Statement by the chargé d´affaires a.i of the Republic of Cuba, ambassador Ileana Núñez Mordoche, on item 110 “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”.
New York, 20 November 2008
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation associates itself with the statement made by Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. In this regard I would like to add some comments on this item.
Firstly, my delegation would like to thanks to the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly for the presentation of the Report and also for the efforts in the preparation of the inventory/chart of all relevant provisions on revitalization. We consider this Chart as a useful tool to assess the status of implementation of those resolutions.
Mr. Chairman,
The revitalization of the General Assembly is a decisive element for a true reform of the United Nations. We cannot talk about an organization with more democratic and effective action if the General Assembly does not fully exercise the power that the Charter gives it. This process should reaffirm the central role of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations, as it is recognized by the Charter and the Millennium Declaration.
It is important that when this process concludes, the Assembly strengthens its characteristics of independence and of an organ for comprehensive debate, where the freedom of its Member States to address the issues of their interest are not restricted or limited.
Mr. Chairman,
We underscore the need to achieve an adequate balance among the principal organs of the UN, in accordance with the Charter, as well as that the Member States of the Organization to put an end to any attempt to transfer General Assembly agenda items to the Security Council.
The Security Council must strictly abide by the Charter’s provisions, as well as all resolutions of the General Assembly as the main organ of the United Nations and it must stop meddling into questions that are clearly comprehended within the functions and powers of other UN principal organs and their subsidiary bodies.
My delegation would like to state its concern at the establishment of rules and definitions by the Security Council that exceed its competence, disregarding that, in accordance with article 13 of the Charter, the General Assembly has the primary responsibility for the progressive development of International Law and its codification.
In order to avoid this irregularities that set precedents within the UN system, the Presidents of the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the Security Council must carry out regular debates and coordinate among them with regard to the agenda and working plan of their respective principal organs so as to establish an increasing coherence and complementariness among them, in a manner mutually reinforcing and respectful of the mandates of each one of them, avoiding duplications of the works and encroachment in the functions assigned to them.
Cuba reiterates that the revitalization of the Assembly must not be a merely bureaucratic process. States must fulfil the General Assembly resolutions and has to be avoided the use of multilateralism by few powerful countries only for their convenience. At the same time, we further hope that, as a result of such process, the interaction between the Secretariat and the General Assembly will strengthen, so that the former can answer in a more effective manner to the mandates that the Member States determine.
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation would like to conclude its statement reiterating that the Assembly can count on the Cuban delegation’s full willingness and constructive participation in regards to the revitalization of the General Assembly.
Thank you
(Cubaminrex- Embacuba ONU)