Looking back, we — the international community — did not acknowledge the signs for what they were. The war in Georgia in 2008 and the aggression in Ukraine since 2014 and in Syria since 2015 clearly show that Russia has no scruples about using military force to reach its political ambitions, recreate its former colonial empire and undermine the European security order and the Charter of the United Nations. We open this year’s session of the General Assembly at a time when a permanent member of the Security Council, a body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security, has proven its complete disregard for human life, in Ukraine and globally. Russia is weaponizing food and aggravating the global food crisis, most recently by reimposing
its blockade against grain deliveries across the Black Sea. deliberately destroying Ukrainian grain and port infrastructure. In doing so. Russia is limiting the supply of food to many, including the world’s most vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) solidarity lanes — the efforts to build alternative export routes for food from Ukraine — have become a lifeline. Ukraine exports more than three million tons of grain every month through the solidarity lanes. Sweden and the EU have also increased our humanitarian food aid globally and boosted support for local food production. In blatant violation of international law. Russia is attempting to deny Ukraine its right to exist as a sovereign nation. If we allow that to happen. Russia will only continue its imperial ambitions. This will not stop with Ukraine. Ukraine’s soldiers are fighting not only for Ukraine’s survival, but also for our security and for the respect of territorial integrity.
It is the sovereign right of every State to make its own security policy choices. Exercising that right. Sweden has applied for NATO membership — a historic decision that ends Sweden’s military non-alignment, which dates back to 1812. Our NATO membership will increase the security of our country and — together with Finland’s membership — improve the stability in the entire Euro-Atlantic area. Sweden will fulfil its commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty and to all other allies.
The General Assembly has repeatedly condemned Russia’s blatant violations of international law. including the United Nations Charter. The Ukrainian people have suffered from attacks against schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure. Russia has abducted thousands of Ukrainian children. The list of Russia’s crimes against international law in Ukraine is long. Russia must, and will, be held to account. Accountability, including for the crime of aggression, is a condition for justice to the victims and a deterrent against future violations. Sweden supports the establishment of a tribunal for the crime of aggression committed against Ukraine. The United Nations Charter also forms the basis of Ukraine’s peace formula, which is receiving support from a growing group of countries in all regions. We welcome initiatives that will contribute to a just and lasting peace based on international law. That is in the interest of all of us.
The world is indeed in a very different place compared to when the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted eight years ago. The pace of poverty reduction has slowed down, humanitarian needs are rising, and climate change is accelerating. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit earlier this week was a much-needed opportunity to regain momentum towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sweden is a committed partner of and contributor to the United Nations development system and a substantial donor of humanitarian assistance. It is imperative that the United Nations development system continue to strive for increased effectiveness and efficiency, especially at the country level. Swedish official development assistance is generous. We are one of only a handful of countries in the world that reach the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income in development assistance. Development assistance must work catalytically alongside trade, private investment, improved access to capital and domestic resource mobilization. Strong national institutions remain a precondition for development. Multilateral development banks play a critical role in achieving the SDGs. working with innovative financing and mobilizing financing at scale — both private capital and domestic resources. We support the adaptation of their business model to better address global challenges, while keeping poverty reduction and climate change at the core of their mandate.
Sweden’s international development assistance responds to the multiple challenges the world is confronting today and contributes to positive development. Sweden’s development assistance is relevant, long-term, efficient and transparent. The Swedish Government focuses on poverty alleviation and health interventions for the most vulnerable, providing democracy assistance to defenders of human rights and democracy on all continents. We invest in women’s and girls’ rights and opportunities across the globe.
Climate change is accelerating. This July was the hottest month on record, with extreme weather causing widespread damage. When the world meets for the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) in Dubai in November, we must unite around higher ambitions. Sweden welcomes the Secretary- General’s strong personal commitment to push the global climate agenda forward. We are pleased that the incoming United Arab Emirates presidency is framing climate action as a driver for prosperity and growth. We must mobilize more climate finance, both public
and private, and enhance support to local resilience and climate adaptation. Sweden will continue to do its part, and we call on other countries to increase their contributions.
Climate finance is a key element of Swedish development assistance. The ground-breaking solutions provided by Swedish businesses in such areas as battery production and fossil-free steel are driving climate action in Sweden and supporting the climate transition globally. The synergies between innovation, trade and the private sector are fundamental to achieving the green transition and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.
Emerging technologies. including artificial intelligence, are transforming our world. They offer unprecedented possibilities, including to accelerate our efforts on climate change, global health and the Sustainable Development Goals. This fast-moving development also entails challenges for international security and human rights. Shaping a shared vision of new technologies, based on the values of the United Nations Charter, will be key to harnessing their potential and mitigate the risks. Together with Rwanda. Sweden is co-facilitating the process in the General Assembly of developing a global digital compact that will outline shared principles for an open, free and secure digital future for all.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted 75 years ago. We know for a fact that human rights, democracy and the rule of law are determinants of development. Countries with high levels of democracy have 94 per cent lower infant mortality, provide 40 per cent more electricity and have 23 per cent more access to safe water than autocracies. Building societies that are democratic, respect human rights and uphold the rule of law will be crucial to how fast we achieve the 2030 Agenda. Let me underline in particular that women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, is a key condition for development and a prerequisite for democracy. Human rights are — and must be — universal. They are not a privilege for the few. They belong to everyone, everywhere.
In recent months. Sweden has witnessed disrespectful burnings of the Qur’an. Those acts of desecration are being carried out by extremists and provocateurs who seek to sow division between Muslims and non-Muslims. We must not let those provocateurs succeed. The Swedish Government is firm in strongly rejecting any act of intolerance. Those offensive acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden do not reflect the opinion of the Swedish Government or that of the majority of the Swedish people. Over the years. Sweden has received a great number of Muslims and has strived to integrate the newcomers and their children into our society. Sweden remains in close dialogue with the Muslim world and has invited the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to visit Sweden. The rights to the freedom of religion, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate are constitutional rights in Sweden. Those freedoms have served our society and our social cohesion well and made us an open and free society. The Swedish Government has decided to carry out an inquiry to review its public order act. which governs the Swedish Police Authority’s scope to deny a permit application to hold a public gathering. We must stand together to combat all forms of racism, intolerance and hatred.
Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine jeopardizes nuclear safety and security in Ukraine and beyond. Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons, declared readiness to conduct a nuclear test and announcement about deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus are all deeply irresponsible. The expansion of nuclear arsenals without transparency, the abandonment of arms control agreements and the threats to engage in regional proliferation give cause for serious concern. Multilateralism is our best chance to address those challenges and realize the objectives enshrined in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. All States must help to drive that progress.
Our geographies are linked, and our challenges shared. And as much as our challenges are shared, so too are our opportunities. We must strive to fulfil them together. This is not the first time that the world has faced numerous and difficult challenges. Those challenges will demand a lot from us: extensive collaboration, pragmatism, hard work, compromises and shared determination. History shows us that dark times can be overcome. Next year’s Summit for the Future provides us with the opportunity to confirm our commitment to the United Nations Charter and a rules- based international order as we tackle the challenges ahead. Succeeding generations should, to a greater extent, be able to live in security, enjoy human rights and live in prosperous societies. It is our job and our responsibility to make that happen.