Angleina IV, Opening speech | Emma poljar 21100213, France

Honorable Chairs, honorable Presiding officer, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentleman. It is an honor to be standing here today, as a representative of French Republic and on the start of a new set of discussions about three agenda issues with which we will be dealing during the following weeks. In the light of finding new solutions to old problems, let us work together and be strengthened, rather than weakened. Let us cooperate and respect this common forum which prompted all nations to agree to set aside their divisions and talk together. Distinguished delegates, in the scope of developmental and environmental concerns, we have proven that if we work together, we can work well. But there are many challenges which we are still facing, and that is why it is time to work even harder, to keep our commitments beyond 2015 in order to enable everyone to live decently. We should think of new ways of how to improve development efficiency and conquer environmental risks together, which should be our top priority in the following sessions. Excellences, as of what concerns international fur trade, we have to look at it from two sides, which are not opposing one another, but they are rather complementary. Firstly we need to take into account all the developing countries whose economies are somewhat supported by fur trade and for which any kind of its restrictions would be dangerously harmful. In the light of preventing any kind of conflict and world disorder, we should think of the bad consequences that would follow in the case of any fur trade ban. Rather than banning it, we should focus on guaranteeing fur farming animals the best conditions and focus on their protection. We should focus on a document which would do just that, provide animals designated for fur farming with decent rights, where some minimal standards for fur farming would be enlisted. Distinguished delegates, it is our duty to work together in order to respect each other, because we are all human beings deserving equally human rights. There will be no peace in the world without respect for diversity, without respect for national identities, without respect for religions and beliefs, or without respect for cultures. Like all nations, France, in the course of its long history, has made mistakes and has sometimes been at fault. But its people have always chosen to be on the side of freedom and democracy. It has always stood beside those whose struggles it has shared in the name of a common ideal. France will not turn its back on that common ideal, it will remain loyal to its friends and to the values it shares with them. The concept of human rights is not a privilege of a special group (nor should it be), it is the

Angleina IV, Opening speech | Emma poljar 21100213, France

precondition for peace and justice in the world, a precondition which everybody deserves equally. These are the principles and directions that France will uphold and defend before the General Assembly and it will be a pleasure to work with all the delegations, in order to make these negotiations together a success. Thank you.