The meeting at UN Headquarters is being held at a critical time for humanity, as the world of today appears to have entered a new, increasingly bitter, period of geopolitical confrontation, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated at the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
“The long-standing international system – based on order and responsibility is giving way to a new, more chaotic and unpredictable one. The global system of checks and balances has failed to maintain peace and stability. The security architecture is eroding. Mutual distrust between global powers is dangerously deepening. The world is falling prey to a new set of military conflicts. For the first time in two generations, we face the prospect of the use of nuclear weapons, and not even as a last resort,” said Tokayev.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that economic and political sanctions have become ‘a new norm’ that erodes the supply chains that ensure food security, threatening millions, especially in vulnerable communities.
“This year, the world has enough food; the problem is distribution. But if the fertilizer market is not stabilized, next year’s problem might be food supply itself. We already have reports of farmers in West Africa and beyond cultivating fewer crops because of the price or lack of availability of fertilizers,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of returning to the foundational principles that lie at the root of the United Nations. In particular, he pointed to the need to rethink the linkages between three primordial principles: the sovereign equality of states, the territorial integrity of states, and peaceful coexistence between states. In addition, the Head of State touched upon the fight against climate change, saying that it also requires greater international cooperation and solidarity.
