Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias’ intervention at the Ministerial Meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism via videoconference (New York, 23.09.2021)

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to join you at yet another Ministerial meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism, here in New York.

In a rules-based multilateral order, the United Nations, its agencies and other international and regional organizations are and must remain the backbone of our cooperation.

For instance, the World Health Organization has coordinated our concerted response in this global health crisis.

At the same time, a group of countries, including my own, have called for a pandemic treaty.

We are happy to see that a process towards this end has been initiated within the WHO.

Greece proposed and was among the first countries that started using the EU Digital COVID Certificate.

These are concrete steps that demonstrate how international cooperation has expanded over the years.

However, serious challenges lay ahead and this is what makes this Alliance an even more indispensable forum.

The status of human rights has deteriorated worldwide.

Policies targeting the health emergency at hand have failed to incorporate a human-rights approach.

Our focus should be on remedying economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights that have been compromised.

Vulnerable groups, including women, older people, people with disabilities and youth have endured the gravest of consequences.

At the same time, refugee and migratory flows which continue to increase, require our immediate attention and urgent action.

Greece remains committed to these goals, by implementing a coherent legal, institutional and policy framework.

A framework which provides for gender mainstreaming across the whole range of public policies.

Another major challenge of our times is climate change and biodiversity loss.

In order to face these closely interlinked challenges, we must focus our efforts on the full implementation of the Paris Agreement by all.

By implementing the Agreement, we will strengthen the multilateral cooperation achieved in 2015.

We further need the adoption of an ambitious post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Dear Colleagues,

In closing, I cannot stress enough the need to focus on long-term effective policies, this will enhance our resilience for present and future challenges.

Sustainable outcomes derive from sturdy actions based on a comprehensive approach.

This is why, global challenges demand multilateral solutions, to ensure inclusivity and efficiency.

In a nutshell, all three pillars of the UN system, namely:

•    peace and security,
•    development and
•    human rights

are better served and upheld through our multilateral cooperation, as illustrated by this Alliance.