FILIP VUJANOVIĆ, President of Montenegro, said that as a member of the Human Rights Council his country was contributing to an effective Council and Universal Periodic review.  At the national and international levels, his State paid particular attention to the rights of vulnerable groups, the empowerment of women and girls and the protection of freedom of expression.  Comprehensive implementation of the new Development Agenda required adequate financing.  The Addis Ababa Action Agenda should be the main guideline in that regard.

National sustainable development strategies should be supported by national financial frameworks, reinforced by an appropriate international economic environment and the participation of all stakeholders, he stated.

Montenegro was drafting a new national post-2015 sustainable development strategy, he said.  Noting that tackling climate change was inseparable from sustainable development, he said that the high-level gatherings in Addis Ababa and New York should encourage countries’ efforts to achieve a universal and legally binding agreement on climate change in Paris.  Peacebuilding activities and putting an end to conflicts required a joint effort.  International action, in accordance with international law, was essential to end violence in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya and other crisis areas.  Only global engagement could address the threat of terrorism.

He supported global disarmament and non-proliferation and welcomed the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty, calling for its effective implementation.  Welcoming the outcome of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, he said that current challenges to global peace and security required a preventive approach and noted that Montenegro would organize a meeting in 2016 on Mediation in the Mediterranean.  The current migrant crisis implied the need to eliminate the causes of migration, as well as the need for assistance to both the migrants and the States receiving them.  In the recent past, migrants comprised one fifth of Montenegro’s population.  The world’s interrelated global challenges required reform of the “global Organization”.  Thus, he supported strengthening and improving the efficiency, transparency, accountability and representativeness of the United Nations system towards an effective multilateral system.