I would like to begin this statement by congratulating the Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Dennis Francis, on his election as President of the General Assembly, as well as Mr. Csaba Korosi. who. in a troubled international context, rigorously and efficiently maintained the activity of the Assembly during the seventy-seventh session.
We thank President Francis for the theme he has chosen. “Rebuilding trust and revitalizing solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”. We have made it our own. because it fully responds to the principles with which Andorra works, both from the point of view of domestic politics and from the perspective of international politics. He can count on the loyal support of our country for the seventy-eighth session, and we wish him many successes.
A few weeks before the general debate began. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a new appeal to countries to act radically and urgently, because, as he warned us.
“[t]he era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived... Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning”.
We must no longer look for subterfuges or deny the obvious — greenhouse-gas emissions caused by the unlimited consumption of natural resources have led our planet to exhaustion, which has never been more obvious than it was this summer. The extreme temperatures that caused more than 61.000 deaths in Europe in 2022. the wave of fires on the North American continent and the Mediterranean coast, and El Nino have become recurrent phenomena that desiccate the world, make the land less cultivable and push people to abandon their place of origin because environmental degradation has made them climate refugees and condemned them to live far from home. We humans are the culprits of climate change, which is why the solutions to stop it will come not from nature itself, which we are degrading, but from our ability to change the model of production and organization of our societies.
It may be too late to avoid certain consequences, which are already unfortunately irreversible, but not to slow down others and prevent the global temperature from increasing by more than 1.5°C by the end of the century. To that end. major transformations and social and economic mutations are needed, because fighting and understanding climate change is not a purely scientific or technocratic question to be left in the hands of experts; it is. rather, a political, social, economic, ethical and even philosophical problem that lays bare the enormous inequalities of our world. Thus, our conviction that the solutions lie in a new form of
multilateralism more oriented towards collective action is stronger than ever. Those solutions must strengthen and contribute to rebuilding international cooperation in order to provide adequate resources in the regions and promote inclusive governance and coordinated and supportive policies.
It is here at the United Nations that we must identify crises and adopt clear positions, actions and commitments in favour of the common good. We must more than ever recall the original values of the Organization, which was born on the ruins of the most devastating war in history — an Organization serving peace, dialogue and multilateralism and intended to prevent the scourge of war.
Yet war is here. Europe remains worried about a conflict that has become a war of attrition, with enormous consequences for the Ukrainian civilian population. From our country, we strongly condemn that violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. We have also supported the declarations of the General Assembly, the positions expressed by other bodies such as the Council of Europe, and international sanctions, in particular those of the European Union.
Yemen. Pakistan. Ethiopia, the Sahel and other territories no longer make the headlines, yet they are frozen conflict zones whose most fragile populations are the main victims. Andorra contributes to supporting the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, through the programmes of UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross and their courageous work on the ground. During all these years, the African continent has never ceased to be a source of concern, with breakdowns of democracy in many western States, often under terrorist threat.
Last July, we commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the founding document of the International Criminal Court. That milestone serves as a powerful reminder of the pressing need to promote justice for all victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and human rights violations. It was in that conviction that Andorra, alongside other small European States and civil society, grouped around non-governmental organizations, played a key role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and wants to continue to be so in order to further strengthen the Organization.
This year, representing my country in the Assembly has a more special meaning for me than ever. On 28 July. Andorra celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its accession as the 184th State Member of the United Nations. The adoption of the Andorran Constitution in 1993 allowed us to enjoy international recognition, to make our voice heard outside our borders and to align ourselves with international law. Allow me. as part of the commemoration of that landmark occasion, which is so important to all the citizens of Andorra, to recall the words that the Head of Government. Mr. Oscar Ribas Reig. spoke from this rostrum three decades ago on how a small country like Andorra can contribute to improving this world. He said:
“We are a small country, but one that is aware of the value of authenticity and of the fact that, in a world that is in certain ways inordinately large, small dimensions may offer a positive contribution to balanced coexistence. What should be the ideal size of a State? Neither economics nor political science can give us a definitive answer to this question, of course. Aristotle, in his Politics, says that the size of the polis should permit all the inhabitants to be familiar with each other’s characters; it should be possible, he adds, completely to survey the territory from a mountaintop. Andorra possesses these human and geographical features.” (A/47/PV.108. p. 18).
It is from that human perspective of the value of authenticity, of freedom and of what is worth loving and preserving, and which has given us the benefit of more than 750 years of peace, that we can bring our knowledge and our commitments to bear on common challenges, and all within the framework of multilateralism.
In schools and areas reserved for children in the Principality of Andorra, there are posters highlighting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The posters are placed where adults can see them as well. This is a metaphor for our society — a call from children to adults; a reminder that time is passing and that the future is in our hands; and one final message that our sense of responsibility and credibility should make it possible to accelerate the process, go further and reformulate current structures and move towards new financial, technological and environmental governance, with growth based on sustainability, cooperation and equality, in order to lay the future foundations for our children and young people. The 2030 Agenda is a universal road map that guides the future of the planet towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies of peace. Andorra’s commitment to achieving the Goals
is firm, as demonstrated by its submission of two voluntary national reports monitoring the application of the SDGs.
It is for that reason that Andorra has adopted its national strategic plan on the implementation of Agenda 2030. which reflects the involvement of the Government, institutions and Andorran society as a whole in working for the sustainable development of our planet, building fairer societies and leaving no one behind. From that point of view, we recognize and applaud the tireless work of Secretary-General Guterres and the presidency of the General Assembly in joining their efforts, because we still have an open window to ensure a viable and sustainable future sustainable for all. and specifically their recent organization of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, in which Andorra actively participated.
Education is undoubtedly one of the best tools to achieve those objectives. It is the basis of progress, the articulating axis of societies and the fundamental element of personal and collective growth as a guarantee of equality opportunities, respect, civic- mindedness. democracy and the future. Andorra played an active part in last year’s Transforming Education Summit, in the conviction that we can contribute by sharing our experience in implementing SDG 4 to ensure quality, inclusive, equitable and multilingual education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all children and young people. Andorra attaches particular importance to education, which allows us to offer elementary training of excellence so that children and young people of 65 different nationalities can grow in a context of learning the fundamental values of democracy and human rights, with a high degree of social cohesion and diversity and a strong sense of belonging.
Along with education, access to health is another fundamental pillar of any society. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been a test of resistance and stress for the health system that Andorra has been able to overcome, because we have a solid system and thanks to its professional staff, who have honoured their profession by making a considerable effort to keep the population safe. We must highlight the role of the World Health Organization, which this year celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary — seventy- five years dedicated to the fight against diseases that permanently threaten certain countries, and against epidemics and pandemics, because they do not all bear the name COVID-19. and to confront the structural inequalities of access to health services, physical or mental, experienced by the population.
Gender equality is a subject of historical social injustice. We obviously cannot change the past, but we can act to move towards a more egalitarian society, because if we want to achieve the transformation necessary for the sustainability of the planet, we cannot leave half of humankind behind. In that respect, in recent years our country has made gender equality and non-discrimination essential values and has articulated pioneering and ambitious laws for its defence that are also taught in the schools. The education of girls and the training of women constitute a domestic priority and are part of our international cooperation.
Andorra is a high mountain country and particularly sensitive to climate change, which seriously threatens our biodiversity, our water cycle and even, ultimately, our way of life. Given the geographical specificities of our territory, landlocked in the Pyrenees, we are very active members of the Mountain Partnership, and we campaigned for the Aspen Declaration to include specific mention of the Pyrenees, as had already been done for other mountainous regions. We have advocated for the particular vulnerability of mountain regions around the world to receive specific attention in international forums devoted to climate change. That fight that cannot be won without clearly focusing on the energy transition, one of the global challenges that our country must also face and that clearly responds to our international and national commitment to our citizens to moving us towards carbon neutrality.
Andorra’s accession as a member of the Carbon Neutrality Coalition allows us to learn and share experiences with other member States. We were pioneers in the implementation of a green tax by establishing a carbon price of €30 per ton. allowing us to move towards a more sustainable modality. We adopted a law of circular economy that sets 2035 as the deadline for achieving a production model in which most waste will be transformed into by-products to be reintroduced into the production chain, with special emphasis on the fight against the waste of resources, and specifically food. We have also implemented general free public transport not only to help families with fewer resources, but also to limit journeys in private vehicles.
We are a State that seeks to adapt to the European Union because if we wish to move forward, we cannot
circumvent the certainty that the geographic and demographic interdependence of our country with Europe is total. The Europeanization of the values of our society; of our legislation, which is strongly inspired by community law; and of the professional aspirations of our young people, who every day face a more demanding job market, is more than sufficient reason for us not to not turn our back on Europe. Likewise, it is essential to continue working to defend the values of multilateralism, such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law. They have helped us promote peace and security on the European continent and in the rest of the world.
We have put the planet under considerable pressure. As I said earlier, the window is still open, but one thing is certain — it can close suddenly. We must take advantage of the era of scientific knowledge and. in that regard. I would like to highlight the importance of science, which has helped us so much to improve our living conditions.
Today we know much more about the behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, and its effects on water resources and the survival of species. The scenario to follow cannot be a monologue, but must be a dialogue among all peoples and for all peoples. It is for that reason that in our country, we are prepared to seek, more than ever before, the points of convergence necessary to rebuild trust and revitalize solidarity, accelerate action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, as I have already announced, and work to prepare in the best way for the Summit of the Future, which will take place in 2024. for peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
After almost eight decades of existence, the United Nations has allowed us to learn many lessons in many areas, from maintaining peace to the fight against climate change. All those lessons have one thing in common — the great challenges facing humankind require the participation of all countries and all people, because the international community progresses only by understanding its interdependencies and the fact that no country is big enough to face the challenges alone, and that solutions, to be fair and lasting, must include everyone. It is about laying solid foundations for a future where no one is left behind and where the demand for co-responsibility is fully shared.
This is how we Andorrans believe that we must concentrate our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the fight against climate change and the provision of quality education to all inhabitants of the planet, with the assistance of the institutions of governance — in sum. all the aspirations of the international community that have resounded throughout the General Assembly. Members know that they can count on Andorra’s commitment to pursuing progress together.