Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus S.Aleinik at the Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Like-Minded Group for Middle-Income Countries (September 21, 2023, New York)

Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to sincerely thank our host and coordinator, the Kingdom of Morocco, for organizing this event. Our condolences, our thoughts and solidarity are with you, my dear friend Ambassador, and with the people of the Kingdom of Morocco. 

Mr. Chairman, 

I would like to extend appreciation to the distinguished high-level speakers and other panelists for their informative statements and presentations. 

We all want to create in our own societies a sizable middle class. We do so, because we believe that it is the best guarantor of peace, stability, and prosperity of the whole nation. 

The same logic applies to the international context. Indeed, if the number of countries with a stake in the international system rises, the more the system will be inclined to peace, stability, and prosperity. 

States would surely have such a stake, if they rise to the middle-income level, at which they can enjoy more respect and more influence.

That is why the topic of middle-income countries is so important for all of us. 

However, in our turbulent world there are many other seemingly urgent issues like, among others, geopolitical tensions, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change that inexorably push the topic of middle-income countries to the “backyard”. 

To its great credit, our Group has been doing its best to prevent this development.

Middle income countries constitute a very diverse group of states. They face numerous and diverse challenges. 

The mere fact of their diversity indicates that “one-size-fits-all solutions” to their problems are impossible. 

That requires a nuanced approach that would address those MICs’ specificities emanating from their diversity.

The best way to achieve this is through a comprehensive long-term UN strategy for MICs.

Let us recall that MICs is the only major group of countries in the United Nations that lacks such a strategic document.

Let us also recall that the idea of a comprehensive strategy first emerged 15 years ago in the Windhoek Declaration at the international conference on MICs, held in Namibia.

It is high time to implement the idea. Let us reinvigorate our common efforts at the current session to advance the issue.

Thank you.

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