YouSaid · the spoken record

Murray McCully

lines on the record: 50
first: 2010-09-24
most recent: 2014-09-24
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

“We believe that things can be better than they are and are prepared, as a people, to work hard to achieve that. Despite the many challenges on the international agenda, my hope is that the membership of the United Nations will give us an opportunity to prove that by serving on the Security Council from next year.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Whatever the outcome, we are determined to maintain them. In the past, New Zealand has demonstrated that as a member of the Council it acts strongly, effectively and independently. It champions the rights of small States and for the voices of all to be heard. In short, as my Prime Minister said from this rostrum last year, there is no point in joining the Council simply to make up the numbers. Sometimes one has to speak up and shine a light on what is going on, or not going on, even when it is embarassing or inconvenient to others to do so. Above all, I can assure the Assembly that if we are elected, New Zealand will be a credible, positive influence on the Security Council. At our core, New Zealand is an optimistic country and New Zealanders are an optimistic people.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We have contributed and will continue to contribute to the humanitarian work under way, and on the formation of a new Government, we will look at further practical steps to support the international effort. In 18 days’ time, the United Nations membership will decide who will be on the Security Council for the next two-year term. New Zealand has been a candidate for that position since 2004. It has been 20 years since we were last on the Council. It has been a long and demanding campaign, and it will continue right up to the elections on 16 October. With tough competitors, such as our good friends Spain and Turkey, that has to be the case. The campaign has been a great opportunity for us to engage with nations around the world. We greatly value the new relationships we have forged and the enhanced character of existing relationships.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“They show that for all its failings and structural inequalities, the Council still has a vital role to play in maintaining international peace and security. But there is one lesson that we must learn from all those recent crises — the United Nations must fundamentally improve its performance in preventing conflict. Once fighting is in full spate, the options for peace disappear. Prevention is critical, not just in new conflicts, but also in the cases on the agenda where conflict has been frozen or where peacebuilding has not really taken hold. We are deeply troubled by the unprecedented scale of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. We recognize the huge challenges it poses to the economies and the political and security cohesion in the region.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Events in the Middle East and Ukraine have dominated the headlines in recent months and have diverted attention from the serious situations that continue to play out in Africa, particularly in Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations is directly involved in those crises, and they continue to challenge the capacity of the Organization and of the African Union to respond to the sheer scale of human suffering and to the continuing need for external assistance to restore and keep the peace, keep civilian populations safe and deliver humanitarian assistance. Those issues, no less than those in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, will continue to require constant attention from the Security Council and the coordinated efforts of the broader United Nations family.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We recognize the difficulties of managing ethnic tensions that straddle borders and the risks of local fires being stoked into wider national and international crises. But with the strong shared histories of cooperation and achievement between Russia and Ukraine, there is no excuse for leaders allowing matters to unravel as they have, to the point where international peace and security may be at risk. Already hundreds of innocent civilians on Flight MH-17 lost their lives through an associated mistake and miscalculation. We welcome the ceasefire agreed earlier this month, which has held, for the most part. We call on all involved to step back, think about what is at stake and start rebuilding the trust essential to finding a lasting solution.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“By any objective standard, that is a situation that cries out for Security Council attention, and that is true of both sides of the border. We need the Council members and the Governments concerned to move past the ideological stalemate that has kept the Council largely impotent for the past three years. The challenge we all face in Syria and Iraq is unlike any the United Nations has faced before. The political circumstances in which it is being played out are about as bad as they get. Yet somehow we must find a way of coming together to defeat that shared problem. Paralysis has also prevailed in the Security Council over Ukraine. The Council has been essentially a bystander as one of its permanent members has undermined the integrity of another Member State.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In Syria and Iraq, we see the truly frightening consequences when leadership, both internally and in the Security Council, has failed. Syria has been a weeping sore for over three years. Thousands of Syrians have died, millions have become refugees and all Syrian people have suffered terribly from the multiple conflicts engulfing the country. And now the tragedy of Syria has spilled over into Iraq, which was already wrestling with its own deep-seated problems. Many actors, in both the recent past and over a longer time frame, have had a hand in contributing to the situation we now confront, but now it is time for action. We need to find a way to contain the madness that is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, to address the humanitarian tragedy and to help the people of Syria and Iraq craft a better future.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We call on all sides not only to keep the guns and rockets silent but to refrain from actions that may destabilize what can only be described as an uneasy peace. In that connection, we express our profound regret at Israel’s appropriation of 400 hectares of privately owned Palestinian land near Bethlehem for settlements. That act itself is profoundly unhelpful. The problems of the Middle East are deep and difficult. They go back to the earliest days of the Organization and beyond. But what happened over the past months in and in relation to Gaza was a modern failure — a failure of leadership, of purpose and of vision. We urge the leaders of Israel and of Palestine, both West Bank and Gaza, to live up to their responsibilities to their peoples and to their positions.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That incident again underlined the great challenges and the dangers faced by United Nations peacekeepers and the responsibilities we all have to ensure the safety and security of peacekeeping and other United Nations personnel. It is as well that we are able to note some bright spots for our region, because the situation in other parts of the world does look bleak. What happened over the past few months in Gaza was an affront to humanity. No good was done for the cause of Palestine by Hamas firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel. No good was done for peace in the Middle East by Israel pounding Gaza with such intensity and at such cost of civilian lives. We welcome the ceasefire that was agreed after so many false starts and are thankful that so far it endures.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The other major event that has recently taken place in the Pacific is the election in Fiji. We congratulate the Prime Minister, his party and the people of Fiji on their successful return to democratic rule. Fiji’s successful elections are hugely important for the region. I am delighted that following the preliminary report of the multinational observers group, both the Pacific Islands Forum and the Commonwealth have commenced the process of lifting Fiji’s suspension. We look forward to rebuilding and strengthening the connections between us. Neither New Zealand nor Fiji can contemplate a future that does not entail close and continuing links with the other. We also welcomed the safe return of the Fiji peacekeepers who were held hostage in the Golan Heights.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We have also commenced a process of interregional cooperation in renewable energy by supporting the development of geothermal energy in the Caribbean and Africa. While small island developing States are showing real leadership in addressing climate change and shifting to renewable energy, those issues require action on a global scale. We therefore commend the Secretary- General for convening the Climate Summit here in New York last week. We are participating actively in those negotiations and hope they will pave the way for a successful conclusion in Paris next year. We have made an initial commitment to the Green Climate Fund to show our support for the global effort, but we will unashamedly continue to prioritize making real progress with real projects in our own region, which will continue to consume the bulk of our resources.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In the past year, over $3.3 billion worth of tuna was harvested from Pacific waters, yet only 14 per cent of that value, about $460 million, made its way back to Pacific nations. New Zealand has committed over $70 million over the next five years to advance a comprehensive approach that includes enhanced surveillance, training of monitors, training in commercial fishing practices, research and science initiatives and improving management practices. Our objective is to see the owners of the Pacific tuna resource receive a significantly greater share of the value of that resource, and to ensure that it is sustainably managed for the future. A key message from the SIDS Conference is the need to share experiences and skills among the SIDS regions. That is starting to happen. Fisheries management is a prime candidate for greater cooperation.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“And in the next 12 months, all of the outer islands of Tuvalu and all but one of the outer Cook Islands will be close to 100 per cent renewable. We are making real progress towards converting our Pacific neighbourhood to renewable energy, bringing significant environmental benefits and greatly enhancing prospects for sustainable economic development. My country has committed over $100 million to that process. We are not waiting for a new multilateral agreement or a new green fund. We are simply getting ahead with robust partnerships and making it happen. Another key topic at the SIDS Conference was sustainable fisheries. For our region, that is critically important. The biggest economic asset in the Pacific is its fisheries.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Pacific nations spend 10 per cent of their gross domestic product and up to 30 per cent of their entire import bills on importing diesel fuel for electricity generation. Sustainable economic development therefore simply cannot happen in our region without renewable energy. Significant progress is being achieved, especially since the Pacific Energy Summit 2013 that we co-hosted with the European Union in Auckland in March 2013, at which $635 million in funding was committed for over 50 projects. The Tokelau Islands have moved from 100 per cent dependence on fossil fuels to 93 per cent renewable. During the SIDS Conference itself, we opened a 2.2-megawatt plant, a solar array in Samoa. A year earlier we opened a 1.2-megawatt plant in Tonga. Next month, we will open a 1-megawatt array in Rarotonga.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“While it is undoubtedly true that small island developing States have placed great value on the opportunity to talk, it is also true that there was an undertone of frustration, born of the fact that too often in the past talk has not been followed by action. I strongly identify with that view. The multilateral world is awash with talk of plans and strategies and funds, while out there in the real world of small island developing States, not enough is happening on the ground. My country, New Zealand, is intent on avoiding that shortcoming, especially in our own region, the Pacific. Renewable energy featured strongly in the SIDS Conference agenda, as it had at the Secretary-General’s 2014 Climate Summit in the past week.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is an honour to address the General Assembly today on behalf of the Prime Minister and Government of New Zealand. Our general election took place in the past week. Our Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John Key, is engaged in forming a Government, and that is why he is unable to be in New York today. I want to begin by acknowledging the success of the recent third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Samoa. The success of the Conference was the result of the extraordinary work Samoa put into preparing for the Conference and the ownership of the agenda that was demonstrated by the small island developing States (SIDS).”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is only fair that we should in turn ask this large institution to find economies and improve working methods in order to deliver better value for our taxpayers. Smaller countries, like New Zealand, depend more than most on good multilateral institutions. We need a United Nations that is modern, efficient and able to meet changing needs. We all need a Security Council that is more responsive to the needs of the wider membership and more effective in dealing with the significant challenges that we all confront today.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Like other Member States, New Zealand believes Iran must be told to step back from a course that risks further dangerous escalation of the situation. We hope the international community will stand firm in sending that sort of message. In return, however, I suggest that it is fair for the international community to make a request of Prime Minister Netanyahu. And that is to put the settlements on hold, at the very least while negotiations proceed, and to engage in the direct talks with his Palestinian counterpart that represent the only basis for a durable solution to this issue, and an essential step in removing the seeds of wider conflict within the region. I would like to remind the Assembly that these are very difficult times for Governments around the world. Budget economies have affected foreign ministries, my own included.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We look forward to seeing the text of a draft resolution and to engaging in the consultations that have been signaled to us. I said earlier that New Zealanders are practical and constructive. They are also fair-minded people; they expect to see their Government bring all of those attributes to the consideration of such a resolution, and that we will surely do. Having said that, let me also be clear that we see such a resolution as a very poor substitute for the direct discussions that should occur between two leaders who live half an hour down the road from each other. In his address to the Assembly earlier in the week (see A/67/PV.12), Prime Minister Netanyahu set out clearly the grave implications for the Middle East, and for the global community more generally, of a nuclear breakout in the region.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In all of these cases we have seen good leadership from within the African Union, and that leadership deserves a timely and constructive response from New York. Many of those here will be aware that New Zealand is an energetic candidate for election to the Security Council for the term from 2015-2016. I can assure the Assembly that it will hear more from us on these topics over the next two years. We are a small country with a big voice and an approach that is fair-minded and constructive. In the past few days. the Assembly has heard from both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. We are now on notice that the issue of Palestinian status in the United Nations will come before the Assembly during this session.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“And my challenge to them today is to consider a process by which they collectively and voluntarily agree to confine their use of the veto to those issues that clearly and directly affect their vital national interests; and also that they voluntarily agree not to use their veto in situations that involve mass atrocities. While on the topic of the Security Council, I would like to take the opportunity to urge the Council and the relevant organs of the General Assembly to respond positively to the requests from the Economic Community of West African States for support in dealing with the conflict in Mali and the Sahel. Too often we have seen the Council fail to respond in a timely way to requests for help — in Rwanda, in Guinea, in Darfur and in Somalia. Too often it has been a case of too little, too late.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“But to ask the P-5 to acknowledge and respect the genuine concerns of the wider membership by voluntarily accepting a curb on the exercise of the veto is an entirely reasonable and achievable objective. My country was one of those that led the opposition to the veto when the Organization was being established; indeed, it was the only Charter issue that was forced to a vote. The permanent members argued at that stage that the veto was necessary in order to protect their vital national interests. Yet today we routinely see the veto exercised in circumstances that have little to do with national interests. My request to the five permanent members is simply that they stick with what they said to us back in 1945.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“And it is because we seek practical, constructive reform that our Government supports the so-called intermediate solution: the creation of a new category of seat for the group of larger countries that feel underrepresented in comparison with the five permanent members of the Security Council (P-5), but seats that they would have to win in open elections so as to make them fully accountable to the broader membership. I do not intend in these remarks to discuss any other specific proposals we would like to see considered, with one exception. There are now compelling reasons for us to ask the P-5 to voluntarily accept restrictions on the use of the veto. To go further and to seek its abolition is pointless; it simply will not happen.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“And I welcome the fact that the General Assembly has been looking for opportunities to be more engaged. In the absence of leadership from the Security Council, 1 suggest that the Assembly must find ways to play a more activist role. But from all of this, the case for Security Council reform has become utterly compelling. Indeed, increasingly, the future credibility of the United Nations may depend on it. If we are to make progress in this area we will need to see Members move past the extravagant attempts to maximize individual positions and try to find some meaningful, practical reforms that actually hold the prospect of widespread support. I represent a small nation of practical, constructive people.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It would be difficult for me to overstate the level of frustration of the people I represent with the complete inability of the Security Council to act in relation to Syria. And it would be even more difficult to overstate the extent to which the Security Council is at risk of losing its credibility in the eyes of reasonable and fair-minded people through its inability to act. People in my country ask a very simple question: If 25,000 deaths, countless thousands injured and many more displaced and homeless are not enough to get the Security Council to act, then what does it take? Just what does it take? I welcome the leadership that the Arab League and Arab States have shown on this issue, and we have seen similar leadership from them on other difficult issues in their region.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Our parting legacy from our year as Chair of the regional body is a renewable-energy pledging conference to be held early next year, with the objective of matching donors, suppliers of concessional and commercial finance, and others with the renewable energy plans of our Pacific neighbours. Here I should acknowledge the European Union’s commitment in co-leading this initiative, as well as the support of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Governments of Australia, the United States and other generous supporters. While there is much that can be achieved by regional action, we must acknowledge that sometimes regional solutions are just not enough. That goes right to the very heart of the reason for the existence of this Organization. My point is most vividly illustrated today in relation to Syria.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“By the end 2012, Tokelau will be over 90 per cent resourced with renewable solar electricity. Good progress has also been made in Tonga, where I recently participated in the opening of a solar power plant supplying around 20 per cent of the electricity requirements of the main island, Tongatapu. And we are working with the Cook Islands Government, too, to assist in meeting their bold aspiration to 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2015, mostly through solar initiatives. These New Zealand-funded programmes are an important part of our overall commitment to our region.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“After a decade of climate change conferences and hundreds of millions of dollars in so-called climate change initiatives, one might be forgiven for imagining that the Pacific, overendowed as it is with good sunlight, would by now be positively festooned with solar power plants. Sadly, I must report that that is not in fact the case. Indeed, one of the most striking features of our region has been the complete lack of progress in putting lofty climate change rhetoric into any form of renewable energy practice. In our year in the Chair of the regional body we have set out to correct that serious shortcoming. A small but important illustration lies in our work in the tiny Tokelau Islands. Until now, Tokelau has been 100 per cent dependent on fossil fuels for the generation of electricity.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Solid progress is being made in such areas as improved surveillance, the training of monitors and improved management practices, both to protect the last really healthy fishery on the planet and to ensure that its owners receive a fair share of the resource they own. One of the highest priorities within our region is the need for practical initiatives in the area of renewable energy. Ours is a region heavily dependent upon fossil fuels for the generation of electricity. The cost of expensive imported diesel in most small Pacific economies is absolutely crippling. The climate change impact is obvious.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In that respect, I am pleased to report that progress is being made towards the holding of elections in 2014, and that support has been forthcoming to ensure that such elections are free and fair. Stability and security issues are not the only priorities for our regional body. In our year as Forum Chair, New Zealand chose to focus on a number of development priorities, two of which I wish to mention in my remarks today. For many of the poorer States within our region, their fisheries resource is the major economic asset they hold. Yet due to illegal fishing practices, unreported catch and inadequate management practices, those countries have received far too small a return on that resource. Because of the highly migratory character of the tuna resource, this is truly a matter requiring regional management.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands has involved a truly regional approach, with the participation of police and other personnel from every member of the Pacific Islands Forum. I am pleased to report that the security element of that initiative has been significantly scaled down and will soon be fully withdrawn. But there is also more that this Organization, particularly the Security Council, can do to acknowledge and support regional leadership on peace and security matters in the Pacific and elsewhere. Concerns about democracy, the rule of law and human rights are not mere abstract considerations within the Pacific. Those principles have been challenged in a number of States, most notably, in recent years, in Fiji.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I say with some confidence that we have been making good progress in dealing with those challenges that are capable of regional solutions. But I must also say that we need and expect more from this institution. The Pacific Islands Forum has 16 members, of which 16 are small island States. I was pleased this week to attend the first meeting between the Secretary-General and Pacific Islands Forum leaders, which I hope will mark a new era of enhanced high-level engagement between this Organization and our region and a greater understanding of our needs. The Pacific has had its share of stability and security challenges in recent times. As a region, we have done reasonably well in dealing with them. Most recently it has been in Solomon Islands that a regional initiative has been required.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I bring greetings from the South Pacific. For the past year, New Zealand has had the privilege of chairing the Pacific Islands Forum, a regional body that represents some of the smallest and most vulnerable States on this planet. For us that has been an important responsibility. Because we are a small country with modest resources, we choose to focus much of our attention on our own region. Over 60 per cent of our official development assistance is spent in our own neighbourhood. Serving as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum has caused us to reflect on the role of regional organizations, and also on the extent to which we all depend on the United Nations for solutions to challenges that are truly global in character.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I was reminded that there has been peace between Israel and Egypt for more than 30 years, a prospect once unthinkable. With the commitment of the two parties and the support of the international community, Israel and Palestine can enjoy the same freedom from conflict. We all have a huge stake in achieving that objective. Resolution of the Palestinian question would tear out the fuse that threatens to ignite conflict in the Middle East and beyond. So today we add our voice to that of President Obama and of others who believe that this dispute can, and must, be solved. And we call on all Members of the United Nations to lend their support to this process in the critical weeks ahead.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“We congratulate President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu on having the courage to negotiate in very difficult circumstances. We ask that Israel heed the international community’s unanimous call to extend the moratorium on settlements and create the enabling atmosphere that will allow direct negotiations to continue. We also agree with President Obama that resolution of the Middle East conflict is not just the responsibility of Israel and Palestine. Countries in the region especially, but also countries elsewhere, must work towards Middle East peace. New Zealand, as a friend of both Israel and Palestine, will play its part. I recently visited the Sinai, where a New Zealand officer has command of the Multinational Force and Observers.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Over these last few days, especially in the context of discussion of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, I have heard many fine words spoken in support of the world’s disadvantaged. I take this opportunity to remind those speakers and countries that the single most effective step that could be taken to advance the position of the world’s disadvantaged would be to create a framework within which they can trade themselves to a better future. I want to strongly endorse President Obama’s statement, made yesterday, that there is no viable alternative to the resolution of conflict in the Middle East other than two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. We believe that direct negotiations, with both parties at the table, are the only way to resolve the conflict.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Scientists and researchers are now linking up across the world to try to balance the need for increased agricultural production with the need to address climate change. This is just one example of how countries can come together to address climate change in a very real way. When I was here a year ago, we were watching to see whether the world would be able to climb out of the global economic recession. Much progress has been made and key economic indicators are generally pointing in the right direction. The rapid and coordinated international response, including by the Group of 20, has been effective. The World Trade Organization’s rules-based trading system has held up well. But, like many countries, New Zealand is frustrated that the conclusion of the Doha Development Round still eludes us.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“As well as working towards an outcome in Cancún, we are involved in practical projects for addressing climate change. One such project is the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. Fourteen per cent of worldwide greenhouse-gas emissions come from agriculture. At the same time, there are projections that world food production needs to increase by 50 per cent in the next 20 years, and to double in the next 40 years, to feed a growing world. Clearly, we need a scientific breakthrough to help meet the challenge of producing more food while reducing emissions. New Zealand formed the Alliance, which now includes more than 30 agricultural nations, to find ways to address this problem.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“This year significant gains have been made in global disarmament. New Zealand welcomes the action plan adopted at this year’s Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, the groundbreaking nuclear security summit, and the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. These are tangible and practical successes. But we still face some significant challenges. New Zealand is concerned by the continuing inertia of the Conference on Disarmament. The Secretary-General’s High-level Meeting on disarmament this morning was a valuable step in acknowledging this problem and trying to find a way forward. As a country that prides itself on sustainable development, New Zealand is also greatly concerned about global environmental issues.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“It is for this reason that New Zealand has strongly supported the responsibility to protect (R2P). We were pleased to contribute to the proposed joint Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide/R2P office and look forward to the more comprehensive implementation of R2P throughout the United Nations system. Effective pursuit of these goals — countering terrorism and maintaining peace and security — demands coordinated, collective action. The United Nations is the best vehicle for that action. New Zealand has been, and remains, proud to be a part of that community of collective action. In line with that commitment, New Zealand is seeking a seat on the Security Council for the 2015-2016 term. In doing so, 10-54965 52 we will work with others here who want the world to be a safer and more prosperous place.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“We are increasing our development spending in Bamyan and recently placed the Provincial Reconstruction Team under civilian leadership for the first time. New Zealand is also strongly supportive of peacekeeping reform. The expansion in peacekeeping since 1990 has been dramatic. Never before has this Organization deployed so many missions to such complex environments. This expansion has opened up discussion of the way the United Nations conducts its peacekeeping operations. Clear and achievable mandates are needed, progress needs to be better monitored, and efficiency needs to be improved. We are also contributing to United Nations efforts to strengthen peacebuilding in practice, including the need for better participation of women in peacebuilding. Of course, the response of the United Nations to crises has not always been successful.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Of course, helping ensure peace and stability in our region alone is not enough. New Zealanders are among those who have been affected by terrorism, killed in the attacks that took place just a few blocks away from here in September 2001, and more recently in Bali, in London and in Jakarta. The need to respond decisively to those who perpetrate such atrocities is a key reason why New Zealand has led the provincial reconstruction team in Bamyan, Afghanistan, since 2003. We have redeployed our special forces to work alongside the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to ensure that that country does not return to being a safe haven for Al-Qaida. We must address the conditions in which terrorism thrives.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“New Zealand’s soldiers, police, engineers, corrections and customs officers, doctors and other personnel are today involved in 12 operations that span the globe from Africa, Afghanistan and the Middle East to Asia and the Pacific. One of the clearest examples of New Zealand’s commitment to the principles of collective responsibility is through the United Nations effort in Timor-Leste. Since 1999, New Zealand has been a part of every United Nations mission that has served in Timor-Leste. We have played a major role in the United Nations-sanctioned international military operations that restored order there in 1999 and again in 2006. Over 6,000 New Zealanders have served in Timor in the past decade — a significant undertaking for a country of only 4.4 million people.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“We will work with the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other international agencies to ensure that those lessons are shared and help others to prepare. While development and disaster management are crucial to our quest for a safer world, underpinning both is security. Peacekeeping is a key responsibility of the Organization. Indeed, it is its peacekeeping operations that shape perceptions of the United Nations for many people around the world. New Zealand is committed to supporting global security and United Nations peacekeeping. That is why we have been engaged in peacekeeping and peace support operations since the 1940s.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“But less than a month after the earthquake hit, roads and buildings have been repaired, tourism infrastructure is at almost full capacity, and people’s lives are being rebuilt. Others have not been so lucky. The earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and the recent flooding in Pakistan are reminders of the devastating scale of such disasters. The Pacific has been hit hard, too. This month will mark the first anniversary of the Pacific tsunami that took the lives of 184 people in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. These events and others demonstrate the importance of disaster preparedness, management and recovery. New Zealand’s experience with major earthquakes has taught us how to mitigate risks, enforce strong building codes, and implement effective recovery plans. But there will be lessons we should learn from this recent experience.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Next year we will mark the fortieth anniversary of the Pacific Islands Forum, the central body for regional engagement in the Pacific, which held its first meeting in New Zealand in 1971. We will welcome leaders from around the region back to New Zealand next September to celebrate our achievements over 40 years and to take stock of the challenges we must face in the future. The past year has reinforced the need for better disaster management. Just three weeks ago, residents in Christchurch woke to the most destructive earthquake in New Zealand in 80 years. Miraculously, there was no loss of life, but the damage runs into billions of dollars and people’s lives and livelihoods were affected. Significant aftershocks are still affecting the 51 10-54965 population.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“We want to see the MDGs achieved, and we want to see the wider Pacific prosper through good governance and sustainable economic development. That is why New Zealand is increasingly deploying our development resources within its region, since that is where they are most needed and where they can be most effective. The development challenges in the Pacific are extremely complex, with vulnerable economies and challenging environmental circumstances. New Zealand has increased and will continue to increase our overall level of development assistance, despite challenging times for our domestic economy. A higher percentage of that larger budget will be focused on our region. But money alone is not enough; aid effectiveness and donor coordination are vital. Progress will also depend on good governance within the region.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Our links with Europe are built on history and tradition. Within Asia, we are developing ever-stronger economic and security relationships. Our future is closely tied to both of these regions. We have an equally strong focus on our closest neighbours in the South Pacific. New Zealand is a Pacific country. Auckland is the largest Pasifika city in the world, and a number of Pacific countries have more citizens living in New Zealand than at home. The security and development of the region is New Zealand’s constant preoccupation. It is a matter of grave concern that the South Pacific is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of lack of progress towards the achievement of some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“It is an honour to lead New Zealand’s delegation this year. The opening of the General Assembly’s new session is the best example there is of the capacity of the United Nations to bring us all together. Our discussions here will be wide-ranging, but inevitably settle on two main issues: global security and sustainable economic development. We want to make our world safer, more secure and more prosperous. These goals will require strong collective action with a focus on practical outcomes. New Zealand is seeking every opportunity to contribute. We are a young, small and fair-minded country. We depend upon a United Nations that is effective and credible. New Zealand takes pride in its diversity. In addition to our indigenous Maori population, we are a mix of people from Europe, Asia and the Pacific.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)