Tunisia, 2025

Now, I give the floor to His Excellency Mohammed Ali Nafti, Minister for Interference, Migration and Tunisians Abroad of Tunisia. In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Mr. President, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset, allow me to convey to you the greetings of the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Mr. Kays Said. He expresses his deep appreciation to Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, for his tireless efforts for rights, justice and rebuilding trust in multilateral work. We reaffirm our support to his initiative, UN80, to reform and develop the work of the organization at this critical time for our world, a time of instability and unprecedented frequency of violations of the rules of international law and the principles of the Charter. I would also like to deeply congratulate Ms. Annalena Baerbock on assuming the Presidency of the General Assembly during its 80th session. We wish her luck in managing its work. We would also like to express our thanks and appreciation to Mr. Philemon Young for successfully presiding over the 79th session of the General Assembly. Mr. President, during this session, we are proud to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. On this occasion, we recall the number of principles and noble purposes for which it was established, notably human solidarity and the unity of our destiny, which inspired those who came before us in their diplomatic steadfastness and struggle. Our United Nations was established following the most brutal and vicious of wars in our history so that it is the voice of collective conscience for our people, so that it is the bulwark that protects humanity from the scourges of conflicts and wars. Today, we truly need to strengthen this common home so that it can be the light that guides us towards security, peace and human dignity, so that it remains a home for international legitimacy and a platform for dialogue, negotiations and reconciliation, so that we can build a more secure, just and stable and peaceful world, a world that is committed to our global values. Let us learn from the lessons of the past. We must learn from the wars and conflicts that caused humanitarian suffering and grave violations. We must learn that the logic of might, no matter its justifications, cannot break the will of people and their belief in their right to self-determination. Today, we stand on the steps of a new era that requires us to be determined and to work tirelessly to renew our trust in multilateral work and the ability of the United Nations to achieve the global goals for which it was established, to continue the path of reform and to adopt a comprehensive roadmap that is well-defined in order to implement the UNAT initiative to restore international legitimacy and to strengthen the theme of our former session, to leave no one behind. We renew our commitment to multilateral work and our common responsibility to confront the accelerating changes and the economic, social, security, environmental and climate challenges confronting our world today. We trust the vital role of the United Nations to find suitable solutions for these challenges. The President of the Republic of Tunisia, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, decided to consider 2025 as the year to strengthen multilateral work and enhance cooperation with the United Nations. This is the theme that is guiding Tunisian diplomacy. We have organized a number of events at the International Diplomatic Academy in Tunis in coordination with specialized UN agencies on a number of topics in line with the outcomes of the Summit for the Future for 2024, and these topics include security development, science, technology and culture. Mr. President, we believe in the ability of our organization and its agencies to remain steadfast before the deep changes confronting our world. We believe that it can give hope and optimism for future generations, for a better future. However, we feel disappointed today as the Security Council is still unable to put an end to the terrible humanitarian tragedy and the genocidal war and starvation against the steadfast Palestinian people as the brutal occupying entity continues to worsen the suffering of the Palestinian people before the entire world, without accountability and with full impunity. It is evident today that the crimes of the occupation aims to liquidate the Palestinian question and prevent the Palestinian people from enjoying their right to resistance and maintaining their entire territory. Tunisia deplores from this rostrum the announcement of the occupying entity that it intends to reoccupy the Gaza Strip fully and to force the Palestinian people to abandon their land. How can we strengthen the rule of law and give precedence to the UN Charter and its principles at a time when the State of Palestine still has not acquired full membership? Although UN resolutions have ratified decades ago Palestine's right to independence and full sovereignty and self-determination without any foreign interference, at a time when the occupying entity maintains its membership at the United Nations despite its systemic, continuous and uninterrupted violations of the rules of international law and despite its attacks against the work of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and immunities in the occupied Palestinian territory, we value the wave of international recognition of the State of Palestine with 150 states recognizing the State of Palestine. We do hope that this will support its full membership at the United Nations without delay or hesitation. We recall that the State of Palestine is a state pursuant to international law. When states recognize the State of Palestine, this does not create this right. It only supports and highlights this right. The truth is clear as day and what is right is evident. This right was reaffirmed by the ICJ in its advisory opinion on the 19th of July 2024 when it ratified that the occupying power is obligated to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible and all member states at the United Nations are obligated to not recognize the legitimacy of the situation resulting from this illegal presence and not to provide any aid or assistance to maintain this situation. The United Nations and its main bodies must look at ways and procedures to guarantee that. From this rostrum, we call on the international communities to shoulder its responsibility immediately to lift the blockade on Gaza Strip and all the Palestinian territory and to put an end to the starvation and to guarantee an effective delivery of assistance and to secure those requiring assistance. We also call on the Security Council to immediately interfere to put an end to the repeated violations against a number of countries in the region, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and lately Qatar. My country has called for that recently during the emergency Islamic Arab summit in Doha because we believe that the Islamic Arab security is indivisible. In this regard, we reaffirm that the process of reforming the United Nations and paving the way for a new phase for multilateral work and international relations, this cannot be achieved and this cannot be tangible for all countries unless we strengthen the value of equality among people away from discrimination, selectivity, and double standards. Tunisia will remain committed with an unshakable will to support the Palestinian people in their struggle to reclaim their legitimate, inalienable, and imprescriptible rights, notably their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state, a sovereign state, all over Palestine territory with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Mr. President, achieving the objectives of the Summit for the Future continues to guide our approach. However, these objectives continue to be difficult unless the international community truly wishes to make a change and reach a consensus on diagnosing the deep-rooted issues that led to the failure of the current international system. We cannot confront the current and emerging global challenges if we do not rebuild international relations based on solidarity, constructive cooperation, justice, mutual respect, and the non-interference in the affairs of others and respect for national sovereignty. This is the difficult formula that the Secretary-General mentioned in his opening statement. Therefore, Tunisia renews its call for a comprehensive and deep reform of the international financing system and its institutions to guarantee justice and access to financial resources to strengthen its effectiveness to serve comprehensive development by putting in place innovative mechanisms to finance development similar to the ESCWA initiative to swap debts for climate action, which we have joined, which aims to transforming obligations of external debt service to investment in climate work and the SDGs. Tunisia reaffirms the importance of making every possible effort to recover stolen and smuggled funds and assets to strengthen international justice and guarantee people's right to development and good governance. My country believes that this is a sovereign, imprescriptible right. Mr. President, we believe that there are close links between development and peace. Therefore, my country reaffirms that investing in people, especially when it comes to education, health, infrastructure, environment, this is the main guarantee to prevent conflicts and to address the causes of irregular migration. Our approach when it comes to dealing with the flows of irregular migration is based on respecting human rights and rejecting all forms of racial discrimination and hate speech. Tunisian authorities continue to make every possible effort to save the lives of irregular migrants on land and at sea to provide them with care and enable them to voluntarily return to their countries of origin in cooperation with the IOM. We renew our call to adopt a comprehensive approach to migration that takes into account the human and historic dimensions and not just the narrow security dimension. And we should not place on countries of the South a burden that exceeds their capacity. We need to support efforts of development in countries of origin and strengthen the integration of young people at the economic and social level and facilitate regular movement. We refuse to be a country of transit for irregular migrants that are victims of networks of human smuggling and human trafficking. Migration must be a choice and not a necessity. If it's regular, it allows us to create wealth and new job opportunities and maintaining human dignity. It is a lever for development and cultural rapprochement between countries. In this regard, we recall the International Conference on Migration that was held in Rome in 2023. We recall the initiative of the President of the Republic of Tunisia of reaching comprehensive and permanent development solutions and to mobilize financial resources to implement them. Tunisia reaffirms the need to separate between financing climate and financing development. We consider that climate financing is a historic responsibility and a right in terms of reparation. Despite the limited contribution of a number of developing countries to global emissions, however, they are the ones facing worsening climate challenges, water scarcity, agricultural land degradation, rising sea levels and other extreme weather phenomena. Therefore, Tunisia calls on meeting the international pledge to mobilize 300 billion US dollars annually and to allocate a percentage of this amount to programs of adaptation while providing mechanisms to access these resources by facilitating technical and financial conditions and to activate the loss and damage fund as an effective and fair compensation mechanism. My country reaffirms that the right to development is an indivisible essential right based on the principles of justice, equality and social and international solidarity. We reaffirm that achieving this right requires an international environment that allows the transfer of technology and facilitates access to concessionary financing and strengthening partnerships between the North and the South. Tunisia is on the path of reform. This was launched in 2021 to strengthen a genuine democracy that guarantees rights and freedoms for all our citizens and meets the aspirations of the Tunisian people to address economic and social challenges. We are relying first on our own ability and our human capital by diversifying partnerships on the basis of mutual benefits in order to serve the interests of the Tunisian people and maintain the independence of the Tunisian decision. We reaffirm our commitment to the values of human rights and public and individual freedoms pursuant to the Constitution of July 25, 2022 and based on our international obligations and the respect of our national sovereignty and independence of our decision and the choices of our people, we reaffirm the importance of strengthening the comprehensive nature of human rights, including economic, climate, social, science and cultural rights, notably the natural right to development. We also believe that the social dimension is important in order to achieve development, to build a coherent and cohesive society. We support the participation of young people in our policies and in solutions because we believe that we must listen to young people. We must take full advantage of their capacity for they are able to change our reality towards the better. Tunisia will also continue to support the legislative and strategic frameworks for an economic integration of women to make sure that women participate in the public sphere and guarantee that they have access to equal opportunities. We are combating all forms of violence and discrimination against women. Tunisia reaffirms its commitment to the agenda of women, peace and security and the agenda of young people, peace and security because we believe that the participation of women and young people in conflict prevention, in addressing crises and building peace is a necessary condition to achieve a just and permanent peace and a comprehensive development. Mr. President, we also believe that there are close ties between the Tunisian and Libyan peoples. We reaffirm our firm and principled position that supports the free choices of the Libyan people. We believe that the situation within Libya is a purely internal affair and not an international affair. The solution can only be Libyan-led without any interference. The Libyan people is a sovereign people and is the only one entitled to put in place solutions with the support of the United Nations. In this regard, we also call for maintaining the sovereignty, independence and unity of Syria. We reject any violations to its territorial integrity. Furthermore, we believe that we need concerted UN and international efforts to find a political settlement for the situation in Yemen to end the suffering of the Yemeni people and achieve peace and security in Yemen. We also call on Sudanese parties to choose dialogue and a peaceful resolution of this crisis to restore security and stability and put an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people from the scourges of war and division. When it comes to the situation on the African continent, we are proud that we are a part of the African continent. Tunisia reaffirms the need to address the vulnerabilities confronting a number of countries in the continent. We call for more concerted UN and international efforts to assist Africa to confront the different challenges and to get rid of crises and advance the efforts to achieve stability, security, peace and development. We also support the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, especially by supporting financial resources to prevent conflicts, to address conflicts and to guarantee the sustainability of peace and security and development all over the African continent. My country believes that we need African solutions for African problems. This should be our approach to achieve our goal of silencing the guns by 2030. We also renew our call for financial and logistic support from the United Nations to peacekeeping operations. And we also need continued cooperation and coordination between UN and regional entities within a participatory approach that prioritizes the security and stability of Africa, the Africa we want. Mr. President, Tunisia renews its commitment to the culture of peace as a strategic choice and a firm principle in our foreign policy. We also reaffirm the need to intensify international efforts to combat hate speech. And incitement of violence. We need to support the role of the United Nations in terms of conflict prevention and conflict resolution through peaceful means. Without selectivity, we also need to strengthen dialogue between civilizations and cultures as a cornerstone for peaceful coexistence between nations. Tunisia participates in peacekeeping functions based on our diplomatic and security doctrine that places people at the heart of our concerns. We believe that protecting civilians is a moral obligation and not just an international obligation. Since the first years of our independence and although our national army was newly formed, Tunisia was one of the first countries that contributed to peacekeeping operations. Today, it is participating in four peacekeeping operations. This reflects the trust of the international community in the qualifications and discipline of Tunisian troops and our commitment to the principles of the United Nations. Based on our historic experience and our early engagement in these humanitarian operations, we believe that protecting civilians is not just a temporary response. It is a continuous action based on prevention and anticipation. Based on our experience, we have organized the International Conference on the Role of Armed Forces in Protecting Civilians in Peacekeeping Operations on the 10th and 11th of July 2025 in cooperation with the UN Peacekeeping Operations Department, which resulted in a number of initiatives and proposals to strengthen the protection of civilians and to achieve the desired outcomes from peacekeeping operations and to renew the trust of countries and peoples in these operations. In conclusion, I reaffirm, Mr. President, Excellencies, that Tunisia, which engaged in the work of the United Nations even before our independence and following our liberation to complete the components of our sovereignty, we are proud of what we have achieved since we have joined the UN on November 12, 1956, in order to defend the UN Charter and reinforce the principles of international peace and security in words and in deeds and our contribution in the efforts of peacekeeping. With the same determination, Tunisia will continue to actively engage in all genuine initiatives to achieve security and stability for all people of the region and the world. We remain hopeful that we will be able to build together a future that carries opportunities that meet the aspirations and the hopes of our people and future generations. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. I thank you for your attention.