YouSaid · the spoken record

Mohammad Najib Azmi Mikati

lines on the record: 31
first: 2022-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“That is the best way for all of us to keep pace with the changes, mitigate the negative repercussions, build the future and face the challenges of poverty, unemployment, the brain drain, extremism and terrorism, thereby avoiding the unknown. Finally. I would like to conclude by recalling the pillars laid by the President as his vision to lead the General Assembly at its current session. Peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability indeed summarize the aspirations of all our countries and peoples. There can therefore be no secure and prosperous future for us all without achieving those pillars, which in turn can be achieved only through solidarity and collective action to avoid further wars, conflicts, challenges, human tragedies and material and environmental losses.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I would like to take this opportunity to stress the importance of a sovereign and independent Lebanese State that is strong, capable and inclusive and cooperates with the international community and friendly and brotherly countries; a Lebanese State that protects the parliamentary democratic system and public and private freedoms and engages in structural reforms and in strengthening the rule of law. citizenship, accountability and justice; a Lebanese State that believes in tolerance and brotherly relations and that adopts a policy of dissociation and stays away from the policy of axes; and a Lebanese State as an urgent need for security, peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Lebanon has sought to continue to implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It also actively participated in the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27). held in Sharm El-Sheikh, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and looks forward to the same level of active participation in the COP28 climate conference, to be held in Dubai. We wish that brotherly host country and the conference every success.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“In that regard, we would like to express our solidarity with the Libyan and Moroccan peoples in the aftermath of the natural disasters that struck the two brotherly countries. International cooperation, based on the principles of partnership and inclusiveness, has become a sine qua non for the security, safety and well-being of peoples. The United Nations and its specialized agencies are at the heart of that international effort, guiding and supporting it with standards and tools. In the light of the challenges facing Lebanon at the national level, and despite the regional tensions and their adverse effects in various areas, my country is keen to continue to play the role expected of it at the regional and international levels. Despite the current situation.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Lebanon would like to once again remind the international community of its humanitarian and moral responsibility towards the Palestinian refugees, and we call for full support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to enable it to continue to carry out its tasks, pending a final solution. We have always said that the world is witnessing cross-border challenges that require greater coordination and cooperation among countries, from climate change and viral pandemics to security, food security, cybersecurity, illegal migration, extremism and terrorism, to name but a few. There are many challenges of a global nature that can be met only through the concerted efforts of Governments, international organizations and civil society organizations.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Meanwhile, the brotherly Palestinian people continue to languish under occupation and to struggle to achieve their inalienable human rights. With the growing need to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, we reaffirm our commitment to a just and comprehensive peace, based on the two-State solution and international parameters, in particular Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Today I take this opportunity to recall the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted at the Beirut summit in 2002. which laid the foundations for the desired peace. In that context, and as a country that has hosted hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees since 1948.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Let me place on record Lebanon’s satisfaction with the start of oil and gas exploration in its territorial waters and its desire to play a constructive energy role in the Mediterranean basin in the future. Parts of the Middle East region are witnessing worrisome levels of political and security instability, which cast a shadow over the countries and peoples of the region. However, it is worth noting that there are striking exceptions of stability, development, growth and building a future in the Arab Gulf countries. Those countries and their peoples are dear to our hearts. Lebanon owes them a great deal of gratitude and appreciation. In that context, we welcome the return of the Syrian Arab Republic to its membership in the League of Arab States and the Saudi-Iranian agreement.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Lebanon affirms its full commitment to all the provisions of that resolution and its respect for all other relevant Security Council resolutions. I take this opportunity to thank all the troop-contributing countries participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the mandate of which was renewed by the Security Council at the end of August. The mission entrusted to that United Nations force cannot be accomplished without close cooperation and ongoing coordination with the Lebanese army. That would help to consolidate peace and security in the region and to restore the authority of the Lebanese State throughout its territory within its internationally recognized borders.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“in cooperation with all international stakeholders, to find sustainable solutions to the Syrian displacement crisis before its repercussions spiral out of control. In that regard. I would like to mention a positive development in terms of the agreement reached by Lebanon with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the exchange of information regarding the Syrian presence in Lebanon. We stress Lebanon’s commitment to deepening cooperation with international institutions and United Nations organizations as a cornerstone of the sustainable solution that we seek. The third challenge is Israel’s continued occupation of parts of our land in the south, its daily attacks and violations of Lebanese sovereignty and violation of its obligations under Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Twelve years have passed since the Syrian crisis began, and Lebanon is still bearing the burden of successive waves of displacement, the economic and social repercussions of which have affected all aspects of its life, thereby threatening its very existence. Despite voicing our concerns in all international forums and in this very forum, the international community’s response to the consequences of that human tragedy and its repercussions for us remains extremely shameful and fails to address it effectively and sustainably. From this rostrum. I once again warn of the negative repercussions of displacement, which deepen Lebanon’s crises. However. Lebanon will not be the only victim. I repeat that Lebanon will not be the only victim. I also reiterate the call for the development of a road map.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I sincerely look forward to the Lebanese Parliament exercising its sovereign role by electing a President of the Republic in the upcoming period, a President around whom the Lebanese are united and who enshrines the return of the Republic through the country’s presidency and constitutional institutions and Lebanon’s return to fulfilling its mission and playing its leading role, in close cooperation with our Arab brothers and friends in the international community. In that regard. I commend the role played by the committee of five, as well as the French initiative aimed at helping to achieve that constitutional milestone.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The first challenge is of course the vacant presidency of the Republic and the inability to elect a new President of the country. That has led to institutional and political instability, the exacerbation of the economic and financial crises and the failure of the reform plans and economic and financial recovery on which the Lebanese are counting to save the country from the difficult conditions.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Lebanon has also lived through long and very dangerous and difficult phases, during which it witnessed conflicts on its land and in neighbouring areas, along with wars of aggression against it. resulting in a prolonged occupation of dear parts of Lebanon’s territory, accompanied by two refugee and displacement crises and an unprecedented economic, financial and humanitarian crisis. Today Lebanon faces many overlapping crises against the backdrop of a weakened international system and a regional climate full of tensions and challenges, which weigh heavily on the Lebanese people, who suffer daily from the lack of basic moral and material elements that enable them to survive, in addition to the brain and youth drain and the receding flicker of hope in the eyes of many Lebanese men and women.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I congratulate Mr. Francis on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. I wish him success in assuming that task, and I assure him of the support of the delegation of Lebanon for the visionary programme of work that he has set for the upcoming year. This year marks the eightieth anniversary of Lebanon’s independence, eight decades during which Lebanon has been striving to merit its place among peace-loving and prosperous nations. Lebanon was among the founders of this international Organization in which we meet today and significantly contributed to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However. Lebanon’s journey was not an easy one. In addition to the bright stages of its history in terms of stability, growth, prosperity and peace-building.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I would like to conclude by referring to the beginning of the United Nations, when it commenced its collective work in solidarity and complementarity for the benefit and well-being of humankind, based on justice, security, peace and sustainable development. We hope for a better world, especially in the Middle East region. I extend my best wishes to all members.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We want it to be a spiritual custodian that brings together the values of the divine religions and the values of truth and justice in the world. I am confident that, with the unity of its people and the help of its brothers and friends, we can achieve what we want. In conclusion, I reiterate my gratitude to the United Nations for its continued cooperation and partnership with Lebanon and to all Member States that love and support Lebanon. I reiterate my call on everyone not to disassociate Lebanon from all the conflicts in the region and the world. The greater the challenges, the more we are willing to work together for the good of our people. The recent series of global crises have demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in addressing them, as most of them have become transboundary in nature.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that regard, we express our deep concern about the Agency’s critical financial situation and accumulated budget deficit, which jeopardize the delivery of its services. We also reiterate that Lebanon welcomes and supports all international efforts to bridge the deficit, as the primary challenge remains finding a sustainable solution to the funding gap. Lebanon has a long cultural history. Lebanon has always promoted a message of peace, tolerance and dialogue. Although my country is currently experiencing challenging times, those difficulties will not deter the Lebanese people from moving forward to achieving once again their prosperity and strengthen the pioneering role that Lebanon has always played internationally. We want Lebanon to be a place for convergence, not division. We want Lebanon to be a space for dialogue, not competition.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The Palestinian question remains the main obstacle to the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East. The injustice against the Palestinian people must end. The independent Palestinian State, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, must be realized in keeping with all the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, including resolution 194 (III), on the return of refugees to their homes. Concerning the Palestinian refugees, I would like to emphasize the central role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in serving the goals and purposes of the United Nations by helping to alleviate some of the suffering of Palestinian refugees and achieve a measure of regional development and stability.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, we have adopted an open- border policy based on our commitment to humanitarian considerations. However, the displacement crisis currently exceeds Lebanon’s capabilities. It is also important to emphasize that the Lebanese Constitution, with the consensus of all Lebanese people, prevents any integration or settlement on its territory. The only realistic sustainable solution is to achieve the safe and dignified return of Syrians to their country in the framework of a road map that we should start work on as soon as possible, with the cooperation of all parties. Additional qualitative assistance should also be provided to the Lebanese State and its various institutions and infrastructure, which have been overstretched by the large influx of displaced persons for more than 10 years.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In addition, a strong central Government that ensures the rule of law and its proper application, as well as an enabling environment for businesses, productive sectors and services in all their diversity — in accordance with market standards, a free economy, current requirements, and the information and communication revolution — is urgently needed by the entire region and presents the best way for all of us to tackle the challenges of poverty, unemployment, extremism and terrorism and to avoid spiralling into the unknown. For more than a decade, Lebanon has been at the forefront of achieving the global public good by hosting a massive number of displaced Syrians. It is difficult to provide accurate figures of their number.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that context, we appeal to sisterly and friendly countries to stand by Lebanon in its ongoing crisis and support us in overcoming it by addressing the serious repercussions of the crisis on the Lebanese people and the structure of the State. We look forward to reconvening the Friends of Lebanon Conference for Investment and Finance, which has long been hosted by France in cooperation with Lebanon’s friends and brothers. The existence of a sovereign and independent Lebanese State — that is strong and capable; protects the parliamentary democratic system and public and private freedoms; believes in tolerance, fraternity and convergence; and pursues its policy of non-alignment, rejecting the policy of axes — is urgently needed in order to ensure peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We are working on a package of comprehensive structural and sectoral reforms that meet the requirements of the Lebanese people and provide them with a social safety net. We are also developing laws that ensure absolute transparency and combat the scourge of corruption, which has been exacerbated as a result of the economic collapse. At the same time, we are working to revive the economy and to benefit from the many potential opportunities, especially with respect to the younger generations, for whom we are responsible. They are a beacon of hope for the success of a Lebanese economic model that is open to the world and offers it new opportunities.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We also reaffirm our commitment to our policy of non-alignment, which we have pursued on the same path as our previous Government, in an effort to protect our country as far as possible from adopting any position that it cannot sustain. The Lebanese Government also relies on the United Nations and its Member States, which through their commendable assistance to Lebanon have always emphasized that a capable and prosperous Lebanese State is urgently needed to ensure peace and security in the region and the world. In the context of efforts to address the economic crisis, our Government is also working on a financial and economic recovery plan that complements our cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that connection, our Government signed a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund. From this rostrum, we pledge to advance all necessary legislative and administrative reforms in order to overcome the current crisis. We continue to count on the assistance of Lebanon’s international friends, most notably the sisterly Arab States. Lebanon, an Arab country by affiliation and identity and the co-founder of the League of Arab States, has great respect for the Arab States. Lebanon’s Arab affiliation and its commitment to Arab causes reflect the provisions of its Constitution and the Taif Agreement, which ended the bloody civil war that ravaged my country. I must reiterate our full commitment to the Taif Agreement, as well as our unwillingness to tolerate any attempt to undermine its provisions.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We are also dealing with the consequences of the Syrian crisis and the burden of those who have been displaced. In that context, the Lebanese Government is confronted by an unprecedented political crisis that has made it necessary to tread very slowly and carefully across a political and economic minefield in order to remedy the situation and create an environment conducive to pulling Lebanon out of its current crisis. Our Government has succeeded in achieving many of its goals, most notably in the timely holding of parliamentary elections despite the difficult circumstances prevailing in the country. Nevertheless, the road ahead of Lebanon continues to be long, arduous and fraught with difficulties before it can overcome the crisis. We are working with all our resources and determination to successfully achieve that.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“That has made it imperative for many Governments and countries to resort to extraordinary measures in seeking to alleviate the impact of such crises on their peoples. In my country, Lebanon, we have faced the worst socioeconomic crisis in our history for the past several years, which has affected all our institutions and placed the majority of Lebanese below the poverty line. It has caused many people to emigrate, with our homeland losing many of its best and most promising young people. That comes on top of severe and unprecedented economic deterioration, the collapse of the national currency to its lowest levels in history and the closures imposed by the coronavirus disease pandemic, not to mention the Beirut port explosion catastrophe, the cause of which we are seeking to determine.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We also believe in the international frameworks that address disarmament issues in their various forms and welcome efforts to establish an international understanding to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction pursuant to decision 73/546. We commend the previous sessions of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction and look forward to the successful conclusion of its third session, to be held under Lebanon’s presidency in November. We also look forward to contributing to the establishment of that nuclear-weapon-free zone. Many countries in the world today face severe economic crises, the causes of which are multifaceted and well known, as they have had a major impact on all aspects of life.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“We reiterate our sincere desire to reach a long- overdue negotiated solution. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that we have made significant progress in that regard and hope to soon reach the desired outcome. Lebanon is determined to protect its national interests and the wealth of its people, as well as to invest in its national resources. We are fully aware of the importance of the promising energy market in the eastern Mediterranean for the prosperity of the economies of the countries of the region and for meeting the needs of importing countries. Lebanon believes in the leading role played by the United Nations. We stress our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I would like to thank in particular the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon for its sacrifices and efforts to maintain stability in southern Lebanon, in close coordination with the Lebanese army. With the help of Member States, we look forward to strengthening the military capabilities and alleviating the financial burdens of the Lebanese army. In that context, we stress Lebanon’s commitment to the full implementation of the provisions of resolution 1701 (2006) and all resolutions of international legitimacy. With regard to the demarcation of our maritime borders, under the auspices of the United Nations and with the commendable mediation of the United States, I would like to reaffirm Lebanon’s full commitment to its sovereignty and rights over, and its enjoyment of, its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“There is no better place to deliberate those challenges than in the General Assembly Hall, which brings together all the world’s States under the auspices of the Charter of the United Nations, which my country, Lebanon, is proud to have played a role in establishing. We have enjoyed decades of productive cooperation with the United Nations. In that context, I am delighted to thank the President of the General Assembly — and through him, the United Nations, with all its branches and specialized institutions and those operating in Lebanon — for their efforts to help Lebanon and contribute to mitigating the consequences of the crippling economic and financial crisis that it now faces.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“I offer my sincere congratulations to the President on his election to lead the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. I also take this opportunity to thank His Excellency Mr. Abdullah Shahid for his good stewardship of the previous session and for all his efforts in that regard. I would like as well to commend His Excellency Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his continued efforts to promote the role of the United Nations Organization and develop its work. The world today is in a very delicate situation, involving armed conflicts and interrelated crises that are of concern to us all.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)