Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development

– As prepared for delivery –

Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72^nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at Global Engagement and Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development: “Putting People and Planet at the Center”

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues and friends, ladies and gentlemen,

The title of my keynote address is multilateralism in a turbulent world.

I want to start with two observations:

One, we are, indeed, living in a turbulent world.

And two, we are taking the role of multilateralism, in this world, for granted.

I want to thank the Global Engagement & Empowerment Forum on Sustainable Development for putting a focus on this issue today.

And, I want to make three main points.

The first deals with turbulence.

We usually talk about this in the context of air travel. But, whether it is hitting our economies, our societies, or our airplanes, turbulence works in the same way. Because, it affects everything in its path. It does not matter what we have done to protect ourselves – or how tightly we strap ourselves in. Once it hits, it is felt by every passenger on the plane. Or every member of society. And, we must all come out of it together – or not at all.

This is the same for the challenges facing our world today.

Take, for example, a breakout of conflict in a Libyan town. People who are not living in the country, or near its borders, may feel unaffected. But, this violence could aid the recruitment of terrorist fighters. Or, it could force people to turn to human traffickers, desperate to flee. And, these two developments could have implications, thousands of miles away.

So, not all of us will suffer, if a major African city runs out of water. Or, if a hurricane devastates a Caribbean island. Or, if a bomb blast – or a missile launch – happen in a different time zone.

But, all of us will feel some effects, eventually.

This is not speculation. It is clear from the data. It is clear from the facts. It is clear from the stories we are hearing, every day.

We need to face a new reality: we no longer live in a world of once-off, or standalone, crises. That is why we can no longer rely on once-off, or standalone, solutions.

And so, the demand for multilateralism will grow. Even if some leaders, or politicians, say otherwise. Because, this is not a trend dictated by politics; it is caused by the nature of the world we live in, and the kind of turbulence we face.

And, when it comes to meeting this demand for multilateralism, the United Nations must lead the charge.

Here, I want to acknowledge the criticisms made against the United Nations. We cannot hide from them. We must face up to them. And, we must work even harder to address them.

But, on this, I want to say something important: While we can always work to strengthen the United Nations, we can never replace it.

We should work to improve it. But we should not – and we cannot – give up on it.

It plays a unique role in our world. A role which billions of people depend on.

Because, in short, the United Nations can do things that no one else can. To highlight this, I will refer briefly to three examples.

First, the case of Colombia. In 2016, a peace agreement was reached between the Colombian Government and FARC rebels. This deal was hard won. It contained major compromises. It was ambitious. But, it was fragile. And, no one knew if it would hold.

To give it the best chance possible, the parties turned to the United Nations. A new UN mission was quickly established. It set up bases in some of the most remote, and hard to reach areas of Colombia. And, most importantly, it was seen as a legitimate, and objective actor – by both parties. This put the United Nations in the unique position to monitor, and verify, the implementation of the agreement.

Not only has the peace deal held – it has created opportunities for further deals, with other groups.

For a second example, we can look to Liberia. Hundreds of peacekeeping missions have been deployed around the world. But, the case of Liberia stands out, in particular. Because, it shows the capacity of the UN to adapt, and respond, to changing circumstances. When blue helmets were deployed in 2003, they had a traditional mandate. They were on the ground to stop violence from unravelling the new peace agreement. But, the needs of the Liberian Government and people changed over the years. And so too did the UN Mission – in response.

And, by the time elections were held last year, the mission had taken on a variety of new tasks – from support to voter registration, to human rights monitoring. When the Mission withdraws in March, it will leave a very different country – as a very different mission – than it entered.

And, finally, when talking about the irreplaceable role of the United Nations, we cannot forget the Sustainable Development Goals.

There are a lot of SDG champions in the room, today. And your discussions will be focused around these goals – from healthcare, to energy and climate change.

For many of us, the SDGs have become part of our everyday lives. We read about them on social media. We discuss them at almost every intergovernmental event. And so, we have become used to them. They no longer represent a new concept.

But I want to take us back, for a moment. To remind us just how new this concept once was.

A universal framework. One that applied to rich and poor countries alike. One that spanned diverse and complex issues – from education to access to justice. And one that bound us all to the same goals, and the same targets.

At one point in time, this would have been unthinkable. And, if the United Nations was not here, it would still be unthinkable today.

Here, I want to say that there is, indeed, space for other multilateral entities. Some of them might even have advantages over the UN. They might act faster. They might have bigger budgets – or better equipment. But the United Nations must remain at the helm of our multilateral system. It is our world parliament. It is our most legitimate global actor. And, it is our best chance to tackle the turbulence that likes ahead.

And, on that note, for my third point today, I want to look ahead.

You have just heard the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, outline his vision for the future of the United Nations. As he made clear, steps are being taken to make that vision a reality. The United Nations is adapting. It is working to fit in with new realities.

And, change is in motion. UN Member States are considering concrete proposals to reform the UN’s development, and peace and security work – as well as its management system. Meanwhile, negotiations on the reform of the UN Security Council continue. All of these processes are complex. But I want to ensure that they are credible, and inclusive.

There are also other opportunities for the United Nations to strengthen its work.

Throughout my presidency, I will focus on a few, in particular.

First, peace and prevention. Because, the turbulence facing some parts of the world is violent – and deadly. Too often, we have missed the opportunity to address it, while there was still time. And it has turned into conflict – tearing apart the lives of millions of people.

The United Nations must do more to prevent. It can do more to prevent. Because, it has the tools. It has the rooms to talk in. It has the mediators, and the peacebuilders, to support and deploy. It has the expertise and the experience to apply. We need to use these tools better, faster, and at an earlier stage. This is part of what we are calling our move towards “Sustaining Peace”. In April, I will be convening a major event as part of this move. It will examine what the UN is doing to prevent conflict from breaking out – or recurring. And, it will set us on the path of doing more – and doing better. I hope to welcome some of you to New York for the occasion.

The second focus is migration. I want to be clear here: migration does not always create turbulence. In fact, it can propel us forward. But only if it is properly addressed.  Unfortunately, for too long we have ignored the global nature of migration. And we have, instead, opted for national, ad hoc, responses. Now, we are trying to change this.

Negotiations on the world’s first Global Compact on Migration will start this month. Every UN Member State has a role to play. My job is to make sure each one has a platform, and a voice.

The third opportunity for the United Nations is presented by the Sustainable Development Goals. Together, they represent the biggest – and boldest – multilateral framework we have. But, we need to pick up the pace. If we continue as we are, we will not meet our 17 Goals. That is why financing is a major priority for my presidency. We are planning to host an event to focus on this issue in June. I hope it will act as a greenhouse for new partnerships on financing.

Young people, as drivers of Sustainable Development, also cannot be overlooked. Their ideas, passion, and innovation give us a better chance of making it to our 2030 finish line. In May, I will be convening a Youth Dialogue in New York. In the run up to this event, I want to engage with young people – both online and in person. And, I encourage the many young people attending and participating in the Olympic Games to make their voices heard.

Furthermore, while all SDGs are crucial, and interrelated, I will focus on one, in particular, during my presidency. And that is Goal 6, on water. This issue is becoming more and more urgent. And, we are facing a kind of paradox: We must increase access to safe, drinking water and sanitation. But, at the same time, we must address the fact that we are running out of fresh water. In March, I will launch a Decade of Action on Water for Sustainable Development. This can create a space for even stronger multilateral cooperation in this area.

These are merely some of many opportunities for the United Nations. They must be seized – before it is too late. Human rights must be mainstreamed throughout. And a focus must be placed on the equal participation and leadership of women.

Finally, it is fitting that we are discussing turbulence, here, today. Because people on the Korean Peninsula have been in its path, for years. Recently, this turbulence has become even more violent. It threatens to destabilise our entire global community. And it needs to be addressed – urgently.

We cannot recycle old methods and messages. We need creativity, flexibility, and new ideas. Bilateral efforts must intensify. And even stronger multilateral support must be givento these efforts. Today’s forum offers another opportunity for dialogue and cooperation.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

I want to conclude by repeating that we cannot take multilateralism for granted. If we do, we will fail to take the threats facing it seriously. And then, we will be unable to defend against them – until it is too late.

These threats are not always obvious. They can be buried under confusing terms, or lengthy terminology. They can be hidden among other policy positions. But that does not make them any less dangerous. Instead, they pose a real – and urgent – risk.

A risk that our rule-based system will be eroded from underneath us. A risk that the frameworks and norms we spent decades building up will come crashing down. A risk that future generations will learn only about the ideal – and not the practice – of global multilateralism.

And so, we are facing the biggest risk of all: the risk that our world could return to the way it was before 1945 – when the United Nations was created. When rules were set by those with the most power and the strongest militaries. When alliances were based solely on defence – not progress. When cooperation was used only to further individual gains. And when the ambitions, and ideologies, of some could bring us all to our knees.

That is why I want to make a call to the supporters of multilateralism. We must do more to stand together – and counter this trend.

This requires more than passive support. It is not enough to simply attend meetings; to read statements; to sign our names to resolutions. We must actively engage. We must participate- even if things are not going our way. We must listen – even if we do not like what is being said. We must reject a “pick and choose” system of global governance.

We must stand up. We must speak out. And we must champion multilateralism.

Right now, most of the world is focused on the champions who will emerge from these Olympic Games. But you are the champions who hold all of our futures in your hands.

Thank you for the work you have done so far. Let us now do even more.