Dhananjay Ramful, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and International Trade of Mauritius, said while the UN’s achievements over the last eight decades are testaments to what can be done together in good faith and with a common purpose, sadly “hundreds of millions of our fellow humans living in conflict zones, subject to violations of their human rights,” continually suffer.  The winds of conflict blowing across virtually all continents represent humanity’s failure to protect its most vulnerable.  To be continually relevant, multilateralism must respond to the needs of all, particularly the Global South, he said.

Calling for a “more efficient and effective Organization”, he welcomed the UN80 initiative, describing it as an opportunity to reimagine the future of international cooperation.  He urged Security Council reform — essential to global emancipation — with permanent seats for Africa and India.  Turning to climate change, he urged Member States to translate the legal obligations drawing from the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion into concrete climate action and greater support for the most vulnerable nations, stressing:  “The international community should ensure that the assistance that we need for adaptation, mitigation and building our resilience are made available.”

“The transformative potential of AI and digital technologies are undeniable; but they also represent real challenges for contemporary society,” he stated as he called for a global governance architecture to ensure safe, ethical and inclusive use of these technologies. Further, he committed to support regional cooperation as well as the pooling of efforts of the countries bordering the Indian Ocean for the benefit of all.  “This is our regional version of ‘Better Together’,” he said, expressing pride in Mauritius’ hosting of the headquarters of the Indian Ocean Commission and the Association of Indian Ocean Rim Countries.