Greece Prime Minister's Address at UNGA 80th Session: Global Challenges and Stability

80 Years of the United Nations and Greece's Role

• 🇬🇷 Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the UNGA for the seventh time, marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.
• 💡 Greece's third tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council is highlighted, emphasizing a commitment to international law and peace.
• 🌍 The UN's historical achievements in defending peace, advancing human rights, and promoting equality are acknowledged, while stressing their fragility.

Multilateralism Under Strain and Global Challenges

• ⚠️ A new global order is emerging with multilateralism under strain and a resurgence of imperial ambitions and revisionist narratives.
• ⚡ The Prime Minister stresses the need to address multiplying global challenges like climate change and the advent of artificial intelligence with courage and responsibility.
• 🤝 Greece, situated at the crossroads of three continents, acts as a pillar of stability and a reliable partner, upholding international law and seeking peaceful coexistence.

European Defense and Security

• 🛡️ Greece is strengthening its economy, deterrence capabilities, and alliances, allocating over 3% of GDP to defense.
• 🇪🇺 The European Union is presented as a successful multilateral project, with a call to enhance its role in defense and operationalize mutual assistance clauses.
• 🚀 Joint European borrowing for critical defense projects, such as missile and drone defense, is proposed to bolster the EU's strategic autonomy.

Conflicts and Humanitarian Crises

• 💔 The Gaza conflict is addressed, advocating for Israel's right to self-defense while condemning the humanitarian suffering and civilian deaths, and stressing the importance of a two-state solution.
• 🇺🇦 The war in Ukraine is framed as a fight for freedom and the rules-based global order, with unwavering support for Ukraine's right to peace and self-determination.
• 🇸🇩 The unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, the world's largest displacement crisis, is highlighted, with a call for protection of civilians and accountability for atrocities.

Eastern Mediterranean Stability and Energy

• 🧭 Greece aims to be an energy security provider in the Eastern Mediterranean, linking Europe with North Africa and the Middle East through connectivity projects.
• ⛽ Investments in LNG infrastructure and exploration of offshore gas reserves are underway, positioning Greece as a strategic energy hub.
• 🇹🇷 Relations with Turkey are discussed, emphasizing dialogue, respect for international law, and the need to settle the delimitation of continental shelf and EEZ, while urging the revocation of the threat of war.
• 🇨🇾 The Cyprus problem is reiterated as a violation of international law, with steadfast commitment to a bi-communal federation.

Technology, AI, and Youth Mental Health

• 💡 Greece is implementing a visionary AI strategy in education, healthcare, and disaster prevention, while acknowledging the dangers of AI in the wrong hands.
• 🧠 A critical warning is issued about the impact of AI on children's mental health, the spread of disinformation, and addictive platform designs.
• 📱 Greece has banned phones in schools and launched the 'kids wallet' app to give parents control over smartphone use, advocating for pan-European digital age regulations.
• ⚖️ The principle of "do no harm" must guide the digital industry, similar to other regulated sectors, to protect users, especially children.

Reinvigorating Multilateralism

• 🌐 The need for effective multilateralism is as crucial as in 1945, requiring adaptation to 21st-century challenges without disrupting the core rules-based order.
• 🕊️ Leaders are urged to act with vision, courage, and resolve to build a world of peace, security, and shared prosperity for future generations, avoiding a return to conflict.