Remarks by the President of the 78th session of the General Assembly,

Mr. Dennis Francis,

at the opening of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Group of Friends High–Level Meeting

Your Excellency, Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations,

Your Excellency. Mr. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye,

Your Excellency, Mr. José Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain,

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

 

Let me begin by thanking you for the generous invitation to join you today.

It is an honour to be among friends and leaders, with such rich experience in building convergence of thought through constructive dialogue.

Indeed,

  • when the climate change, food insecurity and the aftershocks of COVID-19 continue to strain our societies,
  • when the number and frequency of conflicts – often fuelled by intercultural and interfaith tensions – has risen to a record high,
  • when an unprovoked violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a fellow UN member – Ukraine – has unleashed immense suffering on the country’s civilians and cascading implications for the global economy,

… the work of this Alliance becomes as critical as ever as part of the toolkit to reverse this trajectory of violence and despair; and in finding new pathways to kindle actions devoted to unity and solidarity among all peace-loving nations.

As you know, I have chosen “peace” as one of the four pillars of the theme for my Presidency of the General Assembly.

I believe the mission of the Alliance is closely aligned with this vision – and I see several points of convergence and cooperation to achieve our common goal of tolerant and peaceful societies.

 

First, let us work together to fight disinformation and hateful rhetoric.

Let us do so, mindful that our efforts do not endanger or infringe on media freedoms and other fundamental rights that form the backbone of safe, inclusive, democratic societies.

We know that Internet shutdowns are not a solution for creating trust among peoples or confidence in Governments – quite the opposite.

Here at the United Nations, let us lead by example, promoting transparency and truth as the basis for our common action.

We know that access to trustworthy, accurate information is essential to countering propaganda that incites hate and division.

 

Second, we must recognise that women have proven to be agents of peace.

Women peacebuilders play a crucial role in creating inclusive, just and durable peaceful societies.

Let us place women’s leadership at the centre of decision-making.

And let us, again, start in this House.

Yesterday, I was delighted to reconvene the Women Leaders Platform over lunch, and I was deeply impressed by the change-oriented ideas generated.

It is appalling that in 78 years, there have been only four women elected to the position I hold today.

Just four.

And we have yet to see a woman lead this Organisation.

We can and must do better.

As an international gender champion, I am strongly committed to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, and I have appointed a Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment to assist me in this endeavour.

I look forward to hearing your views on how we can reverse the dangerous erosion of women’s rights in many parts of the world.

Third, we simply must do more to protect children’s rights to education – this mightiest of peacebuilders.

Education – in its empowerment – plays a critical role in fostering respect, tolerance and mutual understanding that underpin safe and resilient societies.

“A mind is like a parachute,” as the saying goes. “It does not work if it is not open.”

Critical, yet tolerant minds flourish only when schools are safe and education is not weaponised to extremist ends.

 

Excellencies,

Let me close by saying that – with two billion of our fellow citizens living in conflict settings – it is abundantly clear that we need a renewed atmosphere of trust, cooperation and commitment to prevail.

I am convinced that, together, we can build bridges and achieve the urgently needed shift from conflict to collaboration.

I commend your leadership in continuing to focus on these important issues and I wish you the best in your deliberations today.

 

Thank you.