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This requires strengthening diplomacy, mediation, and political dialogue, as well as effective control over arms proliferation and the military applications of new technologies. Artificial intelligence must be developed in keeping with international law and under effective human control, and outer space must remain the realm of peaceful and safe operations. The same principle ought to guide our response to terrorism, radicalization, disinformation, and cyber threats. No country can do this alone, ladies and gentlemen. Strong institutions, effective UN peacekeeping operations, and closer international cooperation are necessary. Bulgaria will continue to defend this approach. Lasting security is not only built through responding to crises but also through our capacity to prevent them. Excellencies, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council 2024-2026, Bulgaria is striving to create a public environment free of discrimination, racism, anti-Semitism, and hate speech.
Well, Yoni said it simply. We have no other choice. And throughout this long war, our goal never wavered. To win. To win with unwavering resolve. To win with unrelenting courage. Because this is Israel. One nation fighting for one future left and right, young and old, religious and secular. Do we have our differences? Of course we do. Who doesn't? But in critical moments, those moments that shape our destiny, we stand together because what unites us is so much stronger. Our history, our values, our courage, the courage, the courage of our brave people who withstood 1000 massive ballistic missiles that Iran rained down on our cities, on our civilians. Ladies and gentlemen, you're sitting here in the General Assembly Hall of the UN. Do you know what? Just 1 ton ballistic missile would do if it hit this place. It would obliterate the entire compound. In fact, two such missiles would obliterate the U.N.. So you can imagine think about 1000 gigantic missiles falling from the skies on your cities, on your homes. I salute the courage of the people of Israel. I salute the courage of our brave soldiers, Jews, Christians, Druze, Muslim, the most moral army in the world, the IDF. For three years our brave soldiers have been valiantly fighting a seven front war. But there's an eighth front to this war. It's the war for truth. It is waged in the world's media and most perniciously in social media. Several foreign countries have spent untold billions to spread lies about my country. The first to do so was Qatar. Decades ago. It started massively funding American universities and toxic media outlets like Al Jazeera. They did the same in Europe, by the way, and their goal was clear brainwash young minds to hate Israel, hate America, hate the West. This is the same Qatar that hosts the Hamas butchers of October 7th, now the latest country to become a super spreader of anti-Semitic lies is Turkey.
Let respect for international law, peace, solidarity, sustainable development and justice be the path that we follow together. Ladies and gentlemen, we in Bosnia and Herzegovina call upon all UN Member states to focus on reaffirming relations between states on the basis of international law, ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, promoting peace and social progress, combating hate speech and all forms of discrimination, strengthening policies for the prevention of genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes, advancing the rights of women and children, and strengthening gender equality, better healthcare and education. The world must return to the fundamental principles upon which the UN is founded. Respect for human dignity, the sovereign equality of states, the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for international law.
Your excellencies, some things demand our immediate attention, others demand sustained attention. Injustice demands both. Jordan understands this all too well. We know what it means to live in a region where one crisis arrives before the last one has receded, and we know that we cannot choose between responding to the emergency before us and building the future beyond it. So we're doing both. We are strengthening connections from the Gulf to the Mediterranean as a hub for trade, industry and technology while responding to humanitarian crises. We are confronting terrorism in the region and beyond, while developing our own defenses and remaining a frontline against threats like narcotics. We are protecting Christianity in its communities and heritage, in its native and historic land, while promoting the true image of Islam against the voices of hate. And through it all, we will not abandon our commitment to a just peace. We will continue to support Palestinian resilience, we will continue supporting UNRWA, and we will continue to uphold the Hashemite Custodianship and historic and legal status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Most importantly, Jordan is striving to build a different model principled, open and steady at a time when certainty is rare and politics can shift by the day. A country the world can count on, true to our principles, true to our word, ready to talk to everyone and ready to work with anyone seeking peace. However, our bias towards diplomacy will never supersede our commitment to human values and should not be taken for granted or mistaken for weakness. My friends, whether in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, or anywhere people live with war, displacement and fear. Whether crisis began weeks ago or has endured for decades, our principles cannot change with the world's attention. Military force cannot deliver meaningful solutions. It cannot feed the hungry, return the displaced, or build peace, nor can it repair our planet, manage mass migration, or guide technological progress.
We are proud of their valuable sacrifices. Ladies and gentlemen, the alarming rise in Islamophobia is deeply worrying as Muslims face hate speech, discrimination, attacks on mosques and desecration of the Holy Quran. Just across our border, RSS driven Hindutva ideology is fanning religious hatred, leading to lynching, communal violence, attacks on places of worship and restrictions upon religious freedom. The demolition of the 150 year old mosque in Saharanpur, India, earlier this month is a case in point.
We know that inequality is at the heart of the rising appeal of politics, founded on hate and exclusion. Across the world, citizens who have seen little improvement in their economic fortunes are turning to ideas diametrically opposed to the values of the UN charter. As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, South Africa reaffirms its commitment to confronting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance. We are determined to confront racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance through our Constitution, our laws and our institutions.
Dear colleagues, human rights are at the heart of the society we are building at home and of the international order we promote abroad. Human dignity is universal and indivisible. That means protecting the rights and freedoms of every single person, combating discrimination and hate speech, and safeguarding the independent institutions, free media, and civil society on which our democratic societies depend. Montenegro is proud of its multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural character. We understand that diversity is not a challenge to be managed. It is a strength to be protected. Montenegro sits where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Balkans. We are a small country shaped by different cultures, religions, and identities. Our history has taught us that living together cannot be taken for granted. It has to be renewed by every generation. And perhaps this is why we understand so well that trust is not the absence of differences. Trust is the ability to live with those differences without allowing them to become divisions. And at a time of growing polarization, societies do not become stronger by making everyone the same. They become stronger by building institutions in which every single citizen can recognize the same fairness and the same dignity. Excellencies, the choices we make today—choices on peace, technology, and climate action— will shape the lives of generations yet to come.
(BRIEF PAUSE) Turning to human rights, we should acknowledge that these are central to the other two pillars: they can promote peace and security and advance sustainable development. And we recognize one of the most urgent assaults on human dignity today: hate speech that incites violence. It is a growing threat to regional and global peace, and it is on the rise. Hateful narratives are spreading like wildfire across borders and into homes at unprecedented speed and scale. They target women and girls, minorities, migrants, refugees and persons with disabilities, often for political gain. New and emerging technologies are used to amplify lies, manipulate public debate, spread hatred and give incitement to violence faster and farther than ever before. We must choose dialogue and tolerance and foster a culture in which human rights are respected not only in law, but in our daily interactions. And we must stop the cherry picking of those rights that fit our respective cultures or the politics of the day. Whether it is islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, or misogyny, it’s all the same... hatred, repackaged and relabelled. Let us use the tools of our age not to deepen fear, but to widen understanding and advance human dignity, for everyone, everywhere. (BRIEF PAUSE) My second point: making the United Nations fit for the future, which requires a more foundational approach to reform.
I selected 10 sentences for peace for the United Nations General Assembly, giving them a voice. And I begin, and I quote," From a country that has learned from war, Timor-Leste sends a message to the world. That is, peace is not just a dream, but a decision that we all have to choose." By Olguita, 16 years old. We may look different, speak different languages, and come from different places, but we all bleed the same color. So why should our differences divide us? By Elizabeth, 16 years old." May we build a world where no child learns the sound of war before the sound of laughter, and where no dream is buried because someone else's hatred." By Emily, 16." Why should we choose hate and war when love is a choice?" By Ira Bela, 12 years old." My voice may be small, but my request is simple. Let children grow up knowing the sound of peace, not the sound of war. Let them inherit schools, homes, and opportunities, not fear, destruction, and hatred. Let the leaders of today give the children of tomorrow a reason to believe in peace." By Victoria, 12 years old." Let our differences be bridges between hearts, not walls between nations, so that every child can grow knowing the sound of laughter instead of the sound of war." Natalia, 17." Let every weapon fall silent so every child can grow up knowing the sound of peace." By Christian, 16." I only think that peace in the world begins within us. When we learn to love each other unconditionally, forgive sincerely, and respect each other despite our differences, the world will become a place full of peace, hope, and love." By Melchi Videau, 12 years old." Peace is not merely the silence after conflict. Rather, it means we overcome everything peacefully. Let peace be the victory we seek and create a unity for humanity." By Clarissa, 14." Peace never exists on its own, but begins with us." By Francisca, 14." For all the people who rule the world, children should not have to learn about all the worlds in our history class. We should learn about the names of the stars, the names of peacemakers, and how to reach planet Mars with deep, deep respect." Solomon.
