Statement on the Situation in Gaza
9 October 2024 – Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the UNSC briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
Statement by H.E. Dr Robert Golob, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, at the Plenary Session of the Summit of the Future
Dear President, distinguished leaders,
First let me commend President Philémon Yang and all the facilitators that brought us to this day.
Most of all let me thank you, the leaders, to adopt the Pact for the future.
I believe today the pact is even more important than it was in the past, because the world is really facing a bleak future, from climate crisis to raging wars. One could easily conclude that unless we can address and stop the wars, there is no common sustainable future. Therefore, I call and urge again, stop the aggression on Ukraine, stop the aggression on Gaza and Palestine. And that goes for all armed conflicts where innocent civilians are involved and where kids are suffering for the things they should never see or experience.
I believe peace is a vital condition in order to tackle the climate crisis efficiently. We can only do that based on trust, solidarity and global stability. Unless we can achieve that, everything will be in vain.
Let me just briefly address the sustainability and how we can tackle that with harnessing of advanced technologies. There is one topic which is very dear to me and that is the importance of water and water diplomacy. Water is the most precious natural resource, and practically all of the social and economic well-being is based on that. Same goes for global stability and peace. The importance of water is such that we should do all the action that we can, and we shall try to do it in as many possible ways as possible. Just in order to be effective in how to tackle importance of water, including building global partnership. There are vast areas of the world where the water is scarce. And then there are areas like in my home country, Slovenia, where we have abundance of water but were hit by devastating floods a year ago. Extreme weather is hitting us all. It doesn’t matter where you live, it doesn’t matter how rich or poor your country is. Extreme weather is a common global problem, and using the advanced technology in a cooperative way, is the only way forward.
In Slovenia, in the wake of the devastation of last year, we are building a super advanced digital ecosystem, which will link the satellite observation data with supercomputing power and artificial intelligence in order to predict how and where the water is going to show up. In order to predict where the water can be found throughout the world, and in order to be effective in managing the water resources. And here I offer to all of you to build together a global partnership how to utilize this advanced technology in order for our citizens to get access to clean and sustainable, but also safe water. I believe that is the only way forward if we want to really tackle climate crisis and the changes it brings.
Let me cite for the conclusion the Secretary-General Guterres who said: “Today, we opened the door.” And I would say, let’s walk through them together.
Thank you.
9 October 2024 – Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the UNSC briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question
10 October 2024 – Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the UNSC Briefing on the Middle – East Lebanon
9 October 2024 – Statement of the Republic of Slovenia at UNSC Briefing & Consultations on UNSMIL / Libya