The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opens on 17 September 2013, the third Tuesday of September, in keeping with the UNGA Rules of Procedure. UNGA meets in regular yearly sessions, with the bulk of its work scheduled for the months of September to December.  It resumes in January and continues until all issues on its agenda are addressed, which often means that it lasts until just before the next session is due to start, making it practically a whole year performance.

UNGA is the only United Nations institution in which all member states, currently 193, have equal representation.  It is a deliberative assembly and can adopt non-compulsory recommendations to states, in the form of Resolutions, and make suggestions to the Security Council. Its other powers include adopting and overseeing the UN budget, and deciding on the admission of new members on a proposal from the Security Council. It elects the non-permanent members of the Security Council, the members of the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) and the judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On a proposal from the Security Council it also elects the UN Secretary-General.

More than two-thirds of the 193 member states are developing countries.  Because of their number and coordination developing countries are able to determine the agenda of the Assembly, and exercise influence on the character of the debate and the adoption of resolutions. For many developing countries and for small countries UNGA is the place where they can most effectively exercise their diplomatic influence and launch their foreign policy initiatives.

This has been true of Malta, one of the smallest states (in terms of population the 171st). Since its admission to the United Nations on 1 December 1964, soon after its Independence, Malta has repeatedly and intelligently used UNGA to voice its concerns on global and regional issues. It has taken the initiative and submitted proposals on various matters, such as the Law of the Sea, Ageing, Climate Change and the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinians, to mention just a few. Moreover, through determined diplomatic efforts Malta managed to overcome competition from other interested states and attracted a number of United Nations institutions to the Island, such as REMPEC, the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre, INIA, the International Institute on Ageing, and IMLI, the International Maritime Law Institute.

Malta is no longer among the developing countries.  It is now a member of the European Union. As such Malta has a commitment to promote at the United Nations the priorities of the Union. Both Malta and the European Union are committed to multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core.  Both believe that the international community needs an efficient multilateral system, founded on universal rules and values.  Therefore, except in very few cases, such as those related to reproductive health, Malta has fully collaborated with the European Union at UNGA. 

The EU General Affairs Council meeting of 24 June 2013 adopted the European Union’s priorities for the upcoming 68th session of UNGA. The member states are requested to focus strongly on these priority issues in their interventions at the Assembly.

Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the status of the European Union’s participation in UNGA has evolved significantly, particularly as a result of UNGA Resolution A/65/276 upgrading the status of the European Union’s participation in the United Nations, adopted on 3 May 2011. The resolution allows the Union’s representatives to present to the Assembly the common positions of the member states, and to make interventions and participate in the general debate on behalf of the member states. 

The new role of the European Union Representation to the United Nations to act on behalf of the member states once a common position is agreed, implies that much of the work of Malta’s delegation in New York consists of preparatory discussions with representatives of the European Union and of the other member states aimed at building consensus and adopting common positions.

However, this will not reduce the glamour and political weight that is usually associated with addresses of Heads of Government at the beginning of UNGA sessions. This is the highest forum for multilateral discussions and covers the full spectrum of international issues.  Like the other 193 Heads of Government, Malta’s Prime Minister has the opportunity to climb the rostrum to present Malta’s vision for a better world, and to highlight Malta’s commitment to the work undertaken by the United Nations for the benefit of mankind.

This will be the first occasion for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to address UNGA.  Since Malta enjoys a long-standing record of commitment to multilateralism and to cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies, the Prime Minister in his address should seek to build on the achievements of his predecessors in this regard.  However, he may also wish to present to world leaders his new government’s political road map both for a better Malta and for more cooperation on international issues. 

In this context the Prime Minister will probably focus on Malta’s security, economic and social priorities, and how they merge with those of the United Nations in its efforts to eliminate warfare, poverty, disease and suffering from all nations. It would be appropriate to refer to Malta’s continued efforts for peace and security in the Mediterranean, the hallmark of Malta's foreign policy endeavours. At this time of crisis in Syria and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, one has to refer to the negative impact on Malta, as a front line state, of the instability in North Africa, and launch an appeal to world leaders for a holistic and pragmatic approach for dealing with the escalating insecurity in Southern Mediterranean countries.

It is important for the Prime Minister to stress at this world forum Malta’s place in Europe and Malta’s vision for the future of the European Union, as the guarantor of peace and prosperity in Europe, which is also rapidly growing into a main actor in international affairs, providing political support, expertise and substantial financial and human resources to assist nations in need. One should add that Malta supports the European Union’s initiatives for peace and security, for financial and economic stability, for sustainable development and for the promotion of democracy and human rights. In his address the Prime Minister may wish to elaborate on how Malta is preparing itself to carry forward this European agenda when it takes over the EU Presidency in 2017.

I always consider a country’s foreign policy to be a reflection of its internal policies. If a country has a stable democracy with a truly representative parliamentary system, a vibrant civil society, a transparent and competent administration, and a free and responsible media, it will reflect all this in its foreign relations, and will instinctively promote these values.   I am confident that Malta will endeavour to promote these cherished values during its work at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tarcisio Zammit is a former Ambassador to Belgium and Malta’s representative to the EU’s Political and Security Committee