It is the major responsibility of world leaders to meet aspirations of the developing peoples for a better life, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Tuesday.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Sisi said Egypt has a comprehensive development strategy for 2030 and called for social protection and a just global economic system. 
Sisi said that challenges facing developing countries and their limited potentials stand in the way of achieving the ambitious development agenda. 

Those countries lack the opportunity to achieve sustainable development, Sisi told the 71st UNGA session.

This session is held after a new phase to achieve sustainable development has been launched and it goes without saying that the peoples, particularly in developing countries, are eyeing decent living conditions, which is, according to Sisi, the primary responsibility of all world leaders. 

Developing countries are seeking a bigger share of the world trade, as well as mechanisms to fund and transfer technology, Sisi said.

He called for action to increase the flow of investments to developing countries, settle their debts and create favorable conditions for national development.

He also called for supporting governments in their efforts to strike a balance between the different aspects of sustainable development, particularly where maintaining social protection and promoting national ownership of development are concerned.

Egypt is underlining the importance of having a just global economic system that secures equal opportunities of development and helps narrow the gap between developed and developing countries, Sisi told UNGA.

The Egyptian president touched upon an agreement reached last year and was based on the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), stressing that Africa is committed to fighting climate change using its own potentials. 

Sisi reiterated calls to support Africa, stressing the need to maintain the right to development and guarantee the participation of the different world countries in projects in line with rules regulating international funding institutions, atop of which the World Bank. 
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi urged the international community to provide every possible support for poor countries to help them meet the needs of their peoples.

"The Egyptian people managed to restore stability, protect the state institutions and prevent the society from descending into anarchy," he added.

The president pointed out that Egypt's new constitution has maintained rights and freedoms of people, and ensured more parliamentarian seats for women and youth.

Speaking about the economic situation in Egypt, Sisi said Egypt takes steady steps towards implementing an ambitious plan for economic reforms that have taken into consideration the social dimensions and needs of the Egyptian people to enjoy honorable life.

He noted that several mega projects have been launched to expand the road network, establish more power plants, develop infrastructure and increase the agricultural land. 
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in his speech at UNGA meetings in New York added that the Middle East region is still plagued with bloody conflicts.

Even though, Egypt managed to maintain its stability amid a very volatile regional context thanks to its solid institutions and awareness of its people, he pointed out.

The international community, added the president, should realize the depth of the Egyptian culture and civilization and support Egypt; serving this way the whole region and the world at large, so that Egypt would maintain its role as a basic pillar of stability in the Middle East.

Egypt is exerting all efforts for working with regional and international parties concerned to restore stability and security in the Middle East, said the president, adding that atop of bloody conflicts in the region comes the Syrian conflict that left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced and refugees.

Egypt is hosting about half a million of Syrian refugees, said the president, noting that they are receiving the same services like any Egyptian.

The continuation of bloodshed in Syria and failure to hammer out a political solution to the crisis is no longer acceptable, said the president, adding that what is required is an immediate and complete cessation of hostilities in all parts of Syria paving the way for a political solution that maintains the Syrian territorial integrity and keeps up its State institutions while meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people.

This solution, added the president, should also prevent chaos which only led to the spread of terrorism. Within this context, the president welcomed the commended effort exerted by Russia and the US which led to reaching an agreement on cessation of hostilities in Syria. The president expressed hope that the international community would start a serious action for resuming Syria peace talks to reach a comprehensive settlement to the crisis.

Within the same regional context, the Arab-Israeli conflict will remain the core of instability in the Middle East, added the president. This state of affairs requires regional and international efforts for reaching a final and comprehensive settlement to the conflict, he added.

Egypt is exerting strenuous efforts for establishing peace in the region and ending the Israeli occupation through negotiations and reviving the peace process in an effort to establish just and durable peace that is based on the two-state solution, said the president.

Egypt welcomes any serious effort for improving the situation in the Palestinian territories as the Palestinians are suffering from a state of affairs that should be addressed while concentrating on ending the occupation and restoring the Palestinian people's rights through a peace agreement in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions that guarantees for the Palestinians their rights and for Israel its security within a framework of natural relations in its regional context, added the president.

At this point, the president asked the permission of the chairman of the session to go out of the written text and forward a message on the importance of settling the Palestinian issue to the Israeli people and government from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly. "There is a real opportunity for writing down a luminous chapter in the history of the region through moving towards peace. The Egyptian experiment on this score is marvelous and unique and could be repeated in solving the Palestinian problem through setting up a Palestinian State side by side with the Israeli State", added president Sisi. 
President Sisi noted that the Libyan issue is affecting the Egyptian national security.

Libya is passing through a very critical situation and a political crisis, he added.

Egypt is undertaking an active role to unite all Libyan rival parties, said the president, adding that Cairo is supporting the implementation of Sukhirat peace agreement to restore the unity and power of the Libyan State, he added.

Egypt is hosting meetings for the Libyan parties to help implement the Sukhirat agreement and form a national unity government, added the president.

He highlighted the necessity of removing an arms embargo on the Libyan army. 
President Sisi said that Egypt is exerting all efforts for supporting the Yemeni stability and territorial integrity.

He expressed support for efforts exerted by UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh for ending the crisis in Yemen.

President Sisi underlined the necessity of resuming Yemen peace talks and the commitment of all parties to the peace plan of the UN envoy in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions atop of which comes resolution 2216.

Egypt will continue supporting peace efforts in Yemen and extending relief assistance while standing up against any foreign interference given the fact that the Arab national security, including the Arab Gulf security, is closely associated with the Egyptian national security, he added.

The president highlighted the necessity of standing up against all attempts to stir sectarian sedition in the Arab countries.

Touching on the situation in Africa, the president said that Egypt is similarly shouldering its responsibility towards the African continent.

Egypt is keen on enhancing cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union in a way that cope up with the growing trans-border threats including terrorism and organized crime, added the president. 
President Sisi indicated that Egypt is providing all support for the Somali government for finalizing elections during this year.

As for Burundi, the president noted that Egypt is working to reach a peaceful solution to the political crisis there through the African Peace and Security Council.

Regarding the crisis in South Sudan, the president said that Egypt is exerting efforts for establishing peace there and maintaining its stability and security.

The president said that terrorism is a real of a threat to international peace and security as it constitutes an aggression on the right to life.

Terrorism is serving only extremist ideologies that are committing barbaric acts under the cloak of religion, he added.

This state of affairs requires an intensified regional and international effort to uproot terrorism, said the president, adding that Egypt always asserted that fighting terrorism should be through addressing its root causes and firm confrontation with terrorist groups.

Egypt is urging the international community to take all measures to prevent terrorists from capitalizing on the advanced technology to spread extremist ideas, he said, underlining the necessity of stopping the transmission of all TV channels and electronic websites that are instigating violence and extremism.

Source: MENA