Mohamed Ali Nafti, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians abroad of Tunisia, voiced disappointment that the Security Council remains unable to end to the terrible humanitarian tragedy and the genocidal war and starvation against the Palestinian people.  Deploring the announcement by the “brutal occupying entity” that it intends to reoccupy the Gaza Strip and to force the Palestinian people to abandon their land, he asserted Palestine’s right to independence and full sovereignty and self-determination.  Welcoming the “wave” of “150 States recognizing the State of Palestine”, he voiced hope that this will support its full membership in the UN.  He further called on the Council to immediately interfere to put an end to repeated violations against Syria, Lebanon Iran and Qatar.

Renewing a call for comprehensive reform of the international financing system, he reaffirmed the importance of recovering stolen and smuggled funds and assets to strengthen international justice and guarantee people’s right to development. Addressing irregular migration, he noted Tunisia respects human rights and rejects all forms of racial discrimination and hate speech - making every possible effort to save the lives of irregular migrants on land and at sea.  “We refuse to be a country of transit for irregular migrants that are victims of networks of human smuggling and human trafficking”, he said, stressing: “Migration must be a choice and not a necessity.”

Noting that developing countries have made limited contributions to global emissions but “are the ones facing worsening climate challenges”, he called on the international community to meet the pledge to mobilize $300 billion annually, and allocate a percentage to adaptation programmes.  Further, there must be mechanisms to access these resources, and activation of the Loss and Damage Fund.  Turning to regional States, he affirmed that the Libya issue is “a purely internal affair”, while voicing support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.  As “part of the African continent”, he called for more concerted international and UN efforts to address issues affecting several African countries, with “African solutions for African problems”.