Today, this Friday September 26, 2008 at 09:00am Eastern Time, the President of Montenegro, H.E. Mr. Filip Vujanović, addressed the general debate of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Following is the text of President Vujanović’s address at the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, USA, September 26:

MR. PRESIDENT,
MR. SECRETARY-GENERAL,
EXCELLENCIES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

It is an honour and pleasure to welcome the election of Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann as the President of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. President, I wish you great success in carrying out this complex, responsible and challenging task.

I would also like to express sincere gratitude and great respect to the President of the 62nd Session, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, for his efficient and successful lead of the Assembly during his tenure.

I would like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and reaffirm our full support to his efforts to strengthen the position of the UN as a key factor in resolving issues on the ever-expanding international agenda.

As the youngest UN member, Montenegro left its mark on the international scene. It gained its statehood centuries ago and democratically restored it in 2006. For us the statehood represents political freedom, but also a political responsibility. Both are qualities that we look for and find in the United Nations, in the spirit of its Charter, in mutual respect and equality among nations and peoples.

Multilateralism as the core of the international system inspires strong motivation and commitment. That is why the United Nations provides a reliable framework for maintaining international peace and security, strengthening democracy, protection of human rights and freedoms, respect for the international law, and fostering economic and social development of states.

MR. PRESIDENT,

Today, the world organization is going through the process of necessary reforms prompted by great achievements, but also some setbacks, even failures.

Montenegro supports pragmatically oriented reform processes at the UN. As a small state, we are particularly interested in strengthening authority of the General Assembly and other main UN bodies.

Being at the heart of the overall reform, Security Council needs to be transformed taking into account equitable regional representation, transparency and improvement in working methods.

Also, the respect for the declared interests of our regional group. Confident that it will generate new dynamics, Montenegro supports intergovernmental negotiations. We are no doubt faced with a very challenging and complex process, but one Montenegro will strive to contribute to.

MR. PRESIDENT,

Respect for human rights and freedoms, improvement of minority and faith-based rights and strengthening good neighborly relations will continue to be foundation of our national, as well of regional stability. The focus of our engagement at national, regional and international level is therefore on the rule of law and fight against corruption and organized crime.

This year we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is still vital and applicable. We are fully dedicated to its implementation and determined to uphold its values and principles. In support of this, Montenegro has presented the candidature for the Human Rights Council, for the period 2012-2015.

As the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals represents one of the key objectives of the UN policy, it is only natural that small and developing states, such as Montenegro, are resolved to make a concerted effort in this sense. Being aware of all the challenges in the implementation of this agenda, Montenegro shares the Secretary-General’s opinion that yesterday’s High-Level Event contributed positively to the increased commitment to realize the set goals.

Challenges that we are facing today — political problems, hotspots, blatant violation of human rights and freedoms, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terro rism, environmental degradation and climate change — do require adequate response and decisive action. We believe that no effective or lasting response is possible without a joint action of the entire international community.

MR. PRESIDENT,

Countries in transition, such as our own, have relevant experience and strong motivation to offer continuous support to the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus in light of the forthcoming Financing for Development conference in Doha.

Economic challenges of the countries in transition affect the dynamics and quality of the way we tackle other issues, thus making the implementation of the Millennium Declaration imperative.

Therefore, the development needs and priorities of the African countries, discussed at length during the Monday’s High-Level Meeting, require urgent global solidarity and support.

Montenegro fully supports the UN efforts in resolving the problems caused by the energy crisis, especially rising food prices on global level. We also fully support the intention of the Secretary-General and of the UN to focus the attention of the international community on vital issues such as food prices and food security, in addition to the issues of climate change and MDGs. The reason behind this is obvious — everyone is affected and hence committed to solving this problem.

In light of this, we agree with the proposed UN action in the multilateral framework. We command the recently adopted Rome Declaration on World Food Security, and strongly believe that integrated international action is the best response.

MR. PRESIDENT,

As an ecological state, Montenegro cherishes interactive relationship between environmental aspect in the protection of natural resources, on one hand, and production and distribution of organic food, on the other. Furthermore, Montenegro encourages the creation of the international trade environment that favours small-scale producers and developing countries. Public-private partnerships on specific projects as one of the forms of cooperation between the Government and UN agencies in the field of energy efficiency are also of special importance.

MR. PRESIDENT,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

Montenegro has many reasons to be satisfied with the dynamics and results of its ongoing reform processes. Promotion of democracy, equality and tolerance among states and peoples has been and will continue to be our political doctrine. It is motivated by the desire for stability and economic and cultural development. We demonstrate it in practice in our relationship with neighbours and regional partners. It is also a basis for Montenegro’s progress in European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Our EU and NATO agenda is based on the principles of democracy, functional market economy, efficient institutions, and the rule of law. Special emphasis in the process of integration is on the dynamics and time frame in which our progress was achieved — in political, legislative, economic and the public administration reform.

This year Montenegro has joined the Union for the Mediterranean. We appreciate the support offered by our EU partners and other members of this significant initiative. Montenegro stands ready to make its contribution and take active part in the revitalization of the projects within this initiative.

In its security policy, centered around multilateral cooperation, Montenegro is making a step forward with the aim to create legislative framework for deployment of our police, military and civilian personnel to the UN peacekeeping missions. Montenegro contributed to similar missions more than a hundred years ago, in the 19th century, and we are now preparing to implement this commitment again in order to meet the current needs for fostering peace and democracy.

MR. PRESIDENT,

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the commitment of Montenegro to contribute to the strengthening and promotion of the United Nations in our common effort to identify adequate response to multifaceted challenges the world faces today.

Thank you!

Address of H.E. Mr. Filip Vujanović, President of Montenegro, at the the 63rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations