed this. A short while ago it was officially proposed that we approve a new decision-making procedure for the specialized agencies: those who pay more would have more votes. Now it is being proposed that we elect members to the main human rights body of the United Nations on the basis of subjective criteria. This is a dangerous trend, and a deviation from the United Nations Charter. It will lead to the splintering of the United Nations.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was written in the late 1930s and is set at the time and in the country where Guernica was destroyed. It is no coincidence that a depiction of that destruction hangs outside the Security Council Chamber. We all know what happened afterwards: from the ruins of the world the United Nations emerged. Belarus is not a doomsayer. Indeed, we ourselves experienced the utter horror of the Second World War in greater measure than anyone else and we do not want to see it repeated. But during the sixtieth anniversary year of the victory and of the founding of the United Nations, it is quite appropriate to recall these things. I do not want to state the obvious: that the United Nations is the Organization of all States, large and small, rich and poor.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“The summit of our leaders is over. Each of us here at the General Assembly has different feelings about it. Mine, I must say, are anxiety and hope. I am anxious not about the future of the United Nations as an Organization — its existence, after all, is not an end in itself — but about what the future of the United Nations holds. I place my hope in the future of the United Nations, because the present does not evoke unbridled optimism. There is but one source of optimism for all of us: that the summit, just finished, may serve as a wake-up call for us. Ernest Hemingway, an American who lived in Europe, evoked John Donne, who wrote, “never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”. This turned out to be appallingly apt.”
2005-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 60 (2005)
“Our country has been actively participating in international efforts to stop the modern slave and drug trades. Located at the crossroads of the most important transportation corridors between Asia and Europe, Belarus offers efficient interaction in solving these problems with all our neighbours and, especially, with the European Union. Common efforts are needed to fight common problems; that way, everybody wins. The global scope of problems demands a global scale of interaction involving all States without exception. Mankind made itself the master of the world after having become homo sapiens — sentient man. In order to become the master of its destiny, and not a hostage to challenges and threats, humanity should become humanitas sapiens — sentient humanity.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We hope that it will be supported by all delegations. The Republic of Belarus also proposes an initiative to hold in Minsk in 2006 an international conference timed to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The main objectives of the conference will be the search for ways to provide normal living conditions to people living in affected areas and an exchange of experiences in solving the problems of sustainable development in those regions. We invite all interested Member States and international organizations to take part in preparing and holding this event. In the area of counteracting international crime, the fight against human trafficking and illegal drug trafficking should become one of the United Nations priorities.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Let me touch upon the problem of the consequences of the largest technogenic catastrophe of the twentieth century, the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. We are grateful to the leadership of the Secretariat for its ongoing activities to mobilize international support in that direction. This year has been marked by the establishment of the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network and of the international Chernobyl Forum by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Jointly with the delegations of other affected States, we have prepared for this session a draft resolution on strengthening international cooperation and coordination of efforts in studying, mitigating and minimizing the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The document seeks to ensure the implementation of a new United Nations strategy on Chernobyl.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“One should not forget that providing an opportunity to all States to use the benefits of the multilateral trading system is in the long-term interests of peace, security and stability. I wish to inform the General Assembly that, as its contribution to ensuring access for developing countries and least developed countries to the world market, Belarus has made a decision to extend unilateral trade preferences to a large number of such States. Our country’s National Centre of Technology Transfer has a high potential for innovation and is ready for extensive cooperation with all interested States. Its institutional capacities are intended to meet not only our requirements, but the interests of developing countries as well.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The objective of providing equal access to world markets and to the benefits of the process of globalization for all States, particularly developing countries and countries with economies in transition, has unfortunately not been achieved. That is why we urge Member States to pay unabated attention to the process of developing the norms and rules of international trade and commercial activities in the interests of common well-being. After the recent failure of the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cancún, the leading economic Powers should understand the risks of delaying the negotiations within the WTO both on the issue of new rules as well as on the problem of new membership.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The resolutions we adopt should contain clear directives to existing forums and structures in the areas of international security, arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament. Only with this approach will we be able to stop the devaluation of such notions as peace, security and stability. I wish to inform delegations that Belarus has recently taken another responsible step to strengthen these values. While possessing the world’s seventh largest arsenal of anti-personnel landmines, the Republic of Belarus has joined the Ottawa Convention on their prohibition. We count on international assistance in their elimination. The norms of international law play a principled role in shaping a just international economic order.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“However, has everything possible been done in recent years, including by the most militarily powerful States, to strengthen the multilateral non-proliferation regime in all its most important aspects? Is everything being done to that end today? An appropriate answer to that 10 question would be the ratification by all permanent members of the Security Council of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The activities of multilateral bodies in the area of disarmament should be adapted to new realities. We proceed from the assumption that the United Nations should draw up a clear-cut list of priority directions in ensuring international security and generate programmes to overcome real threats to mankind.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Herein lies an important challenge for the United Nations, for permanent members of the Security Council and for all Members of the Organization. The principal contribution of Belarus to the non- proliferation of nuclear weapons and to conventional disarmament has been universally recognized. Our concern is therefore all the greater with regard to the gradual erosion of multilateral norms in disarmament and the stagnation of the international bodies, above all the negotiation mechanisms, in charge of international security and disarmament. From this rostrum, we join in the appeal not to allow the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This is a most important task. It should be noted, that for many years, Belarus has initiated efforts to prevent the development of new types of such weapons.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The work of the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee has helped in the forming of a global coalition under the aegis of the United Nations to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We must, however, be realistic: force alone can never eradicate the abominable phenomenon of terrorism, at least, not forever. Injustice, inequality and indifference will bring it forth again and again, just like the accumulation of electricity in the atmosphere produces a lightning bolt. The Secretary-General is right when he states that in order to maintain a genuinely global coalition for fighting terrorism the world must also see progress on other fronts of the struggle for a humane and just world order.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Those were exactly the considerations that guided Belarus when it proposed its candidature to Council membership for 2004-2006. The United Nations should pay priority attention to developing international law: new realities in international politics as well as new universal world problems have to be taken into consideration. Belarus is a party to all key multilateral treaties regulating various spheres of international life. This year we have acceded to a further number of such treaties, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols. The international fight against terrorism that unfolded after the tragic events of 11 September 2001 rightly placed the United Nations in the centre of antiterrorist efforts.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“A stronger role of the General Assembly is an important direction for increasing the Organization’s efficiency. The potential of the presidency of the General Assembly is underused. As an officer elected by the entire United Nations, the President of the General Assembly can and should be called upon to serve as a catalyst and organizer in searching for solutions to the problems the world and the Organization are facing. It is necessary to reform and improve the activities of the Economic and Social Council as the coordinator of United Nations efforts in economic, social and related areas. Having accumulated considerable experience working in the Bureau of the Council, the Republic of Belarus is ready to make a constructive contribution to these efforts.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“New global challenges and threats merely reaffirm that these values are indispensable. As a founding Member of the United Nations, Belarus sees the need to modernize and adapt the United Nations mechanisms and structures to the realities of this new century. Of special importance is the reform of the United Nations Security Council. As has been correctly noted by the Secretary-General, it is not only a question of enlarging the Council’s membership. Life itself has put on the agenda of the reform process many other aspects, including the Council’s capacity to react to threats to peace and security. It is essential to achieve a reasonable balance in the interrelationship between the main United Nations bodies, inherent in its Charter.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“At the same time, Belarus is worried by the pattern that is dangerous both for the future of the United Nations and for international peace and is taking shape on the most urgent issues: the Security Council and the United Nations are ignored when 9 unauthorized military action is taken, and are then invited back only in the aftermath, when their authority, experience and resources are seen as essential for rebuilding a peaceful life. That is what happened in Kosovo and what is happening in Iraq today. Belarus believes in the United Nations. We believe that it has a central role to play in the most urgent issues of today and that it cannot be replaced. We believe in the constant values and justice of the supremacy of international law and the fundamental principles of its Charter.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“This reflects the recognition that a military force or an occupying force cannot solve the problem of nation-building. We hope that this will also become recognition of the fact that a preventive war makes a poor foundation for security. We hope that a new Security Council resolution on Iraq being worked out now will strengthen the central role of the United Nations in the earliest and urgent return to the people of Iraq of its sovereignty, its right to independently determine its political future and its right to natural resources, so that constitutional processes and later election processes can be implemented by Iraqis in the interest of Iraqis.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Belarus’ contribution to the creation of the United Nations and a new system of international security was one-third of our population, who gave their lives for the victory of peace over war and the victory of the coalition of the future over the coalition of the past. That is exactly why we in Belarus today sense with special urgency the danger of the erosion of a just and stable world order. Let us preserve the coalition of the entire world for global peace. Let us not allow the Security Council, as the main body for maintaining peace and security, to be replaced by “coalitions of the willing” that use force without Council authorization. Let us not forget that only a just peace can prove to be a stable peace. Belarus welcomes the emerging effort to return to the United Nations its legitimate role in settling the Iraq issue.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The beginning of the twenty-first century differs from past decades and centuries in that the existence of a single global super-Power will make the rule of the mighty global in both scale and consequence. “We all have to recognize — no matter how great our strength — that we must deny ourselves the license to do always as we please. ... Unless we are all willing to pay that price, no organization for world peace can accomplish its purpose”. These words, spoken by United States President Harry Truman, are as urgent today as they were back in 1945. We call upon everyone to be guided by them today as they were when our Organization was being set up.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“To begin, I would sincerely like to congratulate you on your election to this very important and difficult position as President of the Assembly and I wish you every success. This year, the United Nations has come close to the most dangerous brink in its more than a half- century of history. This is not only and not so much the Iraqi crisis per se. That crisis has become but a manifestation of what has really threatened the entire system of world order created after World War II. The basis of this world order is the unconditional primacy of international law over the aspirations of individual States. Take that away, and the world will again, as in centuries past, become hostage to the power of the mighty. This will not merely throw us backward.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)