Mr President of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and Government,
Mr Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of His Excellency Mr Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, I would like to extend our warm congratulations for the quality and depth of the discussions at this session, and for the remarkable success of the Summit of the Future.
Our general debate is taking place in a troubling global context—marked by security, economic, and political instability—calling upon our nations to act collectively. In this regard, my country welcomes the relevance of this session’s theme, which urges our states to look in the same direction in order to build a safer and more united world.
The world stands at a crossroads. Geopolitical tensions are multiplying and fuelling the escalation of numerous armed conflicts. Violent confrontations in sensitive regions are pushing those areas to the brink of widespread conflagration. This deterioration in security and retreat from peace is exacerbated by terrorism, which is spreading in regions such as the Sahel. These conflicts are steadily undoing years of progress and development achieved for the benefit of populations.
In this context, my country calls for the mobilisation of the international community in support of the people of the Sahel, who are paying a heavy price in the fight against terrorist groups.
True to its values and its tradition of hospitality, Côte d’Ivoire is providing refuge under the best possible conditions to several thousand nationals from neighbouring Sahelian countries fleeing the violence of armed groups. Beyond the Sahel, the entire West African region is now under threat of collapse.
This trend could spread beyond the African continent if no effective measures are taken. For its part, Côte d’Ivoire offers to all countries the *International Counter-Terrorism Academy of Jacqueville*, to help them strengthen their capabilities in the fight against terrorism in all its forms.
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**Mr President,**
The progress achieved by our countries in terms of development and human security is now under threat from the effects of climate change, which deepens inequalities, exacerbates poverty, and forces millions of people to flee their homes each year.
The relentless rise in the number of climate refugees is one of the tragedies of our time—it calls upon us all.
In this context, Côte d’Ivoire calls on the United Nations and all partners to increase and intensify their emergency humanitarian assistance to those populations most severely affected.
However, we must go further on climate action and resolutely implement the measures that will enable us to reverse, in the short term, the dangerous trajectory of global warming and its impacts on our societies.
To this end, Côte d’Ivoire reiterates its call on developed countries to honour their climate finance commitments and support the energy transition. The *Loss and Damage Fund* must be promptly replenished and mobilised to relieve the plight of populations suffering from climate hardship.
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**Ladies and Gentlemen,**
In addition to facing security and climate challenges, the world is undergoing a technological revolution for which few countries are prepared. Artificial intelligence holds immense promise for our societies, but it also carries numerous risks and abuses due to the lack of international regulation governing its use.
It is therefore incumbent upon us to ensure that this revolution does not further deepen inequalities or cause the digital marginalisation of part of humanity, but instead contributes to progress and the well-being of all.
That is why my country welcomes the adoption of the *Global Digital Compact*, which should promote a better use of this technological advance in the service of progress for all nations.
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**Mr President,**
It is clear that no country can, on its own, enable the world to overcome the global challenges undermining the foundations of peace, security, and the social progress achieved in recent decades.
In light of this, our collective action must firmly align with the unique multilateral framework provided by the United Nations.
The world genuinely needs a dynamic and effective United Nations, one that is representative of the diversity of its peoples and grounded in the consensus of nations from which it derives its legitimacy.
In this context, the United Nations as inherited from the 20th century must undergo profound reform in order to fully play its role in today’s multipolar world. The Security Council, in particular, must open to Africa in all categories of membership to reflect this reality.
Only under this condition can our global organisation truly contribute to the sustainable resolution of conflicts—based on the respect for international law, which remains its foundation.
The same applies to the fight against climate change, which depends on the capacity of our common Organisation to rally Member States around this priority and ensure they uphold the commitments made in that regard.
Global governance reform must also extend to multilateral financial institutions, so they can better support the financing of Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries, while also addressing the issue of debt. These institutions must become more inclusive in both their operations and decision-making processes.
Such far-reaching transformations are inevitable—and they must be accelerated—if our institutions are truly to serve all our countries in our shared fight against poverty and for development.
I wish to commend the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his courageous initiatives in preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and for his commitment to reforming global financial governance.
Together, we possess the instruments to tackle the challenges disrupting the world, and to empower our youth and women to flourish and contribute—more than ever before—to the development of our countries.
Africa’s future lies in its youth, and we have a duty to build for them competitive education and training systems, as well as democratic institutions that safeguard their freedoms.
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**Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen,**
My country strongly believes in the value of multilateralism, which lies at the heart of our interactions with other nations. It is in this spirit that our States will be able to rise above major divisions, forge consensus on difficult issues, and advance global solutions to the great challenges facing the world.
This vision guides our actions and our contribution to regional community building, as well as our engagement alongside other countries in creating a peaceful, united, and prosperous world for the benefit of present and future generations.
**I thank you.**