Let me first join all the other speakers in congratulating and wishing success to President Espinosa Garcés. Albania wishes to assure her of our full support in her tasks and mission.
The theme of this general debate, “Making the United Nations relevant to all  people”,  takes  us  to the heart of multilateralism, the kind that our nations have built through global leadership and shared responsibilities for the benefit of peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies. While we  share the belief  in the need for the constant pursuit of reform, we remain faithful to the fundamental principles of the Organization. We continue to see the United Nations

as a multilateral instrument through which peaceful international order is safeguarded.
The United Nations was created in a concert of sovereign wills that produced a corpus of rules and good practices to guide our efforts to find global solutions to global problems. The United Nations has no life of its own outside the will of its Members, nor is it immune to evolving changes and developments. The United Nations has grown as the world has become more global. The issues of democracy, human rights, security, development, technological advances  and the worldwide web, the environment and many more increasingly feature on the United Nations agenda, just as they dominate our domestic policies.
Albania takes seriously its responsibility to be active in this debate and thereby add relevance to our part of the world. It is in that spirit that we fully support the vision of Secretary-General Guterres for reform and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national, regional and international levels. We strongly believe that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is universal, because it is relevant and applicable to all the countries of the world. Albania has taken a clear stance through a unanimous resolution adopted by the Albanian Parliament that  expresses our firm commitment to implementing and achieving those Goals.
Albania presented its national voluntary report in July, incorporating a combination of its European agenda objectives with those of sustainable development. I would like to emphasize that those strategic documents
are fully compatible and in line with our national strategic project for European integration. Albania’s national strategy for development and integration enshrines the same strategic vision and objectives for development — good governance, the rule of law, a competitive and sustainable economy and the promotion of, and respect for, human rights and fundamental freedoms. As we look forward to a future decision to open accession negotiations with the European Union (EU), we remain committed to progress, with domestic reforms in key areas.
We also consider the EU prerogative of open regional cooperation to be an indispensable policy. With ongoing processes aimed at maintaining peace and integration in the Balkans, we believe that every bilateral achievement among our countries contributes directly to greater peace, security, stability and economic development. We consider that the recently reached agreement between Greece and Macedonia has the opportunity to become a historic achievement. We have called on all political actors in Macedonia, including local Albanian leaders, to be actively engaged in ensuring the success of the referendum to be held  on 30 September and to support a vote  in favour of the agreement.
NATO’s open-door policy towards the Western Balkans remains vital and will be decisive in anchoring the region to the NATO security umbrella and ensuring responsible local ownership. In that context, I strongly welcome the recent messages that our strategic partners sent to Macedonian citizens. Those messages echo their determination to uphold the immense investment over the past two decades in establishing stability and security in the Balkans. The combined commitment of both NATO and the EU is the best guarantor for all the countries and citizens in our region.
That positive momentum can also nurture further progress in the EU-led dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. The dialogue has entered its final stage and   is expected to be concluded with a legally binding agreement on the comprehensive normalization of relations between the two States. It is of paramount importance that the expected agreement should embody positive energy while fostering the European values of inter-ethnic coexistence and harmony. It is extremely important that the agreement mark a breaking away from history and the past and improve the daily lives of the peoples in both States.

Let us bear in mind that for  the  Balkans,  the  past is notoriously linked to border changes, ethnic cleansing and violent massive displacements. However, over  the past two decades, the region has undergone   a tremendous transformation, thanks to the support and involvement of the United Nations and the serious political, social and economic investments of the United States of America and the EU. We call on and welcome every effort on the part of the States Members of the United Nations to promote the international recognition of Kosovo and further support its membership in regional and international organizations. Based on the stability and positive developments in Kosovo, Albania supports a reduction in the number of meetings held  by the Security Council on the reports on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
Albania fully supports a more effective United Nations agenda through a more integrated peace and security architecture, with peacekeeping  operations as vital instruments and a flagship activity of the United Nations. We support the recent Action for Peacekeeping initiative of the Secretary-General, and we have endorsed the declaration on that initiative. Albania fully supports Security Council resolution 2242 (2015) and the substantively similar resolutions that were adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council on the review of the peacebuilding architecture (resolutions 70/262 and 2282 (2016)). We remain confident that Secretary-General Guterres  will keep up the momentum for a revitalized role for the United Nations, with a special focus on peace and security in the world. His platform for the revitalization of the United Nations is promising, and we support it. Allow me to note that more than 6,500 members of the Albanian armed forces and civilians have participated in international peacekeeping operations since 1996. They have contributed to operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad, South Sudan, Afghanistan and other countries. We have pledged to continue our modest but steady contribution.
Albania has been aligned with all of the United Nations initiatives aimed at fighting terrorism and has ratified 12 of the 19 related United Nations conventions and protocols. Albania joined the immediate response as part of the global struggle against violent extremism and, notably,  the Global Coalition against Daesh. As a NATO member, we tripled our troop contribution to Afghanistan last year. Our contribution is a significant part of the collective efforts to fight illegal migration
in the Mediterranean Sea. We are part of the NATO maritime mission in the Aegean Sea and assist the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in stopping migrant smuggling. Albania believes that the protection of civilians, women and children is of crucial importance in peacekeeping operations, because the life of every person is precious.
We welcome the  growing  attention  to  the  role of regional organizations in security issues. In that connection, we greatly appreciate and welcome the close cooperation between the United Nations  and  the European Union on the platform of the Common Security and Defence Policy. If we are to have a safer and more peaceful planet, concrete steps must be taken. In that regard, Albania hails the progress that  has been made under the leadership of the United  States of America on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and considers it a very positive step forward, not only for that region but the entire planet.
Another issue of serious concern threatening peace and security is the ongoing conflict in Syria. We support all the actions taken by the international actors to end the conflict and stop the use of chemical weapons. The humanitarian situation has worsened, and that tragedy has produced millions of displaced persons and war refugees, which also threatens the security of neighbouring countries and the European continent.
The situation in Libya also continues to seriously concern us, and we affirm our strong commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Libya and emphasize the need to de-escalate the violence there and combat the spread of terrorism. We have supported the efforts of the international community to develop an inclusive political dialogue among all parties on the future of Libya as the only way to stop the conflict and resolve the Libyan crisis, which is a seriously threatening situation, and not only to its immediate neighbours.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine is still undermining peace and stability in the Middle East. A two-State solution will realistically enable both sides to fulfil their aspirations, put an end to the conflict and achieve a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians. We have always welcomed and supported the efforts of all sides and those of the international community to find a solution through negotiation.
A few days ago, on behalf of Albania, I expressed, our full support for the principles and implementation of the declaration on the Global Call to Action on the

World Drug Problem, initiated by the United States. We all need to take bold action and work together to eliminate drugs from the lives of our young people and children and save our societies and our national security and public health. For that reason, we must strengthen international cooperation and build a common basis  of understanding of the problem, including taking effective measures against it. In that context, I would also like to underline that Albania enjoys excellent cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
As a country with valuable contributions to the enforcement of peace, stability and progress, our respect for and strong desire to protect universal human rights and our strong faith in multilateralism, Albania seeks to serve as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the period from 2022 to 2023. To that end, we stand ready to engage constructively in conflict prevention and various peace operations, both in the United Nations and in other regional security organizations, in order to implement sustainable development policies and contribute to universal respect for human rights. Albania is committed to protecting and promoting all human rights and supports the integration of the human rights dimension into the agenda of United Nations.
Finally, I would like to address the issue of climate change, which affects every country and continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, at a high cost to peoples, communities and countries. The historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 2015, which is based on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, provides a legally binding international commitment to engaging with concrete action. Albania has adopted corresponding strategies and action plans and is taking the necessary measures to protect the  environment and reduce gas emissions. It is quite clear that the consequences of climate change are moving faster than we are. We must prevent climate change in order to ensure the existence of the planet and save future generations. Collective efforts are needed to address collective challenges.


I join others in congratulating Her Excellency Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. She may rest assured that Indonesia will give her its full support for the success of her presidency. I also wish to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his success in guiding the Assembly at its seventy- second session.
Let me also express our deepest sympathy and condolences on the passing of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The world has lost a great peacemaker and true humanist. We will always remember his legacy.
The world continues to face complex global challenges, where instabilities and conflicts are still rampant. Extreme poverty and inequalities linger. Zero-sum thinking and narrow nationalism often prevail. Furthermore, violations of human rights and democratic values remain day-to-day  problems  in our lives. at  times like these, we  often look  in vain  to leadership to show great strength, indeed to wield superhero-like powers.
However, the world does not need to look for superheroes; we do not  need to call on  the strength  of the Avengers or that of the Justice League. We in this Hall are global leaders.  Collectively,  we  have  the strength of superheroes. What we must do now is harness our own individual wills, courage, strength, compassion, selflessness and humility. This is the very essence of the United Nations, where we all believe in the strength and power of the mantra contained in the

Charter of the United Nations, “We the peoples of the United Nations”.
As global leaders — young and old, women and men — we  must work  together to encourage others  to achieve the goals and objectives of the United Nations. The theme of this year’s general debate captures precisely what needs to be  done  by  all  of  us as a community of nations and a community of leaders. The message is loud and clear. Pursuing peace, equality and sustainability for our peoples requires global leadership and shared responsibility. There is no effective leadership without genuine responsibility and vice versa.
The first point I wish to make today  is  that  global leadership and responsibility will  determine the outcome of our quest for lasting peace. Peace is  not merely the absence of war. It is also a question of the commitment to peace. Our continuous efforts to maintain stability and prevent conflict must underpin our pursuit of happiness. But this must start with genuine leadership. It is at home, in our surroundings and in our respective regions, that we must start working to create ecosystems of peace, stability and prosperity. Indonesia will always believe in that way of thinking.
We cannot do so alone, which is why, as an elected non-permanent member of Security Council  next year, Indonesia will need the membership’s continued support. We are grateful for the General Assembly’s trust and confidence, and we will do our best to become its true partner for peace.
For the past five decades, we  have  enjoyed  a  long peace dividend in the Asia-Pacific region. Since geopolitical and geostrategic landscapes are changing so fast, Indonesia sees the opportunity to extend the peace dividend to the larger Indo-Pacific region. Along with other countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, we are promoting an outlook that sees the Indian and Pacific regions as a single geostrategic theatre and a region of cooperation, not competition, with a view to supporting a greater global ecosystem of peace.
The commitment to and responsibility for peace must be replicated across all  regions,  including  in the Middle East. Central to peace and stability in the Middle East is the long-standing question of Palestine. If we cannot resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, our commitment to peace will be called into question. Setbacks persist as we speak in the form of the imminent
threat to the status quo of Jerusalem, the precarious lives of millions of Palestinian refugees that are at stake and the humanitarian situation, which is getting worse every day. Not only does the current situation harm the peace process, it destroys the hopes of the Palestinian people — the hopes of all of us — for an independent Palestinian State. The international community can no longer remain at a standstill on these issues. We must call for immediate negotiations that can make the two- State solution a reality. Indonesia will continue to stand with the people of Palestine until the day Palestine is truly independent.
At the global level, Indonesia is honoured to have contributed to United Nations peacekeeping. To date, Indonesia has contributed more than 3,500 personnel in nine United Nations missions and is the eighth-largest troop- and police-contributing country. We will not stop there. We are ready to contribute 4,000 peacekeepers by 2019, with an increasing proportion of female peacekeepers. Beyond numbers, we believe that United Nations peacekeeping operations should continue to be the Organization’s flagship enterprise. But that can be achieved only if we strengthen its capacity to deliver on its mandate. That is why we have endorsed the Action for Peacekeeping declaration.
I will begin my second point with a question: after peace has been achieved, will that peace be enough? Peace should not be seen as an end in and of itself. It must create an environment conducive to development. Peace and development must go hand  in  hand,  as they are mutually reinforcing. Only then can peace bring benefits to our peoples. It is for that reason that development goals and commitments have been agreed upon. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change are but two obvious examples.
Another milestone was also reached in December, namely, the first-ever global instrument on migration, which was adopted in Marrakech. These agreements represent global leadership and a shared responsibility for a better future where no one is left behind. That applies to all countries, be they large or small, from the North or the South, developed or developing. In short, those agreements show our collective compassion and selflessness, which are the badges of global leadership at its finest. The next question is how we are going to live up to those commitments. The answer is that global leadership needs to create environments conducive to

the fulfilment of these commitments, which is very simple on paper but not so straightforward in practice.
Three years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, many success stories have been told. However, results and progress may vary in various parts of the world. Lingering conflicts,  instability,  protectionism  and an uncertain global economic outlook continue to hamper our common efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Regrettably, time is not on our side. Some of us are running behind schedule in our efforts to hit the SDG targets. To overcome that fact, the pace of implementation must be accelerated. Decisive actions must be taken to improve access to financing, capacity-building and technology. Global leadership and partnership must be pursued in future to achieve win-win solutions.
As part of our global leadership and responsibility, Indonesia has taken concrete steps to implement its commitments. Through South-South and triangular cooperation, Indonesia has offered more than 500 capacity-building programmes to more than 6,000 participants across the globe, from Asia to Africa, from the South Pacific to the Caribbean. We will soon launch the Indonesia Aid for Development programme to reinforce the delivery of our international assistance. Moreover, earlier this year, Indonesia hosted the first- ever Indonesia-Africa Forum, which is a testament to our strong commitment to promote win-win cooperation with the African continent. Furthermore, as a follow- up, we will convene an Indonesia-Africa Infrastructure Dialogue next year, which will focus on infrastructure, in order to accelerate development in Africa.
As the largest archipelagic country in the world, we are fully aware of the adverse impact of climate change, as the countries that have to face this issue most acutely have been the small island developing States. We are convening an archipelagic and island States conference at the margins of the Our Ocean Conference next month as proof of our firm leadership and commitment to addressing this matter.
Peace and development can be sustained only if we have an equitable society, which leads me to my third point today: the importance of creating a society that is just, inclusive, democratic and respectful of human rights. An equitable, tolerant, and moderate society is key to addressing the major challenges of violent extremism and radicalism. Injustice, exclusiveness, extreme poverty, illiteracy and massive youth unemployment
must be eliminated. Hard- and soft-power approaches must be improved. For that reason, we have amended our national law and strengthened our soft approach in order to adapt to new evolving challenges. The recent horrific terrorist attack in Surabaya, Indonesia, showed that the use of violence by terrorists knows no bounds. Using children as weapons can never be right. But that attack will only strengthen our determination to work more closely with the international community.
In order to create peaceful, sustainable and equitable societies, all countries must respect international law and the principles of  the United Nations, including  the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. In that regard, Indonesia strongly deplores the attempts of one country to support or, even worse, become part of separatist movements. Such acts of hostility have no place in the United Nations system, especially since they are acts in clear violation of United Nations principles. Indonesia has long chosen to build friendly relations with that particular country, including in showing our solidarity and sympathy during difficult times. But when such hostile acts continue, Indonesia will not remain silent. Indonesia will not let any country undermine its territorial integrity. Like any other sovereign country, Indonesia will firmly defend its territorial integrity. I repeat: Indonesia will firmly defend its territorial integrity.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies require a more responsive, responsible and credible United Nations. We at the United Nations must show  leadership,  which is why United Nations reform is unavoidable. Otherwise, the United Nations will become obsolete and unable to respond to the needs and challenges of today and tomorrow.
The goal of the United Nations reform is crystal-clear. The Organization needs to be better positioned to help countries sustain peace and achieve the SDGs. Each one of us has a role to play in keeping the United Nations relevant and in ensuring that the United Nations delivers. Indonesia stands ready to contribute to that noble goal for the sake of humankind.


I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President of the General Assembly on her recent election to her important post.
The men, women and children of every continent in the world throughout our shared home, planet Earth, hope that our deliberations will bring concrete improvements to their lives. The world sees its leaders meet once a year and continues to hope that we will collaborate in complying fully with our mandate to build a more just society for all. When the United Nations was created, after the Second World War, it established clear purposes that now serve as a measure of our triumphs, failures, threats and opportunities. We sought to maintain international peace, security and justice, prevent and eliminate threats and suppress acts of aggression. We sought to resolve our disagreements by peaceful means and to foster friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principles of equal rights and the self-determination of peoples.
The theme of the general debate this year — “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies” — allows me to cite a practical provision of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which is that Member States
“shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered”.
I am referring here to the  proceedings that  Bolivia has brought before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, whose decision will be  announced  next week. The  case  deals  with  Chile’s  obligation to negotiate with Bolivia in an effective and timely manner on sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. It tests the shared responsibility of two States to agree on just solutions within the framework of international

law. The Court asserted its jurisdiction to hear and resolve that international disagreement in 2015,  whose hemispheric interest was recognized by the Organization of American States because it involves two neighbours and undermines efforts  to  achieve the regional integration of peoples. Bolivia’s goal is the good-faith achievement, together with Chile, of a durable, sustainable and mutually satisfactory solution to a 100-year conflict that has put two neighbouring countries at odds.
Its worst consequence  is  that  Bolivia  has  been a landlocked country, with its people and the State deprived of access to the Pacific Ocean, a state of affairs that has severely affected our human and economic development and continues to do so. Bolivia’s maritime suit is related to its understanding of diplomacy as working for the people, their life and their right to access to the sea and its vast resources, the largest setting for life on the planet and the shared heritage of humankind and its peoples. Human beings are supported by the sea. Life on Earth is not possible without water, and it is  not possible to think about the lives of people without access to the sea. Not only is it a door to trade, markets and modern transactions, it is also a window on other peoples and on life itself.
We hope that the legal proceedings that have been brought before the International Court of Justice will be recognized and will help to bring the parties closer to the start of productive negotiations. We also hope that to the extent possible, with the support of the international community, it will help us to reach a genuine agreement that honestly outlines the causes and effects of the conflict that has driven us apart for more than a century. The agreement should also critically examine the inadequacy of the agreements and attempts to overcome Bolivia’s landlocked status, while validating and illustrating the reciprocal advantages of timely and effective agreements in the context of the principles  of regional and global integration and reconciling two peoples engaged in an absurd conflict, often for reasons that are alien to their values of brotherly coexistence.
The conflict between Bolivia and Chile over access to the Pacific Ocean is not the result of a recent or passing political or electoral issue. It goes back to the very origins of our territorial dispute at the end of the nineteenth century, when the interests of foreign corporations seeking to exploit the natural resources of the Atacama area, such as guano, potassium nitrate, silver and copper, launched a hostile, asymmetric and
expansionist campaign in the region. The landlocked status imposed on Bolivia could not be remedied through treaties that proved insufficient or through attempted agreements and failed commitments.
The Bolivian people’s ongoing claim is more than a century old, both at the regional level and in multilateral organizations. Bolivia is certain that whatever the International Court of Justice decides, it will mark a new era in the relationship between Bolivia and Chile so that we  can face the future with righteousness and a determination to explore mutually acceptable and lasting solutions. Our peoples and their leaders must unite their desire for peace and their political will in a single voice if they are to identify feasible, functional solutions that make them feel that they have won rather than lost. Practical solutions, forged by creative and effective diplomacy, have been found to even the oldest and most complex controversies in the world.
The Governments and the  peoples  of  Bolivia and Chile must wait patiently for a  legal  decision  that, beyond its formal  aspects,  can  open  the  door to a new era of peace, justice and brotherhood. Such an opportunity deserves the attention of the States Members of the United Nations, since the decision of the Organization’s main legal body to assume jurisdiction over, hear and adjudicate a dispute, and, in this case, to suggest parameters for a  possible  solution,  will  set a precedent for fairer societies that are willing to share the responsibility for resolving their differences. That would be a contrast to the past, when domination by winning wars was all that counted. That is the significance of our case in the context of the theme of the seventy-third session of the General Assembly.
We have frequently warned the Assembly about the many crises facing humankind and life as a whole on our planet. Unfortunately, every year we attend this event to confirm that,  despite  many  praiseworthy  efforts, a number of those crises have not only continued but worsened. I want to take this opportunity to talk about the three biggest threats we face. The first is climate change. Every year is warmer than the one before. Every year more severe weather events occur. Every year more people and other living creatures are irreversibly affected by hurricanes, floods, droughts and pollution. While we consider global efforts such as the Paris Agreement important, if we do not tackle the underlying structural causes of climate change, we will not be able to stop it, all the more so when the biggest polluter in the history of humankind, the United States,

turns its back on science, multilateralism and thereby on humankind. Climate change is an inseparable consequence of capitalism, overproduction and patterns of consumption. The planet is exhausted and so is life along with it.
The second major threat is the arms race, the culture of war and the possibility of a nuclear disaster. Many leaders of countries, especially those that have the most weapons, come to this forum to talk about peace. Military spending is growing, with an increase of 1.1 per cent in 2017 over spending in 2016, and has now reached the extraordinary sum of $1.739 trillion, or
2.2 per cent of the global gross domestic product. The world cannot live at the expense of those who believe that they have the right to produce and use weapons capable of totally destroying life on our planet. In addition, the arms industry feeds off war, and as its weapons are proved to be effective at killing children, the value of their shares increases in the stock market. That criminal logic must end. That threat also comes at the hand of those who are willing to invade countries and change Governments in order to expropriate their peoples’ natural resources. They install military bases with the aim of controlling the entire planet.
The third great threat is inequality. Every year our wealth is concentrated in fewer hands. In 2017, 82 per cent of the world’s increase in wealth ended up in the hands of the richest 1 per cent of the population, while half of humankind saw no increase at  all. According to data from Credit Suisse, 42 people are now worth the same as 3.7 billion others taken all  together.  Those figures are shameful, and we should all be ashamed, because they represent a model of wealth accumulation and poverty distribution rather than one of wealth distribution.
Bolivia condemns in the clearest and strongest terms the illegal, inhuman and criminal economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States. The United States has the obligation to make financial reparations for the damage done to the heroic Cuban people and should comply with the relevant General Assembly resolutions by immediately lifting the blockade. It should also restore Guantanamo to Cuban sovereignty and refrain from any interference or intervention in its internal affairs.
From our seat on the Security Council, we have closely followed the progress and difficulties in the implementation of the peace agreement signed between
the Government of Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo. We are hopeful that the new Government of Colombia will promote the processes for the social and economic reintegration of ex-combatants and will protect the lives of human rights defenders and community leaders, thereby once again affirming that Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace.
Our brother country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is suffering shameless aggression at the hands of the United States and its allies. Latin America firmly rejects any attempts to intervene militarily in Venezuela. Venezuelan issues must be solved by the Venezuelans, and the United States  must  abandon  the illegal and unilateral measures that are one of the causes of Venezuela’s economic problems.
We also want to take this opportunity to condemn the criminal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the United States Government’s unilateral and illegal decision to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, which jeopardizes any possibility of reaching a just and lasting peace. We also reiterate our support for a two- State solution, with a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
We deeply regret the fact that the war  in Syria  has caused more than half a million  deaths  in  the past eight years, a consequence of policies of regime change, interference in internal affairs and efforts to expropriate natural resources. Bolivia repudiates the violations of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity directly or indirectly perpetrated by different States, including the United States, and we hope that the efforts of the United Nations to reach a political agreement by and for the Syrians will soon bear fruit. We welcome the efforts of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan to prevent any more suffering by the Syrian people.
In conclusion, it is my duty to inform the Assembly about the situation in Bolivia. As is well known, we have liberated ourselves from the bonds of United States military bases, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Agency for International Development, and from the demands of the International Monetary Fund as well as other types of taxation. Bolivia is now an example to the region and the world. We have one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. In the past decade we have reduced

extreme poverty from 37 per cent to 17 per cent. We have increased life expectancy by eight years, lowered infant mortality by 56 per cent and reduced chronic child malnutrition by 50 per cent. Bolivia invests more money than any other country in the world in renewable energies in relation to gross domestic product. We are building a more just society. We also want to take this opportunity to inform the Assembly that, as part of an initiative to fight corruption, our President and Vice President have renounced bank secrecy. We call on all Heads of State to pursue such a measure with a view to governing as transparently as possible.
Those achievements have been made possible thanks to the unity of the Bolivian people, the defence of our sovereignty, the recovery of our natural resources and strategic enterprises, the pluralistic economic model and the redistribution of wealth. We reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism. It is imperative that we work together to build a society with equal opportunities for all. We must take care of this planet, our only home. We must make this a world where justice is possible and peace a reality.


First of all, it is indeed a great honour for me to address the Assembly on behalf of the Republic of Serbia. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Her Excellency Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on the assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. I wish to assure the President that Serbia is deeply committed to advancing, in practice, the topics on this session’s agenda, namely, peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies. Having said that, I must also say that it is indeed a pleasure to see that a fellow stateswoman is presiding over this important institution.
My congratulations are also due to His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák for his stewardship of the General Assembly at its  seventy-second  session,  as  well  as to His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary- General, for his engagement and commitment to promoting important reform processes within the United Nations system.
I would not be saying anything new or original if  I were to say that the world of today — be it Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa or Australia — faces significant and increasing challenges. We are already feeling the grave consequences of climate change, migration and terrorism, the rise of populism and the divisions between us at a time when we need greater convergence. We have all heard that throughout our discussions and from more than one leader during the General Assembly debate.
I will, however, say this. In looking for our way out of this troubled situation and in striving to build a better world for all of us, we all need to start with ourselves and the things we must do ourselves, first and foremost as individuals, then in our countries, in our regions, in our continents and then in the united world that we are. We must once again start bringing the nations of the world together, as we did 70 or so years ago.
Serbia is on the way to rethinking itself as a prosperous, dynamic, creative, innovative, open society within a united Europe that is whole, free and at peace. I am often asked — when others are leaving European Union (EU), when so many express doubts regarding the prospect of a united Europe — why would joining the EU be the principal strategic goal?
I have  often asked myself  the same thing. In life, I believe that when we are not sure of the answer, we must go back to basics, clear our heads of the daily clutter, forget political misconceptions and spins, and think of basic values. That, I believe, is where we find our answers. The basic value of the European Union, much like the basic value of the United Nations, is peace. It is not the economy, nor trade, nor a bigger

market. It is peace. All of the other things and much, much more came, and will always come, as a spill-over effect of peace.
The European Union was a peace project, and it is a successful one. We want and we need to be part of  it, so that there is sustainable peace and, consequently, stability and prosperity in the Balkans — that troubled region of the world that used to be known as the “powder keg” of Europe.
I am extremely proud of what Serbia has been  able to achieve in the past four years. We have built macroeconomic stability and proved ourselves to be a responsible and reliable partner. Our economic activity has intensified, unemployment has more than halved compared to just four years ago, and we are seeing speedy recovery. Today, Serbia is one of the countries experiencing the highest economic growth in Europe, characterized by a substantial and ever-greater influx of foreign investment.
We have embarked on a comprehensive public administration reform with one simple goal: greater focus on citizens. We remind our Administration — all of us — on a daily basis that we are there to serve, not to be served. We are also working on strengthening the rule of law through judicial reforms, working with the media, establishing honest dialogue with civil-society organizations, building institutions to fight organized crime and corruption and ensuring fairness and justice for all. What we are doing is not easy, and I must say that we are far from always being successful, but it is a path to which we are fully committed.
When talking about things that are not easy to deal with, but for which one needs to take responsibility in order to build peace and prosperity in one’s region, one’s continent and one’s world, I cannot emphasize enough how important regional cooperation and stability is  for Serbia. Here, we are talking about a region which has never, ever  been stable or very predictable. Nor  is it a part of the world known for peace, reason and pragmatism — on the contrary. We have always been known for — but have always been proud of — our excessive emotions, sacrifices, poetic struggles and traditional animosities.
Today, Serbia is trying very hard to leave that behind and grow and become more reasonable, instead of more emotional; more pragmatic, instead of immersed in myths, a country that is proud of its victories, not  of its losses, and a country that is building unexpected friendships in place of traditional animosities. I am proud to say that our President led the way in this internal struggle of ours to grow and mature, to leave the past behind and turn towards a very different future.
First and foremost, I  will address here the issue of our Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, which split even the United Nations down the middle. Fewer than half of States Members of the United Nations have recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, while more than half — that is, more than 5 billion people across the world — refuse to recognize the illegal secession of Kosovo.
What Serbia has been trying to do in the past year is essentially to close Pandora’s box, not reopen it, following the events of 10 years ago when the unilateral declaration of independence was proclaimed by the authorities in Pristina. A number of countries in the world rushed to recognize that unilateral declaration of independence, regardless of international law and standards, regardless of the fact that the declaration was issued only four years after Serbian churches and monasteries — I remind the Assembly that these are World Heritage sites — were looted and burned, and regardless of the fact that the international community has always stated “standards before status” as their mantra. When everyone saw that standards were not on Pristina’s agenda, they decided to break their own mantra and simply decide on its status.
Today’s Serbia is committed to peace and, if  I may say so, to behaving like an adult. We signed the Brussels Agreement more than five years ago and we have implemented it. Pristina signed it but, even five years on, has still not implemented a single word. We will continue insisting on the full implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, but we will remain tolerant and patient.
However difficult, challenging and sometimes hopeless and wasteful the dialogue with Pristina might be, we will stay committed to finding a compromise that will ensure sustainable peace, prosperity and a brighter future for all people in the region. Serbia will continue demonstrating its readiness to compromise, which is far from easy in that we need a counterpart that is politically bold, responsible, committed and trustworthy. That

has not been the case so far. I am therefore asking the international community to continue supporting the efforts that Serbia has initiated. To achieve progress  in the dialogue, we need the undiluted and consistent support of the international community.
Serbia is committed to working with other nations across the globe to take our common destiny, as many at the United Nations refer to it, into our own hands. We want to claim our accountability towards future generations. We want them to hold us accountable. That is why we are investing so much in peace, understanding and reconciliation in the region. On the other hand, we are equally investing in the future. The key priorities of my Government are youth and education. We need to start teaching our youth how to think, not what to think.
All of us, not just Serbia, need to start investing more than ever before in education to create more innovative, braver, freer-thinking individuals who  will then, in turn, create a world that is freer, fairer, and — to be honest — much  more  fun. The world will value people for who they are and for the values and beliefs they stand for, rather than for where they are from, the colour of their skin or whom they love. Serbia is very fortunate because we have a lot of people — especially young people — who are amongst the best in the world at creative  thinking,  video- game design, genome research, digital agriculture, animation, physics, machine engineering, mathematics, blockchain, artificial intelligence, big-data analytics, biology, software development and programming.
Our absolutely key priority is to support them and to make sure that we create a system and institutions able to ensure that more of them can realize their full potential. Not only will that be the basis for the future growth of Serbia, but, perhaps more importantly, we hope to be able to empower them so that they will, together with others from all over the world, build a better world for all of us. Without any doubt, our future is digital. As Secretary-General Guterres said at the opening of the general debate, “technology is our ally” (A/73/PV.6, p. 3).
I believe that Serbia, although  small,  can  and will play an important role in digital development in the future. That will help us deal with climate change, by far the biggest challenge ahead of us. We must also alleviate hunger by increasing efficiency and by making agriculture smarter, and reduce poverty by ensuring
easy access to finance, even for the poorest and most disadvantaged — those whom we cannot leave behind.
This is how Serbia sees its path towards more peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies in our world. This is us — Serbia —doing our bit for  a  better world.


On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the Republic of Equatorial  Guinea’s  independence,  on 12 October, I would like to extend a greeting of peace and freedom to all the nations of the world as an expression of the gratitude of the people of Equatorial Guinea for the most resounding success of the United Nations since its creation in 1945, the liberation of all colonized peoples. Indeed, the well-being of humankind, a fundamental objective of the United Nations, could not be achieved if the freedom and dignity of peoples and nations were constrained by the subjugation of some peoples by others through the colonial system. For that reason, my delegation would like to to once again raise its voice in this global setting to call for the end of strongholds of colonialism, wherever they may be and whatever form they take.
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea wholeheartedly congratulates Her Excellency Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session, as a reflection of both the gender equality the Organization seeks to uphold and the political pragmatism of her country, the Republic of Ecuador, in its scrupulous respect for the purposes and principles of the United
Nations. We believe that under her leadership the United Nations will achieve the successes it desires.
We also congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, the outgoing President, on his indisputable successes and outstanding work in leading the General Assembly at its  seventy-second  session.  By  the same token, the work of the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, deserves our praise for the dynamism with which he has been leading all the bodies of the United Nations with a view to making them less bureaucratic and bringing their efforts closer to Member States.
The topics selected for discussion during this session represent the greatest concerns of the international community. Economically speaking, despite the numerous resolutions and recommendations adopted by the United Nations for promoting nations’ sustainable growth and economic development, an insurmountable gap between developed and developing countries continues making it more difficult to maintain peace and stability in poor countries. That compels us to set aside our ambitions and pride and support the achievement of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 with all the means available to us.
A supposedly globalized world in which imbalance, marginalization and instability reign would be difficult on every front, political, economic, social and moral. In that regard, the current problems of mass and uncontrolled immigration of populations from South to North, the internal instabilities of developing countries and rebel and terrorist movements throughout the world are clear reactions to the problems of poverty and underdevelopment suffered by developing countries as a result of behaviour that shows injustice and a  lack  of solidarity. We cannot guarantee international peace and security while those pockets of violence remain, jeopardizing the lives of populations.
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, as a non-permanent member of the Security  Council,  will always support and give priority to preventive diplomacy to avoid conflicts and foster dialogue, agreements, negotiation and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Above all, we ask for scrupulous observance of the principles of international law, particularly with regard to respect for the independence and sovereignty of each State, non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations, every country’s right to use its own

natural resources and the promotion of fair and equitable cooperation with reciprocal benefits among States.
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea also praises and commends the peace processes undertaken — through dialogue, compromise and tolerance among the  parties — between the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Somalia, and between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America with respect to the Korean peninsula. Equatorial Guinea calls for similar resolutions of other conflicts in the world, such as those in Djibouti, Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Yemen, the Middle East, Libya, South Sudan, Central Africa, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea-Bissau.
For Equatorial Guinea, coercive decisions such as Security Council sanctions have never resolved any conflict in the history of the United Nations. Neither have armed interventions resolved substantive issues. On the contrary, they are opposed to the principles of State independence and sovereignty that endow States with responsibilities. We therefore insist on the value of negotiation as a political and moral tool that is capable of satisfying the parties to a conflict. Contrary to their claims, obligatory condemnations trigger defensive behaviour from the State in question, whether out of pride or in self-defence. Worst of all, such decisions usually result in depriving the affected peoples of their most fundamental rights.
As a matter of international justice, Equatorial Guinea believes in the need to reform the Security Council to make it more democratic, representative and capable of guaranteeing the interests that shape the current global framework. The Council’s structure, adopted in 1945, is obsolete, since our world is no longer governed by the political criteria of  the time.  In that regard, the African continent is the future of humankind today and should not remain marginalized from major decisions that may affect the whole world. The Security Council, which is partly to blame for Africa’s marginalization, must also feel responsible for the recent conflicts in the Sahel region and the ongoing unbridled immigration from Africa to Europe.
With regard to my country’s domestic development, despite the significant oil crisis affecting Equatorial Guinea, socioeconomic development is evolving positively, thanks to the prevailing  peace. We can therefore expect to see the country recover
economically relatively soon. And our transition programme towards a multiparty system, initiated in 1992, has been characterized by an inclusive democratic openness and permanent dialogue open to all. In its first year we recognized 14 political parties, a number that has now risen to 18 in a country with fewer than
1.5 million inhabitants.
Over that period we have held six rounds of inclusive dialogue with opposition political parties, which has resulted not only in the recognition of new political parties, but has  also  produced  reform  of  the Constitution and of other laws regulating public freedoms. As a result, Heads of State are now limited to two successive terms, whereas before they could hold office indefinitely. Several control bodies for managing public affairs have also been created.
The socioeconomic development plan adopted following our second national economic conference,  in 2000, envisaged economic recovery by 2020. Its most significant results have been the construction of basic economic infrastructure such as roads, ports, airports, environmental sanitation facilities, modern hospitals, vocational and university training centres, drinking water systems, telecommunications and power infrastructure and, more recently, the transformation of densely populated rural hubs throughout the country into small modern cities.
Human capacity-building has achieved such levels that citizens are able to responsibly manage national development, which   has   created   an   atmosphere of trust between national political forces and the people, who feel empowered to realize their own objectives. In its the effects of the economic crisis, the Government is planning a third phase of the national economic conference with a view to purposefully spearheading the socioeconomic development plan initially set for 2020. We call for the cooperation of friendly countries and for multilateral assistance to support the Government’s efforts, which are currently geared to the diversification of production sources, industrialization and the development of the national economy’s production sector, as well as capitalizing on existing infrastructure.
The United Nations should serve as a forum for cooperative exchanges that promote the development of humankind as well as a forum for dialogue.
Finally, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea believes that the United Nations is the highest body of

multilateral diplomacy within which, if we all adhere equally to the general principles of international law, we can not only guarantee world peace and stability but also build more developed societies that guarantee the rights of all the peoples of the world.


I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, and your country, Ecuador, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy- third session. I wish you every success. I would also like to thank your predecessor for his role in steering the work of the Assembly during the previous session. I thank as well the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his efforts pursuant to the Charter.
Every year we come to this important international forum carrying hopes and wishes that every place in this world will have become more secure, stable and prosperous. Today, our hope is greater than ever, as we are confident that the will of the people will eventually triumph. Our hope and confidence are the result of more

than seven years of hardship during which our people have suffered from the scourge of terrorism. However, Syrians have refused to compromise and succumb to terrorist groups and their external supporters. They have stood their ground and remained defiant, fully convinced that their struggle is a battle for their existence, their history and their future, from which they will ultimately emerge victorious.
To the disappointment of some, we are here today, more than seven years into the dirty war against my country, to announce to the world that the situation on the ground has become more secure and stable, and that our battle against terrorism is almost over. That  is true thanks to the heroism, resolve and unity of the Syrian people and the army, and to the support of our allies and friends. Despite those achievements, we are determined to continue the sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories of terrorist groups, regardless of their names, and any illegal foreign presence. We will pay no heed to any aggression or external pressure on us, or to any lies or allegations that seek to discourage us. That is our duty and a non-negotiable right that we have exercised as we eradicated terrorism from most of the Syrian territories.
The Governments of certain countries have denied us our right under international law and our national duty to combat terrorism and protect our people on  our land and within our own borders. At the same time, those Governments have founded an illegitimate international coalition led by the United States under the pretext of combating terrorism in Syria. However, that coalition has done everything but fight terrorism. It has even proved that the coalition’s goals were in line with those of terrorist groups, namely, spreading chaos, killing and destruction. The coalition destroyed the Syrian city of Raqqa,  destroyed  infrastructure and public services in targeted areas and massacred civilians, including children and women, all of which constitute war crimes under international law.
On the other hand, the coalition has provided direct military support to terrorists on multiple occasions as they fought against the Syrian army. It should have been more aptly named the coalition to support terrorists and commit war crimes.
The situation and its dimensions in Syria cannot be divorced from the conflict raging between  two axes on the world stage. One axis promotes peace, stability and prosperity across the world, advocates
for a culture of dialogue and mutual understanding, respects international law and upholds the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States. The other axis tries to spread chaos in international relations and insists on employing colonization and hegemony as tools to further its  narrow  interests, even if that means resorting to dirty methods such as supporting terrorism and imposing economic blockades in order to subjugate peoples and Governments that reject external dictates and insist on making their own independent national decisions.
What happened in Syria should have been a lesson to those countries, but they refuse to learn. That  is why we, the Members of this Organization, must make clear and unequivocal choices. Are we going to defend international law and the Charter of the United Nations and be on the side of justice? Or are we going to succumb to hegemonic tendencies and the law of the jungle that some are trying to impose on this Organization and the world?
Today, the situation on the ground is more stable and secure thanks to the progress made in combating terrorism. The Syrian Government continues to rehabilitate the areas destroyed by terrorists and restore normal life. All conditions are now present for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to the country that they had to leave because of terrorism and the unilateral economic measures that targeted their daily lives and their livelihoods. It is true that thousands of Syrian refugees living abroad have started to return home. From this rostrum, I would like to stress that the return of each and every Syrian refugee is a priority for the Syrian State. Doors are wide open for all Syrians abroad to return voluntarily and safely. I underline that what applies to Syrians inside Syria also applies to Syrians abroad. Everyone is under the law.
Thanks to the help from the Government of the Russian Federation, the Syrian Government will spare no effort to facilitate the return of those refugees and meet their basic needs. Therefore, a special coordination body has been established  to  coordinate  the  return of refugees to their places of origin in Syria and to enable them to rebuild their normal lives. Although  we have called upon the international community and humanitarian organizations to facilitate the return of refugees, some Western countries — as a complement to the dirty role  they have  played since the start of  the war in Syria — continue to  obstruct the  return   of those Syrian refugees to their country. They are

spreading fears among refugees under false pretexts and politicizing that purely humanitarian issue, using it as a bargaining chip to serve their political agenda and linking the return of refugees to the political process.
Today, as we are about to close the last chapter of the Syrian crisis, Syrians are determined to come together, erase the traces of that terrorist war and rebuild their country with their own hands and experience. That applies to those who stayed in Syria and to those who were forced to leave as a result of terrorist acts. We welcome all of the initiatives of States and parties that did not engage in the aggression against Syria and were clear and explicit in rejecting terrorism to help the Syrian Government in the reconstruction process. We underscore once again that the friendly countries that stood by our side against terrorism have priority in participating in the reconstruction programmes. As for the countries that offer only conditional assistance to engage in the reconstruction process or continue to support terrorism, they are basically neither invited nor welcome.
In parallel with achieving progress against terrorism, as well as in reconstruction and the return of refugees, we are keen to advance the political process while maintaining our constant principles, namely, to preserve the sovereignty, independence and unity of the territory and people of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Syrian people have the exclusive right to determine the future of their country without any external interference and free of terrorism in the Syrian territories.
Based on those constant principles, we have expressed time and again our readiness to respond to any initiative that could help Syrians to end the crisis. We have engaged positively and openly in the Geneva talks, the Astana process and the intra-Syrian national dialogue in Sochi. However, it has always been the other parties that have set obstacles, rejected dialogue and resorted to terrorism and foreign interference.
Nevertheless, we continue to adopt a positive attitude towards the outcomes of the Syrian national dialogue in Sochi on the formation of a committee to review the current constitution. We have presented a practical and comprehensive vision on the composition, prerogatives and working methods of that committee, and submitted a list of representatives on  behalf of  the Syrian State. We stress that the mandate of the committee is limited to reviewing the articles of the current Constitution through a Syrian-led and Syrian-
owned process that may be facilitated by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria.
We also stress that no preconditions or foregone conclusions should be imposed on  the  committee  and its recommendations. The committee must be independent, given that the Constitution and anything relating to it is a Syrian matter to be decided by Syrians themselves. We will not, therefore, accept any proposal that constitutes interference in the internal affairs of Syria or might lead to such  interference.  We underscore that the Syrian people must have the final word regarding any constitutional or other matter relating to sovereignty. We also reaffirm our readiness to work actively with countries friendly to the Syrian Government to launch the work of the committee along the bases and parameters that I have just mentioned.
In conjunction with the international initiatives that I have referred to, local national reconciliation is well under way. Reconciliation agreements have stopped the bloodshed and prevented destruction in many Syrian areas. They have restored stability and normal life to those areas, allowing their people to return to the homes that they were forced to leave because of terrorism. Reconciliation will therefore remain our priority and our focus.
The battle we have fought in Syria against terrorism has not only been a military one; it has also been a battle between the culture of destruction, extremism and death and the culture of construction, tolerance and life. I therefore appeal from this rostrum to the international community to fight the ideology of terrorism and violent extremism and prevent it from getting support and financial resources, and to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, notably resolution 2253 (2015). The military battle against terrorism, while important, is not enough. Terrorism is like an epidemic: it will return, break out and threaten everyone without exception.
We fully condemn and reject the use of chemical weapons under any circumstances, wherever or whenever it occurs and regardless of the target. That  is why Syria completely eliminated its chemical programme and fulfilled all its commitments to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as confirmed by numerous OPCW reports.

Although some Western countries are constantly trying to politicize that organization’s work, we have always cooperated with the OPCW to the fullest  extent possible. Unfortunately, every time we express our readiness to receive objective and professional investigative teams to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons, those countries have blocked such efforts because they know that the conclusions of the investigations would not satisfy them given the ill intentions they harbour against Syria. Those countries have ready-made accusations and scenarios to justify aggression against Syria. That was the case when the United States, France and Britain launched a wanton tripartite aggression on Syria last April, claiming that chemical weapons had been used, but without any investigation or evidence and in flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, those same countries have disregarded all of the reliable information that we have  provided on chemical weapons in the possession of terrorist groups that were used by them on multiple occasions with a view to casting blame on the Syrian Government and justifying a predetermined attack against it. The terrorist organization known as the White Helmets was the main tool used to mislead public opinion, fabricate accusations and come up with lies regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The White Helmets organization was created by British intelligence under a humanitarian cover. It has been proved, however, that that organization is part of the Al-Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al-Qaida. Despite all those allegations, we remain determined to liberate every inch of our territory without concern for the black banners of terrorists or the theatrics of the White Helmets.
In another episode of the terrorist war on Syria since 2011, brutal suicide bombings in July orchestrated by Da’esh rocked the province of Al-Suwayda in southern Syria. It is worth noting that the terrorists behind that attack came from the Al-Tanf area, where United States forces are present. That area has become a safe haven for remnant groups of Da’esh gunmen, who are now hiding in the Rukban refugee camp on the border with Jordan under the protection and sponsorship of United States forces present in the area. In line with its investment in terrorism aimed at prolonging the crisis in Syria, the United States has also sought to release terrorists from Guantanamo prison and send them to Syria, where they
have become the effective leaders of the Al-Nusra Front
and other terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, the Turkish regime continues to support terrorists in Syria. Since day one of the  war on Syria, the Turkish regime has trained and armed terrorists, turning Turkey into a hub and a corridor for terrorists on their way to Syria. When those terrorists failed to serve its agenda, the Turkish regime resorted to direct aggression by attacking many cities and towns in northern Syria. However, all actions that seek to undermine Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and that violate international law will not stop us from exercising our right and duty to recover all our land and purge it of terrorists, whether through military action or local reconciliation agreements.
Based on the aforementioned, we have always welcomed any initiative that prevents further Syrian bloodshed and restores security and safety to areas affected by terrorism. That is why we welcomed the agreement on Idlib reached in Sochi on 17 September. That agreement was the result of intensive consultations and full coordination  between  Syria  and  Russia. We underscore that that  agreement  is  time-bound and includes specific deadlines. It complements the agreements previously reached in Astana on the de-escalation zones. We hope that, when the agreement is implemented, the Al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups will be eradicated, thereby eliminating the last remnants of terrorism on the Syrian territories.
Any foreign presence on Syrian territories without the consent of the Syrian Government is illegal and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. It is an assault on our national sovereignty and undermines counter-terrorism efforts and threatens  regional peace  and  security. We therefore consider that any forces operating on Syrian territories without a request from the Syrian Government  —  including  United  States,  French and Turkish forces — are occupying forces,  which will be dealt with accordingly. They must withdraw immediately and unconditionally.
Israel continues to occupy a cherished part of our land in the Syrian Golan, and our people there continue to suffer because of Israel’s oppressive and aggressive policies. Israel has even supported terrorist groups that have operated in southern Syria, protecting them through direct military intervention and launching repeated attacks on Syrian land. However, just as

we liberated southern Syria from terrorists, we are determined to fully restore the occupied Syrian Golan along the lines of 4 June 1967. Syria demands that the international community effectively put an end to all such Israeli practices and compel Israel to implement the relevant United Nations resolutions, notably resolution 497 (1981), on the occupied Syrian Golan.
The international community must also help the Palestinian people to establish their own independent State, with Jerusalem as its capital, and facilitate the return of Palestinian refugees to their land, pursuant to resolutions of international legitimacy. Any actions that undermine those rights are null and void and can only be rejected, as they threaten regional peace and security, especially the racist Israeli law  known  as the Nation-State Law and the decision of the United States Administration to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and to stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Syria strongly condemns the decision of the United States Administration to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran, which proves once again that Administration’s disregard for and  non-commitment to international treaties and conventions. We reiterate our full solidarity with the leaders and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and trust that they will overcome the effects of that irresponsible decision on the part of the United States Administration.
In the same context, we also stand with the Government and the people of Venezuela against the attempts by the United States to interfere in their internal affairs. We call once again for the lifting of the unilateral economic measures imposed on the Syrian people and all other independent peoples around the world, especially those of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba and Belarus.
In conclusion, I would like everyone to know that Syria, with the help of its allies and friends, will defeat terrorism. We must be treated accordingly. It is high time for some people to detach themselves from their state of separation from reality, abandon their illusions and come to understand that they will not achieve politically what they failed to achieve by war. We have never compromised on our national principles, even when the war was at its peak. We will surely not do so today.
At the same time, we want peace for the peoples of the world — that is the message we are sending — because we want peace for our people. We have never attacked others; we have never interfered in the affairs of others; and we have never exported terrorism to other parts  of the world. We have always maintained the best relations with other countries. Today, as we seek to defeat terrorism, we continue to advocate dialogue and understanding, which serves the interests of our people and helps to achieve security, stability and prosperity for all.


At the outset, I would like to offer our warm congratulations to the President of the General Assembly at its seventy- third session. Her many exceptional qualities bolster our deep conviction that she will successfully carry out her mission in the service of the nations of the world. Djibouti welcomes her election as President of the Assembly at this session in more ways than one. She  is the fourth woman to hold this position in 73 years. We assure her of my country’s support in carrying out her mandate.
I would also like to commend the dynamism, faith and commitment of her predecessor, Mr. Miroslav Lajčák. I also congratulate Secretary-General António Guterres on his many initiatives to advance the Organization’s agenda and the ambitious United Nations reform plan designed and developed with the support of Member States. Even if there is a consensus on the general need for reforms to make our Organization more effective, it has not always been easy to convince Members and overcome the resistance and burdens often faced by this type of major undertaking.
Despite improvements in a number of indicators, such as life expectancy, living standards and a drastic reduction in  the global  rate  of  extreme  poverty,  the observation we made last year in the General Assembly (see A/72/PV.19) remains valid. Even if some parts of the world are experiencing growth, the risks of diminished prospects loom large. Prospects for economic expansion exacerbate the risk of increased tensions and trade disputes. Gross inequalities persist, and the  major  geopolitical  upheavals   under  way are generating growing uncertainty. Similarly, the persistence and increased complexity of some conflicts is a major concern.
The number of people leaving their country because their lives are in danger is on the rise. More and more people are leaving in search of a better life and taking to the sea, sometimes risking their lives in the process. That  migratory  flow  has  unwittingly  contributed  to the emergence of a bitter political debate in many northern countries. Such fierce debates, if seen without
a dose of critical distance, could challenge the feeling of belonging to a common humanity bound by the common responsibility to build a better world together.
The crisis of multilateralism that we are witnessing, the protectionist tendencies that we are observing, the palpable temptation of retreating into nationalism and sometimes even autism are the consequences of this emerging ideology. It posits that we  must rely  only on ourselves, that we can only rely on ourselves, thus contradicting the philosophical wisdom of Rimbaud: “I is another”. Hence the importance of this session’s theme, “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”, as an instrument to guide our collective reflection. All of our proposals and contributions could be compiled into a manifesto to renew and restore the faith and confidence that our peoples have in the United Nations system and its ability to respond to their problems.
Djibouti welcomes the fact that in response to each of the perils mentioned above, the international community has mobilized and formulated responses and developed action plans through particularly well- conducted intergovernmental processes. Among those successes, I note the adoption of the reforms undertaken by the Secretary-General in some key areas — the repositioning of the United Nations development system in the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for humankind; management reform; and the reform of the peace and security architecture.
We also note the finalization of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration through an open, transparent and inclusive process. It is set to be adopted in Marrakesh in December.
Similarly, the finalization of the global compact on refugees, which will be submitted to the General Assembly for its  consideration  during  this  session, is a major development. Refugees are particularly vulnerable. Since the United Nations is unable to address, in a sustainable manner, the causes of the conflicts that led to their exile, it must provide an adequate response to their needs.
Efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  encourage  and  motivate us. The current momentum to  adopt  and  integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into national planning and institutional initiatives should continue with renewed energy. The aim should be to deepen

reflection and exchanges, and to establish participatory frameworks and new partnership models. We must redirect investments to the improvement of data collection on sustainable development and  statistics on gender, health, education and the environment. Djibouti is pleased to be able to present its first voluntary review soon and considers this opportunity for introspection beneficial.
We also welcome the Secretary-General’s strategy to mobilize increased resources for financing the  2030 Agenda. In that regard, let me  stress again that  it will be necessary both to think about innovative financing strategies aimed at ensuring an increase in foreign direct investment and to honour development aid commitments.
The greatest threat to the implementation of the transformative agenda that is Agenda 2030 is undoubtedly conflict and violence. Conflicts in several parts of the world continue to increase the death toll, and the nature of the specific challenges they pose will require the sustained attention of the international community. The expansion of terrorism and international organized crime further complicates already fragile situations and requires different responses than those proposed by conventional peace operations. It also sorely tests the diplomatic negotiation tools at our disposal, which we must urgently and thoroughly review.
In contrast to that gloomy picture, the Horn of Africa has seen a series of historic positive  developments that are likely to generate peace dividends and lead  to reconciliation and economic development. We welcome the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which ended two decades of neither war nor peace and inaugurated a new era of peace, friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The positive repercussions for other inter-State conflicts in the countries of the region have been rapid and, we hope, substantial.
In that regard, I would like to inform the Assembly that  the  Presidents  of  Djibouti  and  Eritrea  met  on
17 September in Jeddah, under the auspices of His Majesty King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, and agreed to open a new chapter in relations between the two brotherly countries. At the end of the meeting and thanks to the tireless efforts of the King of Saudi Arabia and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, the Presidents agreed to continue the dialogue with a view to finding a peaceful solution to
the outstanding issues, including the border dispute and the prisoners of war.
We also welcome the Peace Agreement signed between President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and the head of the rebellion on 12 September in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. We hope that it can be fully and unconditionally implemented. The South Sudanese people have suffered too much. They deserves peace and the opportunity to build a better future.
We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made by Somalia in building strong institutions and restoring peace, stability and economic growth. Although we recognize the significant progress made, we must work together to identify and combat the actors who seek to block political normalization, particularly the Al-Shabaab terrorist groups, and do all we can to build greater coherence and unity of action between the federal Government and other federal units. We take this opportunity to pay tribute to the troops of the African Union Military Observer Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), whose crucial role has been amply demonstrated on the ground. AMISOM’s support of Somali forces is crucial to ensuring that the transfer of security responsibilities can be carried out under the best possible conditions.
The question of Palestine must continue to mobilize the international community. There is no alternative  to the two-State solution. Moreover, the issue of Palestinian refugees must also be of concern to us all.
I would be remiss if I did not make mention of the suffering of the Rohingya people, who today are being threatened with ethnic cleansing, as the international community has witnessed. We must pressure the Government of Myanmar to allow the return of the Rohingyan refugees.
The United Nations has made a significant contribution to the efforts to maintain international peace and security. It has played a crucial role in promoting international cooperation among States. It is the responsibility of us all to strengthen its role and to make it a global force.
Djibouti is ready to work alongside the other nations of the world for the creation of a safer, more united and more prosperous world. The stakes are high, and the call is urgent. Long live the nations of the world! Long live the United Nations!


At the outset, on behalf of the President, the Government and the people of the Republic of Guinea, I would like to convey our sincere condolences on the death of Mr. Kofi Annan, a great son of Africa and former Secretary- General of the United Nations, who dedicated his life to promoting peace, international humanitarian law and multilateralism.
My delegation would like to congratulate the President on her election to lead the General Assembly at its seventy-third session and to assure her of its support for the success of her  term. Guinea would  like to pay a well-deserved tribute to her predecessor, Mr. Miroslav Lajcák, for his inclusive presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session, during a crucial period of reform of our Organization.
My delegation also warmly congratulates Secretary-General António Guterres on his  vision  and the commendable  efforts  he  has  taken  to  give a new impetus to the United Nations, which is beset by political, economic and social challenges in an ever-changing international context. It is  clear  that, in addressing those challenges, we must give priority to new, more pragmatic, effective and coordinated approaches to achieving the objectives set out in the Charter of the United Nations.
The seventy-third session, under this year’s theme of “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable  societies”,  calls on us to urgently strengthen the global leadership of the United Nations with respect to the  requirements of reform and the aspirations contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We must recall that the United Nations was created in the aftermath of one of humankind’s most devastating wars, suffered the stigma of the Cold War and was shaken by the turbulences linked to the end of that same Cold War. However, it has resisted all attempts to weaken it by making it ineffective at managing certain crises that threaten peace and stability throughout the world.
In an increasingly interdependent world, the United Nations is the only multilateral platform capable of adopting a global and concerted approach in seeking solutions to the many challenges it faces. During a period of deep crisis for the Organization, Secretary- General Kofi Annan recalled the following:
“[A] group of far-sighted leaders... saw that the human race had only one world to live in, and that unless it managed its affairs prudently, all human beings might perish. So they drew up rules to govern international behaviour and founded a network of institutions, with the United Nations at its centre, in which the peoples of the world could work together for the common good.” (A/58/PV.7, p.3)
Today, the  purposes  and  principles  contained  in the Charter of the United Nations remain more relevant than ever. The universality of the United Nations in maintaining international peace, security and prosperity in the world is confirmed on a daily basis. The multiple fields of action make it possible to assist Member States in their development processes. That is why we must remain determined and resolutely committed to implementing the reforms that are crucial for our Organization.
The Republic of Guinea supports that ongoing reform   process,   initiated   by   Secretary-General, in particular in the pillars of peace, security and sustainable development. Guinea cannot insist enough on the need for Security Council reform. It is time to take into account Africa’s demographic, political and economic importance in order to give it the role it can and must play on the international stage and to redress the injustice the continent has suffered by  granting    it two permanent seats and as many non-permanent seats. The results of the reform must  ultimately lead to the establishment of  a  fair and  equitable system  of international cooperation based on solidarity and shared responsibility.
The seventy-third session of the General Assembly coincides this year with the sixtieth anniversary of the Republic of Guinea’s independence, on 2 October 1958. In the same year, it joined the Organization as the eighty- second State Member of the United Nations. As we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of our independence, we will be flying the flag of pan-Africanism. It is clear that the United Nations has been and remains for Guinea a multilateral forum that has enabled it to realize the ideals for it has struggled so much, including its pan-African vision of independence, the fight against apartheid, the promotion of peace and security, and the socioeconomic development of the continent.
Today, under the dynamic leadership of the President of the Republic of Guinea, His Excellency Mr. Alpha Condé, our country has made significant

progress in the economic and social fields, which can guarantee a better future for the people of Guinea.  The megaprojects carried out in the energy and agriculture sectors and the creation of infrastructure that is crucial to development have been welcomed by the Guinean people because they are convinced that those achievements will certainly lead to Guinea’s development by 2040.
Based on the priorities of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2063 Agenda of the African Union, Guinea has focused on the ownership and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, our country, at the third High- level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, presented its first voluntary national review — for 2018 — on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. That was a timely opportunity for my country to share with other Member States its experience in the process of implementing its sustainable development programme by 2040.
The Government’s determination to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals was supported by the 2016-2020 national economic and social development plan, guided by the forward- looking “Guinea Vision 2040” plan, which aims to make development planning the appropriate instrument for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, Guinea is counting on the support of the United Nations and other partners.
The Government strongly appreciates the new climate of dialogue for the promotion of sustainable peace in Africa, as peace and security are essential conditions for inclusive development. The tangible progress achieved in the strategic partnerships between the United Nations and African peace missions, as well as the significant progress in crisis management in Guinea-Bissau, South Sudan, Somalia and in the disputes between Ethiopia and Eritrea and between Eritrea and Djibouti, confirm  once  again  the  need to continue to focus on political solutions to create a peaceful environment conducive to development.
We are convinced  that  substantial  investments in conflict prevention and the quest for political solutions will save humankind countless lives and the destruction of infrastructure. However, these positive developments that have been made here and there should not distract us from our common struggle against international terrorism and violent extremism. That is
why my delegation strongly condemns the barbaric acts committed against innocent people in Africa and throughout the world. It urges the major Powers to support Africa in its fight against these scourges and to support the Group of Five for the Sahel in confronting the atrocities committed by terrorist groups so as to restore lasting peace in the Sahel region.
Guinea welcomes the implementation of the United Nations Support Plan for the Sahel, entitled “Sahel, Land of Opportunities”, which targets 10 countries, including Guinea. The plan focuses on six key areas: cross-border cooperation, prevention, peacekeeping, inclusive growth, climate and renewable energy. Partnerships with Member States, regional economic communities, civil society and donors will facilitate the implementation of various development projects, help to fight extreme poverty, improve the humanitarian situation, strengthen resilience to change and reduce the scourge of food insecurity.
If there is another situation where the role of the United Nations remains indisputable, it is the conflict in the Middle East, which remains a major  concern for the international community. Guinea has always unambiguously expressed its unconditional solidarity with the just cause of the Palestinian people. We remain convinced that any viable and sustainable solution in the Middle East necessarily means respecting and implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions that call for the creation of two States living side by side in security and within safe and internationally recognized borders.
Conflicts    —    in    particular    protracted crises — environmental degradation and human rights violations continue to increase humanitarian needs, which are currently estimated at nearly $22.5 billion. However, the mobilization of funds is hampered not only by a lack of solidarity but also the drastic cuts to the United Nations budget. That is why the management of generated funds must be transparent and inclusive.
Of all the humanitarian challenges, the issue of human mobility is the most consequential for us and therefore requires greater solidarity and the sharing of responsibilities. That is why we welcome the advent of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, which is a source of hope for more than 258 million international migrants, composed largely of women and children. This important document, which the Republic of Guinea will adopt in December in Marrakech,

will strike a balance between State sovereignty and fundamental rights. The compact is fundamentally aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, while providing an important monitoring mechanism.
The achievement of social well-being through the Sustainable Development Goals can be made possible only if we succeed in ridding our world of recurring diseases. It is therefore important to strengthen our solidarity in the fight against communicable and non-communicable diseases, which continue to decimate a large part of the world’s population. My delegation welcomes the steps taken and the progress made in effectively eradicating tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. We wholeheartedly support the United Nations project for universal health coverage.
The creation of an inclusive  society  underpins the elimination of inequalities and social barriers that prevent the participation of young people and women in economic and political activities. Gender equality and the promotion and empowerment of young people and women are fundamental to achieving sustainable development and must be taken into account in development policies.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Secretary- General, who has been working since his inauguration for the achievement of  parity through appointments  to the higher bodies of the United Nations. We have a responsibility to perpetuate that good practice within the United Nations and other international and national institutions, as it is in line with the agreements on gender and women’s rights.
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the United Nations remains the only institution that can maintain global balance and ensure our collective security and shared prosperity. Any withdrawal into ourselves would be detrimental to peace and stability around the world. Multilateralism therefore remains the only way forward to effectively achieve the goals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.