United Nations A/70/ PV.19 General Assembly Official Records Seventieth session 19th plenary meeting Wednesday, 30 September 2015, 9 a.m. New York President: Mr. Lykketoft .......................................... (Denmark) The meeting was called to order at 9.05 a.m. conflicts, wars and terrorism creating insecurity around Europe. Our citizens feel that instability. They expect Address by Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, President of the politicians to act boldly, to solve and not to deepen the Republic of Bulgaria crises. The President: The Assembly will now hear an The ongoing conflicts in Syria, the Middle East address by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. and North Africa are threatening the lives of millions. The rising extremism that no borders can contain is Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, President of the Republic of a serious challenge to the international community. Bulgaria, was escorted into the General Assembly The degrading humanitarian situation in several Hall. conflict zones has forced millions of people to leave The President: On behalf of the General Assembly, their homes, pack their whole lives into a suitcase I have the honour to welcome to the United Nations and embark on a perilous, sometimes even deadly His Excellency Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, President of the journey to safety. Hundreds of thousands of people Republic of Bulgaria, and to invite him to address the are at Europe’s doorstep, reaching out for a helping Assembly. hand, struggling and fighting for the right to live. As a result, nationalistic parties that feed on people’s fears President Plevneliev: Allow me to congratulate have seized the day and are gaining momentum. Hate you, Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of speech, racism, xenophobia, populism and aggressive the General Assembly at its seventieth session. I also nationalism are again on the rise. wish to extend my sincere gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa for his work as President of the General All of those challenges transcend national borders Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. and call upon us to act with resolve on a global scale. Robert Schuman, called “the Father of Europe” as one Today, we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of of the founding fathers of the European Union and the our unique Organization. We reflect on what we have greatest peace projects the world has ever seen, stated accomplished, but also on what we have fallen short in the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950: “World of achieving. It is also a time to map the way ahead. peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of The Secretary-General has announced “Strong United creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which Nations. Better World.” as the slogan for this year’s threaten it.” We should not wait for the crises to appear anniversary. But are we stronger as a community? Are on our television screens to prompt us to act. It is high we shaping a better world for our children? We are time that we acted together to address the causes, not living in turbulent times. The number of crises around the consequences. the world is at a record high with failing States, frozen This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 15-29562 (E) *1529562* A /70/PV.19 30/09/2015 Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is human integrity of Iraq. The most recent terrorist attacks in rights. Peace is the rule of law. Peace is rules that apply Egypt, Tunisia, Kuwait and Turkey have shown that to everyone, including global and regional Powers. violent extremism and radicalization transcend national Security, development, human rights and the rule of law borders. are interdependent and mutually reinforcing universal Joint action by the international community in values. They are the pillars of the United Nations. the fight against violent extremism is crucial. The Every crisis can be traced back to an initial phase when United Nations is the best platform for managing someone violated the law and human rights. To prevent and coordinating international efforts. We need future crises, a United Nations early-warning crisis Governments and law enforcement institutions to detection system needs to be set up to safeguard the cooperate closely with regional organizations, civil rule of law and human rights. society, local communities, media and the private sector Poverty, inequalities and environmental degradation in order to ensure durable and viable solutions. On a are issues that require our attention. Bulgaria welcomes national level, we should adopt policies and measures the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable that can prevent the radicalization of marginalized Development (resolution 70/1) and is fully committed groups and ensure their better integration in society. to its implementation. For the first time in the history As long as the conflict in Syria continues, the of humankind, people are at the very heart of a refugee crisis will not subside. The efforts of the development agenda that leaves no one behind. This entire international community should focus on ending truly transformative Agenda reflects the complexity of hostilities in conflict zones and supporting institution the challenges we face today. It takes into consideration building, the rule of law and respect for human the right of every individual to live in dignity and rights. The role of neighbouring States is also of great prosperity and ensures the equal participation of all importance. sections of society. Europe is currently focused on the establishment Climate change is a serious problem. Its impact of a solidarity scheme that will allow the fair relocation continues to cause more disparities and conflicts. and resettlement of refugees among all Member States. Climate change negotiations have entered a critical We need to establish an appropriate mechanism that can stage. 2015 is a landmark year — we have an opportunity distinguish those in need from those just looking for to end two decades of intense climate negotiations and a better life. The migrant crisis is a security concern. begin a new era through the adoption of a global, legally Apart from the fear of infiltration by extremists on binding protocol in Paris in December. My country will European soil, the issue of illegal human trafficking, contribute to the successful finalization of that process. which requires our urgent attention and concerted Women’s participation in all aspects of social and action, has again been raised. political life still remains a major challenge in many Given the unprecedented migratory flow towards parts of the world. Development will never be truly Europe, the European Union (EU) has to demonstrate sustainable and lasting peace will never be achieved, solidarity and responsibility. In the EU, we need not just if half of the world’s population is excluded. Gender to address the crisis but to solve it in a manner guided by equality is an absolute necessity for the full realization European unity and our common desire for a peaceful of human rights and the functioning of democracy. and free Europe. The European Union represents the Today, the international community faces a largest area of human rights, peace and democracy in deteriorating global security environment, characterized the world. It is a family that stands together. by a rising number of civil wars, growing extremism The international community was deeply shocked and an increased number of humanitarian crises. A by the deliberate destruction of world cultural heritage renewed focus on conflict prevention is needed. In the sites in Syria and Iraq by terrorists. That is not only a five years since its beginning, the conflict in Syria has cultural tragedy, but a severe blow to human civilization. come to represent a major threat to international peace Societies without ethics and values, without morals and and security. The presence of Daesh in the region has culture, have no future. In that respect, I would like to become a key obstacle to a political settlement in Syria underline UNESCO’s important role in the protection and a serious risk to the stability and the territorial 2/54 15-29562 30/09/2015 A /70/PV.19 of cultural heritage sites in armed conflicts and in the diversity. And it is up to all of us to shape the world we prevention of illegal trafficking in cultural artefacts. live in with tolerance and humanism. There is a clear need to revitalize the Middle East The annexation of Crimea was a blatant violation peace process. Bulgaria fully supports the Secretary- of international law and its principles. Bulgaria stands General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace firmly behind Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial Process, Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, in his challenging integrity. For us, Crimea is Ukraine and Ukraine mission. My country reaffirms its position that the is Europe. My country condemns any attempts to United States-led formula, the two-State solution, is further destabilize Ukraine. The full implementation the realistic, just and lasting way to settle the Israeli- of the Minsk Agreements is essential. We call on all Palestinian conflict. stakeholders to engage constructively in a political dialogue in order to reach a just political solution. Bulgaria has consistently supported diplomacy as the only way to resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear The Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office of the programme.