Ladies and gentlemen,
The second principle for preserving this order is as follows: all of us will be judged against the obligations that we have jointly entered into.
Responsibility always begins at home.
Take climate change, for example, which is the biggest challenge of our generation.
We, the industrialised countries and major emitters of greenhouse gases, have a very special responsibility here.
It was with this in mind that we reiterated our intention at the G7 Summit in Germany in June to forge ahead in order to achieve the 1.5 degree target.
Not in spite of the war and the energy crisis, but precisely because climate neutrality also leads to greater energy security.
We stand by our pledges to support emerging economies and developing countries in their efforts to reduce emissions and to adapt to climate change – with new just energy transition partnerships, for example.
And we will not abandon the countries that are struggling the most in the face of loss and damage as a result of climate change.
By the time of the Climate Change Conference in Egypt, therefore, we want to establish a global shield against climate risks.
Our yardstick must be the obligations that we have entered into.
Nowhere does this insight seem more obvious to me than in the protection of human rights.
Because they reflect the deepest need of each and every one of us to live our lives in freedom, unharmed and in dignity.
This lies at the heart of what makes us humans who we are and what we have in common – no matter where we come from, no matter what we believe, no matter who we love.
I tell you this with the history of my country in mind.
Germany, which betrayed all civilised values with the murder of six million Jews, an act that is without parallel, is aware of just how fragile our civilisation is.
And, at the same time, we have an obligation to respect and to defend human rights at all times and in all places.
My country is the second-biggest donor to the UN system and also the second biggest donor of humanitarian assistance.
We have taken in millions of refugees here in Germany in recent years – from the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan and, most recently, from Ukraine.
This is something we are proud of.
But we also have to pay heed and take action where hundreds of thousands are made to endure suffering, tyranny and torture in prison camps or jails – in North Korea, Syria, Iran or Belarus.
We must pay heed and take action when the Taliban deprive women and girls in Afghanistan of their most basic rights.
And we must pay heed and take action when Russia commits war crimes in Mariupol, Bucha and Irpin.
We will bring the murderers to justice.
We are doing everything in our power to support the International Criminal Court and the Independent International Committee of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council.
Bolstering our common institutions – that is what especially those who bear particular responsibility for our order in the world by dint of their strength and their influence should have an interest in.
The former High Commissioner for Human Rights briefed us about the situation of the Uighurs in Xinjiang a few weeks ago. 
China should implement the High Commissioner’s recommendations.
That would be a sign of sovereignty and strength and a guarantee of change for the better.
Ladies and gentlemen,
A third principle must be taken into consideration if we are to preserve the international order.
We must adapt our rules and institutions to the reality of the 21st century.
Far too often, these rules and institutions reflect the world of 30, 50 or 70 years ago.
That also goes for the United Nations Security Council.
Germany has, for many years, been committed to its reform and expansion, first and foremost to include the countries of the Global South.
Germany is also prepared to assume greater responsibility – as a permanent member and initially as a non-permanent seat in 2027/28.
I kindly ask you to support our candidacy – the candidacy of a country that respects the principles of the United Nations and which offers and seeks cooperation.
It is, to my mind, entirely natural that the up and coming, dynamic countries and regions of Asia, Africa and southern America must be given a stronger political voice on the world stage.
That’s in all of our interests as it gives rise to joint responsibility and greater acceptance for our decisions.
Nationalism and isolation will not solve the challenges of our age.
More cooperation, more partnership and more involvement is the only reasonable response, whether for the fight against climate change or global health risks, inflation and disrupted supply chains or our approach to displacement and migration.
I say this with profound conviction.
The insight that openness and cooperation safeguard peace and prosperity has made the past decades the happiest in the history of my country so far.
As this year’s G7 President, it is therefore a key priority for me to promote a new form of cooperation with the countries of the Global South –
cooperation that not only claims to take place on a level playing field, but one on which actors genuinely see eye to eye.
Especially since this level playing field has existed de facto for a long time, if we consider the growing political, economic and demographic clout of Asia, Africa and southern America.
From the outset, we coordinated our objectives very closely with Indonesia as the holder of the G20 Presidency.
We have involved the countries holding the Chairmanship of the African Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in our discussions as the G7, as well as India and South Africa. 
This gave rise to new models of global cooperation, which have one thing in common, namely the fact that they are characterised by joint responsibility and mutual solidarity.
•    We’re fighting the hunger crisis with a new Alliance for Global Food Security, and I would like to invite you all to join this Alliance.
•    We have launched a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in order, together, to mobilise 600 billion dollars for public and private infrastructure investments around the world over the next five years.
In so doing, we’re taking a big step towards implementing the 2030 Agenda.
•    And with a newly emerging Climate Club, we’re pressing ahead with friends and partners worldwide to implement the Paris Agreement even more swiftly and efficiently.
Such approaches are pillars that support our international order.
Because they deliver results from which citizens in all of our countries stand to benefit and which they expect from the United Nations.
“We the peoples” – it’s not for nothing that these are the first three words of our Charter.
Note that these words are not “We the member states” or “We the delegates”.
We have an obligation to our peoples.
We owe them a global order that allows them to live in peace, which protects their rights and opens up opportunities for education, health and development for them.
Such an order doesn’t come about by itself.
Defending, further developing and strengthening it – that is our task as the United Nations.
Germany extends the hand of cooperation to all of you in this endeavour.
Thank you very much.