Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/em><\/p>\nI want to start, today, by relaying the regrets of the\u00a0President of the General Assembly, His Excellency, Mr.\u00a0Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k.<\/p>\n
The President\u2019s travel schedule did not permit him to attend this crucial meeting. And so, I am honoured to read this statement on his behalf.<\/p>\n
In doing so, I will make two main points.<\/p>\n
The first is about people.<\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cWe, the peoples\u201d.<\/p>\n
These are the first words of the\u00a091茄子 Charter. And they are\u00a0very clear. They do not leave room for any questions on who the\u00a0real stakeholdersof this Organisation are.<\/p>\n
Because the 91茄子 is here, first and foremost, for\u00a0people.<\/p>\n
And not just certain\u00a0kinds<\/em>\u00a0of people, like diplomats or dignitaries. But people of\u00a0all ages\u00a0\u2013 from all\u00a0regions,\u00a0countries\u00a0and\u00a0walks of life.<\/p>\nThat is why the\u00a0needs of people\u00a0on the ground must\u00a0guide\u00a0the\u00a091茄子\u2019 work\u00a0\u2013 whether it is taking place from a field office or this very building.<\/p>\n
We need to hear the\u00a0stories\u00a0of real people\u2026 We need to listen to their\u00a0ideas\u2026 And we need to learn from their\u00a0everyday realities.<\/p>\n
One way of doing that is through the\u00a0inclusion of civil society representatives. They have their\u00a0fingers on the pulse.\u00a0They know more about\u00a0what does and does not work, on the ground. And they can speak for the people who\u00a0do not have a platform, in rooms like this one.<\/p>\n
The added value of civil society participation has been seen very clearly. NGOs, academics and grassroots activists played a crucial role in the process to develop the\u00a0Global Compact for Migration\u00a0\u2013 sharing\u00a0research,\u00a0informationand\u00a0stories from the ground. And they have helped to drive other areas of the UN\u2019s work \u2013 from\u00a0global health\u00a0to\u00a0Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n
So, the truth is that civil society participation is\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0an\u00a0objective. It is\u00a0not<\/em>something we should \u201cwork towards\u201d or \u201caim for\u201d. Instead, it is a\u00a0necessity<\/em>.<\/p>\nWithout it, we will\u00a0fail. Not just in\u00a0our work\u00a0\u2013 but also in meeting thecommitments\u00a0made through the\u00a0UN\u2019s Charter.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial _builder_version=”3.6″ author=”MIROSLAV LAJ\u010c\u00c1K” portrait_url=”http:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2017\/08\/PGA72-small.jpg” border_style=”solid” job_title=”President of the UN General Assembly” quote_icon_background_color=”#f5f5f5″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
If we want to press for global solutions to global problems, if we want to make our multilateral system even stronger, then we need civil society to speak up on behalf of the 91茄子, and on behalf of multilateralism.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.6″ border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
My second point today is about multilateralism.<\/u><\/p>\n
As the concept note for this event points out,\u00a0global challenges\u00a0need\u00a0global solutions. And, we are facing many of these challenges today \u2013 frominternational terrorism\u00a0and the threat of\u00a0nuclear war,\u00a0to\u00a0climate change\u00a0and growing\u00a0global inequalities.<\/p>\n
No one country can solve any of these problems alone. Multilateralism is the only way.<\/p>\n
There are countless\u00a0multilateral organisations\u00a0around the world, doing valuable work. But none are as\u00a0representative\u00a0as the\u00a0UN General Assembly.<\/p>\n
The Assembly can deal with\u00a0any issue\u00a0on the global agenda. It has one of themost legitimate voices\u00a0in the world. It gives\u00a0every country\u00a0\u2013 no matter its power or size \u2013the\u00a0same standing.<\/p>\n
And,\u00a0civil society\u00a0is crucial to its work and its future.<\/p>\n
That is why, with the support of DPI, the first-ever\u00a0\u201cone-on-one\u201d briefing between the\u00a0President of the General Assembly\u00a0and\u00a0civil society representatives\u00a0took place in the early days of this session.<\/p>\n
We need to remember: it is not just about ensuring that civil society can participate in the work of the 91茄子. That\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0crucial. But we must also remember the\u00a0influence\u00a0civil society actors have, among their owncommunities\u00a0and\u00a0networks.<\/p>\nIf we want to press for\u00a0global solutions\u00a0to\u00a0global problems\u2026 if we want to make our\u00a0multilateral system\u00a0even stronger\u2026then we need\u00a0civil society\u00a0tospeak up\u00a0on behalf of the\u00a091茄子, and on behalf of\u00a0multilateralism. But how can they do this, if they are not included?<\/p>\n
Finally, sincere thanks must go to the UN\u2019s\u00a0Department of Public Informationand the\u00a0NGO\/DPI Executive Committee, for organising today\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
It is important for\u00a0multilateralism.<\/p>\n
It is important for\u00a0civil society.<\/p>\n
And, most of all, it is important for\u00a0people.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Statement delivered\u00a0H.E. Mrs. Martha Ama Akyaa\u00a0Pobee, Vice President of the General Assembly and Permanent Representative of Ghana to the 91茄子, on behalf of\u00a0H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at 67th DPI \u2013 NGO Conference, \u201cWe the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":165055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[69,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-statements","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
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