23 September 2017 – Citing the continuing deterioration of the security situation in the sub-Saharan Sahel, regional leaders at the General Assembly’s annual general debate today called on the United Nations to provide sufficient resources to the regional G5 Sahel joint force to combat the scourge.

“Multifaceted support from the international community and our Organization is indispensable,” Chadian Foreign Minister Hissein Brahim Taha, Minister for Foreign Affairs said.

In June the UN Security Council endorsed the formation the G5 Sahel joint force, comprising Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime in the restive region.

Beyond attacks perpetrated by the Nigerian Boko Haram movement, Mr. Taha also highlighted a host of other regional concerns including climate change and the drying up of Lake Chad upon which 50 million people depend for their livelihoods, all of which contribute to the massive migration crisis.

Full statement (in French) available here

Ibrahim Yacoubou, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigeriens Abroad of the Republic of Niger, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Niger voiced its concern at the lack of international support for the G5 Sahel force. “What is at stake in the Sahel is a battle not only for regional peace and security but also for international peace and security,” Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yacoubou told the Assembly.

“Not to aid the G5 Sahel and to allow the situation in Mali to degenerate further into implosion would be a mistake that Member States should not commit,” he said.

As the three major threats facing Niger, he cited the situation in Libya where terrorists and arms traffickers have free rein, the battle against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area, and the fight against terrorists and arms traffickers in northern Mali.

Full statement (in French) available here

23 September 2017 – Iraq is an independent sovereign federal State following democratic processes which have enabled all its people to participate in society, said the country’s top foreign affairs official at the United Nations General Assembly, expressing opposition to a referendum planned by the regional government of Kurdistan.

“The Government always encourages the cohesive status of all components (of society),” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Abdulkarim Al-Jafari during the Assembly’s annual high-level debate, noting that Iraq must preserve its unity and territory.

Therefore, he said, the Government has appealed to the Supreme Court to reject the referendum planned for late this month.

His country will hold its legislative and parliamentary elections in the first three months of 2018 aimed at consolidating political stability and economic progress.

He thanked countries that supported his Government forces in liberating Mosul and other cities from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) terrorists. However, he said that “history teaches us that conflict goes beyond the challenges of war,” meaning that there remains a hard road ahead for post-ISIL reconstruction and reconciliation.

Da’esh’s so-called environmental terrorism destroyed the country’s heritage sites and its natural resources.

Iraq’s comprehensive vision for the future centred on restoring peace, providing basic services, allowing people to return to their homes and facilitating post-conflict reconstruction.

Among other national priorities, Iraq was re-establishing its national security forces and rule of law, as well as continuing to combat corruption, which provided fertile ground for terrorists and crime.

In addition, the UN Security Council recently mandated a joint investigative mechanism to collect and preserve evidence about ISIL actions in Iraq, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, he said, calling for necessary support and financial resources to fund that mechanism.

Full statement (in Arabic) available here

23 September 2017 – Noting that no one country can solve complex issues that transcend national boundaries, Singapore highlighted in an address to the United Nations General Assembly the need for a universal and rules-based multilateral system to confront the global challenges.

“The recent adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development showed that multilateralism can respond to new challenges, especially when there is political will and collective commitment,” said Vivian Balakrishnan, the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, adding: “When dealing with global issues like climate change, there is no alternative to multilateralism.”

In his address at the Assembly’s 72nd annual general debate, he said that model for the global architecture, which his country believes in, is one in which the world is open and interdependent, and characterized by enlightened national interests, win-win collaboration and sustainable development.

“But most of all, we need inclusive economic growth to empower all our people to lead a good and meaningful life,” he noted.

Further, highlighting that the transformation caused by the digital revolution would be positive only if ways are found to share the benefits widely and reduce inequality, the Minister noted Singapore’s efforts, including heavy investments in education and skills training for its people and to give everyone an opportunity to build a meaningful life.

“We want every Singaporean to have a stake in our growth and success as a nation,” he said.

Full statement available here

Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-second session. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister for Foreign Affairs for Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), joined a chorus of other speakers addressing the Assembly in extending his nation’s “deep sympathy” to the people of Latin America and the Caribbean who have been affected by the recent natural disasters.

Underscoring the importance of the 2030 Agenda, he called for greater collaboration to attain peace and security, and to make progress on UN reform.

He expressed hope of creating a world without nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction, reiterating his country’s support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying “settling disputes by peaceful means and through diplomatic solutions is the best way as it is more durable and causes no loss of lives and properties of the people.”

The Foreign Minister called “the most remarkable achievement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)” the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region, primarily crediting partnerships and cooperation. He announced that his country will participate in the 2018 Voluntary National Review of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development – demonstrating its aim to graduate from the list of least developed countries by 2020.

Mr. Kommasith said that despite the challenges of being a least developed and landlocked country, Lao PDR nonetheless seeks to become a high middle-income country by 2030, underscoring that it has pursued greater connectivity with the region to enhance its infrastructure, transport networks, and construction of the North-South and East-West economic corridors. He concluded by calling on the international community increase efforts to ensure that development brings equal benefits to all countries, ensuring that his country is strongly committed to realizing the 2030 Agenda.

Full statement available here

23 September 2017 – A stronger United Nations is more than ever needed to address the multiple crises facing the world, the Maldives to the General Assembly’s 72nd annual general debate today.

“The United Nations is what we all make of it,” Foreign Minister Mohamed Asim said. “It is made up of us, the Member States. Its successes and its weaknesses are determined by how much we put into it.

“My country, the Maldives, envisions a United Nations that is fair, that is representative ofits diverse membership, that takes into account the views and opinions of all, and forms consensus, based on compromise and dialogue. A United Nations that commits and delivers.”

As the representative of a State made up of low-lying islands, he underscored the dangers of global warming climate change. “There is no bigger global threat than that of climate change,” he said.

“Island nations, including the Maldives, are the first to be devastated by these impacts. But, we are not the only ones. Today, climate change is becoming a reality for the rest of the world – whether we choose to believe it or not,” he added, citing he intensity of the recent hurricanes to hit the Caribbean and the United States, and the Pacific islands last year.

Full statement available here