Ethiopia

ክቡር ፕሬዚደንት፣ ክቡራን የአገሬት መሪዎች፣ ክቡር የተባበሩት መንግሥታት ድርጅት ዋና ፀሐፊ፣ የተከበራችሁ የጉባኤው ተሳታፎዎች፣ ክቡራት እና ክቡራን፣

ከሁሉ አስቀድሜ በዚህ ታላቅ ጉባዔ ፊት ቆሜ አገሬን በማወከል ንግግር በማድረጌ ደስታ ይሰማኛል፡፡ ከበርንተም የተባበሩት መንግሥታት ድርጅት ጠቅላላ ጉባኤ ፕሬዚደንት ሆነው በመመረጦ እንኳን ደስ አለዎት በማለት መልካም ምኞቴን ለመግለጽ አወዳለሁ፡፡ የተረከቡትን ኃላፊነት በመወጣት ሂደት የኢትዮጵያ መሉ ድጋፍ እንደማይለይዎት አረጋግጣለሁ፡፡

Mr. President,

We are gathering at a time when the world is faced with a multitude of challenges. In such times, we must ask ourselves- do we have the necessary political will to choose global partnership over geopolitical competition? Are we prepared to work together towards a promising age of shared prosperity? Are we also committed to working together to save our planet and to meet the aspirations of over eight billion people?

The uncomfortable truth is that we are increasingly witnessing policy choices that escalate tensions, threatening the peace and stability of the world. Poverty and hunger are rising. The progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is off track, pushing the objective of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 even further behind.

The global inflation and the rise in cost-of-living are undermining development gains, further worsening the challenges of the most vulnerable communities. Investment in human capital and skills development remain critical for developing countries.

Climate change continues to cause devastating impact across the globe. Africa and other climate-vulnerable regions are enduring disproportionate adverse effects. The target of mobilizing one hundred billion dollars by 2030 to support mitigation and adaptation efforts of developing countries has not been achieved. The upcoming COP-28 Climate Change Conference, to be held in the United Arab Emirates, should thus be seized as an opportune moment to take bold actions.

The threat of nuclear weapons is another source of grave concern for humanity. The international community needs to prioritize dialogue to de-escalate tensions and prevent the threat of nuclear weapons. We should also ensure that new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence are used responsibly, in a manner that benefits humanity.

The global community can address these challenges through meaningful cooperation. The letter-and-spirit of the United Nations Charter demands that we come together to tackle these challenges with the highest sense of urgency and partnership. Ethiopia calls on all member states to recommit to the Charter of the United Nations.

Maintaining the status-quo will not advance our shared interest of ensuring peace and prosperity. We should collectively work for an inclusive multilateral system to renew our global solidarity.

Mr. President,

A new global collective security system that respects the sovereignty of Member States and prevents conflict is vital. As a long-time champion and active participant in the UN mandated peace keeping operations across the globe, Ethiopia underscores that reforming the UN Security Council is not a choice, but an absolute necessity. We need a reformed and representative Security Council that is fit for purpose. Allocating permanent seats for Africa, as contained in our continental common position, is politically and morally justified.

Ethiopia commends the efforts of the UN Secretary-General for the financing of the African Union peace support operations from assessed contributions. National ownership of security responsibilities is imperative. For peace keeping operations to achieve their objectives, robust capacity building support should be provided to national law enforcement structures.

Unilateral sanctions and coercive economic measures violate the UN principles and international law. Ethiopia opposes such measures imposed on developing countries and calls for their unconditional removal. We wish to underline that diplomatic dialogue among sovereign nations should be the primary tool to resolve differences.

Ethiopia and other developing countries have also been advocating for the reform of the United Nations system as a whole. We call for a more inclusive and effective multilateral mechanism that works fairly for developing countries. The BRICS have championed this call. That is why Ethiopia is grateful to have been invited to join the group.

Mr. President,

While the world has the financial resources to fund all development targets of the 2030 Agenda, its implementation has fallen behind. Therefore, what we need is firm political commitment and renewed global partnership. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda should also be fully implemented to meet the SDGs.

Ethiopia has aligned its Ten-Year Development Plan with the SDGs. We are resolute in accelerating our inclusive political and economic reforms for a more peaceful and prosperous society.

We are also committed to finding comprehensive solutions to the climate crisis. The Ethiopians owned flagship program – the national Green Legacy Initiative – is a demonstration of this commitment. The objective of the program is to cultivate a green culture and to ensure the country's development through rural and urban green initiatives. The program has been successful, and we are making every effort to share our experience.

Mr. President,

The Pretoria Peace Agreement ended a two-year long conflict in northern Ethiopia. This Agreement is a practical embodiment of "African Solutions to African Problems." The implementation of the Agreement continues to make significant progress, despite some delays in the execution of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration process. There is a need to expedite this process and ensure its successful completion.

The continued implementation of the Agreement is a clear manifestation of the Government's commitment to resolving political differences through dialogue and constitutional means. We are also actively undertaking rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in areas affected by conflicts.

I would like to reaffirm that the Government is committed to consolidate peace and stability throughout the country. We continue to pursue dialogue for sustainable and peaceful solutions.

To ensure accountability, reconciliation, truth-telling, and healing, Ethiopia is finalizing its Transitional Justice Policy. Nation-wide consultations on Policy Options for Transitional Justice have been effectively conducted in all regions across the country. Through the National Dialogue Commission, Ethiopia has also embarked on inclusive dialogue to address past and present societal concerns. We are confident that this would contribute to realizing a prosperous future for all citizens.

Mr. President,

Conflict induced crises in the Horn of Africa require a regional approach with the support of the international community. We express our solidarity with the brotherly nation of the Republic of Sudan, which is facing difficult times. We are confident that Sudan will find a way to resolve the conflict peacefully and re-establish order. Ethiopia has been supporting the efforts for peace with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan. It is important to make sure that all peace initiatives are coordinated.

Ethiopia continues to honor its responsibility by promoting regional integration to advance peace, stability, economic cooperation, and people-to-people ties. We are working to materialize the development potential of our region.

Ethiopia is determined to cooperate with its neighbours to expand trade, investment, and regional integration through infrastructure development, efficient logistics, and connectivity. Any bottleneck that would constrain shared prosperity of the region needs to be addressed in a concerted approach. Fostering closer partnership is critical to create access to seamless connectivity. Cultivating mutual trust and friendship is the right choice for regional cooperation and interdependence.

Regional cooperation positively impacts the lives of people, especially when complemented by well-developed infrastructure projects. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is one such project that meets the legitimate development aspirations of Ethiopians and the region at large. Ethiopia welcomes the resumption of the trilateral talks with Egypt and Sudan. We remain committed to a negotiated win-win outcome facilitated by the African Union.

Mr. President,

Africa is a continent of hope with immense potential for prosperity. The continent has already been implementing its transformative and ambitious Agenda 2063. However, unleashing Africa's potential requires mobilizing domestic and external financial resources. The international financial architecture should be reformed with special consideration for Africa's needs and priorities. A fast tracked resolution of Africa's debt crisis and the provision of additional development finance should be top on our agenda.

Ethiopia advocates for an inclusive international order that recognizes the contribution of all countries. The very survival of humanity, the safety of our planet, the peace and security of the world is at stake. Therefore, hope, justice, and equality for all should indeed define the fundamental agenda of this Assembly. Beyond rhetoric, this august body has a responsibility to promote global consensus and translate ideas proposed in this very hall into concrete actions.

As I conclude, I would like to emphasis we are at a critical juncture where humanity must come together with a unity of purpose for peace and prosperity. With full awareness that our time to serve is limited, each of us gathered here today should reflect on the legacy we wish to leave behind for future generations.

I Thank you, አመሰግናለሁ።