🇮🇶Ali Falih Al-ZaidiIraq · UNGA 81 speech

In the name of Allah, the most.

Gracious, the most merciful. Mr. President of the United Nations General Assembly, Your Excellency, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Excellencies, Esteemed ladies and gentlemen, Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings. It is with great honor and pride that I stand before this international forum representing the Republic of Iraq, the home of the first civilizations, and where writing and law were born, and one of the founding members of the United Nations. I stand here to renew my country's commitment to the United Nations Charter and principles, and to present Iraq's vision for its future, its region, and the world at this critical juncture. Iraq, perhaps more than others, has experienced wars and the damage they cause. We have lived through the conditions they create, along with the siege and terrorism imposed on us. Our people have paid a hefty price and lost the lives of their children, their resources, and their development opportunities. Despite these difficulties that have made our country over several decades an arena of war and conflict, today, We are confidently presenting our vision for the future. Iraq aspires to exercise its influence and have an impact as an effective economic power in the region, and as a bridge for dialogue and cooperation among the peoples of the region. Ladies and gentlemen, our vision at this stage is based on our national will to restore the sanctity of the law, enhance state institutions, and strengthen citizens' trust in them. These are our governing priorities. We are striving to ensure that the state is the ultimate decision maker in matters of peace and war, and that weapons and tools of power remain in the hands of its constitutional institutions. This is so that the law is the final authority and national interest is the compass. Our implementation measures in this field are moving on track, as they represent the basis for building a state based on institutions, protecting sovereignty, ensuring stability, and creating the environment necessary for development and investment. With the end of the international coalition's mission in Iraq, we are moving our relationship with our strategic partners to a new phase, moving from military cooperation to economic and development cooperation in service of our common interests. In this manner, We add to Iraqis' victory over terrorism a redoubled determination and momentum to finish building our military and security capacities in order to protect our country, our people, and our sovereignty. In order to sustain integration with our international friends, we call on all partners to exercise border control, address gaps, and remain constantly vigilant in order to prevent the formation of an environment conducive to extremism. Ladies and gentlemen, in the context of institutional reform, our government is fighting a battle against corruption and for the protection of public funds. We are moving forward with sustainable core solutions in order to increase performance efficiency and improve providing services. We aim to build a strong state and a diversified and modern economy that keeps pace with global technological and digital transformations. And accordingly, We are working to employ all successful expertise and innovative experiences in the world of economics, finance, and business in service of a renaissance of economic and financial reform for my country. We also do this to provide a safe environment for national and foreign investment. This vision is based on the great potential Iraq possesses in terms of resources and investment opportunities in the fields of energy, industry, agriculture, transport, and technology, not to mention Iraq's exceptional geographical location, which connects its economy to the world. In this context, our vision aims to move Iraq to a stage where it can be an effective production partner in the region by gradually reducing the role of the rentier economy, strengthening open market policies, developing production and export capacities, and investing in infrastructure and services. On this basis, we have developed the appropriate roadmap to support the private sector, provide the necessary legal, tax, and customs facilities and guarantees for the growth of business and foreign trade, and build effective partnerships with the global market to accelerate achieving sustainable development. In the field of global energy, Iraq's influence is prominent as our government is adopting an ambitious program to increase the production of crude oil, in a manner consistent with the size of our proven reserves. Our government is also working to develop gas fields and expand refining capacities and our capacities to produce derivatives. And we are also working to improve our petrochemical industry capacities. Our ambition is for Iraq to be a global hub for energy production, and to leverage its potential to promote regional and international security and stability in a sustainable manner. Nevertheless, we express concern regarding developments concerned with freedom of transport and maritime navigation, and the crisis this has caused in terms of the rise of global energy prices. In order to contain the subsequent risks and the consequences on our peoples, we are working to diversify our oil export ports and develop energy lines and corridors linking Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, and Syria in order to reach global markets with the aim of contributing to energy security and diversifying supply routes. Excellencies, economic diversification on the basis of genuine partnerships is a central strategic objective of our economic policy. Therefore, our government has set among its priorities the goal of promoting economic and industrial development in all fields. The Development Road project comes as Iraq's comprehensive vision for regional complementarity, integration, and stability. It represents a vital gateway and a strategic corridor for trade, investment, industry, and energy, connecting the east with the west, starting from the Grand Al-Faw port to Turkey and from there on to Europe. We want for this project to be open to partnership with all our neighbors and friends, because we believe that economic interests create prosperity. When the countries of the region are connected, through ports, railways, power lines, trade and investments, they have a greater interest in preserving stability. Here, from the United Nations, we say to the world, invest with Iraq. Iraq has resources, markets, a good location, and the necessary will to build a new economy. Our government is hard at work to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, create employment opportunities, transfer technology and knowledge, and develop Iraq's productive capabilities. Ladies and gentlemen, the security of states and the maintenance of peace are a shared responsibility, as per the Charter of the United Nations. True stability is not built through wars, but through common interests that make cooperation more feasible than conflict. Iraq's vision is based on contributing to the region's transition from conflict to integration, from competition to cooperation, from resource depletion to investment in development. On this occasion, we extend our hands to everyone on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, good neighborliness, strengthening mutual interests, and adopting dialogue as a means to address differences. Based on these principles, Iraq renews its position in support of dialogue and diplomacy to defuse any crises. We also call for support for efforts for the passage of trade through Iraqi territory with great facilities in order to provide alternatives to complex trade corridors. Ladies and gentlemen, Iraq believes that our responsibility towards the peoples, their security and stability requires working to end conflicts through negotiation in order to secure a safe future and prevent future wars. Here at the United Nations Headquarters, there is a replica of the stele of the Babylonian King Hammurabi. It has an inscription which reads: Laws are made to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak. In today's world, we find the weak being oppressed because it is the law of the powerful that governs, not the power of the law. Therefore, the question of Palestine remains central to any discussion of stability in the region. There will be no room for security in the Middle East without a just solution for this issue and without establishing the right of the Palestinian people to their land, to self-determination, and to establishing their sovereign state. We stress here the paramount importance of facilitating humanitarian access and the protection of civilians. Ladies and gentlemen, the security we seek is not limited to halting conflicts, but rather includes confronting climate change, the effects of desertification and water scarcity. These are challenges that Iraq faces that affect its food security. Therefore, we affirm that we hold steadfastly onto our just and legitimate water rights, and we call for the joint management of water resources in accordance with the principles of cooperation and international law. In terms of risks, we continue to confront organized crime by cooperating with all friends to repel the dangers of organized crime and to abort the cross-border drug trade. We call for more information sharing and international coordination to ward off this danger that threatens societies. Amid these challenges, the well-being of the Iraqi people remains our ultimate objective and the focus of all of our efforts. Given the high proportion of young people in our society, we seek to make them a true driving force of the future economy through education, the diversification of employment opportunities, support for entrepreneurship, and the advancement of digital economy. At the same time, we remain committed, in accordance with the Constitution, to protecting human rights and freedoms, promoting women's participation, ensuring child welfare, and preserving the ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of our country. Ladies and gentlemen, we confidently call upon you to engage more openly with Iraq, as it is a genuine partner capable of contributing to the promotion of security, the strengthening of stability, and the acceleration of development across all sectors. Today we say Iraq has never been on the margins. Rather, it is the heart of history beating in the modern world. Iraq is a nation worthy of partnership as we move toward the future. In conclusion, we reaffirm our support for the United Nations' role and express our appreciation for its efforts, which have embodied collective action in support of Iraq through the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNAMI. And we underscore our commitment to fostering productive cooperation with the organization and wish it success in its endeavors to mitigate the effects of wars and the consequences of conflict around the world. May God's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you all.