President of Hungary János Áder and Minister for Foreign Affairs János Martonyi are attending the general debate of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In his address, János Áder said that Hungary's new constitution guarantees constitutional as well as “fourth generation human rights”.

“Europe's youngest constitution includes almost all the elements of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the system of checks and balances established in 1990,” he said. A new element is that the constitution sets limits on public spending and growth of government debt, and it provides guarantees for meeting international legal obligations and for respecting widely-recognised rules of international law.

The President added that Hungary's new constitution has adopted several so-called fourth generational basic rights, too. These include the protection of: natural resources, especially farmland, forests and drinking water supplies; biodiversity – in particular native plant and animal species; and cultural assets. The State – and every person – is obliged to protect, sustain and preserve these for future generations.

Highlighting the importance of water management, the President said that Hungary considers water and sanitation to be one of the most important issues of the 21st century. In light of this, in recent years Hungary has taken part in the work of the UN's Friends of Water working group. Furthermore, Hungary will host a conference on water and sanitation in Budapest next autumn.

In addition to his participation at the UN General Assembly, on Wednesday at Hungary’s main consulate in New York, the President greeted around 100 Hungarian Americans who have recently taken up Hungarian citizenship, telling them that they could count on Hungary now more than ever, and that their homeland would similarly count on them.

Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi will also attend the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the minister will attend a plenary session focusing on topical and regional issues, and will address several sessions and have bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Serbia, Kosovo and Palestine. He will also attend the opening of the European Union's New York representation and meet representatives of Jewish organisations in the US. In addition, he is scheduled to take part in an oath-taking ceremony at Hungary's consulate general in New York for those taking up Hungarian citizenship.

(Prime Minister's Office)