Statement by H.E. Dr. All TrekiPresident of the sixty-fourth session

of the United Nations General Assembly

OPENING OF THE GENERAL DEBATE

United Nations HeadquartersNew York, 23 September 2009

Heads of State and Government,Mr. Secretary-General,Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me, for my country Libya, andits leadership to preside over the sixty-fourth session of theGeneral Assembly. I am humbled by the trust andconfidence you have bestowed upon me. But first, I wouldlike to commend His Excellency President Miguel d'EscotoBrockmann for his tireless efforts during the sixty-thirdsession. I would like to thank the Secretary-General, Mr.Ban Ki-moon, for his support and cooperation. We aredetermined to work together for a more effective andstrengthened organization that is responsive to the dauntingchallenges facing the world today.

The sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly istaking place at an important critical juncture. Theinternational community is faced with multiple crises andenormous challenges. These include the challenges ofinternational peace and security which continue to threatenpeace in various parts of the world through protracted inter-states conflicts, civil wars, weapons of mass destruction,terrorism and organized transnational crimes. Thechallenge of environmental degradation and climatechange, extreme poverty and deadly infectious disease,such as HIV AIDS, requires innovative and concertedactions. The set-backs to the achievement of theMillennium Development Goals, the economic, financial,

food and energy crisis, disarmament and non-proliferationissues are all challenges that form the backdrop of thesixty-fourth session of the General Assembly.

Let us be clear about one important issue. Thesechallenges can only be addressed through internationalcooperation among States. They can only be addressedthrough a well-functioning multi-lateral system.Multilateralism is the way forward to address globalcommon-shared problems and it is also the only way toensure effective and collective action.

The international community has learned fromexperience that transnational threats and the multiple crisesfacing the world today can only be addressed throughresponsible international cooperation. We learned also thatunilateral actions can only exacerbate conflicts and delaythe search for more sustainable solutions.

The United Nations is the embodiment ofmultilateralism. It is therefore the most legitimate forum forensuring concerted global action. The General Assembly isthe 'chief deliberative policy-making organ of the UnitedNations,' holding a global membership and universallegitimacy unmatched by any other organization.

I am very pleased to see consensus on the need torevitalize the United Nations to ensure that the organizationis responding effectively to the emerging transnationalthreats and crises. Political will and leadership are criticalto achieving this objective. An effective and credible rule-

based multilateral system requires an energized andreformed United Nations.

It is in this context that I pledge to work with allMember States to facilitate consensus on a revitalizedGeneral Assembly, a more representative and reformedSecurity Council and other initiatives aimed at improvingthe effectiveness and management of the organization. AsPresident of the General Assembly, I commit to work withall Member States to ensure effective responses to globalcrises: strengthening multilateralism and dialogue amongcivilizations for international peace, security anddevelopment.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges to ourshared planet. During this session, we therefore mustintensify our efforts to confront the negative man-madeeffects on the climate system. No Member State, regardlessof geography, development status or political creed, canafford to ignore this issue. Nor can any Member State solvethis issue alone. The peoples of the world are looking to theGeneral Assembly for leadership. We must respond inunity and with resolve. Thus, let us cast our differencesaside as we work towards a global climate changeagreement in Copenhagen in December. As President of theGeneral Assembly, I am deeply committed to this causeand pledge my readiness to work with the membership toachieve this goal.

Despite international consensus and many initiatives,progress has been mixed in efforts to promote durablepeace and sustainable developments in Africa. The bulk of

UN peacekeeping remains in Africa. However, greaterfocus on conflict prevention and resolution and astrengthened partnership with the African Union and sub-regional organizations are required. We need a moresubstantive, comprehensive and coherent approach topeace, security and development in Africa. The General

. Assembly can play an important role in this regard. TheGeneral Debate provides an ideal forum for an exchange ofviews on these important issues.

I am very pleased that the General Assembly decided'to convene in 2010, at the commencement of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, a high-level plenarymeeting of the Assembly, with the participation of Heads ofState and Government'. This high-level meeting of theAssembly will be held just five years before the deadlinefor the achievement of the Millennium Development Goalsand other internationally-agreed development goals. It willtake place at a time of great insecurity in a global economyweakened by the financial crises and at a time when we arewitnessing the erosion of the development gains made inprevious decades, with a particular impact on the mostvulnerable. This important event will be an opportunity toassess the progress made so far. It will be an opportunity toidentify impediments to progress and to develop new ideasto ensure progress towards the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. Ensuring adequate preparations for this uniqueevent will be a high priority for me during this session ofthe General Assembly.

Supporting post-conflict Peacebuilding will continueto be a major concern for Member States. The internationalcommunity's record in this area is mixed. Theestablishment of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2006was meant to fill a gap by giving the necessary attention tocountries emerging from conflict by marshalling resourcesand coordinating international assistance. The foundingresolution establishing the Peacebuilding Commissionprovided for a review after five years. I will work withMember States to develop and facilitate a process for thisreview; and I hope that new ideas will emerge on how tomake this United Nations body more effective andresponsive.

In 2005, our Heads of States and Governmentreiterated that the promotion and protection of human rightsis one of the three principal purposes of this organization,and declared that human rights stood, alongsidedevelopment and peace and security, as 'a pillar of theorganization'. Let us commit to ensuring that the 'thirdpillar' is a pillar of stone, buttressed by the resources,respect and credibility, benefiting an institution dedicatedto the cause of human dignity and justice. I will work withMember States to reaffirm our collective commitment touniversality, non-selectivity, and the indivisible,interdependent and interrelated nature of all human rights:civil and political, economic, social and cultural rights andthe right to development. Let us approach this pillar withhumility, mindful of the fact that all Member States havehuman rights challenges. And let us embrace it withpurpose, knowing that those challenges must be met, both

for the cause of human rights itself, and for the benefit ofpeace and development.

During this session, we will be called upon to follow-up on the outcome of the Durban Review Conference, at amoment when the scourge of racial discrimination,xenophobia, and related intolerance challenge societiesacross the globe. We will be required to support the furtherdevelopment of the Human Rights Council and to begin toprepare ourselves for its five year review. If we do so withdedication to the cause, and in a spirit of principled,constructive engagement, I am confident that we will leavethe 'third pillar' of human rights stronger than when webegan.

The question of Palestine and the situation in theMiddle East have been on the agenda of the plenary of theGeneral Assembly for many years. Despite many efforts,the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflictremain unresolved and continue to constitute a seriousthreat to international peace and security. There is auniversal recognition that with the rapidly deterioratingconditions in the occupied territories, the situation hasbecome unsustainable. A comprehensive and lastingsettlement is urgently needed. Despite the enormouschallenges, new opportunities may be emerging, and theGeneral Assembly with its mandates and internationallegitimacy must play its part in contributing constructivelyto realizing the objective of comprehensive peace in theregion.

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Mr. Secretary-General,Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen,

Every year frequent references are made by Heads ofState and Government, both the most powerful and thesmallest, on the importance of the rule of law in theirnational affairs. Yet, it is in striving for the rule of lawwithin international affairs, the so-called rule of law at theinternational level, that this organization has a uniqueresponsibility.

Strengthening the rule of law at the international levelrequires a shared vision. For me, this vision consists of aninternational system in which the exercise of power, notonly by States but by others, including the organizationitself, is subject to law. The Charter of the United Nationsdoes this, in particular in managing the use of force byMember States. This General Assembly is, since itsinception, the universal center for international standardsetting in various fields of international law. Yet, the ruleof law means little in the absence of accountability of law.In the face of violations of international law, there must beeffective means of redress. Our international system willalways be complex and multifaceted and means of ensuringsuch accountability of States, individuals and other actors,likewise. While the international community is constantlystrengthening accountability mechanisms including meansof dispute resolution, we have far to travel to fulfill thisessential part of the vision. Accountability to law is notenough for an international rule of law in harmony with all

of our shared fundamental values. The law itself, even atthe international law, must reinforce our common belief inthe fundamental dignity of all human beings. Our visionmust involve an international system of States, thisorganization and other actors subject to and effectivelyaccountable to law, which resonates fully with the pursuitsof justice and universal human rights.

Thank you.