UN General Assembly
2014

All that means that at no time in recent memory has multilateralism been as immensely crucial for the future of the world as it is today. The fact that nations are driven by the pursuit of national interests has always been self-evident. But at this juncture in world history and in the light of the many common challenges that we all face, we have no more realistic option than a commitment to enlightened national interest, which can be promoted only within the framework of multilateralism. That, in our view, is the sentiment that we should all share at the beginning of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly. We cannot be oblivious to the nexus between our sustainable development agenda and the global situation of peace and security. “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda”, the theme of this session, requires a peaceful and stable global environment. It is also in that context that the threat of the spread of the Ebola virus should be viewed. It is both a humanitarian