Croatian President addresses the UN in New York.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović participated yesterday in the plenary session of the Summit on Sustainable Development for the period after 2015, as part of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, reports Vecernji List on September 26, 2015.
In her speech, the president said that the Summit is one of the largest in the history of international relations and will mark the start of a historic turning point for humanity. “Seventeen goals of the sustainable development that are in front of us are not just another chapter in the bureaucratic procedures of the United Nations. This is not just another volume in the endless archives of this organization. This is the plan, the program of our development for the next 15 years and for the period after that. It is a framework and a tool for our better future. ‘To Transform Our World’ – that is not a phrase, that is the obligation for all of us”, said president Grabar Kitarović in New York.
On behalf of Croatia, she thanked the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the 69th General Assembly Sam Kutesa for their outstanding efforts and leadership in the preparation of the program of work for the period after 2015.
“Some will say that we have too many global and specific objectives. I cannot agree with that criticism – our Declaration says that this is ‘a far-reaching program of action that is centred on the people’. That means that no one is excluded. Not the countries without access to the sea; not the small islands which are exposed to the dangers of climate change; not those who are in need of water, not those who have too much water; not oceans, mountain peaks; not the countries around the equator, or in snow-covered parts of the planet. We are all in this together, developed and underdeveloped, providers and recipients of aid, North and South, large and small”, said the president.
At the UN headquarters, she commented on the refugee crisis which has shaken Croatia. “Croatia has suddenly been caught in a migration crisis which has been created far from our borders and we are not its final destination, but in spite of this the tide of migrants is leaving a deep mark on our country and the region of Southeast Europe. I will talk more about it next week, during the general debate, but I use it now as an example of how interconnected and interdependent the world has become”, said Grabar Kitarović.
“Let me finish by highlighting the global goal number five: gender equality. A practical contribution to the fulfilment of this pivoting goal is the simple fact that the first speaker during our historical discussion is a woman. I want the world to continue this conversation. But, it is not enough to meet here once a year and keep commitments towards the initiatives of the UN and national development strategies, without taking full responsibility for the problems created by man. Without leadership there is no guarantee that anything will come to life. Anything less is simply not enough”, concluded the president.
