Remarks by the President?of?the 78th session?of?the General Assembly,
Mr. Dennis Francis,
at the opening?of?the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ?Alliance?of?Civilizations?Group?of?Friends?High–Level?Meeting
Your Excellency, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos,?High?Representative for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ?Alliance?of?Civilizations,
Your Excellency. Mr. Hakan Fidan, Minister?of?Foreign Affairs?of?°Õ¨¹°ù°ì¾±²â±ð,
Your Excellency, Mr. Jos¨¦ Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation?of?the Kingdom?of?Spain,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
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Let me begin by thanking you for the generous invitation to join you today.
It is an honour to be among?friends?and leaders, with such rich experience in building convergence?of?thought through constructive dialogue.
Indeed,
- when the climate change, food insecurity and the aftershocks?of?COVID-19 continue to strain our societies,
- when the number and frequency?of?conflicts ¨C?often fuelled by intercultural and interfaith tensions ¨C has risen to a record?high,
- when an unprovoked violation?of?the sovereignty and territorial integrity?of?a fellow Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ member ¨C Ukraine ¨C has unleashed immense suffering on the country¡¯s civilians and cascading implications for the global economy,
¡ the work?of?this?Alliance?becomes as?critical?as ever as part?of?the toolkit to reverse this trajectory?of?violence and despair; and in finding new pathways to kindle actions devoted?to?unity and solidarity among all peace-loving?nations.
As you know, I have chosen ¡°peace¡± as one?of?the four pillars?of?the theme for my Presidency?of?the General Assembly.
I believe the mission?of?the?Alliance?is closely aligned with this vision ¨C and I see several points?of?convergence and cooperation to achieve our common goal?of?tolerant and peaceful societies.
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First,?let us work together to fight disinformation and hateful rhetoric.
Let us do so, mindful that our efforts do not endanger or infringe on media freedoms and other fundamental rights that form the backbone?of?safe, inclusive, democratic societies.
We know that Internet shutdowns are not a solution for creating trust among peoples or confidence in Governments ¨C quite the opposite.
Here at the?United?Nations, let us lead by example, promoting transparency and truth as the basis for our common action.
We know that access to trustworthy, accurate information is?essential?to countering propaganda that incites hate and division.
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Second,?we must recognise that?women have proven to be agents?of?peace.
Women peacebuilders play a crucial role in creating inclusive, just and durable peaceful societies.
Let us place women¡¯s leadership at the centre?of?decision-making.
And let us, again, start in this House.
Yesterday, I was delighted to reconvene the Women Leaders?Platform over lunch, and I was deeply impressed by the change-oriented ideas generated.
It is appalling that?in 78 years, there have been only four women elected to the position I hold today.
Just four.
And we have yet to see a woman lead this Organisation.
We can and must do better.
As an international gender champion, I am strongly committed to promoting gender equality and women¡¯s empowerment, and I have appointed a Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment to assist me in this endeavour.
I look forward to hearing?your?views on how we can reverse the dangerous erosion?of?women¡¯s rights in many parts?of?the world.
Third,?we simply must do more to protect children¡¯s rights to?education?¨C this mightiest?of?peacebuilders.
Education ¨C in its empowerment ¨C plays a critical role in fostering respect, tolerance and mutual understanding that underpin safe and resilient societies.
¡°A mind is like a parachute,¡± as the saying goes. ¡°It does not work if it is not open.¡±
Critical, yet tolerant minds flourish only when schools are safe and education is not weaponised to extremist ends.
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Excellencies,
Let me close by saying that ¨C with?two billion?of?our fellow citizens living in conflict settings ¨C it is abundantly clear that we need a renewed atmosphere?of?trust, cooperation and commitment to prevail.
I am convinced that, together, we can build bridges and achieve the urgently needed shift from conflict to collaboration.
I commend your leadership in continuing to focus on these important issues and I wish you the best in your deliberations today.
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Thank you.