President Battulga addresses General Debate of 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
PoliticsUlaanbaatar/MONTSAME/. On September 23th (GMT-5), President
of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga addressed the General Debate of the 75th
United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York, NY, USA, on
September 22-29, 2020.
Mr. President,
Mr.
Secretary-General,
Distingusihed
delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish to convey my heartfelt congratulations to you, Mr.
President, upon your election as the President of the current session of
the General Assembly. I pledge my delegation’s full support and
cooperation in the discharge of your onerous responsibilities.
This year the member States are proudly celebrating the 75th anniversary
of the United Nations. The UN is the optimal structure of multilateral
cooperation. It was, indeed, a tremendous achievement when the world’s nations
united under the spirit of the UN Charter, set out to resolve their differences
and hurdles through negotiations and cooperation.
Along with progress and development came complex and
formidable challenges. Our responsibility to address and overcome them has
equally increased. The most glaring example is the current 75th session of
the UN General Assembly, which is taking place amid worldwide fight against the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In today’s interdependent world, infectious diseases are
spreading exponentially, adversely affecting the economy, social welfare,
humanitarian causes, security and human rights.
It is a huge lesson and warning that humankind has been
caught off guard and swept by the pandemic in the 21st century with its highly
developed medical science. In this time of hardship, multilateralism has taken
on an even more significant role. There is a critical need for networked,
inclusive and well-timed responses based on unity and cooperation.
We have no doubt that upon release of a safe and effective
COVID-19 vaccine, the United Nations and its system organizations will play a
major role in ensuring equal access to the vaccine for developing and least
developed countries, as well as vulnerable groups, such as children, women, the
elderly and indigenous peoples.
We call on international financial organizations and
developed countries to continue their support and assistance to developing
countries with limited resources and weak social protection systems in their
economic recovery and fight against the deadly pandemic.
Mr. President,
This year ushered in the Decade of Action to deliver the
SDGs. However, it is also the year where COVID-19 restrictions and quarantine
are in place worldwide, and the pandemic has not only aggravated the existing
challenges, but also reversed some of the hard-won gains made since 2015. Thus,
all Governments need to act decisively to fight the pandemic, step up their
efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals
and fulfill their responsibilities in a more innovative and flexible
way.
As a result of a timely containment strategy, mobilization
of all possible resources while taking into account the lessons learnt from
others, Mongolia has so far no local transmission and no pandemic-related
death.
The pandemic, climate change and other threats that have
raised alarm worldwide keep reminding humankind of the overriding need to
cherish the Earth and live in harmony with nature. The tradition of treasuring,
cherishing and protecting the Earth is deeply embedded in the nomadic way of
life and the national identity of Mongols.
Interdependence between humans and the natural world is at
the root of human existence. To this day we have done everything not to bend
down under the overwhelming forces of nature. However, our struggle was not to
adapt to nature, but rather to defeat it. Day by day we realize that the fight
to win is what is causing defeat, while the fight to seek harmony is the
foundation of our existence.
The fact that Mongolia is one of the few countries with zero
local transmission of COVID-19 can be traced to our centuries-long tradition of
living in harmony with nature. We need to unite our minds and forces to live in
concord with nature, rather than dominate it with the help of technological
progress.
In fact, nations around the world owe a duty to future
generations to protect the Earth and ensure that every individual leads an
eco-friendly life.
Mr. President,
For the past 75 years, the United Nations has been
fulfilling its responsibility of uniting the world’s nations under one roof and
steering them towards growth and development. However, the need for the UN to
be more in sync with changing environment, enhance its work and change its
working methods is nothing but compelling, if it is to rise to the emerging
challenges of international relations. It must take even more innovative and
bold action to that end.
Let us joint efforts to build a reinvigorated United Nations
and grow together for the sake of Mother Earth and peace and prosperity of all
humankind!
I thank you for attention.