Before I came here, Sahar Afzal, a representative of Dutch youth, asked me a simple question. “Minister,” he said, “do you still believe in the United Nations?” That question made me think. A plain and simple yes is the answer one would probably expect from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a nation with a strong tradition of cooperation, dialogue and partnership and a founding Member of the United Nations, with an active commitment to peace, justice and development. But my answer was not that simple. The English art critic Clive Bell wrote that while we believe, what we believe is not necessarily true. There can be a lot of wishful thinking in believing something. Believing is not always enough. It is what we do that matters. And so it is when we look at the United Nations, as the world’s premier global multilateral organization.
There is widespread agreement that the United Nations needs to reassert and transform itself, and I think that is correct. The challenges are enormous; according to some, the world is at a tipping point. And the outlook is indeed gloomy. Geopolitical fault lines are deepening. Shifts in the global economy are fuelling tension and uncertainty. Growth has stagnated. Inequality within and among countries has grown. Worldwide, the number of refugees is the highest it has been since the founding of the United Nations. Promising democracy movements have turned into bloody conflicts, and new wars have broken out, the most tragic examples being the conflict in Syria and the brutal extremism of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Terrorism has taken a deadly toll in many places around the world, including on my continent, Europe. Violence against women in war zones and elsewhere is a scourge.
There is no denying it — too many people in the world have drawn the short straw. In a world of globalization, climate change and conflict, they are losing out. The longer we permit that to go on, the further we drift from the inclusive United Nations ideal of “we the peoples”. Not “we, some people”, but “we the peoples”. Will we be able to strengthen our positive forces, or will we let the negative forces tear the world apart? At this pivotal moment in history, the United Nations and the other institutions that were built to bring us together must be strong enough to prevent that from happening. But are they? The idea of unstoppable, progressive global integration has lost its aura of inevitability. On my own continent, the process of European cooperation is being debated. In many places inside and outside Europe, ghosts of the past have come back to haunt us — nationalism and xenophobia. And when I see the kinds of stories about the United Nations that are being reported in my own country, the Netherlands — which has traditionally been a very strong supporter — I realize that the United Nations is too often seen as helpless and fragmented, an overwhelmed Organization struggling to cope with the challenges it faces.
And yet the United Nations has no choice but to play a key role in delivering solutions, now and in future, in order to make the world safer, more just and better prepared for what the future brings. There is no alternative. The United Nations is the best imperfect global Organization we have, the only global Organization that embodies the principles of multilateralism — legitimacy, universality and standard-setting authority and that has not only convening power, which is very important, but also the ability to deliver services on a global scale.
What must be done? As the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and, only this week, the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1) have shown, the United Nations remains the one legitimate institution where international goals and ambitions are set and where we can agree on new global challenges. But now is the time for implementation. We must walk the talk. I know that implementation is not always very sexy. It does not often make headlines. It is not usually accompanied by Angélique Kidjo or Shakira singing onstage, as they did last year in this very Hall during the magnificent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But implementation is necessary to deliver on the goals we set, and it is necessary for the Organization to remain relevant and credible — to survive.
That is why I believe that a shift from outcome documents to action and execution should be the top priority of both the United Nations membership and the new Secretary-General. The new Secretary- General should be an “Implementer-General”, working on the basis of a twenty-first-century vision of global cooperation. There is plenty of work to do. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is leaving his successor an impressive body of standards, objectives and recommendations, and the Netherlands is grateful for his enormous leadership during a very difficult period. The new Secretary-General can hit the ground running and boost further implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, of peacekeeping and peacebuilding reform, including real zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as the very important issue of reform of the United Nations development system.
But the Secretary-General cannot do it alone. The membership must shoulder its responsibilities. At a time of so many false notes, we need to work on our global orchestra. Maybe the States Members of the United Nations should declare a moratorium on new and lofty outcome documents until we have delivered on the commitments and promises made in the ones that we already have adopted. Let us pause in the talk for a while and get the action going for the people whom we represent.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is ready to support the new Secretary-General in a drive for implementation. Implementation is not just technique; it is mastering the political will to get things done. We have made a good start with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in our own country. We look forward to sharing our national voluntary presentation with the membership next summer. Globally, we are committed to an integrated approach to peace and security, development and human rights that leaves no one behind. The Netherlands is a top-10 humanitarian donor, a supporter of and a contributor to peacekeeping. We will ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change shortly. We would like the migration compact and the refugee compact provided for in the New York Declaration on Migrants and Refugees to be clear and actionable.
United Nations reform needs to pick up steam now. The Security Council continues to fulfil a crucial role, imperfect as it may be. But it is no longer 1945. The Council is simply not representative enough. We need to devise a way to fix that shortcoming before it is too late, even if it means thinking outside the box. As the Assembly may recall, I have suggested that a Council seat be assigned to the European Union in due course, and I invite other regions to also reflect on collective regional representation on the Council.
The right of the veto should not render the Security Council powerless, especially when — as we see every day, including this week — mass atrocities are being committed. Council members should be more conscious of their responsibilities and be held more accountable if they block action against breaches of international humanitarian law. Last year’s important reviews — and I think they were very important — of peace operations and peacebuilding underline the primacy of political solutions and of sustaining the peace. I could not agree more.
More focus on conflict prevention is also needed. Indeed, this community has been underlining the need for conflict prevention for 50 years. Successful preventive diplomacy can keep situations of concern from spiralling out of control. It can keep cases from being added to the Council’s agenda; once a case is taken up by the Security Council — let us face it — we in a sense have already collectively failed. We need to make sure that there are sufficient resources for political missions, mediation and other preventive actions. In its recent report, the Independent Commission on Multilateralism recommends a fundraising drive for prevention. While that is an admirable suggestion, I would say that what is needed is not fundraising for prevention, but budgeting for prevention. If we agree that conflict prevention is crucial to the mandate of the United Nations, then we must devote sufficient resources to it from the regular budget, through assessed contributions by all Member States and not just through the extrabudgetary generosity of a few. That may require a thorough review and reprioritization of the way in which budget resources are allocated at the United Nations.
The points that I am making are part of an integrated approach that my country has long advocated, including during our previous term on the Security Council. We intend to pursue that approach during our 2018 Council term as well. Conflicts cannot be resolved unless the root causes are addressed. Peace, justice and development are closely interlinked and should not be dealt with in isolation. The Peacebuilding Fund, which was established in 2005, is a good example of an integrated approach to sustaining peace, as the great pledging conference that we held yesterday illustrates. I am pleased to say that, earlier this week, the Netherlands pledged €10 million to the Fund. The growing recognition of the importance of accountability is another example. There can be no durable peace without justice and respect for human rights. Tomorrow I will deposit the instrument of ratification of the Kampala amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on the crime of aggression.
Other Security Council priorities for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2018 include the protection of civilians and addressing the peace and security implications of climate change. As a Kingdom consisting of one low-lying country, the Netherlands, and three small Caribbean island countries, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, that is an issue of particular concern to us.
Fortunately, the grim tableau that I sketched a moment ago is not the whole picture. There has been genuine and significant progress. In the past 20 years, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty has been halved. That was one of the Millennium Development Goals, which we achieved well before the 2015 deadline. I remember that many of us in this Hall believed that that would not be possible. Well, that Goal was reached.
Sometimes lightning does strike twice. The international community has reached agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Another major achievement and a victory for diplomacy in a time of so much strife is the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. With the recent ratifications by China and the United States, there is a real prospect that it will enter into force, hopefully before Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaves office at the end of this year. That is in large part his legacy, and we commend Mr. Ban Ki-moon for it.
And, yes, there have also been positive developments in the area of security. New and important work has been undertaken to stop foreign terrorist fighters from travelling to conflict zones, to halt the financing of terrorism, to impose sanctions on ISIS, and to work in communities on deradicalization and local support, putting together hard and soft security. The Netherlands, together with Morocco, is trying to do its part as co-Chair of the Global Counterterrorism Forum. Preventing violent extremism is now also high on our United Nations agenda, thanks to the Secretary- General’s plan of action.
And, yes, peacekeeping has evolved and has been transformed from traditional ceasefire monitoring missions into very complex missions with integrated mandates. More attention is being paid to the entire spectrum of peacekeeping, from early warning and prevention to peacebuilding in the fragile post-conflict period. And more consideration is being given to the protection of civilians — the goal of peacekeeping missions — including the tackling of gender and sexual abuse and the important task of establishing the rule of law.
That is not just theory or statistics. Ask the 12,000 people who sought refuge at the United Nations compound in Bor, South Sudan. Head of Mission Ken Payumo had the courage to let them in and protect them. Ask the women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where, thanks to the gender unit in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission, sexual violence has decreased substantially since 2013. Ask the people of Nepal, where, in 2006, the United Nations helped the Seven-Party Alliance to sustain the peaceful solution to the conflict.
Allow me to briefly go back to the previous term of the Netherlands on the Security Council. Our first meeting was on Sunday, 2 January 1999, when the Council convened an emergency meeting in the afternoon. A United Nations-chartered plane had just been shot down in war-ravaged Angola. United Nations personnel were being held hostage by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola. Two decades later, Angola has seen substantial improvements; it is currently a non-permanent member of the Council. Or take Sierra Leone, another country that was frequently on the Council’s agenda that year. The international community helped to broker a peace agreement and put in place a large peacekeeping operation. In 2004, a United Nations-backed war crimes court, located in the Netherlands, began trying senior leaders on both sides of the conflict. Sierra Leone now has a democratically elected President and, with international support, is emerging from the recent Ebola crisis.
In all these cases, we can see the results of hard work, sustained effort and prolonged investment by the international community. Those are results that should make us proud and hopeful. But such successes soon fade from the public mind when they are replaced by images of children suffering the trauma of wars for which they are not responsible. We cannot deny that there have been peace and security failures. The list has the power to shock: Rwanda, Srebrenica. Now it includes Yemen and, of course, Syria, with Aleppo as a terrifying symbol.
The number-one priority now is to restore the cessation of hostilities and ensure humanitarian access. I call upon the parties most closely involved to do everything in their power to make that happen as soon as possible. And I call upon them, as I have done before, to ensure proper and transparent monitoring of any such cessation of hostilities. If non-compliance becomes the norm, how can we expect Syrians to trust the international community and to put their faith in the United Nations system?
In resolution 2254 (2015), the Security Council unanimously expressed its support for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria. If violence continues to be the norm, I urge the Council not to remain silent. Like my French colleague, I wish to ensure better monitoring and follow-up when a ceasefire is breached. At the International Syria Support Group, which will meet this afternoon, we will call for more qualitative and transparent monitoring and for the systematic violations of ceasefires to be dealt with by the Security Council.
At the same time, let us not forget the primacy of politics. While we work frantically to relieve the tragic humanitarian situation, work on a political transition plan for Syria should go ahead, since only a political solution can end the horrific tragedy. We wholeheartedly support the outstanding efforts by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, and others to that end.
What is the value of the United Nations and where is its credibility if we talk about the responsibility to protect but are not capable of resolving the Syrian conflict or ready to answer the call by the High Commissioner for Human Rights for an independent international investigation into serious human rights violations in Yemen?
In conclusion, what we do matters greatly. That is why I have stressed the need for an era of genuine implementation under the guidance of an “Implementer- General”. But how we talk about the United Nations also matters. By that I mean we must tell the real story, the whole story. We should not simply paint the usual gloomy picture of a powerless United Nations. We need to counter the entrenched view that the Organization is simply a burden to be borne and a scapegoat for our failures. The United Nations can be greater than the sum of its parts only if we allow it to be. And we must — there is too much at stake.
Finally, let me return to the question that I was asked: do I still believe in the United Nations? My answer was yes, but only if we show the determination and resolve of which the Charter speaks. The agenda is clear. The goals have been set. Now is the time to implement and deliver.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands will continue to do its part and will remain a steadfast supporter of the United Nations and its institutions, as it has been since the Organization’s inception. It is with that in mind that we are cooperating closely with Italy to prepare for membership of the Security Council.


As the first representative of the new Government of Myanmar to speak before the Assembly, it is my duty and my privilege to reaffirm our faith and confidence in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The strength of the Organization lies in its universality and legitimacy, anchored in the Charter and in the fundamental principles of international law. For all its imperfections and limitations, the United Nations remains a receptacle of our hopes for a more peaceful and prosperous world, a kinder, more compassionate home for all humankind.
My country joined the United Nations as the newly independent Union of Burma in 1948. It was an era of determined hope, when the peoples of the world rose out of the ravages of war to build anew their countries and their faith in the human capacity for achieving peace with egalitarianism, prosperity with justice. Now, once again, it is a time of determined hope for Myanmar. When our people cast the overwhelming majority of their votes in favour of the National League for Democracy during the elections in November 2015, they were demonstrating their support, not just for a political party, but for a political culture founded on a belief in their right and their capacity to fashion the future of the country in the shape of their dreams and aspirations. And those dreams and aspirations echo the dreams and aspirations that led to the founding of the United Nations.
The dream of turning swords into ploughshares — or, to use a more modern idiom, converting weapons of destruction into farm machinery — is one that our people, who have long been compelled to sacrifice their sleep and their fields to the exigencies of conflict, understand in their hearts and their minds. To be safe in our own homes, to be confident in our capacity to realize our full potential, to be happy in the promise of progress for our young and security for our elderly, to be strong in our rights and duties as citizens of a peaceful and prosperous Union — those are our simple aspirations. They are simple, but, it hardly needs to be said, not easy to achieve. And the only path that will lead us to our goals is the path of peace, the path that we must follow with hope and determination.
The people of Myanmar have long been deprived of their inherent right to live in peace and security, to fundamental freedom and to development — to sustainable development, in the context of the Goals of our 2030 Agenda. For a country that has experienced over six decades of internal armed conflict, nothing is more important than the achievement of lasting peace and national reconciliation. It is a difficult and complex task and one which the new Government of Myanmar is taking on as a major challenge and a high priority.
Recently, we convened the first session of the Union Peace Conference, also known as the 21st Century Panglong Conference, as it embodies the spirit of Panglong, the 1947 conference that paved the way to the founding of the independent Union of Burma. Attended by representatives of the Government, Parliament, armed forces, ethnic armed groups, political parties and civil society organizations, the Union Peace Conference is based on the principle of inclusiveness and embodies the spirit of Union. The Conference is not an end in itself. It is the first vital step on our journey to national reconciliation and lasting peace that will save succeeding generations from the scourge of fraternal strife, which has brought untold sorrow to our peoples.
Over the past few years, the world has focused its attention on the situation in the country’s Rakhine state. As a responsible member of the community of nations, we do not fear international scrutiny. We are committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state.
Our Government is taking a holistic approach that makes development central to both short- and long-term programmes aimed at promoting understanding and trust. The Central Committee for the Implementation of Peace, Stability and Development in Rakhine State was established soon after our new Government took office. The working committees established under the Central Committee are undertaking the tasks of establishing security, peace and stability, and rule of law; scrutinizing immigration and citizenship; facilitating settlements and implementing socioeconomic development; and coordinating and cooperating with United Nations agencies and international organizations in providing humanitarian assistance. To buttress our efforts to address the issue comprehensively and more effectively, we have also established the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, chaired by Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.
There has been persistent opposition from some quarters to the establishment of the Commission. However, we are determined to persevere in our endeavour to achieve harmony, peace and prosperity in Rakhine state. Here, I would like to take the opportunity to ask for the understanding and constructive contribution of the international community. By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person.
Peace and national reconciliation are prerequisites for the successful implementation of policies and programmes aimed at fulfilling the social and economic needs of our people. Myanmar’s 2016 national economic and development policy is designed to meet many of the Sustainable Development Goals, including those concerning the enhancement of infrastructure investment, agriculture, the private sector, small and medium-sized enterprises and, in particular, poverty alleviation. National reconciliation, job creation and conservation of natural resources, capacity-building and creating opportunities for the young are the key objectives of our people-centred inclusive policy. Many of our shared concerns as Members of the United Nations have already been discussed comprehensively in the Assembly since the general debate opened yesterday. Mindful of the President’s exhortation to keep within the limits of the time allotted to each of us, I will therefore touch upon just a few issues: migration, terrorism, nuclear disarmament. I asked my delegation how it would be if I spoke for less than 15 minutes, and they assured me that it would make everybody very happy.
Durable solutions to problems can be found only by investigating their roots. The unprecedented scale of migration in recent years and the consequent sufferings make it an imperative to address the two most important causes of irregular migration: lack of peace and lack of development. While talking about building peace and development, we cannot neglect the important aspect of enhancing respect for human rights, equality, diversity and tolerance with a balanced implementation of multidimensional economic policies. It is a challenging task, and there is a need for countries to work in collaboration with each other to seek just and comprehensive solutions in compliance with international law.
Migrants contribute to the economies of their host countries and to the global economy. I therefore believe that building cooperation and collaboration between the host country and the country of origin in ensuring the rights of migrant workers will be mutually reinforcing for both. Our planet is a place to be shared by all. Sharing values and wealth will create a better world for all of us.
We must be united in standing against all forms and manifestations of violent extremism related to religious, cultural and social intolerance. Having identified extremism as a root of terrorism, we need to explore the causes of extremism. Lack of social and economic security are, no doubt, important factors, but I believe that we also need to consider the possibility that lack of purpose, of a sense of direction in life, could be a force that drives many, especially the young, into the snare of ideologies that appear to offer certainty.
Myanmar advocates a world free of nuclear weapons. The annual resolution tabled by my country on nuclear disarmament aims at achieving peace and security for present and future generations. Establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in different parts of the world contributes to this goal. I am happy to inform the Assembly that we will be depositing our instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty this afternoon.
We have known the cost of contention and suffered the wounds of strife. It is something that we do not wish for anybody or any country in our world. I would like to thank all those who have helped us along our road to build a truly democratic federal union. It has been a hard road and we have been helped by compassion, by loving kindness and by understanding. We would like to see these qualities displayed more often in addressing the problems of our world today. I have witnessed too much anger, hatred, resentment, and demands for rather than offers of service. We would like our world to be a kinder world, one that places giving above receiving.
We are taught in Burma that the causes of corruption are greed, anger, fear and ignorance. I am not talking of corruption as simply the offering or taking of bribes, but rather the corruption of human nature. Anger, greed, fear and ignorance corrupt human nature, and as a result our whole world is corrupted. I would like to call on all to help us in making the world a truly better place for us to live in, and for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live in. Where but in this gathering of nations can I make such an appeal? So, I appeal to all to stand up against anger and hatred, against fear and ignorance, and to find a way to build a better world through our capacity for compassion and loving kindness, and our ability to be happy in the good fortune of others.


I have the honour to deliver to the General Assembly a message from the His Excellency Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Togolese Republic.
“It is with a feeling of shared joy that we take part in the seventy-first session of the General Assembly dedicated to the theme “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”. First of all, I would like to express my congratulations to Mr. Peter Thomson on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session.
“I also wish to pay tribute to Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, who has worked tirelessly to strengthen the work of our Organization during the past decade. Mr. Ban Ki-moon was able to successfully guide the United Nations in the process towards the design and adoption of a new framework that will lead the Organization and the people of the planet for the next 15 years. I am speaking of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
“A year ago, we adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim of transforming the world. Since then, we have together begun the process of implementing the 2030 Agenda to build a more prosperous, inclusive and secure world. I am therefore happy to see the relevance of the central theme submitted to Member States, because the realization of the SDGs definitely requires a new impetus of our countries individually and collectively and a resolute commitment by the entire international community.
“At the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council in July, Togo, a pilot country for the Sustainable Development Goals, offered to participate in an exercise on the advancement of the integration of the SDGs into the strategies and national development programmes. On that occasion, we were able to show progress in the implementation of our SDG road map, and we were also able to share the significant progress we have made in the implementation of key actions to leave no one behind.
“Specifically, our country has made significant progress in economic growth, the reduction of poverty and the promotion of peaceful democracy, and remains determined to do everything we can to ensure genuine, inclusive and sustainable growth. Because of that determination, we launched, with national financing and the assistance of United Nations Development Programme, the implementation of an emergency community development programme to help significantly improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations in our society.
“Moreover, the encouragement we received in the progress in the area of human development, such as recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations of the Togolese programme on the fighting hunger and malnutrition, inspires our enthusiasm to intensify investment in development favouring the most vulnerable sectors. We also welcome the fact that the SDGs confirm the validity of strategic initiatives that we have been implementing in recent years, at the level of infrastructure and economic diversification and in the improvement of the business climate and the promotion of young people’s and women’s entrepreneurship. Actions are under way to begin the adoption process by the end of the year of the implementation of our national sustainable development plan, which seamlessly integrates the SDGs and will follow on our accelerated growth strategy and the promotion of employment for the 2013-2017 period.
“Recognizing that accountability for the results and mutual learning processes among countries are determinants for speeding up our progress towards the achievement of the SDGs, Togo will participate in the voluntary review to take place at the next high-level political segment on the implementation of the SDGs. We therefore take this opportunity before the Assembly to thank all entities of the United Nations system that have helped us in this exercise.
“It is our conviction that the SDGs should make it possible to transform the world by giving priority to the most vulnerable groups — women, young people and children, populations threatened by conflicts and disasters, migrants and refugees. The need to look out for the fortunes of our peoples who had been left behind will assume a whole new dimension as we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development. Making development for the most vulnerable a priority is becoming increasingly crucial in the current context, which is marked by multiple and pressing challenges of persistent poverty and unemployment and threats to human security linked to climate change, disease, conflict and terrorism.
“On actions for the protection of the environment, Togo is facing major climate challenges, such as coastal erosion, flooding, desertification and unpredictable rainy seasons. I take this opportunity at the Assembly to renew our firm commitment to the Paris Agreement. My country signed the Agreement and will do everything it can to aid in concluding the ratification process by the end of 2016. We are also doing everything possible to implement it. We welcome the ratification of the Agreement, which is so important for the future and survival of our planet.
“The era we live in is also marked by a resurgence of new health challenges that compromise the progress we have realized in human and economic terms. Since we are aware of that reality, in my position as a coordinator of the Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak Response Plan in West Africa, I would like to thank all partners and organizations that made it possible for us to contain and even eliminate this epidemic.
“Continuing in the area of health, I would like to pay tribute to all the organizations and Member States that contributed to reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Despite the progress, we must not lower our guard because new health threats are on the horizon — diseases that in the past were under control but might resurge. We need to reinforce our health systems and policies in order to eradicate diseases, such as HIV/AIDS,
better fight maternal and infant mortality and protect our world against antimicrobial resistance.
“No development programme will be able to succeed and be sustainable if the national context in which it is to be implemented is not imbued with peace and cohesion. That is why my Government has deployed so many efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, which are considered to be the root causes of insecurity and terrorism. Furthermore, we are working towards strengthening democracy and the rule of law by implementing political and institutional reforms that are consistent with the realities in our countries. In that regard, the recently created the Togolese High Commission for Reconciliation and Strengthening National Unity organized a workshop in July to reflect on and exchange views among all components of the Togolese nation with regard to establishing the bases for reforms that have not yet taken effect.
“We are also working to step up democracy at the local level in order to provide a better chance for the success of our development strategy to reduce regional disparity. In order to do that, an accelerated plan of action and decentralization is also being implemented and should lead in the near future to local elections.
“In the area of the protection and promotion of human rights, we are determined to strengthen our achievements in order to better guarantee fundamental freedoms. We also plan to make better use of our term in the Human Rights Council for the 2016-2018 period. In that regard, my country, which has undertaken a number of reforms in accordance with the recommendations resulting from the first cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, is preparing for the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, which will take place from 31 October to 11 November.
“The noble objectives that our countries have set for themselves, in particular in the areas of sustainable development and the protection of the climate for future generations, cannot be achieved unless peace and security are guaranteed throughout the world. In that regard, despite the efforts that have been made under the auspices of our Organization and regional institutions, peace and security continue to be threatened or put at risk in certain regions. In Africa, Togo very much hopes that the efforts made by the United Nations and regional African organizations will help to bring peace to South Sudan and Libya, to cite but two countries. In that regard, Togo welcomes the fruitful discussions that took place in the African Union Peace and Security Council several days ago regarding South Sudan’s future, and calls upon the parties involved to spare no effort in strengthening the country’s foundations. Elsewhere in the world, my country calls upon all parties involved in the Syrian conflict to work in good faith to ensure that the Syrian people, crippled by a long conflict that has destabilized the whole region, can once again find peace, security and stability.
“As we all know, the Syrian and the Libyan crises in particular are fuelling the scourge of terrorism, from which no region in the world is currently spared. I would like to once again remember the countless victims of terrorism and to express Togo’s solidarity with the countries and populations that have recently fallen victim to the scourge. An effective counter-terrorism strategy requires States to continue working together by further strengthening the cooperation among their relevant technical units. The wealthiest countries must also agree to support more than they do already States like Togo that do not have the necessary resources to effectively fight terrorism.
“In the light of the increasing risks and threats in our world today, our top priority must be to equip ourselves with the means to effectively and swiftly address the varying challenges that are affecting the well-being of our populations and limiting our economic development. Security threats are a huge risk for our agenda of transforming the world and require us to intensify our efforts to promote international peace and security. To meet that requirement, my country will host the African Union Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa from 10 to 15 October. The Summit’s aim is to agree on a joint declaration that can better prevent and address maritime insecurity and promote sustainable and inclusive development of the blue economy in line with the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. I wish to once again take this opportunity to extend an invitation to Member States to take part in the high-level Summit, which will involve all stakeholders from my country.
“Seventy years after its creation, the United Nations has greatly contributed to progress in the world by promoting peace, sustainable development and human rights. It has been able to bring about such change by reforming some of its own organs in order to take into account the world’s shifting circumstances, which Togo welcomes. However, our Organization, which continues to work towards the rooting of democracy in its Member States, has found it difficult to reform the Security Council. Its current composition does not reflect real development in the world. My country believes that it is high time for Member States, and particularly for the five permanent members of the Council, to resolve to undertake a reform of the organ, which is the only way to avoid the frequent deadlock that prevents the Council from taking action and rapidly solving crises and conflicts. At a time when the international community is resolutely committed to pursuing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for the benefit of all, any further delay in the process of reforming the Security Council can only be harmful to the fulfilment of the SDGs.
“Addressing all of those challenges calls for effective and inclusive mobilization with the means to bring about the necessary changes for a better world. More specifically, a transformation of the African economy is key to eliminating poverty and hunger, providing young people with a future and curbing economic migrants. Such transformation is also the best protection against terrorism and the world’s growing insecurity and is essential in giving fresh impetus to growth and in reducing pressure on the environment. Transforming the African economy will help to solve the world’s challenges, but we must stay in line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and be mobilized for subsequent investments through various mechanisms, in accordance with Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
“Our collective ambition is the well-being of everyone, which means that no one should be left behind. In that regard, efforts need to be undertaken that favour Africa, which is home to the greatest number of poor countries, in order to ensure its inclusion in the world economy. Moreover, the African continent remains an important lever for transforming the world in the SDG era, as it offers huge potential for a profound transformation of
our world, with a youth population full of vitality, dynamic demographic growth, a wealth of natural resources, ingenuity and resilient men and women. In order to benefit from Africa’s potential, we must remove the obstacles that impede its social and economic development as soon as possible, in order to reap the positive benefits at a global level, including in the areas of climate, peace, security, health and the right to development.
“In the hope of an innovative United Nations partnership that can transform the world, starting with Africa, I welcome the commitment shown by the international community in its adoption of the SDGs. I remain convinced that the current session of the General Assembly will allow us to capitalize on the commitment to strengthen our collective working capacity between now and 2030, so as to bring about a world that is more secure, prosperous and equal, and which demonstrates solidarity and respects human rights, in response to the deep- seated aspirations of our peoples.”


It is with great pleasure that we participate in this session of the General Assembly under the wise presidency of Mr. Peter Thomson, at a time when we are facing great challenges and witnessing humankind’s legitimate desires and aspirations for a world of greater justice and solidarity. We are particularly proud and pleased to see a representative from a small island developing State conducting the work of the Assembly. We wish him every success during his term in office and assure him of the full cooperation and readiness of the delegation of Cabo Verde.
We also express our gratitude to his predecessor, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, for his excellent work and congratulate him on his tireless efforts and dedication, as well as the transparent and inclusive manner in which he conducted the process of hearing candidates for the position of Secretary-General. We are certain that, under his guidance, the steps taken in the process of reform that is under way in the Organization were important ones.
On behalf of the Government of Cabo Verde, we would also like to applaud and thank His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as we approach the end of his two terms in office. We are grateful for his work and efforts aimed at building international peace and security, seeking relationships based on greater solidarity, brotherhood and fairness, combating poverty and pursuing balanced and sustainable development for all. As a small island developing State, Cabo Verde greatly appreciated his dedication to building a better world, in particular his contribution in successfully organizing and holding the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in Samoa, and for bringing about the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sutainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. With regard to the Paris Agreement, Cabo Verde is pleased with the number of States that have ratified it since April.
As a small island State, Cabo Verde bases its foreign policy on the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and is certain that multilateralism is the most appropriate way to approach issues on the international agenda. Cabo Verde advocates for, and gives priority to, the consensus to keep pursuing international peace and security, promoting and fostering dialogue in conflict resolution and defending international law as indispensable elements for the advancement of humankind.
We note with concern that armed conflicts are proliferating in general, but more particularly in Africa and the Middle East. We have seen the resurgence of instability in several areas of the world, the unprecedented humanitarian crisis leading to the high number of refugees, irregular migrations, massive violations of human rights, poverty and lack of social cohesion, the widening of the inequality between rich and poorer nations, increasing acts of terrorism and atrocities and the growth of transnational crime, in particular drug trafficking. All of those phenomena, which we have been closely observing and cannot ignore, call for and compel us to act collectively.
The conflicts and sources of tension that persist on the African continent continue to be a concern for us, particularly the situations in Libya, South Sudan, Somalia and Mali. Cabo Verde supports the African Union in the search for solutions to those problems affecting the peace and security of our sister nations. Also with respect to our continent, we welcome Morocco’s recent decision to rejoin the African Union. We hope that the reasons that compelled its withdrawal will be resolved in the framework of strengthened regional cooperation among the members of the Arab Maghreb Union, thereby contributing to stability and security in the Sahel region.
With respect to the Middle East, Cabo Verde understands the urgency of finding solutions to existing conflicts and encourages the pursuit of negotiations as the sole means to that end. We wish to specifically refer to the need to resume negotiations leading to a lasting peace that would allow both States — Israel and Palestine — to live side by side in peace and security. In addition, we encourage the continuation of efforts to seek a negotiated solution in Syria that would put an end to the conflict and the suffering of the Syrian people.
Terrorism is a phenomenon that affects all countries and all regions of the planet either directly or indirectly, and no one can remain indifferent to the immense suffering and violence it brings to entire populations. As a global problem, it is one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and it therefore requires a global response. No country — large or small, rich or poor — is in a position to fight it alone or effectively.
Cabo Verde condemns, without reservations, acts of terrorism in any form or manifestation. We reaffirm our willingness and readiness to cooperate with other States, as well as with the United Nations system, to implement recommendations aimed at preventing and combating this threat. Accordingly, Cabo Verde welcomes the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, launched in January, as well as the results of the fifth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
Taking into account the iniquities and inequalities that exist everywhere in some form, it is the understanding of my Government that such a scenario compels us to join forces in our efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Optional Protocols thereto constitute the basis for building more peaceful, just and inclusive societies, with fundamental rights and freedoms at the core of their development. In addition, we consider the role of institutions advocating in favour of human rights and civil society to be indispensable in promoting the rights inherent to human beings.
As was highlighted in the high-level thematic debate on human rights last July, under the theme “Human rights at the centre of the global agenda”, the challenges associated with climate change, terrorism, violent extremism, conflicts and humanitarian crises require not only coordinated actions on all levels, but also the continuous fostering of good governance and the rule of law.
Massive violations of those rights and the denial of civil, political, social and cultural rights hinder the full achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the protection of and the enjoyment of rights by the most vulnerable populations. We are also convinced that the right to development constitutes a basic principle for social cohesion and the reduction of social inequalities within and among nations. As we celebrate the thirty-first anniversary of the Vienna Declaration on the Right to Development, it is important that the principles established therein be observed and fulfilled. With respect to protecting the most vulnerable, Cabo Verde welcomes the Political Declaration adopted at the high-level meeting on HIV/ AIDS (resolution 70/266) in June, which advocates for access to treatment, particularly for the most vulnerable, based on the principle of non-discrimination and non-stigmatization.
Cabo Verde recognizes and is concerned with the humanitarian crisis resulting from the large number of refugees and migrants and welcomes the organization and adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1, annex) during the high-level meeting on migrants and refugees on 19 September. We believe that a significant part of the current difficulties may be overcome through the effective implementation of the planned global compacts on responsibility-sharing for refugees and on safe, regular and orderly migration, which are expected to be adopted next year. Furthermore, we call for the correct implementation of the international conventions related to that issue and stress the need to fight against the root causes of such phenomena.
The theme chosen for this General Assembly session, “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”, could not have been more appropriate. The choice was judicious and pertinent. It was judicious because a significant portion of the work and attention of the United Nations upto 2030 will indeed focus on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and it was pertinent because, one year after the historic adoption of the 2030 Agenda, we have the opportunity to express our points of view on how we intend to achieve the Goals that we established and overcome the challenges that persist and that could jeopardize the global commitment to leave no one behind.
For us, the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development implies enhancing the means of implementation, particularly financing, technology transfer, capacity-building and participation in international trade. Furthermore, we will need to develop the capacity to implement and follow up on a system to monitor national and regional policies, of which the United Nations system must be aware.
The devastating consequences of natural disasters resulting from climate change, which have a significant impact on the poorest and most vulnerable countries, remind us of the urgency of implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the importance of implementing the recommendations of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. Developing a low-carbon economy and creating resiliency and capacity to adapt are no longer just an option for many. They have become essential requirements to build a sustainable economy, particularly in island and archipelago countries, whose survival is being threatened by climate change.
Despite the challenges inherent in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, its ambitious nature offers a unique opportunity to promote international solidarity and cooperation at an unprecedented level in the history of humankind. It is therefore against that backdrop that the United Nations system will be called upon to work as a unified front, avoiding duplication, increasing the monitoring and application of capacity at the national and regional levels, identifying emerging challenges, offering solutions that are not one-size-fits- all, and respecting the idiosyncrasies and specific contexts of each country.
I cannot conclude without noting that Cabo Verde, as a small island State, is striving for the development of a sustainable and dynamic economy with a robust private sector and strengthened regulatory institutions. In order to build a resilient economy that is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Government that I am honoured to be a part of plans to develop strategic partnerships so as to reduce risks and minimize weaknesses. However, the challenge facing a small and vulnerable country such as Cabo Verde goes beyond our national capacity to mobilize technical and financial resources and calls for more coordinated and predictable support from the international community in general and the United Nations system in particular.


I would like to congratulate the President on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session.
The theme for this session is “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”. This is a good topic. It adds another nail in the coffin of the old parasitic arrangement where only a small portion of humankind — those living in the United States of America, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand — lived in affluence while the rest of the world lived in abject poverty.
The reasoning then was that one could not be affluent without doing so at the expense of somebody else. This logic has now been challenged. Between 1981 and 2010, 380 million and 270 million people in China and India, respectively, came out of poverty. Even in Africa, a continent with a lot of accumulated disadvantages, 414 million people have come out of poverty. In Uganda’s case, in 2004 56 per cent of its people were living in poverty. Today that figure is 19 per cent. It is hoped that by 2017, it will be reduced to 10 per cent.
Is the world not a better place with the spread of affluence? Have not the old affluent societies and the new ones both benefited? The United States is today exporting goods and services to China worth $120 billion per year. The European Union is exporting goods and services to China worth $356 billion. Has not the spread of affluence benefited more people?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) understood this very well. There are 17 of them, and they are: to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, to end hunger, to ensure healthy lives, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, to achieve gender equality and so forth. I do not have to read out all 17 SDGs because representatives know them.
All this is a different way of providing a prescription for the problems of underdevelopment. We are happy at last. The global agenda includes most of the ingredients necessary for growth and the transformation of societies, as happened in the past for those societies that pioneered the Industrial Revolution. In particular, the inclusion of energy on the list of SDGs is a departure from past global agendas.
These SDGs fluctuate with many of our own 10 strategic bottlenecks. These are ideological disorientation; a weak State, especially the army, which needed restructuring; the suppression of the private sector; the underdevelopment of human resources, that is, a lack of education and health; the underdevelopment of infrastructure, that is, the railways, roads, electricity, telephones and piped water and so forth; a small internal market; the lack of industrialization; the underdevelopment of the services sector; the underdevelopment of agriculture and the attack on democracy.
As the Assembly can see, there are two crucial bottlenecks that are missing in the SDGs. These are ideological disorientation, which for us is bottleneck number one, and market integration, which is bottleneck number six. One can of course say that the idea of ideological disorientation is subsumed in SDG 16 — that of peace, justice and strong institutions. Nevertheless, there is no harm in singling out and highlighting this problem of the pseudo-ideology that exploits the identities of people — of religion, tribe, race, gender and so forth — and eclipses the interests of the people, such as balanced trade. That equal relationship between the producer of a good and the producer of a service and the buyer of the same, both in ancient and modern times, is the greatest stimulus for global prosperity.
This, however, is many times eclipsed by the shallow promotion of the chauvinism of religion, tribe, race or gender, even when one’s religion mates, tribe mates and race mates are doing nothing or little for one’s prosperity. Yet the recent growth through trade of China, India and so forth in their interaction with the United States of America, the European Union, Africa and so forth shows the power of the stimulus. Let the global body therefore understand and blacklist the pseudo-ideology of the sectarianism and chauvinism of groups. All the past mistakes and the present ones are linked to this problem. Imperialism, the slave trade, colonialism, neocolonialism, the ongoing sectarian conflicts in many parts of the world — all, in one way or another, spring from this pseudo-ideology. The fair and authentic ideology of being my brother’s keeper, as it says in the Book of Genesis — chapter 4, verse 9 — is the true antidote to this poison. Abandon all forms of chauvinism and the world will be safer for everybody. In my dialect we say, “The one who shoots arrows at others should expect arrows to come his way”.
Finally, our sixth bottleneck — the bottleneck of fragmented markets in Africa and possibly in other places — should also be addressed. It has eased its trade with China, with India, with the United States, with Russia, with Brazil and Indonesia, because they are markets of $1.3 billion, $1.2 billion, $150 million, $200 million and $200 million, respectively, because they are societies under one political authority each.
We and the others that have fragmented markets must struggle to rectify this deficiency.
In Africa, we are already moving forward. Hence, our East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of West African States and, ultimately, the common m+arket of the whole of Africa, as we agreed recently, in Kigali. These markets are taking us in the right direction. Remember that when I buy what is produced by your factories, I am supporting your prosperity; and when you buy what I produce, you are supporting my prosperity. Long live the SDGs. But, please, do not forget to add the bottlenecks that we observed here.


It is special pleasure to speak to the General Assembly under the presidency of a Pacific island friend.
The world is facing serious challenges. Borders are closing to people and products, and to investment and ideas. Many States are turning inwards. The politics of fear and extremism are gaining ground. Too many States are flouting the rules. But no country can face today’s challenges alone. Now more than ever, we need to show that we are united in our respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. They are the basic principles that underpin our global system, born from the bitter experience of war, and they are as relevant today as they were in 1945.
My country, New Zealand, is a proudly independent, multicultural trading nation in the Asia-Pacific region. The international system matters to us. We are committed to being a good global citizen and to playing our part. We rise on the fortunes of all Member States. We believe that it is in all our interests to be open and outward-facing, to work through our differences, to have rules and, most of all, to play by them. Now is the time to reinforce the relevance and standing of the United Nations in our response to today’s challenges.
There are many areas where the United Nations could be more efficient, more representative, more responsive and show greater leadership. It is our collective responsibility as Member States to face up to the political commitment necessary to make the United Nations the body that we want it to be.
For the past two years, our focus has been on the Security Council. We are using our term on the Council to raise the tough issues, because we believe that that is what the Council is for and what our supporters expect us to do. New Zealand is working for a Security Council that shows more leadership on the toughest political issues, that works harder to get the incentives right so as to broker solutions and that is better at responding to political crises before they spiral out of control.
The Council has put its weight behind many successes, from the adoption of the Iran deal to ending the long-running war in Colombia. But the Council also has shortcomings that, if not addressed, risk undermining its relevance and standing in world affairs. For the vast majority of Member States, which are dependent on a fair, rules-based international system, a weak Council is not an option. We acknowledge that the Council does not have a role in every crisis. But the reality is that we need the Council to respond when no one else can. That is why we have consistently called for Council action to revive the Middle East peace process.
We have also been deeply troubled to see the Council, the pre-eminent body for international peace and security, fail to live up to its responsibilities on the most serious crisis of our time — Syria. There the Council has fallen short. The internal politics within the Council and the sheer complexity of the Syrian crisis have obstructed a unified Council response. But we believe that no matter how difficult and sensitive the issues, the Council cannot watch the situation go from bad to worse for the Syrian people. The Security Council was established to address crises such as that which we see in Syria. That is why New Zealand is using our presidency of the Council to convene a leaders’ level meeting tomorrow on Syria.
A meeting by itself will not stop the conflict. But after more than five years of brutal fighting and horrific humanitarian suffering, we do not think that it is credible for leaders to come to New York and not address the stark realities driving the conflict. We hope that tomorrow’s meeting will provide an opportunity for Council leaders to take stock of developments, examine the fundamental issues at the heart of the conflict and discuss how we can move towards a sustainable political solution.
We also hope that the meeting will be a chance for the Council to put its weight behind the ceasefire agreement reached between the United States and Russia. That agreement is the best chance we have had in some time to stop the fighting, get aid to those who need it and get back on track for a political resolution to the crisis.
Another critical issue on which New Zealand supports unified Council action is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. New Zealand believes that a strong international response is required to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear test on 9 September and its recent missile tests. The regime’s efforts to advance its nuclear and missile programmes, its callous disregard for the North Korean people, as demonstrated by the human rights situation in the country, and its leader’s unpredictably ruthless rule have made it one of our most pressing international security threats. Its provocative actions show blatant disregard for Security Council resolutions and pose a grave threat to international law. They have raised tensions on the Korean peninsula to a point where the risk of conflict is dangerously high. We cannot afford further escalation.
New Zealand therefore welcomes recent steps by the United States and China to begin negotiating a new Security Council resolution, following the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s recent nuclear test. We hope that this will send a clear signal to the North Korean leadership that continued provocative and dangerous actions are unacceptable and that a return to the negotiating table represents the only sensible way forward. The international community must stand together in conveying these messages, including through fully implementing Security Council sanctions.
The Council has impact and influence when it is unified, but we have to get better at identifying incentives that encourage unified Council positions. For a country with a proud tradition of being a pragmatic bridge-builder and problem-solver, the Council can be an incredibly frustrating place to work. But we are committed to trying to make it work because it is in our collective interest to have a strong and relevant Council.
We all need to make an investment in keeping it on track where it is needed most: in preventing and stopping conflict. That means coming to the Council ready to find a way to get beyond vested political interests and being prepared to work on compromise solutions that stop the fighting.
The veto plays a huge part in the Council’s effectiveness. No matter how hard we work to find compromises, time and time again we come up against the veto. The use of the veto, the threat of the veto, the exploitation of the veto is well beyond what the founders of the United Nations ever envisaged.
We acknowledge that addressing regional and national interests is a fundamental part of the process of finding durable solutions. But increasingly the Charter is being ignored and the Council seen as irrelevant as countries put pursuit of their national interests before almost anything else. The time for moving forward on Security Council reform is now. We will be pushing more than ever for action in the General Assembly to make the Council better reflect today’s realities and needs.
New Zealand is also working to make the Council more effective in conflict prevention. We want to make the Council better at responding to political crises before they spiral out of control. There is no lack of mandate for conflict prevention. It is in the Charter. There is no lack of information about escalating situations. We see the evidence of this, often in the most heart- breaking images in the media. The problem is that we do not always have the will, and we do not use the tools available to us.
Many States block action, asserting sovereignty and ignoring the rest of the Charter. Others do not want to spend the money. Most have bilateral or national interests. And leaders of countries in political crisis often do not want their actions to be on the Council’s agenda.
But we cannot ignore the growing gap between the humanitarian costs of picking up the pieces after conflict and the amount that the United Nations allocates to prevent conflict. The shortfall is growing at an unsustainable rate, while the peace operations budget is increasing year on year.
But this is not about money. It is about saving lives. That is why New Zealand is trying to get the Council working more closely with regional organizations and getting the Council to be more willing to engage at an earlier point with countries in crisis. This is a focus of our presidency, and it will continue to be a focus of our work when we come off the Council.
Beyond the Security Council, parts of the United Nations system are stepping up. There have been significant steps forward on development, climate, financing, humanitarian issues and disaster risk reduction. These issues are of significant importance to our closest development partners, small island developing States.
For economic development to be fully realized, the Sustainable Development Goals must be implemented by all. But developments here in the United Nations do not exist in a vacuum, apart from the global economy and trading system. Sustainable economic development is a key driver of global growth, prosperity and, most of all, stability. This requires a fair, rules-based trading system, more open trade and the removal of trade barriers.
The multilateral trading system has been a critical factor in this respect. Last year, we welcomed an agreement by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to eliminate agricultural export subsidies. This was the first legally binding international trade outcome in agriculture since 1994. This matters for development and will make a real difference for rural communities.
But the types of challenges that the United Nations faces are similar to those that have hindered more progress in the WTO in recent years. New Zealand believes that the WTO needs to do more to set global trade rules. We need it to find common ground that overcomes vested national interests and agree to new international trade commitments that benefit all countries.
In the Asia-Pacific region, closer economic integration through trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will also bring us closer together. Agreements like these will make our region and people better off by setting the conditions for more open and transparent trade. A more prosperous and integrated region will also be a more secure one, and that is in all of our interests.
We must guard against creeping protectionism and be willing to make the case for more economic engagement clearly. We cannot turn inward. We cannot allow fear or narrow domestic interests to turn us away from an open global trading system that has lifted millions out of poverty. Countries that close their borders cannot and do not do business. History has shown that this does not work for our countries. It will not help our peoples, and protectionism will have a chilling effect on our ability to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
A decision of critical importance to the future of the United Nations will be made in the coming weeks. In April, I was very pleased to nominate former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to be the first United Nations Secretary-General from the Pacific. This is not the time for a business-as-usual appointment of a Secretary-General. We need someone who is up to the job. The next Secretary-General must have the courage, experience and skills necessary to lead this Organisation, to keep it relevant and responsive. I have worked across the political divide from Helen Clark for years, and I know her to be a natural leader. She rallies people together to find common ground, even when the issues are difficult and the differences vast. She gets things done. We think it is time for a Secretary-General like Helen Clark.
I am proud of the contribution that New Zealand is making to the Security Council, but I am keenly aware of the Council’s limitations. It is the General Assembly that now needs to act to make the United Nations stronger and more relevant to the world. New Zealand is committed to the principles and values of the United Nations. We will keep working hard for those principles, because we believe that they are vital for a safer, more prosperous future.


Allow me at the outset to congratulate President Peter Thomson on having assumed the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session and to wish him every success. I would also like to express my gratitude to Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly at its previous session, for his efforts and contributions.
The current session of the General Assembly comes in the wake of our launching a new phase in our efforts to achieve comprehensive sustainable development, in its environmental, economic and social dimensions, following our adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (resolution 69/313) on financing for development the previous year.
The aspirations of peoples, particularly in the developing world, to a decent standard of living and ongoing progress are without a doubt our primary responsibility as leaders, entrusted to us by our peoples, in line with the principles of humanity that guide us all. However, the challenges that face developing countries, coupled with their limited capacities, prevent the full realization of the Goals set out in the Agenda. Developing countries are not afforded sufficient opportunity to achieve sustainable development; they require a conducive international environment that provides them with a larger share of international trade, financing mechanisms and the transfer of technology, as well as investment flows and debt settlement. They must also have a national environment that is conducive to development.
Egypt calls for support for the role of the State in order to ensure a balance between the different dimensions of sustainable development, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of social security networks and advancing national ownership of development. Egypt also stresses the importance of harnessing the global monetary system to establish a fair global economic system that provides equal opportunities for development and contributes to minimizing the gap between developed and developing countries. The United Nations is the ideal platform to address this issue. Accordingly, Egypt was among the first 22 States to present a voluntary review of its development plans last July.
Last year we reached an agreement based on the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. As Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, I reaffirm Africa’s commitment to confronting climate change, within the limits of its capabilities, and its aspiration to put into practice the implementation mechanisms of the agreement on the transfer of technology and sustainable financing. Egypt has established a track for the Renewable Energy Initiative and presented it in the context of its leadership of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, in implementation of the relevant African Union resolutions.
Egypt wishes to highlight the importance of this initiative in providing support to Africa. Efforts to address climate change must take into consideration equity and the right to development, as well as adherence to the principles of international law, the most important of which is refraining from harm; enhancing cooperation; and the participation of different countries in prospective projects, in accordance with the rules that govern international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank.
The world has become a global village as a result of the positive impact of the communications technology revolution, as well as unimpeded capital flows, investments and global trade. However, we continue to see another facet of globalization, one that has led to a number of social and economic challenges.
Globalization has been linked to an increase in poverty, the expansion of the inequality gap and the undermining of the social contract. These factors combined have exerted pressure on the institutional cohesion of affected countries. These challenges and pressures constitute the greatest incentive for the international community to work diligently to provide State institutions in all countries with the best possible means of undertaking their responsibilities and meeting the needs and aspirations of their peoples.
Amid the challenges facing the international order, the Egyptian people have succeeded in enforcing their will to achieve stability, to protect the State and its institutions and to safeguard their society from fragmentation and chaos. The Egyptian people approved a new Constitution that enshrines the rights and freedoms outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishes equality regardless of citizenship and consolidates protection of vulnerable groups, paving the way for women to occupy an unprecedented number of seats in the House of Representatives and expanding its youth representation. The House of Representatives is now actively exercising its legislative authority and oversight responsibilities over the executive authorities.
On the economic front, Egypt is steadily moving forward in implementing an ambitious plan for economic reform that takes into consideration social dimensions and the requisites of a decent livelihood for the Egyptian people. Egypt is also implementing major national projects with an aim of expanding its road network and renewable energy production, as well as increasing agricultural land.
While the Middle East continues to suffer from bloody conflicts, Egypt has managed to preserve its stability in a highly unstable region, thanks to the solidity of its institutions and its people’s awareness of their great cultural heritage. The international community must acknowledge and support that fact, to the benefit of the region and the whole world, so that Egypt may continue to act as an anchor of stability in the Middle East, sparing no efforts in carrying out its natural role by working with regional and international parties to restore security and stability in the Middle East.
At the forefront of the bloody conflicts plaguing the region, the agonizing situation in Syria has now reached its sixth year, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions more internally displaced people and refugees, both within their homeland and in neighbouring countries. Among them are 500,000 Syrians whom Egypt has welcomed as brothers and sisters, providing them with health care, education and housing. The bloodletting in Syria and the absence of any political prospects on the horizon are no longer acceptable.
What is necessary is clear — an immediate and comprehensive halt to all hostilities throughout Syria, thereby paving the way for a political solution that ends the bloodshed and preserves the territorial integrity and security of Syria and its State institutions, as well as realizing the aspirations of Syrians and putting an end to the chaos that has served only to facilitate the proliferation of terrorism. In that regard, we welcome the latest agreement on cessation of hostilities, which was reached as a result of commendable efforts by Russia and the United States. We hope for swift and serious international action to resume negotiations as soon as possible, in order to reach a comprehensive settlement to the crisis.
Within the same context of our troubled region, the Arab-Israeli conflict continues to be the core of regional instability in the Middle East, necessitating joint efforts by the countries of the region and the international community to reach a final and comprehensive solution to the conflict. Egypt continues to pursue its best efforts to achieve peace in the region and end the Israeli occupation through negotiations and progress in the peace process in order to reach a final settlement as well as sustainable and just peace, on the basis of a two-State solution. We therefore welcome current efforts based on a genuine desire to improve the situation in Palestinian territories, as the Palestinian people continue to suffer from a state of affairs that must be rectified. There should be a focus on ending the occupation and restoring the rights of the Palestinian people through a peace agreement consistent with resolutions of international legitimacy — one that guarantees Palestinians’ right to their own State and achieves security for Israel by normalizing relations in the region.
Egypt reiterates that a hand for peace continues to be extended in the form of the Arab Peace Initiative. Egypt also stresses the need to work to take constructive steps to end Israeli settlement-building and to initiate negotiations for a lasting resolution, while simultaneously halting all acts that bring harm to the Arab heritage in Jerusalem.
Allow me to deviate from my written statement — here at this forum, which represents the voice of the world — to address and appeal to Israeli leaders and the Israeli people to consider the need to find a solution to this question. We have a real opportunity to begin a new chapter in the history of our region and to move towards peace. Egypt’s inspiring and unique experience can in fact be replicated by solving the Palestinian problem and establishing a Palestinian State alongside the Israeli State, while preserving peace, security and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Libya is currently at a dire juncture and in deep political crisis, which has direct implications for Egyptian national security. Despite the progress achieved last year through the signing at Skhirat of the Libyan Political Agreement, there have been difficulties in its implementation. Egypt is playing an active role in bringing the Libyan parties together and supporting the implementation of the Agreement as a means of regaining the unity of the Libyan State and its authority over its territory and allowing it to operate through its legitimate institutions, as represented by the Presidential Council, the National Unity Government, the House of Representatives and the national army.
Egypt is also hosting meetings of our Libyan brothers to facilitate the implementation of the Skhirat Agreement, as well as the establishment of a national unity Government that represent all Libyans and its ratification by the House of Representatives, so that the country can focus on its reconstruction. That in turn would allow the Libyan army to focus on combating terrorism. In that regard, it is necessary to lift the arms embargo imposed on the army. There is no place for terrorism and militias in Libya. The time has come to restore the institutions of the Libyan State.
In Yemen, Egypt is exerting every effort to support Yemeni territorial integrity and security and the return of the legitimate Government. We support the efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh, and his plan to resolve the crisis, which has been approved by the legitimate Government. We stress the importance of resuming negotiations and for all parties to declare their commitment to the Special Envoy’s plan to reach a comprehensive settlement in Yemen in accordance with Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2216 (2015). Egypt will continue to support efforts towards a solution and to provide humanitarian assistance to our Yemeni brothers and sisters, in addition to our fundamental role in securing maritime navigation in Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea.
The majority of these Arab crises are a reflection of a global state of conflict, and I must reiterate Egypt’s rejection of any foreign interference in Arab affairs. I would like to affirm our commitment to the principle of good neighbourliness and to stress Egypt’s solidarity with Arab States in facing foreign interventions, in the light of the link between Arab security, including the security of the Arab Gulf.
By the same token, Egypt shoulders its responsibility towards the security and stability of Africa. Egypt currently chairs the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. In that capacity, Egypt is focusing on enhancing cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations in terms of growing transnational threats, including terrorism and organized crime. We aim to bring about a shift in addressing conflicts, on the basis of the principle of national leadership and ownership, to ensure the success of peacebuilding efforts. Through its memberships in both the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council, Egypt has been keen to enhance coordination between the two bodies — something Egypt placed at the forefront of its priorities during its chairmanship of the Council. Egypt has sought to support the Peace and Security Architecture in Africa, in particular by way of efforts to operationalize the African Standby Force. Egypt has also increased its participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the region, having regained its place as one of the ten largest contributors.
Egypt calls for the adoption of a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy through an approach that is not limited to security aspects but includes ideological considerations as well. Egypt will host the counter- terrorism centre for the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States.
Egypt would also like to highlight the importance of assessing any rising sources of tension, taking into consideration the phenomena of desertification and water scarcity, and the developmental needs related to managing transnational boundaries in connection with water resources.
With regard to situations in the African continent, Egypt stresses the need to provide the Somali Government with support in order to conclude elections. In Burundi, Egypt seeks to find solutions to the political crisis through the African Union Peace and Security Council and through the United Nations Security Council. We are working to address the crisis in the appropriate manner so as to defuse the political situation and allow all the Burundian parties to intensify peaceful political dialogue, thereby averting the use of violence.
Egypt has sought to participate in the regional framework to address the crisis in South Sudan ever since its inception, engaging with the parties to the conflict, as well as regional and international parties, to achieve peace. Through its current chairmanship of the African Peace and Security Council, Egypt is seeking to increase the role of the Council in that regard, as well as to enhance cooperation with the joint monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Egypt calls for all parties to work within the Transitional Government of National Unity of South Sudan, with the aim of restoring peace to Juba.
Regarding the Republic of the Sudan. Egypt commends the efforts carried out by the Sudanese Government, which have resulted in the signing of the road map proposed by the African Union High-level Implementation Panel last April.
The phenomenon of terrorism and the animus towards the right to life it represents have become an urgent threat to international peace and security. Terrorism constitutes a threat to the entity of the State in favour of extremist ideologies that utilize religion as a veil from behind which to conduct monstrous acts and menace the destinies of peoples. Fighting it requires intensive regional and international cooperation. Egypt has always stressed that the effort to defeat terrorism will never achieve its end unless we address the root causes of the phenomenon, confront terrorist groups with decisiveness and refute the extremist ideologies that give birth to terrorism and its proponents.
I call upon the international community to take all possible measures to prevent terrorism from exploiting advances in information technology, which have contributed to endowing the phenomena of terrorism and ideological extremism with dangerous new dimensions that have given them a global reach. It is essential to end the broadcasting of channels and the hosting of websites that incite violence and extremism.
The world is at a crossroads. Threats to international peace and security are no longer conventional but have rather evolved to constitute a threat to the very tenets of human civilization. In the same vein, the challenges that we face — be they humanitarian, environmental, economic, developmental or health-related — are no longer confined by international borders but have become global. In that regard, I would like to point out that the first preambular paragraph to the Constitution of UNESCO states that “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”.
I assert before the Assembly that terrorism is the cancer of our age, spreading with it the call for extremism and violence in the minds of people. Accordingly, it is our duty to instil in those very same minds the principles of tolerance and coexistence. If culture is the reflection of the principles by which humankind lives, then we must employ culture, technology and knowledge for the benefit of the development of peace.
The United Nations has to give greater attention to addressing the cultural aspects of development and peacemaking and to eliminating destructive ideologies, including through access to knowledge, transfer of technology and confronting extremist ideologies. That must be undertaken in partnership with UNESCO, an organization whose role has grown vastly in importance in today’s world. Egypt recognizes the ever-increasing importance of that role and the importance of taking the utmost advantage of the organization with a view to achieving a better, safer and more understanding world in which there is room for all.
It high time for humankind to reclaim the essence of its humanity, while sharing knowledge and technology without monopolizing them and uniting in the face of challenges. Just as it has always been an eternal accumulation of civilizations, Egypt reaffirms before the General Assembly today its commitment to continuing to contribute to coexistence within the international family and striving for a more secure and prosperous world for our future generations.


Many world leaders care more about retaining power than improving the lives of their people. Those words of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were recently addressed to us, the people in this Hall. We who are joined here are incredibly privileged. Our job enables us to be in touch with the most successful and the most miserable. We can meet individuals with remarkable destinies and also the poor whose daily routine is to fight for a piece of bread or a bottle of clean water to stay alive. Each of them trusts that we will be able to understand the scope of their problems. They hope that we will never set our personal interests over the needs of our people, our countries and our planet.
Last year’s decision of the international community to transform the world for good — to leave no one behind — was a clear and ambitious way of how to address these needs. We are also perfectly aware of the nature of the challenges awaiting us to decarbonize the economy, to promote inclusive and sustainable development. But too many people tend to be pessimistic when it comes to setting grand global goals. Seemingly, there are more than enough reasons for their negativity, as we witness wars, terror and suffering. We see the damaging consequences some of our actions have on the planet and the people. And we can see them online, as new technologies bring us closer than ever to each other.
In the interconnected world of social networks, bad news travels especially fast. Sometimes it is accompanied by lies, propaganda and dangerous ideologies aimed at manipulating the public, spreading hate and frustration, and creating a fearful picture of the globalized world falling apart. Maybe that is one of the reasons why so many people are sceptical about the global development goals and our ability to deliver, and why we often forget that humankind has an impressive track record when it comes to making the world a better place. Global poverty has been halved in the past two decades. People fight fewer wars and commit fewer homicides. Many more men and women have access to health care and more girls attend schools than at any time in the past.
I am sure that we are more than capable of dealing with such challenges as poverty, hunger, diseases, injustice and discrimination. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we have the best means in the history to make life on the planet as good as it gets. The success of the new Agenda will not be possible without efficient international cooperation and coordination, backed by United Nations institutions. Success will be not possible without us, the people in this Hall. At the same time, we should not forget about our very own homework — to win the hearts, minds and trust of our people.
The world has become smaller due to globalization and modern communication technologies. The problems our world faces have become more global and intertwined. Yet our social instincts have often remained local, and our sense of responsibility is often limited by our national borders. There is a real danger that many of us thought we would not see spreading again. It is the rise of nationalism, extremism, racism and intolerance in many parts of the world. I am certain that responsible leaders need to address those dark moods in our societies, because those moods are the ultimate enemy of humankind — the enemy responsible for the worst misery and bloodbath in our modern history.
One of our most obvious duties as political leaders is, without doubt, to provide for and preserve peace and development. We have established many useful institutions to progress in that effort. However, we are witnessing the largest crisis of displacement since the Second World War. There is no need for me to recall the worrying number of refugees. We hear those numbers so often that sometimes we forget that this is not a numbers game. As His Holiness Pope Francis reminds us, migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humankind. They are children, fathers and mothers — real men and women.
Every political misunderstanding and failure to find solutions leads to more people without a roof over their head, more families separated and more hungry children. It means greater temptation to set people against each other and arouse fear among them. We may have different starting positions, different experiences and even different points of view on the problem, but we all have to understand that refugees need our empathy and our help. I strongly and truly believe that it is a moral duty of every successful, modern country to help. It is a moral duty of any true political leader to think seriously about how to help those fleeing violence and death. Let us be honest here and again ask ourselves the question raised by the Secretary-General. Are we all doing enough to improve the lives of people in need, or are we more concerned about retaining our power? Are we here to serve or to be served?
Our commitment to a just and safe world is tested as we mourn with the families of the victims of terrorism, and as we struggle to wrap our minds around that source of human suffering. When a terrorist group enslaves, murders and takes hope from men, women and children, it is not a single nation’s problem. It is an attack on our very core — on our humanity. It is an attempt to kill goodness in us. Terrorists do not care about dozens or hundreds of innocent victims. They target hundreds of millions of the hearts and minds of spectators around the world to cause them to fear and to hate, encourage hostility among nations and fulfil their sick vision of the clash of civilizations.
We need to stay strong in our societies and true to our core values and culture of mutual respect, peace and non-violence. We can see that it is not hard to make people fear. Sadly, it is not hard to make people hate. But we must not respond by judging people by the colour of their skin or their choice of worship. We need to halt the growing anger, prejudice and hostility towards different religions. True leadership brings hope, reinforces trust and offers sustainable solutions for safety and peaceful coexistence.
In the words of a well-known catchphrase, we should think globally and act locally. The crisis in Ukraine — in the part of the world where I come from — has entered its third year. Slovakia is very concerned about the destabilization of a neighbouring country and repeated violence in the region. I would like once again to firmly call for tangible progress in reaching a settlement of the conflict. I believe the Minsk agreements remain the only viable way out of the crisis. Slovakia is ready to continue to assist Ukraine in securing a stable, prosperous and democratic future for all of its citizens.
Not long from now, the General Assembly will appoint a new Secretary-General of the United Nations. This year, the process of selecting the next Secretary- General has been more consultative, transparent and open than ever before. My country has the extraordinary privilege of being part of the process as we have fielded our own candidate. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation for the Member States’ continued support as we approach the final stages of the selection process. Their support also proves that candidates from our region have a lot to offer in terms of potential, capabilities, knowledge and accomplishments.
We are still living in strange, contradictory times. We can upload our personal medical data for an examination by a physician on the opposite side of the globe, and yet 16,000 children die every day, mostly from preventable or treatable causes. We are using autonomous, self-driving cars, but millions of kids still cannot find their way into a classroom. Our phones, powered by artificial intelligence, are speaking to us, but one in 10 people on this planet does not have access to drinkable water.
With all our resources, all our innovative power and all our unprecedented ways of knowledge-sharing, we cannot ignore the opportunities that exist to increase global prosperity, freedom and the dignity of human beings. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been crafted on the basis of our successes and our experience. It is our task to drive the necessary change to make the world a more prosperous, healthy, inclusive and safe place. It is our task to share the wealth of our planet.
Yes, times are uncertain, but I do believe that we can succeed. As one of the Slovak priests who spent years in prison during the totalitarian period of my country’s history once said, “I do not know what the future will bring, but I know now how I will act.” He could say this because he was always guided by his values.
We can succeed too when we let our values guide us through difficult times — our values of humanity, solidarity and empathy — and when we, the political leaders with the privilege and power of agenda-setting, will not give up the battle for the hearts and minds of our people to remain open to humanity, solidarity and hope, only then can our world prosper. Only then will we truly leave no one behind.