YouSaid · the spoken record

Miroslav Lajčák

lines on the record: 33
first: 2009-09-24
most recent: 2015-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
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

“I would like to conclude by quoting Norman Cousins, an American political journalist and professor, who received the United Nations Peace Medal in 1971: “If the United Nations is to survive, those who represent it must bolster it; those who advocate it must submit to it; and those who believe in it must fight for it.” The current General Assembly session will be a new test of our commitment and ability to join forces in the pursuit of common goals. I am confident that under the leadership of President Lykketoft, we will be able to achieve the desired outcome.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Let our work here at the United Nations be as real, practical and focused as possible so that we can deliver good results in the spirit of cooperation and compromise. The key desired result should be a strengthened and more effective, streamlined and responsive United Nations — a truly global organization that is better able to address interconnected and multidimensional threats and challenges to international peace, security and development.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The logical questions therefore relate to how ready we are to effectively react to challenges of the twenty-first century and whether we can draw useful lessons from the response to Ebola as an international health security threat. Continuous management reform, optimal use of modern technologies, and gradual improvement of methods and structures for work that takes into account changes in the world are crucial if an organization wants to stay relevant. This is especially true for the United Nations. The seventieth anniversary of the Organization is viewed by many as a timely moment for achieving tangible progress. We need to address all existential challenges with the same attention. Act as one. Struggle as one. Deliver as one. One planet, one humankind, one destiny.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Extreme droughts, melting of polar ice, substantive changes in long-term climate patterns and the rise in sea levels are the most glaring examples. As a result, Slovakia is committed to adopting at the United Nations climate conference this December a global binding climate agreement that will accelerate the shift towards societies and economies that are low-carbon and climate-resilient worldwide. 36/55 15-29658 01/10/2015 A/70/PV.22 There are various internal and external forces that could drive any organization to change. Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, poverty, disease, disparities causing socioeconomic tensions resulting in migration — all these challenges pose vital threats to humankind, and the only difference is how quickly the catastrophe strikes.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Last but not least, Member States must strengthen their prevention efforts by working directly with affected communities to counter the violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. If we want to tackle this threat, we need to confront extremism in all its forms, violent and non-violent. Hate has never been the way to achieve a better future for anyone. We are now fewer than 60 days away from the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Paris, where the international community will discuss a new international climate change agreement. The impact of climate change is visible and undeniable throughout the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“No perpetrator should be left unpunished and no movement affiliated with any form of terrorism should be tolerated. The United Nations has done much to set standards in the fight against international terrorism and to encourage and help Member States to meet them. The tenth anniversary of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2016 will provide us with an opportunity to make our efforts in this struggle more efficient. It should be carried out in a multilateral and coordinated manner, with full respect for human rights and the rule of law. We should also redouble our efforts to conclude a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“As former Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, “When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.” The presence of women negotiators in high-profile United Nations peace and mediation processes, the role of women deployed by the United Nations to major conflict zones and high-stake inter-State negotiations, as well as in peacekeeping and peacebuilding in general, is irreplaceable and should continue to grow. International terrorism in its most violent forms is an increasingly alarming threat to global peace and security, and those forms have become more diverse and fragmented in recent years. Slovakia strongly condemns all terrorist acts as criminal and unjustifiable. No terrorist act should be left without an adequate response from the international community.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The culture of conflict prevention and the conflict-resolution approaches that are now taking root in the United Nations system must be further developed, alongside more effective peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It has been 15 years since the adoption of the landmark Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security. Yet the impacts of conflicts on women and children are still inordinate, and their engagement in peace processes is still insufficient. Gender equality is a natural precondition for sustainable development, stability and peace.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I was particularly pleased to see that both review panels — the High-level Independent Panel on United Nations Peace Operations and that of the Advisory Group of Experts on the 2015 Review of the Peacebuilding Architecture — have put strong emphasis on enhanced conflict prevention, diplomatic engagement and mediation support in the work of the United Nations system. Speaking from my personal experience as a mediator in South-Eastern Europe, I cannot but support the importance and high relevance of preventive diplomacy across the conflict spectrum and as a part of broader, nationally owned strategies to promote sustainable peace and development.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“For that to happen, we need systematic and comprehensive action 15-29658 35/55 A/70/PV.22 01/10/2015 and close cooperation on the part of countries, both of origin and of destination, that will bring a long-term sustainable solution. We must address the root causes of migration, namely, conflicts, intolerance, violence, poverty and a lack of the conditions needed for a decent life, just to mention a few. As acknowledged many times before, the irreplaceable nature of the Organization is most marked in peacekeeping. The past two decades have significantly tested the concept and conduct of United Nations peacekeeping operations. Slovakia has been an active contributor and stands ready to continue its cooperation with the United Nations in that field.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Forced displacement has, sadly, become a deliberate and widespread tactic, meaning that displacement is not only a short- term humanitarian problem, but also a long-term development and State-building issue. The current migration crisis is one of the most complex challenges, one that we have to face up front and address together. It affects all of us — the countries of origin, transit and destination. It therefore requires joint responses. Both immediate and long- term measures are absolutely necessary to address those challenges, which include illegal migration, the smuggling of and trafficking in human beings, and gross human rights violations. We must offer our assistance to those in need and prevent further tragedies involving refugees.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The current pattern of violence also has serious implications for the implementation of mandates to protect civilians in the field. The United Nations has increasingly come under attack in areas where it has been present. Naturally, in such conditions, the level and the main priorities for United Nations involvement are being re-evaluated in a process of strategic reflection. A secondary effect is the dramatic increase in the number of refugees. The World Bank estimates that roughly one fifth of the world’s population is affected by some form of violence or insecurity. The total number of people forcibly displaced by war, conflict and persecution rose to roughly 60 million by the end of 2014. On a daily basis, we are confronted with gruesome images in the news or directly in our streets, squares and transportation hubs.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We may call it a programme for a better planet, but it is not about the numbers, but about changing our mindsets. It is setting up the new philosophy of existence in a sustainable future. Its cornerstone is full inclusivity and zero disparity. The global security environment has never been as dynamic and uncertain as today. The number of major civil wars has almost tripled. The number of conflict casualties has skyrocketed. The most worrisome fact is the increased number of civilian casualties, including women and children. The United Nations works to maintain international peace and security in a world where security threats are becoming more complex and asymmetric, and conflicts more intractable and less conducive to traditional political settlements.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That will enable the United Nations to meet the weighty demands that are being and will be made upon it today, tomorrow and in many years to come. The Member States are the owners of the United Nations. Every country — big or small, from North or South, landlocked or insular — has an important individual responsibility and role to play as a driver of the necessary change. My Government has always had strong confidence in the United Nations and remains ready to fully shoulder its responsibility and commitments in that regard. The scale of global development challenges is unprecedented. A couple of days ago, in this very place we adopted the historic document defining the Sustainable Development Goals, “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (resolution 70/1).”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The United Nations is the right place where all those threats should be addressed and eventually solved. I am deeply convinced that the United Nations remains strategically positioned to provide leadership and effective multilateral responses. A strong and effective United Nations means a better world, a more caring and accepting world, where nations and peoples of different religions, cultures and history can live together in peace — a world where right is might, not might makes right. I believe that strengthening the United Nations is the best investment for achieving the universal desire for peace, development, equality and justice in the world. We should collectively seek practical means that will enable the current system to live up to its original purposes.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“From the outset, the United Nations has made major contributions to furthering the development and codification of international law as a way of regulating international relations. We should take a step back to see how far we have come and how far we need to go in meeting the challenges that exist across the three pillars of the Organization’s work: peace and security, development and human rights. New and acute challenges to the multilateral system and new threats to peace and security that transcend national borders have, unfortunately, emerged. Each and everyone is concerned by the threats of pandemics, climate change, migration, cybersecurity, and the multifaceted and violent nature of terrorism, including organized crime. There are no exceptions.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“During the past 70 years we, the States Members of the United Nations, have been driven by the noble ideals and aspirations that the visionary founders of the United Nations laid down in its Charter in 1945. At the same time, we have been regularly confronted with the grim realities of international affairs. Over its history, the United Nations, both as an intergovernmental Organization and as an actor on the world stage, has been tested by numerous conflicts, humanitarian crises and immense 34/55 15-29658 01/10/2015 A/70/PV.22 political and economic changes in the world, as well as by a lack of financial stability. Throughout all those years, the United Nations has played a crucial role in preventing global conflicts and has carried out vital work around the world in its service to humankind.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I should like once again to reaffirm Slovakia’s support for your work, which, through pursuing the priorities of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session, will address the main ills that pain the international community today.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In conclusion, Slovakia hopes that the last year of the first decade of this millennium will bring all the States of the international community closer together in order to overcome the negative consequences of the financial and economic crisis, among others. This represents a basic step towards the possible settlement of many other conflicts and problems that the international community is facing. In our view, we have to intensify our efforts, in this regard, and adopt appropriate measures on the local, regional and global levels in the spirit of solidarity and common responsibility. We strongly believe that the United Nations and its specialized agencies must be directly engaged in this process and guide the world for the welfare of this generation and of those of the future.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We firmly support a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in Georgia and hope that the Geneva talks will yield positive results. In addition to participating in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus operation on a long- term basis, Slovakia has been actively engaged for more than 20 years in the confidence-building process between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political leaders, and we are committed to continuing our active engagement. A combination of military and development aid activities characterizes our long-term active engagement in Afghanistan. Slovakia, as a member of the International Security Assistance Force operation, is helping to establish a secure and stable environment in Afghanistan.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“At the same time, we welcome and support a peaceful and constructive approach to seeking solutions to disputes. We believe that the future of the entire region and its people lies in the European perspective and that there is no meaningful alternative to that. Promotion of full respect for international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States within their internationally recognized borders is also the principle that guides us in the case of Georgia. Slovakia was very disappointed when, earlier this year, the Security Council was unable to agree on extending the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia. The termination of the Mission complicates the already unstable situation in the region, as well as the security conditions for civilians in the conflict zone.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The deteriorating human rights situation and the violent suppression of the popular protests that erupted in Iran after the elections in June is a cause of much concern to Slovakia. We have also repeatedly and strongly condemned the nuclear test and missile launches carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We call on North Korea to reverse its position on the Non-Proliferation Treaty and join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Let me now turn to some regional issues that Slovakia pays particular attention to. As a matter of priority, Slovakia has been closely following 49 09-52586 developments in the western Balkans. We continue to promote full respect for international law, including the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States within their internationally recognized borders.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Our priority is to outlaw nuclear testing and see the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty come into force. Slovakia also calls for an early start to substantive negotiations on an arms trade treaty, which is essential for reducing the unacceptable human cost resulting from the proliferation of conventional arms. Slovakia, together with the other members of the European Union, is deeply concerned about Iran’s continued defiance despite its international obligations, including the Security Council’s demands that it suspend its nuclear activities. We note that Iran has agreed to continue talks with the P5+1 group of the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany, and we call on Iran to commit to diplomatic negotiations in order to restore the trust of the international community and make real and urgently needed progress.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We are pleased that the intergovernmental negotiations have begun and believe that things will move forward in the interest of making the Security Council a truly relevant and efficient body. The old saying “If you seek peace, prepare for war” has resulted in an unprecedented arms race, which in itself has become a source of fear and insecurity. Slovakia is particularly concerned about the risk of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery falling into the hands of non-State actors, especially terrorist groups. In this connection, Slovakia is ready to work with all partners towards the successful outcome of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which should result in an enhanced international nuclear non-proliferation regime.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Nor can we forget our obligation, under international law, to prevent the incitement of those most serious crimes, which should be referred to the International Criminal Court, established for the purpose of ending impunity for perpetrators of such crimes. Much of the Organization’s ability to deal with current threats and challenges depends on the existing institutional framework. The United Nations Security Council is at the centre of that framework. Slovakia is a long-term advocate of enlarging the Security Council in both of its membership categories. The composition of an enlarged Security Council should better reflect new global realities. Appropriate attention must also be paid to the Council’s working methods.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As a serving member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Slovakia works to promote universal respect for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, at national and international levels. Among the key tools that the United Nations has at its disposal for protecting those who are most endangered and vulnerable is the concept of responsibility to protect, one of the most important achievements of the 2005 World Summit. We believe the international community should focus more on the protection of civilian populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“This has recently been demonstrated, for example, in the role played by United Nations mediation teams in helping to find peaceful and negotiated solutions to crises in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and elsewhere. Slovakia will contribute further to that work. We are, in this regard, very pleased that the first United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy, located in Central Asia and led by a Slovak representative, has achieved good results so far and has fully proved itself as a meaningful and necessary project. We are convinced that issues such as conflict prevention cannot be seen in isolation. They are connected with respect for human rights, protection of civilians, gender equality, protection of children in armed conflict and so forth.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Slovakia, as the initiator and chair of the United Nations Group of Friends of Security Sector Reform, will continue working to ensure that the United 09-52586 48 Nations system is able to react in an adequate, timely and systematic manner to the needs of Member States relating to security sector reform. After a useful African regional workshop, held in Cape Town as a joint South African and Slovak project, we have now teamed up with key partners, namely, Argentina and Indonesia, in two other important regions, Latin America and South-East Asia. The Buenos Aires workshop will be held just a few days from now. As I have already mentioned, we are glad to see that significant progress has been achieved in preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention and mediation support.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is our belief that preventive diplomacy should be used whenever possible in order to avoid conflicts in the first place. Slovakia continues to be actively engaged in numerous peace and security endeavours of the international community. We are currently participating in international crisis-management operations under United Nations command or Security Council mandate in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Middle East. We are doing our best to contribute to peacekeeping, peacebuilding, stabilization and reconstruction efforts in those parts of the world and will continue to do so in the future. In addition, Slovakia remains actively engaged in the area of security sector reform, an issue that we began promoting within the United Nations during our non-permanent membership in the Security Council.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We appreciate the endorsement of our candidature by the Group of Eastern European and other States and will do our best to gain the trust and support of all of the Organization’s Member States. Slovakia is committed to serving as an active and engaged member of the Economic and Social Council, and would like to contribute tangibly to making that important United Nations organ as relevant and as effective as possible. The United Nations has achieved remarkable results in peacekeeping over past decades. We recognize its continued efforts to adapt peacekeeping so that it can respond better to current and future challenges. More emphasis should be put on ensuring that peacekeepers and other United Nations actors on the ground are properly equipped and trained, including in the area of the so-called critical capabilities.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is essential not to lose sight of the Millennium Development Goals and to maintain our efforts to achieve them by the year 2015. We have in recent years invested considerable effort in elaborating and implementing our own concept of official development assistance, through a number of bilateral and multilateral projects. The western Balkans, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Africa have been among our priority geographic areas in this regard. Slovakia’s commitment to the issues of economic and social development prompted us to present our candidature for membership of the United Nations Economic and Social Council at the elections to be held in the General Assembly later this year.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We therefore greatly welcome the main theme of our deliberations during this general debate, with a focus on achieving tangible results on the three pillars of the work of the United Nations: peace and security, human rights and development. We welcome the attention that the Organization has paid to the issue of climate change, as well as to increasing food security and eliminating the negative effects of the financial and economic crisis, especially in the most vulnerable States and populations. Slovakia calls for reaching an ambitious, balanced and comprehensive agreement on climate change in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 that will replace the Kyoto Protocol. Also, we need to elaborate an action plan and strengthen global strategies for food security in the world.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is a great privilege and honour for me to address the General Assembly, to which people of the world look with high hopes and expectations to find effective solutions to the multitude of challenges and threats that spare no one. First, let me congratulate you, Sir, on the assumption of your duties as President of the General Assembly at the sixty-fourth session and also express my delegation’s appreciation to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, for his work during the sixty-third session. Slovakia fully associates itself with the statement delivered earlier by the Prime Minister of Sweden on behalf of the European Union. I would like to contribute to this debate with some additional remarks. Slovakia is a keen believer in effective multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations in that regard.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)