Second Committee, 5th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 81st session

Colleagues, may I invite you to take your seats. We are ready to start our meeting. The fifth meeting of the second committee is called to order. This afternoon, the committee will continue its general debate under the theme, financing sustainable development in a changing global economy to accelerate implementation of the sustainable development goals. Before calling the first speaker on the list for this afternoon, I wish to remind the delegations of the agreed time limits for statements, five minutes for national statements and four minutes for international organizations and UN system entities. As you know, to assist speakers in time management, a countdown clock will be projected on the screen, and there will be a microphone deactivated in case speakers exceed the time limit. Now I'd like to give the floor to the first speaker. I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Colombia to take the floor. Ambassador, the floor is yours.

Chair, Ambassador, distinguished Ambassador, indeed, it is a pleasure to extend our greetings to you and the Bureau. We thank you for your work, and we wish to affirm that you can count on Colombia's full support as you discharge your mandate. Colombia is of the view that there can be no sustainable development without sustained economic growth, investment, and job creation, three components which cannot wait. As others have stated, the era of commitments has given way to an urgent need for implementation. Allow me to make several points that my delegation deems important. First, financing for development must manifest as better investment, better productivity, formal employment, wealth creation, and the creation of opportunities for all. Economic growth in that way will make it possible to bolster states' capacities to produce the resources necessary to make progress with education, health, infrastructure, productive transformation, and well-being. Even so, extraordinary shocks require agile, effective financial mechanisms. As things stand, recovery and reconstruction is an international and a national priority. Colombia's experience in light of the recent earthquake demonstrates the importance of having instruments that make it possible to quickly mobilize national resources, international development aid, multi-lat and public-private investment to create resources and create investment and recovery without jeopardizing the economic growth of the country. There needs to be private investment of all types to achieve the SDGs. Public resources and international development aid are crucial, but they need to be complemented with private capital to ensure infrastructure, housing, technology, industry and productive projects. With this in mind, Colombia believes in cooperation between nations and believes in results orientated multilateralism that's based on joint responsibility and the sovereignty of states. My delegation values bilateral cooperation as well as multilateral cooperation and the United Nations system, provided that all bolster national capacities, respond to national needs and do not create burdensome red tape that hinder results on the ground. The High Level Committee on South-South Cooperation is a committee within which we champion pragmatic cooperation based on reciprocity and mutual benefit, one that complements the exchange of knowledge and tangible solutions so that there can be more strategic links between what we do and socio and productive development. Multilateral development banks must contribute to mobilizing greater resources and channeling them into productive projects. As such, it is necessary to extend the use of guarantees, mitigation, risk mitigation, instruments and other tools to reduce barriers to investment and mobilize capitals capital technological transfer and investment must be a motor for development we want to attract investment and knowledge to strengthen digital infrastructure innovation and AI as well as productivity technological transformation must become a source of employment competitiveness investment and new opportunities for the country my fourth point Colombia also calls for environment and financing, climate financing to be channeled into increasing territorial level resilience and into furthering socio development that is inclusive. The FFD debate is one that we're coming to with a vision of joint responsibilities. Countries need to strengthen their own institutions, get their public financing in order, make efficient use of their resources, guarantee an attractive investment environment, and create projects that can themselves create growth. Elsewhere, the international community must do its part through a financial architecture which facilitates access to capital, knowledge, technology, and response mechanisms to tackle the crisis we face. Thank you, Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of Colombia, and now I would like to invite the permanent representative of Iceland to take the floor. Ambassador, you have the floor.

Thank you. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, allow me to begin by congratulating you, Ambassador Yanina, and the members of the Bureau on your election. You may count on Iceland's full support and active engagement throughout this session of the Second Committee. Madam Chair, we are meeting at a time of profound uncertainty. Conflicts are multiplying, humanitarian needs are increasing, and the foundations of the international system are under increased pressure. The need for effective multilateralism that delivers for the most vulnerable has therefore never been greater. Iceland fully supports the UN80 reform process. We need a United Nations that uses its resources effectively, reduces unnecessary duplications and bureaucracy, responds more quickly when people need it, and delivers tangible results for all. This also applies to the work of the Second Committee. We should pursue more efficient working methods that support consensus, avoid duplication, and keep our work focused and timely. Madam Chair, Poverty eradication must remain at the heart of our efforts. It requires an integrated approach that addresses poverty in all its forms and dimensions, while promoting social inclusion and reduced inequalities. Financing is central to this effort. The Compromiso de Sevilla, the outcome of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, provides an important framework for action. At a time when development needs are increasing and development financing is under pressure, we must make better use of every source of finance, strengthening domestic resource mobilization while building strong and transparent institutions, enhancing international cooperation while also mobilizing private investment and aligning financial flows with the SDGs. All of these actions are essential. Development partnerships must respond to the priorities of partner countries and deliver meaningful results. This can be ensured by strengthening aid effectiveness and national ownership. Madam Chair, among Iceland's key priorities are areas where we seek global impact based on our own development experience: gender equality, renewable energy, healthy oceans and land restoration. Human rights, gender equality, and women's empowerment are fundamental to sustainable development. Our financing must help close persistent gender gaps and expand opportunities for women and girls. Renewable energy is central to resilience and energy security. Iceland supports a just transition, wider access to affordable renewables, and knowledge sharing on geothermal and hydropower. Healthy oceans underpin climate action, biodiversity and food security. Through the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition, Iceland supports sustainable and resilient aquatic food systems. And land restoration is critical to tackling degradation, desertification and drought, strengthening food and water security, biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihoods. As part of the reform of the Second Committee, in line with our resolution on mandate reform last April, we welcome the biennialization of the resolution on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa. We look forward to co-facilitating the resolution next year. Madam Chair, the challenges before us are immense, but we have a clear framework for action. What is required now is implementation, cooperation and continued determination. Iceland stands ready to support and engage constructively in the work of the Second Committee, and we look forward to working with all delegations to turn our shared commitments into action. Thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for the statement. I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Romania to take the floor.

Thank you, Honourable Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, let me start by congratulating you, Ambassador Suela Janina, on your appointment as Second Committee Chair. We trust your able leadership and we look forward to working under your guidance. In addition to the statement delivered by the European Union, I would like to add the following. We live interesting times and we experience unprecedented challenges, while we have access to the highest amount of information humanity has seen. In these challenging times, both politically and economically, we need to reaffirm our commitment to reinvigorate multilateralism with full respect for international law and human rights. A realistic, meaningful and sustainable development cannot happen without the respect of human rights or without peace and security. But in order to achieve this, we need to collectively focus our energy and attention on rendering the UN activity more efficient in line with the GA revitalization resolution on optimizing the working methods and the UNAT recommendations. We applaud the recent TUC effort to review its agenda and reduce the frequency of items, further streamlining documents and the number of meetings allocated per item each session, avoiding recycling previous ideas through technical rollovers. But this was just the first step, and we need to start implementing, in order to keep the UN Development Pillar and the TUC work relevant and effective, attuned to our times and action-oriented. In this regard, I would like to illustrate a good example achieved already during the last session on the biennialization of the ICT for sustainable development resolution. However, we should achieve more with less words. Fewer, shorter, and more strategically focused, long-term and action-oriented resolutions will be far more effective than duplicating mandates and spreading resources thin. outdated or ineffective mandates should be revised or discontinued. This will help the UN Development Pillar and the Second Committee to remain credible, relevant and resilient. Global challenges, bringing both opportunities and risks, affect all societies in both developing and developed countries. AI technologies are part of these challenges and on everybody's mind, and we have witnessed it becoming a major theme of global impact during the recent high-level week. While AI technologies impact the path of our domains and activities, development, education, science, health, agriculture, environment, connectivity, trade, and the financial markets are some of the key ones, and they happen to be also at the core of this committee's activity. Hence, exploring the benefits of AI, SI technologies in accelerating the development phase in these areas is of utmost importance while considering appropriate and by design safety measures to counter the risks. We also need to be more invested in developing digital skills and more aware of the challenges that digital technologies bring to our societies. Malicious hybrid actions, including cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns, have already proven to be real challenges. Nevertheless, we believe in the power of digital technologies to also be the cure and mitigate these risks and challenges by countering propaganda and disinformation campaigns. We need to consolidate these capacities anchored in human rights and international law to ensure responsible use and development of such technologies. In this regard, we ask for your constructive approach during the negotiations on ICT for sustainable development, co-facilitated by Romania and Indonesia. At the same time, we need to pay increased attention to the devastating effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, while enhanced efforts to manage this triple planetary crisis. We have witnessed terrible droughts this summer, dwindling river basins, and generating significant energy disruptions for many EU countries, including Romania. No UN member state possesses the capacity to confront and overcome these battles alone. Building resilience, common political commitments, and encouraging innovation and healthy public-private partnerships are key components of our future actions. Romania is committed to continuing its active engagement to explore innovative and effective solutions to the needs of the most affected states. In concluding, I would like to assure you that my country is committed.

I thank the distinguished representative of Romania. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Andorra.

Thank you, Excellency. Andorra aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to add some remarks in its national capacity. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Madam President, and the members of the Bureau on your election to lead the work of the Second Committee during its 81st session. The theme chosen for the general debate should serve as yet another wake-up call as we approach 2030 with too many of the SDGs still off track and the window for action narrowing. In this session, we will follow closely the resolution on promotion of sustainable and resilient tourism. For a country whose economy and identity are deeply connected to its mountains, tourism sustainability is not an abstract concept. It is about ensuring that it remains compatible with the protection of our natural environment, the well-being of our communities, and the long-term resilience of our economy. In this regard, our new law on tourism is centered on the sustainable economic development of tourism. It strengthens planning and governance, promotes a more diversified and year-round tourism model, and places greater emphasis on environmental sustainability and the benefits for local communities. This approach is particularly relevant for mountain destinations facing growing pressures from tourism and climate change. As highlighted at the 13th Congress of Snow, Mountain and Wellness hosted by Andorra together with UN Tourism in March, sustainability must remain at the heart of mountain tourism, ensuring that local communities benefit throughout the year while avoiding excessive seasonal pressures. We will also follow closely the discussions on artificial intelligence and its contribution to sustainable development. We are of the view that technological progress must remain human-centered, inclusive, and multilingual, so that innovation does not deepen existing inequalities or leave communities behind. Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, beyond the work of the Second Committee, we also look ahead to COP31 and COP17. Andorra will continue to work with partners to elevate and position mountains more prominently on the international agenda. bringing greater attention to their specific vulnerabilities, while also highlighting their essential contribution to climate action, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development. This work builds on the Andorran Declaration, adopted in March at the seventh global meeting of the Mountain Partnership, which reaffirmed the need to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that the specific challenges and opportunities of mountain regions are adequately reflected across relevant global agendas. As our Prime Minister, Xabier Spot, stated during the general debate, mountains should no longer be treated as peripheral to the international climate agenda, given their critical role in sustainable development and the impacts they are already experiencing. In this context, Andorra sees COP31 and COP17 as an opportunity to further raise the profile of mountain regions and to ensure that their needs and contributions are reflected in international climate and biodiversity actions. Andorra will present its third Voluntary National Review next July, following a different approach. We will analyze progress across the 17 SDGs through five national sustainable development objectives. First of all, maintaining quality education while promoting democratic citizenship and human rights. Second, consolidating social well-being in an inclusive and resilient society. Third, ensuring the preservation of the planet for future generations in a society connected to nature. Fourth, promoting an open and diversified sustainable economy. And fifth, preserving the rule of law in a safe and peaceful society. A gender perspective has been also mainstream across all five national objectives. As a result, SDG 5 and the empowerment of women and girls will be assessed throughout the entire report in a cross-cutting manner. These five objectives reflect our effort to translate the universal ambition of the 2030 Agenda into a national framework that is meaningful for Andorra and responsive to our circumstances. Madam President, as we approach 2030, the Second Committee has a central role in turning commitments into implementation. Andorra will continue to play its part in this effort. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Andorra, and I invite for a statement the Permanent Representative of Venezuela. Excellency, you have the floor.

Allow us at the outset to convey to you our congratulations on your election, Chair. We also congratulate the rest of the Bureau. We are ready and willing to contribute constructively to the work of this Committee. Moreover, we endorse the statement made by the Oriental Republic of Uruguay on behalf of G77 and China. Chair, The central issue of this general debate is of particular importance for Venezuela and for all developing nations, as we stand little more than three years away from 2030, the financing gap to achieve the SDGs remains a considerable one. This in an international context marked by economic uncertainty, financial volatility and increasing challenges for developing countries. Venezuela reaffirms its conviction that multilateralism, solidarity, and international cooperation are crucial tools to make progress towards inclusive and sustainable development. Agenda 2030 stands as a collective commitment. Its implementation requires developing countries having the necessary resources and policy space to achieve their national development goals. We are facing economic and financial challenges, but in addition, there are phenomena that have a distinct disproportionate impact on our peoples: climate change, environmental degradation, the food and energy crises, and the volatility of financial markets. These challenges require coordinated responses and predictable, affordable and sustainable financing mechanisms, particularly for developing countries. Venezuela is facing these challenges in a national context of transformation and recovery. In spite of accumulated difficulties, including those arising from unilateral coercive measures, our country has proven its ability to recover and proven a staunch desire to usher in a new era of development. We reaffirm, in particular, the need to comprehensively tackle the energy challenge. We must reconcile energy security and the need for an uninterrupted supply, as well as affordable prices and environmental protection. We must reform the international financial architecture. Our goal must be to broaden and democratize access to financing for development. Doing that requires strengthening international cooperation in its various forms, South-South, North-South and triangular cooperation. We must also facilitate fairer and more effective access to resources earmarked climate action and sustainable development. Expediting the implementation of the SDGs also demands that we increase the mobilization of domestic resources. We must also promote productive investment and develop public-private partnerships which are in line with national priorities. Finally, we must advance with the effective implementation of the Compromiso de Sevilla, Chair. The increasingly visible effects of climate change remind us of the urgent need to act. Venezuela reaffirms the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as well as equity. And we hope that COP31 will ultimately serve to translate international commitments into effective actions, particularly in the fields of financing, technology transfer, capacity building and adaptation. For Venezuela, financing development cannot be reduced solely to mobilizing resources. It also involves creating international conditions which allow each and every country to define and implement their own development strategies in line with their national priorities and with internationally made commitments. We reaffirm that we are ready and willing to contribute constructively to multilateral dialogue and to the search for concrete, inclusive and sustainable solutions. We are convinced that negotiation and diplomacy remain the most effective instruments we have to overcome differences and to build international relations rooted in respect, cooperation and mutual benefit. Venezuela is walking forward with resolve in this new era of national life. Our Venezuela is one that is being reborn, which is reaffirming before this organization its desire to contribute to a more balanced cooperation-based international order, which is focused on sustainable development. Thank you.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. Now I'd like to invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of Algeria.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First, I would like to congratulate you and the members of the Bureau on your election and to assure you of our support. Algeria aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77 and the statement made by Namibia on behalf of the African Group. Madam Chair. We meet at a challenging time. Conflicts and tensions continue to escalate. Economic and social crises are deepening, while the global economy is facing significant challenges. For many developing countries, limited access to financing, high debt burdens, and constrained fiscal space are exacerbating. In the meantime, unequal access to technology, imbalances in global trade, and growing climate impacts are generating additional development gaps. This landscape is further affecting our efforts toward the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, which remain off track. Madam Chair, despite this backdrop, Algeria is making tangible progress to achieve the SDGs, as demonstrated in its second VNR presented in July 2026. Algeria remains committed to collective efforts toward the 2030 agenda through numerous measures, including strengthening public infrastructure, eradicating poverty, promoting social security, housing, improving universal health coverage, advancing energy transition, and ensuring full access to education as well as science and technology, especially for women and girls. As a result, Algeria has maintained its position among the top rankings in Africa in 2025 Human Development Index. Madam Chair, at this critical juncture, The realities we face require strong international cooperation, as enshrined in the UN Charter, to turn our collective commitment into concrete and action-oriented solutions. In this regard, I would like to highlight the followings. First, without adequate financing, the SDGs cannot be achieved. We call for the effective implementation of the Seville Commitment to ensure adequate financing for developing countries. We need a global financial architecture that is more representative and responsive to the needs of developing countries. Addressing debt burdens is essential to advancing the achievement of the SDGs. We also underscore the need to enhance capacities for domestic resource mobilization and to combat illicit financial flows. Second, We must reinforce structural transformation by ensuring adequate means of implementation, strong infrastructure and industrialization are cornerstones of sustainable development. International trade must ensure fair and balanced trade opportunities and inclusive access to markets. With rapid advances in technology and AI, we need to close the digital gap and ensure equitable access to technology and innovation. Third, if we are to foster a more equitable global economy that is more responsive to our needs, we must place greater emphasis on strengthening the capacities of developing countries. which are the most in need and most affected. This would help bridge existing gaps and reduce inequalities so that we can ensure the achievement of the SDGs. Madam Chair. The situation of the Palestinian people must be granted the highest and urgent among all our priorities. An immediate and safe humanitarian access must be reached to meet the needs of more than one million Palestinians still facing acute food insecurity and damaged infrastructure. In conclusion, Madam Chair, Algeria remains committed to working with its partners to advance the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and promote more just and inclusive sustainable development that meets the aspiration of our generations. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished delegate of Algeria and now give the floor to the distinguished delegate of Azerbaijan.

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, at the outset, we congratulate you, Madam Chair, and the members of the Bureau on your election. You can count on our full support and constructive engagement throughout this session. We meet at a critical moment for sustainable development. As the Secretary General emphasized in his 2026 report on the work of the organization, Our world is marked by turbulence, division, and uncertainty. Conflicts, geopolitical tensions, climate shocks, and widening inequalities are putting development gains under increasing pressure. Against this backdrop, financing sustainable development has become both more urgent and more challenging. The 2026 Financing for Sustainable Development Report highlights the scale of the challenge. The annual SDG financing gap now exceeds USD 4 trillion. High debt service burdens, elevated borrowing costs, and declining development assistance are constraining the fiscal space of many developing countries. The SIVILA commitment provides an important framework in this regard. It underscores the need to ensure additional, adequate, affordable, predictable, and accessible financing while strengthening the role of multilateral development banks and mobilizing private capital for sustainable development. Domestic resource mobilization remains an important pillar, but cannot alone meet current financing needs. International cooperation, including development assistance, concessional finance, international tax cooperation, and private investment remains essential. International financial architecture must better reflect the needs and priorities of developing countries. It should be more inclusive, equitable, effective, and responsive. The voice, representation, and meaningful participation of developing countries in global economic governance must be strengthened. Madam Chair, despite global challenges, Azerbaijan remains fully committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Azerbaijan 2030, national priorities for social economic development provides a strategic framework focused on a competitive economy and inclusive society, stronger human capital, a clean environment and green growth. Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to monitoring process. To date, we have presented four VNRs and looking forward to presenting our fifth VNR next year. For Azerbaijan, sustainable development also entails addressing the long-term consequence of the former conflict and creating the conditions for lasting peace, stability, and prosperity. Azerbaijan has embarked on a large-scale reconstruction and recovery program, transforming the territories liberated from nearly 30 years of occupation into smart, green, and sustainable communities. Landmine contamination remains one of the most serious obstacles to these efforts, threatening lives, restricting the safe return of IDPs, and delaying reconstruction and economic recovery. Madam Chair, we believe that advancing the SDGs requires countries not only to deliver nationally, but also to contribute at the global level. As the COP29 presidency, Azerbaijan placed finance at the heart of global climate action. The Baku finance goal set a new target of at least USD 300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035 and called for scaling up climate finance to at least USD 1.3 trillion per year. Our task now is to translate the commitments made in Baku into concrete delivery and build on progress made in Belem and carry this momentum toward Antalya. Sustainable urbanization is another important dimension of Azerbaijan's contribution to the 2030 agenda. Earlier this year, Azerbaijan hosted the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, bringing together participants from 176 countries. As Secretary General underscores in his report on new urban agenda, the Baku call to action developed through an extensive and inclusive months-long global multi-stakeholder consultation process advocates an assertive, concerted and urgent response to the global housing crisis aimed at accelerating the implementation of the new urban agenda implementation through 2036. Beyond this global platform, Azerbaijan continues to support sustainable development through humanitarian assistance, technical cooperation, capacity building, and educational initiatives. We also contribute to stronger regional connectivity through transport, energy, digital infrastructure that promote inclusive growth and sustainable partnerships across regions. Madam Chair, looking ahead, our collective focus must be on implementation. With less than four years remaining until 2030, incremental progress will not be enough. Achieving the SDGs requires adequate financing, stronger partnerships, and renewed international cooperation. The challenges before us are interconnected, and so must be our response. Through solidarity and concrete action, we can accelerate progress and translate our shared commitments into tangible results for all. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan, and now I would like to invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of the Gambia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me begin by congratulating you and all members of the Bureau on your election. The Gambia assures you of its full support and continued cooperation as you discharge your duties. My delegation associates itself with the statements delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, the African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries, and wishes to make the following remarks in our national capacity. Madam Chair, this session is being held at a pivotal moment for the international community. The enormity of the challenges confronting sustainable development and the growing pressures on our collective development aspirations require all of us to reaffirm our collective commitment to multilateral cooperation and to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Madam Chair, this session holds profound symbolic significance for the Gambia. Our election as chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries is both an honor and a responsibility, reflecting confidence in its leadership and commitment to advancing the group's collective development priorities through sustainable and collective solutions. Madam Chair, the United Nations remains a driving force for multilateralism and for advancing our collective aspiration for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development. Importantly, however, the development realities confronting the international community requires us to examine closely whether the mechanism of international cooperation remains adequate to the scale and nature of the challenges before us. The Gambia remains particularly concerned about the persistent inequalities in the international economic and financial system. The resources needed for development remain beyond the reach of many countries, while existing structures do not always provide the voice, representation and responsiveness required to address their development needs. The consequences are reflected in a desperate international environment in which many countries' ability to pursue their development priorities is increasingly constrained. Rising debt burdens are further intensifying these constraints as mounting debt service obligations continue to reduce fiscal space, making it difficult for all countries to invest in the productive capacities needed to generate sustainable economic growth. The international community must act decisively to advance comprehensive and effective solutions to debt sustainability. This must be accompanied by meaningful reforms of the international financial institutions, including the Bretton Woods institutions, to improve access to affordable long-term financing and ensure that developing countries have a strong voice in the decisions that affect their development. Developing countries are not asking for charity. What we are calling for is a system that is fair, responsive and capable of supporting our development aspirations. A fairer system must also strengthen our ability to mobilize and retain our own resources. International tax cooperation is critical to strengthening our capacity to mobilize the resources needed to finance our own development. Commitments to prevent illicit financial flows and strengthen international tax cooperation must be fully implemented. Official development assistance remain indispensable, particularly for countries with limited fiscal space. We call on development partners to fully and timely fulfill their ODA commitments. Climate change also continues to erode development gains, this appropriately affecting countries that have contributed the least to the crisis. Africa amounts for less than 4% of global emissions, yet remains among the regions most exposed to its consequences. Our response must respect differentiated responsibilities and effective capabilities, strengthen resilience, and ensure greater and more predictable climate financing. At the same time, poverty and hunger remains persistent concerns, while conflicts, economic shocks, and high food and energy prices continue to disrupt livelihood. Madam Chair, as member of the United Nations and global citizens, we must continue to pursue bold, purposeful actions that confront persistent structural barriers and ensure that no country is denied the means and opportunities to achieve development. The civil commitment provides renewed impetus for addressing these persistent constraints. The priority now must be implementation, ensuring the commitment translated into meaningful reforms. Madam Chair, against this backdrop, the Gambia remains committed to inclusive and sustainable development through the recovery, our national recovery plan, the year over 2023 to 2027, focusing on renewable energy and expanding electricity, education, high healthcare, increasing agricultural productivity and value addition, and advancing and digital connectivity. In our drive for broader development reforms, The Gambia is strengthening its national institution, improving public effectiveness, and pursuing measures that enhance transparency and accountability. Madam Chair, The Gambia remains fully committed to working with all partners towards a more sustainable future for all. I thank you for your kind attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of The Gambia, and now I give the floor to the permanent representative of Timor-Leste. Excellency, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, I congratulate you, Ambassador Suella Genina of Albania, and your team for your election. We assure you of our full support. Timor-Leste aligns itself with statements delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, ASEAN, LDCs and AOSIS. For Timor-Leste, financing sustainable development is a matter of national resilience, social justice and intergenerational opportunity. As a LDC and SEAD, we have made significant progress in recent years, yet our small domestic market, limited productive capacity, dependence on imports and exposure to climate shocks continue to constrain development. Revenues from our extractive resources have played a central role in financing national development and public services. Our challenge is to translate these revenues into lasting productive capacity and opportunities for future generations, while safeguarding fiscal sustainability as these finite, non-renewable resources are gradually depleted. Madam Chair, national efforts need to be complemented by an international financial architecture that better reflects the realities facing vulnerable countries. Reducing financing costs, simplifying access, and better recognizing vulnerability would help expand investment where it is most needed. Timor-Leste supports the effective implementation of the Sevilla Commitment and continued efforts to strengthen developing countries' presentation in international financial decision-making. Access to concessional finance should consider structural vulnerabilities, climate risks, and development needs alongside income, drawing on multidimensional vulnerability index. Predictable grants and fulfilled ODA commitments remain indispensable. Domestic responsibility is equally important. We must strengthen revenue mobilization, public financial management, and procurement transparency while improving public spending. Prudent management of national resources must go hand in hand with economic diversification and investment in productive capacity. Our priorities include education, health, sustainable agriculture, food security, renewable energy, and resilient infrastructure. Digital connectivity, skills, and finance for small enterprises can expand opportunities for women, young people, and rural communities. Our membership with WTO and ASEAN also opens new opportunities for trade, investment, and regional integration. Madam Chair. Meeting these ambitions will require established sources of development finance alongside innovative approaches. We would, therefore, highlight four points. First, multilateral development banks can play a greater role through carefully designed blended finance, guarantees, and project preparation support. For Timor-Leste, affordable long-term finance for productive investment and viable domestic enterprises is particularly important. Second, innovative instruments, including thematic SDG bonds and voluntary debt for development and debt for climate swaps, can be explored where they mobilize resources on affordable terms, respond to national priorities, and avoid unsustainable debt burdens. They should complement other development finance and broader debt institutions. Third, stronger international tax cooperation can help address tax evasion, tax avoidance, and illicit financial flows, while strengthening domestic resource mobilization. Fourth, reducing remittances cost, expanding exclusive, inclusive digital finance and enabling diaspora investment can support productive opportunities. South-South and triangular cooperation can further contribute through knowledge sharing, technology and capacity building while complementing North-South cooperation. These approaches, Madam Chair, should remain responsive national priorities. Their success should ultimately be measured in better services, decent jobs, and greater resilience. The 2030 Agenda remains our shared promise. Let us match that promise with accessible financing, accountable implementation, and solidarity. I thank you.

I thank you, Excellency, for the statement. Now I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan to take the floor.

Madam Chair, let me also join the other speakers in congratulating you and the members of the Bureau on your election. You may count on the full support of my delegation. Distinguished delegates, as the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, emphasized during the general debate, common challenges require common action. The 2030 Agenda remains our common framework. Our national development program until 2030 prioritized the human capital, effective public administration, science and innovation, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability. To achieve these goals, developing countries need better access to affordable long-term financing, investment, technology, and international markets. As a landlocked developing country, Kyrgyzstan understands that the structural constraint created by geography, including high transport costs, limited market access, infrastructure gaps, and climate-related vulnerabilities.

Over the past year, the Kyrgyz Republic

had the honor of serving as the acting chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries. We worked to strengthen the unity and visibility of the group and advance its common interests, including the UN reform, climate action, and infrastructure financing. We sincerely thank all LLDC members for their trust and cooperation. Distinguished delegates, sustainable development must go hand in hand with the protection of our natural capital. Humanity faces interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Mountain ecosystems are among the most vulnerable. They are the water tower of our planet and home to unique biodiversity. For Kyrgyzstan, where around 94 percent of our territory is mountainous, protection of this ecosystem is directly linked to water, food, and energy security. At the same time, mountain developing countries require greater access to climate and biodiversity finance. We support the dedicated financing mechanism for mountain ecosystem as well as the innovative instruments such as the debt for nature swaps, which can cover debt obligation into investments in forests, glaciers and biodiversity. We also call for stronger regional cooperation protect the endangered species, including the snow leopard, the Tian Shan brown bear, and argali. It is in this spirit that Kyrgyzstan supports the BBNJ Agreement. Protection of biodiversity, from mountains to oceans, is our shared responsibility. The same principles guide our effort to preserve the Issyk Kul Lake, one of the world's unique high-altitude lakes. Today, the lake is under growing pressure from climate change, glacier retreat, and declining water inflows. Kyrgyzstan is strengthening environmental protection, scientific monitoring, and restoration measures. President Japarov has therefore proposed establishing a special joint trust fund under the auspices of the UN for the preservation of the Issyk-Kul Lake, with Kyrgyzstan ready to make an initial contribution of $10 million U.S. we invite the UN, international financial institutions, and the development partners to support this initiative. Excellencies, Kyrgyzstan is also working to integrate environmental protection into economic policy. In 2025, we approved the green taxonomy of the Kyrgyz Republic, which is now being implemented in the pilot mode. We also have established a green financing fund to mobilize domestic and international investments for sustainable projects. Particular attention should be given to women, youth, and communities in the rural and mountain areas. The General Assembly's proclamation of 2023-2027 as a five years of action plan for the development of the mountain region has given important momentum. It's a culminating event will be the second global mountain summit, Bishkek+25, to be held on 21st, 23rd October 2027 in Bishkek. I am pleased to invite all member states and development partners to participate. On January 2027, Kyrgyzstan will begin its term at the Security Council. We believe in the principles of interconnection between the developing and security. Kyrgyzstan will remain a committed partner of the LLDC group and with the mandate of the Security Council, stands ready to bring greater attention to the concerns and perspectives of the LLDC. And I thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, the distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan, for the statement. Now, I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Russian Federation to take the floor. Ambassador, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, Issues of sustainable development require a unifying agenda and the establishment of trust. We have a conviction. It is that the work of the Second Committee is capable of significantly contributing to this effort. In order for that to happen, our discussion must be non-politicized. It must be grounded in balanced data or verified data and judicious approaches and foster the achievement of consensus. The work of the committee must reflect the sweeping changes in the global economy. What is forming at present is a polycentric system of international economic relations. The balance of power is changing. The role of new and ever-strengthening multilateral formats of cooperation is increasing. There's the growing community of BRICS, regional organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union, and other formations. These are significantly contributing to finding answers to global economic challenges. But the formation of a multipolar world is not without difficulties. We can see that. Some people are used to living at the expense of others and thinking in colonial categories. For them, they're refusing to accept changing realities and trying to restrain any growing competitors. They're using any measures possible, like trade wars, illegitimate sanctions, attempts at issuing economic dictates. They're using what's known as green protectionism, which actually doesn't protect the environment so much as internal markets. longstanding hotbeds of tension are erupting again, and there's new discord. We're particularly disappointed by the attempt of the West to establish control over the trade in natural resources, so-called critical materials. The pretexts being used here are various mechanisms of transparency and trade stability. However, we're convinced that sustainable socioeconomic growth is possible only while preserving national sovereignty over natural resources. As for responsibility for multiple centuries of exploitation of former colonies, the West is increasingly forgetting it. Last year, official development aid was cut by a record 23.3%. At the same time, for 11 years in a row, military expenses have been on the rise, especially in Europe. this is is this really a demonstration of the will that our speaker spoke about at the opening of the session speaking of sustainable development we have to mention the central issue of fighting hunger and poverty this year various forms of hunger are affecting 645 million people with around 826 million people that's one-tenth of the people of our planet living in poverty these figures show the need to focus the world's efforts on the primary tasks of development rather than on confrontation. In closing, I want to talk about one of the most pressing issues on the international agenda. That's the development of artificial intelligence and possible opportunities and risks. Regulation of this area is very much in need. As President Putin said at the Valdai Discussion Club, this is a matter of the survival of humanity. Considering the importance of this issue, Russia has submitted a draft resolution. It supports the two key mechanisms of the UN on AI. They are the Global Dialogue and the Independent International Scientific Panel of Experts. The draft is non-politicized, and it calls for continuing to discuss the central issues with the UN taking a central role. The main task of the resolution is to cement the results of the first year of these mechanisms' work, the results of which, from the standpoint of Russia, have been positive. We want to call upon the delegates to support our initiative. And in closing, we express our regret That is due to the statement by the delegation of Ukraine, which has continued to politicize the work of the Second Committee. They're using it for mendacious accusations. As a smokescreen, they're using their status of supposedly one of the largest grain exporters. In so doing, Kyiv is increasingly deceiving the international community, saying that Russia is blocking the delivery of Ukrainian food. First, it was Ukraine that carried out indiscriminate terrorist attacks in the Black Sea, attacking civilian vessels. And secondly, the Ukrainian grain is not so much for the countries of the Global South, but for Western Europe. That was clearly demonstrated by the Black Sea Grain Initiative. We are going to be talking about this in more detail in the Security Council. I thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative of the Russian Federation. And now I would like to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Haiti. Ambassador, the floor is yours.

Chair, the Republic of Haiti aligns itself with the statements made on behalf of Group G77 and China. and the Alliance of Small Island States, AOSIS, as well as the common position expressed by CARICOM. The theme of today's session focuses on the urgent need for action. It resonates particularly deeply with Haiti. As we stand only four years away from the deadline by which we must achieve the SDGs, the gap between promises made and the reality achieved continues to grow. The time has come to once and for all cast aside the cyclical management of crises. We must instead embrace a process of overarching development. Our ambition is clear. We must move from simply providing responses to emergencies in a haphazard directionless fashion. We must move from that to a strategic approach based on preempting need, planning and bolstering national resilience. Changing our course in this way involves focusing on three inextricably linked pillars. The first of these is security. This is a prerequisite for development. No sustainable development is possible without genuine peace. The SDGs cannot be a mere theoretical abstraction if the very foundations of a state are under threat. With this in mind, the deployment of the gang suppression force is a crucial step to restore order, bring peace to our territory, and to allow the effective implementation of national projects. The fight against armed violence is not a mere matter of security. security emergency and resolving that. Rather, it is a prerequisite for investment, education and growth, and for these to triumph over fear. With that in mind, the renewal of the GSF mandate on the 29th of September is a clear sign of solidarity. That mandate renewal is a crucial lever to restore the authority of the state and to guarantee the functioning of our institutions. wherever they stand on the political spectrum. It's also vital in terms of stopping the spread of instability throughout the region. The second pillar on which we must focus is climate resilience as a strategic thrust of our work. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti spoke before the General Assembly a few weeks ago, and he said the following, "For small states such as Haiti, the cost of climate change has become unsustainable. It is a matter of deep injustice to note that those who have historically contributed the least to climate change are paying the highest price for it. The resources allocated to adaptation and resilience must be commensurate with the challenges faced. This reality demands the creation of a trust fund for the Caribbean and the operationalization, the effective operationalization indeed of the multi dimensional vulnerability index. Our structural vulnerability cannot be measured solely through the lens of income per capita. The third pillar we must focus on is responsible, modern, and transformational development. Haiti fully embraces a culture of transparency and accountability. It is for this reason that we have committed to present our voluntary national review in 2027. Far from being a simple formality, this exercise will be a strategic tool with which we can measure our progress and mobilize our partners behind credible national projects. This development must also incorporate modern phenomena. AI and emerging technologies must remain tools for shared progress that benefit humanity in order to narrow the digital divide rather than increasing it. Our country fully embraces the UN80 agenda, the UN80 initiative, rather, for a renewed multilateralism, a multilateralism which is able to accompany our transition from humanitarian aid to sustainable investment. The success of the Caribbean will be the success of the whole of the international community. Thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for the statement. And now I would like to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I congratulate you and the Bureau on your election and assure you of Bangladesh's full support. Under your guidance, we look forward to productive deliberations in this session with a clear focus on implementation. Its outcomes should also inform next year's SDG Summit. Bangladesh aligns itself with the statements of the G77 and China and the LDC group. With four years remaining, only about a third of the SDG targets are on track. Growing armed conflicts and their impact globally are making progress more difficult. Disruptions in energy and food markets further constrain our development budgets. In this context, this session's theme could not be more topical. Our countries need affordable finance, fair debt solutions, and greater foreign direct investment. We seek a reformed international financial architecture that gives developing countries an effective voice. It must create the conditions to sustain development. We do not need empty promises. Commitments on official development assistance must be honored. Last year, we adopted the Compromiso de Sevilla, We welcome progress in its implementation so far and look forward to the dialogue on sovereign debt at the UN. Madam Chair, finance delivers better outcomes when supported by good governance and respect for human rights. Our government's 3R strategy of recovery, restoration, and reconstruction seeks to strengthen democratic institutions, promote an inclusive society, and build accountability, so that growth benefits every citizen. Development reaches further when women can participate fully. Their economic empowerment is inseparable from their political and social empowerment. My delegation is committed to contributing to this committee's work in this regard. Corruption threatens development and feeds inequality. Illicit financial flows drain billions from our economies. We need stronger international cooperation on the recovery of stolen assets. We support the work towards an ambitious UN framework convention on international tax cooperation. Madam Chair, inequality is growing between countries and within them. LDCs and graduating countries are bearing the brunt of it. They need continued support to address structural vulnerabilities, build resilience, withstand external shocks, and safeguard development gains. Artificial intelligence is changing how we learn, work, and deliver services. Yet, it can also deepen inequalities. Job losses from AI could disproportionately affect women and widen gender inequality. Next year's Global Dialogue on AI Governance must address these risks. Developing countries must have affordable access to financing, technology transfer, computing power, and data. Migrants contribute directly to sustainable development. We call for safe migration and protection of migrants' rights, as well as lower remittance costs to enhance the contribution of remittances to development financing. For Bangladesh, climate change is a daily reality. We contribute less than half of 1% of global emissions, yet sea level rise and recurring natural disasters threaten our lives and livelihoods. We call for predictable, accessible climate finance and a fully resourced loss and damage fund. Madam Chair, we must accelerate implementation of the 2030 agenda with all the determination we can muster. At the same time, drawing on lessons learned, We should begin an early, inclusive conversation on the next development framework. Bangladesh stands ready to contribute to that effort. Thank you.

I thank Your Excellency for the statement. Now I'd like to invite the distinguished representative of Italy to take the floor.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, Excellencies and colleagues. Italy aligns itself to the statement delivered by the European Union and would like to add the following remarks in national capacity. We congratulate Madam Ambassador Suela Yanina on your appointment as chair of the second committee and confirm full support to you and the bureau. Italy strongly believes in international cooperation based on trust and mutual respect to achieve tangible results and stands ready to engage constructively in this committee in line with the ongoing revitalization efforts and the UNAT initiative. This year, we will focus on three main topics. First, collaboration with countries in special situations. LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS should be the first beneficiaries of development cooperation programs. This is why we give them special attention through our Mattei Plan for Africa, a partnership established with 18 African countries, including nine LDCs and three LLDCs. Likewise, we have a solid and long-standing cooperation with SEEDS, including our partnership with the Pacific Islands and the CARICOM. Second, effective, accountable, and transparent institutions. Last June, together with UN DESA and IDLO, we convened in New York an international conference to reiterate our commitment to SDG 16 as the overarching enabler or the operational system of the 2030 Agenda as the UNDP Administrator put it. Third, food security. Our commitment to food security is a defining feature of our international and multilateral action. The current crisis landscape presents new challenges that require decisive action and shared efforts. This is why we launched the Rome Coalition for Fertilizer Access and Food Security, which held its second meeting here in New York during the high-level week. We will keep playing our part alongside all partners and the food agencies based in Rome, FAO, IFAD, WFP, to make sure that countering hunger and malnutrition remains at the top of the international cooperation agenda. None of these goals could be achieved without strong and equal partnerships built on national ownership and private sector involvement. As a concrete example of effective peer-to-peer partnership, just a few days ago, Italy and Nigeria co-hosted the Multiply Possibility high-level event for the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education. We doubled our contribution, and the replenishment campaign was a great success, mobilizing additional 3.5 billion US dollars in international resources, while partner countries committed almost 470 billion US dollars in domestic financing for education. These results will help transform the lives of millions of children in nearly 90 partner countries. Madam Chair, building on these premises, Italy stands ready to play its part in addressing all the issues before this esteemed committee. I thank you all.

I thank the distinguished representative of Italy and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Let me begin by congratulating you on your election to chair the Second Committee. We also congratulate the other members of the Bureau on their election, and we wish you all every success. Tunisia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Group of 77 and China, delivered by Uruguay, and we endorse the statement delivered on behalf of the African group by Namibia. The world is going through a critical period. It's marked by many economic, financial, and climate crises. The Deputy Secretary General on the 7th of July, 2026, said that out of the 139 targets assessed, only 36% are on track to achieve the 2030 goals. 49% are lagging behind too slowly. And the 15 remaining percent have regressed compared to the 2015 baseline. In order to make the most progress possible, Tunisia has adopted a national strategic development plan for 2026 to 2030. This plan is around five major salient points. They are social justice, balance among regions, strengthening the economic fabric, ensuring food, water, and energy security, and finally, modernizing the institutional framework. Madam Chair, we reaffirm our commitment to the 2030 Agenda. This commitment is illustrated by the submission through the Minister of Economy and Planning of our third voluntary national review that was last July. That shows our resolve to continue making progress and share experience and best practices while ensuring accountability and partnerships. We also participated actively at a high level with a delegation represented by the head of government and the Ministry of Finance at FFD4 in Seville. And we are convinced that achieving the SDGs requires means of implementation, in particular, financing, technology transfer, and a conducive international environment for development. We support the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Indeed, strengthening international tax cooperation, combating illicit financial flows, and improving domestic resource mobilization are all essential requirements to improve developing countries' capacity to finance their development. We call for the reform of the international financial architecture to make it more equitable, inclusive, and fair for developing countries, while taking account of different needs, capacities, and national circumstances. And this includes addressing debt burdens and strengthening resilience to successive external shocks. Madam Chair, we attach particular importance to achieving water, food, and energy security, basic pillars of development and national sovereignty. In terms of water, we face growing challenges. These are due to scarce resources, recurrent droughts, and the impact of climate change. So we've adopted a national water strategy. for the period up to 2050. It aims to increase seawater desalination capacity to 200 million cubic meters annually by 2030. And we want to improve the reutilization of treated wastewater in agriculture. In terms of energy, we've chosen to bolster our use of renewables. We are strengthening our energy security, and we're curbing our dependency on fluctuations in international energy markets. Madam Chair, we believe that infrastructure, industry, innovation, and the digital transformation are key drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth. That's why we promote green and smart industries. while strengthening startup and innovation ecosystems. What's more, we think the world needs to strengthen shared responsibility and to contribute to collective efforts. We stand ready to contribute to the creation of a more fair and more balanced international system. Thank you.

The floor, the permanent representative of Chile. Ambassador, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. We congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election. Chile aligns itself with the statement made by Uruguay on behalf of G77 and China. We wish to add the following in our national capacity. Financing sustainable development in a global economy in the midst of a transformation demands that we bolster our capacity to mobilize resources and to turn them into investments which champion growth, increase productivity, and create employment. Eradicating poverty in all its forms and manifestations is a prerequisite if we are to achieve the SDGs. It must remain at the heart of our endeavors. With this in mind, we value the Cevier commitment as a step forward in renewing international cooperation, mobilizing resources, and promoting an international financial architecture which is more equitable and more inclusive. Our country is of the view that promoting investment is vital if we are to make progress towards these goals. Solid institutions, clear, predictable regulatory frameworks, and efficient procedures all contribute to providing certainty and to facilitating the development of long-term projects. Public investment and the mobilization of private capital can be mutually beneficial in terms of narrowing infrastructure divides and the bolstering productive capacity. We must also promote partnerships which harness the experience and resources of both the private and public sector and which contribute to sustainable development. Investments in energy infrastructure, transport and digital infrastructure deserve particular attention because of the contribution they can make to competitiveness, connectivity and economic integration. To tap into these opportunities fully, we must also build national capacity to develop and implement projects and to guarantee an efficient use of resources. Madam Chair, international trade remains a crucial tool for development. Chile reaffirms its commitment to a multilateral trading system which is open, transparent and inclusive and based on rules with the World Trade Organization at its heart. In a global economy in the midst of a transformation, we must bolster the productive capacities of developing countries. We must foster economic diversification and facilitate these countries' participation in the digital economy and in trade more broadly. AI offers possibilities to increase productivity and to support sustainable development. We value the holding of the first global dialogue on AI governance and the establishment of the International Independent Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. This panel has a Chilean member. These are all important steps towards increasing the scientific understanding of AI and in terms of guaranteeing inclusive debates with multiple stakeholders so that the benefits of AI reach all countries and so that we can narrow the digital divide. Chair, Chile reaffirms its commitment to the protection of the environment and we are committed to making good on the urgent need for climate action. To achieve these goals, we will need to increase resources and resources for implementation, particularly financing. We trust that COP31 in Antalya will contribute to helping the implementation of climate commitments and to ensuring full financing for mitigation and adaptation. We welcome the holding of the next COP17 in Yerevan, that is the COP on the CBD. It will be an opportunity to strengthen the protection and restoration of biodiversity. Chair, the challenges to which we have pointed require international cooperation able to heed various national realities. South-South and triangular cooperation pursue that goal through the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and solutions which increase our countries' capacities. Moreover, we need a United Nations system which is efficient and effective to ensure efficient and effective development. This system's activities must provide coherent support that is tailored to national priorities. We reaffirm the importance of the QCPR. for this work. We value the contribution the UN system makes to strengthening public policies. Chile will contribute to the work of this committee to ensure that agreements are translated into effective opportunities and well-being. Thank you.

For the statement, and I would like to invite the permanent representative of Cyprus to take the floor. Your Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Allow me to extend my sincere congratulations to you and the Bureau on your election and to reaffirm our support for the work of this committee. Cyprus aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to add the following remarks in its national capacity. As the 2030 Agenda is entering its most consequential phase, the question before us is no longer whether our commitments are adequate, but whether we can translate them into measurable results. While conflict, inequality and the triple planetary crisis are eroding development gains, the most vulnerable are placed under increasing pressure. Responding quickly and effectively requires the renewed commitment in multilateral cooperation and in financing models capable of delivering at scale, also in line with the implementation of the Sevilla commitment. Madam Chair, climate pressures are intensifying across the world with rising sea levels, warming waters, and coastal degradation threatening communities, infrastructure, and livelihoods. The Mediterranean, a climate change hotspot, is a case in point in this respect. Prolonged heat waves, droughts, increasing and extensive wildfires have become the new reality for this part of the world. In order to address some of these challenges, an EU co-founded regional hub has been established in Cyprus to boost aerial firefighting capacity, disaster response, and civil protection across the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East. As an island state, Cyprus attaches particular importance to SDG 14 and the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources. We reaffirm our unwavering support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas. We highlight the universal and unified character of the Convention. Its provisions reflect customary international law and are thus binding on all states, irrespective of whether they have acceded to the convention or not. Madam Chair, Cyprus continues to strengthen its development cooperation and provision of humanitarian assistance through Cyprus Aid, supporting schools, hospital, community health facilities, capacity building, and an expanding scholarship program directed particularly towards countries of the global south, with special emphasis on neighboring countries, Africa, and small island developing states. Cyprus considers its term in the United Nations Human Rights Council as a chance to support the global development agenda by promoting equal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, especially for women, young people, and marginalized groups, as central elements to achieving sustainable development. The path to 2030 will depend on whether we can strengthen resilience, protect natural resources, and build partnerships that accelerate implementation. Cyprus remains committed to the United Nations, to effective multilateralism, and to people-centered development. The time remaining is short. Our collective effort must now be defined by implementation, cooperation, and results that make a measurable difference. I thank you.

I thank Your Excellency for the statement. And now I would like to invite the distinguished representative of Iran to take the floor.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Madam Chair, at the outset, allow me to extend my congratulations to you on your election as chair of the Second Committee, as well as to other members of the Bureau. My delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Madam Chair, the world is confronting multiple, interconnected, and unprecedented challenges. More than ever, there is an urgent need for genuine regional and international cooperation, solidarity, and collective action to address wars and aggressions. inequality, poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation, while upholding multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations. According to the Secretary-General's report on Sustainable Development Goal 2026, the world is off track in addressing many of the most fundamental objectives of sustainable development, including ending poverty and hunger, reducing malnutrition and inequality, ensuring education and healthy lives, social protection, combating climate change, protecting ecosystems, and strengthening peace, justice, and global partnership. Only one week ago, during the 81st session of the General Assembly, heads of state and government conveyed powerful messages on the gravity and urgency of the challenges confronting humanity. They reaffirmed the need to strengthen multilateralism and international cooperation, to honor long-standing development commitments, to undertake decisive climate and environmental action, to ensure the provision of adequate, predictable, and accessible climate finance, to facilitate the transfer of environmentally sound technologies, and to advance long overdue reforms of the governance structures of international financial institutions in order to ensure greater voice and representation for developing countries. Many also called for an immediate end to wars and aggressions, the rejections of unilateralism, urgent action to halt atrocities, and an end to the genocide in Gaza. Among them, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized that diplomacy and dialogue remain the only viable means for the peaceful settlement of disputes, whereas military action offers no solution. Madam Chair, development requires peace, stability, cooperation, and equitable access to resources, finance, and technology. It is therefore essential that developed countries fulfill their commitments, particularly by providing adequate and predictable financing and facilitating technology transfer. At the same time, Rising military expenditures divert vital resources away from development priorities such as poverty eradication, food security, health, education, climate action and sustainable infrastructure. Madam Chair, the situation in the Middle East remains very serious. Ongoing conflicts, prolonged occupation, and external military intervention continue to affect peace, stability, and development in the region, while deepening social, economic, humanitarian, and environmental challenges. The situation is further aggravated by unilateral coercive measures, which affect fundamental human rights, including the right to development, disrupt legitimate trade, finance and investment, and undermine the sovereign equality of states. They also contribute to environmental degradation and adversely affect the lives and health of targeted people, particularly children and women, older persons, and those with specific medical needs. Since 28th February, my country has been subjected to military aggressions. These attacks are flagrant violations of international law and the Charter of the United Nations and are condemned in the strongest possible terms. They have claimed thousands of lives, including those of women and children, damaged or destroyed civilian and critical infrastructure, and caused severe economic, social, and environmental harms. In conclusion, Madam Chair, unilateralism.

I thank the distinguished representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and I would like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of North Macedonia.

Madam Chair, at the outset, let me congratulate you on your appointment, as well as to the Board of the Second Committee. Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, it is a privilege to take the floor on behalf of my country in this session of the Second Committee. My delegation aligns with the statement delivered earlier by the EU, and in our national capacity, we would like to add the following remarks. We meet at a time when countries face growing challenges from climate change and inequality to economic uncertainty, rising development costs, and difficulties in financing for sustainable development goals. For my country, these challenges reinforce the importance of international solidarity, regional cooperation, and effective multilateralism. My country remains firmly committed to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Our national development strategy 2024-2044 provides a long-term framework for sustainable and inclusive development and connects our national priorities with the SDG and our European integration process. Our new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the period of 2026-2030 strengthens this commitment. inclusive social and human development, a sustainable economy and decent work, a resilient and green society, and the rule of law and good governance. In June 2026, together with the UN, we adopted joint work plans for its implementation.

We're also proud that we will serve as a member of ECOSOC from, uh, to, uh, from, uh, next.

Year, we see this responsibility as an opportunity to contribute.

Actively to discussions on sustainable development, financing, poverty reduction, and the implementation of the 2030 agenda. As a new candidate country, we also see European integration as an important driver of sustainable development.

Reforms in digitalization, education, innovation, green transition, and economic competitiveness are closely connected to our development priorities. In 2026, we received additional support through the EU Reform and Growth Facility following progress in education and digitalization. We believe that sustainable development must also reach those most at risk of being left behind. We therefore support greater investment in young people, women, education, decent work, digital skills, clean energy, and resilient infrastructure. Finally, regional cooperation remains essential.

Through the Berlin process.

The common regional market and other Western Balkan initiatives, we are working to strengthen trade, investment, connectivity, and shared economic opportunities. Madam Chair, we believe that sustainable development is a shared responsibility. We call for stronger international cooperation, better access to development financing, investment in people and innovation, and partnerships that turn.

Global commitments into the results.

As an ECOSOC member, we stand ready to contribute constructively to this effort.

I thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the distinguished representative of North Macedonia. And now I would like to invite to take the floor the permanent representative of Finland. Ambassador, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and congratulations. You have our full support. Finland aligns itself with the statement of the EU, and I have a few observations on a national basis. Finland is deeply committed to the functioning of this important committee and worked hard to this effect also as a Bureau member in the previous GA session. We commend the committee for its ability to come together to revitalize and rationalize its work and for becoming a more focused and impactful committee that can deliver. This is a sign of functioning multilateralism. The agenda of this committee is packed with existential issues. Sustainable development is one of UN's three key pillars. UN's ability to deliver and provide relevant support and respond to member states' needs remains at the core of the discussion on strengthening multilateralism. We need to accelerate SDG implementation and the focus will soon move to the post-2030 discussion as the preparations for SDG Summit in September 27 get underway. The independent panel of scientists is already analyzing the situation. This committee deals with UN's key mission to promote sustainable development from many relevant angles, For instance, the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is not only an environmental issue, it is a multiplier of risks affecting all aspects of life. I would like to stress the importance of water as a key enabler of the SDGs. the UN Water Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi, Finland has the honor to co-chair the interactive dialogue Water for Cooperation together with Zambia. Climate and weather extremes mounting, one of our priorities is to invest in early warning systems. We have provided weather and climate services, technical assistance, and capacity building for over 100 countries. As countries in special situations are often hit the hardest, we have recently allocated an additional investment to meteorological and hydrological services of Pacific SIDS. As an LDC and a fragile society in its history itself, Finland also wants to be a consistent partner to the LDCs. Madam Chair, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights are drivers of progress across the 2030 Agenda. To achieve lasting results in poverty reduction, decent work, health, education, climate action, and peace, we must keep investing in gender equality and in human rights. Committed to bridging digital divides, Finland focuses on fair, inclusive, and sustainable digital development in line with the UN Global Digital Compact. We provide expertise and finance to improve digital connectivity, including digital infrastructures, and regulatory and policy frameworks for AI and data. The opportunities that AI offers are enormous. To realize them, we must manage the risks responsibly together and ensure that global governance keeps pace with developments. Finland, together with Norway, has just launched a call for control of frontier AI models, and we welcome all countries to join the call on highest level. For accelerated achievement of SDGs, we need to keep steadily implementing Seville's key takeaways. Public financing does not suffice to bridge today's development needs. We should use ODA strategically, including for leveraging private capital. We need to build stronger partnerships to mobilize all resources while ensuring that investments create lasting benefits for future generations. Enhancing investments and economic activities also done through effective domestic resource mobilization. Drawing from our own experience, we believe taxation is about building a social contract that enables governments to provide better public services and thereby invest in trust and long-term resilience. Strong domestic institutions, unity, and resilience also shield countries against external shocks. Today's challenges are complex and interconnected, but not unsurmountable. Multilateralism and a strong UN is needed to promote sustainable development and provide support to member states to achieve the goals. I thank you very much.

Thank you, Excellency, for your statement. Now I would like to invite to take the floor the distinguished representative of Yemen.

Thank you, Madam Chair. allow me to sincerely congratulate you and the esteemed members of the Bureau on your election as chair of the second committee. I wish you every success. My delegation is ready to cooperate constructively to ensure the success of the committee's work. We align ourselves with the statements delivered on behalf of the G77 and China and the LDCs. Madam Chair. Our debate this year is taking place against the backdrop of rapidly evolving global economic transformations and interconnected challenges, most notably growing geopolitical tensions, disruptions to supply chains, mounting debt burdens, and increasing climate risks. These challenges have widened the financing gap and have shrunk the fiscal space available for investment and development, making it more difficult for developing countries, particularly LDCs and conflict-affected states, to achieve the SDGs. The situation in Yemen clearly illustrates the close interlinkages among peace, development, and financing. The war, which resulted from the coup by the terrorist Houthi militias against state institutions, have exacerbated economic and humanitarian conditions, reduced public revenues, disrupted productive activities, eroded institutional capacities, and increased development needs. These repercussions have weakened the state's ability to mobilize domestic resources, provide basic services, invest in infrastructure, and promote economic recovery. Madam Chair, the security of maritime corridors and the stability of international trade constitute a fundamental pillar of the global economy, given their direct impact on supply chains, trade flows, and energy and commodity prices, and their impact on financing sustainable development. In this context, the attacks and threats against international navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait As a result of the activities of the terrorist Houthi militias, and tensions and threats in the Strait of Hormuz pose growing challenges to the security of global trade and market stability. Bearing in mind the role of the Iranian regime, a sponsor of terrorism, in supporting armed groups that destabilize the security of the region, these developments have had a negative impact on shipping and insurance costs and on energy and food prices, exacerbating thereby economic pressures on developing countries, particularly LDCs. These developments limited our ability to achieve the SDGs. These repercussions are even more pronounced in Yemen, given its heavy dependence on imports of food and basic commodities amid severe economic and humanitarian challenges. My delegation stresses the need to protect maritime corridors to ensure freedom of navigation in accordance with international law, to reject attacks and threats targeting commercial vessels, to safeguard Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity, to support its government and legitimate national institutions, and to intensify diplomatic efforts to achieve peace and security in order to ultimately preserve the security of the region, ensure the smooth flow of international trade, and to support sustainable development efforts. Regarding climate change, Yemen is facing mounting challenges, including water scarcity, groundwater depletion, desertification, degradation of agricultural land, drought, tropical cyclones and floods. This is threatening agricultural production, food security and livelihoods, given that LDCs bear a disproportionate disproportionate burden of the impacts of climate change despite their limited contribution to global emissions. We call for enhanced climate justice. We call for the provision of additional and concessional financing for adaptation and facilitated access for fragile and conflict-affected states to climate funds and financing mechanisms, while simplifying procedures for obtaining financing. Madam Chair, digital transformation, technological advancement, and AI offer promising opportunities to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, provided that digital is addressed and the necessary financing is made available for infrastructure development. It is also important to enhance international cooperation on tax matters under the auspices of the UN. This would contribute to the mobilization of domestic resources and the establishment of a fairer and more transparent tax system. South-South and triangular cooperation must be strengthened. The role of the UN system and international financial institutions must become more effective. Partnerships with the private sector and civil society must be expanded. These efforts should support institutional capacity building, improve the investment environment, they will diversify economies and enhance the productive capacities of states. In this context, we stress the need to move from commitments to implementation to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs, and we must fully implement the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs. We must ensure complementarity with the civil commitments and the outcomes of relevant UN conferences, while reinforcing the nexus between humanitarian action, development and peace. We must also address the root causes for fragility and conflict. In conclusion, we stress that achieving SDGs requires a fair and more inclusive international financial system. We need effective international partnerships and a genuine commitment to supporting LDCs and conflict-affected states. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Yemen. And now I give the floor to the permanent representative of Malawi. Excellency, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Chair. As Malawi takes the floor for the first time, allow me to congratulate you, Ambassador, on your election as Chairperson of the Second Committee and extend our congratulations to the other members of the Bureau.

Please be assured of Malawi's full support and cooperation throughout this session.

Chairperson, Malawi aligns itself with the statements delivered by the Group of G77 77 and China, the African group and the least developed countries group, and wishes to add the following in its national capacity. The theme of this debate.

Financing sustainable development in a changing global economy to accelerate implementation of the sustainable development goals, is timely.

With only a few years remaining until 2030.

Developing countries continue to confront high debt burdens, constrained fiscal space, climate shocks, food and energy insecurity, infrastructure deficit, and widening technological divide.

For Malawi, financing must enable structural transformation and improve people's lives. Malawi supports the timely and comprehensive implementation of the severe commitment, international public finance, fulfillment of official development assistant commitments, concession financing, and strengthened multilateral development. Banks remain indispensable. The international financial architecture must also become more inclusive, equitable, and responsive. with stronger representation of developing countries. Chairperson, debt solutions should restore fiscal space for investment in health, education, infrastructure, and productive capacity. We support timely, predictable, and coordinated debt restructuring. involving all creditor categories and debt sustainability assessment that reflect development needs, climate vulnerability, and long-term returns of productive investment.

International trade must support industrialization, value addition, diversification, and participation in regional and global value chains.

Special and differential treatment must remain integral to the multilateral trading system, particularly for least developed and landlocked countries. Chairperson, climate finance must be new, additional, predictable, and accessible, with greater support for adaptation, resilience, and loss and damage without deepening debt burdens. Chaperson, Malawi calls for affordable digital connectivity, technology transfer, capacity building, and inclusive governance of artificial intelligence. As both an LDC and an LLDC, Malawi seeks practical implementation of the Doha and OAS programs of action, including resilient transport corridors, efficient transit systems.

Productive infrastructure, and sustainable graduation support. Malawi further proposes that country ownership evolve into country agency. Developing countries should determine priorities, sequencing, financing arrangements, and implementation modalities. Development cooperation should be judged not merely by activities completed, but by whether it strengthens institutions, expands productive capacity, and contributes to structural transformation.

Chairperson, Malawi stands ready to engage constructively towards balanced and implementable outcomes that respect national priorities and policy space, and ensure that no country and no one is left behind. I thank you, Chair.

I thank Your Excellency for the statement. And now I invite the distinguished representative of Kenya to take the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Let me begin by congratulating you and the members of the Bureau on your election and assure you of Kenya's full support. Kenya aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the Group of 77 and China and the African Group and wishes to make the following remarks in its national capacity. The second committee begins its work at a moment when confidence in multilateralism is under strain and the promise of sustainable development is slipping further from reach. The theme of the 88th FAS session, restoring trust, managing transformation, a United Nation that delivers for all, requires us to move from repeated diagnosis to practical implementation. As President William Ruto emphasized during the General Assembly, the institutions that govern our common future must reflect the sovereign equality they proclaim. That principle applies equally to the international economic and financial system. An architecture designed for another era cannot deliver fair outcomes in today's world. Madam Chair, Development finance must be at the center of the reparations. Global public debt reached $102 trillion in 2024, while 46 developing countries spend more on interest payments than on essential public services such as classrooms and medicine. This is not only a debt problem. It is a development emergency that restricts investment in health, education, food security, climate resilience, and decent work. Kenya, therefore, calls for the full and timely implementation of the SVEA commitment. We need an effective sovereign debt architecture, affordable and long-term financing, stronger multilateral development banks, greater voice and representation for developing countries, and fairer credit rating practices. Official development assistance commitment must also be fulfilled and access to concession of finance should reflect vulnerability as well as income. Climate action is inseparable from development. Countries that contribute the least to the climate crisis continue to pay its hardest effects through droughts, floods, food insecurity, displacement, and rising fiscal pressure. Climate finance must be adequate, predictable, and accessible, with greater share provided as grants and highly concessional resources. Developed countries must meet their commitments on finance, adaptation, technology transfer, and capacity building. Kenya will continue to advance renewable energy, green industrialization, and climate-resilient agriculture while advocating an African climate agenda focused on implementation and a just transition. The international community must also support productive transformation. Developing countries should be able to move beyond exporting raw materials and participate in higher value regional and global supply chains. Kenya is promoting value addition, infrastructure, and digital trade, and regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area. We support an open, fair, and rule-based multilateral trading system that expands market access and the policy space for developing countries, including support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, women, and the young people. Madam Chair, digital transformation and artificial intelligence offer major opportunities, but they may widen existing inequalities if technology, data, computing capacity, and standard setting remain concentrated in a few countries. Developing countries must participate fully in shaping global digital governance. International cooperation should expand access to digital infrastructure, skills, finance, and technology, while protecting human rights and ensuring that innovation supports public services, job creation, and sustainable development. At the national level, Kenya's bottom-up economic transformation agenda is directing investment towards agriculture, affordable housing, healthcare, the digital economy, and support for small enterprises. These efforts demonstrate our determination to translate global commitments into tangible improvement in people's lives. Yet.

I thank the distinguished representative of Kenya, and now I would like to give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone congratulates you, Madam Chair, and the other members of the Bureau on your election. You have our fullest cooperation throughout this 81st session. My delegation aligns itself with the statements by the Group of 77 and China, by the African Group, and by the LDCs. I will now offer the following remarks in my national capacity. This year's theme, Financing Sustainable Development in a Changing Global Economy to Accelerate Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, demands renewed global commitments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and advancing the 2030 Agenda. Amidst intensifying global pressures, including widening inequalities, rising debt burdens, worsening climate challenges and food insecurity, persistent digital divide, and declining development financing. Sadly, developing countries continue to bear a disproportionate share of these burdens, while promised international action and official development assistance commitments continue to fall short. Madam Chair, CELAM welcomes United Nations processes concerning the appointment and selection of the new Secretary-General the UN 80 initiative, the new urban agenda, the severe commitment, the UN Ocean Conference, and the mandate implementation review set out in resolution 80/242. We support the resolutions call for system-wide reform to make United Nations more effective, coherent, and better equipped to deliver results in a changing world. Reforming the global financial architecture is no longer optional. It is essential to fairness, legitimacy, and impact. Our priorities are clear. Reverse the decline in official development assistance, advance the United Nations Convention on Debt, scale up climate finance, and curb illicit financial flows. As President Julius Maada Bio announced during the high-level week, developing countries need fairer voting power, stronger representation, and increased capital within these institutions, together with affordable finance, concessional resources, and debt treatment. Madam Chair, at the national level, CILo is taking bold action. According to the 2025 United Nations Annual Results Report, The economy retained resilience, remain resilient in 2025. Real gross domestic product growth rose from 4.3% in 2024 to 4.9% in 2025 and is projected to remain at 4.9% in 2026. Inflation also fell sharply from 13.8% in December 2024 to 4.4% in December 2025, the country's lowest rate in 20 years. Our medium development, national development plan 2024 to 2030, and called the big five game changers, is delivering results across five priorities, food security, human capital development, youth employment, technology and infrastructure, and public sector reform. We are expanding access to safe water, sanitation, electricity, infrastructure, and sustainable communities. Our investments focus on climate resilience, rural electrification, digital connectivity, improved transport, and integrated urban planning. At the same time, renewable energy, mini-grids, and productive infrastructure are supporting inclusive growth and job creation. In conclusion, Eradicating poverty must remain central to the Second Committee's work under this year's theme. We therefore call on all relevant stakeholders to honor their commitments across economic, financial, trade, environmental, and climate frameworks. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Sierra Leone. And now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Afghanistan.

Madam Chair, the promise of the 2030 Agenda must be measured by improvement in people's lives, freedom from poverty and hunger, access to education and health care, and opportunities for decent work. For Afghanistan, fulfilling that promise requires restoring the rights, rebuilding the livelihoods, and addressing the barriers to sustainable recovery. Five years after Taliban's forcible takeover, Afghanistan faces overlapping economic, humanitarian, and development crisis. UNDP reports that 74% of Afghans could not meet their basic substance needs in 2025. Modest economic growth has been insufficient to improve living standards or generate adequate employment. Young people face shrinking prospects while qualified professionals are denied opportunities to contribute to their country's future. The Taliban's exclusion of women and girls from education, employment, and public life compounds these challenges. It deprives families of income, weakens essential services, and erodes the human capital on which recovery depends. Afghanistan cannot achieve sustainable development goals while half of its population is systemically excluded. Furthermore, reoccurring droughts, floods, and water scarcity undermine the agriculture and food security, while earthquakes compound already severe deprivations. UNICEF estimates that 11.6 million children require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Hunger, interrupted schooling, and inadequate healthcare risk turning today's crisis into intergenerational poverty. Madam Chair, our response must address immediate needs while enabling people to rebuild their lives. First, we call for a predictable assistance that connects humanitarian relief with livelihoods, social protection, and essential services, including for returnees and host communities. Investment in skills, small businesses, women's enterprise, and decent employment can reduce dependency on aid.

Second.

We urge accessible, grant-based development and climate finance to support climate resilience, agriculture, water management, renewable energy, and resilience infrastructure in lines with the Sendai Framework. Third, as the least developed and landlocked developing country, Afghanistan calls for effective implementation of the Doha and Avasa Programs of Action. Affordable transit, reliable regional connectivity, and access to markets are essential. Support for Afghan people must not be held hostage to political deadlock. Equally, assistance cannot substitute for legitimate, inclusive, representative and accountable governance.

Respect for human rights and the rule of law are the foundations of lasting development.

I thank you.

Thank you, distinguished representative of Afghanistan. And now I'd like to give the floor to the permanent representative of Cabo Verde. Excellency, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Cap Verde aligns itself with the statements delivered by the African group, G77, and China, and the OCS, and delivers this statement in national capacity. We meet at a moment of profound global uncertainty, compounded by multiple and interlocking crises, widening development gaps, and mounting pressures on national budgets. Financing for sustainable development is not only a question of mobilizing additional resources, but a matter of ensuring that the international financial architecture is fit for purpose, responsive to contemporary realities, and capable of enabling every country to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. For SIDS, sustainable development financing must be grounded in a clear recognition that vulnerability cannot be assessed by income alone. Per capita income does not adequately reflect the structural constraints confronting SIDS, including heightened exposure to external shocks, limited natural resources, elevated transport and connectivity costs, the escalating impacts of climate change, and the enduring costs imposed by insularity and remoteness. The MVI constitutes a significant advance towards a fairer, more equitable, and more responsive international financing system. Its effective operationalization must now be pursued with urgency across multilateral and bilateral financing institutions. Seats must also secure substantially greater access to concessional, predictable, and affordable long-term financing. Development finance must be accessible, reliable, and tailored to countries that face constrained fiscal space while carrying substantial investment requirements. The international community must ensure that financing conditions do not deepen existing vulnerabilities or impede progress towards sustainable development. For us, Cape Verde and CITS, sound public finances and investment in sustainable development are not competing priorities, but mutually reinforcing pillars of responsible governance and long-term resilience. debt sustainability is equally indispensable. Countries must not be compelled to choose between meeting debt service obligation and investing in the future of their people. Cabo Verde strongly supports measures that protect fiscal space while promoting responsible debt management, including innovative financing instruments such as debt conversions, initiatives, particularly debt for climate and debt for nature swaps. These mechanisms can reduce debt pressures, strengthen resilience, and advance the SDGs. Finally, financing for seats must extend beyond crisis response. Our objective cannot be limited to managing vulnerability. It must be to overcome it through structural transformation. International financing should support the development of more diversified, productive, and resilient economies capable of generating sustainable growth, decent employment, and greater economic self-resilience. The commitment set out in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and reaffirmed through the Seville Commitment provide a strong foundation for collective action. Cabo Verde remains firmly committed to working with all partners to advance this shared objective and build a financing architecture that delivers sustainable development for all. Thank you, Madam President.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. And now I'd like to invite for the statement the distinguished representative of Gabon.

Thank you. Madame Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates and colleagues, the Republic of Gabon endorses the statement of the African Group and the statement of G77 and China. We congratulate you for your election to chair this committee, and we thank the outgoing president for having seen through our previous work. We're pleased to be participating in this general debate on financing for sustainable development at a time when the global economy is undergoing sweeping changes. These are marked by geopolitical tensions, systemic vulnerabilities, and unprecedented climate challenges. Financing for sustainable development today is one of the issues that is most determinative of stability, prosperity, and international security. Our economy, the global economy, is in flux, and at this time, we can't move forward with financial mechanisms that were designed for another century. The current changes in terms of the energy transition, all types of digitalization, the reorganization of value chains, and the increasing climate risks are all creating significant pressures on developing states. For Gabon, which is, and for many countries of the global south, these transformations cannot, should not be synonymous with marginalization, but they should be opportunities to craft a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy. But to get there, we need to be aware that the current international financial architecture doesn't meet the genuine needs of the countries of the south. My country thinks that the current architecture must be reformed to become more fair, accessible, and effective. Madam Chair, without this urgent recasting, it is, for instance, difficult to mobilize and, above all, to disperse climate financing commensurate with actual needs. Gabon is a country with high forest coverage, with more than 80% of our territory covered by forests, and we're a low-emission country. We advocate for our recognized environmental contribution and the ensuing ecosystem services being fully appreciated for their fair value, and we believe that this entitles us to fair, adequate, and predictable financing. The efforts of my country contribute directly to the SDGs and to global climate stability, and we expect fair compensation for it. Madam Chair, financing sustainable development is not only a matter of resources. It's a matter of vision, justice, and political will. Gabon remains resolved to work with all of its partners to forge a global economy that is more balanced, more resilient and more respectful of the planet. It is our conviction that the acceleration of delivery of the SDGs hinges on a collective capacity to reshape the international financial architecture to support global public goods and to support countries who, like Gabon, have made the bold choice of sustainable development grounded in respect for nature. Thank you.

Representative of Gabon. And now I would like to give the floor to the Permanent Representative of Lithuania. Ambassador, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Madam Chair. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chair of the Second Committee. You could count on Lithuania's full support throughout this session. Lithuania aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to make the following remarks in its national capacity. Today, the international community faces multiple interconnected crises. Armed conflicts, energy shocks, climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing inequalities are eroding development gains and slowing progress towards the 2030 Agenda. There can be no sustainable development without peace and security. Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is a stark reminder of how violations of the UN Charter undermine development, destroy livelihoods, deepen food insecurity, and divert resources away from sustainable growth. Continued attacks on grain export infrastructure in the Black Sea further threaten global food security and contribute to instability far beyond the region. In this context, Lithuania reiterates that the sanctions imposed by the European Union are a justified, targeted, and proportionate response to ongoing violations of international law and the UN Charter. The greatest threats to global development are aggression, conflict, and grave human rights abuses, not measures designed to uphold international peace and security. Madam Chair, innovation, digital transformation, and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence are key drivers of economic growth and sustainable development. Lithuania's experience demonstrates that secure, inclusive, and human-centered digital solutions can strengthen public institutions, improve service delivery, increase productivity, and enhance societal resilience. Artificial intelligence has the potential to become a powerful accelerator of development. However, its benefits can only be fully realized when innovation is accompanied by appropriate safeguards, accountability, and respect for human rights. Lithuania is proud that Vilnius hosted the signing of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law. We encourage the United Nations to continue promoting international cooperation to ensure that AI remains trustworthy, inclusive, and beneficial for all. Achieving the sustainable development goals will require mobilizing all available sources of financing, public and private, domestic and international, while preserving the catalytic role of official development assistance. Strong partnerships, effective national institutions, Policy coherence and an enabling environment for sustainable investment remain essential. In this regard, Lithuania attaches importance to ongoing discussion on strengthening international tax cooperation at the UN level. As negotiations on a future UN framework convention advance, it is important that the process remains constructive, inclusive, and consensus-based. The outcome should enhance international cooperation, support sustainable development, and contribute to a transparent, stable, and effective global tax architecture. We also wish to draw attention to the growing risk posed by chemical munition dumped at sea. As Lithuania prepares to facilitate discussions on this issue in the coming year, we encourage member states and relevant international organizations to contribute actively to efforts aimed at improving knowledge, data collection, and risk assessment. Lithuania strongly believes that the work of the Second Committee should continue to reflect and advance the ambitions of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact. These landmark commitments should guide the UN economic and development agenda in the years ahead. Their implementation is essential for accelerating progress, narrowing digital divides, strengthening digital public infrastructure, harnessing emerging technologies responsibly, and ensuring that benefits of digital transformation reach all countries and communities. As we enter the final stretch towards 2030, we must act with great urgency, ambitions, and solidarity. I thank you.

I thank your Excellency for the statement. And now I'd like to invite the permanent representative of Paraguay to take the floor. Excellency, you have the floor.

President, Chair, thank you very much. Good afternoon to you all. Ambassador Yedina, we wish to first and foremost congratulate you on your election to steer the work of the committee. Chair, in view of the complex nature of today's international context, We need our multilateral commitments to increasingly translate into concrete changes and concrete improvements to the lives of our people. Paraguay is facing the current state of international affairs with trust in its own capacities. We're in the midst of an economic boom. There is macroeconomic stability, fiscal responsibility prevails, and investors have increasing trust in our economy. We have now second rate investment grade. Unemployment is at historic lows and poverty has been significantly reduced. We have an abundant supply of electrical energy and and 100% renewable electricity, indeed, a young population and a solid basis for production. We wish to harness these strengths to diversify our production, incorporate new technologies and move towards productive activities that provide greater added value, because all of this will ultimately produce better and more national employment. These goals feature among our national public policy priorities for development, and they also guide our foreign policy because, in our view, all of these policies are an additional tool to open markets, attract investments, incorporate technology, and create work and opportunities for our people. In this same vein, AI and the digital transformation are increasingly important to us. We're not talking only here about new technologies, all of the above, AI and new technology are an opportunity to expedite development, attract investment, and pave the way towards new possibilities, particularly for young people. We want to use these technologies and tools to narrow divides, broaden access to knowledge, and increase our own productive capacity. This technological transformation must serve people and be inclusive. AI must increase capacities and opportunities without replacing human judgment, or meaning that those that take decisions can evade responsibility. For developing countries, we do need international cooperation, which is more focused on capacity building. We propose that greater emphasis be given to concrete partnerships between governments, international bodies, the private sector, and knowledge hubs. These partnerships should facilitate technology access and transfer. They should also foster talent and make it possible for us to develop national capacity. We're not simply looking for the transfer of resources, but rather the creation of conditions that allow all countries to produce, innovate and create greater opportunities. Chair, national efforts also require an enabling international environment which is stable. Creating that environment involves providing financing fair conditions, there needs to be effective cooperation and we need to adhere to ODA commitments as well as those made regarding climate financing. This in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and bearing in mind our respective capacities. International trade is equally important for us. We champion a trade system which is open, fair, equitable, and rule-based. Action to tackle climate change and to address trade, most in our view, move along the same path and go hand in hand. Environmental measures must not turn into covert restrictions on trade, neither should they impose disproportionate burdens on developing countries, finally, Chair. I do wish to state that as a landlocked developing country, we have greater transport costs, it's harder for us to be connected and to access markets and all of these factors are specific particular burdens for us our response is not simply to resign ourselves to our limiting geographical location limiting geographical location but rather we wish to translate our location into us becoming a regional integration hub a country's unique characteristics must not stymie their aspirations so We reaffirm our commitment to the AWASA Programme of Action for 2024-2034, and we call for support in terms of investment, cooperation and capacity building. Thank you.

Thank you for the statement, and I would like to invite the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom to take the floor.

Many thanks, Chair. Let me begin by congratulating you on your appointment. The United Kingdom looks forward to working closely with you and the Bureau throughout this session. Over recent years, we have agreed an ambitious set of outcomes. We now have a narrowing window to translate commitments into meaningful results. This committee has an important opportunity to drive that delivery. Sustainable development depends on expanding opportunity, creating jobs, supporting growth, and enabling countries to build resilient and prosperous economies. The Compromiso de Sevilla established a renewed framework for financing sustainable development. Yet many developing countries continue to face high borrowing costs, mounting debt burdens, and insufficient investment, limiting ability to invest in people and their future. As Professor Papho Alunde reminded us, the challenge is not only in mobilizing resources, but in ensuring they are used effectively. Success depends on matching finance to priorities and improving coordination across institutions. The United Kingdom is championing a whole system approach, using ODA strategically alongside expertise and innovation to unlock sustainable development. We stand ready to work with partners to implement the Savile commitment and build a fairer, more inclusive global financial system. Trade is equally important. An open, rules-based, transparent and predictable trading system remains one of the most powerful drivers of growth and development. The United Kingdom will work constructively to ensure that the committee's discussions respect established mandates, reflect agreed multilateral rules and focus on practical measures that are capable of commanding consensus. Innovation can help to accelerate development, strengthen resilience and create new economic opportunities. We want developing countries not only to benefit from new technologies on voluntary and mutually agreed terms but also to help to shape their development and governance. Climate change and nature loss are increasingly driving instability, displacement and economic vulnerability around the world. At the same time, the clean energy transition presents a major opportunity for growth, job creation, energy security and economic transformation. As we look ahead to COP31 and COP17, our focus must be on implementation. We must accelerate action under the Paris agreement and the Kunming-Montreal global diversity framework, including efforts to keep 1.5 degrees within reach, mobilise climate and nature finance, halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to accelerate adaptation and resilience for the most vulnerable. The United Kingdom continues to deliver its ambitious nationally determined contribution and national biodiversity strategy and action plan. We call on all countries to submit their plans and to translate commitments into action. In this committee, we will champion ambitious implementation of agreed climate and nature commitments. Sustainable development also depends on ensuring that women and girls can participate fully in and benefit from growth. The United Kingdom remains committed to advancing the rights and empowerment of all women and girls, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. Investing in women and girls supports inclusive growth. It helps societies reach their full potential. We will continue to protect hard-won progress and resist attempts to roll back agreed commitments. To deliver more, the United Nations must also work more effectively. This is the first second committee session since agreement of the revitalisation decision, which we warmly welcomed. Revitalisation matters because every hour spent renegotiating previously agreed language is an hour not spent advancing implementation of the commitments that we have already made. The United Kingdom therefore encourages continued focus on agenda discipline, consistent with those revitalisation decisions, including avoiding resolutions on matters recently negotiated elsewhere or outside of the committee's core remit. As 2030 approaches, our focus should be on delivery, not on duplication; on implementation, not on reinvention. By advancing investment, resilience and reform, we can expand opportunity, strengthen economies and improve lives. The United Kingdom stands ready to work with all partners to make that happen. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of the United Kingdom, and I invite to take the floor the permanent observer of the Holy See.

Madam Chair, my delegation welcomes this important discussion on financing sustainable development in a changing global economy. This is particularly pertinent given that, as Pope Leo XIV observes,

The economy is not an end in itself, but an essential yet partial aspect of the social fabric. The 2030 Agenda recognizes that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. However, with only four years remaining until 2030, progress remains uneven. The reasons are many. but among the more pressing is the persistent shortfall of resources available to those countries and communities that are most in need.

In this regard, it is important to underscore that financing for sustainable development is about more

than just mobilizing greater volumes of resources. It is also about ensuring that financial systems and economic structures remain oriented towards the promotion of integral development of the human person and the common good.

Therefore, my delegation would like to highlight three considerations.

Firstly, the current global economy calls for a fairer and more inclusive international financial architecture.

Circumstances of a person's birth

should not determine the respect for one's inherent God-given dignity or the opportunities an individual is able to access. Similarly, the economic circumstances of a country should not limit its ability to meaningfully participate decisions that shape its development. Therefore, developing countries must have their perspectives meaningfully included in decisions that affect their fiscal space. Reforming this architecture becomes a recommitment to genuine multilateralism, where no nation is merely a recipient of decisions made elsewhere. Secondly, it is impossible to discuss financing the SDGs without acknowledging the burden of unsustainable debt that so many developing countries are carrying. Currently, over 3 billion people live in countries that allocate more funds to debt servicing than to healthcare or education investments. This has

led to children being deprived of an education and families and entire communities being trapped in cycles of poverty.

Debt can be an important tool for development when it enables countries to invest in their people. However, when servicing debt comes at the expense of essential investments in human development, financial obligations can hinder the very development they are intended to support.

My delegation, therefore, encourages the international community to continue working towards a more effective and equitable debt architecture. This would provide countries facing unsustainable debt

burdens with the necessary space to invest in their people and advance their development priorities.

Thirdly, financing sustainable development requires careful consideration of the priorities for allocating global resources. At a time when global military expenditure continues to rise and many developing countries

still face severe constraints on financing basic development needs, greater attention must be given to the consequences of these choices on human persons. As Pope Leo XIV has observed, increased military spending is presented as the only response to an uncertain future or perceived threat. Meanwhile, the real cost falls on the poorest, who see resources for healthcare, education, and social services being reduced. Investment in healthcare, education, food security, decent work, and climate action is not peripheral to building peaceful and resilient societies. It is at its very core.

Madam Chair, there is a need for international financial architecture

that is more inclusive, that arrangements that do not undermine integral human development, and for resource allocation that gives due priority to genuine and lasting peace, prosperity, and development. My delegation, therefore, encourages this committee to advance an approach to financing sustainable development that places the human person at the center and recognizes that economic and financial systems

are ultimately instruments for the service of the common good.

Thank you.

I thank Your Excellency for the statement. And with this statement, we have exhausted the list of speakers from member states and observers. Now I would like to give the floor to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. And allow me to remind you that you have four minutes at your disposal. You have the floor.

As member states and international organizations, we are all operating in the same uncertain, disrupted international environment. We are facing some of the same pressures as we work to continue advancing the implementation of the SDGs, despite elevated geopolitical tensions. Our shared priorities are numerous, from boosting global growth and development to optimizing the green and digital transformations. Effective multilateral cooperation remains our best tool to deliver solutions that are fair, inclusive, and sustainable. It is through this cooperation, dialogue, and through evidence-based policymaking that we can address these challenges that no country can resolve alone. The OECD is not an organization with universal membership. However, our mandate and expertise on key areas of government policy place us in a unique position to deliver impact through our data, policy analysis, and evidence-based guidance. In this spirit, we continue to support the work of the Second Committee. When public resources are under increasing pressure, it is important to leverage synergies and avoid duplication wherever possible. The OECD's mission, better policies for better lives, extends well beyond our own membership. Our members span nearly every continent, and our ambitious accession agenda currently includes eight candidate countries. We remain committed to support partner countries across the world in implementing domestic reforms that reflect their own priorities and also meaningfully integrating their perspectives into OECD work, such as the Development Assistance Committee review process through policy dialogue, regional and tailored country programs, and capacity building initiatives. The focus of this year's second Committee on Economic Growth and Development particularly resonates with the OECD's work. As we look ahead to the SDG Summit in 2027, the OECD remains fully committed to sustainable development and to the Compromiso de Sevilla. We are convinced that progress on these commitments requires not only financial resources, but also policy innovation, peer learning, and mutual trust. The OECD is committed to building stronger, better coordinated partnerships with the UN and its member states. By providing inclusive data, evidence-based analysis, and policy support, we support countries in advancing their development priorities mobilizing financing, strengthening domestic resources, and ensuring effective international cooperation. I thank you.

Thank the representative of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for the statement. And now I would like to invite the representative of International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the Second Committee meets amidst tightening public resources, geopolitical tensions, and compounding crises. These pressures fall heavily at the first mile, rural communities where agri-food value chains begin and where poverty, financing, and market access gaps are greatest. Yet these communities also represent enormous economic potential. Transforming agri-food systems could generate between $5 and $10 trillion in benefits annually, while agri-food systems employ more than 64% of Africa's workforce. They are an investable entry point for advancing Agenda 2030. IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, welcomes the committee's focus on financing sustainable development. We offer four reflections from our perspective as a credit rated IFI and UN agency focused on investment at the first mile. First, to move beyond financing gaps, public finance must be deployed catalytically, reducing risk, building investment pipelines, and mobilizing additional capital. EFAT is mobilizing additional finance for the first mile through blended finance, guarantees, and direct private sector investments. Second, private sector partnership is essential. The private sector accounts for over 90% of global food system activity. IFAD's impact investments show that strong private sector engagement through value chain projects deliver income gains of 64%, four times those achieved with minimal private sector engagement. Third, we must harness innovation responsibly. Digital tools and AI can transform access to finance, markets, and information in the hardest to reach areas, but without investment in connectivity, skills, and inclusion, they risk widening existing divides. Finally, financing must reach those most at risk of being left behind, including through targeted, country-led investments that address structural barriers facing women, youth, indigenous peoples, and persons with disabilities. The Sevilla commitment renewed momentum for stronger development finance ecosystem. Through EFAD 14, the 14th replenishment of EFAD's resources, we're putting its principles into practice, investing in first mile markets, rural employment, and resilience, where poverty, vulnerability, and financing gaps are greatest. We look forward to supporting the Committee in translating commitments into investments and results on the ground towards the 2027 SDG Summit and beyond. Thank you.

I thank the representative of IFAD for the statement and now I would like to invite for the statement the representative of the Regional Commission, the Office of New York.

Thank you. Madam Chair, all protocol observed. We meet at a time when the global economic environment is undergoing profound change, with significant implications for countries' ability to finance and advance sustainable development. Countries are navigating constrained fiscal space, climate impacts, conflict, and geopolitical uncertainty, alongside rapid technological and demographic change. Together, these pressures make it harder to mobilize and direct the investment needed to sustain development. and accelerate progress towards SDGs. This is where the regional commissions have a distinctive role to play. Their mandate brings together three mutually reinforcing functions, analytical work that provides evidence and policy insight, convening that enables countries to address shared challenges and build regional solutions, and technical support that helps translate those solutions into practice. Madam Chair, financing is central to this work. The challenge is not only to mobilize more resources, but to make finance work for development, supporting productive capacity, infrastructure, connectivity, innovation, decent employment, and resilience. We see this contribution in concrete ways. In Africa, ECA's Africa Trade Exchange, developed with Afreximbank, is facilitating cross-border transactions and supporting implementation of ACFTA. The platform is already supporting pooled procurement and onboarding sellers, while giving businesses access to African markets. In Europe, ECA's peer methodology is helping governments and investors assess infrastructure projects against SDGs. Since its launch, it has been applied to more than 220 projects across 50 countries. In Latin America and Caribbean, ECLAC is advancing productive formalization, linking productivity, employment, and productive capacity. In 2026, analysis identifies access to finance and technology alongside productive development policies as important components of this approach. In Asia and Pacific, ESCAP is advancing cross-border paperless trade. The framework agreement is being implemented by participating countries with full implementation estimated to reduce existing transaction costs by 10 to 30 percent. In Western Asia, ESCWA is using modeling, nowcasting, and forecasting tools to provide policymakers with timely evidence and support planning and policy choices. Together, these examples show what regional cooperation can deliver: better investment decisions, lower transaction costs, stronger productive capacity, and more responsive policy making. Madam Chair, we welcome the continued revitalization of this Committee. An important opportunity will be the dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions on 20th October. The revitalization process calls for dialogue to maximize its relevance, contributions, and engagement and participation. We warmly invite delegations to join the Executive Secretaries for a substantive exchange on regional priorities, experiences, and practical solutions emerging from implementation on the ground and on what these can contribute to the work of the Second Committee. The Regional Commissions stand ready to support you, Madam Chair, the Bureau, and all Member States throughout this session. I thank you.

I thank the Director of the Regional Commission New York Office for the statement. And now I would like to invite for the statement the representative of International Telecommunication Union.

Thank you, Ambassador. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the ITU welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the second committee discussion. Digital technologies have become essential infrastructure for sustainable development. Connectivity expands access to education, healthcare, financial services, government services, innovation opportunities, and economic participation. During the past UNGA 81st high level week, we have also seen growing recognition from member states of the transformative potential of AI, yet nearly one third of humanity remains offline and many developing countries continue to face significant barrier to affordable, reliable and meaningful connectivity. Achieving the SDGs therefore requires not only greater volumes of finance, but also strategic investment that recognize digital infrastructure as a foundation for development. Every school connected, every health center bought online, and every community linked to digital networks expands opportunity for social and economic advancement. Strengthening these foundations will also enable countries to harness these opportunities presented by AI and other emerging technologies. The ITU is working with governments, development banks, and private sectors, and international partners to mobilize investment and strengthen digital ecosystem. Through the Partner to Connect Digital Coalition, stakeholders have now announced more than 1,000 pledges with an estimated value of $100 billion from 500 entities across 149 countries. demonstrating a shared commitment to advancing meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation worldwide. Additionally, the Digital Infrastructure Investment Catalyzer is a multi-stakeholder collaboration platform advancing the tools, capacity, and capital needed to close the digital infrastructure investment gap. The Catalyzer was launched by ITU and UNTAD at the FfD4 and is co-led together with eight multilateral development banks. As part of this initiative, ITU and UNCTAD are finalizing the new digital and AI infrastructure investment playbook as a toolkit to help guide low and lower middle income country

governments plan, prepare and finance the infrastructure needed to support digital and AI services in their countries.

Financing digital development is not only about infrastructure. Countries also need investment in digital skills, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, and the capacity to harnessing emerging technologies in a safe, secure, and inclusive manner. The outcomes of the WSS+20 adopted last year also underscored the importance of digital cooperation and investment as accelerator of sustainable development. ITU remains committed to supporting Member States and partners in advancing meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the representative of the ITU for the statement. Colleagues, we have heard the last speaker on the list, and the Committee has thus concluded its general debate. I have been informed that delegations have requested for the right of reply. I invite the representative of Israel to take the floor. May I just remind the delegations that the number of intervention is exercised over right of reply should be limited for two per item, and the first intervention should be limited to three minutes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm taking the floor in exercise of my right of reply in response to some of the comments we have heard from Lebanon, the Palestinian delegation, and a few other delegations against my country over the past two days. Chair, it is deeply regrettable, though unfortunately not surprising, that Israel continues to be lectured on Gaza, while Hamas is so often left out of the discussion. It is the first year in the 21st century without any rockets from Gaza raining down on Israel and Israelis. The first year this century. This development was not brought about by any peace coverture from the Palestinians. It was brought about the Palestinians trying to annihilate Israel and Israel saying, you will not destroy us. We are here to stay. And so, of course, the Palestinian delegation neglected to mention the attack launched from Gaza three years ago to Morocco, an attack that in one horrible morning resulted in the slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and other nationals, men, women, children, babies, deliberately slaughtered in cold blood. Nor did they mention the hundreds of Israelis and other nationals taken into Gaza that day, many of whom were themselves slaughtered during their brutal captivity. The Palestinian delegations defend these events. They defend them by not acknowledging that they ever occurred, as if the conflict that erupted was initiated by Israel. It was not. It was initiated by the Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Hamas. And so, Madam Chair, the Palestinian statement is a lie. It is a lie in fact, what they have said, and it is a lie because of what deliberately omitted, basic critical facts in order to mislead and deceive delegations in this room. But dramatically reading a false history do not change the fact that it is false. The ongoing refusal of the Palestinian delegation to face these facts should lead Every delegation, or at least most delegations here, to fear a future in which facts no longer matter and where terrorism becomes an acceptable tool in international relations. Madam Chair, I'd like to end our day on a positive note. As mentioned in our statement, we do have a ceasefire, and it's been holding for a year. and brought much relief to Palestinians and Israelis alike. I hope that our work here can contribute and support positive results on the ground. I thank you.

I have been informed that the delegation of Iran would like to exercise the right of reply, and I give the floor to the representative of Islamic Republic of Iran.

Masmehar Rahman Ebrahimi. Thank you, Madam Chair, for the floor. Yesterday, representative of a certain delegation and today's morning, representative of another delegation made an unnecessary and unwarranted reference to my country in their statement. I wish to categorically reject those claims and place on record the following position. Islamic Republic of Iran was subjected to an illegal use of force and acts of aggression in blatant violation of United Nations Charter and international law. As a result, thousands of people, including women and children, have lost their lives. Civilian and critical infrastructure has been destroyed, and severe economic, social, and environmental damage have been inflicted. Iran condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms and denounces them as a flagrant violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. Iran has exercised only its inherent right of self-defense. All measures taken by my country were lawful under international law and aimed at protecting its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its people. We underscore that in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the principle reflected in the General Assembly resolution 3314 and 2625, states are under an obligation not to allow their territory, military bases or facilities to be used to facilitate acts of aggression or other acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. I thank you.

I now give the floor to the representative of Lebanon.

Madam Chair, thank you for giving me the floor. My delegation is compelled to exercise the right of reply in response of the intervention just made by Israel, bringing in matters not related to the work of the Second Committee, and not even the statements and elements mentioned by the Lebanese delegation this morning. Thank you.

Is there any other delegation would like to take the floor at this point? If this is not the case, I would like to inform you that tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., the committee will hear an address by the President of the General Assembly, His Excellency Kadi Huraifman. So delegations are encouraged to be in the conference room by 8:00 a.m. sharp. Following the address by the President of the General Assembly, the Committee will hear report introductions and begin its joint general discussion of agenda item 18, follow-up to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, and item 20, groups of countries in special situations and sub-items. For today, the meeting is adjourned.