Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to meet so many UN Resident Coordinators from Europe and Central Asia. I just had a most wonderful meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohammed and with your Regional Director, Ms. Gwi-Yeop Son. I welcome you all on behalf of the Macedonian citizens.
We have gathered together on a very symbolic day. The 5th of April is the International Day of Conscience, and indeed we are so much missing conscience. I see it as a reminder of our duty to promote what we are missing: peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. Unfortunately, these universal values are under threat.
Instead of peace we see wars and we are witnessing flagrant violations of the United Nations Charter. Instead of multilateralism we have multi-polarization. It is dangerous and therefore we must fight against it. International law is eroded very often by double standards while international humanitarian law is ignored, so we could not accept leaving us, women, and children traumatized by war and famine. The race for profit, neoliberalism as Darwinism i.e. the need for power, at the expense of people and planet undermines development and solidarity. These grave conditions should burden the conscience of this generation of policy and decision makers around the world. Politics is the art of possible, so let’s try to be artists.
In my opinion, part of the problem is that, while our world has undergone profound geopolitical, economic, environmental, demographic and technological transformation, the competences, structures and procedures of the UN have remained largely unchanged. It is the time to re-examine this.
In order to effectively respond to today’s challenges, the UN needs to adapt. Substantial reforms are necessary that will make global institutions more legitimate, fairer and more consistent in fulfilling the UN Charter. The Security Council should be reformed; I do not want to say expanded but we shall see, maybe re-examined, as my perception of the Security Council is like a world government and its ministers could be elected by the Secretary General, being equally important. It should indeed be democratized to make it more accountable and responsible in maintaining international peace and security. The General Assembly should take its rightful place as the principle representative body not only for debate but also for policy-making. The judgments of the International Court of Justice must become binding to all, because elective justice is not justice.
To this end we adopted the Pact for the Future as a new global social contract that offers a vision of multilateralism that could more inclusively and fairly meet the goals of the United Nations – peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.
As a President of a small country, I firmly believe that small countries should be the greatest supporters of these efforts to strengthen the United Nations.
In this increasingly fragmented world, my country remains strongly committed to effective multilateralism with the United Nations in its center. We support the ongoing UN reform process initiated by the Secretary-General, including the UN80 Initiative.
We are committed to integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into national strategies, focusing on climate action, gender equality and the rule of law. Nearly two-thirds of the SDGs are linked to European legislation, with the UN aiding in the implementation of European reforms.
Our ongoing collaboration with UN agencies is crucial to achieving inclusive development, sustainable economy, good governance and fight against corruption. The upcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030 aligns with our National Development Strategy 2024-2044, with special focus on vulnerable groups, women, girls, and youth.
The new Cooperation Framework will also integrate a number of Pact for the Future priorities, such as enhancing youth participation in policymaking, investing in the social and economic development of young people, reducing the digital divide, and improving access to innovative financing and renewable energy.
For this reason, I deeply appreciate the excellent cooperation with the UN Resident Coordinator Office in our country and the entire country team. We have a real partnership in advancing these priorities for the Macedonian citizens, and I am certain that other countries of the region have similar positive experiences with the UN.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I see you more than coordinators, but as carriers of global conscience. You are called to be advocates of peace in times of wars, providers of aid in times of great need, and bringers of hope in time of despair. The world is desperate. You represent the best things in the world.
As someone who has dedicated her life to the cause of justice and human rights, despite all odds, I still believe in the need of effective and powerful multilateralism with a strong, reformed United Nations in its center. I still believe in the need for international law, including international humanitarian law. So, you will have my support in this manner.
Dear friends,
Let me end with this note.
The question is not whether we will succeed in every effort and whether we will implement every single program and every single goal, because, most probably, we won’t. It is too much. As Immanuel Kant said, “out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made”. And, there are some powerful geopolitical and geo-economic factors that influence agendas and priorities. The real question is whether we will endure on this path, during these weird times of testing and great uncertainty. I strongly believe that if we persist in our efforts, then, at the end, we will be able to say that we have done everything in our power to bring some good in this world, that we have used every opportunity to speak up for the vulnerable, that we have walked the talk and done our duty to humanity. So, then we could say that our conscience is clear.
Once again, thank you for supporting the countries and I wish you much success. I deeply believe in you.
Thank you.
