EU Statement – United Nations General Assembly: Dialogue with the candidates for the position of PGA for the 76th session
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Thank you, Mr President, for convening today’s interactive dialogues with the two candidates for the position of the next, 76th PGA – a unique opportunity for the whole membership to assess who should lead this body during the next session.
Morning session: H.E. Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, former Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Excellency, on behalf of the EU and its Member States, I’d like thank you for your vision statement. We very much share your priorities, notably building-back better, fulfilling the SDGs, climate and biodiversity, human rights, closer involvement of women and youth, and strengthening multilateralism and the UN.
First, The Covid19 response and ensuring a sustainable recovery is the most pressing challenge. The UN has served as a forum to discuss and agree coordinated solutions, e.g. on access to vaccines or building back better. How do ensure the GA remains at the forefront of these discussions?
Second, on Climate/biodiversity: the ‘defining issue of our time. 2021 is a decisive year, with two important CoPs later in the year in Kunming and Glasgow. How do you ensure the GA remains closely connected to the preparations and follow-up to these meetings and we keep the ambition high?
Third, the Agenda 2030 with its SDGs remains the umbrella for the UN’s sustainable development work. Covid has put us further behind on its implementation. How do you ensure the GA sufficiently prioritises actions to put us back on course to meet the targets?
Fourth, Human Rights, including women rights, remains another key EU priority: We’d appreciate your views on how the GA could better mainstream human rights, including rights of children, women and girls, in its agenda.
What would be your vision for promoting this as well as the empowerment of women and girls during your mandate?
Lastly under this point, we would like to ask for your support for ensuring better access and participation of NGOs and human rights defenders’ in the GA’s work.
Fifth, we welcome your strong commitment to multilateralism that delivers for the people – very much the spirit in which the UN75 Declaration was drafted. Its implementation – as you also said – must remain a key focus during the next session. How do you see the way forward and how do you envisage cooperation with the SG, the membership and external stakeholders - civil society, youth, women, the private sector, and academia - , not only on this but across UN processes to achieve a truly ‘inclusive and networked multilateralism? For it to be inclusive, we must ensure the respect for multilingualism as core UN principle in our daily work.
Lastly, on Revitalisation: The GA agenda has reached unmanageable proportions. An endless flow of new mandates and initiatives - often lacking a clear added value – divert us from our real focus: implementation of what had already been agreed and dealing with global challenges, such as Covid19. How do ensure proper prioritization in line with the 12 commitments agreed in the UN75 Declaration – both in the GA and in relation to ECOSOC, avoiding duplications and creating synergies? And how do you ensure that the lessons-learnt - with better use of e-services - translate into the way we do business here?
I thank you.
Afternoon session: H.E. ABDULLA SHAHID, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES
Excellency, on behalf of the EU and its Member States, I’d like thank you very much for your detailed vision statement submitted in writing and presented to us today.
We very much share the priorities you summarized under the “Five Rays of Hope”: i) recovering from Covid19; ii) rebuilding sustainably; iii) protecting nature; iv) human rights; v) revitalising the UN.
First, the Covid19 response and ensuring a sustainable recovery is the most pressing challenge. We welcome your clear 3-pronged approach of continuing a coordinated health response, in ensuring equitable access to vaccines; in supporting countries overcome the socio-economic devastation caused by the pandemic. How do you intend to ensure the GA remains the appropriate forum to continue discussions and action on these initiatives?
Secondly, on Climate/biodiversity: the ‘defining issue of our time. 2021 is a decisive year with two important CoPs later in the year in Kunming and Glasgow. How do you ensure the GA remains closely connected to the preparations and follow-up to these important meetings and keep the ambition high?
Thirdly, Covid has put us further behind on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. How do you intend to ensure that the GA sufficiently prioritises actions to bring us back on course during the Decade of Action?
Fourth, human Rights, including women rights, remains another key EU priority: Grateful for your views on how the GA could better mainstream human rights, including rights of children, of women and girls, and older persons.
We welcome your commitment to women empowerment and on promoting gender equality. How specifically do you intend to take this forward during your mandate?
Lastly under this point, we would like to ask for your support for ensuring better access and participation of CSO, NGOs and human rights defenders’ in the GA’s work.
Fifth, we welcome your strong commitment to multilateralism that delivers for the people – very much the spirit in which the UN75 Declaration was drafted. Its implementation – as you said – must remain a key focus at the GA during the 76th session. How do you plan to ensure this and how do you envisage cooperation with the SG, the membership and external stakeholders, to achieve a truly ‘inclusive and networked multilateralism? For it to be inclusive, we must ensure the respect for multilingualism as core UN principle in our work.
Lastly, on Revitalisation & Alignment: The GA agenda has reached unmanageable proportions. An endless flow of new mandates and initiatives - often lacking a clear added value – divert us from our real focus: implementation of what had already been agreed and dealing with global challenges, such as Covid19. How do you ensure a proper prioritization in line with the 12 commitments of the UN75 Declaration – both in the GA but also in relation with ECOSOC, avoiding duplications and creating synergies? How do you ensure that the lessons-learnt – such as better use of e-services a clearly positive one - translate into the way we do business here?
I thank you.