High-Level Symposium on The Future of We Want: the Role of Multilateralism in a Post-COVID-19 World - UNRCO

(Check Against Delivery)

HE Prak Sokhon, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

HE Dr. Chhem Kieth Rethy, Minister attached to the Prime Minister

HE  Ouch Borith, Minister attached to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation 

Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, the UN country team, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends,

Thank you for celebrating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations with us. I am also grateful to HE Tean Samnang, President of the National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations, and our respective teams, for the close collaboration in co-organizing this high-level symposium on the Future We Want, the Role of Multilateralism in a Post-Covid World.

I admit, the topic is complex and ambitious.

But our purpose this morning is simple.  We want to listen, exchange ideas and collaborate.

This symposium is an opportunity to mobilize the collective leadership and wisdom present in this hall. This is also a chance to come together in solidarity and reaffirm our commitment to international cooperation in response to the unprecedented challenges facing us all.

Our conversation today is one of many taking place all over the world since the beginning of the year.

For the UN, 2020 was already designed as a year of dialogue, when we come together to discuss our priorities as a human family, and how we can build a better future for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic simply accelerated the urgency for us to actively listen to “We the Peoples” and reimagine a Future We Want.

 

Listen. Share ideas. Collaborate.

 

These are the three parts of my remarks this morning.

In listening to the voices of the people, what do we learn?

In learning, how can we turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity?

In taking action, how do we improve international cooperation to make a difference in people's lives?

First, on The Future We Want,

Through surveys and dialogues, people from all walks of life were asked about their hopes and fears for the future, their priorities for international cooperation and for the United Nations in particular.

Across the world, respondents of all origins, genders and age groups are remarkably unified in their fears and hopes for the future.

Allow me to share, what over one million voices told us about their hopes and concerns.  These may help us reimagine the role of multilateralism in a post-Covid world:

Amidst the current crisis, the immediate priority is improved access to basic services, in particular, access to healthcare, safe water and sanitation, and education.

The next main priority is greater international solidarity and increased support to the places hardest hit by the pandemic. This includes tackling poverty, inequalities and boosting employment.

While health is the most pressing issue now, the majority were hopeful about this improving.

When looking to the future, most are worried about the impact of climate change. Our inability to stem the climate crisis and the destruction of the natural environment is viewed as the most overwhelming concern in the medium- and long-term.

There are other major priorities for the future that we heard.  These are ensuring greater respect for human rights, resolving conflicts, tackling poverty and reducing corruption.

In Cambodia, we heard from the community conversations that our aspirations for the future are common. No matter where we come from, we all want to leave the world a better place for our children.

Everyone we talked to want their rights protected to access quality healthcare, education and better jobs to live in dignity and in harmony with nature and society. They are concerned about being in debt, needing to borrow money for day-to-day expenses and not having proper jobs.

In aspiring for a better quality of life, we heard the notion that fulfilling people’s needs are simply fulfilling people’s rights.

Meanwhile, young Cambodians expressed their hopes for having a good and capable village and commune leaders who understand the needs of the citizens, care about the community and ensure equitable access to services, especially to the poor.  They also shared their aspirations for local authorities who empowers them to raise their voices and participate in decision-making.

The voices of young Cambodians were loud and clear in expressing their hopes for “women to enjoy the same rights and opportunities as men, and that rights of LGBT and people with disabilities will be fully respected and realized.”

The Future We Want surveys and dialogues also revealed important insights about the UN We Need.

When it comes to the future, it comes as no surprise, that youth in developing countries are more optimistic than those who are older or living in developed countries.

Further, the majority believe that international cooperation is vital to deal with today’s challenges. And that the COVID-19 crisis has made international cooperation even more urgent.

If in the past, six in ten people believe the UN has made the world a better place. Looking to the future, many more [or 74%] see the UN as “essential” in tackling global challenges. In particular, the UN is perceived to be contributing most in upholding human rights and in promoting peace. 

At the same time, however, over half still see the UN as remote from their lives and say they don’t know much about it.

The UN We Need is overwhelmingly called to be more inclusive. To deal with today’s challenges, the UN should bring together the diversity of 21st-century actors. In particular, the UN We Need should facilitate greater inclusion of civil society, women, youth, vulnerable groups, cities and local authorities, businesses, regional and international organizations.

Most significantly, the UN is called to innovate and exercise stronger leadership and moral authority to uphold the UN Charter.

This leads me to my second point.

In every crisis is an opportunity.

For the UN in Cambodia, these voices remind us why and how the aspirations for peace, justice, human rights, social progress and better standards of life in larger freedoms embodied in the UN Charter 75 years ago, still hold true for our time. 

The voices of today call on us to accelerate actions to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfill their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment.

This is at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is our generation’s 1945 moment.

By asking Cambodian people, particularly the youth, about the future they want, we are one step closer to reimagining this post-COVID future together.

The SDGs are a roadmap for humanity. They encompass almost every aspect of human and planetary wellbeing and, if met, will provide a stable and prosperous life for every person and ensure the health of the planet. The pandemic also shows us the wisdom of what is already inherent in the SDGs; the challenges we face cannot be dealt with in isolation.

Good health, no poverty, decent work, quality education, strong and accountable institutions and a shared responsibility to protect and promote human rights are the foundations for building back an inclusive, sustainable and equitable future.

No one can achieve the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development alone.  Especially not at a time of unprecedented challenges.

 

Listen. Share lessons. Collaborate.

 

How do we exercise leadership and strengthen international cooperation to make a difference in people’s lives in a post-Covid world?

Building trust is key. Increasing knowledge about the UN and its contributions increases trust.

COVID-19 has presented the UN with an opportunity to change perceptions: the organization is now seen as even more important in tackling global issues than pre-pandemic. People want to see more cooperation between countries to work together in the future and address the issues they care about.

Adding a systems-perspective and a multistakeholder dimension are also essential in strengthening multilateral approaches to global challenges. We are seeing this clearly in the on-going global response to the pandemic: issues are viewed in a much wider landscape.  This in turn curates a much wider set of relevant stakeholders who are able to bring their contributions to the table. By untangling trade-offs, the coalition of actors can begin to build a shared agenda that can yield unexpected breakthroughs in achieving common objectives.

Access to COVID-19 Tools -- or ACT -- Accelerator -- and its COVAX Facility, is a prime example of multilateralism in action for the global public good. 

It brings governments, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists and global health organizations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI, FIND, Gavi, The Global Fund, Unitaid, Wellcome, the WHO, and the World Bank, together.

ACT Accelerator is a groundbreaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

It is already working and proves that if we act together, we can overcome unprecedented challenges and build a stronger and more resilient future for all.

There must be many more such innovations to demonstrate how multilateralism can be reimagined in a post-Covid world.  I am excited to hear your ideas during the interactive dialogue.

In closing, we will bring lessons from the Royal Government’s achievements in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic that can accelerate progress for the SDGs. Among others, these successes help build health system resilience, strengthen local capabilities, scale up social protection and support economic diversification. Most importantly, these efforts demonstrate how focusing on mitigating the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable ensures that no one is left behind and that recovery efforts will build back better.

We will also leverage the Royal Government’s strong commitment to multilateralism as demonstrated by its significant contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations, in contributing to an inclusive, sustainable and equitable future for all. 

I will try to reflect more on these in the interactive dialogue.

With the Royal Government and partners, including those whose voices are not adequately heard or included, the UN family in Cambodia will continue to work hand in hand with the Cambodian people to fulfil their aspirations.

We find no better way to celebrate the UN’s 75th anniversary than to reaffirm our commitment to “We the Peoples” in this manner.

And there is no better 75th birthday gift to the UN family than to have been honoured with its 12th Nobel Peace Prize.

Indeed, the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP) "for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict."

We welcome the fact that this prize puts the struggle of the 690 million people who go to bed hungry at the centre of world attention at a time when progress in defeating global hunger is being reversed due to conflict and insecurity, but also climate shocks and economic turmoil.

We also welcome the fact that this prize, awarded in this very special pandemic year as communities worldwide are facing unprecedented challenges, highlights that international solidarity and multilateral cooperation is necessary now more than ever.

Thank you.