🇲🇪Jakov MilatovićMontenegro · UNGA 81 speech

Distinguished Mr. President, Excellencies, I do want to congratulate, first of all, Dr. Rahman on his election as President of the United Nations General Assembly, and I also wish to thank Mrs. Baerbock for her leadership of the 80th session of the General Assembly. And let me also make a special thanks to Secretary-General Guterres, whose stewardship of this organization and partnership with Montenegro over the past decade we deeply value. It is my great honor to address you today as President of Montenegro. a Balkan and Mediterranean country, a credible NATO Ally, steadily advancing towards membership in the European Union, and deeply committed to regional cooperation and effective multilateralism. In Montenegro, we have an old and simple saying: "A person's word carries weight." This implies that a promise creates responsibility. And what is true between people should also be true between nations. In the opening words of the UN Charter, the nations of the world made perhaps the most important promise of all, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. And eight decades later, as conflicts take lives and displace millions, Geopolitical rivalries placed the international system under growing pressure, and new challenges test our collective capacity to respond. So how well have we kept our pledge? This is best told in numbers. In 2025, the world witnessed more armed conflicts than in any year since 1946. 65 active conflicts, eight of which between the states. More than 240,000 lives lost to organized violence, the deadliest toll in three decades. About 120 million people driven from their homes, roughly one in 70. So, are we leaving a better world to the generations after us? Or have we eroded trust in our collective capacity to evade conflicts and confront the challenges that face the world today? Trust is not built through declarations. Trust is built when commitments are honored, when rules are applied consistently, and when institutions act with transparency, and when people can see that international cooperation produces tangible results in their lives. Excellencies, 20 years ago, shortly after peacefully restoring our independence, Montenegro took its seat in this very Assembly as a full member of the United Nations. And this year therefore holds a very special significance for us. We celebrate 20 years of our UN membership as a sovereign nation. A child born in Montenegro that year is now 20 years old. A generation has come of age. witnessing Montenegro's transformation from a newly independent state into a country helping shape the Balkans, defined not by the conflicts of the past, but by the opportunities of the future. On the geostrategic front, Montenegro has paved the path towards our future in the European Union, which is now within our reach. Our goal is very clear. by 2028 to see Montenegro's flag stand among the member states of the European Union. In 2017, Montenegro joined NATO, strengthening not only our own security, but also contributing to the stability of our entire region. We have kept good relations with our neighbors and demonstrated that the multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural society can turn diversity into confidence, belonging, and the common purpose. At home, we have transformed our economy and strengthened the democratic institutions on which lasting prosperity depends. Much work remains ahead of us, but the foundations have been laid for a society in which talent and effort open doors, and a country where young people can imagine their future at home. For us, the European Union is not simply a destination we wish to reach, but a value-based journey that we have embarked on. When the European perspective of the Balkans was reaffirmed at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003, the world looked very different. Multilateralism and international cooperation were expanding back then. The European Union was one of the most attractive political projects in the world and would welcome 13 new member states over the following decade. At the same time, the Balkans was still emerging from the devastation and divisions of the '90s. More than two decades later, we live in a profoundly different international environment. The international order is entering a new and uncertain phase. And this is why enlargement of the European Union is an act of strategic foresight. It is one of the best investments Europe can make in peace, security and long-term stability. And Montenegro is proud to stand today at the forefront of that process, ready to serve as an example for the other countries. Not because our journey has been without difficulties, but because Our journey demonstrates something essential: that progress is possible, that reforms matter, and that democratic political culture pays off. Earlier this year, leaders from across Europe gathered in Montenegro for the European Union Western Balkans Summit. For Montenegro, that gathering carried a meaning far beyond the protocol. It demonstrated how far our country has traveled and how close our European future has become. And it also sent an important message about our region, that the future of the entire Balkan region lies within the European Union. Our region has carried the weight of division for too long. and the new chapter is being written through cooperation, connectivity, economic opportunity, and economic integration. And my generation has a responsibility to help complete that chapter. These responsibilities are not important because of the titles they carry. They're important because of what they allow us to contribute to reconciliation, connectivity, democratic resilience, and the European future of our region. And lasting reconciliation cannot be built on denial, selective approaches to justice, or the glorification of those convicted of war crimes. It requires respect for the judgments of international courts and equal dignity for every single victim regardless of their identity or background. And in a world searching for proof that cooperation still works, Montenegro is contributing to the vision that the Balkans become that proof. Excellencies, the principle that guides us at home guide us here as well in this very organization. Our engagement with the United Nations system is guided by the same principles. Montenegro is a reliable, credible and predictable partner, committed to an effective multilateral system with the UN Charter at its core, aligned with the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and working closely with our NATO Allies and EU partners in support of international peace and security. And this commitment comes at a time when the United Nations itself is facing a profound test. Eight decades after its foundation, the challenges confronting this organization are increasingly complex and interconnected. Conflicts are eroding trust in the international system. Climate change is testing the resilience of states and of societies, and artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are creating risks at a speed that national frameworks alone cannot adequately address. So the answer cannot be less multilateralism. It must be more effective multilateralism. And Montenegro, therefore, strongly supports the UN reform agenda and the ambition to build a United Nations that is more effective, more agile, more accessible, more financially sustainable and fit for the challenges of our time. This reform must strengthen the UN's ability to deliver where it matters most. in preventing conflict, protecting human rights and freedoms, advancing sustainable development, and responding effectively to humanitarian crises. This responsibility also extends to the Security Council itself, which must become more effective, representative, accountable, and transparent. And the exercise of the veto must carry the weight of conscience Above all, when the world is confronted with mass atrocities and the large-scale loss of civilian life, the Charter of the United Nations must remain our common reference point. And Montenegro will be a constructive partner in those efforts. Excellencies, Montenegro remains committed to supporting Ukraine and welcomes all credible diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the war to this end. We believe that a just and lasting peace must be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy. In Gaza, our responsibility begins with the protection of human lives. Civilians must be protected and humanitarian assistance must reach those in need safely and without any obstruction. Israelis deserve lasting security. And Palestinians deserve dignity, freedom and a viable state of their own. Montenegro supports two-state solution with the State of Israel and viable state of Palestine living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. The disarmament of Hamas remains an important element of a sustainable settlement, while full respect for international humanitarian law must guide us throughout. Different conflicts have different histories. But human dignity cannot have different standards. Neither can international law. The same commitment to international law applies to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a route whose security has implications far beyond the region. Disruptions affect energy markets and global trade. but they also affect food security through the supply and price of fertilizers and other critical agricultural inputs, with particularly serious consequences for vulnerable import-dependent countries. At the same time, we must not allow conflicts that receive less international attention to become forgotten conflicts. In Sudan, in Myanmar, in Haiti, And elsewhere, civilians continue to endure violence, displacement, and profound insecurity. Dear colleagues, human rights are at the heart of the society we are building at home and of the international order we promote abroad. Human dignity is universal and indivisible. That means protecting the rights and freedoms of every single person, combating discrimination and hate speech, and safeguarding the independent institutions, free media, civil society, on which our democratic societies depend. Montenegro is proud of its multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural character. We understand that diversity is not a challenge to be managed. It is a strength to be protected. Montenegro sits where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Balkans. We are a small country shaped by different cultures, religions, and identities. Our history has taught us that living together cannot be taken for granted. It has to be renewed by every generation. And perhaps this is why we understand so well that trust is not the absence of differences. Trust is the ability to live with those differences without allowing them to become divisions. And at a time of growing polarization, societies do not become stronger by making everyone the same. They become stronger by building institutions in which every single citizen can recognize the same fairness and the same dignity. Excellencies, the choices we make today, choices on peace, technology, and climate action will shape the lives of generations yet to come. The Pact for the Future reminds us of precisely this responsibility. that the decisions we make today must not undermine the possibilities of those who will live with their consequences tomorrow. But future generations should not only be the subject of our decisions, they should have a voice in making them. And Montenegro has heard the call from the young people to move from participation to real influence in decision making. Young people are not simply beneficiaries of public policy, they are partners in shaping it. And education, education is our most powerful investment in young people, equipping them with knowledge, with critical thinking, with values they need to shape a better world. And this is very personal to me as well. I know what education can make possible. I was born and educated in Montenegro. And it was education, education which gave me the opportunity to study and work abroad, to learn from other countries, from other institutions, and to ultimately return home to serve my own country. It shaped my belief that the place where a child is born should never define the limits of what that child can become. Coming from a small country, one can sometimes assume that greater size brings greater vision and greater wisdom. But the United Nations reminds us of a simple truth: Vision and wisdom are not measured by the size of a country, but by the ideas we bring and the responsibility with which we act upon. And our responsibility is to expand those possibilities, to build schools that inspire, institutions that recognize talent, economies that reward ideas and work, and societies in which young people have a reason to stay and those who left have a reason to return. And artificial intelligence will increasingly shape those possibilities. But AI presents not only an extraordinary opportunity, it also creates a responsibility to ensure that technological transformation remains human-centered and rights-based. Technology must remain at the service of humanity and not the other way around. Climate change demands the same long-term responsibility. Montenegro carries the identity and responsibility of an ecological state. Our mountains, our rivers, our forests, and the Adriatic Sea are not simply natural resources. They are part of our national identity and of the legacy we will leave to our future generations. But climate change is also a question of global fairness, because those who have contributed the least to this crisis are too often the first and hardest hit by its consequences. And no country can solve this challenge alone. This is one of the clearest reasons why effective multilateralism remains indispensable. Excellencies, to conclude, 20 years ago, Montenegro entered this very hall at the beginning of a new chapter in our history. We have built our institutions, secured our place on the global stage, strengthened our economy, strengthened our democracy, and brought our country within reach of membership in the European Union. Our transformation is not complete, but its direction is very clear. And when the next generation of Montenegro stands in this hall 20 years from now, I hope they will be able to say that we used our moment well, that Montenegro completed successfully its European journey, that our region, the Balkans, left all divisions behind, and that we stood firmly in defense of the rules and principles that protect peace in the world. But above all, I hope they will be able to say something much simpler, that we gave them more opportunities than we had ourselves. Because that is ultimately the responsibility of leadership, not simply to manage the present, but to expand the possibilities of the future. At the beginning of my address, I spoke about the meaning we attach to keeping one's word. And perhaps this is also what the United Nations needs most today. Not new promises for every new challenge, but a renewed confidence that the promises we have already made still carry weight. To uphold the UN Charter, to protect human dignity, to preserve peace, and to leave those who come after us with more possibilities than we inherited ourselves. Excellencies, Montenegro will continue to do its part at home, in our region, and here at this great organization of the United Nations. I thank you very much.