🇸🇿King Mswati IIIEswatini · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President of the General Assembly, Your Majesties, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Mr. Secretary-General, ladies and gentlemen, it is with profound humility and great privilege that I address this 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. We congratulate the President of the 81st session on assuming this office and embracing a theme that is both timely and imperative. Restoring trust, managing transformation, a United Nations that delivers for all. This theme speaks directly to two of the most pressing questions facing the international community today. Firstly, can we restore trust in our collective systems? And secondly, can we manage the great transformations of our time in a way that leaves no country, no person behind? The United Nations was born in 1945 from humanity's determination that the tragedies of war should never again define our common destiny. Eight decades later, the world continues to look to this organization as a sanctuary where nations can assemble, where differences can be resolved, through dialogue and where hope can be transformed into tangible action. Yet, at a time when conflicts persist, inequalities deepen, climate-related disasters intensify, and countless communities continue to struggle against poverty and insecurity, the international community must renew its commitment to global cooperation. To ordinary people across the globe, this Assembly must not be perceived merely as a forum where the world discusses its problems, but as an organization that actively solves them. The true test of international cooperation is whether a child in a conflict-affected community can live without fear. A young person can find decent employment. A family can afford food, and a developing nation can access the finance required to build its future. Trust among nations has eroded on multiple fronts. Multilateral commitments have too often gone unmet Financing pledges have not yet been fulfilled and developing countries face trillions of dollars in annual investment gaps to achieve the sustainable development goals. Furthermore, billions of people reside in countries where governments are forced to spend more on debt servicing than on healthcare or education. Restoring trust cannot be achieved through declarations alone. It requires that promises already made be honored and that our institutions demonstrate the capacity and will have to respond to changing global realities. Since the Ezulwini Consensus was adopted in 2005, sadly, Africa still has no permanent seat on the UN Security Council. And yet, the continent remains a global strategic partner in the world stage. The question is, How many more years should African leaders travel to New York and stand before this Assembly to call for a fair representation in the UN Security Council? Mr. President, we are being deprived of the opportunity to contribute to global security issues. We meet at a time when multiple wars and armed conflicts continue to claim lives, destroy infrastructure, and displace communities across various regions of the world. Beyond the immediate human tragedy, these conflicts exert a heavy economic toll. They divert resources that are urgently needed for development into military expenditure. They also drive up energy and transportation costs, disrupt global supply chains, and exacerbate the rising cost of living felt by people everywhere. Peace remains the indispensable foundation upon which all development is built. Where there is war, development is reversed. Where there is instability, investment withdraws. Where there is fear, human potential is lost. The Kingdom of Eswatini remains deeply concerned by the continued conflicts and humanitarian crisis affecting various parts of our world. We call for the continued pursuit of diplomatic and political solutions to these conflicts. While war may create temporal victors on the battlefield, only through dialogue can sustainable peace be established. The United Nations must remain the place where the door to dialogue never closes. On the African continent, continued instability validates the urgent need to strengthen African-led peace processes. There's also a need to support the capacity of African regional organizations to prevent conflict, mediate disputes, and build sustainable peace. The Kingdom of Eswatini believes firmly that peace in Europe, Middle East, and Africa must be echoed in preventing diplomacy, fully supported by the United Nations. We call upon the UN to ensure that countries respect peace agreements that have been signed to avoid drawing back on the gains already made, thus causing more destruction to infrastructure and innocent lives. The UN should provide oversight to ensure follow-ups and monitor compliance. on these agreements to last forever. During the 46th SADC Summit, Eswatini assumed the chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation Troika, whose mandate is to promote peace and stability in the Southern African region. Through this responsibility, we will work closely with all member states to strengthen preventative diplomacy, enhance dialogue and mediation. We believe that for SADC to attain its vision 2050, We have to create a peaceful, competitive, and industrialized region that guarantees sustainable well-being and freedom for all our citizens. The African Union's Agenda 2063 and its aspiration to silence the guns reflect our continent's resolve to end conflict and to create the stable conditions required for sustainable growth. However, we are concerned by the continued incidence of unconstitutional changes of government, which run counter to the values and principles enshrined in the charters of the United Nations the African Union, and the regional economic blocs. Respect for constitutional order and the rule of law is fundamental to stability. We urge the international community to speak with one voice against its erosion. The United Nations should fully support decisions taken by regional bodies to condemn such acts, which cause immense suffering and uncertainty for millions of people. Sustainable development must remain at the center of our collective endeavor. The promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, is a pledge that no person and no country should be left behind. Yet, developing countries continue to face significant challenges, including limited access to finance, technology, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and productive investment. Economic development must increasingly mean the structural transformation of our economies. We need to shift from the exportation of unprocessed raw materials to value addition, local industrialization, and the creation of decent jobs within our own borders. This economic growth objective is now inseparable from the emerging technologies. The transformation brought about by digitalization and artificial intelligence presents enormous opportunities for humanity. It has the power to expand access to education, healthcare, financial services, and economic opportunities. However, innovation must be governed by responsibility and accountability. emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are advancing faster than our current capacity to govern them while retaining human agency and control. This raises critical questions regarding accountability, safety, environmental, impact and the risk of a widening digital divide between those who can shape these technologies and those who are excluded from their benefits in total. The Kingdom of Swazini remains committed to building a more resilient, diversified, and inclusive economy. Our vision is to create an economy that generates decent employment, attracts sustained investment, expands opportunities for our youth, women, and marginalized groups, amongst others, to strengthen their livelihoods. To this end, we continue to invest strategically in human capital, infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture, tourism, industrialization, and digital development, mining, while positioning Eswatini effectively within regional and global value chains. We appeal to the UN for support towards enhancing the capacity of African countries in developing value addition on their natural resources, as well as creating a trading hub for precious and earth minerals and other commodities for the continent. In this regard, The African Continental Free Trade Area, AfTA, provides a vital platform for African nations to move beyond raw material exports towards greater value addition, industrial processing, and intra-African trade so as to fulfill our vision. No country can achieve sustainable development while large segments of its population remain on the margins of the economic mainstream. Our citizens must not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of employment. They must be full participants as key pillars of our sustainable growth. We have created an inclusive environment for all our people irrespective of their gender or religion at the apex of our economic growth strategy. Economic and social progress, however, remain vulnerable to global health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic taught humanity a vital lesson. No country can protect itself from a global health emergency alone. Yet, even as we recover from that crisis, recent resurgences of impox, recurring Ebola outbreaks, and other emerging infectious diseases remind us that our health system must remain vigilant and resilient. We must decisively address persistent inequalities in access to vaccines, medicines, and medical technologies. Critical, the international community must support African countries in developing robust local and regional capacities to manufacture essential pharmaceuticals and health products. In a recent meeting of the East, Central and Southern African Health Community Conference held in Eswatini, the countries resolved to act as a singular bloc when purchasing essential drugs and medical supplies. This will help reduce cost and ensure supply chain stability. We appeal to the UN through the World Health Organization to support this endeavor. Parallel to health, security is the fundamental crisis of climate change, which is another defining challenge of our generation. Developing countries contribute minimal to global emissions. yet bear the brunt of droughts, floods, shifting weather patterns, and climate-induced shocks. Therefore, climate action must be accompanied by climate justice. We call for stronger international cooperation in climate adaptation, resilience, technology transfer, capacity building and access to predictable, affordable climate finance. We must protect our environment not only for our present generation, but for those yet unborn. In our region, we are currently confronted by what has been predicted as one of the most severe El Nino weather patterns on record. Addressing this requires us to draw deeply upon strained national resources to protect our people and preserve their livelihoods. Directly linked to climate resilience is our commitment to food security. Our national objective is to ensure that every family has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. This is a matter of basic human dignity and sustainable development. To achieve this, we are intensifying investment in agriculture, modern farming technologies, research, infrastructure and the empowerment of our smallholder farmers. We continue to provide subsidies for farming inputs and implements to support subsistence farmers. Furthermore, we have embarked on major dam construction projects for irrigation, which are set to transform our agricultural landscape, particularly in the lowveld. National endeavours such as this are greatly enhanced by international cooperation. The partnership between the United Nations and the Kingdom of Eswatini has been instrumental in advancing our national development aspirations and implementing the SDGs. This collaboration spans critical sectors, including health, tourism, education, agriculture, and renewable energy. We deeply value this partnership and remain committed to ensuring a strong and enduring United Nations presence in our country, including the establishment of a permanent UN home in Eswatini. Just as partnerships at home are vital, so is inclusive participation on the international stage. Taiwan plays a vital role in global supply chains. It has much to contribute to the international community and can play a highly meaningful role in building a sustainable future for humanity. The United Nations should seek appropriate ways to facilitate Taiwan's substantive participation in UN meetings and activities, enabling it to share its expertise and actively engage with international partners. Mr. President, as we convene at this pivotal moment in the life of the United Nations, let us remember that our differences need not prevent us from finding common ground. The world does not require perfect consensus on every issue. It needs the courage to identify areas where cooperation is possible and the will to act upon them. Let us restore faith in diplomacy and dialogue. Let us reestablish trust in international cooperation and, above all, reaffirm our belief that humanity's shared challenges can be addressed when nations choose cooperation over division. The United Nations must remain a house where every nation, large or small, has a voice, and where the sovereignty and dignity of all member states are fully respected. As world leaders, we come here every year to promote dignity, peace, justice, humanity, and cooperation in order to create a better world and we should never give up to fight for it. The Kingdom of Eswatini stands ready to work with all Member States, the United Nations system, regional organizations, and international partners to advance peace, dialogue, sustainable development, and human dignity for all. We take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to all UN agencies and the support structures for their diligent work in ensuring the success of this gathering and execution of their various duties. I thank you. May almighty God bless us all.