STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. OCH OD, AMBASSADOR,

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MONGOLIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Debate on agenda item 108

(Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization)

69th Session of the UN General Assembly Plenary

7 October 2014, New York

Mr. President,

Allow me, at the outset, to convey once more our congratulations on your assumption of the Presidency of the General Assembly.

I wish to express my delegation’s high appreciation to the Secretary-General for his annual report on the work of the Organization which outlines the UN efforts to address the unprecedented challenges faced by the international community and the progress made over the past year in delivering the eight long-term priority areas of the Organization. Since my delegation will express its position on most of the items contained in the report in the plenary and in the main committees deliberations, let me touch upon the following issues.

Mr. President,

As we advance towards the timeline, there is every reason to say that the MDGs have produced notable results and contributed globally in galvanizing actions to achieve the agreed goals. Building on that and resolved to pursue the unfinished business of MDGs, the Member States are engaged now in setting the stage for delivering and implementing a transformative and action-oriented agenda beyond 2015 with SDGs at its center. We commend the work and outcome of the Open Working Group on SDGs, High-level political forum on sustainable development and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and appreciate the challenges it faced to suite aspirations of all Member States. Nevertheless, we are of view that the intergovernmental negotiation process must explore all possible ways to reflect adequately the issues raised during these deliberations, including the special needs of LLDCs (Landlocked developing countries).

Mongolia stands strongly committed to meet the MDGs. The Fifth National Report on the MDGs implementation assessed that Mongolia has already reached the targets on the under-five mortality rate, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, access to water and basic sanitation and new information communications technologies. However, important goals of halving poverty, providing housing and ensuring environmental sustainability still remain the most challenging ones requiring targeted interventions and incremental efforts. Mongolia is implementing a ninth national MDG on “Strengthening human rights, fostering democratic governance and zero tolerance to corruption”, underlining cross-cutting importance of good governance and rule of law to socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. In the year ahead, the government is committed to accelerate its progress and implement effective policies to achieve MDGs that are nearing to their completion by 2015 and that are lagging behind, particularly as to poverty reduction.

Mr. President, 

As a country, which is impacted by climate change, land degradation, desertification, deforestation and drought posing potentially permanent threats to its sustainable development, Mongolia fully supports and appreciates the Secretary General’s leadership in catalyzing the global climate action.

My delegation commends the recent Climate Summit, which gathered world leaders to deliver their national ambitions and called for bold actions and strong political mobilization to cut the emission gap, pledge for the 2 degrees scenario and reach a meaningful legal agreement in 2015.

Mongolia joined the Statement on Carbon Pricing and the New York Declaration on Forest to combat deforestation. This year the Parliament of Mongolia adopted a Green Development Strategy to enhance low-emission and climate–resilient principles for future economic growth in Mongolia. Mongolia aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector by 20 percent by 2030, through increased energy efficiency, and by ensuring that the share of renewable energy used in total energy production is at 20 percent by 2020, and at 30 percent by 2030. Furthermore, the country has an ambitious goal to become a global port hub of renewable energy in the region having a rare opportunity to create sustainable energy network by combining energy sources including coal, solar, wind and hydropower.

Mr. President,

My delegation fully shares the deep concerns over the global security environment threatening the international peace and the importance of conflict prevention and mediation expressed in the SG report.  The world peace and security have continuously been triggered by wars, crimes, conflicts, and atrocities committed by terrorist groups.

Mongolia appreciates the United Nations' efforts to resolve the crisis and conflict in the Syria, CAR, Mali, South Sudan, Ukraine and other troubled parts of the world.

UN peacekeeping today is more critical than ever. As an active contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations, Mongolia welcomes and underlines the importance of the UN Secretary-General’s strategic review of UN peace operations.

Mr. President,

SG’s appealed to live up the international expectation as to the persisting deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament. My delegation shares this concern. Mongolia and Mexico will be co-chairing the 1st Part of the 2015 Meeting of the CD. We call upon all states to take up a bold and decisive position towards meaningful agreement on disarmament.

As a country with unique nuclear weapons free status and being a firm advocate of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Mongolia supports and willing to contribute to the establishment of new nuclear weapon free zones, including in the Middle East and in Northeast Asia.

Mr.President,

My delegation supports the call of the General Assembly to ensure that human rights are effectively mainstreamed in the post-2015 development agenda and welcomes the Organization’s mainstreaming efforts.

Mongolia is willing to share its experience and lessons learned in advancing the rule of law, parliamentary democracy and legal reform. Following its successful chairmanship of the Community of Democracies, Mongolia established the Asian Partnership for Democracy initiative and is preparing to host the 5th Conference of the Freedom Online Coalition in May 2015.

In November, 2013, we brought together women parliamentarians from the Northeast Asian countries and discussed the increasing role of women MPs in peace and development through education and opportunities to develop NEA Regional Network of Women MPs.

Mr. President,

For more than a decade, Mongolia has been actively advancing education related endeavors at UN. These include literacy initiatives consisting of the International Literacy Year (1990), Literacy Decade (2003-2012) and Literacy resolutions first approved in 1987 at the UNGA 42 session and Education for Democracy resolution first approved first in 2012 at the UNGA 67th session. Both resolutions will be tabled again this year updated with emerging challenges of the field and we do count on support of member countries as in previous years.         

Mr. President,

My delegation welcomes the steps to further strengthen the work of the Organization and stresses the importance of resumption of the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of the equitable representation on and increases in the membership of the Security Council during the main part of the sixty-eighth session.

In conclusion, I would like to pledge my delegation’s strong commitment to work together with other member states and express its full support for the Secretary-General’s activities aimed at reforming the United Nations making it a modern and accountable global organization.     

I thank you for your attention.