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Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

New York,

22 November 2021

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Thank you, Elisabeth, for the very kind introduction and to the Department of Global Communications for hosting this conversation.?

A very good morning to all Reham Al-Farra (RAF) Journalism Fellows.?

I am delighted to join you today.??

I am honored to have the chance to address the Fellows, and even more excited to hear what you have to say.??

I have always welcomed journalists to speak their truth.

In my 25 years of parliamentary service, submitting the bill to repeal an archaic anti-defamation Act targeting journalists remains among my proudest achievements.

I am proud to note that since I became Foreign Minister of Maldives, our journalists have fully availed those freedoms.

I am often at the receiving end of an assailing pen. Words written about me maybe critical and harsh, but their authors will never face reprisal.

That to me, is the embodiment of democracy, of freedom.

I will say upfront: I know I¡¯m here to answer some of your questions, but I need your guidance too.??

I want to hear from you, and the?countries and communities your?voices?represent.?

And the RAF Fellowship makes this possible.?

I congratulate all of you on your selection for the Programme; your many talents and ambitions; and your courage.?

You remind me of why I entered public service,?many?years ago.?

I?may?now?be?59?years of age,?but?my enthusiasm for positive change, unlike my hair,?still remains.??????

I know firsthand the desire of so many young people to engage and make a lasting difference.?

I was at COP26 in Glasgow two weeks ago, and I was in Rio in 1992 when the Earth Summit was held. Many of you probably wouldn¡¯t have been born then.??

But it was young climate activists and leaders who created and have sustained momentum ¨C always pushing for more ambitious solutions.?

At?1.8 billion,?today¡¯s youth demographic is?the largest in history, and?their expectations of us?are commensurate in scale.??

They expect to inherit a world that is peaceful, sustainable, gender-balanced, just, and prosperous.??

And they want to stand alongside us and actively contribute to?that?world.????

And so, Fellows, I want to reiterate to you ¨C from what you¡¯ve heard from the Secretary-General and other Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ leaders in your conversations over these past weeks ¨C that we want to listen, and work with you, and ensure that your ideas and your voices are included in the United Nations¡¯ substantive work.??

You will one day be stewards of the world we leave behind.?You?deserve to have a say in shaping your own futures.?? ???

And for young journalists especially, I know many of you are unimpressed with political soundbites and platitudes.?

You have also been witness to the spread of misinformation, during the pandemic in particular ¨C and long, as do we all, for renewed emphasis on the value of rigorous, fact-based reporting.??

At the same time, we have witnessed a steady, global proliferation of attacks on journalists, simply for doing their jobs.?

Between 2006 and 2020, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO reported over 1,200 journalists were killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. In nine out of ten cases, the killers were unpunished.??

Too often women journalists are disproportionately impacted as targets of hate speech, threats of violence, and harassment ¨C both online and offline.?

Freedom of press, like any other, requires constant protection.??

And we are thankful that through this Fellowship, you are working with us ¨C both by telling your own stories, and by raising collective awareness on the importance of a free press?as?a means of peace, justice and human rights for all.?

This takes courage and conviction; it takes principles and determination to stand your ground on what you believe in, to push back against obstacles and roadblocks to progress.??

We in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ are, and must remain, inspired by your courage ¨C to defend the essential role played by a free and pluralistic press, in upholding the values of human rights and democracy.?

When I was elected President of the General Assembly, someone asked me what the theme would be of my Presidency. My immediate response was ¡®hope¡¯.?

Because hope is something that our world is sorely lacking.?

With the climate crisis ever present; with the tragedy of COVID-19; and with rampant inequality.?

But I believe it is time that we remember what we can do;?what we are capable of doing.??

That is the message that I have focused on during the session at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly, and that is the message I talk about with leaders every day.?

Today, I am excited and I am grateful to talk about it with you, because when I see young people take an opportunity like this Fellowship ¨C to meaningfully participate in the General Assembly¡¯s work ¨C I am hopeful.?

I am heartened that you have chosen to make use of this opportunity to allow your voices to be heard, and I am hopeful that?you will stay hopeful, stay ambitious, and retain your determination of action and conviction of cause.

My message to you, dear Fellows, is never stop doing that. Keep at it. Don¡¯t let bureaucracy stifle your courage.?

Keep giving us the tough questions, and we will always defend your right to ask them.?

And with that, I look forward to our discussion.?

Thank you.????

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