GA / FRANCE

In a video message to the United Nations General Assembly, the President of France Emmanuel Macron called for a creation of a “contemporary multilateralism” which will be “built on the basis of solid, respected and verified agreements between partners in good faith, around clear objectives and rules, with real responsibility and accountability mechanisms.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:04:46
• Production Date: 22 September 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: EMMANUEL MACRON
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: GENERAL DEBATE
• Geographic Subject: FRANCE
• MAMS Id: 2561030
• Parent Id: 2561030
• Alternate Title: unifeed200922l

Description

STORY : GA / FRANCE
TRT : 4 :46
SOURCE : UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS : NONE
LANGUAGE : FRENCH /NATS

DATELINE : 22 SEPTEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

1. Exterior shot, UN Headquarters
2. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
“First, I believe in science and knowledge, and humanity will overcome this pandemic; a cure will be found. But in the meantime, which no one knows how long it will last, each of our countries will have no other choice but to learn to live with the virus and the world will have to learn to live with this new reality that is imposed on us all, revealed our vulnerabilities and placed us in front of our immediate responsibilities. This new world reality is clear, brutal, certainly dizzying, and we must look at it without giving way to despair or discouragement, but with lucidity.”
[D'abord, je crois en la science et en la connaissance, et l'humanité vaincra cette pandémie ; un remède sera trouvé. Mais dans cette attente, dont nul ne sait combien elle durera, chacun de nos pays n'aura d'autre choix que d'apprendre à vivre avec le virus, et le monde devra apprendre à vivre avec cette nouvelle réalité qui s'impose à tous, révèle nos vulnérabilités, nous place devant nos immédiates responsabilités. Cette nouvelle réalité mondiale est claire, brutale, certainement vertigineuse, et nous devons la regarder sans nous laisser aller au désespoir ni au découragement, mais avec lucidité.]
4. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
Even though the only solution will come from our cooperation, the international organizations that we badly need, like the World Health Organization, have been accused by some of complacency, and instrumentalized by others. Trusted science institutions and journalists, so essential to understand and act effectively in the face of the crisis, have been called into question by the propaganda of States, as by the epidemic of disinformation.”
[Alors même que la seule solution viendra de notre coopération, les organisations internationales dont nous avons tant besoin, comme l'Organisation mondiale de la santé, ont été accusées par les uns de complaisance, et instrumentalisées par les autres. Les tiers de confiance scientifiques, journalistes, si essentiels pour comprendre et agir efficacement face à la crise, ont été remis en cause par la propagande des États, comme par l'épidémie de la désinformation.]
6. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
“Our organization itself ran the risk of impotence. The United Nations Security Council, guarantor of peace and stability, has had difficulty agreeing on a humanitarian truce that we have supported with all our strength. Imagine ithat. To have such a hard time agreeing on so little. But its permanent members were not able, in such exceptional circumstances, to meet, as we would have liked because two of them preferred a display of their rivalry to collective effectiveness.”
[Notre organisation elle-même a couru le risque de l'impuissance. Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, garant de la paix et de la stabilité, est difficilement parvenu à s'entendre sur une trêve humanitaire que nous avons soutenue de toutes nos forces. Imaginezle. Avoir tant de mal à nous accorder sur si peu. Mais ses membres permanents n'ont pas pu, en des circonstances aussi exceptionnelles, se réunir, comme nous l'aurions voulu parce que deux d'entre eux ont préféré à l'efficacité collective, l'affichage de leur rivalité.]
8. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens
9. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
“We no longer have the right to close our eyes. We no longer have the opportunity, the luxury, if I may say so, to procrastinate. This pandemic must be for our organization an electric shock and the moment of a saving awakening. It is possible, because in this ordeal, reasons for hope appeared.”
[Nous n'avons plus le droit de fermer les yeux. Nous n'avons plus l'opportunité, le luxe, si je puis dire, de tergiverser. Cette pandémie doit être pour notre organisation un électrochoc et le moment d'un réveil salvateur. C'est possible, parce que dans cette épreuve, des motifs d'espérance sont apparus.]
10. Wide shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
“When we speak of peace and stability, of collective security for Europe, I cannot ignore today the fact that we live in a situation where our security and stability very largely depended on agreements signed in the past between the United States of America and the USSR and that these agreements have been gradually dismantled over the past decade. The end of the FNI treaty (The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) marked an important step on which we must not remain silent. This is why I hope that we Europeans can re-engage in the framework of a full and ambitious discussion with all our neighbors for our collective security and build the new framework which takes into account the end of these historic treaties. I also say it very clearly, we will not delegate our collective security to powers other than Europe.”
[Lorsqu'on parle de paix et de stabilité, de sécurité collective pour l'Europe, je ne peux pas taire aujourd'hui le fait que nous vivons dans une situation où notre sécurité et stabilité dépendaient très largement d’accords signés jadis entre les Etats-Unis d'Amérique et l'URSS et que ces accords ont progressivement été démantelés durant la dernière décennie. La fin du traité FNI a marqué une étape importante sur laquelle nous ne devons rester silencieux. C'est pourquoi je souhaite que nous, Européens, puissions réengager le cadre d'une discussion complète et ambitieuse avec tous nos voisins pour notre sécurité collective et construire le cadre nouveau qui prenne en compte la fin de ces traités historiques. Je le dis aussi avec beaucoup de clarté, nous ne déléguerons pas notre sécurité collective à d'autres puissances qu’à l’Europe.]
12. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, President of France:
“Multilateralism is not just an act of faith; it is an operational necessity. No country will come out of this ordeal on its own. International cooperation can be difficult, but it is objectively imperative. However, we can no longer be satisfied with a multilateralism of words which only allows the substantive acceptance of the greatest common denominator, a way of hiding deep differences under a facade of consensus. We must change the method, reverse the terms of the contract, be as loud and clear when some pride themselves on adhering to alliances and their principles, or organizations and their principles, but trample on them in reality. Let's be honest with each other, lucid, demanding. Contemporary multilateralism must also involve international organizations, private actors, businesses, NGOs, researchers and citizens so that everyone is involved in the undertaken actions. It will be built on the basis of solid, respected and verified agreements between partners in good faith, around clear objectives and rules, with real responsibility and accountability mechanisms.”
[Le multilatéralisme n'est pas seulement un acte de foi, c'est une nécessité opérationnelle. Aucun pays ne se sortira seul de cette épreuve. La coopération internationale peut être difficile, mais elle est objectivement impérative. Pour autant, nous ne pouvons plus nous contenter d'un multilatéralisme des mots qui ne permet d'agréer que le fond le plus grand dénominateur commun, manière de masquer des divergences profondes sous un consensus de façade. Il faut changer de méthode, inverser les termes du contrat, être aussi haut et clair quand certains se piquent d'adhérer à des alliances et à leurs principes, à des organisations et à leurs principes, pour les fouler aux pieds au réel. Soyons honnête entre nous, lucides, exigeants. Le multilatéralisme contemporain doit aussi associer les organisations internationales, les acteurs privés, les entreprises, les ONG, les chercheurs, les citoyens pour que chacun soit partie prenante des actions engagées. Il se construira sur la base d'accords solides, respectés, vérifiés entre partenaires de bonne foi, autour d'objectifs et de règles claires, avec une vraie responsabilité et des mécanismes de redevabilité.]
14. Wide shot, GA podium with Macron on screens

Storyline

In a video message to the United Nations General Assembly, the President of France Emmanuel Macron called for a creation of a “contemporary multilateralism” which will be “built on the basis of solid, respected and verified agreements between partners in good faith, around clear objectives and rules, with real responsibility and accountability mechanisms.”

Macron opened his 48-minute-long address to the Assembly by calling for a united front in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First, I believe in science and knowledge, and humanity will overcome this pandemic; a cure will be found. But in the meantime, which no one knows how long it will last, each of our countries will have no other choice but to learn to live with the virus and the world will have to learn to live with this new reality that is imposed on us all, revealed our vulnerabilities and placed us in front of our immediate responsibilities. This new world reality is clear, brutal, certainly dizzying, and we must look at it without giving way to despair or discouragement, but with lucidity, he said.”

He proceeded to warn against a negative campaign affecting WHO, science and journalists.

“The international organizations that we badly need, like the World Health Organization, have been accused by some of complacency, and instrumentalized by others. Trusted science institutions and journalists, so essential to understand and act effectively in the face of the crisis, have been called into question by the propaganda of States, as by the epidemic of disinformation.”

Reflecting on the state of affairs at the United Nations, the French President said “our organization itself ran the risk of impotence.”

“The United Nations Security Council, guarantor of peace and stability, has had difficulty agreeing on a humanitarian truce that we have supported with all our strength. Imagine that. To have such a hard time agreeing on so little. But its permanent members were not able, in such exceptional circumstances, to meet, as we would have liked because two of them preferred a display of their rivalry to collective effectiveness.”

According to Macron, the COVID-19 pandemic for the United Nations must be “an electric shock and the moment of a saving awakening.”

“We no longer have the right to close our eyes,” he said. “We no longer have the opportunity, the luxury, if I may say so, to procrastinate.”

Turning to the subject of the peace and security in Europe, the President of France said “when we speak of peace and stability, of collective security for Europe, I cannot ignore today the fact that we live in a situation where our security and stability very largely depended on agreements signed in the past between the United States of America and the USSR and that these agreements have been gradually dismantled over the past decade. The end of the FNI treaty (The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) marked an important step on which we must not remain silent. This is why I hope that we Europeans can re-engage in the framework of a full and ambitious discussion with all our neighbors for our collective security and build the new framework which takes into account the end of these historic treaties. I also say it very clearly, we will not delegate our collective security to powers other than Europe.”

For the end, Macron made a passionate plea for a renewed multilateralism.

“We can no longer be satisfied with a multilateralism of words which only allows the substantive acceptance of the greatest common denominator, a way of hiding deep differences under a facade of consensus. We must change the method, reverse the terms of the contract, be as loud and clear when some pride themselves on adhering to alliances and their principles, or organizations and their principles, but trample on them in reality.”

“Let's be honest with each other, lucid, demanding,” Macron said.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this years General Debate is held virtually, where prerecorded videos of world’s Heads of State and Government are introduced by their respective United Nations Representatives.