– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

23 September 2020

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H.E. Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore,

His Highness, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

H.E. Luigi Di Maio, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic,

H.E. Motegi Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan,

Excellencies,

Thank you for inviting me to participate in the 13th?Ministerial Meeting of the 3G Group.?I fully support the group¡¯s aims of improving global governance to meet our world¡¯s current and future challenges.

It is an honor to be here today as President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly. This is the first time that Japan, Saudi Arabia, and soon Italy, will have held the G20 Presidency. And I am the first Turkish PGA. We are making history together.

Excellencies allow me to reflect on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as it turns 75.

While it would be appealing to only celebrate 75-years of collaboration, the truth is that multilateralism, and the United Nations, is facing its strongest test in decades.

COVID-19 has brought with it both tragic loss of life, and socio-economic damage, on a scale not seen since the Second World War.

Multilateralism and global cooperation form the only reliable path out of this crisis.?The General Assembly is an indispensable, universal platform to convene all stakeholders, work towards consensus and launch global action plans.

Excellencies, we have in the Sustainable Development Goals our blueprint for building back better from this crisis to secure a sustainable future.

By investing in a COVID-recovery centered on the Goals, we can strengthen our societies. We can reduce inequalities, tackle climate change, boost social and economic growth, and increase our world¡¯s?resilience to future systemic shocks, through preventative rather than reactive approaches.

It is for this reason the theme of the 75th?Session includes a focus on recovery from COVID-19. Furthermore, I have ensured that the SDGs and the Decade of Action are priorities under my Presidency.

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is the most emblematic symbol of multilateralism. Trust that I will be its most ardent champion, in service of the most vulnerable to ensure no one is left behind. And I will endeavor to support reforms to make the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system fit for purpose, to reinforce faith in multilateralism.

Volkan Bozkir

President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is the most emblematic symbol of multilateralism. Trust that I will be its most ardent champion, in service of the most vulnerable to ensure no one is left behind. And I will endeavor to support reforms to make the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system fit for purpose, to reinforce faith in multilateralism.

Cooperation between the United Nations and the G20 is critically important, and the efforts by the 3G in this regard are deeply appreciated.

I commend efforts to achieve a universally available and affordable vaccine for COVID-19 and note significant support for the WHO-led COVAX facility,?a strong example of multilateralism in action.

I also welcome?this group¡¯s recent meeting of environmental ministers on the topic of ecosystems and biodiversity. This aligns strongly with the General Assembly¡¯s agenda, in particular, the Summit on Biodiversity, over which I will preside on Sept 30th. And it will be the first ever biodiversity meeting in the General Assembly.

Finally,?I very much look forward to hearing more on Italy¡¯s priorities for the G20 in 2021.

Together, we will create the future we want.

Thank you very much for having me in this very important meeting and I wish you the best for your very important endeavours.