I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Csaba Korosi on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. I also take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid for his successful leadership of the seventy-sixth session of the Assembly.
The world today faces a deep crisis of trust at the global level and an intensification of numerous challenges to stability and security, a growth of geopolitical confrontation and an increased risk of bloc mentality.
The expansion and aggravation of armed conflicts in various parts of the world are destabilizing international trade and economic ties, which have not yet recovered from the consequences of the pandemic. The challenges of ensuring food and energy security are increasing. The global climate shocks, the growing shortage of natural and water resources, and the spread of infectious diseases all contribute to the aggravation of conflicts and the emergence of humanitarian crises, and they also threaten the foundation of life.
Clearly, no country can avoid global risk and challenges or tackle them alone. Constructive dialogue and multilateral cooperation, based on consideration and respect for the interests of all countries, are the only way out of the dangerous spiral of crisis. Effective international cooperation is essential if the world is to become more stable, predictable and prosperous.
Under the current conditions, we strongly believe it is important to strengthen the central role of the United Nations in addressing global and regional challenges. The United Nations should evolve in order for it to respond effectively to the transformation taking place.
The establishment of intercivilizational and intercultural relations and dialogue is also extremely important for finding coherent approaches and solutions and relieving global tensions, uncertainty and unpredictability.
With that in mind, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit that was held in Samarkand on 16 September, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward the Samarkand Solidarity Initiative for Common Security and Prosperity. Its goal is to contribute to the restoration of mutual trust and stability in international relations, as well as to strengthen solidarity through the establishment of broad dialogue free from geopolitical rivalry, ideological contradictions and disputes. We propose to jointly exchange views on the practical implementation of that initiative at the Samarkand forum to be held in 2023, with the participation of United Nations representatives, political leaders, the public business community and academia.
This year, we adopted the Development Strategy for New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, which aims to deepen the democratic process, ensure the rule of law and improve living standards. The strategy is based on the outcomes of the reforms carried out in our country over the previous five years and is designed to advance the comprehensive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, by 2030 we intend to halve the level of poverty, increase the effectiveness of the social protection system to respond to all those in need, strengthen food security and become one of the world’s upper-middle-income countries.
Currently, Uzbekistan is on the eve of an important political event: a constitutional reform. The key goal of updating the Constitution is to ensure sustainability and responsibility in the process of the fundamental transformation of the State system and public administration in a way that will respect and protect the honour and dignity of the people and guarantee their inviolable rights and freedoms. The idea of human honour and dignity will be deeply enshrined in the Constitution.
Norms on the complete abolition of the death penalty, the Miranda rule and habeas corpus, as well as environmental human rights, will be introduced in the Constitution. The constitutional amendments will become directly applicable and aim to guarantee and protect the interests of people of all backgrounds. In particular, the prohibition of forced labour and the other worst forms of child labour and the protection of the employment rights of pregnant women and women with children will be guaranteed at the constitutional level. Furthermore, the introduction of norms that ensure the openness, transparency and accountability of State agencies has also been proposed.
The amendments to the Constitution were reviewed by the public and will be put to a referendum.
We fully endorse the initiative of Secretary- General Antonio Guterres to hold the Summit of the Future in September 2023. Uzbekistan greatly appreciates the successful outcome of the historic Transforming Education Summit, which demonstrated the commitment of the international community to advance efforts to achieve the rapid restoration and modernization of the education system by increasing funding and innovation.
Uzbekistan has already achieved tangible results in that area. Over the past five years, enrolment in higher education increased from 9 to 29 per cent, and the rate of enrolment of children in preschool education increased from 27 to 67 per cent.
Young people should play a key role in the processes that are directly related to their fate and future. To that end, Uzbekistan plans to convene the first meeting of the Youth Council of the countries of Central Asia and South Asia in 2023, which will become a platform for new ideas and specific initiatives. We count on the support of the United Nations in convening that important forum.
From 14 to 16 November in Tashkent, we will host jointly with UNESCO the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education. That forum will facilitate the exchange of best practices to ensure universal, equitable and quality education. We invite the Ministers of Education of Member States to participate in that high-level forum.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Central Asian States, a fundamentally new political atmosphere has been created in our region. Launched at the initiative of Uzbekistan, the mechanism of consultative meetings of the Heads of State of the region has become a vivid symbol of a new era of regional cooperation. At the most recent consultative meeting, held on 21 July, the truly historic Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the Twenty-First century was agreed. The international recognition of the deepening partnership of the countries of the region is reflected in a number of resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in support of strengthening peace, stability and regional cooperation in Central Asia.
We rely on the further support of the international community in the process of rapprochement and cooperation among the countries of Central Asia and the integration of the region into the global economy and transport networks.
We express our gratitude to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for supporting our initiative to hold an international conference on the implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, which was held in March in Tashkent. Taking into account the outcomes of that forum, we propose the establishment of a United Nations counter-terrorism regional office in Central Asia in order to successfully implement the Global Strategy and continuously monitor the implementation of the updated Joint Plan of Action of Central Asian States.
The prospects for the development of Central Asia are inextricably linked to ensuring peace in neighbouring Afghanistan. We are concerned about the decline in the international attention being placed on that country, which is experiencing a deep humanitarian crisis. We consider it extremely important to prevent the isolation of Afghanistan, which is being left to address its existing problems on its own. That will undoubtedly have negative consequences for regional and international security.
The International Conference on Afghanistan, which was held in July in Tashkent with the participation of the delegation of the interim Government, showed the interest of the world community in the development of coordinated approaches towards that country.
We are convinced that the overall priority of the international community should be to restore the Afghan economy and ensure its integration into regional economic processes and the implementation of infrastructure and socially significant projects. To solve that problem, the support of the United Nations, international financial institutions and donor countries is needed.
Uzbekistan is making a feasible contribution to international efforts to assist Afghanistan. Uzbekistan has established an international transport and logistics hub in the border city of Termez, which is actively used by United Nations agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to the country. We propose that a special humanitarian support fund for Afghanistan be created in Termez and that financial resources be allocated to it in order to overcome the social crisis and implement educational programmes for young people and healthcare projects.
Resolution 76/295, on strengthening connectivity between Central and South Asia, which was adopted in July 2022 at the initiative of Uzbekistan, prioritizes the involvement of Afghanistan in economic cooperation and its transformation into a bridge connecting the two regions. The practical implementation of those ideas will be facilitated by the implementation of transregional infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway. The solution to the problem of involving Afghanistan in regional trade and economic relations will be facilitated by the proposed establishment by Uzbekistan, with the support of the United Nations, of an interregional centre for connectivity in Tashkent.
Today the negative consequences of climate change are acutely apparent in our region. We stand ready to actively participate in multilateral efforts to promote the topical issues of the green agenda and the processes that curb climate change.
Uzbekistan has assumed the additional obligation of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and is implementing a comprehensive strategy for the transition to a green economy and the development of renewable energy. In 2021, the President of Uzbekistan launched a broad initiative called “Yashil Makon” or “Green Nation” through which 1 billion trees and shrubs are to be planted across the country over the next five years.
The Aral Sea is the largest environmental crisis in our region. Over the past five years, 1.7 million hectares of forest plantings have been introduced on
the drained seabed. I take this opportunity to thank the General Assembly for adopting the resolution declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of ecological innovation and technologies (resolution 75/278). This year, under the auspices of the United Nations, we plan to host in Nukus the first Aral Sea international forum. In 2023, we will host the fourteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, as well as a meeting in Uzbekistan of the Committee to Review the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. We invite the Member States and United Nations agencies to take part in these events at the highest level.
This year we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Uzbekistan’s membership in the United Nations, which is the only universal structure for maintaining international peace and security. We reaffirm Uzbekistan’s commitment to the United Nations Charter and express readiness to deepen multifaceted cooperation with the Organization.