Senegal

Madam President of the General Assembly, Dear colleagues, Mr. Secretary-General, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished delegates,

Madam President,

On behalf of Senegal, I thank your predecessor and offer you all our best wishes for success as you preside over this 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

I renew to the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, our constant support in the exercise of his high office in the service of Member States.

We meet today, in this symbolic place of universal dialogue, bearing the weight of history and the urgency of the present. The theme of this session, "Better Together: 80 Years and More for Peace, Development and Human Rights," reminds us, indeed, of the founding pact of the United Nations; a pact of peaceful coexistence, collective security and an international order founded on law.

On this basis, the United Nations has achieved undeniable progress in solidarity-based cooperation for conflict prevention, the promotion of international peace and security, and the settlement of disputes. Likewise, significant progress has been made in the codification of universal norms for the protection of human rights and a safer, more peaceful international order.

But eighty years after the creation of the United Nations, the world is faltering once again, as if we were being overtaken by the same drift that led humanity to two major catastrophes within the span of a single generation.

We are living through moments of great turbulence, unprecedented challenges and multiple uncertainties: the expansion of terrorism, the persistence of old and new conflicts, climate disruption, a deep economic crisis, a decline in international solidarity, and a high risk of the disintegration of multilateralism.

I do not forget the renewed arms race, including in cyberspace.

What is most concerning is the distressing dehumanization of a world of selective emotions, according to interests and geopolitical stakes. There can be no justice founded on law when what passes for international order is governed by the logic of double standards, the law of the strongest and partisan spirit.

In this troubling context, Africa remains confronted with armed conflicts, terrorism, particularly in the Sahel, cross-border criminality and political instability. Faced with so many challenges, our approach should be integrated, combining prevention, resilience and targeted responses.

Peace and security have a price. Let us give ourselves the means to bear it through predictable and sustainable financing of peace support operations in Africa, with adequate equipment, and robust mandates and rules of engagement. This is the only way to confront the scourge of terrorism and restore a minimum of security and stability in affected areas.

I renew here Senegal's solidarity with the brother countries engaged daily in the fight against terrorism.

In the Middle East, the Palestinian people continue to live through the worst of calamities, one that words can no longer even express. Under the daily crash of bombs, every limit has been surpassed. We can neither remain silent nor look away. Gaza no longer lives. Gaza, a land of tears, blood and sweat, has become a hell for millions of souls of all ages, trapped in an open-air prison. Men, women and children are dying every day, deprived of food, water and healthcare.

Senegal reiterates its firm condemnation of this tragedy, which nothing can justify. In its capacity as Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Senegal considers that only the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian State will bring lasting peace for all parties, each within secure and internationally recognized borders.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Eighty years ago, the founding fathers committed themselves, through the creation of the UN, to sparing future generations the scourge of war, which, twice within the span of a quarter century, had caused millions of deaths and untold suffering.

On behalf of Senegal, I pay tribute to the pioneers and to all those who embodied the universal values of the Organization, sometimes at the risk of their lives.

In this world in crisis, our principles and our actions must remain the same: peace rather than conflict; justice rather than indifference; partnership rather than power struggles.

But this is only possible through a strong, revitalized multilateralism, to make it a unique framework for action for peace and stability, through dialogue, consultation and the peaceful resolution of disputes. The survival of multilateralism requires it to return to its fundamental principles: shared responsibility and active solidarity, respect for international law and universal justice, in accordance with the Statutes of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Furthermore, we cannot ignore the imperative of reforming global political, economic and financial governance. The UN, by its universal vocation, must act as a pioneer of deliberations and decisions that are more democratic, more legitimate and more representative of its Member States, who have grown from 51 in 1945 to 193 today.

I renew Senegal's support for the Ezulwini Consensus for a just and equitable representation of Africa on the Security Council.

It is also time to establish a fairer and more inclusive global economic and financial governance, to respond to the real needs of financing sustainable development. We all know that public aid is not the solution. Other levers exist, notably:

• a fair global tax framework so that taxes are paid where wealth is produced;
• access to credit on sustainable terms so that the management of debt burdens does not hinder our countries' development efforts;
• and finally, the effective implementation of the Seville commitment, the Pact for the Future and the Sustainable Development Goals for expanded access to health, water, food, education, energy and digital technology.

Global warming also deserves our attention. It is not a threat but an existential question, a reality that strikes hardest those who contribute least to it, such as Africa, with less than 4% of global emissions. And yet, droughts, floods, coastal erosion and food insecurity now punctuate the lives of our populations. This has become an unsustainable double punishment.

Senegal renews its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate and calls for a just and equitable climate transition, through the exploitation of our available resources for universal access to electricity and the launch of competitive industrialization.

The fight against global warming will undoubtedly require substantial financing for adaptation, simplified access to climate funds and guaranteed technology transfers.

Senegal welcomes the creation of the Fund to address loss and damage and calls for the mobilization of international solidarity to build up its resources, in order to finance operations on the ground.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Faced with numerous and complex emergencies and challenges, we are not without means. The world has the resources needed to feed the hungry, educate our children, care for the sick and silence the guns. The real obstacle is neither financial nor technical nor material. It lies in the political will to make multilateralism an instrument of collective solidarity; of cooperation rather than confrontation, for a future in which human dignity will be at the heart of our decisions.

So let us make this 80th anniversary of the United Nations not the observation of an exhausted order, but the starting point of a new hope: that of a renewed and more effective Organization in the service of the peoples it embodies.

Senegal remains faithful to its commitment to work in this direction with all members of the Organization; ready to build bridges, ready to carry forward reforms, ready to continue our common work for a world of peace, justice and solidarity.

I wish every success to the work of the 80th session of the General Assembly.

Thank you for your kind attention.