Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
5 May 2022
His Excellency Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of ECOSOC,
His Excellency Kennedy Godfrey Gastorn, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the United Nations,
His Excellency Sergiy Kyslytsya
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to contribute to the 2022 Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum.
I commend the choice of theme, which embraces the reality that we have innovative tools and practices at our disposal to support our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am a firm believer in the ingenuity of humankind, I have advocated strongly for our investment in this area.
We must lean into our innovative capacities, our strengths and skills, and share these widely to the benefit of all.
I said this, at COP26, when I implored the international community to realize the incredible advances in renewable energy.
And I said this at the high-level event on universal vaccination, which I hosted in February, when I pointed to the collaborative development of multiple, viable vaccines against COVID-19 in such of short time.
My friends this is just the beginning and I see no end in sight to what we can achieve… if we work together.
Paradoxically, it is when the stakes are high that humanity often delivers its most innovative, most forward-looking advances. Perhaps this is due to the urgency that unlocks resources; or perhaps it is the willingness to think outside the box. In either case, we must look to that urgency now.
Our world faces a myriad of challenges: climate change, disasters, inequalities, conflict, poverty, and hunger.
Yet, we have the capacity as a species to overcome these.
Let us choose a path forward that welcomes the truths of science, that spurs our innovation, and that leads to new technological advances.
This will not only allow us to make incredible breakthroughs but will boost social and economic growth; helping to expand social services; create jobs and livelihoods; tackle rampant inequalities, and empower women and girls.
Truly, we can innovate our way across the entirety of the 2030 Agenda.
And never before has there been both incredible impetus for this, as well as opportunity.
On the one hand, billions have suffered through the pandemic and far too many continue to suffer due to the socio-economic impacts. A recovery that embraces the ideals of science, technology and innovation can support efforts to empower and protect, truly leaving no one behind.
At the same time, as world leaders and policymakers look to the new normal, now is the time to share resources, to invest wisely, and to tackle the challenges that continue to hold back progress.
Through science, technology and innovation, we can address the inequalities that divide our world.
My friends, imagine a world with no digital divide – where we expand internet access to every person, including the billions who remain offline.
Imagine the economic growth, the jobs, and the new sectors that could emerge.
Imagine closing the energy divide and expanding renewables to every corner of the planet.
These measures would simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions while empowering billions of people, all in one fell swoop.
These are the transformations we must aim for. These are the ambitions we must set for ourselves.
Dear friends,
Let us dream big. Let us work together. Let us build the future that we have promised to our children.
I thank you.