Mr. Moderator,
I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this informal meeting of the plenary on the Fourth Report of the SG on Human Security.
I thank the Secretary-General for his report and his briefing. We deeply appreciate his presence here today.
We express our sincere appreciation to the distinguished panelists for their insightful remarks.
Excellencies and distinguished colleagues,
It is an unfortunate reality that the world is undergoing a difficult time marred with multidimensional and interlinked crises causing devastating impact on the dignity, live and livelihood of people and subsequently creating a potential threat to peace and stability all around world. As estimated, 85 percent of the SDG indicators are off track and none of the SDGs are on track for achievement as on now.
Considering the current situation, in-depth discussion on Human Security is an urgent necessity as it can present the opportunity to adopt a whole of society approach and to refrain ourselves from working in silos in addressing the interconnected and overlapping challenges. In this regard, we refer to the General Assembly resolution 66/290 of 2012 that deliberated on the notion of human security.
In this backdrop, I commend the efforts of the Group of Friends of Human Security to keep the issue in focus in the United Nations.
Distinguished colleagues,
Considering the report of the Secretary-General, I would like to highlight a few issues which we deem important:
First, the importance of Peace, Development and Humanitarian nexus cannot be overemphasized. We are encouraged to see the examples of incorporating human security in the development plans and strategies by many regional organizations and initiatives. Integrating this into regional frameworks will strengthen the national efforts to connecting the local needs with the plans and strategies which will strengthen local ownership and inclusiveness.
Second, I refer to the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace which emphasized preventative approach for peace and stability. We need to build resilience to future shocks, crises and pandemics, as well as to build a strong financial system through financial sector reform; which is imperative for a world free from insecurity. In this regard I would emphasize to place the human security at the heart of the peacebuilding in order to prevent conflict by addressing the root causes such as social, political, economic and environmental grievances.
Third, there is no alternative to addressing the major drivers of insecurity such as the climate crisis. Our development strategies must aim for and result in more resilient societies where people are safe from chronic threats such as abject poverty, water crisis, pollution and environmental degradation, violence and repression, and protected from sudden and hurtful disruptions in their daily lives.
Fourth: While digital technology can bring ample benefits to the lives and livelihoods of the people, it can pose considerable threats to human security as digital inequality, cyberattacks, data fraud, and theft are growing and as the spread of mis- and disinformation is continued unabated at national and international levels. We must take collective actions to address these threats through enhancing equity and rebuilding trust. We also need to understand AI more and go through a continuous learning process to comprehend its implications for human security.
Fifth, ahead of the Summit of the Future in 2024 and the Peacebuilding Architecture Review in 2025, it is important to have recurring discussions to incorporate the measures to address insecurity into the agreed outcomes of these important processes.
And finally, referring to the heart-touching remarks of the Secretary-General a while ago, while we are deliberating on the issue of Human Security in this chamber today, we must ask our collective consciousness what measures we have taken to alleviate the unspeakable misery of the Palestinians caused by relentless, indiscriminate, atrocities by Israel killing so far 32630 Palestinians -70 percent of whom are women and children.
If we fail to address such an inhumane, brutal atrocity of unprecedented scale since the World War II, subjecting an entire nation, I wonder, we may not have the moral authority to prescribe solutions to security in general.
I thank you all.