Mauritania, 2025

I give the floor to His Excellency Mohamed Salim Walid Marzouk, Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad of Mauritania. In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, Your Excellency, Mr. President, Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses, His Excellency Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, may God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. I would like at the outset to extend my warmest congratulations to Her Excellency Miss Annalena Baerbock on her Assumption of the Presidency of the 80th Session of the General Assembly. I am confident that her rich experience and her high competence will contribute to her successful leadership of this session. I would like to also extend my sincere thanks to His Excellency Philemon Young for the highly competent leadership of the 79th Session. I also extend my thanks to His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, for his tireless efforts to develop and enhance the role of the UN. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to convey to you the greetings of His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Wiltz Sheikh al-Ghazwani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and his wishes for the success of the 80th Session of the GA. His Excellency honored me by allowing me to deliver on his behalf the address of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. This session, of course and naturally, represents an opportunity to celebrate 80 years of achievements by our organization in the service of humanity as a whole and in various fields. But it is also an opportunity to objectively diagnose the major shortcomings and deficiencies that have characterized this or that aspect of the UN's journey over the past eight decades. In this context, it is clear that our world today consists of two contrasting realms, two contrasting worlds. One is rapidly advancing toward the fourth industrial revolution and artificial intelligence, while the other remains hostage to poverty and marginalization. This gap, this ever-widening gap, particularly in view of the current context of growing conflicts and wars, this gap presents a difficult test to humanity. It requires us to unite our efforts to devise solutions that are capable of narrowing this gap by achieving just and comprehensive human-centered development and the right of every human to a dignified life. The theme of our session today reflects and accurately captures this noble goal. Better together, 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the session is convened amidst a global context that is extremely complex and challenging. We see tensions, wars, conflicts that are escalating in various regions. We see also the exacerbating effects of terrorist threats and natural disasters resulting from climate change. Human suffering is increasing and the humanitarian burdens on entire populations are multiplying. This exposes international peace and stability to increasing risks and reinforces the need for a more effective role of the UN. Amidst all of this, the genocidal war being waged against our people in Gaza is a true litmus test to the human conscience and the credibility of the international system. We in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania condemn this aggression and this genocidal war and reiterate our support for the Palestinian people. And we stress that violence cannot bring lasting peace and security. And that stability in the Middle East as a whole depends inevitably on enabling the brotherly Palestinian people to realize their right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in line with relevant international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. In this context, we are pleased to have seen the momentum and the efforts to recognize the State of Palestine that was powerfully demonstrated by the overwhelming vote in the UN General Assembly in favor of the New York Declaration on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was the outcome of the high-level international conference that was held in July 2025 at the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of France. I have here to thank, on behalf of my country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of France for organizing the aforementioned conference despite all the challenges and the obstacles. I commend the positions of those countries that have recognized the State of Palestine and I hope that other countries will follow suit in upholding the principles of truth and justice until Palestine becomes a full member of the United Nations. In the same vein, my country reiterates its strong condemnation of the recent Israeli aggression against the Brotherly State of Qatar, which constitutes a flagrant violation of this country's sovereignty and of all international norms and conventions. We also affirm our support for peaceful solutions in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. We support all international efforts regarding Western Sahara and we call for a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war to spare the world further tragedies. At the same time, we commend the peace agreements between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the one hand, and between Pakistan and India, on the other. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, in a world where conflicts, poverty, disease, climate change are burdening humanity, the need is more urgent for more just and effective international and global political, economic, and health governance that places and prioritizes human life and dignity. This can only be achieved through a balanced reform that restores confidence in the United Nations and renders the organization more capable of fulfilling its noble purposes and goals of safeguarding peace and security and building a more equitable world. Accordingly, my country renews its commitment to the legitimate demands of our African continent and set out in the Aswaleeni Consensus for equitable representation in global governance structures. We call the international community to support developing countries in addressing challenges of food security, climate change, the problem of debt, and to support their efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania places a high priority on the strengthening of the rule of law and good governance, the consolidation of values of justice and equality as its top priority. Therefore, we have implemented a range of strategies and reforms aiming at promoting transparency in the management of public affairs, reforming and enhancing the independence of judiciary, supporting the role of the parliament in oversight and accountability. This will ensure fighting against corruption and the protection of rights and freedoms as well as strengthening the trust among the different national components. In the same context and in an attempt to reinforce our status and image as a land of stability and consensus and a state of law, His Excellency President Mohamed El Ghazwani has chosen to make dialogue a constant approach in managing all public affairs, making sure to engage all Mauritanians and colleagues, consolidate good governance. In terms of social cohesion, protection of social cohesion, that is, my country is placing development at the service of citizens everywhere through structured programs that embody spatial justice. It is building dams, constructing schools, establishing health centers, providing the foundations for a decent life for thousands of families in villages and cities and rural areas, strengthening national solidarity in full harmony with the process of consolidating the rule of law and the foundations of good governance. We have a comprehensive health coverage program that has provided insurance for vulnerable families. The number of beneficiaries increased by 147% between 2019 and 2024, with universal health coverage reaching approximately 21% of the total population. As for human rights, my country has strengthened its human rights frameworks and systems by combating the effects of slavery in all its forms and confronting human trafficking through well-established legal and institutional mechanisms. Mauritania hosts approximately 250,000 refugees from Mali, and we have completed the conciliation of the legal status of more than 150,000 migrants in conditions that fully respect their rights and preserve their dignity. As part of its priority to human development, our country has launched a comprehensive educational reform process with the participation of educational stakeholders. The process aims at developing educational programs, teaching methods, promoting the values of citizenship in addition to developing vocational training programs to better equip young people for the labor market. Humans' role in the public and political life has also been strengthened, improving their access to health services. In the field of combating terrorism and extremism, my country adopts an integrated strategy that combines security measures on the one hand, intellectual and educational approaches on the other, and promotes the values of justice nationally and also in the framework of regional and international cooperation. On the economic front, the country continues to diversify its economy to enhance the ability to create job opportunities and confront crises. We recorded a growth rate of 5% in 2024, while inflation rates are expected to not exceed 2.5%. In terms of energy transition and sustainable development, the country has witnessed the launch of major projects, including a 300 million hybrid renewable energy plant, the adoption of a green hydrogen law, and the signing of major international agreements in addition to the launch of the World Bank-supported Dream Project. Our efforts continue also to combat desertification and preserve biodiversity, and we look forward to actively participate in the COP30 climate summit in Brazil and to advance the fulfillment of international commitments to reduce emissions and finance climate change adaptation. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is committed to work on strengthening multilateral cooperation and reform the international political and financial governance system in a manner that strengthens our collective ability to achieve sustainable development. Mauritania will remain faithful to its approach to contribute to the promotion of regional and international peace and security, to diversify and consolidate its partnerships, to address the various challenges facing our country, our continent, and the world as a whole on a path to achieving a safe and dignified life for all. Thank you for your attention. May peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. I thank His Excellency, Minister for Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Mauritanians abroad of Mauritania.