Your Excellency, Dr. George Vella, President of the Republic of Malta,

Mr. Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain, President of the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation in Malta,

Colleagues and friends,

We started the new year confronting many challenges, old and new. Heightened international tensions, socio-economic and political instability, compromised global supply chains, climate change, refugee and humanitarian crises, and a continuing COVID-19 pandemic loomed over our existence.

Together, these challenges threaten the multilateral order that has underpinned our world and preserved its stability since the second World War.  They foster resentment and mistrust, threatening to undo the painstaking work we have done over the decades, to shape a global regime of cooperation and peace.

Now, more than ever, we need to re-commit to a culture of peace, and strengthen the multilateral architecture necessary for that peace to thrive. 

To succeed, we must be inclusive, and shape a multilateral system that benefits us all. A system that addresses the challenges faced by marginalized communities, is underpinned by strong institutions, and invests in the youth that will one day be its stewards.

Excellencies,

As the pandemic has demonstrated, it is often marginalized and overlooked communities that bear the brunt of the human costs of global crises. The pandemic has also compounded the many indignities they were already enduring – poverty, exclusion, discrimination, inequality, and human rights violations. These indignities fuel resentment and potential strife.  

That is why the United Nations must work alongside all stakeholders, including local actors and civil society, to identify and address the challenges faced by the global south, in particular LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS.

We must mobilize to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on time, and in an inclusive and holistic manner. That is how we will ensure that global recovery benefits everyone and alleviates the socio-economic conditions that gives rise to collective anxiety and conflict.

Under no circumstance should the post-pandemic future see a portion of the world “better off” and another portion “worse off” than they were before all of this started. This will never lead to a positive outcome.

Excellencies,

To cultivate and maintain a culture of peace individuals, communities, and governments ought to proactively pursue it through a strategic process that builds the right circumstances for its thriving.

The pursuit of building a culture of peace is an active process that involves bottom-up approaches aimed at preventing, reducing, transforming, and assisting people to recover from all forms of violence.

At this critical point in history, it is vital that we strengthen conflict-prevention mechanisms. To that end, I fully concur with the Secretary General’s calls for greater global investment in peacebuilding. 

The global community now recognizes the invaluable role of peacebuilding in helping countries to uphold peace of their own accord, through strengthening their institutions and governance.

In line with the twin resolutions on the 2020 Peacebuilding Architecture, I look forward to convening a High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly to advance, explore, and consider options for adequate, predictable, and sustained peacebuilding financing.

I also concur with the Secretary General’s view that we must facilitate greater youth engagement and invest in the young leaders who will one day take our place.

Through supporting education that instills the values of international cooperation in our youth, and by providing them avenues to shape global affairs, we will secure the continued future of global multilateralism. 

It was in this spirit that I launched a Youth-Fellowship program for young diplomats from underrepresented countries. Through the Fellowship, these diplomats will work in my office and grain valuable insight into the functioning of the United Nations.

They will take back the lessons they learn here and hopefully be better equipped to support their nations to engage with the multilateral system. 

Alongside their peers, I hope that they will become important and influential advocates within that system; champions of multilateralism that will use their insight, experiences, and network to build partnerships and resolve common issues.

Excellencies,

Throughout my tenure as President of the General Assembly and beyond, I will continue to be guided by the knowledge that global peace and multilateralism are deeply linked.  I draw upon that conviction as I call on the international community to cherish cooperation and strengthen bonds of friendship.

Together let us march forward, meet the challenges of our times, and secure a just and lasting peace. 

Thank you.