ALBERT II, Prince of Monaco, recalling the birth of the Charter of the United Nations almost 80 years ago, said that the UN founders held the “firm conviction that there was no power more legitimate than that we vested collectively in this new international Organization”.  Now, in a world facing multiplying regional conflict, an accelerating arms race, nuclear proliferation and an “ebbing of collective security”, he stressed that accountability for violations of international humanitarian law is “essential to build a just and lasting peace”.  Now is not the time for war or division but, rather, to increase cooperation, help each other and engage in dialogue, and the international community must move from “the way of destruction” to “the way that leads to prosperity”, he urged.  The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in 2025 will provide an opportunity to rethink the international financial architecture and the second World Summit for Social Development — also slated for 2025 — will contribute to fighting poverty, which is the first of the SDGs.

He emphasized, however, that “sustainable development will not be achieved if we do not include women and girls”.  Gender equality has yet to be achieved and he called on those present — “step-by-step and whatever the cost” — to promote women’s rights and ensure such equality.  Yet, the most threatening challenge humanity faces in the long-term — “without a doubt” — is the multidimensional environmental crisis, he stressed.  “In the face of this tragedy of the commons, we cannot show any doubt or dejection,” he said, spotlighting the international instruments that can guide the global community in “navigating this storm” — the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.  He also expressed hope for the adoption of a new agreement on plastic pollution, and Monaco, for its part, is supporting the creation of an international panel of experts on ocean sustainability.

Noting that 2025 will be “an important year for the planet”, he spotlighted both France’s hosting of the third UN Ocean Conference and Monaco’s hosting of the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in that year. Monaco, he added, is committed to implementing “solid regulation, grounded in the best scientific data, to ensure effective protection of the marine environment before we see any mineral exploitation of the seabed”.  Turning to artificial intelligence, he said that “staggering” progress in this technology can both help increase development and provide fertile ground for organized crime and terrorism.  Therefore, the international community must establish the right regulations — “now”, he stressed — to ensure ethical use of this technology that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms and prevents its use or diversion for military or terrorist purposes.  Disinformation, he continued, is one of the “most insidious” dangers for societies, sowing confusion, eroding trust in institutions and media, destabilizing States and exacerbating international tensions.

“We have the tools we need” to address these threats, he emphasized, underlining the legal, technical and scientific means available to “bring lasting solutions to our contemporary challenges”.  The Pact for the Future, for example, offers a historic, unique opportunity to progress the intergovernmental process aimed at reforming the Security Council to make the organ more representative of current realities. Noting that athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris showed that “effort and perseverance — including in adversity — lead to victory”, he urged those present to overcome obstacles without losing sight of the goal — “which is to preserve peace between nations and to guarantee the well-being of the peoples of the United Nations”.