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Honorable Prime Minister,
Honorable Ministers and MPs,
Excellencies Ambassadors,
Team members of the UN in Albania,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you all for being here today. It is truly a pleasure for me to celebrate this special day together.
This is one of those days which is commemorated worldwide. It’s the day which identifies the establishment of the United Nations, which emerged as a spark in darkness, when the world had just experienced one of the greatest human catastrophes and was left to face the division as a result of the Iron Curtain.
As a wise saying quotes, “better to light a single candle than curse the darkness. ”
The UN was exacty that, a flame of hope to build a better future for the whole world. It was perhaps one of the greatest achievements of the century we left behind. A noble attempt to establish a new international order.
Shakespeare said that the past is prologue.
In the case of the UN, the prologue constitutes 7 decades during which, people and nations have written together history, achievements and failures, always hoping for and committing to a better future.
But despite the fragile peace during the Cold War, let us not forget the countless civil wars, murders of statesmen like Gandhi, Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Rabin, the barbarism of the gulags and communist regimes, the tragedy in Hiroshima, bloodshed in Cambodia and Nigeria, India and Pakistan, Ireland and Rwanda, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
So much violence and so many lives lost.
Despite the antagonism during the Cold War and the permanent risk of nuclear extermination, during the past century the world also witnessed the epochal moves for independence, the unwavering willingness for more rights and human emancipation, the fall of the apartheid, the collapse of communism symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rebirth of nations in the condemned half of Europe.

Ladies and gentleman,
There is no doubt: the world in the 21st century is better than that of 70 years ago when, upon the ruins of the Second World War, the solemn promise “never again” established the United Nations.
But, is it enough for us? Does the UN, in its current structure, suffice to withstand the current challenges which humanity faces?
We live in a chaotic period as a result of changes imposed by the crisis of the world order.
Globalization and interaction, the unstoppable urbanization, increasing demographic changes, migratory flows but also new threats, such as climate change and cyber crime are just some of the symptoms of a world still searching for balance.
The world we live in today is not the same with the world when the UN was founded.
Crisis such as that of Ukraine, the Arab Spring, ISIL and chaos in the Middle East, the unstable global financial situation have undermined the multilateral approach to addressing conflicts.
These crises that until recently were there and away, today, thanks to globalization, feel close and nearby.
For years, the international community has been focused on the elimination of terrorism hotspots. Today, our focus has shifted to face the direct consequences of these hotspots on Europe and our region.
In particular, what is happening in Syria evokes, for all of us, a human drama of catastrophic proportions, a dangerous theater where the collision of many actors could have greater consequences.
The crisis in Syria, Iraq and Libya have clearly shown that the fight against terrorism can not succeed only through military intervention, without being accompanied by a sustainable political process.
If a single fact would be enough to measure the pulse of world security, it would be that of 128,000 people, members in peacekeeping operations and special political missions of the UN in the world.
More operations than ever before, more costly and more complex than ever.
I think we agree on the urgent need for a genuine reflection and a close, more efficient coordination in order to restore to humanity the vision, faith and hope in a secure future.

Ladies and gentleman,
The year 2015 also marks the 60th anniversary of Albania’s membership in the UN family. It is 6 decades divided into two eras, in two journeys with two different sides and speeds.
The first period was marked by the paranoid self-isolation of the communist regime.
While the past 25 years have been characterized by relentless efforts for a democratic state-building and the western inclination of Albanians.
This journey has established our country at the forefront of reliable and dynamic actors, with a special role and importance in the region.
The economic and social transition of the country would have been even more complex, more difficult and longer if we would not have had the attention and generous help of our friends and partners, and for which we will always be grateful.
In this context, I would like to thank each and every one of the UN staff who have worked and closely cooperated with us to achieve the country’s development objectives. Your work, commitment and contribution are part of what we have achieved.
Today, our country’s operation in the UN lies across the whole spectrum of the Organizations’ activity. Albania contributed with troops and police to UN missions; It is engaged in the most active way possible in support of the development aid reform through the implementation of the model “One UN”.
Last year, for the first time in its history, Albania joined the Council of Human Rights. This is clear evidence of the success of our foreign policy and direct outcome of the fruitful cooperation with our partners.
Albania is committed to promoting more advanced models of human rights protection, by sharing the positive and vivid experience of a tolerant society in words and deeds.
Our country’s commitment to UNESCO, this agency of specific importance, is equally important. Albania has had and has a long history of cooperation with UNESCO, by taking part in all programs of the organization.
Butrint, Berat and Gjirokastra, our polyphonic songs, Ohrid and Prespa make us proud and responsible for our presence on the charts of World Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage and Transboundary Biosphere Reserves.
Given the special importance of the participation in UNESCO, as an important element in building democratic societies, Albania strongly supports Kosovo’s membership in this organization.
Kosovo deserves UNESCO membership and Albania will continue to provide its generous support in this regard, in full compliance with our strategic partners, to whom we are deeply grateful.

For peace is achieved through cooperation and involvement and not through isolation.
The support of the General Conference of UNESCO towards Kosovo in early November would constitute an encouraging message to the process of normalization of regional relations and to preserve the common cultural heritage of the region.
But Albania’s UN ambition is not limited only by these two dimensions. As a NATO member, Albania has special responsibility as a contributor and manufacturer of security in our region.
This responsibility constitutes the core of our candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the years 2022-2023. The candidacy is a concrete manifestation of our readiness and capacity to substantially contribute to peace and security in the world.
Albania believes in the UN despite its shortcomings and limited instruments. The UN remains for us an irreplaceable platform for the resolution of crisis, respect for human rights and a common vision of sustainable development of the planet.
We do not want the UN to become a fruitless debate forum, where members claim to address real problems without any accountability.
Therefore, we support the UN reform with a view to make it more representative and effective. In this regard, it is necessary to debate on the establishment of new and more flexible mechanisms of decision-making in the Security Council with a view to prevent and resolve international crises.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A few weeks ago, the UN Sustainable Development Summit successfully crowned the most ambitious effort ever undertaken.
The importance of this Summit’s work was described in these words by Pope Francis: “the common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life”
Agenda 2030 translates accountability and willingness to concrete results. Our global commitment to ensure the welfare of all people,which constitutes the challenge of our generation for sustainable development.
It is our epochal commitment to not leave anyone behind, not only those who can and know, but all those in need.
As Prime Minister Rama underlined during the proceedings in New York: “The Agenda 2030 has set ambitious goals in different areas, which obviously include issues of inequality and women empowerment, for which Albania has taken important steps forward in the past two years, and has been internationally praised”.

Sustainable development in Albania is translated in many respects, but the main object and core our success will be determined by the reform in the field of justice, the rule of law in the economy and environmental protection, as necessary steps to establish a competitive economy and a fair and cohesive society.
For us, the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda means that Albania will be a consolidated country of the European Union; a place that will be able to contribute even more to regional security and beyond.

Dear friends,
The first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” – best defines the spirit of the UN.
It is precisely this spirit that gathers us today in this double anniversary, and which will guide us in the future.
Therefore, we believe in the UN, rightly so. This is because the UN represents the great hope in the power of working together.
Concluding, I would like to particularly thank you, dear Zineb, for your tireless work in the service of a better Albania.
Thanks to your contributions, the UN activity in Albania constitutes a real impetus and support for our country’s European agenda!
Thank you!