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12 October 2020 Press release

UN: Monaco participates in 75th session of the General Assembly

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In light of the health situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Secretary-General decided to go ahead with the main high-level events scheduled for the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, adapting the format for the meetings so that, for the first time in United Nations’ history, they could take place virtually, with no need for member state delegations to travel. The decision was taken in consultation with the General Committee of the General Assembly and the member states.

To this end, while the permanent representatives of member states were allowed to be physically present in the General Assembly Hall, heads of state and government and ministers were invited to submit pre-recorded video messages.

On 21 September 2020, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince presented a video message at the high-level event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The aim of the event was for member states to collectively reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism. With this in mind, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince stressed the importance of multilateralism in addressing the challenges facing the world, as well as the need for joint action to protect the most vulnerable and include young people in policies for rebuilding.

A commemorative declaration was adopted by the General Assembly to welcome the positive impact of the role that the UN has played since it was created, and more particularly since the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted.

The celebration of this anniversary was also an opportunity for the United Nations to launch a major, global, inclusive debate on the role of international cooperation in building the future we all desire.

In addition, the exceptional circumstances of 2020 inspired the theme for the traditional general debate at the 75th session, held from 22 to 29 September 2020: “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism – confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action."

Alongside 172 other heads of state and government, H.S.H. Prince Albert II shared a video message in which He talked about the importance of multilateral relations and international solidarity for tackling current challenges, promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls, cybersecurity, safeguarding ecosystems and sustainable development.

On 28 September 2020, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince took part in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, during which 76 heads of state and government and the European Union sent a signal of unity, committing to reversing the current trend towards biodiversity loss. The leaders declared their intention to put biodiversity back at the centre of their policies as part of the transformational change of economic systems.

The pledge, containing ten actions, is available at the following link:

https://www.leaderspledgefornature.org/

On 30 September 2020, the Summit on Biodiversity was held against a difficult background: 2020 should have been a “super year for biodiversity”, marked by the adoption of decisive commitments and measures to safeguard the planet. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that the major international environmental meetings have been postponed to 2021.

The aim of the Summit was to offer a unique opportunity, in 2020, to accelerate measures to promote biodiversity for sustainable development and re-energise global ambition to protect the planet. On this occasion, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince added his voice, virtually, to the many speeches, noting that “Across the world, the threats to biodiversity are among the major dangers that humanity will need to face over the coming decade” and that “this phenomenon is not measured in the loss of species alone, but also in the loss of harvests, in droughts, in flooding. It is measured in human tragedies.” He focused particularly on marine biodiversity and the importance of safeguarding marine ecosystems.

On 1 October 2020, a meeting commemorating the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was held. The aim of the event was to present specific commitments, plans and actions to speed up the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030 (SDG 5). Ms Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, took part in this meeting virtually, by means of a pre-recorded declaration that highlighted the national progress and international commitments made by the Principality of Monaco in this area. To illustrate her words, Ms Rosabrunetto cited recent legislative progress, statistical studies, awareness campaigns, the adoption of the Monégalité Charter for gender equality in the workplace and the establishment of the Women’s Rights Committee.

In addition, on 2 October 2020 Monaco’s Permanent Representation to the UN in New York took part in the High-Level Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. The aim of this event was to secure a resumption of dialogue and negotiations on nuclear arms control and disarmament. It highlighted the need for a renewed commitment to establishing lasting peace and security for all.

Finally, in the margins of the General Assembly and at the invitation of the French and German governments, Mr Laurent Anselmi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, took part in the ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism on 25 September 2020. This virtual meeting brought together more than 60 foreign ministers who are persuaded that international cooperation is more important than ever in a time of crisis, and that multilateralism is a key ally in the fight against COVID-19.

In his speech, Mr Anselmi addressed issues including health, climate, the digital transition and gender equality. In each of these areas, he noted the contribution and actions of the Principality as part of its foreign policy, led by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince.

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1 (The complete speech is available in French at: https://estatements.unmeetings.org/estatements/10.0010/20200924/D2gMNUFTawVH/NqUKtsDhRoo5_fr.pdf

2 Video available from: http://webtv.un.org/search/monaco-d%C3%A9bat-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral-75e-session/6194203130001/?term=monaco&sort=date

3 The Permanent Representation also took part in more than a dozen virtual parallel events on the following themes: “young people for the climate”, “food waste”, “promoting and protecting human rights”, “the humanitarian impact of conflict combined with climate and environmental risks”, “climate action”, “funding development during COVID-19 and beyond”, “climate and the ocean: impacts on food security and ocean economies”, “ climate change”, “biodiversity: the role of the ocean”, “the death penalty and gender”, “human rights violations committed by the Syrian regime” and “Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, accelerating the end of the COVID-19 pandemic: adopting new solutions at scale to save lives, protect health care systems and restart the global economy”

Autres actualités du thème

https://en.gouv.mc/Policy-Practice/Monaco-Worldwide/News/UN-Monaco-participates-in-75th-session-of-the-General-Assembly