YouSaid · the spoken record

Andrej Kiska

lines on the record: 50
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2018-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
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 challenges I spoke about are not easy to tackle, but I have full confidence that the United Nations and her Office will guide the Assembly through these times with the utmost dedication to fulfilling our common goals. I therefore also wish proudly to thank and congratulate her predecessor, Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, for the professionalism with which he served the United Nations and its peoples.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The United Nations will serve its purpose as long as we, the Member States, hold true to our commitments and stand ready to defend rules and principles. The noble ideals and strong principles of this Organization — the steadfast values of tolerance, empathy, compassion and solidarity — are our best tools for facing any challenge. If we protect those values, the moral compass of humankind, then the evil of aggressive power politics, selfish nationalism, extremism and racism will not prevail. We may not know what comes tomorrow, but we know how to respond if we let the moral compass guide us. The best assurance we can have in times of uncertainty is to protect our values. I wish to conclude by congratulating the President of the General Assembly on assuming her duties.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“None of our countries, even the most powerful, is big enough to face present challenges on its own, be they migration, terrorism, climate change or sustaining solid economic growth. While our most important duty as politicians is to serve our people, that will be possible only if we truly understand the value of cooperation and that, if we truly want to change the world for the better, we need to think of others — individuals, nations and countries — and patiently explain this principle to our people. As Kofi Annan said, “More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations”. I admit that multilateralism is not always easy, but it is the only sustainable way.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In that effort, we need to remember that free media are our allies, not our enemies. They are guardians of our principles. They are often the first to spot when things go in the wrong direction. They hold those who break the rules accountable. We should therefore be worried indeed about increased attacks on journalists, attempts to eliminate the freedom of the press, and growing restrictions on civil societies. Sadly, last year dozens of journalists were killed, hundreds imprisoned and thousands oppressed. The climate of hate continues to spread, portraying them as enemies of the State, enemies of nations or even of faiths. But they play a key role in our mission for a better world, and as such they must be protected.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It is as dangerous as any conventional threat. As such it requires our utmost attention. But, to date, we have done nothing or little about it. Global companies prefer their profits over their responsibilities. It is therefore up to us, States, to set new standards and, where needed, regulations — because today we do not lead, we only follow. And the price of inaction may soon be very high. Too often, we hear political leaders issue calls to fight extremism and propaganda with the same tools and rhetoric. They could not be more wrong. The only honest answer is to support tolerance, freedom of speech and critical thinking in our societies. The only potent defence is to strengthen our values and to bring candid solutions to people’s problems. Only when we deliver may our democratic ideology become immune to extremist ideas and propaganda.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That is why our unity in implementing the development goals, in fighting climate change and addressing migration is so important. We need to turn our plans and our promises into a global reality. Failing to do so only sends a signal of our weakness, leaving those people and this planet as easy prey. The unprecedented progress and innovation of new technology brings with it new challenges. I am very concerned about malicious activities in cyberspace. Growing manipulation through social media is undermining democracy worldwide and indoctrinating our populations. Cyberspace knows no borders. It is anonymous and provides unlimited room to strike at us. The choice of means is endless: to manipulate elections, to influence decisions, to spy on us or sneak into our computers, networks and everyday lives.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We must listen to our people not only to address their problems, but also to see far enough to inspire them, in particular vis-à-vis extremism, populism, radicalism, xenophobia, racism, propaganda, lies, the twisting of the truth, and terrorism. Their goals are simple and yet effective: to spread fear, hatred and doubt, erode our beliefs and values and undermine our unity. They provide seemingly quick and simple solutions, provoking confrontation and drawing dividing lines. It is no surprise they find fertile soil everywhere we fail to deliver. People living in poverty, afflicted by hunger or disease, with no access to education or health care are among their natural targets. And we will not win this fight if we do not offer those people and their children hope for a better life of dignity, free of fear of hunger or death.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Any use of chemical weapons must be a red line and not tolerated — an automatic trigger for resolute action. It is therefore shameful to see the tyrannical regime in Syria repeatedly use chemical weapons against its own citizens for the sake of survival. As for us, Europeans, it is shocking to witness the attacks in Salisbury, Great Britain, with the perpetrators avoiding responsibility and shamelessly denying the facts. It is our responsibility to make sure that no perpetrator escapes unpunished. We must firmly show that we will not allow our principles to be bent to aggressive politics, that we will not undermine the authority of this Organization by inaction. We all have a great responsibility towards our citizens, the international community and the planet to lead, to stand firmly behind our values and to defend them.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“But the occupation of Georgia and Ukraine and destabilization in the region are just one of many examples of respect for rules being replaced by ruthless power politics. The threat of nuclear weapons resonates much more often than we could have imagined in the recent years. We hope that the developments under way in North Korea will bring about tangible results. We must make sure that agreements will be kept. And if not, we need to act with resolve. Too often we see thousands of civilians massacred by their very regimes, or in endless conflicts, as if we had become unmoved by the breaching of the very norms of humanity and stopped counting the innocent lives lost in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Myanmar, South Sudan and elsewhere. Together we have agreed that the use of weapons of mass destruction is unacceptable, without exception.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Its strong principles, responsible action and ability to drive cooperation are what make it so unique. Let me touch upon those aspects in more detail. Rules and principles and their enforcement must remain the backbone of the Organization because today it seems that playing by the rules has become old- fashioned, as if ignoring them were a sign of strength and respect a sign of weakness. The number of armed conflicts has increased in recent years. In only 2016 and 2017, the number of conflicts equalled the peak of the Cold War era. The number of civilian casualties rise. We are talking about hundreds of thousands of innocent people directly affected by conflicts and war. Sovereignty and territorial integrity are the DNA of global and regional stability and security.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“While globalization has created unprecedented wealth, inequalities still divide our planet. Economic figures are positive but, in many parts of our world, have hardly translated into improved well-being and dignity for every human being. At an amazing pace, we continue to develop technologies allowing us to connect, communicate and be closer globally. But the distance between people and the gap in understanding and empathy towards other cultures remains huge. Yet, thanks to innovation, the world has never been smaller. What happens thousands of kilometres away can turn into a global problem in a matter of minutes, and global problems have a direct impacts on our citizens. Against that backdrop, the United Nations plays an irreplaceable role. It has enormous potential to overcome those paradoxes.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It takes decades to build peace and trust, but it only takes seconds, one selfish or narrow-minded decision, to break them. We gather here every year to enhance what we have been building for over 70 years: an idea of a world based on rules and the principles of humanity, responsibility, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, where wars and armed conflicts have no place, where disputes are solved in dialogue and where challenges are addressed through cooperation. We are continuously becoming wealthier and more advanced. With all the resources we can generate together, we might have the means necessary to reach even the poorest of the poor. Yet we are more often driven by selfishness and short-term interests. Instead of enlarging freedom, cooperation and healthy competition, we introduce restrictions and trade wars.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We must stand true to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and be honest with each other by keeping the promises that we make and delivering results, both in words and in deeds. That is because there is no more noble task for us than to serve our people and strive to allow them to live in peace, dignity and prosperity.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Who would have imagined that one of the most important topics on the United Nations agenda would be climate change? And yet we demonstrate that we can tackle such challenges. But it would be naive to think that just by applying the same old procedures we can achieve new results and address any new and unforeseen troubles. Just like any other organization, we need to adapt to changes. I strongly believe that we are capable of such adaptation. However, let me emphatically underline that, while we strive for reform to be more efficient, the very core of the United Nations must be respected without exception. In order to succeed, all of us will be required to be responsible leaders. We must give up on national egoism and ignorance.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The price of such planetary ignorance will be much higher than any we have ever paid. Slovakia understands the urgency for collective action. We pushed for the swift ratification of the Paris Agreement under our presidency of the European Union last year. I confirm today that we will implement all the national measures necessary to fulfil our obligations, because the Paris Agreement must be implemented in full. The Organization has served us well for decades. It has faced tough challenges — it excelled in some, it may have failed in others, but it has been the best we have had, with countless successes and well-deserved global authority. There are many pressing issues in today’s world that had not been foreseen when the United Nations was created.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Last year’s adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was an unprecedented demonstration of collective will to address the challenges arising from the climate change our societies must face. It may be remembered as a unique effort of the present generation of humankind to mitigate the consequences of our impact on the environment. It may become our ultimate legacy: a chance for our children to adapt and live happily and safely again in the changed environment. Our devotion to common principles, our virtue in keeping our promises and our ability to deliver results on this issue is more crucial than ever. No money or short- term economic interests could possibly compensate for the irreparable damage if we fail to act together and change our irresponsible behaviour.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We live in the most prosperous time in the history of humankind. We have all the tools and enough resources to help every human being on this planet live a life in dignity, free from fear or hunger. But there is one challenge that will test all the limits of our ability to lead, act together, adapt and reinvent our societies and the way we live our lives. We are beginning to see and feel the sinister consequences of our actions on the environment. Be it 100-year floods taking place with high frequency, hurricanes that strike harder than before, or devastating droughts that force people to abandon their homes, such disasters are not warnings of future climate change; they are powerful natural events are features of the new environment we live in now.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Today we face one of the worst threats to international peace and security in recent history: North Korea openly threatens our world with nuclear weapons. Such grave disrespect for human life cannot be tolerated. I strongly call on the North Korean regime to terminate its development of weapons of mass destruction and to return to the path of dialogue and building peace on the Korean peninsula. We need collective resolve in the very spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. The Organization must be firm in its principles and stand for the purpose for which it was created. Some of us have a special responsibility to do so on a regional or international level. There is no room for geopolitical games or economic gains at the expense of our common security. Millions of human lives at stake.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The very core of the Charter of the United Nations for securing peaceful coexistence among nations is crippled in the name of the selfish pursuits and egoism of the so-called spheres of influence — a fancy phrase too often misused to cover violations of the international order and justify disrespect for sovereignty. It is a dangerous game of tragic outcomes and unintended consequences. We in Europe can see it too: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova all know the price of peace. They are all aware of the pain resulting from their sovereignty being undermined by an aggressive neighbour — a neighbour that thinks the rules do not apply to it. We should therefore not be surprised when things get out of control and cause enormous and irreparable damage to people, to countries and to this planet.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Recent findings about the use of chemical weapons by the Al-Assad regime in Syria against his own citizens should alarm us all as much as the atrocities in Raqqa, Mosul and many other places. All such horrors demonstrate how little respect is being paid to human lives and to the very principle of humanity, especially when power games are played. Our resolve to act when United Nations principles are at stake is often the last hope for those who desperately wait for our help, trapped in the middle of deadly violence in the ruins of what they used to call their homes. We are witness to short-sighted interests built on spreading instability that are undermining collective efforts to secure peace and security.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The enormous human tragedies, the material damage caused by armed conflicts, and the refugee crisis deplete much-needed resources that could otherwise go to social and economic development. The bloody reality of our times is a painful reminder of our ignorance and egoism. Every year after this gathering, we all return to our homes. But there are more than 60 million people who have no such place — people who had to leave everything behind to save their lives and run away from poverty or the horrors of war. Those people do not ask too much. They just want to have a place to live, to raise children, to prosper with their loved ones. We need to make those people feel at home again. The way we treat our own people is as important to international peace and security as the way we treat each other.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Our devotion to shared principles, virtuous ambition to keep promises and ability to deliver results are the three most vital components of all respectable public service, and there are no stronger enemies to the effort to make a real difference in the world than egoism, ignorance and narrow-minded national or personal interests. Respect for the principles of peace and security is essential to living in dignity for all our people. Those principles have been at the very core of the Organization since its establishment. The first and the most important responsibility for us as leaders and Members of the United Nations is to adhere to those principles and values, enforce them and punish those who violate them. Yet far too many people are dying in senseless conflicts or suffering in displacement as a result of the violence.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I therefore want to commend you, Sir, for choosing such a sound focus for this year’s session of the General Assembly, namely, on our people and striving for peace and a decent life for all in sustainable conditions. Indeed, there is no bigger responsibility of us as political leaders than to take care of the planet and serve its people. Building safe, healthy, prosperous and just societies for every individual is not a mere ambition. It is our duty. It is the reason that our people entrust us with the power to act on their behalf and to make use of the limited resources that our societies generate.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“First, allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency. I am convinced that under your leadership the General Assembly will swiftly and successfully advance its work. Every minute, as I speak, 12 children die of hunger, and more than 100 are born to extreme poverty. Dozens die from preventable diseases, which we have been able to cure for decades, and it is our responsibility — that of the people in this Hall — to do everything in our powers to help them. The challenges that we face often do not require difficult strategies or unprecedented amounts of money. They require only our dedication and true leadership, which includes both sides: those who can help give up on ignorance and selfishness and those who receive the help to make the people their first priority.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“As one of the Slovak priests who spent years in prison during the totalitarian period of my country’s history once said, “I do not know what the future will bring, but I know now how I will act.” He could say this because he was always guided by his values. We can succeed too when we let our values guide us through difficult times — our values of humanity, solidarity and empathy — and when we, the political leaders with the privilege and power of agenda-setting, will not give up the battle for the hearts and minds of our people to remain open to humanity, solidarity and hope, only then can our world prosper. Only then will we truly leave no one behind.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Our phones, powered by artificial intelligence, are speaking to us, but one in 10 people on this planet does not have access to drinkable water. With all our resources, all our innovative power and all our unprecedented ways of knowledge-sharing, we cannot ignore the opportunities that exist to increase global prosperity, freedom and the dignity of human beings. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been crafted on the basis of our successes and our experience. It is our task to drive the necessary change to make the world a more prosperous, healthy, inclusive and safe place. It is our task to share the wealth of our planet. Yes, times are uncertain, but I do believe that we can succeed.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“My country has the extraordinary privilege of being part of the process as we have fielded our own candidate. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for the Member States’ continued support as we approach the final stages of the selection process. Their support also proves that candidates from our region have a lot to offer in terms of potential, capabilities, knowledge and accomplishments. We are still living in strange, contradictory times. We can upload our personal medical data for an examination by a physician on the opposite side of the globe, and yet 16,000 children die every day, mostly from preventable or treatable causes. We are using autonomous, self-driving cars, but millions of kids still cannot find their way into a classroom.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The crisis in Ukraine — in the part of the world where I come from — has entered its third year. Slovakia is very concerned about the destabilization of a neighbouring country and repeated violence in the region. I would like once again to firmly call for tangible progress in reaching a settlement of the conflict. I believe the Minsk agreements remain the only viable way out of the crisis. Slovakia is ready to continue to assist Ukraine in securing a stable, prosperous and democratic future for all of its citizens. Not long from now, the General Assembly will appoint a new Secretary-General of the United Nations. This year, the process of selecting the next Secretary- General has been more consultative, transparent and open than ever before.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“They target hundreds of millions of the hearts and minds of spectators around the world to cause them to fear and to hate, encourage hostility among nations and fulfil their sick vision of the clash of civilizations. We need to stay strong in our societies and true to our core values and culture of mutual respect, peace and non-violence. We can see that it is not hard to make people fear. Sadly, it is not hard to make people hate. But we must not respond by judging people by the colour of their skin or their choice of worship. We need to halt the growing anger, prejudice and hostility towards different religions. True leadership brings hope, reinforces trust and offers sustainable solutions for safety and peaceful coexistence. In the words of a well-known catchphrase, we should think globally and act locally.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Let us be honest here and again ask ourselves the question raised by the Secretary-General. Are we all doing enough to improve the lives of people in need, or are we more concerned about retaining our power? Are we here to serve or to be served? Our commitment to a just and safe world is tested as we mourn with the families of the victims of terrorism, and as we struggle to wrap our minds around that source of human suffering. When a terrorist group enslaves, murders and takes hope from men, women and children, it is not a single nation’s problem. It is an attack on our very core — on our humanity. It is an attempt to kill goodness in us. Terrorists do not care about dozens or hundreds of innocent victims.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As His Holiness Pope Francis reminds us, migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humankind. They are children, fathers and mothers — real men and women. Every political misunderstanding and failure to find solutions leads to more people without a roof over their head, more families separated and more hungry children. It means greater temptation to set people against each other and arouse fear among them. We may have different starting positions, different experiences and even different points of view on the problem, but we all have to understand that refugees need our empathy and our help. I strongly and truly believe that it is a moral duty of every successful, modern country to help. It is a moral duty of any true political leader to think seriously about how to help those fleeing violence and death.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It is the rise of nationalism, extremism, racism and intolerance in many parts of the world. I am certain that responsible leaders need to address those dark moods in our societies, because those moods are the ultimate enemy of humankind — the enemy responsible for the worst misery and bloodbath in our modern history. One of our most obvious duties as political leaders is, without doubt, to provide for and preserve peace and development. We have established many useful institutions to progress in that effort. However, we are witnessing the largest crisis of displacement since the Second World War. There is no need for me to recall the worrying number of refugees. We hear those numbers so often that sometimes we forget that this is not a numbers game.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we have the best means in the history to make life on the planet as good as it gets. The success of the new Agenda will not be possible without efficient international cooperation and coordination, backed by United Nations institutions. Success will be not possible without us, the people in this Hall. At the same time, we should not forget about our very own homework — to win the hearts, minds and trust of our people. The world has become smaller due to globalization and modern communication technologies. The problems our world faces have become more global and intertwined. Yet our social instincts have often remained local, and our sense of responsibility is often limited by our national borders. There is a real danger that many of us thought we would not see spreading again.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Sometimes it is accompanied by lies, propaganda and dangerous ideologies aimed at manipulating the public, spreading hate and frustration, and creating a fearful picture of the globalized world falling apart. Maybe that is one of the reasons why so many people are sceptical about the global development goals and our ability to deliver, and why we often forget that humankind has an impressive track record when it comes to making the world a better place. Global poverty has been halved in the past two decades. People fight fewer wars and commit fewer homicides. Many more men and women have access to health care and more girls attend schools than at any time in the past. I am sure that we are more than capable of dealing with such challenges as poverty, hunger, diseases, injustice and discrimination.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Last year’s decision of the international community to transform the world for good — to leave no one behind — was a clear and ambitious way of how to address these needs. We are also perfectly aware of the nature of the challenges awaiting us to decarbonize the economy, to promote inclusive and sustainable development. But too many people tend to be pessimistic when it comes to setting grand global goals. Seemingly, there are more than enough reasons for their negativity, as we witness wars, terror and suffering. We see the damaging consequences some of our actions have on the planet and the people. And we can see them online, as new technologies bring us closer than ever to each other. In the interconnected world of social networks, bad news travels especially fast.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Many world leaders care more about retaining power than improving the lives of their people. Those words of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were recently addressed to us, the people in this Hall. We who are joined here are incredibly privileged. Our job enables us to be in touch with the most successful and the most miserable. We can meet individuals with remarkable destinies and also the poor whose daily routine is to fight for a piece of bread or a bottle of clean water to stay alive. Each of them trusts that we will be able to understand the scope of their problems. They hope that we will never set our personal interests over the needs of our people, our countries and our planet.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Our Organization should be the authority with the ability to define, prevent and solve conflicts and problems. Together we must convince people around the world that we are safeguarding the international norms and principles that the United Nations is built on. If we fail to accomplish that within the United Nations itself, we will not be able to guarantee to humankind that totalitarianism, injustice, impunity and amorality will not prevail.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The peoples of the world have vested in the United Nations an exclusive and global responsibility: to respond to violations of peace, ensusre respect for international law, protect human rights and deal with threats to humanity. Let us all make sure that it is able to continue to carry out those responsibilities. For decades, the Organization has been the forum where we can name those responsible for the murder of their own citizens on a massive scale, the leaders who worship a cult of hatred and intolerance, and those who favour arms over agreements and international law. But in the cases where we have failed, our failure has caused the suffering and death of innocent people. We, the United Nations, should not give up on the ideal of being the conscience of the world.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“But we must address, respond to and solve the global issues that may be as deadly for humankind as a nuclear war — the changes that are occurring on our planet. Globalization has created borderless opportunities for entrepreneurship, but it has also created new challenges that we must deal with if we are to make life on Earth sustainable — climate change, inequalities in development and in the distribution of goods and services, poverty and unequal access to health and education. Slovakia is and will remain a responsible member of the global community. We participate in the discussion on financing sustainable development, offering our own experience of economic transition. Global challenges require global action and national responsibility. We are ready to do our share.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Slovakia is ready to continue to do its part in assisting the Afghan people in that endeavour. Disarmament is key to eliminating potential sources of tension and conflict. Last year’s signing of the Arms Trade Treaty was an important step towards establishing common legal standards for regulating and monitoring international trade in conventional weapons. The Slovak Republic was among the first 50 countries to ratify the Treaty, and we are hopeful that its implementation will contribute to eliminating the dangers of the illegal arms trade and thus strengthen global security. Last but not least, peace, security and stability are preconditions for development. The rule of law, democratic governance and human rights are essential for every single citizen.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Stable security institutions such as the police and military can better fulfil their duties to safeguard human rights and protect their citizens, especially society’s most vulnerable members, including women and girls. The Slovak Republic actively fulfils its commitments to Afghanistan. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is led by a diplomat from Slovakia. We remain convinced that in the aftermath of the recent presidential election, the new Afghan leadership will be able to create the conditions needed to achieve national and social unity and to continue supporting international assistance. I am pleased to note that the two former presidential candidates have reached an agreement, and we believe that that will contribute to Afghanistan’s stability.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Among the many tasks facing the United Nations are the prevention of such ideologies from becoming successful, the protection of human rights, the adoption of every possible preventive measures to prevent conflict and the establishment of sustainable peace. Slovakia, with its own first-hand experience of transitioning from a totalitarian regime to democracy, supports efforts to create the conditions necessary for sustainable peace. We promote security sector reform as one of the key factors for success in the peaceful development in regions emerging from conflict, as well as for States going through a regime change to democracy.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It embodies ethnic and religious cleansing, which will not stop at the borders of Iraq, Syria or the neighbouring countries, but has the ambition to spread beyond the region of the Middle East. The entire global community has the responsibility to act in order to end the suffering of the innocent victims of violence and to protect children and women. Today, we must to stand united in Iraq and prevent ISIL from taking root in the territory it has occupied and from consolidating its military and economic power. Autocratic and totalitarian ideologies always bring suffering, the restriction of rights, internal conflict, injustice and death. We are all too familiar with their ultimate price and catastrophic consequences.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Acts of barbarism and cruelty have become a freely available article. They are broadcast live to our homes. They make us insensitive to violence far away. At the same time, they create the feeling of having being born into an unsafe world, in which people ask: where is the effective protective umbrella of the United Nations? A year ago, we could not imagine the sudden rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has become a global threat in a short time. It has overshadowed the long-term effort of the international community in Iraq. The ideology and acts of ISIL represent an unprecedented level of brutality and the twisted use of the media for their self-promotion. It represents the dangerous ideology of forcing violent changes to State borders.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We support that principle, and Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimea are not an exception. We are nevertheless convinced that dialogue and diplomatic efforts, with the participation of Russia, will lead to sustainable peace in Ukraine. We must respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the sovereign right of its people to decide their fate in a free and independent manner. The United Nations plays a crucial role in that matter. What Ukraine needs today is to restore peace and stability, implement reforms and be reassured of the strength of the guarantees for the inviolability of its territory. Slovakia is ready to participate in that process. Diplomatic language is full of allegories, but even the nicest language cannot hide the naked truth when people are being killed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Conflict is dangerous both in its nature and in its consequences. Twenty years ago, Ukraine abandoned its nuclear programme in exchange for the security and territorial integrity guarantees granted by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France and the Russian Federation. Today, instead of marking a major anniversary of achievement in the area of security and stability on the European continent, we are witnessing armed conflict and political instability. Instead of building a world without weapons of mass destruction, we encourage those countries that seek security under the lethal nuclear umbrella. Slovakia strongly denounces violations of the territorial integrity of any State. That is a trademark of our foreign policy. It is a pillar for the stability of the geopolitical architecture.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We must not betray the commitments that we all made to the principles of democracy, peace and security for every single citizen of our planet. We must look into the mirror to see what we are doing, how we do it, what we are doing or have done wrong and what we can do better. We believed that the number of conflicts would gradually decrease as our civilization matured and developed. However, today, we are confronted with the opposite reality. Instability is increasingly becoming the new status quo. Instability, poverty and hatred are the fertilizers and catalysts of terrorism, and terrorism is a threat to which no one is immune. A year ago, we Europeans could hardly imagine that, after investing so much effort in achieving peace and stability in our continent, a new armed conflict would arise in our neighbourhood.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The horrors of the Second World War, the failure of the international community to maintain world peace, the direct threat on the part of larger countries to use force against smaller ones and the absence of an international order and rules that are be universally accepted and respected were a painful lesson for us all. Cooperation among nations has come a long way in the past seven decades. The United Nations has played an important role on that road, but we have not gathered here to celebrate a false sense of success. We have to go much further than simply to identify challenges. It would be a lost opportunity if political correctness and diplomatic language were to limit us from openly and freely naming and discussing the problems that plague our world and the continents, countries and citizens that we represent.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Those goals must identify, address, offer a solution to and solve problems that in one or two generations may bring the human race to the brink of its own existence. Seventy years ago, when the Second World War caused tens of millions of deaths, consuming all of the principles of humanity, the patriots and democrats in my country, Slovakia, took up arms and put their lives at risk to fight against evil and for liberty and democratic values. They fought together with many other nations to establish the foundation for new global cooperation, given shape a year later with the adoption of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session and to wish you every success in your important duties. Let me begin with a quote by Edward Wilson: “The great challenge of the twenty-first century is to raise people everywhere to a decent standard of living, while preserving as much of the rest of life as possible.” To preserve life and the sustainability of the planet for every human is not pure theory. It is a practical question for our future and for that of our children. The Millennium Development Goals, the post-2015 framework and the challenge of climate change must form much more than the theoretical basis for our discussions.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)