YouSaid · the spoken record

Lydie Polfer

lines on the record: 60
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2002-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report this year undertakes an in- depth analysis of the phenomenon of globalization. It clearly brings out the beneficial aspects and the opportunities provided by this process, while at the same time showing the negative consequences, which are very serious and worrying: instability in financial relations, high unemployment, an unsteady job market, the ravages of AIDS, the increasing inequalities between North and South, the extension of those inequalities to the field of knowledge and the constantly growing marginalization of a large number of developing countries.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This determination will be expressed through the major intergovernmental organizations, which define the rules of coexistence between nations and peoples. The United Nations unquestionably takes pride of place among them. My Government also intends to further develop its relations with the more remote regions of the world. This is an effort to respond to a real deficiency, which can be explained by our size and our limited human resources. It is important for us to remedy that situation through a balanced programme of contacts. The United Nations, and the presence of numerous delegations at United Nations Headquarters in New York and at Geneva, will doubtless provide us opportunities conducive to achieving that end.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“This is often further aggravated by a considerable difficulty: that of making known to our foreign partners a little-known national reality. That explains our commitment to the vitality and smooth functioning of intergovernmental organizations. For us, the United Nations represents an irreplaceable forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences, but to an even greater extent it must be a tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, development and respect for universal values. A new Government has just taken office in Luxembourg. Its first task will be to ensure the continuity of our foreign commitments. But it also intends consistently to develop our policy of demonstrating our presence, participation and solidarity at the international level.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“The international community will henceforth be more vigilant and will no longer allow those who have been found guilty of such crimes to continue to enjoy impunity. My country will ratify the Statute of the Court as soon as possible, and we hope that it will soon become a reality. My country's profound commitment to the European Union, which is preparing to enlarge its membership, is a sure reflection of our strong aspiration to strengthen both the internal cohesion of the countries of the region and to promote cooperation at an international level. The contribution of the European Union to the life of our Organization is intended to be a driving force for its further development. Small countries like mine tend to develop an acute awareness of their own vulnerability.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It also means that the effort to update and reform the United Nations mechanisms still remains fully relevant. It is only through cooperation, understanding and solidarity, together with respect for commitments entered into and for the rule of law, that progress towards a true cohesiveness will be possible. All the Members of our Organization are directly responsible for ensuring that their contribution to the common undertaking and to its progress is not lacking. This was the case during the decision to create an International Criminal Court. We have thus reached an important stage in the field of international ethics and morality by providing ourselves with an instrument through which those responsible for atrocities in time of war and for crimes against humanity will be held to account.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“It would be unrealistic to expect a solution from the Organization every time humanitarian disaster strikes or a conflict breaks out. There is no such thing as a world government, and it would be a disservice to the United Nations to fail to acknowledge this obvious fact. Nevertheless, the United Nations is a platform and a forum for negotiations at the global level, and we should therefore exert every effort to ensure its smooth functioning. To do this it must have adequate funding to duty bound to respect their Charter obligation to pay in full, unconditionally and on time the amounts they owe to the Organization. This also means that increasingly, the 13 major political orientations of the Organization are decided upon by consensus, thereby ensuring the support of all States for its actions.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Today I would reiterate the commitment of the people of Luxembourg to our Organization, which is called upon to play a pivotal role in an international environment that is becoming increasingly globalized yet, at the same time, more and more fragmented. While the first aspect of this process, globalization, is most apparent in the economic field, the second, fragmentation, is more clearly felt in the political arena, as social inequities are increasing. This process will undoubtedly result in very complex tensions, heightening those that already exist and creating new ones. These will have to be analyzed and dealt with; to do this we will need imagination, clear-sightedness and, above all, an effective resolve and capacity to act. Our security and prosperity will depend on the way in which our Organization confronts these challenges.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Nonetheless, today's international environment has seen far-reaching changes, and the international community is now in a position to tackle very complex challenges. My country hopes that this historic breakthrough at century's end will be further consolidated. Today is my first opportunity to represent my country from this rostrum and to address the Assembly, which comprises nearly all the countries of the world. Luxembourg is one of the founding Members of our Organization, and in October 1945, it was the smallest. Our presence in San Francisco was due to our determination to cooperate with the international community and to reaffirm our sovereignty.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“Luxembourg is proud of having participated in the definition of the European Union's core positions. These were explained to the Assembly by Mrs. Tarja Halonen, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, in the statement she made in her capacity as current Chairman-in-Office of the European Union. This fall will mark the tenth anniversary of the end of the cold war, which for more than four decades hampered the harmonious development of international relations. Among other things, it prevented our Organization from fully discharging its mandate to maintain international peace and cooperation. This anniversary is definitely a happy one, even if much of what had been hoped for in 1989 has failed to materialize and the consequences of certain upheavals are still being felt.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)
“I should like at the outset, Sir, warmly to congratulate you on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly, which marks the opening of the regular annual session. Your wise and dynamic leadership will determine the scope and outcome of our work. I would like also to thank Mr. Didier Opertti for his dedication and commitment throughout the fifty-third session of the General Assembly. Let me also reiterate Luxembourg's confidence, given our Secretary-General's characteristic tireless determination to promote dialogue, knowledge and mutual recognition, that his efforts will lead to greater mutual understanding. The respect accorded to, and the effectiveness of, our Organization will depend on the strong cohesiveness of its membership. Within its modest means, my country intends to contribute to this key objective.”
1999-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 54 (1999)