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SPEECH PRESIDENCY OF HOPE – 76TH UNGA: COVID PANDEMIC AND THE NEED FOR REFORMED
MULTILATERALISM

Remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs at Indian Council of World Affairs 23
July 2021, New Delhi


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Published : 23 July 2021
Last updated : 23 July 2021


From Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Available Languages: English

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Thank you very much Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri for that very generous
introduction. Thank you also, Dr. Raghavan for the very warm welcome accorded to
me, and this opportunity to speak here at the Indian Council of World Affairs.

It is indeed a special honour to be here in New Delhi. When I last visited Delhi
in April of this year, India was at the cusp of one of the most aggressive
surges of COVID19 anywhere in the world. But the legendary resilience of the
Indian people has once again, shined through. The enduring spirit of the Indian
people will, most definitely, lead this great country to overcome any challenge
it faces. I have full trust in that.

We also have full trust in the generosity of the Indian people. Around the world
today, Indian generosity has ensured that people in 95 countries have COVID19
vaccines. Essential medicines were gifted by India to more than 150 countries.
And I, with the world, applauds this leadership!

Dear Colleagues, Last year, the world was brought to its knees by a virus we
could not see. Life as we knew it changed considerably. At the end of the
year—we saw glimmers of hope. Vaccines were being developed. But no one had a
clear picture of how quickly production could be scaled up, nor how effective
the vaccine could be.

Today, as the dust settles, we could perhaps say, the picture is a bit clearer.
But it is not something to celebrate. We now know that the world’s economy
shrank by 4.3% in 2020, wiping out trillions of dollars. We know that countries
have fallen further into debt. For the first time in 20 years, global poverty is
likely to increase significantly. 114 million people lost their jobs in 2020,
while many have had their working hours or pays cut, or fallen into economic
inactivity – meaning they had to withdraw from the labour force.

We now know that women, people of colour, indigenous people, young people, the
poor, have been affected the most. More than 1.7 billion students—that is about
99% of the world’s student population—have been impacted by school or university
closures. Commercial flights dropped by 42%, disrupting connectivity, supply
chains,

If this time last year, we were grappling with a pandemic we could not
understand, trying to understand the long terms impacts we could not assess,
struggling for information…this year, we are figuring out—or we need to figure
out—how we overcome this! How we return to normalcy—a new normal—a different
normal!

Over the course of the campaign for the Presidency of the General Assembly, I
was asked many times, the question “why hope?”. My answer – why not?

Today, we live in a world in despair. Disease prevails in every corner. Floods
are washing away lives and livelihoods. Heat waves are burning up communities.
Conflict rages on. Acts of terrorism too.

This is a bleak world indeed. But, there have been glimmers of light. In the
small acts of kindness that have made huge impacts. In the countless sacrifices
health workers and front line workers have made across the world. In the
unrelenting spirit of scientists who have found a vaccine in record time. Here,
in these incidences, hope lives. Hope grows.

Hope—it is what drives us forward. Hope is what will make us stand up once
again. Hope is what we need today. To counter this bleak world of disease,
despair and devastation.

Hope is also in-built into the ethos of every Maldivian. We are a small country.
A country of many challenges. That has been dealt many blows, and face the wrath
of climate change every day. We would have given up many years ago, if not for
hope. It is what keeps us going. The promise of a better tomorrow. The hope of a
better tomorrow.

This is why I chose hope as the central theme of my Presidency. While the 75th
session was about confronting COVID19, the 76th session must be about recovery!

This is why the theme that I have chosen for the General Debate of the 76th
session of the General Assembly focuses on looking forward, on building
resilience, with hope as our driving force.

My immediate priority will be Recovering from Covid19. The impacts have been
immense, and yet still, this pandemic seems to be far from over. New variants
are emerging. And we are still unclear about the longer term health
consequences. The United Nations can, and MUST do more to address this.

Building on existing initiatives and approaches, I will be looking to address
the health of our people and our economies. And work to ensure vaccine equity.
We need to vaccinate the world. No one is safe, until everyone is safe.
Together, we need to overcome the challenges that we fact in vaccinating the
world. This includes private sector, philanthropic organisations, academia,
scientists, and governments.

We need to look towards building back better, building back stronger and bluer.
We started 2020, fully intent on making the ensuing decade a Decade of
Action—generating momentum on realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. But today, the Decade of Action has had to become the Decade of
Recovery. This is why my second ray of hope – my second priority is Rebuilding
Sustainably.

A post Covid world would ideally be… a world without extreme poverty, one that
is more sustainable, more resilient. A world where we have taken meaningful
action on addressing hunger and food insecurity. Where we have realised access
to quality education, and bridged the digital divide. It is a world where the
means of implementation are realized. A world at peace. Targeted interventions
will be needed. To ensure that no one is left behind. To ensure that no country,
is left behind.

The needs of our home, our planet, must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
COVID19 has not replaced the challenges of climate change, ocean health,
desertification and land degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Infact, it has
limited the scope for addressing these challenges, as limited resources have
been diverted towards the pandemic.

But the impacts of climate change are worsening. A glance at this month’s
headlines…heatwaves, floods, tidal waves…these are all signs of a climate
emergency. The seventy-sixth session can be a “super session for nature”, with
multiple conferences and meetings—such as COP26 on climate change, the Ocean
Conference, COP15 biodiversity, and COP15 on desertification, the energy
dialogue, conferences on sustainable transport, and food systems—there is
momentum on responding to the needs of our planet.

Addressing the needs of our people is equally important. Especially given that
humanity, human rights, have taken a back slide during this pandemic—as more and
more people lived through lockdowns and extreme measures had to be taken around
the world.

Ensuring that we respect the rights of all, mobilizing the collective will and
conscience of humanity, is a process requiring constant work. I have pledged to
ensure more voice and more space for young people in the General Assembly. I
truly believe that we need to fully ensure participation of young people in
decision making processes that affect their future. Gender equality is a top
priority of mine. I will raise my voice against gender discrimination. Advocate
for gender equality. My office will be gender balanced.

Now, these priorities that I have outlined above – the demands of the day – can
only be addressed with a stronger, effective, efficient, transparent, and
accountable United Nations. A United Nations that is more representative of the
Charter’s first three words “We, the Peoples”. A United Nations family, that
works together, coordinates, cooperates, and enhances coherence. A United
Nations that is more inclusive – that hears the views of all, that takes into
accounts the needs of all. And my responsibility is to ensure that the General
Assembly demands and designs a United Nations that is ready, that is able, and
that is best suited to serve the needs of the day. This is why my fifth ray of
hope is Reforming the United Nations.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe that the concept of “reformed multilateralism”
put forward by Prime Minister Modi during his statement at the General Debate of
the 75th session of the General Assembly, highlighted these facets as well. The
need to ensure transparent and inclusive decision making, the need to understand
and recognize the links between peace, security, and development, and the need
to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach. He highlighted this in the context of
making the United Nations “fit for purpose” – to address the challenges of the
day.

In considering the role of the United Nations in addressing global issues, we
need to consider the strengths of the United Nations. I believe that the
strength of the United Nations lies in its ability to shape norms, change
discourse, forge consensus. The United Nations has the convening power to bring
together the best minds, the best ideas, the best practices, and forge the best
solutions. The United Nations has the ability to provide platforms for
countries, peoples, to share ideas, and find solutions that work for all. The
United Nations has the expertise at hand, to assess situations on the ground,
and deliver targeted interventions where necessary, hand-in-hand with local
authorities.

I believe this is the strength of the United Nations. This is where the United
Nations can make its mark. And this important role can truly be realized through
establishing trust in the United Nations. Trust can be built by bringing the
United Nations closer to the people. By increasing its efficiency, its
effectiveness, By making the United Nations deliver! Deliver for people, for the
planet, and for prosperity!

The COVID19 pandemic may have put the world in crisis. But I believe this could
also be an opportunity. To build a stronger, resilient world. A more sustainable
world. This could be an opportunity to enhance multilateralism, strengthen
cooperation. This is an opportunity for the United Nations. To once again, just
like it did in the aftermath of the Great Wars, play a central role, in
rebuilding communities, rescuing the planet, recovering economies, and above
all, restoring hope!

As President of the General Assembly, I will do all I can, I will give all I
can, to make this a reality!

I thank you.





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