“The United Nations in a World in Transformation”

Rector Hanmuradov
Dear Students and Professors
Dear Participants:

It is an honour for me to be with you in this wonderful city of Ashgabat at the invitation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. I am here today as the representative of the United Nations. This is not my first visit to the magnificent city of Ashgabat, but it is the first time that I am here in my capacity as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, which is the second largest duty station within the United Nations system. Therefore, my visit here to take part in the celebration of the International Day of Nowruz is a special occasion for me.

Having obtained the neutral status within the United Nations, Turkmenistan is a recognized and respected regional and global actor. Under the strong leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan has enhanced its role at the international level, with a number of important initiatives aimed at stability and progress. This includes a firm partnership with the United Nations, which we appreciate and which we look forward to strengthening. It is my hope that you will continue and build on these achievements.

I always value the opportunity to meet and discuss with young people. You are part of the largest generation of youth ever. By taking on a university education, you are already showing readiness to take on the responsibility of leadership. The world is looking to you and to your peers across the world to lead the way for the future, with commitment, courage and principled action.

It is my hope that you will allow your talent and skills to benefit the international community through the United Nations. And I would therefore like to share with you a few thoughts on the changing nature of our world, and the role of the United Nations in reacting to and shaping that change.

The world is going through a period of transformation – at economic, political, demographic and environmental levels. Let me first say a few words about each of these trends:

First, economic trends. The Human Development Report, which is published annually by the United Nations Development Programme, was launched only last week in Mexico and documents some of the key economic transitions.

The rise of the Global South, which we are now experiencing, is unprecedented in scale and speed. Innovation, momentum and dynamism are shifting from North to South, and from West to East. And it goes beyond the BRICs – Brazil, Russia, India and China. Emerging economies in mid-sized countries such as the CIVETS – Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa – are part of this development. It is projected that by 2020, the combined output of the three leading South economies – China, India and Brazil – will surpass the aggregate production of the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada.

These achievements are the result of sustained investment in education, health care and social programmes, and open engagement with an increasingly interconnected world. We must all draw lessons from these trends.

Nevertheless, while there are signs that the global economy is gradually strengthening, with increases in global trade and capital flows, the crisis, in particular in Europe and the US, continues.

Across the world, over 200 million people are unemployed. Imagine: 200 million people without jobs. The global economic recovery is not expected to be strong enough to bring down unemployment quickly, and the number of jobseekers is likely to rise to more than 210 million over the next five years.

Youth are disproportionately affected. The global youth unemployment rate now stands at 40%, which means that 75 million young people are looking for work. 75 million young people just like you, who cannot find a job. Globally, young people are three times as likely to be unemployed as adults.

Second, political trends. The rise of the Global South is coupled with a broader realignment in geopolitical and strategic interests.

Political changes following the Arab Spring, conflicts in Syria and Mali, a stalemate in the Middle East peace process, challenges to the non-proliferation regime in North East Asia, increasing tension in the South China Sea, growing military spending, threats of terrorism and organized crime combine to fuel a sense of insecurity in many regions.

Last week, it was two years since the conflict in Syria started. The United Nations estimates that over 70,000 people have been killed, and over one million people have fled the country. A political solution is urgently needed.

Economic diversity across regions has also impacted the development of regional arrangements, in line with Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter. In this part of the world, organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other similar organizations are gaining in geopolitical stature. At the other end of the spectrum of integration, prolonged economic crisis has put the European Union under strain, leading to questions about its overall direction and its membership. But, overall the role of regional organizations is becoming increasingly important, as envisaged under Chapter VIII.

Third, demographic trends. World population is clearly growing, but the distribution of people and of age groups, and the way we move across the globe, are also changing. The world’s population has more than tripled since the United Nations was created in 1945 and the number of member states has almost quadrupled. We are now more than 7 billion people in the world, and this number is expected to grow to 9 billion by the middle of 2043. As a result, we face ever greater demands on shared resources.

You are part of the largest generation of youth ever. At the same time, it is projected that by 2050 the number of people over the age of 60 will reach two billion. The challenges of a rapidly-expanding number of youth have to be tackled precisely at the same time as many societies grow older, which presents another set of concerns.

An estimated 214 million people now live outside their country of origin, an increase from around 150 million in the year 2000. Migrants would, in fact, constitute the fifth most populous country in the world. Migrants send home an estimated 440 billion dollars in remittances annually. Of this total, 325 billion dollars is sent by migrants to developing countries. Migrants are an economic factor to be reckoned with.

Fourth, energy and environmental trends. Technological advances have led to an increase in shale oil and natural gas production. In October of last year, the United States announced that it had become a net hydrocarbon energy exporter for the first time since 1964. And in December, China overtook the US as the world’s largest oil importer, a generational shift in the geopolitics of natural resources. The International Energy Agency forecasts that emerging countries will soon, for the first time, consume more oil than industrialized nations. There is no doubt that these profound energy supply and consumption changes will lead to further geopolitical realignments.

At the same time, we must be fully conscious of the impact of climate change and our responsibility to confront it. Exploration of alternative energy sources and a recalibration of economic activities to facilitate a “green economy” are central tasks.

Cutting across all of these challenges is the rise in information and communication technologies. The number of mobile subscriptions will reach 7 billion this year – that is one for each person on the planet. One billion of these are in China, and India is expected to hit the one billion mark soon. More than half of all mobile subscriptions are now in Asia. It is expected that by the end of 2013, 41% of the world’s households will be connected to the Internet.

These trends are all linked and mutually reinforcing.

So, what does this mean for the role of the United Nations? Given all the changes we experience, this is quite a natural question to ask.
First, I firmly believe that the United Nations will remain not only relevant but will increase in importance. However, I am equally convinced that the way that the United Nations works and the areas where it will focus will be impacted by the changes that we are experiencing.

The Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has outlined five areas of focus for his second term where collective action can make the greatest difference. They are: sustainable development; prevention; supporting nations in transition; building a more secure world; and empowering women and young people. They all address, in different areas and in different ways, the trends that I have just outlined.

Second, the United Nations is positioning itself to address the potential negative aspects of an increasingly globalized world, such as growing inequality, political imbalances, a rise in extremism and intolerance, social instability and environmental degradation.

Here, a careful balance has to be struck. Economic progress is the indispensable foundation for progress. But we must not be blind to possible adverse impacts on vulnerable groups. There is plenty of food in the world and yet one billion people go hungry. Over 785 million people have no access to clean drinking water and 2.3 billion lack sanitation. We have experienced advances in medicine, allowing people to live longer than at any period in a history, but 3,000 children die every day from preventable causes. Global military expenditure has reached 1.7 trillion dollars – resources that could be channelled towards the development and the protection of our planet. Despite our connectivity, some 4.5 billion people – predominantly in the developing world – are still not online. And while we focus on energy security, 1.5 billion people still do not even have electricity.

Entrenched imbalances can create new fault lines. If we do not address these underlying contradictions, we run the risk that the great potential of our era becomes a source of division and distrust.

Third, the United Nations has an important role to play in supporting nationally-led democratization processes. It is a paradox that while more countries enjoy elections and democratic institutions, there is a sense of a “global democratic deficit”. Many have the nagging feeling that decisions are being taken by non-elected actors and institutions.

The world shows the aspiration to achieve more inclusive governance, respect for human rights and promotion of the rule of law. But, these are fragile processes. They must be nurtured, with individual countries and communities in the lead. Importantly, political processes for change must be grounded in and supported by meaningful economic progress. Without jobs, without food, without opportunities for the next generations, democratization will remain an empty promise. And empty promises, we know, can yield dashed expectations, which can in turn lead to greater instability.

Fourth, the United Nations needs to strengthen efforts to facilitate and deepen education. The importance of education for long-term progress cannot be overstated. Adequate and targeted investment in learning has been an essential component in the success of emerging economies. Yet, despite progress, an estimated 250 million children are not able to read, write or count well. Over 60 million are not enrolled in primary school.

In recognition of the key role of education, the Secretary-General launched last year the “Global Education First” initiative, and appointed former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown as his Special Envoy for Global Education. The Initiative's basic priorities are to expand access to education, improve the quality of learning, and foster global citizenship.

In our drive towards education, we need to focus particular attention on the importance of schooling for girls. The shooting of school girl Malala in Pakistan touched people across the world but it is – sadly – not the only example of the factors that prevent education of girls. In South Sudan, a teenage girl is more likely to die in childbirth than go to secondary school. Of the estimated 793 million illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women.

Fifth, the United Nations will continue to work increasingly in partnership with external partners – regional and other international organizations, civil society, research and academic institutions, foundations and philanthropic entities. The United Nations remains the world’s pre-eminent international organization. But it is not the only one, and it does not hold all answers and solutions. We can only effectively address the challenges before us in partnership and in solidarity.

In conclusion, let me share a few words about the role of Geneva, which is the second largest United Nations duty station. The United Nations system in Geneva works in support of all of these priorities. It is a centre for preventive diplomacy, as demonstrated by the fact over the past 12 months, three high-level and ministerial meetings on Syria were held there. It was also in Geneva that a joint declaration on the settlement of the crisis in Syria – the only legitimate international agreement on the subject so far - was adopted on 30 June last year.

Geneva is host to the “international discussions” among representatives of Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia; we are also hosting negotiations on the territorial dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and strategic arms talks between the United Nations and the Russian Federation.

The visit last year of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was an important occasion for the international system in Geneva, and served to raise the profile of this unique international city. We are proud that as a concrete follow-up to the President’s visit, Turkmenistan has generously agreed to renovate and refurbish one of the conference rooms at the Palais des Nations, the main United Nations building in Geneva. When finished, it will be named the Turkmenistan Room and will be a daily reminder of our close relations. The Room will then host many of the over 10,000 multilateral meetings that are held annually at the Palais des Nations, highlighting Geneva’s role as a key multilateral platform.

Dear Students, Dear Friends:
The Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, recently appointed his first Special Envoy for Youth – Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi who is from Jordan and 29 years old. The youngest Under-Secretary-General in the history of the United Nations. But this appointment is significant not so much for the age of the Envoy but because it demonstrates the United Nations’ firm commitment to not just speak to youth, but to fully include youth in the conversation about the future of our common world.

I hope that you will be an active part of that conversation. You do not need formal titles to be envoys for youth and for a better world. I hope that the United Nations can rely on your support and your input. I am very much hopeful that some day some of you, when you have finished your studies in this beautiful building, will work with the United Nations.

Thank you for your attention.