NEW YORK, United States — His Majesty King
Abdullah on Tuesday participated in the 77th session of the UN General
Assembly, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, said a Royal Court statement.
اضافة اعلان
In a speech to the General Assembly, King Abdullah
said the Palestinians cannot be denied their right to self-determination,
noting that there is no place for hatred and division in Jerusalem.
His Majesty highlighted Christianity as an integral
part of the region and the Holy Land.
The King
added that no country can thrive if affordable food does not get to every
family’s table, stressing that regional resilience packs are coming together
among countries in the region to stimulate fresh opportunities and growth.
His Majesty also cited Jordan as a bridge for
regional partnerships and international crisis response.
Following is the full text of the King’s speech:
“In the name
of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Mr President,
Mr Secretary General,
Your Excellencies:
We meet today, in this General Assembly, as the
alarm bells ring all around us. Numerous crises batter our world; crises that
are increasingly interlocked — regional conflicts with international impact,
devastating climate change, pandemic disruptions, extremist violence, spiraling
inflation, looming recession, and — for all too many around the world — the
growing reality of hunger. Developing countries have been hardest hit.
Is this the future we will leave to the generations
yet to come?
We must deliver a different world — a world of
expanded horizons, a more equitable world, sustainable economic growth,
exciting new opportunities, more and better jobs, and the inclusive peace for
prosperity, in which all people can thrive.
To reach these goals, our countries must unite
behind effective, collaborative action. The question now is will we have the
vision and determination to get the job done?
Consider the climate crisis. No country can heal our
injured Earth alone. We need global partnerships that can create real change.
And Jordan is part of these efforts. We have been building strong partnerships
to manage and sustain vital water resources. And we see more opportunities to
work with partners to preserve precious world heritage sites and natural
wonders — the unique Dead Sea, the sacred Jordan River, and the resilient coral
reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba — which are all threatened by climate change.
Food security is another global priority. Hundreds
of millions of people go to bed hungry, and the numbers are rising. How can
parents raise healthy children? How can students learn? How can workers do
their best, when they are hungry and hopeless?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, and now with
the crisis in Ukraine, global supply chains have been disrupted. Many well-off
countries experienced empty food shelves for the first time in living memory.
They are discovering a truth that people in developing countries have known for
a long time — for countries to thrive, affordable food must get to every
family’s table. On a global level, this demands collective measures to ensure
fair access to affordable food, and speed the movement of staples to countries
in need.
My friends,
Sustainable, inclusive economic growth has too often
been a victim of global crises, but it can also be a defense that strengthens
us to endure the storms. In my region, we are looking to build integrated
partnerships that tap the capabilities and resources of each of our countries
for the benefit of all.
We see ‘regional resilience packs’ coming together
to stimulate fresh opportunities and growth. Jordan has established
multilateral partnerships with Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and
others in the region to capitalize on these opportunities. Our country is a
bridge for regional partnerships and cooperation, international crisis
response, and humanitarian action.
Jordan has always been a source of regional
stability, as well as a refuge for those in need. In this context, let me say a
word about refugees and the communities which host them. In 2012, I came before
the 67th General Assembly, and spoke for the first time about the Syrian
refugee flow and its pressure on Jordan’s scarce resources. At that point,
200,000 Syrians had sought refuge in our small country. Today, 10 years later,
we host more than 1.3 million.
Meeting the needs of these and other refugees is an
international responsibility, and host countries look to the international
community to honor its commitments.
My friends,
For decades, the Middle East has been synonymous
with conflict and crisis. But we are hopeful that a new-found spirit of
collaboration can make our region an exemplar of resilience and integration.
Though politics may sometimes fail our world, one
absolute remains — always put people first. To keep hope alive for all peoples
means rising above politics to ensure every individual’s prosperity. Such
efforts will be fruitless if they are exclusionary. Inclusion of the
Palestinian people in regional economic projects should be an integral part of
our efforts.
In the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, peace continues
to be elusive. Neither war nor diplomacy has held the answer to this historic
tragedy.
It is the people themselves, not politics and
politicians, who will have to come together and push their leaders to resolve
this.
What would our world look like now if the conflict
had been settled long ago? If walls had never gone up, and people had been
allowed to build bridges of cooperation instead? What if extremists had never
been able to exploit the injustices of occupation? How many generations of
youth could have grown up in the optimism of peace and progress?
As we continue our efforts to achieve peace, we must
not abandon refugees. This year, the General Assembly will vote on renewing
UNRWA’s mandate. The international community should send a strong message of
support for the rights of Palestinian refugees, ensuring that Palestinian
refugee children have schools to go to, and access to appropriate medical care.
My dear friends,
A founding UN principle is the right to
self-determination for all peoples. The Palestinian people, with their
resilient national identity, cannot be denied this right. And the road forward
is the two-state solution, in accordance with UN resolutions — a sovereign,
viable, and independent Palestinian state, on the fourth of June 1967 lines,
with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side-by-side with Israel in peace,
security, and prosperity.
Today, the future of Jerusalem is an urgent concern.
The city is holy to billions of Muslims, Christians, and Jews around the world.
Undermining Jerusalem’s legal and historical status quo triggers global
tensions and deepens religious divides. The Holy City must not be a place for
hatred and division.
As Custodians of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian
Holy Sites, we are committed to protecting their historical and legal status
quo and to their safety and future. And as a Muslim leader, let me say clearly
that we are committed to defending the rights, the precious heritage, and the
historic identity of the Christian people of our region. Nowhere is that more
important than in Jerusalem.
Today, Christianity in the Holy City is under fire.
The rights of churches in Jerusalem are threatened. This cannot continue.
Christianity is vital to the past and present of our region and the Holy Land.
It must remain an integral part of our future.
Distinguished Delegates,
We can weather the most serious crises if we join
together.
Do let us,
here in this General Assembly, honor our shared interest in a brighter future,
a future of dignity and hope that brings new opportunities for all our peoples.
And let us
not ignore the alarm bells ringing around us.
We must act.
Thank you.”
The Jordanian delegation to the 77th session of the UNGA
included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of
the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Jordan’s Permanent Representative to
the UN Mahmoud Hmoud, and Jordan’s Ambassador in Washington, DC, Dina Kawar.
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