Every country, regardless of its size and figures it records, can make contribution and be part of global solutions, said President of Montenegro, Mr Milo Đukanović, during the General debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.
He said that strengthening multilateralism today meant strengthening our commitment to the achievement of sustainable development goals and to the development of more secure and just world for the future generations.
“Montenegro remains firmly committed to the approach defined by the creators of the World organization that we accepted in 2006, after we restored our independence and became a full-fledged member of the UN. It is the approach of being a good neighbor, reliable partner in the efforts in the preservation of international peace and security, of defending universal values and principles strongly and resolutely”, said Mr Đukanović.
He said that, according to data, number of displaced persons in the world reached a record figure of 70 million, which is the largest number since the WWII. There are about 26 million refugees, half of them being under 18.
“A dramatically high number of children were killed or wounded last year, mostly in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. A record number of the youngest has died in Syria since the beginning of the war, which is in its ninth year. Data about the persons suffering from ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, show that children are also high on the list of the affected”, said Mr Đukanović.
He can’t but wonder what the future of those children or of those societies might be.
“Can we already say that those are the lost generations or can we still do something urgently and prevent millions of children and the young around the world from being victims of various traffickers, sexual and gender-based violence, save them from being abused and used for different political purposes or terrible kinds of violence and violent extremism?”, asked the President.
He said that solidarity with refugees and displaced persons should not be a matter of political decision or political choice, because, “that is, above all, a matter of humanity”. Montenegro claims this based on its own experience.
“During wartime in the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro accepted a huge number of displaced persons. At certain point, displaced persons made a fifth of the total population. More than two decades after the war ended, Montenegro is still working with the countries from the region on finding permanent solutions for those most affected most by the war. Many of them remained in Montenegro. Integrated in the Montenegrin society, they add to its value”, said Mr Đukanović.
Mr Đukanović agrees that the burden on the host countries is too heavy. However, humanity has to urge us to show solidarity and willingness to share that burden in any situation.
“During the 1990s, we had no dilemma about whether to accept those who had left their home under the threat of war. Today, threats are multiple. People run away not only from wars and persecution, but also from the consequences of global warming and natural disasters. I believe that our societies will not allow that Mare Nostrum becomes a tomb and a place of our civilization’s collapse”, pointed out Mr Đukanović.
There’s no country in the world that can deal with the issues of migration and forced displacement alone.
“Any form of long-term instability makes us even more vulnerable. Full implementation of the agreed global responses to migration and refugees is a must”, said the first man of Montenegro.
He said that Climate Summit had shown that the existing level of international activities was not sufficient for the achievement of the goals defined by Paris Agreement.
“I want to use this opportunity and commend and support the initiative launched by the Secretary-General to accelerate the action, given how urgently we need to strengthen our global response and to undertake resolute and ambitious action”, added Mr Đukanović.
Montenegro will continue to support transformation based on the acceleration of the implementation of goals and targets of sustainable development, protection of natural resources, improvement of human resources and strengthening of social inclusion.
“I firmly believe that in this way we strengthen our institutional system of an independent and economically stable country. Although we have recorded significant progress in the process of achieving global goals, we need further efforts to reduce poverty risk and eliminate regional development disparities”, said Mr Đukanović.
In his opinion, as new members of the Economic and Social Council, Montenegro will commit to accelerating comprehensive implementation of key multilateral development treaties.
“Growing conflicts, increasing threats to international peace and security, require changes in the global practice used so far and a holistic and coordinated prevention- based approach within the UN system. Prevention of conflicts and focusing on joint action is crucial. The importance of the synergy should not be neglected. Synergy of the Security Council and General Assembly and important prevention capacity of the Human Rights Council. As an active participant in the work of the HMC, we absolutely recognized its achievements and contribution to the system of early warning and prevention of violence and violation of human rights”, said Mr Đukanović.
He warned that intensification of tensions and renewal of the Cold War rhetoric, increase in armament spending as well as the use of hybrid warfare instruments called for the urgent return to the dialogue and restoration of trust among key actors of international relations.
“Abandoning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty brought us to the situation where we have to face the security issues requiring establishment of strategic dialogue”, said Mr Đukanović.
As he pointed out, any spillover of conflict leads to development of humanitarian and security crises which affect wider region and global relations.
“Montenegro is determined so support collective efforts to preserve world peace and security. We will continue to support global efforts for armament control, disarmament and non-proliferation. At the same time, Montenegro is still active participant in peacekeeping missions of the UN, EU and NATO”, said Mr Đukanović.
Montenegro remains committed to democratic values and rule of law, and fight against impunity for the abuse and violations of human rights.
“We firmly believe that equality and absence of discrimination are the values we must not take for granted. They require attention and willingness to respond to the challenges put by those who jeopardize them in any way. We are being warned by increasing intolerance, xenophobia, racial and religious animosity, hatred and anti-semitism. Therefore, improvement and support for the integration of human rights and gender perspective as well as maintenance of universality of the human right system remain our absolute priorities”, said Mr Đukanović.
Prevention of sexual harassment and violence, as one the cruellest forms of the violation of human rights and denying freedoms and dignity, will be given special attention through the implementation of two agendas – women, peace and security agenda and the youth, peace and security agenda.
“Our vision of the future and the world relies on the strong and efficient Organization, which is up to the challenges of the new era and is capable of adapting to new realities. Only through full implementation of the required reform steps, integrated and coherent approach and sustainable financing, can the activities of the World organization be more effective”, says Mr Đukanović.
He stressed that Montenegro was a multi-ethnic democracy with dynamic economic development.
“Montenegro is a responsible neighbor, recognized as an important factor of regional stability in the Western Balkans whose secure future can only be seen in the full EU integration. We strive for determination and consistency and that’s something we are known for. If we are responsible for ourselves and if we are credible partner in the region, we can also be globally reliable factor of international community”, said Mr Đukanović.
