Honorable members of the United Nations Security Council,

officials of the UN, and Special Representative Ziadeh

Your Excellences,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me begin by thanking you all for the continued attention in relation to the escalating crisis in Kosovo and Metohija.

Faced with dire challenges to the safety and wellbeing of its people, Serbia remains steadfast in its commitment to peace, stability, and full respect for the principles of the UN Charter, Resolution 1244 and international law.

As we navigate these challenges, I want to emphasize that Serbia is fully committed to building a prosperous future for all of its citizens. Speaking as a representative of Serbia I can proudly say that my country is today a forward leaning and responsible member of the international community. Serbia is a key European contributor to a number of UN peacekeeping operations, from the Middle East to the Mediterranean and on the African continent as well. Having sustained a record high GDP growth rate for over a decade, Serbia has seen the size of our national GDP more than double over the course of the past decade. We are fostering a business-friendly environment that encourages investment and innovation. In December of this year Serbia will assume the chairmanship of the Global Partnership for AI and in 2027 my hometown of Belgrade will host the Expo 2027 Specialized world exhibition creating new opportunities for the entire region. As part of the Open Balkan initiative launched by President Vucic, Prime Minister Rama of Albania and the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia we have created a single regional labor market and are welcoming to our country people from across the region. Initiatives like the Digital Serbia project aim to integrate technology into our economy, promoting a knowledge-based society. As we build new industries and create jobs, we are committed to ensuring that no community is left behind in this progress.

Mme President,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

               The stability of the region and overall cooperation with neighbours are among Serbia’s key foreign-policy priorities. In that regard, my country attaches special attention to planning and realizing common projects by way of which we seek to build a true perspective for a better future. In the cooperation, Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs among Serbia’s most valuable partners.

               The Dayton Peace Agreement is of exceptional and lasting importance; it is the foundation on which everything has been achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina thus far. It is also the lasting basis to build peace and stability upon and the departure point in the efforts made to reach the goal of genuine reconciliation and mutual understanding. The reconciliation, though, requires focus and application, rather than voices and messages reminiscent of the past. Regrettably, these voices and messages are out of step with the Agreement’s objectives that we once signed up to. They serve only to multiply problems between Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entities and among its constituent peoples and affect, needless to say, the political atmosphere in the region.

New York, 12 November 2024

Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations Saša Mart met United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Programmes of the United Nations Population Fund Diene Keita on 11 November 2024. Chargé d’affaires a.i. Mart and UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Keita discussed the cooperation between Serbia and the UNPFA and future joint projects in the light of the recently signed Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the UNPFA. The Agreement was signed on the margins of the General Debate of the 79 th session of the United Nations General Assembly by Serbia’s Foreign Minister Marko Đurić and UNFPA Executive Director Natalie Kanem last September. In their meeting the two officials assessed that the Agreement provided a solid basis for intensifying mutual cooperation in 2025, especially in the field of women’s empowerment, this all the more so as 2025 marks the 30 th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality and women’s rights. Chargé d’affaires a.i. Mart pointed out that the topics dealt with by the UNFPA are of paramount importance, that cooperation in this field leading to the advancement of various segments of population is of key significance for Serbia and that it brings about visible results.