🇰🇭Sokhonn PrakCambodia · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. First, I wish to extend my warmest congratulations to Your Excellency, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, on your election as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Cambodia assure you of its full support as you guide our work under the timely theme, restoring trust, managing transformation, a United Nation that delivers for all. I express Cambodia's appreciation to Her Excellency, Madam Annalena Baerbock, for her active leadership of the ADF session. It is my great honor to pay tribute to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his steadfast leadership and dedicated service to the United Nations throughout his two mandates. and for his unwavering commitment to multilateralism, peace and security, sustainable development, and the principle and purposes of the UN Charter during a decade marked by profound turbulence and transformation. Mr. President, 81 year ago, In the aftermath of the devastation of the Second World War, the nation that founded our organization made a solemn pledge to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. That commitment remains as vital today as it was in 1945. While the world has thus far been spared another global war, Armed conflicts continue to inflict immense human suffering across many regions. Concurrently, geopolitical rivalries, climate change, widening inequalities, rapid technological transformation, and transnational threat are placing growing strain on international peace, stability. and cooperation. At a time when international cooperation is more necessary than ever, trust among nations is being tested, while confidence in multilateral institutions and their capacity to respond effectively to common challenges is under increasing pressure. Our response cannot be retreat. The world needs the United Nations not less, but more. But it also needs a United Nations that commands trust because it is principled, representative, effective, and capable of delivering the purpose and principle of its charter. Trust is not restored by declaration alone. It is earned through consistency. When commitments are honored, international law is respected, disputes are settled by peaceful means, sovereign equality must remain a principle fundamental principle of international relation. The Charter does not prescribe one standard for the powerful and another for the less powerful. All member states, large or small, are equal before the Charter and are bound by the obligation it establishes. Mr. President, Cambodia understands the value of trust from its own history. Our country endured decades of conflict, genocide, division, and immense human suffering. Cambodia rebuilt peace through dialogue, trust, and confidence building, and the political courage and wisdom embodied in our former prime minister, win-win policy, which brought national reconciliation and unity. That experience continues to shape Cambodia's approach to international relations and its commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes, including those concerning our shared border with Thailand. In this period, Cambodia expresses its sincere appreciation to the international community for its continued attention, contribution and support for effort to achieve a peaceful and lasting resolution of the dispute. Recent tension and conflict have seriously eroded trust and confidence between Cambodia and Thailand. Beyond putting a strain on relations, this conflict has left deeper and more enduring scars, including damage to cultural heritage and lingering threat posed by unexploded ordnance, among others. Yet, geography binds us together. As permanent neighbors, our two countries will always live side by side. And peace, stability, and prosperity of our peoples are closely interconnected. Rebuilding trust is therefore not merely desirable. It is essential to the future of our bilateral relation and to a shared interest in lasting peace and good neighborly relations. For Cambodia, restoring trust must be grounded in concrete commitment. It requires the full and effective implementation in good faith of the agreements reached between our two countries. These include the Kuala Lumpur Joint Declaration, the first young consensus and in particular the joint statement of 27 December 2025 under which both sides committed to the renunciation of the threat or use of force respect for international boundary and to concrete measure to de-escalate tension rebuild trust and advance the normalization of bilateral relation. Among those measures, the prompt resumption of the survey and demarcation work of the Joint Boundary Commission would contribute significantly to addressing outstanding boundary-related claims and establishing a clear and mutually recognized boundary. in accordance with international law and the existing treaty and agreement between the two countries. Equally important and with direct humanitarian implication is enabling the more than 20,000 Cambodian civilians who remain unable to return to their home due to the continued military occupation and obstruction. In the words of the UN Special Rapporteur, who visited the border last July, they need and deserve to go home. Likewise, the cessation of activities in occupied territories that could create or consolidate a fair company would provide a tangible demonstration of goodwill and respect for international law. This same commitment to the peaceful settlement of dispute is reflected in our approach to the maritime dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. Last May, Thailand decided to unilaterally terminate the MOU 2001. the only existing legal framework between our two countries, specifically established to address our maritime dispute, despite our repeated call not to do so. Cambodia was thus forced to place its trust in institutions that uphold the principle of international law by initiating compulsory conciliation proceeding under UNCLOS. As our Prime Minister, Samdech Mabahavathabodei Hun Manet, stated in his special address last June, we have taken this step to protect Cambodia's sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with international law. Cambodia has always sought to resolve disputes with our neighbor peacefully. We continue to seek a relation with Thailand based on peace, cooperation, and mutual respect. Both Cambodia and Thailand stands to gain from a fair and lasting settlement agreed with the guidance of international expert conciliator and in accordance with international law. In this connection, Cambodia is grateful to the Conciliation Commission for demonstrating its strong willingness to assist the parties in resolving this dispute peacefully during the first meeting in Singapore earlier this month. The value of conciliation should be approached as a meaningful opportunity to bridging differences rebuild trust, and lay a stronger foundation for peaceful and constructive relations between our two countries. Mr. President, the question is no longer whether our world is changing, but whether we can shape that change together and turn transformation into opportunities rather than division and insecurity. Technology illustrate both the promise and the risk. Artificial intelligence and digital innovation can accelerate development and expand opportunities, but their misuse can also deepen inequality, insecurity, and transnational crime. Combating online scam has become one of our highest national priority. Cambodia has strengthened its legal and institutional framework and intensified law enforcement operation against scam centers and the criminal network behind them with undeniable result. But no country can succeed alone. Criminal networks operate across borders and require stronger international cooperation. This week, Cambodia has successfully hosted an international conference on combating online scam, co-sponsored by UNDOC and Interpol, among others. The conference called for a collective and coordinated action at national, regional, and global levels to disrupt and eradicate this crime.

Mr. President, Cambodia is pleased and honored to host in Phnom Penh on the 15th and 16th of November next, the 20th Summit of La Francophonie. Nearly 30 years after the historic Hanoi Summit, this new gathering of the French-speaking community in Asia carries particular significance. It demonstrates the vitality of a Francophonie that transcends borders, continents and cultural differences. The theme of the summit, "Reinvesting in peace for shared and sustainable prosperity", together with that of this year's session, reflects a common imperative. Restoring trust and reinvesting in peace reinforce one another. Beyond celebrating the French language, Cambodia wishes to make this summit a moment of bringing together peoples from all continents around shared values, peace, respect for diversity, dialogue among cultures, solidarity, mutual understanding and cooperation. The presence of heads of state and government will give this summit its full political and symbolic significance and will make Phnom Penh a major venue for dialogue among nations. The Kingdom of the Angkor Temples looks forward to welcoming everyone with the hospitality for which it is known, Mr. President. We cannot restore the world of yesterday, nor should that be our ambition. Our responsibility is to strengthen our confidence in our collective ability to navigate the world of tomorrow. To restore trust, we must uphold the same principles for all. To manage transformation, we must ensure that progress serves everyone. And for the United Nations to deliver results for all, Every Member State, whether large or small, developed or developing, must see its dignity, its voice and its future reflected in this Organization. Cambodia will continue to work with all Member States towards this goal, as it has done by contributing more than 10,000 of its peacekeepers to United Nations peacekeeping operations over the past 20 years. Thank you very much for your attention.