UNGA plenary session: Tribute to the Memory of H.E. Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Sixth Secretary General of the United Nations

18 February, 2016

Statement by Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, on behalf of the Group of Eastern European States

Mr Secretary General,

Madame Vice-President of the General Assembly,

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Members of the Group of Eastern European States join their voice of sorrow for the passing of Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary General of the United Nations.

The legacy of Mr Boutros-Ghali is truly impressive. It is a source of deep reflection on the evolution of the Organisation in the past twenty-five years. He had led this global Organisation in the aftermath of the Cold War, when aspirations and hopes for a better and safer world, not least amongst the nations of our Group, have been considerable. However, his times have witnessed many devastating and harrowing conflicts and massive tragedies, such as in Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which stretched the Organisation, its staff and the Secretary General to considerable limits.

Our present agenda and the collective effort to reinforce the role of the Organisation continue to refer to the legacy of Mr Boutros-Ghali. The landmark “Agenda for Peace” remains a source of reference, from which stem various initiatives of the subsequent years. His times witnessed a significant rise in peacekeeping and the birth of the concept of post-conflict peacebuilding, which continues to shape our present thinking and effort in advancing such fundamental function of the Organisation.

An accomplished diplomat and a distinguished lawyer, Mr Boutros-Ghali made a remarkable contribution to his home country, Egypt. As Foreign Minister of Egypt he played a critical role in advancing regional peace negotiations. For many students, scholars and practitioners of international relations this phase in history remains a source of study, research and reflection. Not least, as former head of La Francophonie, Mr Boutros-Ghali leaves behind a valuable legacy for the global community of French-speaking peoples.

The advance of our collective agenda for peace in the present times remains as ever a challenge, a persistent saga. The remarkable legacy of Mr Boutros-Ghali, his perseverance and commitment to service to his people and to the world receives our collective admiration and respect.

The members of the Group of Eastern European States express their deepest condolences to Mrs Boutros-Ghali, to his family and friends and to the people and Government of Egypt. This loss is a shared grief for the whole of the United Nations, to its staff and to all member states.

Thank you

MFA RA
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