it did not make. The promise of our generation was made 81 years ago with the founding of this United Nations from the ashes of the worst war in human history. Its ideals have proven its worth. No nation is too small to be sovereign, no people too poor to be equal. And the strong should be bound by the same law as the weak. Sad to say, United Nations has drifted from its promise. The Bahamas comes today to insist on it. Mr. president, all week we've been told this is an age of uncertainty. With respect, I do not agree. Uncertainty is the language of those who have already decided and do not wish to say so. Treaties are being torn up, institutions are being starved, rules are giving way to deals, and the benefits of the deals go to whoever holds the most leverage. Once again, we hear the language of spheres of influence, of backyards and hemispheres. For 500 years, the Caribbean was somebody's backyard. We did not win our freedom to once again become somebody's backyard. The message to small nations is very clear be as sovereign as we allow you to be. Mr. President, a sovereignty that must ask permission is not sovereignty. It is a lease. Our ancestors did not break their chains so that their children could become tenants. These are not uncertain times. These times are very certain. The only uncertain thing is how we respond to the opportunities and challenges of this time. People often say that the world lacks political will. I do not agree. The world has never lacked political will. In 2008, when the banks of the richest nations were failing, trillions of dollars were found in a matter of weeks. When a global pandemic reached the capitals of the powerful, the political will returned. The will exists. It is simply pointed elsewhere. Somewhere, a bank is always too big to fail. Similarly, a nation should never be too small to be left behind. What the world lacks is not political will for change. It is political change itself. A change in who writes the rules. A change in whose suffering counts. A change in who decides and who pays. Political will is a feeling. Political change is a decision about who holds the power. And Mr. President, that is what I have come to speak about today. Power. 2500 years ago, the envoys of Athens stood before the small island of Milos and told his people a simple truth about power. The strong will do what they can. The weak will suffer what they must. 81 years ago in San Francisco, humanity wrote a different law: the sovereign equality of nations, not equality of size or wealth, equality of standing. The United Nations was the world's answer to Milos. But in 1945, nearly 1 in 3 people on earth still lived under colonial rule. The people of my islands were among them. The Bahamas was not in that room, but we were on the map. Then came political change for us. Not granted from above, demanded from below. And so on the 18th of September 1973, the Bahamas took its seat in this assembly. Then in 1985, Commonwealth leaders met in my own capital and agreed the Nassau Accord against apartheid. We were told pressure would never work. Less than five years later, Nelson Mandela walked free. None of that happened because the powerful suddenly found their conscience. It happened because the balance of power in the room was changed. That is the lesson of history. Change is not given. It is organized. It is not the small states who are dismantling the rules based order. Small countries cannot dismantle a rules based world, but we will be the first to be crushed beneath its collapse. Great powers can survive the end of the rules. Small states cannot. For us, a rules based world is our shield. The rules have not always been applied fairly. But the answer is not a world without rules. It is rules that bind the strong as firmly as the weak. An international order whose rules apply only to the weak is not order. It is a hierarchy. When the Bahamas defends multilateralism, we're not defending a bureaucracy. We're defending the only successful arrangement in which a nation of 400 000 people can stand at this position as the sovereign equal of a nation of a billion people. A world without rules is not a free world. It is Milos. Mr. president, I do not appeal to conscience. Small states have done that for decades. Today, I appeal to your interests. What is in your best interest? No wall is high enough to keep out rising, warming seas. No border strong enough to stop a pandemic. Narrow self-interest asks what you can take today. Enlightened self-interest asks what kind of world you will have to live in tomorrow. The international rules based order. It benefits all. They're not arbitrary, having been arrived at through lived experience. Every rule you break today is the rule you will need tomorrow. Every institution you starve is one you will want one day. Every small nation you abandon

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President, Liechtenstein joined the United Nations 36 years ago as its 160th member. We did so driven by the conviction that we, as one of the smallest members of the international community, should be part of the most important conversation on global governance, with the participation of all states, big or small, in developing international norms and standards, and also in upholding respect for them. Sovereignty was a key theme of our domestic discussions, resulting in our UN membership. We joined out of enlightened self-interest the belief that we need the UN to secure respect for our sovereignty through upholding international law as the basis for our security and prosperity. To this end, we also decided to make our own contribution to make best use of the opportunity offered to us as a small state, to be an active part of the biggest peace project in the history of humankind. President, our belief in the United Nations remains steadfast. This is the place where we can make our voice heard, where we can put ideas forward, and where we can gather to try to solve the issues that affect us all. We have greatly benefited from our membership, and the UN has consistently been a key platform for our foreign policy. Our membership has consistently enjoyed high levels of support in our population, but today we also find ourselves in a moment where instability and uncertainty dominate the conversation. Our organization no longer seems able to deliver on the key promises of the UN charter to save future generations from the scourge of war. It can no longer count on the unconditional support of its most powerful members for the guiding rules of international law. It is increasingly ignored or sidelined in efforts to address both the traditional and new challenges, such as the regulation of artificial intelligence. It is permanently squeezed financially. Legal obligations to pay are turned into tools to exercise political leverage. As a result the United Nations has moved down the foreign policy agenda, even of states who have a strong history of supporting it. We can no longer take it for granted that our people will continue their strongly positive views of our organization. President. This is the difficult moment in which we find ourselves. But rather than engaging in doomsday scenarios, we have to find the opportunities hidden in the challenge. The overwhelming majority of the states present in this room believe in the United Nations. They want to see positive change for the UN to emerge stronger, more effective, more relevant. But we all have to be prepared to be part of the change that we want to see. Resisting the temptation of collective inertia and of waiting for positive change to happen on its own, will require our active political investment. We are grateful to Secretary-General Guterres for his service to the organization, and for his proposals to adapt the organization to the needs of today. On the basis of his ideas, our delegations here have done good work that will show positive results over time. This is important. It shows that we can come together also during times of deep political division. It is also not enough. The steps we have taken are just the beginning of what we need, a political agreement that combines significant structural change with a reliable financial commitment and firm support for the UN charter from all. This is also the vision we are looking for in the person that will be appointed as the next Secretary-General. We hope that this decision will come very soon, in order to give the new Secretary-General the time she needs to prepare for this most unique of jobs. And we remain convinced that having a woman at the helm of the United Nations is long overdue for an organization that prides itself on its role in gender equality. President. At its core, the United Nations is a peace organization.

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He can certainly count on Luxembourg's full support throughout his tenure. Madam president, the theme that has been chosen for this general debate can hardly be more timely. When I try to paint an honest picture of the world we live in, one thing strikes me in particular trust is under growing strain. Trust between nations, trust between people, and, perhaps most importantly, trust in our ability to work together. And yet, I believe that trust is precisely where we should begin. Not because trust is easy, but because every lasting achievement of the international community has begun with a decision to trust. This is my first address to this Assembly as Head of State of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. I assumed office less than a year ago. It is therefore a particular honor to stand before you today and to reaffirm from this podium the importance Luxembourg attaches to the United Nations and to a rules-based international order grounded in the rule of law. But this moment also makes me reflect on what the United Nations means from the perspective of my own generation. As a relatively young man who has had the privilege of traveling the world, I have been fortunate to meet people from very different cultures, backgrounds, and traditions. These experiences have left me with a simple and lasting conviction. We can learn a lot from each other, and I remain convinced that it is only by working together that we can overcome the many challenges our world is facing today. This conviction is not naive. I am fully aware of the difficulties confronting us, but precisely because the world is becoming more difficult, I believe we must resist the temptation to give up on cooperation. There has never been a time when communication between people in different parts of the world was so easy. Millions of young people have virtual friends and acquaintances across continents through social media, gaming, and countless other forms of connection. We have never been so connected, and yet we seem increasingly unable to trust one another. This should make us reflect. Is it still possible to build a world order in which respect and the willingness to work towards common goals can prevail over the pursuit of self-interest and power? I believe it is, but it will require determination, dialogue and a willingness to look beyond immediate interest. And this is why the United Nations matters. Madam President. Luxembourg has believed in this principle from the very beginning. 81 years ago, still deeply marked by the horrors of the Second World War Luxembourg was among the 51 founding members that came together in San Francisco to lay the foundations of a new international order. At the time, we were the smallest country represented.

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In other words, too many nations now compete at the expense of basic rules. And that is why the world has slipped into disorder. But it matters more to find a prescription which would bring us back to order, stability and cooperation. Thus, I will offer you three remedies for a world in disorder. To begin with, we need to go back to the basics of international law. On my recent visit to India, I came across a quote from Mahatma Gandhi and I quote, the breach of one rule inevitably leads to the breach of other rules. End of quote. These words resonate all too strongly today. So there is a kick on effect of breaking the rules. We've moved back to a world defined by raw power and self-interest. Rules and values seem to be taking a back seat. Some are ready to throw in the towel, prepared to accept the defeat of the international rules based order. That is an exaggeration. International law has been questioned and challenged before. It has never been a perfect system, but we must admit that we are at a critical juncture. Fundamental norms are being questioned in a way that erodes confidence in the entire multilateral system. Therefore, the first remedy for a world in disorder is rule of law. Today, international norms are often presented as an obstacle to the pursuit of national interests. This is both wrong and dangerous. International law has never been merely an effort to achieve universal justice, but neither can it be reduced to a mere instrument of domination. It is not only about values, nor about interests, but about both. Despite the rhetoric, no major power is likely to give up its ability to shape the rules. That's why we see major powers still engaged here in the United Nations. Even when actors claim to abandon the rules, they rather seek to replace existing rules with ones more to their liking. Therefore, we will not face a world without rules. But we could be facing a world with less predictability, less restraint, a world based on rules that are more permissive for the powerful. For the collective benefit of the nations in this hall, we should continue to defend the rule of law and uphold its most fundamental principles. They include independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of nations, freedom of navigation at sea, and accountability for the most serious international crimes. The second remedy is about humanitarian principles, many of which have been mentioned in the speeches here today.

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Friends, the United Nations is entering its ninth decade at a moment of great uncertainty and challenge for the global community. Conflicts are having devastating effects on the most vulnerable. The impacts of the climate crisis are felt in every corner of our world. Hard won rights are being rolled back. Narrow self-interest is breaking the bonds of solidarity, which have so often lifted us to meaningful progress. The international legal order is under tremendous strain. New and emerging technologies that offer unlimited potential could also, without human intervention, create unprecedented dangers. In such moments of uncertainty, it can be easy to question our foundations, to retreat, to turn inward, to say that international cooperation is too difficult, that multilateralism does not work, that the problems of others are not our problems. But that would be the wrong conclusion, because the answer to a world under strain is not less international cooperation. It is more. The answer to the weakening of principles is not to abandon them. It is to defend them. And if our multilateral system is not working effectively, the answer is not to walk away from it. It is to make it stronger, fairer and fit for the world we live in. That is Ireland's position, and that is what all of us, as members of the United Nations need to deliver on. We should also remember what our collective commitment to the United Nations has achieved. The multilateral system anchored in the United Nations Charter has been the foundation of many of humanity's greatest achievements. It has driven advances in poverty alleviation health care, education, social protection, and food and nutrition security. It has championed human rights and dignity and insisted that accountability matters. It has given voice to the marginalised Mr. president, the people of Ireland understand that we live in an interdependent world, that the challenges we face are interconnected, cross borders and require collective solutions. Ireland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Our stewardship of the European Union's agenda is deeply rooted in the principle of strength with unity, and this principle is at the heart of our vision for the United Nations, as well as our unwavering commitment to the pillars which guide its work. Peace and security. Human rights and development. These pillars equally bear the weight of our shared ambition for a better, fairer and peaceful world. Collectively, however, we are not delivering on their ambition. We are not staying the course. At a Time and global needs are increasing and becoming more complex.

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We, Libyanes, bear the responsibility, the primary responsibility. Patriotism is not only the defense of sovereignty against negative foreign interference. It also is the protection of the state from corruption within, the safeguarding of public funds, the upholding of the rule of law, and the placing the nation above power and self-interest. Libya today has an opportunity to leave behind the cycle of transitional phases and to enter the era of the state. It has an opportunity to regain the role befitting its history, its position, and its standing among nations. Libya does not want to be an arena on whose soil the interests of others are balanced, but a state that shapes its own balance by its own will. It does not want others to compete for influence within it, but to compete for partnership with it. That is the path we choose for Libya: a state sovereign in its decisions, unified in its institutions, just among its citizens, and a partner for peace and stability in its region and the world.

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