It is a pleasure and a humbling experience to address this audience for the first time. This forum carries great responsibility for the shape of humankind’s future. First and foremost. I see my address as an opportunity to present a vision of how we can coexist and cooperate as nations and global citizens.
Czechia aims to play a proactive and responsible role within the global community. No one can cope with current global challenges alone. That is why we strongly support the reforms proposed by the Secretary-General in his report Our Common Agenda (A/75/982). We want to work together on a more effective and inclusive multilateral system that is able to address the needs we face. That is why Czechia has announced its candidacy for non-permanent membership of the Security Council for the term 2032-2033.
Last year, a permanent member of the Security Council, one of the founding nations of the Organization, blatantly violated the fundamental principles the United Nations stands upon. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to constitute a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the international law we all subscribed to.
My country has its own experience with wars and interventions, including a decades-long military occupation imposed by Moscow. It taught us what it means when might makes right. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has come at an even higher cost. I personally visited Ukraine in April. My wife had the opportunity to visit the war-torn country only two weeks ago. I saw the infamous crime scenes at Bucha and Borodyanka. I found myself in the Dnipro region, only a few miles from the front line in an area ravaged by fighting.
The account of Russia’s atrocities, human rights violations and ferocious attacks against the innocent civilian population is overwhelming. Children have been forcibly separated from their families, deported for re-education in order to make them forget their culture and who they are; entire towns and villages wiped out for no reason; mass graves and torture chambers in which people just disappear. Sadly, the evidence tells the story better than any statement. And the list of stories full of horror is endless, yet we cannot just passively observe it.
This must end. Russia must unconditionally withdraw all troops from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. Russia’s leaders must be held accountable for the crime of aggression against its neighbour. That is why we have extended our support for the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine. It is our duty to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity are held accountable.
Apart from the violence, injustice and suffering of civilians, every war also brings destruction. The reconstruction of Ukraine may be the largest rebuilding effort in modern history. We support establishing a register of damage caused by Russian military and we call on all States to join those efforts.
Czechia will support Ukraine in its just defence as long as necessary. From day one. we have stood by Ukraine’s side and provided the defenders with weapons and ammunition. With the outbreak of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Czechia has also stepped up its support for Russian and Belorussian pro- democratic voices, and Prague has become an important hub for journalists and human rights defenders in need. For over 18 months. Czechia has been providing humanitarian assistance to the war-affected Ukrainian population. Per capita, my country has received more Ukrainian refugees — mostly women and children — than anybody else.
What the Ukrainian people truly deserve is peace — not just an end of hostilities but a just and durable peace. If it is to be sustainable, that peace cannot be based on an unjust compromise or conditions imposed by the conqueror, nor should it leave hopes for Russia to fulfil its imperial ambitions. It must be peace on the terms of the defender, not the aggressor, as President Zelenskyy of Ukraine stated earlier today.
Let us not forget that the damaging impacts of Russia’s aggression are being felt across the world. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports and destruction of infrastructure and grain continue to weaponize global food security in the most reckless and cynical way. Let me be very clear. Ukraine’s security is our own security — from Africa, to Europe, to Latin America, to Asia. I call on the leaders of the free world to maintain their unity and support for Ukraine.
The threats we face are global and interconnected. Because of Russia and a handful of other countries, our world is more dangerous and rougher. Instead of cultivating cooperative security, we have to build up our militaries. Instead of boosting social cohesion programmes and overcoming economic insecurity, we have to boost our defence budgets. Those who contest the international rules are steering the wheel of global security back towards confrontation, and sooner or later at the expense of all of us. Russia’s reckless threats to use nuclear weapons, its policy of coercion and intimidation represent a threat to the balance and integrity of the whole system of non-proliferation. The announced stationing of nuclear weapons in Belarus is a further irresponsible escalation that Czechia condemns in the strongest terms. Unfortunately. Russia’s fingerprints can be found in several other current crises.
The security, humanitarian and political crises unfolding in the Sahel region are more than worrisome. The international community must try to find a way to end the series of military coups and ensure a return to constitutional order. That is the only way countries can effectively protect themselves against terrorism. It is the only way the much-needed economic and social development called for by the Africans can take place.
The region remains vulnerable to numerous political, economic and climate risks. Its long-term stability, security and prosperity are crucial. We must offer genuine pragmatic partnerships. Some countries pretend to be willing to help. In reality, they create economic and political dependencies. Those undermine long-term stability and manipulate the free will of people by spreading lies and disinformation.
In Asia and Pacific. Czechia is an active and reliable ally and partner. The word “cooperation” must remain key to our joint efforts in the region. We deplore China’s military actions, which are raising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and its unfriendly actions against partners in the South China Sea. Any dispute or contagious issue must be resolved peacefully. Any potential armed conflict in the region would have negative consequences for the whole world.
In North Korea and Iran, reckless escalation of nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile activities, combined with a lack of transparency, threaten international and regional security. The same applies to any material support to Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. It is clear that such supplies only aggravate the suffering of the Ukrainian civilian population.
The Middle East remains among the world’s most volatile regions, troubled by the spread of conflicts, terrorism and sectarian violence. Efforts to normalize relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours are positive steps towards stability and peace in the region.
Our efforts to maintain peace and security are closely linked with our ability to promote human wellbeing and the sustainable development of our societies. One may ask how a country of more than 10 million people can contribute to global ambitions. Given our own national experience with oppression, fundamental rights and freedoms are deeply embedded in our values system and foreign policy. Czechia strives to pursue an active human rights and democracy policy. We are a staunch supporter of international human rights mechanisms. Currently, we are proud to serve as the presidency of the Human Rights Council. More than ever, we have to support media freedom to enable access to independent and factual information. Without it. disinformation and propaganda can win.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Summit yesterday sent a strong message of urgency and determination. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a promise to current and future generations, which we have to keep. There is an urgent need to highlight the link between peace, security, climate and development, on the one hand, and human rights, justice and strong institutions on the other. In the latest SDG index. Czechia is ranked as the eighth most advanced country in the implementation of Agenda 2030 and its SDGs. yet we. too. face many challenges and we need to step up our efforts.
Climate change remains the single most destructive threat to the current and future existence and wellbeing of all humankind. It threatens our lives, livelihoods, food security, prosperity and. ultimately, peace and security worldwide. Czechs devote a great deal of attention to this issue. It is no coincidence that it was under the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union last year that we finalized crucial legislation that is showing the path towards the green transition of our industry.
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War. we are witnessing the efforts of authoritarian regimes to redefine core principles of the multilateral order. Malign actors use cyberspace, disinformation, economic, political and other tools to disrupt democratic processes, to undermine our institutions and to weaken our security. The challenges we face today are significant and it is apparent that only collective action can ensure a safe and prosperous future for all. In that respect. Czechia recognizes its global responsibility and remains committed to ensuring that no one is left behind. I personally commit to working with the international community to complete the urgent tasks that must be done.