Lebanon's President Addresses UNGA on Peace, Development, Human Rights, and Lebanon's Unique Role

Lebanon's Message of Peace and Plurality

• 🇱🇧 President Joseph Aoun addresses the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, highlighting Lebanon's unique role as a message of freedom and plurality.
• 🕊️ He emphasizes that peace is the foundation for development, and justice, particularly the right to live in dignity, is essential for peace.
• 💡 The speech references Charles Malik, a Lebanese philosopher, and his contribution to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, underscoring Lebanon's historical significance.

The Dilemma of Identity and Coexistence

• 🌍 In an era of globalization, Aoun notes the tension between people's need for one another and their fear for their identity, often driven by religion.
• ⚖️ He contrasts this with Lebanon's model of coexistence between Christians and Muslims, where equitable representation is guaranteed, offering a message of freedom and plurality.
• ⚠️ The President warns that the fall of Lebanon, a model of religious coexistence, could foster extremism and violence in the region and the world.

Lebanon's Challenges and Aspirations

• 🛡️ Lebanon calls for the immediate cessation of Israeli aggression, full withdrawal from its territory, and the release of hostages, insisting on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701.
• 🇸🇾 The country faces the burden of an unprecedented displacement situation, seeking the dignified and safe return of Syrian citizens through negotiations and international support.
• 💰 Lebanon is implementing a gradual program of financial and economic recovery, including an independent financial audit, banking sector restructuring, and modernization of administration, alongside fighting corruption.

Call for International Support

• 🤝 Lebanon seeks international community responsibility, fairness, and equality to reclaim its role as a land of freedom and plurality, reviving initiatives like the human academy for dialogue.
• 🙏 President Aoun implores the international community to stand with Lebanon, emphasizing its choice to be a land of life and joy, not sorrow and war.
• 🇵🇸 The speech also calls for an end to the devastation in Gaza and the revival of a political track for a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian question based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution.