The transcripts are AI-generated from the UN's English audio and can contain mistakes. We are checking them against the statements the missions publish; some errors are still expected.
Under NDP 4, we are expanding health investments to ensure accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare across the country. This includes modernizing health centers, upgrading regional referral hospitals, and integrating digital health solutions to improve service delivery and accountability. We are actively addressing the dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and our responses to HIV/AIDS combine strong political leadership with sustained community involvement, keeping Uganda on track to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and contribute to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Having successfully contained outbreaks such as the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, Uganda has built a resilient public health framework. We call upon development partners and multilateral institutions to bridge financing gaps, enhance pandemic preparedness, and ensure equitable access to diagnostic tools, medicines, and vaccines worldwide. As the Chair of NAM, Uganda continues to uphold the principles of unity, peace, and solidarity among developing nations. We remain dedicated to advancing the international covenant on the right to development, aiming to transform the 1986 Declaration into a binding operational instrument that tackles structural global inequalities. We look forward to hosting the ministers of NAM member states and observers at the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Coordinating Bureau in Kampala from December 2 to 4, 2026.
We will make the right to development a pillar of multilateralism by facilitating access to sustainable funding and reducing inequalities globally. Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to quote the great African writer Chinua Achebe, who said the following. When we gather in the village under the moonlight, it's not because of the moon. Each person can see the moon in his own backyard. We gather because it is good to do so. Let us continue in a spirit of teamwork and draw strength from solidarity.
Honduras exercises sovereignty over the full extent of its national territory. Moreover, it administers its natural resources in accordance with its constitution. The law applies to each and every individual, in all four corners of the country, because without legal security and certainty, and without respect for private property, there can be no peace, development, employment, or investment. The right to development is something that it is the duty of the country's government to ensure for the millions of Honduran people.
Mr. president, the rise in regional conflicts is cause for deep concern. We call for effective diplomatic solutions to secure lasting peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan and eastern DRC. We welcome the ceasefire framework and stabilisation arrangement in Gaza and call for sustained engagement to achieve a lasting solution based on the 1967 borders where Israelis and Palestinians co-exist in peace and harmony. Regarding the broader conflict in the Gulf, we urge all parties to intensify efforts towards a speedy resolution as its economic impact is dire and devastating. For humanity cannot continue to bear the high cost of these wars. We should draw inspiration from the wisdom of Chief Mohlomi, one of our renowned diplomats, who advised Moshoeshoe the First, the founding father of the nation, that it is better to thrash corn than sharpen the spear. As the United Nations, we must continue investing in conflict prevention and building strong democratic institutions grounded in good governance, peace and respect for international law. Mr. president, my delegation continues to call for the lifting of long standing sanctions on Cuba and Zimbabwe. These measures deprive innocent civilians of their right to development.
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.
It will be held this year. Ladies and gentlemen. A lasting peace cannot be decoupled from development. 40 years after the adoption of the declaration on the Right to Development, we know what we need to do to achieve that goal. There needs to be a wholesale reform of international financial architecture. There needs to be sustainable debt. There needs to be equitable taxation and better access to concessional financing. There also needs to be the implementation of the Seville Commitment as well as of the pact for the future.
Global progress must uphold the spirit of humanity in relations among nations, safeguard their legitimate interests and respect differences in history, culture and development conditions. Third, we must proactively shape technology governance so that progress serves humanity and our common development. Science, technology, digital transformation and artificial intelligence are opening up unprecedented opportunities, but they are also presenting new challenges. The future of technology does not automatically guarantee equitability, and technological progress must help narrow divides and expand development opportunities, rather than creating new forms of dependency or new sources of conflict. We need to develop inclusive, safe, transparent and accountable principles and governance frameworks to ensure that technologies will be in service of the people while respecting national sovereignty digital sovereignty and the right to development. Developing countries must be able to participate substantively in rulemaking, receive support for infrastructure and digital capacity, and enjoy equitable access to the benefits of scientific and technological progress. Vietnam's hosting of the signing ceremony for the UN Convention Against Cybercrime in Hanoi last year reflects our desire to make substantive contributions to global digital cooperation. Vietnam stands ready to work with partners to strengthen cooperation and build capacity in preventing and combating cyber crime so that people may live safely and benefit from technological progress. We also stand ready to support international initiatives on green and digital transformation, and the development of effective governance frameworks, so that science and technology can truly become drivers of shared development.
Civil, political and economic, social and cultural rights require equal protection and are best advanced through dialogue, cooperation, capacity building and national ownership. On the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, Zimbabwe calls for the adoption and translation of its principles into binding international commitments. Racism and all forms of discrimination continue to deny millions the equal enjoyment of human rights and development. Accountability, education and awareness, as well as support for victims and engagement on reparatory justice, remain critical pathways to truth, healing, restored dignity and equality. My country, therefore joins other Member States in calling for the full implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Mr. President, Zimbabwe supports UN reforms that reduce duplication, improve coordination, modernize systems and strengthen field implementation.
Azerbaijan's commitment to international solidarity and cooperation is equally reflected in our development and humanitarian assistance. In recent years, Azerbaijan has significantly expanded the scope of its international aid with particular attention to small island developing states and African partner countries. Since 2020, we have provided humanitarian, economic and technical assistance worth approximately USD 400 million to more than 140 countries. As we mark the 40th anniversary of the declaration on the Right to Development, Azerbaijan reaffirms its commitment to partnership based approaches founded on solidarity, mutual respect and shared development priorities. Ladies and gentlemen, as we inch closer to 2030, it is becoming even more apparent that the world remains off track in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Azerbaijan is firmly committed to the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, having integrated the SDGs into its national development strategies institutional frameworks and voluntary national review processes, while placing particular emphasis on connectivity, green growth, digitalisation and sustainable urban development. In less than two decades, Azerbaijan's GDP has increased threefold, while the poverty rate has declined from 49 to around 5%.
Regrettably, however, the organization still fails to recover from functional paralysis owing to high handedness and unilateralism of a handful of countries pursuing only chauvinistic interests. All the crises the international community is faced with point one clear fact that infringement on sovereignty, threat to security interests and denial of a right to development of other countries are bound to breed regional instability and crisis and lead to aggression and war. In order to overcome all the existing crises and challenges and promote peace, security and sustainable development, all Member States should seek appropriate solutions to problems while strictly complying with the intrinsic purposes and principles of the UN charter and giving priority to unity and cooperation among nations.
Mr. president, the fifth opportunity to promote human rights, peace and international security. Malawi firmly believes that development, peace and human rights are inextricably linked. We remain deeply committed to upholding the constitutional rights of all our citizens, strengthening our democratic institutions and maintaining an uncompromising stance against corruption. Furthermore, we strongly defend the right to development as an inalienable human right. True freedom cannot exist in conditions of extreme poverty and systemic economic exclusion. On the global stage, we view with great alarm the proliferation of violent conflicts, unconstitutional changes of government, geopolitical fragmentation and acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Mr. president, the Malawi nation is not standing aloof as all these alarming developments occur. Malawi continue to play a part in global peace operation, deploying our brave men and women United Nations peacekeeping mission to safeguard stability on our continent.
Bangladesh once again reaffirms its unwavering support for their legitimate demands, including their right to self-determination and their right to establish an independent state of Palestine. Mr. president, in the prevailing global circumstances the theme of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation, a United Nations that delivers for all, is highly relevant and timely. Bangladesh remains steadfast in its commitment to multilateralism in maintaining international peace and security. As vice chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, Bangladesh continues to serve as a strong voice for sustainable peace, conflict prevention and inclusive peace. As a consistent contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions, Bangladeshi peace keepers are serving humanity in different parts of the world. The courageous participation of Bangladeshi women in peacekeeping missions, even under adverse circumstances, reflects our strong commitment to advancing the agenda of women, peace and security. This year, Bangladesh is observing the 40th anniversary of the declaration on the Right to Development and the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
We must also harbour the ambition of investing more in development, because investing in development is tantamount to investing in peace, security and stability. Mr. President. The climate issue is an excellent illustration of this demand for justice. Africa contributes relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions, and yet we are already bearing the full brunt of climate change. We're not asking for the right to pollute. We're asking for the right to development. We would like for adaptation, building resilience and the issue of loss and damage for all of these to be addressed urgently, given the urgency of the reality our people are already facing. We also want for the energy transition to be an opportunity to industrialise, to create jobs and bolster access to energy.
This stage must conclude to usher in a new political era based in truth, justice, and the ability to look forward together, and to find, in political dialogue underpinned by respect, a genuine forum within which we can settle the differences which we have as Venezuelans, seeking always, in so doing, to forge ahead for the well-being of the country. I am delighted to announce that Venezuela has begun a process of democratic transition to ensure its rebirth. This is an orderly, institutional, and verifiable process to build a country that is freer for all, more prosperous, and more at peace with itself. This is a process of political, economic, and spiritual change, and a time of structural reforms to ensure Venezuela's rebirth, the rebirth of our nation and our people. We are seeking here to build a country in which no one has to win by riding roughshod over someone else or ignoring them, because all of us, particularly young people that are entering political life for the first time, are Venezuela. We must aspire to a Venezuela whose political class is deeply committed to national interest, placing them above anything else. And this political class must not be held hostage by media algorithms. I know Venezuela intimately. I thank God for the opportunity he has provided me with to experience institutional forums which exist within various sectors of public life. I know where the doors are, doors that must open to usher in a wholesale transformation of Venezuela, and doors through which we must walk to establish new bases for an economy which serves development at a national level, and what we must do to ensure full justice for all, regardless of social or political class. And I know what we must do to develop a justice system and a system of social equality, as foreseen by the father of our liberation, Simón Bolívar, in Angostura. I want us to arise from the rubble and establish the foundations of a new, diverse, deeply spiritual nation, a new republic which is at peace from itself. However, the world is increasingly less integrated and more polarized. The world has taught us that some of the most solid democratic transitions of the modern world were not born from fracture or breakdowns, but from a transformation spearheaded with iron resolve by institutions themselves. This is our inspiration. We do not seek to reproduce a trajectory which belongs to another nation or the past, but we want to move forward on the basis of a universal idea: abiding by the law can serve as a path towards better, stronger law. A nation cannot only be reborn by rebuilding buildings; rather, it is reborn when it rebuilds trust in its institutions. Consequently, I wish to announce and reaffirm, in unambiguous terms, the pillars of this process. One, there will be an orderly legal transition and a transition of the judiciary. We have embarked upon an institutional review process to ensure the state can grow stronger and to provide legal security, which national and international investors require, but it is also required by our citizens. They must not feel trampled upon and dictated to by arbitrary powers. The judiciary must be at their service. We cannot postpone this process. There needs to be the responsible exercise of politics. Venezuela will guarantee that there can be real participation of all political forces in the country in political life. Democracy is not measured by the very existence of elections. Democracy is measured by the quality of the competition which occurs before the election. An election must serve as a solution, not a generator of irreconcilable conflicts. I wish to say the following loud and clear at this General Assembly: in Venezuela, there will be elections. And in that vein, we have begun a political dialogue with sectors of the opposition, which will lead to a process where everyone will compete on an equal footing. The Venezuelan people, with its age-old wisdom, will determine when the correct time for these elections is, and Venezuelan institutions will be prepared to guarantee this inclusive and transparent process takes place. Ours will be a country that is not submitted to economic restrictions of any kind, so that our right to development can be guaranteed.
My country relies primarily on its own resources and human potential, and remains committed to attracting investment, strengthening and diversifying economic partnerships based on mutual benefit, equality and mutual respect in a manner that serves its interests and preserves the independence of its decision making. In this context, Tunisia reaffirms its steadfast commitment to human rights and public and individual freedoms in accordance with the Constitution of the 25th of July 2022, its international obligations and the choices of its people. We stress the importance of promoting the comprehensive and interconnected nature of human rights, including economic, climate related, social, scientific, cultural and educational rights, foremost among them the fundamental right to development.
