🇲🇺Dhananjay RamfulMauritius · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President, allow me to congratulate His Excellency Dr. Khalilur Rahman on his election to the presidency of the General Assembly and assure him of the support of my delegation. I also wish to pay tribute to His Excellency Antonio Guterres for his outstanding dedication and commitment to this organization during his two terms as Secretary-General. He will be remembered as a leader with a steady hand, always guided by principles of fairness, compassion, and dignity for all. Mr. President, the United Nations has now completed the first eight decades of its existence. Eight decades replete with resolutions, declarations, and action on decolonization, development, new international order, the new constitution for the oceans, as well as climate and the environment, technology, human rights, international law, and peacekeeping. Created in the aftermath of the Second World War, The immediate focus was obviously on peace and security, but the UN system has evolved significantly over the decades to expand its scope and sphere of influence within the confines of its charter. However, the UN must now look to the future, building on its record of achievements, as well as from lessons learned from what it could not achieve. As we look to the next 80 years, we must ask ourselves a searching question. Is the UN fit for the purpose for the 21st century, not the world of 1945, but the world of today and beyond? We are entering a new era of international relations defined by unprecedented technological developments, often absent from the table where the rules of tomorrow are being adopted. developing countries risk being left further behind. The same exclusion afflicts the international financial architecture, which remains skewed against the Global South. Developing nations must have a seat at the table as equal stakeholders. We all acknowledge that the three pillars of the UN Charter are peace and security, development, and human rights. The twin institutional pillars provided in the Charter were and still are the Security Council and ECOSOC as the apex bodies for achieving these purposes. However, over the years, optimal use has been made primarily of only one of these organs. We need to enhance and accelerate the revitalization of the General Assembly and that of ECOSOC so that they are not merely forums for debate but engines of action. This must be done as we bring about the reform of the Security Council. The historical injustice regarding the composition of the Council was acknowledged in Action 39 of the Pact for the Future, but the process for reform is still stalled. Mauritius fully supports the common African position the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sertic Declaration, calling for no fewer than two permanent and five non-permanent African seats on the Council. Mauritius also supports the call for SIDS to have a seat on a reformed Council. On the question of the veto, Mauritius aligns itself with the position of a growing number of states that in the event the veto is retained, Any new permanent member must have the same rights as the original permanent members. Mauritius also supports the Franco-Mexican initiative on the suspension of the veto in cases of mass atrocities. We support the positions of the G4 and the L69 on Council reform, and we reiterate our support for India's candidature for a permanent seat. commensurate with its constructive role in global affairs. Mr. President, Mauritius welcomes the increasing recourse to the International Court of Justice as a mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes and determination of issues of international law. We call upon member states which have not yet done so to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ. We welcome the landmark unanimous advisory opinion of the ICJ on the obligations of states in respect of climate change. This was a vindication of the tireless advocacy of Vanuatu and the core group of states. Mauritius was proud to stand among them. We call for the full operationalization of this advisory opinion, including through the follow-up action requested by this Assembly, in accordance with the UN General Assembly landmark resolution of the 20th of May 2026, welcoming the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of states in respect of climate change. We also support the legal principle affirmed by the ICJ that states are under no obligation to update the maritime baselines or zones to account for climate-induced sea level rise. Mauritius calls for the principle that statehood and sovereignty are not impacted by sea level rise to be formally codified. Mr. President, water stands at the frontline of the climate crisis. Water is a major concern globally. and Mauritius welcomes the holding of the UN Water Conference in December this year. We look forward to this crucial global issue being addressed by the international community as a matter of urgency. We also call for enhanced, accessible and predictable climate finance accompanied by comprehensive capacity building and disaster risk management for the most vulnerable. I also wish to highlight that Mauritius is currently conducting a constitutional review exercise, which will include giving constitutional protection to the rights of nature. Mr. President, the crisis in development financing is deepening. Concessional financing for developing countries is declining precisely when the need is greatest. The graduation of countries, including small island developing states, should be encouraged and supported and not prejudice access to affordable finance. Mauritius calls for a review of the criteria for access to concessional financing that reflect vulnerability rather than income per capita alone. We also call for the strengthening of the rules-based multilateral trading system and for fair, transparent and equitable mechanisms for resolving trade disputes. Mr. President, the rapid evolution of digital and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, is already shaping economic, social and institutional developments across the globe. We support the General Assembly resolution establishing the global dialogue on AI governance and welcome the work being done by the independent international scientific panel on AI. For Mauritius, digital innovation is a developmental imperative. We have launched, with UN support, a national artificial intelligence strategy and a national fintech strategy. We need an open, transparent and inclusive dialogue on governance of the new technologies, which ensures that the benefits of technological progress are shared equitably and that the risks are managed collectively. As a coastal state with an EEZ of 2.2 million square kilometres, that is more than 1,000 times our landmass, Mauritius is profoundly connected to the ocean. reaffirm our unwavering commitment to UNCLOS as the legal framework governing all activities in the oceans, including the seabed and subsoil beyond national jurisdiction. We welcome the decisions of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approving the submission lodged by Mauritius in December 2008 and approved in March 2011, as well as the second one filed in May 2009 and approved in July 2026. We welcome the 100th ratification of the BBNJ Agreement and calls for its prompt and effective implementation. We look forward to its first conference of the parties advancing the institutional financial and procedural arrangements necessary for the effective implementation of the agreement. Collaboration is key to effective maritime security, maritime surveillance and domain awareness. We call on the international community to support regional and sub-regional initiatives in this regard. I am pleased to inform that Mauritius will, with the support of the European Union and the Commission de l'Ocean Indien, will host a ministerial conference on cybercrime and sea cable security in the Western Indian Ocean in the first quarter of 2027. Mr. President, Mauritius welcomes the major developments taking place across Africa with regards to greater integration and pooling of resources, particularly in relation to capacity building. In this regard, Mauritius has initiated action at the UN for promoting enhanced regulatory frameworks in developing countries, namely through pooling of resources. Mauritius attaches great importance to the elimination of all forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. We welcome the high-level meeting on this subject and reaffirm our commitment to the international decade for people of African descent. Mauritius is fully committed to supporting the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Earlier this year, Mauritius adopted new legislation to further enhance the protection of women's rights. Mr. President, we are deeply concerned by the effects of regional conflicts and instability on development, economic growth, food security, and achievement of SDGs. The crisis in the Gulf and threats to freedom of navigation have sent shockwaves across the global economy. For small open economies such as Mauritius, which depends on maritime trade routes for over 90% of its primary energies imports, and more than 70% of its food supply, these effects are felt acutely. We call for restraint, for dialogue, and for a durable diplomatic resolution. On Palestine, Mauritius reaffirms its long-standing position in support of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to an independent, sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security along its neighbors. The cycle of violence must end. Too many people have suffered for far too long. We note with deep concern that the establishment of unlawful settlements may be a major obstacle to peace. Mr. President, I now come to an issue which for Mauritius is non-negotiable. It concerns our sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. The agreement on the Chagos Archipelago, signed by Mauritius and the United Kingdom in May 2025, stands as living proof that trust in multilateralism and UN judicial organs can achieve the peaceful settlement of disputes and the completion of our nation's decolonization and restore the rights of Mauritians of Chagos origin by force of law. Trust, especially amongst neighbors and in the region, is reinforced when there is respect for the rule of law for the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, the ruling of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, and the ICJ's advisory opinion on the Chagos Archipelago, which carries authoritative obligations. We trust that states which laid the very foundation of the new post-war legal order will recommit to full respect and compliance with international law and correct this historical injustice without delay. As William Edward Gladstone, a full term former British Prime Minister and great campaigner for peace and freedom, put it, justice delayed is justice denied.

Mr. President. Tromelin Island is an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius. We have constantly maintained our position concerning the sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over this island. We reiterate our call upon France to engage constructively with a view to resolving the dispute relating to Tromelin Island. in the spirit of friendship which characterizes relations between our two countries.

Mr. President, Mauritius is committed to upholding the pledges made at the Social Summit in Doha last year. Nowhere is that promise to universal social protection more concrete than in our health services. As non-communicable diseases and a rapidly aging population place growing pressure on our health system, We are strengthening public healthcare through major investment, improved service delivery, expanded specialised care, and a greater focus on prevention. Mauritius will continue to offer free and quality public healthcare to each and every citizen. We thus welcome the holding of the 2027 High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, and Mauritius stands ready to contribute to that global effort. Today, the high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response met at a decisive moment. And decisive moments demand more than mere intentions. Mauritius supports the conclusions of the terms of benefit sharing guaranteeing vulnerable countries real access to affordable, safe, effective, and quality medicines including generics, vaccines, diagnosis, diagnostics and health technologies. It is of crucial importance to widen pandemic financing eligibility including the pandemic fund to formally incorporate the multi-dimensional vulnerability index. Mauritius also welcomes UN initiatives on roof on road safety. An issue to which we are touched the highest importance. And which acts as a silent epidemic that continues to claim far too many lives, disproportionately in developing countries. We call for greater international attention and resources for this critical issue.

Mr. President, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in the history of the United Nations. The organization is facing significant challenges, both internally and externally. Internally, there is the process launched by the Secretary-General to update the administrative and financial structure of the Organization to allow our Organization to be better equipped to overcome future challenges. Externally, the role and the functions of the Organization, as well as the composition of its principal organs, are in doubt and need to be redefined. The will expressed by the international community following the war to create an instrument for cooperation in order to establish a new world order is still there. The fact that the number of actors has more than tripled in the past eight decades reflects an engagement and a commitment that is even bigger and even more diverse than it was when the UN was created. We are confident that the international community, around half of which is made-up of young people that aim to protect the planet, that want to better share wealth, and aspire to use new technologies advisedly, will be able to overcome new challenges. We reiterate our commitment to multilateralism. as well as our confidence in its ability to respond to people's expectations. Thank you, Mr. President.