Remarks by AS (UN&EC)

This year, the United Nations has completed an important landmark – seventy years of establishment.

I am delighted to be here today. Let me put on record our appreciation for the initiative of the UN Information Centre Pakistan to organize a number of events for highlighting the important role of United Nations in promoting peace and security, justice and international law, development, and protection of human rights around the world.

On the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, Pakistan reaffirms its belief in multilateralism and the United Nations as the best means to address the global challenges of today. Pakistan’s conviction is evident from its strong record of contribution to and engagement with the United Nations, and our deep and abiding commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Much of the United Nations’ success in the domain of peace and security is owed to its commitment to peacekeeping. UN has undertaken 71 peacekeeping operations since 1948. This includes the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), one of the first UN peacekeeping missions, that continues to monitor ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. As one of the top troops contributing country in UN Peacekeeping over the decades, Pakistan has made the substantive contribution to the UN’s efforts in carrying out its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Peacekeeping is a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Ever since its first deployment in the UN Mission in Congo in 1960, over 150,000 Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction and professionalism in 41 peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world. Pakistan is proud of its role in some of the notable successes of peacekeeping – Sierra Leone, Burundi, Timor – Leste and Liberia. 142 Pakistani peacekeepers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of world peace.

The strength and effectiveness of the United Nations lies in consensus-building and collective action. Pakistan has been playing active role in consensus-building on new and emerging challenges in various committees of the UN.

Pakistan is fully committed to the promotion of justice and International law. As we take stock of the UN accomplishments today, we can rightly be proud of many successes that we as comity of nations have achieved in numerous areas from human rights, peacekeeping, economic agenda setting, arms control and disarmament, countering terrorism and arresting the climate change and environmental degradation.

Development strategies remain first and foremost national undertakings of Pakistan. We appreciate UN’s active role in Agreement on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including the new Sustainable Development Goals. It represents a giant leap forward. Pakistan believes that the 17 broad and cross-cutting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 169 associated Targets complement our own developmental needs and priorities, as articulated in the ‘Vision 2025’. We are of the view that in the recent adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the international community has committed itself to a shared vision of inclusive growth and development, ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’.

Pakistan remains engaged with UN and specially the Human Rights Council to play an active role in the promotion of Human Rights. Pakistan along with other like-minded countries also calls for the need for dialogue and harmony among religions and civilizations.

This seventy year milestone is also an opportunity for introspection on the reasons where we have not succeeded in delivering justice to peoples and communities or ensuring their fundamental rights, pledged to them by the UN and why lingering conflicts have not been resolved.

Pakistan will continue to work with the United Nations to advance dialogue, diplomacy and international cooperation to address the existing and emerging international challenges. We are determined to further strengthen this longstanding partnership.

On the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, we should try to make this organization more responsive not only to the emerging challenges but also to persistent calls for the implementation of all of its resolutions.

At the end, we also appreciate the role of UN agencies in Pakistan which have undertaken various projects in the light of our national priorities. The role of UN agencies in the development of Pakistan has been positive and appreciable.

Thank you.

Islamabad
08 October, 2015

378/2015