But the answer is not withdrawal. The answer is to reform, renew and reinvest. The UN80 initiative offers an opportunity to make the United Nations more efficient and more effective. The European Union also continues to call for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council to make it more effective, inclusive, democratic and accountable. The European Union will continue to contribute to strengthen the United Nations politically, financially and through concrete actions. Because the best argument for multilateralism is what it delivers: on peace and security, with the treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. On climate action, with the Paris Agreement. On poverty and health, with the global response to Covid-19. The truth is, when we act together, multilateralism delivers for people. And that is why this week, the European Union has launched together with Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, India and Kenya, the P4M: Partners for Multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity. Our initiative aims to be an open platform for partners from all parts of the world who are ready to defend common principles and work towards practical solutions. It is a network for dialogue, coalition building and practical cooperation. It will support the work of United Nations and other multilateral formats. It will help to build bridges across regions, and it will contribute to advancing the reform and modernization of the United Nations and the multilateral system, helping to turn shared commitments into concrete action. And I invite all the nations in the chamber to join this initiative and endorse the P4M declarations. Excellencies. There can be no double standards in terms of international law. The facts are clear. We are bearing witness to deliberate violations of international law. Upholding international law is not optional. It is our responsibility. That means protecting the institutions that give their very meaning to these principles, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. We support these courts firmly and we will defend their independence, integrity and their ability to fully carry out their mandate. Threats and attacks on the International Criminal Court and its staff and authorities are unacceptable. Accountability cannot depend on political considerations.

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Rising sea levels pose a direct and growing threat to our populations and ecosystems. Djibouti, like many developing countries, makes only a marginal contribution to global emissions, yet remains particularly exposed to the consequences of climate disruption. This situation highlights a profound injustice. Those countries that have contributed least to climate change are often those that suffer its most severe consequences. We must therefore accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and strengthen our adaptation and resilience efforts, including through resilient coastal infrastructure, better protection for marine and coastal ecosystems, early warning systems, and simplified predictable and equitable access to climate finance. For Djibouti, climate action must not be separated from development. On the contrary, it must help to transform our economies, develop renewable energy, create jobs and open up new opportunities for investment and innovation. And it's in this spirit that the government is working to operationalize the mechanisms provided for under article six of the Paris Agreement through a robust, transparent and credible national framework for carbon markets with a view to mobilising new resources, attracting investment, promoting technology transfer and strengthening national capacities. This transformation however, requires resources.

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And in a similar fashion, we must not yield on the climate and biodiversity. We've done a great deal over the last few years, ever since the Paris Agreement 11 years ago. The principles are still valid today and must be defended. We must stay the course. But I understand the doubts some harbour on this front. Let us not cede. If we are to defend our planet, defend the climate, defend biodiversity, we need proactive multilateralism and this is what we try to achieve at the One Planet Summit.

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Excellencies, let's be real. We need the UN not for the sake of the UN, but in order to address challenges that face us all. Because no single country can manage climate change, global health threats, or the governance of emerging technologies on its own. The climate crisis makes the point starkly. We see it in droughts and wildfires, in record breaking heat, and in the growing pressure on food, water and energy, accessibility and security. The challenge before us is no longer a lack of solutions. We have the solutions. We know what's required. Now we need to deliver. Therefore, COP31 must be a COP of implementation, turning ambition into action and real world results. Delivering the objectives of the Paris Agreement and its 1.5°C temperature goal. With only four years left to 2030, we must also be honest about where we stand on Sustainable Development Goals, both in terms of achievements and challenges. Let's make the upcoming SDG summit a turning point. 2030 must not be a missed deadline. Excellencies. This year will be selecting a new secretary general.

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Mr. president, the gap between commitment and delivery on climate change equally tests the credibility of multilateralism. Although the Lao PDR has contributed only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions, our people are increasingly affected by floods, droughts and extreme weather conditions. The Lao PDR remained fully committed to the Paris Agreement and its nationally determined contributions. However, climate ambition must be matched by adequate, predictable and accessible climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building to enable vulnerable developing states to adapt, build long term resilience and pursue low carbon growth pathways.

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Numbers and statistics can obscure the true magnitude of our trials. Behind every metric is a human story. Put a face to the climate emergency. A single disaster can erase decades of hard won progress. Look at Nepal, bearing the heavy cost of rising temperatures despite contributing less than 0.1% of global emissions. Look to the Philippines, one of the world's most climate vulnerable nations. Since August alone, ferocious monsoons and storms have battered our islands, affecting more than 2.7 million families, destroying homes and shattering livelihoods. We share these vulnerabilities with many developing countries, particularly small island and coastal states. Those who have contributed less to the climate crisis must now bear its heaviest cost. We call for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, the full operationalisation of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, and strengthened implementation of the Sendai Framework. Put the face to the pursuit of sustainable development.

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Mr. President, we reject the false choice between development and climate action. Developing countries must industrialise, eradicate poverty and expand energy access through low carbon pathways supported by technology transfer, capacity building and climate finance. Africa contributes less than 4% of the greenhouse gas emissions yet bears disproportionate consequences. Nigeria remains committed to the Paris Agreement and an equitable energy transition that reflects historical responsibility and capacity while protecting people's right to development. Under our Energy Transition Plan, we are working towards net zero emissions by 2060 while expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. This approach combines renewable energy, clean cooking and gas as a transitional fuel with climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions. Finance must be governed by equity and shared responsibility rather than charity, with international commitments translated into accessible, predictable and adequately funded mechanisms that enable developing countries to pursue climate action without compromising development objectives.

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We carry no larger agenda other than to ensure that the United Nations will do better. Mr. president, as we face a world in which scientists tell us overshooting the 1.5 degree temperature limit that we agreed in Paris is increasingly likely. We all need to wake up and act. Our focus now must be on preventing or minimizing the overshoot. Shortening the time we spend above 1.5, and doing everything possible to fight our way back. As we gather in Tuvalu, Fiji and Türkiye for this year's climate pre-COP and COP, our response to the threat of overshoot must be overwhelming. A much accelerated transition away from fossil fuels is the only logical response. Continued investment in fossil fuels is not only immoral but irrational. Technologies exist which provide secure, stable, zero emissions energy. We are employing them in my own country, where in the next 18 months, renewable energy will cut fossil fuel use in our remote outer islands by 88%, giving many access to electricity for the first time. We must do everything in our power to accelerate the deployment of renewables and to reduce fossil fuel production and consumption with equal speed. This includes shipping, where we have the opportunity at the International Maritime Organization to adopt binding regulations that will place international shipping on a clear path to net zero by 2050, and generate the revenue required to ensure a just and equitable transition. Mr. president, the denials and delays that have slowed the transition away from fossil fuels mean that countries like mine are already experiencing grave challenges. We have developed our national adaptation Plan, working across ministries and with our people to determine how to make a safe future. Adapting is costly and takes time. Even as we've seen schools destroyed by rising seas, salt water poisoning our wells, and disease outbreaks linked to environmental change. This injustice must be addressed. Our communities deserve restitution. The Marshall Islands and vulnerable people everywhere need sufficient, timely and accessible finance for adaptation and loss and damage. Those who have profited to the detriment of the many must pay. We have created homegrown institutions that are ready and willing to respond, like the Pacific Resilience Facility, a regionally managed platform, and the Marshall Islands Adaptation and Resilience Trust Fund, designed to enable donors to support our adaptation efforts. Mr. president, the crisis has the power to divide us or to prove that we all remain willing to achieve common goals. This week, the Marshall Islands convened the High Ambition Coalition, a diverse group of countries committed to a rigorous response to the climate crisis. We are united in the view that the best available science must lead the decisions we make, the importance of a 1.5°C temperature limit, an urgent transition away from fossil fuels, and the need for adequate and accessible climate finance, especially for adaptation and loss and damage.

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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 67.6% by 2035, and by achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

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In Sao Tomé and Principe, these impacts are already affecting our coastal areas, infrastructure, marine resources and livelihoods, despite our negligible contribution to global emissions. This reality reflects a profound climate injustice. Sao Tomé and Principe therefore reaffirms its commitments under the Paris Agreement, its nationally determined contribution and its National Adaptation Plan, while stressing that their implementation requires adequate, predictable and accessible resources.

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is a crisis you will one day inherit. Defending the rules is not a favor to the small. It is an insurance for the strong. Mr. president, nowhere is that truer than the climate crisis. Here too, we are told there is uncertainty. There is none. The sea does not negotiate. It does not read communiques, and it does not recognize a veto. In 2024, for the first time, the world was more than one and a half degrees warmer for an entire year. The line which small island states fought to write into the Paris Agreement has already been crossed. A new report released only days ago warns that El Nino phenomena now heating the planet is likely to cost some 450 000 lives by next February. In 2019 Hurricane Dorian inflicted damage and losses on the Bahamas equal to roughly a quarter of our national output. Families watched the sea take the only land they had. Most of my country sits barely above sea level. For us, a rising ocean is not a forecast. It is a boundary inching towards our doorsteps. That is why the Bahamas proudly endorses yesterday's declaration on sea level rise, which affirms that our statehood, our boundaries and our seat in this assembly will not be washed away by the sea. The science is certain. Last year, the International Court of Justice made clear that the law is also certain. The injustice is certain: the people who bear least responsibility are asked to adapt first, pay more, and recover from disasters they did not cause. And the self-interest is certain. People who lose their homes do not disappear.

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Indeed, Mr. President, the United Nations has already placed them in our hands. We have the Paris Agreement. We have the 2030 agenda and the Antigua and Barbuda agenda for SIDS. We have the law of the sea regime and the declaration on Sea level rise, and we have a global dialogue under this organisation on the governance of artificial intelligence. The United Nations is doing its part. The question before us is whether we will use these tools whether we have the will to deliver. Mr. President, Belize is determined to do so.

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Mr. President, I conclude by thanking Secretary-General António Guterres for his principled leadership and steadfast commitment to the United Nations over the past decade. I especially commend his courage in tackling the climate crisis, the fundamental issue of our time. From devastating floods in Nepal to wildfires across Europe, communities are increasingly experiencing the consequences of a changing climate. The Paris Agreement remains a powerful example of what can be achieved when countries work together. Secretary Guterres has been a vital voice in calling member states to action. We look forward to working with the next Secretary-General in advancing the charter's principles and strengthening this institution. As the leader of a country that fought for its independence and its place among nations, I am deeply conscious of the inheritance we have received.

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Last year OECD donors spent about $175 billion on development assistance... a 23% drop year-on year. And yet military expenditures approached $3 trillion.... capping 11 straight years of growth. All the while progress on the SDGs has stalled at just over a third of targets, and developing countries are now paying the price for supply chain disruptions they did not cause and cannot cure. The contrasts could not be more stark. We must better prioritize how our resources are spent by augmenting development assistance, addressing debt burdens, reforming the international financial architecture, fulfilling our Sevilla and Paris commitments. And implementing the programmes of action for LDCs, LLDCs, SIDs, as well as the AU’s Agenda 2063. Because where we have done so, the results are clear: Over the past decade, nearly one billion people have gained access to safely managed drinking water. Electricity now reaches 92 per cent of the world’s population. And internet access has risen from 40 per cent to 74 per cent. Behind these figures are healthier children, more resilient communities, greater opportunities for women and girls, and renewed hope. These gains show that accelerating the SDGs is possible when developing countries and development partners work in concert. This indeed is a shared responsibility. Developing countries must also intensify their own efforts through domestic resource mobilization and plug any leakage or corruption, including capital flight — A plague that, until recently, undermined development in my own country under a repressive, authoritarian regime.

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We will take the lead in shaping AI into a tool for solving the shared challenges we face, such as the climate crisis, public health, food insecurity, and refugee issues. Second, the green transformation. The climate crisis is often referred to as a global group project shared by all 8 billion people on earth. A single country cannot tackle this challenge alone. At the same time, abandoning growth cannot bring everyone on board. The Republic of Korea announced its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions as part of its active participation in the Paris Agreement and UN Climate Action. The Korea Green Transformation Strategy aims to convert our industrial structure, creating a virtuous cycle in which carbon neutrality leads to new growth engines and decent jobs. We are ready to share our experience and best practices with the international community. Co-hosting the fourth UN Ocean Conference with Chile in 2028 reflects our commitment to leading discussions on the sustainable development of our oceans.

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Peace and security cannot be separated from development, nor can development be separated from human rights. Conflict destroyed development gain. Poverty fuels instability. Climate change increased pressure on food, water and community. We must also not overlook the devastating humanitarian and socio economic situation in Cuba, where prolonged hardship is placing an immense burden on the daily life of the Cuban people. We must therefore treat peace, security, human rights and sustainable development as part of the same agenda. The SDG remains our common commitment. The Pact for the Future provides an opportunity to strengthen multilateralism and accelerate implementation of the 2030 agenda. But commitments are not enough. We need implementation, financing and accountability. We also need a fairer and more inclusive international financial architecture, supported by adequate resources and greater financial stability for the UN itself. The triple planetary crisis, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is already affecting peace and security. Environmental degradation fuel food insecurity, water scarcity and displacement. The Paris Agreement must be fully implemented. The 1.5 degree goal must remain within reach. The transition must be just and no country should be left behind. Food security must also remain at the heart of our collective effort.

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