Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr Dennis Francis, at
Qatar University under the theme,
Navigating a New Era:
Revitalizing Multilateralism for Global Challenges
10 December 2023, Doha, Qatar
[As Delivered]
Students and Faculty Members of Qatar University,
Distinguished Guests,
Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to President Al-Ansari and Qatar University for the generous invitation to be with you today.
It is indeed a great pleasure to engage with you – the next generation of leaders – here, at this world class institution known as much for its academic rigor, as it is for its values of excellence, integrity, academic freedom, diversity, innovation, and responsible citizens empowerment.
As I stand on this stage, I am reminded of my own journey – one that was profoundly influenced by truly devoted educators who both stimulated and guided my intellectual growth and thus helped to set me on a path of self-discovery and personal challenge.
Educators and institutions – like Qatar University – are society’s great liberators of human potential and creators of social capital that drive innovation and sustainable development.
So many of the cutting-edge innovations that have made a unique and remarkable imprint on human history have their origins at institutions such as yours.
If I leave you with only one message today, it is this: We need your talents, and your active engagement.
You are the future of multilateral cooperation, and therefore, of global problem solving with the potential to create a world at peace with itself and which encourages, facilitates, and supports individual achievement – the stuff that transforms neighbourhoods into successful communities. No matter your discipline or chosen field of study.
At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – and as we prepare to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 15th December – multilateralism finds itself in a phase of profound tumult.
International Unity and solidarity are in deficit.
At the UN, we see this in the Security Council deadlock – that increasingly prevents the Council from effectively performing its primary responsibility to promote and protect international peace and security, and in bewildering inaction to resolve crises in places such as Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Mali.
In the General Assembly, issues that once attracted consensus with relative ease – such as disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation – are now mired in intransigent discord.
These centrifugal forces are saturating our politics, our institutions, even our university campuses.
Through our media and social media, they are coursing instantly into our consciousness – creating misinformation and disinformation designed to confuse the public and to undermine trust in public authorities and institutions.
Taken together, these dynamics are undermining the very cohesion we need to resolve complex global problems, to uphold international law and to give meaning, real meaning to the UN Charter – the backbone of our multilateral system.
As global citizens – including you, the young people – we must treat these dynamics as unifying forces, and channel them towards outcomes that make a meaningful difference for those who need them most.
For these reasons, I have focused my Presidency of the General Assembly on rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity – premised on the firm belief that we are stronger and more effective when, in taking on the challenges, we work collaboratively.
And that – together – we can harness the best of multilateralism to secure peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.
Let me turn first to Peace:
Perhaps nowhere are the dynamics of division on more visceral display than in Gaza – where the crisis has galvanized people across the globe.
Innocent civilians in Gaza today join the 2 billion people – a quarter of humanity – who now live in places affected by conflict.
In the last year alone, a series of military takeovers have supplanted established orders across West Africa, the war and aggression against Ukraine has deepened and Haiti has descended into lawlessness, all while violent conflict persists in several places, including Yemen, Myanmar, Sudan, and South Sudan.
Peace is not only the raison d’être of the UN.
It is the firm foundation upon which everything else is built – offering an enabling environment in which all nations can thrive, bound by the UN Charter principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
The UN is working tirelessly around the globe to make these aspirations a reality, but ultimately, it is member states in the exercise of their sovereign will, that decide whether they will uphold the Charter principles and the law or whether they will put self -interest first and break it.
From successful peacekeeping operations in Liberia, to its involvement in peace negotiations in Colombia and Timor-Leste, the UN has been ambitious across the peace continuum.
The Security Council’s recent authorization of a historic security support mission in Haiti offered a rare, unified voice at a critical time.
There are, therefore, striking areas of success and cases of global solidarity in action – which we must multiply to achieve progress at the required scale that can make the difference in achieving good outcomes that provide stability and hope for the affected peoples.
And we will need your help.
Turning now to Prosperity:
We know that the path to sustainable peace and security is forged, collectively, through sustainable development. Yet we have fallen off track on every one of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Extreme poverty is on the rise, after years of decline. Hunger and food insecurity are again surging, while the global pandemic set back the education of our children mostly in the Global South and widened the digital divide.
Despite these adverse headwinds, world leaders at the UN still registered a triumph of unity over division.
The political declaration adopted at the SDG Summit in September set out commitments to accelerate action. But achieving the SDGs requires the sustained efforts of all sectors of society – and not just Governments acting alone.
We need your constructive activism, your ambition – from research on climate and peace, to solutions that will help tackle the multidimensional nature of poverty and adapt our systems for the efficient delivery of global public goods, especially during times of life-threatening global emergency.
We need to hear all voices louder – yes, Governments and international institutions, but importantly, civil society, the private sector, academia, philanthropic organisations, scientific communities, and groups representing those who are usually left out from decision-making, especially women and girls, young people like you that I rather think of as emerging thought leaders, indigenous peoples, older persons, and those who are differently abled.
A word about Progress:
A critical measure of our advancement will hinge on how well we ensure that everyone has an equal chance to thrive. Inclusion must be part of the formula for development.
Today, we are seeing a pushback against women’s rights in many corners of the world, including the denial of the right to education for young girls in certain countries.
We stand no chance of achieving the SDGs with half the global population sitting on the side-lines – locked out from opportunities to participate in the economic and social life of the community of which they are otherwise an integral part.
I have therefore made gender equality a priority of my Presidency, and I am committed to building trust among Member States on this issue.
To that end, I have appointed a Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, to assist me in mainstreaming a gender perspective across my priorities.
Is this enough? Not nearly enough, but it is a pioneering step and we continue to aggressively seek more avenues to push the envelope for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
I therefore ask you today to unleash your advocacy so that – together – we can create a visible and united force for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Together with all world leaders and you as advocates, we can – and must – ensure that every girl goes to school, every boy becomes an agent of change on the path to gender equality, and that every woman has an equal opportunity to be a leader in the profession or role of her choosing.
I would not be standing at this podium today sharing my perspectives with you without the devoted service and support of a group of dedicated women, one of whom, Asma Al-Muhannadi, is herself a proud graduate of Qatar University.
Today – Human Rights Day – we have no better opportunity to do our part to ensure that every human being has an equal chance to live a safe, productive, and dignified life. Let me reiterate the opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights.
Why then do some find it so easy to deny others what are their inalienable rights – and get away with it? And we are seeing such violation of the law play out in several places around the world, virtually with impunity. It is a slippery slope between denying someone their human rights and devaluing them to the point where they can be exterminated.
I then ask: Should we – as a civilized society – turn a blind eye to such practices? Will you – as tomorrow’s leaders – tolerate such egregious assault on the law and on humanity?
A few words about Sustainability.
I hear the loudest demands for progress from the young people I meet – and most recently at COP28 in neighbouring Dubai – where young participants forcefully pushed for responsible climate action.
Everywhere, young people recognize that while climate change is dire, it is quite possible, with the requisite political will, to take corrective action now to mitigate its effects on society.
We have greener and bluer solutions at hand – and we heard additional bold pledges recently at COP28.
Alternatively, the costs of inaction are existential especially for countries in special situations as we also heard recently during COP28 – least developed, landlocked, and particularly, Small Island Developing States, where rising seas are raising imperative questions about the future of their sovereignty and statehood.
I encourage you to contribute to the on -going debate on how to improve the international legal framework to protect the interests of affected states to remove any doubt about the longevity of their sovereignty as a consequence of maritime inundation.
My dear friends,
It would be remiss for me to conclude without mention of an ongoing process that I know is of great interest to you: the Summit of the Future.
At the Summit of the Future in September 2024, leaders will aim to forge a new global consensus on how to strengthen our multilateral system so it can better deliver for people and planet: enhancing digital cooperation, redressing governance gaps and holding Member States more accountable for their commitments.
It is part of a continuum of efforts to deliver faster – and smarter – on the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Its anticipated outcome – the Pact for the Future – is essentially a compact between the generations.
It is a needed investment in you, the young people who will carry on the work towards a brighter tomorrow.
I look forward, with anticipation, to your inputs in shaping the outcomes of this important Summit.
Students and Faculty Members of Qatar University,
Distinguished Guests,
In my country of origin, Trinidad and Tobago, we use the word “gayap” to describe the tradition of people coming together to complete a significant task.
It captures the idea that “many hands make light work”.
And that we all have a role to play, a contribution to make to our joint success.
Both The history and future of multilateralism are still being written.
I challenge you, the thought leaders of tomorrow, to help write the next chapter and to assist in setting the compass to usher in a new era of multilateralism, robust, effective, agile, and responsive and driven primarily by the needs and interests of people.
It is not beyond our capacity to rebuild the foundations for trust and meaningful cooperation – that will deliver us to a safer, more equal, more just and more prosperous world, where no one anywhere is left behind.
Let’s get it done!
I thank you.
