The world needs the United Nations now more than ever, Prime Minister Robert Abela said Friday.

“Malta values the United Nations now more than ever. And make no mistake – Malta may be a small country, but we will always be a loud voice against deferring difficult decisions and avoiding difficult conversations,” he told the general assembly of the UN being held in New York.

“We will never resign ourselves to a future devoid of peace. We will never abandon our commitment to supporting peace processes – no matter how tough those processes may be. We will remain steadfast in our support for steps to build and maintain peace in every region of conflict. We will remain as committed to – and confident in – this United Nations as that day in December sixty years ago when the ink dried on Malta’s signature.”

The Prime Minister started his address referring to how the world “plunged into even greater turmoil by the despicable attacks of October 7” in the Middle, just a few weeks after the UN gathering of last year.

“We cannot escape from the stark reality that our world faces the gravest of challenges, and the populations of far too many of these United Nations face the gravest perils. The gravity of those threats is such that we – as leaders from across the globe – are confronted with a choice of two paths. We can choose the path of despair – dejectedly deciding that is simply impossible to make a difference or we can choose the path of persistence.”

He spoke of Malta’s presence as a member of the UN security council, saying Malta used its seat “to work for Resolution 2712, which demanded urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and the provision of corridors through Gaza to supply critical supplies needed by so many civilians, not least children. The resolution also called for the release of hostages held captive by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. We are proud that this led to the release of 105 hostages during the negotiated seven-day pause.

“Similarly, I am pleased Malta played a key role in the Security Council adopting Resolution 2728 – which demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan, alongside the immediate 3 release of all hostages. This was the first joint motion from the non-permanent members on a geographic situation in the Security Council's history,” he said.

Understandably, much of the world’s attention has been on Israel/Gaza, which has now expanded to a dangerous and deeply worrying escalation in Lebanon. “We stand firm in our belief that we must all strive to ensure that the flames of this conflict do not engulf the whole region, and that we all take decisive steps to resolve this conflict before it is too late. Furthermore, it is imperative that we, as a global community, do not lose focus on those other parts of the world where war and the killing of civilians is also all too present, and all too tragic, a daily reality. Sudan, Yemen, Syria and, of course, Ukraine,” Abela said.

Speaking about Libya, Abela said that helping the Libyan people achieve a genuine and lasting resolution to the institutional crisis - for which they have paid too high a price for too long – is a key priority for Malta. For such a resolution would not only benefit the Libyan people, but it would also benefit all Libya’s neighbours and the wider region. “Only with a single functioning government - supported by citizens across the whole country - can Libya play its full part in addressing the migrant crisis which puts so many lives at risk,” he said.

Turning to speak about climate change, Abela said that as an island nation, for Malta, the wealth of the sea equates to the wealth of our people. The health of the sea equates to the health of our people. So we need no reminder just how essential it is to protect the wealth, health and bio-diversity of the earth’s seas and oceans.

“And we know just how much small island nations like ours will be impacted as climate change warms oceans and raises sea levels. We, small island nations, are amongst the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, but we are literally the frontline of the climate emergency. The impact of climate change will be felt by all our citizens. It is our duty to them to do all we can to minimise that change and maximise our resilience to the changes already being felt. Delay and prevarication simply aren’t options. Climate change must remain at the top of the global agenda,” he said.

The Prime Minister's speech in full may be read here