Il-Prim Ministru ta’ Malta, Robert Abela għamel sejħa qawwija għal azzjoni globali kontra l-isfidi serji li qed tiffaċċja d-dinja. Hu għamel dan waqt li kien qed jindirizza l-Assemblea Ġenerali tal-Ġnus Magħquda, fl-istat ta’ New York fl-Amerka, fejn saħaq kif diversi pajjiżi li jagħmlu parti mill-istess Ġnus Magħquda qed ikunu esposti għal perikli kbar minħabba dawn l-isfidi serji.
Quddiem dan it-theddid, Abela saħaq li hu jemmen bis-sħiħ li hemm responsabbiltà fuq il-mexxejja biex jagħżlu t-triq tal-perserveranza u mhux iċedu għad-disperazzjoni.
“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. Determined that, no matter how rough the waters, we can, and we must redouble our efforts to meet those challenges and mitigate those perils. I emphatically believe that we have a moral responsibility to take the path of persistence.”
Waqt li appella għal sforzi persistenti biex jiġu riżolti konflitti partikolarmanent il-gwerer li hemm f’Gaza, il-Libja u l-Ukrajna, il-Prim Ministru Malti esprima r-rieda u d-determinazzjoni ta’ Malta li tkompli tkun attiva u responsabbli fit-twettiq tad-dmirijiet tagħha fuq livell globali.
Propju dwar dan, Dr Abela qal li Malta qatt mhi ser toqgħod lura u qatt mhi ser tkun passiva quddiem sitwazzjonijiet diffiċli.
“Well, Malta will never sit back. Malta will never wring hands. Malta will never leave it to others. Yes, Malta will always be realistic. But Malta will always be committed to multilateralism. When the perils are at their greatest – the need to work together is at its greatest.”
Fid-diskors tiegħu, il-Prim Ministru għamel sejħa ukoll għal azzjoni globali urġenti dwar il-bidla fil-klima.
Dr Abela enfasizza l-ħtieġa li jittieħdu passi prattiċi u innovattivi biex inżommu l-ambjent marittimu b’saħħtu. Hawn, fost l-oħrajn, għamel referenza għall-proġett ta’ suċċess li wettaq pajjiżna, dak tax-“Shore to Ship”.
“To preserve healthy maritime environments, we all need to take practical, innovative steps. That’s why I am delighted at the success Malta’s new ‘Shore to Ship’ initiative is having. The stunning Grand Harbour in our capital Valetta is a magnet for cruise ships. But while docked in berth, they can produce serious amounts of pollution if relying on their engines in the confined space. So ‘shore to ship’ is installing onshore power supply alongside the quays used by cruise ships. Meaning they can switch off their engines and help reduce pollution in this most special of places by around ninety percent.”
Il-Prim Ministru Robert Abela temm b’messaġġ u appell ċar – dak li jinkoraġġixxi l-mexxejja dinjin biex ma jaqtgħux qalbhom quddiem id-diffikultajiet u l-ostakli, iżda li jkomplu jaħdmu b’determinazzjoni għal futur aħjar.
If we fail to persist – we fail to lead. If we fail to perceiver – we fail the people who put their faith in us. Failure simply isn’t an option. The stakes are too high. The risks too great. The consequences too severe. So let us make that choice. Let us today recommit as a United Nations. Let us affirm the Path of Persistence. And – no matter how tough the going – let us enter the 80th year of this United Nations with the simple goal in our head and in our hearts. Let us – now more than ever – never give up believing that tomorrow can -and must – be better than today.
