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Madam President,
As we mark the first ‘International day of multilateralism and diplomacy for peace’, this momentous occasion not only serves to affirm our collective commitment to a rules-based multilateral system, but also to recommit ourselves to its most sublime expression, the United Nations.
The UN was founded on the abiding faith that hostility and discord can be turned into a spirit of cooperation, for the common good of humanity.
As we approach the 75th anniversary of this organization, this self-assurance is however, increasingly giving way to doubts.
Across many parts of the world, a conflation of economic distress and nationalistic passions has found refuge in a populist discourse that seeks to turn a widespread sense of resentment and frustration into a rejection of the international order.
As the Secretary General reminded us recently, while global challenges are becoming more and more ‘integrated’, our responses are getting more and more ‘fragmented’.
In our increasingly interconnected world, international cooperation is imperative, underpinned by the core values of mutual respect and tolerance. After all global challenges require global responses and solutions.
The only alternative to a rules-based global order is global disorder. That is where unilateralism can lead us.
Madam President,
As the UN is the quintessential core of multilateralism, the best measure of our commitment to the multilateral order is not merely to espouse but to fully embrace the fundamental tenets of the UN Charter.
Let me make five brief points:
If indeed, the primacy of ‘we the people’ is to be more than just words, the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter must be ensured to all peoples.
It is axiomatic that the inalienable right to self-determination continues to be denied to countless millions including the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and of Palestine. This is not only a travesty of justice, but also an egregious violation of the Charter.
Sometimes, legal sanction for these illegal acts is sought from within the Charter, itself.
The principles of the Charter should not become tools in the hands of a powerful few to suit their interests; they represent a touchstone for member states to modulate their international conduct.
The international community must stand united against any attempts to undermine the sanctity of the UN Charter or to reinterpret its fundamental provisions to suit narrow aims.
It also provides an assured pathway to the achievement of the ambitious global agenda outlined by the Sustainable Development Goals.
The R2D must be mainstreamed as a basic human right.
We have a common stake in ending conflicts, fostering peace, fighting terrorism, strengthening democracy, promoting human rights and overcoming the challenges of ‘Climate Change'. We can achieve these goals, and create a new, peaceful and prosperous world order, only through the United Nations and by strict adherence to the principles of its Charter.
I thank you.