Mauritania

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and blessings and peace upon the noblest of the Messengers;

Mr. President; Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies; His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen; Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.

I would like, at the outset of this address, to extend my warmest congratulations to Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock on assuming the presidency of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, confident that her rich experience and high competence will contribute to leading this session in the best possible way.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang for the high competence with which he led the work of the seventy-ninth session.

Thanks are also due to His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, for his tireless efforts to develop the United Nations organization and strengthen its role.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me pleasure to convey to your esteemed Assembly the greetings of His Excellency the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, and his wishes for success and good guidance for this eightieth session of the UN General Assembly; and His Excellency has honored me to deliver, on his behalf, the statement of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

This session naturally represents a timely opportunity to celebrate eighty years of achievements accumulated by our organization in serving all of humanity in various fields, and it is also an occasion for an objective assessment of the major imbalances and shortcomings that have marked this or that direction of the United Nations' course over the past eight decades.

In this context, it is clear that our world today consists of two contrasting worlds: one advancing rapidly toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence, while the other remains a prisoner of poverty and marginalization.

The steady widening of this gap, amid the current circumstances marked by growing conflicts and wars, places humanity before a difficult test that requires us to unite our efforts to devise solutions capable of narrowing this gap by achieving just and comprehensive development centered on the human being and his right to a dignified life.

And the slogan under which this great international forum convenes today reflects this noble goal and sums it up precisely: "Better Together: Eighty Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights."

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The global circumstances in which this session is convening are extremely complex and burdened with challenges; tensions, wars and hotbeds of conflict follow one another in different regions, terrorist threats and natural disasters resulting from climate change intensify, human suffering increases, and humanitarian burdens multiply on entire peoples, which exposes international stability and peace to growing risks and reinforces the need for a more effective role for our organization.

In the midst of this, the genocidal war being waged against our people in Gaza places the human conscience and the credibility of our international system as a whole before a fateful test.

We, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, as we condemn this aggression, renew our solidarity with the Palestinian people, reaffirming that violence cannot bring lasting security and peace, and that the stability of the Middle East as a whole necessarily requires enabling the brotherly Palestinian people to fulfill their right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

In this context, we express our satisfaction at the momentum we sense in the effort to recognize the Palestinian state, embodied strongly by the broad vote in the United Nations General Assembly in favor of the New York Declaration on the implementation of the two-state solution, which resulted from the high-level international conference held in July 2025 at the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend, on behalf of my country, thanks to both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic for organizing the aforementioned conference despite the challenges and obstacles, commending the positions of the countries that have declared their recognition of the State of Palestine, and hoping that other countries will follow suit in giving precedence to the logic of right and justice, so that Palestine may become a full member state of the United Nations organization.

In this same context, our country once again expresses its strong condemnation of the recent Israeli aggression against the brotherly State of Qatar, which constituted a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of this brotherly state and of all international norms and covenants.

We also affirm our support for peaceful solutions in Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Syria, and our support for UN efforts regarding Western Sahara, calling for an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war through negotiation in a manner that spares the world further tragedies.

At the same time, we commend the peace agreements between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on one hand, and Pakistan and India on the other.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In a world where conflicts, poverty, disease and climate change weigh heavily on humankind, the need is confirmed for more just and effective political, economic and health governance internationally, one that places human life and dignity at the forefront of priorities.

This cannot be achieved except through balanced reform that restores confidence in the United Nations, and makes it more capable of fulfilling its noble purposes in preserving peace and security and building a more equitable world.

Therefore, my country renews its commitment to the legitimate demands of our African continent, as expressed in the Ezulwini Consensus understandings, for fair representation in global governance structures.

It also calls on the international community to support developing countries in confronting the challenges of food security and climate change, and the problem of indebtedness, in support of their pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania places the strengthening of the rule of law and good governance, and the consolidation of the values of justice and equality, at the forefront of its priorities. It has therefore put into implementation strategies and reforms aimed at entrenching transparency in the management of public affairs, reforming the judiciary and strengthening its independence, and supporting the role of parliament in oversight and accountability, in a manner that ensures the fight against corruption, the protection of rights and freedoms, and the consolidation of trust among the national components.

In the same context, and in consecration of Mauritania's image as a land of stability, consensus and rule of law, His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani has chosen to make dialogue a constant approach in managing public affairs, out of his keenness to involve all Mauritanians and entrench good governance.

Regarding the protection of social cohesion, my country's government is working to put development at the service of the citizen wherever they may be, through structured programs that embody territorial justice, building dams, constructing schools, establishing health centers, and providing the elements of a dignified life for thousands of families in villages, which strengthens national solidarity, in complete harmony with the path of entrenching the rule of law and consolidating the foundations of good governance.

Thanks to the comprehensive health insurance program for vulnerable families, the number of beneficiaries has doubled by 147% between 2019 and 2024, reaching the equivalent of about 21% of the total population.

On the human rights front, my country has strengthened its human rights system by combating the effects of slavery in all its forms, and addressing the phenomenon of human trafficking through firmly established legal and institutional mechanisms.

Our country also hosts nearly 250,000 refugees from Mali, and has completed the regularization of the legal status of more than 150,000 migrants under conditions that fully respect their rights and preserve their dignity.

Within the framework of the priority of human development, our country has launched a comprehensive educational reform process with the participation of education stakeholders, aimed at developing educational curricula and teaching methods, and strengthening the values of citizenship, alongside vocational training programs aimed at qualifying youth for the labor market.

The role of women in public and political life has also been strengthened, and access to health services has been improved.

In the field of combating terrorism and extremism, the country adopts an integrated strategy that combines security measures with intellectual and educational approaches, while strengthening the values of justice and regional and international cooperation.

On the economic level, the country continues to diversify its economy to strengthen its capacity to create job opportunities and confront crises, having recorded growth of 5% in 2024, with inflation expected not to exceed 2.5%.

In the framework of energy transition and sustainable development, the country has witnessed the launch of significant projects, including a $300 million hybrid renewable energy plant, the adoption of the green hydrogen law, the signing of major international agreements, in addition to the launch of the DREAM project supported by the World Bank.

Efforts also continue to combat desertification and preserve environmental diversity, and our country looks forward to actively participating in the climate summit (COP30) in Brazil to push for the fulfillment of international commitments to reduce emissions and finance adaptation to climate change.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania remains committed to working to strengthen multilateral cooperation and reform the international political and financial governance system in a manner that strengthens our collective ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and will remain, by the will and strength of God, faithful to its approach based on contributing to strengthening security and peace regionally and internationally, and diversifying and consolidating partnerships in order to overcome the various challenges facing our country, our continent and the world in general, on the path to achieving a safe and dignified life for all.

Thank you.

And peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.