21 September 2022

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am sincerely grateful for your engagement in today’sevent.

Your presence and participation testify to your commitment to this issue.

All of you raised important points.

While I cannot capture them all in these short remarks, and there still are quite a few interventions to be delivered, I was already pleased to hear some remarkable proposals today.

We are from 193 different states. We represent 8 billion people. There will, inevitably, a broad variety of opinions and circumstances.

We should not let our differences lead to threats of force, let alone war.

We must exercise mutual respect, goodwill and understanding and focus our energies on peaceful solutions.

There are many important areas where we do see eye to eye.  

We all agree that this Declaration is not only a pioneering moral instrument but a universal guide in the protection of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities.

Today’s discussions substantiate the fact that respecting the rights of minorities leads to peaceful and inclusive societies, supporting social and political stability. In time of multidimensional crises like the one we are facing now, stability and trust are particularly important values.

These are prerequisites of sustainability transformation, key to success in the rapidly changing world.

Better late than never: 30 years after adopting theDeclaration, now is the moment to implement practical solutions to prevent instability and conflict.

If we successfully take action on this Declaration – we all win.

If we fail at implementing the tenets of the Declaration – we all lose.

Please bring today’s momentum with you as you return home.

Please advocate in your institutions of power for the very clear benefits that respecting the rights of all represents.

I will prepare a summary of today’s discussion.

I will ensure it includes all the experiences shared, lessons learnt, and pledges taken.

But, ultimately, where we are heading depends on finding the right ways of implementing what we have subscribed to in our countries.

We cannot let another 30 years of inaction pass us by.

I count on you all to make significant progress in this area.

Seize today’s momentum, and act on it.

I thank you.