Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,  

Mr. Dennis Francis,  

to the Secretary-General Briefing on OCA

4 October 2023

[As Delivered]

 

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to deliver these opening remarks, as we look forward, with anticipation, to the Secretary-General’s briefing on “Our Common Agenda”.

Your animated discussions held throughout what we now generally refer to as the “OCA process” have underscored the unmistakable need for a reformed, inclusive, and efficiently functioning multilateral system, under the superintendence of Member States.

For my part, the centrality of a UN-led multilateral system has also been emphasised in several of my recent statements and utterings.

The United Nations – operating as an integrated, cohesive system must be the cornerstone in order to effectively address the interconnected global challenges that confront and confound us today, as well as those that we anticipate tomorrow.

However, this vision requires a foundation of trust – trust both in and within our international institutions – along with reinforced global cooperation and genuine solidarity.

As I have also said severally before, what we need now is nothing short of ambitious, bold, and transformative action.

Colleagues,

The Summit of the Future will be a pivotal opportunity to reinforce our 2023 milestones – including the recent outcome of the SDG Summit.

The Summit of the Future constitutes a significant stride towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that prioritizes tangible outcomes.

 

What is also essential is a holistic approach to peace, which the New Agenda for Peace promises to provide.

This Agenda offers a vision of a UN fully committed to peace and security, that demonstrates its dedication through proactive prevention, skilled mediation, robust peacekeeping, comprehensive disarmament efforts, accompanied by sustainable funding, and rigorous accountability measures.

Dear Friends,

The sustainability transformation is a long-term, collective endeavour that requires transformative initiatives.

And indeed, some are already being spearheaded: the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index represents a powerful tool to assess countries’ vulnerability to external shocks, such as climate change and pandemics, and enhance their adaptive capacity.

This, in turn, lays the foundation for the Beyond GDP metric, which comprehensively evaluates the well-being of nations in social, economic, and environmental terms – and whose widespread use we hope to see as one of the outcomes of the Summit of the Future.

The Declaration on Future Generationscreates a framework for a much-needed social contract, seeking to protect and guarantee the rights of those who will be coming after us.

Furthermore, the Global Digital Compact offers the unique opportunity to address vital aspects of digital cooperation, including artificial intelligence, as mandated by the Political Declaration adopted at the SDG Summit, transfer of technology and a human rights perspective to new technologies.

Expanding on the SDG Summit’s progress, the preparatory ministerial meeting was instrumental in setting priorities for the Summit of the Future.

I am encouraged that Member States demonstrated their unwavering commitment to multilateralism, firmly acknowledging its role as a vital necessity, and not as a mere choice.

Building upon our collective efforts, I implore Member States to engage throughout this year to craft a bold and pragmatic Pact for the Future.

The Secretary-General’s 11 policy briefs – alongside the report of the High-level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism – present a valuable array of action-oriented recommendations for our consideration.

As I close, I wish to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General for his vision and leadership in advancing this crucial agenda.

In this regard, it is my intention to announce the co-facilitators for OCA-related and other processes by the end of this week.

My team and I stand ready to assist you, Mr. Secretary-General, your team and all Member States in bringing to fruition a commonly woven vision of a more peaceful, more secure, and more sustainable future for us all.

 

I thank you.