Connectivity is lifeline for peace, progress, and prosperity. Connectivity forms a premise for enduring cooperation, deeper integration, building of trust and confidence among nations.Nepal attaches utmost priority to cooperation through connectivity and underlines the need to create a win-win situation between and among countries.

Deliberate spreading of disinformationhas a direct impact on health and safety of our citizens and their trust in institutions. Using disinformation as a means of aggression against other states is utterly unacceptable

Let us restore hope and belief in the UN, by restoring hope and belief in ourselves and in international solidarity. Let us rebuild trust in one another by bridging the inequality gaps within and between nations, reducing marginalisation, eradicating racism, xenophobia and all other forms of discrimination, and instilling tolerance among our peoples

I am mentioning this because orderly transitions cannotbe taken for granted. And because democracy at work can help reduce the mistrust in and between countries. The kind of mistrustthat the Secretary-General points to in ‘Our Common Agenda’.

A system, in which criminals extract wealth and assets from countries with weakinstitutions, store this capital in offshores, and then find safe haven in other countries, isboth unsustainable and unfair. Designing international rules for asset recovery could bringmore fairness to the global stage and do justice to weaker states.As an international community, we need to design, apply, and rigorously monitor systems topromote international transparency and accountability. We need to join efforts to combatmoney-laundering and investigate illicit financial flows. We need to make better use ofasset seizure tools and to work together to suppress organized crime. The magnitude of thechallenge is so extensive that we need the serious involvement of all international andnational actors. We need an effective collective response to safeguard democracy and theinternational rules-based order.

Another factor that erodes democracy is corruption. Corruption undermines people’s trustin their states. While no country is exempt from it, corruption disproportionately affectspoor states. It makes the state and its institutions weaker, more vulnerable, and less stable.In the recent past, corruption transformed Moldova into a captured state. Corruptionbecame a threat to democracy and to our national security. Crooks used us as a transitcountry to launder money through our institutions before depositing them abroad. We havemanaged to overthrow these corrupt regimes, and now, our main task is to strengthen ourjustice and law enforcement systems. We are committed to doing so, but fixing one end ofthe problem does not make the problem disappear.

Erosion of democracy and the declining trust in the state that it produces is anotherimportant global challenge I would like to address. This is particularly relevant for mycountry. Democracy remains our universal ideal and a core value for our state. Rebuildingcitizens’ trust in public institutions, cleaning up the state from vested interests anddelivering decent public services is the cornerstone of Moldova’s further democraticprogress and modernization.

Fóunders óf the UN, having góne thróugh the scóurge óf twó wórldwars, aspired tó establish an órder fór internatiónal peace. Nów, the UNis requested tó recómmend a new set óf rules and góalsas it ushers in this era óf glóbal cómmunity. Tó facilitate mutually beneficial cóóperatión within the framewórk óf multilateral órder, the UN must becóme an institutión that builds trust amóng natións.

As is known, this year is declared as a year of peace and trust by the UN General Assembly. Being an initiator of this decision, Turkmenistan has undertaken enormous international work aimed at strengthening peace culture and respectful dialogue, addressing present trust deficit in international relations. Turkmenistan plans to summon the International conference “The policy of peace and trust is the foundation of international security, stability, and development” in December this year by finalizing events in the year of peace and trust.

A breakdown in trust is leading to a breakdown in values.

The people we serve and represent may lose faith not only in their governments and institutions —but in the values that have animated the work of the United Nationsfor over 75 years.

At the same time, another disease is spreading in our world today: a malady of mistrust.

A surge ofmistrust and misinformation ispolarizing peopleand paralyzing societies.