I would like to congratulate you. Sir. on your election to the honourable function of the President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session, and to express Poland’s full support for your mission and wishes for your every success in its fulfilment. At the same time, my thanks go to His Excellency Mr. Csaba Korosi. in recognition of his active engagement while presiding over the work of the Assembly at its seventy-seventh session.
The representatives of 193 countries from every continent have gathered in New York at United Nations Headquarters to discuss the most important threats and challenges facing the world today. The Assembly’s general debate is an extremely important event. It is the only place and our only opportunity to discuss in
person the crucial problems that affect us all. We are here because of the courageous and forward-looking decisions made by the leaders of the Western world during the darkest days of the Second World War. At the time, they pondered how to avoid similar tragedies in the future. The leaders of the United States and Great Britain. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, and soon the other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, including Poland, signed the Atlantic Charter. It contained the most important principles on which the post-war world order was to be based — the self- determination of nations, the inviolability of borders, the renunciation of violence, economic cooperation and human rights. The Atlantic Charter, together with the Washington Declaration, was the cornerstone in the building of the United Nations Organization.
Today it has once again befallen us to live in dangerous times. As a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives or been injured. Millions have been forced to flee their home country and hundreds of millions worldwide are facing the spectre of famine and serious economic disruptions. Russia’s brutal aggression has brought immense global problems in its aftermath. It has put the international world order to the test. The cost of those barbarian actions — humanitarian, material and environmental — are incalculable and still growing. For a long time, world peace has never been as threatened as it is today.
We Poles know full well that peace is not to be taken for granted. September, in the history of my home country, is a special month. On 1 September 1939. Nazi Germany invaded my homeland. Poland. The Second World War broke out. On 17 September 1939. we received a blow from another direction: the Soviet Union also made an onslaught on Poland. In the wake of the alliance between Hitler and Stalin — Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia — Poland lost its independence, was wiped off the world map and subjected to an extremely brutal occupation. That is precisely why we understand the tragedy of Ukraine, as well as the tragedy of other countries experiencing the pandemonium of war. better than any other country in the world.
During the Second World War. 6 million of our citizens perished, including 3 million Polish Jews. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, was razed to the ground. And yet our history stands as a testament to the fact that even crimes and persecution are not able to suppress the true spirit of freedom, and freedom will finally prevail. Enslavement, imperialism and neocolonialism are as much a denial of freedom as insane dreams of dominating others. When unleashing the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Russian empire, to divide the world and to make Europe systematically dependent on his raw materials. He has not succeeded. It is my firm belief that he will no longer succeed.
Today the world needs courageous and visionary leaders. The late President of Poland. Lech Kaczynski, with whom I had the honour to cooperate, was such a leader. He was a leader who. a dozen years ago. was trying to shake consciences, appeal to politicians and warn of the imperialist policy of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Let me recall, at this point. Lech Kaczynski’s seminal words spoken in Tbilisi at the height of the Russian aggression on Georgia in 2008:
“For the first time in a long time. Russians have shown the face we have known for hundreds of years. They believe that the nations around them should be subjected to them. We say no. Russia believes that the old days of the empire that collapsed less than 20 years ago are coming back and that domination will again be a feature of our region. Well, it will not. Those days are over, once and for all.”
Yes: today, in this very place, at United Nations Headquarters. I wish to reiterate that those days can never return. The logic of conquest, changing borders by force, disregarding the law and denying the Ukrainian people their right to exist must be stopped. The brutal war must end; it must not be converted into a frozen war. That can be done only by restoring the full territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
Poland’s position in the face of any war is clear and straightforward. We demand absolute respect for internationally recognized national borders. The inviolability of those borders is a fundamental element of the world order. Today the victim is Ukraine; tomorrow it could be any one of us if we do not follow those iron-clad rules and if we do not insistently enforce compliance with international law. Forgotten and unpunished war crimes and crimes against humanity build a sense of impunity among the perpetrators. Such crimes give permission to those perpetrators’ successors and imitators, who. following suit, commit similar crimes when they want to dominate and determine the
fate of other States and nations. The crimes committed during the war in Ukraine are living proof thereof.
That is why we are engaged in an initiative to hold Russia accountable for gross violations of the fundamental norms of international law. We strongly support the work of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. We support the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry under the Human Rights Council to investigate violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the context of the Russian aggression and to collect, verify and preserve evidence. We support the idea of establishing an ad hoc special tribunal. Crimes must be accounted for and their perpetrators punished.
Information warfare goes on. Lies are used to cover up and justify Russian crimes against the civilian population. Russia continually tries to shape international public opinion by building a false vision of reality. In Poland that comes as no surprise to us. but the world is just about to discover the scale of the manipulation and disinformation. The spearhead is often directed also at my country. Poland, which has been libelled in many various ways. That is because we have consistently opposed Russia’s imperialist and neocolonialist policy and have supported Ukraine in its defence from the outset. We. as the international community, must draw conclusions from the situation. We must confront manipulation and disinformation. We must fight against the hypocrisy of history and the reversal of the roles of henchman and victim. What is evil should be called evil. A crime should be called a crime.
These days, many States are being blamed for prolonging the war as they supply necessary weapons to Ukraine in its war of defence. That is a completely false logic, akin to putting the blame on a neighbour who comes to the aid of the people next door defending their home against a burglar. If one’s household is attacked, one has the right to defend it — and one’s neighbours should not stay indifferent. Ukraine would not be able to resist the aggression and effectively stand up for its independence if it were not for the assistance of other countries and. primarily, on the biggest scale, the United States of America.
It is the United States that has been playing a pivotal role in assuring security in Europe for more than a century. I say that as the President of a European country that has been plagued by the experience of war on many occasions. It must be remembered that the engagement of the United States in the First World War led to its end. as well as to the restoration of independence in Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The United States played a pivotal role in defeating Nazi Germany. Without the United States support, neither the United Kingdom nor the Soviet Union would have been able to resist Hitler. Finally, the United States was instrumental in the reconstruction of Western Europe in the aftermath of war and in fending off the threat posed by the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War.
Too often. Europe tends to forget that it owes its security and prosperity to the United States’ commitment and presence. In Poland, we recall that very well, that is why Poland’s top priority for its presidency of the European Union, in the first half of 2025. will be enhancing transatlantic relations and cooperation between the European Union and the United States of America.
Poland has never had colonies, a fact of which we are proud. We emphasize it on every occasion. Instead, my home country many times was brutally attacked, destroyed and used by neighbours to advance their imperial ambitions. For 123 years. Poland disappeared from the maps of the world. That is why we understand very well the countries that suffered colonialism and the challenges they need to confront. Wherever the international community is in need. Poland is always ready to respond to its call and does so without any hesitation. We provide assistance in many corners of the world. Despite the war in our immediate neighbourhood, we will continue our support to the Eastern Partnership countries.
We continue to focus on the countries of the sub-Saharan region. We are present in the Middle East. Given the refugee crisis caused by the war in Syria. Poland’s assistance to Iraq. Lebanon. Palestine and Jordan will be maintained. Poland will also continue its humanitarian support.
Many places around the world are facing worsening food crises. The situation is most difficult in Africa, where one in five people is suffering from hunger. Also, the population suffering from hunger is increasing in West Asia and the Caribbean. Today an estimated 2.4 billion people lack sustainable regular access to food, of which some 900 million face severe food insecurity. Therefore, in 2022. we in Poland have
supported the World Food Programme’s activities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including in Lebanon. Afghanistan. Tajikistan and Syria. We fund our activities mainly through multilateral channels, as well as through Polish non-governmental organizations and their local partners.
Poland fully recognizes the ambitions of the African Union to play an even more active role on the global stage, ensuring peace and development in Africa will be facilitated by good and cost-effective governance and the development of democracy on the continent. We respect the principle of African solutions to African problems and stand ready to share the experience we have gained in the difficult but successful transformation of our economy.
Poland is a country of freedom and solidarity. It is known worldwide for the great Solidarity movement which not only stood for workers’ rights but also for freedom and fundamental values. The movement brought together millions of people, courageously defied evil and changed the course of modern history, bringing about the fall of communism. We are extremely proud of our solidarity.
With regard to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Poles have once again illustrated that solidarity is not only a great part of their history, but that solidarity lives in us. Millions of my compatriots committed themselves to bringing aid to people fleeing the nightmare of war. In the very first days of the war. many journalists were coming to Poland and invariably asked me. “Where are the refugee camps?” And my response was. “There are not any. There are none.” There was no talk about camps. We hosted our guests in our own homes. We also had the honour of hosting many world leaders who came bringing humanitarian aid. including the Secretary-General and other United Nations high-ranking officials. I thank them for their support and their presence. Greater solidarity must come as a response to evil, war and aggression. Without solidarity there will be no lasting peace.
The world today needs more solidarity. We believe that the idea of solidarity-based development, which we hold so dear, is a beacon for security and prosperity. Poland is ready to take on concrete measures to support the United Nations operations undertaken to confront the most fundamental global challenges and threats and social and economic crises. We wish to support the idea of just transition, of economic and social changes that will not lose sight of the human dimension so that nobody is left behind.
We believe that our experience as the leader of Central Europe, the fifth-largest economy in the European Union and the largest State in the Three Seas Initiative can prove valuable to many countries with varying degrees of economic and social development. We are ready to share with our partners from around the world not only our experience in the process of economic transformation but also specific technologies that many Polish companies have available.
Poland is proud to have been elected a member of the Economic and Social Council for the 2024- 2026 term. A key priority of our Economic and Social Council membership will be to draw the international community’s attention to the impact of global crises, such as armed conflicts, the energy crisis, the coronavirus disease pandemic and climate change, and their impact on socioeconomic development.
Time is running out to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and there are still many challenges ahead, so we must unite and intensify our efforts to accelerate the implementation of the individual tasks.
Today the United Nations measures its strength against various challenges. With regard to the decision-making impasse in the Security Council, the situation in which Russia, one of the permanent members of the Council, is deliberately violating the Charter of the United Nations, the lengthy debates are considered a symptom of the weakness of both the Organization and its constituent States. There are some people who ask whether the United Nations is needed at all. whether it fits the times.
On behalf of Poland, a neighbour of attacked Ukraine and a country that has taken in millions of refugees. I emphatically answer: yes. The United Nations is very much needed. No better system for international cooperation has been invented. The United Nations best justifies its existence not in New York or Geneva, but by bringing aid and assistance to those most in need: children, victims of war. the persecuted and the hungry, every day. all over the world.
In 2025. the United Nations will celebrate 80 years of existence. We remember why it was founded. Today, in these dangerous times, we need a return to the thinking and actions of the founding fathers of the United Nations.
There will be no lasting peace without cooperation, without solidarity between richer and poorer countries and. ultimately, without respect for international law. Poland wants cooperation. Poland wants solidarity. Poland wants peace.