Saudi Arabia, 2025

I now give the floor to His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia. In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful. Your Excellency, the President of the United Nations General Assembly and Mr. Secretary General of the United Nations, honored attendees, peace and God's blessings be upon you. We begin by congratulating Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock on her election as President of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. We thank His Excellency Philip Monyang for the work that he did during his presidency of the previous session. We also express our deep appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations. We thank him for his tireless efforts in upholding the principles and goals of the United Nations Charter. Mr. President, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud to be a founding member of this organization. It strives to translate the principles of the Charter into a tangible reality by promoting respect for international law, enhancing international peace and security, and supporting multilateral cooperation. This position stems from our deep belief in the importance of the United Nations' role in today's world. Saudi Arabia is committed to the purposes of the United Nations Charter and has responded to humanitarian calls. In doing so, the Kingdom has spared no effort in extending aid, and doing so generously. Our country has provided over US$141 billion in aid and assistance, benefiting 174 countries. Mr. President, as the organization marks its 80th year, we emphasize the urgent need for it to become more capable and more efficient in keeping pace with developments and finding the necessary approaches to resolve crises and put an end to conflicts. Without deviating from its founding objectives, especially in the maintenance of international peace and security, without double standards or selectivity, the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has officially been classified as a famine by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Report, IPC, runs counter to the principles of the Charter and international law and international humanitarian law. In light of the brutal and unchecked practices of the occupying forces, including starvation, forced displacement, and systematic killing, this is done in complete disregard of the historic and legal rights of the Palestinian people, with an aim to erase their legitimate rights. This crisis makes it imperative upon us all to take serious action and put an end to the aggression and ensure sustainable humanitarian access. Mr. President, it is time to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. The escalation will not achieve peace or security. The continued handling of the question of Palestine outside the frameworks of law and international legitimacy is what prolonged the violence and deepened the suffering. Here, Saudi Arabia stresses the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to put an end to this tragedy and achieve sustainable peace through the two-state solution as the only path that would guarantee the security of all countries in the region. The failure of the international community to take firm action to end the Israeli aggression and violation will only cause further instability and insecurity regionally and globally. Such an action will have grave consequences and will escalate war crimes and acts of genocide. Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the Kingdom of Norway and the European Union, launched the International Coalition to Implement the Two-State Solution and co-chaired, along with France, a high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution. This conference aims to provide a clear practical path towards the implementation of the two-state solution and an end to occupation and conflict. The Kingdom will continue to exert intensive efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution here. The Kingdom commends the international support given to the high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution. We welcome the United Nations General Assembly's adoption, by an overwhelming majority, of the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Two-State Solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. We welcome the growing number of countries recognizing the State of Palestine, including France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Malta, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra and San Marino. Such recognition is an important step towards achieving the two-state solution and bolstering the path towards a just and lasting peace. We call on all states to recognize the State of Palestine and to support the implementation of the two-state solution. This will be in line with international law and will entrench peace and security in the region and the world. Saudi Arabia appreciates the Palestinian Authority's efforts to conduct important reforms. Such efforts require more support from the international community. Mr. President, we affirm our commitment to joint action based on mutual respect and the principles of international law, which boosts mutual confidence and lays the foundations for security, stability and sustainable development. The Kingdom continues to strengthen ties of good neighborliness, respect for the sovereignty of states and de-escalation, and contributes to achieving calm as a means to bolster security and stability in the region and the world. In this context, Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the Iranian attack on Sisterly Qatar, which runs counter to our work to build ties of good neighborliness. Saudi Arabia condemns in the strongest of terms the continued Israeli aggressions in the region, including the recent blatant attack on Sisterly Qatar. We call for international action to stop these violations. We call for international measures to put a stop to Israel's actions and to deter it from such criminal behavior that threatens the region's security and stability. Based on our firm conviction of the importance of regional security and stability and preventing a nuclear arms race in our region, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses the need to adhere to the non-proliferation regime to achieve a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. With respect to the right of states to the peaceful use of nuclear energies in accordance with international regulations, the Kingdom affirms that a diplomatic track is the way to address the issue of Iran's nuclear program and calls for positive engagement in negotiations and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Kingdom stresses the importance of protecting the security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Strait, as they represent great importance to the global economy and regional international security. The Kingdom calls for strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism by exchanging information, drying up its sources of financing, and limiting its propaganda campaigns that threaten the security and stability of societies. The Kingdom also warns of the dangers of the military uses of artificial intelligence applications and autonomous weapons, and the need to enact international laws regulating them. The Kingdom commends the positive steps taken by the Syrian Arab Republic to consolidate security and stability, and we welcome the lifting of sanctions off of Syria, which contributes to supporting its government to reconstruct and to promote steps of recovery and integration, regionally and internationally. This would also open new horizons for economic cooperation between Syria and the world. This would reflect positively on achieving stability, prosperity, and development for the brotherly Syrian people. The Kingdom stresses the need to stop the repeated Israeli aggressions on Syrian territory, and we support everything that would contribute to the consolidation of Syria's security and stability, respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not interfering in its internal affairs. The Kingdom reiterates its keenness to restore the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen, stresses the importance of reaching a comprehensive political solution, and its support for the United Nations efforts and relevant international resolutions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues its efforts to support the Yemeni economy and alleviate the human suffering there. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the largest donors to the Republic of Yemen. The volume of Saudi relief and development aid to Yemen exceeds 27 million U.S. dollars. The Kingdom recently provided economic support to the Central Bank of Yemen in the amount of half a billion U.S. dollars to address the budget deficit. Moreover, on the 20th of the current month, the Kingdom provided new economic development aid to the Republic of Yemen, valued at 368 million U.S. dollars. The Kingdom affirms the importance of Sudan's stability and territorial integrity, as well as the safety of its national institutions. We call for intensifying efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering and end the war, as well as put an end to foreign interference that only feeds and prolongs the conflict. The Kingdom stresses the importance of continuing dialogue through the Jeddah platform, leading to a ceasefire and facilitating access of humanitarian aid. We reject any steps outside the framework of state institutions that may harm the unity of Sudan and do not reflect the will of its brotherly people. The Kingdom stands by Lebanon, supports everything that enhances its security and stability, and appreciates the efforts of the Lebanese state to implement the Ta'if Agreement and extend the sovereignty of the state and limit weapons to the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, with the need for the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from all Lebanese territories in implementation of relevant international resolutions. The Kingdom also supports a Libyan-Libyan solution. We call for a commitment to the implementation of the ceasefire, which would consolidate Libya's unity and its national institutions and would support its counterterrorism efforts. As for the Russia-Ukraine crisis, we call for the peaceful settlement through dialogue in the interests of all parties. We affirm our readiness to continue our mediation efforts based on our balanced position and reliable relations with the various parties to the crisis. In this context, the Kingdom hosted Russian-Ukrainian-American peace talks as part of our efforts to reach a political solution to this crisis, and in a manner that would enhance international peace and security. The Kingdom commends the response of Pakistan and India to diplomatic efforts and the wisdom of reaching an agreement that ends the tension between the two countries. We affirm our support to resolving differences through dialogue and peaceful means, based on the principles of good neighborliness, and in a manner that would achieve peace and prosperity for the two countries and their peoples. Mr. President, a decade has since passed since the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which charted a long-term development path for the Kingdom, during which it established broad structural transformations at the level of the economy, society, and the government, through which we worked to empower youth and women, promote the values of tolerance, embrace innovation, and expand the horizons of international communication and cooperation. By the end of the year 2024, this plan has achieved 93% of its performance indicators in terms of programs, strategies, and interim targets, and has even exceeded them. The rate of unemployment among Saudis has decreased to 6.3% today, compared to 12% in 2016. The participation of women in the labor market increased to over 36%, and the value of the Public Investment Fund's assets has reached US$913 billion by the end of 2024, while the contribution of non-oil activities to the real GDP reached 56%. Within the framework of its Vision 2030, the Kingdom continues to complete the march of progress to develop its human capabilities and strengthen its international partnerships to represent a leading development model in national transformation and to build a more prosperous and inclusive future. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of strengthening international cooperation to reduce the effects of climate change within the framework of relevant international agreements by adopting a balanced and comprehensive approach to energy transition paths. This takes into account the three main pillars required to achieve sustainable development, namely maintaining energy security, providing it at an affordable cost, and maintaining environmental sustainability. In this context, the Kingdom has launched a number of pioneering initiatives based on the circular and balanced carbon economy approach, most notably the Saudi Green Initiative at the national level and the Middle East Green Initiative at the regional and international levels. This reflects the Kingdom's commitment to climate action from a comprehensive perspective that takes into account development and the environment. The Kingdom also emphasizes the importance of not excluding any energy sources and calls for realistic and comprehensive transition paths. In addition to having advanced technologies that have enabled it to be one of the countries with the lowest carbon and methane emissions in oil and gas production, the Kingdom is playing a leading role in investing in hydrocarbon emissions management technologies, especially technologies for carbon capture, utilization, and storage, CCUS, which allows for the efficient use of resources while reducing the environmental impact, thus contributing to the protection of the global climate system. In the same context, the Kingdom is investing in all innovative technologies that contribute to reducing and addressing greenhouse gas emissions, including the expansion of renewable energy projects, increasing energy efficiency, and the production of clean hydrogen, including green hydrogen, along with nature-based solutions such as large-scale afforestation and the protection of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, confirming the Kingdom's commitment to sustainable development and achieving a balance between development and the climate. Mr. President, as part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's commitment to ensuring the sustainability of water resources and making them available to all, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, announced the establishment of a global water organization based in Riyadh with the aim of developing international cooperation to address water challenges in an integrated manner through the exchange of experiences and the promotion of empowerment, innovation, and research and development. This would contribute to putting water issues at the top of the international agenda. The Kingdom has provided more than US$6 billion of funding to countries on four continents to support their water projects. The Kingdom looks forward to contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ensuring water availability and achieving a comprehensive impact that paves the way for a safe and sustainable water future for all. Mr. President, within the framework of environmental protection and combating desertification and drought, the Kingdom has more than quadrupled the area of protected areas so that it currently exceeds 80% of the Kingdom's area, and we aim to reach the 30% mark by 2030. The Kingdom has also adopted a new waste management system to exclude 90% of the waste through recycling and the utilization of waste, which would contribute to the protection of terrestrial and marine environments and the reduction of plastic pollution. The Kingdom has also launched a solid green initiative to rehabilitate 40 million hectares of degraded land, and the Middle East Green Initiative, which was joined by 30 Arab, Asian, and African countries, to strengthen joint efforts to rehabilitate 200 million hectares of degraded lands. The Kingdom hosted the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, COP16, with the participation of more than 170 countries and about 90,000 participants from representatives of international organizations, scientific institutions, civil society associations, and the private sector. The Conference witnessed the launch of dozens of initiatives, the most important of which are the Early Warning of Dust Storms Initiative, and the Business Sector for Earth Initiative to enhance the role of the private sector in land conservation, and the Riyadh Global Partnership Initiative to enhance drought preparedness in 74 countries around the world, which is the first global initiative of its kind concerned with proactive preparedness for drought before it occurs. During the conference, regional financial institutions announced an allocation of US$12.5 billion to reduce land degradation and the effects of drought. In conclusion, Mr. President, the Kingdom believes that we have no choice but to work hard and responsibly with our partners in the international community to consolidate the principles of mutual respect and strengthen the rules of international law in a way that contributes to building trust between countries and would avoid the scourge of conflict for future generations. We believe that the path to a more stable and prosperous world passes through sincere cooperation and constructive dialogue and joint action for the security and sustainable peace for all. May God's peace and blessings be upon you. I thank His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.