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14 September 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Good afternoon,<\/strong><\/p>\n A very warm greetings to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ correspondents. I look forward to working with you many times throughout the coming year.<\/p>\n Allow me to say upfront that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has been home since the 1980\u2019s \u2013 yes, and that does not in any way reflect my age.<\/p>\n While member states negotiate resolutions, the essence of what we do at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is only conveyed to the rest of the world by the media.<\/p>\n I have always admired the work you do to help the world understand what we at the United Nations and, more specifically, the General Assembly does to improve people\u2019s lives around the world.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s age and time, what is left untold has never happened. I want our work at the General Assembly to be told. And you are my partners in that endeavor.<\/p>\n A free press is a fundamental pillar of transparency, of democracy. Sometimes, you need someone to ask the questions, even the uncomfortable ones, if you\u2019re going to be open and honest about what is happening.<\/p>\n Please, never shy away from asking the tough questions. I might decide not to answer some questions but that may primarily because I really do not have the answers, but I want you to keep me and the rest of the Members of this house on our toes.<\/p>\n And I intend to support your work in this regard. In addition to regular briefings, I hope to host a luncheon or morning dialogue for the members of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ press corps.<\/p>\n Likewise, I am hopeful that I will be invited to press events and interviews, and have the opportunity to engage with young, aspiring journalists who are eager to make their mark.<\/p>\n Empowering youth is an important part of my Presidency and I hope you will work with me to help make this happen.<\/p>\n Colleagues, by now you have heard extensively about my \u2018Presidency of Hope\u2019. For those of you who have not, the summary is this: \u00a0we have a global population who have lived in anxiety, depression, and desperation for 18-months. We can no longer afford to be the voice of doom and gloom. For every problem there must be a solution and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ can and must be at the forefront of spelling out those solutions. Let people come to us for hope, for inspiration, and for peace of mind.<\/p>\n When I propose my Five Rays of Hope<\/strong>, I do so very aware that we need hope to deliver on these areas and get the world back on its feet.<\/p>\n The first ray is about COVID 19 and the need for vaccine equity<\/strong>. We cannot accept that only 3% of Africa has yet been immunized, we can and will do better. I intend to call a high-level thematic debate on vaccine equity with leading experts and world leaders for early 2022, as we seek to put those jabs in every arm that needs them. We will not be safe until all of us are safe.<\/p>\n My second ray is on recovery. As we rebuild<\/strong>, we must do so sustainably. <\/strong>Our Decade of Action must also be a Decade of Recovery.<\/p>\n My third day of hope is on responding to the needs of the planet<\/strong>. This is a year of Conferences on the Planet: COP-26, Biodiversity Convention, Energy Dialogue\u2026 and next year, the Least Developed Countries Conference in Doha and Oceans Conference in Portugal. My proposal is to coordinate and pool efforts from all these events, so we can find commons solutions and act upon them.<\/p>\n I call this 76h Session a \u201cSuper Session for Nature\u201d.<\/p>\n My fourth ray of hope is on human rights and the ever-critical need to never leave anyone behind. All people must be empowered; all must be lifted up; must be protected; must be given the opportunities to grow and thrive in safety and prosperity. We must address discrimination in all its forms and be the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ for all people.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Dear Friends<\/strong>,<\/p>\n My Presidency of Hope is also about respecting the rights of all<\/strong> and revitalizing the United Nations<\/strong>. We need an Organization that is fit for purpose and tuned up with the times we are living in.<\/p>\n These Five Rays of Hope are here to drive us not to give up, even when the odds seem high.<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally let me say something: In the 76 years of the General Assembly, there have been only four female presidents. \u00a0This needs to change. We need more women in positions of leadership here in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and across the globe.<\/p>\n As a Foreign Minister, I ensured that half of our Ambassadors are women. And you have an example right here in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ in Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain.<\/p>\n I am a Gender-Champion and have made sure that my team is gender balanced. I have also taken a pledge that I will not sit in any panel that is not gender-balanced and would encourage others to do so. It\u2019s time for us to be more assertive about making the world 50:50. Count on me.<\/p>\n Thank you for your attention. I will now take your questions.<\/p>\n END<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ inner_width=”auto” inner_max_width=”none”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ custom_padding__hover=”|||” custom_padding=”|||”][et_pb_testimonial _builder_version=”4.9.7″ quote_icon_background_color=”#f5f5f5″ box_shadow_horizontal_image_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_image_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_image_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_image_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” body_link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”body_link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” body_link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”body_link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” body_link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”body_link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” body_ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”body_ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” body_ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”body_ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” body_ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”body_ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” body_ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”body_ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” body_ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”body_ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” body_ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”body_ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” body_quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”body_quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” body_quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”body_quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” body_quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”body_quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ body_quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” author_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”author_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ author_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” author_text_shadow_vertical_length=”author_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ author_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” author_text_shadow_blur_strength=”author_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ author_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” position_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”position_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ position_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” position_text_shadow_vertical_length=”position_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ position_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” position_text_shadow_blur_strength=”position_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ position_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” company_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”company_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ company_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” company_text_shadow_vertical_length=”company_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ company_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” company_text_shadow_blur_strength=”company_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ company_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” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″ author=”Abdulla Shahid” job_title=”President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly” portrait_url=”https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/76\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/101\/2021\/09\/aQNubGha_400x400.jpg”]<\/p>\n A free press is a fundamental pillar of transparency, of democracy. Sometimes, you need someone to ask the questions, even the uncomfortable ones, if you\u2019re going to be open and honest about what is happening.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remarks of H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid – A Presidency of Hope: Delivering for People, Planet and Prosperity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":347,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-248315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-statements","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n