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Statement by President Georgi
Parvanov at the High-level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of
the UN General Assembly
15-09-2005
16:00 |
New York, UN
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The collective voice of reason calling for peace and cooperation
has, as a rule, prevailed in world politics in the wake of dreadful
destructive wars and social cataclysms. Today, 60 years after the
end of the most devastating armed conflict in history, humanity has
a chance to break this deplorable tradition. I am confident that at
this crucial moment we, leaders and peoples of the United Nations,
will be able to mobilize the political will and resources and prove
that the lessons of the past have taught us to meet the challenges
of the present.
I am here today to add the voice of the Republic of Bulgaria to a
common expression of political will expressed by the participants in
this high-level forum aimed at speeding up implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals and strengthening the efficiency of our
Organization.
Clearly our desire to live in an environment of collective security
will be doomed to failure if we fail to make radical progress in
overcoming hunger and poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and
mass epidemics, protecting the environment, and expanding access to
modern education. We cannot rest content with what has been achieved
in the past five years. If the current pace of action is retained,
we cannot expect to meet the internationally agreed development
goals earlier than the end of the century.
This is why we must agree to double our efforts today and stand
united in this mission to save mankind. My country welcomes the
Outcome Document - a product of a most intensive diplomatic effort
over the past several months - regarding it as a solid basis for
implementing further the package of commitments made, reaffirmed and
developed further from this high rostrum.
Mr. President,
The meaning of "security" today differs a great deal from
what the founding fathers of the UN perceived 60 years ago and even
from what we meant thereby 5 years ago. Threats have become much
more diverse, subtle and unpredictable. We need a responsible
thinking expressed in a culture of solidarity, cooperation and
mutual assistance globally.
Fighting the destructive force of terrorism, which totally rejects
all principles of humanity and democracy, continues to be our task
of prime significance. The new challenges dictate the priorities,
the emphasis for the UN agenda such as: non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and control of weapons, early prevention of
crises and conflicts, expanding the capacity of the UN to conduct a
wide range of peace operations. In this context the establishment of
a Peace Building Commission has become an urgent task.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
No safer world of freedom, democracy and prosperity can be built
without combating effectively international terrorism. However, we
must meet this challenge without infringing upon the principles of
democracy, pluralism and protection of human rights. For us the
concept of "human rights" already includes not only the
well-known standards laid down in the UN instruments and further
developed in the Millennium Declaration, this is where we see a new
role for the new Council of human rights and endorse the concept of
"responsibility to protect". We also call for a greater
role and resources for the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, as
well as a UN Fund for Democracy.
Last but not least, for the UN to be capable of coping with a highly
challenging environment, no effort should be spared in carrying out
the projected institutional reform and in radically improving
transparency, accountability and overall efficiency of the
Organization. Bulgaria is in favor of well-balanced, constructive
solutions for a better functioning of the Security Council and
streamlining the work the General Assembly and its committees.
Mr. President,
Our meeting clearly demonstrates the urgency of reaching a new,
action-oriented consensus among Member states on the key issues of
our world. Finding an adequate response to burning topics,
completing the necessary reforms of the activities and structures of
the UN, allowing the Organization to keep its role as the universal
international organization, all these, are crucial for the future of
the Organization, for the future of humanity.
Thank you.
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