Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

Remarks by the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis

Keynote Address at the Opening of the Annual Meeting of the Council of Presidents of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly

18 October 2023

[As Delivered]

Your Excellency?Dr.?Han?Seung-soo, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCPGA Chairman,?

Your Excellency?Dr.?Jan Kavan, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCPGA Vice-Chairman,?

Mr. Secretary-General of the Council, Mr. Jehangir Khan,?

Distinguished Members of the Council, Excellencies,?

Ladies and Gentlemen,?

It is with great honour and humility that I stand before you today.?

I express my heartfelt gratitude to you Chair, and to the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCPGA), for the kind invitation to address your esteemed membership at the opening of this Annual Meeting in Seoul.?

This institution ¨C Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCPGA ¨C stands as a paragon of uniqueness.?

It serves as a nexus, uniting?perspectives?and individuals with illustrious careers, amassing an unmatched reservoir of collective expertise and wisdom drawn from the diverse sessions of the General Assembly.

The Council exemplifies independence, knowledge, and inspiration ¨C and I am deeply appreciative of your unwavering commitment to our common causes, as we continue efforts to sustain?and indeed to strengthen?our multilateral system.

Your contributions come at a pivotal time, when the international community and our treasured multilateral system grapple with pressing ¨C perhaps existential ¨C issues surrounding their legitimacy and purpose.

As I highlighted during the High-Level Week in New York, the challenges we face are global, interconnected, and demand a collective, cooperative, and coherent multilateral response.?

And, for this session I have anchored my approach in the values of peace, prosperity,?progress?and sustainability for all.

We find ourselves in an era marked by crises that transcend borders and threaten the very fabric of our global society.?

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically laid bare the necessity of robust, coordinated international cooperation and solidarity in the face of global threats.

Climate catastrophe looms ever closer, as evidenced by the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters and the steady rise of sea levels that threaten nations around the world, particularly small island states.?

Deadly conflicts persist and even escalate, as seen in the continuing aggression against Ukraine, which tests the international community¡¯s unity and resolve to uphold the fundamental principles of international law, as well as the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter itself. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of states are not negotiable concepts or rules.

Just this month, we saw a decades-old conflict in the Middle East re-ignite in a flash and flare up dramatically, causing yet another wave of tragic suffering, for both Israelis and Palestinians¡¯ civilian population.?

In the last year, too often, grievance has toppled governance, where military takeovers have supplanted established orders across Western Africa.

In my own region,?the Caribbean,?Haiti has descended into anarchy and lawlessness and is at the mercy of marauding gangs that continue to terrorize the helpless citizens ¨C using rape as weapon of humiliation to women and girls.

Like many other flaring conflicts worldwide, the intensified tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan ¨C and its humanitarian consequences ¨C also requires our urgent attention as the international community.

All this while, women¡¯s empowerment and parity still lags?woefully?behind.

Within this very room, we can observe the clear absence of meaningful progress over the?life of the organisation.?

At our current pace, we would need 140 years for women to attain equal representation in leadership roles.?

Dear Friends,?

The fact that in 78 years only four women have assumed Presidency of the General Assembly is in itself a?glaring anomaly.?

In addition ¨C from the Security Council to the international financial architecture ¨C our Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system as a whole is mired in serious structural inequalities and injustices which we cannot credibly continue to ignore.?

As we stand in this minefield of immense challenges, it is imperative that we continue to fight for?an?inclusive and impactful multilateralism; a multilateralism that delivers for peace and development, and that strengthens?the prospects for?global peace and security.?

Some may argue that multilateral engagement diminishes sovereignty.

I would argue ¨C on the contrary ¨C that multilateral engagement enhances sovereignty, by uniting?the?powers and capabilities of members in common cause.?

This holds true for all nations ¨C from global superpowers to small islands like my own.

And it is especially important for countries in special situations ¨C whose plight of vulnerability has gone unresolved for decades; hence my commitment to prioritize them during my Presidency.

We need to dispel these misconceptions and recognize the strengths that come with incisive international collaboration.

Full respect for the principle of sovereign equality of states ¨C and accommodation for the voices of the majority small states members of the United Nations ¨C is key to strengthening our multilateral system.?

From a strategic perspective, all these global challenges should serve as unifying forces.

But instead, we are witnessing a growing?schism;?sowing unprecedented discord within the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and among its Member States.

Mistrust prevails, while megaphone diplomacy and political grandstanding have replaced genuine dialogue towards problem-solving.?

Too many Member States speak not to their peers to resolve problems but to their national audiences ¨C undermining the very essence of diplomacy and multilateralism.

Concrete manifestations of these divisive dynamics include recent vetoes in the Security Council on resolutions aimed at resolving crises and alleviating suffering in Ukraine, Syria, the DPRK, and Mali.

Issues such as disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation ¨C which once enjoyed a reasonable degree of consensus ¨C are now frequently subjected to recorded votes in the General Assembly.

Alarmingly, across the negotiation tracks of the General Assembly, seeking consensus?or?compromise is increasingly?viewed as weakness,?by those exclusively focused on?achieving the?national interest, at all costs.

These contentious approaches are leading to a systematic cross-contamination of issues, causing deadlock and disillusionment rather than dialogue and hope.?

This raises major questions about the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s legitimacy and relevance.?

It raises questions about the future of the United Nations and the sustainability of our multilateral system, at precisely that time when success demands intergovernmental cooperation and coordination to resolve the most pressing global issues.?

Are we diligently fulfilling our responsibilities as outlined in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter, or are we giving precedence to national interests at the expense of collaborative efforts, even when the well-being and livelihoods of people?everywhere, including our own people,?are in obvious jeopardy??

Distinguished Chair and Dear Colleagues,?

Against this backdrop ¨C and despite all of these challenges ¨C I am encouraged that during the High-Level Week the SDG Political Declaration, along three other?critically important?health-related Declarations were approved by leaders and adopted by consensus.?

However, in order to truly move forward, we need a revival of?genuine cooperation,?solidarity?and a reinvigorated spirit of multilateralism within the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.

Trust is the critical, enabling, foundational element of this effort.

To rebuild trust among member states ¨C and in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ itself ¨C I intend to foster informal dialogues and spaces for Member States to genuinely engage freely and openly, away from the pressures and politics of cameras and speeches.?

Strengthening collaboration and building relationships among the various Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ organs is also imperative.

In this regard,?there has?already?been the resumption of?the tradition of holding regular meetings with the Secretary-General and President of ECOSOC.?I will also seek collaboration with the successive Presidents of the Security Council.?

As reflected in the recent outcomes of the revitalization process, we must work harder together to prioritize the work on enhancing the role and authority of the General Assembly.?

With your support, I commit to working assiduously to restore the Assembly¡¯s centrality as the foremost deliberative and policy-making body ¨C rather than as a platform for bashing, where Member States speak past each other?and?do not constructively engage.?

Distinguished Chair and Dear Friends,?

As I conclude my remarks and we commence our discussions, I beseech the collective wisdom of this unique body ¨C the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly.?

Together, may we inspire profound introspection and foster the generation of bold and creative ideas and suggestions to confront the challenges before us.

The world has witnessed your leadership during times of crisis and uncertainty?¨C?and now, I ask:?

Collectively and individually, you are all tested leaders with a reservoir of knowledge to assist in answering these and other vexing questions:?

All your insights will serve as a source of enlightenment, propelling my Team and I forward on a path towards tangible progress and reinforcing the enduring relevance of the principles enshrined in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter.?

I look forward to your concrete suggestions for future action.?

As?a certain distinguished former President of the General Assembly said during his tenure:

?“Let us place first, before anything else, the transcendent vision enshrined in the Charter: namely, the constant and untiring pursuit of peace, security, equality, human rights, fundamental freedoms, and economic and social advancement for all the people of this planet. Let us seek harmony through diversity, peace through dialogue, and mutual prosperity through cooperation.”?

I therefore eagerly anticipate a meeting?of?the Council that promises stimulating discussions and the opportunity for us to collaboratively strive for a world that is more peaceful,?more?secure,?more?just and more?prosperous.?

I thank you.?