Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Aotearoa New Zealand expresses sympathy to Türkiye and Syria for the tragic loss of life in this morning’s earthquake. As an earthquake-prone country, we feel your pain.
Thank you to the Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly (PGA) for their statements.
We are facing a complex world with multi-faceted crises and challenges.
As UN Member States, our focus needs to be on the issues that people the world over care about. People are hurting and they need to know that we are working in service of their interests and needs.
Frankly, there is no national-level answers to our most severe crises. There is no New Zealand response to global inflation, climate change or global pandemics. Going it alone is not an option.
New Zealand calls on all Member States to recommit to building bridges and avoid exacerbating divides. After all, establishing common ground between us is the essence of multilateralism.
As the PGA said, 2023 is a big year. We have a lot on our collective plate. But all the mandates we set ourselves won’t matter if we aren’t able to deliver meaningful outcomes which support transformational change – as the Secretary-General reminded us.
New Zealand commends the Secretary-General and the Secretariat for their thought-leadership and close collaboration with the PGA. And with us, the Member States, and our key partners.
For our part, in 2023 Aotearoa New Zealand wishes to see:
• an end of hostilities in Ukraine, Myanmar and all conflict zones
• the UN move more from reaction to prevention, redoubling disarmament and non-proliferation efforts
• the Sustainable Development Agenda placed back on track as we reach the halfway point of the SDGs, advancing solutions which go beyond GDP such as the multi-dimensional vulnerability index
• international cooperation on oceans, climate and biodiversity, specifically including:
1) the adoption of the Vanuatu-led International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on climate and
2) the conclusion of an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction
• respect for basic human rights, including for women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran, and beyond
• de-weaponisation of the internet and tools used to divide and spread hate.
New Zealand is committed to efforts which strengthen multilateralism and ensure an effective, relevant and accountable UN that is fit for purpose in the 21st century. We look forward to hearing from the Secretary-General on Our Common Agenda next week.
Thank you.