Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 21 September, at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, within the framework of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, a general political debate began, in which the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev made a video message.

On the first day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, leaders of member states - Presidents of the United States of America Joe Biden, People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, Federative Republic of Brazil Jair Bolsonaru, Islamic Republic of Iran Ibrahim Raisi, Republic of Korea Moon Jae In, Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as leaders of several other countries of America, Europe, Asia and Africa are taking part in the debate, chaired by the Chair of the 76th Session, Abdullah Shahid.

The delegations of the UN member states exchanged views on key issues of global and regional security, sustainable development in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and overcoming its socio-economic consequences, protection and promotion of human rights and freedoms.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in his speech emphasized the growing role and importance of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in the new conditions.

- Transnational threats to peace, security and sustainable development are escalating, climatic changes are increasing, massive migration flows are increasing, traditional values are being lost.

In these important processes related to the fate of the whole world, it is the United Nations Organization that is called upon to continue to play a leading role, filling its activities with a qualitatively new content. We support the efforts of the Secretary General aimed at strengthening solidarity and unity in the system of international relations, increasing the efficiency and transparency of the Organization’s activities, the leader of Uzbekistan said.

The President expressed his full support for UN efforts to create opportunities for equal access and equitable distribution of vaccines based on the principle of "leaving no one behind."

- We support the further strengthening of the coordinating role of the World Health Organization in the effective response to pandemics and international recognition of the results of vaccination. The text of the Code on voluntary commitments of states during a pandemic, developed by the Republic of Uzbekistan and distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly, is our practical contribution to this work, the President continued.

The head of our state dwelled on the large-scale and dynamic democratic reforms carried out in the country in recent years, which have become irreversible.

- The basis of our democratic transformations is the provision and protection of human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests. We are taking decisive steps to ensure freedom of speech and the media, religion and belief, gender equality and interethnic harmony, the President noted.

Attention is drawn to the developed Strategy of New Uzbekistan, the essence of which is to strengthen the role of civil society institutions, protect human rights, reduce poverty, provide every person with a guaranteed source of income and achieve sustainable environmental development.

- Our main goal is to become one of the countries with an above-average per capita income by 2030. It should be emphasized that this intention of ours is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals until 2030, the leader of Uzbekistan said.

In this context, it was proposed to hold in Tashkent an international conference devoted to the study of the problems of restoring the world economy, as well as advanced experience in reducing poverty in the post-like period.

The leader of our country noted that the World Conference on Involving Youth in Global Action, organized in Uzbekistan, was successful, and announced the planned, in continuation of efforts in this direction, the holding of the Global Education Forum in Samarkand as part of the regular dialogues on human rights held here.

The head of state expressed his firm intention to further strengthen the new political atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership in the Central Asian region.

- Our main task is to turn Central Asia into a prosperous and steadily developing region, an area of trust and friendship. Therefore, we attach priority importance to strengthening interaction with neighboring and neighboring regions, the leader of Uzbekistan emphasized.

It was reported about the initiative put forward by Uzbekistan to adopt a special resolution of the UN General Assembly on strengthening the interconnection between Central and South Asia. In this context, it was again emphasized that Afghanistan is an integral part of Central Asia.

- Not only we - neighboring countries, but the whole world are interested in establishing peace and tranquility in this country. In the current difficult period, the isolation of Afghanistan should not be allowed, and it should not be left alone with the existing big problems. I am convinced that the role of the United Nations in the Afghan issue must be strengthened and its voice must sound louder than ever, ”the President said.

The leader of Uzbekistan drew attention to the growing threats, conflicts and transnational challenges in the world. It was noted that the holding in November this year in Tashkent of the International Conference dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Joint Action Plan within the framework of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy will serve to further strengthen international cooperation.

The head of state dwelled on the measures taken in Uzbekistan to combat climate change, protect the environment and biodiversity, and switch to renewable energy sources.

“This is our human duty to present and future generations,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Confirmation of the effectiveness of Uzbekistan’s efforts in this area was the adoption in May of this year of a Special Resolution of the UN General Assembly on declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of environmental innovations and technologies.

As a logical continuation of measures in the field of ecology, an initiative has been put forward to hold in 2022 in the Aral Sea region, Nukus, in cooperation with the UN, an international high-level forum on "green" energy.

Along with this, in order to comprehensively discuss the priorities of global environmental policy, it was proposed to hold the Sixth UN Environment Assembly at a high level in Uzbekistan in 2023 under the auspices of the UN.

- The participants of the Assembly will have the opportunity to directly get acquainted with the difficult situation in the Aral Sea region, which has become the epicenter of the ecological catastrophe caused by the drying up of the Aral Sea, and draw their own conclusions. In addition, at the Environment Assembly, we intend to put forward an initiative to develop a World Environmental Charter, designed to lay the foundations for a new environmental policy of the United Nations, the leader of Uzbekistan said.

At the end of his speech, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev confirmed Uzbekistan’s readiness to develop mutually beneficial, long-term and multifaceted partnerships with all states of the world and global organizations. It was emphasized that our country will continue to strengthen cooperation aimed at safe and sustainable development and building a prosperous future.