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12 May 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Faculty members and students,<\/p>\n Dear friends,<\/p>\n I am delighted to join you today at the Ven\u00e2ncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy<\/em> and grateful for your kind invitation.<\/p>\n The Diplomatic Academy signifies the importance that His Excellency President Joao Lourenco and the Government of Angola attaches to multilateralism, and to preparing Angolans to the rigors and complexities of 21st<\/sup> century diplomacy.<\/p>\n A diplomat is a loyal representative of a country\u2019s national interests and those of you here at the Academy today are thus positioned to carry on that torch and that responsibility.<\/p>\n As a seasoned diplomat, with a long career serving in both the Government and legislature of the Maldives, this noble profession has brought me great satisfaction.<\/p>\n My dear Friends,<\/p>\n Having been elected President of the General Assembly for the 76th session since September 2021, I was afforded exactly one year to make a meaningful difference in the work of the General Assembly.<\/p>\n One year, during which I am vested with the power to convene High-Level Meetings, preside over debates and dialogues, and play a mediating role among 193 Member States and various stakeholders on a variety of issues.<\/p>\n In doing so, I have prioritized five \u2018rays of hope\u2019 for my presidency:<\/p>\n In that regard, last February, I convened a High-Level Thematic Debate entitled \u201cGalvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination.\u201d<\/p>\n Recognizing that \u201cno one is safe, until everyone is safe,\u201d the event provided a timely opportunity to renew political commitment and to accelerate international efforts to achieve universal vaccination.<\/p>\n We must redouble our commitment to meeting the 2030 Agenda. We cannot afford to miss our targets on the Sustainable Development Goals, as we strive to recover better. Indeed, the SDGs can and must serve as a blueprint for a sustainable recovery.<\/p>\n For my part, I intend to convene a High-Level Thematic Debate dubbed, \u201cMoment for Nature<\/em>\u201d in July.<\/p>\n This will be an opportunity to take stock of all the crucial decisions taken during the Climate Change Conference of the Parties or COP26 in Glasgow, the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCCD) held on Monday in Cote d\u2019Ivoire, and the Ocean Conference that will be held in June in Portugal. <\/strong><\/p>\n We must continue to push for gender equality. And we must take steps to protect all people, especially vulnerable communities and populations such as refugees, displaced people, and migrants.<\/p>\n They should be able to articulate their priorities and contribute to solving global challenges. That was the founding promise of the United Nations and it is our responsibility to live up to that ideal and aspiration.<\/p>\n Each of these Rays of Hope is intended to support efforts to tackle global crises and challenges, and thereby demonstrate that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is fit-for-purpose to address today\u2019s most pressing issues.<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n Our world faces multiple armed conflicts, rising extremism, nuclear proliferation, cyber threats, disinformation, the continuing pandemic, and the profound impacts of climate crises.<\/p>\n In a world defined by complex interdependence, we must act as one world, one planet, one humanity \u2013 as nations united.<\/p>\n I strongly believe that young people have not been given enough space<\/u> to constructively engage in breathing new life into our multilateral system.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is precisely the reason why I launched the Fellowship for HOPE, in which eight young diplomats from underrepresented countries have joined my Office to gain real experience working in the United Nations.<\/p>\n Three of the Fellows are from the African region: Guinea, Uganda and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n They are now visiting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Offices in Geneva, Brussels and Italy as part of their Fellowship training.<\/p>\n It is my hope that these Fellows will take back the lessons and values gained from this unique experience to benefit their home countries and national institutions.<\/p>\n My dear Friends,<\/p>\n If there is one message I will leave you with, it is this:<\/p>\n Trust in multilateralism and commit to making it better, making it stronger, and making it work for the people it serves.<\/p>\n Believe in the power of working together.<\/p>\n Never stop working for a world that is better, more united and more inclusive.<\/p>\n And never stop hoping. Hope is truly a good thing.<\/p>\n Over the past 76 years, successive generations have built on that vision. And it is your responsibility to become stewards of that legacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ itself was founded on the belief that through the collective efforts of Member States, we could rebuild our world, protect human dignity, and lay the foundations for a better tomorrow where the possibilities are limitless.<\/p>\n A collective future that is peaceful, prosperous, just, and YES, hopeful.<\/p>\n It has been an absolute joy to speak with you today. I am eagerly looking forward to your questions.<\/p>\n Please continue to be the positive change<\/em> and the bright spark<\/em> in our world.<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Luanda, Republic of Angola<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Excellencies, colleagues,<\/p> I welcome you all to our second meeting and our first interaction following the resumed part of the session.<\/p> Before I begin, I would like to recognize the loss of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Ms. Gail Farngalo.<\/p> A Liberian national, Gail was my Team Leader for Human Rights and was active on gender during both the 75th<\/sup> and 76th<\/sup> sessions. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements and a groundswell of respect and affection from across the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and diplomatic communities. Her presence is certainly felt here today.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> When I took on this Presidency of Hope, I pledged to make gender equality a priority area for the 76th<\/sup> session. I continue to look to the board for its wisdom and expertise, as I endeavour to fulfil that pledge.<\/p> In this regard, I have already benefited from the board\u2019s advice, from when we met on October 28th<\/sup> last year.<\/p> Acting on that advice, I committed to ensuring that all my five rays of hope, and all my major initiatives, are approached with a gender lens.<\/p> I made sure that the composition of my office is gender-balanced.<\/p> I have committed to participating only in panels that have equal gender representation.<\/p> Throughout my official interactions and travels, I have endeavoured to meet with women, including heads of states and governments, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth.<\/p> And I am proud to inform you that five young women have been recruited into the Fellowship for HOPE<\/em> that my office recently launched. The Fellowship as you are well aware is targeted at benefiting young diplomats from underrepresented countries, pursuing careers in diplomacy or public service.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> While recognizing that we have a long way to go in the battle for gender-equality, I am proud of what my team has been able to accomplish within the past few months.<\/p> Our work continues.<\/p> We will continue to raise our voices on issues disproportionately impacting women, such as domestic violence and work place harassment. We will continue to push the importance of gender-equal work spaces.<\/p> And we will continue to find new paths to empower young women with ambitious professional aspirations.<\/p> Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.<\/p> With the board\u2019s guidance and support, we must use the many opportunities over the coming months to further empower women and girls, and dismantle discriminatory practices against them.<\/p> There are several upcoming events that will provide us such opportunities. I look forward to the board\u2019s suggestions on how we can best utilize them.<\/p> As an example, the International Day of Women and Girls in science is fast approaching. We must recognize that women\u2019s contributions in science and technology have helped us cure diseases; discover new horizons in space; and develop technologies that have vastly improved our quality of life.<\/p> As we celebrate their achievements, we must also open pathways for young girls who aspire to follow in the footsteps of pioneers in science and technology.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Let us also reflect that the theme chosen by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for this year is on \u201cachieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes\u201d.<\/p> As we strive to meet our obligations to the planet, let us recognize the important work done by women and girls at the forefront of the climate crisis, and whose humanitarian work in disaster-stricken areas has helped save lives and rebuild communities. We owe it to them to not only celebrate their work but to support them.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Our programme of work for the months ahead has been circulated to members prior to the meeting, for consideration and feedback. Please note that the events we have planned are not exhaustive. I welcome further suggestions from the board on the content and format of future events and activities.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> We have made much progress within a short while. And with the board\u2019s support and guidance, I am sure that we can keep up this strong momentum.<\/p> I look forward to working alongside all of you to achieve our vision of a gender-equal world.<\/p> Thank you.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[550,556,553],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-265506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","tag-ga","tag-pga","tag-shahid","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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