2 March 2023
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before anything else, let me thank President Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev for the kind invitation and Azerbaijan’s generous hospitality to all of us.
It is my privilege to address today’s Summit-level meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement on post-COVID-19 recovery.
Excellencies,
We are in the era of the Anthropocene.
An era in which the impact of human activity on our globe is of an unprecedented scale.
An era when humanity steps ahead as the main shaper of what is happening on this planet, and to this planet.
Let us admit that the series of grave challenges triggered by COVID-19 has been the prototype of the Anthropocene era crises.
And the proliferation of these interlinked challenges around us gives today’s meeting a particular actuality and emergency.
The ravage of COVID has been the greatest global health crisis in a century.
If the pandemic taught us one thing, it is that no one is safe until all we are safe.
Because closing our borders and taking individual measures were not enough.
It quickly transpired that the only way out of the pandemic was through solidarity, not only within our borders, but across them, too.
In a sense, COVID was a shrill trumpet call reminding us how important this norm is.
The Bandung Principles that underline such solidary are as relevant today as they were when this group was founded in 1961.
And, thanks to the united global push launched by the Non-Aligned Movement, we saw how far joint efforts can bring us in catalysing the development and production of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines all over the globe.
It was a convincing display of NAM’s influence.
The Human Rights Council’s adoption, at the initiative of Azerbaijan, of the resolution on equitable, timely, and universal access to vaccines is testament to the power of mutual support.
So, when the world needed it the most, NAM quickly galvanized efforts to address the crisis, calling for increased global solidarity to overcome the pandemic and its impacts.
Calling for more international cooperation. For a revitalised multilateralism.
But COVID-19 was just a window, a short glimpse into our future, the first of many similar challenges to come.
While we are still reeling from the pandemic, scientists predict about a 25% chance of another disease that will be at least as deadly and widespread as COVID within 10 years.
Given these odds, we are now in a race against the clock to identify transformative solutions that will make our world safer, more equal, and more sustainable.
Excellencies,
As we emerge from the dark shadow of the pandemic, what if we embraced a “new normal”?
One rooted in science, innovation, technology, and digitalization.
This new, science-based “normal” is a key to building more inclusive societies with more resilient economies.
The gradual taming of COVID has given us an opportunity to direct our pandemic recovery towards an environmentally sound and socially just transition.
It gives me a particular pleasure to witness transformation in Azerbaijan – a major producer and exporter of fossil fuels which has become a promoter of green energy and green growth.
Excellencies ,
As President of the General Assembly, I encourage Member States to employ science-based evidence to inform all their decisions – whether relating to water, climate, food, energy, or biodiversity.
2023 is be a pivotal year for technology, particularly for artificial intelligence.
But how can we ensure that the developmental benefits of technological advancements translate into improvements all over the world?
Without doubt, greater efforts are needed to speed up the processes through which these advancements can become global public goods.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals has never been so urgent.
In the run-up to the 2023 SDG Summit, the midpoint review of the implementation of the 17 Goals, my priority is to greatly scale up the momentum for the realisation of the SDGs.
I invite you all to follow up on the lessons learned from your Voluntary National Reviews – to unlock new commitments, to spur the adoption of innovative polices.
We know that recovery policies require sizeable investments.
Moreover, they demand a society-wide shift in the way we think about growth, food, energy, and climate.
And, as COVID laid bare, recovery policies should have twin focuses:
Firstly, they should enhance individual well-being, and secondly, they have to be inclusive of all of us.
National policy responses must be supported by concerted international action.
The international systems of trade, finance and debt must work for and with developing countries, not against them.
IFIs, governments, and businesses have a responsibility to align recovery measures with long-term outcomes for sustainability and resilience.
And, speaking about long-term outcomes, mention must be made of water.
Why? Because we have started to experience the water crisis, ` that will get only worse.
And nearly all climate change is felt through water: too much water, or not enough, or water that is too dirty to use, and unsafe to drink.
And we have breached the planetary boundaries for water for the first time in human history.
This means that one of the red lines to keeping humanity and our planet alive has been crossed.
To change this state of affairs, next month the UN will host the 2023 Water Conference, the first of its kind since 1977.
My message to all Governments is: “Come to the Conference at the highest possible level and bring concrete proposals for action”.
To make the necessary transformation from water crisis to a water-secure world. From reactive policies to proactive water action. From threatening uncertainties to evidence-based investments.
We know how to tackle this challenge. We have the science. We have the technology. We even have the finances.
What we need is political will. Your political will.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
NAM is the largest coalition of Member States at the United Nations – making you the political group most representative of the GA’s membership.
NAM has the most power to shift the balance from mistrust and confrontation to dialogue and collaboration.
Your perspectives on a post-Covid world are essential, for sustainable development and Covid recovery are two sides of the same coin.
You will have the opportunity to showcase them at theSDG Summit in September and the Summit of the Future in 2024.
In delivering on my mandate, I will continue to rely on and to count on the support of the NAM Member States.
I reiterate my deep appreciation to the Government and people of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
And I look forward to fruitful discussions with you all today.
I thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
