New York, 21 September 2022 (TDI): The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida addressed the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday.
During his address, the Prime Minister highlighted many issues including Russian aggression in Ukraine.
PM Kishida: I delivered an address to the UN General Assembly a while ago. (September 20)@kishida230 pic.twitter.com/w7NanHzWb3
— PM’s Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) September 21, 2022
Prime Minister’s Address
The Prime Minister started his address by shedding light on the theme of this year’s UNGA 77 session “watershed moment”. Moreover, his address highlighted the ongoing security issues in the world.
Address by Prime Minister Kishida at the Seventy-Seventh Session of the United Nations General Assemblyhttps://t.co/rRrybR86z3 pic.twitter.com/wIJWtwcriE
— MOFA of Japan (@MofaJapan_en) September 21, 2022
The Prime Minister said that the UN has played an important role in shaping the world order for 70 years. However, he said that now the foundations of international order are shaken by Russia.
He highlighted that under the UN, all member states agree to maintain peace and security, and all people develop economically and socially.
According to the Prime Minister, the UN is based on the principle of sovereign equality of all and is for the benefit of the international community as a whole. Its purpose is to help maintain peace and security in the world.
Therefore, Prime Minister Kishida called for states to gather strength and wisdom to ensure an international order based on the rule of law. He called for all member states to strive together as a whole for world peace.
Japan’s Commitment to UN
On the occasion, the Prime Minister of Japan said that Japan strongly commits to the United Nations and to multilateralism. Correspondingly, he lied out a few points for the UN to work upon.
Firstly, he called for the United Nations reforms to return to the principles of the United Nations Charter. Accordingly, it will help strengthen the functions of the UN including disarmament and non-proliferation.
Secondly, he called for the UN to uphold efforts that promote the rule of law in the international community. Lastly, the Prime Minister affirmed that Japan along with other states will promote initiatives based on the concept of human security in the new era.
During his address, the Japanese Prime Minister also pointed out that some issues are discussed in Security Council but action is never taken.
He said that it is time to start word-based negotiations for Security Council reform. Correspondingly, he highlighted the 2024 Future Summit and called for states to participate in a broad review of the United Nations.
Prime Minister Kishida said that UNGA is the only universal body that represents all Member States and represents the cause of the international community.
Therefore, he affirmed that Japan is determined not only to reform the Security Council but also to make serious efforts to further revitalize the General Assembly.
He said that this will help the UN in playing an even greater role in maintaining peace and security. The Prime Minister also informed that Japan is ready to engage in dialogue on matters of mutual interest.
This included having negotiations with the head of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. Correspondingly, he announced that Japan will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2023.
For this, he said that Japan intends to take action to strengthen the rule of law in the international community.
Japan’s role
During his address, Prime Minister Kishida highlighted Japan’s role in peacekeeping missions in various countries. Moreover, he highlighted Japan’s role in strengthening relations between states and enhancing partnerships.
He also emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of people’s health and efforts to protect them from disease.
Therefore, he said that Japan has decided to promote a total of $5 billion in COVID-19 countermeasures. It will also contribute up to $1.08 billion to the Global Fund over the next three years.
Moreover, he affirmed that Japan will continue to demonstrate leadership in strengthening the global health framework and achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The Prime Minister also endorsed the leadership of Secretary-General Guterres.
In the closing remarks, Prime Minister Kishida expressed that Japan continues to have strong expectations for the United Nations. He said that times change but things never change.
Therefore, he expressed his determination to walk together with states on the path toward strengthening the United Nations.
UNGA 77
The high-level meetings of the 77th session of UNGA commenced on 19 September. During this time period, representatives and heads of many countries will debate issues of regional and international dynamics.
This includes addressing food and health security as well as implementing policies related to climate change. The meetings will continue till 23 September.
