بيان دولة الإمارات أمام الجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة في دورتها التاسعة والسبعين

His Excellency Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, delivered the UAE’s statement before the United Nations General Assembly, at its seventy-ninth session.

Below is the text of the statement:

// Mr. President,

I thank His Excellency Dennis Francis for his distinguished management of the work of the previous session, and I congratulate His Excellency Philemon Yang on his presidency of the work of the seventy-ninth session, wishing you every success.

From the platform of this General Assembly, which has always embraced the world and listened to its hopes and pains, we call on you to work together, in order to pass on to our sons and daughters, and future generations, a better world, in which they will enjoy decent living, prosperity and stability, employing all the political, diplomatic and economic capabilities and tools we possess, making the best use of it. The progress and science that humanity has achieved, in order to preserve life in all its manifestations and forms.

In the UAE, we have kept this vision in mind.

We unleashed the wheel of progress in the fields of development, economy, education, technology and industry.

Since the establishment of the UAE, my country has adopted a transparent foreign policy, based on building a balanced network of relations with the countries of the world, supporting efforts to establish regional and international stability, reducing escalation, encouraging dialogue and building bridges, and resolving crises instead of just managing them.

In light of the dangerous turns that the world is going through today, it is necessary to reset the compass of international action towards a set of basic principles that we cannot deviate from.
The most important of them is unifying the position on all thorny issues, supporting all peoples, away from double standards, ensuring the protection of civilians, upholding the rule of law, adhering to human rights, and respecting the principles of good neighborliness.

The importance of returning to these principles increases, with the flagrant violations witnessed in many conflicts in our region and the world that have deepened human suffering, set us back decades, and caused huge waves of asylum and displacement, burdening the countries concerned and neighboring countries.

In light of the continuing bloody war on the Gaza Strip, the wars in Sudan and Ukraine, and the crises in Yemen, Syria, Libya, the Sahel, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, and others.

It must be remembered here that even wars have rules. Its parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law.

In Gaza, an immediate and permanent ceasefire must be achieved, the urgent, full, unimpeded and widespread entry of aid, the release of hostages and detainees, and the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions.

We must be wise in dealing with the accelerating regional developments that are alarming in our region.

It seems that what we were warning about is now developing in a way that may become uncontrollable, so we regret seeing the war extending to Lebanon, at a time when we were looking forward to announcing the conclusion of a deal that would end the war on Gaza.

It is unacceptable to ignore the decisions and advisory opinions issued by the highest international judicial body, the International Court of Justice, including its interim measures related to the war on Gaza.

We call for preserving the security and safety of peoples, and maintaining regional and international stability, including the security of navigation routes, international trade, and energy supplies.

Especially as terrorist and extremist groups continue to exploit people’s tragedies to achieve their political goals.

In Sudan, the warring parties must stop fighting immediately and permanently, and allow aid to enter across borders and conflict lines, sustainably and unhindered.

We express our complete rejection of the warring parties’ continued targeting of civilians and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid.

My country condemns, in the strongest terms, the blatant attack launched by the Sudanese Armed Forces on the residence of the UAE Ambassador in Khartoum, on September 29, in flagrant violation of the basic principle of the inviolability of diplomatic buildings and international conventions and customs, most notably the Vienna Convention. For diplomatic relations, we call on the warring parties to seriously engage in peace talks.

In this regard, we see the importance of building on the positive outcomes of the working group meetings in order to promote life-saving and peace in Sudan. We praise the initiatives that aim to reach a comprehensive solution to end the crisis, and we must all continue to work with regional and international partners to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people for the sake of a safer and more prosperous life.

In Ukraine, where the effects of the war have transcended seas and continents, a peaceful solution must be found that puts an end to this conflict, and the increase in international polarization that has accompanied it, refugee and prisoner crises, and repercussions on global food security.

Through our continuous communication with all parties, my country contributed to the release of nearly 2,000 prisoners of war through mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine.

We continue to push for dialogue and de-escalation, and support recovery and rebuilding.

When we talk about resolving the long-standing crises, we must reaffirm our full support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara region, while supporting the autonomy initiative within the framework of Moroccan territorial integrity.

Mr. President,

My country has refused to acknowledge the disruption of the international response in many crises, due to the escalation of international polarization and the obstacles imposed by the parties to the conflicts.

We worked to overcome obstacles and harness capabilities to continue humanitarian work and extend a helping hand to those in need in various parts of the world, in commitment to the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE.

Today, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, ordered the provision of urgent relief aid to the brotherly Lebanese people, worth $100 million, to support them in facing the current challenges.

When the scourge of war intensified in Sudan, pushing millions of people towards a multi-dimensional humanitarian catastrophe, my country devoted its efforts to supporting the Sudanese people.

We recently contributed $100 million to strengthen the United Nations’ efforts to address the humanitarian repercussions of this war at home and in neighboring countries, in addition to establishing two field hospitals in Chad to provide medical services to all those in need, including Sudanese refugees.
Likewise, we spared no effort in supporting the innocent people trapped in Gaza.

We worked to provide them with urgent aid by land, air and sea, and we sought to provide treatment for our sick and injured Palestinian brothers, by establishing a field hospital in Rafah in Gaza, and a floating hospital in Al-Arish, while we continued to evacuate the wounded and sick and their families from the Gaza Strip to receive treatment in hospitals in the UAE. Most of them are children and cancer patients.

We also continued our support for UNRWA, in light of the vital role it plays in Gaza, and we welcome its recent launch of preliminary programs to resume its educational services in the Strip, saluting all the efforts made by those working in the humanitarian field, which represent the bright ray in the dark tunnel of war.
If we want to extricate the Palestinian issue from this vicious cycle in which it has been taking place for seven decades, we must take concrete steps to establish an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the two-state solution, and consider forming a temporary international mission in sector, upon an official invitation from the Palestinian government, To address the humanitarian catastrophe, establish the foundations of security and the rule of law, and reunite Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority after its reform, to be able to move at a steady pace towards finding a comprehensive and just political solution to the Palestinian issue.

My country believes that the State of Palestine, which a few days ago assumed its new seat in this hall like all other nations, has fulfilled the requirements for full membership in this organization, just as it has deserved to be recognized by everyone as a full-fledged state under occupation.

Mr. President,

In parallel with our efforts in these files, my country continues its demands on Iran to end its occupation of the three Emirati islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, which are considered an integral part of the territory of the UAE.

We continue to urge it to respond to our repeated calls to resolve the issue through direct negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice.

In all other issues, the UAE believes that diplomacy is our best option, as we cannot extinguish fire with fire. When traditional approaches do not work, it is our duty to renew them, so that we can take action in the darkest moments of history.

Mr. President,

Building a safe and prosperous future requires modernizing multilateral action mechanisms, to enable them to keep pace with the grave challenges that surround us, and to play important roles in resolving conflicts and crises.

Especially after the international system in its current form was unable to prevent the most serious crimes, or hold them accountable.

This requires, first and foremost, the reform of the Security Council, through a comprehensive effort that includes all members of the United Nations, in a way that restores the Council’s credibility, helps it fulfill its mandate in maintaining international peace and security, and enables it to combat impunity, even in cases in which the Council is unable to act. Due to polarization and political considerations.

Developing and poor countries must also be included in the core of international efforts, while ensuring that women and youth play their natural and meaningful roles in all areas of joint action.

In our preoccupation with dealing with the prevailing reality, let us not lose sight of the importance of crisis prevention efforts, as the most dangerous wars that history has witnessed did not arise overnight, but rather were an extension of years or decades of extremism, hate speech, and intolerance.

This requires taking concrete steps to promote the values ​​of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and concerted regional and international efforts to extinguish the spark of conflicts before they ignite.

In addition, joint action is the only way to confront the risks that threaten the future of humanity and the planet, including climate change.

The outcomes of the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, hosted by the UAE, highlighted what can be achieved if we work together, especially after one hundred and ninety-eight countries adopted the historic “UAE Agreement”, which embodied an international consensus to establish a group Among the measures are to prevent the Earth’s temperature from rising above one and a half degrees Celsius and to activate the “Loss and Damage” Fund to compensate the countries most affected by climate change.

We will continue to collaborate with everyone to support climate action and clean, renewable energy, including through the “Troika of COP Presidencies” initiative with Azerbaijan and Brazil, to provide a concrete response to achieve the goals of international climate agreements.

We will also continue our efforts to reduce the water scarcity crisis and provide clean and sustainable water for all, through the “Water Conference” that we intend to host in 2026 in partnership with Senegal, and our multiple initiatives in this field, the first of which is the “Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative,” which was launched this year.

With this spirit that always looks forward, my country seeks to explore the opportunities inherent in advanced technology, so that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies, can be essential tools for innovating solutions in our work, our lives, and our government services.

We believe in the necessity of directing international attention towards these means, and investing in them, in a way that accelerates the pace of sustainable development and brings about radical transformations in dealing with challenges in various fields, in a way that bridges development gaps and supports the progress of all.

Mr. President,

Let us seize this opportunity to correct the course of joint international action, our unified refuge in times of adversity, and work hand in hand to create a brilliant future that future generations will be proud of.

Thank you, Mr. President. //