STATEMENT BY
MR. SOFIAN AKMAL ABD. KARIM
DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE SPECIAL EVENT TO COMMEMORATE AND PROMOTE THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MULTILATERALISM AND DIPLOMACY FOR PEACE, WITH THE THEME “THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF UNITY: ADVANCING MULTILATERALISM AND DIPLOMACY FOR A BETTER FUTURE OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL”
TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL CHAMBER, 21 APRIL 2025
Thank you Chair.
Malaysia aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). We commend the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations for organizing today’s event.
The theme of today’s special event speaks about the urgent need for unity. Through unity, we can advance multilateralism and diplomacy; and it is through unity that we can achieve peace and development for all.
This is profoundly true.
Multilateralism, which has been our shared principle and approach through decades of global challenges, now faces among its most rigorous trial. As our United Nations approach its 80th anniversary, it confronts an unprecedented questioning of its existence and faced threats to its survival unlike we have seen before. We are seeing certain nations abandoning the principle of shared responsibility, while others are questioning the long-standing commitments to multilateralism which have benefitted humankind.
History has demonstrated that no nation can truly thrive in isolation. No country can afford to abandon international cooperation. It is a mistake to conduct diplomacy based solely on arbitrary self-interest. Regrettably, these crucial lessons remain unheeded by certain countries in today's global landscape.
It is up to us to close ranks and remain united, guided by the tried and tested principles of multilateralism and international cooperation, to face the unprecedented challenges that threaten our collective future.
As we often hear and are reminded in dialogues here in the United Nations including today, there is no peace without development and no development without peace. We can achieve sustainable peace and development through a unity of purpose and through multilateralism. It has been done before, and this approach has never failed us.
The path forward to a better future of peace and development requires unity over isolation, dialogue over confrontation, and shared responsibility over narrow self-interest.
I thank you.