In Senegal last December, I met doctors and researchers who are passionate and determined to save lives, and it is thanks to international cooperation that, at the Institut Pasteur, they have created a vaccine-production centre equipped with the most promising technologies. A few months later, in Borodyanka, Ukraine, I met children. I saw the horror of war in their eyes, heard stories of violence against women, rape, torture, mass graves and
the sowers of death. I saw hope in Dakar and horror in Borodyanka.
To put an end to horror and choose hope: this is the promise of the United Nations, and this is what the European Union was founded upon. That is what we want — hope — for the whole world. For this, the European Union reaches out to all those who want to cooperate for the common good and honour the promise of the United Nations. I will speak of hope, but first I must talk — alas — about a war. Every war is a denial of humanity, and all suffering deserves the same commitment from us, whether in Yemen, Ethiopia, the Sahel, Myanmar or Ukraine.
The Kremlin launched a war against the Ukrainian people. And hundreds of millions of women, men and children all over the world are being targeted, threatened by famine, deprived of heating or burdened by energy bills. The Kremlin is waging a hybrid war that combines the violence of weapons with the poison of lies. Russia claims that its security has been threatened for years by “the West”. That is false. The Kremlin is attempting — in vain, I hope — to mobilize the rest of the world against an imaginary enemy. Absolutely nobody has threatened, attacked or invaded Russia. And no one in Europe wanted a conflict with Russia. What interest would we have in jeopardizing the security and prosperity of all?
The second lie is that this war, according to Russia, seeks to prevent an alleged genocide of the Russian- speaking population of Ukraine and to “denazify” the country. That is false, and it is despicable. Genocide is the concrete, intentional elimination — total or partial — of a national, ethnic or religious group. Are we to believe that today nobody, apart from the Kremlin, would have noticed the large-scale massacre of Ukrainians by Ukrainians? And what kind of liberation leads to the killing of Russian speakers and the destruction of their cities’ infrastructure?
Finally, the third lie is that the aggression against Ukraine, Russia claims, is a “special operation” — not a war. That is false and insulting. It is in fact a war. And the mobilization, announced a few days ago, of hundreds of thousands of reservists only confirms that. Banning the term “war” by punishing its use with up to 15 years of prison does not change its nature; it merely betrays its shameful character. This war is an unprovoked, illegal and unjustified aggression that seeks to change internationally recognized borders by force, and that is unacceptable. And because we must
stop the Kremlin’s war machine, massive economic sanctions were unavoidable.
That brings me to the fourth lie — that sanctions are causing food and fertilizer shortages. That is false. It was Russia that, even before the war, unilaterally decided to drastically reduce its exports of grain and fertilizers, causing price volatility on the global market. It was Russia that then decided to place a military blockade on the Black Sea ports, making maritime trade impossible. It was the European Union that opened the “solidarity lanes”, which have already allowed millions of tons of food products to leave Ukraine by land. And it was the agreement reached by Secretary-General Guterres that opened a maritime corridor in the Black Sea in order to help reduce global prices and start the resupply of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Today it is the height of cynicism that the Kremlin is again threatening not to extend the agreement concluded with the United Nations. Once again, it is the most vulnerable countries that will be the main victims. In fact, there is a simple solution to stop the food crisis — Russia must stop the war, withdraw from Ukrainian territory and lift its blockade of ports.
One moment of truth stands out in this web of lies: one year ago, in a written and issued statement, Vladimir Putin declared — on the basis of wild historical imaginings — that Ukraine is neither a nation nor a legitimate State. That is what is behind his thinking. Nobody is fooled, and sham referendums will not change a thing.
In 1963, at the founding of the Organization of African Unity, in Addis Ababa, Modibo Keita, the first President of independent Mali, said that:
“imperialism is the manifestation of domination of one man over another, of one society over another, of one people over another, and the desire to impose — at all costs — one’s own way of thinking, way of life and method of political and economic development on others.”
Imperialism and revanchism are the foundations of this war of colonization, which targets Ukraine and is deliberately flouting international law and the Charter of the United Nations — to the point of threatening the use of nuclear weapons and using, at this very moment, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe as a military base. That must stop; it is unacceptable. We unreservedly support the efforts of Mr. Rafael Grossi,
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to restore security at the Zaporizhzhya plant.
I stand here in front of the General Assembly at this rostrum to say, solemnly, that the European Union is not asking anyone to choose between East or West, North or South. But there is a choice to be made. And the European Union chooses respect for borders over aggression, cooperation over threats and the rules- based order over the law of the strongest.
In 1948, at this rostrum, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, Belgian Prime Minister Paul- Henri Spaak, addressed the Soviet Union directly:
“[we were] afraid because, within the Assembly, the USSR had risen as the champion of the doctrine of absolute national sovereignty, and [we] were wondering how an international organization could function and achieve its aims if that outdated and reactionary doctrine were to triumph.” (A/PV.147; p. 281)
Today Russia is scary. The Kremlin brought war back to Europe and is engaging in blackmail. We cannot let the destructive action of one of us shake our collective determination to act for the common good.
The European Union is reaching out, sincerely and honestly. We have so many challenges to face together. The effects of the pandemic are painful, especially for the most vulnerable. The Human Development Index is falling. All too often, the rights of women and minorities are still too often flouted, or their very existence is denied. Extreme natural phenomena are becoming increasingly frequent, as we saw recently and tragically in Pakistan and Nigeria. Fissures are widening between developed and developing countries and between democracies and authoritarian regimes. Fissures are also widening within each of our various countries.
Multilateral cooperation is collective intelligence in action. It is also the DNA of the European Union, which works as a force for peace, development and the promotion of human rights. European leadership aims to build solutions together. We are not here to lecture. There is no master and no pupil. It is that spirit of cooperation that guides our action in the United Nations, in the Group of Seven (G-7) and in the Group of 20 (G-20). And that is why we are reaching out, with that spirit, that we are reaching out to form strategic partnerships.
Together with our African brothers, we have reset the parameters. Our partnership is forward-looking and truly on an equal footing. I reiterate here my call and support for the inclusion of the African Union in the G-20.
We share so much with Japan and South Korea, for example, and we are strengthening our relationship day by day. With India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, we are expanding our areas of cooperation. Our ties with the Latin American continent are natural ones, and we are relying heavily on next year’s summit to give new impetus to our relationship. With the Gulf countries, we are identifying our common priorities and conducting frank and regular dialogues on our differences.
We hope that emerging Powers, including China, will participate in earnest in collective efforts for peace and development. We believe in maritime security. We believe in stability in the Taiwan Strait. We adhere to the one-China policy, but we will not turn a blind eye to human rights abuses, especially in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
We are in this forum, the United Nations, which brings together the peoples of the world, and we all know that a robust multilateral system requires mutual trust. However, the current system is not inclusive or representative enough. The use of the veto should be the exception, but it is becoming the rule. Reform is urgently needed. I will share with the Assembly my conviction that, when a permanent member of the Security Council starts an unprovoked and unjustifiable war that is condemned by the General Assembly, that member ought to be automatically suspended from the Security Council.
We support the Secretary-General’s proposals on Our Common Agenda (A/75/982). The 2024 Summit of the Future must be seized as an opportunity to make those radical improvements.
The European Union is committed to, and stands by, the countries of the Group of Five for the Sahel. We are also prepared to develop resources for the countries of the Gulf of Guinea. We are also committed to Mozambique. We support the efforts of Rwanda and the countries of the Southern African Development Community, which are present today. With our High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union is sparing no effort to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue.
The European Union stands by the Afghan people, especially Afghan women. We will continue to fight everywhere this obscurantism, which tramples on the rights of women and girls on a daily basis in all areas. And I am thinking now of the Iranian women and girls who are courageously risking their lives and standing up for their dignity.
In Yemen, a serious humanitarian crisis is unfolding. The Yemeni people have a right to peace. We support the efforts of United Nations Special Envoy Grundberg to transform the current truce into a sustainable ceasefire.
The peace agreements between Arab countries and Israel are a step forward in the region. But the Palestinian people have waited too long in vain for the slightest progress for their own future. They cannot be forgotten in the global landscape. The two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living in peaceful coexistence and security, is a priority.
Finally, I am personally engaged in a difficult mediation between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia. The fighting must stop, with a view to resolving the conflict in order to establish lasting peace and prosperity to the South Caucasus.
Leadership is about showing the way and delivering results. When it comes to energy security, we have been too dependent for too long — putting our security, prosperity and sovereignty at risk. Energy and climate change are two sides of the same coin. To overcome the energy crisis is to reduce the climate threat, and to protect our biodiversity and our oceans is to secure our future.
Climate neutrality is the compass of the European Union. At the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Sharm El-Sheikh, we will push urgently to implement the promises of Paris and to go beyond. We want a fair and just transition. No one country alone can protect our planet. The European Union is honouring its commitment to developing countries, and we hope that the other developed countries follow our example.
Today nearly one fifth of humankind is at risk of sliding into poverty and hunger. The Russian war on Ukraine has exacerbated that crisis. Initiatives are being taken by the G-7, the European Union, the
African Union and others. The European Union is mobilizing nearly €8 billion for food security between now and 2024. But we know that more is needed — more coordination, more money and more sovereignty. New, more resilient and fairer agricultural models are needed. More food sovereignty, especially in Africa and Latin America, is indispensable. We are ready to support sustainable projects for fertilizer production on those continents, following the example of what is being done for vaccines to protect against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
COVID-19 has opened our eyes to our strengths and weaknesses. Vaccines were produced in record time. And under the leadership of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, a balance was struck between intellectual property, scientific innovation and universal access to technology. Nevertheless, we know that we must fully learn the lessons from this painful pandemic. That is why Mr. Ghebreyesus and I, some time ago, launched the idea of a pandemic treaty to strengthen global health security. Negotiations on the treaty are ongoing and must be concluded.
In conclusion, we know that this is a pivotal moment in human history. The term “pivotal” has been overused perhaps, but now, more than ever, we sense that the times we are living through are not ordinary or insignificant. And I think of Winston Churchill, who, in 1946, referring to the failure of the League of Nations to avert the Second World War, he said:
“The League did not fail because of its principles or conceptions. It failed because those principles were deserted by those States which brought it into being, because the Governments of those States feared to face the facts and act while time remained.”
Like the European Union, the United Nations is a project of hope, founded in the wake of the horrors of two World Wars.
A few days ago, my 6-year-old daughter suddenly confided in her mother and me that she is afraid of war. And that sent shivers down my spine. No parent in the world can bear to have their child afraid of war, let alone have to face it. No parent in the world can bear for their child to be hungry or unable to receive medical treatment. No parent in the world can bear their child being deprived of hope of a dignified and fulfilling life. Preventing or stopping the horror in Borodyanka, Yemen, Myanmar and elsewhere; restoring hope, like the doctors in Dakar and elsewhere, is the heart of our responsibility as leaders representing the peoples of the world. We have many differences, but beyond our differences the same blood runs through our veins. The same hearts beat within. And we share the same dreams of education and freedom for our boys and girls. I believe in the virtues of collective wisdom. I believe that science and knowledge will put the world back on the track of hope. We need a wake-up call. That must happen now, and we must act together. The world can count on the European Union.