President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova addressed the Summit for the Future at the United Nations on “Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow”.
In her address, the President said that deep reforms are necessary in the United Nations in order to overcome global challenges.
Below is the integral address of President Siljanovska Davkova:
Distinguished attendees,
It is a difficult task and a great responsibility to talk about the future and abstract from the UN, because it is the only organization that enjoys universal legitimacy and has proven integrity and credibility in resolving humanity’s biggest and burning problems.
On the eve of the eightieth birthday, I am confident that the UN has accumulated enough knowledge, experience and creation, learned numerous lessons, gained wisdom, acquired rich memory as necessary assumptions for a real perception of the present and for projecting the future.
The future is neither a fiction, nor an illusion, but a real assessment of expected changes, based on a thorough critical analysis of evidence and diagnosis of natural and social conditions. Hence, the future could perhaps be seen as a certain expectation of change.
I believe there is no place more appropriate than the UN for a consensus on the future, seen through the prism of the biggest dilemmas and challenges.
I believe it is high time to face the ugly reality of wars, natural disasters, enormous pauperization, inequality and injustice, violation of international law, even of ius cogens, practicing the rule of man, instead of the rule of law, sacrificing justice, ethics and morality for profit and power. Difficult problems ultimately impose ambitious goals, but also require decisive action.
Brave undertakings are impossible without profound reform of the UN, strengthened multilateralism in decision-making, a developed checks and balances mechanism in the relations between the Secretary General, the Security Council and the General Assembly, greater inclusiveness and transparency of the decision-making process, as well as decisiveness and efficiency in dealing with the enormous threats to peace, sustainable development and human rights.
Sincerely, I think that decorative reform of the UN, or “flying without moving”, are not enough, but what we need is substance: structural, functional, meritocratic, democratic changes.
The role of the General Assembly should be strengthened, as a representative body of the United Nations.
The International Court of Justice must be given a stronger role, and its judgments must become binding for everyone. More intensive cooperation and partnership with civil society must be established, transparency of the work of all authorities and bodies must be increased. I am not of the opinion that enlarging the Security Council with a few new permanent members, with exclusive veto rights, by itself would mean a greater guarantee for peace and security, although it is clear to me that the relationship of powers on the global stage today is not the same with the one from 1945!
As a representative of a small country, I believe that the participation of the smaller countries in the General Assembly should be increased in this body to protect themselves from the real danger from the bigger countries.
Of course, the UN Charter remains a fundamental act, a constitution of the Nations but also a social international contract.
An end should be put to the disrespect, bypassing and selective application of the Charter, as in the Macedonian case.
As the first Macedonian female President, I fiercely advocate for more women at the highest positions and I am personally fulfilling these commitments.
I believe that the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations are a solid and inspiring framework for tracing and building a future in which peace, prosperity and justice will not be wishful thinking, but a real driver for action.
The future of the world and humanity is inseparable from the UN.
It mostly depends on the ability of the United Nations to unite around existential challenges and dilemmas, to build trust and to act in solidarity.
Global challenges require global, harmonized agreement and a common-sense based response (Thomas Paine).
What we need is “courage to be”, so let the Kantianism, Vilsonisnism and Lenonism be instead of Thucydidism and Machiavellianism.
