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It is the only realistic way to address the problems of today. Alone, no country can prevent the pandemic, stabilize the climate, secure resilient supply chains regulate artificial intelligence, ensure financial stability, or deliver sustainable development. Alone, no country, however powerful, can build lasting peace. And this is why our message is clear we need multilateralism, multilateralism that is strong, effective, representative and capable of delivering for people, multilateralism that protects human rights, strengthens democracy and advances gender equality.
Mr. President, just as I have shown you how the UN failed to do what it was supposed to do, now I want to tell you how it has excelled at what no one asked it to do, and what it should never have been doing. Because alongside that failure, they have built a bureaucratic leviathan devoted to deciding how the peoples of the world and their citizens should live. This amounts to a curious mixture of anarchy and tyranny, impotence in the face of those who break the most basic rules, such as bloodthirsty dictatorships and terrorist organizations, coupled with Orwellian control and impositions on liberal democracies that abide by the rules. We saw this with the Millennium Agenda. We saw it with the 2030 Agenda, with economic regulation, gender agendas, environmental extremism, and unchecked immigration. And every time they failed, rather than reviewing the model or apologizing, they doubled down, as they are already doing with the 2045 Agenda, which, I say now, will fail. But perhaps the most serious example, the one that forever should shame this organization, is quite another. That is how they managed the pandemic.
Mr. President, excellencies, at the outset, allow me to extend my warm and heartfelt congratulations to you on your election as president of the 81st session of the General Assembly. Your election reflects the confidence of Member States in your steadfast commitment to multilateral system and your vision for a United Nations that is responsive, effective, and capable of delivering for humanity. As you embark on this important journey, my delegation reaffirms its unwavering commitment to working closely with you and all Member States to ensure a productive and successful session. I also pay tribute to your predecessor, Her Excellency Ms. Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the General Assembly, with whom my delegation had the honour to serve as Vice President. Her dedicated leadership, zeal and tenacity of purpose in strengthening multilateral cooperation during a period of profound global uncertainty gave us hope that the future of this organization can be secured when all nations work together for the common goal of leaving no one behind. To the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, whose tenure is approaching an end, my delegation commends his exemplary leadership and commitment to the ideals of the United Nations. During his term the world confronted unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic to the eruption of new conflicts, the catastrophic effects of climate change, and unstable trade regimes. Throughout these crises, he remained the moral force and steady anchor of the organization. We salute him for his distinguished service and will fondly cherish his historic visit to the Mountain Kingdom in December 2024, during which he witnessed firsthand the dividends of the UN's contribution to Lesotho. Mr. president, the theme for this session Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all, resonates deeply with Lesotho's aspirations for a more inclusive, transparent and result oriented multilateral system capable of advancing respect for international law, maintaining global peace and security, accelerating sustainable development, protecting human rights, driving climate action, and implementing long overdue institutional reforms.
For us, this is a matter of our foreign principle. On behalf of the people of the United Republic of Tanzania, I wish to pay tribute to H.E. António Guterres as he concludes his distinguished tenure as the SecretaryGeneral of the UN. During his tenure, he steered the UN through an exceptionally challenging period marked by conflicts, geopolitical tensions, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate emergencies and growing pressure on multilateralism. In all these situations, he remained firm and undeterred. Tanzania appreciates his support for Africa’s aspirations for peace, sustainable development, climate justice and a fairer international financial architecture, as well as his personal engagement with our country. Similar accolades are for Ambassador Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, who has played a pivotal role in advancing the SDGs, advocacy for women, children and those whose voices are too often unheard. We shall miss your contribution, but Africa is proud to welcome its daughter back home. To both of you, we wish you every success and fulfillment in the years ahead. In conclusion, I wish to underscore that the UN must not merely reflect on the balance of power but serve as a platform for justice, solidarity, and progress. As we take stock of its invaluable contribution to the advancement of humanity, maintenance of international peace and security, socioeconomic progress, and sustainable development over the past 81 years, let us be reminded that there are more mountains to climb and milestones to accomplish. Tanzania believes that it is only by respecting and living by the Charter that we can honor the past and build a safer and better future for all. Thank you for your attention.
I hope the next Secretary-General, elected, will possess the same capacity and ambition to strengthen the organization and to address, with determination, the challenges facing humanity. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, this is the last time that I will have the honor of addressing this General Assembly as Head of Government of the Principality of Andorra. It will be my eighth intervention before this Assembly: six times in person, and unfortunately twice virtually, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On eight occasions, I have had the honor of bringing the voice of my country to this forum, sharing its convictions, and defending its interests with the certainty that the greatness of a nation is not measured by its size, nor by its economic or military power, but by the strength of its values and by its willingness to contribute to the common good. And I continue to believe, as I did on the first day, that the UN is indispensable, not because it is perfect, but because it remains the finest expression of an extraordinary idea: that despite our differences, dialogue will always be more powerful than force. It has been one of the greatest honors of my tenure as Head of Government of Andorra to represent and serve my country from this podium. The recently deceased Franco-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi once wondered whether we may have misunderstood the very purpose of education." Perhaps," she said," before teaching our children how to achieve economic or professional success, we should teach them that true success lies in humanism."
Economic and social progress, however, remain vulnerable to global health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic taught humanity a vital lesson: no country can protect itself from a global health emergency alone. Yet, even as we recover from that crisis, recent resurgences of mpox, recurring Ebola outbreaks, and other emerging infectious diseases remind us that our health system must remain vigilant and resilient. We must decisively address persistent inequalities in access to vaccines, medicines, and medical technologies. Critically, the international community must support African countries in developing robust local and regional capacities to manufacture essential pharmaceuticals and health products. In a recent meeting of the East, Central, and Southern African Health Community Conference held in Eswatini, the countries resolved to act as a singular bloc when purchasing essential drugs and medical supplies. This will help reduce costs and ensure supply chain stability. We appeal to the UN through the World Health Organization to support this endeavor.
Covid 19 and the subsequent disruptions in the supply chains of food and energy, as well as the conflicts and wars, demonstrated how the interests of states are interconnected along with their peace and security. Migration is at the core of such common challenges. People's mobility strives for a better future, better job opportunities, better, better development. However, the high influx of migration and their complexity reveals the reality that should be analyzed without any exaggeration, exaggerations, and it should also preserve the unity of societies. We need an effective response to this challenge through cooperation between the countries of origin transit and destination. We have to ensure a fair share of the responsibilities and burdens and address the root causes of irregular migration, while combating human trafficking and smuggling. To contain such influxes and ensure at the same time the dignity of migrants and their rights. The solution is in our common responsibility and solidarity.
The Covid 19 pandemic claimed the lives of millions of people around the world, but it also sent a message to the world: for the global community to survive, mutual assistance, empathy and cooperation are indispensable. It is essential to ensure sustainable production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic equipment in developing countries so that these are readily accessible to all. Mr. president, a state can never become strong by keeping its citizens powerless.
We will never forget the millions of lives lost due to the negligence in the fight against Covid 19. Anti-Vaccine campaigns are bringing back diseases we thought were eradicated, weakening the World Health Organization makes everyone more vulnerable. Until recently, the response to climate change was firmly established at the center of the international agenda. This year, however, the topic disappeared from the debates of the G7 and G20 forums that bring together the largest carbon emitters.
Mr. President, Mauritius is committed to upholding the pledges made at the social summit in Doha last year. Nowhere is that promise to universal social protection more concrete than in our health services. As non-communicable diseases and a rapidly ageing population place growing pressure on our health system, we are strengthening public healthcare through major investment, improved service delivery, expanded specialised care and a greater focus on prevention. Mauritius will continue to offer free and quality public health care to each and every citizen. We thus welcome the holding of the 2027 high level meeting on universal health coverage, and Mauritius stands ready to contribute to that global effort. Today, the high level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response met at a decisive moment, and decisive moments demand more than mere intentions. Mauritius supports the conclusions of the terms of benefit sharing, guaranteeing vulnerable countries real access to affordable, safe, effective and quality medicines including generics, vaccines, diagnostics and health technologies. It is of crucial importance to widen pandemic financing eligibility, including the Pandemic Fund, to formally incorporate the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index. Mauritius also welcomes UN initiatives on road safety, an issue to which we attach the highest importance and which acts as a silent epidemic that continues to claim far too many lives disproportionately in developing countries. We call for greater international attention and resources for this critical issue.
Mr. President, Secretary-General, Excellencies, distinguished heads of state and government. It is my privilege to convey from this rostrum on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the DRC and Head of State, the Congolese vision of the future of our organization. I warmly congratulate His Excellency Mr. Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of this 81st Session of the General Assembly. I also pay tribute to Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock for the work she accomplished during the previous session. Lastly, I pay tribute in particular to Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, at a time when his mandate is coming to its end. During a decade marked by wars, the pandemic, climate emergencies, and exacerbated geopolitical tensions, he constantly defended peace, human dignity, and international cooperation.
We are grateful to the European Union, and in particular to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and to the President of the European Council, António Costa, for every kind of assistance they have provided to our country. Although full-fledged membership to the European Union remains a strategic priority, we cannot ignore the prolonged enlargement fatigue, both amongst certain EU member states and among the candidate countries themselves. Serbia's European path is a clear illustration of the length and complexity of this process. We obtained candidate status in 2012 and opened accession negotiations in 2014, more than 12 years ago. The citizens of Serbia, therefore, rightly expect a clearer perspective and more tangible results from a process in which our country has participated for more than a decade. At a time when the next enlargement of the European Union does not appear likely in the near future, we have sought to remain constructive and to propose practical ways of overcoming the current impasse. We have, therefore, proposed that the Western Balkans be gradually integrated into the EU's single market and granted access to the Schengen area even before attaining full membership in the EU. This would neither serve as a substitute for membership nor diminish our ambitions. Rather, it would provide a concrete and pragmatic way forward, enable the citizens and economies of the region to experience the tangible benefits of European integration and help overcome the deadlock in which the enlargement process has remained for far too long. However, a stable and integrated Europe, of which Serbia is a part, and our European path, do not mean renouncing the traditional friendship thanks to which Belgrade is one of the few European capitals from which one can fly directly to the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, and the Russian Federation. I owe special gratitude for the support during COVID pandemics, as well as for a paramount investment in Serbia to the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, hoping that his talks with President Trump will be productive and that they will contribute to the stabilization of the developments in the world. At the same time, we nurture ties with traditional friends and partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with whom we recently marked in Belgrade the 65th anniversary of the first conference of non-aligned countries held in our capital in 1961. Our openness reflects our development strategy, our history, and our understanding of the world. Serbia believes that states can have a clear course and interests of their own without closing the door to those with whom they do not agree on everything. After all, a world in which we speak only to those who think, as we do, would have little need for diplomacy. Freedom and independence in making decisions are the highest value for Serbia.
Excellencies, we are gathering in this hall of nations, countries, large and small, some insanely rich, too many shockingly poor, but all enjoying equal voting rights. Yet we know equality is an illusion. Some possess non-threatening antiquated guns, while few others have perfected their nuclear arsenals, now 100 times more destructive than the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. As primitive as they were then, these experimental bombs incinerated two cities, almost all living beings in them. Those unfortunate ones who survived the blast died long, painful deaths. Russia, U.S., China, France, the U.K. —all members of the NPT— were joined by four countries not members of the NPT: Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea. Yes, North Korea had a nuclear arsenal estimated to be around 100. And North Korean leaders seem to have learned lessons from Libya, Ukraine, and the ongoing Iran-Israel-US war. Dismantle your nuclear capabilities and you lose the only deterrence you have against a nuclear power deciding to bomb you into submission. On June 30, 2019, President Trump traveled to DMZ in the Korean Peninsula. The mysterious Swiss-educated leader of North Korea, half the age of the American president, walked halfway, and the two leaders engaged in an embrace that promised peace. This is what leaders do to advance peace: they show courage, audacity. President Trump, you did the right thing. Friends are friends. We cherish and embrace our friends, never ignoring them or excluding them from the table. But we talk to adversaries so that we don't become enemies. We talk to enemies to prevent wars, and perhaps we become partners in peace. Those countries amassing nuclear weapons keep us all living near imminent catastrophe. One day, any day, by accident, miscalculation, computer error, madness, or foolish strategic design, we could become the last human generation. All the while, the brandishing of these weapons reinforces adversity and fear, which create a high barrier to achieving rational cooperation necessary to fulfill our responsibility to future generations. Trillions of dollars are invested in perfecting forms of death instead of investing a fraction of these trillions in clean water: food, schools, clinics. No thought was given to the tens of millions of fellow human beings pushed back to extreme deprivation by COVID-19, Ukraine-Russia war, and as if innocent bystanders on the periphery had not suffered enough, we are presented with another catastrophe: the Iran war and disruption of vital waterways for trade. We know the madness of Iranian leaders seeking regional supremacy, pouring fuel into the fire of religious extremism in neighboring countries to destabilize wealthy, stable monarchies. Iranian leaders launch unwarranted attacks against neighbors, destroying civilian industries, infrastructure. Iran's rationale for these attacks is that those countries host American bases. So is Iran going to launch waves of drones and missiles against U.S. bases in Europe? Can we change course? Can we stop sleepwalking into wider wars? My invitation to President Trump: be audacious, be unpredictable, be visionary. Invite all nuclear powers and all major conventional military powers and industries, without exception, to a summit somewhere, maybe a town in Portugal, to talk on no first strike. Enhance regular communication between leaders of the nuclear powers. Commitment on reduction of nuclear weapons toward total deactivation and destruction of nuclear arsenals over a decade. Be yourself, be President Trump, be audacious, be unpredictable. Do the unthinkable, and you will gain worldwide gratitude and respect.
