– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
1 December 2020
Mr Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
This year, we mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In six years of war, approximately 75 million people lost their lives, the majority of whom were civilians. Today, as requested by the General Assembly Resolution 75/5, we honour and remember all victims of war, those who sacrificed their lives and all the innocent lives that suffered.
World War II was one of the most catastrophic events in human history. Almost all states were affected. The Holocaust shocked the world. The aftermath was devastating. Across the globe,?parents lost their children and a generation grew up without their parents: poverty was rampant, millions were left destitute and starving.? Economies were in tatters. The world witnessed the devastation of the atomic bomb. The brutality was incomprehensible.
This untold sorrow established the conditions for a strong multilateral platform, the United Nations, ¡®to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war¡¯.
The deadliest conflict in history demonstrated the clear need for a forum that could be ¡®a center for harmonizing the actions of nations¡¯.
Excellencies, as the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, said in 1954, ¡°the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.¡±
While we are certainly not in heaven, neither are we in hell. As a collective community, we have made huge progress since the end of the Second World War in all aspects of human development. We have established many organizations to facilitate international and regional cooperation, the multilateral system is based on the promotion of democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is at the heart of all these efforts.
But, while much progress has been made, we can certainly do better and do more.
Our founders recognized that the three pillars of the United Nations ¨C peace and security, development, and human rights ¨C are equally important, interrelated, and interdependent. One cannot advance without the other.
Peace, security, freedom, and development are linked inextricably to the international promotion and protection of rights and freedoms. Failure to respect the individual and collective human rights as well as discrimination and stigmatization are not only against the very of principles of law and international legal system, they also impede development and lead to insecurity.
Development goals have not been met, including the Millennium Development Goals. Similarly, we are not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We are not doing enough to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
We were not prepared for the pandemic and its consequences?
And conflicts unfortunately continue to exist all around the world. As long as human rights and development challenges exist, conflicts will continue. And the continuation of conflicts will prevent millions from enjoying their rights and from living a dignified and prosperous life.
Many World War II survivors are no longer with us. They cannot tell us their stories in person. Yet we must ensure we do not forget their experiences and the lessons they have taught us. The horror of their experience drove us to put aside our differences and put humanity and ¡®the people¡¯ first.
So, today as we commemorate all victims of war, we do so knowing that we still have much to do in order to deliver peaceful, just and developed societies, equal opportunities, qualified services in fundamental sectors like education, health, infrastructure, to all.???????
Many World War II survivors are no longer with us. They cannot tell us their stories in person. Yet we must ensure we do not forget their experiences and the lessons they have taught us. The horror of their experience drove us to put aside our differences and put humanity and ¡®the people¡¯ first.
As we fight one of the principle challenges of our times, the COVID-19 pandemic, and look to the next 75 years, let us remember the victims of the Second World War, and let their fortitude inspire us to come together and strengthen the multilateral system to provide solutions to the greatest challenges facing us today.
I thank you.
