Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York,
15 November 2021
H.E. Mr. Michal Mlynár, Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the kind invitation.
It is an honor to join you in celebrating the life and work of Dr. Ján Papánek, who was among those entrusted with preparing the
Charter of the United Nations, 76 years ago.
Dr. Papánek went on to become the first Representative of Czechoslovakia to the United Nations, and later served as the Acting President of the Economic and Social Council.
An illustrious career and a significant contribution to multilateralism to be sure.
Three-quarters of a century later and the United Nations and its members, including Slovakia, continue to uphold the very same
principles enshrined in that Charter.
Through its commitments in areas such as security sector reform and peacekeeping, Slovakia continues to demonstrate its support for multilateralism.
Close to 250 military and police personnel from Slovakia, including two dozen women, currently serve in UN peace operations.
We are indebted to the service, sacrifice, professionalism and dedication of Slovakian women and men peacekeepers who
serve far away from their loved ones back at home.
Nearly 4,000 Slovakian peacekeepers, over the last two decades have contributed to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in
Cyprus (UNFICYP).
During Slovakia’s decades’ long contribution to UN Peacekeeping, six of its contributed personnel lost their lives while serving under the UN flag. We salute these bravehearts.
As part of the Secretary-General’s ‘Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)’ initiative, Slovakia stands with Member States in calling
for all stakeholders to renew collective engagement with UN peacekeeping.
We are also thankful to Slovakia’s contribution to the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) which has contributed
to life-saving work in Iraq
On behalf of the General Assembly, I expressly thank Slovakia for its continued support in this critical area.
Excellencies,
I would be remiss if I did not recognize the leadership of the President of the 72 nd Session of the General Assembly H.E. Mr.
Miroslav Lajcak.
President Lajcak continued Slovakia’s legacy by contributing to the fields of conflict prevention, peace and security, and UN
reform.
I am pleased to say that then-President Lajcak also established the morning dialogues, which I have wholeheartedly continued.
Slovakia’s work on UN reform continues to this day, and I commend Ambassador Mlynar for his tremendous work as Co-
chair of the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly during the 73rd 74th and 75th sessions.
Excellencies,
Having recently returned from COP26 and still processing the news from that global summit, I must also recognize the commitments of Slovakia to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 and become climate neutral by 2050.
I commend the Government for ambitiously targeting 2023 to phase out the use of coal in electricity and heat.
As Her Excellency Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic, stated during the High-Level Debate in September, we
have, and I quote, “Optimism that science can and does offer solutions – and that if we respect scientific recommendations,
we will overcome the challenges ahead.”
Ladies and gentlemen, these words correspond very closely to the messages I have been sharing throughout the first two
months of my Presidency.
From climate change to COVID-19, human ingenuity offers us cause for optimism, cause for to be hopeful. We do not lack in
resources or in inspiration. It is our own courage that, at times, falters.
This is what I hope to overcome this session and what I hope to reignite in both Member States and the public alike: that we can
overcome our shared challenges if we only work together and truly invest accordingly.
I thank you again for the invitation and I commend you and your country for its contributions to these United Nations.
Throughout our disarmament efforts, it is my conviction that women and youth can make a meaningful contribution. Let us take special pains to ensure that women and youth, as well as civil society, are more actively engaged in this work going forward.
