Saudi Arabia

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

Your Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies, Excellency the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Distinguished attendees, Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you,

We would like at the outset to congratulate Her Excellency Ms. Annalena Baerbock on her election as President of the Eightieth session of the UN General Assembly, and we thank His Excellency Mr. Philémon Yang for the efforts he exerted during his presidency of the previous session. We also express, on this occasion, our deep thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. António Guterres for his tireless efforts in realizing the principles and objectives of the UN Charter.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes pride in being a founding member of this Organization, and it spares no effort to translate the principles of the Charter into tangible reality, through entrenching respect for international law, strengthening international peace and security, and supporting multilateral cooperation, proceeding from its deep belief in the importance of the Organization's role in our world today.

The Kingdom is keen to achieve the purposes of the UN Charter by contributing to responding to humanitarian appeals, and has spared no effort in extending a helping hand and giving, to the point that the assistance and grants it has provided have exceeded 141 billion US dollars, benefiting 174 countries.

Mr. President,

As the Organization reaches its eightieth year, we affirm the pressing need for it to become more capable and efficient in keeping pace with developments and finding the necessary approaches to resolve crises and put an end to conflicts, and not to deviate from the goals for which it was established, especially with regard to maintaining peace and security without duplication or selectivity.

The suffering experienced by the Palestinian people and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has been officially classified as a state of famine according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, is contrary to the principles of the Charter, international law and international humanitarian law, amid the brutal practices being carried out by the occupation authorities without deterrent, of starvation, forced displacement and systematic killing, in complete disregard of the historical and legal rights of the Palestinian people to their land, and its attempts to erase their legitimate rights, which obliges all of us to move seriously to stop the aggression and ensure sustained access to humanitarian assistance.

Mr. President,

The time has come to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause, for military escalation will not achieve security and peace, and the continued handling of the Palestinian cause outside the frameworks of international law and legitimacy is what has led to the continuation of violence and the intensification of suffering.

Hence, we affirm the importance of the international community shouldering its responsibilities to stop this tragedy and find a sustainable peace, through the two-state solution, as it is the only path that guarantees the security of everyone in the region.

The international community's failure to take decisive measures to stop Israeli aggressions and violations will only contribute to destabilizing security and stability regionally and globally, and open the door to serious repercussions, and the escalation of war crimes and acts of genocide.

Proceeding from this, the Kingdom took the initiative, in cooperation with the Kingdom of Norway and the European Union, to launch the "Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution," and it also co-chaired with the French Republic the "High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution," constituting a clear executive path for the two-state solution, leading to ending the occupation and the conflict. The Kingdom will complete its diligent efforts to reach the embodiment of the independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.

In this regard, the Kingdom commends the international support witnessed by the "High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution," and the Kingdom also commends the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which mobilized a great majority. It also welcomes the growing number of states that have announced recognition of the Palestinian state, including France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Malta, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra and San Marino, considering this an important step toward consolidating the two-state solution and strengthening the path to just and lasting peace, and calls on all states to recognize the State of Palestine and continue supporting the path of implementing the two-state solution, in commitment to international law and to entrench security and peace in the region and the world. Nor can we fail to commend the Palestinian National Authority's direction toward carrying out important reforms, which deserves further support and empowerment from the international community.

Mr. President,

We affirm our keenness on joint work based on mutual respect and entrenching the rules of international law, in a manner that strengthens mutual trust and provides firm foundations for security, stability and sustainable development.

The Kingdom affirms, in this context, its continued pursuit of strengthening good neighborly relations, respecting the sovereignty of states, and contributing to de-escalation and calming efforts, to strengthen security and stability in the region and the world. Proceeding from this, the Kingdom affirmed its condemnation of the Iranian attack on the sisterly State of Qatar, which came in contradiction to what we seek to entrench of good neighborly relations. The Kingdom also strongly condemns the continued Israeli aggressions in the region, the latest of which was the flagrant aggression against the sisterly State of Qatar, which requires international action to confront these aggressions, and taking international measures to stop and deter Israel from practicing its criminal acts of destabilizing the security and stability of the region.

Proceeding from our firm conviction of the importance of regional security and stability and preventing a nuclear arms race in our region, the Kingdom stresses the necessity of commitment to the non-proliferation system, leading to a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, while respecting the right of states to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with international controls.

The Kingdom affirms that the diplomatic path is the way to address the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, and calls for positive engagement in negotiations and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Kingdom affirms the importance of protecting the security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the straits, given their great importance to the global economy and regional and international security. The Kingdom also calls for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism through information exchange and drying up its funding sources, and limiting its propaganda campaigns that threaten the security and stability of societies. The Kingdom also warns of the dangers of military uses of artificial intelligence applications and autonomous weapons, and the necessity of enacting international laws regulating them.

The Kingdom commends the positive steps being taken by the Syrian Arab Republic to entrench security and stability, and welcomes the lifting of sanctions on it, which contributes to supporting the Syrian government's efforts in reconstruction, and strengthening the steps of recovery and Syria's regional and international integration, and opening new horizons for economic cooperation between Syria and the world, in a way that positively reflects on achieving stability, prosperity and growth for the brotherly Syrian people.

The Kingdom stresses the necessity of stopping the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, and its support for everything that contributes to entrenching Syria's security and stability, respecting its sovereignty and territorial unity, and non-interference in its internal affairs.

The Kingdom renews its keenness on restoring the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen, and affirms the importance of reaching a comprehensive political solution, and its support for UN efforts and relevant international resolutions.

The Kingdom also continues its endeavors to support the Yemeni economy and alleviate humanitarian suffering, and it is the largest donor to the Republic of Yemen, as the volume of its relief and development assistance has exceeded 27 billion US dollars. The Kingdom recently provided economic support to the Yemeni Central Bank worth half a billion US dollars to address the budget deficit, and the Kingdom also provided, on the 20th of this month, new development economic support to the Republic of Yemen amounting to 368 million US dollars.

The Kingdom affirms the importance of Sudan's stability, the unity of its territory and the integrity of its national institutions, and calls for intensifying efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering and stop the war, and limiting external interventions that fuel and prolong the conflict. The Kingdom stresses the importance of continuing dialogue through the Jeddah platform, leading to a ceasefire and facilitating the arrival of humanitarian assistance, while rejecting any steps outside the framework of state institutions that may affect the unity of Sudan and do not express the will of its brotherly people.

The Kingdom stands beside Lebanon, and supports everything that strengthens its security and stability, and values the efforts of the Lebanese state to implement the Taif Agreement and extend state sovereignty, and confining weapons to the hands of the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, with the necessity of Israeli occupation withdrawal from all Lebanese territories, in implementation of the relevant international resolutions.

The Kingdom also supports the Libyan-Libyan solution, and calls for commitment to implementing the ceasefire, in a way that leads to entrenching Libya's unity and its national institutions, and supports counter-terrorism efforts.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Kingdom calls for finding a peaceful settlement through dialogue, achieving the interest of all parties. It affirms its readiness to continue mediation efforts, based on its balanced position and its trusted relations with the various parties to the crisis. In this framework, the Kingdom hosted Russian-Ukrainian-American peace talks, as part of its endeavors to reach a political solution that ends this crisis, and strengthens international peace and security.

The Kingdom commends Pakistan's and India's response to diplomatic efforts, and their prioritizing of wisdom in reaching an agreement that ends tension between the two countries, and the Kingdom affirms its support for resolving disputes through dialogue and peaceful means, proceeding from the principles of good neighborliness, in a way that achieves peace and prosperity for the two countries and their peoples.

Mr. President,

A decade has now passed since the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which charted a long-term development path for the Kingdom, through which it established broad structural transformations at the level of the economy, society and government, working through it to empower youth and women, strengthen values of tolerance, adopt innovation, and expand horizons of communication and international cooperation. By the end of 2024, the Vision's performance indicators achieved or exceeded 93% at the level of its programs, strategies and interim targets, as the unemployment rate among Saudis decreased to reach 6.3% today compared to 12% in 2016, and women's participation in the labor market rose to more than 36%, and the value of the Public Investment Fund's assets reached 913 billion US dollars by the end of 2024, while the contribution of non-oil activities reached 56% of real GDP.

The Kingdom continues, within the framework of its Vision 2030, to complete the journey of progress, develop its human capabilities and strengthen its international partnerships, to represent a leading development model in national transformations, and build a more prosperous and inclusive future.

Mr. President,

The Kingdom affirms the importance of strengthening international cooperation to reduce the effects of climate change, within the framework of relevant international agreements, through adopting a balanced and comprehensive approach in energy transition pathways, taking into account three main pillars for achieving sustainable development: maintaining energy security, providing it at an affordable cost, and environmental sustainability.

In this context, the Kingdom has launched a number of pioneering initiatives based on the comprehensive and balanced circular carbon economy approach, most notably the Saudi Green Initiative at the national level, and the Middle East Green Initiative at the regional and international levels, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to climate action from a comprehensive perspective that takes into account both development and the environment.

The Kingdom also affirms the importance of not excluding any energy source, and calls for pursuing realistic and comprehensive transitional pathways. In addition to possessing advanced technologies that have enabled it to be among the countries with the lowest carbon and methane emission intensity in oil and gas production operations, the Kingdom is playing a leading role in investing in technologies for managing emissions resulting from the consumption of hydrocarbon materials, particularly carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies, which allow effective use of resources while reducing environmental impact, contributing to protecting the global climate system.

In the same framework, the Kingdom is investing in all innovative technologies that contribute to reducing and addressing greenhouse gas emissions, including expanding renewable energy projects, increasing energy consumption efficiency, and producing clean hydrogen, including green hydrogen, alongside nature-based solutions such as large-scale afforestation, and protecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems, affirming the Kingdom's commitment to sustainable development and achieving a balance between development and climate.

Mr. President,

Within the framework of the Kingdom's commitment to ensuring the sustainability of water resources and their availability to all, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, announced the Kingdom's establishment of a global water organization headquartered in Riyadh, aiming to develop international cooperation to address water challenges in an integrated manner, through exchanging expertise and strengthening empowerment, innovation, research and development, contributing to placing water issues at the top of the international agenda.

The Kingdom has provided financing exceeding 6 billion US dollars to countries on 4 continents to support water projects in them. The Kingdom looks forward, in cooperation with member states, to contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ensuring water abundance and achieving the comprehensive impact that paves the way for a safe and sustainable water future for all.

Mr. President,

Within the framework of protecting the environment and combating desertification and drought, the Kingdom has more than quadrupled the area of protected areas to currently exceed 18% of the Kingdom's area, aiming to reach 30% in 2030. It has also adopted a new waste management system to divert 90% of waste through recycling and waste utilization, contributing to protecting terrestrial and marine environments and reducing plastic pollution.

The Kingdom has also launched the Saudi Green Initiative to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land, and the Middle East Green Initiative, which 30 Arab, Asian and African countries have joined, to strengthen joint efforts to rehabilitate 200 million hectares of degraded land. The Kingdom hosted the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) with the participation of more than 170 countries, and about 90 thousand participants from representatives of international organizations, scientific institutions, civil society associations, and the private sector. The conference witnessed the launch of dozens of initiatives, most notably the Early Warning Initiative for Dust Storms, the Business for Land Initiative, to strengthen the private sector's role in land conservation, and the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership to strengthen drought preparedness in 74 countries around the world, being the first global initiative of its kind concerned with proactive preparedness for drought before it occurs. During the conference, the allocation of 12.5 billion US dollars from regional financial institutions was announced to reduce land degradation and the effects of drought.

In conclusion, Mr. President,

The Kingdom believes that we have no choice but to work seriously and responsibly with our partners in the international community, to entrench the principles of mutual respect, and strengthen the rules of international law, in a manner that contributes to building trust between states, and spares future generations the calamities of conflicts. We believe that the path to a more stable and prosperous world passes through sincere cooperation, constructive dialogue, and joint work for the security and sustainable peace of all.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.