It is an honour to be in this Hall for the seventy-first session of the General Assembly. On behalf of the Republic of Nauru, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly. It is wonderful to see one of my Pacific Island brothers at the helm of this body. Let me assure him of the full support of my delegation as he leads the important work of the Assembly. I would also like to thank His Excellency Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, our outgoing President, for his exceptional work.
I would like to say to the incoming President that his position comes with enormous responsibility, and the upcoming session will be more important than most. Every time we turn on the television, we are treated to images of turmoil. From violent extremism to political upheaval, to large-scale migration and a climate in chaos, the world is at a crossroads and the General Assembly will decide its path.
Fortunately, the 193 Members of the United Nations have given us some detailed road maps to guide our work: the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Those universal agreements capture the collective will of the international community. Such agreements point the way towards greater cooperation, and Nauru is deeply committed to their full implementation.
The commitments that we have made to each other represent our best efforts to meet the challenges before us, and we made those commitments knowing that some of us need help to fulfil them. We agreed that no country should be left behind. Now begins the most important work: translating our words into concrete action. Our primary task is to direct resources to where they will matter most.
We should not underestimate the difficulty of such a task. Some international funding mechanisms exclude small countries like mine, or prove impossible to access because of the limited capacity of small countries. Private investment is unreliable and rarely available to support basic services and critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, the most promising financing models for small developing countries — direct access and direct budgetary support, for example — are rarely available as an option. That needs to change, so that small countries can fully benefit from the historic agreements we have reached. Nauru is asking a lot from its development partners. We want to be better partners ourselves. Our efforts must, therefore, go beyond capacity-building to focus on institution-building. Those efforts must be backed by real resources and include the long-term, in-country engagement of international and regional agencies. The goal must be nothing short of building durable domestic institutions that are run by a skilled national workforce. On that note, let me thank our partners Australia, Taiwan, Japan, the Russian Federation, Cuba, New Zealand and others for their support to our sustainable development priorities.
The implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 — the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources — is a high priority. The ocean is a pillar of our small island economy, our environment and our culture. Stresses on marine biodiversity are mounting, including those that go beyond national jurisdiction. The gaps in our governance of the oceans must therefore be addressed. We urge a timely and comprehensive conclusion of the Preparatory Committee process on developing an international instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The upcoming United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of SDG 14 presents a welcome and much-needed opportunity to foster a shared vision for a healthy, productive and resilient ocean to guide all our ocean-related activities.
Let me also highlight the importance of the long- term conservation and sustainable use of our fisheries. The parties to the Nauru Agreement are on the cutting edge of sustainable fisheries management. However, the international community must ensure that a disproportionate burden of conservation measures does not fall on the small island developing States (SIDS). The burden and costs of those measures must be shared equitably.
The full implementation of our international commitments takes on much greater urgency in the face of climate change. That is why Nauru was among the first countries in the world to ratify the Paris Agreement. It is encouraging to hear that we are on track for the Agreement’s entry into force this year. However, it is far too early to celebrate. The Paris Agreement is not the end of our climate work. It is only the beginning.
Greenhouse gas emissions over the past 150 year have pushed the climate system beyond the boundaries of human experience. Brewing superstorms and droughts can be as destructive as any bomb. Sea-level rise can occupy our territory just as surely as an invading army. From the perspective of my small island nation in the Pacific, climate change is our greatest humanitarian crisis. It is our war, and while Nauru will be among the first to experience the worst impacts, climate change will be the rest of the world’s humanitarian challenge as well.
The Paris Agreement notwithstanding, the dangerous climate impacts will continue to grow worse over the coming decades. We have little understanding of how our human systems will hold up under climate stress. Global supply chains, finance and insurance markets, food and water distribution — those systems are complex and interlinked and form the foundation of our modern civilization. Climate change raises some hard questions, and I am not sure we have the answers. Can we feed a planet of 9 billion people when crop yields are projected to fall? Will we learn to share declining freshwater resources as the glaciers disappear? Will we be able to protect the millions who are rendered homeless when low-lying coastal areas are inundated? And can these and many other challenges be managed effectively so that we avoid a proliferation of failed States?
We are simply not prepared. For that reason, Nauru calls on Members to support the proposal by the Pacific SIDS to appoint a United Nations special representative on climate and security. The security implications of climate change will define the twenty-first century, and we must prepare.
Regarding the Security Council, Nauru supports expanding the number of permanent and non-permanent members in the Council. It is time to reflect the geopolitical realities of today, not those of 70 years ago. The persistence of the current arrangement continues to cast a shadow of illegitimacy over everything we do at the United Nations. If we are to nurture the spirit of cooperation represented by the historic agreements of 2015, then we must reform the most powerful organ of the United Nations. And we support the inclusion of India, Japan, Germany, Brazil and others in the permanent category.
Nauru welcomes the restored diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. However, we call upon the United States to completely lift its economic embargo immediately.
Nauru is deeply concerned about the situation in West Papua, including the alleged human rights abuses there. As emphasized in the Pacific Islands Forum communiqué, it is important that an open and constructive dialogue take place with Indonesia on that matter.
Nauru is also concerned by the mounting tensions provoked by the recent action of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Pacific region saw far too much violence and suffering during the previous century. We must not allow the scourge of war to return. Nuclear proliferation has no place in a sustainable world.
I would like to address the situation of Nauru’s close friend, Taiwan. According to the Charter of the United Nations, our mission here is
“to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small”.
The 23 million people of the Republic of China should therefore enjoy those same fundamental rights. Taiwan has contributed to the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The people are promoting the Sustainable Development Goals domestically and internationally, and they are helping to lead the way towards a low-carbon economy. Taiwan is a key stakeholder in the international community. We should make efforts to regularize their participation throughout the United Nations system, so that we can all benefit from their substantial contributions.
Lastly, I would like to extend my country’s deep appreciation for the work of the current Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. He has been a true friend of small islands. We are thankful for his leadership on many of the issues that we hold most dear. His most enduring legacy may perhaps be to have raised climate change to the top of the international agenda, but his tireless efforts to ensure that no country, no matter how small, is left behind is just as important. He was the first sitting Secretary-General to make an official visit to Pacific small island developing States, and he has an open invitation to visit Nauru.
In conclusion, I want to say that the United Nations is at a crossroads. While the Charter of the United Nations is rooted in the equality of nations, we do not always live up to that principle. There are still times when only some of us hold the pen, some sit at the table and some are locked out behind a closed door. A small group of countries has the real power to give us the necessary push to transform our world. They can make sure that resources are directed to where they matter. We need those countries to carry forward the goals and objectives that we have spent so many years negotiating, even in those exclusive rooms when the rest of us are not present.
The power of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stems from its legitimacy. It was the product of a truly open and transparent process that reflected the hopes and aspirations of all 193 States Members of the United Nations. We all sat at the table and held the pen together. I implore our partners to remember that. Now, we are entrusting the President of the General Assembly with taking that work forward and holding us accountable for our commitments. From one Pacific Islander to another, he has our complete confidence.
May God bless the Republic of Nauru. May God bless the United Nations.


This year’s session of the General Assembly comes at a critical time. Over the past few years we have witnessed grave violations of the very principles on which the United Nations is based — violations that have caused widespread human suffering and insecurity. Syria, Yemen, Ukraine and South Sudan are some examples, but the list goes on. Yet at the same time, the world has moved forward, countries have come together, found compromises and taken joint action, as, for example, when we reached the Paris Agreement and adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — the road map for our future coexistence and cooperation.
Therefore, where do we go from here? We cannot let fear guide our actions. We cannot return to a world of zero-sum games, narrow national interests and protectionism. We cannot move away from a rules-based system that guards against confrontation and unpredictability. We — the international community — must rally around the multilateral system with renewed strength. Let me assure the Assembly that Norway will work hard to promote respect for international law and to find common solutions.
My own continent, Europe, has enjoyed a unique era of peace, democracy and trade. Now, however, we are facing a complex security situation. Unfortunately, some States have chosen not to abide by international law and are simply pursuing national interests at the expense of others. Instability in the Middle East and North Africa is causing widespread human suffering and leading to violent extremism in Europe. The response should not be to isolate ourselves; instead, we must cooperate and find solutions.
The humanitarian situation in Syria simply cannot be tolerated. Global and regional Powers must take action to secure an enduring ceasefire and ensure humanitarian access — right now. The world expects the Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to deliver. And it is not just Syria that we need to focus on. Conflict and suffering continue elsewhere, and more needs to be done to find common solutions to common challenges. In that context, let me send a message to President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, who are speaking before and after me today. I strongly urge the parties to address the imminent threats to the two-State solution by implementing the recommendations in the Quartet report.
We must intensify our efforts to tackle the humanitarian consequences of today’s crises. Norway will continue to provide record levels of humanitarian assistance — to Syria, to South Sudan and elsewhere. Together we need to intensify our efforts to promote peace and stability in a wide range of fragile and conflict-affected States. We need to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to help countries emerging from conflict. We have a clear responsibility to fight terrorism and step up our efforts to prevent violent extremism. In order to do so, we need to work closely with civil society, women, young people, faith leaders and local communities.
We need to translate the women and peace and security agenda into more effective action on the ground. We need to ensure that peace operations deliver on their mandates to protect civilians. Sexual exploitation and abuse must stop. We need zero tolerance and resolute action by the United Nations. United Nations peacekeepers, development workers and humanitarian workers from a large number of countries are making a real difference in numerous countries, including Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They must be equipped with the tools and resources they need. I would like to assure the Assembly that Norway will continue to provide substantial humanitarian and development assistance and support the reform of United Nations peace operations.
However, we cannot prevent or resolve conflicts by addressing the consequences alone. We must also address the underlying causes. Thankfully, in some places, our efforts are producing tangible results. After more than five decades of conflict, peace is now within reach in Colombia. I am proud that, together with Cuba, Norway facilitated the peace process. It will be a great and historic step forward for the region, and Norway will continue to provide diplomatic and practical support to the Colombian peace process in its crucial implementation phase.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are ground-breaking. They provide us with a road map for the future we want, and we have agreed to leave no one behind. That means that we must address inequality and social injustice and safeguard the rule of law. It also means that we must empower women and men alike. We must strengthen the human rights pillar of the United Nations, both financially and politically. That should be seen as an important investment in the future. I would like to highlight the role played by those who promote the rights of others — of women, minorities and members of marginalized communities. Human rights defenders are an important corrective in any society, and only weak leaders fear correction.
The SDGs are all about building inclusive societies. Inclusive societies perform better. The right to education and health is crucial in that regard. Today there are 263 million children and young people who are not in school, and the number is growing. Last year, together with the Presidents of Chile, Indonesia and Malawi and the Director-General of UNESCO, I initiated the establishment of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity. On Sunday, the Commission submitted a report entitled “The Learning Generation” with recommendations to the Secretary-General. The Commission makes a strong case for why it is so vital to ensure that the world invests in education as a key driver of economic growth. I could not agree more. We must avoid a global learning crisis, and the consequences of inaction will be severe. Together, we must invest more to ensure that no one is left behind. Each and every one of us should have the same learning opportunities, and the education of girls is especially important. When girls go to school and get an education, it not only represents the exercise of a fundamental right, it is also good for the economy. Global education will continue to be a top priority of Norway’s development policy.
Another priority for Norway is strengthening epidemic preparedness and global health security by developing new vaccines that can prevent new outbreaks. That important goal requires effective partnerships across national borders and across every sector of society, along with the mobilization of both domestic and private-sector resources. Antibiotic medicines have saved millions of lives, but antimicrobial resistance is making them increasingly ineffective. If we do not act, we could reach a stage where common infections are once again deadly. Our grandchildren could die from illnesses that our grandparents survived. New global health challenges require increased international cooperation. I am therefore pleased that we managed to put the issue high on the agenda this week. We know what needs to be done, and now it is time do the work back home.
The Climate Conference in Paris late last year marked a turning point in the fight to save our planet. We now need effective and concerted action in order to bring down emissions and meet the ambitious objectives that we have set ourselves. Our ambition is to do all of that while still providing decent work and economic growth for all. That will require investment in innovation, and we have no time to lose.
In the decades ahead, the oceans will play a bigger role in the global economy. Today, 17 per cent of all of the animal protein consumed globally comes from the sea. In order to meet growing demands, the share of our food that we obtain from the oceans will have to increase substantially. Since growth from capture fisheries is limited, we need more sustainable aquaculture. As world trade continues to grow, the need for marine transport will increase. The oceans are also already a major source of energy. That resource must be developed further, so as to meet the growing demand for clean and renewable energy. In short, the oceans hold great promise for the future. We have seen only the very beginning of the blue economy. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea strikes a delicate balance between competing interests and needs, enabling us to realize the potential of marine resources, protect marine biodiversity and prevent conflicts in the maritime domain.
The adoption of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement shows what can be achieved when countries come together to find compromises and take action. In our globalized and interdependent world, effective international cooperation is essential if we are to address poverty, conflicts, climate change, migration and terrorism. No Government can single-handedly deliver effective solutions to the challenges we face. This morning, Norway, together with Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan and Mexico, presented five recommendations intended for the new Secretary-General, aimed at promoting an independent and credible United Nations that can play a uniting and leading role. The United Nations has a unique place in the multilateral world order. It is our shared responsibility to defend a world order in which solutions are found through negotiation and respect for international law. The validity of the United Nations mandate remains strong, but the Organization will also have to reform itself if it is to address the challenges ahead.
I would like to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his hard work and success in a range of areas, including the adoption of the SDGs. The next Secretary-General must continue to defend and promote the multilateral world order and lead the process of change that will be needed in order to ensure global stability and sustainable development for all. Norway will support him or her in that endeavour.


I address the General Assembly today for my tenth and last time. The first time I spoke here (see A/62/PV.5), I addressed climate change, conflict, refugees and — what was apparently a first at the General Assembly — cyberattacks as the continuation of policy by other means.
The issues are therefore largely the same, and only the urgency that we sense has been ratcheted up. Certainly, the world was more stable then. It was before the economic and migration crises, the current conflicts in the wider Middle East, or Russia’s aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. It was also before the war on truth and facts that seems to have taken over in many places. Despite our concerns at the time, we lived in a more stable world, where optimism had not yet become naiveté. Today, in too many parts of the world, we find a conflict either emerging, raging or frozen. Terrorism, always a scourge, dominates our daily headlines in all parts of the world.
Not all of today’s conflicts and crises could have been prevented, yet the effect of many could have been mitigated had we acted sooner or had the proper mechanisms to resolve them been in place. When I addressed the Assembly in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 (see A/63/PV.8), I warned not to apply international law selectively. International law had clearly been violated, yet little was done. Six years later, in 2014, we saw a repeat performance in Ukraine. Part of a sovereign State was annexed and another part turned into a war zone. For the first time since the Second World War, borders in Europe had been changed through the use of force. The prohibition on the use of force to change borders lies at the heart of the Charter of the United Nations. It was blatantly violated, and yet the United Nations could not make a difference. Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues. The territories of Ukraine and Georgia remain occupied by a foreign military force, and frozen conflicts persist in Nagorno Karabakh and Transnistria.
We need global norms. Just as we need international law, we also need the mechanisms to enforce it. Unless the United Nations starts to do more, it will, over time, lose relevance. When we face a global challenge, the United Nations should be the first place to come to for a solution, not the last stop when all other options have been exhausted, knowing that nothing will happen anyway.
During the past 15 years, the number of migrants and refugees worldwide has grown faster than the world’s population. I raise the issue not only because it is a crisis, but also because I myself am a child of refugees. What we face is not — I stress — an unprecedented crisis, as so many have averred. We have faced far worse refugee crises and we have prevailed. In the Europe of 1946, Germany alone had 12 million internal refugees and another 12 million displaced persons of 20 different nationalities. Other countries in the post- war shambles and ruin of Europe at the time were not in much better shape. Yet we prevailed, or rather our grandparents did. In three years, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration — and I stress the first two words of the name of this agency — spent in today’s money approximately €50 billion to resolve that crisis. It took political will, courage and far more money to solve that crisis than we are willing to spend today.
Migration is our common challenge. A sustainable solution to this complex problem lies in addressing its causes. Yet we also must fulfil our commitments under international conventions on the protection of refugees. Such commitments already exist. They are not some vague future goal to which we pledge.
Migrant children are at the heart of migration influx. Children on the move or otherwise affected by migration are the most vulnerable group, who, lacking agency, face limited access to justice and social and health services and therefore often suffer horrible abuse. One significant challenge is to provide education to the children in refugee camps. Depriving them of education will damage the prospects of refugee and asylum-seeking children, leave them behind and, at the same time, increase the risk of the kind of alienation that often leads later to extremism. We have seen this where refugee camps have been in place for a long time — sometimes for generations — begetting a continuing crop of disaffected, alienated and radicalized youth who feel that they have nothing to lose.
The ongoing conflicts we see around the world will, if we do not take control, breed a terrorism that knows no bounds. Estonia reaffirms its commitment to working together to prevent and counter terrorism, which is why we participate in the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Estonia firmly supports the International Criminal Court and its quest to end impunity. Countries, whether or not they have joined the Rome Statute, must set an example of non-aggression, self-restraint and respect for the rule of law. We believe that a commitment to fighting impunity at all levels is the only way to deter those who might commit crimes in future.
In 2005, the States Members of the United Nations committed to the principle of responsibility to protect, better known as R2P, and to fight genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. However, the brutality we see in Syria shows that an effective solution lies beyond the grasp of the United Nations. When a Government fails to live up to its commitments, when it violates the fundamental norms of civilized behaviour — let alone the tenets of the United Nations — the international community must act. In this respect, the Security Council bears primary responsibility. Council members that veto or vote against actions aimed at preventing mass atrocities carry co-responsibility for those atrocities.
A primary criticism directed at the United Nations today is the Security Council’s inability or unwillingness to respond to major crises. Estonia cannot speak from first-hand experience, as we have not yet served in the Council; we have merely observed. We want, however, to bring the spirit of openness, transparency and inclusiveness to the Council’s work, and hence are running for a non-permanent seat for 2020-2021. We are convinced that the role of the General Assembly and the non-permanent members of the Council must be increased.
The majority of States Members of the United Nations are small countries. As we look at the history of conflict since the Second World War, small countries are almost invariably the victims of conflict, not the abetters. This is nothing new. In the Melian Dialogue at the heart of his History of the Peloponnesian Wars, Thucydides famously concluded that “the strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must”. That is why we have international law — to protect the weak and the small. Their voices must be better heard and their rights must be upheld. Estonia, as a member of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group, is working together with a number of other countries to improve the working methods of the Security Council so as to bring about badly needed changes.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are effective tools for advancing security and stability, spurring economic growth, eradicating poverty, preserving the environment and promoting human development. Taking that commitment seriously, Estonia was among the first countries to present our voluntary national review on the implementation of SDGs during the High-level Political Forum.
Estonia attaches great importance to the Goal of achieving gender equality that can unlock the economic potential of women. More equal societies work better for everyone. Achieving gender equality is first and foremost the duty of political leaders and the Governments that they lead. Amid current conflicts, it is important to ensure that women do not fall victim to gender-based violence. It is also important that they be included in conflict resolution and peace negotiations. It is therefore imperative to continue to implement Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions on women and peace and security.
Free media is an integral, even inseparable, part of modern and democratic society, where Governments listen to criticism, which, after all, forms part of what we call the voice of the people. Yet all around the globe, we see that critical voices — and even those that merely report the facts — face reprisals, jail and violence. The United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity must be implemented if we are to change the absurdity that reporting facts is a life-threatening activity.
For Estonia, a leader of innovation in the digital world, the right to freedom of opinion and expression online and offline is a fundamental issue. Digital technology has been a liberating force, yet some would turn it into a means to control citizens. As a founder of the Freedom Online Coalition, Estonia is a donor to the Digital Defenders Partnership, contributing to the protection of the rights of journalists, bloggers and human-rights defenders online. In times of rapid developments in information and communications technology, the protection of human rights and the rule of law must keep pace.
The right to freedom of expression also means keeping the Internet free and unrestricted. In other words, digital freedom of expression in no way differs from freedom of expression in the analog world. Censorship, illicit filtering and the online blocking of opposition voices thwarts democracy no less than when the printed word is censored.
An open Internet is an amplifier of economic growth and thus a crucial element of sustainable development in the twenty-first century. That is an essential conclusion, incidentally, of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2016, entitled “Digital Dividends”, whose preparation I co-chaired. Information technology can lead to transparent governance and economic growth but only if it is open and unfettered.
The challenges we face in the coming years are enormous. Estonia firmly believes in a rules-based international order. The only international organization global enough to achieve that end is the United Nations.
Finally, let me say that the 10 times I have appeared here over the past decade have been genuinely rewarding experiences, and I trust that my successor will continue to believe in the work that the Assembly does. I would like to thank the members for their attention and for all that they have given me.


Allow me to express today my highest regard for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his dedication and tireless efforts to advance the cause of peace and global harmony. I have deeply appreciated our work together over the past 10 years.
As I stand here today, elections to Jordan’s national Parliament are coming to a conclusion. It is one more step on our country’s positive evolutionary path — a path to which we have insistently conformed despite regional turbulence and a massive refugee burden. It represents an achievement that can be credited largely to our citizens, especially our youth, who have stubbornly held to Jordan’s heritage of unity, strength and forward- looking spirit in spite of the odds. And it is those very odds that make the elections a true triumph of progress over regression.
As we gather here today, there are forces at play in my region and beyond whose sole purpose is to stack the odds against the core values that bind our common humanity. I am referring, of course, to the network of extremist terrorists who have dominated headlines of late. And they seek global dominance as well. They want to wipe out our achievements and those of our ancestors, to erase them and drag us back to the Dark Ages.
The question we must ask ourselves as we face the battle of our generation is what our legacy will be. Will we pass on to our children a world dominated by dread and division, where safety and security will be at the forefront of their minds as they board an airplane, attend a concert or football match, or stroll through a mall? Most important, are we doing what must be done to confront and decisively defeat this evil force, so that our children can live in a world where fear and suspicion are replaced by human comradery and hope, so they can reach their fullest potential and add to the stockpile of human achievement accrued over the ages?
As much as I wish it were otherwise, sadly the answer to those questions is no. How can we be effective in this fight when we have not clearly defined who the enemy is? Who are we fighting with, and who are we fighting against? And I am struck today, after several years of facing the global war on terror, by the lack of understanding of the true nature of Islam that I find among many Western officials, think tanks, media leaders and policymakers. I find myself stating the obvious again and again.
False perceptions of Islam and of Muslims serve to fuel the terrorists’ agenda of a global struggle by polarizing and factionalizing societies East and West — each side stigmatizing the other and each side driven deeper into mistrust and intolerance. Muslims, a quarter of the world’s population and citizens of every country, have a central role in the future of our planet. Muslim men and women bring the world a rich heritage of civic responsibility, justice, generosity, family life, and faith in God.
When some, out of prejudice or ignorance of what Islam is, seek to exclude Muslims from fulfilling their role, or on the other hand, when the outlaws of Islam, the khawarij, attempt to mislead some Muslims by deforming our religion through false teachings, our societies’ future is put at risk. When the outlaws of Islams, the khawarij, murder, when they plunder, when they exploit children and reject the equality of women before God, they abuse Islam. When the khawarij persecute minorities, when they deny freedom of religion, they abuse Islam.
Islam teaches that all humanity is equal in dignity. There is no distinction among the various nations or religions or races. The Quran forbids coercion in religion. Every citizen is guaranteed the State’s protection for themselves, their families, their properties, their honour, their privacy, and their freedom of religion and thought. Muslims believe in the divine origins of the Bible and the Torah. God says in the Koran:
“Say Ye: ‘We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob, and the tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to the Prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: and we submit to Allah.’” (The Holy Koran, II:136)
Indeed, the prophet mentioned most in the Koran is Moses, named 136 times. Jesus, whom we call “Christ Messiah,” is named 25 times. His mother, Mary, called “best of all women in creation,” is named 35 times, and there is a chapter in the Quran called Maryam. The khawarij deliberately hide these truths about Islam in order to drive Muslims and non-Muslims apart. We cannot allow that to happen. Once we understand that this is a battle that we must fight together — all religions and all of us who believe in the dignity, freedom, and well-being that is the birthright of every individual — then we can turn towards our common enemy and examine through a clear lens the unique nature of our foe.
Let me state clearly that those radical outlaw groups do not exist on the fringes of Islam. They are altogether outside of it. Thus, we refer to them as khawarij: outlaws of Islam. They declare the entire civilized world as the enemy and all people, military or civilian, as fair game. They aim to incubate satellite caliphates in every country of the world in order to extend their reach. They are also expanding fast and wide through their mastery and exploitation of modern technology, including social media. To confront this non-traditional enemy, we need non-traditional means, a new mindset, new partnerships and reformed methodologies. For Muslims, first and foremost this is a fight for our future. All elements of our community have a role to play, not only in mosques and religious centers, but media, schools, and communities. Let no one be misled: traditional Sunni Islam and all of its schools of jurisprudence decisively reject the ideas and claims of the takfiri jihadists. Muslims need to help identify and counter the outlaws of Islam who pick and choose and cut and paste religious texts in order to twist and distort true Islamic teaching.
The international community also faces a fight for the future. The war will not be fought on the battlefield alone. Our adversary has brought the fight to every place where humans live and interact: airports, cafes and city streets. Security cooperation is imperative, but equally important is a holistic approach. We need to open up new channels between continents and nations, within countries and among people. That means reforming the way we communicate, share information and use our technologies. The very same modern communication tools used against us must be employed by us, and we can do that while respecting the important issue of privacy. Creative innovators in the private sector, especially in the technology sector, are vital for our future and must be brought on board.
Ours is a global fight. The focus must not stop with the Middle East, but must reach far beyond into West and East Africa, South-East Asia and the Balkans. In Syria, a military approach will leave no winners, but only losers on every side and further civilian suffering. Ending violence ultimately demands a political process — one shepherded by a unified global vision and led by all of the Syrian people. In Iraq, international support remains critical as the Government and the people continue to uproot the khawarij. However, key to achieving and sustaining any success is an inclusive approach that engages all components of the country in the political process and in State institutions.
As we pursue those goals, the international community must also take responsibility for those whose lives have been crushed and who have been impoverished. I am referring to the millions of refugees and victims. We cannot decisively defeat the scourge of terror and violence without decisively rooting out the injustices that provide it with fertile ground. From the Abu Ghraib prison to the streets of Kabul and schools in Aleppo, injustice and humiliation have left tremendous human suffering in their wake.
No injustice has spread more bitter fruit than the denial of a Palestinian State. I believe that peace is a conscious decision. Israel has to embrace peace, or eventually be engulfed in a sea of hatred in a region of turmoil. Safeguarding Jerusalem is a key concern, as the Holy City is a strategic linchpin not only for my region but for the world.
That is a priority for me personally and for all Muslims. We utterly reject attacks on Muslim and Christian holy sites and any attempts to alter the historic Muslim, Christian and Arab identity of the Holy City. As the Custodian of Islamic Holy Sites in Jerusalem, I will continue my efforts to protect those places and stand up against all violations of their sanctity, including attempts to establish temporal and spatial divisions restricting free use of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Haram Al-Sharif.
Perhaps the central and most vital battleground for this defining war of our generation is the mind. The despicable, damaging ideology of hate, murder and self- destruction that is being spread in crash courses online and elsewhere must be confronted with a counter- narrative of hope, tolerance and peace. Together, in the General Assembly and in our regions, countries and communities across the world, we have the power to create that counter-narrative. Let us show that we also have the will to act.


More than ever before, we share a common destiny. The destiny of everyone here is also our destiny, and we can master the challenges of the future only if we face them together. That is why we have the United Nations. That is why we meet in this Assembly.
Today, we are doing so at a time marked by the destructive forces of war and the tragic plight of refugees, such as the unspeakable horror of Syria, girls abducted and enslaved by Boko Haram, or teenagers on the run who are in search of opportunity but have never attended school. It is also marked by the return of geopolitical rivalries and isolationism. The basic tenets of our coexistence are being challenged. Acts of aggression are changing borders; nuclear weapons are proliferating and being tested; human dignity is being denied. We are being revisited by the spectres of xenophobia and aggressive nationalism, autocracy and fear-mongering. Walls are being erected.
We must and we can respond to that by empowering people, by strengthening democracy, good governance and the rule of law, by celebrating diversity, by keeping our economies open and pushing for trade, so that we can create decent jobs for all, by committing to arresting climate change in order to save our planet, by setting ambitious goals for sustainable development, by pursuing peace through diplomacy, and by seeking solutions through collaboration.
High on our global agenda are the issues of migration and refugees. As we have heard so many times already this week, 65 million people are fleeing from harm. The international community must live up to its commitments by providing protection for refugees and guaranteeing the right to seek asylum. That is a global responsibility, to be shouldered cooperatively and addressed comprehensively and through shared governance. The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1), which the Assembly adopted earlier this week, is a first step. But there are many more to take. Fundamentally, we need to redouble resettlement efforts, which are the most important way to help refugees. And at the same time, we must harness the positive effects of safe and orderly migration.
The United Nations must adapt to a changing environment. The Organization has achieved a great deal in 71 years, but it falls short of our expectations. It is time for serious reforms that can make it fit for purpose. To succeed, we need a strong, visionary and courageous leadership, dedicated to change, to turning ambitions into concrete action and to delivering on the recent groundbreaking multilateral achievements on climate change, sustainable development and peace.
We need the States Members of the United Nations to heed and lead that call for change. The prevention of armed conflict must be at the core of our action. We should make full use of Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, which remains underutilized. Early warnings should be followed by early action. Resolution 70/262, on sustaining peace, adopted by the Assembly earlier this year, provides a strong framework on which to base effective prevention and peacebuilding. Working with and through regional organizations will make the United Nations more effective in its quest to sustain peace. It is particularly important to find ways to sustainably finance regional and subregional organizations’ peace operations.
Another area requiring determined action is gender equality. We call for a true shift in the way we approach global efforts aimed at achieving gender equality. Ultimately, it is our task to enhance rights, representation and resources for women and girls all around the world, by increasing women’s participation in peace processes, protecting them against gender- based violence in humanitarian crises and strengthening their political and economic empowerment. The United Nations can lead the way by improving the gender balance in its system and having a gender-responsive budget of its own, and by using gender-disaggregated data when dealing with matters of peace and conflict, including in the Security Council.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a political road map for reform. It requires the United Nations to offer comprehensive advice and support to Governments on how to shape and develop societies on issues ranging from tax reform to decent jobs. It also requires the United Nations to monitor developed countries, while assisting middle-income countries in their efforts to build inclusive and accountable institutions and sustainable prosperity.
To achieve that, we must strengthen and reform the financing of the United Nations. All branches of its development system should make full use of their respective mandates and specialties, working together and avoiding duplication. Collaborative efforts should be rewarded. That is the only way that the United Nations, with its limited resources, will be able to make a greater impact at the country level and support the efforts of all Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A United Nations conference to be co-hosted by Fiji and Sweden in 2017 will focus on SDG 14, with the goal of conserving and using sustainably our oceans, seas and marine resources.
Security is something we must build together. It is something we share, and that notion compels us to contest the false logic of confrontation and geopolitical zero-sum games. Instead, it can lead us to emphasize de-escalation and disarmament, mediation and dialogue, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. That is a cornerstone of Swedish security policy. It is our basic approach to security in both our immediate and global neighbourhoods.
Indeed, the importance of cooperation increases with the transboundary nature of threats. Internal and external security are more interlinked than ever before. Therefore, we must improve our common tools for crisis management, equip the next generation of peace operations with more robust mandates and adequate resources and strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the European Union and the African Union.
But we cannot ignore the key to achieving peace: political will. And for peace to be sustainable, the root causes of conflict must be tackled and the rules of our multilateral world order respected. Peace accords are not implemented, and resolutions, mandates and decisions by the Security Council are disregarded. This is unacceptable. It challenges the authority of the Security Council and the rules-based international order itself.
The Middle East peace process has stalled. The parties are far apart, trust is lacking and the situation on the ground is deteriorating. The occupation must end, international law must be observed and the two-State solution must be revitalized. The Security Council has a huge responsibility. Other initiatives to revive the peace process, such as the Arab Peace Initiative and the French initiative, should be supported by all of us. Sweden is honoured to lead the work on involving civil society in the French initiative.
In Europe, Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and military presence in eastern Ukraine constitute breaches of international law and principles of the European security order agreed by all participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. All parties must do their part so that Ukraine can regain control over its internationally recognized borders.
If we want peace, we need to plan for peace and sustain peace. This is equally critical in the vulnerable aftermath of violent conflict. As more areas are liberated from Da’esh and other terrorist groups, we must take action to win peace; we must, at the very least, mitigate and stabilize the situation in liberated areas. To meet this challenge, our tools must be developed and cooperation enhanced.
The United Nations is central to political processes, the delivery of immediate relief, and efforts for long- term development, including State-building. I welcome the fact that the United Nations is now exploring responses for stabilization. Sweden believes that closer cooperation in this field between the United Nations and the European Union, politically and on the ground, would be beneficial. We should be ready to provide such comprehensive support to Iraq.
I wish to thank the General Assembly once again for electing Sweden as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2017-2018 term. We take its strong support as a vote of confidence for our foreign policy of solidarity and global commitment. We also see it as a call for a Security Council that addresses challenges to international peace and security in a comprehensive, inclusive and transparent manner. We are ready to assume our share of responsibility for the entire Council agenda.
We will bring our foreign policy perspectives with us in fulfilling this assignment — those of preventing armed conflict, sustaining peace, the necessity of including women in peace processes and an understanding of security that stresses the links to sustainable development. We will continue to talk with, not only about, countries, and we will remain true to our principles. Swedish foreign policy rests firmly on international law, respect for human rights, gender equality and a humanitarian perspective.
“Today is the last day of the war.” That is what the Colombian magazine Semana wrote on 23 June this year. More than 50 years of conflict have passed. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. Millions were on the run. Let us pay our respects to the victims. Let us welcome the peace agreement. But let us also remember what is unique about this agreement. The architects were not only the Government and the guerrillas. Victims of the conflict, women’s organizations and civil society were also involved. Peace does not come about because it is printed in a headline. It happens step by step, because of the courage of ordinary people. It happens when people organize a meeting to form a political party to voice their demands or print a pamphlet or use social media to rally for their cause. It happens when women and girls claim their human rights, when civil society and trade unions grow, making societies and economies more participatory and inclusive. Such is the fabric of lasting peace and such is the task of the United Nations.


On behalf of India and on my own behalf, I congratulate Mr. Peter Thomson on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his service to the United Nations, the largest peace movement in history.
A year has passed since I stood here at this hallowed rostrum to address the members of the international community (see A/70/PV.22). Since then, many things have changed in the world around us — some for the better, some for the worse, and many that have been a cause for great concern. There can be no better platform to ponder our actions and our achievements over the past year. We must remember that we will be defined not just by our actions but, equally, by our inaction.
A number of issues have been debated in the General Assembly, from the necessity of global partnerships in sharing new vaccines and promoting access to affordable drugs to counter antimicrobial resistance to the need for faster implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, from the challenges of ensuring well-ordered mobility of productive human resources to the necessity of adequate consultations with troop-contributing countries before framing mandates for United Nations peacekeeping operations. However, since my time is limited, I would therefore focus on only some of the most pressing issues facing the international community.
The true challenges of our time are to end the curse of harsh poverty, which still lurks in so many corners of our world, to ensure that the fruits of growing prosperity reach those who need it most, to take forward the mission of gender equality and protect women where progress on gender issues has lapsed, and to ensure peace across borders, not least because there can be no prosperity without peace.
I congratulate the President of the General Assembly for giving priority to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by making them central to the theme of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly. I am happy that the 17 Goals adopted by the Assembly are in line with the development vision of my Government, which has been geared in recent years towards the achievement of these very objectives.
Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign — the Clean India mission — more than 400,000 toilets have been constructed in over 200,000 schools. Similarly, in terms of gender equality, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign — Educate the Girl Child, Save the Girl Child programme — has become a nationwide movement led by women. The Make in India initiative is receiving international acclaim. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan- Dhan Yojana initiative, the largest financial inclusion programme the world has ever seen, nearly 250 million bank accounts have been opened for the poor. Digital India is transforming the country. Under the Skill India Initiative, a number of programmes have been undertaken to enable young people to take advantage of the demographic dividend. Those initiatives have added a new dimension to India’s growth story, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world at a time of slow global growth.
We are all aware that one sixth of humankind lives in India. Accordingly, global success in realizing the SDGs depends on the success achieved in India. We are committed to the wholehearted implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a national effort. We have decided to dedicate one day in each session of our Parliament to discussions relating solely to the SDGs, which will enable us to consistently monitor the progress made on them and give us good results. However, for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a globalized world, national efforts need to be supplemented by international cooperation.
Climate change is yet another serious challenge we are having to confront. There are enough resources on this planet to fulfil everyone’s needs, but not enough to satisfy anyone’s greed, for greed is limitless. In that context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed a new concept, namely, climate justice. If we respect nature, nature will respect and nurture us and future generations. However, if we exploit nature mindlessly then we must be mindful that nature will unleash its fury upon us. In different parts of the world, we have already seen nature drift towards the unnatural — from torrential rains to excessive heat, from tsunamis to storms and cloudbursts.
We must curb reckless consumption and adopt lifestyles in harmony with nature. Yoga, the storehouse of India’s ancient wisdom, epitomizes a sustainable lifestyle. I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the unprecedented global response to the International Day of Yoga, which has been celebrated for the past two years.
In the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities has been acknowledged and accepted. That makes it clear that, while our responsibility is common, our obligations are different. Developed nations must discharge their responsibility in the search for the common good through finance and technology transfer.
India has launched an ambitious domestic effort to transform our energy mix and attain 40 per cent energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. The massive investments required entail a predictable and stable environment, towards which we are actively working. Additionally, our ground-breaking initiative for an International Solar Energy Alliance is intended to make efficient solar technology available for all.
I assure the General Assembly that India will continue to play a leading role in combating climate change. We have carefully chosen the date to submit our instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which will be 2 October, the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, who epitomized a lifestyle with the smallest possible carbon footprint.
Let me now turn to a subject of critical importance, and which deeply concerns every member of the Assembly. This month we marked the fifteenth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on this city. Tragically, less than 15 days ago, another attempt at killing innocents was made in an act of terror on this same city. We, who have suffered in Uri, Kashmir, recently, understand the pain inflicted by the same forces. The world has been battling this scourge for a very long time. However, despite the blood and tears of innocent victims, attacks this year alone in Kabul, Dhaka, Istanbul, Mogadishu, Brussels, Bangkok, Paris, Pathankot and Uri, as well as the daily barbaric tragedies in Syria and Iraq, remind us that these malevolent forces have yet to be defeated.
We must acknowledge that terrorism is undoubtedly the greatest of all violations of human rights. We must accept this fact as a first principle. Terrorism targets the innocent and kills indiscriminately. Having gone far beyond affecting individuals or nations, it is a crime against humanity itself. But it is important to ask: who is behind this and who benefits from it? Terrorists do not own banks or weapons factories, so let us ask the question of who finances these terrorists, who arms them and who provides them sanctuary. Similar questions were asked by the Vice-President of Afghanistan from this rostrum a few days ago (see A/71/PV.11).
History proves that those who plant the seeds of extremist ideology reap a bitter harvest. The contagion of evil seen in small terrorist groups has grown into a hydra-headed monster backed by technological sophistication that threatens the peace and harmony of our world. We will not be able to win the fight against terrorism by making specious distinctions between the problems of one group and the problems of others — between terrorists who attack some and those who attack others. We do not know who will be the next victim of Frankenstein’s monster.
If we want to defeat terrorism, therefore, there is only one way, that is, to unite despite our differences, add steel to our resolve and inject urgency into our response. We need to forget our prejudices and join hands to draw up an effective strategy against terror. That is not an impossible task, provided that we have the will. We can do it, and we must do it; otherwise, future generations will forever hold us to account. And if any nation refuses to join the global strategy, then we must isolate it. That is my simple demand.
There are nations in our midst that still speak the language of terrorism. They nurture it, peddle it and export it. Sheltering terrorists has become the calling card of such nations. We must identify those nations and hold them to account. The nations in which United Nations-designated terrorists roam freely and which lead demonstrations and deliver their poisonous sermons of hate with impunity are as culpable as the very terrorists whom they harbour. There should be no place for such countries in the community of nations.
On 21 September, the Prime Minister of Pakistan used this rostrum to make baseless allegations about human rights violations in my country (see A/71/ PV.11). I can say only that those accusing others of human rights violations would do well to look within and see what egregious abuses they are perpetrating in their own countries, including in Baluchistan. The brutality against the Baluch people represents the worst form of State oppression.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan also said that India had come up with preconditions for talks that he found unacceptable. What preconditions was he talking about? Did we impose any preconditions before extending an invitation to him to attend our Government’s oath- taking ceremony? Did we impose any preconditions when I went to Islamabad for the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process and agreed to commence the comprehensive bilateral dialogue with Pakistan? Did we impose any preconditions when Prime Minister Modi travelled from Kabul to Lahore? What preconditions? What are we talking about?
We took the initiative to resolve issues not on the basis of conditions, but on the basis of friendship. That is the truth. We have in fact attempted to establish an unprecedented paradigm of friendship in the past two years. We conveyed Eid greetings to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, wished success to his cricket team and extended good wishes for his health and well-being. Did any of that come with preconditions attached?
And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali and Uri? Are we imposing preconditions or are the Pakistanis now going in a different direction? Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody whose confession is proof of Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terror. But when confronted with such evidence, Pakistan continues to deny it. Pakistan persists in the belief that such attacks will enable it to acquire the territory it covets. My firm advice to Pakistan is to abandon that dream. Let me state unequivocally that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and will always remain so. That is why Pakistan should abandon that dream.
As I said at the outset, we will be judged by both our action and our inaction. What goals have we achieved and what objectives remain unfulfilled? The first pending task for the Assembly is the adoption of the comprehensive convention on international terrorism, which was proposed by India in 1996. In 2016, despite the fact that two decades have elapsed, we have yet to conclude an agreement. As a result, we are unable to develop a standard under which terrorists shall be prosecuted or extradited. I therefore appeal to the General Assembly that it act with fresh resolve and urgency to adopt that critical convention.
The second pending task is Security Council reform. Just as we need a more contemporary approach to combating terrorism, we also need a less outdated Security Council, which currently reflects the world order of a bygone era. The vast majority of nations share the belief that the United Nations should not remain frozen in 1945, which serves only the interests of a few. Whether it is a question of institutions or issues, we must come to terms with present-day realities and the challenges we have before us. An expansion in the permanent and non-permanent Council categories of membership in order to reflect contemporary realities is therefore an urgent necessity. We must move forward substantively through the intergovernmental negotiations towards a text-based negotiation.
If both of the long-pending issues that I mentioned are addressed during the presidency of Mr. Thomson, then the success of the seventy-first session will be assured.
The twenty-first century has begun in the shadow of turmoil, but we can turn it into a golden age in the history of civilization through united and concerted efforts. But we must remember that what happens tomorrow will depend on what we do today.


I am pleased today to congratulate Mr. Thomson on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session. The Government of Barbados is pleased that Fiji, a fellow small island developing State (SIDS), has been elevated to such an important office. Forty- six years ago, the Prime Minister of Barbados, The Honourable Errol Walton Barrow, in his address to this body, congratulated Fiji on its attainment of independence (see A/PV.1866). He pointed out that Barbados was especially pleased to have been one of the sponsors of resolution 2622 (XXV), admitting Fiji to the United Nations. I assure the President of the full support and cooperation of the Barbados delegation as he discharges his duties.
I extend sincere thanks to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, for his steady guidance of the work of the General Assembly during its seventieth session.
I also take this opportunity to recognize the contribution of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose tenure is drawing to an end. Secretary-General Ban has been a dedicated and committed leader of the Organization. He has been a friend of SIDS, including Barbados. The Government of Barbados extends sincere appreciation for his dedicated global service during a turbulent but productive period.
The seventy-first session is of deep significance to Barbados. It coincides with the celebration this year of two historic anniversaries. On 30 November, we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary of independence and nationhood, followed closely by our fiftieth anniversary of membership in the United Nations.
One of the cornerstones on which the foreign policy of Barbados is built is our unwavering commitment to the United Nations. We see the United Nations as the core of an effective multilateral system, with responsibility for addressing issues of international peace, security and development. Today, 50 years on, Barbados stands more firmly committed to the principle of multilateralism. For the United Nations to deliver on our expectations, its organizational structure must reflect the geopolitical realities of the twenty-first century. We therefore support efforts to reform the Security Council and to revitalize the General Assembly.
The theme of this year’s General Assembly is “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”. We must act now to make the vision of 2030 a reality. Barbados believes that partnership and collaboration will be the keys to fulfilling the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. That is especially true for SIDS.
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mr. Freundel Stuart, addressed this theme in his statement to the Alliance of Small Island States Leaders’ Conference, held in the margins of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States in September 2014. Prime Minister Stuart highlighted the importance of United Nations support for the implementation of the SIDS Agenda. We therefore welcome the progress made by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) in its comprehensive review of the United Nations system’s support for SIDS, and we look forward to tangible improvements as a result of its work.
Last week, I was pleased to participate in the launch, in Barbados, of the Caribbean Human Development Report 2016. The theme of the report is “Multidimensional progress: human resilience beyond income”. It highlights the unique situation of the small island developing States and low-lying coastal States in the Caribbean. Three central issues stand out: vulnerability, resilience and sustainability. Barbados welcomes the report. It validates the consistent call by the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and of SIDS in general, for SIDS to be recognized as a special case for sustainable development.
The Government of Barbados is devising and implementing effective strategies to strengthen social, economic and environmental resilience that is consistent with our national growth and development philosophy. It is based on supporting a Barbados that is socially balanced, economically viable, environmentally sound, and characterized by good governance — our four strategic pillars. We are therefore pleased that Barbados is already pursuing the ideals enshrined in Agenda 2030.
The existential threat which climate change poses to small island developing States like Barbados is well documented. We are a leading advocate for coordinated action at the international level to address the sources and consequences of our vulnerability. The Prime Minister of Barbados was one of the leaders who participated in the formal signing ceremony of the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change in April. He deposited the instrument of ratification on the same occasion. We look forward to its early entry into force. At the national level, Barbados has developed a national climate change policy framework that works seamlessly with the Barbados sustainable development policy to address issues of climate adaptation and mitigation.
Barbados exercises jurisdiction over maritime space that far exceeds its very limited land territory. We therefore recognize the vast potential of the ocean and its sustainable exploitation as an important component of our future development. We are also developing a comprehensive national ocean governance strategyto address the sustainable management of our maritime space and the sustainable use of Barbados’ marine living and non-living resources.
As we seek to protect and preserve our oceans and seas for future generations, Barbados will continue to participate actively in the various oceans-related processes of the United Nations. During the current session, my delegation will collaborate with other members of the Association of Caribbean States to strengthen the level of support for the Caribbean Sea resolution. Our ultimate aim is the designation of the Caribbean Sea as a special area in the context of sustainable development. We count on your support.
Barbadians are a proud and industrious people. With minimal natural resources and the constraints of small size and vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters, our people have achieved a significant level of human development in 50 years of independence. We have done so by dint of hard work, sacrifice and faith. We remain resolute in our determination to overcome the many obstacles we face: the unilateral and unidimensional graduation policies of international development agencies that penalize us for progress in human development, while ignoring our obvious vulnerabilities; the negative impact of the economic and financial decisions of international financial and other institutions, illustrated by the consequences of de-risking on correspondent banking activity; and the persistent and unwarranted attacks on our international financial services sector, accompanied by the imposition of onerous conditionalities. Those actions threaten our economic stability and our ability to participate in global financial, trade and economic systems. They undermine our capacity to achieve the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We call for dialogue with development partners and greater policy space and policy flexibility for SIDS.
The United Nations was born of the post-war desire of nations for international peace and security.
Barbados is a firm proponent of the rule of law at the national, regional and international levels. We reiterate our commitment to maintaining the Caribbean as a zone of peace. In that context, Barbados reaffirms its unwavering support for the territorial integrity of fellow CARICOM States Belize and Guyana. We call for definitive solutions to their long-standing disputes with neighbouring States Guatemala and Venezuela. Barbados welcomes the recent steady progress towards the normalization of bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States of America. We look forward to the dismantling of the final vestiges of that long- standing embargo.
On that memorable evening on 30 November 1966, as the national flag of Barbados was unfurled for the first time, there was a sense of exultation, expectation and pride. Our first Prime Minister stated in his first address to the General Assembly:
“Humility must be the most appropriate feeling for the leader of a State admitted to membership of this illustrious Assembly on the basis of sovereign equality.” (A/PV.1487, para. 72)
Half a century later, we believe that both independence and membership in the United Nations have served us well and afforded us the opportunity to pursue the goals which have informed the progress that we have achieved. Looking forward, we are committed to the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We expect it to guarantee further development of the Barbadian economy and society and to serve as our contribution to the universal push to transform our world.


It is a great honour and privilege for me to be addressing the Assembly for the first time since I took office as President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
First allow me to congratulate Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly at this session, and to wish him the greatest success in his work. I also thank his predecessor, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark, for his excellent work during the previous session. I would also like express our appreciation for the theme chosen for this session, under President Thomson’s important sponsorship, which focuses on the issue of sustainable development.
Guinea-Bissau believes that this session is an opportunity to strengthen the commitments made as well as the division of responsibilities among all international actors in pursuit of the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1).
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (resolution 69/313) for development financing, approved by the General Assembly in July 2015, gave rise to fresh hope with regard to financing for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The commitments made by the parties must be respected. The goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda are complementary and must be harmonized and aligned.
My country is strongly committed to doing our part in implementing the commitments made in the context of global and regional strategies. Thus we are proud of the fact that our national development plan is in line with many of the Goals of the Agenda and also of the political will demonstrated by the national authorities to gradually adjust this strategic plan in order to fully accommodate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Guinea-Bissau has very important natural capital to leverage for our development and for the preservation of the environment in the West Africa ecoregion. Thus biodiversity has become an axis that cuts across all other aspects of my country’s development.
Allow me to take this opportunity to briefly share with the Assembly the current political situation and the efforts that have been made to overcome the institutional challenges that our country faces, particularly our political authorities.
Just before I left to attend this session, thanks to the mediation of the Heads of State of Guinea Conakry and Sierra Leone, who were in my country recently, in accordance with a decision reached at the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), held in Dakar, an agreement was signed with a view to overcoming the current roadblocks in our Parliament. The agreement was signed by the President of the National Popular Assembly, the Prime Minister and the two main political parties.
The understanding reached deserves the full support of the President of the Republic, ECOWAS and other partners of Guinea-Bissau as an important step toward the easing of political tensions and a consensus platform that will allow us to ensure Government stability until the end of the legislative term.
The endorsement of this understanding by the Heads of State of ECOWAS and the international community, which met yesterday to discuss the way forward to implementing the agreement, rauses the hope that all parties are strongly committed to establishing peace and stability so as to allow the agreement to be implemented.
Therefore, allow me to reiterate my commitment to do all that is required, through a frank and open dialogue with all active forces in our country, in order to consolidate an environment of peace and social stability, which are indispensable to a process of stable governance in our country.
I should note, however, that today the Bissau-Guinean crisis is no longer a political and military crisis, but merely, and eminently, a political and institutional crisis. I should also note that, from the outset of my term, not a single shot has been fired by military or paramilitary personnel; no one has been killed or beaten for political reasons; there have been no reported cases of arbitrary arrest; there is freedom of expression, the press and demonstration; and no issues of human rights violations have been raised.
As Supreme Commander of the armed forces, I would also like to reiterate to the Assembly our request for United Nations support for the process of national reconciliation that is under way in our country; for the participation of our armed forces in international peacekeeping missions; for the implementation of safety and security-sector reform, which is of great importance, namely with respect to the control of weapons and the management of materiel; the construction of armories and the renovation of barracks; and the securing of funds for the reintegration of demobilized troops.
The world today faces a tremendous challenge: combating and overcoming the scourges of terrorism, drug trafficking, climate change and other evils that are ravaging our countries. These threats are clear evidence of the security challenges that we face on our shared planet.
Our subregion, West Africa, is also affected by acts of terrorism, which represent an intolerable manifestation of barbarism and of disdain for the most sacred values of humanity. I wish to take this unique opportunity to once again express my country’s solidarity with the countries and peoples that are victims of terrorism and reiterate our commitment to them.
Guinea-Bissau welcomes the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and calls for its implementation as a key tool for regulating international dialogue and cooperation among States, which hold in their hands the fate of the planet.
Climate change poses an emerging risk for Guinea- Bissau. We are a coastal country, with an island portion and a high risk of sea-level rise, which poses a great threat to a significant portion of our territory. Therefore, climate change matters are some of the main priorities of our political action. Accordingly, we have great interest in participating in and closely monitoring the High-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 — on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development — which will take place in New York in 2017. The President of the General Assembly is therefore in the right place to fulfil the mission the Assembly has assigned to him in this regard.
In the past year, we have observed an important development in the international context, namely, the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba, which we greatly welcomed. We hope that the normalization of bilateral relations may bring these two friends of Guinea-Bissau closer together. In addition, we call for the implementation of the resolutions calling for a two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security.
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission for their continued focus on, solidarity with, and ongoing monitoring of Guinea-Bissau, its people and its authorities, even in an environment of multiple and complex challenges. In addition, on behalf of the people of Guinea-Bissau, I would also like to recognize and thank the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), its Commission and its member States for their political, financial and military support in the process of stabilizing, securing and reforming the safety and security sectors.
I would like to offer a word of appreciation to Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, and special thanks to President Alpha Condé of Guinea for his role in facilitating the dialogue in the political process in Guinea-Bissau. We also offer our profound gratitude to Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria, for his unwavering support as head of the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau. I further convey our gratitude to all heads of State in the subregion, who have given a high level of attention to Guinea-Bissau during the years our political crisis persisted.
Our recognition of and gratitude to all other international partners, countries and organizations, namely, the African Union, the West African Economic and Monetary Union, the European Union, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Population Fund and the International Organization of la Francophonie, which have always stood with Guinea-Bissau and supported our country in its pursuit of paths leading to stability and development. The support of our international partners, as seen in the results of the Brussels round table in 2015, unequivocally translates into attention to the situation of the State and the people of Guinea- Bissau. As promised, we count on our partners’ help to leverage economic development as the engine for peace and stability in our country.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate our appreciation for the United Nations and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea- Bissau, which kept their attention on and unflaggingly monitored Guinea-Bissau, our people and our institutions despite the multiple and complex problems that the world is facing. It is with great satisfaction that I highlight the indispensable role of the United Nations, through its representative in Guinea-Bissau, Mr. Modibo Touré, whom I thank for his personal dedication to facilitating dialogue and seeking solutions, as well as the strengthened consolidation of the democratic rule of law in Guinea-Bissau.
Finally, I wish the President of the Assembly continued success as he conducts the work of this seventy-first session of the General Assembly on behalf of the States and peoples of the world. May God bless us all.


We congratulate His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson on assuming the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session and extend our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Mogens Lykketoft for his commitment during the previous session and his strong efforts aimed at promoting transparency and efficiency within the United Nations system.
The theme of this year’s general debate, “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”, is extremely important for all of us. The full and timely implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial in order to ensure progress and prosperity around the world, strengthen peace and make our planet a better place in which to live.
But peace and freedom are being tested today. We are witnessing the worst security situation since the end of the Second World War. National borders and international principles are being challenged. In many regions, war and terror prevail. States and institutions are disintegrating. The world is out of balance today. Terrorism is on the rise. No one is immune, and no one is safe. War zones have become breeding grounds for radical ideologies and launch pads for terrorist activities. Violations and abuses of human rights occur every day, and innocent women and children are the most affected. In these turbulent times, the number of crises around the world is at a record high. Protracted conflicts are causing so many humanitarian tragedies. Conflict resolution and reconciliation have become more challenging to achieve and sustain. It is very easy to occupy and destroy, but it is very difficult to rebuild and reconcile broken societies.
Europe is a symbol of hope for millions of refugees. Inspired by our common values, we are determined to further strengthen our efforts to manage migration in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law. Countries that are close to the conflict zones, like Bulgaria, are facing an unprecedented challenge. We welcome the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1) as a symbol of our joint effort to strengthen international cooperation so as to better protect and assist refugees.
Migration should be managed through collective global efforts in a responsible way. Our specific focus should be on the protection of the human rights of migrants and refugees, especially the most vulnerable — women, children and persons with disabilities. At the same time, all migrants have the duty to comply with the laws of their countries of residence. Bulgaria welcomes the emphasis on global responsibility-sharing. That crucial element should guide us in building partnerships between the countries of origin, transit and destination and the entire international community.
The current global humanitarian crisis reminds us that we must tackle global issues in an inclusive and integrated manner, focusing on the root causes. It is also a crisis for children. We must hear their voice. We must recall that a child is first a child and then a refugee. The child is entitled to the full set of rights recognized in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including family reunification.
The United Nations has a crucial role to play in addressing those challenges. Our crisis-management efforts require a holistic United Nations response, preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacebuilding, resilience and reconciliation. Bulgaria participates actively in the work of the Group of Friends of Mediation, which contributes to those efforts. We are committed to helping crisis-stricken countries recover. There is an old saying: “Prevention is better than a cure.”
Bulgaria is committed to the global efforts aimed at preventing and resolving ongoing conflicts. During our very successful chairmanship-in-office of the South-East European Cooperation Process, Bulgaria proposed concrete initiatives focused on enhancing security, stability, connectivity, reconciliation and sustainable development in the Balkans. Bulgaria plays an important role in strengthening the expertise of the European Union in the region and supports the Euro- Atlantic integration of the countries in the Western Balkans.
The European Union (EU) has unique significance and strong legitimacy because of the peaceful discussions it holds and its settlement of differences by consensus, because of its shared fundamental rights and rules, and because it has achieved an unprecedented level of integration and cooperation among its member States. Last week, Bulgaria very successfully hosted the annual meeting of the Arraiolos Group. Ten Presidents of EU member States exchanged ideas and shared a vision of how to rebuild trust in the European Union and bring lasting stability and prosperity to the Balkans. That served as an important recognition of the friendly, balanced and principled foreign policy that Bulgaria is conducting today.
We need to team up and develop common strategies, rather than build fortresses to defend short-sighted national interests. We have to engage leaders throughout the world and from all sectors of society, and not just acknowledge but resolve conflicts. We need prevention, and we need to be proactive so as to detect crises early and solve them. We need to empower diplomacy and promote principles, not interests and weapons. We need to reconfirm rather than renegotiate the principles of international order. As the Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, stressed during the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, we need a step change in the way we address humanitarian crises by looking more rigorously into the root causes.
Bringing peace and reconciliation back to Syria can be achieved only through a Syrian-led political process that involves an inclusive transition that takes into account the aspirations of all parts of society. It is important to create favourable conditions enabling the resumption of the intra-Syrian peace talks as soon as possible.
We do not want to go back to the time when great Powers allocated their spheres of influence. We cannot once again allow political interests to divide and occupy the territory of sovereign States or create frozen conflicts.
The recent escalation of the conflict in Ukraine is a source of deep concern. Any attempt to destabilize Ukraine is unacceptable. Bulgaria strongly supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. My country renews its call for the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements and reiterates its consistent policy of the non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Bulgaria supports the process of building a peaceful, stable and self-reliant Afghanistan. We will continue to contribute to the reconstruction and State-building process in Afghanistan through our participation in the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. We are contributing to the Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund, and we are assisting in building Afghanistan’s administrative capacity through our official development assistance.
The Middle East peace process has reached a critical stage. New initiatives are needed to revive the two-State solution. Bulgaria welcomes the recent efforts in that direction, especially the Quartet report. We highly value and fully support the work of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, in his challenging mission. We reaffirm our position that the two-State solution is the realistic, just and lasting way to settle the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. A solution that could satisfy the aspirations of both sides can be achieved only through direct negotiations, with no conditions attached, and in conformity with all relevant international obligations.
Bulgaria supports the implementation of the agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme, which is an important step forward in achieving stability in the region. We hope that all agreed measures will be fully implemented.
The fifth consecutive nuclear test carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in September, is a direct violation of Security Council resolutions. We urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to suspend its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and to resume dialogue with the international community, including in the framework of the Six-Party Talks.
Terrorism and violent extremism are an alarming threat to peace and security. It is a source of grave concern that such acts have increased dramatically. We cannot and should not accept that this is the new normal. Every effort must be made to eradicate terrorism and violent extremism. Bulgaria is a proud member of the international Anti-Terrorism Coalition.
The United Nations has an important role to play in managing and coordinating comprehensive counter- terrorism actions across the world. The relevant Security Council resolutions and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy serve as a good basis for international cooperation. Bulgaria supports the Secretary-General’s review of the United Nations counter-terrorism architecture.
The prevention of radicalization is an essential part of the response. Bulgaria has adopted the required domestic legislation and has built the necessary institutional capacity. Education, the protection of cultural heritage and the protection of human rights will help us deal with the reasons that lead individuals to feel forced to join violent extremist groups. The role of UNESCO in those efforts is crucial. We commend the dedicated work and invaluable contribution of Ms. Irina Bokova and her leadership in promoting education and intercultural dialogue globally. Her outstanding performance and strong commitment to the principles and purposes of the United Nations are fundamental for achieving sustainable progress and long-lasting results.
We made history with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Now it is time for their implementation. It is up to all of us to adapt our national strategies and deliver on those commitments. As President of Bulgaria, I was so proud to be among the first to sign the historic Paris Agreement during the high-level ceremony at the Secretariat in New York. My country supports the early entry into force of the Paris Agreement. I have the pleasure to announce that the Bulgarian Government has already initiated its domestic ratification procedure.
My country is elaborating its national programme for development, Bulgaria 2030, by actively engaging civil society, young people, the private sector and media. We are focusing on education, high-tech and innovation to build a green and energy-efficient economy. To that end, we are educating young Bulgarians on the importance of sustainability. Bulgarian schools, in partnership with UNICEF, have introduced special programmes to teach children about the SDGs.
Peace is not a given, and it is up to all of us to protect it. And peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is human rights. Peace is the rule of law. Promoting human rights is a core purpose of the United Nations and defines its identity. Bulgaria has been strongly advocating for strengthening the human rights pillar of the United Nations. Bulgaria is determined to further contribute to promoting human rights as a member of the Human Rights Council for the period 2019-2021, and we rely on our partners’ valuable support for our candidacy.
Bulgaria attaches great importance to the protection of children and the promotion of their rights. As Co-Chair of the Group of Friends on Children and SDGs, Bulgaria has been strongly advocating for the integration of children’s human rights in all major intergovernmental processes at the United Nations. It is our firm conviction that children should be at the heart of global action. We made children’s rights a strategic priority for the Council of Europe during our chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, and we are so proud to see the adoption of the Sofia Strategy for the Rights of the Child and the full support of all 47 member States. I commend the excellent work of the previous Bulgarian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Stefan Tafrov, his vice-presidency of the UNICEF Executive Board and his dedication to the cause of children and human rights.
In the past few decades, the United Nations has made significant progress in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Those efforts should continue and be further strengthened. Bulgaria is actively engaged at all levels in promoting gender equality, as well as in ending gender-based discrimination and all forms of violence against women and girls. My country strongly supports the UN-Women Planet 50-50 campaign for achieving gender equality by 2030. Women in Bulgaria enjoy full participation in all areas of life. In our Government, two of three deputy prime ministers and half of the ministers are women. Two thirds of the magistrates at all levels are women. Bulgaria ranks third in the EU in terms of women’s participation in the executive boards of large companies.
In recent years, there has been growing support in the international community for ensuring equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision-making positions, including the post of Secretary-General. The relevant resolution 69/321 stresses the need to ensure equal and fair distribution based on gender and geographical balance, while meeting the highest possible requirements, in the appointment of the Secretary-General. After eight male Secretaries-General, the time has come for a capable and respectable woman from Eastern Europe to lead the United Nations. Bulgaria has a very strong candidate, a true leader with extensive experience in international relations and excellent management skills, a candidate who deserves Member States’ trust and support.