At UN, the president of Mongolia takes a moment to cheer the world’s horses

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. General Assembly speeches address countless facets of human existence. But on Tuesday, one world leader also made a point of honoring the existence of horses.

“Horses have been integral to human livelihoods, culture and civilizations since time immemorial,” said Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, whose Central Asian nation led the Assembly earlier this year to designate July 11 as World Horse Day. Noting Mongolia’s long history of horse-riding, he thanked Assembly members for supporting the initiative.

The designation is meant to raise awareness of the role that horses have played and still play in the world, from farm work and transportation to equestrian sports and tourism.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, there are over 60 million horses worldwide. Mongolia counts more horses — 3.4 million — than people, who number 3.3 million.

“From the moment of birth, we Mongols have grown up on horseback,” the president told the Assembly.

His shoutout to equines came about two-thirds of the way through a speech that emphasized Mongolia’s contributions to U.N. peacekeeping and other activities. He also addressed water issues and women’s role in politics and peacekeeping, among other issues.