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STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. PUREVSUREN LUNDEG, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MONGOLIA, AT THE HIGH-LEVEL THEMATIC DEBATE ON “MAINTENANCE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY”, 70TH SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Thursday, 01 October 2015
Presenter: 
H.E. MR. PUREVSUREN LUNDEG, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MONGOLIA
Location: 
Trusteeship Council Chamber

Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies, 

It is my great honour to address this august body - United Nations General Assembly and to participate in the high-level thematic debate commemorating the Seventieth Anniversary of the United Nations.

As the current state of world affairs shows, there can be no higher priority than maintenance of international peace and security. Our common security challenges persist and shared threats are immense. Many military conflicts, today, are not tied to defending a particular territory, but are motivated by borderless ideological, criminal, or religious goals.

The past 70 years have reaffirmed the role of the UN in the observance of the principles of international law and the maintenance of international peace and security. The only way to bring peace and stability is through a system of rules-norms, laws and institutions that every country agrees to abide by, in exchange for the benefits of peace and stability.

One of the purposes of today’s high-level thematic debate is to draw lessons from the experiences of the past 70 years. We believe that close examination of those years yields important lessons. First, it is essential that we adhere to the UN Charter. The Charter embodies a delicate balance between the interests of all States. The UN Charter, we all oblige to, is the ultimate guarantee of the security of all nations. 

Second, when we face security challenges, we must admit one thing: no country – big or small – can address them on its own. Therefore, the coordinated actions of all players and countries are needed. We believe the solution to these challenges is engagement and confidence building, rather than isolation.

We believe that strengthening multilateral collaboration and mutual trust among countries is vital. Dialogue and open discussions will enhance confidence among nations. Therefore, with a view to promoting peace and security, we launched a regional initiative- the “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on NEA Security”. The main goal of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue is to provide a forum where Northeast Asian countries could address common issues and seek convergence in their positions. This would help build confidence among them and promote peacemaking efforts. 

Third, learning from the past 70 years, Mongolia believes that we should focus more on conflict prevention and pacific settlement of disputes. Behind every conflict there is immense human suffering. It is better to detect potential crisis before they erupt and devise effective responses. But if conflicts do erupt, the international community needs to make better use of all the tools for the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution mentioned in chapter VI of the Charter, such as negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, and resort to regional agencies or arrangements.

Fourth, in the area of international peace and security, the UN Security Council reform comes front and center. Mongolia welcomes the UN General Assembly decision on the UN Security Council reform adopted during 69th Session to continue intergovernmental negotiations and build on its work.  

Mongolia has consistently stood for a just and equitable expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, as well as for the improvement of the SC's working methods. Our stance in favor of enlargement in both current categories is guided by and based on the Charter-defined composition and modern-day geo-political realities as well as principles of justice and equality to ensure greater and enhanced representation of developing countries, particularly the non-and-under-represented regional groups.

Fifth, whatever differences nations have among themselves, terrorism has emerged as their common challenge. Terrorism presents ever-growing threat, it has become even more crucial to ensure that terrorists cannot obtain the weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, it is most important to Members States to effectively implement the UN Security Council resolution 1540 to prevent from any heinous crimes.

Mongolia has an internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free status. The national law on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Status prohibits deployment and transit through Mongolia’s territory of nuclear weapons and their parts or components, as well as goods and items prepared or produced for nuclear weapons purposes. Mongolia will uphold its commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and will continue our efforts in contributing to the international peace and security.

Mr. President,

It is beyond any doubt that the most notable achievement of the UN in the area of international and regional security over the past 70 years has been its peacekeeping activities. They have evolved to include not only traditional peacekeeping following inter-state conflicts but also a new generation of “multi-dimensional” peacekeeping operations which combine a complex model of many elements, military and civilian, working together to build peace.            

My delegation wishes to express our thanks to the Secretary-General of the UN for his leadership as well as his report on the Recommendations of the High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. Mongolia commends the work of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations to make a comprehensive assessment of UN peace operations today and how they can be made more effective, efficient and responsive in a changing world.

Mongolia is proud to be an active contributor to UN peacekeeping. Since 2002, we have deployed over 10 thousands of peacekeepers in 11 UN mandated peacekeeping missions. We have currently deployed over 950 soldiers in 6 UN mandated peacekeeping operations. Given its population of 3 million, Mongolia’s commitment to international peace and security is substantial.

I wish to reiterate Mongolia's commitment to support and further contribute to UN Peacekeeping operations which remains a flagship activity of the United Nations.

In conclusion, Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to all those brave men and women who have served and are currently serving with UN political, peacekeeping and peace-building missions around the world.

I thank you.