Lebanon

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General, Dear colleagues, heads of state and delegations,

I stand before you today to speak of peace, development and human rights, while my compatriots face death in their daily lives, while part of my country remains occupied, and while my homeland and my people live in adversity and uncertainty about the future.

This situation takes me back 77 years, to the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, when the great Eleanor Roosevelt intervened in a heated debate in support of one of the committee's members so "that he not be left alone," as she told her audience.

To which the member in question replied: "Madam, my concern is not to side with the majority or the minority, but with the truth."

The author of these words is none other than Charles Malik, the Lebanese philosopher who, together with other great minds of this world, contributed to giving Humanity this eternal declaration. He also had the honor of presiding over this Assembly from 1958 to 1959, representing my country, Lebanon.

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General, Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

I wanted to commemorate this event today for two reasons: first, to express my immense pride but also my heightened sense of responsibility, as I address you for the first time in my capacity as President of the Lebanese Republic, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of this great organization.

Second, because the purpose of our session is to reflect on the inherent relationship between these three virtuous principles: peace, development and human rights.

The Lebanese experience, as well as the lessons learned at the regional and international levels, teach us that there can be no development without peace, no growth amid chaos, and no prosperity at the heart of wars and conflicts. Peace is the sole soil in which development can grow. Moreover, these same experiences show us that if there can be no development without peace, peace itself cannot exist without justice. And justice itself is unattainable without human rights, in particular the fundamental right to live in dignity. Without dignity, peace is an illusion, an arid, oppressive land where only poverty, violence and war can grow.

Since the founding of this Assembly, of which Lebanon was among the first signatory members in 1945, its Charter states: "the determination to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and the resolve "to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours," as well as "the employment of international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples."

These honorable principles have appeared in our organization's Charter for 80 years, while in our daily lives, the blood of our peoples continues to flow.

The reasons for this are manifold. They may be attributed to human nature, or to the dynamics of relations between countries, to conflicts of interest, to hegemony, or to the capitalization of power in every domain.

However, for the past thirty years, a new factor has come to inflame this situation, and more particularly since, from this very podium, people began speaking of a new world order. The main cause stems from the challenges posed by plurality within societies, which manifest as crises of identity and ethnicity in the age of globalization. On one hand, human beings express a genuine need to cooperate and integrate, and on the other, this same impulse generates a fear that this openness will endanger their national identity. Tragically, this duality has contributed to driving humanity back toward conflict.

We must recognize here that religion is a primary factor in defining the identities of human groups. In the name of religion, thousands have died; in its name, borders between countries have gone up in flames; and in its name too, several societies have collapsed from within. Moreover, religion continues to shape the world in a very profound way. While Islamophobia and fear of the other, of difference, is rising in the West, the East remains haunted by the memory of colonization and the remnants of religious wars. Despite remarkable scientific advances, the world finds itself trapped in a bygone era.

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General, Dear colleagues,

From the heart of this dilemma emerges the unique role of Lebanon and its significance on the international stage. Amid the clash of civilizations, Lebanon appears as a nation where Christians and Muslims coexist as equals yet different, under the shadow of a Constitution that guarantees fair representation to both communities, and a framework of citizenship for all. This model, though criticized by some, offers a unique approach, as His Holiness Pope John Paul II described it: "Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message of plurality and freedom" — and I wish here to reiterate this message and say: Lebanon is a message of freedom and plurality for the East and the West.

In a region where men kill and are killed for their religious belief or even for an ostentatious religious symbol, Lebanon appears as a unique, irreplaceable model. In this troubled world, torn between those who want to impose a religious garb and those determined to prevent it, Lebanon offers a unique model indispensable to the region and to the entire world.

A model that has allowed me, an Arab Lebanese, to become the only Christian president in a region that stretches from East Asia to the shores of Europe.

My country, this Lebanon, at once a land of secularism and of deep faith, existing without the coercion of any contract, restriction or imposition of any kind, is in truth a model to be preserved by all those who believe in a better future for Humanity. This raises two essential questions: why should the international community concern itself with preserving Lebanon? And how can this be done?

Indeed, safeguarding Lebanon, a unique model of coexistence, is a fundamental human duty, since this experience, were it to disappear, could not be reproduced anywhere else.

If the Christian disappears from Lebanon, the equation collapses and its justice disappears. If the Muslim falls, the equation wavers and its balance breaks.

Thus, the fall of Lebanon, precipitated by the loss of one of its integral components, would foster, across the globe, the rise of every kind of extremism, and of violence — physical, moral, even bloody.

It is clear today that the underlying reasons for the war in Lebanon, as well as the insidious motives behind it, aimed to destroy this unique model. These actions have served to justify an East fractured by rival identities and ethnicities intended to keep the region in a permanent state of conflict. Although certain entities may benefit from this situation, its opposite nonetheless remains in the interest of the world and of humanity, which works for global peace.

Thus the success of the Lebanese experience would serve as a reference model for all countries. This Lebanon is today a living country, resolute, determined and energetic, refusing to succumb to adversity.

To save it, it is simply necessary to commit firmly, in word and in deed, to liberate it from occupation and to ensure the exclusive sovereignty of the Lebanese state over the whole of its territory, solely through its legal and legitimate armed forces.

This is the unanimous will of the Lebanese since the declaration of 27 November 2024, which was adopted with the support of the United States, France and this very organization, as a mechanism for implementing Security Council resolution 1701.

I reaffirmed this commitment in my inaugural address in January 2024, and the government did so as well in its ministerial statement last February. Throughout our negotiations with Tom Barack, the envoy of President Donald Trump, we worked on drawing up a roadmap to guarantee stability on our territory. We have committed to it, and we expect the parties concerned to commit to it in turn.

Lebanon is today seeking what will ensure its preservation. Allow me here to underline, with great pride, the exceptional character of my country and my people. The Lebanese diaspora, whose members visit Lebanon each year in numbers equivalent to a third of the resident population, is a testament to the attachment of the Lebanese to their motherland. Moreover, every great construction project or major undertaking in our region bears a Lebanese signature, and no artistic or cultural event takes place without a Lebanese imprint. In fact, I can say with near-certainty that in every significant work there is a Lebanese contribution.

Furthermore, among the members of this distinguished Assembly, few are the countries that do not host on their soil an active, productive and engaged Lebanese presence. The Lebanese integrate harmoniously into their host countries, respecting their laws and customs, while remaining as faithful to their adopted country as to their homeland.

We, ladies and gentlemen, are a country capable of embracing modernization, and we have already undertaken a progressive program to exit the economic and financial crisis. It includes an independent financial audit, and provides for the restructuring of the banking sector and the modernization of the administration. We have also undertaken the fight against corruption and organized crime in order to restore the confidence of the Lebanese in their state and the confidence of the world in Lebanon.

At the same time, we have begun legislative and institutional reforms, enshrining the independence of the regulatory authorities of the country's productive sectors. We have also strengthened the independence of the judicial system and aligned ourselves with international standards in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Our government has also ratified Lebanon's accession to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, faithful to its historic commitment to the principles of international legitimacy.

Likewise, we are resolved to promote public freedoms, to combat hate speech, and to engage women and men in decision-making.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Lebanon's investment in quality education is centuries old. Today this investment extends to the knowledge economy. Lebanon, with its invaluable human capital, finds itself at an unavoidable crossroads through which all trade corridors pass.

We are advancing on all these fronts, even as our country bends under several simultaneous burdens, the most pressing of which remains the instability along our southern border, where we demand the immediate cessation of Israeli aggressions, their total withdrawal from all of our occupied territory, and the release of our hostages, whom we do not forget. We insist on the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701.

This can be achieved with the help of the mandate granted to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in collaboration, for a transitional period, with the Lebanese Army, in order to restore peace and stability. In this context, allow me to thank the members of the Security Council who voted to renew UNIFIL's mandate in order to help us restore lasting peace and stability.

However, the deep causes of our conflict transcend our borders. For this reason, our moral, human and political duty is to bring an immediate end to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. We call for the relaunching of a new political process aimed at finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian problem, stemming from the decision of the international community and the principle of the two-state solution — living in security and dignity — as voted by your General Assembly by a majority of 142 states, in the New York Declaration.

The second burden that we are compelled to bear is the issue of Syrian displaced persons present on our soil, which, when measured against Lebanon's population, remains unprecedented, being the largest in history. Lebanon hopes that the United Nations and its specialized agencies, as well as the Syrian authorities, will bring a solution to this critical situation. Through direct negotiations and with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we wish to reach agreements and memoranda covering all aspects of our bilateral relations. The goal is to ensure the safe and dignified return of displaced Syrian citizens and to restore the special relations that unite Lebanon and Syria, into relations of good neighborliness and close cooperation in various fields, thus overcoming all past misunderstandings.

The third burden weighing on us today is the reconstruction of Lebanon, following the Israeli aggression against our territory, particularly with regard to the infrastructure necessary for the return of Lebanese authority to all border areas. But also, the reconstruction of homes and villages bulldozed and annihilated by the aggression, for there can be no stability if they are not rebuilt and their beauty restored.

Moreover, there remains the question of providing the legal armed forces with the means necessary to ensure the defense of the territory and national integrity. We remain confident in public initiatives aimed at organizing international conferences dedicated to this purpose.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Lebanon seeks no favor, no privilege. It calls on the international community to act with responsibility, fairness and equality, thereby allowing it to reclaim its role as a land of freedom and plurality. It is this same spirit that motivated this venerable Assembly, on 16 September 2019, to respond favorably to its request to establish "the Human Fraternity Academy for Encounter and Dialogue" on its soil — a decision that was postponed, eclipsed by the various crises that Lebanon has endured in recent years.

Today, Lebanon is resolved to revive this vital initiative. Our commitment is to reassure ourselves and to send a message to the world: Lebanon wants to reclaim its rightful place within the international community and its status among the countries gathered at the United Nations, a platform for human values and the advancement of Humanity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

To conclude, I wish to return to my opening message: as I stand among you pleading for peace, my compatriots continue to pay with their lives. The struggle remains fierce between two paths: a Lebanon that is a land of life and joy, radiating these two values to its region and to the entire world, or a Lebanon that is a place of misery and misfortune, spreading the seeds of conflict to the region and to the world.

We, in Lebanon, have chosen the first path, and we will commit to it entirely.

I appeal to all of you, for the sake of peace in our region and for the good of Humanity: stand by our side, do not abandon Lebanon.