New York, On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, delivered the Kingdom of Bahrain’s speech today during the High-Level General Debate at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79), held at the UN Headquarters, in New York.
The following address was made by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister:
Your Majesties, Highnesses, and Excellencies,
Your Excellency Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellency Secretary-General, Guterres,
It is my honour to be here today and convey to you the greetings and best wishes of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
I would like to begin by offering my congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your election as President of the 79th session of the General Assembly. I wish you every success in guiding this important work.
I also extend my deep appreciation to His Excellency the Secretary-General for his tireless efforts in
advancing the noble objectives of this organization across the globe.
Mr. President,
Eight decades ago, at the dawn of the nuclear age, humanity found itself engulfed in a devastating war, fraught with peril and uncertainty. The world was in desperate need of order, and a system of accountability and governance.
The United Nations was created to become a pillar of stability a vital institution the world relied on to prevent unspeakable atrocities from ever happening again. Whether through the formation and application of international law, the promotion of diplomatic consensus, the investment in development programs, or the deployment of peacekeeping missions, the UN and its specialized agencies have together stood firm to reflect the spirit of global civic responsibility.
The number of world leaders participating in this year’s General Assembly is a testament to that enduring spirit. Nineteen years ago, I had the honour of standing here and addressing this historic hall, where I touched on the pressing c
hallenges confronting our world at the time poverty, famine, deadly infectious diseases, civil wars, and weapons of mass destruction. These global challenges not only persist but have intensified. We find ourselves in a far more dangerous and unpredictable time due to major tectonic shifts in the global geopolitical order. In addition, revolutionary new technologies have emerged that will fundamentally reshape the world as we know it. Furthermore, environmental and health challenges that know no borders have also multiplied and grown in complexity requiring us all to work together regardless of our differences.
Mr. President,
The very systems designed to uphold the international order are under strain. Eighty years after its formation, as the threats and challenges we collectively face evolve, this important institution, which our global community relies on to safeguard the international rules-based order, must evolve as well. Today, we support the calls for reform of the United Nations to ensure that it re
flects current geopolitical realities so that it is equipped to continue carrying out its important global mandate for decades to come. This reform should be holistic, consensus-driven, and encompass all the decision-making bodies of the United Nations, including the UN Security Council.
The peace dividend that followed the end of the Cold War is now a distant memory. Today we stand on the precipice of a new era, with new challenges, and we must recommit to peace as the bedrock on which we build collective prosperity and enduring hope for all. For as we all know, it is far easier to destroy than it is to build.
Today, we see governments disregarding the established rules-based order as they pursue policies rooted exclusively in self-interest. We see a preference for brinksmanship and the use of questionably legal force to resolve disputes. We see the rise of radicalism, extremism, and rogue non-state actors sowing chaos and discord.
In Gaza, we see Palestinians living through an unprecedented humanitarian
disaster, with over 40 thousand people killed, many of them women and children. The protection of innocent life is enshrined in international law and a moral and religious responsibility. It is clear that what is required is the implementation of an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the adoption of an irrevocable path to the creation of a viable, independent Palestinian state; and it must happen now! This will achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace, deliver security and prosperity to all nations in our region, and prevent the spread of a wider regional conflict.
In the West, we witness widespread suffering as the intractable conflict in Ukraine persists. In the East, we see tensions continuing to rise in the South China Sea, raising grave concerns of a wider military escalation and the further erosion of the integrity of the international rules-based order.
The tolls of these conflicts are borne by humanity by families, by communities, and by our future generations. These conflicts un
dermine growth, stifle opportunity, and endanger the hopes we hold for our children.
Mr. President,
The Kingdom of Bahrain has long been a vocal advocate of pluralism and multiculturalism, its who we are! In August of this year, and in line with His Majesty King Hamad’s vision that mutual respect for our shared humanity is essential for sustaining global harmony, Bahrain launched the King Hamad Award for Peaceful Coexistence.
His Majesty the King has also called on the international community to convene an international peace conference on the Middle East. As the current holder of the Arab League presidency, the Kingdom of Bahrain urges all nations to join us this vital initiative, which seeks to strengthen efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region.
Diplomacy and dialogue must prevail. Indiscriminate violence, conflict, and fragmentation will only drive us further from this noble goal.
Mr. President,
In the Kingdom of Bahrain, we have committed ourselves to ensuring that
our citizens are at the core of all our national development programs. We have worked tirelessly to ensure that they are equipped with the skills necessary to deliver prosperity and growth to themselves and to their community. As we look to the future, we will spare no effort to provide our citizens with opportunities to connect with the wider world to compete, innovate, and succeed.
We prioritized the issues that unite us all: housing, healthcare, education, and delivering jobs and prosperity. We focused our government ministries and agencies on a set of priorities, reached out to the private sector, civil society, and wove together a spirit of one team focused on delivering those programs.
Mr. President,
Today’s world is, in many ways, more fragile than the one that had emerged from World War II. This is because the global challenges today go beyond geopolitical conflict. We are seeing the devastating impacts of unsustainable development on the world’s environment, and, as a result of conflicts and fragm
entation, we have seen a rise in and return of global hunger. We have also witnessed first-hand the alarming effects of diseases such as COVID-19, which showed how quickly the global order can be disrupted.
These crises must not be treated in isolation; they are interconnected, and they represent a systemic threat to humanity. It is imperative that like-minded countries come together, with the objective of revitalizing, adapting, and renewing our institutions to effectively address today’s significant challenges, and to effectively deliver on the ambitious commitments set by the UN SDGs and the recently adopted Pact for the Future.
This can only be achieved through a system-wide reform that encompasses pivotal multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Health Organization, as well as the United Nations. The international rules-based order is not sustained by hopes or dreams it is the product of robust international institutions and security constructs t
hat are fit for purpose.
Mr. President,
As a member state of the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Kingdom of Bahrain has always been committed to the path of multilateralism. We hold firmly the belief that working alongside allies and in accordance with the rules of international law is the surest way of guaranteeing our long-term prosperity.
This is also why, in 2023, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America concluded a historic agreement to forge a new model for security and shared prosperity. The Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement is designed, not as a bilateral arrangement, but as the beginning of a multilateral framework that aims to bring together countries with an equal interest in delivering stability and prosperity. It is a model for how nations can promote an inclusive vision grounded in mutual respect and shared goals.
Partnerships such as these can go beyond the geopolitical d
imension and enter the world of emerging technologies as well. Through meaningful international collaboration, we can harness the transformative potential of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to advance shared goals of global development, peace, and prosperity. Doing so will require a united global front, and today we call for an international treaty governing the development of artificial intelligence to ensure that these technologies contribute to peace rather than exacerbate existing conflicts and that they become forces for creation and innovation, not destruction and division.
The Kingdom of Bahrain believes that engaging in wide-ranging partnerships such as these will be crucial to advancing the cause of multilateralism and ensuring that cooperation becomes the cornerstone of our collective security frameworks. Through such agreements, we are confident that the Middle East, and the global community, can build a future rooted in peace, economic growth, and a rules-based international order
that benefits all people.
Mr. President, distinguished delegates,
The challenges we face today are not insurmountable if we act with a collective will and the determination to define a revitalized international architecture built on shared values and a renewed commitment to multilateralism that prioritizes the well-being of all nations. Some issues are just too important not to rise above our differences.
Let us together reaffirm our shared responsibility to uphold and protect human dignity, and ensure that the international order remains a force for good. We owe this to future generations, to the values we cherish, and to the world we seek to protect. Learning to live together is indeed the noblest of endeavours.
Thank you.
Source: Bahrain News Agency