Arriving at the high-level meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council, the Minister pointed out that global security is at its greatest risk.Continue reading
Geopolitical rivalry is part of the world’s reality, but it also hinders necessary solutions and urgent cooperation, taking attention away from the transition to sustainability, the outgoing Hungarian President of the UN General Assembly said in New York. Speaking at the closing meeting of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi expressed that despite geopolitical rivalry, the survival of humanity depends on cooperation.
Geopolitical and ideological approaches tend to serve short-term interests, the Hungarian diplomat said. He pointed out that the world is racing against time, whether on climate change, biodiversity conservation, education, or gender equality.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, are already behind schedule to be achieved by 2030, he stressed, urging member states and international organizations to allocate budgetary resources to the process.
My final thoughts to the #UNGA:
➡️ Despite geopolitical rivalries, our survival depends on our cooperation.
➡️ We are in a race against time.
➡️ We are all responsible for our actions and inactions.
➡️ Only integrated solutions are ‘future-proof’.
➡️ We must urgently reform… pic.twitter.com/OqZyycWlDC
— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) September 5, 2023
The commitments made by the international community to the eight billion people living in UN member states must be implemented urgently, and the approach based on GDP alone must be overcome, urged Csaba Kőrösi. He recalled that a year ago, the General Assembly adopted a historic resolution recognizing a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a universal human right. At the same time, it must be made clear who bears responsibility for its implementation, he said, highlighting the importance of accountability.
The outgoing president concluded his speech by calling for a transformation of the UN to meet the challenges of the times.
Kőrösi acknowledged that the UN Charter does not make the task of transformation easy, but until then, the current document must be applied in its entirety and not selectively in conflict management, mass atrocities, genocide, and other war crimes.
The new 78th session of the United Nations will be chaired for the next year by Trinidad and Tobago diplomat Dennis Francis, who took the oath of office on Tuesday ahead of the world body’s General Assembly meeting in New York.
I wish my successor, President-elect Ambassador Dennis Francis a very productive presidency, and I wish you all success and decisions all of you will be proud of.
God bless you all, God bless the United Nations!
– @Csaba_Korosi_ pic.twitter.com/JIiX0UsmPu
— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) September 5, 2023
Kőrösi already emphasized in an earlier interview that the United Nations must undergo reforms in order to preserve its core values, to enforce them, and to serve its 193 member states better, or at least to the same extent as it does now. “There is still a chance to save humanity from hell” at the UN, but it will require very serious changes to the organization, he explained.
Via MTI, Featured photo via UN Photo/Ariana Lindquist