Monaco

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Mr. Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before anything else, allow me to extend my most sincere condolences to the authorities of Morocco and Libya following the devastating events that have occurred in these two countries. I wish to express Monaco's solidarity with and support for the Moroccan and Libyan peoples, who are demonstrating remarkable courage and resilience in these particularly trying times.

In 1993, I spoke for the first time from this podium as Head of the Delegation of the Principality of Monaco to the 48th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

As my country celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its admission this past spring, know that my determination to ensure that Monaco actively contributes to fulfilling the purposes of the Charter is all the stronger given that the challenges threatening us continue to grow and compel us to act.

This year we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I wish here to pay tribute to the passionate commitment of Eleanor ROOSEVELT, who played a decisive role in drafting this historic document aimed at ensuring that every human being, wherever they may be, can enjoy their inalienable rights.

Over the past decades, the United Nations has been at the heart of progress that only multilateralism can bring about: from the Agenda for Peace, adopted at the first Security Council Summit in 1992, to the Agenda for Development, adopted by the General Assembly in 1997; from the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 to the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015: it is to our collective action that we owe these significant advances.

Mr. President,

Monaco was still an observer at the UN when my Father, Prince Rainier III, decided to take part in the Rio Conference, which resulted in the adoption of Agenda 21 and what are commonly known as the Rio Conventions.

This participation in the Earth Summit was one of the triggers for the Principality's wish to seek full membership in the community of Nations sitting in this illustrious hall.

Respect for the environment and for wildlife on land and at sea, as well as support for science, have been fundamental priorities for the Princes of Monaco throughout the centuries. Today, what was once an unwavering commitment has become an obligation for our survival.

This is why Monaco signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and, subsequently, the Convention to Combat Desertification.

These international treaties, although subsequently supplemented, continue to guide our actions to protect the planet from an environmental catastrophe that could undo all progress.

In this regard, I would like to emphasize how the enrichment of international law is an underestimated success of our cooperative efforts within the UN, and to recall that, since its admission to the United Nations, the State of Monaco has become party to some fifty international treaties covering a wide range of subjects such as human rights, disarmament, the environment, and the law of the sea.

Over the past year, multilateralism has, in certain areas, once again demonstrated its vigor and effectiveness, through sheer perseverance.

Last December, we crossed a historic milestone by adopting the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

A few months later, we succeeded in concluding nearly two decades of negotiations by finalizing the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, which I had the honor of signing this morning. I am convinced that this binding legal instrument will mark another decisive step forward for the protection and preservation of the seas and oceans.

These victories, the fruits of our collective efforts, should give us hope. For beyond the Ocean and biodiversity, they embody the very potential of the United Nations: that of building shared structures for a better life.

Furthermore, it seems fundamental to me to realize that these new instruments offer us powerful tools to combat climate change.

Among aboriginal and island peoples, the sea is regarded as a being in its own right. The crucial role of the seas and oceans in regulating the climate is now clearly recognized and allows us to approach this challenge holistically.

Let us not be mistaken: we can only win the climate battle by advancing on all fronts of the sustainable development goals that we jointly established eight years ago now.

We must not lose another moment: "extreme weather events" — floods, droughts, fires — whose frequency and intensity continue to increase, are already causing suffering to millions of people and demand urgent and drastic measures on our part.

Physical changes to the marine environment and coastal areas, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels are other phenomena that pose threats to the very existence of coastal communities in many countries.

Mr. Secretary-General, your desire to bring together heads of State, representatives of private institutions, and civil society within the framework of a Climate Ambition Summit could not be more timely, as the latest IPCC report has once again warned us of the inadequacy of our collective efforts to combat this global scourge.

Several months ago now, we began the first process of assessing the implementation of the Paris Agreement. This global stocktake, which will be concluded at COP28, cannot be limited to a grim acknowledgment of failure. On the contrary, we must seize the last opportunity available to us to correct the trajectory in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let us face the facts: profound and sometimes difficult changes to our lifestyles and collective organizations are essential, and this must happen extremely quickly. We must also redouble our solidarity so that justice and equity become the watchwords of this transition phase.

In this context, Monaco is committed to assuming its share of responsibility. The Princely Government will thus contribute 3.3 million euros to the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund for the 2024-2027 period. This represents a 10% increase compared to the previous period, with Monaco already being the leading per capita donor to this vital instrument for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Mr. President,

For over a century, Monaco has shown the way in seeking to establish better cohabitation between man and the sea. The question of the oceans will once again be at the center of discussions, ten years after the adoption of the Samoa Pathway, at the Fourth Conference on Small Island Developing States to be held in 2024, and at the third Conference on SDG 14 scheduled to take place in Nice, under the Presidency of France and Costa Rica, in 2025.

Monaco has decided to actively collaborate with the organizers of this Conference and will notably host sessions on the theme of the blue economy, whose conclusions will, I hope, enrich the discussions.

While an as-yet unexplained cooling tongue phenomenon in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is puzzling researchers, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development offers us the opportunity to better understand the complex phenomenon of climate change.

What major countries have achieved in space should be accomplished for our oceans. While we search for the presence of water on the planet Mars, it took a generation for us, under the impetus of the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly, to hold a new Water Conference, this past March.

The youth of our Nations places upon us a crucial responsibility: to ensure the preservation of the air they breathe, the land on which they grow up, and the seas and oceans that are the cradle of Humanity and the key to its survival. This struggle will never end.

Mr. President,

Conflicts also seriously harm the environment and represent an additional obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

It has now been nearly 600 days since Russia decided, in violation of international law, to launch a large-scale aggression against Ukraine. This aggression, along with its humanitarian and environmental consequences, has been denounced on several occasions by our Assembly.

I wish here to once again express my country's solidarity in the face of these tragic events and the destruction endured every day by civilian populations.

As in all conflicts, fighting and bombing cause pollution of soil and water by toxic substances. Countless protected natural areas have been destroyed, and damage to essential infrastructure is increasing the risks of drinking water pollution and the spread of disease.

Likewise, it is inconceivable that in the 21st century, healthcare workers are regularly attacked and health facilities targeted in various conflict zones. I therefore call once again for the protection of these professionals and of civilian populations.

As the world barely recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, I wish to commend the organization, this week, of three high-level meetings dedicated to major public health issues. We must learn from the experiences of this pandemic in order to strengthen global governance and build strong, resilient health systems.

Mr. President,

Among the existential questions and threats facing our civilization, one has grown at a staggering pace in recent years. I am of course referring to artificial intelligence, which carries within it both immense potential to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and unprecedented risks to global peace and security.

The quest for innovation is inherent to human nature and deserves our support when it is directed toward improving the lives of our populations. Although we are fascinated by the benefits of digital tools that simplify our daily lives, we cannot ignore their dangers.

Artificial intelligence often proves more efficient and reliable than humans in many tasks. Yet, like Aesop's tongue, it can be both the best and the worst thing for Humanity. Cyberattacks using AI already target critical infrastructure such as hospitals and UN humanitarian aid operations. The security and arms industries are exploiting these techniques, whose potential raises ethical questions: can we allow a machine to decide the life or death of a human being?

These questions demonstrate the obligation incumbent upon all of us to establish a global governance framework and ethical standards imposing limits on the use of artificial intelligence. The conclusion of the work currently underway in this field is therefore a matter of critical urgency.

In this regard, I commend all efforts aimed at establishing a high-level advisory body within the UN to work on the international governance of Artificial Intelligence.

Mr. President,

True to its role as mediator and its peaceful tradition, I remain convinced of the central role of the UN in rebuilding trust and reawakening global solidarity. This requires joint efforts rooted in a solid multilateral system, faithful to the values and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

I will conclude by expressing the hope that we will succeed in improving the efficiency of our Organization so that it may fully accomplish its original mission: to preserve peace among Nations and the well-being of our common humanity.

Thank you for your attention.