Sooronbay Jeenbekov: Today it is impossible to imagine world without UN

Bishkek, Sept. 24, 2020. /Kabar/. Kyrgyz President made Wednesday a video message within the General Debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. According to the press service of the president, his statement says: "Dear Mr. Secretary-General, Ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of the Kyrgyz Republic I congratulate you on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. Today it is impossible to imagine the world without the UN. The Organization has become the most important tool for solving socio-economic, financial and cultural problems. UN agencies, funds and programs are in demand and effective partners of developing countries. On behalf of the people of the Kyrgyz Republic, I express gratitude to the UN for supporting all our reforms. Dear Mr. Chairman, The theme of the this debate accurately reflects the current worrying situation in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us how closely we are interconnected. I express my full support to the UN Secretary-General for call for a worldwide ceasefire and mobilization of international efforts to combat the pandemic. To date, over forty four thousand cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Kyrgyzstan and, unfortunately, we have lost one thousand sixty-three citizens. July 30 of this year was declared the Day of Mourning in our country. Thanks to the solidarity of the people of Kyrgyzstan, the heroic work of our doctors and volunteers, we were able to significantly reduce the spread of the virus. The assistance of WHO, UN, and its promptly established Fund, as well as international donors, was of great importance for us. Significant support was received from our allies and strategic partners. Continuation of assistance is crucial for us. And universal access to the vaccine is of key importance to us. Dear participants, The pandemic impeded the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and significantly aggravated the external debt crisis. We welcome the decision by the G20 and international financial institutions to suspend debt payments. In May this year at the UN high-level event, we proposed to apply the mechanism of deep debt restructuring in exchange for sustainable development projects. We look forward to active support of our initiative. Ladies and gentlemen, The Kyrgyz Republic supports the efforts of Secretary General Mr. Guterres to reform the Organization. Of particular importance are improving the effectiveness of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. We attach great importance to ensuring security and economic development, protection of human rights, the rule of law and democracy. Kyrgyzstan has put forward its candidature to the Human Rights Council and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the coming periods. I express my hope for broad support for our candidature. Dear Mr. Chairman, The Kyrgyz Republic, as the depositary of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, advocates strengthening approaches to nuclear disarmament and its non-proliferation. Terrorism and extremism also pose a serious threat to our world. The UN should play a central role in coordinating the international community's efforts to combat the terrorist threat. We are committed to the effective implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. We welcome the appointment of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office Regional Coordinator based in Bishkek. We express our readiness to support him. Ladies and gentlemen, Kyrgyzstan has committed itself to achieving the Seventh and Thirteenth Sustainable Development Goals. Last November we ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Kyrgyzstan sees the development of a "green economy" as the most important step in implementing these commitments. We aim to become a country of clean products and clean energy. Kyrgyzstan is focused on a gradual reduction in consumption of traditional energy sources. We consider it important to use our water and energy potential by building a hydropower plant and participating in the international CASA-1000 project. This will contribute to the accumulation of water resources for irrigation needs of our neighbors and sustainable development of the entire region. Dear Mr. Chairman! Climate change leads to the reduction of glaciers and water resources in Kyrgyzstan. It will lead to shortage of clean water, threat to public health, land degradation and economic risks. In this regard, we support the implementation of projects aimed at studying the problem of glacier melting and its protection. We also consider it extremely important to preserve mountain ecosystems in glacier formation zones. Kyrgyzstan has launched a number of global initiatives in this direction. Two Global Forums on Preservation of Snow Leopard and its Mountain Ecosystems have been held. A resolution on the role of the international community in preventing the radiation threat in Central Asia has been adopted. Last August, the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries was established. Today it counts twenty three states. It is also important to preserve biological diversity. That is why Kyrgyzstan has put forward a new draft resolution at the current session of the General Assembly: "Nature knows no borders: Transboundary cooperation is a key factor in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity". We look forward to supporting our initiative. Ladies and gentlemen, The Kyrgyz Republic attaches particular importance to regional cooperation in Central Asia. Cooperation between our countries is developing in a dynamic way. We actively participate in the regional dialogue platform at the highest level to solve existing problems. One of the main tasks is to remove barriers to economic cooperation in order to improve the welfare of our peoples. Development of a system of transport and communication corridors, logistics centers and terminals is of vital importance. We must recreate the main routes of the ancient Great Silk Road. Construction and launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will be our significant contribution to connecting Asia with Europe. Dear Mr. Chairman, Kyrgyzstan is committed to strengthening the rule of law and human rights. The National Sustainable Development Strategy until 2040 is a strategic document that defines the path of development in Kyrgyzstan. Its main direction is the formation of the rule of law state and ensuring the rule of law in the interests of every citizen. Kyrgyzstan is implementing a large-scale judicial reform with international support. Projects on regional development, provision of clean water and digitalization of public services are being successfully implemented. On Oct. 4 of this year regular parliamentary elections will be held in Kyrgyzstan. International observers, including those from OSCE, SCO and CIS, have been invited to these elections. We intend to make every effort to make the elections transparent and competitive using modern technologies. Thank you for your attention!". In the framework of the High-Level Week of the 75th anniversary session of the UN General Assembly, Sooronbay Jeenbekov will also deliver a video message at the Biodiversity Summit on Sept. 30 this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and current quarantine restrictions in UN member states and New York City, all High-Level Week events are held online this year.