Cambodia
H. E. Mr. Ouch Borith, Secretary of State
29 September 2008
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Statement Summary
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OUCH BORITH, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, said terrorism was a stumbling block to the advancement and prosperity of societies, and the world at large. As such, Cambodia had devoted its time, energy, efforts and resources to joining the international community to combat the scourge, in keeping with the relevant United Nations conventions and protocols, and agreements on security cooperation with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member States, among others.
Furthermore, the world was still marred by the spread of small arms, which continued to have implications on people’s comprehensive security and livelihoods, he stated, adding that, as a country which had been ravaged by war and conflict for more than two decades, Cambodia had experienced great suffering because of small arms and other weapons of war. In that regard, he attached great importance to the agreed international instruments, especially the implementation of the 2001 United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
On climate change, he stated that Cambodia, fully aware of the phenomena’s devastating consequences, had led a vast campaign of reforestation all over the country, where 14,300 hectares had been already planted between 2003 and 2006. Cambodia strongly supported the Bali Action Plan for Reduction of the Greenhouse Gas, as well as the Japanese “Cool Earth” Initiative. His country was of the view that, to help reverse climate change, it was also necessary to preserve nature’s biodiversity as much as possible, and put an end to ongoing global deforestation, especially in the least developed countries, by assisting the people to find sources of income other than deforestation.
He said it was important for the international community to actively promote world public awareness of that issue, by mobilizing public participation on the absolute necessity to work together to struggle against global warming and climate change. In that regard, he called on the United Nations to organize a World Summit on Climate Change so that the issue remained on the top of the agenda of the world’s leaders, and ensure that concrete and timely measures and actions could be taken to help reverse the current trend of global warming and climate change.
Turning to the Korean Peninsula, he expressed confidence that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States, as well as other parties involved would keep up the momentum in fulfilling the implementation of the 2005 Joint Statement, in good faith, for the sake of peace, stability and security of the region and the world at large. Similarly, on the Middle East, which he said had engaged the international community’s agenda for long enough, he was hopeful that all parties to that conflict would have the will and the wisdom to end it as early as possible, for the interests of all the countries of the region.
[Source: GA/10758]
