Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Dennis Francis,
at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies in Shanghai, China
28 January 2024
[As Delivered]
Mr. Li Kaisheng, Vice President of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies,
Mr. Yang Jiemian, Chairman of the Academic Affairs Council,
Distinguished Students and Faculty,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me begin by expressing my deep gratitude to Vice-President Li for the kind introduction, and to Chairman Yang for the generous invitation to join you today.
It is indeed a great honour for me to address the venerated Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
As a premiere university and influential think-tank, your strategic research has shaped – and continue influentially to set the tone – for robust policy dialogue and formulation across a wide spectrum of political, economic and security disciplines for more than a half century.
As a mix of current and next generation leaders, I look forward to hearing your views and recommendations on the state of international affairs today.
To set the stage, let me offer you some reflections of my own – in my capacity as President of the General Assembly, of which this great country, China, is a highly regarded member.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the outset, it is the case that the world is indeed at an inflection point.
Across our societies, we all feel whether to a greater or lesser degree, the worsening impacts of climate change, hunger and multidimensional poverty expressing themselves in new, and more often, intensified ways – thus breeding fresh grievances and hampering efforts to realize the promise of a safer, more just, and more sustainable world.
In parallel, geopolitical divides have sparked new conflicts – and deepened pre-existing others – across swaths of Africa, Eastern Europe, and indeed in the Middle East.
These worrying developments affecting the state of our global affairs are laying bare the limits of our multilateral system – and raising legitimate questions about both the relevance and ability of the United Nations to resolve complex dilemmas.
They demand that we fortify our foundation – and recommit to the core principles of the UN Charter, that have offered us a guiding light out of the tumultuous past since the founding of the United Nations.
For these reasons, I have anchored my Presidency on the need to unite the nations – based on my firm belief that we are more effective and impactful when we work together; and when we harness to our collective advantage, the unrivaled power of multilateralism to secure peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
Against this backdrop, I wish to take this opportunity to commend the People’s Republic of China for continuing to play a leading role in international affairs – as the international community seeks sustainable solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting us.
As a founding member of the United Nations, it is worth recalling that China was the first – I repeat, the first – to affix its signature to the UN Charter, thus endorsing that document from the very inception of this unique organization.
In the nearly eight decades since, China has been a notably steadfast supporter of multilateralism – appropriately with the United Nations at its core.
Distinguished Friends,
As you may be aware – based on the priorities of my Presidency – the chosen theme for the 78th session of the General Assembly is:
“Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all.”
First, let me speak on my priority for Peace:
Perhaps nowhere is such exemplary leadership more needed today than in our efforts to build and sustain Peace throughout the world.
As you are all well aware – since the horrific 7 October attack on Israel – the escalation of violence in the Middle East, and the wrenching humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, continue to project the worst aspects of the human condition; precisely that which the Charter was intended to avoid.
But – regardless of the complexity of the dynamics in this conflict – as President of the General Assembly, I am gratified, indeed proud that the Assembly has not sat idly by, when the UN Security Council faltered at a time of heightened crises, in executing its primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
It was only during China’s Presidency of the Security Council that the Council was able – after several failed attempts – to adopt a resolution on the situation in Gaza.
The General Assembly has been both active and ambitious – by resuming twice its Tenth Emergency Special Session on the Middle East, and adopting two important resolutions with the overwhelming support of the membership.
Through those resolutions, it is on record that the Assembly has unequivocally demanded a humanitarian ceasefire; compliance by all parties with their obligations under international law; full, immediate, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid; and the immediate release of all hostages, without any conditions.
I reassure you that I shall not tire of reiterating these consequential demands, made in the name of humanity.
At the same time, the Middle East is by no means the only conflict of preoccupation.
In the last year alone, military takeovers have supplanted established orders across Western Africa, the aggression and war against Ukraine has entered another bloody chapter, and violence persists in places such as Haiti, Yemen, Myanmar, and Sudan – and we cannot afford to ignore the implications of these conflicts for global peace and security.
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with elevated influence in the Council’s decision-making – and the second-largest funding contributor to UN peacekeeping operations – China’s leading role in the maintenance of international peace and security is so significant and has been on full display.
With the full contribution of China, we urgently need to focus our undivided attention on de-escalation of all flaring conflicts and work much harder to regain traction in the pursuit of peace – if we hope to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals.
Turning to Prosperity:
We know that the path to lasting and durable peace is forged through sustainable development – as they are two sides of the same coin.
Yet, due to varied reasons, we are woefully off track on every goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – I repeat, every single goal.
Despite the reversals, it is encouraging that the world leaders demonstrated triumph of much needed unity, over division, at the 2023 SDG Summit last September – laying out new commitments to fast-track progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
As the second largest economy, it is also commendable that China has taken its responsibility to heart by extending and sharing the benefits of national progress beyond its own borders.
Building on its strong credentials as the largest developing country – and a vital actor within the Group of 77 and China – China has galvanized efforts to empower fellow Global South countries to enjoy prosperity on a range of issues, spanning the entire sustainable development agenda and most notably, on protecting the environment.
Furthermore, through its diplomatic finesse, China has led the way in reaching a hard-won consensus on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, in 2022.
And in December, China’s advocacy and support helped COP28 usher in the Loss and Damage Fund, as well as facilitate the adoption of the “UAE Consensus” – which will, we hope, accelerate a renewables revolution.
Beyond climate change and the protection of the environment, China’s massive investments are helping to bring about a new era of connectivity – and achieving early, fruitful results.
More than 100 countries and international organizations have expressed support for President Xi’s Global Development Initiative to support all 17 of the SDGs.
Three quarters of the world’s countries, and more than 30 international organizations, have also signed agreements with President Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative.
I am confident that with China’s continued engagement – and the country’s laser focus on achieving national and global prosperity – we can bring both climate action and SDG progress back on track.
Dear Friends,
On that note, let me say a few words about Progress.
A critical measure of our success will hinge on how well we level the playing field to realize human rights for all.
This is especially true as we recently commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – and amid growing trends across the globe in the erosion of equal rights for vulnerable groups, such as women and girls, persons with disabilities, and those belonging to minority groups.
In my view, we stand little chance of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with half the global population, that is women left sitting on the sidelines.
I have therefore made gender equality and women’s empowerment a priority of my Presidency – and I am committed to working with China and all Member States to achieve meaningful progress on this issue.
As you may know, I am working to mainstream gender across the General Assembly’s priorities, relying on the expert counsel of my Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment – who is with me on this important visit. May I invite Ambassador Keisha Maguire to stand and be acknowledged.
I am also grateful for the invaluable support I am receiving from the Advisory Board on Gender Equality, which I reestablished last Fall soon after assuming the Presidency.
I count on China’s robust engagement in this regard.
As host of the landmark 1995 Fourth UN Conference on Women – which unleashed truly game-changing progress on women’s equality – China has vast potential to attack multidimensional poverty and empower literally hundreds of millions of women and girls.
For all countries, this starts fundamentally with ensuring equal access to education – most especially for girls.
Distinguished participants,
A final thought on Sustainability – a word that captures the longevity of all our endeavors, and which I know has a special significance in the Chinese context given the age and level of evolution of this civilization.
In 2024 and beyond we have several opportunities to harness in strengthening sustainability – and we cannot, and must not, miss them.
A key starting point is to re-evaluate and to recalibrate the way we live, produce and consume.
As evidenced by the worsening triple planetary crises of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change, we have reached an unsustainable way of living that greatly imperils the stability of the planetary ecosystems.
Aptly, the late former Secretary-General Kofi Annan once reminded us of an African proverb that:
“ The earth is not ours, it is a treasure we hold in trust for our children and grandchildren.”
I fully agree with the former Secretary-General that, as world leaders, we must be worthy of that trust.
As President of the General Assembly, I pledge to do all I can, but I look to the entire UN membership – including to key players like China – to continue leading by example.
For my part, in April, I will hold the first-ever Sustainability Week – a flagship initiative of my Presidency, which will feature five high-level events – covering sustainability in the areas of tourism, transport, energy, infrastructure, connectivity and debt.
I look forward to China’s active engagement in these and other high-level initiatives – as we move through the remainder of the 78th session of the General Assembly.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Distinguished colleagues,
Pathways to peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability will cross in September at the Summit of the Future.
This important upcoming Summit offers yet another opportunity to re-energize our multilateral system through a United Nations that is agile and fit for purpose in the present and into the future.
It is at this Summit that world leaders are expected to forge a new global consensus on how to deliver more effectively for people and planet.
As President of the General Assembly, I have prioritized preparations for this milestone event – and even we speak parallel preparatory tracks of the Summit are underway in New York; being conducted in an inclusive and transparent process involving also all stakeholders.
Its expected outcome – the Global Pact for the Future, as well as the Declaration on Future Generations, and the Global Digital Compact, if intergovernmentally agreed – which taken together have the potential to spark profound progress on sustainable development.
We must continue to act with ambition, be innovative and deliberate in our efforts.
The world is mired in challenges, but none are insurmountable, none are beyond the scope and capacity of human innovation and cooperation.
The only obstacle that stands between us and the future we urgently and collectively crave is ourselves.
But if we do not summon the unity and political will needed by the entire UN membership, the challenges we face cannot simply be wished away.
It is therefore our collective responsibility, indeed our duty to find the grace, the goodwill, and the foresight to move forward – in unison as one global community – united by a common purpose to rally around and give life to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.
With its millennia of history, its deep culture and traditions – and its dignified embrace of global leadership – I have no doubt whatsoever that China can and will play a significant role in shaping the path of that journey.
With that, I wish you good fortune in a most promising Year of the Dragon.
Xie Xie.
I thank you.
