– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
1 December 2020
Excellencies,
Thank you for the opportunity to help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development.
Along with the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, this 25th anniversary summit offers us an opportune moment to reflect on our successes, failures, and challenges in creating a better world for all, for realizing the ambition that we have so often committed to.
And there is no better time for such reflection than now. The global pandemic is the single largest setback to development gains in our lifetime. But it is a potential springboard to bounce back further and faster, to utilize recovery as a means to accelerate action.
We know that somewhere in the range of 100 million people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty. We know that healthcare systems have been tested as never before. We know that economies are floundering and that jobs and livelihoods are being erased. And we know that access to social services, most acutely education, is being jeopardized the world over.
And yet, against these odds, there is hope. Hope that what has shaken our world has also awoken in us a commitment to reach for more.
The Sustainable Development Goals, clearly setback by the events this past year, can also serve as the blueprint for our recovery. As trillions of dollars are poured into recovery from COVID-19, there is a growing chorus of experts and policymakers, of students and civil society groups, who are demanding that the SDGs form the basis of a greener, more sustainable, more equitable recovery. Through this, we can recoup our losses and move forward faster than before, kickstarting the Decade of Action on the SDGs.
The first World Summit on Social Development, in Copenhagen, was built on the need for a culture of cooperation and partnership to address sustainable development. That principle remains true today. Only together, through a multilateral approach can we meet these expectations.
Excellencies, I am proud to say that I fall into this latter category. We cannot let the COVID-19 pandemic become the excuse we use in a decade’s time, when asked why we failed to meet expectations; we must utilize this opportune moment, however tragic the circumstances, to charge forward. Let this be our turning point.
This is a message that I will continue to carry forward throughout the 75th Session of the General Assembly. The upcoming UN General Assembly Special Session on COVID-19 is yet another moment to underscore this point. Trust that, I will voice this accordingly.
In closing, allow me to say this: As it turned 75 years old, the UN conducted a global survey to ascertain the needs and wants of the people of the world. Their responses were clear:
- recovery from COVID-19;
- collaborative action from the international community;
- prioritization of health, education, and
- the protection of our planet.
Excellencies,
The first World Summit on Social Development, in Copenhagen, was built on the need for a culture of cooperation and partnership to address sustainable development. That principle remains true today. Only together, through a multilateral approach can we meet these expectations.
Only together can we recover better from COVID-19 and ensure a future that is more sustainable and more resilient.
Thank you.
