Montenegro and Monaco urge stronger UN capacity for preventive diplomacy
Montenegro and Monaco have underlined the importance of strengthening preventive diplomacy and the mediation role of the United Nations to nip disputes in the bud before they can explode into conflicts with international repercussions.
“In order to prevent new conflicts that have the potential to cause humanitarian disasters and put additional pressure on already burdened peacekeeping mission contingents, it is necessary to strengthen the preventive diplomacy and mediation activities,” Montenegro’s Prime Minister Igor Lukšic told the annual general debate of the General Assembly on Saturday.
Stressing that his country supported the peaceful resolution of conflicts, he said priority should be given to resolving the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
Monaco today urged the world to strengthen the UN’s role in conflict prevention, upholding human rights and enhancing disaster preparedness.
José Badia, Monaco’s Government Counsellor for External Affairs told the General Assembly that the UN was crucial for humanity’s collective security.
He also drew the Assembly’s attention to the negative impact of climate change and pollution in the world’s oceans, adding that the unsustainable exploitation of marine resources was harming ecosystems and needed to be addressed.
Andorra, for its part, used the Assembly’s general debate to underscore the need for sustainable development, warning that economic growth cannot be pursued at any cost.
“Development must be sustainable in economic terms, but also and very especially in environmental terms,” Gilbert Saboya Sunyé, the country’s Foreign Minister, said.
“This is why we will always support any initiative aiming at a greater awareness of the need of fighting climate change, combating it and taking measures to adapt ourselves to what is likely to become a reality,” he added, noting that a significant part of Andorra’s economy depended on snow and mountain tourism, which could be harmed by global warming.