– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly

20 November 2020

 

Excellencies, colleagues,

Thank you for the opportunity to address today’s handover ceremony.

I would like to extend my appreciation to Ambassador Manalo and commend him for his successful chairmanship of the Group. I would also like to congratulate and welcome Ambassador Lam as the incoming Chair. I look forward to working together through the remainder of the 75th Session.

Excellencies, the Group of Friends of Middle-Income Countries remains an important mechanism for ensuring the continued visibility and prioritization of issues relevant to the Middle-Income Countries. This is a necessary effort in the best of times and perhaps a critical effort now.

The global COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impacts have put pressure on every country, across the board. Not only are the effects on public health remarkable, but the socio-economic impacts are also staggering. In many ways it is serving as a social and economic stress-test, putting pressure on countries and finding their weak spots, whether that be an over-reliance on any one sector, an under-funded health system, or a dependence on limited global supply chains. Each country is feeling the pressure, yet each is feeling it differently.

MICs are no exception to this. The so-called ‘middle-income trap’, leaves many Middle-Income Countries more vulnerable to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, while in parallel, structural impediments to financial and capacity support hinder recovery efforts.

I think debt relief is one such example. As it is, many developing and Middle-Income Countries are already in debt distress or will soon become so. This could further entrench the losses already incurred by the pandemic, and handicap country capacity to undertake meaningful recovery.

While the debt suspension initiative by the G-20 is welcomed, it is, as yet, insufficient in scope to meet the breadth of the challenges across many low- and Middle-Income Countries. If we are to recoup development losses due to the pandemic, while simultaneously accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, further measures are required.

As the global community begins the largest socio-economic recovery since the creation of the United Nations, it is important that the complex and particular needs of all countries are taken into account, this includes the Middle-Income Countries. Furthermore, the growing space for South-South and triangular cooperation between MICs must be leveraged.

As the global community begins the largest socio-economic recovery since the creation of the United Nations, it is important that the complex and particular needs of all countries are taken into account, this includes the Middle-Income Countries.

Volkan Bozkir

President of the UN General Assembly

Excellencies, these are all concerns requiring our attention, and I am pleased to inform you that I will be hosting a High-Level Meeting on Middle-Income Countries in 2021. I think this will be a crucial moment to bring together key players and to discuss these concerns.

On this note, I have instructed my Office to work closely with this group to ensure the smooth organization of the High-Level event, particularly in defining the date and theme of the event, but even more importantly in ensuring that there are action-oriented, concrete outcomes that can help support Middle-Income Countries. I count on your support in this regard and look forward to receiving proposals from you soon.

I would like to thank you, once again, for the invitation to speak and I am looking forward to our cooperation throughout the 75th session.

Thank you very much.