United Nations A/75/ PV.3 General Assembly Official Records Seventy-fifth session 3rd plenary meeting Monday 21 September 2020, 9 a.m. New York President: Mr. Bozkir ........................................... (Turkey) The meeting was called to order at 9.15 a.m. continued commitment to multilateralism, we would not be sitting here today. High-level meeting to commemorate the seventy- I would also like to thank all the United Nations fifth anniversary of the United Nations personnel, especially those in the field, whose efforts Agenda item 128 have made the Organization a success and life better for all of humankind. Strengthening of the United Nations system Today, at the end of this segment, we will adopt the (a) Strengthening of the United Nations system declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth Draft resolution (A/75/L.1) anniversary of the United Nations. I want to congratulate members on having reached a consensus on this The President: I now declare open the high-level landmark declaration and for their strong commitment meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary to working together to strengthen coordination and of the United Nations. global governance for the common future of present This high-level meeting is held pursuant to and coming generations. resolution 73/299 of 14 June 2019 and decision 74/562 I would also like to thank the co-facilitators, Qatar of 22 July 2020, and takes place under sub-item (a) of and Sweden, for their stewardship of this text through agenda item 128, entitled “Strengthening of the United Nations system”. the General Assembly, especially during the pandemic. The General Assembly has before it a draft resolution When our founders established the Organization issued as document A/75/L.1, entitled “Declaration on 75 years ago, they did so in the smouldering wreckage the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of of war. The Second World War, the deadliest in history, the United Nations”. demonstrated the clear need for a forum that could be “a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations”. Before proceeding further, I would like to inform The founders recognized that the three pillars of the Members that action on the draft political declaration United Nations — peace and security, development and will be taken at the end of the opening segment. human rights — are equally important, interrelated I would like to start this meeting by thanking and interdependent. One cannot advance without the every individual and institution that has supported the other. And that is what the United Nations has been Organization over the past 75 years. That includes first striving for over the past 75 years, with the support of and foremost all of the Member States. Without their the Member States. In accordance with decision 74/562, and without setting a precedent for mandated high-level meetings planned for future high-level weeks, the official records of the General Assembly will be supplemented by annexes containing pre-recorded statements submitted by Heads of State or other dignitaries, submitted to the President no later than the day on which such statements are delivered in the Assembly Hall. Submissions in this regard should be made to [email protected]. 20-24378 (E) *2024378* A/75/PV.3 21/09/2020 We should not overlook our achievements. and accountable Organization, so it is fit for purpose Membership has increased from 51 to 193 today, and can deliver the future we want. reflecting, in significant part, countries gaining As members have made clear in the declaration, their cherished independence and committing to the there is no other global organization with the legitimacy, United Nations and its Charter as sovereign States. convening power and normative impact as the United Quiet diplomacy and the development of arms Nations. No other global organization gives hope to control regimes prevented the decades-long Cold War so many people for a better world. As we enter the from turning into a nuclear conflict. Peacekeeping seventy-fifth session, it is now time to act. I am taking missions have kept the peace and protected civilians. the call for renewed global action seriously. The United United Nations special political missions have helped Nations is only as strong as its Members’ commitment defuse crises and promote lasting solutions to conflict. to its ideals and each other. Electoral assistance has reinforced public trust in Before concluding my remarks, I would like to democracy, including in crucial transition periods. make a strong call on the Member States. It is now The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, time for them to mobilize their resources, strengthen adopted in 1948, set out fundamental human rights to their efforts and show unprecedented political will and be universally protected for the first time. The United leadership so as to ensure the future we want, and the Nations has worked tirelessly to promote and protect United Nations we need. The time for action is now. human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, I now invite the Secretary-General, His Excellency including the equal rights of women and men. Mr. António Guterres, to make a statement. In the past 75 years, the United Nations has also The Secretary-General: The ideals of the shaped the norms for international development. United Nations — peace, justice, equality and In 2000, we adopted the Millennium Development dignity — are beacons to a better world. Goals to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination But the Organization we celebrate today emerged against women. only after immense suffering. It took two world wars, millions of deaths and the horrors of the Holocaust for Now, as we enter the Decade of Action, we world leaders to commit to international cooperation have recognized that implementation of the 2030 and the rule of law. Agenda for Sustainable Development — which is universal — provides a coherent blueprint for a That commitment produced results. A third world better world. This has become even more pressing in war — which so many had feared — has been avoided. the context of the threats posed by climate change, Never in modern history have we gone so many years disruptions caused by technological developments and without a military confrontation between the major the current pandemic. Powers. This is a great achievement of which Member States can be proud and which we must all strive Multilateralism is not an option but a necessity to preserve. as we build back better and greener for a more equal, more resilient, and more sustainable world. The United Down the decades, there have been other historic Nations must be at the centre of our efforts. Since the accomplishments, including peace treaties and United Nations was established, the world has changed peacekeeping, decolonization, human rights standards in unimaginable ways. An upgraded United Nations and mechanisms to uphold them, the triumph over must respond to these challenges and changes to stay apartheid, life-saving humanitarian aid for millions relevant and effective. It must be inclusive and consult of victims of conflict and disaster, the eradication of widely with all relevant stakeholders, including regional diseases, the steady reduction of hunger, the progressive and subregional organizations, non-governmental development of international law and landmark pacts to organizations, civil society, the private sector, academia protect the environment and our planet. Most recently, and parliamentarians to ensure an effective response unanimous support for the Sustainable Development to our common challenges. We must support the Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change United Nations to evolve into a more agile, effective provided an inspiring vision for the twenty-first century. 2/230 20-24378 21/09/2020 A /75/PV. 3 Yet there is still so much to be done. essential to facing the realities of our time. They noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has made this solidarity Of the 850 delegates to the San Francisco even more urgent. And they stressed that the world Conference, just 8 were women. Twenty-five years needs universal health systems and basic services. since the Beijing Platform for Action, gender inequality remains the greatest single challenge to human rights People fear the climate crisis, poverty, inequality, around the world. Climate calamity looms. Biodiversity corruption and systemic discrimination based on skin is collapsing. Poverty is again rising. Hatred is colour or gender. They see the United Nations as an spreading. Geopolitical tensions are escalating. Nuclear instrument to build a better world, and they are counting weapons remain on hair-trigger alert. Transformative on us to rise to today’s challenges. technologies have opened up new opportunities but also exposed new threats. The coronavirus disease This responsibility rests primarily with Member (COVID-19) pandemic has laid bare the world’s States. The United Nations was founded by Member fragilities. We can only address them together. States. They have a duty to invest fully in it, to nourish the Organization and to provide it with the means it Today, we have a surplus of multilateral needs to have a real impact. challenges and a deficit of multilateral solutions. I welcome the General Assembly’s seventy- We owe it to “we the peoples”. We owe it to the fifth anniversary declaration and commitment to peacekeepers, diplomats, humanitarian workers and reinvigorating multilateralism. those who sacrificed their lives to advance our shared values. I salute all staff, past and present, for their The Assembly has invited me to assess how to dedication to bringing the ideals of the United Nations advance our common agenda, and I will report back to life. with analysis and recommendations. This will be an important and inclusive process of profound reflection. The founders of our Organization set to work as the conflict raged.