At the outset, I wish to extend the cordial greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis, to the President and to all of the delegations participating in this seventy-third session of the General Assembly.
As the international community marks the seventieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human  Rights,  on  10  December 1948, it is worthwhile to recall and re-emphasize its assertion that,
“[The] recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
The recognition of the inherent dignity of all human beings is the bedrock on which the pillars of the United Nations are grounded. It is the ultimate principle behind the founders’ determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. It undergirds all fundamental human rights. It drives the search for justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other appropriate sources of international law, because so many abuses of human dignity begin with a failure to uphold laws that respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. It spurs individuals and societies to achieve social progress and better standards of life in greater freedom through what the Holy See calls “integral human development”.
To speak of human dignity 70 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration means, above all, to restate the centrality and intrinsic worth of the human person and to reaffirm the inherent rights shared by all men and women, no matter how young or old, rich or poor, strong or vulnerable, healthy or sick, wanted or undesired, economically productive or incapacitated, or politically influential or insignificant. The world needs, in fact, to regain an all-encompassing vision of the human person, human dignity and human rights, as any reductive vision of the human person inevitably dehumanizes and effectively excludes certain persons

from membership in the human race, opening the way to inequality, injustice and injury.
The seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration is also a favourable occasion on which to renew our shared commitment, not just in words, but also in practice to those rights that flow from every person’s inherent dignity. The report of the Secretary- General on the work of the Organization (A/73/1) highlights that fact. Although there has been much progress made in the advancement of human rights at the global level, challenges to the protection of human rights are a global phenomenon. While it is heartening to read of the positive developments in the area of human rights accomplished in the past seven decades, it is sobering to note, however, that one in 10 children continues to be subjected to child labour, one in three people currently in detention  is  held  without  trial, 29 per cent of children under the age of 5 do not have birth registration and 250 million women were married when under the age of 15.
It is scandalous to see that human rights continue to be violated today, seven decades after the adoption of the Universal Declaration. The Declaration affirms that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person, and yet in many places those rights are not only not respected but their violations are even celebrated. Article 4 states that “[n]o one shall be held in slavery or servitude”, yet tens of millions of people are ensnared by various forms of so-called modern slavery. Article 18 upholds the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the right to change one’s religion or belief, and the freedom to manifest, alone or in community with others, in public or private, that religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Yet those rights are infringed upon, restricted or denied. In so many places, changing one’s religion or even practising one’s faith can lead to a death sentence or can serve as a reason to be discriminated against.
Earlier this year, in his address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis noted some trends that, in the very name of the promotion of human rights, are in fact undermining the enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the Universal  Declaration  of Human Rights. He  noted that, “debatable notions of human rights have been advanced that are at odds with the culture of many countries”.  He  cautioned that that trend portends the “risk that, in the very name of human rights, we will see the rise of modern forms of ideological colonization by the stronger and
the wealthier to the detriment of the poorer and the most vulnerable”.
The seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration affords the international community an occasion to recognize the damage that ideological interpretations or novel rights claims do, in principle and practice, to the human rights and fundamental freedoms actually enshrined in the Universal Declaration and translated into international law and conventions.
The Holy See is especially concerned about the increasingly narrow interpretation of the right to life, both at the national level and at the level of the treaty bodies and other human rights mechanisms. That tendency is particularly apparent within a current of the human rights discourse that refuses to recognize the inherent value and dignity of human life at every stage of its beginning, development and end. That approach seeks to create a hierarchy of human rights, by relativizing human dignity, assigning more value and greater rights to the strong and healthy, while discarding the weak. That ideology, unfortunately present in various parts of the United Nations human rights system, leads to some grave inequalities and injustices, often ignoring children in the womb and treating the lives of the elderly and persons with disabilities as expendable or indeed as a burden to society.
While freedom is crucial to the ability of every person to express his or her unique identity, the reduction of a person’s dignity to his or her capacity for self-expression and affirmation is always a grave error and a sign that society is losing its ability to recognize the value and importance of every human life, no matter how vulnerable. It is worth recalling here Pope Francis’s words during a general audience with the elderly on 4 March 2015. He said that “a society without proximity, where gratuity and affection without compensation — between strangers as well — is disappearing, is a perverse society”.
The same dehumanization occurs when people are reduced to the crimes they may have committed, the country to which they may belong or to their productive capacity. The Holy See reaffirms that the quality of a civilization depends also on how it treats the weakest, the indigent, the elderly, persons with disability, and on the place that it gives them in community life.
Article 22 of the Universal Declaration affirms that everyone has the right to social security and to the realization of the economic, social and cultural

rights indispensable to his or her dignity and the free development of his or her personality. Frequently though, because of war and conflict, poverty, natural disasters and other similar causes, that right cannot  be realized in one’s place of birth or residence. Such situations prompt millions to leave their place of residence in order to fulfil their basic human needs elsewhere and to search elsewhere for well-being and happiness for themselves and their loved ones.
This year, a long and comprehensive process has been completed aimed at  addressing  the  challenges of international migration. For the first  time  ever,  the international community has engaged in an open and transparent debate on the phenomenon of those movements and on what is needed to manage migration in a more safe, orderly and regular manner. The result is the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, which will be adopted this coming December at an international conference to be held in Marrakech, Morocco.
The coming global compacts, one for migration and the other on refugees, will provide a continuum of protection for all those forced to flee from their place of residence, including those displaced by sudden- onset and slow-onset natural disasters, climate change and environmental degradation, ensuring that no one is left behind. Taken together, the compacts will affirm our shared responsibility, in the pursuit of the common good, to care for those most in need of solidarity and for those whose dignity and fundamental human rights are most at risk.
The strain that many States face in responding to mixed flows, especially when they are unpredictable and overwhelming, was given thorough consideration. What became apparent was not only the need for increased international solidarity and burden- and responsibility-sharing, but also the prior commitment of States to
“work together to create conditions that allow communities and individuals to live in safety and dignity in their own countries” (A/CONF.231/3, annex, para. 13).
That includes not only increased investment in education and basic health-care infrastructure and services, but also capacity-building and training for young people, with a view to helping them find their place  and affirm their dignity in an increasingly destabilizing global economy. It also requires addressing the root
causes and driving factors that lead to displacement before the people in question are constrained to leave their homelands.
In order to respect every person’s human dignity, it is indispensable also to create the conditions necessary for the realization of the right to remain. Those conditions include the protection of the family as the basic unit of society. When individuals are forced to leave their families behind, often in search of a better life for their children and loved ones, the very fabric  of society begins to unravel. There is no substitute for family unity, which must be upheld, both for those who remain, as well as for those on the move.
Pope Francis described those shared responsibilities and authentic solidarity in  four  verbs:  to  welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate. The Holy See hopes that the honest effort expended on the global compacts will ensure, in line with those four steps, respect for migrants’ and refugees’ rights and dignity in a spirit of international solidarity while recognizing the sovereign right of States to determine their national migration policy in light of their obligations under international law. In a recent homily during a Holy Mass for Migrants on 6 July 2018, Pope Francis said:
“Faced with the challenges of contemporary movements of migration, the only reasonable response is one of solidarity and mercy... A just policy is one at the service of the person, of every person involved; a policy that provides for solutions that can ensure security [and] respect for the rights and dignity of all; a policy concerned with the good of one’s own country, while taking into account that of others in an ever more interconnected world.”
The Holy See hopes that the global compacts will serve as useful tools for good migration management at every level and a common resource for achieving our shared responsibility, given the plight of refugees, and as reference points for international cooperation in the management of migration and the care for refugees.
The Universal Declaration reminds us that the defence of the “inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is  the  foundation of  ...  peace in the  world”.   Article
1 affirms that we are “endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. Wars and armed conflicts are, therefore, not only violations of reason, conscience and

brotherhood, but they also cause the worst violations of human dignity and basic human rights.
In the Middle East, the multifaceted political and diplomatic pressures and violence, together with the various humanitarian situations, especially in Syria, must be adequately and urgently addressed by the international community. Furthermore, all interested parties must also demonstrate a unified will to strive for an end to violence and work to reach, as Pope Francis stated, a solution that can enable Palestinians and Israelis alike to live at last in peace within clearly established and internationally recognized borders, thus implementing the two-State solution.
The Holy See remains concerned about the ongoing political tensions and instability in Nicaragua and Venezuela, especially with regard to the humanitarian crisis in the latter. There is also a need to promote a genuine public awareness of a number of ongoing situations of conflict with a view to reaching a negotiated and peaceful solution, especially in Ukraine, Libya and the Central African Republic, among others. The Holy See considers the recent political developments in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, as positive signs toward the building of peaceful and democratic societies based on the firm hope that agreements reached will be mutually respected. War and armed conflict can be prevented only by promoting and protecting the dignity of every human life and by fostering a culture of peace animated by sincere mutual respect, dialogue and solidarity. The tragedy of the First World War, whose end 100 years ago we will mark in November, teaches us, as Pope Francis stated, that victory must not be followed by the humiliation of a defeated foe and that peace can be achieved only when nations can discuss matters on equal terms.
A culture of  peace  implies  fighting  injustice and rooting out, in a non-violent way, the causes of discord that lead to wars. The pursuit of peace requires renouncing the use of violence to vindicate one’s rights, since countering violence with violence leads to more death and destruction, deeper  resentment  and hatred lasting for decades, atrocities and forced mass migrations, and the diversion of vast amounts of resources from development to military ends. Fostering a culture of peace likewise entails the intensification of our efforts to achieve disarmament and the rejection of the use of force in the conduct of international affairs.
Every effort in that direction, however modest, helps to build a culture of peace.
The Holy See underlines the deep bonds between the promotion of the culture of peace and the strengthening of disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. The proliferation of weapons, in fact, aggravates conflicts and generates vast human and material costs, hindering human and economic development and the search for lasting peace. As the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/73/1) emphasizes, we need to reinvigorate disarmament, because it is pivotal to preserving human society through the prevention of conflict and the reduction of violence, and to saving lives and ensuring a safer world. In that perspective, the Holy See is firmly committed to the full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the various programmes of action in the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons fields, as well as those relating to cluster munitions, anti-personnel mines and small arms and light weapons.
The responsibility to defend human dignity and rights is particularly acute in situations where people fall victim to genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Today, at a time when the  many  national  and  regional  conflicts  add  up  to what Pope Francis has called a third world war fought piecemeal, the need to protect populations is more urgent than ever. It is worthwhile to recall that, although the responsibility to protect was defined only at the 2005 World Summit, it has always been at the root of the United Nations.
Already in the early part of the sixteenth century, when the concept of national sovereign States was emerging, the Spanish friar Francisco de Vitoria described the responsibility of governors to protect their citizens as an aspect of natural reason shared by all nations and a rule for an international order whose task is to regulate relations between peoples. The principles that De Vitoria articulated in the sixteenth century have been enshrined in the 2005 World Summit Outcome document (resolution 60/1). The Holy See upholds the perennial validity of the responsibility to protect and calls for its full, impartial and consistent implementation. Such an implementation necessarily entails fulfilling all obligations under international human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as condemning any deliberate attacks against civilian targets. It means preventing or stopping crimes

against humanity and protecting populations from them through greater legal, political and moral accountability.
Peace requires forgiveness. Forgiveness is central to reconciliation and peacebuilding, since it makes possible the healing and rebuilding of human relations. Forgiveness is not opposed to justice, but it is rather its fulfilment, since it leads to the healing of the wounds that fester in human hearts, while acknowledging the evil that has been committed. A culture of peace involves, therefore, the courageous choice of not allowing the wounds of the past to bleed into the present, so that  we can walk together towards reconciliation. Every religion is called upon to assist in the reconciliation effort  by  promoting  peace.  Equally  important  is the testimony given when different religions come together to pray and work for  peace.  Interreligious and intercultural dialogue provides the world with a paradigm to share their respective cultural patrimony, grow in mutual appreciation of others’ perspectives, heal past wounds, and journey together toward peace and human development. Religious men and women, moved as they are to revere each other’s God-given dignity, have a special responsibility to bear witness by respectful and constructive dialogue among cultures.
Although, even today, there are some acts of religiously motivated violence, the response to them must not be a renewed form of retaliatory justice, but rather authentic dialogue between the various religious communities on the basis of the joint and unequivocal belief that killing others in the name of God offends God himself. Terrorism is not an outgrowth of properly understood religion, but rather the fruit of a profound spiritual poverty. Defeating it requires the joint contribution of all religious and political leaders. Religious leaders must therefore promote those values that foster the love of one’s neighbour. For their part, political leaders must ensure the enjoyment of the right to religious freedom, while acknowledging religion’s positive contribution to the building of a civil society that sees no opposition between the participation in the political community and the  spiritual dimension of life. They must also ensure that there are no conditions — such as poverty, insufficient support for families and inadequate investment in education and culture — that favour the spread of fundamentalism.
The Holy See wishes to reaffirm its heartfelt concern for all victims of terrorism. At the same time, it wishes to underline that all measures to combat terrorist activities must fully respect human rights. In particular,
counter-terrorism measures should not hinder the legitimate work of charitable organizations, including those motivated by faith, aimed at caring for vulnerable populations. It must be recognized that humanitarian assistance in underdeveloped countries and in crisis zones contributes positively to the prevention of terrorism and retaliatory violence, which thereby fosters the enjoyment of human rights and the respect for dignity. As noted in the report of the Secretary- General on the work of the Organization, terrorism is a worldwide scourge and requires a globally coordinated response. The Holy See welcomes all efforts to enhance multilateral cooperation against terrorism, such as the recent United Nations High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that the equal rights of men and women flow from their inherent dignity and worth. It is therefore necessary to adopt all measures needed to promote equality in rights and the full and equal participation of women and men in society.
While history books sing the victories of emperors and warriors, all of civilization owes an unpayable debt of gratitude to the less chronicled or even unknown contributions of women and men that have shaped civilizations. While textbooks normally obsess about the names at the top of political hierarchies and are preoccupied fundamentally with economic and military trends, it is worth recalling that genuine human progress happens more fundamentally in the relations that human beings have with one another and in the way in which human beings care for one another.
Today, women and men are at the forefront of the revolution of tenderness that Pope Francis has insisted the world urgently needs. In response to various forms of human suffering and to material, emotional or even spiritual necessities, people need help and remedies that accord with the fullness of their human dignity. Having gone through multiple traumas, they need to be cared for and treated with great sensitivity and attention.
Beyond their professional competence and technical knowledge, women have, indeed, shown a special capacity for recognizing, affirming, nurturing and defending the inherent dignity of others, and for contributing greatly to efforts aimed at promoting a peaceful, respectful and harmonious world. As Pope Francis has affirmed, women look at life through their own eyes, and men are not able to look at life in the

way that women do. The way of viewing a problem, of seeing anything, is different for a woman compared to a man. They must be complementary. The true progress in humanity that is dramatically needed in our challenged world will also depend on the full participation of women on an equal and same footing with men in the civil, political, social, economic or cultural fields.
We note with great concern that women’s indispensable role is often undervalued and can even be a vehicle for the exploitation and violation of their dignity and fundamental rights. Today, women still face a variety of challenges and difficulties in various parts of the world. They experience discrimination in the workplace; they are often forced to choose between work and family; and they disproportionately suffer in conflict situations. In poor and developing countries, women bear the heaviest burdens: it is they who travel many miles in search of water, who too often do not have access even to the most basic medical assistance that they need in childbirth, and who are kidnapped for sexual exploitation or forced into marriage. At times, they are even denied the right to life simply for being female.
The authentic advancement of women entails absolute respect for their inherent dignity, while acknowledging their crucial roles, not only in the various spheres of society, but also in the family, as equal participants in marriage as spouses. It is therefore contradictory to seek to promote women’s empowerment while suppressing their unique natural potentialities in the name of some particular interests or in the exercise of an ideological agenda. It is equally contradictory when women’s irreplaceable contribution to society through motherhood  is  stigmatized  as  an  obstacle to their advancement and empowerment, instead of being acknowledged, supported and accompanied with measures aimed at alleviating the difficulties that they may encounter. The Holy See wishes to avail itself of this occasion to express grateful appreciation for all those women who, sometimes heroically, have raised and educated generations of responsible  daughters and sons. The world owes them gratitude and esteem, support and solidarity.
The Universal Declaration understands human dignity as the dignity of the person within society, since the person always exists in relation to others. Article 16, paragraph 3, of the Declaration stresses that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society
and the State. Article 25 affirms that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. Article 26 underlines that parents have a  prior right  to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Those principles have perennial validity, even in the midst of changing societies, and must be upheld for the good of every child, every family and every society. As Pope Francis reminds us, the strength of the family lies in its capacity to love and to teach how to love. The family is a school of humanity, a school that teaches  us to open our hearts to others’ needs, to be attentive to their lives. As such, it remains a model, as well as a reference, for the promotion of harmony within society and among the family of nations.
The family is the greatest treasure for a country and for future generations. In particular, it is urgent to promote the protection of children today, as children are regularly victims of armed conflict, violence, various forms of exploitation  and  abuse,  and  are  exposed  to hunger and extreme poverty. The way we care for every child shows the depth of our humanity and of our appreciation for the dignity and rights of each person. For its part, the Roman Catholic Church is committed, at all levels, not only to promoting the protection of children, but also to creating safe environments for them in its own institutions, in order to address the heinous scourge of sexual abuse and violence against children.
When the Universal Declaration speaks about development, it also does so with regard to the free and full development of the human person. For the Holy See, development must always be integral, which means, in the words of Pope Paul VI, that it cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. Authentic development must be well rounded, and it  must foster the development  of each person and of the whole person. Respect for human rights and human dignity, based on a profound appreciation of  the whole  person and every person,   is essential for efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and to promote integral human development. Without paying attention to those fundamental anthropological coordinates, the sustainable development agenda would be reduced to its economic, environmental or sociological elements.
Extreme poverty is more than a socioeconomic problem;  it  is  also  an  ethical  one,  flowing  from   a globalization of indifference exacerbated by consumerism. The alternative to that individualistic,

indifferent and self-centred approach is an interpersonal one that involves personal, social, economic and environmental advancement and solidarity. That principle of interconnectedness is found in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In adopting those documents, we committed ourselves to promoting integral and authentic development in harmony with nature. We should put all our efforts into achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the demanding goals of the Paris Agreement. The Holy See hopes that the twenty-fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Katowice, Poland, this December, will provide a strong step in that direction through a good and effective advancement on the work programme of the Paris Agreement.
The Secretary-General has described in his report (E/2018/64) some of the recent progress made in the area of integral development across the world. The mortality rate of children under 5has dropped by 47 per cent in the past 10 years. The proportion of the population of the least developed countries with access to electricity has more than doubled since 2000. Unemployment has decreased in many countries, as various institutions and frameworks needed for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda have been put into place.
The report stresses, however, that progress has been uneven and too slow to meet the ambitious goals of the Agenda. By 2015, 30 per cent of people worldwide still did not have access to safe drinking water, while 60 per cent did not have access to adequate sanitation. After a prolonged decline, world hunger has been rising again. The recent  2018  High-level  Political  Forum on Sustainable Development showed that there is an urgent need to step up efforts focused on energy, water and ecosystems. Moreover, the recent rise in trade tensions and the growing scepticism with regard to multilateralism endanger the coordinated global effort to sustainable development for all.
The centrality of the human person must also be reaffirmed in the context of the current environmental crisis. As Pope Francis has reminded us, we are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis that is both social and environmental. That complex reality involves
not only our common home but also our partners on this planet and therefore demands an integrated ethical approach that simultaneously cares for the environment while it combats poverty and exclusion, assures the collective enjoyment of the common good, and fosters intergenerational solidarity.
Such an approach requires taking with the utmost seriousness our responsibility to care for our precious natural resources and to protect those persons, especially the poorest, who depend on them for their daily subsistence. I am thinking, above all, of issues relating to food security and food safety, as well as access to clean water and the management of the oceans. Without an approach informed by ethical considerations, we are left with an economic system where  financial  gain and political power are placed  above  the  good of the environment and those most vulnerable. An ethical approach to the current crisis must also inspire solidarity with future generations. As Pope Francis reminds us, intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us. While care for our common home benefits us, it is also a gift to future generations, sparing them from paying the price of environmental deterioration and ensuring that they will be able to enjoy its beauty, wonder and manifold endowment.


First of all, I extend warm felicitations to the President on her election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its current session. The outgoing President deserves our appreciation for successfully steering the Assembly’s work during the previous session. We also commend the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, for the dedication, commitment and leadership with which he has been serving the Organization. As we commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, I would like to express my profound respect for that great leader and the cause he fought for. An iconic figure, he was a great human soul and remains a source of inspiration for peace, justice, harmony, forgiveness and reconciliation. This year, we have also lost an outstanding diplomat and visionary in the former Secretary-General, the late Kofi Annan. I also pay sincere tribute to the tremendous contributions he made to the promotion of peace, development and human rights in the world.
I bring greetings and best wishes from the land of Buddha and Sagarmatha, also known as Mount Everest, for the success of this session of the Assembly. Since I addressed the Assembly from this rostrum in 2006 (see

A/61/PV.18), Nepal has undergone a historic political transformation. Through dialogue and deliberations, mutual respect and accommodation, we have  steered  a uniquely successful home-grown, nationally  led  and nationally owned peace process. It was about the peaceful transformation of an armed conflict. It was about the restructuring of the State and promoting unity in diversity. It was about making the Nepali people truly sovereign and a source of State power, and it was about institutionalizing and consolidating all those achievements in a democratic constitution through a popularly elected constituent assembly.
Despite the difficulties in the wake of devastating earthquakes, the political leaders rose to the occasion with a common resolve to promulgate the new Constitution in September 2015, therefore fulfilling the seven-decade-long aspirations of the people to write their own constitution. The Constitution of Nepal not only consolidates democratic polity under a federal republican order, but also embodies the extensive rights and freedoms of the people. The separation of powers, the system of checks and balances, the rule of  law,  the independence of the judiciary, periodic elections, and inclusive and proportional representation are the defining features of the new Constitution.
Our vision is one of a comprehensive democracy that empowers individuals not only politically but also socially, economically and culturally. Implementing the Constitution was another paramount task before us. We accomplished that historic task last year through the free, fair and impartial elections at the federal, provincial and local levels with a record turnout and the participation of people from all sections of our society. Most importantly, the elections produced elected bodies with a 41 per cent proportion of women. We remain committed  to  bridging  the  gap of the remaining 9 per cent to reach 50 per cent. The elections not only ensured the democratic rights of the Nepali people in the widest possible manner, they also produced the strongest Government for many years. The Government that I lead has the support of more than three quarters of our Parliament. Governments in the provinces also enjoy strong majority support. We have achieved much-needed political stability through those landmark elections.
With those historic achievements, we have laid the foundations for creating an egalitarian and just society, where all citizens are treated equally and receive equal protection and opportunities. Social justice remains at
the centre of our polity. The United Nations and the international community supported our peace process, for which we are grateful. Nepal’s case is a unique example of a peaceful and democratic transformation. It is telling testimony to the fact that dialogue triumphs over differences and ballots  triumph  over  bullets.  We believe that what Nepal has achieved in conflict transformation can be an inspiring success story for many people longing for peace in  various  parts  of the world. We are willing to share our experiences and provide our insights.
With hard lessons learned in the arduous journey of democratic transition, we have emerged as a confident nation capable of sustaining political gains while undertaking a course of economic transformation. Cognizant of the need to accelerate the process of development, my Government has set a vision entitled Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali. We will realize that vision with the right mix of the prudent utilization of our natural resources and the optimal mobilization and management of the human resources with which we are endowed. We count on the continued goodwill, support and cooperation of the international community in our development endeavours. Our foreign policy guides us to maintain amity with all and  enmity  with none. It has shaped our independent outlook on global issues, which we consider on their merits. We believe that regional and global efforts complement our national development efforts. In line with our foreign- policy priority favouring regional cooperation, we recently hosted the fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. We would like to see a revitalized South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation as an important regional organization.
The world today is at an important juncture with a unique juxtaposition of perils and promises. Challenges ranging from poverty, terrorism, climate change, food insecurity, forced displacement and natural disasters to an arms race continue to confront the global community. Intra-State conflicts have taken a heavy toll on millions of lives. For  the first time in decades, world  hunger is rising after a prolonged decline. In many regions, peace remains obscure.  Inequality  within  nations,  as well as among them, is increasing. Countries have failed to adopt sustainable production and consumption patterns. In that regard, the theme of the general debate, entitled “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for

peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies”, resonates well with the needs of our time.
Nepal supports the seven priority areas that the President of the General Assembly eloquently outlined in her inaugural address (see A/73/PV.1) to the Assembly earlier this week. I hope that the current session will seriously deliberate on those priority areas with the gravity and urgency that they deserve. Therein lies our political will and determination. With that commitment, we must ensure that the voice of the people struggling for their rights, liberty, freedom and justice in various parts of the world, including Syria, Yemen, Palestine and many other places, is heard and addressed.
The endeavour to make the United Nations relevant to all people is well captured in the philosophy of leaving no one behind. Global efforts for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in  its third year appear too few and insufficient by far. Needless to say, the least developed countries (LDCs) are the battleground on which the 2030 Agenda will be won or lost. Development in the LDCs appears dismal despite the global economy’s record performance. International support measures  are  failing  to  make a dent.
The implementation of internationally agreed commitments made to promote  those  commitments is far below our expectations. Reaching out first to those furthest behind is not a luxury. It is not a charity either. It is an international obligation, duty and social responsibility. The impact will be fully realized only when external support measures respect national ownership and leadership, are aligned with national priorities and come through a national system. Such measures must work to build productive capacity, create jobs and develop human resources. Only easy access to markets, the removal of trade barriers, the injection of financing and investments, the building of capacity and the transfer of technology, and the overcoming of infrastructural bottlenecks can enable LDCs, especially landlocked least developed countries, to take the path to sustainable development and integrate themselves into global value chains.
With regard to climate change, the clock of caution is loudly ticking. The impact of climate change burdens the poorest and most vulnerable countries, like my own country, Nepal, despite their negligible emissions of greenhouse gases. We cannot remain a bystander when snow-clad mountains, known as the water towers of the
world, are receding, glaciers are retreating and erratic weather patterns are causing floods and inundation in the plains. It is an unpleasant irony that we have been the victims of catastrophes that others have caused. The impacts of climate change on mountainous and small island countries are felt as an existential threat. The loss of lives, property and biodiversity and the increasing phenomenon of calamities  are  becoming  untenable. A matching and robust response is required. We cannot evade the responsibility, nor will there be any excuse for inaction. We must act decisively to ensure that climate justice respects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. To make that happen, international cooperation and collaboration to promote adaptation and mitigation are a sine qua non. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change must be implemented in its entirety and in good faith.
The health and well-being of our children and young people are an investment in the future. Delivering quality education, imparting skills and spurring innovation can together produce a virtuous composite force enabling young people to be relevant and able to contribute to society and nation-building. We must support the full development of their potential, creativity and energy to flourish. Inculcating an entrepreneurial spirit and creating decent job opportunities for youth can fuel economic development and help positively transform our societies. At the same time, we must also inculcate them with civil and moral values so that they become a force for harmony and tolerance in society.
The frontiers of technology are ever expanding, and they have been a major driving force for societal transformation. But the digital dividend is unevenly distributed, and the digital divide is widening. Technology has been a powerful agent of change and transformation. At the same time, the technological revolution is disruptive. The developing countries, especially the LDCs, are struggling to cope with the new modes of production and consumption. We must create an environment that can ensure easy access to affordable technology and remove barriers preventing their transfer. It should provide a level playing field for all countries so that they can benefit from and propel economic growth through new technologies.
This year, the United Nations has taken the boldest reform initiatives in decades. The cross-pillar restructuring of the Organization provides us with an important opportunity to strengthen its development

pillar and demonstrate its efficiency in delivery. We believe that a repositioned United Nations development system will better deliver on the 2030 Agenda. It is important that a new generation of country teams learn new methods so that we can ensure a sound system, but, more than that, the unlearning of old habits — which demanded that we undertake this reform — is equally important. What matters also in the reform is the transformation of the culture. The new culture must include accountability, transparency and national ownership at its core. Nepal welcomes the reforms undertaken in the peace  and  security  architecture,  as well as in the management of the Organization.  The United  Nations  should  reflect  the  mosaic  of  its membership and achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. Security Council reform is long overdue. Any reform must reflect current realities and ensure justice for historically underrepresented and developing countries.
Nepal reaffirms its principled stand for the general and complete disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction. In that context, we welcome the recent efforts made by the United States and the two Koreas towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the establishment of peace and stability there. Nepal welcomes the Secretary-General’s agenda for disarmament with the hope  of  a  renewed  impetus for disarmament. Nepal commends the beginning of deliberations within the framework of the Kathmandu process for developing innovative confidence-building measures  in  the   Asia-Pacific   region.   No   region is immune from the menace of terrorism. Nepal strongly condemns all acts of terrorism, committed  by whomever and for whatever purposes. Nepal calls for an early conclusion of a comprehensive convention against terrorism.
Never has the issue of human mobility figured so prominently on the agenda of the United Nations. Nepal looks forward to the December Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Ensuring the human rights and the well-being of all migrant workers remains our priority. Nepal believes that the compact will serve that purpose and make migration work for all. Nepal has hosted thousands of refugees for decades on humanitarian grounds. The international community must uphold the right of refugees to return to their homeland safely and with full dignity.
The complexities and intractability of global conflicts render the current efforts to promote conflict prevention even more important. Mediation — an underutilized tool — can be applicable in all phases of the conflict continuum. Nepal recently marked six decades of its partnership for peace with the United Nations. Nepal has responded to every call, even on the shortest notice and without national caveats. Nepal welcomes the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative and has endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. Troop- and police-contributing countries must be provided with fair opportunities to serve in leadership positions, both at Headquarters and in field missions. A sustained partnership for the capacity- building of peacekeepers and providing for their safety and security can enhance the performance of peace operations. Nepal condemns attacks on peacekeepers. Ending the indignity of sexual exploitation and abuse is a must. Nonetheless, peace missions alone cannot be a substitute for home-grown preventive and conflict- resolution measures. Our own experience demonstrates that peacekeeping alone cannot do what politically negotiated settlements can do.
Nepal’s commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights is total and unflinching. We hold development, democracy and respect for human rights as interdependent and  mutually  reinforcing.  As a member of the Human Rights Council, we will continue to play our constructive role  in delivering  on the Council’s mandates. The ongoing transitional justice process in Nepal respects the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), as well  as the reality on the ground, in our efforts to sustain peace and deliver justice. We will not allow impunity in cases involving serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
We are living in an uncertain world. Cold War rivalries are resurfacing. Trade tensions are mounting. Multilateralism is being questioned. The Secretary- General’s opening statement largely captures the realities of the contemporary world and the sentiment of Member States in the areas of peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, migration and technology. We underscore the centrality of the United Nations as the most legitimate multilateral forum in which to deliberate the challenges that we   all confront globally. It is the obligation of all Member

States to preserve the sanctity of multilateralism and uphold respect for international law. The  problems that we are confronting today on a global scale can be overcome only by global collaboration and partnership in absolute trust and confidence. We have yet to make an international system that is truly inclusive and promotes fairness, equality and justice for all States, both big and small.
In conclusion, let me reiterate Nepal’s profound commitment to the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. We remain as firm on that score as we have been for the past 63 years since we joined the Organization. The onus  of  providing the world with direction lies on us. Our collective wisdom and leadership should aim at the realization of the aspirations of all for peace and prosperity. Let us collectively resolve that the history of the twenty-first century shall not be written as one of confrontation, conflict, poverty, exclusion, underdevelopment, injustice and exploitation. It should rather be a history of cooperation, harmony, prosperity, inclusion, development, justice and fairness.


On behalf of Ukraine, I congratulate the President on her election to preside over the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. We support the outlined priorities and are ready to do our part in translating them into reality.
Our deliberations are taking place at a defining moment for the United Nations. Despite the universal
appeal for peace and a declared commitment to upholding it, wars and armed conflicts remain our reality. Conflicts are the main reason for the increase in number of refugees and displaced persons worldwide — to the unprecedented figure of 65.5 million. Since no peace means no development, hundreds of millions are doomed to misery.
The international security environment seemed rock solid less than two decades ago. It has now descended into a volatile and increasingly disturbing state of affairs, where both traditional and hybrid threats challenge the stability of our societies. Too often, lofty rhetoric on peace, respect for international law and commitment to human rights remains precisely that: rhetoric — nice sounding words and politically correct messages that are not backed by concrete action.
We may be tempted to talk about achievements or grand plans for the future, yet, from our perspective,  it is much more important to address the fundamental problems faced by the United Nations and the international community as a whole. We will never forget that the raison d’être of the Organization is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
Unfortunately, my fellow citizens have become part of that  one  fifth  of  the  world  population  that is experiencing the horrors of war. As I deliver my address, reports have brought the sad news of another human life lost on the front lines of a war that has been inflicted on my country by a permanent member of the Security Council. Yesterday and the day before, several families were again struck by grief as their loved ones perished as a result of Russia’s hostile attacks. Moscow turns Ukrainians into orphans, it tortures our patriots in its prisons, and more than 1.5 million people have become internally displaced persons who still cannot return to their homes.
Russia continues to multiply the human tragedy, which recently took on a new dimension: ecological. It is poisoning Ukrainian soil and causing environmental disasters, not only in occupied  Crimea  but  also  in the Donbas region. That has been a daily reality for Ukrainians for four years now: thousands of deaths, destruction, displacement and human suffering. For my fellow citizens, those years have been a tremendous challenge and a test of their determination, solidarity, resilience and faith.
Let us not forget what this war is about. Ukraine made a sovereign decision to live on its own terms and

promote a freer world based on democratic values and rules. Russia is punishing Ukraine for  that decision.  It kills, destroys homes, and tells lies on a massive scale. It claims that Ukraine and Georgia have attacked themselves. Do we know which one of Russia’s neighbours will be the next to attack itself, or will countries around the world be comfortably numb in the hope that they will not be next?
As we defend Ukraine’s land and our freedom of choice, and as we counter the resurgent neo-imperialist Power that is willing to divide the world anew, we are also defending the free world. The United Nations should not remain silent while the values and principles rooted in its Charter, as well as the entire body of international law, are being violated by a country with the veto power. This is not just a challenge, but a chance to make the United Nations relevant and the motto of this session of the General Assembly work.
How did such a deterioration in world affairs  come about? Many assume that respect for peace and international law is a constant given.  Developments on the international stage over the past decade have seriously undermined such confidence. Appeasement and quick  fixes  to  difficult  problems  have  proved to be false options. It has been proved that staying comfortably silent when international norms are breached does nothing but encourage the offender to continue its destructive policies. The world’s silence is exactly what the Kremlin weaponizes against Ukraine and, ultimately, against all of us.
It is naive to believe that safe shores will always be found. There will be no safe shores if we allow someone to feel that he or she will not be bound by any norms  or restrictions, that he or she has a right to reshape the international system to his or her  liking, or  that his  or her interests are more legitimate than ours. In the absence of a strong and united reaction, an extremely irresponsible and selfish actor resorts to the tactic of further escalation, which creates new crises, raises the stakes, and blackmails other countries and even entire international organizations — all in an effort to get away with murder. We shall not allow this to happen. We will put the world back on track.
What is the cure? In a word, it is responsibility. The ability of the international community to ensure systemic and unerring responsibility for each and every violation of international law — including, first and foremost, the norms and principles of the Charter of
the United Nations — is the benchmark measuring how successful we as a family of nations can be in achieving our shared goals. Ensuring responsibility is never an easy feat. Let me be absolutely clear on the following point: nothing will stop Moscow from continuing its aggressive, expansionist policies  if  it  does  not  face a united stand by the international community and punishment for its actions does not become inevitable. It is due to the lack of relevant punishment that after Georgia came Ukraine, after Litvinenko came the Skripals and after Aleppo came Idlib.
The Kremlin has no intention of stopping. Following the occupation of Crimea, it now aims to occupy the Sea of Azov, situated between Ukraine and Russia, and, having illegally constructed a bridge across the Kerch Strait, Russia launched its systematic disruption of Ukrainian and foreign ships and the freedom of international navigation through the Strait. Such brutal actions must be rejected as illegal, including under  the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They require a strong response, including an enhanced sanctions policy and other targeted measures.
The efficiency of international actions often falls short of expectations, and the relevance of the United Nations itself is called into question. We must admit that the responsibility for resolving the current state  of affairs rests on all of us, both collectively and individually. If we are committed to building peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies, we must protect the Charter of the United Nations, uphold its norms and principles and take resolute action to restore justice.
Let me put it more precisely: the beautiful language of the Charter is worth nothing if it is not  enforced. No more words are needed; it is the time for deeds. The United Nations must gain momentum, as there are continued attempts to ruin the rules-based international order and forcefully revise internationally recognized State borders. That dangerous slide towards a world with no civilized rules must be stopped. In that regard, there is a need to revitalize and strengthen the role of the General Assembly in the area of international peace and security.
With conflicts spreading, we must ensure the maximum flexibility and comprehensiveness when it comes to the agenda of the General Assembly, which is the only inclusive and the chief policymaking forum. That is why Ukraine introduced to the agenda of the current session of the General Assembly the item entitled

“The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”. Member States should be provided with every possibility for in-depth considerations of all urgent situations that require the attention of the international community. As outlined by the President of the General Assembly, we have to facilitate quick and effective responses to emergency situations by the General Assembly. As one of the Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session, Ukraine stands ready to contribute to that.
As Member States, we conferred on the Security Council the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. What should we do if a veto-holding member of the Security Council uses that right to veto in order to help itself escape from responsibility, rather than to help international peace and stability? It is time to say that the abuse of the right to veto is a constraint that often prevents our Organization from acting. We believe that progress on the reform of the Security Council will be an important contribution to the ongoing broader change at the United Nations. We support launching text-based talks within intergovernmental negotiations and are ready to engage constructively in that process.
We also expect that the ongoing reform of the peace and security pillar, which was envisaged by the Secretary-General with the support of the General Assembly, will contribute  to  the  speed  and  ability of  the Organization to react to the emerging threats  to international peace and security. Ukraine fully shares the approach of the Secretary-General to the peacekeeping  activity  of  the  Organization  under his Action for Peacekeeping concept. It is a timely opportunity for Member States and the United Nations leadership to consider measures leading to effective and real changes to United Nations peacekeeping. That is the same peacekeeping that Ukraine has been asking the United Nations to deploy to its territory since April 2015, when I addressed my request, with the support of the Parliament of Ukraine, to the President of the Security Council, the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General.
After the failure of the United Nations in preventing aggression against Ukraine, we still hoped that the Organization would help to settle the conflict by deploying a United Nations-mandated multinational peacekeeping force to the occupied Donbas region. We hoped for a mission with a strong mandate and broad responsibilities to help bring peace back to Ukrainian
soil, rather than freeze the conflict or cement the presence of the aggressor and its proxies in Donbas. We firmly count on further progress on that important issue. After all — and perfectly in line with the theme for this general debate, “Making the United Nations relevant to all people” — it is through Security Council-mandated peacekeeping operations that the United Nations can save countless lives and prevent further suffering.
We remain as determined as ever to continue to defend every inch of our territory against aggression. At the same time, we will continue to explore all available means to end the conflict peacefully and restore the territorial integrity of my country. Let me stress that Ukraine has always put first legal and diplomatic means of conflict resolution. We have prioritized multilateralism by turning to support from the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, as well as other international organizations, forums and mechanisms. We will continue along that path. Moscow will feel the strength of the rule of international law.
We have initiated several legal cases against the Russian side in international courts. We have already achieved important results in some of those cases. In particular, at the beginning of 2017, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to lift the ban on the activities of the Mejlis — the representative body of Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea. However, Russia continues to ignore that ruling, demonstrating its disregard not only for its international obligations but also for the Court.
Another important element of  our  case  before the International Court of Justice is the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17, in the year 2014, and the role of the Russian Federation in that tragedy. It is important that Australia and the Netherlands recently joined Ukraine in its efforts to bring Russia to account. The international community has repeatedly called on Russia to acknowledge its responsibility and change its destructive behaviour in Ukraine and elsewhere. We know that following the legal pathway is a lengthy process, but we are confident that it will allow us to achieve justice in the end.
It has been almost four years since Russia’s attempted annexation and illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol. Under Russian occupation, Crimea has become a military stronghold, threatening the security and stability of the entire Black Sea region.

We believe that the increasing militarization of Crimea deserves the General Assembly’s close attention and prompt reaction. Russia’s aggressive policies and arrogance in using lethal weapons multiply that threat. In that regard, Ukraine is counting on the active support of the General Assembly to implement the relevant resolutions during this session.
Since the first day of the illegal occupation of Crimea, Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians have faced repression and discrimination. There are many cases of murder, torture, harassment and arrest on fabricated charges. The list of hostages and victims owing to  the  Russian occupation regime in Crimea  is growing longer by the day. Being of Ukrainian or Crimean identity seems to be a criminal offence in today’s reality on the occupied peninsula.
A Crimean farmer, Volodymyr Balukh, was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for raising a Ukrainian flag over his private residence. Crimean film director Oleg Sentsov remains behind bars in a remote penal colony in northern Russia, serving a 20-year prison term on fabricated charges. Both Oleg and Volodymyr are hanging in the balance between life and death as they remain on hunger strike. I highly appreciate the  extraordinary  manifestation of support and unity throughout the world in seeking the freedom of those  brave  people.  Unfortunately, the Kremlin remains blind and deaf to those appeals from the international community and from many of Russia’s intellectuals. I call on States Members of the United Nations to strengthen their efforts in demanding respect for human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea by adopting the relevant General Assembly draft resolutions.
There are also dozens of Ukrainians being held  by the occupiers in the Donbas region since the start of the Russian aggression in 2014. Ukrainian soldier Serhii Glondar has never seen his youngest daughter, as he has been held captive for three-and-a-half years. All Ukrainian proposals to exchange Russian citizens convicted of crimes against our sovereignty and territorial integrity for the Ukrainian citizens being held as political prisoners by the Kremlin remain unanswered.
That is  just  another  side  of  Russia’s recklessness — first sending and inciting its own citizens into this war and then simply abandoning them afterwards. That is the thing about today’s Russia:
it absolutely does not care. It does not care about suffering. It does not care about truth. It does not care about the law. It thinks that its military might and status at the United Nations gives it that right. It is up to us to prove it wrong. It is up to us to make it care. Otherwise, what is the point of us being here? What would be the difference between the era before the United Nations and that with the United Nations?
In a broader context, Ukraine  has always considered the protection of human rights as one of the cornerstones of United Nations activities. Sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved in isolation from human rights. We therefore support the efforts to bring back human rights issues to the Security Council and promote close cooperation among all the relevant United Nations bodies in that area.
My country is delivering on its commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Ukraine’s economy grew in the second quarter of 2018 at an annual rate of
3.8 per cent. That marks the tenth consecutive quarter of growth, which is clearly a sustainable trend. The increase in gross domestic product (GDP) was helped by macroeconomic stabilization, an improved investment climate and a clean-up of the banking sector. Ukraine is demonstrating the best dynamics of growth among the emerging markets. Despite heavy security and defence expenses, totalling more than 6 per cent of its GDP, Ukraine is undergoing fundamental transformations on social, economic and political tracks.
We have consistently implemented progressive reforms, ranging in areas from the judiciary, education, health care and public administration to carrying out decentralization and fighting corruption. During the period 2019-2021, Ukraine will take on an important responsibility as a member of the Economic and Social Council. Based on its extensive  recent  experience, my country looks forward to using its membership to strengthen the role of the Economic and Social Council in following up and reviewing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, with particular regard to conflict and post-conflict settings.
Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Ukraine particularly welcomes the United Nations initiatives aimed at reducing global hunger. Today, with more than 850 million people  starving around the world, my country cannot stand idle and is ready  to offer its help to the world in addressing the issue of

food security. Ukraine knows the cost of that tragedy like no one else. In November, we will mark the eighty- fifth anniversary of one of the deadliest crimes of the twentieth century — that of the Holodomor, which saw mass starvation in Ukraine, artificially  created by the Stalinist regime. It took the lives of several million Ukrainians. In that regard, I would like to renew my appeal to the Assembly to mark one of the greatest tragedies in human history by adopting a dedicated declaration.
Our Organization is only as strong as we  want and allow it to be. Therefore, our full support and strong political will are required to ensure that the United Nations remains relevant in today’s uncertain and turbulent times, and relevant, as is rightly stated in the theme of  this general debate, to all people. It    is our mission and shared responsibility to empower the United Nations to do what is expected of the Organization and to do it through our global leadership based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and tolerance.


First of all, I would like to begin by congratulating Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. It is a great pleasure to see a woman presiding over the Assembly. I want to assure her of our full support and cooperation and wish her every success in carrying out her noble duty. I would also like to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his successful completion of his tenure as President of the Assembly at its seventy-second session.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which promises to leave no one behind, encompasses all of the prerequisites for building a peaceful and prosperous world. In order  to  meet  the  lofty  goals of the 2030 Agenda, national Governments and the international community have to work hand in hand for its implementation. That requires international peace and security, which creates an environment conducive to economic growth and social progress while enhancing international cooperation and assistance, with priority given to the most vulnerable groups of countries, which are the least-developed countries (LDCs), land-locked developing countries and small island developing States.
Soon after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in order to realize it and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic incorporated the SDG targets into its eighth national five-year socioeconomic development plan, for the period from 2016 to 2020. Given our specific needs, we have gone the extra mile by adopting a national sustainable  development  goal  18,  “Lives  safe   from

unexploded ordnance”, in order to address the problems caused by unexploded ordnance.
At the High-level Political Forum in July, the Lao Government presented its first voluntary national review on SDG implementation, which has seen important progress and emerging constraints in the past few years. While we have seen positive momentum towards achieving the SDGs, bringing us closer to graduation from our LDC status, we remain vulnerable to external shocks. This year we have been witnessing an increasing intensity in climate change and natural disasters, causing heavy losses and damage to the lives and property of people in various parts of the world. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is no exception. We have been severely affected by natural disasters, especially extensive flooding across the country, the worst-ever natural disaster in our history. To date 2,409 of 8,464 villages in 115 of 148 districts have been affected by massive flooding. The exact costs of the losses and damage are as yet unknown, as a post- disaster needs assessment will be conducted in the next few months. The calamity has had a severe impact on the livelihoods of people in the affected areas.
With the assistance of friendly countries and international organizations, including international non-governmental organizations and individuals, the Lao Government has been providing those affected with emergency relief in the form of temporary shelters, food and health care. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the friendly countries and international organizations that have given us valuable assistance during this difficult time.
Against that backdrop, it is more crucial than ever for world leaders to honour their commitments pledged under the Paris Agreement. Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), great importance has been accorded to the  issue  of  climate  change and disaster-risk management. We also very much appreciate the continued support of the United Nations for the ASEAN-United Nations Joint Strategic Plan of Action on Disaster Management, for the period from 2016 to 2020, which is designed to address climate change and disaster management and respond to the effects of the changing climate on socioeconomic development in years to come.
Addressing the scourge of transnational crime requires concerted effort at all levels. In that context,
the Lao People’s Democratic Republic remains seriously committed to working closely with the international community on the fight against illicit drugs, the illegal trade in wildlife and trafficking in persons, among other things. The Government has adopted a drug- control master plan for the period from 2016 to 2020, as we implement the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities against Illicit Drugs for the period from 2016 to 2025 so as to realize the vision of a drug-free ASEAN as one of the region’s high-priority agenda items. We are also pleased to support the Global Call to Action on the World Drug Problem initiated by the President of the United States.
The Lao Government has spared no effort in combating the heinous and inhumane crime of human trafficking by adopting various laws, regulations and national action plans to combat trafficking in persons and by becoming a signatory to numerous regional agreements and memorandums of understanding, including the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which seek to prevent and combat human trafficking.
The United Nations needs to be strengthened so that it can respond effectively to the challenges we face today. We are pleased with the Secretary-General’s initiatives on reforming and repositioning the United Nations, with the aim of improving the  capacity of  the United Nations to meet the needs in the current environment. In that context, we reiterate our view that development issues must remain a core and integral part of the United Nations and its States Members and a top priority for them, alongside the promotion of international peace, security and human rights and an emphasis on the importance of enhancing the United Nations system’s ability to deliver on its mandate.
We are concerned about the continued decline in contributions to the core funding of United Nations development agencies and the United Nations Development Programme on the ground. My delegation would therefore like to call once again on donor countries and development partners to fulfil their official development assistance commitment of at least
0.7 per cent of their gross national income.
We all acknowledge that peace and security are prerequisites for the socioeconomic development of all nations. We must therefore maintain and promote peace and security at all costs. Past experience has shown that settling disputes by peaceful means is the best way to

ensure the durable peace that is essential for a nation’s sustainable development. Accordingly, it is incumbent on the international community to continue to build mutual trust and confidence in an effort to jointly overcome their current challenges and seek peaceful solutions to the disputes and conflicts that we are witnessing in various regions of the world.
Against that backdrop, we welcomed the recent historic summit in June between the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States of America, which constituted an important milestone in the relations between the two countries. We also welcomed the third summit between the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with the objective of striving not only to improve bilateral relations between the two countries but also to address the issue of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We hope that such positive momentum will be strengthened, thereby contributing to the maintenance of peace and stability and denuclearization in the region as a whole.
Despite those positive developments on the Korean peninsula, my delegation is concerned about the lack of progress on the Palestinian question. We hope that its long-overdue resolution can be achieved by peaceful means with the goal of arriving at a two-State solution whereby Palestine and Israel can live side by side in peace and security within internationally recognized borders, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.
On another note, in an era of interdependence, international cooperation and engagement are key factors to peaceful and mutually beneficial coexistence. Enforced isolation and the  imposition  of  sanctions on any country will not necessarily benefit the international community. On the contrary, it will result in losses for all and increased hostility. My delegation therefore urges for an end to the embargo on Cuba.  We also want to call on the international community  to uphold and further strengthen multilateralism that promotes cooperation rather than confrontation, which remains one of the core values of our only universal organization, the United Nations.
I would like to conclude by expressing my support for the theme of the seventy-third session of the General Assembly — “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies” — which is indeed pertinent to the current global situation and the work of the United Nations. However, making all internationally agreed goals and commitments a reality requires strong political will and firm commitment and support to multilateralism, particularly in terms  of making the United  Nations  stronger  so  that  it  can effectively serve and respond to the needs of all Member States.


I am  particularly honoured to address this year’s session, as 2018 is a symbolic year for Romania. One hundred years ago, Romanians accomplished their great dream, that of living together in one united country. The centenary of a united and modern Romania is not only about my country’s past but, even more, about the future. My strong conviction is that a safer and prosperous future for the Romanian people can be accomplished only alongside peaceful and sustainable societies all over the world.
The United Nations, too, has reasons to celebrate this year. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is turning 70 years old, and so is the  International Law Commission, the main United Nations body responsible for shaping international law in order for the international community to become a better place where international rule of law governs us all.
Such anniversaries are a reminder of our political determination to stand up for our fundamental rights and the law, although the road has neither been short nor easy. Our action as political leaders is driven by a responsibility towards our people. We serve our people when working with the United Nations, and each and every citizen needs to see a concrete impact on his or her daily life and a positive change. I therefore welcome the invitation of the President of the General Assembly to comment on the continuing relevance of the United Nations for the lives and well-being of all peoples. We have to explain the current challenges to peace, equity and sustainability of our societies and speak more about the role of the United Nations in addressing them. We must explain that we face serious threats to security, that terrorism needs a globally coordinated response and that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery remain existential threats to global security. Pointing them out is necessary, but not enough. We need to address them by coming up with clear solutions. Romania is working in that respect in its region. Unfortunately, there are unresolved conflicts in the wider Black Sea area that pose serious threats to the region itself and to international security.
Three years ago, we adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — a unique universal agenda

for progress — and set 17 ambitious goals that have a significant impact on the most pressing challenges in the everyday lives of our people. Romania, like many other countries, is in a learning process. One very useful exercise was the presentation of our national voluntary review at the High-level Political Forum in July. At  the same time, we have a lot to share from our own experience. Therefore, in April 2019, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Romania will host a regional conference on the theme “The 2030 Agenda: Partnerships for Sustainable Development”. The countries of our region will have a chance to share good practices and lessons learned in the process of implementing the 2030 Agenda and in identifying strategic opportunities for addressing key social drivers in our region, as well as looking at areas of sustainability and common interest.
From another perspective, we are satisfied with our joint efforts to prepare for the adoption of some very important international cooperative frameworks by the end of 2018. The global compacts on refugees and regular migration will generate a common approach on migration and displaced persons at  the global level. In addition, negotiations on a global pact for the environment are about to start. The development of the convention on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction is in progress. Another Ocean Conference will take place soon. It will be aimed at continuing engagement for safe, secure, clean and sustainably managed oceans at the global level. In addition, the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy  and the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism remain paramount.
The list of achievements with a direct impact on our lives does not stop there, as we do not stop making progress in our work together at the United Nations. And I believe that we can do more. We still have to work on making the whole United Nations system, including the Security Council, truly coordinated, efficient, effective, transparent, accountable and fit for the realities of the international community of the twenty- first century. The next few months will be  decisive  for United Nations reform. The implementation of the framework put in place as a result of the tireless work of the Secretary-General, with the support of the Member States, will reflect the level of political determination of each country. Romania will continue to  support that effort.
As the next President of the Council of the European Union, in the first half of 2019, Romania is determined to strengthen the European Union-United Nations partnership. And when I speak about engagement I do not just mean politicians and diplomats. We must reach out to our young people, representatives of civil society, journalists and business people. We need them all for the cause of multilateralism and global leadership.
As the Assembly knows, Romania is running for  a non-permanent seat in the Security Council for the term 2020-2021. Through that candidature, we take our share of responsibility in the attempt to increase the effectiveness of the Council. We hope that our track record within the United Nations will convince the Assembly once again that Romania is committed to supporting the United Nations work for peace and development for all its Members. Peace, development and justice are foundational pillars in our multilateral strategy. We respect our partners and rely on dialogue. We count on members’ most valuable support for our candidature. Romania will be a responsible partner in promoting a common United Nations agenda.
We have recognized  the  primary  responsibility of the Security Council for international peace and security, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. As many crises today are multidimensional in nature, the Security Council could play a more prominent role in addressing more aspects that impact peace and security.  For  example,  climate  change has become one of  the  toughest  global  challenges. Its consequences — be they water shortages, food insecurity, the displacement of people or rising sea levels — threaten lives all around the world. In addition to the efforts of other United Nations platforms to tackle climate-related risks, the Security Council could create a framework to address them in an integrated manner.
We welcomed the  organization  of  a  debate  in the Security Council in July on aspects of peace and security related to climate change (see  S/PV.8307), and we are ready to follow up on  the topic if elected  as a non-permanent member. Ahead of the preparation of the Secretary-General’s climate summit next year, during its presidency of the Council of the European Union Romania will host an international conference on the theme “Building resilience to natural disasters”, as a platform to exchange views on how to assess and more effectively address climate-related security risks and enhance the basis for a resilient future.

I thank the President of  the  General  Assembly for the theme she chose for this year’s debate and congratulate her on the important responsibilities she has assumed. Let me extend our best wishes of success and assure her of the full cooperation of Romania.


I  have the honour to deliver the following statement on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Patrice Talon, President of the Republic of Benin, who had to leave New York because of other commitments.
“On behalf of the  delegation  of  Benin  and on my own behalf, I would like to reiterate my warmest congratulations to the President on her well-deserved election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. We assure her of Benin’s full support.
“I would also like to congratulate Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, her predecessor, on the quality of the work accomplished during his mandate. I should also like to greet and express my support to Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General, and to once again wish him every success.
“I would also like  to  take  this  opportunity to commend  the   holding   here   on   Monday,  24 September, of the high-level plenary meeting devoted to the theme of world peace in honour of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela (see A/73/PV.5). Indeed, Nelson Mandela embodies the core values on which the United Nations is built. The fight against all forms of discrimination and the defence of the fundamental rights of all, the sanctity of diversity recognized as a rich resource, tolerance, forgiveness  and reconciliation,  and the fight for the recognition of the dignity of all were all key aspects of his commitment to social justice, freedom and peace in South Africa. Africa will always have a debt of immense gratitude to that great humanist, whose name will forever be engraved in the hearts and minds of Africans of all generations. It has indeed given shape to the dream of an Africa that stands on its feet, fully itself, bringing its discourse and experience to the development and humanization of our planet.
“Besides Nelson Mandela, I would also like  to pay tribute to another great African, the late Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, whose charisma and leadership enabled our Organization to make great strides. His tireless commitment to world peace renders him equally worthy of our gratitude.
“The year 2018 has been particularly trying for several countries. In that respect, I would like to reiterate my condolences and to express my sympathy to the Governments and the peoples of the Americas, France, Indonesia,  Madagascar, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Germany and Australia, as well as to all the island countries that fell victim to natural disasters this year.
“Faced with an increasingly turbulent world, beset by crises and difficulties of all kinds, countries have a duty to act in a concerted manner and with strong determination. That is why I welcome the theme of this session, “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and

shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies.” From my country’s point of view, that theme impels nations to confront their responsibilities and urges them to work together in a multilateral framework to find appropriate and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges.
“Benin continues to believe that international relations should be based primarily on increasingly  close  cooperation  among   States, as well as on the harmonious functioning of international organizations. One major  function of such organizations is to ensure the protection  of common interests and collective security. To question multilateralism would therefore be a  fatal error in a world that will henceforth forever be interconnected.
“Benin also welcomes the conclusion of the negotiations on a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration here at the United Nations in July, and we look forward to the definitive adoption of the compact in December in Marrakech, Morocco. It should be underscored that that process demonstrates, once again, the power of multilateralism and our ability to compromise on difficult issues that go beyond the narrow confines of our respective national sovereignties.
“The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its implementation represent an important step in promoting the development of States and the livelihoods of peoples. Accelerating its implementation is a major imperative for the Government of Benin, which is working to find innovative mechanisms to enable it to have access to resources that will ensure financing for the implementation. Those resources, which exist in sufficient quantities on the market but remain difficult to access, will supplement funding and assistance from development partners.
“I would like, however, to emphasize that, from my Government’s point of view, improving governance is a prerequisite for achieving the objectives of our Revealing Benin programme and the Sustainable Development Goals. This is why the fight against impunity and corruption is at the heart of my Government’s actions and the work undertaken by all our national institutions. In the course of this year, our legislative arsenal has been strengthened, and a special court has been created
and made operational to crack down on economic crime and terrorism.
“Those measures are necessary in order to ensure that mobilized financial resources serve their intended purposes. They also aim to make national stakeholders more honest and to ensure the quality of public spending. My Government’s ambition is to ensure that all citizens have access to drinking water, primary health care and education, and can be ensured a decent life. Realizing that legitimate ambition justifies the establishment of  a vast rural water supply project and an insurance initiative for reinforcing human capital, which seek to provide social security to all, particularly to those who are most disadvantaged.
“The Government of Benin is also implementing measures to ensure better health care for the entire population. They include guaranteeing the quality of drugs sold for therapeutic purposes, which is a major public-health requirement. Benin has begun a relentless fight against counterfeit and poor-quality medicines circulating in its territory. In order to overcome that scourge of clearly transnational dimensions, it is important that the international community mobilize itself within the framework of a global partnership against impunity and indifference in order to ensure equality of access to high-quality medicines for rich and poor alike.
“Furthermore, Benin is committed to a tourism development policy, which can produce rapid growth with a high social impact. Given its rich culture and historic legacy, Benin has begun developing flagship projects in the field of tourism, combining our heritage, culture, modernity and openness to the world. In order to create the conditions enabling tourism to become one of the drivers of our economic growth and socioeconomic development, Benin is in the process of building three museums equipped with the most modern means of conservation and exhibition to reveal, in a new spirit, its contribution and role in the evolution of humankind to the world.
“With the restitution of our cultural property, Benin wishes to reclaim the epic of its kings and elite female warrior corps or Amazons and the remains of the largest West African port in the history of slavery — as well as the wealth of arts and culture of its voodoo heritage — and tell it to

the world. Many of the works that bear witness to our rich past are currently being held abroad in public and private collections. In that context, their restitution takes on a restorative and economic dimension. That is why, since 2016, Benin has been strongly committed to achieving the restitution of cultural property to their countries of origin. In that long-term, legitimate struggle, strong action in terms of international cooperation is required. Benin therefore welcomes the positive reaction on the part of the authorities of the French Republic to its restitution demands.
“However, the question goes far beyond Franco-Beninese relations. A number of other countries face the same problems.  Nevertheless, it is possible to note that those issues — beyond their historical, sociological or philosophical dimensions — are not well covered in international law. Benin would like to invite the United Nations to consider, in a positive and cooperative manner, the possibility of adopting a binding international instrument on that issue.
“The  preservation  of  international  peace and security represents a major and constant strategic axis of Benin’s foreign policy. My country considers peacekeeping operations to be one of the most important tools that the United Nations has at its disposal to achieve peace and security. That is why, despite our limited capacity and means, my  country  has  been  associated with international initiatives to prevent  crises and maintain peace for decades. My delegation therefore welcomes the recent adoption by the General Assembly of the proposed restructuring of the United Nations peace and security pillar. We also strongly support the actions initiated by the Secretary-General to increase the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations through the definition of more precise mandates by the Security Council and the establishment of stronger partnerships with regional and subregional organizations.
“Benin welcomes and strongly supports the United Nations zero-tolerance policy to combat sexual exploitation and abuse in the context of peacekeeping operations. As a troop-contributing country, Benin is  committed  to  fully  playing our role in that regard. My delegation remains concerned, however, about the steady decline in resources allocated to peacekeeping. The principle
of doing more with less is not appropriate there, given the increasing complexity of the threats faced by peacekeepers today on the ground.
“In addition, my delegation regrets the  lack  of progress on the issue of Security Council reform. We reaffirm our support for the Ezulwini Consensus, which calls for the allocation of two permanent Security Council seats to Africa, including the right to veto. We are convinced that the equitable representation of Member States in the Security Council would lead to the more inclusive and effective management of major contemporary political issues.
“Benin, having just adopted a law on radiation protection, wishes to commend the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to establish a universal plan for the use of nuclear energy for strictly civilian purposes and reiterates its support for measures aimed at establishing a nuclear- weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
“I cannot conclude my statement without reaffirming Benin’s support for the United Nations efforts to create a viable Palestinian State with the attributes of full international sovereignty, living side-by-side and in perfect harmony with the State of Israel.
“Long live the United Nations in the service  of peace, security, the promotion of human rights, democracy and sustainable development!”