Belgium's Prime Minister Addresses UNGA on Mutual Respect, Security, and Free Trade

A Call for Mutual Respect and Cooperation

• 🇧🇪 Prime Minister Bart de Wever expresses nostalgia for a time when the Western world was united by shared values, contrasting it with the current geopolitical landscape.
• 💡 He invokes Thucydides's Melian Dialogue to highlight the brutal logic of power, emphasizing that civilization requires striving to be better than basic instincts.
• 🌍 The United Nations, born from a destructive war, is presented as the embodiment of the aspiration for a world anchored in mutual respect, international law, and cooperation.

Strengthening Global Security

• 🛡️ The Prime Minister advocates for building resilient societies and confronting new forms of imperialism, military threats, and violent conflicts.
• 🇺🇦 Belgium stands firmly with Ukraine, emphasizing that those who wish for peace must be prepared to defend it.
• 🤝 Cooperation is stressed as essential to combat international organized crime, including terrorism, human trafficking, and illegal arms trade, by closing gaps between legal systems and police forces.

Championing Free and Fair Trade

• 📈 De Wever argues that free and fair trade has historically been the most effective engine of progress, reducing poverty and increasing life expectancy.
• 🌐 He calls for dismantling trade barriers, fostering cross-border economic growth, stimulating productivity, strengthening labor markets, and investing in innovation.
• ⚖️ The goal is to create globally shared prosperity, which in turn engenders peace and builds trust.

The Enduring Mission of the UN

• 🚀 Belgium is committed to being a partner in fostering a world of cooperation and prosperity, not domination or suffering.
• 🎯 The mission of the United Nations is reaffirmed as facilitating cooperation and ensuring global progress.