Lebanon, 2025

The Assembly will hear and address by His Excellency Joseph Vaun, President of the Lebanese Republic. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow colleagues, Heads of State and Delegation, I stand before you today to talk about peace, development and human rights. At a time when some of my fellow citizens are facing death, parts of my country are under occupation and while my homeland and my people live in uncertainty. This situation takes me back some 77 years ago to the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. During one of the debates, the late, great Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in to support one member's opinion so that he is not left alone, as she said to those in attendance. The dissenting member respectfully responded, Honourable Lady, my concern is not to side with the majority or the minority, but to align with the truth. The author of these words was no other than Charles Malick, the Lebanese philosopher who worked alongside other great minds of the time to give humanity this eternal declaration. He was also granted the honour of presiding over this august Assembly from 1958 to 1959 to represent my country, Lebanon. Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I recall this incident today, first, to express my profound sense of pride and my heightened sense of responsibility as I stand before you today for the first time in my capacity as President of Lebanon on the 80th anniversary of this great organization. Second, because our session focuses on examining the inherent relationship between three human virtues, peace, development and human rights, and between these three virtues and my country, Lebanon, the Lebanese experience, alongside lessons from our region and the world, have shown that there can be no development without peace, for growth cannot take place within chaos and prosperity cannot be achieved amid conflicts and wars. Peace is the only foundation for development. Experience has taught us that just as there is no development without peace, there can be no peace without justice and no justice without human rights, particularly the right to live in dignity. Without dignity, peace becomes an illusion and the only growth will be in poverty, under development, violence and bloodshed. Since the establishment of this great organization, its charter stipulated the need to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to live together in peace with one another as good neighbors and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples. These noble principles remained on paper for 80 years as the blood of our people was spilled on the ground. The reasons might be numerous. One can attribute them to the authoritarian nature of man, the nature of relations between countries based on power struggle, hegemony and the race for absolute dominance in all fields. However, another reason has stirred this tragedy at least 30 years ago, since talk began in this very chamber about a new world order. The reason is related to the issue of identity and plurality within any society or within societies and countries, especially in the era of globalization. On the one hand, people need one another. On the other hand, they fear for their identity. This led to an emerging issue that drove humanity back to the path of conflict. Let us acknowledge here that religion remains a primary factor in defining the identities of human groups. In the name of religion, countries are at war with one another. In the name of religion, many countries have imploded from within. Furthermore, religion continues to shape the world in profound ways. While Islamophobia and xenophobia grow in the West, the East is still haunted by the memory of colonialism and the remnants of old religious wars. Despite remarkable scientific progress, the world finds itself trapped in a bygone era. Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, colleagues, at the heart of this dilemma, Lebanon plays a unique role. This is its raison d'etre. This is the significance of Lebanon and its message to the world. Amid the global clash over religious identities, Lebanon stands out as a nation where Christians and Muslims coexist as equals under a constitution that guarantees equitable representation to both communities in the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, with full citizenship for all individuals. This model is open for progress. This model was criticized by some, however, it offers a unique evolving approach. As the late Pope John Paul II observed, Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message of freedom and plurality for the East and the West. I reiterate and emphasize a message of freedom and plurality in a region where people are killed or killed over their religious belief or even for displaying a symbol of faith in a weary world torn between those who want to impose religious attire and others intent on banning it. Lebanon offers a unique, unmatched and irreplaceable model, a model that deserves to live, that must exist for the region and for the world. A model that allowed me, as an Arab Lebanese, to serve as the only Christian head of state from East Asia to the coast of Europe. My country, Lebanon, the land of human secularism with profound faith, without any imposition or prohibition of any kind. A model that requires all those who are committed to a better future for humanity to ask the following two questions. First, why would there be an international and UN obligation to preserve Lebanon? And second, how can we achieve this goal? First, indeed, there is a human obligation to preserve Lebanon. If this model falls, this model of coexistence between two different religious communities that are completely equal, where else around the world can we replicate this experience? If Christians were to disappear from Lebanon, this equation, this delicate balance will fall and with it justice. If the Muslim community in Lebanon no longer exists, this balance will also fall and this will also undermine justice. The fall of Lebanon, precipitated by the loss of any of its integral components, would foster the rise of extremism, violence and bloodshed both in our region and in the world. It is clear to me today that many of the underlying causes of the war on Lebanon, as well as the deeper, more insidious motivations behind it, have been aimed at dismantling Lebanon's unique model. These actions serve to justify an Orient fractured by conflicting identities and perpetual ethnic rivalries destined to remain in a state of ongoing conflict. While certain may benefit from this situation, however, it is ultimately in the interest of the world and humanity to strive for international peace. Hence, the success of the Lebanese experience will set a benchmark for any country. This model today is a vibrant, steadfast and energetic country determined to live, resolutely refusing to succumb to adversity. What it takes to save it? Simply a clear and firm stand, in words and action, aimed at liberating all the Lebanese territory and securing the exclusive sovereignty of the Lebanese state, enforced solely by its legitimate and legal armed forces over its land. This is the unanimous will of the Lebanese people since the declaration of November 27, 2024, which was adopted with the support of the United States and France and this very organization as a mechanism to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701. I reaffirmed this commitment in my inaugural address following my election as President in January 2024, and it was also approved by the government in its ministerial statement of February 2024. Throughout our negotiations with President Trump's envoy, Ambassador Tambarak, we worked on drafting a paper to guarantee full stability on our land to which we are still bound and still await the same commitment by other concerned parties on our borders as well. This is what Lebanon seeks. Let me be more frank. Allow me to feel some pride for my country and my people, for they do deserve it. Ladies and gentlemen, we are truly an exceptional country by all measures. We are a country that each year receives people from the Lebanese diaspora, the equivalent of a third of the country's residents. This underlines the unwavering connection between the Lebanese people and their homeland. There is hardly a major project in our region that does not bear the signature of a Lebanese person nor a cultural or artistic event that lacks a Lebanese imprint. In fact, it is almost certain that Lebanese contributions can be found in every significant endeavor. Among the member states of this distinguished organization, one could scarcely find a nation that does not have within its borders a member of the Lebanese diaspora who is engaged, productive and creative. These individuals integrate harmoniously with their host societies. We, ladies and gentlemen, are a country capable of embracing modernization and we have started already implementing a gradual program of financial and economic recovery. Together with an independent financial audit, a fair restructuring of the banking sector and the modernization of the administration, we have also taken on the fight against corruption and organized crime to rebuild the trust of the Lebanese people in their state and the world's confidence in Lebanon. Simultaneously, we have launched legislative and institutional reforms consecrating the independence of the regulatory bodies of the state's productive sectors and enhanced the independence of the judiciary aligned with international standards in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Our government has also recently joined the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in line with our history of commitment to the principles of international legitimacy. We are also set on advancing public freedom, combating hate speech and empowering young men and women in the decision-making process. We can only be prosperous if all our citizens live in dignity. Ladies and gentlemen, our country is dedicated to investing in quality education and we are expanding today this investment to encompass a knowledge economy. Education is also an essential crossroad for global trade corridors. While advancing on all these fronts, our country simultaneously shoulders numerous burdens and we shoulder these burdens with responsibility and seriousness. Most pressing among them are the persistent instabilities along our southern border. We call for the immediate cessation of Israeli aggression, the full withdrawal of its occupying forces from all Lebanese territory and the release of our hostages that we shall not forget nor leave behind and we insist on the complete implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This will be achieved with the help of the mandate given to UNIFIL working in coordination with the Lebanese army over a transitional period to achieve peace and stability. In this context, allow me to extend my gratitude to the members of the Security Council who adopted the resolution to renew UNIFIL's mandate to help us achieve lasting peace and stability. However, the deep underlying causes of our crisis extend beyond our immediate borders. This is why it is our moral, human and political obligation to call for an immediate end to the devastation taking place in Gaza. We urge the revival of a new political track aimed at finding a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian question based on the resolutions of international legitimacy, the principle of the two-state solution, ensuring the right of both states to a secure and dignified existence as ratified by your General Assembly with a majority of 142 states out of 164 states in the New York Declaration. The second major burden Lebanon is carrying now is the unprecedented displacement situation taking place on its soil, which measured by capita stands as the largest in history. Lebanon looks to the United Nations and its specialized agencies as well as to the Syrian authorities to address this critical issue. Through direct negotiations and with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we aim to reach comprehensive understandings and agreements across different aspects of our bilateral relations, the goal being the dignified and safe return of the displaced Syrian citizens as well as the restoration of the special relations between Lebanon and Syria in good neighborliness and close cooperation in various fields overcoming the misunderstandings of the past. The third burden crippling us today is the reconstruction of Lebanon following the Israeli aggression on our soil, especially with respect to the infrastructure necessary for the return of the Lebanese authority to the Lebanese border towns and to the rebuilding of homes and villages bulldozed and demolished by the aggression, for there will be no stability if it is not rebuilt and its beauty restored. Furthermore, there is the issue of providing the necessary means to our legal armed forces so that they may take on the task of defending and safekeeping our national integrity, remain hopeful about the public initiatives to organize international conferences dedicated to that purpose. Ladies and gentlemen, Lebanon does not seek special privileges or favors. Indeed, it calls upon the international community to act with responsibility, fairness and equality, thereby enabling Lebanon to reclaim its role as a land of freedom and plurality. This very spirit underpinned the distinguished Assembly's resolution on August 16, 2019, to grant Lebanon's request to establish the Human Academy for Dialogue and Conversions within its borders, a resolution that was for a time overshadowed by the many crises Lebanon has faced in recent years. Today Lebanon is intent on reviving this vital initiative. Our intention is both to reassure ourselves and to send a message to the world. Lebanon is returning to its rightful place, both within the international community and among the nations gathered at the United Nations, a true platform for human values and the advancement of humanity. In closing, I reiterate the opening theme of my message. While I stand here today advocating for peace, my countrymen are being killed. The conflict is still very fierce between Lebanon being a land of life and joy and a platform that spreads both values to the region and the world, and Lebanon being a place of sorrow and wars, spreading both woes to the region and the world. We in Lebanon have made our choice. We choose to be a land of life and joy, and we shall abide by it. I call upon you all, for the sake of peace in our region, for the good of humanity, stand with us. Do not abandon Lebanon. I thank you. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Lebanese Republic. The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency Emmanuel Macron.