🇿🇦 South Africa - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 79th Session | #UNGA

will now hear an address by his Excellency matame serel Rosa president of the Republic of South Africa I request protocol to escort his Excellency I invite him to address the assembly [Music] thank you your Excellency the chair of the assembly we take this opportunity to thank the United Nations assembly to give us a chance to speak 30 years ago South Africa was born as a new nation equal United and free from apartate we adopted a new constitution as the birth certificate of our new nation our first Democratic elections brought the tyranny of aart to an

end a system that this General Assembly had declared to be a crime against humanity in adopting resolution 2202a in 1966 as later endorsed by the security Council 1985 the United Nations was a Beacon of Hope in our Quest For Justice The Great Wave of solidarity of the peoples of the world LED by the United Nations turned the tide tide against apartate today democracy flourishes in South Africa we have a progressive Constitution an entrenched human rights culture and strong institutions we have laws to advance equality and programs to protect societies most marginalized and vulnerable we continue

to transform our economy so that it is in a more competitive position to create jobs to attract more investment and that it should benefit all South Africa is a party to Global treaties on human rights gender equality children's rights Refugee protection and Environmental Protection a few days ago South Africa also endorsed the PCT that charts the ca for a better future for Global governance and towards the attainment of the sustainable development goals a signat to the Paris agreement we are contributing our fair share towards the global effort and have a Just Energy transition plan to

guide our carbon journey and climate resilient development through the African Union we are working to advance agenda 2063 we are involved in mediation and conflict resolution across our continent and actively contribute to peacekeeping missions our political culture has evolved and it continues to mature we have just held our seventh free and Fair general elections since our democracy Paving the way for the formation of the government of national Unity 10 political parties have coalesced around a common agenda for economic growth job creation poverty eradication and sustainable development South Africa is in a new era an era

of great promise and what some have called our second Miracle South Africans of all Races have rallied behind the government of national Unity we are making Headway in resolving some of our most pressing challenges our economy has started to improve and investor confidence is on the rise our country's prospects look bright and we look to the future with great hope the South African story Bears witness to the endur enduring role of the United Nations in global matters in supporting our struggle the United Nations affirmed the principles of un of the UN Charter the fundamental human

rights the dignity and worth of every person and the equal rights of Nations large and small it affirmed the aspiration contained in the Universal declaration of rights that we should strive for a world free of barbarous Acts that outrage the conscience of humankind genocide was declared to be a stain on the conscience of the world and the world Community took a stand against genocide apartate was declared a crime against humanity and a stain on the conscience of the world the United Nations took a stand against apartate these were seen as crimes against humanity then and

they continue to be crimes against humanity now it has been 11 months since the Mass Attack that killed 1,200 people and where hostages were taken as South Africa we have condemned this attack in response Israel embarked on an act of collective punishment in its assault on the people of Gaza the torment of the people of Gaza are continuous unabated more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed homes hospitals churches mosques and schools lie destroyed firmine and decease stalk the streets of Gaza this cannot but shock our Collective Humanity the violence the Palestinian people are being subjected

to is a grim continuation of more than half a century of apartate that has been perpetrated against Palestinians by Israel we South Africans know what apartate looks like we lived through apartate we suffered and died under apart we will not remain silent and watch as apartate is perpetrated against [Applause] others through the United Nations and the instruments it wields we must end the suffering that Palestinians are being subjected to to we are called upon to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and to uphold consistently and in their entirety the fundamental tenants of international law

international law cannot be applied selectively no one state is more equal than any other in December last year South Africa approached the international court of justice seeking an order to prevent Israel from committing genocide against the people of Gaza we did so in terms of our obligations as a state party to the convention on the prevention and Punishment of the crime of genocide side as South Africa we welcome the support that a number of countries have given to the case that we have launched at the icj the icj's orders make it clear that there is

plausible there's a plausible case of genocide against the people of Gaza they further make it clear that states must also act to prevent genocide by Israel and to ensure that they are not themselves party to the violation of the genocide convention by aiding or assisting in the commission of genocide we reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire and for the release of all host hostages the only lasting solution is the establishment of a Palestinian State a state that will exist side by side with Israel with East Jerusalem as its capital our moral conscience further demands

that we exert every effort to bring peace also to other countries especially the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Sudan to Ukraine and other parts of the African continent we must realize the aspirations of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination achieving and maintaining peace and security requires the collective will of the community of Nations gathered here it requires that the UN Security Council should be a more representative body and inclusive 78 years since its formation the structure of the United Nations security Council remains largely unchanged Africa and its 1.4 billion

people remain excluded from its key decision making structures this cannot continue the security Council has not fulfilled its mandate to maintain International Peace and security the UN Security Council must be reformed as a matter of agency we would like to see the security Council being more inclusive so that the voices of all Nations can be heard and be considered it cannot remain an exclusive Club of just five nations to the exclusion of the many nations in the world Africa's stands ready to play its role in building a safer Global Order by participating in the work

of the UN Security Council on the basis of respect and acceptance the African Union and its member states are engaged in mediation in dialogue and diplomacy across our continent to create conditions under which peace and development can take hold there must be greater collaboration between the unit Nations and the African Union towards resolving a number of conflicts and also in addressing the root causes of conflicts that continue to rage pandemics and emics pose a serious threat to us all we are concerned by the spread of empo across the world and in Africa in particular we

urge the International Community to mobilize vaccines and other medical counter measures for deployment where they are most needed economic Prosperity is key to sustainable peace through the Africa Continental free trade area we are establishing the foundation for a massive increase in trade and investment and infrastructure in our continent the AFC FTA will further integrate Regional economies and accelerate Africa's industrialization and economic growth the climate crisis is now a full-blown climate emergency in the world it impacts very devastatingly to both countries and citizens of many countries extreme weather such as flooding fires and droughts are becoming

a wrecking havoc on society's econ economies and the livelihoods of Ordinary People despite being least responsible for climate change developing economy countries and particularly African countries are bearing the brand of what they did not create and are in the front line as South Africa we remain committed to contributing our fair share to to reduce Global emissions Guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities we have adaptation and mitigation programs and policies in place and have passed a climate change law to further support our emissions reduction targets it is essential itial that

climate actions do not deepen global inequality or stifle the developmental aspirations of the global South the industrialized nations are not honoring their climate commitments and we repeat the call for predictable and sustainable financing for climate action we must operationalize the agreed upon climate financing and capacity building instruments to advance mitigation and adaptation pursuing sustainable development necessitates that those with greater means should support those who lack them the world faces annual financing gap of some $4 trillion to achieve sustainable development we call on better resource countries to scale up their levels of support to developing economic

countries debt is the millstone around the neck of many developing economy countries stifling their potential and development debt servicing is robbing a number of countries of much needed funds to support health education and social spending South Africa endorses the United Nations secretary General's call for the reform of the Global Financial architecture to enable developing economy countries to lift themselves out of the quick sand of debt we must commit to systems for financing development that are more accessible agile and Equitable in 2025 South Africa will assume the presidency of the G20 we will use this important

role to advocate for the peoples of Africa and all of the global South for their development and advancement South Africa welcomes the adoption of The Pact for the future and congratulate our sister country Namibia as well as for the Federal Republic of Germany for having a steered the United Nations towards the adoption of the resolution in this [Applause] regard this PCT of the future is a platform for us to focus on those actions we need to take together to build a world in which the equal worth of every person and the equal worth of every

country is recognized and valued we particularly welcome the commitments to place poverty eradication at the center of all our efforts and for the sustainable development goals financing Gap in developing countries to be closed the disparities in wealth and development within and between countries is simply unjust and unsustainable we must continue to strive for equal treatment for equal opportunity and advancement for all individuals and All Nations The Pact for the future must reinv invigorate International solidarity like veins that carry sustenance to every part of the body solidarity is the lifeblood of human progress it binds us

together to nourish the greater good it is achieving the greater good for the common good to which we all strive through dialogue through respect for the rule of law through the advancement of Human Rights through cooperation and solidarity we can and we will be able to achieve a better world for all the people of the world I thank [Music] [Applause] you on behalf of the assembly I wish to thank the president of the Republic of South Africa