YouSaid · the spoken record

Bronislaw Komorowski

lines on the record: 60
first: 2011-09-24
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

“It should perhaps be combined with a broader reform of the Council, the outlines of which were given shape before the historic summit held in 2005. The situation is unchanged from nearly 70 years ago — we want to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and the rights of nations, large and small.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are ready to share our experience and our ideas as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period 2018-2019. We intend to support a reform of that body that will increase its representative character and, in parallel, reinforce its efficiency. The reform should primarily concern the Council’s mandate in situations involving the principle of the responsibility to protect, which was approved by our community in 2005. The idea must be to develop a mechanism that will provide the Council with the capacity to act in such situations, while at the same time making it impossible to use the mandate of the Council for purposes other than the discharge of that responsibility. I have raised that idea from this rostrum twice already.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Agreement is possible, and I hope such an understanding will be arrived at in the near future. I would like to reiterate that, despite the hardships and costs of economic transformation, Poland has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 30 per cent since 1988 — that is, it has greatly exceeded the reduction obligations stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. Poland is deeply involved in various fields of activity covered by this Organization, ranging from human rights to disarmament. That is why we know perfectly well that nothing can replace the United Nations system, which is continuously improvable. Poland is currently assuming an increasing measure of responsibility for cooperation in development, humanitarian aid and climate protection.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is vitally important to halt any further global climate change caused by the development of human civilization and to adjust to the changes that are already irreversible. Here lurk existential issues pertaining to security, the problems of economic development, the maintenance of biological diversity in the Earth’s ecosystem and quality of life. In its capacity as host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Warsaw in November 2013, and as we still hold the presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Poland remains committed to achieving a successful conclusion to the negotiations. We believe that it is possible to achieve an understanding in a manner that is fair to countries at various levels of economic development.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The new development agenda should fully and coherently integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, while at the same time focusing on the reduction of poverty and protection of the natural environment. Reaching an international understanding on that matter is a task that is as ambitious as it is difficult — yet it is necessary and feasible. The output of the previous Assembly session, worked on by the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals under the highly efficient co-chairmanship of Kenya and Hungary, defines the course of further discussion on the matter. Poland will continue its active involvement in a dialogue that should bring about the development of a new, ambitious and universal post-2015 development agenda.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We will strive to attain the appropriate inclusion of those questions in the new United Nations development agenda. Through our experiences over the past few decades in our history, we have learned the importance of solidarity, responsibility and involvement — the triad of principles in the United Nations system we are faithful to. We fully acknowledge the involvement of the United Nations in the improvement of the social and economic situation in those regions of the world where conditions are the most difficult. Poland actively participates in the definition of the priorities and means of implementation of the new development agenda that will replace the Millennium Development Goals of 2000, and we will purposefully participate in making it a reality.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Poland is especially attached to the role of democracy in the life of nations, their development and international activity. We know how much we lost because of the absence of democracy under communism, and we know how much we gained when we returned to democracy as a means of achieving our civic aspirations and an expression of our national sovereignty. It was for that purpose that a broad international initiative by the Community of Democracies was born in Warsaw in 2000. That is precisely why my country established the international Lech Wa..sa Solidarity Award for activity in support of democracy and fundamental freedoms. Poland steadfastly believes that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms for all.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The fact that, in so many places, we are witnessing conflicts that entail human tragedy and the deaths of thousands of people is due, as a general rule, to a failure to observe fundamental human rights. Entire communities and nations are denied influence over political decisions. Power without control is, in most cases, corrupt and self-loving, incapable of lifting countries out of underdevelopment and poverty. That is the background to the conflicts and rebellions in Ukraine, Iraq, Libya and many other places in the world. That is why we must increase our efforts to help by offering development assistance to bring about social, economic and political transformation. Otherwise, the only alternative to dictatorship will be chaos.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Nobody could ever take the place of the United Nations and its agencies in providing aid to refugees and other victims of humanitarian tragedies. On behalf of Poland, I hereby express appreciation for them. and recognition for the thousands of courageous members of humanitarian organizations, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations who, amid all the dangers and frequently at the cost of their own lives, hurry to the aid of those who suffer persecution. They help those whose security and health is threatened — those left alone, without a roof over their heads, who are far away from homes to which, due to destruction, many will never be able to return. An ever-increasing number of people are experiencing suffering and cruelty linked to military conflicts. That horrifying trend must be stopped by our common efforts.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We, the States faithful to the United Nations Charter, cannot shirk our responsibility for providing security. We are responsible for protecting those threatened by cruel violence. Yet everything must be done to ensure that the actions we take do not contravene the United Nations Charter. We express our concern and sympathy for the civilian victims of the conflicts and tragedies in Syria, Libya, Israel, the Gaza Strip and many African States. All those conflicts, and to an even greater degree the civil wars in some African countries, are accompanied by humanitarian catastrophes. The United Nations, and especially the super-Powers that can influence the participating parties, should do everything to stop them.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We cannot acquiesce to the brutalization of international life anywhere in the world — far less so in Europe, where the wounds of two World Wars are still healing. Yet wars and conflicts are also continuing in other parts of our globe and are creating countless victims, suffering and destruction. We have all been surprised by the rapid development of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The brutality of the actions of its fighters, who are murdering and persecuting people of every faith, including those who profess Islam, must inspire terror and trigger a response from the international community. ISIL’s barbarism is a challenge for all of humankind, irrespective of religion, ethnic origin or political viewpoint.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We had the right to hope that the benefits of the end of divisions in Europe and of the logic of imperial zones of influence would be shared by a growing number of States and nations — and not only in Europe — and that they would be able to decide their fate democratically and build their lives in peace and prosperity, free from external domination. We have hoped and continue to hope for a democratic modernization of Russia. But what happened six months ago in Eastern Europe dealt a blow to that hope and threatened security on our European continent. In our part of Europe, people are again asking themselves whether war as a method of obtaining a political goal will also be the long-term European reality.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That new logic of international relations has been most beneficial for Europe, where a great wave of unification has been set in motion thanks to the strengthening of the mechanisms of integration of the European Community and its expansion to include many new States. In our region, the European Union is a synonym for peace. It was established so that there would be no more wars on a continent that had previously been notorious for them. And indeed, the European Union has become a significant force for peace in Europe and far beyond its borders, to which Poland has contributed in a highly active way.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The victorious parliamentary elections of 4 June brought about the formation, on 12 September 1989, of the first non-Communist Government in our part of Europe since the Second World War, the Government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki. Just two weeks later, on 25 September, precisely 25 years ago, the Minister for Foreign Affairs in that new Government, Professor Krzysztof Skubiszewski, addressed the Assembly from this very rostrum (see A/44/PV.4) and proclaimed that the new Poland would not respect the logic of zones of influence. He further revealed that we would respect existing treaties and obligations, as well as the security interests of other States, and none of that would result in any limitations with respect to choosing or changing the system of polity.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That “spring of nations”, the second in the history of Europe, brought freedom to the nations of Central and Eastern Europe and respect for human rights and good democratic governance. At the time, changes for the better took place throughout Europe, and even worldwide. The Iron Curtain fell and so did the bipolar division of the world. The Cold War confrontation and its accompanying threats of nuclear conflict became things of the past. That historical change began in Poland with the establishment of the 10 million-strong Solidarity movement, a peaceful opposition movement against totalitarian oppression and the violation of nations’ rights.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The Security Council, the organ responsible for peace, proved to be ineffective when faced with conflicts in Ukraine and other regions of the world, partly due to its rules of operation. We are threatened by a further descent into powerlessness if such rules are not amended. It is salutary that the General Assembly rose to the challenge when, in resolution 68/262, of 27 March 2014, it took the side of the weaker party that was being targeted in an act of imperial aggression. I feel all the more sad and concerned uttering the foregoing words, since we are celebrating the joyful twenty-fifth anniversary of the abolishment of communism and the collapse of the Soviet bloc in Poland, which is also being celebrated in other countries of the region.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The United Nations should remain vigilant in the face of a return to such attitudes— it should tolerate no departure from the principles of security and international relations laid down in the Charter. Tolerance of such attitudes always ends badly and not infrequently leads to catastrophe. We cannot overemphasize that the occupation of Crimea and the aggression in Ukraine violate the standards of international law and trample on the fundamental values of the United Nations. The ideological background of the conflict is a return to the rhetoric of the first half of the twentieth century, a return to the logic of zones of influence, of might is right, and of ruthless imperial domination of weaker neighbours, which are apparently obliged to be obedient satellites of a Power redesigning the foundations of the civilized international order.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I am glad that next year we will be celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations. There are very few now who remember the world without our Organization, and it would be difficult to imagine the world without its activity. During the nearly seven decades of its existence, the United Nations has had a track record of amazing achievements, but also many failures. Today, however, the situation is especially worrying, as symptoms of the problems that once brought down the League of Nations are reappearing. We are witnessing a rebirth of the super-Power, a return to the thinking that divided the world into categories of geopolitical zones of influence and that has already led the international community into a morass of hatred, confrontation and conflict.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Those threats could have been resisted in time, but the democratic world failed, choosing a short- sighted policy of appeasement and the satisfaction of dictatorships’ appetites at the expense of weaker States. The price paid for that negligence was the Second World War, and the whole of humankind had to pay a price that would once have been unimaginable. It is from the horrible experience of that war, of the Holocaust, that the legal notion of genocide stems. Its originator and the author of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was a Polish lawyer, Raphael Lemkin, who understood the criminal nature of both kinds of totalitarianism even before the war. After the hecatombs of the war, the international community decided once again to build a system of collective security.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Despite all those institutions, however, we were unable to make a world without wars. The League eventually became an easy target, if not an object of ridicule. Yet it was not the League itself that failed. It was failed by its members, and chiefly by the Powers that had been entrusted with special responsibility for implementing its principal task. They failed their test in the face of the expansion of totalitarian regimes on both the left and the right. The emergence of communism, national socialism and many militaristic dictatorships was in part due to the First World War. Those systems fed on conflict, because ideological war and war against other peoples — against other men — were part of their identity.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Our past compels us to reflect on the Charter’s words and those events of twentieth-century history, which form the backdrop to our decision-making at the national level, and similarly bind together the entire international community gathered here at the United Nations. One result of the First World War was to foster the dream of a world without war. That belief and general desire bore fruit in the League of Nations, the first collective security system in history. It included all the factors needed to make a positive mark on history and to maintain peace and security. It functioned on a foundation of important rules that prohibited war and encouraged the peaceful settlement of disputes. It had shared bodies, disarmament conferences and an international judiciary.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I would first like to congratulate Mr. Kutesa on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. In the opening sentences of our Charter, we read that the United Nations was set up to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and in the equal rights of nations large and small. In the year marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and the seventy-fifth of the start of the Second World War, those words hold a particular resonance for us — for Poles, Europeans and every society affected by those tragedies. Both wars were waged partly on Polish territory; the second began with Nazi Germany’s aggression in collaboration with the Soviet Union.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Poland has always been active in efforts aimed at ensuring the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly chemical weapons. Drawing on our experience and rich relations with other countries, we wish to continue to contribute to reinforcing international peace and security. That is why we are seeking a seat on the Security Council for the period 2018-2019. We believe that as a member of the Security Council, we will be able to help achieve the purposes and principles of the United Nations, as well as represent the interests of Member States in line with the letter and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Poland, an unflinching believer in the purposes and principles of the United Nations, is convinced that it is necessary to respect the treaties and commitments made by the Organization — by us — and supports institutions and programmes that facilitate their implementation. For years, one of the priorities of our policy has been the promotion of human rights and democracy. Poland currently holds the presidency of the Human Rights Council. The European Endowment for Democracy was established on Poland’s initiative as well. Our country’s share in development aid is growing, particularly within the European Union. Next November, Warsaw will host the climate summit, where we will preside over the most important development process, namely, that of climate-related negotiations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The entire notion of good governance is spelled out in a resolution of the Human Rights Commission initiated by Poland in the late 1990s. Only with good governance in place can international aid bring about desirable results in combating poverty and taking the route of sustainable growth. Poland is an active participant in the international community, and not just through its bilateral relations and membership regional organizations such as the European Union, or supra-regional ones such as NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We are also trying to create a better international order by being active in the United Nations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The European development model remains universally attractive. Our experience also suggests that even the most generous foreign assistance will not replace efforts made internally by a country. It is frequently an indispensable precondition, yet is insufficient in itself. Internal efforts and factors — the freedom and empowerment of individuals, economic freedom and the stability of the State — always form the foundation. Good governance is another important aspect of successfully pursuing sustainable growth, as it combines democracy, self-government, human rights, competence, a lack of corruption and the primacy of the interest of the country as a whole over particular interests, whether they are political or economic.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Obviously, we are aware that there is no single formula for everyone and no single path to sustainable growth. There are different baseline circumstances, environments and cultural and geographical conditions. The Polish example, however, and that of other post- Communist countries, should be considered in other regions of the globe. The same is true for the European development model of the European Union, which strives to combine democracy and human freedom, economic competitiveness, social justice and solidarity. It is not about being Eurocentric. It is an experience most appreciated by those who come to Europe from the furthest parts of the world and want to stay there. Do not be misled by the economic crisis in the European Union, which most countries in the Union are already beginning to overcome.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We know in Poland that just one single generation can be enough to make unbelievable progress. When communism fell in 1989, Poland was a poor country, economically ruined and badly indebted. It needed international aid, not in the form of non-repayable borrowing but debt relief and restructuring, technical and training assistance, access to markets of better developed countries and foreign investment. Coupled with the hard-working nature and entrepreneurial spirit of the Poles, that has all borne fruit in abundance. Since then, our gross domestic product has increased by approximately 400 per cent, while our emissions have dropped by more than 30 per cent, as compared with the baseline year. That attests to the fact that it is possible and realistic to achieve economic growth while curbing the growth of harmful emissions.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That is why international efforts aimed at helping regions and countries that suffer poverty and are constantly underdeveloped are so important for them to be able to take the path of sustainable growth and stop being chronically dependent upon external assistance. First and foremost, however, that is necessary so that fundamental human rights are respected and local residents regain their sense of dignity in order for their inherent potential to serve the development and enrich the diversity of the human civilization. Those objectives will be served by the climate negotiations that Poland is going to chair when the nineteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change takes place in November.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“For children, their safety, development and rights, it is the family that matters most. Looking at the family and its role in society makes us aware of how much the family means when it comes to respecting human rights. We are particularly sensitive to that in Poland. What in many countries is a tangible but slight deficit in the exercise of economic and social rights, while in many others it is poverty and chronic underdevelopment. Poverty and underdevelopment are not just human rights issues and factors that undermine the dignity of the individual and entire social groups. They are also the reason that individuals and nations are unable to ensure survival on their own, or to fulfil their creative potential for their own benefit and that of humankind.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is necessary to establish a mechanism that would, in an objective and uncontroversial manner, force harmonious cooperation between the permanent members of the Security Council in the face of situations that fall under the principle of the responsibility to protect, in order to ensure that the prevention of such crimes and the effective response to them prevail over individual geopolitical interests. The practice of exploiting children in armed conflicts is particularly saddening and causes a lot of outcry. The fact that many Governments tolerate such practices and that the Organization, despite existing conventions and protocols, is unable to do more in this area is unacceptable. Let me remind the Assembly that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was also developed on Poland’s initiative.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The message from his research and initiatives, which started in Warsaw in the early 1930s, is as follows: we must be alert and sensitive to the symptoms of future violations of human rights; it is our duty to respond to them and not just show moral outrage. As the effectiveness of the response depends on international cooperation, the United Nations is to be a centre for such international cooperation. The United Nations is the best, and often the only, such centre. We must not allow the instruments for the protection of human rights developed by the United Nations to be eroded. Their effectiveness will depend upon whether we remain united, and not just in name.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“In a context where everyone is focused on security issues — including new, non-traditional ones, and where the dominant concerns are the economy. crisis mitigation, the fight for growth and competitiveness, competition for markets and land that could provide valuable raw materials for economic development — we cannot forget about human rights. Recently, many actors in the international arena have failed to care about them. But is it possible for us to ignore them, when, for instance, the violations are too close to genocide? Let me remind the Assembly that this year, on 9 December, we will be celebrating the sixty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which was, by the way, initiated and drafted by the Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Too often, the immediate national interests of countries have the upper hand. That leads to tragic consequences in terms of human rights and humanitarian issues, including the principle of the responsibility to protect, for which we had such high hopes when it was adopted in 2005. Armed conflicts are an extreme manifestation of the mass violation of human rights. The tragic development of the situation in Syria, which has claimed more than 100,000 victims by now, could have been prevented, especially if the Security Council had adopted the necessary decisions early enough. Therefore, the solution of the difficult, complex and interrelated problems of the Middle East entails a comprehensive, imaginative and impartial approach.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It would be beneficial if the discussion about those issues could follow a formula similar to the one that proved successful prior to the sixtieth anniversary of the Organization, which brought about a rather ambitious reform agenda for the Organization, some of which found its way into the World Summit Outcome adopted by Member States in 2005 (resolution 60/1). Poland was an active participant in that work and intends to continue its engagement for further necessary reforms. The Syrian tragedy, including the use of chemical weapons, is symbolic of a broader phenomenon — the ignoring of international values, norms and obligations adopted by the Organization and the entire international community. After all, they should apply to everybody to the same degree, with no one set outside or above them.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Thisis all the more reason not to procrastinate or wait for another anniversary as a pretext to return to our efforts to reform the Security Council in a way that would also bolster its authority, legitimacy, representativeness and effectiveness. We are talking about a more systemic solution that would not limit the Security Council but would go beyond the Council by reinforcing its representativeness. We are thinking today about the significance of the original principle of the right to veto of the Security Council’s permanent members, in the light not just of current or future challenges but also of the changes in the global international order, which are unfolding before our very eyes.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“That conflict has led to a large number of victims and has created a major humanitarian crisis. It is a threat to regional security and stability. In such situations, Members of the Organization are authorized to demand efficient action by the Security Council. That is a justified expectation of ours based on Article 24 of the Charter. Regrettably, we must conclude that in the Syrian dispute, members of the Security Council have spoken out for individual sides in the war and supported them in various ways, rather than make the parties stop fighting and commit to peace talks. That has revealed the lack of capacity and efficiency of the decision-making mechanisms of the United Nations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The United Nations has proven to be an instrument that, since the Second World War, has made international relations more civilized in very many areas, not just in relations among countries but also within them. Understandably, the world is still far from ideal, but we should not lose heart. A better world is possible, and we should not lose sight of that. That is the real ideal outlined in the Charter of the United Nations, and it is a duty that belongs to all of us, the Members of the Organization. The justified satisfaction with the progress made, which was ensured with the aid of the United Nations and enjoyed by the whole of humankind, cannot hide the weaknesses of the Organization and its ineffectiveness in situations it was set up to resolve. One such current situation is the civil war in Syria.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“They knew that it required collaboration among the great Powers and respect for the principles of international law, as well as the building of infrastructure for peace. The declaration published back then rightly spoke of the need to act for justice among nations. That is important, because it is from injustice or from the sense of a lack of justice that many conflicts, both internal and international, have originated and continue to originate. On the eve of that anniversary, it is worth examining to what extent the international community copes with threats to peace and with open-ended, prolonged disputes. The Organization and its States Members are right to be satisfied with the body of work produced since then to help maintain security and peace.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“First of all, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. John Ashe for his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. In one month’s time, it will have been 70 years since the Foreign Ministers of the four major Powers agreed to set up a universal organization dedicated to ensuring international peace and security. In Moscow, in 1943, high representatives of the United States, the Soviet Union, China and the United Kingdom took that decision in the very midst of the most devastating war in human history. They knew that maintaining peace and the creed of “war no more” required harmonious and concerted international cooperation.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Finally, being here, I cannot resist recalling the important words of my great compatriot, Pope John Paul II. Speaking in the Hall in October 1995, he said: “The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the century is the common effort to build a civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice and liberty. And the soul of the civilization of love is the culture of freedom: the freedom of individuals and the freedom of nations, lived in self-giving solidarity and responsibility.””
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“32) are words expressed here in 2001 by former Auschwitz prisoner and Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs Wladyslaw Bartoszewski. The spirit of solidarity has been the source of Polish success since 1989, and continues to be a value and source of strength for the entire European Union. Nevertheless, it also continues to be needed on a global scale at this time of openness and interdependence between countries, economies and societies. This requires an awareness of the unity of humankind and a consciousness of the deep commonality of interests among the members of the international community. The failure to respect this will mean failure to effectively take on the challenges the international community faces. In that regard, I have only highlighted a few examples.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We are ready to share this experience with the societies that would like to do so. Mediation is an irreplaceable way to achieve lasting and just peace. This also applies to solving very difficult problems in the relations between Israel and its neighbours, especially with the Palestinian Authority. I urge the United Nations and the Secretary-General to actively use this means of building trust and peace between peoples, cultures and different social groups who frequently, and for legitimate reasons, find themselves in a situation of conflict or even war. The spirit of solidarity must permeate the activity of our Organization, which aims for peace, security, development and respect for human rights. Si vis pacem para solidaritatem (A/55/PV.17, p.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Security in a broad sense and respect for human rights and the various forms of a transition towards democracy, that is, ultimately building a lasting peace, depends on the ability to communicate, to negotiate and to compromise. In that respect, the role of the United Nations is irreplaceable. The United Nations has been, is and must remain the main forum and instrument for international mediation. We in Poland and Europe know from our own experience the value of this way of resolving difficult social and political problems. The Polish round table of 1989 paved the way for transformation in our part of Europe. I am convinced of its usefulness in the process of the Arab Spring, particularly with respect to the difficult situation that arose in Syria, a country of great Islamic culture and tradition.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The issue of international security, in both its broader and narrower senses, requires a new approach. Here I shall confine myself to the latter. Poland has a strong interest in progress in the reduction of nuclear and conventional arms. We are concerned about the 11-50871 4 prospect of returning to the arms race, as well as by the increase in spending on armaments on a global scale. More attention should be paid to the categories of weapons that today account for the most deaths. They cause conflicts, mainly internal, and they are the main factors of instability in various regions of the world. It is from that perspective that we should reform the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. We fully support the efforts of the Secretary-General to that end.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Global equilibrium requires that States with a high surplus of exports over imports begin to switch to growth, stimulated by internal consumption. Incidentally, it was domestic demand that saved Poland from the economic crisis following 2008. If we fail to balance the relationship between these two groups of economies — export- and import-oriented — there will be more turbulence in the global system. Developing countries must increasingly take responsibility for the global economy. This includes responsibility for the least developed countries, which cannot be limited to imports, as this prevents the development of their own manufacturing and export potential. United Nations agencies and entities not related to the Organization, such as the WTO, must assist in the evolution of this paradigm.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The United Nations and its specialized agencies, the Bretton Woods institutions and others have proved in the past how useful they are in this area. Today our Organization must ensure the effective provision of aid to the poorest and to those in real need. They are the ones that are hardest hit by the crisis. Our responsibility is to limit the scourge of hunger in the world and help in combating pandemics and in providing access to drinking water. Without ensuring a minimal subsistence level for people, as well as health care and basic education, it is difficult to expect the poorest and those in real need to begin to fend for themselves. We must agree on a new paradigm for global economic trade.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The United Nations must defend the already achieved level of civilized relations among nations, a key factor of which is the move away from violence towards the self- determination of nations, democracy and material prosperity. I see the main tasks of the Organization as falling within the framework adopted in the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1), which focused on the triad of development, security and human rights. I am aware of the complexity and extent of the problems related to development, which encompass the issues of trade, finance, economic growth, environmental protection and development aid. I am aware of the limitations of the United Nations in this area, where the main instruments are in the hands of private entities — corporations, banks, stock exchanges and investment funds.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The path to solving key global problems inevitably leads us to the United Nations or its specialized agencies. Not so long ago we faced the risk of a marginalizing of the United Nations, or even the building of parallel structures. The United Nations, however, remains indispensable in its role, as defined in the Charter and the main United Nations documents, especially those from the years 2000 and 2005. We in Poland combine optimism with realism, so we like the description of the United Nations that says that our Organization was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell. The Organization faces many tasks, whose aim is to protect the international community against crises and a decline at the international level.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“President Barack Obama’s initiatives to reduce nuclear arms and ensure their non-proliferation should be viewed in a similar manner. The Arab Spring, notwithstanding the dramatic events surrounding it, is yet another step in the transition of countries in various regions of the world towards democracy and the empowerment of individuals and societies on the basis of respect for their aspirations to live in freedom and prosperity. These are aspirations to a life that is in harmony with values and standards that are not — as they were considered to be until recently — exclusively Western. Everyone, everywhere, is entitled to embrace those values; however, it is necessary to respect the local aspects and dimensions of these aspirations and rights, which cannot be separated from their cultural context.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)