The answer to all the fast developments that are taking place around the world is not to turn the clock back, but to get the future right, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Friday.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Abela also called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, urging all the nations gathered in New York to unite to deliver an end to the war

In his address, Abela said Malta has for centuries served as a bridge. “Indeed, earlier this very month, we were proud to be just such a bridge” by hosting private talks between the United States’ National Security Adviser and China’s Foreign Minister.

Malta provided a safe space for vital discussions between the world’s two biggest powers, he said.

“It is a sign of the confidence our fellow members have in Malta’s commitment to working together for the common good, that they elected our nation to serve on the Security Council for this year and next,” the PM added.

Malta will always be open to the world, he said Malta will never turn its back on its neighbours. Malta will continue to work relentessly with our partners in Europe and beyond, to stand up for peace and the rule of law.

Sadly, the need to stand up for those values has rarely been more urgent or more important than it is today.

“We witness Russia’s violation of international law with its continued assault on Ukraine,” he said.

“Malta’s neutrality does mean that we will continue to be directly opposed to military aggression and unilateral action against members of the global community and the rules-based order.

“But Malta’s neutrality does not mean that we are indifferent to what happens around us.

“We will never be neutral when we see pain and suffering caused by an illegal invasion.

“In this spirit of peace, we call on Russia to withdraw its forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine. And we urge all the nations gathered here to unite to deliver an end to the war.”

The tragedy of war, the PM said, is not just that those directly involved suffer - but that the consequences reverberate around the world.  The already precarious situation of global food security has been made much worse by the invasion of Ukraine, he pointed out, with an estimated extra 122 million people across the world pushed into hunger since 2019.

Malta urges Russia to re-join the Black Sea Grain Initiative and stop standing in the way of vital food supplies leaving Ukraine to feed the world’s most needy, he said.

Turning to the Mediterranean, the PM said that the peace of our whole region depends on a lasting settlement in Libya.

It is vital that the entire international community encourages this process and gives the Libyan people the support they need to overcome the instability - for which they have paid such a high price.

The need to recover and rebuild after the tragic devastation of Storm Daniel underlines the urgency and importance of a lasting settlement that gives all Libyans the effective government they deserve, Abela added.

Mentioning other conflicts around the world, Abela said it would be all too easy to fall into despondency and to think that nothing can be done.

But things can be done and “we can make a difference”.

He said that being a Prime Minister of a small country has the advantage of being close to the people.

“You hear loud and clear what is worrying them. One of the persistent worries I hear is that people feel a niggling sense of insecurity. Post pandemic, they feel that the world is a less stable, increasingly scary place,” he said.

He said there is a need to address what pessimists call the new ‘Age of Insecurity’, by building a new ‘Age of Security’.

“Yet, we must be realistic. There is no magic wand,” he said.

The biggest threat to our planet is clearly climate change, which Abel said is not some sort of abstract problem.

“This is a very real emergency – the consequences of which are being felt in every part of the world,” he said.

Rising sea levels are a severe threat to the security, livelihood, and indeed, the very existence of island countries like ours, Abela said.

Securing the future of our seas and oceans is an urgent imperative for the government of Malta.

Which is why we have made climate and oceans the number one priority during our term on the United Nations Security Council.

It is not just the direct consequences of rising sea levels that we need to be concerned about.

As land is degraded - freshwater shortages, displacement of people and food insecurity all risk undermining global security, generate new conflicts and exacerbate existing ones.

“Rising sea levels also threaten the very territorial integrity of states as a result of coastal inundation, with a consequent danger of disputes and conflict,” he said.

No coastal state should lose any of its existing rights over its maritime zones due to rising sea levels, Abela said.

As a United Nations we must preserve the sovereignty of coastal states - no matter what the ravages of the sea.

Protecting our planet is a mammoth task.

But by taking visible, measurable action we can and we must show our citizens that they have reason to believe in the security of the earth’s future.

Abela said he rejected the notion that securing the planet can only be achieved at the expense of economic growth.

“In fact, I believe the reverse is true. Environmental security can only be achieved if citizens feel economic security,” he said.

From the perspective of an outward facing, trading nation like Malta, there is one overwhelming clear and present danger to economic security - the prospect of a new era of protectionism.

If protectionism grows unchecked, it could do untold damage to an export-orientated island economy like ours.

Like many young economies, Abela said Malta has harnessed digital technology, and the breaking down of trade and tariff barriers, to expand into sectors that were previously off-limits to small nations.

What the world economy and the world’s citizens need is not a new era of protectionism. Instead, we need a new age of social protection, not putting up barriers to trade, but putting in place standards and rights for workers.

“But the answer isn’t to turn the clock back. It is to get the future right,” Abela said.

Too often smaller and developing countries have been excluded from the decision-making process and have suffered as a result.

Malta believes that trust on trade can only be achieved if genuine solidarity is maintained with all member countries.

Abela here referred to the introduction of free childcare “that has enabled more parents to re-enter the workforce” and the hosting of “a hugely successful Euro Pride”.

Taking a look at the digital divide, Abela said that equipping more citizens – of all ages and from all backgrounds – with the digital skills they need both increases their individual earning power and adds to the nation’s productivity.

This is why Malta extended ICT as a compulsory subject in all upper secondary schools.

Malta called on the international community to work harder to ensure that the digital divide is narrowed – not just within each nation, but globally.

One significant manifestation of the feeling of insecurity has been the growing number of people facing mental health difficulties.

None of us can feel secure unless we know that mental health is taken as seriously as physical health by our healthcare systems, Abela said.

One of the biggest drivers of mental health worries is fear of the future. Indeed, none of us can feel secure about our lives if we don’t feel secure about what is coming tomorrow, he added.

“Right now, one of the biggest fears many have is of technology.  We have lived through two decades of unprecedented change… It can often seem like society has lost control, that the technology itself is in charge.”

And now, with the advent of generative Artificial Intelligence, the risk is that seems truer than ever, Abela said.

AI will have a huge impact on all aspects of society, but if leaders take the right decisions - that impact can be a positive one.

One cannot close one’s eyes inevitable and hope it will go away! “Instead, the answer is to get the future right,” he said.

One needs to take the decisions now so that “we can harness the power of AI for the public good, not fear it as a coming catastrophe”.

Malta is doing just that, Abela said. We are already seeing how AI can enhance public services, improving lives for all citizens.

We have six pilot projects covering areas from healthcare to traffic management. We are “taking ownership, not trying to ignore the future”.

Malta stands resolutely behind efforts to increase and enhance international cooperation on AI.  Technology is changing too fast - its potential so vast - that failing to work together isn’t an option, he said.

In such an age the importance of working together will only become stronger. “The word for it – multilateralism – may not trip off the tongue but it is more important than ever,” Abela said.

To make multilateralism work in this age of insecurity we need to ensure that a much wider group of voices are heard – in this United Nations, and around the globe.

Malta refuses to believe that a new age of insecurity is inevitable, he said.

“I know, Malta knows, that we must build a new age of security.

"Not by trying to turn the clock back. But by getting the future right!

"If we work together. If we listen to - and learn from each other.

"If we understand and appreciate the desire of our citizens to take back control of their lives.

We can and we will get the future right,” the PM concluded.