MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Mr. President of the General Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen Heads of State and Government, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen Ambassadors.
I speak here on behalf of a country that will never forget what nations are capable of when they are united: freedom. France has just paid tribute this year to the peoples of America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania who allowed it to free itself from Nazi control eight decades ago. Progress and peace.
Liberated, France founded with these peoples a community of free and sovereign States, capable of committing to each other and agreeing on the essentials.
Hope, like the one we have seen again recently during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, welcomed this summer by France in the beauty, enthusiasm and harmony of peoples.
Yet, despite this jubilation, the Olympic truce, unanimously desired here, has remained a dead letter. Yet, the danger of empty words and powerless diplomacy are there before us every day. Yet, our organization is facing the greatest convergence of crises that it has probably known after these eight decades of existence. The feeling of a loss of control is growing in the face of wars, climate change, increasing inequalities, injustices. And every day humanity seems to fragment more while circumstances would require finding common, strong, effective responses.
To restore to these two words, united nations, their powers of hope, we must find ourselves, as before, on an essential foundation. And this is what I would like to say a few words about.
First and foremost, we must restore the terms of trust and respect between peoples, and I see them fading in the debates that are ours. To do this, we must indeed show equal attention to those who are suffering.
I mentioned it here two years ago, warding off the possibility of a double standard, one life equals one life. The protection of civilians is an imperative standard and must remain our compass, even as we celebrate this year the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Let us not allow the idea to take hold, for a single moment, that the dead in Ukraine are those in the north, that the dead in Gaza are those in the south, and that the deaths in the conflicts in Sudan, in the Great Lakes region, or in Burma, are those of consciences that, too alone, would be outraged by them.
Regaining control and restoring this trust therefore implies seeking peace everywhere, accepting no difference whenever the dignity of human life is at stake, accepting no difference whenever the territorial integrity, the sovereignty of States is at stake. These conflicts today call into question our very capacity to enforce our United Nations Charter. And when I see some people wanting to propose peace by asking for capitulation, I am surprised that anyone can even support such an idea.
I would like to reiterate here how essential the protection of civilians, of all humanitarian workers, of all those who work for our common values is in each of these conflicts.
Then, we must provide a common response to the major challenges of the two wars affecting Europe and the Middle East. Russia is, in fact, waging a war of territorial conquest in Ukraine, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international life. It is guilty of serious breaches of law, ethics and even honour. Nothing in what it is doing corresponds to the common interest of nations, nor to the special responsibilities it assumes in this organisation. The fate of Ukraine involves peace and security in Europe and in the world. Because who will still be able to believe themselves protected from their strongest, most violent and most greedy neighbours if we let Russia prevail as if nothing had happened? Nobody.
It is therefore in our common interest, the common interest of nations, that Ukraine be restored to its legitimate rights as soon as possible and that a just and lasting peace be built. France will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that Ukraine holds firm, gets out of danger and obtains justice. It will continue to provide it with the equipment essential to its defense and, with its closest allies and partners, France will support the remarkable resistance of the Ukrainian people and will commit to ensuring that they obtain lasting security. Let us seek peace. France will know how to join forces with all sincere partners to build a solid peace for Ukraine and for Europe.
I know that for many of you, the essential is elsewhere; in the all too long list of forgotten wars, unjust victories, poorly negotiated resolutions or sometimes never implemented. I have not forgotten any of them, even if I cannot mention them all here. President TSHISEKEDI preceded me at this podium a few moments ago and the situation in the Great Lakes — I will come back to it with him, and President KAGAME in a few days — concerns us. And in Armenia, Mr. Prime Minister, alongside which France stands firmly in the face of pressure from Azerbaijan and the territories, the international community must be there to ensure that peace negotiations succeed and that internationally recognized borders are preserved.
But I know that for many of you, the essential thing, beyond these wars, is also today, and it is for us too, in Gaza, where the destiny of the Palestinian people is present, and weighs on each of our debates.
On this complex subject, I would like to reiterate with the greatest clarity France’s position since day one. We firmly condemn the terrible and unprecedented terrorist attack decided and carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7. Terrorism is unacceptable, whatever the causes, and we mourn the victims of the Hamas attack on October 7, including 48 French citizens. I extend my thoughts of compassion and friendship to all the families who are living in pain after losing children, parents and friends on October 7. We also solemnly and once again ask that the hostages be released. Among them, several of our French compatriots remain. And I would like to salute the efforts of the United States of America, Egypt and Qatar to achieve this. This remains a priority for all of us.
Israel, faced with this terrorist attack, has the legitimate right to protect its people and to deprive Hamas of the means to attack it again. And none of us would have suffered the blows received on October 7 without drawing consequences. However, the war that Israel is waging in Gaza has lasted too long. The tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian victims have no justification, no explanation. Too many innocents have died, and we also mourn them. And these deaths are also a scandal for humanity and a dangerous source of hatred, of resentment that threatens and will threaten the security of all, including that of Israel tomorrow.
This war must therefore end and a ceasefire must be declared as soon as possible, at the same time as the hostages are released and humanitarian aid arrives massively in Gaza. We have held this position since October 2023, pushing for resolutions with many of you holding the first humanitarian conference for Gaza in November in Paris. Today, it is a question of political will in view of the destruction of Hamas’ military capabilities. It is imperative that a new phase begins in Gaza, that the weapons fall silent, that humanitarian workers return, and that civilian populations are finally protected. France will participate in any initiative that will save lives and ensure the security of all. The deployment of an international mission must pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution. It is up to the United Nations Security Council to decide on this matter and it is also necessary that the necessary measures be taken without further delay to preserve the link between Gaza and the West Bank, to restore the Palestinian Authority to its functions and to ensure the reconstruction of the territory and simply make life possible again.
France will commit to ensuring that everything is done so that the Palestinians finally have a State living side by side with Israel. The conditions for a just and lasting peace are known. The path to it remains to be paved. It must be as short as possible. France will therefore draw the consequences of its commitment to the two-State solution and will renew its action so that it finally comes about for the benefit of the people, to meet their legitimate aspirations, to bring about a Palestinian State, to give all the necessary guarantees to Israel for its security, to build reciprocal recognitions and common security guarantees for all in the region. We will work on this over the coming weeks with Israelis and Palestinians, as with all our regional and international partners.
In the immediate future, as we speak, the main risk is that of escalation. My fraternal thoughts go to Lebanon and the Lebanese people. For too long, Hezbollah has been taking the unbearable risk of dragging Lebanon into war. Israel, for its part, cannot, without consequences, extend its operations to Lebanon. France demands that everyone respect their obligations along the Blue Line. We will therefore act to bring about an essential diplomatic path in order to spare the civilian populations and prevent a regional explosion. There must not, there cannot be, a war in Lebanon.
This is why we strongly call on Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and on Hezbollah to stop firing at Israel. We strongly call on all those who provide them with the means to stop doing so. We have asked that the Security Council meet today for this purpose, and I welcome this. And the French minister will be visiting Lebanon this weekend.
It is the same unity that we must demonstrate in the face of the major regional challenges and the global challenges that are ours. Because beyond the conflicts that we are experiencing and that I have just mentioned, we must together continue to ensure respect for each other’s sovereignty, to build regional and international solutions to the challenges. This is the whole meaning of the relationship that we want with Africa, a new partnership, and this is what we have been working to do for two years. France has done a lot in recent years for the African continent, it has done a lot in recent decades, but particularly in the Sahel, where the French armies have successfully fought terrorism, side by side with their regional and international partners.
However, the military coups in the region have led us to draw legitimate conclusions. But Europe and Africa have a common destiny before them, which requires a broad partnership. A partnership of peace and security that requires renewing its terms: more training, more equipment, more mutual respect. A partnership also based on the economy, energy, sport, culture, and memory.
This is what we have patiently built in recent years with Benin, Senegal, Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco and many other countries and will continue to implement. It is the same philosophy that, for 6 years now, has led us to build an unprecedented partnership with the Indo-Pacific, where France aims to contribute to respect for international law, without which there can be no prosperity.
In this region, which has experienced exceptional growth in recent decades, some are tempted to break the rules, or even impose their will by force. France is proposing an alternative, not to replace anyone, but to give the states of the region the possibility of choosing their partner, project by project.
The French territories of the Indo-Pacific have unique expertise in the fight against climate change, the protection of biodiversity, the development of clean energy and the fight against transnational threats. Our vocation in this regard in the region is to cooperate more with everyone, in their environment. As you have understood, this partnership logic is one that aims to build new balances, to reject the fragmentation of the world or old grammars, but to seek, in mutual respect, to build paths to stability and peace.
Beyond that, the challenge that is ours, struck by the conflicts that I mentioned just now, would be to lose the thread of our multilateral agenda, to lose the effectiveness to which we are attached. And after having experienced the pandemic, which had reminded us, with such force, of the importance of some of these common challenges, to forget that we must continue this thread. I deeply believe that effective multilateralism has never been more necessary than today and must lead to results in terms of development and the fight against inequalities in education, health, climate and biodiversity and technology. On each of these pillars, we need unity. And we need, here too, to do everything to avoid the divide between the North and the South. This is exactly the philosophy that we have developed in the Paris Pact for People and the Planet that more than 60 States have now joined.
First, make sure that we never force a state to choose between its objectives. Why would northern states lecture southern states by explaining to them that they should respect the climate and therefore give up economic opportunities? They should do what some of them, in the north, did not do 20, 30 or 40 years ago. This is unacceptable and inaudible. We must therefore build an agenda that allows us to move forward at the same time in the fight against inequalities and economic development for education, climate and biodiversity and global health.
Then, solutions must be made and based on proposals from the States themselves. This is what we have, for example, started to build with our partnerships for just energy transitions. Not to have a single solution for all or lessons given from our capitals where, in a way, we come to inspect countries and ask them to all follow the same recipe. There is a unique path for each country. This is the key to sovereignty.
And then, there needs to be a financial shock, public and additional private leverage. This is what allowed us, 3 years ago, to work towards increasing the IMF’s special drawing rights and to obtain the effective reallocation of nearly 100 billion in special drawing rights to the benefit of the countries that need them most, particularly in Africa. A silent but essential revolution.
This is also why, with the strength of this pact, and we were with several of the members just now, under the effective authority of President Macky SALL and with the assistance of the United Nations, the OECD and the organizations concerned, we want to continue this cycle of reforms and carry out a profound reform of the multilateral banks of our financial institutions.
We launched this common finance objective, bringing together development banks from all over the world, including those whose agendas are not aligned. We must work on this common finance agenda to be able to meet the objectives that I mentioned. And we must, together, I hope in the coming months, fundamentally reform the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, first to renew their members, these institutions having been designed at a time when so many of you here were not independent.
Its capital structure must be renewed to give it more strength. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were designed, thought out, and calibrated at a time when the challenges were not the same, when the global economy was not of this size, and when demographics were completely different. We must lift the absurd taboos. Blockages sometimes imposed by the largest that prevent others from handing over money for fear of being diluted. We must give these institutions the capacity to act to finance the projects that the countries of the South need. And this reform is imperative for our collective credibility.
I say this to the richest states and to those who, alongside France, are around the table. Decide not to do it and you will see an alternative order emerge in the years to come. Others will come who do not have your agenda. Decide not to do it and you will be condemned, accused of cynicism and perhaps not wrongly.
This reform of financial multilateralism is essential to meet these challenges. We must also continue our climate and biodiversity agenda. The upcoming COPs are important meetings and France will play its full role, in particular by organizing with Costa Rica for the United Nations an important meeting for the oceans.
Nice, in fact, in June 2025 will host the United Nations Ocean Conference and we will continue our work in doing so. And I hope that many of you will be able to ratify in this regard the achievements of recent months, in particular the Treaty on the Protection of the High Seas, which is essential. And we are also continuing to make progress on the issue of water, which is so essential, with the new One Planet Summit on Water alongside Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia. I will not list here all the necessary, essential subjects.
But I also want to remind you how much Artificial Intelligence requires that within our framework, all the States present here coordinate. We need to encourage innovation. We need to ensure that the innovation of Artificial Intelligence will be accessible to all countries and peoples of the planet and that it does not fuel new fractures and new inequalities. But we need all of this to develop within an ethical, democratic framework, thought out by the peoples of the planet.
We cannot let a few people, especially private players, who are today at the forefront of these innovations, think for us and for our peoples about the future of these innovations. This is why France will organize the next Action Summit for Artificial Intelligence in February 2025.
But you have understood, the objective is to build this common framework and I welcome the work that has been conducted and coordinated by the Secretary-General and the Global Digital Compact, built with the best experts, which fully supports this philosophy in which we subscribe.
To conclude my remarks, ladies and gentlemen, and aware that I have forgotten so many difficult situations, from Venezuela to the heart of Africa, via so many Oceanian tensions, I would like to conclude by talking about our Institutions.
I hear many voices being raised to say that, basically, the United Nations should be thrown in the trash; it is no longer of any use; you see, we are not managing to resolve conflicts.
Let us have constructive impatience in this matter. Let us have impatience, I have it with you, we cannot be satisfied with not knowing how to resolve things. But let us be clear, those responsible are there. As long as we have a Security Council that is blocked, I would say, reciprocally according to the interests of each party, we will have difficulty moving forward.
Is there a better system? I don’t think so. So let’s just make these United Nations more effective, first by perhaps making them more representative. That is why France, and I repeat here, is in favor of the Security Council being expanded.
Germany, Japan, India and Brazil should be permanent members, as well as two countries that Africa would designate to represent it. New elected members should also be admitted.
But reforming the composition of the Security Council would not be enough on its own to restore its effectiveness. And I therefore hope that this reform will also make it possible to change working methods, to limit the right of veto in the event of mass crime and to focus on operational decisions that are necessary to maintain international peace and security. This is what we must have the courage and audacity to do and that we must carry forward with the current permanent members.
Nearly 25 years after the Millennium Summit, the time has come to regain efficiency in order to act more effectively on the ground with States and civil society. And beyond the United Nations, we must open a new era in each of our multilateral institutions, as I have just mentioned.
These, ladies and gentlemen, are the few words that I wanted to have here before you today. At a serious moment in our international order, where so many conflicts seem unresolved, I want to say that France will continue to try to take this demanding path, faithful to its values, which rejects the simplifications of the moment and which will continue to fight for the simple principles that have always driven us: human dignity, respect for the principles of the charter, and which, beyond conflicts and current events, aims to continue to build with you a fairer and more effective international order. This will be our voice, always unique, alongside our friends, our allies. But also free sometimes to say no, sometimes to reject the cynicism of the moment or the obvious that is not.
Thank you for your attention.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
MIL Translation OSI