Remarks by the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty, in the context of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly
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00:00Thank you very much.
00:11Ladies and gentlemen, Heads of Delegations, President of the United Nations General Assembly,
00:19Mr. Phillipon Yang, Mr. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, I speak
00:25to you from this rostrum at a critical time, at a time of a complex crisis underway in
00:38the Middle East and stretching out beyond.
00:45Egypt is a country rooted in history, but also a forward-looking country.
00:50We've gone through many wars.
00:52We've faced many challenges.
00:54As a result, justice and peace are our lodestars as we seek to build a region and a world that's
01:03rooted in dignity, freedom, and justice.
01:06I'll be speaking on behalf of one of the founding members of the United Nations.
01:11You're all well aware of the role we played in the establishment of the United Nations,
01:18in the establishment of consensus, and the UN's establishment in Africa and Arab states
01:27and developing countries.
01:28We're very much in favor of preserving an effective multilateral system and stable international
01:35relations underpinned by respect for international law and expansion of peace and cooperation.
01:44Thus, we believe it is necessary to ring alarm bells at this specific moment, given that the
01:51international system established roughly eight decades ago is currently showing its structural
02:00shortcomings, threatening its very existence, and this owing to ineffectiveness, inequality,
02:09and growing recourse to double standards.
02:13Young people the world over are asking legitimate questions about the usefulness of the
02:19international multilateral system and what it yields for today's world in terms of peace and security.
02:30Is it helping to eradicate poverty and hunger?
02:33Is the system protecting us against climate change?
02:37Is it helping to build knowledge?
02:39Is it helping us to adapt to technological changes?
02:44We're seeing occupation, terrorism, killing, and destruction.
02:49Is this being prevented?
02:51Is the system unified?
02:53Is it transparent?
02:55In order to answer these questions, which are very legitimate, and they were addressed, in fact,
03:04during the preparations for the summit of the future.
03:07In fact, one of the outcomes of the summit of the future is very positive.
03:13It was a step, a positive step, towards revitalizing and rendering more effective the
03:18international multilateral system with the United Nations at its heart.
03:23If I may, I'd like to sketch out our vision for restoring trust and credibility and combating
03:33double standards, a vision which can help us to renew our multilateral system and bolster
03:41its capacity for building a brighter future for our people.
03:45It's underpinned by five key principles.
03:48First of all, we must recognize that there is no alternative to the multilateral system.
03:55Global challenges are interdependent.
03:59They know no borders.
04:01They go beyond the capacity of any one state or any group of states to address them.
04:07Thus, it's necessary to recognize that the integrity of the United Nations, underpinned by its
04:13legitimacy and its very existence, all of this is at stake.
04:18Israel's brutal aggression against Gaza, underway for almost a year now, as well as the current
04:26attack on the West Bank, are shameful.
04:35They place shame on the international community and its institutions, which are unable to do the bare
04:39minimum to put an end to this aggression.
04:44The international community took months to start asking for an end to this brutal aggression.
04:55We staunchly condemn the Israeli escalation.
04:59It's dangerous and it knows no limits.
05:01It is pushing the region to the brink of the abyss.
05:07We categorically reject and strongly condemn Israel's current aggression vis-Ã -vis Lebanon.
05:17This is a flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, its territorial integrity, its unity,
05:23and its political independence.
05:26Our overarching priority, as things stand, is to put an end to the bloodshed, immediately,
05:34without any conditions, and permanently.
05:38We're strongly opposed to any attempts to resolve the Palestinian issue through forced displacement
05:47or population transfer.
05:48We attach particular importance to the unconditional and immediate delivery of medical and humanitarian
05:55assistance to civilians who are not bearing weapons in Gaza.
06:02Egypt has undertaken substantive mediation efforts together with our friends Qatar and the United States.
06:10Unfortunately, these efforts were thwarted by Israel over the course of several months.
06:16We'd like to reiterate that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based
06:22on the 4th of June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is the only way to
06:30achieve a comprehensive and just solution, restoring stability to the region and to the
06:37entire world, because this issue is of utmost importance.
06:45It lies at the very heart of the conflict in the region.
06:50I cannot but commend the Secretary General for his very courageous stance, which shows
06:57that he's shouldering his responsibility.
06:59I'd also like to extend our gratitude to all UN leaders and UN agencies, specifically UNRWA.
07:06We extend our condolences to the families of those martyred UNRWA personnel who fell
07:16during their duties and others who fell owing to the Israeli occupation.
07:23We want to put an end to the war machine, to put an end to the destruction, which is
07:28in violation of international law.
07:30Next, we need effective participation, not a fig leaf of participation.
07:38Participation is not a gift.
07:39It's not a gift given to other states.
07:41It's the very foundation, the prerequisite for an effective response that the international
07:46community can mount to successive crises plaguing the international system so as to ensure that
07:53common ownership is taken of international decisions.
07:56Furthermore, we cannot accept that Africa and Arab states to date have no permanent
08:04representative on the Security Council nor enjoy the related prerogatives.
08:10We endorse the said declaration and the Israeli consensus to repair the historical injustice
08:18done to the African continent.
08:21Common participation is only possible if there is deep-rooted reform of the international
08:28financial architecture and of international financing institutions.
08:32We must modernize multilateral development banks and their practices and bolster access
08:40of developing countries to concessional funding, especially in the face of crises.
08:46We support the SG's appeal to make the Bretton Woods institutions fairer to developing states.
08:53There is no alternative to a common approach so as to address growing sovereign debt of
09:00developing countries.
09:01This can be done by buttressing existing mechanisms, strengthening their effectiveness, but also
09:07establishing new mechanisms helping low- and middle-income countries.
09:15What's also important is debt swaps.
09:19These must be broadened so as to address debt distress and help these countries achieve
09:25sustainable development.
09:26Economic justice can only be done if we place the priority on Africa's development.
09:34This is how we can guarantee that we prevent conflict and ensure lasting peace.
09:42When we held the Presidency of the Steering Committee of the Heads of State and Government
09:47of the African Development Commission, as well as the Presidency of His Excellency President
09:54el-Sisi, post-conflict reconstruction on the African continent was front of mind.
10:03And Egypt will seek to accelerate the development process so as to achieve the African Union's
10:082063 agenda.
10:12This brings me to my third point in principle.
10:20Exchange of resources between states, some of which have a comparative advantage, requires
10:27us to adopt the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, especially as regards climate
10:32change.
10:33Our resources and natural resources are limited.
10:44Mounting climate challenges is clearly linked to, and our ability to solve it, is clearly
10:50linked to the types and amounts of financial assistance that's provided as well as the
10:54technologies that are made available for climate challenges to be tackled at the national level.
11:01Equal ownership of climate projects is a guarantee that we align domestic priorities
11:08with the Sustainable Development Goals with due regard for the environmental, economic,
11:15and social dimensions, ensuring that the transformation, the green transition, is equitable and does
11:21not scupper our efforts to eradicate poverty.
11:23This was our priority at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.
11:28Our compass, our north star, as we seek to achieve effective and practical solutions,
11:33is the agreement on the loss and damage mechanism, which aims to help developing countries which
11:42are hardest hit by climate change.
11:48Fourth, the principle of participation and shared responsibility goes hand in hand with
11:59a rejection of unilateralism in the management of global resources and the settlement of
12:07disputes that stem from these resources.
12:13For instance, transboundary water causes is a case in point.
12:20There's a global water crisis that's affecting Egypt.
12:31Egypt is a densely populated country located in an arid zone.
12:36It is heavily reliant on the Nile to be able to respond to its mounting water needs.
12:49The principle of cooperation with the Nile Basin brother countries encapsulates Egypt's
12:55approach to better management of our common resources with a view to securing our interests
13:05in keeping with international law and ensuring equitable and sustainable use of resources
13:14without any consequences for the downstream countries.
13:16We'll continue to work so as to attract foreign investment for development projects in keeping
13:24with the various rules, including in the Nile Basin.
13:29Despite our genuine efforts, Ethiopia has been insisting, stubbornly misportraying the
13:39facts and starting up the renaissance dam, beginning operations without due regard for
13:50international law nor the opinions of millions of people living downstream in Egypt and in
13:55Sudan.
13:56During 13 years of vain negotiations, Ethiopia took a unilateral decision in blatant violation
14:05of international law, specifically the 2015 Declaration of Principles, the Security Council
14:12presidential statement issued in 2021.
14:16Well, in fact, in December 2023, negotiations came to a standstill.
14:23Egypt will continue to monitor the commissioning of this dam, the filling of this dam.
14:30We will be following this very closely.
14:35We will keep the charter in mind and will take all necessary measures so as to secure
14:40the interests of our people and our very existence.
14:44Egypt will not tolerate any existential threats.
14:48Those who do not recognize this are mistaken.
14:53Moving on, the world needs the United Nations to address emerging challenges, such as challenges
15:01in the digital sphere, cybercrime, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence.
15:11These new challenges shouldn't detract from our key purposes, that is, collective security.
15:16This is absolutely vital.
15:17This is the very raison d'etre of the organization, the maintenance of international peace and
15:22security.
15:25The collective security system, including the disarmament and nonproliferation system,
15:31has been weakened.
15:34Direct or tacit threats of use of nuclear weapons is no longer a chimera.
15:41It's a direct threat.
15:42We've seen this in the war in the Gaza Strip.
15:45We're seeing this day in, day out, as states possessing nuclear weapons are modernizing
15:53their arsenals and indirectly threatening the use of nuclear weapons without any genuine
16:00serious efforts being made to create a world free of nuclear weapons or areas free of nuclear
16:09weapons or other WMDs and acceding to the NPT.
16:16And this despite the NPT review conference's conclusions, specifically the 1995 decision
16:26on the Middle East.
16:29We live in a region that's particularly hard hit by the imbalance in the collective security
16:33system.
16:36This is something that's drawn everyone's attention, and we regret this.
16:40That is the increase in Security Council resolutions establishing peacekeeping operations.
16:44And this despite the fact that the Security Council is unable to stop this scourge that
16:52is conflicts, this disease, nor can it treat the symptoms.
16:56And for that reason, the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has described the United
17:02Nations as an organization babysitting these conflicts.
17:12Speaking of conflicts and upheavals in neighboring countries, as well as throughout the North
17:20Mediterranean all the way through to the Horn of Africa in the South, we're particularly
17:26committed to strengthening the UN's role so as to address the root causes of conflicts.
17:34We need to ensure that peace is maintained, but also we need to sustain peace.
17:42This requires states to respect the unity and territorial integrity of other states.
17:52We also need national ownership of decisions without anything being imposed by external actors.
17:59This applies to all crises in the region – Sudan, Somalia, Libya.
18:05The way to resolve crises is to strengthen state institutions through comprehensive political
18:11processes so as to fill these political and security vacuums which are being exploited
18:18by some political and confessional forces, by regional and international parties who
18:23want to extend their influence at the expense of people and states in the region.
18:32Egypt would like to reiterate the importance of supporting an overarching political process
18:39so as to address the crisis in Sudan with due respect for the sovereignty, unity, and
18:44territorial integrity of that country, Sudan.
18:47We must also preserve its institutions, its national state bodies.
18:52We support the political settlement in Libya with national ownership thereof.
19:02The transition should proceed with parliamentary and presidential elections held concurrently
19:08and as swiftly as possible.
19:11We are hopeful that by pulling our efforts and endorsing the new UN mission in Somalia
19:18we'll be able to preserve security and stability in that country in keeping with what its people
19:23and its government want.
19:25We condemn all unilateral measures threatening Somalia's unity, its sovereignty, extending
19:32across its territory.
19:36Egypt attaches particular importance to capacity building in our brother nations across Africa
19:45together with the United Nations through the International Conflict Settlement Centre as
19:54well as the Egyptian Partnership Agency that works on development.
19:59Egypt is committed to working hand-in-hand with our regional and international partners
20:04so as to restore equality and to combat double standards as well as international hypocrisy
20:12and to revitalize the international system, the multilateral system, implementing the
20:18various principles I enumerated in keeping with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
20:22We will be shouldering our responsibilities as part of the humanitarian response that
20:28must be mounted to address crises in our region.
20:32We're the third country in terms of refugee applications in 2023.
20:45Under the leadership of our President, President el-Sisi, we've been bearing the brunt of the
20:51burden supporting our brothers from other Arab states and African states, over 10 million
20:57refugees are currently being hosted in Egypt.
21:03However, there are certain limits which cannot be exceeded because of the burden this implies.
21:11The international community is therefore duty-bound to fill the funding gap and to mobilize the
21:17requisite resources so as to address the issue of humanitarian operations and meet the needs
21:26of refugees fleeing conflict in various countries.
21:32Despite international crises and challenges coming one after the other and the ongoing
21:39rise in the number of migrants, Egypt will continue its efforts so as to bolster its
21:48human capital.
21:50We will do this through a national dialogue.
21:54We are prioritizing human rights and democracy.
22:02And we're not doing this to please external players.
22:05We're doing this to fulfill the aspirations of our people, young people, as well as women,
22:11so as to achieve gender parity as well.
22:14We've just adopted the first national action plan on women, peace, and security.
22:20We will be implementing our national strategy on human rights.
22:24Furthermore, we'll continue working to maintain peace and security in our region and the world
22:32over, inspired by the values of the Egyptian civilization, a majestic, longstanding civilization.
22:45Our young people will take forward this vision.
22:46And they're the ones who will craft a future and preserve human lives without any discrimination
22:55on the basis of race, gender, or otherwise, all within the international multilateral
22:59system.
23:00I thank you.