The responsibility will be great, but its size and weight must not deter us from taking action and being proactive. I want us to be ambitiously realistic and selfless, to continue to be principled and to have the same standards on the dossiers on the UNSC agenda. We will cooperate with other UNSC members. We will not be silent observers, but active participants. We will build partnerships and coalitions with members and seek common ground with each one individually. When we believe in ourselves, others will believe in us too.

The size of a country is not everything, and especially not a weakness. On the international stage, it can even be the opposite – it can be an advantage if we believe in it. It also means a balance that can achieve successes that large nations, burdened by history and strong vested interests, cannot. The eyes of the whole world will be on us. Let us turn the reputation we enjoy into actions that will contribute to peace and stability in the world's hot spots.

As a non-permanent member of the UNSC, we will continue our engagement on human rights, which are a prerequisite for peace and secure societies, gender equality, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and a fairer world. We will not forget the importance of solidarity and humanity. In the last 75 years, the need for solidarity was never as great as today.

In the face of growing crises and challenges for the international community, it is in September 2024, when we will hold the presidency of the UNSC, that we will have an opportunity for the future of multilateralism, and the UN in particular. It is then when the Summit of the Future takes place in New York and we adopt the Pact for the Future. Our presidency of the UNSC will therefore be at the best possible time. I am delighted to be presiding as the Prime Minister over the UN SC that very week.