Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Your Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General,
Your Excellency Mr. Abdullah Shahid, President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Tunisia makes this statement on behalf of the UN75 Leaders Network, a cross-regional group of Member States including Bangladesh, Canada, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Jordan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, and Tunisia, who support the implementation of the commitments made by our leaders during the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations.
We thank the Secretary General for his briefing on the progress made in the implementation of “Our Common Agenda Report”. We commit to support the efforts of the Secretary-General and the United Nations to translate this ambitious agenda into reality. We look forward to the recommendations of the High-level Advisory Board, appointed by the Secretary General .
We welcome the convening of the Transforming Education Pre-Summit in Paris from 28 to 30 June, and the rich discussions we had in this context which, we believe, were instrumental in forging a shared vision for a global movement to transform education. We look forward to building on these discussions towards strong and actionable commitments in September.
The group also welcomes the swift first steps undertaken so far by the PGA to kick-start several processes. We commend in this regard the designation of co-facilitators to lead the intergovernmental consultations on a Declaration on Future Generations, on the establishment of “the Youth Office” and on the modalities of the “the Summit of the Future”.
The Leaders Network expresses its appreciation to the six co-facilitators of the abovementioned processes, the Permanent Representatives of Egypt, Guyana, New Zealand, Oman, Fiji and the Netherlands for undertaking a transparent and inclusive approach, which engages the different stakeholders concerned.
We trust that such an approach will underpin our future actions within the framework of the OCA’s implementation. We emphasize that the meaningful participation of civil society, academia, the private sector, women, youth and other relevant stakeholders is key to reaching meaningful solutions which address the real issues of communities on the ground, and to creating a more open and inclusive multilateral system.
While these processes are undertaken separately, we highlight the importance of synergy and complementarity between them, since their overall objectives fall within the principles and goals enshrined in the UN75 Declaration and the OCA.
We are pleased that today’s briefing encompasses each of these various processes, and we invite all current and future co-facilitators to continue sharing views and best practices to ensure that the outcomes are mutually reinforcing.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The Leaders Network reiterates its deep belief that “Our Common Agenda” will serve to consolidate and reinforce inclusive and effective multilateralism, and to enhance our capacity to address the existing and emerging global challenges. The steps undertaken so far are expected to accelerate implementation of the SDGs, by tackling the most urgent issues and by creating a further momentum for a renewed commitment to the UN Charter, multilateralism, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
As previously stated, we strongly believe that the Charter of the United Nations should anchor our work “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war;” to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women,” and to “promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” We, therefore, see Our Common Agenda, as a practical expression and a means to achieve these goals.
We remain committed to engaging constructively in support of the implementation efforts and to facilitate ambitious commitments throughout the different tracks and processes to achieve these goals.
I thank you.