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17 January 2023<\/b><\/p>\n
Excellencies,<\/p>\n
Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n
My motto for this presidency is Solutions Through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science. It was designed to achieve changes in time of unprecedented crises.<\/p>\n
Four months into this presidency, and more than seven months still to go, it is time to reflect on our progress.<\/p>\n
Are we breaking through?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We can, if we work together on crisis management and transformation.<\/p>\n
How do we lead policy development for a more stable, sustainable and just future?<\/p>\n
<\/a>2022 dealt fresh blows to global cooperation: War and suffering. Searing inflation. Food and energy shocks that arrested development and added new layers to record-high debt burdens.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, extreme weather events made water more scarce, unpredictable and polluted for millions around the world, sparking humanitarian emergencies and stoking geopolitical tensions.<\/p>\n The new dynamics of challenges have revealed that there is an obvious need for strengthening the shared responsibility for governance of our global common goods. But also revealed that deepening geopolitical divide is pulling us away from discharging this duty.<\/p>\n Certains disent que lorsque les rivalit\u00e9s g\u00e9opolitiques croissent, nos chances de r\u00e9aliser nos responsabilit\u00e9s communes r\u00e9duisent.<\/span><\/p>\n Mais laissez-moi reformuler cette question\u00a0: Qui peut \u00eatre tenu responsable du retard que nous avons pris dans la mise en \u0153uvre de nos objectifs communs\u00a0? Quelle sont les alternatives transformatrices vers un monde plus pacifique, plus stable, plus durable et plus juste\u00a0?<\/span><\/p>\n [French translation- Some may say that in time of rising geopolitical rivalry the chances of assuming joint responsibilities could decline.<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n But let me reword this question: Who will claim responsibility for delaying actions on jointly agreed goals? What will be the alternative of transformation towards a more peaceful, stable, sustainable and just world?]<\/i><\/p>\n Let us accept that we are in a new chapter of history.<\/p>\n It is up to us \u2013 the General Assembly \u2013 to develop transformative solutions and to motivate their implementations in solidarity.<\/p>\n With human rights at their core, our efforts must make our world safer, more just and more sustainable.<\/p>\n In this session, we have less than eight months for that.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n We have to change to be able to transform things.<\/p>\n But we should not change, should not overwrite everything.<\/p>\n \u042f \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u044e \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0445 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0441\u043b\u0443\u0448\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043a \u043c\u0443\u0434\u0440\u044b\u043c \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043c \u0444\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0446\u0443\u0437\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 \u0412\u0438\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 \u0413\u044e\u0433\u043e: \u00ab\u041c\u0435\u043d\u044f\u0439\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438 \u0432\u0437\u0433\u043b\u044f\u0434\u044b, \u043d\u043e \u043f\u0440\u0438\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0439\u0442\u0435\u0441\u044c \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438\u043c \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0446\u0438\u043f\u0430\u043c; \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f\u0439\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438 \u043b\u0438\u0441\u0442\u044c\u044f, \u043d\u043e \u0431\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0433\u0438\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438 \u043a\u043e\u0440\u043d\u0438.\u00bb \u041f\u043e \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0439 \u043d\u0430\u0448\u0435\u0439 \u043f\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043a\u0435 \u0434\u043d\u044f, \u043f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0423\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432 \u041e\u041e\u041d \u0431\u0443\u0434\u0435\u0442 \u043d\u0430\u0448\u0438\u043c \u043f\u0443\u0442\u0435\u0432\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u043c \u043e\u0433\u043d\u0451\u043c. \u041c\u044b \u0434\u043e\u043b\u0436\u043d\u044b \u0441\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0440\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0432\u0441\u0435 \u043d\u0430\u0448\u0438 \u0443\u0441\u0438\u043b\u0438\u044f \u0432\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0443\u0433 \u0423\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432<\/span>a\u00a0\u041e\u041e\u041d, \u0441\u043e\u0431\u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043c\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0430 \u0438 – \u0432 \u0441\u0440\u043e\u0447\u043d\u043e\u043c \u043f\u043e\u0440\u044f\u0434\u043a\u0435 – \u0432\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0443\u0433 \u0446\u0435\u043b\u0435\u0439 \u0443\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0439\u0447\u0438\u0432\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0438\u044f.<\/span><\/p>\n [Russian translation: Let us follow the wisdom of the French author Victor Hugo: \u201cChange your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.\u201d<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n Across our agenda, let\u2019s make sure the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter is our guiding light.<\/i><\/p>\n We shall anchor all our efforts in the Charter, in respect for international law \u2013 and, urgently, around the Sustainable Development Goals. ]<\/i><\/p>\n Following the mandates from Member States, we will have 16 negotiating processes in motion \u2013 most of them covering important aspects of transformation.<\/p>\n Our priority is to prepare for the SDG Summit in September \u2013 the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n By September, we will need honest accounts of what has been achieved and what has not, so we can close the gap between reported national successes and visible global failures.<\/p>\n To get there, we will need a clear vision of what is at stake, what are the timeframes and political responsibilities for making progress.<\/p>\n I urge you to make the most of the High-level Political Forum in July \u2013 using it as a stepping-stone to achieve\u00a0<\/i>qualitatively better results in September.<\/p>\n I ask you to follow up on the lessons learned from Voluntary National Reviews.<\/p>\n Do not forget: We are also preparing for the Summit of the Future in 2024.<\/p>\n At the same time, the Global Digital Compact \u2013 a first of its kind \u2013 will aim to ensure that the digital space brings about sustainability and is used responsibly. Since the future will be sustainable or there will be no future. The way leading there through transformation will have to be nature based, digital and socially sensible.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n As you know, a key pillar of my Presidency is to employ science-based evidence to inform Member States on issues of water, climate, food, energy and biodiversity.<\/p>\n I recently proposed the establishment of a scientific mechanism to identify the most effective ways to encourage scientific engagement within the General Assembly.<\/p>\n I aim to advance these discussions.<\/p>\n My Office has organized three scientific briefings on the seventh of February to help us understand\u00a0the\u00a0Economics of Water; the connections between Climate, Conflict and Cooperation; and the role of Early Warning for Pandemic Preparedness.<\/p>\n I encourage you all to engage in these dialogues, as well as the discussions on a future cooperative mechanism to monitor the drivers of sustainability.<\/p>\n The goal is to inform negotiations, support decision shaping and improve validation of the implementation of policies.<\/p>\n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n The next big event on water action will be the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference in March \u2013 the first since 1977, that I hope will bring a new \u201cParis moment\u201d.<\/p>\n The priority will be to raise the level of ambition to realize SDG 6 \u2013 by integrating water and climate policies, moving beyond reactive water management, taking proactive steps and to come out from the water crisis.<\/p>\n In a world of rising uncertainties to create conditions for more predictability. And to go beyond the traditional debate on the difficulties of water cooperation by establishing a global water information system to support regional and local predictability and resilience.<\/p>\n The game-changing ideas that emerged from the stakeholder consultations in October will\u00a0certainy help us to achieve all that<\/span>.<\/p>\n Dear Colleagues, I urge your governments to consider these ideas and offer their perspectives at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference.<\/p>\n In March, I will participate in LDC5, the Fifth Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha.\u00a0 It will be a forum to support the most vulnerable countries in their response to the challenges mentioned before.<\/p>\n I encourage your high-level participation to spur sustainable development in places where international assistance is most needed.<\/p>\n The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in May will allow Member States to assess progress in integrating DRR into policies and investments.<\/p>\n In your negotiations, I ask you to prioritize the issues of disaster-resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, early action capacity and transboundary risk governance as you advance.<\/p>\n All these pivotal events will help us capture the lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis and prepare for three high-level meetings related to health: Universal Health Coverage, Pandemic Preparedness and Tuberculosis.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n For developing countries \u2013 particularly those in special situations \u2013 the pandemic and frequent exposure to natural hazards have led to heavy debt burdens.<\/p>\n Along with economic shocks, a widening digital divide and the shifting dynamics of globalization, these realities have sparked a broad rethink of how to evaluate the well-being of people and planet.<\/p>\n We cannot transform what we cannot measure.<\/p>\n A core priority will be to advance discussions on a methodology for measuring sustainability transformation in a way that integrates human well-being, natural capital and sustainable economic development.<\/p>\n We call this the \u201cBeyond GDP\u201d initiative, foreseen already in the 2030 Agenda but not fully developed yet.<\/p>\n Work underway by the High-Level Panel on the Multi-Dimensional Vulnerability Index offers much promise.<\/p>\n If we stretch this work further \u2013 and build upon the sustainability transformation, making the Multi-dimensional Vulnerability Index an important part of it \u2013 we can design a global tool that makes a significant impact on the SDGs down the line.<\/p>\n Let us make these next steps.<\/p>\n This will position us well for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States in 2024, which aims to bring science and data into the monitoring of the SAMOA Pathway.<\/p>\n For all our aspirations, financing will be key.<\/p>\n Let us set our sights on the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development in September \u2013 and on mobilizing the resources we urgently need to ignite transformation.<\/p>\n Without doubt, we have to urgently overhaul our financing logic by taking into account all externalities of our investments. Because what counts along with the volume of resources, are the aggregated social, economic and environmental impacts of our actions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n And, in more general terms, we must reform our whole economic thinking.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n It is on us to design the future of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ \u2013 to agree on solutions that will reinvigorate multilateralism, restore trust and renew the agenda of peace.<\/p>\n There are many opportunities to make the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ more responsive.<\/p>\n For the first time in history, the General Assembly has a standing mandate to hold a debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council.<\/p>\n General Assembly action to address conflict situations is not new \u2013 it is enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter.<\/p>\n Yet, the veto initiative has opened the door for greater collaboration and accountability across Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ bodies to deliver peace and solutions to the people.<\/p>\n This alone is a game changer. But what tangible outcomes can we expect?<\/p>\n How can the Assembly span the deepening divides in the Security Council to create meaningful, actionable and measurable impact?<\/p>\n In April, I look forward to the plenary debate on the new agenda item on the use of the veto.<\/p>\n I urge you to come with practical ideas on how to utilize this new mandate to find solutions in the General Assembly that can promote peace, sustainability, responsibility and harness stability.<\/p>\n