Delivered By Nora Alawadhi, Third Secretary
New York, October 2025
Mr. Chair,
I would like to congratulate you on assuming the chairmanship of the Second Committee during this 80th Session of the General Assembly. The United Arab Emirates aligns itself with the statement made by the G77 and China.
Distinguished colleagues,
With five years remaining of the 2030 Agenda, and progress far off-track, the UAE believes we must strengthen our commitment to working together, through multilateralism, as United Nations.
These times of transformative change require caution, but we must also be bold in our action to accelerate progress. If we can take agency and harness the power of new technologies, rather than being carried by the currents, there are equal amounts of opportunity as challenge ahead.
Both within the UN and within our development work at home, we welcome new thinking and innovative approaches. First, we believe we must increase our investment in sustainable development, given that the $4 trillion finance gap is perhaps the primary barrier to development progress. The UAE’s foreign aid over the past five years has exceeded USD 16 billion and our commitment goes beyond the traditional aid structures, embracing new strategic approaches to scale finance and enhance impact and delivery.
The Compromiso de Sevilla was a welcome endorsement of such an approach. It reaffirms our belief that the free flow of trade and investment are fundamental drivers of development. And while we must uphold economic aid, the Compromiso goes beyond this and shows we can come to agreement on more innovative financial instruments: an enhanced role for the private sector, and strengthened models of multistakeholder, South-South, and triangular cooperation.
As finance is unlocked, we must also unlock the power of new and emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence. Our recent AI for Development initiative with Bhutan has demonstrated how AI can improve public service, rural development, youth employment, and strengthen agriculture, healthcare, finance, and education sectors. Widespread benefit from this technology is not a distant possibility, as we believe this model can be replicated across the Global South. Rather than dwelling on how each SDG is off-track, let us seize the opportunity to make AI for Development the accelerator that turns ambition into tangible progress.
This applies equally for climate and sustainability: there is no need to re-negotiate targets, the science is clear. We have our Paris Agreement goal, and the COP28 UAE Consensus laid down a pathway to achieve it. The time is overdue to be resolutely focused on implementation. We commend Azerbaijan and Brazil, our COP Presidency troika partners, for taking a pragmatic approach forward.
In the UAE, we have recently established the Green Climate Finance Center and Alterra, the world’s largest private climate fund, as well as innovative triangular collaborations such as the Africa Green Investment Initiative and the Rome Process Financing Facility. These new vehicles, employing blended finance and public-private partnerships, can catalyze the development and adoption of renewable energy and green technologies. A future grounded in sustainability will not only protect future generations, it is the greatest economic opportunity seen for a generation.
Yet the climate and technology revolutions stand at a critical juncture. AI holds the promise of accelerating climate innovation, but also consumes significant quantities of energy and water. We must work from now to enable these technologies to thrive in a way that unlocks their potential while not compromising existing progress.
Mr. Chair, to conclude, we know that SDG6 is one of those which is falling short. UNESCO estimates that 1.8 billion people are living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity. As co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference with Senegal, we hope this conference will serve as an opportunity to course-correct and mobilize collective action to accelerate progress. We thank Member States for adopting the conference themes by consensus, including the new “Investments for Water” focus.
Finally, with only five years to achieve the 2030 Agenda, decisive multilateral action is critical. Even in these challenging times, the UAE is committed to scaling up South-South and triangular cooperation, harnessing finance, technology, and innovation to deliver real results—and ensure no one is left behind.
Thank you.