European Union

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

When one enters this building, the eye is drawn to a bluish light. It is the Peace Window. It is dedicated to those who have served the United Nations. This stained-glass window was created by Marc Chagall. A Russian Jew who lived most of his life in exile, living through two world wars.

To guarantee the peace and global security regained in 1945, the promises of freedom and solidarity were engraved in the United Nations Charter.

This is the tenth consecutive speech I have had the honour of delivering from this podium.

In the first, in 2015, I had listed "the challenges of our generation (…): conflicts, poverty, climate, migration...".

None of these challenges has disappeared. But at the time, we believed we had a framework — the multilateral order — that allowed us to work on them together.

Ten years later, this framework is cracking before our very eyes.

The use of force and unilateral acts are multiplying. And we are witnessing, with a feeling of helplessness, three major conflicts that form an explosive cocktail.

The multilateral system in danger

1. War in Ukraine

In Ukraine, it is a permanent member of the Security Council that has launched an illegal and unprovoked war.

It is an attempt to impose the law of force rather than the force of law.

This war is therefore a threat to each and every one of us.

The European Union will support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

And true to the promise of freedom and solidarity, we reaffirm our commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, which must be based on the United Nations Charter.

2. Gaza/Middle East

Freedom and solidarity. It is by virtue of these same principles that we condemn the abject terrorist attacks by Hamas. And we demand the release of all hostages.

Israel has the right to defend itself. In accordance with international law. And with the principle of proportionality.

We want an immediate ceasefire. In accordance with the order of the International Court of Justice.

Every civilian life matters.

We therefore condemn the indiscriminate attacks that strike civilian populations.

This is a tragedy inflicted on the Palestinian people.

The EU is working for lasting peace within the framework of a two-state solution, with both states living freely side by side and in security.

The endless escalation must stop. Dragging Lebanon into this spiral is irresponsible.

These calls, including to the Government of Israel, have so far gone unheeded.

This cannot continue.

We support the existence of a democratic, strong State of Israel, living in peace alongside the Palestinian people, who must have their own viable and stable state.

But ensuring security while neglecting peace is an illusion. There will never be lasting security without peace.

A world fuelled by vengeance is a less safe world. The Palestinian people have a right to their state. Denying them this right will endlessly fuel threats to the security of Israelis, and of Jews everywhere else.

This fuels polarization throughout the world.

And it undermines a multilateral system that cannot tolerate double standards.

The policy pursued by Israel is a dead end and dangerous for everyone. It must change.

3. The war in Sudan

The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine must not overshadow another major conflict: the civil war in Sudan. A gigantic humanitarian catastrophe. 20,000 dead to date, 25 million people in emergency situations, including some 8 million displaced. And forecasts of deaths from famine running into the millions.

External actors are involved in this war, notably through arms supplies. And the entire Horn of Africa risks sliding into chaos…

The EU will continue its efforts to pressure the belligerents and those who support them to respect humanitarian law and international law. And to end this conflict in order to implement a process of reconciliation and peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The life of a child killed in a bombed school is precious. In Ukraine, in Gaza, or elsewhere…

The trampled dignity of a raped woman is sacred. In wartime as in peacetime. In Sudan, in Ukraine, or elsewhere...

Depriving an entire population of food by blocking humanitarian aid is a war crime. In Ukraine, in Gaza, in Sudan, or elsewhere…

A crime is a crime. Wherever it is committed, whoever commits it.

And our indignation is only sincere if it is universal.

The European Union defends international law and humanitarian law with the same vigour, everywhere and always.

We condemn acts of destabilization, whoever commits them.

I am thinking of Iran's support for its proxies who are ravaging and weakening the Middle East.

And of Iran's military support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

One observation is unavoidable. Iran and Russia use the same recipes: the nuclear threat, imperialist ambition, and support for lawless terrorist groups to destabilize their neighbourhood and beyond.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The creation of the United Nations and of the rules-based international system was a remarkable achievement.

To go backwards is to go back to war!

A Third World War is possible. But it must be avoided.

More than ever since 1945, the world is being shaken by an explosive cocktail of shocks. Which are adding up and accelerating.

It is urgent that we come to our senses.

This requires cooperation. And above all, courage.

Our common rules must be respected.

For this, the United Nations Security Council must free itself from the paralysing yoke that the right of veto has become, in its current form.

The Security Council is not representative.

And therefore lacks legitimacy.

And above all, it is inoperative.

The Security Council is like the walking dead.

Reform or die!

In June 1945, upon the adoption of the United Nations Charter, President Truman said: "This Charter (…) will be expanded and improved as time goes on. No one claims that it is now a final or a perfect instrument. (...) Changing world conditions will require readjustments."

Decades have passed, the world has changed… The adjustments have not taken place.

The Security Council must be reformed.

By making it more inclusive. Africa and Latin America must have permanent seats on it.

And I propose, without delay, to put in place practical mechanisms.

Regional organizations must be more integrated into United Nations decision-making processes. They are a dynamic instrument for fostering stability and prosperity.

They already play a key role in the design and implementation of many actions under the Pact for the Future. Notably in the areas of peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. Finally, it is necessary for regional organizations to participate more systematically in the Security Council.

Climate, health, technological revolution

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is no freedom when extreme heat ravages our home with fire.

There is no freedom when floods devastate our crops.

There is no freedom when our children are not vaccinated against an epidemic.

Global warming and pandemics open our eyes to the imperative of solidarity.

This is not only a matter of dignity and generosity.

It is also in the interest of developed countries to support the climate transition of developing countries.

And to help them strengthen their health systems.

It is in this spirit that I launched, with Dr. Tedros in 2020, the idea of an international treaty on pandemics. We succeeded in bringing the international community into the negotiation of an international agreement. This negotiation is very advanced. It is time to conclude it.

Because mpox is a new warning signal, which once again raises the question of solidarity. It is unacceptable that lobbies and selfish interests are blocking the essential sharing of vaccines and vaccine technologies.

AI, etc.

Dear colleagues,

There is no freedom in a world where everyone is reduced to their personal data…

…to a commercial target or a target to be monitored and manipulated.

The digital revolution — and its flagship product, artificial intelligence — is an extraordinary engine of progress. A new fuel for prosperity.

Provided it serves humanity and freedom. Let us not make the mistake, as we have overexploited natural resources, of overexploiting personal data.

Data and artificial intelligence are instruments of power, even of enslavement or of economic and political domination. And now also weapons of war.

We must regulate this progress on a global scale.

And while technological competition is healthy, because it fosters progress, it must also take place within a commonly accepted framework of fair rules of the game. And of global dialogue.

The European Union is a deeply committed actor in this dialogue. Within the framework of the G7. Of its many strategic partnerships. Or, for example, through the fruitful collaboration it has carried out until these very last days with the G77 countries to bring the Pact for the Future to fruition.

We are also committed to this dialogue with partners with whom we do not necessarily share all our views.

In particular with China. China is an indispensable partner in meeting the great global challenges I mentioned earlier.

The European Union is seeking to rebalance its economic relations with China and diversify its supply chains, because excessive dependencies pave the way for conflicts.

And we ask China not to support Russia, either directly or indirectly, in its illegal war against Ukraine. But to use its influence to ensure respect for the United Nations Charter.

International financial injustice

Excellencies, Dear colleagues,

The international financial architecture must reduce inequalities, not amplify them.

When Kenyan farmers do not have access to microcredit at affordable rates to develop their farms and adapt them to climate change, this is not a sectoral problem. It is a matter of global development.

Without sustainable and equitable development, there can be no global stability and security.

Global development is underfunded. The gap between annual investment needs and the financial resources mobilized is enormous.

The Bretton Woods system must change profoundly.

The financial firepower of multilateral development banks must be massively increased, in line with the real needs of populations. To push back the climate threat and advance prosperity. And creditor countries must be bolder in restructuring debt and reallocating special drawing rights.

Solidarity does not consist only of transfers of financial or technological resources.

Solidarity also means governance efforts: improving the business environment, strengthening legal certainty, and combating corruption in order to mobilize developing countries' own resources.

As Mo Ibrahim put it plainly: "While economic aid and assistance efforts to Africa are wonderful and commendable acts of solidarity, we need to change the way our countries are run."

Conclusion

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to conclude my tenth speech from this podium with a few personal reflections.

First reflection.

Double standards are the contemporary poison of international relations. When we defend human dignity, territorial sovereignty, honest and fair elections, we must defend and protect them everywhere and always [: in Afghanistan, in Haiti, in Hong Kong, in Iran, in Israel, in Myanmar, in Palestine, in Ukraine, in Russia, in the DRC, in the Sahel, in Sudan, in Venezuela, or in Yemen,…]

Everyone must look at themselves in the mirror. We are all heirs to our histories, our cultures, our traditions, and also to our respective mistakes. Everyone must learn their own lessons.

Europe, though sometimes clumsily, acts sincerely and in good faith so that freedom and human rights are respected everywhere.

Second reflection.

We must flee bipolar confrontation and act for a multipolar world and a multilateral framework.

Where each country or group of countries chooses its own path to prosper and achieve strategic autonomy.

And where all cooperate by following mutually agreed rules.

Let us resist pressure to choose one side against another in a bipolar confrontation that can only lead to the worst.

Third and final reflection.

I believe profoundly in cooperation between regional organizations. I have personally invested myself over these past five years in developing the European Union's partnerships: with the African Union, CELAC, ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the countries of Central Asia… This network of cooperation is a stabilizing fabric that carries great progress.

Our Union wants to be stronger and more autonomous, also in order to strengthen its capacity to interact and work with others for peace, freedom, and solidarity in the world.

A world in which the EU is expected to make its own voice heard.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is because our continent has seen the greatest tragedy in history unfold on its soil that we, Europeans, bear a particular responsibility for defending freedom and solidarity, which led us to build the project of European integration.

This project is one of reconciliation between countries that waged war against each other for centuries. It is proof that reconciliation, then cooperation, then friendship, are always possible, even after the most horrific wars.

The European Union is a project of hope and optimism.

And that is why, still today, despite all the excesses, all the threats, all the risks, we are convinced that bringing the world back toward greater peace, security, and prosperity is possible.

Peace is never a given. It is fragile.

Difficult to repair once it is broken.

But it is magnificent. Luminous.

Like Marc Chagall's stained-glass window.

Let us be committed actors, mindful of preserving this treasure.

Thank you.