00:00We must also recognize that all is not well with the United Nations. Its decision-making
00:08neither reflects its membership nor addresses global priorities. When a sitting Security
00:14Council member openly protects the very organization that claims responsibility
00:20for the barbaric terror attack such as at Pahalgaon, when self-proclaimed terrorists
00:26are shielded from the sanctioning process, what does it say for the sincerity of those involved?
00:33We must also recognize that all is not well with the United Nations. Its decision-making
00:41neither reflects its membership nor addresses global priorities. Its debates have become
00:49increasingly polarized and its working visibly gridlocked. Any meaningful reform is obstructed
00:58using the reform process itself. Now, financial constraints have emerged as an additional
01:06concern. How to sustain the UN even while seeking its reinvention is clearly a major challenge before
01:16all of us. Few examples are more telling about the challenges facing the UN than its response to
01:28terrorism. When a sitting Security Council member openly protects the very organization that claims
01:36responsibility for the barbaric terror attack such as at Pahalgaon, what does it do to the credibility of
01:45multilateralism? Similarly, if victims and perpetrators of terrorism are equated in the name of global strategy,
01:55how much more cynical can the world get? When self-proclaimed terrorists are shielded from
02:02the sanctioning process, what does it say for the sincerity of those involved? If the maintenance
02:11of international peace and security has become lip service, the predicament of development and
02:19socio-economic progress is even more serious. The slowing down of the SDG agenda 2030 is a significant metric to
02:31measure the distress of the global south. There are many more, whether it is trade measures,
02:38supply chain dependence or political domination. Yet, on such a notable anniversary, we cannot abandon hope.
02:49However difficult, the commitment to multilateralism must remain strong. However flawed, the United Nations
02:59must be supported in this time of crisis. Our faith in international cooperation must be reiterated and
03:07indeed renewed. It is in that spirit that we all meet to mark this occasion and seek to build a better
03:16world. I thank you again for joining us on this important day, on this important anniversary. And I, as my
03:26colleague said, I think at the end of the day, what unites us is what is most important. And the fact that we are
03:34meeting here today, I think sends a message in itself. Thank you for your attention.
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