President of the General Assembly.

Secretary general. Heads of state, heads of government. Delegates. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing you as the representative of the smallest member state of this organisation in terms of its landmass and one of the smallest in terms of its population, barely two square kilometers bordering the Mediterranean. And yet, in this forum, there are no small or large states. Here, every one of the 193 members has a voice, one alone and of the same weight. Here the charter only recognizes states equal in sovereignty, equal in rights, but also. And I wish to stress this point equal in terms of responsibility, because the equality that our organization bestows upon us is not a privilege that we enjoy. It is a responsibility that we bear. This responsibility is our shared, unique duty to uphold the law and multilateralism shared. Because no state, regardless of how powerful it is, can preserve peace alone or address global threats alone. Unique because everybody must shoulder it without leaving it to others to honor the promise of San Francisco.

It is this message that His Serene Highness Prince Albert the Second, the Prince of Monaco, charged me with bringing to this rostrum with his greetings of trust and friendship. President, the Principality of Monaco wishes sincerely to congratulate you upon your election to the presidency of this 81st session, for which you have chosen the topic Restoring Trust, Managing transformation. A UN that delivers for all. You can count on the full support of my country, and I also wish to warmly thank the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, who is finishing his second mandate amidst particularly grave circumstances.

Why does a state such as mine believe so strongly in international law? The answer goes for all. When might makes right. It is the smallest states who are the first to be threatened when force is regulated by the law. All of humanity is protected. Sovereign equality between states, honoring commitments, peacefully settling disputes are therefore not abstract concepts. They are our front line of protection. And yours too. With the balance as is set out by the charter between the three pillars peace and security, development and human rights. Nevertheless, this protection is today under assault. Rearmament is accelerating throughout the world. We are seeing the use of force once again as being another political tool for some Trade is breaking down and we are seeing a race to capture critical resources. The private sector is also part of this. Of these power relations. We are now in the era of the geo economy, and this is fertile ground for disinformation, which undermines people's trust in their institutions and leads them to question verifiable facts. Our belief has never been tried to such an extent since 1945 in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, the Sahel in many other places out of the media spotlight. Civilians are paying the price for conflicts which have discarded the most basic rules of humanity. And never, since 1945 has the very legitimacy of states and multilateral bodies such as the UN, been called into question to such an extent. Given this danger, let us recall our mission. In the words of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary general of the UN.

The UN was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell. That is the exact scope of our task, and that is why we do not have the right to give up. First in Ukraine for almost five years, a permanent member of the Security Council has been waging a war of aggression against a sovereign state in flagrant violation of the charter. From the very outset, Monaco condemned this aggression unambiguously and unreservedly. We voted in favour of all of the General Assembly's resolutions calling and demanding for Russian forces to withdraw. We took all restrictive measures aligned with EU measures, and we also provided our humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people and hosted people displaced by the war. Our support is unwavering and it will remain so. Monaco will never recognize any annexation of territory obtained through force. Allowing this for one state would be tantamount to allowing it for all. The principality welcomes the ongoing diplomatic efforts and hopes that they will lead to fair, comprehensive, lasting peace, respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Next to the Middle East, Monaco was greatly relieved by the cease fire, which entered into force in Gaza, and the fact that the hostages were freed. Nothing can ever justify the acts of terror of the 7th of October, but nor can anything justify the price paid by the civilians in Gaza. The principality calls on all parties to strengthen the fragile ceasefire and to respect every stage of it, ensuring full, safe, unhindered humanitarian access. We support efforts to rebuild Gaza, and we are concerned about the ongoing violence in the West Bank, in the occupied territories which ride roughshod over human rights and dishonor democratic values. Our our belief remains the same. The only viable option is the two state solution Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Within safe and recognized borders. Any policy that makes that scenario less likely through settlement, building, or sowing terror makes peace less likely to. In Lebanon, two. Monaco supports de-escalation efforts and calls on all parties to fulfil their commitments. First and foremost Security Council Resolution 1701. The people of Lebanon. Lebanon have the right to a fully sovereign state in peace throughout its territory in the Persian Gulf. Finally, tensions around Iran remain a source of deep concern. Monaco pays tribute to all the civilian victims of the conflict and reiterates its solidarity with the countries of the Gulf who have been affected by the attacks. Here again, only negotiations can lead to a global agreement on the Iranian nuclear program and will prevent further escalation above and beyond these crises, Monaco will continue to contribute to international cooperation focused on the least developed countries through its support to the International Committee for the Red cross. The High Commissioner for refugees and the World Food Programme, through development Aid geared towards the health, education and empowerment of women and girls. Restoring trust also means changing the organisation itself.

Monaco supports the UN 80 initiative to make the organisation more streamlined, more understandable, more efficient and closer to people on the ground. Still, the UN needs resources to function. My country fulfils its financial contributions in full and on time, and we call on all other states to do likewise. But this necessary step is not enough. In the light of the changes that have to be undertaken, that is why Monaco calls on the real leaders of the United Nations to rethink the architecture of our system from 2030. Bringing on board the public and private sector, civil society and educational and cultural hubs, streamlining processes, preventing mandate duplication, consolidating specialized agencies, regional centres and the secretariat, and guaranteeing small states genuine inclusivity. There is plenty of work to do. The time of the law is patient, but this patience should not be confused with inertia. In the same vein, the principality is in favour of a reform of the Security Council to make it more representative to today's realities. While also preserving its ability to act. And we are also in favour of the revitalisation of this General Assembly, the House of Equality between States. This session will also see the election of the next Secretary General of the organisation. Monaco calls for a transparent, inclusive and rigorous process. After 80 years, the Principality hopes that women candidates will be seriously considered. The organisation would do well to demonstrate at its helm the equality for which it stands. Ladies and gentlemen there is one area where multilateral trust has recently produced tangible results, and it is dear to the heart of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, and that is to say, the ocean.

The entry into force of the Agreement on Marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, which Monaco was one of the first countries to sign and ratify, is a victory of the law over seizure of cooperation over predation. We now need to translate these commitments into acts to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. To finally agree on an ambitious and binding agreement on plastics pollution and exercise extreme caution with regards to deep seabed mining. The ocean is nobody's property. It is everyone's responsibility. Monaco will continue to do its part in this vital task, relying on science, which is the only universal compass. And what goes for the ocean also goes for the climate The Paris Agreement remains our common framework. Monaco will honour its commitments by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 67.5% by 2030, and by achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The principality calls on all countries to show more ambition in their national contributions, and not to abandon island and coastal states, which are the most vulnerable, because the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Heatwaves, fires and floods are multiplying, and the Mediterranean, which my country borders experienced last year, its second highest surface temperature ever recorded. And because science is being questioned, let us recall, as the prince did in Cop 30 in Belém, that science has never been as certain, as accessible and as clear. Four years before the 2030 deadline, the Sustainable Development agenda must not become the symbol of our broken promises. Let us be candid as we take stock. States alone cannot make progress. We need to have a renewed framework for cooperation with those who create wealth and shape innovation. Businesses, first and foremost, and civil society.

Lastly, preparing for the future and ensuring it benefits everyone means mastering technological changes Artificial intelligence is creating enormous opportunities for human development, but it also entails genuine risks. The Global dialogue on AI governance, which was held this year in Geneva, confirmed this. These technologies must remain at the service of humanity, and the United Nations cannot remain a spectator. Monaco supports the implementation of the Global Digital Compact and a new normative framework on AI based on law and shared ethical principles, respecting human rights and being accessible to all states. Finally, the principality calls for strengthened cooperation to deal with cyber threats and for inclusive transitions both within states and within societies. President. When he received the Nobel Prize in Literature, the great French writer Albert Camus defined the task of his generation thus not to reform the world, but perhaps even greater to prevent the world from destroying itself. Today, that is our task preventing the world from destroying itself, preventing law for being destroyed, destroyed by force, preventing trust, being destroyed by mistrust, and preventing the planet from being destroyed under the weight of our negligence.

Trust is not decreed. It is won through deeds and through promises kept That is the overarching principle that a state such as mine aims to fulfil. Being consistent. Keeping our word. Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, I wish to reiterate the commitment of Monaco to the United Nations, to its charter, and to the ideal that led to its establishment, saving future generations from the scourge of war and building together a common house where even the smallest states can take their rightful place. Because here the law protects them all. This pledge will only be fulfilled through the might of the law and not through might makes right. Thank you.