DENIS BEĆIROVIĆ, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said his country, one of the oldest in Europe, was not created in Dayton in 1995, but the Dayton Peace Agreement confirmed the country’s continuity.  “We rebuilt the country destroyed by the war,” he said, including its defence system, its judiciary, the tax system and numerous other institutions.  Bosnia and Herzegovina is actively working to become a member of the European Union and NATO.  Noting that the world is facing numerous challenges and threats, he said:  “Unfortunately, we live in a world of injustice, insecurity and intolerance.  Never in history has a human had more power and at the same time felt as insecure as he does today.”

With millions of children living in extreme poverty, he asked why the international community has invested more money in weapons, rather than in eradicating poverty.  “It's time for everyone to realize that human lives are more important than guns.  Otherwise, I fear that we are collectively headed for a global catastrophe,” he said.  To address the problems of modern humanity, he suggested that the international community focus on preserving the United Nations role as the global centre of coordination and cooperation. Other goals are strengthening the multilateral system, in accordance with international law; intensifying the UN reform process; effectively implementing the 2030 Agenda; and rebuilding trust and cooperation among nations on key global issues.  “Together we should open the space for creative global cooperation instead of geopolitics of rivalry and conflict in the twenty-first century,” he said.

Humanity is once again facing severe moral and political crisis, he said, stressing that the United Nations response to Ukraine and Gaza has been as inadequate as it was during the aggression in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.  The Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, which he firmly condemned, is a flagrant example of violation of the UN Charter and international law, he said, reiterating his country’s firm support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.  Gaza is an “utter defeat of collective humanity in the twenty-first century”, he said. Noting that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only European country where genocide was committed after the Second World War, he lamented that the ideology, politics and media that fostered the genocide are once again threatening his country.  He thanked the General Assembly for adopting on 23 May 2024 a resolution that establishes 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.  The text is a highly moral and civilized act and is just as important for the UN as it is for Bosnia and Herzegovina, he stressed.  

Despite all the injustices, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a peaceful country and remains firmly committed to regional cooperation, one of its strategic foreign policy goals, he said.  He warned delegates and the global audience that Serbian leaders are once again threatening his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  The greater-state aspirations of Serbia towards the territories of other countries in the region are the essential reason why Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans are exposed to new dangers.  One example is the destructive Declaration by the so-called “All-Serb Assembly”, adopted in Belgrade on 8 June of this year.  “It is not just a declarative act, but a dangerous greater-state programme document that threatens the Dayton Peace Agreement and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.  His country achieved a civilizational and moral victory in the previous decades, despite genocide, crimes against humanity and the activities of joint criminal enterprises.  “People in my country want peace and cooperation.  We stand for humanity and solidarity,” he stressed.