ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR GEORGE ABELA, PRESIDENT OF MALTA, DURING LUNCH IN HONOUR OF HIS EXCELLENCY MR BAN KI-MOON, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS - SAN ANTON PALACE - WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL, 2009.

Mr Secretary-General
Honourable Prime Minister
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel honoured and privileged to welcome you, Mr Secretary-General, and your delegation in Malta.  Indeed, my Presidency, still in its infancy, could not have had a better start at the diplomatic and international level.  I do hope that during your short visit amongst us you had the opportunity to appreciate some of our history and cultural heritage and taste the hospitality of the Maltese people.  I thank you, once more, on behalf of the Government and People of Malta and, on my own personal behalf, for honouring us with your presence.

Mr Secretary-General,

You have now been in office for just over two years.  On your election, your mission statement had then included the resolve to be sensitive to the concerns of all Member States, big and small.  Indeed, your visit amongst us lays down your commitment in practice.

Your long-standing ties with the United Nations, occupying relevant positions at home and abroad, your wealth of experience in the diplomatic field and your commitment to peace and security worldwide have all played their part in positioning the United Nations as a beacon of hope.  Not only, but your endeavours have also served as a focus of attention in our perennial search for international peace and cooperation, as a bulwark of multilateralism, and as a truly honest broker in the pursuit of dialogue and engagement.

We can witness all this at a time when We, the People, are experiencing multiple crisis that are wreaking havoc in world economies and inflicting so much damage and despair amongst large and small, rich and poor alike.  Your guidance, Mr Secretary-General, in such turbulent times may provide the right medicine towards an easing of tensions arising out of such circumstances. 

It is reassuring for all to know that your courage and determination, your skill and dedication are ever present in the daily lives of all the peoples around the world.  This has been the trademark of your term in office since 2007.  You will allow me in borrowing a quote from your acceptance speech to the General Assembly upon your election as Secretary-General.  I quote:

“The true measure of the success for the United Nations is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most”.

Your visit has rekindled and enhanced the close relationship that Malta has had since becoming a member of the Organisation forty five years ago.  Over these past decades, Malta has been prominent with ideas and proposals, notably those relating to the law of the sea, to the elderly and the ageing and to climate change. 

Malta’s initiatives on the latter issue has also attracted your attention when, in your address to the High-level Event on Climate Change on 24 September 2007, you stated that:

“Two decades ago, here in the General Assembly, climate change first surfaced on the world’s political agenda.  The subject proposed by the island nation of Malta remains as evocative today as it did then – the protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind”.

Malta has been assiduous in its participation in UN activities.  I cannot but highlight our membership of the Security Council in the early eighties and our presidency of the General Assembly, by one of my distinguished predecessors, in the early nineties.  Malta has been and will continue to be scrupulous in its commitment to meet the obligations and responsibilities of membership in your Organisation.

As a country with a Mediterranean vocation, Malta continues to work incessantly towards a better understanding amongst all peoples in the region.  Its constant endeavours in promoting peace and security, respect for human rights, protection of the environment and the fight against human trafficking, arms and drugs, remain highly visible on Malta’s agenda, within a European and even wider context.

Mr Secretary-General,

The challenges we are facing today are far-reaching, and in some respect they appear overwhelming.  We may find encouragement in recalling how the international community managed to overcome the seemingly daunting challenges of earlier times, and the role of service and of leadership that the United Nations played in those endeavours.

I understand that in your youth you were inspired by a great leader – President John F. Kennedy – to start on the road to diplomacy.  Today, you are yourself a beckoning and inspiring mentor to the leadership of tomorrow.

You will leave Malta shortly.  Other pressing challenges await you.  I wish you safe travel and the strength and courage to continue with your mission in the best interest of all.

May I now ask you all to rise and drink to the health of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the achievement of our common goal towards international understanding, human dignity and peace.

DOI – 22.04.2009

No. 0657