Following is the message President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued on 24 October United Nations Day and the 78th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Organization:
I congratulate the United Nations (UN) Organization on its 78th anniversary, of which we are a founding member, and on behalf of my country and my nation, I thank everyone who works under the roof of the UN for the establishment of peace, prosperity, justice and tranquillity in our world.
As humanity, we are facing a wide range of very serious problems, extending from hot conflicts, especially in Palestine and Ukraine, to climate change, and from hunger and poverty to Islamophobia. Especially since October 7th, massacres have been taking place in Gaza, targeting civilian settlements, places of worship, hospitals, and schools, attaining the degree of genocide. Unfortunately, the international community is not rising to the challenge in the face of the Israeli regime's unlawful and unrestrained attacks against civilians.
We observe that the United Nations Security Council has deepened the crisis with its one-sided attitude, instead of stopping the bloodshed, ensuring a ceasefire as soon as possible, and taking steps to prevent civilian casualties. It is of course impossible for a structure that can only look on the total punishment of the people of Gaza, to offer hope for humanity and to ensure global peace and stability. UN agencies, in particular the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), are being rendered dysfunctional by the UN Security Council itself. The biggest damage to UN’s reputation is done yet again by one of the main bodies of the UN.
However, we remain a strong supporter and defender of the values represented by the UN and the principle of multilateralism, which are at the heart of the rules-based global system. While we are among the top 20 countries that make the highest contributions to the UN general budget, we are also taking significant steps towards making Istanbul a UN hub by hosting the regional offices of various UN organizations and agencies, in Istanbul.
We continue to lead the initiatives of the Mediation for Peace, and the Alliance of Civilizations, conducted under the umbrella of the UN, contribute to UN peacekeeping operations, and support the implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Agenda through various activities, especially by hosting the UN Technology Bank established in Gebze.
In this respect, we have elevated the Zero Waste Movement to a global dimension with the resolution adopted at the United Nations General Assembly, co-sponsored by 105 countries. Thanks to the Black Sea Initiative that we launched together with the United Nations, we ensured that 33 million tons of grain products were shipped to world markets and thus prevented the danger of a global hunger crisis. In order to increase global awareness in the fight against xenophobia, cultural racism and Islamophobia, we ensured that 15 March has been declared the “International Day against Islamophobia” at the UN General Assembly. We have taken many more steps to strengthen UN's global role and contribute to peace and stability.
However, the recent developments once again reminded us the necessity to reform the United Nations. It is a common and justified expectation of the international community to make the UN Security Council more representative, democratic and effective, by freeing it from the domination of a limited number of countries. With the understanding that “The World is Bigger than Five”, Türkiye will continue to contribute to the efforts for the establishment of a more just world order.
With these thoughts, I congratulate the 24 October, United Nations Day with my most heartfelt feelings, and I wish that the 78th anniversary of the Organization leads to beneficial developments for all.