Excellencies, colleagues, friends,

I thank the Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies for graciously inviting me to deliver remarks.

Bahrain has a strong tradition of diplomatic engagement, evident in its wide-ranging multilateral initiatives and global outreach.

These initiatives help foster global peace and dialogue, and contribute to our attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Those of you here at the academy today are positioned to carry on that tradition. It is my honor to address such a distinguished audience.

I will focus my remarks today on the priorities I have chosen for my Presidency of Hope, what I like to call my Five Rays of Hope.

I want to emphasize that all of them are rooted in the understanding that today’s challenges are global in scale and require concerted global efforts to overcome.

And I want to offer my perspective on why hope is so crucial to ensure the success of that effort.  

Dear friends,

The first ‘ray of hope’ that I have chosen for my presidency is recovering from COVID-19.

We are all aware that vaccination against COVID-19 has been deeply uneven. This is not only immoral, but it is not pragmatic. COVID-19 will not go away with piecemeal efforts. Our vaccines must blanket the globe. Global vaccination that leaves no one behind remains our most effective weapon against the pandemic, against any future variants.

I will reiterate this message during the High-Level Event that I will convene on ‘Galvanizing Momentum for Vaccine Equity’ on the 25th of February.

My second ‘ray of hope’ is on rebuilding sustainably. As we endeavor to overcome the pandemic, it is critical that we learn from our past mistakes and correct our course.

The pandemic has touched on everything from jobs to education to health. There are countless lessons to learn; we can and must ensure our recovery is resilient and sustainable. Put simply: when the next pandemic comes, if it comes, we will have no excuses for not having addressed some of these issues.

We must redouble our commitment to meeting the 2030 Agenda. We cannot afford to miss our targets on the Sustainable Development Goals, as we strive to recover better.

And as we do so we need to reflect that the impacts of the pandemic have not been felt evenly. We must undertake targeted interventions on behalf of those countries that have been the most impacted by the pandemic: LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS.

Relatedly, my third ray of hope is on responding to the needs of the planet. As we work to recover from COVID-19, as we rebuild sustainably, let us embrace blue and green policies and practices that build back better. Most urgently, we must recognize that we are living through a climate crisis and take steps to reverse it.

As I emphasized during the High-Level event I held on Climate last October, and during COP26 in Glasgow, we have the capacity to act on climate, if we fortify it with political will.

We can and must leverage existing and innovative technologies to reduce climate emissions and keep within the 1.5-degree target.

My fourth priority, respecting the rights of all, stems from the understanding that we have a moral obligation to recognize the inherent value and dignity of all human life – a principle at the very heart of the UN itself.

A global order in which certain communities continue to be discriminated against is not a just one. In this regard we must continue pushing for gender equality. And we must take steps to protect all people, but especially vulnerable communities, such as refugees, displaced people, and migrants.

My final and fifth priority is on revitalizing the United Nations. I believe that every country that comprises the global community, rich or poor, powerful, or weak, should have a seat at the table.

They should be able to articulate their priorities and contribute to solving global challenges. That was the founding promise of the United Nations and it is our responsibility to live up to that ideal.

Dear friends,

You will notice that every single one of the priorities that I mentioned are international in scale. All of today’s challenges – from the climate crisis, to the pandemic, to issues of peace and security – span the globe and spare no borders.

Without international solidarity and cooperation, we cannot address these challenges.

The era of isolationism is long over; our world is now too intertwined, too connected. We must act as one world, one planet, one humanity.

Having been elected President of the General Assembly for the 76th session running from September 2021 to 2022, I was afforded exactly one year to make a difference. One year during which I am vested with the power to convene High Level Meetings, preside over debates, and play a mediating role.

In that time, I will use all the tools that I have at my disposal to make all the positive difference that I can.

However, I will need your help. Not only to ensure that we achieve our priorities during this session of the General Assembly, but also so that we stay on course in the years to come.

My ask of you is this: Stay involved. Stay engaged. Just as multilateralism is critical to the success of our global efforts, youth involvement is critical to the continued success of multilateralism. 

That is the precise reason I recently launched the Fellowship for HOPE, in which 8 young diplomats from underrepresented countries have joined my office to gain real experience working in the United Nations.

I am happy to note that they will be working alongside two outstanding young women Bahraini diplomats who have been seconded to my Office – Ms. Feryal Adel Almuharraqi and Ms. Futoon Alammadi. Ms. Futoon, is accompanying me on this visit and is my delegations Trip Captain.

It is my hope that these Fellows will take back the lessons and values from this experience to benefit their home countries.

Whatever world we shape, we leave in the hands of the next generation. That is why my peers and I have a responsibility to instill in you, the youth, the importance of global cooperation.

Only if you embrace this truth, can you continue our work: to recover better, protect the planet, and ensure a just and lasting peace.

I am heartened by how many young people I have interacted with, throughout my travels and engagements, that have already taken heed of this lesson. This is evident in their keenness to engage on important issues and in the urgency with which they demand global leaders to act on behalf of our planet and its people.

Dear friends,

Allow me to reiterate, we cannot succeed in any of our endeavors without hope. By hope I do not mean blind optimism. Rather, hope as an affirmation of our capacity to make a difference; that by working together, through doing our due diligence, and by seeking inclusive solutions to our common challenges, we can strive for a better future.

The United Nations itself was founded on that belief. The belief that through the collective efforts of Member States we could rebuild a war-torn world, recover our humanity, and lay the foundations for a better tomorrow. A tomorrow that is peaceful, prosperous, just, and hopeful.

Over the past 76 years, successive generations have built on that vision. And it is your responsibility to become stewards of that legacy.  

I have no doubt that the young aspiring diplomats here at this academy will prove equal to that task.

Thank you.