76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Statement at General Assembly on Our Common Agenda
Delivered by the Permanent Representative of Estonia, H.E. Ambassador Sven Jürgenson
February 21, New York
Mr President,
Estonia aligns itself with the statement delivered by the EU, but allow me to highlight two issues of particular importance to us.
Estonia subscribes fully to the necessity to uphold democractic governance, the rule of law and rules-based international order that unfortunately remains under constant threat.
We are highly concerned with blatant violations of international law, including human rights law that undermine global security. This includes violations of the UN Charter that clearly prohibits the threat or use of force. Use of force, unless used for self-defense or permitted by the Security Council, constitutes an act of aggression.
As the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Council has to live up to its responsibility to stop, but also prevent aggression. In this context, Estonia remains a strong proponent of curbing the use of veto, including when atrocity crimes take place.
We look with interest at the suggestions of the Secretary-General regarding the global roadmap of international law and the inclusive dialogues at the General Assembly.
My second point pertains to the Secretary-General’s efforts to further advance a global multistakeholder dialogue on how to realize the potential of digital technologies and ensure a more open, free and secure digital future for all. We fully support these efforts.
Affordable, meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion are essential in achieving SDGs. We believe that digital public goods can help to accelerate this progress. The GovStack initiative and the Digital Public Goods Alliance are great examples that support and contribute to this emerging topic.
We also believe that achieving connectivity and inclusion goals can only happen with human rights in mind. The same rights that people have offline must be protected online, including the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as well as the right to privacy.
Lastly, Estonia considers that the Secretary-General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation and the work done in its Roundtables can provide important inputs towards the Globa Digital Compact. Estonia has contributed actively particularly through the Trust and Security Roundtable.
We look forward to engaging in developing the Global Digital Compact. We support the Tech Envoy’s Office on leading in this pivotal topic and hope for the swift nomination of a new Envoy.
I thank you, Mr President.