SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV, President of Uzbekistan, emphasized that humanity was at a turning point in its path to development, and that the nature of international relations was changing dramatically.  He emphasized that transnational threats to peace, security, sustainable development, climate change and mass migration flows reinforced the need for the role of the United Nations.  He supported the United Nations approach that ensures equal and fair access to vaccines based on the principle that “no one should be left behind”.  Expressing his appreciation to foreign partners for providing assistance in the framework of the COVAX global platform, he said that strengthening of the World Health Organization (WHO) mandate should be pursued to effectively combat the pandemic.  The code of voluntary commitments of States, which was developed under the initiative of Uzbekistan, should be regarded as an official document of the General Assembly.

Praising democratic reforms in Uzbekistan, he said that its recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council was recognition of that progress.  The New Uzbekistan Strategy would continue this reform path.  The goal would be to become one of the countries with above-middle income per capita by 2030.  In this regard, Uzbekistan suggested to hold an international conference in Tashkent dedicated to studying the problems of global economic recovery and best practices to reduce poverty in the post-pandemic world.  Building on the success of the World Youth Rights Conference on “Involving Youth in Global Action”, held in Uzbekistan, he noted that a global educational forum on human rights would be held in the city of Samarkandin.

Uzbekistan has been promoting a new approach in Central Asia to make the region a place of prosperity and sustainable development.  To that end, it put forward a proposal to adopt a special resolution of the General Assembly on strengthening the interconnectivity of Central and South Asia.  Commenting on recent developments in Afghanistan, he indicated that Uzbekistan has recently reopened the Uzbek-Afghan border and resumed a supply of basic-needs and oil products, as well as electricity to the country.  In addition, Uzbekistan proposed in 2020 to establish a permanent United Nations Committee on Afghanistan.

Stressing that greater international cooperation in needed to combating terrorism, he noted that the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy 10‑year plan would be presented at an international conference in Tashkent in November.  The signing of a regional programme for Central Asia for 2022-2025 with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will also be a step in the right direction.  Furthermore, Uzbekistan intends to develop a joint action plan against drugs, covering the countries of Central and South Asia.

He thanked all Member States for the adoption of a General Assembly resolution declaring the Aral Sea region as a zone of environmental innovation and technology.  Uzbekistan has been taking decisive actions to tackle climate change and comply with the Paris Agreement.  It is offering to host future international conferences, such as the 2022 high-level International Forum on Green Energy in the Aral Sea region, the Biodiversity Convention and the sixth High-Level Assembly for in-depth discussions of the priorities of global environmental policy.  Concluding, he said that Uzbekistan would put forward an initiative in the General Assembly to develop a global environment charter aimed at laying the foundation for a new United Nations environmental policy.