Statement by H.E. Tijjani Muhammad Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly<\/h3>\n
30 September 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n I must begin by underscoring my appreciation of the contributions made by participants in this year\u2019s General Debate.<\/p>\n As I listened to the speakers, I formed the distinct impression that, far from being an out-moded principle, multi-lateral cooperation remains an accepted and reliable method of managing relations among nations. That so many world leaders made time to participate in the deliberations which took place during the High Level Week is, along with the quality of engagement at the General Debate, indisputable evidence of the strength of multilateralism.<\/p>\n It is my hope that the enthusiasm displayed during the Debate will prove invaluable as we approach the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, and as we join hands to respond to contemporary and unfolding global challenges.<\/p>\n It is perfectly legitimate to raise questions about the essence of, and need for, multilateralism. All the same, even when we disagree on how the world should be organized to respond to, or anticipate, mounting challenges, we shall eventually come to common cause on the need for a rules-based international order.<\/p>\n In a highly polarized world, multilateralism is the only guarantee of peace, security, and sustainable development. The world will not survive for long unless we cultivate the give-and-take spirit which is a distinct and defining attribute of multilateralism.<\/p>\n It is gratifying to note that even those who are a bit skeptical about the direction of multilateralism acknowledge this much.\u00a0 Active participation in the General Debate by 192 of our 193 Member States is the clearest indicator of the acknowledgement of the inter-dependence between and among nations.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n The General Assembly is the most representative body in the United Nations. However, it is disheartening that, this week, only sixteen of the one hundred and ninety-two speakers were women. When we speak of a representative United Nations, this is clearly not what we mean.<\/p>\n By a representative United Nations, we mean a body that allows every human being to realize his or her fullest potential, unhindered by his\/her gender or by a history of disadvantage. Gender equality in the contemporary world is still work in progress.<\/p>\n We therefore need to double our efforts to speed up the process of including women not only in decision-making structures, but also in the list of speakers billed to address high-level fora. I implore each of you to make space for women, to facilitate the full participation of women at all levels of decision-making.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n This week the world\u2019s youth made their mark. They marched in their millions all over the world and quite literally took over the General Assembly at the Climate Action Summit. Let me assure you youth\u2013 we hear you! But that I hear you does not mean you should lower the volume. You should continue to make your voice heard at every opportunity you have.<\/p>\n The week began with climate action announcements, and proceeded with the historic adoption of a political declaration on Universal Health Coverage focused on prevention, promotion and quality delivery of health care. This is a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\n Similarly, the SDG Summit ended with the adoption of a political declaration captioned, \u201cGearing up for a Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development\u201d.<\/p>\n Our work is guided by Agenda 2030, but this week we paused to reflect on a watershed moment of thirty years ago when we adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We will reconvene in November to celebrate this anniversary.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” _i=”1″ _address=”0.1″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”0″ _address=”0.1.0″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ _i=”0″ _address=”0.1.0.0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” 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header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n It has been almost 75 years since our Organization was created to assure the world of peace and security.<\/p>\n This week, we celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, and marked the Signing and Ratification of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear weapons. These events crown the admirable efforts of Member States towards a nuclear-weapons-free-world. I applaud you for leading these important initiatives.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n The High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, the first since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Agenda, highlighted the need to mobilize resources to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. To honour our commitments, we need an additional sum of $2.4 trillion.<\/p>\n One place to start is by curbing illicit financial flows which siphon $2.6 trillion every year from the global economy. We must also accord good governance high priority. This is to ensure that corruption does not continue to derail progress and fuel conflict as we approach the year 2030.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” _i=”1″ _address=”0.1.1″ custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_code _i=”0″ _address=”0.1.1.0″ _builder_version=”3.27.4″ z_index_tablet=”500″]\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/74\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/99\/2019\/09\/Capture-20-1024x686.png\")
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