Kuwait

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

• Your Excellency the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations,
• Your Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
• Excellencies and Highnesses, Heads of Delegations,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you,

At the outset, I am pleased to convey to you the greetings of His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, together with his wishes for the success of the work of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly and its deliberations.

Mr. President,

I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, and I extend my congratulations to your friendly country. We have full confidence in your extensive expertise and profound wisdom in the field of international work, which will enable you to steer its proceedings with great skill and insight, especially as your vision, "Unity in Diversity, for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for All, Everywhere," carries profound significance for our world today, given its urgent and pressing needs.

I would also like to commend the efforts made by your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis, during his presidency of the previous session. I likewise highly value the tireless efforts of His Excellency the Secretary-General of this esteemed organization, which have been manifest amid the rapidly shifting international landscape, in his continuous endeavors to fulfill the noble mission of the United Nations, committed to the principles of its Charter grounded in the preservation of international peace and security—through accelerating preparedness for emergency crises via innovative mechanisms centered on preserving human dignity, and focused on promoting justice and international cooperation.

Mr. President,

Maintaining the effectiveness and productivity of this Organization is a collective responsibility that falls upon all States and the international community in confronting the full range of challenges we face. In recent days, the international community has witnessed the intensity of the debates that have gripped our world today, casting doubt on the seriousness and genuine will to address grave challenges that require reforming key institutions—foremost among them the Security Council and various international financial institutions. We do not want history to be filled with missed opportunities; rather, we want the future to be an era in which such opportunities are seized. In this regard, the Secretary-General has, commendably, persevered in setting forth numerous examples in order to advance our common work in this respect.

He has also worked to unite the will of States to affirm that the dangers threaten us all collectively, and that no one is immune to these risks. Cooperation and joint action before us are the only path to averting these dangers and achieving our shared goals.

Mr. President,

We speak of the importance of renewing international solidarity, yet this cannot be achieved without the availability of serious international political will for reform—particularly within the Security Council—and updating its working mechanisms in a manner that ensures they keep pace with the requirements for confronting the international challenges we face, and averting any threat to the security and stability of our world. Unfortunately, we sense that this will remains absent, as such political will requires an environment governed by trust and effective participation. This is because the Security Council is entrusted, on behalf of all, with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security, and it must reflect a more representative membership in decision-making, embodying democratic principles in its work and greater responsiveness to the aspirations of Member States—so that it may become, in effect, a fully accountable, democratic and representative body befitting a world that has changed entirely since 1945.

Mr. President,

The pace of innovation and the rapid technological developments in artificial intelligence and social media platforms have become a matter of grave concern, given their use in spreading hatred, incitement, extremist recruitment, disinformation, and the manipulation of facts—undermining and threatening cybersecurity. This is a matter that must receive due attention, as this negative use has become, without doubt, a source of anxiety and instability for our youth, in whose hands rests our future. This underscores that combating such phenomena requires international cooperation.

In striving to fulfill the aspirations of its peoples, to realize their hopes, and to secure their future, it would be unrealistic to expect them to hold onto hope for a promising future in the absence of accountability for those who violate the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law. There can be no cooperation, and international law cannot be applied with double standards, nor can justice and equality prevail while everyone clings to hope for a future grounded in commitment to and respect for the Charter and principles of the United Nations and international law.

Mr. President,

This year marks the forty-third anniversary of the founding of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which has proven, throughout its blessed journey over the past four decades, to be a fundamental cornerstone for stability and prosperity in our region.

In this context, I must express our appreciation for the efforts undertaken by the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain during its current presidency of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which contribute sincerely to advancing the Council's work on both the bilateral and multilateral levels.

Today, as the State of Kuwait approaches assuming the chairmanship of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council in December, we reaffirm our firm determination to continue this journey, strengthening the strategic partnership with regional and international organizations, and to achieve the noble goals we all aspire to. The Cooperation Council has been, and will continue to be, God willing, a voice of wisdom and moderation, and a platform for constructive dialogue amid the accelerating challenges and transformations in our environment.

We further look forward to the regional and international events that the State of Kuwait will host as it chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council. In this context, we congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its successful bid to host Expo 2030, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on being awarded the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2034, affirming our readiness to mobilize all the capabilities of the State of Kuwait to contribute to the success of the Kingdom in both endeavors.

Mr. President,

Guided by the principle of good neighborliness, the State of Kuwait has, for two decades, been keen to assist the Republic of Iraq in overcoming the legacy of the past through the completion of its outstanding obligations, so as to restore its regional standing and status and support ongoing regional and international peace and stability efforts, in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of its people. In this regard, the State of Kuwait calls upon the Republic of Iraq to take tangible, decisive and urgent measures to resolve all outstanding files between the two countries—foremost among them the demarcation of the maritime boundary beyond marker (162), in accordance with international law and conventions, as well as international legitimacy, and the completion of the file of missing Kuwaiti prisoners and detainees and Kuwaiti property, including the national archive, before the relevant UN follow-up mechanisms and the Security Council in particular.

We also urge the authorities in the Republic of Iraq to abide by the bilateral agreements related to security and technical aspects concerning the navigational channel in Khor Abdullah—agreements which serve to strengthen the concept of environmental preservation, regulate navigation, and combat piracy, terrorism, drug trafficking, and smuggling—affirming the importance of continued dialogue based on principles of mutual understanding and respect between the two brotherly countries, in order to build promising relations and a shared future.

Mr. President,

The practices that no religion condones, no law justifies, and no sound human conscience can accept continue to escalate, plunging the world further into unprecedented military operations carried out by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well as in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the collective punishment they endure, and the continued airstrikes that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians—children, women and elderly—their numbers exceeding 41,000 martyrs, and the countless wounded, alongside the ongoing targeting of international organizations, vital infrastructure and facilities, and the continued forced displacement of the population of the Strip.

Peace in our region cannot be achieved without establishing an independent, sovereign Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders, and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. In this context, the State of Kuwait welcomes the recognition of the State of Palestine by a number of countries in recent months, and calls upon other countries to take similar steps.

The State of Kuwait will remain a supporter of the Palestinian cause and its people, and it has taken the step of presenting a written and oral submission before the International Court of Justice regarding the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violations by the occupying power against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. The State of Kuwait has also, alongside the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Slovenia, and one hundred and twenty other countries at the United Nations, signed the "Joint Commitments" document to support UNRWA—reaffirming this important aspect, given the absence of any genuine effort to reach a just peace.

The tragic events unfolding in Sudan as a result of the armed clashes are a cause for grave concern for the country, and we call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and the peaceful political track, in a manner that preserves Sudan's security, stability and territorial integrity, expressing our support for all ongoing regional and international initiatives aimed at reaching a political solution to end the crisis, and providing the necessary protection for civilians, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance, while affirming the importance of respecting Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Regarding the situation in Yemen, the State of Kuwait reaffirms its support for the efforts undertaken by the United Nations through the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, in order to resume the political process and reach a comprehensive settlement based on the three agreed terms of reference, for the security and stability of Yemen and the unity of its territory.

We also commend the efforts being made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman to revive the political process with the aim of achieving sustainable peace in Yemen, while expressing our concern over developments in the Red Sea region, affirming respect for the freedom of maritime navigation in accordance with the provisions of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

With regard to the situation in Syria, the State of Kuwait affirms the necessity of intensifying efforts to reach a political solution owned by the Syrians themselves, in line with Security Council resolution 2254, and welcomes any steps that serve security and stability, as well as the preservation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people.

Regarding the Lebanese matter, the State of Kuwait condemns in the strongest terms the airstrikes and military operations by the Israeli occupying forces against the Lebanese Republic, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, and which are but the latest example of the intensifying Israeli aggression, growing day by day, in flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, including international law and international humanitarian law—a matter against whose consequences for neighboring countries and the region we have always warned.

We also express our condemnation of the violations committed by the Israeli occupation of Lebanese sovereignty, and its attempt to drag the region into the ongoing conflict, disregarding the will and international resolutions and relevant Security Council resolutions, calling at the same time for the importance of the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.

We also follow with great concern the recent developments in brotherly Libya, calling for the prevailing of wisdom and reason, resorting to political dialogue to resolve differences, in accordance with relevant resolutions and Security Council decisions, in a manner that preserves its security, stability and sovereignty, and fulfills the aspirations of its people for development and prosperity.

On the level of promoting regional and international peace, and grounded in the principle of good neighborliness enshrined in the United Nations Charter, we reaffirm our call upon the Islamic Republic of Iran to take serious confidence-building measures to begin a dialogue based on respect for the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.

Mr. President,

The State of Kuwait, through its "Kuwait Vision 2035," which is founded upon a number of principles aimed at keeping pace with and monitoring all international economic and financial developments, and seeking to establish bonds of interaction rather than yielding to available divisive pressures and influences, aims to transform the State of Kuwait into a financial, commercial and cultural hub interacting with its regional and international environment, and to become, through a diplomatic vision based on economic diplomacy building on the current comprehensive development process, an active participant in shaping a new global industry founded on giving and human initiative that transcends traditional customs and requirements—processes grounded in the humanitarian and civilizational element inherited from our forefathers and ancestors.

In conclusion,

It gives me great pleasure to reaffirm the commitment of the State of Kuwait to the multilateral international system and to the principles of the United Nations Charter and its objectives, in a manner that ensures the development and strengthening of global governance, so as to fulfill its noble mission of maintaining international peace and security and serving all of humanity, expressing—in this regard—the readiness of the State of Kuwait to cooperate with all friendly countries in pursuit of fulfilling the aspirations of all peoples and achieving their hopes of living in a prosperous world where security, safety and peace prevail.

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.