Madam President,
Esteemed Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, distinguished members of the Executive Board and other delegations,
We thank Administrator Steiner for his comprehensive presentation and the members of the Bureau and the Secretariat for the preparations for this session.
We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the results achieved by UNDP in support of my country's national development efforts and in addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the outset, allow me to thank the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau for convening this meeting, to address a matter of the utmost importance for Cuba. I would also like to thank the participation of the members of the Movement, as well as the many messages of solidarity with Cuba and the Cuban government in this juncture.
Mrs. Maria Luisa Ribeiro, Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General
Mr. Farrukh Khan, Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 75th session of the General Assembly
Dear Ambassadors,
I am pleased to address you at the launch of this Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, which 75 years after its founding continues to be the main bulwark of the multilateral system and the most important guarantor of international peace and security.
Six years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, there is still a deep gap between the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and international commitments to support their implementation.
In a complex global political, social and economic context, exacerbated by the aftermath of COVID-19, access to external financing, special and differential treatment in trade matters and international cooperation are crucial for middle-income countries.
Madam Chair,
Article 73 e of the Charter of the United Nations establishes that Member States which have or assume responsibilities for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government, must transmit regularly to the Secretary-General information on the economic and social conditions in the territories for which they are respectively responsible.
Mr. President,
We appreciate the convening of this meeting to discuss the Security Council Annual Report to the General Assembly of 2020, contained in document A/75/2.
The relevance of the Security Council, as an organ mandated by the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security, requires that the presentation of its annual reports cease to be a formal and uncritical exercise.