"We must prioritize reforming multilateral mechanisms like the UN"

teleSUR English

Speech by Lam To, President of Vietnam, at the 79th session of the UNGA. teleSUR

Transcript

00:00President of the 79th Session of the UNGA, I trust that this session will be a great

00:05success.

00:06I also commend Excellency Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session, and Excellency

00:16Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, for their contributions and efforts in coordinating

00:26UN endeavors to prevent wars, maintain peace, and promote global development cooperation.

00:35Ladies and gentlemen, The world is undergoing transformative changes

00:39of historic significance.

00:41Although peace, cooperation, and development remain the dominant trends, they are facing

00:45new and more serious challenges.

00:48Strategic competition among major powers is becoming broader, fiercer, and more confrontational.

00:56Political disputes, conflicts, and security environment intensify.

01:02Survival and development space narrows.

01:05Risk of conflict, new hotspots, arm race, tension, confrontation, and direct clashes

01:12increase.

01:15The rise of power politics, egoistic nationalism, a challenging international law, eroding multilateral

01:23institutions, and diminishing faith in global cooperation.

01:29The vicious cycle of conflict and violence escalates in various regions, causing immense

01:34sufferings to millions of innocent civilians.

01:38The risk of a limited nuclear war or even a third world war has not been ruled out.

01:46Non-traditional security challenges such as climate change, extreme weather events, natural

01:52disasters, diseases, resource depletion, and aging population are becoming increasingly

01:58severe and hindering our efforts for development.

02:01Poor countries are being left further behind with a widening development gap.

02:07Super Typhoon Yagi, which ravaged Vietnam and other countries in the region, serves

02:12as a stark warning of the severe impacts that natural disasters and climate change can have

02:19on sustainable development for all.

02:23Global food production is sufficient to feed one and a half times the world population

02:28yet famine is threatening over 780 million people and 2.4 billion people endure food

02:36insecurity.

02:39Defense expenditure reached a record of $2.4 trillion in 2023 yet we struggled to pull

02:49$100 billion for climate actions.

02:52With only a third of the SDGs timeline remaining, 80% of the targets may not be met.

03:02Global economic growth faces difficulties and decoupling and fragmentation, along with

03:08economic pressures and sanctions, threaten rapid and sustainable development.

03:13The Fourth Industrial Revolution offers opportunities for quantum progress, but it also poses a

03:18security and safety challenges for society and individuals.

03:23These unprecedented challenges to peace cooperation, sustainable development, and human dignity

03:28affect this generation and the next.

03:31They compel us to unite, act and work together, upholding the role of international institutions,

03:39foremost among them the United Nations, regional organizations including ASEAN, to achieve

03:46the ultimate goal of ending war, abolishing all forms of oppression, exploitation, building

03:53peace and creating a better world to bring happiness to all mankind.

03:58In that spirit, I would like to share Vietnam's vision for a more peaceful, stable, cooperative,

04:04prosperous and sustainable future for everyone.

04:08First, as peace and stability are the foundation for a prosperous future, we must promote observance

04:16of international law and UN Charter by all States, particularly the major powers.

04:22Each State must act responsibly, fulfill its commitments, and abide by international law

04:28and UN Charter including fundamental principles such as the peaceful settlement of disputes,

04:35non-use of force, sovereign equality, territorial integrity and respect for the political systems

04:42chosen by the people of each nation.

04:46States should also contribute to the common work of the international community in line

04:51with their capabilities.

04:52We must strengthen solidarity, sincerity and trust among Nations to uphold dialogue, eliminate

04:58confrontation and firmly oppose unilateral embargoes and sanctions that contravene international

05:04law and UN Charter.

05:06Second, we must ensure equitable development for every State community and individuals

05:13and recognizing the diverse economic, social and cultural conditions that they may have.

05:18Every resource must be effectively unleashed, marshaled and utilized for development.

05:23According to each country's needs, we must prioritize resources where they're most needed

05:27for implementing the SDGs, with attention to assisting developing and less developed

05:33countries, especially through preferential loans, transfer of advanced technologies,

05:39investment and trade facilitation and debt relief for poor countries.

05:44And third, we should urgently create smart global governance frameworks with long-term

05:48vision for science and technology, especially emerging technologies like AI.

05:54This will ensure we make progress and enjoy the benefits of these technologies while actively

05:58preventing threats to peace, sustainable development and humanity.

06:04In that connection, I welcome the documents adopted at the Summit for the Future, especially

06:09the Global Digital Compact.

06:11This will serve as a crucial basis for advancing global governance and international cooperation

06:16in those areas.

06:19And fourth, we should adopt innovative thinking to build a transformative future across all

06:25sectors, focusing on digital transformation, green transition and global governance transformation.

06:31Green transition and digital transformation are essential tools for countries, especially

06:37developing ones to build resilience and self-reliance, enabling a timely and active prevention and

06:44response to shocks, crises and potential disasters.

06:48We must also prioritize reforming multilateral mechanisms, especially the UN system, international

06:54financial and monetary institutions, to ensure better representation, equity and transparency,

07:00enhancing the capacity, effectiveness and future readiness is essential for remaining

07:04relevant in our changing world.

07:07And fifth, we must place humans at the center in delivering on our visions.

07:11People should be the center, the goal and driver of all policies and actions at all

07:16levels.

07:18Investments should focus on the holistic development of the youth, enriching their knowledge and

07:22culture, grounded in shared values and a sense of responsibility and contribution.

07:28Vietnam welcomes the UNGA's official decision to grant additional rights and privileged

07:34participation to the State of Palestine from this session onwards.

07:38Vietnam reaffirms its solidarity with the state and people of Cuba and calls on the

07:42United States to lift embargoes and sanctions against Cuba and to remove Cuba from the list

07:48of state sponsors of terrorism.

07:50We need to vigorously promote such actions, since they are practical ways to foster equitable

07:56development and happiness for all.

08:00President Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese hero of national liberation and a man of culture,

08:06once stressed, unity, unity, great unity, success, success, grand success.

08:11Only through unity and cooperation with trust and by thinking and acting as one can we build

08:16a world of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for the present and future

08:21generations, ensuring no one is left behind.

08:24In today's rapidly changing world, each state plays a vital role in the grand orchestration

08:31of our era.

08:33Vietnam is making every effort to move forward toward a future of peace, stability, prosperity

08:38and sustainability, not only for all our people, but also for all nations worldwide.

08:44This is Vietnam's vision, goal and strong commitment to the international community

08:50today and tomorrow.

08:52Thank you for your kind attention.

08:54On behalf of the Assembly, I would like to...

09:01We are listening to Lam Tho, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, as he addressed

09:05the General Assembly of the United Nations.

09:08During his statements, the President remarked the current global lesson area, which is marked

09:12by huge transformations, but also by the challenges imposed by climate change, the escalation

09:18of violence in several regions and food insecurity.

09:20Lam Tho informed that global economic growth faces uncertainties, which pose unprecedented

09:26challenges to human dignity.

09:28This reality urges us to be united and act and work together, the President assured.

09:33Each state must act with responsibility to preserve peace, warranty sovereign equality

09:38and contribute to the common work of the international community.

09:42The President urged the US to eliminate Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism

09:48and also to eliminate the sanctions and the blockade against the island, a policy that

09:52contravenes the United Nations Charter.

09:55This is all for the moment, stay tuned with From the South.

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