Mr. President, "The UN is a special meeting place for all countries." This is what our head of state said in his very first speech at the UN General Assembly when Liechtenstein became a member 34 years ago. It is a singular forum where not only countries come together, but peoples. I was very young then, just about to enter high school, but I remember vividly the sense of significance that prevailed among us back in 1990. The wish to safeguard our sovereignty was a key incentive for us, a team that resonates so strongly among many, many small states today. We have never seen membership as just an end in itself. The United Nations has been a key foreign policy platform for Liechtenstein. We have made a significant political investment, developed our own profile, been an independent voice, and put forward our own initiatives, most recently the veto initiative. For us, the people and the government of Liechtenstein, the main purpose of the United Nations remains peace and security, "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," in the immortal words of the UN Charter. It saddens me to say that this purpose has lost none of its relevance today. The aggression against Ukraine, planned and perpetrated by those who wield power in the Russian Federation, has not only destroyed the European security architecture, it has undermined the international legal order as a such, and it has created a real risk and genuine fear of future illegal warmaking, not just in our part of the world. After enjoying long decades of peace, which is much more than the absence of war, our people have been able to live in prosperity and with full respect for human rights. As a small state without armed forces, the guarantor of our sovereignty is respect for international law, which the UN embodies like no other organization. Our unequivocal stance in support of Ukraine is thereof a commitment to the international order and ultimately to our own security. More than two years of brutal war of aggression have brought immeasurable human suffering, economic devastation of immense proportions, and environmental damage for decades to come. Many of these outcomes are sadly irreversible. But together, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to bring about a just peace. And indeed, there will be no peace without justice. Peace must therefore be based on the terms we have already said together in this hall, and it must ensure individual criminal accountability for those who have willfully and unprovoked initiated this war of aggression. This alone will ensure that there is a prospect for sustainable peace for Ukraine, but also for the region as a whole. This alone will give small states everywhere the confidence and belief that their sovereignty and territorial integrity will be protected and safeguarded here at the United Nations while demonstrating that we are committed and able to fulfill the purpose that has brought us together in this organization. Mr. President, much of what we have done in recent years here in New York was driven by the belief that we must safeguard the role of the United Nations in maintaining peace and security. We support a strong Security Council, but see little indication that it will be able to come together in the way the current challenges require. Rather than criticizing and lamenting what is a political reality, we have to think about alternative avenues, avenues that do indeed exist. This assembly is the key platform in this respect. It has taken the lead on Ukraine, and it has adopted important decisions on the Gaza War. And under the terms of the veto initiative, which has resonated so strongly in this hall, it is given the option to act whenever the council is paralyzed by a veto. The pact of the future have, has given us the necessary basis to continue what we have begun and to chart a new path for peace and security. Only in working together we will be able to deliver on this promise. Mr. President, for almost a year now, the situation in the Middle East has absorbed much of our attention. We have witnessed with horror the terrorist attack on the civilian population of Israel on the 7th of October, and we are shocked and appalled by the suffering of the civilian population of Gaza, the many thousand of innocent victims, a very large number of children among them, which is simply unacceptable. The protection of civilians is a key priority on the agenda of the United Nations. However, it seems to be a mere afterthought for those making the decisions on both sides of the conflict whose actions cause human suffering and threaten stability in the region. We are deeply concerned about the next level of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and join the call for a 21-day ceasefire in order to prevent a further conflagration in the region. Liechtenstein is a strong supporter of the two-state solution. As such, we prioritize the protection of all civilians affected in our response and in our decision-making. We have contributed humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. We have called for the full respect for international humanitarian law by all. And with that, I call again for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. We support the efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate according to its mandate. Two-state solution, which ensui- enjoys a overwhelming support among all of us in this hall was decided by this very assembly many decades ago. There is no other conflict where the United Nations has a clearer and longer-lasting responsibility. The end of the war in Gaza will only be one step in the long and difficult path to a two-state solution that allows Israel and Palestine to live together in peace and security in line with the right of self-determination of all peoples.Knowing that this will take time, it is even more important that all actors stop escalating the conflict further, and that the human suffering ends today. The UN and each single member state need to live up to the goal we have set ourselves many years ago, and bring this conflict to an end. Mr. President, the sovereign equality of all countries and respect for international law are key for all UN members to thrive. But for smaller ones, even more so. It is no surprise then that in this building, my country is known in particular for our clear and consistent stance in support of the rule of law. We are proud of the work we have done on international law, and it is a commitment we are determined to continue, especially as there is no doubt that international law is under attack from more sides and in more ways than ever before. Today, I call on you, I call on all of us to face this challenge as an opportunity, to come together and unite in a way, in a way that brings together all who need international law upheld for their survival and prosperity. All of whose best, and sometimes only defense is that the rules governing the conduct between states since 1945 are actually enforced. All of us who are willing to stand up for each other, driven by both solidarity and enlightened self-interest. Today, it is a moment for us to realize that we must not take the existence of the United Nations for granted, that this organization's foundation is rooted in international law, but also that it is us in this room that have the power and means necessary if we work together. Doom and gloom are not the hallmark of leadership. We are encouraged by the fact that small states in particular are increasingly standing up for the rule of law and against the rule of might. We are gratified to see that the International Court of Justice and its decisions is looked at for guidance in our decision-making in challenges ranging from the two-state solution to the applicability of the Genocide Convention to climate change. This is a good, and a more importantly, a necessary time to be the change that we want to see in the world. Mr. President, we politicians have the privilege, the agency, and the voice that we have to use. This, in my view, comes also with the obligation to speak up for those who do not have a voice. In a shockingly literal sense, the women of Afghanistan do not have a voice at all anymore. I, therefore, want to speak up for them from this podium. The denial of even their most basic human rights must be completely unacceptable for this organization and its representatives. We will continue to demand that the United Nations lives up to its special obligation and supports action to fight this extreme case of gender persecution. We must also speak up against the brutal oppre- oppression of women in Iran. Women across the world have been speaking up as agents of change for many years. We must ensure those voices are amplified at the highest level. As experie- ex-ex- as experience has shown, we will get better results for everyone if we entrust leadership positions much more often to women. As many others, I believe that it is a credibility challenge for the United Nations that a woman has yet to lead this organization. After decades of talking about gender equality, the United Nations should shine as an example. Mr. President, we simply need to do what we have promised. On peace, the central mission of this organization, on gender equality, on human rights, on deterring aggression, and on ensuring accountability. The collective actions so urgently needed today requires strong leadership, which is often lacking today. Leadership, whether by a woman or man, comes with responsibility, accountability, and with the ability and willingness to listen to and work in the interest of those we represent. All of us that have had the privilege to speak from this podium have an obligation to present and future generations to deliver on the great hopes placed in our United Nations. Only then is this organization the singular place that serves the people of the world in their desire for world peace. Thank you.