🇸🇲Luca BeccariSan Marino · UNGA 81 speech

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, San Marino is the world's oldest republic. For more than 17 centuries, we have survived not through military power, territorial expansion, economic might, but through dialogue, respect for the law, neutrality, and the conviction that sovereignty of a small state is no less valuable than that of a great power. Our history has taught a simple lesson. When power is not enough to protect you, rule matter. When you cannot impose your will, dialogue matter. And when the world is divided, institutions that bring states together matter. This is why multilateralism is not an abstract concept for San Marino. It's a fundamental principle of our foreign policy and, in many ways, a lesson drawn from our own history. Our commitment to cooperation and shared rule is also reflected in our relationship with the European Union. The forthcoming signing of the association agreement with the European Union on 19 October will mark a milestone for our country. It represents an historical step toward closer cooperation, shared rule, and greater integration within the European Union, while fully preserving our sovereignty, identity, and institutional specificity. For San Marino, this is not simply an agreement about economic relation. It's a long-term choice to deepen our engagement with Europe while preserving the distinctive character of our republic. It is a choice that reflect a principle at the heart of our history. Cooperation does not diminish sovereignty. For a small state, cooperation, rule, and dialogue are precisely what allow sovereignty to be exercised and protected. Today, that principle is under extraordinary pressure. 81 years ago, the United Nations was created to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Yet today, conflicts are multiplying, inequalities are deepening, climate disruption is accelerating, food and water are increasingly being used as an instrument of pressure, and the rules that have governed international relations for decades are being challenged. We are witnessing the use of force against a sovereign state. We are witnessing violation of international law, humanitarian and human rights law. At such a moment, the answer cannot be less multilateralism. It must be more. And it must be a multilateral that works, that protects the weak as well the strong, on that apply the law equality, and one that give every state, large or small, a meaningful voice. Before turning to the challenge before us, allow me to congratulate His Excellency, Dr. Kalyu Raman, on his election as a president of the 81st section of the General Assembly. San Marino support the priority of your program and stand ready to cooperate fully with you and with all member states in the year ahead. I also wish to express our appreciation to Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his leadership at a time of profound international unsustainability and for his continuing effort to strain the United Nations multilateral system. Mr. President, there can be no world in which might make right. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and self-determination matter. These principles are not optional, and they cannot depend on the size of a country or the power of a government. There can be no impunity for violation of international law. The law must apply to all. For San Marino, this is not an abstract principle. For small state, international law is our protection. It is the ultimate equalizer. A rule-based international order allow every state, large or small, to have an equal voice and equal legal standing. This is why San Marino strongly support the Secretary General UN initiative. The United Nation must become more effective more efficient and more responsive. And reform must include the Security Council. The Council must better reflect today's world. It must be more representative, transparent and accountable. San Marino is also a member of the Uniting for Consensus group and supports its effort to promote a comprehensive and balanced reform of the Security Council. based on a greater regional representation, equitable geographical distribution, and wider access to elected seat. Reform must train the voice of all member states, including the small state, and it must be achieved through broad consensus. We support effort to restrain the use of the veto, including the French-Mexican initiative and the ACT code of conduct in a situation involving mass atrocity alongside the General Assembly veto initiative. We also reaffirm our full support for the International Court of Justice. Its order and judgment are legally binding. Mr. President, the next Secretary-General will carry a vital responsibility. The United Nations must remain relevant and credible. Above all, it must remain capable of protecting people and upholding the Charter. San Marino stands ready to contribute. I now turn to one of the most painful crises of our time. The situation in the Middle East demands clarity. San Marino unequivocally condemns terrorism, including the horrific attack of 7 October 2023. But we must be equally clear on another point. The Palestinian people have an annihilable right to self-determination and to their own state. Statehood is not a reward for terrorism. It's a right. At the same time, nothing can justify the collective punishment of civilians. The suffering in Gaza cannot become new normal. We call for a permanent ceasefire and for full, safe, and and the read humanitarian access. Humanitarian assistance must reach those who need it. Civilian live must be protected. UNRWA and other humanitarian organizations must be able to operate. We call for the permanent disarmament of Hamas and other non-state armed group and for the withdrawal of Israeli force from the Gaza Strip. We support the Palestinian Authority and its reform efforts, including democratic election. We urge Israel to release withheld clearance revenue and to facilitate correspondent banking service for the Palestinian Authority. In the West Bank and the East Jerusalem settlement expansion, settled violence, land appropriation, demolition and eviction must stop. The situation is rapidly deteriorating. I mean, the presidential level of settled violence and settlement expansion included in an unacceptable decision to punish tender for the E1 settlement project. This development undermined the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. The status quo of Jerusalem holy site must be respected. All community, including Christian community, must be protected. Last year, San Marino endorsed the New York Declaration for a two-state solution. Following an unanimous mandate from our Parliament, the Great and General Council of San Marino recognized Palestine as a sovereign and independent state within secure and internationally recognized borders and in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions. We stand by that decision. There is no alternative to the two-state living side by side in peace, security, and mutual recognition. The window for that solution is narrowing. We must act now. Mr. President, the consequences of the conflict extended far beyond Gaza and the West Bank. Escalation across the region, threatening international peace and security. We are deeply concerned by hostility involving Iran and by threat to maritime security in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. Freedom of navigation is essential to global stability. International law, including the UN close, must be respected in Lebanon. We call for full respect for sovereignty and for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701. Civilian infrastructure must be protected. In Syria, we support an inclusive and peaceful political transition that respects sovereignty, protects civilians, and strengthens institutions. Peace cannot be imposed by force. It requires diplomacy and dialogue. And it requires international role. Mr. President, Europe is also facing a war that continues to cause immense humanitarian suffering. San Marino condemns Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, the bombardment of cities, the killing of civilians, attacks on humanitarian workers, the unlawful deportation of children. These are not simply tragedies; they are violations of international law. No state can be allowed to redraw borders by force. San Marino, therefore, reiterates its call for a full, immediate and unconditional cease-fire, leading to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. Any peace must respect Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Mr. President. From Ukraine to Gaza, from Sudan to Syria, from the Sahel to Afghanistan, civilians continue to pay the highest price. Women, children, older people, families forced from their homes, hospitals and schools destroyed, food, water and medicine denied. International humanitarian law was created precisely for these circumstances. It does not disappear in time of war. It is not suspended by political convenience. It must be respected. San Marino strongly condemns the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and calls for all states to implement the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas. Those who deliver humanitarian assistance must also be protected. aid workers and journalists are not legitimate targets. San Marino also reaffirmed its commitment to the Australia-led declaration for the protection of humanitarian personnel and called on all parties to armed conflict to respect and protect humanitarian personnel and to ensure that assistance can reach those in need. Impunity cannot become normal. San Marino, therefore, reaffirms its commitment to the Geneva Convention, the Genocide Convention, and the Roman Statute. And we reiterate our unwavering support for the International Criminal Court. The court exists because the gravest crime cannot go unanswerable. Genocide, war crime, and crime against humanity. Accountability is not an obstacle to peace. It is a part of a lasting peace. The fight against impunity is also an essential element of the responsibility to protect, which must remain a shared responsibility of the international community. Recent political pressure and coercive measures against the Court, its officials and those who cooperate with it are deeply concerning. state parties to the Rome Statute must defend the independence and integrity of the Kurds. San Marino also reaffirmed its historic commitment to the abolition of the death penalty, which it abolished in 1865. This reflects our enduring conviction that human dignity must be protected even in the face of the gravest crime. Justice cannot depend on political power. Mr. President, five years ago, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Five years is too long for half of our population to be denied its right. Afghan women and girls continue to face a systematic restriction on education, employment, movement, public participation, and access to justice. Girls remain excluded from secondary and higher education, women are increasingly excluded from public life. This cannot become normal. San Marino called for the full restoration of the right of Afghan women and girls. Education is a right, work is a right, participation in public life is a right, dignity is a right. These rights do not disappear because a government choose to deny them. The international community must continue to stand with Afghan women and girls. Humanitarian access must also remain underrated. Afghanistan must not be forgotten. Mr. President, children everywhere deserve protection. Children are being killed, maimed, abducted, and recruited. They are losing their home, their school, and their future. San Marino remain firmly committed to the children and harm the conflict agenda and support the work of the UN Special Representative for children in harm and conflict. School must remain safe place. We have endorsed the safe school declaration, the Paris principle and the Vancouver principle. We call on all state to strain the protection of children in armed conflict and the ratify the optional protocol of the convention of the right of the child. Mr. President, the return of nuclear threat is another source of grave concern. There can be no acceptable nuclear threat or acceptable use of nuclear weapon. The modernization and expansion of nuclear arsenal, together with growing military expenditure and the rapid development of artificial intelligences and cyber capabilities, increase the risk of escalation. The consequences of nuclear use will be catastrophic. San Marino remain committed to a world free of nuclear weapons. We support the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We also proudly uphold the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which San Marino has signed and ratified. Diplomacy must prevail over deterrence through fear. Peace and security cannot be separated from development. Nor can development be separated from human right. Conflict destroyed development gain. Poverty, food, instability. Climate change increased pressure on food, water, and community. We must also not overlook the devastating humanitarian and social and economic situation in Cuba. where prolonged hardship is placing an immense burden on the daily life of the Cuban people. We must therefore treat peace, security, human rights, and sustainable development as part of the same agenda. The SDG remain our common commitment. The Pact for the Future provide an opportunity to strain multilateralism and accelerate implementation of the 2030 agenda. But commitments are not enough. We need implementation, financing, and accountability. We also need a fair and more inclusive international financial architecture supported by adequate resources and greater financial stability for the UN itself. The triple planetary crisis, climate change, biodiversity, loss and pollution is already affecting peace and security. Environmental degradation, food insecurity, water scarcity and displacement. The Paris Agreement must be fully implemented. The 1.5 degree goal must remain within reach. The transition must be just and no country should be left behind. Food security must also remain at the heart of our collective effort. Conflict and climate shock are driving hunger and malnutrition. San Marino believes that reducing food loss and waste is one practical contribution of a more secure and sustainable food system. We are also entering a new technological era. Artificial intelligence and emerging technology offer enormous opportunity, but they also create new risks. Technology must serve humanity. It must not be used to undermine human rights. international peace or international humanitarian law. The rule must keep peace with innovation. And where new technology creates new risks, our responsibility is not to look away, but to govern them. This is why multilateralism matters. Multilateralism is not an out-of-date idea. It is not only a framework capable of managing an independent world. No country can address today's challenge alone, protect itself from climate change alone, prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons alone, or regulate global technology alone. And no country can build a lasting peace alone. We need cooperation and institutions that work. And we need the political courage to uphold the rule we have created together. Mr. President, for more than 17 centuries, San Marino has showed that a small state can preserve its independence through dialogue, respect for the law, and engagement with the international community. This is why San Marino will continue to defend the United Nations Charter, international law, human rights, and multilateralism. At a time when the world is tempted by division, we must choose cooperation. When force challenge law, we must stand firmly by the law. And when the spirits grow, we must choose peace. San Marino will do its part. Together, we must ensure that the United Nations remain what it was created to be, a shield for the vulnerable, a forum of dialogue, and a guardian of peace, dignity, and international law. Thank you.