A/77/PV.16 General Assembly

I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting. The State of Qatar highly appreciates the efforts made to promote the role, capacity, effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations, especially in light of new and emerging challenges and the growing needs due to conflicts, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the climate crisis and other global crises. The Transforming Education Summit, convened by the Secretary-General in September, was an important forum. It gave positive impetus to furthering our ambition to accelerate work and achieve transformation in the field of education and to ensure high-quality and inclusive education for all, especially in light of the multifaceted challenges that have been exacerbated in the education sector due to the pandemic. The leading role played by the State of Qatar in the Summit, whether through its membership in the Advisory Committee or its hosting of the preparatory regional consultations for the Arab and Western Asia region, is commensurate with the importance of promoting and protecting the right to education as a top priority in my country’s international programmes and with the pivotal role of education as one of the most important enabling elements in achieving the goals of sustainable development. In that context, the State of Qatar continues to play a prominent role in the field of education. The Education Above All Foundation, in cooperation with its international partners, has realized a number of achievements in that field, which have made a significant difference in the lives of millions of children around the world for a better future by providing and protecting educational opportunities. One of the reports under discussion today (A/77/271) refers to the Doha Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, which was adopted at the first part of the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held in March. The Programme of Action provides a road map for reform and tools to ensure the availability of more resources to help least developed countries recover. Recognizing the magni­ tude of the many challenges facing the least developed countries, the Doha Programme of Action 2022-2031 constitutes added value of great importance, especially in light of its ambitious tools and measures to achieve the desired change. It also reflects a commitment of all the partners to raise the level of ambition and not leave anyone behind. The State of Qatar believes in the importance of joining hands and multilateral action. We therefore take pride in hosting the second part of the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which will convene in the city of Doha from 5 to 9 March 2023. We greatly hope that it will be a turning point in reflecting our political resolve and converting promises and commitments into concrete practical action. Doha offers a once-in-a-decade opportunity to move forward in our partnership and joint efforts, support the least developed countries in their efforts towards a better and brighter future, and achieve sustainable and comprehensive development. In line with the importance that the State of Qatar attaches to cooperation and joint work in facing challenges, the Qatar Fund for Development contributed more than $551 million in 2021 for development and humanitarian assistance projects. The Fund continues to work closely with its strategic partners and several United Nations agencies to respond to pressing global issues. In conclusion, I am pleased to have shared today some of the continuous efforts made by the State of Qatar as an active partner of the international community. We will remain at the forefront of active countries whose effective and positive contributions can be relied upon to achieve the desired goals.

The high-level week of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly brought into the open a sense of crisis among the Member States that today the international order is being seriously challenged and the role of the United Nations tested. In the past quarter of a century, our leaders have discussed on numerous occasions how to strengthen the United Nations in a holistic manner. Their visions and decisions are reflected in the outcomes of major United Nations summits, in particular the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) and the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1). As the majority of Member States aspire to strengthen the United Nations system in the current crisis, we should revert to those documents and review if they are being properly followed up. Japan therefore considers this joint debate on three items to be truly relevant and important. Trust in the United Nations has been severely damaged by the aggression of a permanent member of the Security Council against is neighbour. In order to restore trust, it is essential to return to the visions and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and uphold the rule of law in the international community. In the 2005 World Summit Outcome, our leaders recognized “the need for universal adherence to and implementation of the rule of law at both the national and international levels” (resolution 60/1, para. 134) and reaffirmed their commitment to “an international order based on the rule of law and international law, which is essential for peaceful coexistence and cooperation among States” (ibid., para. 134 (a)). We must strengthen the functions of the United Nations along those lines. It is also important that the Security Council, which holds the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, give every consideration to the peaceful settlement of disputes. As an incoming non-permanent member, Japan will do its utmost to ensure that the Council and the General Assembly function effectively to make the rule of law prevail. The world today is not what it was 75 years ago. There are more countries, more people and more challenges. We should not hesitate to update the United Nations Charter while defending its unchanging purposes and principles. During the high-level week, we heard many leaders, including permanent members of the Security Council, raise their voices for the reform of the United Nations, which instilled new life into the debate on Security Council reform. The reform is not for any particular Member State, but for future generations of all countries to enjoy peace and prosperity. We need concrete action. It is high time that we moved to text- based negotiations. At the same time, there is room for improvement that can be realized without revising the Charter. In the 2005 World Summit, our leaders recognized that they were facing a whole range of interlinked threats, that “development, peace, security and human rights are mutually reinforcing” (ibid., para. 72) and also that “addressing such threats requires cooperation among all the principal organs of the United Nations within their respective mandates” (ibid., para. 70). To strengthen the nexus, it would be meaningful to activate the discussion in the Security Council on issues such as the global food and energy crisis, climate change, oceans, space and cybersecurity. Digital technology can also be better used to improve the transparency and efficiency of the Council. Japan also prioritizes strengthening the General Assembly as the sole universal organ in which all Member States gather and demonstrate their concern for of a just cause of the international community. In order to enable the General Assembly’s Presidents to achieve results in their brief one-year terms, a solid organizational back up by the Secretariat, as well the support of Member States, are indispensable. We should make full use of existing forums, such as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, to make the Assembly’s debates and decisions more relevant to the impending global issues while improving its efficiency by streamlining its agendas and working methods. Attention should also be paid to the complemen­ tarity between the Security Council and the General Assembly, particularly when a veto is cast in the Council. Resolution 377 (V), “Uniting for peace”, is a mechanism established in anticipation of the Council’s dysfunction. Resolution 76/262, adopted in April, also imposes stronger accountability with regard to the exer­ cise of the veto. The General Assembly’s meetings held under those mechanisms this year were instrumental in clearly demonstrating the strong will of the interna­ tional community on serious security issues. The role of the Secretary-General also needs to be strengthened. The good offices of the Secretary- General and his envoys play a very significant role. The Secretary-General can also proactively call the attention of the Security Council to situations that are recognized as threats to the maintenance of international peace and security. Japan commends Secretary-General António Guterres for his clear condemnation of outrages that violate the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We are encouraged by the Secretary- General’s initiative in the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant and the export of grain from the Black Sea. Japan is willing to take an active part in the follow- up process of the Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda report (A/75/982), which has its origin in the declaration of our leaders on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (resolution 75/1). The Member States need to seriously discuss what kind of world they want to hand over to future generations, and prepare for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development next year and the Summit of the Future in 2024. The successful outcome of the Transforming Education Summit in September should be one of the valuable inputs to that process. What needs to be done to reform and strengthen the functions of the United Nations, including the Security Council, in such a way that the Organization will revert to the visions and principles of the Charter? We have high expectations that the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and other stakeholders will make useful recommendations and instil new life into the discussions on strengthening multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core. The common challenges faced by the citizens of the world are by no means limited to those directly linked to peace and security. They include issues such as pandemics, climate change, natural disasters, food and energy shortages, poverty, inequality and many others. They are all intimately interlinked and threaten the survival, livelihood and dignity of individuals, in particular the most vulnerable people. In this new era of multifaceted uncertainties, Japan will work closely with other Member States under the United Nations framework so that we can enhance the resilience of individuals, societies and nations, come closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and realize human security without leaving anyone behind.

We thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting. We thank the Secretary- General for the reports he has prepared We will focus our statement on the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa, as well as on literacy for life. Africa’s industrial development suffered a setback because of the negative socioeconomic effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as the current food, energy and finance crises. Prior to the pandemic, African countries were witnessing impressive growth rates, with many of the world’s fastest growing economies being African States. We therefore need determined actions by our own Governments, as well in partnership with the international community, to foster economic growth and development in Africa. Manufacturing and industrialization are key to Africa’s future. We are a continent whose majority population is the youth. It is therefore imperative that we work to increase Africa’s share of the world’s manufacturing value added. While we have seen a rise in manufacturing activity since 2021, it is far too low to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are encouraged that more than 80 per cent of signatories have now ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA). We see ACFTA as a game-changer in the industrial development of Africa, creating a wider economic area governed by common rules and standards. The lowering of tariffs should ensure a free movement of goods and services between our countries. We are pleased that an agreement on rules of origin has also been reached for 87 per cent of tariff lines and that the dispute resolution mechanism of ACFTA has been established. The Secretary-General’s report (A/77/271) also highlights the initiatives undertaken in the African continent to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as plans for prevention and preparedness for future incidents. It is South Africa’s view that we need to build preparedness and resilience to support health system recovery and readiness. We have learned from the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic that the development of capacity to manufacture key vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics is fundamental to effectively respond to health challenges in Africa. The vulnerability of the African continent arising from heavy reliance on health products produced elsewhere compels us to enhance local manufacturing capacity. Amongst recent developments was the setting of the mRNA vaccine technology hub in Cape Town, South Africa, which will, inter alia, contribute to capacity building among developing countries. In the long term, that facility will be positioned to respond to the treatment of new infectious diseases. We welcome the World Trade Organization’s waiver decision on vaccines, but it is not sufficient. Fundamentally, it falls short of expectations on several counts, especially with regard to its exclusion of other response tools  — namely, diagnostics and therapeutics  — that are essential to helping lower- income countries combat the pandemic. While the decision is an important first step in the right direction, the next step should be to expand its scope to therapeutics and diagnostics. South Africa is at the forefront of efforts to build a resilient health workforce in the African continent. The World Health Organization estimates that Africa, despite having 25 per cent of the world’s health burden, has only 1.3 per cent of the world’s trained health personnel. Though gains have been made, Africa has the most severe health personnel shortfall, predicted to reach 6.1 million by 2030 out of the anticipated global health staff need of 14.5 million required to attain universal health coverage. It is our strong belief that investing in the health workforce is sound economics, as the return on investment is measurable and dependable. Regarding the agenda item on literacy for life, in his report (A/77/187) the Secretary-General reminds us that literacy is a vital component of the fundamental human right to education and a public good. It is at the core of basic education and an essential foundation of lifelong learning. Literacy has the ability to transform lives and is therefore critical for gaining access to other human rights and promoting sustainable development. South Africa was therefore pleased to participate in the Transforming Education Summit, and we urge for partnerships at the national, regional and international levels to implement its outcomes. South Africa recognizes that, to realize the transforming education agenda of inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools, the education sector must prioritize the reconceptualization and extension of funding resources to redesign the care and support for teaching and learning implementation framework to include structural interventions to address learner health and well-being, including safety and sport. Such interventions require accountability for the allocation and expenditure of education budgets against clear norms and benchmarks for funding. Public funding allocated to education should be sufficient to ensure that children, young people and adults’ right to inclusive and quality education is realized and that all have opportunities and access to early childhood development, basic education, special needs education, higher education, technical and vocational education and training, adult basic education, training and skills development.

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda items 13, 120 and 126 and its sub-items (a) and (b).