In his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák said that during the past 70 years the UN has played a crucial role in preventing global conflicts. Unfortunately, new and acute challenges to the multilateral system and threats to peace and security transcending national borders have emerged. The international community should collectively seek practical means to enable the current system to live up to its original purposes, said the Slovak Foreign Minister.
Miroslav Lajčák pointed out that "the number of major civil wars has almost tripled, the volumes of battle deaths have skyrocketed, while the most worrisome fact is an increased number of civilian casualties, including women and children". A secondary effect of this is a dramatic increase in the number of refugees. The World Bank estimates that roughly one fifth of the world's population is affected by some form of violence or insecurity. The Slovak Foreign Minister sees forced displacement to be a deliberate and widespread tactic and thus not only a short-term humanitarian problem, but also a long-term development and state-building issue. The minister described the current migration crisis as one of the most complex challenges to "be faced and addressed together". "We must offer our assistance to those in need and prevent further tragedies involving refugees. For that to happen, we need systematic and comprehensive action and close cooperation with countries - both of origin and of destination - that will bring a long-term sustainable solution", stated Lajčák.
Among other issues, the Slovak Foreign Minister addressed gender equality, describing it is a natural precondition for sustainable development, stability and peace. Addressing climate change, Miroslav Lajčák promised that Slovakia is committed to adopting a meaningful and fair global climate agreement that will accelerate a shift to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy worldwide. Such measures will be discussed at the UN climate conference this December.
