We are meeting in this Hall today at a time that is undeniably one of the most challenging in recent history. One look at the news, and we see the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War. including a full-scale war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, an intensifying global climate crisis with extreme weather events causing devastation around the world, rising poverty, social divisions and a backsliding of human rights and development gains that were hard-earned over the past decades. The world seems to be in a sad state of affairs, and one wonders whether the worst is yet to come.
We are indeed living in a time of uncertainty — in a time between times, so to speak. The old order is fading and a new one is yet to emerge. Sometimes I compare our current situation to an earthquake: the entire Earth is still shaking, the tectonic plates are still moving, and we do not know yet where they will come to rest. But we instinctively feel that the fault lines will be deeper and wider in the end. We are already seeing shifts and cracks in our trade systems, security systems and multilateral systems — no wonder that has led to a sense of insecurity and unease and to the feeling of living in a permanent state of emergency.
In this era of transformation, our citizens are rightly expecting answers. I deeply believe that, as politicians, it is our responsibility to formulate hopeful yet realistic visions. That means we must look at the world as it is. lucid and clear-headed, without rose-tinted glasses. It also means that we have to be on our guard against those polarizing populists who spread fake news and offer seemingly easy answers to complex questions, who want us to believe that we can solve problems by simply negating them, by pulling up the drawbridge and decoupling from reality, be it on climate change, disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, mutual political and economic dependencies or the growing multipolarity in geopolitics.
We cannot close our eyes to the complex realities of our modern world. There are simply no silver bullets or quick fixes. That would be another and very dangerous form of wishful thinking. After all. we should know — and especially. I would claim, in Europe — that wishful thinking is never a solid basis for policy. That was painfully proven to us on 24 February 2022. when Russia brutally invaded Ukraine.
For a country like Austria — militarily neutral, export-oriented and at the heart of the European continent — the answer clearly lies in cooperation. We understand that, in order to deliver for our own citizens — to make their lives more secure, create economic opportunities and tackle global challenges — we need to work in partnership with others. That is why we are so deeply invested in multilateralism. It is part of Austria’s ONA. in fact — not least because Vienna is the proud home of one of the United Nations headquarters and over 50 international organizations.
We know that the rules-based international order is our only protective shield against a world where might makes right and where unilateralism and the use of force rule. Frankly. I believe that no one in this Hall can deny that the rules-based international order — with all its imperfections. I agree — has served us all pretty well over the past eight decades: through a free and open global economy; through preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping, which have brought stability to our neighbourhoods, an effort which Austrian Blue Helmets have been supporting since 1960; through a web of international treaties and agreements addressing such diverse issues as disarmament and climate change; and through a system of human rights established 75 years ago in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and confirmed 30 years ago in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
However, we must ask ourselves honestly: is the multilateral system still fit for purpose? Can it last for another 80 years? The answer is simple and sobering:
no. it cannot, and it will not. We need to reform it in order to preserve it. Because what we are seeing, and what I am hearing loudly in this very Hall, is that the rules-based international order is not inclusive enough. The Security Council no longer reflects today’s world. It needs to offer a seat to more of the countries left out at the time of its establishment, including from Africa. I can assure members that Austria will continue to push for reform, including in our candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Council in 2026.
The multilateral system is not proactive or effective enough. It has made little impact in places like Afghanistan, where women are systematically denied their most basic rights to education and to participate in public life, and in the Sahel region, where a series of coups d’etat serve only the generals, not the citizens. It has not been able to stop Russia, one of the Council’s five permanent members, from invading its sovereign neighbour Ukraine in a fit of neo-imperialist aggression.
What I am talking about is enlightened self-interest. I stand here today as a representative of a smaller country with a great history. After the First World War. my country shrank from an empire with over 50 million inhabitants to a State of fewer than 10 million people today and a fraction of its former territory. Yet where do we stand today in Austria? Today Austria is a successful and flourishing country, with a high degree of social stability, economic prosperity and environmental protection. It capital city. Vienna, has been voted again and again as the world’s most liveable city.
I believe that there is a message there for those countries and leaders who want to turn back the clock and who abuse history as a pretext to justify their violence today. They are on the wrong track. We cannot build a future while being stuck in the past.
We Austrians have learned from our history. It is precisely those experiences of the past that make us care so strongly about multilateralism. There is simply no better alternative for safeguarding our prosperity and security and for tackling global challenges. That is why we are deeply invested in our partnerships with our friends and neighbours in Europe and within the European Union, with organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with our strategic partners around the globe and with engaged civil society organizations and the private sector. We have also increased our outreach to the Asia-Pacific region, and we are engaging with African partners, very importantly, in the spirit of mutual respect and common interests.
In the beginning. I said that we should look at the world as it is. The bitter truth is that we are more divided than ever. All too often, even in this Hall, we talk at. rather than with, each other. We speak instead of listening. Therefore, today I would like us all to remember why this Hall was built in the first place — as a space for real dialogue, not an echo chamber or a club for like-minded countries, a place where we advocate for our principles and values, without denying other points of view. Yes. it is where we have heated debates and difficult negotiations, but in the end. it is where we can always reach a compromise.
Let me be very clear: I am not championing nihilism nor moral reductionism. We know exactly where we stand. Austria will always speak out for the values and principles that we hold dear, proudly and resolutely. I am deeply convinced that our societies based on freedom, pluralism and individual rights are the best guarantee for our citizens’ security and prosperity. At the same time. I clearly reject the notion of being “either with us or against us”, the idea of cancelling entire societies and cultures and reverting to moralizing, finger-pointing or self-righteousness. That is a lesson that we Europeans also have to learn, and quickly.
Let us not kid ourselves: the world is simply not black and white. It is simply not that easy. To me. that would not be responsible statecraft. It might play well with the social media bubble, but it does not reflect reality. It will only strengthen the fringes of our societies, not the centre. That is why Austria will continue to be a champion of sensible and pragmatic multilateralism as we adapt, innovate and recalibrate our international cooperation. All of that is difficult and requires endurance, strategic patience, a lot of explaining and a healthy dose of realism, but if we succeed, all of us will be better off. We will emerge from this era of transformation stronger, more prosperous and more resilient.