I want to begin by congratulating Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on assuming the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy- second session and by wishing him every success in the upcoming year.
As we all know, the global community faces a great number of challenges, of which climate change is only one. But I am sure that we all want to send a message of solidarity and sympathy tonight to the millions of people in the Caribbean who are suffering from the ravages of Hurricane Maria. It is an especially cruel ordeal so soon after Hurricane Irma paved a path of destruction through the Caribbean and the southern part of the United States. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected.
The Fijian people share a special sense of solidarity with those who have lost either loved ones or their homes and possessions in such events. Last year, we lost 44 of our own people and a third of our gross domestic product when Fiji was struck by the biggest cyclone in its history. So, as the incoming President of the twenty- third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-23), I am deeply conscious of the need to lead a global response to the underlying causes of such events. The appalling suffering in the Caribbean and the United States reminds us all that there is no time to waste.
I would also like to pay tribute to the new President’s predecessor, Mr. Peter Thomson, the first Fijian to occupy the presidency of the General Assembly. Ambassador Thomson carried out his role with great distinction, and I especially want to thank him for the role he has played in bringing the parlous state of our oceans to global attention. The Ocean Conference that Fiji co-hosted with Sweden in June was an unqualified success. As a global community, we have begun the massive task of restoring the health of our oceans and tackling the overfishing that is stripping them of marine life and depriving millions of people of a precious resource, now and in the future. I salute the United Nations for appointing Ambassador Thomson as Special Envoy for the Ocean. It is an honour for Fiji to have one of our own leading an effort that is so vital to ensuring the implementation of a crucial Sustainable Development Goal.
Next year will mark the fortieth anniversary of Fiji’s contribution to United Nations peacekeeping. As a small nation, we have suffered a great deal of pain from the loss of some of our finest troops on peacekeeping duties over the years. But our contribution is a very important part of how we see ourselves as a nation, with our men and women in uniform serving the global community by protecting ordinary people in troubled parts of the world. For 40 years, we have helped make the world more secure. And now we are determined to make a successful contribution to the wider security of the planet through our leadership of COP-23.
There is no escaping the fact that climate change is as great a threat to global security as any conflict. Millions of people are already on the move because of drought and the changes to agriculture that threaten their food security. History has taught us that human beings will always fight over access to water. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of climate change, we already know that some places will become unlivable
17-29407 23/29 and others will disappear altogether. In my own region, three of our neighbours are at risk, which is why Fiji has offered to give refuge to the people of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the event of a worst-case scenario in which their homes sink beneath the waves.
For the Fijian people, climate change is real. It affects our lives in every way. The entire villages that we are moving out of the way of rising seas, the loss of our ancestral burial grounds, the salinity affecting our crops and the constant threat of destruction to homes and infrastructure of the kind that we experienced last year are all evidence of that. The reason that our hearts go out to the people of the Caribbean right now is not only because we can empathize with them but because we fear the same fate. I implore the nations of the world to imagine a third of their gross domestic product being destroyed in the space of a year or so. Imagine another cyclone scoring a direct hit and wiping out decades of development.
It is clear that global warming changes our very understanding of what our national interests are. It challenges us to understand that the only way for every nation to put itself first is to lock arms with every other nation and move forward together. Anything else is self-destructive for the world and for each nation. It may be tempting for political leaders to show that they are protecting some national industry or near- term economic goal, but we must ask at what cost. Wise leaders must work hard to convince their peoples to embrace the path that we know that we must take. There is no choice to be made between prosperity and a healthy climate, for how prosperous can we be if we must devote our resources to relocating entire populations or reinforcing major cities? How much does it cost to find new places to farm? What will the consequences be for global and regional security if nations begin to compete for safe land or have conflicts over the movements of climate refugees? It is obvious that we need to cooperate.
We need to learn from each other and use the world’s considerable resources to do the greatest possible amount of good for the greatest possible number of people. We need to continue to create prosperity and ensure the well-being of the nations and ecosystems of the world. If we view the process as some sort of negotiation in which each country tries to preserve its narrow national interests, we will all lose. We will be powerless to protect our own people from the consequences of climate change. Collective action is the only way forward. Wise men and women will understand that.
That is why I took on the role of President of COP- 23 and why I have eagerly embraced the opportunity to be the first Pacific Islander to do so. It is about ensuring that my own people flourish and prosper, now and in the future. By collaborating with the other nations of the world through the process, we will ensure that together, humankind can flourish and prosper. Morocco will pass the ball to me and the Fijian team in Bonn in November, and we thank the Moroccan presidency of COP-22 for making such great strides towards the goal of fully implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Next year, Fiji will pass the ball to Poland. I want to assure the Polish presidency of COP-24 that Fiji will be supporting it throughout the entire process.
Our own presidency would not be possible without Germany’s wonderful assistance. We simply could not have staged an event of such size and complexity in Fiji. Out of necessity, we have forged a bond with Germany that is an example to the world of how countries at opposite ends of the Earth and of vastly different means and size can work effectively for a common goal. We did it with Sweden at the Ocean Conference in June, and we are equally proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Germany to deliver on the goals that the Paris Agreement has outlined.
Fiji is deeply conscious that Governments alone cannot overcome the challenge at hand. That is why we are placing such emphasis on the notion of a grand coalition of Governments at every level with civil society, the private sector and ordinary citizens moving the agenda forward. I am reaching out to governors, mayors and leaders of every sort across our societies, people of faith, people on the front line in the climate struggle, women and the young people who represent our future. We are going to do things differently in Bonn. The formal proceedings will be led by our chief negotiator, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, and I will play a roving role. I will be on hand to resolve any difficulties that arise in the formal negotiations. In order to reflect the importance of our grand coalition, I will be travelling between the two zones in Bonn, that of the formal negotiations and the climate action zone, along with my good friend and our climate champion, Mr. Inia Seruiratu, as well as my fellow Pacific leaders. I am counting on them to help me get the message across that only by working together can we move the process faster and further.
In the climate action zone — the Bonn zone — Fiji and Germany are bringing together all those who have a part to play in making our grand coalition a great transformation, including climate activists, companies at the cutting edge of technology, artists, creative people, dancers and performers. We will be stamping the zone with the Fijian bula spirit of optimism and inclusiveness that has made our islands famous throughout the world. In the formal Bula zone, we want the nations of the world to embrace what we in Fiji and some other Pacific countries call the spirit of talanoa, characterized by dialogue based on trust, empathy and the collective good. In our experience, it is the best way of getting things done, especially in difficult circumstances. It embodies engagement that is respectful, honest and cooperative and acknowledges that none of us, no matter how powerful, can solve the climate challenge on our own. For humankind to survive, flourish and prosper, we have no alternative but to cooperate.
We have already established a solid foundation for our efforts in the presidency. The formal negotiations are progressing, and we are looking forward to welcoming ministers and their delegations and representatives of civil society to Fiji next month for our pre-COP meeting. We are already delighted to see the energy and sense of purpose of the leaders in our grand coalition. I am especially grateful to Governor Jerry Brown of California, whom I have appointed to help me as Special Envoy for States and Regions and who heads an impressive list of political leaders around the world who are part of the Under2 Coalition. As we all know, the Paris Agreement calls for global warming to be kept well under 2°C above the average temperature of the industrial age and as close as possible to 1.5°C.
A year ago I stood here, before my appointment as President of COP-23, and called for 1.5°C to be our target (see A/71/PV.8). I meant it then and I mean it now. Fixing that number as our objective is urgent, and we must do it as soon as possible. I certainly carry with me the authority of the Pacific to pursue that objective, and at this point I would like to pay heartfelt tribute to a Pacific islander whom we have just lost but whose legacy will live on in these negotiations. Two years ago, Tony deBrum of the Marshall Islands took a very powerful slogan to Paris — “One point five to stay alive”. We intend to honour Tony’s legacy, and I intend to draw on his spirit during my presidency.
In addition to ensuring decisive action to limit global warming, we must also do a lot more to make nations and communities more resilient where the effects of climate change are concerned. We know that we are all going to have to adapt. But we must make special provision for those who are most vulnerable and have the fewest resources for coping with the catastrophic consequences we are witnessing all around us. We are pleased to be part of a serious engagement with Governments and the private sector aimed at securing innovative and more affordable access to insurance so that those affected by disasters can recover more quickly. It is a question of fairness and economic development, because without insurance, many nations and communities find restoration and rebuilding simply too great a burden. We are also encouraged by the rapid development of clean, affordable alternative-energy solutions for countries across the world, which offers great promise that we can achieve the 1.5°C target and prosper.
I have no doubt that the role that I have embraced as COP-23 President is the most important ever undertaken by a Fijian leader. I appeal to my fellow Pacific leaders to support me as we tackle the greatest challenge that our region and the world have ever seen. I want to acknowledge the work of the past 30 years of the Alliance of Small Island States, which has consistently looked after the interests of our peoples and reminded the world that our interests are the interests of every global citizen. We are all in the same canoe, which is why we will have a Fijian ocean-going canoe — a na drua — in the main hall in Bonn to remind everyone of the need to fill its sails with the collective determination to move this process forward and deliver on the promise we made to each other in Paris. To all the nations that have yet to ratify the Paris Agreement, I say, please do so.
I appeal to the nations of the world and to all the leaders of the grand coalition for their support. I draw my power as COP President from them and I will do everything in my power to use it wisely.


On behalf of my Government and the people of Papua New Guinea, I am honoured to address the General Assembly. I am pleased to convey my country’s appreciation to the outgoing President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Ambassador Peter Thomson of Fiji, for his outstanding presidency this past year.
As he takes up his mandate, Papua New Guinea welcomes and congratulates Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, and the Republic of Slovakia, on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy- second session. I pledge Papua New Guinea’s support for his presidency and the priority areas he has chosen.
I would also like to welcome and extend our best wishes for every success to His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his new, vital and very demanding role. It is heartening to note his passion and drive to transform the United Nations. The Organization can better serve the international community if it becomes more accountable, transparent, inclusive and fair, and to that end Mr. Guterres has Papua New Guinea’s strongest support. Let me also pay tribute to the former Secretary- General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his outstanding work during his tenure.
Our world continues to be confronted by multiple unprecedented challenges that are increasingly complex in nature. We are facing such serious adverse impacts as an uncertain global economy, climate change, the declining health of our marine habitats and heightened security fears.
The challenges that we face are unlikely to be overcome, or major goals achieved, by individual countries acting on their own, which I am sure is a view shared by many. We must work together to build a better, more stable and equitable world for all our citizens. We all have to do more, and we must renew our faith in the promise of the Charter of the United Nations, which remains a beacon of hope for humankind.
Papua New Guinea recently held its tenth national elections. Our Government would like to put on record our profound appreciation to all of our development partners, including the United Nations, for the valued support provided to us as the elections were conducted.
Since being returned to office, our Government has pledged to further increase our focus on the core policies we have striven to implement during the past five years. Those policies are changing the lives of our 8 million men, women and children for the better. We have introduced free education across our entire country and doubled the number of children in school, most of whom are girls. We are extending universal health care to our people, which is helping them to live longer and is keeping families together. We have commenced the largest infrastructure programme in our nation’s history, building more roads, ports and public buildings, including hospitals. Our particular focus on infrastructure is promoting economic development and greater opportunity, especially for our rural majority. Those policies underpin our commitment to sustainable economic growth and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
A nation such as Papua New Guinea can have all the best intentions and plans to continue to move our country forward, but we live in a rapidly globalizing world where events and influences transcend national borders. Many of the challenges that confront us today are not of our making; rather, we have to bear the consequences of actions taken by others and must take up the task of addressing them.
Global economic uncertainty, depressed commodity prices and political instability all continue to undermine growth in many developing countries.
Papua New Guinea remains concerned at the continuing threats of violence in the world today, be they by terrorist groups or the actions of rogue States.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent nuclear missile tests by North Korea. They are direct threats to the lives of millions of innocent people in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and more particularly in our Pacific region. We are concerned that these activities are taking place in our backyard. They are in direct breach of the will of the international community as expressed through the numerous relevant resolutions of the Security Council. Rather than inflamed rhetoric that could have drastic consequences, we call for a peaceful resolution through political dialogue.
One of the greatest threats to humankind comes from within our global community of nations. Climate change is real, and it is claiming lives and destroying communities. It is putting the future of nations at real risk. The recent barrage of hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and the United States is just another example of some of the extreme weather events that we are all confronting. Papua New Guinea offers its condolences to the countries affected and urges that the loss of life serve as another wake-up call for us all.
Papua New Guinea and other Pacific island nations remain highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, including extreme tropical storms, severe droughts and seawater flooding many coastal communities. The seeds of climate change that we see today were laid by developed countries over past decades and centuries. Although their own development was enhanced, developing countries today continue to suffer because of their actions. The chances for development in smaller countries have been harmed by the mess created by now-powerful nations. In Papua New Guinea and around the world, our peoples are dying as a consequence, living standards are being eroded, and opportunities are disappearing. The world needs to step up its action and respond effectively to climate-change challenges by making further commitments to reduce emissions and help affected communities.
We are committed to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and to implementing domestic policies to reduce our own emissions. We welcome and support Fiji’s presidency of the twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and will work together for a successful meeting in Bonn.
Papua New Guinea is an island nation. The very well-being and economic development of our people is tied to the resources coming from our oceans and seas. We share growing concern about the declining health of the oceans and seas that sustain many nations. Uncontrolled and poorly regulated human activities, including illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, pollutants, plastics and marine debris, are killing our waterways. Global fish stocks are being decimated, ecosystems are being destroyed, and our people are being forced to abandon their traditional homes because they no longer have jobs or food.
This is not a local problem; it is global in its scope and therefore needs greater global action. We do what we can at the local level. We in Papua New Guinea have established an integrated national oceans policy and a supporting office to ensure a more coherent national approach to oceans governance. Our commitment to SDG 14 is undiminished, as was demonstrated by our support for the call-for-action outcome document and the voluntary commitments that we have all pledged. We are pleased with the historic outcome of the first- ever United Nations Ocean Conference held four months ago in the General Assembly to support the implementation of SDG 14. We welcome and support the offer from Kenya and Portugal to be the next hosts of the United Nations Ocean Conference.
Another major problem and challenge that we face in the world today is the dislocation of people from their homes and communities. Indeed, we are facing a refugee crisis in the world today. People are being pushed out of their homes as a result of war, natural disasters and the loss of livelihood. This is the plight of millions of people in developing countries who face dismal futures if in fact they succeed in surviving at all. The responsibility for accommodating these refugees — people who through no fault of their own are forced to flee — lies with the countries whose actions that led to their displacement.
Today, we live in a globalizing world, but the privilege to travel freely is held by only a lucky few who have been born principally in developed and industrialized countries. We need a more sensible and humane approach to achieving mobility for all our people. We have only one planet, we all share that planet, and the people of that planet should be free to travel and settle when their home has been taken away from them.
We talk about greater freedoms for our people. We talk about freedom of speech, democracy, transparency, good governance and human rights, but talk is cheap. All too often, the concept of human rights is a mere theme of convenience. We need to make the migration process less complicated and more humane.
Papua New Guinea fully supports reform at the United Nations. The United Nations must be fit for purpose. It must keep pace with the environment in a rapidly changing world. There is broad agreement on the importance of United Nations reform, but the main challenge before us is how we are going to go about delivering it. We are heartened by the Secretary- General’s passion and call for decisive and swift action on his reform agenda, including in terms of ensuring gender parity at the top levels of the Secretariat. He has our undivided support.
With respect to the Security Council reform process, it must advance the core interests of the vast majority of the States Members of the United Nations so as to make the Council more broadly representative, transparent, accountable, effective and efficient. Given its critical mandate, the Security Council needs to be more efficient in its response to contemporary global challenges and circumstances.
In conclusion, the opportunities that lie before the global community are great, but they are also extremely challenging, particularly for countries with developing economies, such as Papua New Guinea. Regardless of where we come from, however, we must do more. All nations — large or small, rich or poor, weak or strong — must strengthen their resolve and work together. I thank all Member States for the achievements that we continue to make through the United Nations, and I pledge that Papua New Guinea will continue to work with them to achieve much more.


First, allow me to extend my congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency. I am convinced that under your leadership the General Assembly will swiftly and successfully advance its work.
Every minute, as I speak, 12 children die of hunger, and more than 100 are born to extreme poverty. Dozens die from preventable diseases, which we have been able to cure for decades, and it is our responsibility — that of the people in this Hall — to do everything in our powers to help them.
The challenges that we face often do not require difficult strategies or unprecedented amounts of money. They require only our dedication and true leadership, which includes both sides: those who can help give up on ignorance and selfishness and those who receive the help to make the people their first priority.
I therefore want to commend you, Sir, for choosing such a sound focus for this year’s session of the General Assembly, namely, on our people and striving for peace and a decent life for all in sustainable conditions. Indeed, there is no bigger responsibility of us as political leaders than to take care of the planet and serve its people. Building safe, healthy, prosperous and just societies for every individual is not a mere ambition. It is our duty. It is the reason that our people entrust us with the power to act on their behalf and to make use of the limited resources that our societies generate.
Our devotion to shared principles, virtuous ambition to keep promises and ability to deliver results are the three most vital components of all respectable public service, and there are no stronger enemies to the effort to make a real difference in the world than egoism, ignorance and narrow-minded national or personal interests. Respect for the principles of peace and security is essential to living in dignity for all our people. Those principles have been at the very core of the Organization since its establishment. The first and the most important responsibility for us as leaders and Members of the United Nations is to adhere to those principles and values, enforce them and punish those who violate them.
Yet far too many people are dying in senseless conflicts or suffering in displacement as a result of the violence. The enormous human tragedies, the material damage caused by armed conflicts, and the refugee crisis deplete much-needed resources that could otherwise go to social and economic development. The bloody reality of our times is a painful reminder of our ignorance and egoism.
Every year after this gathering, we all return to our homes. But there are more than 60 million people who have no such place — people who had to leave everything behind to save their lives and run away from poverty or the horrors of war. Those people do not ask too much. They just want to have a place to live, to raise children, to prosper with their loved ones. We need to make those people feel at home again.
The way we treat our own people is as important to international peace and security as the way we treat each other. Recent findings about the use of chemical weapons by the Al-Assad regime in Syria against his own citizens should alarm us all as much as the atrocities in Raqqa, Mosul and many other places. All such horrors demonstrate how little respect is being paid to human lives and to the very principle of humanity, especially when power games are played. Our resolve to act when United Nations principles are at stake is often the last hope for those who desperately wait for our help, trapped in the middle of deadly violence in the ruins of what they used to call their homes.
We are witness to short-sighted interests built on spreading instability that are undermining collective efforts to secure peace and security. The very core of the Charter of the United Nations for securing peaceful coexistence among nations is crippled in the name of the selfish pursuits and egoism of the so-called spheres of influence — a fancy phrase too often misused to cover violations of the international order and justify disrespect for sovereignty. It is a dangerous game of tragic outcomes and unintended consequences. We in Europe can see it too: Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova all know the price of peace. They are all aware of the pain resulting from their sovereignty being undermined by an aggressive neighbour — a neighbour that thinks the rules do not apply to it.
We should therefore not be surprised when things get out of control and cause enormous and irreparable damage to people, to countries and to this planet. Today we face one of the worst threats to international peace and security in recent history: North Korea openly threatens our world with nuclear weapons. Such grave disrespect for human life cannot be tolerated. I strongly call on the North Korean regime to terminate its development of weapons of mass destruction and to return to the path of dialogue and building peace on the Korean peninsula.
We need collective resolve in the very spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. The Organization must be firm in its principles and stand for the purpose for which it was created. Some of us have a special responsibility to do so on a regional or international level. There is no room for geopolitical games or economic gains at the expense of our common security. Millions of human lives at stake.
We live in the most prosperous time in the history of humankind. We have all the tools and enough resources to help every human being on this planet live a life in dignity, free from fear or hunger. But there is one challenge that will test all the limits of our ability to lead, act together, adapt and reinvent our societies and the way we live our lives. We are beginning to see and feel the sinister consequences of our actions on the environment. Be it 100-year floods taking place with high frequency, hurricanes that strike harder than before, or devastating droughts that force people to abandon their homes, such disasters are not warnings of future climate change; they are powerful natural events are features of the new environment we live in now.
Last year’s adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was an unprecedented demonstration of collective will to address the challenges arising from the climate change our societies must face. It may be remembered as a unique effort of the present generation of humankind to mitigate the consequences of our impact on the environment. It may become our ultimate legacy: a chance for our children to adapt and live happily and safely again in the changed environment.
Our devotion to common principles, our virtue in keeping our promises and our ability to deliver results on this issue is more crucial than ever. No money or short- term economic interests could possibly compensate for the irreparable damage if we fail to act together and change our irresponsible behaviour. The price of such planetary ignorance will be much higher than any we have ever paid.
Slovakia understands the urgency for collective action. We pushed for the swift ratification of the Paris Agreement under our presidency of the European Union last year. I confirm today that we will implement all the national measures necessary to fulfil our obligations, because the Paris Agreement must be implemented in full.
The Organization has served us well for decades. It has faced tough challenges — it excelled in some, it may have failed in others, but it has been the best we have had, with countless successes and well-deserved global authority. There are many pressing issues in today’s world that had not been foreseen when the United Nations was created. Who would have imagined that one of the most important topics on the United Nations agenda would be climate change? And yet we demonstrate that we can tackle such challenges. But it would be naive to think that just by applying the same old procedures we can achieve new results and address any new and unforeseen troubles. Just like any other organization, we need to adapt to changes. I strongly believe that we are capable of such adaptation. However, let me emphatically underline that, while we strive for reform to be more efficient, the very core of the United Nations must be respected without exception.
In order to succeed, all of us will be required to be responsible leaders. We must give up on national egoism and ignorance. We must stand true to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and be honest with each other by keeping the promises that we make and delivering results, both in words and in deeds. That is because there is no more noble task for us than to serve our people and strive to allow them to live in peace, dignity and prosperity.


Mr. President, please accept warm greetings from our President, Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra, our Vice-President, Rosario Murillo, and the people of Nicaragua, who wish you success in the great responsibility that you have taken on.
Many of the issues on the agenda during this session are of vital importance to the survival of our peoples. This year we have witnessed a world in upheaval, driven by multiple crises, including violations of international law and the sovereignty of our peoples, wars and threats of the use of force, and increased poverty and inequality. However, before I go into them, I would like to share my President’s reflections summarizing the political will and course of action that must guide us if we are to achieve a better and more peaceful world.
“We must uphold the commitment to continuing to fight for peace, which is the global priority of all of our peoples, and to ensuring that the conflicts that arise in various parts of the world can be overcome through dialogue and negotiation. Above all, we must ensure that we are free from the use or the threat of the use of force, which is what our peoples desire the most from the peoples of the great Powers towards countries with small populations — countries that may be small in development but that are great in their values and history.”
That should be the permanent commitment of the United Nations.On behalf of the people and the Government of Nicaragua, I would like to express our solidarity with all the brothers and sisters of the Greater Caribbean — Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominica, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and all the other islands affected by the recent devastating meteorological events that are becoming more intense and more frequent every day — and with our brothers and sisters the people and the Government of Mexico, for the two catastrophic earthquakes that occurred there. Our condolences and prayers go to all of the families who have lost loved ones and to the people and the Government of the United States for the hurricanes that have caused major damage in the states of Texas and Florida.
Let us focus on the importance of eradicating poverty. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development represents one of the most important achievements in the history of our Organization. It is a framework for the struggle for a just world order, so that together, in peace, solidarity and complementarity, we can make progress on eradicating poverty. It is deplorable that so much poverty still persists and that inequalities are now more marked than ever. But this development agenda will mean nothing to our peoples if we, the peoples of the world, do not display the political will, commitment and solidarity we need to promote human development with social justice and environmental policies that protect the planet in harmony with nature and ensure the survival of the human species and the life and rights of Mother Earth.
Seventy-two years on, our Organization is still unable to fully comply with the objectives set out in the Charter of the United Nations. We need fundamental reform urgently if we are to tackle that unfortunate situation. To achieve that, we must promote the crucial changes that will enable the Organization to serve the interests of humankind. We would like to point out that, during his presidency of the General Assembly in 2008, the late Father Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, whom we rightly call Nicaragua’s Chancellor of Dignity — may he rest in peace — worked on and fought until the very end for that fundamental reform, laying the groundwork for discussing these changes. In that regard, it will be vital to reform the Security Council in order to ensure that its composition and function reflect the geopolitical and economic realities of the international community of the twenty-first century. Negotiations on the issue must enter a more dynamic phase as soon as possible, and a negotiating text must be prepared with the goal of reaching the necessary agreements and proceeding with these reforms during the Assembly’s seventy- second session.
We urgently need ambitious action to combat climate change. We note with great concern the unprecedented temperatures that are being registered all over the world and the lack of interest in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The developed countries must take the lead, change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and above all meet their financial commitments and complete their technology transfers. The Government and the people of Nicaragua will continue to advocate for a commitment to climate justice, as well as for an essential compensation policy that can be translated into direct and unconditional assistance.
We have welcomed the re-establishment of relations between Cuba and the United States of America, but it is upsetting that we are still seeing not only the restoration of measures aimed at maintaining the cruel, inhuman and criminal economic, financial and commercial embargo on Cuba but also threats to its sovereignty. From this rostrum, we join the other voices around the world saying no to the blockade of the heroic people of Cuba, of Fidel, Raul, and Marti.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its Bolivarian revolution continue to contend with foreign harassment, interference and aggression. We condemn the threats of the use of force or military options made by the President of the United States against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a threat that, as has been expressed by Nicaragua’s President,
“has no place. The cry in Latin America and the Caribbean is unanimous — nobody wants military intervention from the United States. No one is asking the United States to come and intervene militarily in any Latin American or Caribbean country.”
We proclaim our unconditional solidarity with the peoples of Bolivar and Chavez, and with the Government led by its constitutional President Nicolas Maduro and his people in their sovereign decision to democratically elect a Constituent National Assembly. Dialogue and negotiation are the only way forward for peace and reconciliation for the great Venezuelan family.
We wish our brothers in Colombia every success in implementing their peace accord. Our President has said that Colombia is proving that there can be no military solution to such conflicts, and that after more than 50 years of war, in the end it was negotiations that prevailed. We congratulate Colombia.
We salute and will always stand in solidarity with the struggles of the peoples under occupation of the Latin American and Caribbean country of Puerto Rico; of Western Sahara, under the leadership of the Frente Polisario; and of the Argentine Republic in its legitimate sovereign rights over its Malvinas Islands. Nicaragua reiterates its commitment to the establishment of two States of Israel and Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, with both peoples and Governments living in peace and harmony.
We reiterate our total solidarity with the Government and People of Syria in their fight against international terrorism and defence of their sovereignty and territorial integrity. We emphasize the need for a political and negotiated solution between Syrians and an end to foreign intervention, including financing, military training and supplying arms to terrorist groups, so that there may finally be peace. We are very concerned about the increase in terrorist attacks on our brother peoples and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Nicaragua supports general and complete disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Yesterday we signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Verbal confrontations and threats of the use of nuclear weapons are unacceptable. We must work to advance commitments to eliminating nuclear arsenals around the world until they are gone forever, and to use the enormous resources expended on them to eradicate poverty. The situation on the Korean peninsula is of great concern. Nuclear tests contribute nothing to peace and should be condemned. We call for a political and peaceful solution to this dangerous military scenario through dialogue and negotiation, thereby ending the nuclearization of that region and achieving reunification and peace on the Korean peninsula.
If we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must repeal unilateral coercive measures that violate international law and hinder our countries’ development plans. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted on the basis of the principle of universality. It is therefore vital to ensure that no one is left behind, and that includes the 23 million Taiwanese who are entitled to participate in the implementation of this global agenda. Taiwan is willing and able to participate in and contribute to the wide range of substantive United Nations programmes aimed at improving the well-being of humankind.
We in Central America are strengthening our integration in every area and working with our brothers and sisters to combat the scourges of terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, as well as to transform the Gulf of Fonseca into a zone of peace and development. Our Government continues to work for the restoration of the political, economic, social and cultural rights of all Nicaraguans, with historic and significant results in the areas of equity, gender, investment, development and security. Nicaragua has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as having one of the best records on gender equity in Latin America and indeed the world. Civil and human security is one of our main strengths. That security is fundamental to social, political and economic stability, promoting a better quality of life, tranquillity, justice, peaceful coexistence and the comprehensive development of families.
In that regard, Nicaragua has developed a series of specific policies and programmes for combating the scourges of our time, such as terrorism, crime, drug trafficking, trafficking of arms and human trafficking, with very positive results. Working with communities has led to a successful collaboration that makes Nicaragua one of the safest countries in the region and one of the least vulnerable to organized crime. We have succeeded in that by consolidating a serious, constructive and transparent alliance between the Government, workers and the private sector, based on the model for alliance, dialogue and consensus that we have implemented while also relying on valuable international assistance, for which we are grateful.
My country has been working extremely hard to make progress in the fight against poverty. We therefore condemn the initiative of a group of United States congressmen who are attempting to damage the economy of Nicaraguan families through a bill known as the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA), currently in the United States Senate, aimed at blocking Nicaragua’s access to international organizations’ programme funds for combating poverty. We want to remind the members of the United States Congress that there is a judgment outstanding by the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, ordering the UnitedStates to compensate the people of Nicaragua for damages incurred from the loss of life and materials caused by acts of terrorism committed by President Reagan’s Administration despite congressional opposition, including using drug traffickers to launder money in order to finance a war against Nicaragua while circumventing congressional bans. Nicaragua hopes that Congress will comply faithfully with the verdict of the International Court of Justice, which has ordered that Nicaragua be compensated and that bills such as the NICA Act, promoted by people bent on harming Nicaraguan families, be rejected.
In conclusion, I would once again like to quote my President:
“Here before the General Assembly, Nicaragua vows to consistently advocate for peace, stability and security in every part of our planet, in every forum, through every mechanism and with every nation with which we have relations.”


At the outset, I would like to congratulate Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session and to wish him every success in carrying out his duties. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to Mr. Peter Thomson, the outgoing President, who so ably oversaw the Assembly’s work at its seventy- first session.
Each time we meet in this Hall, we rekindle the hopes and aspirations of the peoples whom we are honoured to represent and serve. We hope to provide them with peace and development. New generations look up to us to realize their dreams for a decent life within a just international order. It is a global order that can face challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, diseases and epidemics, as well as other man-made crises — war, terrorism and huge discrepancies in the distribution of resources and development opportunities.
It is evident that the purposes and principles of the United Nations are still valid as a basis for a world that offers everyone an opportunity to benefit from the great strides being made in scientific advancement and economic development, as well as from the information revolution, which has brought societies unprecedentedly closer. Those developments offer great potential for establishing a fair and secure international order — one that is based on the right to development, freedom and progress and open interactions between people. In Egypt, we adamantly believe in the values of the United Nations and the purposes of its Charter. We have great confidence that realizing those values is not only possible, but rather an obligation and a necessity.
Egypt’s long-standing involvement with the United Nations — both as a founding Member of the Organization that has been elected to the Security Council six times and as the seventh-largest contributor to peacekeeping operations worldwide — bears witness to our constant striving to build a world that is worthy of the aspirations of our children and grandchildren to live in freedom, dignity, security and prosperity.
However, the responsibility that we bear requires that we be frank in saying that the world we seek, albeit possible, unfortunately still remains far from reality. We are still unable to prevent armed conflict, confront terrorism, eliminate nuclear weapons or address the structural imbalances in the international economic order that have widened the gap between the developed and developing worlds. Based on the experiences of the African and Arab regions, I can state with a clear conscience that those experiences summarize the current crisis of the international order and its inability to deliver on the goals of the United Nations.
The Arab region, Egypt’s civilizational and cultural milieu, has today become an epicentre for some of the most vicious civil conflicts in recent human history. It is the region most vulnerable to the dangers posed by terrorism. One out of every three refugees in the world today is an Arab, and the Mediterranean Sea has become a conduit for irregular migrants from Asian and African States fleeing the scourge of civil strife, as well as the despair of economic and social hardships. That is reflected in the Arab regional report on multidimensional poverty in Arab countries published by the League of Arab States in collaboration with the United Nations. The report will be issued tomorrow.
As Egypt’s geographical home, Africa lies at the heart of Egypt’s foreign policy. It is Africa where our historic roots lie, and it is from Africa that we derive pride in our identity and our deep sense of belonging. The continent has also become subject to the same security threats facing the Arab region and constitutes a major example of the crisis in the current international economic order that perpetuates poverty and economic disparity. This global order bears a major responsibility in the economic, political and social crises that threaten international peace and stability, rendering any discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals just words without evidence based on reality.
Egypt is therefore encircled by the most dangerous crises in the world. It is our destiny to navigate confidently through those unprecedented dangers, while relying on an ambitious development strategy based on radical, bold economic reforms. Those reforms aim, above all else, to empower the youth, who represent the majority of the population, not only in Egypt but also in most of the Arab countries and the developing world.
In a world that is interconnected, complex and full of challenges that cannot be confronted by one country alone, regardless of its capabilities, it is natural for Egypt’s ambitious development plans to correlate with an active foreign policy. That foreign policy strategy is guided by the long-established moral principles ingrained in our heritage and culture and abides by the legal principles of the international system, which Egypt actively participated in formulating. It is based on a vision to address the shortcomings that have prevented the realization of the objectives of the United Nations. Our vision is based on the following five main principles and priorities.
First, the only possible solution to the crises afflicting the Arab region is through persistently upholding the notion of the modern nation-State based on the principles of citizenship, equality, the rule of law and human rights, and thereby defeating any attempts to retreat into doctrinal, sectarian, ethnic or tribal loyalties. The path towards reform inevitably includes embracing the nation-State and cannot be built on its demise. This principle, in summary, lies at the core of Egypt’s foreign policy and is the foundation upon which we base our positions in addressing the crises in our region.
With regard to brotherly Syria, we believe there will be no salvation for Syria except through a consensual political solution among all Syrians. At its core is the preservation of the unity of the Syrian State, the maintenance of its institutions and the broadening of its political and social base to include all sectors of Syrian society, as well as the decisive confrontation of terrorism until it is defeated. The way to this solution is through the United Nations-led negotiation process, which enjoys strong support from Egypt. Equally as strong is our objection to any attempt to manipulate the tragedy in Syria to establish international or regional zones of influence or carry out the subversive policies of some regional parties — parties whose practices have caused great suffering to our region over the past few years. It is now high time for a final and decisive confrontation with those practices.
Similarly, we believe that a political settlement is the only viable solution to the crisis in Libya. Libya continues to face attempts to dismantle the State and turn it into an open field for tribal conflict, a field of operations for terrorist organizations. I would like clearly to underscore that Egypt will not allow the continuation of attempts to tamper with the unity and integrity of the Libyan State or undermine the capabilities of the Libyan people. We will continue to work diligently with the United Nations to achieve a political settlement based on the Skhirat Agreement and inspired by the recommendations agreed upon by Libyans. The recommendations that emerged from their consecutive meetings in Cairo during the past months aim to end the political stalemate and revive the settlement process in the country.
The same logic applies to Egypt’s strategy in Iraq and Yemen: the only way to overcome the crises is with a unified, capable and just modern nation-State that realizes the legitimate aspirations of the Arab people.
Secondly, it is time for a comprehensive and final settlement to the longest-standing crisis in the Arab region, namely, the question of Palestine. This is a clear depiction of the international community’s inability to implement a long series of General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. The closure of this chapter — through a fair settlement based on established international norms and by establishing an independent Palestinian State along the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital — is a necessary precondition for the entire region to transition into a phase of stability and development. That is also necessary to restore the credibility of the United Nations and the international order.
Achieving peace will without a doubt eliminate one of the main excuses that terrorism has been using to justify its proliferation in the region. It will guarantee a dignified and peaceful life for the peoples of the region. It is time to permanently overcome the barrier of hatred forever. I would like to underscore here that Arabs still extend their hand in peace. Egypt’s experience proves that peace is possible, and is indeed a realistic objective that we should all continue to pursue seriously.
Before I continue my statement, allow me to veer off script for a moment and call directly upon everyone who is concerned by this issue.
My first audience is the Palestinian people. I say to them that it is extremely important to unite behind a common goal, overcome differences, not to lose opportunities and be ready to accept coexistence with the other — with Israelis — to achieve stability and security for all.
I now direct my call to the Israeli people. In Egypt we have an excellent track record of peace with Israelis that spans more than 40 years. It is possible to repeat that experience — an excellent step to achieve peace and security for both Israeli and Palestinian citizens. My call to Israelis is to stand behind their political leadership and support it without hesitation. I urge the Israeli public not to hesitate. We are all with them for the success of that attempt. This opportunity might not repeat itself.
My other call is to all nations that love peace and stability. All Arab States support Israel’s excellent endeavour. Other nations, too, must support its endeavour, which, if successful, will change the face of history.
I also address the American leadership and the American President: we have an opportunity to turn over a new page in human history and achieve peace in the region.
The third of my main principles and priorities is that it is impossible to envisage a future for the regional or international order in which we have not definitively and comprehensively addressed terrorism. That should be approached in a manner that eradicates terrorism and eliminates its roots and causes, while also openly challenging any party that supports or finances terrorism or that offers it political and media channels or safe havens.
Frankly, there is no room for any serious discussion on the credibility of a system that applies double standards — a system that fights terrorism while tolerating its supporters and engaging them in discussions on how to eliminate a threat that they created in the first place. To be truthful and faithful to our peoples, members of various international alliances should answer the pertinent questions that we are raising out of devotion to our people. Answers are usually avoided by those who prefer duplicity to attain narrow political interests in the demise of States and at the expense of blood shed by their people. We will not allow our peoples’ sacrifices to be made in vain, under any circumstances.
We in the Muslim world need to face up to our reality and work together to rectify the misconstrued notions that have become an ideological pretext for terrorism and its destructive discourse. As members may recall, Egypt launched an initiative to rectify religious discourse in order to revive the true and tolerant values of Islam. Egypt’s religious institutions are currently engaged in that process, in coordination with the relevant international entities.
Egypt, which is currently engaged in an unrelenting battle to eradicate terrorism from its territory, is committed to tracking, confronting and eliminating terrorism decisively, wherever it exists. It is evident that confronting terrorism has been at the forefront of Egypt’s priorities during its 2016-2017 membership in the Security Council and during our chairmanship of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee. We do not wish to defend only Egypt’s future, but also the future of the international community as a whole.
Our fourth priority is to eliminate the root causes of international crises and the sources of threat to international stability, That requires the operationalization of the principle of a common but differentiated responsibility among the members of the international community, in order to narrow the economic and social gaps between developed and developing countries.
How can the United Nations, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals have any credibility when the international economic order is itself responsible for augmenting disparities, in a manner inconsistent with the values of justice and equality? How can there be any opportunity for less developed countries, no matter how determined they are, to implement fundamental economic reforms to address the mismanagement of their resources without addressing imbalances in the international economic order? Such endeavours require greater involvement by developing countries in international economic governance structures and facilitating their access to easier financing, markets and technology transfer.
Fifthly, settling disputes in our world today can be achieved only through respect for the principles of international law and negotiation on the basis of legal, historic and moral principles, as well respect for the sovereignty of States and the principle of non-intervention in individual States’ internal affairs. More than seven decades after the establishment of the United Nations, force and zero-sum games cannot remain as a means to realize interests — especially in today’s world, which is based on interdependence among nations and where there are significant opportunities for cooperation and understanding to achieve the common interests of all.
Based on the principles I have mentioned, Egypt was at the forefront of countries eager to initiate the Nile Basin initiative in 1999. Egypt also pursued the conclusion of a trilateral agreement between Egypt, the Sudan and Ethiopia to address the issue of the Renaissance Dam from a cooperative perspective, in a manner that establishes a clear legal framework to manage the issue in accordance with international law, established principles and the well-established rules that govern relations between States sharing basins of transboundary rivers throughout the world. That agreement remains as a legal framework that can be used as an example to reflect the logic of cooperation and sharing among the three parties, as long as good faith continues. It is of paramount importance to implement the agreement, in the light of the limited amount of time available, to avoid squandering the opportunity of presenting a successful model to manage relations between three sisterly countries in the Nile basin.
Our meeting here today is an opportunity for truthful self-reflection, in which we should acknowledge the various deficiencies that are hindering the international system from delivering on the noble objectives and aspirations it was set up to realize. It is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to establish a more equitable international order, given that the attainment of justice globally remains a necessary condition to confront the immense challenges impacting our world today and endangering the credibility of the international system.
The humanitarian tragedy of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar is yet another reason to remind the international community of its moral obligations, not to mention its legal responsibilities, as reflected in the Charter of the United Nations. We must promptly work towards a lasting solution that ends the plight of civilians and addresses the root causes of the crisis, which has become a threat to regional security and the stability of neighbouring countries.
Let us move together to empower the people of the world to regain control of their destinies and to explore new horizons of cooperation between members of the international community. Let us transcend the vicious cycle of narrow interests and the futile logic of power politics to the broader horizons of common human interests and cooperation among all. Let us be true to ourselves and dispel the mentality of polarizing policies. The world today is in dire need of the upholding of common human interests. It is incumbent upon all States to strive to further relations among all partners with malice towards none.
I have conveyed Egypt’s message to the General Assembly today explicitly and clearly. I am full of hope that our joint efforts during the upcoming period will lead to a better world that is more secure, stable and prosperous. Long live Egypt!


There is no greater demonstration of the ability of the United Nations to bring the world together than the opening of the General Assembly. The breadth of issues which are discussed in this Hall is immense. Often there are as many points of view as there are Member States, but ultimately we as an Organization share the common goal of making the world more peaceful and improving the lives of all of our peoples.
New Zealand is approximately 1,000 kilometres removed from its nearest neighbour in the Pacific, but our international connections are an intrinsic part of our identity and the foundation of our prosperity. We are an outward-looking nation that relies on global stability for our trade and the safety of our people. As a founding Member of the United Nations, New Zealand has always supported the leading role of the United Nations in a multilateral system, which fosters positive international relations.
Given the significant ongoing challenges to peace and security, the role of the United Nations in preventing and resolving conflict is as relevant now as ever. Among those challenges, North Korea presents some of the most pressing threats to international security in our time. The North Korean regime has consistently disregarded Security Council resolutions, the wishes of the international community and the well-being of its own people. In this past month alone, it has conducted its sixth nuclear test, launched a ballistic missile over Japan and carried out other ballistic-missile tests. Those provocative actions have directly undermined the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and that has serious wider implications.
As we saw during our recent term on the Security Council, the Council works most effectively when it acts as one. New Zealand supports the strong, unified responses by the Security Council, and we stand ready to work with Member States on measures that will fully reflect the consequences of North Korea’s actions. We hope to see tensions defused and a path to dialogue developed. The goal of denuclearization requires eventual engagement with Pyongyang, but any dialogue must be meaningful and constructive, and must address the issues that most concern the international community. Until then, we join the rest of the international community in calling on North Korea to undertake immediate actions to de-escalate tensions, improve its humanitarian situation and abide by its international obligations.
The risks associated with nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation have been a key factor in New Zealand’s long-standing commitment to international nuclear disarmament. Last week, we were pleased to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty represents an important step towards a nuclear-weapon-free world.
New Zealand is committed to playing its part to address global threats to peace and security. We have a history of contributing to efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, including through the United Nations. On the Security Council, New Zealand made determined efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria. Alongside Spain, Jordan and Egypt, we managed to renew and improve cross-border access arrangements. We consistently raised concerns about the Council’s failure to bring about a political solution. Unspeakable crimes continue to be committed against the civilian population, and humanitarian access remains fraught. Only a sustainable peace based on an inclusive longterm political settlement can bring that needless conflict to an end.
In Iraq, New Zealand’s defence force personnel are working to strengthen the capacity of Iraqi forces in their battle against Da’esh. We welcome the liberation of Mosul, Tal Afar and Nineveh province. That was an admirable achievement, and we acknowledge the sacrifice and commitment of the Iraqi security forces and Government. We note that the influence of Da’esh is not limited to Iraq and Syria, and that the defeat of Da’esh there will not spell the end of that group. New Zealand is focused on working with others in our near region — the Asia-Pacific — to ensure that groups like Da’esh do not inflict suffering in the way they have elsewhere.
In addition to security-based efforts, preventing and countering violent extremism in the first place is vital, and we are pleased to support international efforts in that regard. New Zealand has been contributing to Afghanistan’s stability since 2001. We remain a committed partner of Afghanistan including through the NATO Resolute Support Mission. Ongoing support for Afghanistan from the international community is critical, given the scale and complexity of the challenges
ahead, but history has demonstrated in Afghanistan that no amount of international support can by itself bring about lasting peace and security. Afghanistan’s future lies in the hands of its Government and people. We continue to call on the National Unity Government to prioritize the interests of the Afghan people above all else.
The United Nations is unique in its ability to convene the world so as to tackle problems that require collective action. The speed with which parties ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has demonstrated the strength of commitment to take meaningful action on climate change. New Zealand is among the many countries committed to the Paris Agreement. Progressing the Paris work programme is essential so as to deliver a framework that will ensure that the Agreement is robust, effective and credible, and that collective ambition will increase over time.
The Pacific is at the forefront of vulnerability to the effects of climate change. We are therefore pleased to support Fiji’s presidency of this year’s Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is a rare opportunity for the region to showcase its leadership in that area. We are an island nation within a vast Pacific Ocean. Our exclusive economic zone is 15 times larger than our land area. The sustainable management of our sea and our islands are of critical importance environmentally, economically and culturally.
Small island developing States face unique challenges and vulnerabilities. They are also great- ocean States and stewards of considerable ocean resources. New Zealand wants to assist those States in the sustainable management of oceans to ensure that our oceans are healthy and productive. We are making substantial investments to improve sustainable fisheries management in the Pacific and to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
We are also propelling a major increase in renewable energy generation in our region and further afield. New Zealand has taken a lead role in advocating internationally for the reform of fossil-fuel subsidies, which lead to wasteful consumption, put renewable energy at a disadvantage and depress investment in energy efficiency. We are exploiting alternative sources of development financing, including working with the private sector, tapping into the diaspora as a source of skills and investment, maximizing the value of remittances and increasing temporary labour market access.
New Zealand is supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in a wide range of areas, both domestically and internationally, including through our development assistance. We will continue to play our part in meeting the high level of ambition set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Pacific is an important part of how we define ourselves internationally. A strong and effective regional architecture, with the Pacific Islands Forum as the central regional body, is a key to Pacific success. New Zealand and was pleased with the outcomes of the recent Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting, which had a strong focus on fisheries and climate change issues. Pacific leaders also agreed on the importance of fully implementing the relevant Security Council resolutions on North Korea, including by de-registering any North Korean trading or fishing vessels currently flagged in Pacific States’ shipping registries.
New Zealand places significant value on the international rules-based order. Widely recognized rules, buttressed by an effective United Nations, are the best guarantors of our security and our economic wellbeing, particularly for small States. Such guarantees are also the best means of ensuring decent treatment and decent conditions for the world’s citizens, and thereby reducing conditions that can lead to unrest, conflict and misery. But we all recognize that the United Nations can do better, and to do so it must be more relevant, effective and fit for purpose. The Secretary-General’s reform agenda provides an opportunity for us to make that a reality. Important work lies ahead for us to reform the development, peace and security pillars.
Another critical element of making the United Nations more effective is management reform, including strengthening and modernizing its recruitment and management processes to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from its people. New Zealand looks forward to working together with the Secretary-General and all Member States. It is our sincere hope that reform can achieve our collective goal of better reflecting the ideals of the Charter of the United Nations and, ultimately, ensuring that the United Nations delivers better outcomes for our generation and those to come.


I am very pleased and honoured to be taking part in this meeting of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session. I bring with me the warm greetings of the Cabo Verdean people both living in the country and in the diaspora.
I want to assure Secretary-General António Guterres of the full support of the Government of Cabo Verde, especially in carrying out the reforms he has announced aimed at strengthening the broad delivery capacity, transparency and accountability of our Organization.
I salute the President of the Assembly at its seventy- second session, Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, and wish him every success. We listened with particular interest to the programme he has announced for his presidency, whose six points are interlinked and geared to ensuring people’s protection, dignity and well-being. Indeed, the theme proposed for the seventy-second session could not be more appropriate, given the underlying objective of the President’s programme to bring the United Nations ever closer to the people.
Cabo Verde prides itself on being a nation with five and a half centuries of history, and on having built a creole identity of its own at the junction between Africa and Europe, while also being open to the world, with a significant diaspora in several countries and embodying the peaceful coexistence we wish to see in all nations. As a small island country that has few natural resources and no mineral resources at all, we know that we can only affirm ourselves in the concert of nations and in the global economic system by exemplifying political, institutional and social stability; by displaying cosmopolitanism, being trustworthy in our relations with development partners and investors; by upholding the values of democracy, freedom, human dignity and full citizenship; and by proving the quality of our institutions and the excellence of our human resources. Although intangible, they are our greatest assets and the foundation of our development process. Our only option is to value those assets and to make them distinctive and focused on the people who are truly our development actors and beneficiaries — the children, young people, women and men of all countries.
I raise these points because I agree that it is appropriate to focus on people. Women and men in every country need political, institutional, socioeconomic and educational environments that release their creative energy and their capacity to innovate and learn, to work, cooperate and trust, to self-organize and to be accountable. That is possible only in environments of peace and security that establish a belief in the future in people, as opposed to simply living one day at a time, beset with unease and limited horizons.
The people and the Government of Cabo Verde are concerned about the current international context, where not only do old disputes persist but where we are also seeing new internal political crises, armed conflicts, terrorist acts and the organized crimes of trafficking in drugs, people and weapons and piracy, as well as other transnational ideological trends, such as populism, racial supremacy, xenophobia and intolerance of human and cultural diversity.
Such ills are detrimental to global peace, because they cause human suffering, claim lives and contribute to other humanitarian tragedies, such as the unprecedented increase we are seeing in the numbers of refugees, as well as in hunger and violence against women and children. They undermine the rule of law, weaken democracy, threaten the territorial integrity of States, corrupt the bases of economic and social progress and endanger coexistence at both the national and international levels. These evils, unfortunately, spare no region in a globalized world.
Just as the threats to security are global, so are the challenges. The opportunities for combat ing them effectively are also global, and permanent representation for Africa on the Security Council is therefore fully justified. The Government of Cabo Verde supports reform of the Security Council aimed at enabling it to reflect today’s changing world by integrating permanent representation for Africa into its broader composition. In our view, considering that the positions of both sides have already been sufficiently expressed, it is time to start negotiations based on a text.
Thanks to the United Nations, for the first time humankind has a holistic and comprehensive agenda that offers a real opportunity for sustainable and inclusive development, not only because it integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, but also because it considers the cross-cutting issues of peace, security, justice and necessary partnerships and promotes the call to leave no one behind.
Now, two years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the challenges lie in its implementation. The United Nations must therefore be able to play a catalytic role in forming consensus and mobilizing resources to make a difference on the implementation, funding and capacity-building fronts. In that regard, we commend the Secretary-General’s ongoing exercise aimed at adapting the United Nations development system and reforming the Secretariat’s management structures to meet the challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
In that regard, we should focus particularly on the situation of middle-income countries, including small island developing States that have graduated to that status, such as Cabo Verde. This category of countries needs a common response in terms of new metrics that can provide a more systemic assessment of their financial needs and structural vulnerabilities.
For small island developing States, the swift and rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate change is a priority, as it should be for the whole world.
Cabo Verde expresses its solidarity with the victims of recent hurricanes. While there have always been hurricanes, the bad news is that with climate change they tend to be more frequent, cruel and destructive. The consequences are devastating for the regions and countries that are most vulnerable from an environmental and economic point of view, such as small island developing States and their regions. Every new day is one day too late for vigorous and globalized action on the factors that trigger and accelerate climate change.
For Cabo Verde, the rule of law and democracy are not mere options; above all, they are essential to ensuring objective, transparent and predictable governance, both nationally and internationally. Cabo Verde’s internal order is aligned with international positions and practices in the field of human rights through the Constitution of the Republic and its laws, institutions, public policies and social practices. We recognize, however, that there have been difficulties within the United Nations in harmonizing positions regarding the universalization of human rights principles and practices, and that we must pursue that objective through dialogue and respect among parties.
In that regard, I would like to highlight the Secretary-General’s initiative to establish a pact with Member States and a circle of leadership on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse in all United Nations operations, above all in the context of peacekeeping and humanitarian action. That initiative will give greater dignity to our world’s most vulnerable people, especially women and girls, and promote their rights.
As a supporter of international relations governed by international law, Cabo Verde actively participates in codifying such law by joining and taking part in negotiations and by signing, ratifying and implementing most of the international instruments in a broad spectrum of areas. In that context, Cabo Verde has already deposited its instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, concluded in New York on 7 July.
We welcome the success of the preparatory work towards developing an international legal instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Moreover, we support the convening of a diplomatic conference in 2018 to work towards such a convention issue, which should have safeguards for the specific situation of small island developing States.
The conclusion of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was a historic moment in the fight against impunity for those responsible for the most serious crimes against humanity, and I therefore express Cabo Verde’s firm support to the ICC. Strengthening the Court is a duty that the present generation owes to future ones.
As written by a poet and songwriter, and later sung by the diva Cesária Évora, Cabo Verde is “ten little grains of sand” in the middle of the Atlantic. Despite our small size, we want to make Cabo Verde a country with relevance in the Middle Atlantic in terms of economic stature, security and diplomacy for peace and the promotion of freedom and democracy. We intend to position Cabo Verde as a transit hub in the Middle Atlantic for tourism, air transport, port operations, financial and investment operations, business localization and development in the digital and nano-technological economy, and in the attraction of investment and skills from the diaspora.
Cabo Verde promotes collective and cooperative security systems, as necessitated by the transnational nature of crime and its location. We are seeking to position ourselves as a useful interlocutor in the concert of nations for dialogue, peace and tolerance. Its history and location have transformed Cabo Verde into a country born of mergers between Europe and Africa, a country that maintains good relations with all nations of the world. We would like to value and develop those assets strategically. That is our vision and purpose for our economy, security and diplomacy. It is embodied in our strategic plan for sustainable development, which has already been completed and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Partnerships are an integral and indispensable part of the 2030 Agenda, and national ownership will find in them an unquestionable complement so that our strategic plan for sustainable development can succeed, with the United Nations at the forefront.
Happiness is the ultimate right to which the people of the world aspire. The 2030 Agenda has given the world not only a vision but also a road map for bringing happiness to people and leaving no one behind on the path to sustainable development. In 1945, the peoples of the United Nations showed their determination to conduct humankind down a path that would not lead to war. Today, with the 2030 Agenda, they will be able to determine another course for humankind and for people who struggle with poverty and a lack of development alternatives.
It is up to us — we, the peoples of the United Nations — to support both the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly at its seventy- second session in this honourable and great task of advancing the happiness agenda.


I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Miroslav Lajčák on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session and assure him of Uganda’s support. We are confident that he will lead the Assembly effectively and successfully. I would also like to express our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson for his leadership of the Assembly at its seventy-first session. I also pay tribute to His Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres for his personal dedication and commitment to the work of the United Nations.
The theme for this session, “Focusing on people: Striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet”, is very pertinent. I am happy this topic is being discussed. I have always wondered why the elites in the different countries of the world do not see its importance. Who would lose if everyone in the world led a decent life and every adult consumed between 2,000 and 2,500 calories per day? Who would lose if everyone were consuming the right number of calories every day? Who would lose if everyone were immunized against immunizable diseases? Who would lose if all the immunizable diseases that afflict people were immunized against? Who would lose if we were to achieve universal immunization for all the people in the world? What would be the problem? Who would lose if all young people, children, accessed education to achieve literacy, numeracy and skills, as a minimum? Who would lose if all human beings had health units within a radius of 5 kilometres from where they live? Who would lose if all human beings had access to clean electricity, away from charcoal, firewood and dirty kerosene? Who would lose if every adult had a well- paying job? Who would lose if every family on the globe had a decent, three-bedroom house? Who would lose if every person had access to clean water? Who would lose if no person on the globe had to worry about war, terrorism or crime? Who would lose if every provider of a service or producer of a good that is needed for use in the world had a right of access to markets? Who would lose if all the countries in the world had good transport and other elements of infrastructure? Who would lose if we all insisted on protecting Mother Nature so that it can also look after us?
To what extent would this effort at global affluence stimulate business? How much cement, steel, copper and food would we need? How would all that impact business? If we aimed at global affluence, how much would this impact business positively? Why, then, do we all have bad businessmen who do not have spectacles effective enough to see the implied business opportunities if we aim at global affluence? As a milk and beef producer myself, only a few months ago I was cautioning my fellow farmers against excessive greed as far as the price per litre of milk and per kilogram of beef were concerned. The farmers were trying to demand extremely high prices for beef and milk, but I warned them that if the milk were too expensive, the people might not buy it as much as if it were better priced. The more buyers we have for our products, the more prosperous we will be. We would therefore be both good businesspeople as well as good Christians, because we would be doing business in a fair way. Therefore, in my opinion, parasitism is the only obstacle to global affluence, prosperity and peace.
On the dangerous situation on the Korean peninsula, where very dangerous instruments of mass extermination are paraded around by the two contending sides, I have one question. My approach today is just to pose questions. I will not answer all of them, but I put them to the Assembly so that members can answer them themselves. I have one question. Who would lose if North Korea and South Korea, those kith and kin, were left alone to discuss their reunification? The Korean nation came into existence in 1234 A.D., according to the information available on the Internet. Why cannot these people — they are one people — discuss their reunification instead of maintaining a divided peninsula, the division of which it is our job to manage endlessly? Koreans were temporarily divided towards the end of the Second World War. Why should this division be allowed to be permanent and a source of dangerous tensions? A unified Korea would be a very strong nation. Why do some actors fear strong nations in the world? Why should the Koreans themselves, North and South, allow external forces to continue to divide them? We always strive not to allow actors, foreign or local, to divide the African peoples, regardless of the complications involved. When one hears that Uganda accommodates many African refugees, it is on account of a conscious ideological position to not allow any actors to divide us. We fight only traitors. Who has been hurt by a unified Viet Nam since 1975, although the method of their unification was not the best one? Who has been hurt by the reunification of Germany since 1990?
Finally, on the small issue of enforcing sanctions against North Korea, Uganda is in compliance. That is not a big problem, for we do not have to trade with North Korea. We are, however, grateful that, in the past, the North Koreans helped us to build our tank forces.