Exactly two decades ago, the United Nations and its leader received the Nobel Peace Prize. At the reception ceremony, former Secretary-General Kofi Anan said that we had “entered the third millennium through a gate of fire”. Unfortunately, the fire has not been fully extinguished. For several decades now, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of protracted global turbulence and unpredictability. That is a logical outcome of the fact that our planet has been functioning outside the systems and obligations enshrined in the universal principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations,
Today’s world is governed by economic egotism, political ambition, imperialist blackmail instincts, crises, conflicts and orchestrated chaos. Some States attempt to impose on other sovereign States artificial templates for socioeconomic development, as well as barbarous policies of sanctions against undesirable Governments, economic terrorism and the kind of policy that seeks to return our peaceful world to confrontation among great-Power alliances.
That all has very little in common with the just and harmonious world order that people have been striving to build for so many decades. It is a clear sign of an obsessive and harmful wish to provoke confrontation around the world. Blatant interference by self-appointed oracles in the internal affairs of other sovereign States has now become the norm on the international stage. The negative trend in global security persists, including through hybrid wars and the malicious criminal use of modern information technologies, which fuel extremism, terrorism and fake news. Today electronic gadgets can be used to undermine national peace and harmony in any State and remove its leadership from power.
Moreover, for more than a year and a half the world has been held hostage by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It has taken the lives of millions of people, led to irreversible social and economic loss and revealed negative global dynamics on many levels. We fully support the work being undertaken by the World Health Organization to strengthen its response to health emergencies. At the same time, we stress the importance of not politicizing the issue, including through research into the origins of COVID-19.
In recent years, Belarus has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the need for a new global dialogue on security, which is not merely due but overdue. Such a dialogue would be designed to resolve the most important issue — to establish a new, effective and genuinely fair international order. We urge the super-Powers to begin such a dialogue in order to acknowledge their responsibility for the fate of the planet and carry out the civilizational mission conferred upon them.
It is also important to think about the economic components of the new order. Unfortunately, economic globalization does not work in the interests of all the people on the planet. In that regard, we see great potential for the regional integration processes of the global economy. We call that approach the “integration of integrations”. In May, in partnership with Barbados and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Belarus held a high-level online meeting on harnessing interregional integration to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Leaders of major regional economic organizations enthusiastically supported the strengthening of such interregional cooperation.
The year 2021 marks an important date in the history of Belarus and brotherly countries. It is the eightieth anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Nazi atrocities led to the deaths of millions of people throughout the world. During the hostilities of those years, one third of Belarus’ population perished in the struggle against the fascist invaders and their allies, who committed genocide against our people. We are regrettably witnessing today a number of dangerous trends to distort the moral and legal ramifications of the outcome of the Second World War by equating victims with executioners and liberators with aggressors, while doubt has been cast on the rulings of the Nuremberg Tribunal.
We have consistently and resolutely opposed any attempt to whitewash the actions of the Nazis and justify their heinous crimes. Accordingly, this year a new law was adopted in Belarus that criminalizes the rehabilitation of Nazism. Criminal proceedings have also been set in motion with regard to the facts pertaining to the genocide perpetrated against the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War.
As a founding country of the United Nations, Belarus will seek to resolve this issue on the international stage by reiterating the fundamental principles that led to the establishment of the Organization. Incidentally, some of the criminals who committed atrocities against the Belarusian people and whose hands are soaked in blood continue to live quiet lives in neighbouring countries. They are even occasionally honoured as heroes.
Despite the annual calls at the United Nations for greater security, multilateralism, solidarity and mutual assistance, the world is in the throes of confrontation. Belarus has also involuntarily been drawn into the vortex of the geopolitical war. Our country has continued to be targeted by belligerent pressure from the West as a whole for more than one year, owing to the fact that Belarus failed to act out the highly polished script of yet another colour revolution to coincide with the presidential elections.
To date, Belarus has been subjected to a large-scale hybrid war from all sides. We have been impressed by its authors’ creativity in their use of eloquent but hypocritical terms to justify their destructive actions, such as “measures to support democracy”, “sectoral restrictions”, “ the promotion of people’s welfare” and “State sovereignty”.
Their meaning, however, is clear. The West remains unable come to terms with the choice of the majority of Belarusians, as the choice of the Belarusian electorate has upset the plans of individual strategists. The blitzkrieg to change the Government in Belarus has failed. Moreover, the West quickly lost the support of the street, where protests had been organized and inspired externally. It was a miscalculation. Belarus remains on pace in its successful development process and in making its own way.
Today the Belarusian people are united in their choice of a strategic course towards building a strong, sovereign and prosperous State. That is the focus of the inclusive constitutional reforms that are currently concluding in Belarus and involve all segments of the population of the country.
In order to further demonize Belarus, present the country as a source of tension in the region and justify its destructive behaviour against our State, the West fabricated a conflict situation involving refugees on the western border of Belarus, while forgetting about its own international obligations towards our country and the refugees’ countries of origin. Millions of refugees are today trying to flee from all parts of the world to reach the haven of Europe and escape the hunger and disasters brought about by the same Europe and the West as a whole in various countries and regions.
However, as it turns out, no one wants the refugees in Europe. It has already gotten to the point that, in Poland, a neighbour of Belarus, and in the Baltic States, refugees are not only deliberately beaten but murdered. Their corpses are then secretly dragged across the border at night into Belarus. Those are not isolated cases but have become the norm in our Western neighbours’ conduct. Is that not the height of cynicism and desecration, coming from human rights activists who boast of a higher level of civilization and try to teach others how to live?
The topic of refugees is once again becoming increasingly relevant, as a result of the irresponsible policies of the West as a whole. The situation in Afghanistan clearly confirms that. Furthermore, it is futile to shift the blame onto another party by accusing Belarus of unleashing a hybrid war against the European Union, as the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and other countries mendaciously stated from this rostrum. Even the average citizen understands that Belarus, with its population of 10 million people, would be objectively unable to wage not only a hybrid war but any kind of war against the 500-million-strong European Union, even if Belarus had the strength of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Since April, we have proposed that the European Union hold consultations on the issue of illegal migration, but there has been no response. Furthermore, in violation of previous agreements, the European Union stopped funding all projects related to combating illegal migration. If one responds to an invitation to engage in dialogue by building an iron curtain made of barbed wire, then the blame lies with the obstructionists. We have always adhered to — and will always adhere
to — the policy of good-neighbourliness, based on the simple adage that neighbours are a gift from God.
Belarus has always been and remains committed to mutually beneficial cooperation with all States, even with those with whom we diametrically disagree. However, we will build our relations on the principles of respect and equality, without blackmail and preconditions. Belarus has always been on the front line in efforts to combat trafficking in persons at both the national and international levels.
This year, together with a wide range of co-penholders and like-minded States, Belarus will submit to the Third Committee an annual draft resolution entitled “Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons”. The annual resolution is key to collective international efforts to promote stability throughout the world. We urge States to co-sponsor the Belarusian draft resolution and support its adoption. We welcome the convening of the high-level event on combating trafficking in persons to be held at the United Nations in November.
We must not ignore another topic that has been discussed interminably owing to the speculations that surround it — human rights. One would think it represented a constructive agenda for everyone. The human rights issue, however, is today not only a dangerous toy in the hands of incompetent and shortsighted politicians but has also become a genuine weapon used against undesirable and disobedient countries. Democracy moulded on Western models and inopportunely implanted in various countries of the world has benefited no one. On the contrary, it sows chaos and instability.
As mentioned earlier, Afghanistan is a recent example of such thoughtless policies on the part of several so-called citadels of democracy. Yet their consequences are now being borne by the entire world community. Even an adherent of democracy such as President Macron of France was forced to admit, just one month ago, that it is impossible to impose democracy from outside, including through the use of weapons. Attempts by a number of so- called developed countries to monopolize the claim to democracy, arbitrarily designate other countries’ level of democracy and, depending on the latter, offensively label sovereign States clearly reminds us of the methods used by the Nazis, who also divided the world into those who should rule and those who should be slaves.
Unilateral restrictive measures continue to be another technique preferred by Western States. Without getting to understand various processes under way in a range of countries, irresponsible politicians, probably owing to their lack of imagination, are always at the ready to impose sanctions if something is not to their liking. The harmful effects of such a policy have long been known. The use of unilateral restrictions flagrantly violates international law, does irreparable damage as a result to the entire system of international relations and increases the potential for conflict and enmity in international relations.
Belarus expresses its solidarity with other countries that have come under the yoke of the sanctions policy. We support the brotherly people of Cuba, who for so many years have suffered under the unjust economic blockade imposed by the arbitrary will of one State. It is very clear that ordinary citizens are the main victims of unilateral sanctions measures. Restrictions on trade, currency and the banking and transport sectors have a negative impact on people’s well-being, adversely affect the development of private initiative, reduce educational opportunities and jeopardize food security.
Unilateral sectoral sanctions against major exporters of vital raw materials used in agriculture, including against exporters of potash fertilizers, not only create shortages of those valuable products on the world market, while substantially increasing prices, but also pose a direct threat to ordinary people in vulnerable countries, primarily in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Listening to the representatives of all the continents in the General Assembly Hall during this session is all that is needed to demonstrate that point.
Almost 1 billion people are starving in the world today, and owing to the short-sightedness of a handful of States that impose unilateral economic sanctions on entire sectors of the economy related to food, many hundreds of millions more may be left without food. The practice of imposing arbitrary financial and economic sanctions as an instrument of political pressure must be eradicated forever, and the United Nations should work to that end.
The United Nations has a key role to play in addressing the challenges and threats facing us all. At the same time, it is a matter of concern that the United Nations is increasingly becoming a theatrical stage for individual States rather than a platform for cooperative action. The United Nations is moving
towards the further commercialization of its agenda and increasingly mirroring Western policy. The United Nations is thinking more and more like the West, while trampling on the important principles of solidarity and multilateralism. In the context of the United Nations motto “to leave no one behind”, Belarus believes that it is imperative to uphold consensus and consider the views of every State.
We would also like to note another disturbing trend. Recently, under the specious pretext of promoting the effectiveness of the work of the General Assembly, certain States have taken destructive measures to arbitrarily interpret and review the established working methods of this organ. Targeted efforts centred on the so-called promotion of civil society voices within the General Assembly is no exception. We view such actions as an attempt to provide non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which, by the way, have often been established and sponsored by countries with a vested interest, with the same status enjoyed by the sovereign States Members of the United Nations. That is categorically unacceptable.
We would like to remind everyone of a key principle of the United Nations — one State, one vote. We oppose the dilution of the sovereignty of Member States through the establishment of puppet participants in the form of non-governmental organizations, which will be able to drown out the views of independent States. The unchecked deluge of the United Nations system with NGOs’ views will not only prevent the voices of Member States from being duly taken into account, or even heard, but will also make it more difficult to reach consensus, which has become more and more difficult for the General Assembly with every successive year. The participation of civil society in the work of the United Nations should be based on existing procedures.
In one of his speeches, Martin Luther King very wisely said something that is more relevant than ever: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”. More than ever, the world needs solidarity, mutual assistance and the marshalling of collective efforts to overcome all differences. In order to avoid becoming fools and plunging the world into the chaos of yet another war, which would be the last in human history, we call on everyone to show their wisdom, as well as the courage to put aside our ambitions in order to live up to the expectations that the delegates to the San Francisco Conference 76 years ago conferred upon us — to build a system of stable and predictable international relations.