"To destroy our planet is to destroy our existence"
Speech by Stanley Kakubo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zambia, on the last day of the 78th Session of the UNGA. teleSUR
Transcript
00:00 is overcome with the overlapping challenges of war,
00:05 global economic uncertainty, climate change,
00:10 and food insecurity. The cost of war,
00:14 be it in the eastern part of the DRC, or the heart of the Sudan,
00:20 or the war between Russia and Ukraine, has at its best
00:25 led to the displacement of innocent women and children.
00:29 And at its worst, led to the demise of many of our brothers and sisters.
00:35 War has left scars beyond the physical.
00:46 It wounds the soul of nations,
00:50 and fragments the bonds that hold
00:53 humanity together. Needless to say,
00:57 that humanity must win the war against war.
01:01 Neither must we lose the race
01:04 to save our planet. Destroying our planet
01:08 is destroying our own existence.
01:11 At this 78th session,
01:14 we as a global community must bolster
01:18 our commitment towards the implementation
01:21 of all existing agreements. We need to agree
01:26 to work towards strengthening global partnerships,
01:29 and good governance, and we must uphold
01:33 the dignity of all human rights.
01:36 We must accelerate the attainment of
01:40 the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
01:43 We must direct our efforts
01:46 towards addressing inequalities, and also realizing
01:51 a just transition, fostering greater climate
01:55 action for present and future generations.
01:58 In this case, a just
02:02 transition must mean fairness amongst nations,
02:06 while acknowledging that fairness
02:09 is not equality, but fairness must
02:12 guarantee access to each of our unique
02:16 nation's needs. Mr. President,
02:19 nations burdened with debt
02:22 must be guaranteed access to cheaper
02:26 and fairer financing. This ought to be one of the pillars
02:30 of restoring trust in our systems.
02:33 It is therefore imperative that
02:36 international financing institutions and multilateral
02:40 development banks should scale up concessional
02:43 financing to least developing countries,
02:46 and this financing should be under
02:49 improved terms of lending. Regrettably,
02:54 the exorbitant cost of capital
02:57 remains an insidious problem afflicting
03:01 the global South. In fact,
03:05 Africa bears the heaviest burden of these crippling capital costs.
03:10 We implore the international community
03:13 to grasp the agency of this matter, and to ensure
03:17 that every nation, regardless of its economic size,
03:22 has equitable access to affordable
03:25 capital. It is also a fact that
03:28 countries with smaller economies require
03:32 this capital more, which unfortunately
03:35 ends up in the first world economies that need it
03:39 the least. Recognize, Mr. President,
03:43 that a few development partners
03:47 honored their ODA pledges, and we applaud them
03:51 for this effort. We also commend France
03:54 and other partners for successfully hosting the summit
03:58 for a new global financing pact in Paris
04:01 in June this year. Zambia further expresses
04:05 its appreciation to the official creditor committee
04:09 under the G20 framework, with a special note of gratitude
04:14 to the co-chairs China and France,
04:17 along with the vice-chair South Africa.
04:20 Their diligent work and collaborative spirit
04:24 has played an indispensable role in reaching
04:28 an important debt restructure agreement
04:31 for Zambia's heavy debt burden. We continue calling
04:37 for more reforms of the international financial
04:40 architecture to quicken the decision-making process
04:46 that would enable countries in special circumstances
04:50 to restructure their debt. Mr. President,
04:54 we wish to welcome the UN Secretary General's proposal
04:58 for an SDG stimulus package of at least
05:03 $500 billion per annum to offset
05:07 the unfavorable financing conditions
05:10 faced by countries with special situations.
05:14 The elements of this package hold greater potential
05:18 to catalyze the transformative actions
05:22 in least-developed countries for critical sectors
05:25 such as renewable energy, social protection for the weak,
05:30 health care, quality education,
05:33 food insecurity, resilient infrastructure,
05:37 artificial intelligence, and the rest of information technology.
05:42 There is a need to scale up partnerships and collaboration
05:46 so that we can have a united effort in strengthening inclusiveness
05:51 and effectiveness of international tax cooperation
05:55 for the world to combat illicit financial flows.
05:59 It is also important, Mr. President, that we enhance
06:03 protection of domestic resources which are required
06:07 for the application to desired sectors
06:10 as outlined in the SDG stimulus package.
06:15 Mr. President, with regards to climate finance,
06:18 we wish to emphasize the need for an effective
06:22 implementation mechanism for loss and damage fund
06:26 as agreed upon at COP27. In the same manner,
06:32 we reiterate the need to honor the annual $100 billion pledge
06:37 for climate change with greater emphasis on adaptation.
06:43 This, Mr. President, is very crucial if we are to uphold
06:47 the credibility of global efforts that are aimed at addressing
06:52 climate injustices and protect our planet from further degradation.
06:58 Mr. President, to complement access to affordable finance,
07:02 countries need to enhance trade and investment
07:05 as the engine of economic development and job creation
07:09 at both regional and multilateral levels.
07:13 Under the Common Market for East and Southern Africa,
07:17 Zambia is leading the Comesa integration strategy
07:21 through reducing barriers to trade and encouraging free movement
07:25 of business persons and goods. Mr. President,
07:29 in this era of instant communication and globalized economies,
07:34 the well-being of one nation profoundly impacts the well-being of another.
07:39 Leveraging the transformative capabilities of digital technology,
07:44 especially artificial intelligence, we aspire to enhance
07:47 the quality of life of our citizens. Imagine using AI
07:52 to deliver life-saving medicines to that seemingly forgotten
07:58 grandmother in a village in Africa.
08:03 Also, imagine the grand transformation we can achieve
08:07 in harnessing the fertile soils of countries like Zambia
08:11 using the technology of precision irrigation.
08:15 As information communication technologies continue to advance,
08:20 we have a new frontier for interaction in digital cooperation.
08:25 Now it is possible for a professor at Harvard to mentor students in Kenya
08:30 or lecture students at the University of Lusaka.
08:35 The advancement in digital technology makes it possible
08:40 to improve the quality of lives of our people by creating new jobs
08:44 and opportunities for youth, as well as providing access
08:48 to top-class education and quality health care for all.
08:53 It is therefore very important, Mr. President, that we continue to forge
08:58 new alliances on the development and use of technologies,
09:03 also the creation and sharing of digital resources and content,
09:07 as well as the development of regulations and policies
09:12 that govern the use of digital technologies to promote
09:16 social economic development. We also need to enhance cooperation
09:21 and ensure that the digital space and all technology
09:26 are used in a responsible manner. We therefore call for the support
09:31 and investment in digital infrastructure and provision of its access,
09:36 particularly access of affordable devices and Internet services
09:42 in under-serviced communities in least-developed countries.
09:47 Mr. President, the empowerment of women and girls is crucial
09:53 and is important and very decisive in overcoming poverty in all society.
10:02 Beyond economic empowerment, women need to equally be put --
10:08 we need to put emphasis on women and all programs that will promote their well-being.
10:13 This is why, Mr. President, as the African Union's champions on aiding child marriage,
10:19 President Hichilema will continue to enhance the collaboration
10:24 in preventing and wiping out the scourge of early and child marriages
10:30 so that we can foster an environment conducive for children to have a chance in life.
10:38 Consistent with this, Mr. President, Zambia is in collaboration with the African Union.
10:45 In collaboration with the African Union, we will this year host a conference
10:50 for traditional and religious leaders across Africa aimed at advancing a culture
10:58 that promotes inclusive development and prevention of early child marriages.
11:04 Mr. President, Zambia, in line with our reputation as a beacon of peace on the African continent,
11:13 will continue to champion the cause of peace, security, and stability
11:19 as the prerequisites for sustainable development.
11:24 Because without peace, Mr. President, our joint developmental efforts will be in vain.
11:30 We shall continue to call for the use of diplomacy as the only option for resolving conflict between nations.
11:38 Zambia is committed to furthering peace, security, and stability,
11:43 and that is why President Hichilema visited Kiev and St. Petersburg
11:49 alongside other select African leaders,
11:53 and they held honest and constructive discussions with both President Putin and President Zelensky.
12:01 Zambia will continue to be committed to the UN Charter and its principles
12:07 of upholding territorial integrity and also the just respect for international borders.
12:15 Mr. President, as Zambia leads the Tzadik organ on politics and defense and security cooperation,
12:22 we pledge not only to play our own individual role, but also to galvanize our region
12:29 and efforts to restore peace in areas requiring intervention on our own continent.
12:36 Mr. President, we take immense pride in our strong democratic principles as Zambia.
12:43 Our credentials are solid and we will continue to guarantee our own people, the Zambian people,
12:50 their rights and freedoms, including their civil liberties.
12:55 President Hichilema has led government to the historic abolishment of the death penalty
13:01 and also the end of the offense of criminal defamation of the President.
13:07 This, Mr. President, is the first time it has been achieved in the history of Zambia.
13:15 Mr. President, today we address this assembly with the sense of accomplishment
13:24 because prudent FUSCO policies have been reinstated in our country.
13:31 We are nurturing our economy back to health and the results are quantifiable.
13:37 Mr. President, in 2021, our economy achieved a commendable growth rate
13:43 of 4.7 percent from a contraction of minus 2.8 in 2020.
13:49 In 2022, Mr. President, the economy demonstrated resilience
13:54 and maintained a positive growth rate of 3.7 percent.
13:58 Furthermore, we have diligently worked to reduce our year-end inflation to single digits,
14:07 making it at 9.9 percent for the calendar year 2022.
14:13 Concurrently, our government is deeply committed to stabilizing our local currency,
14:18 the kwacha, against major currencies.
14:22 And going forward, Mr. President, we remain steadfast in reducing the cost
14:28 of essential household goods for our people.
14:32 Zambia reiterates the call to reform the Security Council to become more inclusive,
14:39 particularly for Africa to have permanent representation,
14:43 in line with the Ezulwini Concessions and also the CETA Declaration.
14:50 These reforms, Mr. President, will not only enhance the legitimacy of the Security Council,
14:56 but this will put an end to this historic injustice against Africa.
15:04 Mr. President, the time has come to ensure the true composition of our UN family,
15:10 as well as giving an opportunity for a better diplomatic position
15:17 and representation for countries that are perceived to be weaker.
15:22 Mr. President, the threat of nuclear war is a matter that needs our full attention.
15:30 We take this opportunity to reiterate our resolute stance against the proliferation of nuclear weapons,
15:37 and we advocate for a world free of threats.
15:42 We urge all nations, and we mean all nations, to uphold their obligations
15:48 under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to work to prevent the development
15:54 and production of chemical weapons.
15:57 Mr. President, we set our eyes on a world we must --
16:04 we set our eyes on an agenda to set the world on a path of sustainability,
16:12 of success for the next generation.
16:16 We are hopeful that this summit, this year, all our voices will be heard.
16:23 We shall rebuild trust in this format.
16:26 A platform such as this one must ensure that inequality is tackled,
16:33 systemic injustice is tackled.
16:35 We must also ensure that the benefits of progress are shared across the world.
16:42 Zambia, therefore, calls on all member states of the UN, the private sector,
16:48 the youth groups across the world, and other stakeholders
16:51 to come together in good faith to draw out the contours of the world
16:59 as it should be for future generations as we pass on the baton
17:04 on all the challenges that we face today for a sustainable and positive future.
17:09 Mr. President, I thank you.
17:12 (Applause)