Ethiopia, 2014

It is indeed a great

pleasure to see a seasoned African diplomat presiding

over the General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. I

would like to express my warmest congratulations to

him on his election to that high office. I know he is

aware, as we are, that he is assuming his responsibility

at one of the most critical periods in the history of this

Organization and that of multilateralism in general.

Those of us in the East African region know him very

well as a friend and distinguished diplomat. We are

confident that he will use his wisdom and experience

to build consensus on a range of issues on the agenda

of the General Assembly at this historic session and

effectively guide its work. Let me therefore assure him

of the full support and cooperation of my delegation in

the successful discharge of his heavy responsibilities. I

also wish to commend his predecessor for the excellent

contribution he made to ensuring the success of the

sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Indeed,

it was a remarkable session, which laid the foundation

for the major task that lies ahead.

This session is being held at a historic time, when

we have embarked upon a major undertaking to shape

the future we want for present and future generations. If

we do what we must, it could be remembered in history

as a session that helped us turn the corner in ensuring

effective custodianship of the environment, economic

justice and social responsibility. What we agreed over

two years ago in Rio must be what galvanizes our

common effort. We said then that poverty eradication

is the greatest global challenge facing the world today

and an indispensable requirement for sustainable

development.

global warming, we are indeed playing a leading role

in terms of mitigation by scaling up our efforts in

renewable energy and promoting energy efficiency. It is

only fair and proper that that be adequately recognized

and supported.

There can be no doubt that the challenge posed

by climate change requires leadership and political

commitment at all levels. We have no choice but to

rise to that challenge by taking concrete actions to

help reduce emissions and demonstrating the necessary

political will to achieve a globally binding climate

agreement by 2015 in Paris. Failure is not an option.

What we see here at the United Nations is a

readiness on the part of States to think big and focus

on what unites us. That is what underlies the complex

negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. In

sharp contrast to that, what we are witnessing today is

a general deterioration of the global security situation.

The world is passing through a turbulent period, and

that is not an exaggeration. The proliferation and

intensity of conflicts have significantly increased.

In our part of the world, progress made over the past

decade is being undermined by new cycles of violence

and conflict. The crisis in South Sudan is an example.

We in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development

(IGAD) region are doing everything we can to resolve

the South Sudanese crisis through peaceful means with

the support of the United Nations, the African Union

and international partners. But progress, let alone

a breakthrough, has not been easy to come by. The

situation highlights an often encountered challenge.

Progress in peacemaking can hardly be contemplated

when there is a lack of sufficient commitment to

a peaceful resolution of a crisis by the parties to the

conflict. But IGAD is determined to expend every

possible effort to find a lasting solution to the crisis

through an all-inclusive political dialogue.

In contrast with the situation in South Sudan and

with situations in many parts of the world, the situation

in Somalia has been improving over the course of the

year. Al-Shabaab may not have been entirely removed

as a threat, but it has been greatly degraded. The recent

setback it suffered is bound to speed up its demise. The

military gains made on the ground cannot, however,

be sustained without progress on the political track

through the establishment of local administrations and

the maintenance of law and order in the newly liberated

areas. In that regard, we welcome the establishment

of interim local administrations in central and south-

west Somalia in line with the provisional Federal

Constitution. We need to continue to support Somalia

in its efforts to rebuild itself and make a successful

transition by 2016.

Conflict is not an exclusively African phenomenon.

What has become obvious lately is how much the global

security situation is becoming a source of concern.

Never since the end of the cold war has the global

security situation been as fragile as it is today. The threat

of terrorism has affected ever greater and wider areas

of the world. At no time over the past many decades has

the need for effective cooperation at the international

and regional levels been as pressing and as urgent as it

is today. That the issue of foreign fighters has become

a source of major concern to many is obvious. What is

required to make progress in addressing the challenge is

a readiness to forge cooperation that brooks no double

standards. We need to be resolute in our determination

to work together.

All that means that at no time in recent memory

has multilateralism been as immensely crucial for the

future of the world as it is today. The fact that nations

are driven by the pursuit of national interests has

always been self-evident. But at this juncture in world

history and in the light of the many common challenges

that we all face, we have no more realistic option

than a commitment to enlightened national interest,

which can be promoted only within the framework of

multilateralism.

That, in our view, is the sentiment that we should

all share at the beginning of the sixty-ninth session of

the General Assembly. We cannot be oblivious to the

nexus between our sustainable development agenda and

the global situation of peace and security. “Delivering

on and implementing a transformative post-2015

development agenda”, the theme of this session,

requires a peaceful and stable global environment. It is

also in that context that the threat of the spread of the

Ebola virus should be viewed. It is both a humanitarian

and a security challenge. Containing the spread of the

deadly virus should be a matter of utmost priority.

Let me reiterate that it is critical that we collectively

address the myriad of peace and security challenges

facing our world in order to facilitate progress in the

implementation of the Millennium Development Goals

in the remaining period and to lay a solid foundation for

the realization of our transformative agenda in the post-

2015 era, as well as to achieve a meaningful climate

agreement.

I wish to conclude by stressing Ethiopia’s

commitment to multilateralism, to joining hands with

all like-minded countries in order to contribute to

regional and international peace and security and to the

successful realization of the major projects that we will

undertake in connection with the post-2015 agenda.

As a founding member of the Organization and as a

member of the League of Nations — although Ethiopia

was abandoned by the League — Ethiopia attaches

the highest priority to cooperation among peoples

and countries with a view to addressing common

challenges. It is our conviction that might does not

make right. There is no substitute for the pursuit of

mutual advantages as a guideline for a realistic and just

foreign policy. That is our guide for all the friendships

and partnerships we have and will continue to develop.