RUSSIA'S POSITION AT THE 64th SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1. The main goal of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly is to continue consolidating multilateral principles in the world policy. Russia has constantly been in favor of a strengthened UN role in the multipolar system of international relations which is now taking shape. In the context of the global financial and economic crisis, increased possibility of conflicts in a number of regions, food and climate challenges it is necessary to agree upon joint positions in order to solve these acute problems under the UN auspices.

2. Russia advocates strict observance of the exclusive rights granted by the UN Charter to the UN SC as a main body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. We believe that capacity of the UN in this sphere should be fostered through more efficient cooperation with regional and subregional partners according to Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.

3. We share other Member States' opinion regarding the need to reform the UN SC. We consider an increased central role and improved efficiency of this body based on broader representation of mainly developing countries as the purpose of such reforms.

The experience of intergovernmental negotiations on the Security Council reform shows that none of the officially proposed reform patterns enjoys broad support. Under these conditions, the "intermediate pattern" that provides for an increase in non-permanent SC members with longer Council terms and their possible subsequent reelection, could drive the discussion from the deadlock. However, in any case of SC enlargement, the present exclusive rights of its permanent members, including the right to veto, should remain unchanged. While advocating the broadest possible consensus with regard to the SC reform, we consider it unacceptable to force any decisions through voting in the UN General Assembly or setting artificial timeframes to adopt such decisions.

4. The growing demand for UN peacekeeping and constantly increasing number of tasks addressed in its context makes this field of activity one of the main ones in UN work. In recent years, Russia has been making an increasingly significant contribution to PKOs led by the UN: Russian helicopter groups have been deployed as part of the UN Missions in Sudan and Chad/CAR; training of peacekeepers for African countries on the premises of Russian training centers is underway; Russia remains the leader on the market of the UN peacekeeping services.

5. The new quality of the UN peacekeeping requires increased military expertise in making relevant decisions by the UN SC. In this context, we are favoring a more active role of the Military Staff Committee (MSC), a subsidiary SC body provided for by the UN Charter. Our suggestion is that a renewed MSC work in a flexible format involving all SC members and countries contributing troops and other services to UN PKOs, as appropriate.

6. Under disarmament issues the Russian delegation is planning again to submit draft resolutions "Transparency and Confidence Building Measures in the Outer Space Activities" and "Achievements in the Sphere of Information Tasks and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security" to the UN General Assembly. We are expecting that they will as usually enjoy substantial support from Member States, or may be even adoption by consensus.

During the discussion of nuclear disarmament issues in the run up to 2010 NPT Review Conference, we shall proceed from the need to reach a new agreement with the United States on further controlled reduction and limitation of the two countries’ nuclear weapon stockpiles that would succeed the START which expires in December 2009, as well as to involve into the process all nuclear powers without exception, including the unrecognized5 nuclear powers.

7. We support the development of international cooperation on exclusively peaceful uses of outer space under the aegis of the United Nations, and with the central and coordinating role of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

It is important to continue strengthening the international legal framework for national activities in outer space and begin practical development of a comprehensive convention on international space law.

8. The Russian Federation gives priority to collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Being a UNESCO Member State since 1954, Russia has contributed in every possible way to strengthening the international role of the Organization, playing an active part in realizing its policy goals and numerous multilateral projects. The Russian Federation stands for further development of the Organization and transforming it into an effective instrument for the implementation of the UN Development Goals.

In this regard, our country has taken the decision to present the candidature of Alexander Yakovenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, for the election to the post of UNESCO General Director at the Organization’s 35th General Conference in October this year.

We are convinced that the election of the Russian candidate will contribute to more efficient use of the intellectual and cultural potential of the Organization in the interests of all countries of the world.

9. Russia actively promotes further development of the intercivilizational dialogue within the United Nations. We shall continue to facilitate useful activities of the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) by taking an active part in the work of the Group of Friends of the Alliance of Civilizations and in other events within its framework. We stand for an early formalization of the UN - AoC relations by adopting a relevant General Assembly resolution.

We consider it necessary to complement the intercivilizational dialogue with a religious component. The creation under the UN auspices of a Consultative Council of Religions that would provide a forum for the exchange of opinion among the representatives of major world religions would serve this purpose. We are paying due attention to the initiative to declare the International Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace.

10. We believe that an effective response of the world community to the global challenge of international terrorism can only be ensured on the basis of and in strict compliance with the UN Charter, as well as other applicable principles and norms of international law. It is necessary to make maximum use of the potential of the consensus-approved UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy aiming to widen the range of the participants of the UN counter-terrorism Conventions and providing States with practical assistance in their implementation.

We are in favor of the universalization of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

We proceed from the need for earliest agreement of the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, the adoption of which would strengthen the legal base of international antiterrorist interaction.

11. We believe it is important to develop international cooperation in combating the world drug problem in strict compliance with the current UN anti-drug conventions. We welcome the commitment to step up efforts in implementing the decisions of the Twentieth Special Session of the UN General Assembly on the World Drug Problem, which found its reflection in the documents of the Fifty Second Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (Vienna, March 2009). We regard as counterproductive the attempts to impose as a world standard controversial ways of combating drug abuse, in particular, those based on the concept of harm reduction.

We are deeply worried about the scope of the Afghan drug threat. Remaining the world’s largest producer of opiates (93 percent of global production), Afghanistan is becoming a leader in cannabis production. In this context, Russia’s initiative to set up a comprehensive system of anti-drug and financial security belts, with the UN coordinating role and with Afghanistan’s engagement, is particularly relevant.

Russia contributes to fighting drug trafficking, including through its participation in the effective multilateral operation Channel, as well as the SCO, CSTO, RNC and OSCE anti-drug initiatives.

12. We stand for a joint anti-crime strategy to be drawn up under the UN auspices and approved by major relevant UN bodies, above all, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

We support the UN efforts to increase the number of States Parties to the 2003 UN Convention against Corruption (Russia has been a Party to the Convention since 2006) and implement it efficiently. We call for adopting at the Third Session of the Conference of the States Parties to this Convention (Doha, Qatar, November 2009) a decision to establish a generally acceptable and effective mechanism to review the implementation of the Convention, and effective procedures for returning corruption assets to the countries of origin, and to expand technical assistance to countries concerned.

We intend to make use of the preparation for the Twelfth UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Brazil, El Salvador, April 2010) to develop effective ways of resolving global problems to make criminal justice systems more efficient (crime prevention, development of juvenile justice and the reform of the penitentiary system).

13. We take note of the dangerous trend of the expanding piracy area off the coast of Somalia. We support the decisive measures, including forcible, taken in accordance with the Security Council resolutions to suppress piracy, as well as to prevent its spreading to other vulnerable areas off the coast of Africa.

The presence of war ships in the region of a number of States including Russia acting in close coordination contributes to improving the situation and counteracting piracy, but does not resolve all the problems. We should take steps to eliminate the piracy infrastructure, in particular its financial component. We should focus on the legal aspects of fighting piracy. It appears appropriate to work out additional mechanisms that may take the form of a specialized international tribunal in order to ensure that the States and the world community carry out concerted and efficient actions to prosecute those involved in piracy.

14. We believe that it is important to encourage the Middle East settlement process on all tracks with a focus on the key role of the Palestinian-Israeli relations, with the prospect of creation of an independent, viable Palestinian State living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

Today it is necessary to re-launch Israeli-Palestinian contacts based on prior arrangements and a universally recognized international legal framework for settlement (Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 1515, the Madrid principles, and the Road Map), bring the situation back on the political track, according to UN Security Council resolutions 1850 and 1860, which reaffirmed the central role of the Security Council in the peacekeeping efforts in this region. This will allow inter alia to bring to an end the blockade of the Gaza Strip and resume humanitarian aid supplies to the region. Concurrently, the threat of rocket attacks on southern Israel should be eliminated. The sides should avoid unilateral actions or steps prejudging final settlement, including the problems of Jerusalem and refugees. In this respect, it is important that Israel should stop new settlement activities. The split among the Palestinians, which should be bridged on the basis of the Palestinian Liberation platform and of the Arab Peace Initiative also hampers the settlements process.

The Moscow Conference, the need for which has been recognized by international consensus, is called to become a significant step in the Middle East settlement process.

15. We stand for maximum engagement of the United Nations in the settlement in Iraq, and active use of the UN potential to achieve national accord.

We appreciate the humanitarian efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), its activities in electoral area, improving the country's Constitution, supporting the political process and involving Iraq's neighboring States in overcoming the internal crisis in the country.

16. The foreign military presence in Afghanistan remains under current conditions the main deterrent against the opposition's extremist activities. Having that in mind, we intend to cooperate with the UNSC-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including on the transit of their property and personnel staff through the Russian territory.

The process of national reconciliation in Afghanistan should be continued strictly under the anti-Taliban sanctions regime established by the Security Council resolution 1267. We absolutely reject any arrangements with the leaders of Taliban or other extremist groups. At the same time, Russia is not against contacts with moderate Talibs, provided that they disarm, recognize the Constitution and current government of Afghanistan, and abandon their links with al-Qaeda.

17. In case of a possible UN discussion of the situation in Abkhazia and Georgia, we will seek that the decisions of the Organization reflect the new realities, which emerged after Tbilisi aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008. We will focus on the need for a legally binding document on the non-use of force between Georgia and Abkhazia, as well as Georgia and South Ossetia. The Russian Federation will continue its efforts to promote security and social and economic development in the new, young states of Transcaucasia. To prevent further remilitarization of Georgia, we will insist on an international embargo on supplies of offensive weapons to Tbilisi as one of the pillars of stability in the region.

18. Russia remains convinced that the unilaterally proclaimed independence (UPI) of Kosovo was unlawful. We expect an unbiased opinion of the International Court of Justice on this issue at the request by the General Assembly. Time has shown that the UPI has not been helpful in addressing the key problems of Kosovo. The situation in the province is anything but stable showing no shifts towards reconciliation between the Serbian and Albanian communities. Kosovo is de-facto ethically divided, and the possibility of renewal of interethnic violence remains. The quasi-state remains an unviable entity un capable to function on its own. We are convinced that the Security Council and the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) should closely control the Kosovo processes.

19. We stand for a just, comprehensive and viable solution to the Cyprus problem providing for the establishment of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as stipulated in relevant UNSC resolutions. It is important that the United Nations efforts regarding the Cyprus affairs within the mandate of the UN Secretary-General’s good offices mission encourage the settlement process and be unbiased and objective. With regard to the talks, there should be no external arbitration or artificial schedules. Cypriots themselves should make the decision that would serve the interests of both the Greek and the Turkish communities.

20. We support close interaction between the UN and the African Union in developing agreed approaches to resolving conflict situations in the region. We welcome the constructive dialogue and expanded partnership between the UN and the African Union, as well as with the major African sub-regional organizations, including the efforts to establish the African Standby Force. Russia is directly involved in all the UN PKOs on the continent.

Africa's enhanced stability also depends on the success of the fight against the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons and illicit diamond production and traffic. We stand ready to broaden international cooperation to this end.

Russia stands for partnership that combines the responsibility of the Africans themselves for their own destiny and active international support. We are implementing this approach through comprehensive assistance to the continent both on a bilateral basis and within the existing international mechanisms, including the G8.

21. We view the UN sanctions as a major instrument for achieving political and diplomatic settlement of conflict situations. At the same time, enforcement measures should remain the exclusive prerogative of the UN Security Council. Sanctions should be imposed with utmost caution and be precisely targeted. They should not exceed the scope of relevant Security Council resolutions or permit any broad or arbitrary legal interpretation. Measures that can exacerbate the social and economic situation of broad strata of the population are unacceptable.

22. Russia stands for the settlement of the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula through political and diplomatic means. We still believe that the six-party is optimum negotiation the format in this regard. All parties should take a responsible approach, comply with the decisions of the UN Security Council and bear in mind the interests of both maintaining stability in North-East Asia and ensuring a sustainable WMD non-proliferation regime. It is important to return North Korea to the negotiation process and ensure that all parties strictly fulfill their obligations.

23. We support the political and diplomatic settlement of the situation around the Iranian nuclear program. It is essential to continue seeking a negotiation process with Iran to ensure that mutually acceptable solutions are found for all remaining problems and confidence of the international community in Iran's nuclear program is restored, which must have an exclusively peaceful nature.

To achieve this goal it is essential to ensure full and transparent cooperation between Iran and the IAEA to clarify all the aspects of its nuclear activities, and that Iran complies with the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council.

24. As for the responsibility to protect the population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansings and crimes against humanity, we are guided by the relevant section of the 2005 World Summit Final Document. It is important how the fundamental provisions of the responsibility to protect concept will be implemented. In this regard, the proposals of the UN Secretary-General on the instruments and procedures necessary for the implementation of the responsibility to protect require thorough consideration. We believe that it is necessary to avoid reckless and hasty steps on voluntary implementation of this concept that is a rather sensitive issue for many States.

25. We will vigorously stand up for our approach in the UN regarding inadmissibility of distorting history and revising WWII outcome. It is especially important given that the 64th session of the General Assembly is held in the year of the 65th anniversary of the WWII Victory.

Within the framework of these efforts and the fight against all forms and manifestations of racism, discrimination and xenophobia, Russia will again submit the traditional draft resolution on "Inadmissibility of Certain Practices that Contribute to Fuelling Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance" to the General Assembly. We hope that the delegations that did not support this initiative earlier would join the wide circle of States, opposing glorification of Nazi war criminals and countering revanchism in the world.

26. Russia considers it important to cooperate in protecting and promoting human rights. In this regard, the primary responsibility falls on the States themselves while international organizations and mechanisms play only a supporting role and contribute to achieving these goals. We should strive to make the UN human rights architecture function without politicization with the focus on providing technical assistance to States in protecting human rights and freedoms.

Adopting decisions that criticize the situation in certain countries does not contribute to establishing a constructive dialogue with them. This practice is even more inappropriate given the launch of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism in the Human Rights Council. Russia strongly condemns the use of human rights issues as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of States and pressuring them to achieve different goals.

27. We support the activity of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in particular by a making voluntary annual contribution in the amount of USD two million. In order to improve the work of the Office, it is necessary to strengthen its transparency and accountability to UN Member States, observe the principle of fair geographical representation in recruitment.

28. International humanitarian cooperation and the activities of international humanitarian agencies, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, are an important part of the joint efforts aimed at maintaining peace and strengthening security and stability. We believe that the success of the delicate humanitarian work that should be based on the norms of the UN Charter and fundamental humanitarian principles in many ways depends on the way it correlates with the efforts of the international community on political settlement.

29. As for social development, Russia supports further elaboration of concrete practical steps aimed at implementing the concept of the "global partnership" set forth in the Millennium Declaration, Monterrey Consensus, decisions of the World Summit for Social Development and 24th special session of the General Assembly. The UN Commission for Social Development remains the main coordinating body of the UN system on population ageing, ensuring equal opportunities for disabled persons, strengthening the role of family and youth development.

The entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities aimed at ensuring their better integration in the life of society and applying international human rights standards to them without any discrimination is very important. Russia has greatly contributed to elaboration of this treaty and signed the Convention in 2008. Today, we are working on its ratification.

30. Russia supports the policy of ensuring gender equality and advancement of women based on the outcomes of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the 23rd Special Session of the UN General Assembly. In our view the reform of the UN gender architecture currently being discussed should exclude duplication in the work of relevant structures and enhance their efficiency while preserving the adequate accountability of the UN Secretariat to Member States.

31. Russia strengthens international cooperation in the protection of children's rights by promoting the ideas of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and implements the tasks set up in the final document of the 27th Special Session of UN General Assembly "A World Fit for Children". Russia's ratification in 2008 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict has demonstrated its commitment to international standards in human rights and humanitarian spheres.

32. The Government of the Russian Federation puts a priority on the protection of the rights and interests of indigenous peoples.

Russia was one of the initiators of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The majority of its provisions served a basis for the Concept of the sustainable development of indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East of the Russian Federation - a unique document designed to translate into practice the standards of the rights of indigenous peoples.

33. We view the cooperation in sports and promotion of the Olympic ideals in the world as an effective means of educating peoples in mutual respect and understanding. We are convinced that the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 will give a strong impulse to the development of the Olympic movement.

34. We proceed from the objective necessity to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between the UN and civil society institutions.

We consider it necessary to enhance the role and authority of the ECOSOC NGO Committee within the UN system which is, in fact, the only body ensuring the UN-NGO interaction.

35. The implementation of the outcomes of the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development (New York, June 24-26) represents an absolute priority of the social and economic agenda of the session. We assume that the Conference provides necessary prerequisites for a sound political foundation for an efficient implementation of the anti-crisis actions that have been agreed upon, including within the G20 format, as well as for further endeavors to reform the global financial and economic architecture on the basis of multilaterality.

36. One of the important tasks before the session is, in our view, the preparation for 2010 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit. We are ready to closely and constructively collaborate with all partners in order to early identify the event modalities and initiate a Summit final document on the basis of the UN Secretary-General's comprehensive report.

37. During the upcoming UN GA session we intend to work efficiently to identify further possibilities of financing for development. Of principal importance is, in our view, to preserve the onward trends that emerged recently in this regard and provide an adequate financial assistance to poor countries amid the crisis.

Despite the negative impact of the world crisis on the financial and economic situation in our country we reaffirm our obligations on rendering aid to poor countries. We believe that strengthening regional foundations and mechanisms for financing of economic development and recovery from crises, in particular within the EurAsEC space, represents one of the priorities of the Russian input into international development. Russia's contribution to the Eurasian Economic Community Anti-crisis fund will amount to US dollars 7.5 billion.

38. Environmental protection and sustainable development issues have been firmly established as major priorities of the international community.

Russia has been actively engaged in the activities of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). We support further strengthening the UNEP's role as a key mechanism of the UN system for coordinating international environmental activities.

We consider it vitally important to interact within the key global environmental conventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, etc.

39. The 15th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Framework Convention on climate change and Fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to be held in Copenhagen in 2009 will become key events in the sphere of climate-related international cooperation. This forum is expected to adopt decisions regarding a new regime of the international cooperation the reduction of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for the period beyond 2012 (Post Kyoto Period).

40. We stand for elaborating a new legal framework for international energy cooperation covering all its aspects of energy interaction and involving all major energy-producing (exporting), transiting and consuming (importing) countries.

We will actively use the UN fora to promote the relevant initiative of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that has set the goals and laid out the principles of such a new legal framework for international energy cooperation.

41. Russia is seriously concerned about the global food crisis (GFC). The complex nature of the crisis requires a comprehensive approach to agriculture development.

The World Grain Summit held in St. Petersburg this June significantly contributed to stabilizing the global food market.

We support the UN efforts to overcome the global food crisis together with the High-level Task Force established by the UN Secretary-General to this end, which is playing a coordinating role.

We consider that the G8 initiative on global partnership for agriculture and food supported by many countries holds much promise.

42. We have been consistently supporting enhanced UN humanitarian efforts.

We believe that the UN and its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should play a major role in mobilizing humanitarian aid that should be rendered on the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, with the final decision made, however, by the government of the affected country.

43. Russia has been consistently supporting enhanced global efforts to promote international cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation.

We support the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and consider the 2005 Hyogo Framework for Action intended to reduce human vulnerability to disasters to be its principal element.

We consider the global platform for disaster risk reduction to be an appropriate format to develop cooperation in this area.

44. We believe that the primary objectives of the UN management reform are improving the effectiveness of the UN Secretariat in implementing the decisions of the Member States, and increasing accountability and transparency of its activities.

Russia is concerned about the growing trend within the Secretariat to use piecemeal budgeting, when the draft budget fails to meet a large number of additional resource requirements, including those related to poorly coordinated reform initiatives. We believe that this approach undermines the UN financial and budget system, budget discipline within the Secretariat, and hampers timely and informed decision-making by the Member States.

We call to focus on specific decisions regarding the issues that could help ensure that the UN Secretariat yields tangible results and increase the responsibility of Secretariat officials for the decisions made by the Member States.

45. Considering the UN draft budget for the biennium 2010-2011 we will proceed from the need to contain the growth of Organization's expenses. Any additional financial requirements must be clearly justified and result-oriented.

In view of soaring financial requests of the Secretariat related to financing the UN peacekeeping activities, we consider it reasonable to seek cost-effectiveness, and strict adherence to the procedures of submitting budget proposals and their clear justification.