Egypt

Madam Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly,

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Our celebration this year of the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations was supposed to be an occasion to reflect on the journey of our organization, and to consider how to strengthen what it has achieved in maintaining international peace and security, achieving welfare and development for all, and building an international order founded on the rules of international law that apply to everyone and to which everyone is subject, to protect the dignity and rights of human beings — all human beings.

However, the reality of the international system today, after eight decades since its founding, unfortunately bears no resemblance to these noble goals. The multilateral international system is in an unprecedented state of fluidity, its mechanisms are collapsing, and its credibility is eroding due to the crimes being committed before the eyes and ears of the international community, which is content to play the role of bystander in the face of systematic violations of international law that have undermined the legitimacy of the international system, amid the double standards and the use of more than one measuring stick that we witness in the Middle East.

The Middle East stands on the brink of implosion, as all the elements of peace, security, and stability are absent. There is no meaningful respect for international legitimacy, and our Palestinian brothers and sisters fall victim to the most heinous Israeli practices, represented by a fierce war against defenseless civilians for a sin they did not commit — driven by an extremist ideology that sees nothing but killing, destruction, and systematic starvation, and a poisonous rhetoric inciting violence and hatred. And the hands of aggression — in a drunkenness of power and an absence of accountability — have extended to the countries of the region one after another, the latest link in this chain being the treacherous aggression against sisterly Qatar.

Egypt — the first to lay the foundations of peace in the Middle East, through President Sadat's historic visit to Jerusalem in 1977 — views the painful reality prevailing in the region with both concern and a sense of responsibility; for after two years of brutal aggression against Gaza, the foundations of peace, whose weaving took more than 45 years, have been thrown to the wind. In light of these difficult circumstances, Egypt puts forward its vision for dealing with the situation in the Middle East and the international system, as follows:

First: Expressing gratitude and appreciation for President Trump's declared commitment and readiness to work with the region's leaders to end the war in Gaza, in accordance with a comprehensive vision that stops the bloodshed, guarantees security for all, and restores the foundations of lost trust.

Egypt has shown full readiness and complete commitment to build on President Trump's vision to restore stability, end the war, and open horizons for peace, and to release the hostages and detainees, and to bind up all the wounds — the wounds of orphans, prisoners, the wounded, and the hungry — in order to set aside the arrogance of power and raise the banners of reconstruction and hope for tomorrow.

Since the outbreak of the crisis, Egypt has devoted all its efforts to reaching a sustained ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in partnership with sisterly Qatar and the United States, and to resuming the entry of aid without obstacles to confront the current famine, which is of Israel's making, and which must, along with the early recovery of the essentials of life in Gaza, represent a top priority for the international community — and it is incumbent upon all of us together to show solidarity to ensure the provision and delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians.

We reaffirm our categorical rejection of any scenarios for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, considering it a crime of ethnic cleansing — and we say it very clearly: Egypt has not been, and will not be, a gateway to liquidating the Palestinian cause. We will continue to support the steadfastness of the resilient Palestinian people clinging to their national soil, and we will never be partners in a new Nakba and the crimes and doubled human tragedies it would entail. Egypt has also put forward a comprehensive plan for early recovery and reconstruction, which has been adopted by the Arab and Islamic world and has received the support of many partner states. I must also commend the indispensable role played by UNRWA in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees, and Egypt calls for providing full and sustained support to the Agency.

The continuation of the occupation and genocide, and the denial of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people — foremost among them the embodiment of an independent State of Palestine along the lines of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital — empties any talk of security or peace in the region of its substance. In this regard, we affirm our full support for the path of the two-state solution conference, and we commend the courageous decisions of the states that have announced their recognition of the Palestinian state. Israel cannot enjoy security while others have no security, and that region will not enjoy stability without an independent Palestinian state. The resolutions of international legitimacy are replete with the parameters of all solutions to the region's crises — all we need is clear vision, sound thinking, political will, and the prevailing of wisdom, along with absorbing the lessons of the past.

In this context, we warn against the continuation of repressive Israeli policies and practices that close the door on the hopes of the region's peoples for peaceful coexistence and regional cooperation. In the face of these challenges, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have put forward the joint vision for security and cooperation in the region, which has been endorsed by the Arab League, to serve as the basis for a new conception of a region where all its parties enjoy equitable, balanced, and sustainable security — our hand is extended in peace. Do not disappoint the dreams of children looking forward to a bright future, of young people who wish to build and reconstruct, and of elders who hope for a dignified life in peace. I quote what President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said: "Peace is Egypt's strategic choice to guarantee a safe and stable future for the peoples of the region." End quote.

Second: Egypt views its inflamed surroundings from a comprehensive perspective grounded in international law, giving priority to respect for the sovereignty of states, the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, the preservation of the nation-state and its institutions, and the fight against terrorism as pillars of stability. In this framework, Egypt stresses the great importance of supporting sisterly Sudan, which is going through a delicate phase that requires joined efforts, and we strongly support preserving the institutions of the Sudanese state, including the Sudanese national army, while we also work in cooperation with the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and international partners to restore stability and peace, based on Sudanese national ownership, to achieve the aspirations of the sisterly Sudanese people.

We also affirm our steadfast support for Libya and its national institutions, and the necessity of holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible, and the importance of the withdrawal of all foreign forces, mercenaries, and foreign fighters from Libya, in a way that contributes to strengthening security and enabling and unifying Libyan institutions to fulfill their role in consolidating stability across the whole of Libyan territory.

We stress the necessity of resolving the Yemeni crisis in accordance with international frameworks of reference, and safeguarding freedom of navigation and preserving the security of the Red Sea, the artery of international trade, especially since Egypt is the party most harmed by this escalation, having lost more than $9 billion in Suez Canal revenues as a result of the disruption of international trade movement through the Red Sea. We also affirm that the security of Somalia, its independence, and its territorial unity are an integral part of the region's security, and we call for combining efforts and mobilizing the necessary funding to activate the African Union Mission for Support and Stabilization in Somalia (AUSSOM), and Egypt's intention to participate with army and police forces in it.

Amid these compound regional crises, Egypt plays a prominent humanitarian role, hosting more than ten million migrants and refugees, and providing an environment that respects their rights and dignity and ensures their access to basic services without discrimination. Despite the increasing burdens that exceed our capacity, especially amid regional and global economic crises, Egypt continues its moral and humanitarian commitment toward them. In this context, Egypt affirms the necessity of activating the principle of burden- and responsibility-sharing set out in the international refugee covenant, and calls on the international community to provide greater support and sustained funding to ensure the continued provision of services to refugees and host communities.

Third: Egypt adopts an active policy of mediation and peacebuilding under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to weave understandings and reach solutions. Following the targeting our region witnessed of nuclear facilities subject to the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in violation of international law — which portends grave consequences casting a shadow over the future and credibility of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons — Egypt sought to strengthen dialogue between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and these efforts succeeded in reaching the Cairo Agreement at the beginning of this month. We will continue our efforts to follow up on the implementation of this agreement, in a pursuit to achieve the universality of the Treaty, and to rid the Middle East region of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Fourth: We believe firmly that cooperation in accordance with international law is the pillar of mutual respect and the sole path to achieving mutual benefit, and experience has proven that unilateral measures deepen crises and widen gaps. Egypt has long sought to strengthen cooperation among the Nile Basin countries and to support development in those sisterly states with which we share the Nile River, the source of goodness and growth for all of us.

In contrast, Ethiopia chose to violate international law and impose a fait accompli within its unilateral policies destabilizing the Horn of Africa and the eastern Nile basin, and announced the completion of its dam and that "what has passed has passed" — dreaming, or rather deluding itself, that Egypt would forget its existential rights and interests in the Nile River. And if there are those who boast of claims of commitment to international law, we are fully prepared to address the matter through international judicial or arbitration mechanisms, should there be genuine intent to resort to these mechanisms — something that has not and will not be forthcoming. But should they resort instead to procrastination and to threatening the lives of millions of people in the two downstream states, we will not compromise in protecting our rights, and we are indeed capable of doing so — and the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law guarantee us the protection of our existential interests in the Nile River.

Fifth: Egypt affirms that the reform of the United Nations and international financial institutions is no longer an option that can be postponed, but an urgent necessity to ensure fair and balanced representation in international decision-making mechanisms. Egypt reaffirms its adherence to the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration to lift the historic injustice done to the African continent regarding the Security Council.

Egypt also calls for increasing the representation of developing countries in global financial decision-making, and providing the concessional financing necessary to achieve development. We stress the importance of strengthening current financing frameworks and creating new mechanisms capable of responding to the challenges of developing countries. We also affirm the importance of reforming the increasingly complex global debt structure, which looms with an imminent debt crisis, and adopting sustainable mechanisms for debt management in low- and middle-income countries. We look forward to building on the outcomes of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, hosted by Spain last July, to take effective steps to finance development. We also see a need to strengthen the efforts of developing countries to access digitalization and artificial intelligence.

The Egyptian presidency of COP27 spared no effort to achieve tangible progress, particularly in establishing the Loss and Damage Fund; however, we express growing concern amid the ongoing climate finance crisis. Egypt affirms the necessity of providing financing to developing countries without burdening them with additional debt for a crisis they did not cause. It also expresses its concern over developed countries backtracking on their pledges, which hinders the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement, based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.

Mr. President,

The international and regional situation is extremely delicate, and in light of our historic responsibility and Egypt's international and regional role, we had to sound the alarm and warn of the grave consequences of the situation, and to put forward a roadmap for dealing with this critical situation. We stand at a pivotal crossroads: either the Middle East is steered toward restoring rationality and adherence to international law, or it plunges into a state of chaos that some may think they can control by force — yet experience and history have proven that the intoxication of power always ends in catastrophe, the first to be struck by it being its own possessor.

I affirm that Egypt, the founding state of the United Nations, remains, 80 years into the life of the Organization, true to its pledge, committed to international law, and steadfast in strengthening multilateral action, recognizing that the absence of international governance will be a calamity for all — and that there is no escape from commitment to international law, strengthening its enforcement mechanisms, and activating accountability against those who violate it, in order to safeguard peace and stability, achieve sustainable development, and fulfill human rights.

In closing, I quote the words of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi: "Peace is not born of bombardment, nor of force, nor of a normalization rejected by the peoples; true peace is built on the foundations of justice, fairness, and understanding."

Thank you.