Today, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s speech at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in New York City, USA. The following is the text of the speech:

We would like to begin by congratulating Philemon Yang on his election as President of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and thank Denis Francis for his efforts during his presidency of the previous session.

On this occasion, we also express our deepest thanks and appreciation to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, for his tireless efforts in achieving the principles and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations.

Since its participation in the founding of this organization, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been keen to exert every possible effort to translate the Charter of the United Nations into a tangible reality, by consolidating respect for international law, maintaining international peace and security, and supporting channels of multilateral international action in all fields.

In this context, the Kingdom actively participated in drafting the Future Charter adopted by world leaders this week. The Kingdom considers the Charter and the Future Summit an opportunity to reaffirm common principles, enhance cooperation to address challenges, achieve security and peace, and support sustainable development for future generations. The Kingdom is keen to activate the role of international financial institutions to ensure the continuation of economic recovery and reduce risks.

Our world today is witnessing many crises that have worsened due to merely managing these crises without finding practical solutions to address them. This is due to the laxity of effective international efforts and the selectivity in applying international law and international humanitarian law. This has resulted in the expansion of the circle of violence and conflicts and the threat to the principles of international legitimacy. This necessitates our commitment to the principles and foundations laid down by the Charter of the United Nations, and serious joint work to focus on long-term peaceful solutions that guarantee the protection of civilians, end fighting and wars, and provide security and development regionally and internationally. In light of the existing tensions between countries, the Kingdom adopts an approach of distancing itself from political polarization in the international community and seeks to promote dialogue, understanding and rapprochement between countries in a way that enhances global security and peace.

In this regard, the Kingdom reiterates its rejection and condemnation of all the heinous Israeli crimes committed against the brotherly Palestinian people. The recent crimes committed against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip are but one chapter in the suffering of this brotherly people, whose suffering has continued for decades. Since last year, brutal Israeli practices have claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, most of them women and children, as a result of systematic bombing, killing, destruction and starvation, amidst a major humanitarian catastrophe that worsens day by day.

Based on our categorical rejection of this bitter reality and the need to take action to end it, the Kingdom hosted the extraordinary joint Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, with the participation of the leaders of the member states of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The summit issued resolutions that represent the will of all Arab and Islamic peoples, calling for an end to the bloodshed, the delivery of aid without restrictions, and the fulfillment of the legitimate demands of the brotherly Palestinian people to regain their occupied territories and establish their independent state.

The Kingdom chaired the ministerial committee tasked by the extraordinary joint Arab and Islamic summit with making visits to a number of countries in order to call on the international community to assume its responsibilities, stop the Israeli aggression and protect civilians.

From this standpoint, the Kingdom welcomes the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on May 10, 2024, of a resolution stating that the State of Palestine is eligible for full membership in the United Nations. It also welcomes the positive decision taken by the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Armenia to recognize the sisterly State of Palestine, and calls on the rest of the countries to proceed with bilateral recognition. In recognition of our shared responsibility to take serious action towards realizing the recognition of the independent State of Palestine, the Kingdom, along with its partners, the members of the Joint Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, the Kingdom of Norway, and the European Union, announced the launch of the International Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, and we call on everyone to join this alliance.

The Kingdom has provided more than 5 billion US dollars in aid to the brotherly Palestinian people. Since the beginning of the current crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Kingdom, through the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid, has provided relief and humanitarian assistance amounting to approximately 185 million US dollars. Agreements have been signed with a number of UN and international humanitarian organizations to implement humanitarian projects, amounting to more than 106 million US dollars. The Kingdom will continue to support UNRWA to enable it to provide its relief services and provide food, medicine and humanitarian needs to the Palestinian refugee brothers, as the Kingdom’s total support to UNRWA has reached more than one billion US dollars.

The Kingdom welcomes the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, and its confirmation of the illegality of the Israeli presence on the occupied Palestinian territories for 57 years. The Kingdom affirms the need to take practical and credible steps to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, in a way that guarantees the right of the brotherly Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The absence of accountability and punishment, despite the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law, encourages it to escalate. This escalation will not achieve security and stability for any party, and portends serious consequences, expanding the scope of violence and wars, and further threatening the security and stability of the region.

The Kingdom affirms the necessity of preserving Lebanon's stability and respecting its sovereignty, in accordance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. It joins international efforts aimed at establishing an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for a sustainable diplomatic settlement. We also call upon all parties to exercise wisdom and maximum restraint to spare the region and its people the dangers and tragedies of war.

The Kingdom has taken clear steps to promote de-escalation and development at the regional level, as an agreement was reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries based on respect for the sovereignty of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and respect for the charters of the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will positively reflect on consolidating security and stability and driving the wheel of regional development and prosperity. We look forward to its cooperation with the international community regarding the nuclear program and ballistic missiles. The Kingdom has also resumed its diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic to enhance cooperation and coordination between the two brotherly countries on common issues, based on the Kingdom’s belief that resolving the Syrian crisis will contribute to the development and stability of the region, while emphasizing the importance of preserving Syria’s unity, security, stability, and territorial integrity, in a way that brings good to its brotherly people.

The Kingdom is keen to restore peace to brotherly Yemen, and supports all efforts aimed at resolving the crisis and alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, and pushing towards reaching political solutions to restore security and stability to Yemen and the region, and reaffirms its initiative to end the war in Yemen and reach a comprehensive political solution.

In light of the tensions in the Red Sea region that affect the security and safety of international shipping lanes and global trade, the Kingdom renews its call for wisdom and avoidance of escalation, and for strengthening joint efforts to maintain the security and stability of the Red Sea region, where freedom of navigation is an international requirement that affects the interests of the entire world.

Regarding the Sudanese issue, the Kingdom affirms its firm positions on preserving Sudan’s security, safety, and stability, the cohesion of the state and its institutions, preventing their collapse, and supporting it in confronting the developments and repercussions of the current crisis. The Kingdom hosted the Sudanese peace talks in Jeddah Governorate to emphasize the need for de-escalation, a halt to military operations, and the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid. Work is underway to resume the Jeddah 3 talks for this purpose.

The Kingdom affirms its commitment to the security, stability, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, and that Afghanistan cannot live in isolation from its regional and international environment, especially in light of the danger posed by the continued presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan. We emphasize the importance of reducing the deterioration of the humanitarian, security, and economic conditions, which gives extremist groups and militias the opportunity to strengthen their presence in Afghanistan. We affirm that economic and developmental stability can only be achieved in an environment of political and social stability.

Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Kingdom reiterates its call to end the crisis and reduce its negative effects and repercussions on the security and stability of the world. The Crown Prince, Prime Minister, has made his good offices to release a number of prisoners of different nationalities. Last year, the Kingdom hosted a meeting of national security advisors and representatives of more than 40 countries and international organizations. The Kingdom affirms the necessity of making every possible effort to end the crisis, resolve disputes peacefully, respect the principles of international law, and strive to preserve the security and interests of all. The Kingdom also affirms its readiness to continue making mediation efforts between the two parties to the crisis.

Based on its Vision 2030, the Kingdom aims to meet the aspirations of future generations, empower women and youth, develop creativity and innovation, consolidate the values ​​of tolerance, and build bridges of communication with the world. Through its development approach, it aims to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable renaissance that focuses on the human being, in a way that preserves his rights, enhances his dignity, and meets his aspirations.

In the energy sector, the Kingdom is committed to achieving a balance between three pillars: energy security, providing affordable energy for all, and mitigating the effects of climate change. The Kingdom is keen on the stability, reliability, and sustainability of global oil markets, and meeting needs in a way that enhances energy availability, accessibility, and the security and safety of supplies, to ensure a prosperous global economy that benefits both producers and consumers. The Kingdom is committed to contributing to mitigating the effects of climate change by adopting a holistic approach to energy transitions based on a logical, organized, and equitable foundation, so that the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement are achieved by utilizing all technologies that contribute to addressing greenhouse gas emissions from all sources, including oil and gas, which will continue to be a pivotal part of the global energy mix for decades to come. In addition to possessing technologies that have enabled the Kingdom to be among the countries with the lowest carbon and methane emission intensity in oil and gas operations, it continues to develop other low-emission energy products. In this regard; The Kingdom is working on building a carbon capture, transport and storage complex in Jubail Industrial City with a capture and storage capacity of up to 9 million tons per year of carbon dioxide by 2027, and a maximum capacity of up to 44 million tons per year by 2035.

The Kingdom supports the Sustainable Development Goals and international cooperation to address the challenges of climate change. At the Saudi-African Summit in Riyadh, the Kingdom announced the allocation of approximately US$50 billion to support these efforts and launched several pioneering initiatives based on the circular carbon economy approach, such as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. In addition, it is investing in the best technologies for reducing carbon intensity, increasing renewable energy sources in the optimal energy mix for electricity production, and producing clean hydrogen. It is determined to be a major producer and exporter of both in the world. The Kingdom also supports multiple projects that focus on rationalizing consumption, raising energy efficiency, preserving wildlife, and ensuring the sustainability of water resources and marine life.

From this standpoint, the Kingdom hosted World Environment Day in 2024, which is affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme, and will host the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16) at the end of this year, to affirm its commitment to protecting the environment and resisting and combating drought and desertification. The Kingdom has received the file for hosting the eleventh World Water Forum in 2027. In this regard, I refer to the announcement by the Crown Prince, Prime Minister - may God protect him - of the establishment of the World Water Organization in September of last year, which aims to develop and integrate the efforts of countries and organizations to address water challenges in a comprehensive manner.

The Kingdom is keen to work towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and a stable Middle East. From this standpoint, the Kingdom stresses the need for all countries to commit to maintaining the non-proliferation regime, while preserving the right of countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Kingdom supports the efforts made to confront terrorist organizations, and we emphasize the importance of strengthening joint action and continuing coordination among international partners to confront the threat posed by these groups to our countries and peoples. We stress the need to exert more efforts to reduce the impact of the propaganda campaigns launched by terrorist groups, and we emphasize the importance of continuing international work to combat the financing of terrorism, and the need to exchange information related to this matter.

The Kingdom has gained the confidence of the international community by being chosen to host the World Expo 2030 under the theme “An Era of Change: Moving Forward with Our Planet Towards the Future,” to achieve the idea of ​​the Expo, which is to anticipate the future of the planet and beneficial technological developments, with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals. The Expo represents an opportunity to promote work on projects with global impact, and to cooperate to find global solutions through innovation, sustainability and inclusivity; as a commitment to developing countries. The Kingdom expresses its thanks and appreciation to the countries that supported its hosting of this global event.

In conclusion, we look forward to our efforts contributing to conveying our message, values ​​and principles to the world, in an atmosphere of respect and partnership to build a better future for all humanity.

The Kingdom’s speech was attended by the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United States of America, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral International Affairs and General Supervisor of the Ministry’s Agency for Public Diplomacy Affairs, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, Ambassador Haitham Al-Maliki, and the Director General of the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulrahman Al-Dawood.