President: The 15th plenary meeting of the General Assembly is called to order. The Assembly will continue its consideration of Agenda Item 8, entitled General Debate. The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Physical Development, Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation, and Minister for National Security, Home Affairs, Public Administration, Information, and Disaster Management of Grenada. I request for the call to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly.
Dickon Mitchell – Grenada: Mr. President, Members of the Assembly, guests and friends, thank you for the opportunity to address this Assembly. It is my honour to speak to you as the Prime Minister of Grenada and the Chair of the Caribbean Community, CARICA. Mr. President, before I get into the core of my remarks, allow me to draw to your attention two hemispheric issues that require the attention of this Assembly. The first issue is that Cuba continues to face severe economic hardships. While Grenada and CARICOM welcome the United States’ decision to remove Cuba from its list, and I quote, of states not cooperating fully, unquote, in the fight against terrorism, Cuba remains on the American list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the U.S. blockade remains in place. CARICOM is deeply troubled that the Cuban people have been forced to endure this 60-year imposition, which serves no constructive purpose and continues to harm the people of Cuba. We reiterate our call for the removal of Cuba from that list and the end of the blockade. Secondly, there is an urgent humanitarian crisis in Haiti, marked by acute food insecurity and a challenging security situation. We are grateful to Belize and Jamaica for sending security personnel to support the Kenyan troops, but the funding of the multinational security support mission remains critical. We are deeply interested in the United States’ proposal to transition this mission We call on the international community to do its part to support the MSS mission and to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, especially by helping Haitian children’s access to education. I want Haitians to understand that the future of their country begins with investing in their youth. Thank you for consideration of these two important matters. President, my message today is simple. It can be summed up in one word. Resilience. It is a trendy term, I realize. But for 16 million people in the Caribbean community, resilience is not merely a buzzword. It is the definition of daily life. Resilience resonates in our core as Caribbean people, making the most of tough circumstances and finding new ways to not only survive, but to thrive. So today, I want to speak about resilience in the face of climate change, paths to economic resilience, and the role of education in ensuring both. I will conclude by speaking about what Grenada and our fellow CARICOM nations are looking for in terms of international cooperation, but also what we bring to the table in return. Mr. President, the notion of resilience is not just a policy goal for me. It is deeply personal. And I tell you the story that you are about to hear, not because it is unique, but because, at its heart, it is an experience that has been shared among so many of us in Grenada and the Caribbean. I was born in 1977 in a small hillside village in the parish of St. David in Grenada. Most households, including my own, did not have running water or electricity. We would walk to the public standpipe to fetch water in buckets. I grew up in a small agricultural community. The people I lived with worked the land or took up domestic work in turn. At the time, that was common in Grenada. We were an agricultural island. We lived modest lives built on hard work, a sense of unity, and a sense of determination. But when I was quite young, that began to change. In 1979, Grenada experienced a political revolution that brought many changes. Education became a focus. So did tourism. Then, in 1983, when I was only six years old, the revolution came to a violent end, and we were thrust into the spotlight of global politics because of American intervention. It was a dividing line in our shared history and in mines. By 1989, both my parents had left the island to pursue opportunities overseas. My aunt helped to raise my siblings and me. In the years that followed, I continued my education. However, at that time in Grenada, education was not state-funded after age 16. So to continue my studies, I had to hustle. I had to develop entrepreneurial skills. I collected spice in the hills, and I sold it. Many of the kids in my village did the same. Those were frugal years, and I had to be disciplined. Once I finished my A-levels, I returned to teach at my high school, much to the amusement of my friends, many of whom were still attending high school there. But this role helped me to save for the next step in my educational journey. Cheney, Law School in the Islands of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. So within a few years, I became a lawyer in Grenada with my own practice, serving clients locally and internationally. My personal resilience in the face of the many difficulties that crossed my path over the years allowed me to achieve the dream I sought. Finally, I was in a position to give back to my community. But Mr. President, there is a limit to resilience. In 2020, something happened that none of us in this Assembly were prepared for. As the COVID-19 pandemic began to take root in Grenada, I could see the strain on many of our people. We could see the glaring inadequacies of the systems and policies that were in place to support us. I saw the tension between the government’s decisions and the needs of the people. And so I could no longer stay on the sidelines. For months, I met with people who felt the same way I did, hoping to find ways to help our communities adapt to the challenges. But eventually, I realized that no matter how much we try to support change from the outside, Real and meaningful transformation had to come from within. So it was at this moment that I decided to run for office. But it was not an easy decision. But I was driven by the belief that leadership means listening, adapting and being willing to step up when your people need you. And so now as Prime Minister, I am determined to ensure that the resilience I learn becomes a cornerstone of Grenada’s future and the future of the wider Caribbean. Mr. President, that means developing resilient minds. And so a major priority for me is ensuring that children in Grenada have the opportunity to learn, to study and to realize their full potential. Because after all, it was education that took me from a small village to where I stand today, addressing you at the United Nations General Assembly. And it is education that will empower the next generation of leaders, thinkers and dreamers who I am sure will go on to achieve even more. So in Grenada, we are working to ensure that every child has access to free education up to the age of 18. This is because we understand. that our greatest asset is our people. For small nations like ours, the path to resilience lies in unlocking the potential of our young people. But it is not just about traditional education. It is about preparing them for a digital and technological future. We need to ensure that they have access to digital education, to skills training, and the tools they need to compete in the global economy. Digital education and digitization more broadly is a priority for our government because we know that if we want to build future resilience in the next generation of young people, we need to prepare them with the relevant training now. So at a time where it is possible to work in any market in the world, from anywhere in the world, digitization means that young people in the Caribbean have just as much potential access to global opportunities as their peers in Europe or North America, and with the added benefits of year-round sunshine. So digitization for Grenadians represents the democratization of opportunities and this is where international cooperation is crucial. By bridging the digital divide, we can empower our young people to be more resilient. We have become experts at resilience in the Caribbean, because that is the Caribbean’s reality. In Grenada, our resilience has been continually tested. One of our most challenging moments in recent history came in 2004, when Hurricane Ivan devastated the island, leaving destruction in its wake and forcing us to rebuild from the ground up. Less than one year later, we were struck by Hurricane Emily, and so we borrowed heavily. And while we were thankful that we were able to do so, the financial toll has been immense. For many years after, we struggled under the weight of that debt. Mr. President, only three months ago, that resilience was again tested, when the islands of Karikou and Pitimatnik, which form part of the tri-island state of Grenada, were hit by Hurricane Beryl, causing unimaginable destruction. And so again, this round of rebuilding will take months, if not years. The lesson that we and the wider Caribbean community continue to take to heart is that we understand that we cannot continue to rebuild after every storm without seeking sustainability. So, with international partnership, we developed innovative financial tools, like the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, which allows us to receive financial payouts and recover more swiftly from natural disasters. We also introduced a hurricane relief clause in our financial agreements, enabling us to suspend debt payments in times of crisis, giving us the resources we need to focus on recovery. These efforts reflect more than just economic policy. They show that small island nations like Grenada can develop sophisticated solutions to the challenges we face. However, we also understand that we cannot do it alone. We need partnerships with the international community, partnerships that will help us access both the financial tools and the technology needed to adapt to this new reality. Grenada, like many other small island developing states, is baffled by the continued debate in some spaces about whether climate change exists. But we do not have the luxury of skepticism. Rising sea levels are already affecting lives and livelihoods in our coastal villages. And warming seas continue to spawn stronger and more frequent storms. Hurricane Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic. And so the message that we in the Caribbean have for those who are looking to adapt to climate change, our message is simple. Learn from us. If there is an upside from the many storms that we have endured over the years, it is the lessons that we were able to take away from the various disasters. We have lived through the destructive power of hurricanes, which can erase decades of progress in just a few minutes. But we have also seen that when communities are prepared, we can save lives and we can save livelihoods. There is much more we can do. There is much more we must do. As a region, we have a clear vision and a plan to harness technology, ranging from drones that assess storm damage to early warning systems that enhance our preparedness. But we cannot fund these projects alone. While nations like Grenada are doing our part, we need the international community to step up and support our efforts. We are asking for more than just financial aid. We are looking for partnerships where we can work together on climate adaptation. Because we believe the resilience we are building today, through technology, through innovation, through partnerships, can serve as a model for others. My friends, we are a living lab on the frontlines. Let us help you to paraphrase a famous tourism slogan. What happens in Grenada does not just stay in Grenada. The lessons we are learning can help nations facing their own climate crises, from wildfires in Canada to flooding in Europe. Join us in testing ideas and technologies that can make a difference beyond Grenada. So in concluding, Mr. President, friends, colleagues, resilience is not something that can be built overnight. It requires partnerships, innovation, and a shared commitment to a better future. Today, I invite the international community to join us. We are asking for the $100 billion promised to support climate adaptation and mitigation to be met. Partnership, in our case, requires concrete financial support to help us rebuild with greater resilience. But beyond that, we are also inviting the international community to partner with us so that we can share our experiences and learn from one another. In return, we offer our lessons in resilience. We offer the knowledge that comes from living with and dealing with the worst of climate change, from building back after devastation, and from finding innovative policies and programs to secure a digital future. Reneida, Karikam, stand ready to share these lessons with the world because my friends, resilience is not just about surviving a storm, it is about ensuring that together we emerge from it stronger, more united, and more understanding of each other than ever before. Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to address this August assembly.
President: On behalf of the assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Fiscal Development, Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation, and Minister for National Security, Home Affairs, Public Administration, Information and Disaster Management of Grenada. The assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Amadou Oury Bah, Prime Minister, Head of Government of the Republic of Guinea. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the assembly.
Amadou Oury Bah – Guinea: Secretary General, President Yang, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Delegates, I’m standing before you today on behalf of His Excellency, General of the Armed Forces, Mamadi Doumbouya, President of the Republic of Guinea, with the honor and responsibility. of representing a nation that is engaged in a historic transformation. We are here to reaffirm our determination to redefine our future, a future built on peace, justice, and dignity for all. Today, September 28, 2024, there are three dates, three events, three moments that embody the spirit of resilience and freedom of our people. September 28, 1958, the people of Guinea chose to vote overwhelmingly no in the referendum proposed by General de Gaulle, thus choosing immediate independence. On September 28, 2009, this same people reclaimed at a heavy price the full enjoyment of their freedom, democracy, and dignity. Today, on September 28, 2024, on this symbolic day for Guinea, we are here before this august assembly to reaffirm our freely made commitment toward these dynamics, to build a future based on peace, justice, and dignity. At this time of great global turbulence, a time of conflict, growing inequality, and a climate crisis that threatens the existence of humanity, it is crucial that we be bold in our actions and united in our vision. This is my conviction as I stand before you. At the outset, I commend the United Nations, this unique space for dialogue and cooperation, where all nations, large and small, can meet on an equal footing to build a better world. Our faith in this institution is a profound one. For it reflects our common values, that is, peace, sustainable development, and respect for human rights. We know that the challenges we are facing today are great ones. But we also know that the spirit of solidarity and cooperation that have guided this organization since its creation is more crucial than ever. Distinguished President, ladies and gentlemen, today the Republic of Guinea has begun an ambitious process of a profound transformation of its state. Led by the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development and by the President of the Republic, His Excellency General of the Armed Forces, Mahmoudi Doumbouya, we have chosen to turn the page on instability, to write a new history, a new story, that of a resilient nation that is reinventing itself to provide its people with a life full of dignity, freedom, and prosperity. Guinea aspires to become a model of resilience and renewal in Africa, thus proving that in the face of adversity, a positive transformation is possible. The most striking example of our commitment to justice and to combating impunity is the historic trial regarding the events of September 28, 2009, for the first time in the history of our nation. The perpetrators of this tragedy have been brought before a national court. This was a pivotal turning point in our battle against impunity. This trial has become a global reference point, it’s an example for Africa, and it embodies our will to rebuild our society based on justice, truth, and reconciliation, while inspiring other countries to follow our path toward accountability and transparency. In this same vein of transformation, His Excellency the General of the Armed Forces, Mamadi Doumbouya, has laid out a clear and ambitious vision to guide Guinea toward a prosperous future founded upon three key pillars, the social, economic and political pillars. In addition, we are basing these actions on five values that define the governance of our country. Institutional rectification, through which we are building robust institutions, legitimate institutions that are impartial. Through rebuilding, we are strengthening the integrity of politics. Through reconciliation, we are bringing together all elements of our nation. Through recovery, we are establishing transparent and responsible governance. And lastly, through repositioning Guinea, we are stepping up our commitment toward our global partners, ensuring active, dynamic cooperation with the world’s institutions, both bilateral and multilateral. These values guide each step that we take toward national transformation in a spirit of justice, solidarity, and dignity. This national transformation is based on an emblematic project that embodies our vision for the present and future. That is the Cimandu Mega Project and its ambitious Cimandu 2040 program. Cimandu 2040 was born as a mining project. Guinea now is building 670 kilometers of multi-use railways for mineral ore exportation of the iron mines of Cimandu. This project for 2040 is now much more than just a mining project. It’s a model for comprehensive transformation for Guinea, which aims to build around this project. This is a real social and environmental program in which humans and their environment can coexist in harmony. Unlike other countries that fell prey to the natural resource curse, we are trying to avoid that path. We have learned lessons from the past, and we are committed to making Simandou a lever for shared prosperity, stability, and sustainable growth. Ladies and gentlemen, in this process of transformation, we have drawn inspiration from the rich and diverse history of our country, a history that is marked by our ancestral values of justice, solidarity, and respect for human dignity. I remind you that most of the empires that existed in West Africa were based on our country, that is, the current Republic of Guinea. Since the Kurukand Fuga Charter, proclaimed in 1236, which laid the foundations of a just society by abolishing slavery and promoting equality and freedom for all, and all the way up until the establishment of the Futa Theocracy, recognized as a land of asylum and protection for the oppressed fleeing the slave trade, Guinea has always been a bastion for humanist values and fair governance. These traditions, which can be found in the social structures of all of the country’s regions, from Lower Guinea to Forested Guinea, where the collective management of resources and peaceful resolution of conflict are at the heart of our life together. Our national identity clearly is rooted in a quest for justice, empathy, peace, and solidarity. Today, we are building the future of our nation. We are reaffirming these values in our new draft constitution. We would like to build a modern state that incorporates these timeless principles, a state in which each citizen, regardless of their origins, culture or faith, has a role to play in a harmonious and close-knit social fabric. Ladies and gentlemen, this path toward transformation cannot be accomplished single-handedly. We are calling for sincere and strengthened international support based on mutual respect, understanding and support as we pursue our common goals. Guinea is not asking for compassion. Rather, it’s proposing a partnership, an active and dynamic alliance so we can come together to build a better world. This period also is a unique opportunity for Guinea to redefine its role on the international arena as a committed and responsible actor that contributes to regional stability and to peace in the world. We have taken active part in peacekeeping efforts led by the United Nations, and we will continue to do so. We are convinced that peace is the key precondition for development and justice. That is why we are willing to provide more than 650 police and gendarmes for the stabilization of Haiti, this martyred country. However, peace can only be achieved through strengthened cooperation and meaningful reforms of multilateral institutions. And that is why we must also rethink our approach to resolving persistent conflicts in the region of the Sahel. It is high time to transcend purely military responses, and it is time to promote an integrated strategy that combines economic development, institutional stability, and peace. This approach should be focused on each community in this vast space to enjoy their freedom, respect, identity and recognition of their own rights in a multi-ethnic and multi-faith state space. This is what can ensure national cohesion and peaceful coexistence. The Security Council of the United Nations today must truly reflect the diversity and aspirations of the world of today. We strongly support the Ezowini Consensus, and we call for a more equitable and democratic representation within decision-making bodies. East Africa, with its 54 member states, represents more than a fourth of the UN’s member states. It can no longer be pushed to one side in decisions that concern global peace and security. We call for the African continent to acquire permanent seats in the Security Council with all of the associated rights, including veto rights. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, in light of the many crises that are threatening our world, it is clear that our responses must be collective, humanitarian, and based on empathy with people suffering in conflict zones. Everywhere, people are suffering from the ravages of war. Families are separated, communities displaced, lives lost, central infrastructure destroyed. Whether in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in Europe, or in the Middle East with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or in Africa, especially in Sudan, or in other regions of the world, the suffering of the people is immense and transcends borders and nationalities. In addition to these human tragedies, there also are the devastating effects of climate change, which are exacerbating conflicts and increasing the vulnerability of those who have the least. We reaffirm our commitment to including the Futajalan Highlands on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This would send a strong message in favor of environmental protection. And in doing so, we are striving for a paradigm change in regional governance in West Africa. The future of our nation will be based on our ability to invest in our young people as well, because youth are the greatest asset of our country. By providing young people with opportunities and the means to achieve their full potential, we can effectively combat the evils that drive them toward clandestine immigration. Immigration is in no way a solution, rather it is draining our country of its human resources which are so precious. In addition, technological and digital advances must serve the interests of all. Therefore, we are advocating universal access to technological innovations while ensuring that ethics remain at the heart of their use. As said by Francois Rabelais, science without conscience is the ruin of the soul. Ladies and gentlemen, today we are calling for the nations to come together around a common vision, that of a world that places humans at the heart of every thought and action. Together we can overcome the most difficult challenges, we can quell tensions and embrace a lasting peace. The world is waiting for us to do this. The United Nations was born to promote international peace and security, and it must act while there is still time to silence weapons and bombing. As for Guinea, as a sovereign and determined nation, it will forge its own destiny and it stands firmly on the international stage. Zor, and others. The African people are a national scene with a clear and independent vision. One year ago, at this very podium, our Head of State General Mamadou Mbouya declared clearly our commitment to the interests of Africa with entire sovereignty, without being influenced by contradictory interests coming from outside the continent. Today, this principle continues to guide our actions. We favor above all else the development and prosperity of our continent. Such is the will of His Excellency General of the Armed Forces Mamadou Mbouya and the people of Guinea that our actions today forge a future of peace and light for all. Long live peace, together for a better world. Thank you.
President: On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister, Head of Government of the Republic of Guinea. The Assembly will hear an address by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See. I request protocol to escort His Eminence and invite him to address the Assembly.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin – Holy See: Mr. President, I am honored to extend to you and to the representatives of the nations assembled here the warm greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis, while also congratulating Your Excellency on your election as President of this esteemed Assembly. Mr. President, The Holy See is deeply concerned that we are witnessing a world increase in the number of conflicts worldwide and the severity of their violence. These conflicts are responsible for a significant loss of innocent lives and a vast amount of destruction. Seventy-five years after the ratification of the Geneva Conventions, humanitarian law is still being undermined and increasingly being violated. The targeting of places of worship, educational institutions, medical facilities, and other civil infrastructure is a prevalent phenomenon. The Holy See calls for the strict observance of international humanitarian law in all armed conflicts. The situation becomes more complex when one considers the destabilizing role often played by violent non-state actors in many of the crises around the globe. It is imperative that these groups seek constructive engagement with states, renounce violence and acts of terrorism, and enter into legality. Peace is only possible if it is wanted. The pursuit of peace is a collective responsibility. It is imperative to move beyond rhetoric and the tendency to ascribe blame. However, the reality is that there is no genuine commitment to achieving peace. In times of conflict, there is often a tendency to prioritize military victory over the pursuit of peace. It is incumbent upon diplomacy to demonstrate an unwavering dedication to pursuing every avenue for negotiation. To pursue peace, however, it is not enough simply to eliminate the instruments of war. Its root causes must be eradicated. Foremost among these is anger, a scourge that continues to afflict entire areas of our world, while others are marked by massive waste of food. Nevertheless, the prevailing tendency has been to maintain the growth in military expenditure while striving to fulfil the commitments made on sustainable development. Pope Francis appeals to rich countries to acknowledge the gravity of so many of their past decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. It is easy to become complacent and resigned in the face of the constant stream of new forms of poverty. However, this dramatic situation can be encountered all around us, not only in certain parts of the world. This is the case, for example, of the modern phenomenon on homelessness. Poverty has a particularly detrimental impact on women, often trapping them in a vicious cycle of unfortunate circumstances, resulting in isolation and abandonment before they are forced to make desperate and unwelcome decisions. As Pope Francis says, the path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an objective of trafficking. The practice of so-called surrogate motherhood represents a grave violation of the dignity of both the woman and the child based on the exploitation of situation of the mother’s material needs. The Holy See hopes for an effort by an international community to prohibit this practice universally. The dignity of migrants must be upheld. People seeking refuge must be not rejected but welcomed with respect and a sense of humanity. Another affront to human dignity is trafficking human beings. This illegal and above all dehumanizing practice must be stopped and the traffickers brought to justice. Closely related to the dignity of human life is the care of our common home. The effects of climate change are borne by the poorest countries who contribute the least to it but are those who carry the greatest burden of its effects. Opportunities and risk are also given by the rise of new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. There is a need to ensure a safeguarded space for proper human control over choices made by artificial intelligence. In light of the tragedy that is armed conflict, it is urgent to reconsider the development and use of devices like the so-called lethal autonomous weapons and ultimately ban their use. No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being. There is a necessity for the establishment of a binding ethical and regulatory framework to be negotiated both within the non-military and military. The Holy See is convinced that a world free of nuclear weapons is both necessary and possible. The goal of a world free of nuclear weapons can only be achieved through discussions based on mutual trust. It is evident that the adherence to and respect for international and disarmament agreements and international law should not be perceived as a form of weakness. The Holy See renews its call for a total and complete disarmament. Unfortunately, as Pope Francis says, we are witnessing a third world war fought piecemeal. In the midst of the ongoing tragedy of the Russian war in Ukraine, we are faced with a situation that calls for urgent action to prevent further escalation and to create a path towards a just and peaceful resolution. While diplomatic efforts are crucial, it is evident that military engagement continues to prevail. It is therefore essential to find ways to encourage gestures of goodwill and spaces for direct dialogue between the parties involved. The Holy See continues to be worried about the ongoing stability in the Middle East, particularly following the terrorist attack of 7 October 2023 in Israel by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups. However, the military response by Israel, considering the high number of civilian casualties, raises many questions about its proportionality. The Holy See calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, as well as the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, and urges humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian The Olympic Committee on the Human Rights of the Jews and Muslims in the Middle East and the European Union. The Olympic Committee reaffirmed that the only viable solution is a two-state solution with Jerusalem having a special status. The Olympic Committee expressed a serious concern regarding the situation in Jerusalem where several discriminations and harassments are taking place hindering the peaceful coexistence for Christians, Jews and Muslims. It condemns all anti-Christian acts perpetrated months ago by a minority of Jewish individuals and calls on the authorities to continue confronting this ideological deviation firmly and clearly. The current situation in Lebanon represents a significant cause for concern for the Holy See. The ongoing intensification of the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli military is putting at high risk the whole region. The Holy See demands that all parties adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law and halt the escalation and enter into a ceasefire without delay. Furthermore, the Holy See highlights the humanitarian crisis in Syria and urges the international community to do more in supporting the Syrian people who feel hopeless about their future. The ongoing armed conflict in Sudan has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with displaced persons, particularly women and children, succumbing to starvation and malnutrition. The Holy See urges the international community to promote peace negotiations and provide the population with vital humanitarian aid. The Holy See calls for more humanitarian support in the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique. The situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is deteriorating rapidly, leading to a disturbing increase in the humanitarian crisis. The withdrawal of the MONUSCO by the end of the year is likely to create a security vacuum. It is crucial to continue supporting diplomatic efforts to find an appropriate and sustainable solution to the ongoing conflict. The Holy See follows with great preoccupation the social-political situation in South Sudan, aggravated by the humanitarian crisis, the recent floods and the conflict. It calls on the international community to show solidarity with the population, and urges all the country’s leaders to place the well-being of the people at the center of their political agenda. The spread of jihadist threats in the Gulf of Guinea is causing concern for the security of not just the Sahel, but all of West Africa. Christians are being targeted, while climate change and armed attacks are worsening the food crisis and causing children to drop out of school. Immediate and long-term action is needed to prevent a loss of education and stability in the region. The Holy See is following the dramatic situation in Haiti with apprehension and hopes that the steps that are being taken, with the support of the international community, to establish democratic order and stop the violence, will lead to peace and reconciliation in the country. The dramatic situation and the dire need for humanitarian aid in Myanmar which has been exacerbated by an increase in armed conflict in recent months and made worse by severe flooding are also a source of deep concern. The Holy See calls on all parties to seek a durable peaceful solution to the situation and to ensure access for humanitarian aid to all affected communities without prejudice. The Holy See follows with great attention to what is happening in Nicaragua. It is in particular concerned about the measures taken against the personnel and institution of the Church which directly affect the sensitive issues of religious freedom. It is hoped that in conjunction with the other fundamental rights of individuals and society this freedom will be adequately guaranteed. For its part, the Holy See is open to respectful and constructive dialogue with the authorities of the country with a view to resolving difficulties and promoting peace, fraternity and harmony for the benefit of all. The recent presidential elections in Venezuela have demonstrated that despite the numerous challenges faced, the Venezuelan people continue to place their trust in the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution. These democratic values are founded upon the sovereignty of the people which is expressed through the act of voting. In the serious crisis that followed the announcement of the result, with several deaths, numerous detentions, also of minors, and the use of violence, the Holy See, deeply saddened and worried, appeals to the authorities. And to all those who have any responsibility for what has happened, to respect and protect the life, dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms of its citizens. Furthermore, it calls upon them to seek ways to resolve the present situation for the good of all, including with the assistance of members of the international community who have declared themselves willing to help in a flexible and reasonable manner. The Olympic Committee encourages the talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan so that they may continue the dialogue, assist the displaced persons, respect the places of worship of the different religious denominations, and reach a final peace treaty between the parties as soon as possible. The Olympic Committee looks also favorably on the aspiration of the Balkan countries to join the European Union and hopes that this objective will be achieved as soon as possible. While disarmament fosters peace among nations, there is also a need to foster peace within societies through democracy. It is the result of a considerate and committed acceptance of the values that inspire democratic procedures. Democracy is founded upon the tenets of freedom of expression and the fundamental principle of respect for the will of the people. This implies that changes in the orders of power can occur. However, there is an increasing tendency to alter constitutions or to modify electoral rules and procedures for the purpose of remaining in power. Democracy entails respect for the established rules and the recognition of the expressed will of the people. made it clear that the path to peace calls for respect for human rights. Regrettably, in recent decades, attempts have been made to introduce new rights, leading to instances of ideological colonization, in which gender theory plays a central role. The latter cancels differences in its claim to make everyone equal, and does not even help ensuring the harmony between women and men. It is also inconceivable to associate the concept of right with the practice of abortion, which involves the taking of an innocent life. The Holy See is profoundly alarmed that some of the most common violations of human rights occur in the area of religious freedom. Christians are the most vulnerable in this regard, where one in seven are subjected to persecution. Mr. President, there is a need to recover the roots, the spirit, and the values that gave rise to this organization, while at the same time taking into account the changing context. The first and most necessary reform needed is the return to a sincere and open dialogue. It is evident that without dialogue and an open exchange of perspectives, even when there is disagreement, consensus and agreement cannot be reached. The Odyssey, as it has done in these last six decades of presence at the UN, continues to support the work of the organization, making its voice heard in defense of the poor, of those in vulnerable situations, supporting every peace process and initiative. Thank you, Mr. President.
President: On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Secretary of State of the Holy See. I now give the floor to His Excellency Wang Yi, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Wang Yi – China: Mr. President, Colleagues Today, humanity has once again come to a historical crossroads. We are facing a changing and turbulent world. Challenges of insecurity, imbalanced development, and ineffective governance are increasingly prominent. Hotspot conflicts, major country confrontation, and geopolitical tensions keep emerging. The future of this planet is becoming a cause for growing concern. Meanwhile, we are also embracing a world full of hope. Multipolarity and globalization have become the unstoppable trend of our times. The aspirations of the Global South nations for modernization have never been stronger. Our stride toward modernization has never been more steadfast. This institution, the United Nations, embodies the aspirations of people across the world for lasting peace and common prosperity, and bears witness to the glorious journey of the international community coming together in pursuit of progress. President Xi Jinping stressed on multiple occasions that the role of the UN should be strengthened, not weakened. Amid global transformation not seen in a century, what China calls for is to follow the trend of the times, keep to the direction of human progress, and make the right choices of history. What China proposes is to uphold peaceful coexistence. In today’s world, the security of all countries is tied together in face of various kinds of global challenges and risks. No one can stay immune or enjoy security alone. Countries need to be guided by a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. We should respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, take the legitimate security concerns of others seriously, and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation. We should actively explore a path for major countries to coexist in peace and work for a new type of international relations characterized by mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation. In today’s world, the development of all countries is deeply integrated. If the rich get richer while the poor remain poor, then everyone is born equal would become an empty slogan, and fairness and justice would be even more elusive. Achieving modernization is a legitimate right of the people of all countries, not a prerogative of a few. We should be committed to advancing global modernization and ensure that no one and no country is left behind on the journey toward modernization. We should advocate a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, unequivocally oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and help developing countries leap over the development divide to maintain the vitality of global economic growth. In today’s world, Each civilization has its own strengths. President Xi Jinping pointed out that there is no such thing as a superior or inferior civilization, and civilizations are different only in identity and location. We should respect the diversity of civilizations and strive to replace estrangement and clash of civilizations with exchanges and mutual learning. We should advocate humanity’s common values, namely peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom, refrain from conducting values-oriented diplomacy, and oppose ideology-based confrontation. We should respect each other as equals and help each other succeed with an inclusive mind. In today’s world, countries should all enjoy sovereign equality. As a large number of global South nations are growing with a strong momentum, gone are the days when one or two major powers call the shots on everything. We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and see that all countries, regardless of their size, have their own place and role in the multipolar system. We should practice true multilateralism, oppose hegemonism and power politics, and make international relations more democratic. We should follow the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits and make global governance more just and equitable. Mr. President, peace is the most precious thing in our world today. You may wonder if there is a path leading to peace. In fact, peace is the path. Without peace, development will not sustain. Without peace, cooperation cannot happen. For the sake of peace, a single ray of hope is reason enough not to give up. The slightest chance deserves a hundredfold effort. An end to the Ukraine crisis remains elusive. I am pleased to commit to no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no provocation by any party, and push for de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible. China is committed to playing a constructive role, engaging in shuttle mediation and promoting talks for peace, not throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains. At this session of the General Assembly, China, Brazil and other countries in the Global South have jointly launched the Group of Friends for Peace. Its very purpose is to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build consensus for a political settlement of the crisis, and contribute to a prospect of peace. The question of Palestine is the biggest wound to human conscience. As we speak, the conflict in Gaza is still going on, causing more casualties with each passing day. Reconciliation has started in Lebanon again, but might cannot replace justice. Palestine’s long-held aspiration to establish an independent state should not be shunned anymore, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people should not be ignored anymore. There must not be any delay in reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, and the fundamental way out lies in the two-state solution. China has always been a staunch supporter of the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights and a staunch supporter of Palestine’s full UN membership. We have recently helped to bring about breakthroughs in intra-Palestine reconciliation and will continue to work in concert with like-minded countries for a comprehensive and just settlement of the question of Palestine and durable peace and stability in the Middle East. The issue of Afghanistan concerns regional peace and security. It is important to help the country exercise prudent governance, fight terrorism effectively, improve people’s life, and reinvigorate the economy to create a better life or future for the people of Afghanistan. The Korean Peninsula should not experience war again. The important thing is to make persistent efforts for de-escalation, commit to seeking solutions through dialogue and consultation, realize a transition from the armistice to a peace mechanism, and safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula. China is deeply aware that Asia needs stability and development and opposes division and conflict. As an important origin of human civilization and a key engine of global growth, Asia has the wisdom and capability to stabilize the situation through regional cooperation and handle differences properly through dialogue and consultation. We are firmly against the meddling by countries outside the region and will firmly resist attempts by any force to stoke trouble and confrontation in the region. Mr. President, as the world faces increasingly serious challenges, China has never opted to be an indifferent spectator. Instead, we’ve been playing a bigger part in global governance than ever before. President Xi Jinping has put forth the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative in recent years. They carry China’s wisdom for resolving various difficult issues confronting humanity and bring impetus from China for improving global governance. In the face of uneven and inadequate global development, China’s proposal is to put development at the top of the global agenda. Focus on delivering the sustainable development goals of the UN 2030 agenda, increase input in development, and help developing countries better respond to different risks and challenges. At the recent Beijing summit of the FOCAC on China-Africa cooperation, President Xi Jinping outlined 10 partnership actions to be taken together with Africa to advance modernization and announced the decision to give over 40 LDCs, including those in Africa, zero tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. China is the first major developing country and the first major economy to take such a significant step. In the face of unilateral bullying acts such as sanctions and blockade, China firmly supports countries in defending their legitimate rights. Including the equity and openness of the international system, making global development more coordinated and beneficial for all, and jointly opposing technology blockade and rejecting decoupling or severing supply chains. Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages. Suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home. The right of people of all countries to pursue a better life should not be taken away. Here we once again urge the United States to completely lift its blockade, sanctions and terrorism-related designation against Cuba. In the face of aggravating ecological challenges, China is firmly committed to a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development. We will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in world history, contributing China’s efforts to harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. At the global level, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities must be upheld and the Paris Agreement must be implemented in earnest. Developed countries should assist developing countries in developing their capacity to cope with climate change. Touting the need of climate response while suppressing the green industries of others will only hold back global progress toward green transition. In the face of burgeoning artificial intelligence, China is committed to taking a people-centered approach, developing AI for good, and putting equal emphasis on development and security. We are working to explore and establish widely recognized international rules and standards. China supports the UN’s role as the main channel for global AI governance and is committed to strengthening international cooperation on AI capacity building. China has put forth the AI Capacity Building Action Plan for good and for all, and we are ready to make more contribution to the sound, orderly, fair, and inclusive development of AI. In the face of the task of human rights protection, China maintains that all countries’ right to independently choose their path of human rights development should be respected. No country should impose its own will on others or interfere in others’ internal affairs in the name of human rights. In human rights protection, China is committed to putting people first and promoting the free and well-rounded development of the people. We have found a path of human rights development that suits China’s national conditions. China is ready to engage in equal-footed dialogue and exchanges with all countries and UN human rights bodies, and jointly promote the sound development of the global human rights cause. Mr. President, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. This is the history and the reality. Both the Cairo Declaration and the Postum Proclamation stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, such as Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, shall be restored to China. And this constitutes an important part of the post-war international order. Right here in this August Hall, 53 years ago, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority, deciding to restore all the rights of the People’s Republic of China at the UN, to recognize the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN, and to expel the representatives of the Taiwan region from the UN and all the organizations related to it. Once and for all, the resolution resolved the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, in the UN. It made clear that there is no such thing as two Chinas, or one China, one Taiwan. On this matter of principle, there is no gray zone or room for ambiguity. The complete reunification of China will be achieved. Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland. This is the overwhelming trend of history that no one and no force can stop. Mr. President, in a few days’ time, the People’s Republic of China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding. Over the past 75 years, no matter how the world changes, China’s dedication has not changed. It is dedicated to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also dedicated to human progress and world harmony. In the course of seeking its own development, China has kept in mind the common interests of the whole world, generating new opportunities for the world through its own development. Not long ago, the Third Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee made an important decision on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. It will set in motion a new journey where China joins hands with the world in common development and progress. Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to world peace. The Chinese culture values peace, and the Chinese nation has no tradition of external expansion. China, once a victim of foreign power bullying, knows full well the value of peace and the hard-won gains of development. In fact, China is the only major country that has written peaceful development into its constitution, and the only country among the five nuclear weapon states to pledge no first use of nuclear weapons. We are actively exploring and putting into practice the Chinese way of addressing hotspot issues, boosting the prospects for resolving the security dilemma and improving security. to foster a market-oriented, law-based, and world-class business environment. China has realized full mutual visa exemption with many countries, and is expanding its unilateral visa waiver program to facilitate two-way personnel flows. China is vigorously promoting high-quality belt and road cooperation, a concrete step to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China will also speed up the implementation of the eight measures in support of Global South cooperation and a series of initiatives supporting Africa’s peace and development in order to help countries in the Global South stride toward modernization. Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to improving global governance. China has been an abiding supporter of the UN’s continued reform and development to bring about a modernized UN 2.0. The international financial system needs to be more fit for the times, and global governance should be more balanced and effective. China will continue to fulfill its international obligations, provide financial support, and send our best minds to the United Nations. The UN system needs to respond to the legitimate calls of developing countries and increase the representation and voice of those in the Global South. Chinese modernization will contribute robustly to the advancement of human civilization. Chinese modernization is rooted in China’s commitment to the development of the world. China advocates that different civilizations respect and learn from each other to jointly advance the cause of human civilization. China has proposed the setting up of an International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. We call for more people-to-people exchanges and cooperation across the world to promote understanding and amity among people around the world. Mr. President, next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of this very organization. China stands ready to work with all countries to renew the founding purposes and mission of the UN, reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the UN Charter, advocate and practice true multilateralism, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly usher in a better world. Thank you.
President: I thank the special representative of President Xi Jinping, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of China. I now give the floor to His Excellency Murat Nurtleu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
Murat Nurtleu – Kazakhstan: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, let me first congratulate His Excellency Philemon Yang on his election as the President of the current session. I assure him I wish him every success in his noble endeavours. Excellencies, as we gather here, the global system is dangerously close to a breaking point. Dozens of our fellow member states represented in this August Hall are gripped by conflict and instability, claiming many thousands of lives. Entire continents are affected by the climate crisis. Multilateralism is struggling to keep pace. And yet, the United Nations is still the indispensable, universal organisation. After almost eight decades, it remains a vital platform for dialogue and cooperation on the most acute issues of our time. This undeniable fact compels states to keep working through the UN towards a sustainable world. It reinforces our determination to seek global peace and stability. And this Green Podium, this Hall, reminds us that no nation, no matter how powerful, can tackle global problems alone. Excellencies, the plight of millions of conflict victims worldwide, across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa, deserve immediate, decisive, and collective action. But the UN Security Council’s decision-making process is paralysed. As underscored by the Secretary-General, this sad reality undermines the credibility, legitimacy, and effectiveness of the organisation as a whole. Having annual discussions about reforming global institutions is no longer enough. It is time to enact the change our world so desperately needs. Last year, from this podium, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan introduced the initiative of world unity for just peace and harmony. This visionary framework seeks to cultivate peace, stability and security through meaningful and equitable engagement between the global south and global north. The voice of middle powers and developing nations are vital in bringing divides, bridging divides and nurturing a more effective international security architecture. It is in this spirit that I invite all nations to embrace my country’s initiative. Together, we can pave the way for a more harmonious and united world. Excellencies, the present risk of another nuclear arms race is exacerbating geopolitical polarization. For over four decades, Kazakhstan’s people and land were subject to the devastating effects of 456 nuclear tests. Nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation are key pillars of my country’s foreign policy. Kazakhstan is therefore deeply concerned by the escalating rhetoric of nuclear threats. We appeal to all nuclear states to adhere to the nonproliferation treaty and comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. I also urge those countries who have not joined the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons to do so as soon as possible for the safety, stability and survival of our world. As the chair of the third meeting of the TPNW, we will promote establishment of an international trust fund for assistance to victims of nuclear tests. Excellencies, another existential threat to no nation can afford to ignore is climate change. This year is expected to be the hottest on record. Droughts, floods and other weather calamities continue to cost lives and damage economies around the globe. We therefore call again on G20 countries and multilateral development banks to share the burden by providing green technologies and concessional financing to low and middle income countries in line with the Paris Agreement. Our region stands on the front line of global warming despite accounting for only 1% of global emissions. Central Asia will face an above average 2.5 degree increase in temperatures by 2050. This sober reality has deepened our commitment to addressing climate change. That is why my country will host the regional climate summit in 2026 aimed at further enhancing cooperation among UN members on climate resilience and green transition. One of the consequences of climate change is water scarcity across the world. It undermines food, energy, ecological systems. As the current chair of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan is working with regional partners on a long-term and sustainable cooperation mechanism for the effective use of water and energy resources in Central Asia. Our approach takes into account the interests of all stakeholders in irrigation, hydropower and environmental protection. Excellencies, the largest landlocked country, Kazakhstan, actively promotes the interests of all LLDC countries in addressing the multi-faceted challenges our group faces. Despite significant strides, we are still far from implementing the Vienna Program of Action. We are lagging on critical indicators, particularly the adoption of innovative technologies for trade facilitation and the development of transit and transport corridors. These challenges magnify the vulnerability of LLDC’s chock of investments to diminish trade and escalate the debt burden. Furthermore, our geographical constraints prevent us from integrating fully into global trade and economic processes on an equal footing. We are dedicated to advancing our group’s vital interests globally and regionally. My country is already a bridge for 80% of overland transit cargo traffic between Asia and Europe. Kazakhstan is committed to strengthening synergies between the Belt and Road Project The Global Gateway Initiative and the North, South and Trans-Caspian International Transport Road Corridors. Together we have the unique potential to transform our landlocked status into land-linked connectivity. Excellencies, The Summit of the Future distinctly highlighted digital transformation as the dividing force behind the 2030 Agenda. Part of the true key to this shift is ensuring every nation has equitable access to cutting-edge technologies. The rapid development of AI exacerbates cyber threats and brings new challenges. This includes its potential use in warfare, the consequences for data privacy, the risks of misuse for information wars, deepfakes, and more. Kazakhstan believes the UN can and must play a leading role in this revolutionary field. We urge technological and digital advanced states to take an active part in developing common ethics and standards to govern AI in the most responsible and peaceful way. The establishment of a UN AI office would be a welcome step in this direction. Excellencies, In the current geopolitical landscape, Central Asia is increasingly asserting itself in global affairs. Our region is not only a crossroad of cultures and economies, but it is also rapidly transforming into a bridge for cooperation between East and West. To adhere to the formula, successful Central Asia, successful Kazakhstan. Along with our partners, we are building a more connected and resilient Central Asia through a set of C5-plus dialogue platforms. Today, our regional agenda also includes the development of Afghanistan into a stable and predictable state, a reliable trade partner. In this context, the United Nations Regional Center on Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty will be a game-changer for coordinated SDG delivery. We do hope this innovative undertaking will receive broad support from Member States. Excellencies, upholding human rights is not merely an aspiration, but one of the key prerequisites of sustainable development. It is also the best antidote against those inequalities that are often the root cause of instability and conflicts. Our national reforms aim to build a just and fair Kazakhstan based on inclusivity, transparency, and the rule of law. My country has abolished the death penalty, instituted a zero-tolerance policy against torture, and strengthened national preventive mechanisms. To reinforce our commitment to the values of life and humanity, Kazakhstan, along with our Central Asian neighbors and Mongolia, is spearheading the initiative to build a We are advancing the UN Human Rights Council agenda by proposing impactful resolutions focused on children, child education, and combating domestic violence. Being one of the champions of repatriation of women and children from conflict zones in the Middle East, Kazakhstan will host an international conference in 2025 on best practices in the field of repatriation and reintegration. Through partnership with the UN volunteers, we are creating new opportunities for young people and actively promoting 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, both at home and on the global stage, Kazakhstan and its people stand resolute in our commitment to build a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future. Central to this mission is our unwavering dedication to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, embodying our shared aspiration for humanity. As we look ahead to the 80th anniversary of the United Nations next year, I urge all states to unite in the full implementing this ambitious agenda. We have the chance to transform this upcoming historical milestone into a true celebration of shared achievements. Let the summit of the future and the UN General Assembly session mark the beginning of a transformative journey towards a brighter and more inclusive future for all of us.
President: I thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. I now give the floor to His Excellency Chenda Sophea Sok, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia.
Chenda Sophea Sok – Cambodia: Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Your chosen theme, Leaving No One Behind, Acting Together for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development and Human Dignity for Present and Future Generations, mirrors the prevailing aspiration of the international community despite intractable security threats and challenges, as well as uncertainty and continuously evolving geopolitical landscape. The current picture of the world is grim. Violent armed conflict in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Myanmar and many other parts of the world and many more, rage on despite efforts to de-escalate them. Worse, with intensifying geopolitical tensions, any misstep in various flashpoints may trigger a regional or even global war, potentially involving nuclear weapons. Military spending has surged across the world, draining resources that could be used to address multiplying non-traditional threats, threats that no single country can effectively tackle alone, such as climate change, pandemics, food insecurity, technological disruption, transnational crime, and backsliding on SDGs. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, Cambodia cannot emphasize enough the urgency for all of us to act together to confront these daunting challenges. It is critical that the principles of the UN Charter and international law remain the backbone of the world order and global cooperation. The use of diplomacy and mediation must be prioritized to resolve conflict and prevent de-escalation. Cambodia believes that sustainable peace can be achieved only through meaningful dialogue based on mutual respect, genuine goodwill, tolerance, and a commitment to peaceful coexistence. Based on these core principles, Cambodia sees great merit in the new Agenda for Peace presented by the UN Secretary General and supports the actions laid out in the Pact for the Future for promoting international peace and security. Also based on these principles, Cambodia hopes for a prompt end to the war between Russia and Ukraine through diplomacy and dialogue based on equal respect. We commend all efforts to de-escalate the fighting and all initiatives that seek to end the war through peaceful means and that engage all sides to work together towards a lasting peace. On the Palestine-Israel conflict, Cambodia remains committed to its long-held support for a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions. We believe this plan is the only way Palestinians and Israelis can heal their prolonged antagonism and live side-by-side peacefully. Cambodia supports the establishment of the State of Palestine and Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the United Nations. Cambodia condemns all acts of terrorism and calls for dialogue to stop the ongoing war and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We are deeply concerned over the prospect of an all-out region-wide war in the Middle East with the latest report on intensifying fighting in Lebanon. The current rapid escalation of war in this region must stop. Members of the international community must insist on all sides to work proactively to seek ways to defuse the very grave situation now. The crisis in Myanmar remains a serious concern to us. Cambodia, along with other ASEAN member states, is committed to the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus as the basis for a peaceful and inclusive solution. We stress the importance of fostering an environment conducive to dialogue and to cease-fire negotiations. We also emphasize the The need for humanitarian relief and for a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led political process aimed at a lasting peace and reconciliation. ASEAN, on the strength of its diversity, should continue to lead the effort to help Myanmar restore normalcy and the Laos chairmanship. On the other hand, Cambodia welcomes the appointment of UN Secretary-General on Myanmar and looks forward to her working closely with the ASEAN Chair’s own Special Envoy on Myanmar. A final point, Cambodia opposes unilateral coercive measures. They have a detrimental impact on ordinary citizens in targeted nations. Sanctions and economic blockades disproportionately harm the most vulnerable and impede achievement of these sustainable development goals. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, let me touch now on leaving no one behind. Given Cambodia’s own dark past, we believe that peace is the key prerequisite for development, especially development that is sustainable and inclusive. Cambodia sees the attainment of sustainable development and human dignity for every individual as an absolute necessity. Cambodia’s current long-term development strategy, called the Pentagonal Strategy, aims to build Cambodia into a vibrant and just society that thrives on lasting peace, political stability, good governance, and respect for the rule of law. With economic growth projected to reach 6% in 2024, Cambodia is on track to further reduce poverty to below 10% by 2028. It is also on track again to gain upper middle income status by 2030 and high income status by 2050. How do we get there? First, Cambodia will give top priority to building its human capital to meet the demand of the digital age. We will invest more on, first, quality education, science and technology, second, training and technical skill, third, health and well-being, and fourth, food security and equal social protection with special attention to women, girls, and the marginalized. Second, we will deepen economic diversification by developing key sectors such as transportation and energy, and we will promote new drivers for economic growth and job creation. The construction of the Phunan-Decho Canal, inaugurated last month, will connect our capital, Phnom Penh, to the Gulf of Thailand. It will be a game-changer for sustainable growth in Cambodia and for improving the livelihood of our people. Third, to enhance efficiency, inclusion, and access to public services, Cambodia will accelerate the development of e-government and of a digital economy and society. I am happy to note our significant investment in financial inclusion with the introduction of an interoperable digital payment system by the Central Bank using blockchain technology called Bakong. Fourth, we take a whole-of-society approach to development that seeks to enhance resilience, sustainability, and inclusion by promoting gender equality, a green and circular economy, and environmental protection. After years on the list of the least developed countries, Cambodia looks forward to its expected graduation by LDC status by 2029. these milestones will reflect our impressive progress on our journey of revival and development. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, Cambodia values multilateralism, the rule-based international order, the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international law. These are indispensable for consensus building and mobilizing concerted actions. And we worry that confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of multilateralism is eroding. Conflicts are multiplying. Geopolitical competition is intensifying. Adherence to international regimes is declining on many fronts. Armed control, trade, the environment, human rights. In this time that member states reaffirm, it is time that member states reaffirm their commitment to the global system and rebuild trust in it. The United Nations, with its unparalleled convening power, has long been the driving force in addressing global challenges and promoting cooperation among states. But unprecedented challenges today are testing the limit of this esteemed body. We urgently need to revitalize the UN and make it more robust and more proactive. Cambodia fully supports the Secretary General’s reform agenda, including the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform. The UN Security Council needs to be tailored to the 21st century and to be effective for today’s task. Its composition must be more fairly representative. As the Secretary General has rightly stated, we can create a future fit for our grandchildren, with systems built for our grandparents. Cambodia also fully supports the Secretary General’s call for bold climate actions. To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, as it has pledged it would do, Cambodia has launched many measures, including raising the current 62 renewable energy share. In July, under ECOSOC, we welcomed the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on SDGs. We reaffirmed our commitment to the 2030 Agenda. We endorsed an effort to bridge the SDG financial gap, reform the global financial system, and strengthen multilateral governance. As all of us together look to the future, it should seem evident that no nation can achieve these ambitious goals alone. Global challenges demand global solutions. Cambodia is committed to strengthening international cooperation, sharing knowledge and best practices, and working collaboratively with our global partners. By acting together, all of us here can create a world where peace, sustainable development, and human dignity are a reality for all our peoples. Cambodia commends the success of the Summit of the Future and reaffirms our steadfast commitment to the letter and the spirit of the Pact for the Future, to international peace and security, to turbo-charging SDGs, to modernizing multilateral institutions. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, Cambodia is proud to play a significant role in global peacekeeping. Since 2006, we have sent over 9,000 of our people to serve in 11 UN missions, including over 800 women. We are honored to present our candidacy for membership in the Organizational Committee for the Peacebuilding Commission for Thailand. We seek your support for our bids. Cambodia supports relevant adjustments and reforms to increase the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and promote the agenda for women, peace and security, and youth peace and security. Cambodia is also honoured to host the 5th Review Conference of the Mindband Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, in November in Siem Reap. This landmark event will serve as a platform for renewed global solidarity in the pursuit of a world free from the scourge of anti-personal mind. We extend a warm invitation to all Member States to join us for this important gathering. To conclude, Cambodia reaffirms its steadfast commitment to working hand-in-hand with the UN and all Member States to advance the noble goals of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity. Cambodia stands ready to contribute our unique experience, resources, and unwavering determination to this endeavour. For Cambodia, sustainable and inclusive development means no one and no place is left behind. I thank you for your kind attention.
President: I thank the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia. I now give the floor to His Excellency Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg.
Xavier Bettel – Luxembourg: Colleagues, it’s an honour to be in front of you again for being able to speak about the situation and how we see the world. I listened to a lot of speeches and when I listened to the main theme of the topic we had last week and the beginning of the week, No One Behind, I have to tell you that we are in a bit of a special situation. How should you explain to someone in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Kiev, in so many different places around the world that we want to leave no one behind? That just because of war. How would you explain to some of the countries now that after some national elections the development and the aid for those more poor countries are cut by saying no one behind? How do you want to say to people waiting outside, demonstrating outside that we came here together to find solutions about all the troubles that we have nowadays? I can tell you that for them we are just discussing but not acting. We are like a very barking dog without teeth, barking all the time but leaving so many people behind. That’s just a not so optimistic introduction but this is the case how it is today when I see that for the moment 60 conflicts are existing and about 50 conflicts could start tomorrow. So in total we have about 115 conflicts potentially or existing already and they go from Congo to Yemen, from Sudan to Myanmar, from Syria to Venezuela, from Haiti to Libya, from Armenia to Azerbaijan could happen tomorrow. So you see the whole world is in fact, if you look geographically, in conflict. You have these big conflicts we speak a lot about but you have also all these little conflicts who are not on our agenda every day but where people suffer that much also. I have next week a meeting of the French-speaking countries and as I want to be welcomed, don’t And now, excuse me, I will continue also in French. When I speak of the major conflicts that exist, let me begin with Ukraine. This week we had President Zelensky here, and a lot of you have been to Kyiv. You’ve been there to support Ukrainian colleagues. And I remember the discussions that we’ve had here, and I see a couple of colleagues from the Russian Federation here. That’s good. It’s something new. Very often they leave the room. I’d like to ask them today why there is this war. Why this war? I remember at the beginning of this conflict, a lot of you felt that this wasn’t my role, but I tried to dialogue with President Putin and also have a dialogue with President Zelensky, and I remember the arguments that were put forward. I won’t tell you details of my discussion with President Putin, but asking why Russia has attacked Ukraine. And it was â we were told that it was Ukraine that wanted to make Russia fearful, that it was a danger to Russia. Beginning a war is easy. Ending a war is what requires greatness. And you can have peace conferences. They are organized. But without the presence of Russia or China, believe me, these are moments of moral support for Ukraine. But if we want to find a solution, then you have to get everybody around the table to find a lasting solution for Ukraine. We ourselves are Luxembourg, and we are a small country, but twice we have experienced aggression. Twice we thought we had neighbors that thought they knew better for our country than we did ourselves. And so we understand the suffering of Ukraine. We know what it is to have a bigger neighbor and a neighbor that feels they know better. Today, in the European Union, Germany is a brotherly country, a partner country with France and Belgium. And we are lucky to have the European Union of 1957. And when we see conflicts in this world, you see that the European Union, and we’re not always the best example in everything, but you can see that we live in peace. And that goes from Baltic countries down to Portugal, from Greece to Ireland. And you can see that it works when you sit around a table and discuss things. Or at the time when we had conflicts, you see that it was force that was the response. So let’s get around the table with our partners, but let’s have peace talks where we also have the Russian partners and the Russian partners participating so that we can work out a plan for the future. Luxembourg does what it can. We have supported demining, for example. And don’t forget, I just visited Laos. 30 years after the war, 40 years after the war, people are still dying from remnants of war. And don’t forget that if tomorrow the war in Ukraine comes to an end, there will still be victims tomorrow and the day after and the day after that as human consequences of having placed mines everywhere. We have to also help children that have been deported to Russia, and we need to ensure that impunity is not the rule. And after conflict, of course, referring to Ukraine, I have to refer to the Middle East. This week we’ve had discussions with partners to find a two-state solution. For me, what is important today is that we have to be conscious of the fact that there won’t be a winner of this war. What’s being caused here? How do you explain to a young Israeli that Palestine is a friendly country when their brothers or sisters are held hostage by Hamas? How do you want to explain to a young Palestinian that Israel, its neighboring country, somebody said after the if the head of Hezbollah is killed there’ll be no terrorism that’s the same but these terrorist organizations are like octopuses if you cut off one arm another one grows there’s no one approach against them fanaticism we we have to restore the hope of young people and if we don’t find a solution quickly we are training future generations for Hamas and Hezbollah in that region that is so full of conflict 40,000 people already dead UNRWA which is an organization that is part of this house let’s remember that and that is being placed on the list of terrorist organizations are we all going to accept that our own agency working there be considered as a terrorist organization and for those that are not familiar with UNRWA’s work I counsel you to go to Palestine and see what UNRWA is doing on the ground providing education health if there wouldn’t be that if UNRWA wasn’t there they’re doing everything to ensure that they can do what they can so many people have already given their lives to UNRWA to help the Palestinian people and if we accept here that UNRWA is considered a criminal organization we open the Pandora’s box for everything we have to understand today that there’s no alternative to UNRWA and no one is saying well I can replace UNRWA I can I can deal with Palestine tomorrow whatever happens So, I really do urgently call upon Israel to stop placing an agency of this House on a terrorist list, and we are not reacting to it. That means we’re accomplices in accepting everything. Now, I understand that Israel has the right to self-defense, but there are limits as well, and it’s important to be balanced. On this matter, people always want to say you’re for Israel or you’re for Palestine or you’re against one or against the other. No, you can be for peace. You can be for the civilian population without being in favor of one or not in favor of the other. We think too much about this one party against another party, and it’s the civilians that suffer. We talk about recognition as well. My country is one of the few countries that has not recognized. Some countries have recognized. Okay, but that recognition is a one-time thing. I don’t want to have recognition just as a symbol. I want it to have an impact. So that’s also a message to all of you that haven’t yet do this. Let’s coordinate, have an exchange of views, and see how we can have an impact on the ground so that that has an effect, not just to say, well, we’re giving moral support and that is â we want to help the people that are there on the ground. And there will need to be a two-state solution. We need a two-state solution, and we need to realize that peace in Palestine will constitute the security of Israel. And without peace in Palestine, there will never be any guaranteed peace for Israel. They go hand in hand. And I’d like to have this coordination between countries. And if there is no coordination, then we need to think about possibly opening up a diplomatic representation in Israel and in Palestine that we haven’t yet done as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, to stress that we want to have two states that we recognize. And when I think of the vote that was held here a little time ago, Do you agree with the interpretation of the ICJ? We asked for an opinion. Let’s not forget that. Do we decide afterwards whether we want to respect that opinion? You don’t wait for a judge to give a ruling and then say whether you agree with it or not. No, you request an opinion of a judge and then you request the opinion of that international organisation or it may as well not be there in the first place. So, the Sahel, another difficult area where some years ago we were discussing with partners. Now we’ve seen coups and instability in Africa. People who are becoming refugees because they’re afraid that they might be mistreated by the coup leaders that took power overnight. What’s important for me, I’m a foreign affairs minister, but I’m also a minister for cooperation. We’ve spoken about the Pact for the Future, we’ve spoken about this investment and I remember as former prime minister the Millennium Goals, the MDGs. Now we have the Sustainable Development Goals and particularly this year is the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and we speak about these things. But we forget as well. As new minister for cooperation, I have established new criteria. I, for example, have asked countries with which we’ve signed an agreement that I don’t want to dictate things. For a long time Europe thought it knew what was best for Africans. No, Africans have to make their own choices. But it’s important to support them as well through cooperation policies and then you can have partnerships, you can have exchanges and collaborations. What I ask of those countries, however, is not the minerals, it’s not about their economic recovery and I’m not asking them to change their legislation. All I’m asking is that they don’t backslide, that they don’t go backwards. So in other words, the rights that exist for everybody already are respected, be that the rights of women. When I think of a country that’s a member here where women don’t have the right anymore to be educated, do we accept that? No. And I won’t shut up about that. I don’t accept it. Where religions can’t be followed in a country, no, I don’t accept that. And when we ask that the rights of minorities and gender minorities are respected as it exists today and there be no backsliding, I will say something if that’s not the case. This week I was at a meeting with a head of state, an African head of state, and I wanted to work with them. And I spoke about these three conditions. The importance of respecting them. And that head of state told me with regard to sexual minorities that if their population feel that homosexuality is a crime, then they will criminalize it. To be a head of state, Mr. President, is not always to do what the majority wants. It’s also to defend the minorities in a country. You can’t always follow what some people want against others, to be done against others. In a country of diversity is what makes the wealth of a country. And if tomorrow rights that exist now are withdrawn, that means that I can’t have a serene dialogue with that country if they go in that direction. And I regret that very much. And I’m not asking anybody to change their rules on abortion or religion or to have marriage for everyone or give rights today that don’t exist. But don’t backtrack. These are things that we’ve seen in Europe and elsewhere in the world. So don’t make that mistake of going back to a previous world. And the pact for the future. And we’ve got SDG 16, rule of law and justice. I’d like to thank â I’m grateful for the discussion that we’ve had here talking about the rule of law. Now, in the EU even, we have certain countries that see this rather flexibly. I don’t think that’s acceptable. And we have had to take action within the European Union against certain countries. But we do have to keep our backbone here when it comes to women’s rights and justice. Women’s rights, for example, in Luxembourg. We’ve discussed whether we should give additional Money to political parties that place more women on electoral lists. But why give a premium for something that should be normal? We have decided that if somebody doesn’t do this, there will be less money. But why should we give more money for doing something that should be normal? No, you can make progress, logical progress, rather than giving a premium to an organization to do something that should be normal. The environment. When I look at the SDGs, we speak about the environment. Well, that seems to be a little bit forgotten. I mean, we had a lot of demonstrations, Fridays for Future and others, and then the economy seemed to take the upper hand on the environment. And don’t forget that some countries might disappear with the environment. I mean, we’re surrounded by other big land masses, so we won’t. But some islands might risk disappearing. Are we aware that it might not be a popular view, but if we don’t act, then we will be leaving heritage to future generations that we won’t be proud of. There’s a COP coming up in Baku, and I think that that will be a very important point in time for all of us. And today we have a conflict between them and Armenia, and I hope it will be solved before that COP. Let’s do that. Let’s commit ourselves to peace in Azerbaijan. Let’s show that we can be proud to come to Baku, that we can be proud to have results where everyone will be happy to have gone without having it in the back of their minds. Is there a risk that tomorrow there might be a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia? So let’s deal with that. That’s really all I can recommend. Then with regard to this dog that barks but never dies. Yes, in Europe we have rules like we do in the UN that date back to The Leftovers of the Second World War, with the five permanent members and Africa not represented. And in 2024, now we’re asking ourselves, well, how can we have a Security Council talking about the world without Africa being represented? That’s the first thing. And now we’re being told, well, it would be good to have this and that country as a permanent member. I’m not opposed to that, but it’s not by enlarging the circle of the privileged that we will become more efficient. If we want to be more efficient, effective, we have to ask ourselves the question whether it’s normal that a permanent member through a veto is able to block a process. No, it’s not. I think you have to think about this Security Council reform. Why couldn’t it be that if a country enters a veto and the two-thirds majority would be able to overturn that veto and that then there would be a vote in the General Assembly? And if two-thirds here as well voted in a different direction to the veto, then that veto would be rendered ineffective. If we want to make progress, that’s the only thing we can do. Just having more members in the Security Council would just be expanding the problem because more people would have the right to veto. So I conclude here, Mr. President, by saying that being a permanent member of this House is not a privilege. It’s a responsibility. And if you look at the time that this was created, it was done by countries that were there to guarantee power. They were the major powers that were there because they were the guarantors of peace, whereas today some of them are more troublemakers than anything else. And they prevent us finding peaceful solutions which are in everyone’s interest. My dream, Mr. President, is to come here one day and address you being convinced that we can say that in this world, and I said this three or four years ago in my speech, that we can say that in this world, and I said this three or four years ago in my speech, Irrespective of where we are and the color that we might have, the religion that we might follow, our gender, our sexual orientation, how much money my parents had, I have the same chances, the same rights, but also the same obligations. And then I would be proud to be part of an international community. I thank you.
President: I thank the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg. I now give the floor to His Excellency Abdoulaye Maiga, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization of Mali.
Abdoulaye Maiga – Mali: Distinguished President of the General Assembly, distinguished Heads of State and Government, Secretary General of the United Nations, Ladies and gentlemen, at the outset, I’d like to convey the warm greetings of His Excellency Colonel Assimi Goïta, President of the Transition Head of State of Mali, and those of the Government and people of Mali. Mr. President, I’d like to also warmly congratulate you on behalf of the Malian delegation on your brilliant election to the presidency of the 79th session of the General Assembly. Your beautiful country, Cameroon, an African country that is our brother and friend, enjoys excellent relations with my country. You can count on the full support of the Malian delegation. support of Mali as you fulfill your mandate successfully. Here I also congratulate your predecessor, Ambassador Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, for his outstanding leadership of the work of the 78th session of the General Assembly. And lastly, allow me to reiterate to the Secretary General of the UN, Mr. Antonio Guterres, our encouragement to continue his efforts to achieve the noble goals of our common organization. Mr. President, on June 26, 1945, by signing the UN Charter in San Francisco, the peoples of the world pledged resolutely, I quote, to protect future generations from the scourge of war, which twice in one human lifetime inflicted unthinkable suffering upon humanity, end quote. Today, we have the opportunity to discuss the following theme, leaving no one behind, acting together to promote peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for our present and future generations. The choice of this theme, 79 years after the signing of the UN Charter, is it a simple coincidence or the outcome of a certain mindset? We don’t know. However, we must note, unfortunately, that the question of preserving generations is still a keenly relevant one, not only future generations but also our own generation. Is this a failure of the UN? It is certain that an objective assessment with realistic recommendations regarding our collective system would be key for our future. Mr. President, Mali, commends the relevance of this theme, which is one of pressing importance. It is true that tensions and wars currently underway continue to jeopardize international peace and security, development, and the fundamental rights of populations. This comment comes from a country that, since 2012, has been experiencing a multifaceted and complex crisis that has led to the loss of more than half its territory and caused many innocent victims through an incestuous opportunistic association of terrorist groups and armed forces â armed groups. Mr. President, the drama in Mali dates back to the allegiance between the cell office group for call and combat of al-Qaida to the GSPC, Algerian â Algerian GSPC, on September 11, 2006, exacerbated by the intervention of NATO in Libya in 2011, a reckless intervention. The destabilization of this country, this brotherly country, has exacerbated insecurity in our country through terrorism, all kinds of trafficking, laundering of capital, and community conflicts manipulated by terrorists and their foreign state sponsors, as well as the violent actions of certain individuals. For their part, the Malian authorities, having noted and witnessed the failure of international forces â on their territory since 2013, decided to take their fate back into their own hands. And since June 7th, 2021, after the swearing-in of His Excellency Colonel Azimi Goyta, President of the Transition and Head of State, a vast campaign was launched to equip and reorganize the defense and security forces associated with a Malian transformation project. The National Refoundation Conference was launched in December 2021. It allowed Malians to engage in an exhaustive diagnosis of the causes of the crisis, followed by the adoption of 517 relevant recommendations. In this vein, and after having experienced insecurity caused by the circumstances, we took stock of what was happening in Mali, and it was frightening. Mali was battered, humiliated, looted and pillaged, abandoned, left high and dry, stabbed in the back. I could go on with these expressions to describe the suffering experienced by the people and the Malian defense and security forces. Based on this experience, knowing that the danger to Mali resulted from these circumstances, His Excellency Colonel Azimi Goyta, President of the Transition and Head of State of Mali, laid forth a realistic vision of the geopolitical situation. Using a popular Bambara proverb, which I hear loosely translate, the delectable sauce on one man’s table comes from the theft of another man’s cattle, Thomas Hobbes, describing the state of nature in a similar manner, stated that man is the wolf of men. Based on these proverbs about gastronomic and hunting references, the head of state described the ruthless reality of international relations, and especially the role of Africa, the looting of the raw commodities of which serve the development of others and not Africans for the most part. In addition to this vision, the head of state instructed or called on Malians as part of the re-foundation to become themselves again. The head of state, on April 23, 2024, launched the National Program for Education on Values, which aims at a return to our origins, without which it would be difficult to imagine a bright future for our country in its legitimate quest for sovereignty. This call to become ourselves again has to do with the question of who we are. The immediate response to this question was provided by the slogan of Mali. One people, a great family and cosmopolitan nation. One goal, to amplify diversity in unity. To better define what it means to be Malian, Prof. Ibrahim Ndiaye, expert within the Committee on the Implementation of the National Program for Education on Values, stated that Malians are characterized on one hand by five cardinal values, humanity, empathy, the obligation to transmit human values to future generations, the sense of honor, accepting differences and otherness on the social, human, and cultural fronts. And on the other hand, five inviolable principles that have to do with the country itself, that is an indivisible, inalienable Mali, a Mali that’s not for sale, a Mali that’s no one’s property, an imperishable Mali. Mr. President, by being themselves, Malians have forged a third path. They are not becoming predators, lawless barbarians that seek to rustle other people’s cattle, but also not to become eternally powerless victims of predation. The middle path promoted by Mali consists of carrying out our own development, taking a more virtuous path, ensuring the respect of our sovereignty while respecting that of others, rejecting outside control, and refusing to interfere in others’ internal affairs, remaining open to all partnerships based on a win-win relationship. It’s also important to note that these principles and values characterize Bintadis Bintandis, the Burundi peoples of Burkina Faso and Niger. With regard to the Malian political transition, we must recall that following the National Refoundation Conference, the Malian people chose to conduct political reforms before holding elections in order to firmly establish virtuous governance. The implementation of the recommendations of the conference allowed us to achieve tangible results, especially the establishment of the independent authority of elections management, the adoption of a new constitution on July 22nd, 2023, following a well-organized referendum, the completion of our territorial and administrative reorganization, strengthening our fight against corruption and bolstering transparency in public action, and the revision of our mining code to make it more equitable and to favor local regulations. Mr. President, to further foster national unity, which is the basis of all development, the head of state announced on December 31st, 2023 the holding of the Inter-Malian Dialogue for Peace and Reconciliation to, quote, eliminate the root causes of community and inter-community conflict with the ultimate goal of reconciling these communities. Based on a participatory and inclusive approach, the Inter-Malian Dialogue took place in three stages on the communal, regional, and national levels, allowing Malians, both within the country and abroad, to engage in transparent exchanges to find Malian solutions for prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts. Unlike the agreement on peace and reconciliation that resulted from the Algiers process, which certain parties, signatories to which have actually turned toward terrorism, which has become a pretext for certain states to interfere in our internal affairs, the Inter-Malian Dialogue allowed Malians to air the dirty laundry within their families without external interference. After the demise of the Algiers Accord on January 25th, 2024, today the Inter-Malian Dialogue and its recommendations, officially submitted to the head of state on May 13th, 2024, remain the only reference frame for internal conflict resolution. We once again call on all Malians to join this trend toward reconciliation, a key stage toward returning to constitutional order which would be secure and stable thanks to the holding of presidential elections. When it comes to combating insecurity, since the Malian Defense and Security Forces began launching offensive actions autonomously, they’ve achieved many successes with regard to combating terrorism. Several regions have now been recovered from the hands of terrorist groups, especially the region of Kidal on November 14th, 2023, after a memorable military operation. Today, terrorist groups have been severely weakened. The Malian Defense and Security Forces have been deployed throughout the national territory. In addition, our forces’ offensive The government of Mali remains aware that a purely security-based response is limited in its effectiveness. That’s why, in addition to military action, the government of Mali has a comprehensive integrated strategy with the goal of restoring the authority of the state throughout the national territory. It includes political administrative measures as well as measures for economic and social development, including dialogue with armed groups and the provision of basic social services to our brave population. Despite these concrete and positive results, these criminal groups continue to have a certain capacity to cause trouble through their desperate attempts to undermine our territorial integrity, and they are terrorizing our populations. And here, from this podium, I must denounce the support for these groups from foreign state sponsors. After years of denouncing these state sponsors that are supporting international terrorism, Ukrainian authorities flagrantly violated in an unprecedented way the UN Charter, as well as the relevant UN conventions and resolutions regarding the prevention of terrorism. And the officials of this country, having confused the international arena for a theater stage, acknowledged their participation in the cowardly terrorist attack against a patrol of the Defense and Security Forces on July 24th to 26th, 2024, in Tinzawatin in the region of Kidal. Mr. President, in light of the conflict situation in the Sahel, motivated solely by their desire to take their country’s fate into their own hands, Their Excellencies Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of FASO, head of state of Burkina, Colonel Asim Egoita, President of the Transition, head of state of Mali, and Brigadier General Abdurrahman Tiani, President of the National Council for the Salvation of the Homeland, head of state of Niger, launched the Alliance of the States of the Sahel, which is a collective defense and mutual assistance architecture to combat terrorism, by signing the Liptakogorma Charter on September 16th, 2023. Ten months later, exactly ten months later, on July 6th, 2024, the founding fathers of the AES, the Alliance of States of the Sahel, sovereignly decided to transform this mechanism into a confederation based on three pillars, diplomacy, defense, and development, with the ultimate goal of bringing about a federation. Very quickly, important results were achieved. in the fight against terrorism, thanks to our pooling of our resources for defense, as well as joint military operations, and thanks to our tireless commitment to eradicating terrorism. That is why the member states of the Confederation of States of the Sahel on August 19, 2024, sent a joint letter to the Security Council of the United Nations to condemn the support of the Ukrainian authorities for international terrorism, to denounce aggression against Mali, and to demand that the Security Council take appropriate measures against the Ukrainian government. Here, I would also like to recall that this letter was sent at a time when Mali was still waiting for the outcome of a previous letter sent to the Security Council from August 15, 2022, which exposed the acts of aggression committed by France against Mali, as well as France’s involvement in the promotion of three forms of terrorism in the Sahel â armed terrorism, economic terrorism, and media terrorism. With a surface area of 2.758 million square kilometers, with 71 million inhabitants, most the young people, with an outstanding economic potential, as well as mineral resources covering almost all of the elements of the periodic table, the Confederation of the States of the Sahel, based on the heads of state, peoples, and defense and security forces, are well aware of their own dignity and their honor. And they’re more motivated than ever by the blood of their own treacherously spilled. They are resolved to combat terrorism in all of its forms and to honor the memory of victims, civilians and soldiers, Sahelians and foreigners. They are determined to defend their territorial integrity and to ensure their prosperity in a peaceful manner, as laid out in the preamble of the Lip Takabuma Charter, which refers to various international organizations, including ECOWAS, and to universal values. As for the lords of war and chaos, with the assistance of God, we will triumph again and always over your sinister and diabolical schemes. Strangely, since the creation of the AES, we’ve been surprised by the fierce hostility it has encountered, especially from certain officials of ECOWAS who are Acting on the orders of imperialist and neo-colonial entities The rest of history is well known. Amadou Hampate Bah said, I quote, If you try too hard to get rid of a pesky frog, it will end up settling in your own pond, end quote. The Confederation of States of the Sahel is open to all investors as long as the partnership benefits the populations of the Sahel and as long as it respects the sovereignty of states. Mr. President. Here, I would like to commend relations of cooperation, which are exemplary and productive between Mali and Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, and many other of our true allies. Mali remains open to all partners that wish to help it address its many challenges. In this regard, I reaffirm that the government of Mali remains willing to pursue and bolster its cooperation with the UN, especially through its agencies, funds, and programs with which we enjoy excellent cooperation relations. Here as well, we would like to commend and recognize the wisdom of His Excellency, President Abdelmajid Tabun, President of the Democratic Republic of Algeria. On August 29, 2024, during a visit to the south of Algeria, you had said that Libya, Niger, and Mali were brotherly nations which you supported and would never harm. The Malian people were not surprised by these remarks, which eloquently demonstrated your Pan-Africanism, like that of your celebrated predecessors, including late President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, effectuously nicknamed Abdelkader Mali. After his establishment in Gao and the commitment made by Malian authorities through the following actions â offering Malian territory as a rear base for the Mujahideen, thus opening up a southern front, taking part in armed battles against the French colonizers, deploying Malian combatants alongside Mujahideen on the Algerian territory to defend the freedom and dignity of Algerians, defending the Algerian cause and all diplomatic institutions until they recovered their independence. However, it is our duty to call to your noble attention The incongruous remarks made by two of your colleagues, which go against your wish to promote harmonious relations with your neighbors, including Mali. On July 31st, 2024, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs declared that the Malian crisis did not need a military solution. He said this is a conflict between brothers. The solution must be political. With regard to the Algiers Accord, he stated that it was beneficial to Mali and had protected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Mali. Deviating from this accord, therefore, would have a negative impact on all of its achievements, he said. In addition, on August 26th, 2024, your representative to the UN declared, I quote, this morning I learned from media reports that a drone carried out a strike in the north of Mali killing about 20 civilians. Those who were operating this drone can be held accountable to no one, end quote. If you look at those first remarks, you can see major interference in the internal affairs of Mali. The nature of the solution used by the Malian authorities concerns only the Malians themselves. With the demise of the Algiers Agreement on January 25th, 2024, Malians have only one wish regarding its fate, that it rest in peace. Distinguished Minister of Foreign Affairs, the accord is dead and gone, and you will not be able to resurrect it. Here I would like to reiterate that no one loves Mali more than Malians. I also remind you that Mali and its people are not just spectators in the face of attacks and adversity. For every bullet fired against us, we will reciprocate. For every word employed against us, we will reciprocate. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. As for the Algerian PR, in addition to providing Rubin Bord, I’m sure associated with delicious dishes like shakshuka and shorba, for fugitive terrorists and renegades, his role as go-between is in no way assisting the promotion of neighborly relations. In his remarks, he makes serious baseless accusations, on one hand implying that the victims were civilians, which is defamatory and irresponsible, and on the other hand, he stated that the operators of the drones were not accountable to anyone. This helps to fuel a disinformation campaign against Mali while supporting the idea that the valiant Malian defense and security forces would be incapable of themselves operating drones. Here, I would like to remind you that the rise and the improvement of the Malian armed forces is a tangible reality that has helped us to regain control of all of our national territory. The operators were indeed Malians who acted with professionalism, like the rest of the defense and security forces, and they were targeting terrorists in accordance with international norms. I remind you that several years ago, those who promoted the instrumentalization of human rights were determined to tarnish the counterterrorism performance of the national Algerian army, and they highlighted the subversive question of who is killing whom. And today, we are very disturbed that the Algerian PR himself is the one weaponizing human rights against the Malian army. Mali calls for these two mad diplomats to stop meddling in history. Clearly, they have no idea about the history between the people of Algeria and of Mali and the contributions of Mali to the war of liberation in Algeria. They also are ignorant of geography because they wrongly consider Mali to be a wilaya, that is, an Algerian province. Mr. President, Mali, I repeat, calls on these two wayward diplomats to cease to interfere in this history. They clearly know nothing about the history between Mali and Algeria, and they wrongly consider Mali to be a wilaya, that is, an Algerian province. I repeat once more, Mali calls on these two wayward diplomats to cease to interfere in a history they don’t understand. They clearly are ignorant about the history between the peoples of Mali and Nigeria, the extraordinary contribution of Mali to the war liberation in Algeria, and they are also ignorant of geography because they wrongly consider Mali to be a Wilaya or an Algerian province. Mr. President, with regard to the regional international situation, Mali remains closely â continues to closely follow developments in Africa and the rest of the world. We are deeply concerned by the violence in the Middle East, especially occupied Palestinian territory. The Malian people reaffirm the support for the brotherly Palestinian people in a legitimate battle for self-determination. The government of Mali reaffirms its support for the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within secure, internationally recognized borders. We condemn without reserve the indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli army against the Palestinians. On the humanitarian front, Mali is concerned by the situation, the dire plight of millions of refugees and IDPs throughout the world due to armed conflict, natural disasters, and climate change. Here, I’m thinking in particular of my countrymen who are refugees in neighboring countries, countries that I thank for their hospitality and generosity. I assure them that the government of Mali will spare no effort to continue to assist them and to pave the way for a dignified return of these refugees, a safe and dignified return to their homes. There are many challenges to international peace and security, and these call for a reform of the UN architecture. In the same vein, Mali continues to advocate a reform of global political, economic, and financial governance to create optimal and just conditions for the development of our countries. In light of this, Mali continues to call for a reform of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. Similarly, we welcome alternative and credible models such as BRICS. Climate change constitutes a real threat for current generations. We must have the courage Thank you all for your courage to leave behind dogmatism and narrow self-serving interests with regard to this issue. The time has come to effectively implement the decisions of our summits and of our COPs. The countries that caused climate change must shoulder their full responsibility, including by supporting the efforts of countries of the South to engage in eco-friendly development. Mr. President, in closing, I would like to observe that this 79th session of the General Assembly is taking place in a context marked by massive challenges for our states and for our multilateral institutions. International peace and security have never been in such danger since the two world wars, including in danger from international terrorism and violent extremism. In this context, it is difficult to attain the SDGs by 2030 when it comes to education, health care, access to drinking water, energy, and justice. However, despite these obstacles, Mali remains ready to fully play its role in the implementation of its national and international commitments while continuing to hope in the future. May God bless Mali and preserve Malians from obscurantist and destructive forces throughout the world. May God bless the Confederation of States of the Sahel and protect the populations of the Sahel from obscurantist, destructive forces throughout the world. May God bless Africa, and protect Africans from obscurantist and destructive forces throughout the world. May God bless the world and protect all of humanity from obscurantist and destructive forces in the world. Thank you for your very kind attention.
President: I thank the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization of Mali. I now give the floor to Her Excellency Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi – Indonesia: Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Mr. President, this is my last opportunity as the Foreign Minister of Indonesia to represent my country to speak before the UNGA, a decade of so many challenges, but at the same time, a decade of Indonesia’s many contributions in addressing global issues. One of them is Palestine. Indonesia cannot, I repeat, cannot sit back and relax seeing the injustice that continues to be committed against the people of Palestine. Indonesia is and will always stand with the people of Palestine to attend their right to have an independent state of Palestine. As I speak now, more than 41,000 people in Gaza have been killed. Situations in the West Bank and Lebanon are deteriorating. Is that not enough? Will the Security Council only take action to stop Israel’s atrocities when all Palestinians are displaced, or when 100,000 Palestinians are killed, or when a regional armed conflict breaks out? That will be too late. PM Netanyahu yesterday mentioned, and I quote, that Israel seeks peace, that Israel yearns for peace. Really? How are we supposed to believe that statement? Yesterday, while he was here, Israel conducted unprecedented massive air attack on Beirut. PM Netanyahu wants the war to continue. We must stop that. I repeat, we must stop that. We must pressure Israel to come back to a political solution for a two-state solution. Mr. President, the overwhelming majority of the UN members strongly support the two-state solution, and this is the right time to walk the talk. Recognizing the state of Palestine is the least that we can do now to give Palestinians equal footing on the world stage and to exert pressure to Israel to stop their atrocities. Therefore, I urge countries that have yet to recognize the state of Palestine to do so now. If every each of us does it, for sure it will give impact. The recognition of Palestine today is an investment that will yield a more peaceful, just, and human world tomorrow. Once again, Indonesia urges the permanent members of the Security Council to concretely act to immediately stop Israel from blatantly violating international law and to end Israel’s impunity. The mandate of the Security Council is to maintain peace, to create peace, not to maintain and prolong wars, or even worse, to support the perpetrator of atrocities. Inaction means complicity. Colleagues, wherever Indonesia goes, we carry the voices of the global South. Indonesia started this commitment in 1955, when Indonesia hosted the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia. The Bandung spirit of equality, cooperation, and solidarity will always be alive to inspire the global South to gain their rights, including their rights to development. That is the spirit that we need if we want to have a global leadership where moral virtues are the compass of our business. Do not bury the principle of the UN Charter and international law under the rubble of double standard, trust deficit, and zero-sum game. Mr. President, Excellencies, against these global challenges, Indonesia continues to be part of the solution. By embodying this commitment, Indonesia’s presidency in 2022 managed to prevent the G20 from collapsing, despite deep geopolitical division. During the global pandemic, we led the establishment of the Pandemic Fund and co-chaired the COVAX AMC Engagement Group to ensure that Indonesia’s future is secure. As a member of the Human Rights Council, Indonesia continuously calls for inclusive partnership in addressing global human rights issues. And amidst regional rivalries, Indonesia pioneered the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as a framework for concrete and inclusive cooperation. To embrace, not to contain. We have demonstrated that global leadership will never be attained through force, domination, and fear. Global leadership should be about guiding collective action by listening, empowering the collaboration, and instilling hope. This is, what I say, leadership without hegemony. Mr. President, Excellencies, to attain this vision, we must focus on three key priorities. First, advancing peace through inclusive leadership. Multilateral systems should be reformed. The UNSC must be an inclusive space for peace, where a wider range of voices can be heard, and timely decisions can be taken for our collective good. Without peace, our efforts to attain global goals such as the SDGs will remain a dream without reality. Indonesia is committed to contribute to global peace by being one of the largest troops contributing countries in UN peacekeeping missions, and remain firm in our proactive role to counter terrorism. We also strive to ensure that the peace we are promoting will be inclusive by advancing the Women’s Peace and Security Agenda, contributing to women’s empowerment. including pursuing equal access to education to women and girls in Afghanistan. Investing in women is investing in peace. Empowering women is empowering prosperity for all. Second, ensure a resilient future for shared prosperity. Indonesia believes in a future where all nations thrive no matter how big or small. But the global pandemic and impact of climate change has shown us all that to prosper together, we must work together. Therefore, the implementation of the Pact for the Future is important to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and scale up partnership and sustainable development even beyond 2030. At the same time, geopolitical tensions have also significantly impacted the global supply chain, affected the development trajectory of the global south, many of whom remain unable to freely exercise their right to development. In this context, Indonesia has taken proactive steps. Earlier this month, Indonesia held the second Indonesia-Africa Forum to enhance cooperation in international supply chains and connectivity and build collaboration in preparing for the future challenges. Indonesia also hosted the 10 World Water Forum this year. We believe that water is a crucial element for shared prosperity. And third, building bridges to foster global collaboration. Colleagues, a winner-takes-all and take-it-or-leave-it mentality should no longer exist when collaboration is the only antidote in addressing the global challenges of today. For Indonesia, a world where the only option is us versus them will only result in the world of us or them. Global solidarity and collective responsibility is the answer. The essence of the Bandung spirit, and this spirit guided us through our G20 presidency in 2022, chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023, and continuous effort to voice the aspiration of the global south. Indonesia envisions a world where nations collaborate together to address shared challenges, uphold international law, and protect human rights and dignity of all people. In Southeast Asia, ASEAN with 650 million people has proven that diversity can coexist with stability, peace, and prosperity. Indonesia also continues to work with ASEAN to restore peace and stability in Myanmar through implementation of the ASEAN Five Points of Consensus and to enable the safe and dignified return of the Rohingya people. Beyond ASEAN, we also continue to deepen our engagement to the Pacific region to become part and parcel of an inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific architecture based on the principle of solidarity, equality, and mutual respect. Mr. President, colleagues, peace, justice, and humanity will always be at the core of Indonesia’s foreign policy. Indonesia understands that global leadership is not something that is inherited, nor does it fall from the sky. It must be earned through our collective efforts. Rest assured that Indonesia’s commitment toward common peace, common prosperity, and common security will be carried forward across Indonesia’s successive administrations. It is in this spirit that I am proud to announce Indonesia’s candidature. I am pleased to present the candidates for a non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council for 2029-2030. This candidature reflects our deep commitment to contributing toward global peace and security. So, colleagues, let us work together to build a legacy of peace for our future generation. Thank you very, very much.
President: I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. I now give the floor to His Excellency Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Sergey Lavrov – Russian Federation: Distinguished Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, a few days ago, within this building, the forum entitled the Summit of the Future took place. Russia showed understanding to the Secretary General’s idea to convene that summit, since the crisis of our organization is growing worse and something needs to be done about that. And we were involved honestly in the preparations for the summit, although, quite frankly, we didn’t have any particular illusions about it. In the contemporary history of the UN, there have been many ambitious events that concluded with loud declarations that were quickly forgotten about. For example, in 2000, the Millennium Summit declared the task of freeing people from the scourge of war. Just two years after that, the USA, at the head of the Coalition of the Willing, under the laughable pretext, without a mandate from the UN Security Council, invaded Iraq, a country which has still not been able to recover from the destructive consequences of that escapade. In 2005, the UN World Summit declared a commitment to establishing a just peace in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. This sacred obligation certainly didn’t stop the USA and their allies from⦠from getting the then leader of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili in 2008 to unleash an armed aggression against the people of South Ossetia and Russian peacekeepers. And a further three years after that, NATO organized the military intervention in Libya, destroying its statehood and undermining the stability of neighboring countries. In 2015, the UN Summit on Sustainable Development adopted grandiose plans to combat poverty and inequality, but they turned out to be empty promises in light of the reluctance of the countries of the West to refrain from their neo-colonial practices of mining the wealth of the entire world for their benefit. Just look at the statistics of the promises that were kept in terms of financing the development of the countries of the Global South and the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies. Just like Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon in the past, the current Secretary General advanced his own initiative under the slogan of rebooting global cooperation. It’s an excellent slogan. Who could be opposed to that? But what global cooperation can we really talk about at a time when the West has trampled all of these unshakable values of globalization that they’ve been telling us about for so many years from this rostrum, trying to convince us that they would ensure equal access for everyone to the goods of contemporary civilization? There is the inviolability of property, the presumption of innocence, the freedom of speech, access to information, fair competition on markets with understandable and unchanging rules. The Secretary General is talking about global cooperation at the same time as the countries of the West have unleashed a veritable sanctions war against a good half, if not the majority of states in the world. And the dollar, which was advertised to us as the heritage and good of all of humanity, has been grossly transformed into a weapon. For more than 60 years, there has been a trade blockade of Cuba, the cancellation of which the overwhelming majority of members of the international community are calling for. In the pursuit of the ever more ephemeral aim of preserving their domination, Washington is blocking the normal work of the World Trade Organization on dispute settlement and reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, the structures of which, for a long time now, have not reflected the real balance of forces in the global economy and finances. The West also wants to transform the UN into a tool for advancing its mercantile plans. As was shown by the Summit of the Future, there are more and more attempts to erode the intergovernmental nature of the organization. Long necessary changes in the staffing of the Secretariat are being held back. If the Secretary General is calling for a reboot of global cooperation, then the Secretariat must advance unifying ideas and propose compromise options, rather than coming up with excuses to introduce into the UN’s work narratives that are beneficial to the West. It is not too late to do that, but in order to do that, we cannot have unrealistic summits and declarations. Rather, it must be done through rebuilding confidence and trust on the basis of the charter principle of the sovereign equality of all member states. However, as long as confidence is being undermined, for the time being it is, and the actions of the West to create in circumvention of the UN narrow formats that are subordinate to it to resolve fateful issues such as Internet governance and artificial intelligence. But those problems affect the future of all of humanity, and they must be considered on a universal basis, without discrimination or trying to achieve unilateral advantage. That is to say that there must be an honest negotiation involving all members of the UN, rather than the way that the so-called pact of the future was prepared for, without a single plenary round of negotiations that all countries would be involved in. But instead of that, the work was carried out under the control of Western manipulators. As a result, the pact, even before it was born, had already joined the pantheon of declarations that sound nice in English. Sad as it is, that is the fate of products of these world summits. However, things are not any better when it comes to implementing Security Council resolutions, which are binding. The sabotage of decisions on the Kosovo settlement and the Dayton agreements on Bosnia and Herzegovina says a great deal, but the most glaring example continues to be spinning We have been working out over almost 80 years the consensus resolutions on the creation of an independent Palestinian state coexisting in peace and security with Israel. There can be no justification for acts of terrorism, which Israelis fell victim to on the 7th of October last year, but everyone who still has a sense of compassion is outraged by the fact that the October tragedy is being used for the mass collective punishment of the Palestinians in the form of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The killing of Palestinian civilians with American weapons must immediately be ended. It is important to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave, the reconstruction of infrastructure, and, most importantly, it is important to guarantee the realization of the legitimate right of the Palestinians to self-determination and to allow them not in words but in deeds, as they say, on the ground, to create a contiguous and viable state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem. Another glaring example of terrorist methods as a means of achieving political aims is the inhumane attack on Lebanon that transformed civilian technology into a lethal weapon. There must be an immediate investigation into this crime, but already we cannot remain silent in the face of the many publications in the media, including in Europe and here in the United States, that indicate to varying degrees the involvement and, at the very least, awareness of Washington when it comes to the preparation of that terrorist attack. We understand that the Americans always deny everything, and they do everything they can to hide any facts that come to light, as they did in response to the irrefutable evidence of their involvement in the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Those gas pipelines, incidentally, were a marvellous symbol of that self-same global cooperation that our Secretary General dreams of, but as a result of their destruction, the competitiveness of the European Union in the global economy has been undermined for long years to the benefit of the United States. It is on the West’s conscience as well that the The truth about those who organized many other heinous crimes has been put on a back burner, including the bloody provocation in the Kiev suburb of Bucha and the series of poisonings of citizens of Russia in Britain and Germany. The UN Secretariat cannot remain separate from efforts to establish the truth in situations that directly impact global security, and in doing so is obliged to strictly observe Article 100 of the UN Charter to act impartially and to avoid the temptation to play into the hands of individual states, particularly those that are actively calling not for cooperation, but to divide the world into the flowering garden and the jungle, or to those sitting around the table of democracy and those that are on the menu. We must not forget also about the service record of those that demand that their rules be implemented by the rest of the world. The invasion of Afghanistan and the glorious 20-year presence there of the infamous coalition was accompanied by the formation of al-Qaeda, a direct result of the aggression against Iraq that was the creation of ISIL. Unleashing the war in Syria gave rise to Jabhat al-Nusra, which is now Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and the destruction of Libya opened the floodgates for the permeation of terrorism into the Sahara Sahel region and for the flow of millions of illegal migrants to Europe. We call upon all of those who are thinking about the future of their peoples and countries to be very wary of any new escapades by those who invented these rules. We are particularly concerned by the now almost commonplace practice of political killings, as once again took place yesterday in Beirut. The tragic and unacceptable turn of events in the Arab-Israeli conflict in Yemen, in the Red Sea Basin, in the Gulf of Aden, Sudan, and other hotspots in Africa, reflects an indisputable fact. Security can either be equal and indivisible for all, or it won’t be for anyone. An understanding of what would seem to be a simple truth in the context of European security is something that Russia for years has been trying to impart to Washington, London, and Brussels, who are obsessed with their complexes of their own exceptionalism and impunity. Although they initially promised not to expand NATO, and in 1999 and in 2010 they signed in official documents of OSCE summits an obligation to not ensure their security at the expense of others. In fact, the North Atlantic Alliance for three decades has been been carrying out the geopolitical and military expansion of NATO into Europe. It is trying to take root in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, creating direct threats to the security of our country. And now the same is happening in the Asia-Pacific region, where NATO infrastructure is creeping in to contain or deter China and Russia. Narrow military-political blocks are being created that undermine the inclusive security architecture under the ASEAN umbrella. And the West is not only not remembering about the global cooperation that our Secretary General is such a fan of, but openly, in their doctrine documents, they are harshly accusing Russia, China, Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Iran of creating threats to their domination. In respect of Russia, they have declared the aim of dealing it a strategic defeat, almost just like London and Washington planned in May 1945, with the development, even before the end of the Second World War, of an operation entitled Operation Unthinkable to destroy the USSR. Back then, this was kept top secret, but the current Anglo-Saxon strategists are not hiding their ideas. For now, they do its true hope to defeat Russia using the illegitimate neo-Nazi Kiev regime, but they’re already preparing Europe for it to also throw itself into this suicidal escapade. I’m not going to talk here about the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is. Equally senseless are the Western backers of Kiev swearing that there is no alternative to negotiations based on the infamous peace formula. They are defending this doomed ultimatum by shamelessly invoking the UN Charter, demanding the territorial integrity of Ukraine be ensured. And I would like to recall, in particular, I would like to remind the colleagues in the Secretariat that the Charter isn’t just about territorial integrity. Charter 1 of the Charter declares the obligation to respect the principles of the equality and self-determination of peoples, and that served as the international legal basis for the process of decolonization, which incidentally still needs to be completed, however much the French, the British, and other former colonial countries may resist. In 1970, the General Assembly unanimously established, decided in its declaration, that everyone must observe the territorial integrity of those states whose governments respect the rights of peoples to self-determination, and on that basis provide the entire population living on that territory. And I underscore that this was a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly following long years of difficult discussions. There’s no need to prove that Ukrainian neo-Nazis, having seized power in Kiev as a result of the U.S. and allies-supported bloody coup d’etat in February 2014, didn’t and are not still representing the Russian population of Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya. and others doing anything they can to talk about human rights are in a very telling way staying silent about these rights when it comes to the racist actions of their clients in Kiev. In the light of this forgetfulness, I’ll remind you about another requirement again in Article 1 of the UN Charter, the requirement to respect the rights and fundamental freedoms of any person regardless of race, sex, language and religion. The rights of Russians and those that feel that they are part of Russian culture following the coup of Trudita in Kiev have methodically been exterminated. The Russian language in Ukraine is banned by law in all areas, in education, the media, art, culture and even in day-to-day life. Recently, another law was adopted banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These are gross violations of the rights of Russians enshrined in the UN Charter and they bring with them threats to the security of Russia and all of Europe stemming from the Kiev regime and those that are dragging it into NATO. And all of these are the root causes of the current Ukrainian crisis. It is to address these that is the aim of the special military operation that Russia is carrying out to defend its security and the present and future of the people on their native lands. We value the sincere aim of a number of our partners to advance, out of the best interests, mediation initiatives. We value their constructive results focus unlike the hopeless Zelensky peace formula. We call upon our friends in their further efforts to take into account in full the facts that I have mentioned about the real reasons of this situation, the real causes of this situation. Unless they are addressed, a just UN Charter-based peace will not be possible. A realistic settlement plan was outlined by President Putin on the 14th of June when, once again, convincingly, he demonstrated Russia’s goodwill when it comes to achieving negotiated agreements, the prospect for which were thrown out by Kiev and its backers as a result of the coup d’etat in 2014. The disruption of the Minsk agreements. in 2015 and the Istanbul Agreements of 2022. The unprecedented level of arrogance and aggressiveness of Western politicians against Russia simply not only nullifies the Secretary General’s idea of global cooperation, but it is increasingly also blocking the functioning of the entire system of global governance, including the Security Council. That’s not something we chose, and we’re not responsible for the consequences of this dangerous course. However, if the West doesn’t stop, there will be serious costs that will be felt by everyone. It is clear to the global majority that confrontation and hegemony will not resolve any global problem. They will only artificially hold back the objective process of the formation of a multipolar world order that will be based on the equal rights of large and small nations, that will respect the values of human identity, the equality of men and women, and the rights of peoples to determine their own fate. And incidentally, all of these are also quotes from the UN Charter, just like the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states as well, a confirmation of which, to the shame of the members of our organization, was blocked by the US and their satellites at that very same summit of the future when the pact was adopted. Speaking on the 18th of September, before the participants in the fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum in St. Petersburg, President Putin underscored the need for a pooling of efforts in the name of sustainable development and general, universal, equal, and indivisible security. Addressing the most complex problems facing all of humanity is something we can only do together taking into account one another’s interests. The West must realize this and refrain from its neo-colonial ideas. The Global South and the East are more loudly speaking about their rights and their fully fledged participation in decision-making processes on the whole range of the international agenda, which is becoming particularly relevant in a situation in which the West is steadily destroying the model of globalization that they themselves created. The role of interstate associations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America is growing stronger, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the African Union, the community of Latin American and Caribbean countries, the League of Arab States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and others. The contacts between those regional integration structures are being established among themselves and also with the global association the BRICS, which is creating opportunities for harmonizing approaches and agreeing on mechanisms for mutually beneficial cooperation and development that are not under the control of any negative external force. All of these objective processes need to be taken into account in the work of the G20 as well, where the G7 is no longer able to pick the tune. We need to take a new look at ways of ensuring security in various regions, learning lessons from the sad experience of the functioning of the NATO-centric models, or the so-called model of Euro-Atlantic security that the West has used to serve their own expansionist ideas. Russia advanced the initiative of forming an inclusive architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia, which, and I wish to underscore this, is open for all states and organizations on our shared continent. We stand ready to work together to find mutually acceptable solutions, the use of interlinkages and the natural competitive advantages of a single Eurasian space. This will be the subject of an international conference in Minsk that begins on the 31st of October this year. We are not stepping away from dialogue with the West. In July, upon the proposal of Russia, there was an open debate in the Security Council on the subject of building a more just, more sustainable world order. We believe it is important to begin the discussion that has begun in the UN as well as in other platforms. A fairer world order undoubtedly requires the expansion of the representation of the Global South in the UN Security Council. We support our position in favor of the candidacies of Brazil and India, while at the same time taking a positive decision on the well-known initiatives of the African Union. However, of course, we cannot even talk about any additional seats for Western countries who are already excessively overrepresented within the Security Council. Ladies and gentlemen, May next year we will mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War, during which the genocidal policy of the Third Reich killed tens of millions of people, including 27 million citizens of all of the peoples of the Soviet Union. These crimes do not have a statute of limitations. in the interests of giving rebirth to those ideals that were enshrined by the Founding Fathers. That is the aim of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter that was created upon the initiative of Venezuela. Its purposes and principles remain fully relevant, and the most important thing is to make sure that absolutely everyone is guided by those principles, not selectively, choosing from a menu, but rather in their entirety and as they are interlinked, including the principle of the sovereign equality of states. Then, working in favor of forming an honest balance of legitimate national interests, the legitimate national interests of all countries, we will be able to give life to the purpose of the UN that is enshrined in the Charter, to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations. Thank you.
President: I now give the floor to Her Excellency Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Minister for Foreign Affairs
Alicia Bárcena Ibarra – Mexico: President, distinguished delegates, I would like to convey to you the greetings of our President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. And I am honoured to come back to this General Assembly, where it was my home for many years, to address you now as representative of Mexico. We are facing a turning point. The neoliberal hegemony has shown its palpable failure, given a model of extractivist development that only socializes losses, privatizes gains, impoverishes people and devastates the planet. The arms races and wars are once again part of international geopolitics. The devastation of the environment is only continuing. Frustration and miscontent are fueling extremism in proposals that deny people’s rights and once again deny democratic values. The institutions of the international system are losing legitimacy. This is what the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was referring to in his address when he spoke about a purgatory of polarity and instability, which are symptoms of civilization crises and stages of transition in which the old has not yet died and the new has not yet been born. The similarities between the current times and the interwar period in the last century is increasingly evident. They are also increasingly concerning because we know how things turned out then, terrible years in which the global production became a conveyor belt for war, where humanity once just became one more good. However, history also teaches us that in these crises with bravery and courage, it is possible to change the destructive path of destiny. In the interwar period last century, Mexico’s foreign policy wrote an exceptional chapter showing humanism, solidarity and respect. for International Law, which are characteristic of us. Mexico gave itself the task of upholding the value of the League of Nations, justice, self-determination, integrity, independence and equality between its members. With these flags, we categorically condemned the arms race, the invasions of Manchuria, Austria, and Ethiopia, and the progress â the advance of fascism in Europe. And after the Second World War, Mexico led the declaration of Latin America and Caribbean as being an area free â a zone free of nuclear weapons. Today, like them, Mexico is trying to build emancipatory alternatives. This is part of our Mexican humanism, which is the result of our millennium-old history and compass in our project to â for national transformation, building a fair, equal, and fraternal society, a moral economy that guarantees the equal distribution of income and respect for the environment. This is a revolution of consciences, which has made it possible for us to change the increasingly precarious living conditions that our people had suffered before, during, and now. Things are different under the administration of Andres Manuel López Obrador. Now, more than 9.5 million Mexicans have been brought out of poverty in five years, and the Gini coefficient has reached a historic low. The minimum wage has gone up by 135 percent, which has dispelled the inflationary myths of those who wish to maintain the status quo. We’ve also got rid of tax breaks, strengthening the public coffers, and putting an end to corruption and tax evasion and avoidance. All of this has been done against a backdrop of responsible public finances, which has made Mexico a destination for investment. We’ve also taken unprecedented measures at the constitutional level to recognize the rights of indigenous people. to guarantee the equality and political participation of women, and also to leave a clear legacy of social achievements in our constitution, so that nobody can deprive future generations of these things. These premises are also reflected in our foreign policy, because Mexico is a country of migrants, and we are no strangers to any stage of the migratory cycle. In line with our experience, we have rolled out the Mexican model for human mobility. This is a proposal that aims to manage migration comprehensively in a holistic way, to deal with its structural causes, and with hemispheric cooperation. The model has five pillars, empowering Mexican communities abroad, and advocating the United States to adopt ways for them to be fully regularized. Secondly, to beef up and broaden cooperation for development in communities of origin and return. Three, to address the political factors and economic sanctions that prevent development, hamper development, and lead to irregular migration. Fourth, to bring about safe, orderly, and regular ways of people to move to get work. We have said it loud and clear. Migration is not a problem. It is a phenomenon. It’s not a crime, and migrants are not criminals. The problem is the factors that lead people to leave their homes, and the dangers that they’re facing when they don’t find legal ways to migrate, and practices that criminalize them. From this rostrum, we rightly recognize the contributions of more than 37 million Mexicans who live in the United States. They are very able workers who provide $324 billion per year to this country’s GDP, and they are critical for the economy of both countries. We have been able to change the narrative and conversation with the United States to focus on the structural causes. We have also convened leaders of the countries of origin in the region in Palenque with strategic agreements that have been able to reduce clashes on the border between Mexico and the United States by 66%. We also said loud and clear that development and stability will not be the norm of the international system unless we guarantee the rights and inclusion of women. As the first country in the Global South to adopt a feminist foreign policy, we hosted the third ministerial conference on feminist foreign policies, and in the declaration, the conference recognized a range of commitments that are reflected in the pact of the future. But just this week, only nine women heads of state and government actually spoke at this rostrum, only nine out of 133 countries. The world cannot make headway without half of its population. Never again anything about us without us, because the future will be feminist or it will not. As Nicholas Stern said, climate change is the greatest market failure of all time, and it is also the greatest global challenge that we have. The only way to mitigate it is to take collective and simultaneous measures. These require financing and they require that countries fulfill shared, common, but differentiated responsibilities. We reiterate our commitment to the Paris Agreement, the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal framework and the biodiversity convention and the synergies between the three Rio conventions. We need to restore the integrity of our ecosystems as providers of essential goods and services for the economy and for social well-being and also for climate stability. We have taken part in the consultative processes of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, ITLOS, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, and the International Court of Justice on states’ responsibility. We will continue to work to achieve the ratification of the Agreement on the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond International Jurisdiction and to maintain the moratorium on mining extraction on the seabed. The security context in the world, friends, is changing enormously. We are alarmed by the growing various threats to international peace and security, particularly the violations of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the increasing risks of a nuclear war, the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced. Against this backdrop, we defend the territorial integrity in all geographical contexts, including in Ukraine and Palestine. We are in favor of a political solution and negotiations that include both parties, Russia and Ukraine. In this regard, we welcome the initiative of Brazil and China on there being a group for peace set up in New York. The war has gone on too long and it affects us all. We are all losers, apart from the mercenaries of death, apart from those arms companies that are making money out of suffering and the losses of millions of people, children and the destruction of entire families. Against this concerning backdrop, we need to redouble our efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons. Their devastating effects cannot be contained in space or in time, and that is why they are contrary to international law and the survival of humanity. But firearms are also a source of violence and insecurity throughout the world. Mexico is suffering from the flow of more than half a million weapons into its territory every year. They flow in illegally. The arms industry needs to be held accountable for its negligence, and Mexico has turned to the courts with this in mind. We are convinced that the arms industry is a key part of the expansion of this problem as well as how to solve it. Mexico is well aware of how the illegal flow of weapons is the other side of the coin of the illegal flow of drugs and organized crime, in particular in our country’s northern border. Friends, humanity in Gaza has shown itself to be bankrupt given the inaction of the international community. More than 70 percent of the victims of this war have been women and children. More than 85 percent of civilians have had to flee their homes. Most of the people there lack access to food, water, and electricity. That is why we requested to intervene in the case brought by South Africa before the ICJ on the implementation of the International Convention on the Application of the Convention on Genocide. And together with Chile, we referred the situation in Palestine to the ICC, and we also sent an amicus brief to the court to highlight the court’s jurisdiction. We reject the false dilemma between sterile violence of terrorism and the disproportionate punishment wrought by governments who are blinded by the double standard. To make the two-state solution a reality, the United Nations resolutions need to be adhered to as well as the ruling of the ICJ on practices in the occupied Palestinian territory. The institutions and rules underpinning our international system are the last line before barbarism. That is why we categorically condemn the flagrant violations by the current Ecuadorian government of the most basic standards of international coexistence and the principles of the United We thank the United Nations Charter with their violent, illegal break-in of our embassy in Quito on the night of the 5th of April, the attack on our diplomats and the illegal abduction of one person to whom Mexico had given political asylum who remains a prisoner and who is seriously ill. We reiterate our thanks to the international community for the widespread condemnation of this fact. We cannot forget it or normalize it. Dear friends, we know one thing, which is that the United Nations Security Council needs urgent reform. Mexico proposes eliminating the veto entirely. And until that is not achieved, at least limiting the veto in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Our region, Latin America and the Caribbean, is one of our priorities because the progress of any of our countries means the progress of all. Defending dialogue, stability, democracy, and in so doing, we have proposed the peaceful settlement of disputes and we have been guarantors in the peace process between the Government of Colombia and the ELN. And we have hosted two cycles of negotiations. We’ve also hosted talks between the Government of Venezuela, the Democratic Unitary Platform and the United States. Following principles of solidarity, self-determination and the well-being of people, we will continue to be involved in supporting Haiti in rebuilding its stability and security. We reiterate our condemnation of the economic embargo imposed on Cuba for more than six decades. This violates international law. And we believe that Cuba must immediately be taken off the United States list of countries alleged to be sponsors of terrorism. Mexico, honoring its tradition of asylum throughout our history, Dear friends, on the 1st of October, we will inaugurate the administration of the first female president in 200 years of our country, Dr. Claudia Scheinbaum. With her leadership, the humanist government will â indeed. Thank you very much. The first woman. With her leadership, the humanist government will deepen efforts to combat poverty and inequality, will focus on well-being and the shared prosperity, because the equality for women has now arrived, in protecting the environment and respecting our national heritage. We have to work together. Our foreign policy will continue to deploy our highest values, focusing on our roots and our struggles. We offered hope in the face of fear, solidarity in the face of hatred and humanism in the face of devastation. Ours is a world that offers a backdrop that is somewhat dispiriting. Citizens around the world are finding little that gives rise to optimism. Every day we see on our screens scenes of cruelty and the almost arithmetic mechanical reporting of how many people have died. Many people are looking at the United Nations now, at this house, and legitimately looking, given the intelligence that you can see in these rooms, looking for us to be in line with our promise and to ensure that dialogue and diplomacy can prevail. And rightly, they’re frustrated to see that rather than brothers rather than the collective defense of human dignity, rather than applying equal standards in international law, instead of this, factional geopolitical interests are being imposed and shameful double standards. And without any kind of shame, there is this naked empire of force being used, which is another way of saying the obscene concentration of power in the handful of a few who benefit from the status quo, the privileged and those who find this situation profitable. The misery and blood of so many people, simple externalities that are not reflected in their balance sheets. We, the nations of the world, build this house, the United Nations, to forge a different path. And today we say that in spite of all of its shortcomings, it is this civilizational work that deserves our commitment and, if necessary, reasonable alternatives. These are the foundations that the human family laid down after the two world wars, the tool that we had to use. But today we see it appears to be impotent, inert, faced with the rage of barbarism, helpless, given that its mission is being frustrated. We need to sow new seeds of hope, changing governance and architecture, because almost decades on, the world, its challenges and its physiognomy can no longer be recognized in a mirror that obstinately reflects the world of 1945. We need to recover trust in multilateralism and its institutions, in agreement and cooperation, in the belief that in spite of our rich diversity of colors and geographies, we are brothers and sisters belonging to the same community, the same planet, with the same destiny. That is why the Pact of the Future convinces us to renew this commitment, to vanquish fear and mistrust. In this path, in the building of a fair world, you will always find in Mexico a loyal companion, a committed partner, and a fraternal brother. We need to take ownership of today to build tomorrow. And as José Emilio Pacheco said on the eve of another era in 1968, he said, one world is falling apart, another world is being born. The darkness surrounds us, but the light is glimmering. He said, there is no hope, but there is life, and everything belongs to us. And I would also like to quote Eduardo Galeano, who said, what if we start to exercise the never-before-proclaimed right to dream? What if we are delirious for a while at the beginning of this millennium, forcing ourselves to look away from the infamy to dream another world, a world where justice and freedom, Siamese sisters condemned to live separately, will once again sit side by side, one where we’ll be compatriots and compatriots of all of those who are determined to seek justice, wherever they may have been born and wherever they may live or when they may have lived, without any regard being given at all to the borders of the map or time. Thank you.
President: I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mexico. I now give the floor to His Excellency Espen Barth Eide, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway.
Espen Barth Eide – Norway: Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Our United Nations was born as the Second World War ended. Shattered by the experiences of two devastating wars, with their unspeakable atrocities, wise people came together to write the United Nations Charter and to establish the United Nations Organization. The Charter codifies the key principles of international law, including the prohibition of the use of force, but in self-defense or upon the authority of the Security Council. Effectively, wars of aggression were outlawed, whereas the inherent right to self-defense was reconfirmed. In the Charter, and flowing from it in the years to come, we also established the other key principles that codify international humanitarian law, as well as international human rights law. This is the quintessential set of principles that shall govern international relations. However, our Secretary General was perfectly right when he pointed out that if violations and abuse is allowed to continue with impunity, the very foundations of the UN Charter is under threat. And indeed, they are under threat. President, for the first time in 79 years, we have a major interstate war in Europe. In its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is in blatant violation of the very essence of the Charter. It violates the principle of sovereignty, inalienability of borders, and the prohibition of use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of another member state. Let’s safeguard the equality of all states, large and small, always and everywhere, and are fundamental for member states’ security. Norway stands by Ukraine. Like so many friends of a free and independent Ukraine, we contribute significant military and civilian assistance, and we are determined to do so as long as it takes. We want Ukraine to prevail. We want peace in Ukraine. But it must be a just peace, in line with the key principles of the UN Charter. An unjust peace would imply that we, once again, are living in a world where might makes right and where borders can be changed by force. If we must all reject such an outcome, it would set a terrible precedent. My fellow delegates, even wars have rules. International humanitarian law, as embodied in the Geneva Conventions, lays out the key principles of distinction and proportionality. Warring parties are obliged to follow these rules, irrespective of whether the war itself is legal. Every member of this Assembly is bound by the Geneva Conventions. They are as much a part of our common commitment to a rules-based order as the Charter itself. The principles under international humanitarian law are obligatory, not optional. For the rules to work, we have to be consistent in their application. We must treat similar cases similarly, irrespective of the context. We must speak out if our adversaries violate these rules. It is equally important that we speak out if our traditional friends violate them. In fact, It is in the latter case that we demonstrate that we do see these rules as universal. President, almost a year has passed since Hamas’ heinous terror attack on Israel on October 7. Its effect on Israeli society can hardly be overestimated. We condemn these horrific acts in the strongest possible terms. The hostages that are still in Hamas’ captivity must be released immediately and without conditions. There is no doubt in our mind that Israel, like any other state, has a right to defend itself against terrorism. At the same time, Israel, like any other state, is bound by international humanitarian law. The immense suffering inflicted on the Palestinian population in Gaza is beyond comparison. Much of Gaza has been turned into rubble. At least 41,000 people have been killed, and many more are injured and maimed for life. I echo the Secretary General when he says that nothing can justify such collective punishment. Norway was among the very first Western countries to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. We have condemned the violations of international humanitarian law. We have expressed great concern about the severe limitations of humanitarian access and the shocking number of UN staff, aid workers and journalists killed. We stood on UNRWA’s side when it was subjected to a smear and defamation. While so many countries suspended their funding, we increased ours, and we reached out to co-donors to encourage them to return. I am pleased to see that almost all donors are now back. President, the Middle East is going through one of its darkest years. In the West Bank, illegal Israeli settlements are expanding at an alarming pace. Settler violence is rampant. And as we have gathered here at the UN this very week, Lebanon has seen its deadliest days in decades. We are at the brink of a major regional war. Even neighboring countries that long ago entered into peace agreements with Israel are under immense pressure. The situation is worsening by the hour. And make no mistake, the conflicts in the region are deeply intertwined. Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed this Assembly. His core message was that we all have to choose. Either we are with Israel, or we are with Iran and its proxies. He also stated that there could only be peace once Hezbollah and Hamas were totally defeated. President, we have seen this film before. I didn’t like the ending. Twenty-two years ago, in response to the terrorist attacks on this very city, another leader stated that we were either with him or with the terrorists. This division into a simplistic notion of black and white, leaving no space for nuance or complexity, let alone impartiality, and with an excessive trust in military force alone, is utterly dangerous. And indeed, it did not end well. We need to learn from past mistakes. However, President, in every crisis lies an opportunity. I remain convinced that there is no credible alternative for lasting peace other than a two-state solution. While ceasefires in Gaza and in Lebanon are most urgently needed. Ending hostilities must not be confused with lasting solutions. Serious thinking is required here and now, to prepare for the day after. Two days ago, almost 100 Member States took part in a meeting called by Saudi Arabia, the European Union and Norway, launching a global alliance to implement the two-state solution. Three decades after the Oslo Accords, more and more states are realizing that endlessly waiting for the right moment to negotiate will not work. I call on those states that have not yet done so to recognize the State of Palestine and to allow it to become a full member of this organization. We call on everyone who can to help to build Palestine’s institutions, and on regional actors to help embed a political settlement in a broader regional framework. President, we are witnessing from the front row the shortcomings of the institutions that we established in 1945. The adoption of the Pact for the Future is a major success for this United Nations. With this, we have resolved to update our institutions and our practices across the three pillars of peace and security, development, and human rights. We also opened a conversation about the critically important issue of how to make artificial intelligence a force for good. President, Norway supports a reform of the Security Council that makes it both more representative and more efficient. Both permanent and elected seats should be added, and the historical injustice to Africa should be mended. The use of the veto should be limited rather than expanded. When the UN Charter was drafted, Norway was an early proponent of the principle that no state should vote in its own case. And indeed, this principle is enshrined in the Charter in Article 27.3. This principle is, however, repeatedly ignored by the Security Council. But again, this principle is an obligation. It is not an option. To make our development efforts more efficient, we need to reform the international financial architecture. And in order to enhance the ability of states to provide essential services to their populations, it must be possible for them to tax their citizens and their companies. Norway will continue to be a driving force for international tax cooperation, including by supporting a UN Framework Convention. Central to the pact of the future are robust commitments to gender equality and women’s rights. Innovation must be at the forefront. Not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is the smart thing to do. We need equitable societies. We must build more effective and accountable institutions, including in this very organization. President, the triple planetary crisis is mankind’s most daunting challenge. To save our planet, we must adapt our economies. The future must be renewable, circular, and nature-friendly. There is good news, President. Despite increasing political divides, the last few years have seen that multilateralism can deliver when it comes to the relationship between us as mankind. In Dubai, we agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner. In Montreal, we agreed to reset our partnership with nature. In Nairobi, we launched a negotiation process towards a treaty to end plastic pollution. And here in New York, we agreed to take better care of our common oceans. What is true for all these agreements and the Pact for the Future alike, however, is that the real verdict lies in our ability to implement them. We must act. We must act now. President, as we approach the 80th anniversary of this United Nations, we must step up our efforts to develop this organization so as to make it more transparent, more inclusive and more representative of the world we live in today. Norway fully supports the integrity and independence of the Secretary General and his reform agenda. Reform will not be achieved through micromanagement. We, the Member States, must provide the Secretary General with input and guidance. But we must also show trust and allocate resources to enable him to lead. When a new Secretary General shall be elected, we must ensure that she has the tools she needs to help us strategically deliver on the noble goals we have agreed upon. I thank you for your attention.
President: I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway. I now give the floor to His Excellency, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs of India.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar – India: Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished members of the General Assembly, greetings and namaskar from 1.4 billion people of Bharat. I congratulate the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Philemon Young, and strongly support the 79th UN General Assembly’s theme of leaving no one behind. Madam President, we are gathered here at a difficult time. The world is yet to recover from the ravages of the COVID pandemic. A war in Ukraine is well into its third year. The conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications. Across the global south, development plans have gone off-rails and SDG targets are receding. But there is more. Unfair trade practices threaten jobs, just as unviable projects raise debt levels. Any connectivity that flouts sovereignty and territorial integrity acquires strategic connotations, especially when it is not a shared endeavour. Energy advancements, which have long been a source of hope, are now equally a factor of anxiety. Climate events occur with greater intensity and frequency. Food security is as worrisome as health security. In truth, the world stands fractious, polarized, and frustrated. Conversations have become difficult, agreements even more so. This is surely not what the founders of the United Nations would have wanted of us. Madam President, Almost exactly eight decades ago, the first steps towards the formation of the UN were taken near here at Dumbarton Oaks. Refined thereafter at the Yalta Conference, they were finally approved in San Francisco. The debates of that era centered around how to ensure world peace, a prerequisite for global prosperity. Today, we find both peace and prosperity equally endangered. And that, Madam President, is because trust has eroded and processes have broken down. Countries have extracted more from the international system than they have put into it, enfeebling it in the process. We see that vividly in every challenge and every crisis. Reforming multilateralism is, therefore, an imperative. The urgency of this call is highlighted by the theme of this session. Leaving no one behind means advancing peace, ensuring sustainable development, and strengthening human dignity. Peace cannot be delivered by a UN paralysed when faced with division, conflict, terrorism, and violence. Nor can it be advanced if access to food, water, and energy is a priority. Food, fuel and fertilizer is jeopardized. When capturing markets lacks restraint, it damages the livelihood and social fabric of others. Evasion of climate action responsibilities by the developed undermine the growth prospect of the developing. Indeed, when resource crunch limits the very pursuit of SDG targets, it is not just economies, but human dignity itself that is impeded. If the world is in such a state, this body must ask itself, how has this come to pass? The problems arise from a combination of structural shortcomings, political calculations, naked self-interest and, yes, disregard for those left behind. It is natural to feel overwhelmed by what we confront now. After all, there are so many dimensions, different moving parts, issues of the day, and the changing landscape. But every change must begin somewhere. And there is no better place than where it all started. We, the members of the United Nations, must now seriously and purposefully address ourselves to that task. Not because it is a competition for influence or a squabble for positions, but because if we carry on like this, the state of the world is only going to get worse. And that could mean that more of us are going to be left behind. Madam President, as the world contemplates these concerns, India has sought to respond in a variety of ways. First, by focusing on the issues of the vulnerable â women, farmers and youth. Targeted policies and initiatives for their betterment. Assured access to piped water, to electricity, to cooking gas, and new homes are changing millions of lives. The gender gap has started to close, be it in health, in education, or in the workplace. Our food producers, thrice a year, get financial support at the click of a button. And a third-term government has made skilling of the youth its key priority. Second, by expanding opportunities for employment and for entrepreneurship, including through stronger training and large-scale financial incentives. 495 million mudra loans have been given to small businesses in the last decade. Sixty-seven percent of them are to women. Equally telling, 6.56 million street vendors have availed of 8.85 million swanidhi loans. This is just in the last four years. Forty-five percent of the beneficiaries are again women. Third, by creating templates that are applicable elsewhere â it could be digital delivery or enhancing the quality of governance and public services, as indeed making medicines and health facilities accessible and affordable. A digital public infrastructure and a people’s pharmacy are today examples of what India can readily offer to the world. It is also an alternative vision, where technology is used to empower, not to dominate. Fourth, by encouraging the Global South to voice its shared concerns and come together. To that end, we have convened three Global South Summits, the most recent in August 2024. And fifth, by contributing to the well-being of the global commons and responding to the pressing needs of those in distress. This has ranged from undertaking projects in 78 nations, providing resources to neighbours and responding to HADR situations, to supplying medicines and ensuring maritime safety and security. Madam President, given the scale of transformation underway in India, each of these dimensions underline that the world’s problems can indeed be tackled, and that by working together, we can surely create a larger lifting tide. In these troubled times, it is necessary to provide hope and rekindle optimism. We have to demonstrate that big changes are possible, and not over a long period. And nothing is more powerful in this regard than the transformative potential of the digital. We have seen its impact in our daily lives in India over the last decade. It is visible when public benefits, from nutritional support and housing to energy and health, are delivered efficiently and on a vast scale. Or when small business loans and farmers’ support are extended without using intermediaries. In fact, when street vendors and expat workforce confidently use fintech in their regular transactions. When services delivery and benefits move seamlessly and transparently, less people will be left behind. That, Madam President, is India’s experience and India’s relevance. Such leapfrogging possibilities, coupled with people-centric policies and visionary leadership, can be real game-changers. When India lands on the moon, rolls out its own 5G network, There are economic answers, just as there are social ones. Madam President, The UN has always maintained that peace and development go hand in hand. Yet, when challenges to one have emerged, due regard has not been given to the other. Clearly, their economic implications for the weak and vulnerable need to be highlighted. But we must also recognize that conflicts themselves must be resolved. The world cannot be fatalistic about the continuation of violence on a large scale, no more than be impervious to its broader consequences. Whether it is the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza, the international community seeks urgent solutions. These sentiments must be acknowledged and acted upon. Madam President, The UN is a testimony to the agreed principles and shared objectives of the world order. Respect for international law and commitments are among the foremost in that regard. If we are to ensure global security and stability, then it is It is essential that those who seek to lead set the right example, nor can we countenance egregious violations of our basic tenets. Terrorism is antithetical of everything that the world stands for. All its forms and manifestations must be resolutely opposed. The sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also not be impeded for political reasons. Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan. Unfortunately, their misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood. When this polity instils such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalisation and its exports in the form of terrorism. Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world. This is only karma. Madam President, a dysfunctional nation, coveting the lands of others, must be exposed and must be countered. We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this very forum yesterday. So let me make India’s position perfectly clear. Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism policy will never succeed. And it can have no expectation of impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences. The issue to be resolved between us. is now only the vocation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan and, of course, the abandonment of Pakistan’s long-standing attachment to terrorism. Madam President, The global order is inherently pluralistic and diverse. The UN began with 51 members. We are now 193. The world has changed profoundly and so have its concerns and its opportunities. But to address both, and indeed to strengthen the order itself, it is essential that the UN be the central platform for finding common ground. And that it certainly cannot be by remaining anachronistic. Large parts of the world cannot be left behind when it comes to deciding the key issues of our times. An effective and efficient UN, a more representative UN, and a UN fit for purpose in the contemporary era is essential. Let us, therefore, send out a clear message from this UNGA session. We are determined not to be left behind. By coming together, sharing experiences, pooling resources, and strengthening our resolve, we can change the world for the better. I thank you, Madam President.
President: I thank the Minister for External Affairs of India. I now give the floor to His Excellency Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore.
Vivian Balakrishnan – Singapore: Madam President, Your Excellencies, I bring you greetings from a tiny island city-state in the heart of Southeast Asia called Singapore. I think we must be one of the smallest who now qualifies as a member of the United Nations for the past 59 years. I would like to congratulate His Excellency Philemon Yang on assuming the Presidency of the 79th Session of the General Assembly. I also commend His Excellency Dennis Francis for his stellar leadership during the 78th session. The world is in an acutely dangerous phase, and civilians in multiple trouble spots are paying a horrendous price. The risks of miscalculation and escalation have sharply increased, most notably in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. The loss of so many innocent lives is heartbreaking, and the lack of trust amongst the major powers and the resulting deficit of global leadership makes it very difficult to find effective, peaceful solutions to all these ongoing conflicts. We are approaching the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, and we must double down on our commitment to a rules-based multilateral system on almost every issue confronting the world. From peace and security to climate change, from the ocean to outer space, from poverty to food insecurity, a reformed United Nations is absolutely essential for global solutions. The UN remains the only neutral and universal platform for dialogue and cooperation amongst all nations. The Summit of the Future was a very significant milestone for the UN and our multilateral system. The adoption of the Pact for the Future offers the hope that nations can reach agreement given wise leadership and political will. And the Pact begins the journey to transform our multilateral system and to maintain the salience of the United Nations. We must accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, reinvigorate international cooperation, and transform global governance. That is why Singapore has always been a staunch supporter of the Summit of the Future. We stand ready to work with our friends to implement the Pact. I would like to highlight three points. First, we must return to the basics by reinforcing the foundational role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security. That is the raison d’etre for the UN. We must restore respect for the rule of law and the UN Charter. This has underpinned global peace and security for the last 80 years. We cannot allow recent violations of international law to become normalised. The ongoing war in Ukraine exemplifies a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter. The invasion of one country by another, under the pretext of historical errors and grievances, cannot be justified by any means. Article 2 of the UN Charter is categorical. All members shall refrain from the threat or the use of force against territorial integrity. It is well worth recalling that that is why the Preamble of Security Council Resolution 242, passed in 1967, also contains or refers to the Inadmissibility of the Acquisition of Territory by War. If we allow the notion that might is right to prevail, the world will become a very dangerous place, especially for small states. That is why Singapore and other small states have to consistently stand for compliance by all Member States with international law and the UN Charter. We, as a small state, have no interest in taking sides or getting embroiled in great power rivalry. We do not want to become an arena for proxy wars. We simply aim to defend our sovereignty, to exercise our autonomy, and to chart our own futures. Our people deserve that. That is why small states like Singapore have always been ardent advocates for international law and the UN Charter. For small states, multilateralism and international law is not an option. It is, in fact, an existential necessity. Last week, Singapore, in collaboration with the International Peace Institute, launched a report on small states and transforming global governance. The report that was prepared by the International Peace Institute and the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore highlights the priorities and the perspectives of small states. We hope that this report will catalyse further discussions on strengthening and transforming the UN and the multilateral system. Excellencies, the work to strengthen international law and the existing international legal frameworks is an ongoing exercise. Singapore will continue to strongly support the work of the International Court of Justice, which is paramount for upholding the rule of law and protecting the interests of all countries, and especially small states. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, is absolutely crucial, and especially for an island city-state like Singapore, totally dependent on trade. In fact, our trade volume is three times our GDP. UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. Freedom of navigation and overflight is a universal right. It is not merely an optional privilege. granted by the grace of whoever claims the seas. UNCLOS also provides an essential foundation for coordinating our efforts on issues such as sea level rise, plastic pollution, the loss of biodiversity, and ocean acidification. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of UNCLOS this year, we call on all countries that have not yet done so to ratify UNCLOS, and to do so as soon as possible. We also need to develop new instruments to strengthen international legal frameworks. The consensus adoption of the BBNJ Agreement in June last year was a crucial step in strengthening the UNCLOS framework concerning the conservation and the sustainable use of the oceans and its resources. I am pleased to announce that Singapore ratified the BBNJ Agreement earlier this week. The UN plays a critical role in formulating new rules, norms, and principles governing the global commons. For example, the UN has made good progress in establishing a framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, a process that we in Singapore have always supported. Singapore also supports the Secretary-General’s new Agenda for Peace, and we stand ready to work with all UN members to strengthen the role of the UN in promoting peace and security, particularly in preventive diplomacy, mediation, and conflict prevention. Such efforts are urgently needed to save civilian lives and to prevent catastrophes. Singapore remains a steadfast supporter of the UN’s humanitarian efforts. We are gravely concerned with the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the sheer scale of human suffering. The Singapore Government, along with our non-government organisations and our citizens, have contributed more than $17 million in humanitarian aid and donations for Gaza, including through UNICEF and UNRWA. We have consistently emphasised the need for the safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian aid to all civilians in need, and we reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and for the immediate unconditional and safe release of all hostages. Singapore will continue to provide more support for the civilians in Gaza. Second, we must intensify efforts to support the implementation of the SDGs. With less than six years remaining, we are still far from achieving the 2030 Agenda. To fulfil the promise of leaving no one behind, we must support the poorest and most vulnerable countries. This is important because sustainable development provides the foundation for peace and security. We need to accelerate our collective efforts in combating climate change. As a small island state, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and especially sea level rise. We welcome the high-level meeting held earlier this week on this issue. Although our share of global emissions is actually very small, we remain fully committed to peaking our emissions before 2030 and to achieving net zero by 2050. The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, or SIDSFOR, earlier this year marked a significant milestone for all SIDS. We welcome the adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, which outlines an action plan for the next decade. Singapore will support our friends in SIDS, and we launched a new technical assistance package at SIDSFOR called SIDS4Change, which covers priority areas, including blue carbon. Singapore will continue to support our fellow small states. We will share our development experience, and I’m happy to announce that we will renew our capacity building programme for the Forum of Small States, or FORSS, and we’ve labelled this programme FORSS. for Good, a package that will offer digital-themed programmes including leadership and governance in the age of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Third, we need to empower and transform the UN so that it is future-ready and capable of responding to the emerging global challenges. And to achieve this, several measures are necessary. We must provide more opportunities for young people, especially, to engage in the work of the UN, and to serve as agents of change to revitalise international cooperation. We welcome the adoption of the Declaration on Future Generations, which underscores our collective commitment to building a world that serves the interests of the future generations. After all, our young people have even more at stake. Next, we must harness the power of digital technologies in a safe and secure manner. The adoption of the Global Digital Compact is a significant step forward, offering a pathway to close the digital divide, and the Compact contains an action-oriented set of commitments that can accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. We are witnessing the dawn of the age of AI. By now, the promises and the perils of AI are well known to all of us. We need to empower innovation in AI, whilst installing global guardrails to protect human safety, human dignity, and values. Therefore, initiating a dialogue on global governance in AI is imperative. Singapore welcomes the report of the High-Level Advisory Body on AI, and we commit to working with all UN members to further develop these recommendations. Finally, we must transform global governance by making our institutions more representative, more responsive, and more effective, particularly for the sake of small states and developing countries. We need a more nimble multilateral system in which the international financial architecture and the UN work more synergistically. Equally important is the need to reform the UN itself to make it more efficient, effective, and responsive. That includes reforming the UN Security Council in order to reflect the contemporary realities through an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories. The effective functioning of the Security Council is at the heart of a robust and responsive UN. The five permanent members of the Security Council have a special responsibility that accompanies their privilege, and they must demonstrate leadership by cooperating to maintain international peace and security. The veto initiative has made the use of the veto more accountable by making the permanent members answerable to all of us in the General Assembly every time they cast a veto. This is a good first step, but it is not the end of the journey that is necessary. Much more work will be needed to make the Security Council more transparent and accountable, and Singapore will continue to work with the other UN member states in this regard. Madam President, Excellencies, The world is traversing an acutely dangerous period of geopolitical tension. A descent into chaos and conflict is a clear and present threat. In this moment of uncertainty, all countries, big and small, have a responsibility to work together to preserve the peace and to save lives. We cannot achieve this without the UN playing its rightful role as an arena for dialogue, for partnership. This is the moment, in fact, to double down on multilateralism, and to strengthen the role of the UN as a collective vehicle for peace and sustainable development. Thank you, Excellencies.
President: I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore. I now give the floor to His Excellency BBruno Eduardo RodrÃguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
Bruno Eduardo RodrÃguez Parrilla – Cuba: Mr. President, Secretary General, I dedicate these first words to reiterate Cuba’s solidarity and support to the brotherly people of Palestine, a victim of more than 75 years of colonial occupation, flagrant violations to their legitimate rights as a nation, submitted to cruelty, aggression, collective punishment, and apartheid. Over the last 11 months, the Israeli army has massacred more than 40,000 civilians. In that indiscriminate and disproportionate massacre, this has killed more boys and girls than men and women. They die with the complicity and weapons contributed by the government of the United States, with the complicit silence of others. We pay tribute to the more than 220 aid workers of this organization who have also been killed. Cuba’s position is clear and unequivocal. President Miguel DÃaz-Canel Bermúdez has said, and I quote, history will not forgive the indifferent. And we will not be among them. The genocide against the Palestinian people must end unconditionally and without further delay. Israel, with the complicity of the United States, has brought the world to the brink of a major world conflict. The irresponsible aggression against Lebanon, Syria, Iran and the people of the Middle East will have consequences that are hard to predict. Your Excellencies, 79 years after the establishment of this organization, the continued violations of the United Nations Charter and international law, aggressions, interference in the internal affairs of states and the imposition of unilateral coercive measures for political purposes have become facts of life. Aggressive expansionist and supremacist military doctrines of domination are undermining international peace and security to an alarming extent. The risk of a nuclear catastrophe is real and imminent. For the ninth consecutive year, world military expenditure has continued to increase. In 2023, it reached a record figure of $ 2.44 trillion. That is to say millions of millions of dollars. This includes the development of new nuclear weapons. There has been a regression in spite of the huge efforts 13th May 2008 In its own prosperity and security they fail to comply with their always insufficient promises on official assistance for development. The selfish figure, boastfully promised in 2023 and quickly forgotten, represents less than 0.37% of their national incomes. The aspiration of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has vanished. According to Forbes, just in the last four years alone, the collective wealth of the five richest people in the world has grown while five billion people continue to live in poverty. The 1% richest in the world accumulate almost twice as much wealth as the rest of the global population. We’re talking about five billionaires who in this period saw their wealth increase by some 423 billion euros while the global population has got poorer. According to Oxfam, the richest 1% have accumulated almost double as much wealth as the rest of the world population. With a tax on the wealth of billionaires, 2 billion people could be brought out of poverty. We are talking about structural crises, which are determined by the imperialist system and the international order imposed on us. None of these problems will be solved by undermining the intergovernmental nature of the United Nations, as some aim to, or by weakening its essential role in the promotion of sustainable development for all. Climate change is advancing inexorably. Climate change is an unquestionable fact. In July 2024, scientists announced that the planet had endured 13 straight months of record high temperatures. If the irrational and unsustainable production and consumption patterns of capitalism are not changed in an urgent and significant way, it will be impossible to limit the global average temperature increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius in comparison with pre-industrial levels. Responsibilities should be shared by all, but not all should bear the same responsibilities, nor is it fair for this to be so. However, a step in the correct direction could be taken at the COP 29, which will be held in Azerbaijan, and we could adopt a new collective financing will have a new possibility to begin closing the climate finance gap and pay their financing debts. We, the countries of the south, will have to design a sufficient goal that responds to our own needs with guarantees for development and social justice, despite the huge obstacles and challenges that we face. The solution will inevitably include writing off foreign debt, which has already been paid several times over, a fair democratic international order ensuring peace and balance in the world, the exercise of the right to development by all states on an equal footing based on sovereign equality, strengthening the participation and representation of developing countries in decision-making and policy-making processes in the world, an order that guarantees the general good and prosperity of all peoples in harmony with nature and the sustainable management of natural resources to ensure the exercise of all human rights for all people. We need a new civilized coexistence among nations in which solidarity, international cooperation, integration, and the peaceful settlement of disputes prevail. has to be an alternative to the philosophy of dispossession, war, the use or threat of use of force, aggression, occupation, domination, and the cultural, political, financial, technological and military hegemony or any other manifestation threatening the peace, independence and sovereignty of states. An international order without unilateral blockades or sanctions, based on multilateralism, fully abiding by the United Nations Charter and international law. Madam President, the government of the United States has clearly continued to engage in the pernicious and unrealizable attempt to determine and control Cuba’s destiny. It is an old ambition, anchored in the Monroe Doctrine, which defines the imperialist and hegemonic nature of the United States policy towards Cuba and the region of our America. The economic, commercial and financial embargo is also a political, technological and communication blockade. It has been conceived as one of its main weapons of aggression to destroy the Cuban economy. It aims to cut off the country’s financial revenues to bring about the collapse of the economy. and many more. It is accompanied by the most ferocious disinformation and slanderous campaign, perennial attempts to interfere in our internal affairs and the complicit tolerance of groups which, from U.S. territory, perpetrate violent and terrorist acts against Cuba. These actions violate international law. They run counter to the purposes and principles of this organization and numerous resolutions adopted by this General Assembly. The siege so conceived has been reinforced with Cuba’s inclusion in the U.S. State Department’s arbitrary shameful list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. It is a fraudulent designation, void of any international authority or mandate. However, by virtue of this, reprisals of an extraterritorial character, exceeding the sovereign jurisdiction of the United States, are taken against Cuba and are manifested in and against any country. In May of this year, the U.S. State Department itself recognized that Cuba was fully cooperative with the United States and with the international anti-terror efforts. This mere recognition of a The universally established truth has not led to a relaxation of the unilateral coercive measures, but it does make the presence of Cuba on that illegitimate list to be ever more consistent, confusing and unjustifiable. Soon there will be new presidential elections in the United States. This is a matter that only is up to the United States citizens. It’s only incumbent on the U.S. people, despite the nefarious and historical habit of the government of the United States, to interfere in the elections and internal affairs of almost all member states of the United Nations, even its allies. History has taught us that no matter the results of these elections, the anti-Cuban sectors and politicians who have turned the attacks against Cuba into a profitable business will continue to be vocal and influential. They are the ones who have learned to manipulate the U.S. political system to pursue a particularly narrow and hostile agenda, which is the interest of a well-defined elite sector. They do not in any way represent the will of the majority of the people of the United States, nor that of the Cubans who live here. No matter the results of these elections, Cuba will continue to defend its sovereign right to independence and to build socialism the way we Cubans decide, without any foreign interference. will also continue to advocate for a respectful and constructive relations with the United States. Madam President, In 2014, the community of Latin American and Caribbean states gathered in Havana decided to proclaim our region as a zone of peace. That historic commitment is becoming increasingly relevant every day. We defend peace and multilateralism against the unilateral coercive measures that seriously damage Syria, Belarus, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Russia, Cuba, and several other nations. We strongly reject any attempt to undermine the legitimate constitutional order of our countries through putschist methods. It has already happened in Bolivia in 2019 and on the 26th of June, and there are attempts to do the same again in Honduras. We denounce the attempts to generate violence and destabilization in Venezuela. We reiterate our full support and solidarity with the Bolivarian and Chavista government headed by President Nicolas Maduro Moros and the civic and military unity of the Venezuelan people. The calls made not to recognize the electoral results are irresponsible and disrespectful to the people’s will and their legitimate institutions. The destabilizing actions taken against the National Unity and Reconciliation Government of Nicaragua must also cease. The brotherly people of Sandino will continue to count on our full support. We reiterate our support to Puerto Rico’s legitimate right to self-determination and independence. The international community owes a great debt to Haiti. Haiti carried out the first independence revolution against slavery in this continent. We welcome the efforts made by the Caribbean community to find a sustainable solution to the tragic situation in Haiti, with respect for the independence and sovereignty of that sister nation. We support Argentina’s legitimate right to sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas. We reaffirm our support and commitment to the peace efforts in Colombia, which Cuba will continue to contribute to in every possible way from its position as guarantor. Africa, the cradle of humanity, will always be able to rely on Cuba’s support in its efforts to move towards the goal of self-development. We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the Sahrawi people and their self-determination. Cuba strongly rejects the We condemn the measures aimed at harming the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China. We condemn the interference in its internal affairs and we reiterate our unswerving support to the One China Principle, as was decided by this General Assembly in its historic Resolution 2758, which recognized the People’s Republic as the one and legitimate representative of the Chinese people. We are in favor of a serious constructive and realistic diplomatic solution by peaceful means to the current war in Ukraine. And this must be in line with international law, guaranteeing the security and sovereignty of all. In this context, Cuba supports the joint proposal presented by Brazil and China to find a political solution to that crisis. Madam President, distinguished delegates, let us join together our efforts to achieve effective multilateral institutions which are able to respond to the interests of the people, of the humble, the poor, the needy and the exploited. They are the overwhelming majority based on just equality, the exercise of human rights by all human beings and respect for the sovereign rights of every nation. Thank you very much.
President: I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba. I now give the floor to His Excellency Enrique Austria Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.
Enrique Austria Manalo – Philippines : Mr. President, in 1946, In 2006, Carlos P. Romulo, who would become the first Asian President of the General Assembly, said, quote, We are not here to make peace, but to build for peace, not to reap and divide the harvest of victory, but to make ready the hearts and minds of men and women for the needs of peace. In those early years of the United Nations, the Philippines had clearly understood the magnitude of the work ahead. As a founding member and a young nation, the Philippines committed fully to the aims and purposes of the United Nations. Eight decades hence, we still do. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. affirmed that multilateralism, quote, remains the single viable platform for collective action against transcendent global challenges, unquote. He emphasized that the rule of law and the integrity of the multilateral system must prevail amidst the current global challenges. The UN has held itself as a platform and pathway to address international peace and security. It serves as the ground for states to find convergence amidst crisis and conflict. It offers response and relief, hope, and humanity. The Pact for the Future is a testament that global problems require global solutions and that a better world is possible when states commit working together towards a common vision. The pact bridges our collective hopes, our contemporary aspirations, with the UN Charter and the sovereign equality of states anchoring our will. Mr. President, our world has been changing more rapidly than at any time in recent history. The UN must rise to the occasion with an agenda that fosters equity, justice, international peace and security, development, and adopts processes that are inclusive, transparent, responsive, and effective. One way to achieve this is to reform the Security Council and revitalize the General Assembly. Security Council reform should be a package consisting of the enlargement of its membership and improvement of its working methods in order to create greater transparency and accountability of the Council to the general membership of the United Nations. Transforming the international financial architecture is also imperative if we are to realize just and inclusive growth worldwide. We must therefore deliver on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We must lose no time. It is time to implement the global digital compact. Governance of new spheres of human activity, including artificial intelligence, the Internet, and outer space, must keep up with the speed and scale at which these technologies are developing. New rules should place human dignity as a priority. At the same time, we must complete the business of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms. A treaty on fissile material production is long overdue. Mr. President, the U.N. development system has accomplished much, but it requires greater coherence and efficiency with full respect for states’ priorities and ownership. The global humanitarian system has been a silent sentinel of hope and humanity to peoples in war, famine, disease, calamities, and displacement. It requires greater support from the international community if it is to effectively address the suffering of people in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan, Myanmar, and the Congo. The rising numbers of those forcibly displaced in the Ukraine and Gaza and other places beg for a deeper sense of collective responsibility. Within our means, the Philippines supports agile response systems to humanitarian emergencies through the Central Emergency Response Fund, the U.N. Relief and Work Agency, and the World Health Organization Contingency Fund for Emergencies. The Philippines has steadfastly contributed to U.N. peacekeeping operations over the past six decades. Since 1963, we have deployed over 14,000 troops in 21 U.N. peacekeeping and special political missions. We should bolster the peacebuilding fund and support U.N. Security Council resolutions to safeguard education and protect cultural heritage from terrorism and armed conflict. We echo the call of the 2024 Africa Counterterrorism Summit in Abuja for country-led and country-owned solutions for a peaceful and secure African continent. And we are honored to be part of this. Mr. President, climate change has affected communities across the world in the most profound and often tragic ways. The Philippines’ acute climate vulnerability makes This makes us one of the staunchest proponents for strengthening climate and disaster risk resilience. And we are honored to host the Board of the Fund Responding to Loss and Damage. This fund will provide critical assistance to nations most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Next month, the Philippines will host the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to spotlight best practices and solutions for the world’s most disaster-prone regions. We consistently call on developed nations to fulfill their commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. And we are convinced that legal clarity on the duties and responsibilities of states under international law with respect to environmental protection and climate change will foster solidarity on global climate action. In this regard, the Philippines welcomes the advisory opinion of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea on the collective duty of states to protect and preserve the marine environment. And since last year, the Philippines has shepherded UN discussions on a draft instrument to protect for the protection of persons in the event of disasters. The 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami this year reminds us again that the rising scale and frequency of disasters demand such an instrument. Mr. President, no one must be left behind. We must fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Philippines’ governance agenda aims to achieve a single-digit poverty rate by 2028. Between 2021 to 2023, we reduced poverty incidence in the Philippines by nearly 3 percent, equal to 2.45 million people through innovative and social protection programs. The World Food Program has cited the Philippines for being a thought leader in this regard. As we move towards middle or upper middle-income status, we recognize that the UN and international financial institutions can redesign frameworks to support middle-income countries, which represent 75 percent of the world’s population. And the Philippines will host a conference early next year to advance these discussions. Now 60 years old, the Group of 77 continues to advocate for a fairer, more inclusive global economic order. We thus hope that the Second World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development will catalyze strategic action for narrowing global inequalities. We welcome amendments to international health regulations and progress on a pandemic agreement. The Philippines leads the Group of Equity to promote developing country priorities in the negotiations on this agreement. We also lead discussions in the World Health Organization on a sustainable global health workforce, as the world braces for a shortfall of about 10 million medical professionals by 2030. And we will host the Philippine-Pacific Forum on Human Health Resources later this year to discuss regional solutions. Migrants across the world are in need of more protection. Together with health workers, seafarers were the unsung heroes during the COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery. The Human Rights Council adopted in July the Philippine-led resolution recognizing the human rights of seafarers. International and intergenerational solidarity make our societies more humane and empowering. And we welcome the Declaration on Future Generations, and we support a binding Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. Effectively building peace means fostering inclusive societies which harness the full capacities of persons and communities. Our work in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao offers Filipino best practices for people-focused peacebuilding. This inspires the Philippines’ leadership in amplifying the role of women and youth in peace processes. Next month, the Philippines will convene the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security ahead of the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2025. Our recent chairship of the Commission on the Status of Women convinces us that despite progress made, much remains to be done to achieve true gender equality. Mr. President, multilateralism is underwritten by a rules-based order, governed by international law, and informed by the principles of equity and justice that safeguards the rights of all states. If multilateralism is to thrive, all states must adhere to the rule of law. Times of flux and crises offer opportunities for reinforcing a rules-based international order. The International Court of Justice, as a principal organ of the United Nations, together with other international judicial and legal bodies, advances the rule of law. They uphold the primacy of resolving international disputes by peaceful means and not by the threat or use of force. The growing volume and variety of cases brought before the ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration signify the global trust and confidence in their role in the peaceful dispute resolution area. And Member States must invest fully in these institutions. The use of force and threat of use of force to result The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea constitute the foundation of our policy on the South China Sea. The award declares that claims exceeding entitlements beyond the limits of UNCLOS have no legal basis. Despite irresponsible and dangerous actions against our legitimate activities within our own waters and exclusive economic zone, the Philippines remains committed to diplomacy and other peaceful means to settle disputes. We will abide by the UN Charter and the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Resolution of Disputes in asserting our sovereignty, our sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the South China Sea. We do not accept narratives depicting the South China Sea as a theater of major power rivalry because they all ignore what is an essential truth. All states in this region have a right to determine their own destiny and secure their own future. This is what the UN Charter is about. The future of the Asia-Pacific is being shaped not by one or two powers, but by all states therein. As such, ASEAN centrality stands as a vanguard of the regional architecture based on the sovereign equality of states, jointly building a peaceful, rules-based, and people-centered community. Approaching 60 years, ASEAN exemplifies the agency of states working together in fashioning multilateral approaches and solutions to present-day challenges. Mr. President, the Philippines stands alongside the pathfinders and bridge builders of nations. We offer constructive solutions across the spectrum of the work of the United Nations, from human rights, health, and humanitarian action to development, disarmament, and disaster and climate risk reduction, from peacemaking to peacemaking and peacebuilding. As the first Asian republic and the founding member of the United Nations, our diplomacy has consistently pursued peace, the sovereign equality of states, the rights and dignity of all persons. The Philippines is a trusted partner, innovative pathfinder, and committed peacemaker. We bring experience, depth, and steadfastness in working with the international community to address common global challenges. We thus count on your support for our vision. Bid for a non-permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council for the term 2027-28. Mr. President, almost 80 years since General Romulus Cole, the mission of the United Nations remains perfectly clear â to keep building for peace. Thank you.
President: I thank the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. Now I give the floor to His Excellency Luca Beccari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs, International Economic Cooperation, and Digital Transition of San Marino.
Luca Beccari – San Marino: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the Government of the Republic of San Marino, I would like to congratulate His Excellencies, Mr. Philemon Yang, on his election as President of the 79th Section of the United Nations General Assembly and to wish him a fruitful work. The Republic of San Marino supports the priorities of your program and ensures you, Mr. President, full cooperation in all works of the General Assembly. I would also like to extend my special thanks to Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his energy and determination in leading the United Nations in this difficult and challenging time. Mr. President, the coming years will be crucial not only for the future, but for the future of our generation to come. We as a nation have the right to live in peace and security and in harmony with nature. We should not forget that the world, especially the young generation, is watching us. Regrettably, we are facing an increasing number of crises and an unprecedented number of armed conflicts around the world. Furthermore, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda has been slowed down by the international context of uncertainty, a combined planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, aggravated by shocks of war, destabilization, and increased fragility. The impact of multiple crises is felt most severely by the poorest and most vulnerable, those increasing poverty and inequalities within and between countries. Achieving sustainable development is a big part of the challenges we face, and the 2030 Agenda remains our collective roadmap to addressing them. The Summit of the Future is an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including delivery on the SDG Summit commitment, and renew our commitment to leave no one behind. Through our renewed commitment, the Pact for the Future can rebuild trust in multilateralism and in our ability to jointly address global challenges. In this regard, we appreciate that the Pact for the Future adequately reflects ambitious action in all three important global cooperation in order to leave no one behind and in order to build a cyberspace that reflects global standards for peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. Mr. President, San Marino sees an urgent need to strengthen our collective support for a rule-based international system rotated in the United Nations. We unequivocally support this institution’s foundational basics, which include the proposal for the UN Charter, as well as the UN Security Council’s recommendations for a global and inclusive international system. We are committed to strengthening our collective support for a rule-based international system rooted in the UN Charter, as well as the UN Security Council’s recommendations for a global and inclusive international system. The last, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an existing obligation under international human rights law. In this time of widespread violation, it is crucial to recommit to the UN Charter and its values in order to maintain international peace and security, taking effective collective measures for the prevention of conflict and for the suppression of acts of aggression. We support the recommendation of the Secretary-General’s new Agenda for Peace and welcome the new intensified efforts on conflict prevention. The recognition of the interdependence of peace and security, sustainable development and human rights is fundamental if we want to achieve a credible result. We support the request for the Secretary-General to continue to develop a new model of peace operation and the recognition of the role of the regional organization in enforcing of maintaining peace. Mr. President, we are facing challenging times with an unprecedented level of violence, mass atrocity and displacement. San Marino is deeply concerned about the number and the scale of armed conflict across the globe which cause immense suffering to millions of civilians. The unprecedented rise in global military expenditure is alarming too. We are also very concerned about the upsetting increase of dangerous nuclear rhetoric and by the specter of nuclear escalation. The Republic of San Marino firmly condemned any use of threat of use of nuclear weapon, considered such threat irresponsible and injustifiable. Any use of nuclear weapon would have catastrophic and unspeakable consequences for humanity. Unfortunately, today, due to increasing tension, due to deterioration We commend the Secretary General of this organization for having emphasized the need to eliminate nuclear weapons as a necessary action in the new Agenda for Peace. San Marino reaffirmed its commitment for a world free of nuclear weapons and attached great importance to the historic Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, whose ratifications are constantly increasing. Mr. President, The war of aggression against Ukraine brought dramatic consequences for the civilian population, including civilian deaths, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and massive displacement. We reiterate our resolute condemnation of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. In the true spirit of multilateral and international cooperation, San Marino took part to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine held in Switzerland last June. We support all the international efforts aiming to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine based on the UN Charter and international law. Mr. President, The Republic of San Marino has firmly and repeatedly condemned the horrific terrorist attack of October 7. San Marino calls for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, condemns the torture and sexual violence perpetrated by the terrorists, and calls for an immediate and unconditional At the same time, we cannot remain silent in front of the death of more than 40,000 civilians, most of them children and women. More than 90,000 Palestinians have been reported injured, while the majority of houses and hospitals have been damaged, raided or hampered. The level of destruction and suffering in Gaza is unprecedented. The civilian suffering, the civilian deaths, tolls and the ongoing captivity of hostages are heartbreaking and unacceptable. We urge all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law, preserving the life, dignity and humanity of all people affected by armed conflict. Furthermore, the tragic death of UNRWA staff members and of the other humanitarian workers and of the journalists cannot be tolerated. San Marino has joined several initiatives in order to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation of civilians in Gaza and has made financial contributions to UNRWA, UNICEF and OCHA in order to support the work of these agencies that have been operating in highly challenging conditions. The international community must break this terrible cycle of violence and recommit to a lasting peace, restoring hope and security to Israeli and Palestinians through a renewed peace process. San Marino remains committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition. The Marino reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire for a return dialogue to address the legitimate concern of the State of Israel and the legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people. A lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution is the only long-term option for peace, and for this reason, we believe that the admission of Palestine to the United Nations as a full member will facilitate the achievement of this solution. San Marino welcomes the resolution adopted in May 2024 at the 10th Emergency Special Session, which upgrades Palestine’s right to the United Nations as an observer state, urging the Security Council to favorably consider its full membership. Mr. President, the spiral of death and devastation has already extended to Lebanon. This represents a treacherous escalation of the conflict that has further destabilized the entire region. We therefore stress the need for restraint. Mr. President, respect for international law and accountability are key factors that play a crucial role in preventing and stopping violation and crime. We reaffirm our commitment to the UN Charter and to the principle of the responsibility to protect, which is essential in the prevention of atrocity crime. We are deeply worried about the disregard and violation of international law. The Republic of San Marino reaffirms its full commitment to the obligations under human and humanitarian law, such as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crime of Genocide, the Rome Statute, and the Geneva Convention. San Marino reaffirms its full support to the International Criminal Court, whose work is crucial in the fight against impunity for genocide and crime against humanity. The Republic of San Marino would also like to reiterate its support for initiatives such as the ACT Group Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, war crime, or crime against humanity, and the French and Mexican Declaration on Voluntary Restraint Use of the Veto by the Permanent Member of the Security Council. Mr. President, protecting civilians from the devastating impact of war must be our priority. Armed conflict around the globe has dramatically impacted the lives of millions of civilians. The protection of civilians’ infrastructure is essential to guarantee food security in times of conflict. Food production and distribution, water delivery, sanitation, energy provision, and healthcare We support the Security Council Resolution 2573, which condemns attacks against critical civilian infrastructure, indispensable for their survival. San Marino also calls on all parties to achieve the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2417, which condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, as well as the unlawful denial of humanitarian access. San Marino is gravely concerned by the scale and scope of grave violations against children presented in the Secretary-General’s annual report. San Marino supports the work of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict and her office, UNICEF, the Department of Peace Operations, and all child protection actors from the UN Civil Society. Armed conflict continues to devastate children’s lives and to compromise their fundamental rights. We are witnessing an increase in attacks on schools and hospitals. This is unacceptable. To strengthen the protection of children in armed conflict, we call on all parties to armed conflict to fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights, and refugee law, and with international norms and standards for the protection of children. Moreover, we call for full accountability for all grave violations through national and international justice mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court. We also call on all Member States to ratify the optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. We also encourage all parties to support all Mr. President, San Marino believes it is essential to strain the global response to the climate emergency. The existential threat caused by a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution should give to all of us a sense of urgency and priority in tackling this challenge. We support the commitment taken at COP28 last December, which includes the imperative of transitioning away from fossil fuel energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner, tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 in line with 1.5 degree pathways. San Marino is fully committed to decarbonizing the global economy by 2050 and to healthy and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and recognizing the need to halt pollution, which caused the death of 9 million people annually. Moreover, we also need to tackle the water crisis, a growing global threat that will inevitably intensify in the coming 50 years, with devastating consequences on sustainable development, the environment and regional peace and stability. Mr. President, the increasing evident interrelationship among global challenges highlight the need for member states today more than ever to work together to overcome difficulties. The United Nations is the only universally intergovernmental body based on the sovereign equality of all its members. Its unique role as the center for setting goals, harmonizing action and sharing experience to achieve the common ends, such as peace and security, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law, We need a much stronger focus on collective global solution to current and future challenges, which threaten peace and prosperity for all. We need to revitalize the United Nations and reinvigorate multilateralism to ensure its continued significance. To this end, it is essential to rebuild trust in the potential of the organization, in its leadership and, most of all, trust between its members and all the stakeholders. Moreover, the global governance must become more inclusive and accountable for the effective by providing more space for the participation of civil society and private sector. In this regard, we need more inclusive international financial architecture, strength, a rule-based and equitable financial system that ensure a more effective and inclusive global economic governance, with a meaningful development impact and providing space for innovative solutions. Multilateralism must effectively deliver on peace as a global public good. All must remain at the center of our action because they are crucial to future world stability and maintenance of international peace and security. In this regard, San Marino follows with particular interest the Security Council reform, as we have started on previous occasions. Our country believes that intergovernmental negotiations favor the search for an agreement based on a broad and strong political consensus, able to reflect the interests of all negotiating groups. San Marino calls for a reform that makes the Council more democratic, transparent, efficient, and accountable. This goal can be achieved only through a continuous dialogue among the State and the awareness that overcoming the respective initial position is essential to negotiate the broadest agreement possible. In conclusion, Mr. President, we stand at a critical juncture where the steps we take today will shape the international rule-based order and the United Nations system for decades It is essential to find new ways of working together and to ensure that multilateral institutions will be able to address the rapid change taking place. Member states must assume their responsibilities, including that of making our organization able to fulfill its mandate, which is to protect the citizens of the world. San Marino is a state with a strong identity thanks to its century-old history of peace and freedom. Our state is small, but proud to bring its contribution to the United Nations community. Thank you for your attention.
President: I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Political Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Digital Transition of San Marino. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mohamad Hasan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia.
Mohamad Hasan – Malaysia: Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Excellency, Mr. President, Thank you for this opportunity to address the 79th Session of the General Assembly. President of Malaysia, I stand before you today, Mr. President, reiterating our commitment to peace, in line with the values enshrined in our esteemed Charter. Seventy-nine years it has been since the founding of the United Nations. From the dust of the Second World War, we emerged, many of us as new nation-states, with a shared goal to build a safer world. Thank you. For many of us, it is not a safer world than it was 79 years ago. For many, it has only become a deadlier world. It has become a world in which war can be waged remotely and with impunity, a world in which a drone strike can fatally interrupt a lesson at school, a surgery in a hospital, or a convoy delivering humanitarian aid. We have lost, Mr President, we have lost against these practices, yet our calls for peace are repeatedly ignored and vetted away. In other words, it is a world in which the mighty continue to silence the meek, with far greater weapons than before. Nowhere does this ring truer, of course, than in Gaza. We stand at a critical juncture in world history on the failure of global governance to address the genocide of Palestinians. And it has echoed across the world on the abysmal response by world leaders to end these horrendous crimes. Yet, there are also many of us who have pursued justice for the people of Gaza. For almost one year now, we have raised our voices in protest and sought to establish a ceasefire. Again and again, our voices have been shut down in the Security Council through the power of veto. It is clear the mechanisms of Security Council have been abused to enable mass atrocities. Our failure to establish a ceasefire is no longer justifiable. We have run out of excuses, Mr President. It is time to address the problem. The veto should not be exercised at will. There must be interceptions in cases of crimes against humanity and attacks of civilian infrastructure. We must commit ourselves towards a reformed United Nations. Justice begins with ending impunity and ensuring accountability. For this to be realised, the undemocratic veto must be limited or abolished altogether. The humiliating paralysis of Security Council must be corrected through the empowerment of this General Assembly, where the voices of the majority prevail. Understand this, our willingness to reform is a matter of life and death of countless innocent people. They are children dying between missile strikes and between the words that we speak today. Mr President, the theme of this General Assembly session is Leaving No One Behind. In the spirit of this effort, it fills us with hope to see the State of Palestine seated among us today. Malaysia loves the 143 Member States for their support in extending the UN’s Principle of Equality Among Nations to the State of Palestine this year. And we strongly urge the remaining minority to join the majority. It is time to realise Palestine’s right to statehood and full membership in this Assembly. It is only through the elevation of dialogue and diplomacy that we can seek a long-lasting solution. Not through collective punishment, not through man-made famine, and not through impunity and disregard for international law, Mr President. Indeed, the elevation of dialogue and respect for international law have been compromised in this Assembly for some time now. Israel has violated every international law there is. including the Genocide Convention, Geneva Convention and Human Rights Treaties. Just months ago, the world witnessed Israel’s mockery and utter disrespect of the United Nations in this very hall with the insolent shredding of the United Nations Charter. Israel’s actions with each passing day raise our doubt as to whether it actually believes in the UN system or values its membership in this organization. Its illegal occupation has entrenched a system of apartheid and discrimination against Palestinians. The Israeli regime has itself declared its intent to wipe out an entire population. This is, Mr. President, without question, a genocide. The United Nations must not remain idle. We must urgently utilize the existing processes founded by the General Assembly along with mechanisms developed by the Human Rights Council. Malaysia calls on the international community to reinstitute the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid. Furthermore, Malaysia demands that the Security Council invoke the powers under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and impose an immediate arms embargo against Israel. Therefore, Mr. President, our task is threefold. Number one, we must limit or abolish the veto. Number two, we must continue to empower the voices of the oppressed within this General Assembly and thirdly, we must halt the flow of weapons to rogue states who have proven a hundred times over their willingness to commit crimes against humanity. Although the powerful few may behave as though might is right, let there be no question that in the United Nations, the voice of majority will not go ignored. Indeed, we must empower smaller countries to meet the challenges of our time. The international landscape is in flux, Mr. President. Superpower rivalries, global economic uncertainties, climate change, unequal development, and the many misfortunes that come with it. Countries situated in Southeast Asia are not exempt from these worries. Yet through the decades, we have not only endured, but overcome many of our shared hurdles together. We have achieved this together, the ASEAN way. Through ASEAN, we have propelled ourselves to get forward within the international architecture by bolstering peace, security, economy, and regional identity. Yet the years ahead will profoundly test us. ASEAN resilience, ASEAN shared norms and identity, and ASEAN processes and mechanisms. The future stands ready to assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, and we are fully cognizant of reasserting ASEAN in the driver’s seat of the Asia-Pacific region. Our chairmanship will focus on the region’s drive for future readiness. We will emphasize reinforcement of global aspirations, inclusive and people-driven policies, and future-oriented mechanisms. We will aim to fortify ASEAN’s centrality amid the emergence of multilateral pacts affecting the region. This is a key step to prevent the region from becoming entrapped in unnecessary geopolitical rivalry or possible escalation. Mr President, ASEAN centrality must also involve managing the most critical issues of the South China Sea. This body of water, rich in resources and carrying the vital shipping line, has become a flashpoint of rising geopolitical tensions. Escalation of rhetoric is a dangerous path to follow. We must not allow the situation to become dominated by growing distrust. This benefits no one. It only further undermines security and destabilises global trade. We must collectively pursue a different vision of the South China Sea, a future in which this region is a zone of peace, stability and cooperation. We must adopt a collaborative approach, embedded in diplomacy and dialogue. Thus, I call upon all countries to abide by the UNCLOS in the conduct of maritime governance. We must prioritise peaceful and co-existence. This is also one of the many reasons the Member States must continue to work together with regards to Myanmar. We will push for stronger humanitarian assistance and adherence to the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus to seek solutions. We will do it as one. The diversity of our region, far from being an obstacle, is symbolic of our power to build bridges. It goes without saying, Mr President, that our stewardship of ASEAN will therefore emphasise continuous dialogue with our partners, as well as the adaptability needed to engage with different challenges and stakeholders. This year, we strive to realise our common desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth, social progress and ultimately, shared prosperity. Yes, shared prosperity, Mr President. This is the ghost of geopolitics, Mr President. Often spoken, but never seen. Mr President, the countries of the Global South have continued to be marginalised and remain under-represented on many fronts. Global socio-economic development, climate mitigation efforts, education, health and infrastructure development. International mechanisms fail to adapt to current realities, often isolating and penalising developing countries, placing the burden of environment guilt onto them while disregarding our very real needs. The lack of infrastructure, technology and resources has prevented developing countries from fully engaging in international systems and aspirations. One of the primary challenges, Mr President, is equitable access to financing for development. Innovative and new models of financing for development that drive sustainability, conservation, climate action and achievement of SDGs should be part of new multilateral solutions. The climate crisis may be the most pressing challenge of our time. It is no longer a distant threat. It has flooded our doorstep, Mr President. It transcends borders by disrupting economies and displacing entire communities. The scientific data has spoken. We are witnessing unprecedented levels of warming, extreme weather and devastating impacts of rising sea levels. National efforts alone will not suffice. The climate crisis requires global solutions in the form of climate financing, technology transfer and capacity building. We must continue to push. We all push for a just and equitable approach. The meeting of the development needs of the Global South. At the same time, Malaysia advocates the importance of Global South’s unity. We have a broader vision of promoting peace, development, and stable multipolar order through the empowerment of the voices of the South. The countries of the Global South hold massive potential to further the pursuit of peace and justice around the world, through solidarity among developing nations and through mutual support and understanding. This is fundamental to ensure fair and equitable progress for all. The Global South demands your attention, Mr. Chairman. We must not leave anyone behind. Unfortunately, global trends are pointing in the opposite direction. Around the world, we are witnessing an upsurge in hate speech and violence toward minorities. The past few years have been shadowed by the rise of Islamophobia in particular. We are appalled by the alarming trend of hatred, intolerance, and acts of violence against Muslims. This cannot continue, Mr. President. In the era of globalization, there is room for everyone to co-exist. And it is our job, under the banner of a united world, to ensure that peace will prevail. We must take action now. Malaysia urged for the prompt appointment of the UN Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia. We stand ready to support any efforts undertaken by the UN towards nurturing dialogue between communities that will promote worldwide acceptance and understanding. While Islamophobia is a threat to Muslims, broader issues of hatred against the followers of any religion will undermine the universal values of our people. Mr. President, we stand on the eve of the 80 years of United Nations. We have achieved wonders together. Ours is a story of the modern successes of humankind. Together, we have delivered food to the starving. We have eradicated diseases. We took decisive actions against apartheid in the 20th century, and we must do it again now. Let our commitment to justice never fail, no matter how formidable the task. Let there be no doubt the question of Gaza is a direct test of the capability of the United Nations. Let this 76-year-old issue not etch into a century of our failure to uphold justice. We strongly call for an end to the occupation and for the Israeli regime to comply with the decision of the International Court of Justice. Mr. President, let our dreams of free Palestinians live beyond today and beyond the words that we have said. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
President: I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia. I now give the floor to His Excellency Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt. Thank you very much.
Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty – Egypt: Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of Delegations, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Philemon Yang, Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, I speak to you from this rostrum at a critical time, at a time of a complex crisis underway in the Middle East and stretching out beyond. Egypt is a country rooted in history, but also a forward-looking country. We’ve gone through many wars, we’ve faced many challenges. As a result, justice and peace are our lodestars as we seek to build a region and a world that’s rooted in dignity, freedom and justice. I’ll be speaking on behalf of one of the founding members of the United Nations. You’re all well aware of the role we played in the establishment of the United Nations, in the establishment of consensus and the UN’s establishment in Africa and Arab states and developing countries. We’re very much in favor of preserving an effective multilateral system and stable international relations underpinned by respect for international law and expansion of peace and cooperation. Thus, we believe it is necessary to ring alarm bells at this specific moment, given that the international system established roughly eight decades ago is currently showing its structural shortcomings, threatening its very existence, and this owing to ineffectiveness, inequality and growing recourse to double standards. Young people the world over are asking legitimate questions about the usefulness of the international multilateral system and what it yields for today’s world in terms of peace and security. Is it helping to eradicate poverty and hunger? Is the system protecting us against climate change? Is it helping to build knowledge? Is it helping us to adapt to technological changes? We’re seeing occupation, terrorism, killing and destruction. Is this being prevented? Is the system unified? Is it transparent? In order to answer these questions, which are very legitimate, and they were addressed in fact during the preparations for the summit of the future. In fact, one of the outcomes of the summit of the future is very positive. It was a step, a positive step towards revitalizing and rendering more effective the international multilateral system with the United Nations at its heart. If I may, I’d like to sketch out our vision for restoring trust and credibility and combating double standards. A vision which can help us to renew our multilateral system and bolster its capacity for building a brighter future for our people. It’s underpinned by five key principles. First of all, we must recognize that there is no alternative to the multilateral system. Global challenges are interdependent. They know no borders. They go beyond the capacity of any one state or any group of states to address them. Thus, it’s necessary to recognize that the integrity of the United Nations underpinned by its legitimacy and its very existence, all of this is at stake. Israel’s brutal aggression against Gaza, underway for almost a year now, as well as the current attack on the West Bank, are shameful. They place shame on the international community and its institutions, which are unable to do the bare minimum to put an end to this aggression. The international community took months to start asking for an end to this brutal aggression. We staunchly condemn the Israeli escalation. It’s dangerous and it knows no limits. It is pushing the region to the brink of the abyss. We categorically reject and strongly condemn Israel’s current aggression vis-à -vis Lebanon. This is a flagrant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, its territorial integrity, its unity and its political independence. Our overarching priority, as things stand, is to put an end to the bloodshed, immediately, without any conditions and permanently. We’re strongly opposed to any attempts to resolve the Palestinian issue through forced displacement or population transfer. We attach particular importance to the unconditional and immediate delivery of medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians, civilians who are not bearing weapons in Gaza. Egypt has undertaken substantive mediation efforts together with our friends, Qatar and the United States. Unfortunately, these efforts were… We would like to reiterate that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 4th of June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is the only way to achieve a comprehensive and just solution, restoring stability to the region and to the entire world. Because this issue is of utmost importance. It lies at the very heart of the conflict in the region. I cannot but commend the Secretary General for his very courageous stance which shows that he’s shouldering his responsibility. I’d also like to extend our gratitude to all UN leaders and UN agencies, specifically UNRWA. We extend our condolences to the families of those martyred UNRWA personnel who fell during their duties and others who fell owing to the Israeli occupation. We want to put an end to the war machine, to put an end to the destruction which is in violation of international law. Next, we need effective participation, not a fig leaf of participation. Participation is not a gift. It’s not a gift given to other states. It’s the very foundation, the prerequisite for an effective response that the international community can mount to successive crises plaguing the international system so as to ensure that common ownership is taken of international decisions. Furthermore, we cannot accept that Africa and Arab states to date have no permanent representative on the Security Council nor enjoy the related prerogatives. We endorse the said declaration and the… Isilwini Consensus to repair the historical injustice done to the African continent. Genuine participation is only possible if there is deep-rooted reform of the international financial architecture and of international financing institutions. We must modernize multilateral development banks and their practices and bolster access of developing countries to concessional funding, especially in the face of crises. We support the SG’s appeal to make the Bretton Woods institutions fairer to developing states. There is no alternative to a common approach so as to address growing sovereign debt of developing countries. This can be done by buttressing existing mechanisms, strengthening their effectiveness, but also establishing new mechanisms helping low- and middle-income countries. What’s also important is debt swaps. These must be broadened so as to address debt distress and help these countries achieve sustainable development. Economic justice can only be done if we place the priority on Africa’s development. This is how we can guarantee that we prevent conflict and ensure lasting peace. When we held the presidency of the Steering Committee of the Heads of State and Government of the African Development Commission, as well as the presidency of His Excellency President El-Sisi, post-conflict reconstruction on the African continent was French of mind. And Egypt will seek to accelerate the development process so as to achieve the African Union’s 2063 agenda. This brings me to my third point in principle. Exchange of resources between states, some of which have a comparative advantage, requires us to adopt the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, especially as regards climate change. Governance and natural resources are limited. The ability to solve climate challenges is clearly linked to the types and amounts of financial assistance that’s provided, as well as the technologies that are made available for climate challenges to be tackled at the national level. National ownership of climate projects is a guarantee that we align domestic priorities with the Sustainable Development Goals, with due regard for the environmental, economic and social dimensions, ensuring that the transformation, the green transition, is equitable and does not scupper our efforts to eradicate poverty. This was our priority at COP27 in Chalmarsheikh. Our compass, our north star as we seek to achieve effective and practical solutions is the agreement on the loss and damage mechanism, which aims to help developing countries which are hardest hit by climate change. Fourth, the principle of participation and shared responsibility goes hand in hand with a rejection of unilateralism in the management of global resources and the settlement of disputes that stem from these resources. For instance, transboundary water courses is a case in point. There’s a global water crisis that’s affecting Egypt. Egypt is a densely populated country located in an arid zone. It is heavily reliant on the Nile to be able to respond to its mounting water needs. The principle of cooperation with the Nile Basin Brother Countries encapsulates Egypt’s approach to better management of our common resources with a view to securing our interests in keeping with international law and ensuring equitable and sustainable use of resources without any consequences for the downstream countries. We will continue to work so as to attract foreign investment for development projects in keeping with the various rules, including in the Nile Basin. Despite our genuine efforts, Ethiopia has been insisting, stubbornly misportraying the facts and starting up the renaissance dam, beginning operations without due regard for international law, nor the opinions of millions of people living downstream in Egypt and in Sudan. Following 13 years of vain negotiations, Ethiopia took a unilateral decision in blatant violation of international law, specifically the 2015 Declaration of Principles, the Security Council Presidential Statement issued in 2021. Well, in fact, in December 2023, negotiations came to a standstill. Egypt will continue to monitor. The commissioning of this dam, the filling of this dam, we will be following this very closely. We will keep the Charter in mind and we’ll take all necessary measures so as to secure the interests of our people and our very existence. Egypt will not tolerate any existential threats. Those who do not recognize this are mistaken. Moving on, the world needs the United Nations to address emerging challenges, such as challenges in the digital sphere, cybercrime, cyber security, artificial intelligence. These new challenges shouldn’t detract from our key purposes, that is, collective security. This is absolutely vital. This is the very raison d’etre of the organization, the maintenance of international peace and security. The collective security system, including the disarmament and non-proliferation system, has been weakened. Direct or tacit threats of use of nuclear weapons is no longer a chimera. It’s a direct threat. We’ve seen this in the war in the Gaza Strip. We’re seeing this day in, day out. As states possessing nuclear weapons are modernizing their arsenals and indirectly threatening the use of nuclear weapons without any genuine serious efforts being made to create a world free of nuclear weapons or areas free of nuclear weapons or other WMDs and acceding to the NPT. And this despite the NPT review conference’s conclusions, specifically the 1995 decision on the the Middle East. We live in a region that’s particularly hard hit by the imbalance in the collective security system. This is something that’s drawn everyone’s attention, and we regret this. That is the increase in Security Council resolutions establishing peacekeeping operations. And this despite the fact that the Security Council is unable to stop this scourge that is conflicts, is disease, nor can it treat the symptoms. And for that reason, the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has described the United Nations as an organisation babysitting these conflicts. Speaking of conflicts and upheavals in neighbouring countries, as well as throughout the North Mediterranean, all the way through to the Horn of Africa in the South, we’re particularly committed to strengthening the UN’s role so as to address the root causes of conflicts. We need to ensure that peace is maintained, but also we need to sustain peace. This requires states to respect the unity and territorial integrity of other states. We also need national ownership of decisions without anything being imposed by external actors. This applies to all crises in the region, Sudan, Somalia, Libya. The way to resolve crises is to strengthen state institutions through comprehensive political processes so as to fill these political and security vacuums which are being exploited by some political and confessional forces, by regional and international parties who want to extend their influence at the expense of peace. National ownership thereof. The transition should proceed with parliamentary and presidential elections held concurrently and as swiftly as possible. We are hopeful that by pulling our efforts and endorsing the new UN mission in Somalia, we’ll be able to preserve security and stability in that country in keeping with what its people and its government want. We condemn all unilateral measures threatening Somalia’s unity, its sovereignty extending across its territory. Egypt attaches particular importance to capacity building in our brother nations across Africa together with the United Nations through the International Conflict Settlement Center as well as the Egyptian Partnership Agency that works on development. Egypt is committed to working hand-in-hand with our regional and international partners so as to restore equality and to combat double standards as well as international hypocrisy and to revitalize the international system, the multilateral system, implementing the various principles I enumerated in keeping with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. We will be shouldering our responsibilities as part of the humanitarian response that must be mounted. to address crises in our region. We’re the third country in terms of refugee applications in 2023. Under the leadership of our President, President el-Sisi, we’ve been bearing the brunt of the burden supporting our brothers from other Arab states and African states, over 10 million refugees are currently being hosted in Egypt. However, there are certain limits which cannot be exceeded because of the burden this implies. The international community is therefore duty-bound to fill the funding gap and to mobilize the requisite resources so as to address the issue of humanitarian operations and meet the needs of refugees fleeing conflict in various countries. Despite international crises and challenges coming one after the other and the ongoing rise in the number of migrants, Egypt will continue its efforts so as to bolster its human capital. We will do this through a national dialogue. We are prioritizing human rights and democracy. And we’re not doing this to please external players. We’re doing this to fulfill the aspirations of our people, young people, as well as women, so as to achieve gender parity as well. We’ve just adopted the first national action plan on women, peace and security. We will be implementing our national strategy on human rights. Furthermore, we’ll continue working to maintain peace and security in our region. and the world over. Inspired by the values of the Egyptian civilization, a majestic long-standing civilization, our young people will take forward this vision. They’re the ones who will craft the future and preserve human lives without any discrimination on the basis of race, gender or otherwise, all within the international multilateral system. I thank you.
President: I thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and the Egyptian expatriates of Egypt. We have heard the last speaker in the general debate for this meeting. The 16th plenary meeting to continue with the general debate will be held immediately following the adjournment of this meeting. The meeting is adjourned.
