Brunei Darussalam
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince
25 September 2008
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Statement Summary
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HAJI AL-MUHTADEE BILLAH, Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam, said the global challenges of today demanded that every nation worked together. He would offer whatever support he could to the United Nations in the areas of politics, economics, disaster recovery, environmental protection and the cultures of small societies like his.
He strongly supported the efforts of the United Nations on the diplomatic Quartet working to establish just and lasting peace in the Middle East. He noted the efforts of the Secretary-General in working with ASEAN to help Myanmar recover from the effects of Cyclone Nargis this year. His country was working with its neighbours, Indonesia and Malaysia, to conserve the rainforests of Borneo.
He went on to urge support to worldwide dialogue between faiths to promote religious tolerance. He noted that a new generation of leaders was emerging in his region. These leaders wanted to ensure that their people had hope for the future, and would be able to fully participate in the twenty-first century through education, modern training and health care. He asked the United Nations for help in addressing those concerns.
Finally, he commended the work of the United Nations agencies in the field, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). He said Brunei Darussalam had hosted its first UNESCO Science and Technology Camp in 2006, and had been impressed by the agency’s relevance to the needs of ordinary people. He expressed support for UNESCO’s strategies for resolving confrontation, “no matter how painstaking the process may be”.
[Source: GA/10754]
