Malta, 2025

The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Robert A. Blair, Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta. I request protocol to please escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Dear Friends, We are gathered here just a few weeks shy of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of this United Nations. Unfortunately, even a glance at the global headlines is enough to produce the depressing thought that perhaps it should be less of a birthday party and more of a wake-up call. But firstly and firmly, I want to reject the idea that the need for the United Nations is any less imperative today than it was eight decades ago. Then, as now, you could be forgiven for losing hope. In 1945, at the end of that global conflict, the world seemed to be in ruins. Thankfully, in 2025, our world isn't in ruins, but too much of it is in flames. Forty years ago, the leaders owed it to the millions who had lost their lives over six years of slaughter to never lose hope. So do we, as leaders of today, owe it to every citizen that we serve to similarly never lose hope, to never lose sight of the founding principles that brought the countries of the world together, to never allow that which divides us to obscure the much greater values that unite us, to never give in to pessimism or cynicism about what the future can hold? Now, don't misunderstand me. I am not blind to the magnitude of the challenges that our world faces. I know that fine words here in New York won't, by themselves and conflict, hunger or deaths by malnutrition. But I remain convinced that the resolution we show and the resolutions we pass here can make a real and tangible difference on the ground. We must never lose sight of the power of collective will and that of collective action. Because while the eight decades of the United Nations have seen far too much conflict and suffering, they have also seen human progress on a scale even the most optimistic of the founding fathers who dared to dream that working together could work to transform the lives of ordinary people would never have imagined themselves. Let me cite just one example. In 1945, global life expectancy, war aside, was in the mid-40s. Children born this year, in 2025, can expect to live in their mid-70s. Now, that didn't happen by luck or by accident. It happened by will and resolve. It happened by effort. And it happened also because of the positive work being conducted by the agencies of this United Nations. And it is not just in terms of life chances that the United Nations has had a positive, transformative impact. The values inscribed in the founding charter had a profound effect on the journey to self-determination of so many nations, like my own, Malta. In 1945, Malta was still a colony, a British military and naval base. In 2025, Malta is a proud republic since 1974, and independent since 1964, playing its part at the pivotal crossroads of two continents. So, the country I am honoured to lead will never turn its back on the possibilities that the principles of our United Nations offer to deliver solutions to even the gravest of challenges. Perhaps the gravest of those challenges that the world faces is division. Barriers are being built when they should be coming down and dismantled. Those barriers really are already proving obstacles to the exchange of trade, innovation, ideas of hope that our world needs. And thinking about this throwing up of barriers, I thought of some words of the late US President Ronald Reagan. In his 1985 State of the Union Address, he had said, there are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect. And who can forget the four simple words which changed the course of history that President Reagan himself delivered two years later when he stood in front of the Berlin Wall and dared to say directly to the Soviet leader, Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall. So I say to each and every one of my fellow leaders, let us tear down the walls together. Let us dare to say the seemingly unsayable, let us dare to achieve the seemingly unachievable, let us dare to make the changes needed no matter how seemingly overwhelming the odds. We must not be afraid also to make those changes closest to home in the very way this United Nations works. The biggest threat to the future of our United Nations doesn't come from those who want to tear it down, but it comes from those who say that in the face of that pressure, we should barricade ourselves in and reject the idea of change and reforms. It comes also from those who say that to admit imperfections and weaknesses and the way that we work is to give comfort to those who becry and belittle the very idea of the United Nations. That couldn't be more wrong. What empowers the opponents is any hint of an organisation with its head buried in sand. A bunker, a fortress mentality would be fatal. The status quo simply isn't an option. We need to deliver a United Nations that is smarter and of course fairer and we need to accelerate the pace of change to do just that. The change has also to begin at the top. I want to take this occasion to pay tribute to the Secretary General and his unwavering commitment and dedication to the cause of peace. Thank you Antonio. But no one can say that the big power horse trading that has marked every single election of a Secretary General has been a defying sight. We have reached the right outcome and that is good and positive but we certainly go the wrong way about it. We need to do better. The process to find a worthy successor to Secretary General Guterres must be a step change in the way that we work. The selection process must be transparent, inclusive and based on merit, not political bargaining. The decision must be taken out of the corridors of this building and become a truly global conversation involving all member states as well as civil society. As for the Security Council, its make-up reflects the world as it was in 1945 and not as it is in 2025. Malta begs the Klemmer for expansion and fairer regional representation. But it isn't just the composition that needs to change. The role of the Security Council needs to be elevated. It must serve as a greater counterbalance to the dominance of the larger powers. It must also be a genuine platform for all the nations of the world to have our voices heard. And change needs to come not just to political structures but to the way the United Nations works. All around the world, including in Malta, my country, citizens are rightly pressing governments to do more with less, better value for money. The United Nations, like any other publicly funded organisation, needs to make sure that it ruthlessly focuses not on protecting the way things are done now but on the way things can be done differently to deliver better outcomes for the same investment. No area of the United Nations can remain untouched. No vested interest left untackled. The United Nations must embrace digital diplomacy for the artificial intelligence age. Every system must be streamlined, every process scrutinised to ensure it delivers for the front line. Every programme assessed against its actual impact. We shouldn't be afraid to ensure that the United Nations stops doing things it does badly and starts doing those things it does well even better and even more efficiently. Too often, global relations, like much of life, can seem merely a numbers game. Of course, the biggest states will always have the loudest voices and that is understandable. But there can be no doubt that small states and developing countries are often underrepresented and under-heard when key decisions are taken and made. Unless our unique experiences are taken into account and our needs, we won't put in place solutions that can actually deliver across the whole world. It is a self-defeating mistake for the big boys club to crowd out the added value that small nations can bring to the table. We bring innovation, credibility and moral authority to any concerted global action. To exclude the small is to damage the big. We all lose, which is why, although Malta may be one of the United Nations' smallest members in terms of geography, we have always been determined to be one of the UN's biggest voices. Malta remains as committed to the goals of peace, dialogue, diplomacy and global cooperation as we were on that day in 1964 when we took our seat for the first time in this United Nations. As we've grown as a nation, found our feet on the European and world stage and developed a fast-growing economy, so too have we found our role in the work of the UN. Small nations, like ours, have to be realistic about how we can add value, but I firmly believe that Malta has a combination of two major factors that make our country an asset to the global conversation. Firstly, Malta has a deep commitment to the power of multilateral engagement. We bring to the table the recent experience of both chairing the OSCE and serving on the UN Security Council, alongside the insight gained from our current presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. I am particularly proud that Malta's presidency coincides with the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, rising like the United Nations from the ashes of the Second World War, guaranteeing for hundreds of millions of Europeans and other peoples the fundamental human rights for which so many people lost their lives in their fight for them. Secondly, Malta offers a unique platform for peace. We offer a unique mix that leaves Malta particularly well-placed to host dialogue and discussions between parties, between countries, no matter how far apart they are. Our geography at the crossroads of two continents, our neutrality enshrined in our constitution, our diplomatic tradition as a respected and knowledgeable fair broker, together they make Malta the ideal location to come together to try and find solutions to even the most intractable of disputes. So today I renew my open offer to the warring parties of the world and those working to bridge those divides. Malta stands ready to welcome you, to facilitate and to support you in finding ways forward. Now, nobody disputes how deeply entrenched are the barriers to peace, but that doesn't mean that the search for solutions should ever be paused. Thinking back and going back to President Reagan when he dared to call for the walls, physical and political, that were dividing Europe to be torn down, many had dismissed it as an impossible dream, unrealistic, never going to happen, but it did. The seemingly intractable Cold War came to an end. As global leaders we must equally never give up, never say peace can't be achieved, never give in to defeatism, even the most outwardly unresolvable of conflicts. Sadly, on Malta's doorsteps to such conflicts, wars are raging, Ukraine and Gaza. The world must not turn its back on either or tackle them with double standards as this would undermine our credibility and effectiveness. We must never wring our hands and consign any conflict too difficult to deal with. It is now three and a half years since Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Malta remains resolute now as it was then in demanding a lasting and just peace that guarantees Ukraine's sovereignty. This is the only solution which will adhere to the spirit of both the UN Charter and international law, but that can only come about following a full and unconditional permanent ceasefire and the full participation of Ukraine in any future peace talks and decision-taking. Malta stands firmly with our fellow EU members in believing that we must keep the strongest possible pressure on the Russian economy to force the Russian government to see sense and engage in genuine and constructive dialogue. Slava Ukraini! So too must there be an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The suffering of so many thousands of innocent civilians must come to an end now. It must come to an end now. Yes, the remaining hostages must be released immediately by Hamas. International humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow in Gaza without impediment. It is so morally wrong and inhuman that so many innocent people are dying of hunger and severe malnutrition. These atrocities must stop now. We cannot allow the further killing of thousands of innocent people, babies, children, youth, the elderly and the frail to continue and turn our heads the other way because of improper considerations. We cannot remain silent. Decisive and effective action needs to be taken without any further delay. I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot bear to see anymore the physical and psychological pain and suffering in the eyes of the young children we bring over to Malta from Gaza to give them a better future. Children, young children with mutilated bodies who are supposed to be celebrating the innocence of their youth and the best period of their lives. The parents who have lost their young children and I ask, why? When leadership should be about humanity and empathy and not about who can inflict maximum damage to win a war or wipe out a nation or its people. I was proud this week to stand with other world leaders and add Malta to the growing list of allies recognising Palestinian statehood. After tens of years of discussion in Malta, we took decisive action and did the right thing to do. I owe this to Ibrahim, a 15-year-old icon of the resilience and strength of the Palestinian people. Ibrahim is now receiving the best medical care and prosthetics in Malta. After having both his legs blown off and severely injured by a missile fired from a drone in Gaza, his friends were killed in the same accident. These are the daily realities in Gaza and we have to stand up and be counted. Not doing so would mean that we are complicit in what is happening. Now, a viable two-state solution isn't a reward for Hamas. It is the exact opposite. It is the only way in actual fact to finally banish the evil of Hamas. It is the only solution that can deliver the sustainable and peaceful future that both peoples wish for and deserve. Of course, the road to a fair two-state solution is a long one, fraught with difficulties, but just because something is hard doesn't mean it is impossible. The world owes to Israelis and Palestinians alike to pursue this path to peace. Indeed, the world faces a stark choice in too many areas of life. Too many barriers are being erected. When too many countries pull up the shutters and turn in on themselves, it is small island nations like Malta that pay the highest price and take the biggest hit. Let me be clear, security is the first duty of any government. Being against barriers doesn't equal being against sensible safeguards. Every nation has the right to take necessary steps to protect itself, but isolation doesn't make anyone safer because, as all the evidence of history shows, the greater the cooperation across borders, the greater the protection we can afford to our citizens. Any threat to global prosperity is a threat to global security. So, I urge the United Nations to redouble its efforts to safeguard the connectivity that trading nations like Malta have to rely on. It is incumbent on all of us to resist the trend to protectionism and fight for open markets. The alternative of a world of trade barriers will only make us all poorer. Of course, it is equally important that we work to tackle the downsides of globalisation to ensure that none of our citizens are left behind, but there can be no turning back of the clock. We can secure our borders without building fortresses. Addressing legitimate concerns about migration is not the same as pulling up the drawbridge. Clearly, the current growth of regular migration is not sustainable, yet it will only be truly addressed by a truly global solution and response, a coordinated response that is both humane and sustainable, that acknowledges the fundamental truth that migration is driven by poverty and conflict, driving migrants to risk their lives at the mercy of criminal human smugglers in search of a better future for themselves and their families. Every country has a right to secure its borders, but every country equally has a duty to play its part in tackling the root causes of irregular migration. You might say, tough on irregular migration, tough on the root causes of irregular migration. Underpinning all this is the need for every member of this United Nations to recommit to the primacy of international law and the value of international cooperation. No country, however large, however strategically important, is above the rule of law. Might does not automatically equal right. Small states like Malta cannot afford the risks of a world where some ignore the laws when it suits them. Upholding the charter upon which this United Nations was born eight decades ago isn't wide-eyed idealism for nations like Malta. It is about our very survival, equally vital. For the survival of small island nation-states is the absolute necessity of stemming down the impact of man-made climate change. It would be, now it would be too easy for a world waylaid by war to shrug its shoulders and claim it lacks the bandwidth to keep taking the actions needed to keep down the Earth's temperature. Malta, however, will keep working to amplify the voices of the small islands across the globe. As a small island state, we are at the front line of rising temperatures and rising sea levels. This isn't some theoretical threat. It is a challenge to our very existence. So Malta will continue to support indices like COVID that bring home just how vulnerable small island states are to climate change. And we will maintain pressure for greater support to be given to those developing small island states where the threat is highest and fastest. But the cost of preparedness and adaptation is disproportionately high. They must be given the resources to need, that they need to adapt. And the adaptation must not cause a financial burden on their citizens, to our citizens. Otherwise, we will lose their buy-in. And whilst reaching our climatic targets should, of course, not be put on the back burner, the competitiveness of our economies must also not be put on the back burner in the pursuit of those targets. Otherwise, we will miss the wood for the trees. Dear friends, let me conclude my remarks from where I began today. Yes, our world faces unprecedented challenges. In an age of instant communications, we are all exposed to the threats we all face like never before. It can seem utterly overwhelming. But as a world, we face two choices. We can give up hope, give up trying. Or we can double down, step in and step up and never give up. Multilateralism is more important today than it was even in 1945. We won't keep our people safe, our planet protected, or our prosperity preserved unless we work together, listen to each other, and act in concert. So I say to my fellow leaders of all states, of all sizes, tear down these walls. Let us stop erecting new barriers. Let us knock down those existing walls, physical and metaphorical, that are standing in the way of progress. No more posturing. A lot more partnership. We owe it to those who had the vision 80 years ago. We owe it to the people who put their trust in us to lead them. United Nations isn't perfect, but it is indispensable. So let us commit loud and clear to making it better. Better focused, better value, better at tackling the challenges of the next 80 years. And let that commitment start today. Thank you all. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta.