UN General Assembly
2021

Mr. President, I congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the 76th session of the General Assembly. I also wish to express appreciation for the significant achievements of your predecessor, Volkan Bozkir, who guided the Assembly skilfully under the difficult circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. President, The world is facing triple challenge of the COVID-19, the accompanying economic crisis, and the threats posed by climate change. The virus does not discriminate between nations and people. Nor do the catastrophes imposed by uncertain weather patterns. The common threats faced by us today not only expose the fragility of the international system; they also underscore the oneness of humanity. By the grace of Almighty Allah, Pakistan has been successful so far in containing the COVID pandemic. Our calibrated strategy of ‘smart lockdowns’ helped save lives and livelihoods and kept the economy afloat. Over 15 million families survived through our social protection programme of Ehsaas. Mr. President, Climate change is one of the primary existential threats that our planet faces today.