On Tuesday, 25 September, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi addressed the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During his speech, President El Sisi discussed “the values that shape Egypt’s vision towards the United Nations” and how to address “a flaw in the international system, which negatively affects it’s performance.”

“The international commitment to the preservation of the nation state, the peaceful settlement of disputes, strengthening cooperation to achieve comprehensive development and addressing imbalances in the global economic system are all necessary conditions for any serious consideration of the revitalization of the United Nations system and the restoration of its credibility,” President El Sisi declared.

President El Sisi laid out three priorities aimed at addressing these concerns:

• “First: We need to strengthen partnerships between the United Nations and regional organizations, to meet the rising challenges the international community faces at the political, economic and developmental levels, as well as the security threats, including protracted conflicts and the proliferation of terrorism.” President El Sisi cited the successful partnership between the United Nations and the African Union as an example.
• “Second: We need to continue our efforts to implement the initiative launched by Egypt during its membership of the UN Security Council, to put in place a comprehensive International framework to develop policies and bolster cooperation, in order to counter terrorism and terrorist narratives.” He noted the importance of Egypt’s Operation Sinai, and that it “points to the inevitable need to develop a global system to combat terrorism wherever it exists, and to counter whoever provides it with support in any possible way.”
• “Third: We need to address the major shortcomings in the international community’s handling of human rights issues.” President El Sisi noted that “the credibility of the United Nations cannot be restored, as long as millions continue to suffer from extreme poverty, live under foreign occupation or fall victim to terrorism and armed conflict.” He also highlighted how “Egypt has a solid constitutional foundation for the protection of human rights. Major strides have been achieved in the field of women and youth empowerment.”

You can find his full remarks here.

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Embassy of Egypt