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28 May 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is my honor and privilege to speak at this platform.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We meet at a time when the world confronts profound challenges.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The COVID-19 pandemic still casts a long shadow, and its socio-economic repercussions are being felt around the world.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The ongoing aggression in Ukraine continues to take a tragic humanitarian toll, and has sent shockwaves through the global economy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Ethiopia, Mali, Myannmar, and Afghanistan, lives have been torn apart and lost.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And as these conflicts proliferate, so too does the persistent threat of weapons of mass destruction.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond outright conflict, terrorism and violent extremism continue to loom large as serious threats to humanity. We have seen these threats increasingly evident in the online and digital spheres.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And all the while, as we grapple with these challenges, the climate crisis looms, ever present and growing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To imagine it as an abstract threat is to ignore what is happening on our planet right now: droughts, irregular weather patterns, soil erosion, wildfires, and fatal heatwaves – the list goes on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The core outcome of all of this is that people are suffering and our world, our collective societies, are being challenged.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We have a responsibility to do much more, to address that suffering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We have a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable – women and girls, disabled persons, migrants, children and the impoverished, among them.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet even now, inequalities and uncertainties have rendered communities ever more vulnerable, a sad reality further compounded by the pandemic:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These challenges are real, and they are serious. The post-1945 multilateral architecture has never faced challenges so profound and interconnected.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Indeed, <\/span>our ability to address the issues before us will test not only our resolve and imagination, but also the efficiency and relevance of our global institutions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Make no mistake, inaction or delay on any of these issues will only fuel a loss of trust in multilateralism. A loss of trust in institutions, such as the United Nations, to resolve issues, mediate solutions, and to promote peace and development.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We have to act.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends, it is easy to lose hope and give in to despair, but that is not the responsible choice. We need hope now, more than ever.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I have not lost hope. I remain hopeful that humanity will persevere, strengthen their bonds, and work together to address our shared challenges.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fueling this hope are the insights I have learned over a long career: that crises can often bring about the best in humanity. And that multilateralism and diplomacy remain powerful tools.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The success of regional organizations is a powerful counterargument to misgivings about the ability of countries to coalesce and work together to find solutions to shared challenges.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only do they provide a model for multilateralism that can be replicated on a wider global scale \u2013 they play a pivotal role in upholding our <\/span>current <\/span><\/i>global multilateral architecture.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For more than 50 years ASEAN has been proof of this. In that time, it has become a powerful driver for stability, regional cooperation, and economic integration among its ten member states.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It has helped mediate differences among countries, and helped put them on common footing on policies that benefit the entire region.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As an example, it has played a crucial role in shaping and upholding the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as part of its ongoing efforts to make the region more climate and disaster-resilient.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today, ASEAN is one of the most vibrant regions in the world, comprising of 670 million people and accounting for 10% of the world\u2019s population.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is an economic powerhouse with a combined GDP of USD 3.2 trillion. Its economic power is matched by its geopolitical importance.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working alongside the rest of the global community, ASEAN has an indispensable role to play in addressing major contemporary issues, be it the pandemic, climate change, natural disasters, conflict, terrorism, or transnational crime.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last year, under the able Chairmanship of Brunei, ASEAN took coordinated efforts to control the spread of <\/span>COVID-19, while concurrently dealing with the crisis in Myanmar.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During its Chairmanship of ASEAN, Brunei demonstrated that the country\u2019s small size was no hindrance to assuming a leadership role.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I commend the continued strengthening of relations between ASEAN and the United Nations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The ASEAN-UN Summit and the ASEAN-UN Ministerial Meeting have been held annually since 2010. These engagements provide an opportunity for leadership from across the UN and ASEAN to exchange views on areas of mutual interest<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The revitalized ASEAN-UN Plan of Action 2021-2025 will guide both organizations in further strengthening partnerships in the coming years.<\/span> I welcome the work between the UN and ASEAN to implement our comprehensive partnership goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As I stated, against all odds, I remain hopeful for a better, more sustainable, more resilient future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And rest assured I am not naively hopeful, nor did I choose \u2018hope\u2019 as the theme of my Presidency out of blind optimism.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To be passive and hopeful is foolish. It is to naively believe that the challenges that confront us will resolve themselves.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I believe in an <\/span>active hope<\/span><\/i>. The kind of hope which inspires us to make a substantial difference in our world. The kind of hope that helps us realize that the challenges we face are global, and that solutions, likewise, must be rooted in global efforts \u2013 a truth we must constantly remind ourselves of, and emphasize to our global constituents.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The kind of hope rooted in the tried-and-true principles of multilateralism enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Principles which have inspired generations of talented and eager diplomats, including yourselves, to serve your countries, your regions, and the global community.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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