Mohamed Ould Cheikh: We work to promote human rights
President of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, in the context of the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, said that in our fight against poverty and exclusion we have created an extended protection network to strengthen the resilience of our most vulnerable citizens. teleSUR
Transcript
00:00 We go live to the UN Headquarters.
00:02 The President of Mauritania is addressing the General Assembly.
00:05 Prime Minister Trudeau, first of all, with the compassion, peace and blessings of the
00:14 Prophet of God.
00:15 Mr. President, Your Majesty's Highnesses, Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of
00:21 the United Nations, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
00:27 It is my pleasure to first of all express my congratulations to Ambassador Denis Francis,
00:38 congratulate him on presiding over the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly,
00:43 and wish him every success in discharging this mission.
00:46 I'd like to thank his predecessor, His Excellency Sadr Qureshi, for the excellent way he steered
00:52 the deliberations of the previous General Assembly.
00:56 I would like to furthermore welcome the efforts made by His Excellency the Secretary General
01:05 of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres, efforts to strengthen the role played by the UN throughout
01:10 the world and to get to the objectives the organization has set for itself.
01:15 Ladies and gentlemen, our world today is undergoing through various acute and overlapping crises,
01:24 so much so that the various effects are sensed by one and all, even if it's not in equal
01:33 measure.
01:34 Our fates are therefore intertwined, and that is why we need to accelerate the implementation
01:41 of sustainable development goals in line with the collective undertakings we took upon ourselves
01:51 to implement them by 2030.
01:53 There is no doubt, in fact, that the pace and the degree of inclusivity of this implementation
02:00 have so far been below our expectations, given the complexity and the diversity of the challenges
02:07 we are facing.
02:09 Globally speaking, we can say that the progress accomplished so far, in particular in developing
02:16 countries, is slowing down difficulties and even stopping sometimes.
02:25 For example, let me quote the worst in poverty, unemployment, public health and acute food
02:32 crisis, inflation, which could lead to economic recession and greater violence, terrorism,
02:40 a destructive armed complex.
02:42 All of this accompanied with environmental deterioration throughout the world.
02:49 However, as grim as this picture is, we remain hopeful when it comes to implementing the
02:57 SDGs.
03:01 On this will depend our collective capacity to open a new pathway for multilateral cooperation
03:08 to rectify the imbalance in the system of development assistance, to create more effective
03:15 mechanisms for mobilizing the funding which is needed to finance sustainable development.
03:23 And that is why this 78th session of the General Assembly is of particular importance.
03:32 It allows us to take a halfway look at the implementation of SDGs and also to discuss
03:41 the means we can accelerate the process.
03:45 Ladies and gentlemen, in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, we have made the implementation
03:55 of the SDGs the main area of our developmental effort.
04:01 This is shown in our accelerated growth and prosperity strategy, which is the framework
04:10 for our public action for development.
04:14 Thanks to these efforts, and despite the regional and international context which is not favorable,
04:23 we managed to improve many indicators having to do with SDGs.
04:29 We fought against poverty, the vulnerability and exclusion.
04:35 We created a network of social protection, a broad network, so as to strengthen the resilience
04:40 of our most vulnerable nationals, strengthen their purchasing power, and strengthen the
04:47 medical and social coverage so as to progressively get to universal health coverage.
04:57 We undertook structural reforms.
05:00 We did this so as to build a diversified economy, and better able to create jobs and add value.
05:09 We also strengthened the economic governance, financial governance, and monetary governance
05:16 in my country.
05:17 And we did this by strengthening the productivity of such sectors as agriculture, fisheries,
05:23 cattle, husbandry.
05:26 So as to achieve food security and self-sufficiency.
05:33 And thanks to these reforms, the economic growth in Mauritania was at the level of 6.4
05:43 last year.
05:45 Access to basic services also improved, and the offer of health services has broadened.
05:53 Access to drinking water reached 72.32 percent.
06:00 Access to electricity 91.84 percent in urban area, and 53 percent on average throughout
06:12 the country.
06:13 The share of renewable energies in our energy mix is 34 percent in 2020.
06:22 And we are aiming for 50 percent in 2030.
06:27 The energy diversification horizon has broadened in Mauritania thanks to a program for the
06:35 development of green hydro energy that we've just launched.
06:39 And this provides us with an alternative sustainable solution when it comes to clean energy.
06:45 This helps us implement the objective of the nationally determined contribution, namely
06:53 an 11 percent drop in carbon emissions.
06:57 COP28, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates, will be – is for us a source
07:07 of great hope.
07:08 We call on industrialized states to honor the commitments they undertook when it comes
07:14 to greenhouse gas emissions and the commitments they undertook during the Paris summit.
07:22 Our efforts in terms of energy transition are accompanied by continued fight against
07:29 desertification and other climate change.
07:32 We're doing this so as to restore the balance of our ecosystems.
07:37 It is within this framework that we're implementing the initiative on the Great Green Wall, and
07:43 there we are active within the Permanent Interstate Committee on Fighting Drought in the Sahel.
07:51 We are strengthening, thus, the green economy.
07:55 We also are investing in our human capital.
07:59 We implemented various youth training programs to make it easier for them to enter labor
08:07 markets and to protect them against extremism and fundamentalism.
08:10 We launched the programs of women empowerment and to strengthen their participation in the
08:15 political and public life of the country.
08:18 Numerous promising reforms are also underway in the area of education, so as to create
08:27 a republican schooling system which gives all of our children quality education and
08:33 gives them equal opportunity.
08:34 Furthermore, we're actively working on strengthening the rule of social cohesion and individual
08:41 and collective freedom.
08:44 In fact, we are ensuring that human rights are promoted.
08:49 We're promoting the rights of women and children, and we're fighting against any contemporary
08:53 forms of slavery.
08:56 And we have seen positive results in all of these areas.
08:59 This was also praised by our partners and international organizations involved in these
09:04 matters.
09:05 In all of the aspects of our public policy, we use dialogue and openness with all parties.
09:13 We undertook an in-depth report of our judicial system to strengthen the independence of our
09:18 judiciary and to guarantee that there is a separation of powers.
09:22 We also developed various mechanisms of combating against resistance to these reforms.
09:34 We heightened their transparency through reinvigorated democracy.
09:38 This would have been impossible without security and stability, which we have throughout the
09:43 country despite the fact that the regional and international environment is particularly
09:48 unstable currently.
09:50 This integrated security strategy was also praised by all stakeholders.
09:55 We have contributed to the stability and security of the subregion through the G5 Sahel, which
10:02 we're currently chairing.
10:04 We're also contributing to MINUSCA in the Central African Republic and are hosting more
10:12 than 100,000 of our Mali brothers who found refuge in Mauritania in the wake of the instability
10:21 in their country.
10:25 Our efforts to achieve regional and international peace and stability is part of our foreign
10:32 policy based on good neighborliness, mutual respect, constructive cooperation, dialogue,
10:40 upholding international treaties, and support for any and all just cause.
10:49 In this regard, I would like to reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to create
10:55 an independent state with a capital in East Jerusalem under the relevant resolutions of
11:01 the United Nations.
11:04 The Arab Peace Initiative, we also support any and all solution aimed at preserving the
11:11 territorial integrity, stability, and security in Libya, Yemen, and in Syria.
11:18 We call for the deployment of any and all possible efforts so as to put an end to the
11:22 hostilities and to do this effectively in Sudan and to reach a comprehensive political
11:31 solution in this brotherly country.
11:34 Also, we stand with the Government of Somalia in the efforts they are making so as to attain
11:42 stability in their country.
11:44 We reiterate our position of principle when it comes to the conflict in Western Sahara.
11:49 We support the efforts being made by the United Nations and the various Security Council resolutions
11:55 aimed at finding a lasting and acceptable solution for all.
12:01 We firmly condemn the phenomenon of Islamophobia, which distorts Islam and which assaults division
12:09 and hatred between the West and Islam.
12:14 We would like to express our very serious concern as regards the continued war in Ukraine.
12:20 We call for a negotiated solution, taking into account the concerns of various parties
12:25 in respect of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
12:30 We reject any coming into power through non-constitutional means, in particular in the Sahel, and call
12:38 on brotherly countries in the Sahel to rapidly return to a constitutional order.
12:47 We are aware that a lot remains to do so as to attain the SDGs.
12:53 We in Mauritania need resources which are far greater than what we can mobilize domestically.
13:01 Our situation in this regard is not stable.
13:11 We were listening to the statements of the President of Mauritania at the General Debate
13:15 of the 78th Session of the General Assembly, Mohamed Oudjik El Gurswani.
13:21 He said the world is experiencing a multi-faceted crisis that is felt in different measures
13:26 by all.
13:27 The President said that the work in developing countries, especially to reach sustainable
13:33 goals is slowing down.
13:34 We got the signal of a return to the UN for the statements of the President of Mauritania.
13:42 Through multilateral cooperation we should be strengthened.
13:47 Ladies and gentlemen, our organization is the very institutional embodiment of our common
13:57 destiny and the need to cooperate and of solidarity so as to meet the common challenges whilst
14:05 upholding our common values.
14:08 And that is why we need to work together so as to continue with the reform of this organization.
14:17 This is needed for the purpose of working in a more balanced way to resolve international
14:26 crises, taking into account the needs of the least developed countries.
14:31 This will help us strengthen the trust everyone should have in the United Nations and trust
14:40 in its effectiveness and its work for international peace and security.
14:44 I thank you and may the peace of God be on one and all of you.
14:47 On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
14:52 for the statement just made.
14:54 We were listening to the statements of the President of Mauritania, Mohamed Oul Cheikh
14:58 El Gurswani.
14:59 As we were saying, he was referring to the crisis that is being experienced by the world.
15:04 Yet, the head of state said that despite all the dire situations that are being lived in
15:10 different parts of the world, there is still hope only if cooperation and solidarity is
15:15 taken in a true form.
15:17 The Mauritanian President reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to an independent