🇺🇬Jessica Rose Epel AlupoUganda · UNGA 81 speech

The President of the UN General Assembly, Excellencies, the Heads of State and Government, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. I wish to bring you warm greetings from His Excellency General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, on whose behalf I am delivering this statement. And the statement reads as follows. I wish to express my gratitude for the invitation extended to me to address this 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. I have been unable to attend in person and delegated her Excellency, Major Retired Jessica Alupo Rose Apell, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda to represent me. I congratulate His Excellency Dr. Khaledul Rahman on your election as President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and assure you of Uganda's full support. I also thank His Excellency, Her Excellency, Ms. Annalena Baerbock, for her stewardship of the 80th session and wish to thank the Secretary-General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres for his unwavering commitment to the United Nations. Mr. President, 80 years ago, the United Nations was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to foster international cooperation and prevent future armed conflicts. As we convene here today, we must confront the reality of living in very uncertain times, shadowed by the persistent threat of global conflict. It is imperative that we work together to avert warfare. We must reflect on the founding principles of the UN Charter and recommit ourselves to saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights and the dignity of human person, ensuring equal rights for all large nations and small, establishing conditions for justice and respect for international law, and promoting social progress alongside better standards of life. Uganda firmly believes that multilateralism and international cooperation remain the most vital mechanisms for addressing our shared challenges. Accordingly, we remain and reaffirm our commitment to the principles of the UN Charter as the cornerstone of global diplomacy, supporting the interconnected pillars of peace and security, human rights, humanitarian affairs, and sustainable development. We believe the United Nations must remain agile and adaptive to evolving global realities. Uganda is committed to working with the entire membership to build consensus on necessary systemic reforms, particularly within the UN Security Council. We call for a comprehensive reform to render the Council more equitable, transparent, democratic and representative. In this regard, we demand Africa's rightful representation in both the permanent and non-permanent categories to correct historical imbalances in line with the common African position articulated in the Eswatini Consensus and the Sauti Declaration. Regarding the ongoing UN Aid Initiative, Uganda commends efforts to streamline the UN system to make it cost-effective, efficient and well-coordinated. However, these reform processes must not dilute agreed UN mandates, commitments and programmes, nor should they impede the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Mr. President, when we adopted the 2030 Agenda for SDGs, the 17 SDGs, in 2015, we committed to leaving no one behind. Yet progress remains elusive, with only 36% of the 139 targets currently on track. Numerous obstacles hinder our efforts to accelerate progress, key among being limited physical space. Many developing countries lack sufficient financial resources to fund their development needs, with a disproportionate share of revenues directed towards debt servicing rather than critical public infrastructure and social services. This challenge requires urgent reform of international financial architecture to afford developing nations a stronger voice in decision making, alongside the full implementation of the Seville commitment of the Pact for the Future. Furthermore, equitable taxation is essential for mobilizing domestic resources. An inclusive international tax system is critical for strengthening global cooperation, curbing illicit financial flows, and addressing profit shifting by multinational corporations. Uganda fully supports the ongoing intergovernmental negotiation on the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation and its protocols on cross-border services and tax dispute resolution, and we urge all member states to negotiate constructively. Uganda has commended the implementation of its fourth national development plan as part of our national strategy to accelerate economic transformation and achieve sustainable development. This strategy is anchored on four high-impact growth pillars, including agro-industrialization, tourism development, mineral exploitation, and science, technology, and innovation. Our goal is to drive double digit growth over the five-year period and ultimately grow our economy tenfold to a GDP of 500 billion US dollars by 2040, creating jobs and enhancing the quality of life of all Ugandans. Mr. President, Distinguished delegates, the peaceful resolution of conflicts through diplomacy is indispensable for sustainable peace, security, and economic growth. Most conflicts arise from unresolved local and regional grievances and demand comprehensive, politically-led, and locally-owned solutions rather than purely military responses. Uganda remains a consistent contributor to regional stability, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region. And our security approach is rooted in a Pan-African framework that seeks peace through collective alliances and regional cooperation. Mr. President, investing in a healthy population remains a core strategic priority for Uganda. Under NDP4, we are expanding health investments to ensure accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare across the country. This includes modernizing health centers, upgrading regional referral hospitals, and integrating digital health solutions to improve service delivery and accountability. We are actively addressing the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and our responses to HIV/AIDS combine strong political leadership with sustained community involvement, keeping Uganda on track to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and contribute to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Having successfully contained outbreaks such as the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, Uganda has built a resilient public health framework. We call upon development partners and multilateral institutions to bridge financing gaps, enhance pandemic preparedness, and ensure equitable access to diagnostic tools medicines and vaccines worldwide. As the chair of NAM, Uganda continues to uphold the principles of unity, peace and solidarity among developing nations. We remain dedicated to advancing the International Covenant on the Right to Development, aiming to transform the 1986 declaration into a binding operational instrument that tackles structural global inequalities. We look forward to hosting the ministers of NAM member states and observers at the ministerial meeting of the NAM Coordinating Bureau in Kampala from December 2nd to 4th, 2026. Mr. President, as the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General progresses, Uganda has presented a candidate in the name of Ambassador Olara Otunnu. Ambassador Olara Otunu brings over four decades of distinguished service across the UN system, international diplomacy, and public administration. As the inaugural Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, 1998-2005, he placed the protection of war-affected children firmly on the Security Council agenda and established the monitoring and reporting mechanism under Resolution 1612 in 2005. His extensive experience Statesmanship and proven capacity for consensus building make him exceptionally qualified to lead the Secretariat at this critical time. As I conclude, Mr. President, for eight decades, the United Nations has stood as a central pillar of international peace, human rights, and development. While acknowledging its vital achievements and convening power, We must continue to reform the organization to ensure it becomes more transparent, cost-effective, efficient, and representative. Through renewed international cooperation, the UN can truly deliver on its founding promises for all humanity. I thank you for your kind attention.