S/PV.8906Resumption1 Security Council

The President (spoke in Spanish): I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than four minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. Flashing lights on the collars of the microphones will prompt speakers to bring their remarks to a close after four minutes. I now give the floor to the representative of Croatia.

Mr. Šimonović (Croatia): We express our gratitude to Mexico for convening this open debate. We thank the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council, the President of the International Court of Justice and the Secretary- General for their briefings (see S/PV.8906). The United Nations provides the only universal framework for finding common solutions to peace and security challenges in order to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. For the purposes of maintaining and sustaining international peace and security, all principal organs should perform and coordinate their preventive activities within their respective mandates. According to the Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. However, in some cases it is unable to prevent conflicts and atrocity crimes due to divisions among its permanent members and the use of veto. Therefore, Croatia welcomes and supports efforts to restrain the veto power in case of atrocity crime threats, including the so-called code of conduct and the French- Mexican initiatives. The General Assembly should utilize its own powers to prevent conflicts and atrocity crimes more effectively and respond to them when they occur, especially when the Security Council fails to do so. It should also use the annual debates on the responsibility to protect to give the opportunity to all Member States to address their concerns. The Economic and Social Council can help to address the root causes of instability, conflicts and atrocity crimes. By helping to reduce inequality within and between States and by furthering the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, it can provide more stability and resilience. The International Court of Justice plays an important role in the peaceful settlement of international disputes and in upholding and promoting the rule of law through its judgments and advisory opinions. Member States, as well as the principal United Nations organs, should therefore seek its very helpful services. Finally, the Secretary-General and the Secretariat should further increase their involvement in conflict prevention and atrocity crimes prevention diplomacy. While conflict prevention diplomacy relies on classical diplomatic efforts, the essence of atrocity crimes prevention diplomacy is to convince people of influence to refrain from committing atrocity crimes and to help prevent them. Those involved in this specific kind of prevention should be impartial, but not neutral; they should always be siding with the victims, no matter who they are and to which side they belong. As previously mentioned, we need to improve the activities of the main United Nations organs aimed at conflict and atrocity crimes prevention and their coordination. However, we should not rely on the main United Nations organs only. The Peacebuilding Commission should further develop its potential to prevent the deterioration of situations in countries at risk, as well as to build peace after the conflict and prevent its relapse. Through the Universal Periodic Review process, its recommendations and their implementation, the Human Rights Council can do more in terms of structural prevention and in making countries more resilient to conflict and atrocity crime risks. Its mechanisms, including special procedures, can provide the Security Council with a timely warning; they should therefore have better access to the Council. Finally, regular meetings of heads of principal United Nations organs as well as the Peacebuilding Commission and Human Rights Council would contribute to better coordinated and more efficient preventive work on the part of the United Nations.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Ecuador.

Mr. Espinosa Cañizares (Ecuador) (spoke in Spanish): As the Council recognized in presidential statement S/PRST/2021/22, which resulted from the fruitful debate of 9 November on exclusion, inequalities and conflicts (see S/PV.8900), there can be no sustainable development without peace or peace without sustainable development. Furthermore, as Kofi Annan put it, there will be no development without security and no security without development, and neither of the two without respect for human rights. Now, when we focus on how to achieve those goals, we must put United Nations system synergies into practice so that efforts include all existing interrelationships. In that regard, I am grateful for the briefings made this morning by the Secretary-General and all the Presidents of the principal organs of the United Nations (see S/PV.8906). Ecuador endorses the sixth paragraph of the presidential statement, in which the Council reaffirms that “sustaining peace requires coherence, sustained engagement, and coordination between the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council, consistent with their mandates as set out in the Charter of the United Nations”. To that I would add the International Court of Justice, especially when we refer to efforts towards the peaceful settlement of disputes, which are part of preventive diplomacy. Synergy between those bodies and the Secretariat is also needed. Here I pause to acknowledge the impetus that Secretary-General António Guterres continues to give to the preventive approach, focusing on the work of the Organization in peace and security. I agree with the approach contained in the report entitled Our Common Agenda, which reminds us that the main promise of the Charter of the United Nations is peace. Preventive diplomacy is vital to the modernization of the United Nations and multilateralism. That brings me to my next point. As a result of the process of revitalizing the work of the General Assembly, Member States have unanimously and by consensus maintained the invitation to the Security Council, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 58/126, to pursue initiatives to improve the quality of its annual report with substantive, analytical and material information. Without implementation, the recommendations, requests and proposals for interaction between the main organs of the system become mere academic exercises and can erode the system or turn it into an empty shell. That is why I acknowledge the efforts of the members of the Council to make progress in the implementation of the existing recommendations. I believe, however, that still more can be achieved. Ecuador highlights and supports the continuation of monthly meetings between the heads of the principal organs and calls for the results of those meetings to be circulated for the information of all delegations. However, the synergy between the principal organs is not limited to the close relationship between their Presidents, but instead implies an ongoing and constructive relationship on the part of all its members, which in the case of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly include the Member States of the Organization. That is why I welcome once again more open and participatory debates like this. For Ecuador, today’s debate is closely related to what was discussed exactly a week ago (see S/PV.8900), and I congratulate Mexico for organizing these debates, as well as for supplementing the Council’s agenda with significant and integrated discussions. The debate on 22 November on small arms and light weapons will present a good opportunity to address the disastrous consequences of illicit arms trafficking and diversion to unauthorized actors. In that context, I wish to announce that my country is deeply shocked by the unprecedented violence that is plaguing our prison system as a product of transnational organized crime and disputes between gangs. Citizen security is our first priority. Our national police and armed forces are making efforts, under the coordination of Government institutions and in full compliance with human rights, to support pacification and prevention efforts. We are grateful for the expressions of solidarity and support received from various countries with which we are willing to work, as well as the United Nations.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Mr. Moncada (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) (spoke in Spanish): The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is honoured to take the floor on behalf of the delegations of Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, the State of Palestine, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Zimbabwe and my own country, all of which are members of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations. We thank the delegation of Mexico for convening this open debate. The Group of Friends considers the Charter of the United Nations to be a milestone and a true act of faith in the best of humankind. It is the code of conduct that has ruled international relations among States for the past 76 years, on the basis of such timeless principles as the self-determination of peoples, the sovereign equality of States, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and refraining from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. Those are all basic norms and principles that, in addition to being the foundation for modern-day international law, remain as relevant today as they were in 1945. In that context, we express our serious concern at the current and growing threats to the Charter of the United Nations, which is the motivation and reason for the very existence of our Group. We refer, among others, to the growing resort to unilateralism, attacks on multilateralism, claims of non-existent exceptionalisms, attempts to ignore and even substitute the purposes and principles contained in the Charter with a new set of so-called rules that have never been discussed in an inclusive or transparent manner, and selective approaches or accommodative interpretations of the provisions of the United Nations Charter. Those practices contribute in no way to addressing, through peaceful means and cooperation, the complex, emerging and common challenges currently faced by humankind. Quite to the contrary, they contribute to an increase in uncertainty, distrust, instability and tensions around the world. The Group of Friends agrees that prevention is at the heart of the United Nations, as reflected in our pledge to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and to that end, both the Security Council and the United Nations as a whole have a responsibility, as envisaged in Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Charter, which provides for the adoption of “effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace”. The pursuit of peace is, indeed, a common aspiration of humankind and a noble ideal that must be a priority for the entire United Nations system and for the international community as a whole. We therefore support efforts in that regard. Nevertheless, we caution against the invocation of the ideals of prevention for interfering in the internal affairs of States or for undermining their sovereignty, their political independence or the right to self-determination of their peoples, including through resort to the use or threat of use of force against their territorial integrity. Such adventuristic approaches not only go against the very letter and spirit of the Charter, but also have the potential to undermine the credibility of the United Nations. In that context, we also underline the primary responsibility of States for preventing conflicts and ensuring the wellbeing and protection of their peoples. It is important to emphasize that prevention must be based on the tools provided by the United Nations Charter, particularly those referred to in Chapter VI on the pacific settlement of disputes. In that regard, we must also understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to each and every situation, and that, if we truly agree on the premise that there is no peace without development and no development without peace, then the root causes and structural drivers of crisis or conflicts must be comprehensively and effectively addressed, in the interest of world peace and stability. Unilateral coercive measures of an economic or financial nature or involving trade, which are not in accordance with international law or the Charter of the United Nations, impede the full achievement of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries, and have a negative impact on the full enjoyment and realization of human rights. In other words, such arbitrary actions and unilateral approaches not only foster the conditions for poverty and inequality but also represent a deliberate attack on the right to development. Interference in the internal and sovereign affairs of States, coupled with the imposition of so- called sanctions, apart from representing a massive violation of human rights and producing great suffering and pain on entire populations, foster the deliberate exacerbation of conflicts and crises. Therefore, all organs of the United Nations, the United Nations system in general and the international community as a whole must unfailingly reject the promulgation and application, in all circumstances and in the interest of prevention, particularly in conflict situations, of those illegal measures. They must call for their complete and immediate termination, mindful of the fact that they have become structural factors and fundamental drivers of contemporary crises. In conclusion, the Group of Friends vows to spare no effort in preserving, promoting and defending the prevalence and validity of the Charter of the United Nations. We reiterate our firm and principled position of support and adherence to its very tenets, which not only are the legally binding and agreed rules by all members of the international community to govern our system of international relations but are also indispensable for fostering international peace and security, the rule of law, economic development and social progress. We must not lose sight of that as we mobilize to redouble our collective efforts to advance our common agenda and ensure that no one is left behind, while delivering on the promise of the Charter that starts with “We the peoples of the United Nations”.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of the Netherlands.

Mr. Zellenrath (Netherlands): The Kingdom of the Netherlands thanks Mexico for organizing this open debate on peace and security though preventive diplomacy, which is certainly an essential objective for all United Nations organs and the Member States. Peace remains elusive in many parts of the world, and the cost of conflict is staggering in terms of human suffering, victims of violence, refugees and people depending on aid. The financial costs of conflict are also unsustainable. A famous study by the World Bank has shown us that investing in prevention can save up to $70 billion per year in costs incurred by conflict. As the Secretary-General mentioned this morning (see S/PV.8906), the United Nations system needs to be able to address the cross-cutting issues of security, climate change, health, development, gender equality and human rights from a prevention perspective, with greater effectiveness and accountability. Allow me to make three points in that regard. First, prevention and sustaining peace requires an integrated and comprehensive approach across the United Nations system, based on coherence among economic, social and cultural activities. For structural prevention across the pillars of the United Nations, we need to address the root causes of conflict and the prevention of large-scale human rights violations, which could potentially lead to violent conflicts. Through the good offices of the Secretary-General, communication and coordination of the principal United Nations organs could be strengthened in that regard. The visibility of interaction and coordination among the principle United Nations organs could also be improved, and we call on all United Nations organs to further utilize the information produced by United Nations bodies and adopt a forward-looking strategy on prevention. That leads me to my second point: the rule of law and strong justice systems. The rule of law is indispensable for upholding peace and security, as well as sustainable development and human rights. As pointed out by the Secretary-General in Our Common Agenda, a new vision of the rule of law is direly needed to rebuild trust among people, communities and the institutions that serve them. Justice is an essential dimension of the social contract, and we remain committed to transforming justice systems to put people and their needs at the centre. The Netherlands is proud to host the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Accountability and the fight against impunity are among the top priorities of Dutch foreign policy. It is crucial for victims to know that, in the end, the most serious crimes will not go unpunished and that justice will prevail, because as we know, there can be no peace without justice, and justice prevents the resurgence of conflict. My third point concerns the role of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). When it comes to prevention, the Kingdom of the Netherlands strongly supports strengthening and expanding the role of the Peacebuilding Commission, as is proposed by the Secretary-General in Our Common Agenda. The PBC brings together crucial actors to discuss prevention and peacebuilding, including United Nations organizations and Member States, regional organizations, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and, crucially, local peacebuilders. Therefore, the PBC is strategically placed to support preventive measures related to climate change, health, gender, equality, development and human rights. Furthermore, the PBC can further enhance Sustainable Development Goal 16. Now is the time to further capitalize on the PBC’s advisory, convening and bridging roles. As the United Nations instrument of first resort to conflict prevention and response, the Peacebuilding Fund has also proven to be an important vehicle to bridge actors at the country level while incentivizing cross-pillar coordination among the principal United Nations organs. In order to enhance coordinated impact on the ground, we need to make sure that there is adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for peacebuilding. That is why the Kingdom of the Netherlands supports the Secretary-General’s call for a dedicated amount to the Peacebuilding Fund from assessed contributions.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland.

Mrs. Baeriswyl (Switzerland) (spoke in French): Switzerland thanks Mexico for convening this important debate. Without inclusion, the puzzle of peace remains incomplete, with many gaps to be filled. The Secretary- General pointed that out last week. Similarly, preventive diplomacy draws its strength from the linkages among the different pillars of the United Nations, namely, peace and security, development and human rights. Strengthening cooperation among all United Nations agencies and bodies is key to better preventing conflict and building more equal and inclusive societies. We have important instruments to prevent crises and maintain peace and security. Let us use them in a systematic and innovative way. Let me illustrate that with three examples. First, to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of solutions to situations of crisis and violent conflict, development and humanitarian actors must work in partnership. Switzerland has made this the guiding topic during our chairmanship of the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group for the period 2020–2021. The humanitarian affairs segment of the Economic and Social Council has identified increased collaboration among humanitarian, development and peace actors in addressing food insecurity. That will not only save lives in the short term, but also reduce vulnerabilities and prevent the re-emergence of needs in the future. A joint approach should be applied in specific contexts, such as Afghanistan, to address the dramatic increase in food insecurity. Secondly, respect for human rights helps to prevent conflict and promote sustainable peace. The new agenda for peace outlined by the Secretary-General in Our Common Agenda makes reference to that. Switzerland is working to anchor human rights more systematically in peace and security efforts, for example through the Human Rights and Conflict Prevention Caucus, a cross- regional group we chair together with Germany. Digital cooperation can strengthen predictive analysis of root causes of conflict, including human rights violations. The flow of information between New York and Geneva, including between the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, should be continuously strengthened. Thirdly, coherent action by the United Nations, its Member States and partners must build on national priorities and strengthen local initiatives. The Peacebuilding Commission helps to strengthen the participation of women working for peace, civil society and youth. An expanded role for the Commission could strengthen coherence within the United Nations system to unlock its prevention potential. We encourage the Commission to fully assume, according to its mandate, its role as a bridge-builder and to engage with all entities that contribute to sustaining peace, including the Human Rights Council and regional organizations. The peace puzzle will never be complete without the central role of the Security Council. A lack of unity will lead to more suffering, lost lives and missed opportunities for a better future. By speaking with one voice, the Council can strengthen the common political will to respond to the warning signs of violence and armed conflict. As a candidate for the Security Council and a member of the Peacebuilding Commission, my country remains committed to prevention, early warning and synergies between United Nations bodies.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Slovakia.

Mr. Mlynár (Slovakia): I would like to thank the Mexican presidency for organizing this important debate on such a timely issue. The Charter of the United Nations establishes, among others, that one of its purposes is to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of common ends. That means that the purposes of the United Nations established in the Charter will be achieved only through real harmonization, cooperation and mutually reinforcing collaboration among its organs and, through them, with the rest of the system. In that sense, the issue of the maintenance of international peace and security through preventive diplomacy has to be at the heart of the work of all the principal organs, within their respective mandates. Slovakia attaches great importance to a comprehensive approach to sustaining peace, particularly through the prevention of conflict and addressing its root causes, national reconciliation and unity, including through inclusive dialogue and mediation, gender equality, and respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. I would like to seize the opportunity to once again stress the importance that we place on the principle of rule of law, which we consider to be the heart of the international order. Emphasizing the impact of the rule of law on safeguarding stable democracy and domestic peace and fostering social development, we would like to encourage all Member States to intensify their efforts to uphold this basic principle of governance, which is a prerequisite for tackling the root causes of conflicts. Furthermore, the success of the Security Council in fulfilling its responsibility relies, to a great degree not only on the success of the General Assembly, but also on that of other bodies, such as the International Court of Justice. The work of the International Court of Justice and the efforts of the Secretary-General in adjudicating disputes among States are just a few of the essential components for the prevention of conflicts and, therefore, for the maintenance of international peace and security. Slovakia believes that the International Court of Justice fulfils that role not only through its function of adjudication of international disputes but, far more often, disputes that are an element of the routine interaction of international relations. The connectivity of the broader United Nations system is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the United Nations needs to be able to address cross- cutting issues from a prevention perspective with greater effectiveness and accountability. Sustainable Development Goal 16 in particular is at the centre of our attention. Allow me to conclude by also focusing on the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the coordinated and horizontal cooperation between the Security Council and the PBC, an intergovernmental advisory body that supports peace efforts. The two can respond as an integrated unit to the challenges that are currently threatening international peace and security. Slovakia has proudly served these past two years as a member of the PBC and this year also as a Vice-Chair, and we have dedicated a great deal of effort to promoting people’s participation and a partnership approach. We have also focused a great deal of attention on security sector reform, which is one of the key elements for effective conflict prevention and successful post-conflict rebuilding and stabilization. Direct experience clearly shows that a nationally led, gender-sensitive and inclusive security sector reform process can progressively deal with the root causes of insecurity and fragility and create an enabling environment for sustainable development and peace to take place. Today we even have empirical data that shows a direct link between security sector reform efforts and the prevention of conflict.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Nepal.

Mr. Rai (Nepal): At the outset, I would like to thank the Mexican presidency for organizing this open debate on peace and security through preventive diplomacy. I also thank the briefers who spoke this morning (S/PV.8906). The maintenance of international peace and security lies at the core of the Charter of the United Nations. To that end, all the principal organs and machinery of the United Nations system must work in a synchronized and coordinated manner. Peace can be sustained only when its root causes are addressed. In most cases, the root causes of conflict include systematic discrimination and inequalities, poverty, deprivation of freedom, denial of human rights and justice and lack of rule of law, among others. Addressing those root causes not only averts potential conflicts but also enables us to achieve sustainable peace and development. In that context, I would like to highlight the following points for impactful preventive diplomacy. The General Assembly should provide a normative framework and adequate resources for preventive diplomacy and hold meaningful interactions with the Security Council, with a view to coordinating sustainable preventive and peacebuilding strategies. The Security Council should assess and examine the evolving cases to address situations on time before they escalate into armed conflict. Similarly, the Economic and Social Council should continue to work closely with both the General Assembly and the Security Council for better coordination to ensure the effective implementation of sustainable development. The role of the International Court of Justice in promoting the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means is highly valued. The advisory legal opinion of the Court should be utilized. We should fully utilize the good offices of the Secretary-General to promote preventive diplomacy. My delegation acknowledges the role of the Secretary- General and his representatives in mediation, facilitation and dialogues to prevent conflict and secure peace. We emphasize greater coherence and coordination within the United Nations systems and its agencies, including the Peacebuilding Commission and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. As one of the largest troop- and police-contributing countries, Nepal has been supportive of the integration of peacebuilding components into peacekeeping operations from the very beginning and at every stage. The Bretton Woods institutions and regional organizations could also play a significant role in addressing the root causes of conflicts, which are prerequisites of preventive diplomacy. Collaboration with those organizations should be further enhanced. In conclusion, strategies for preventive action should be as comprehensive as the root causes of conflicts are complex. We need the sustained political will of the Member States to advance preventive diplomacy for sustainable peace and development. Reinvigorating the close cooperation among Member States, United Nations principal organs, United Nations agencies, international financial institutions and regional organizations are critical for the maintenance of international peace and security through preventive diplomacy.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Malaysia.

Mr. Aidid (Malaysia): Let me start by thanking Mexico for convening this open debate. I would also like to thank all the heads of the principal organs for sharing their insights on this important topic (see S/PV.8906). Despite the appeal for a global ceasefire, we continue to witness protracted conflicts and the emergence of new conflicts across the continents. We are all familiar with the devastating impacts of armed conflict, especially the enormity of human suffering. Last year, we committed ourselves to promoting peace and preventing conflict as we commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Organization. Today’s debate is therefore an important reaffirmation of our collective resolve to strengthen cooperation and synergy towards the cohesive prevention, management and resolution of conflict. Malaysia wishes to briefly share four points on the subject before us. First, with respect to the relationship between the General Assembly and the Security Council, as the Security Council acts on behalf of the General Assembly, we underscore the importance of greater coordination and transparency between the Council and the General Assembly, including with the latter’s subsidiary organs, such as the Disarmament Commission, the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council. We also stress the importance of ensuring the full implementation of Security Council resolutions by all members of the General Assembly. Accountability is pivotal in ensuring justice and reconciliation and in preventing future conflict. Secondly, with respect to the relationship between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. On that premise, my delegation believes that the Economic and Social Council could play an imperative role in supporting peace efforts and in preventing conflict. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides the path to address the root causes of and relapse into conflict. Its implementation could reduce or eliminate vulnerability, fragility and inequality, which could subsequently prevent conflict. In that context, the partnership between special political missions mandated by the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council is critical to realizing a comprehensive approach that links security with social and economic development in building lasting peace. We also encourage the Council to make greater use of Article 65 of the Charter of the United Nations, which provides that the Economic and Social Council may furnish information to the Council and shall assist it upon its request. Thirdly, on the relationship between the Security Council and the International Court of Justice, Malaysia remains convinced that deliberations on contentious political and security issues can be more effective when they are reinforced by authoritative legal opinions. We therefore urge the Security Council to seriously consider Article 96 of the Charter and to make greater use of the Court as a source of advisory opinions and of interpretation of relevant norms of international law, particularly with regard to long-standing issues that affect international peace and security. Fourthly, on the relationship between the Security Council and the Secretariat, we urge the latter to use all of the tools within its mandate to ensure the full implementation of resolutions concerning peace and security, including by undertaking investigations and using mediation. In that regard, we also call for it to make greater use of the country teams and the regional offices. We also encourage the Secretary-General to appropriately invoke Article 99 of the Charter, which empowers him to bring to the attention of the Council any matter that in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security. Revitalizing and strengthening the interaction and coordination among the principal organs is essential to safeguarding international peace and security. We hope that further improvement can be undertaken collectively to rally the entire United Nations system and all partners around the common cause of peace, as we build stronger towards a new agenda for peace.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Egypt.

Mr. Mahmoud (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to congratulate Mexico on assuming the presidency of the Security Council and for convening this important debate on preventive diplomacy. I also wish to thank the heads of the principal organs of the United Nations for their extensive briefings. Egypt believes that the best way to achieve peace and stability in the world consists both in addressing the root causes of issues that threaten peace and security and preventing conflicts and crises from happening in the first place. That is done in particular by using preventive diplomacy to settle disputes that may arise within or among countries and preventing disputes from escalating into conflicts. We also value the important roles of the principal organs of the United Nations in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention in accordance with their respective mandates and competencies. The establishment in 2005 of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), which Egypt currently has the honour to chair, was an important addition to the tools and efforts at the disposal of the United Nations to achieve sustainable peace in situations of conflict. The expansion of the role and scope of the Commission’s work, along with the increase in requests for support that it has received from Member States over the past decade and half, demonstrates its important contribution to supporting peace worldwide and averting relapses into conflict. In that context, I would like to share five points. First, we reaffirm the importance of investing in preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention efforts, as emphasized by the Secretary-General in his report entitled Our Common Agenda. Investing in the prevention of conflict is a smart, low-cost and high- yield investment. It must also respect the national sovereignty and ownership of the parties concerned. Secondly, we stress the importance of the concerted efforts and coordination of the principal organs of the United Nations to ensure that they work in harmony and complementarily to prevent outbreaks of conflict, in accordance with their respective mandates. The principal organs can use the PBC as a forum to build bridges among each another on the issues the Commission is considering. The PBC currently holds interactive dialogues and joint meetings separately, each with the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. However, holding an annual meeting collectively among all the principal organs and the PBC with a view to strengthening coordination is an idea that could be worth considering. Thirdly, we call on the Security Council to continue to benefit from the advisory role of the Peacebuilding Commission in order to prevent conflict and build peace in many countries and regions. The Commission also provides a forum for the exchange of expertise and lessons learned. Fourthly, we must enhance partnerships in conflict prevention efforts among the United Nations, regional and subregional organizations and international financial institutions in a complementary manner that leverages the comparative advantages of each organization. Therefore, we would suggest that those partnerships include joint analyses of the root causes of conflict in order to foster solutions based on common understanding and sharing roles and burdens. Fifthly, we stress the importance of maintaining peacebuilding gains in countries that are emerging from conflict. We must also provide United Nations teams in the field with the resources they require to support building national institutions and capacities and providing basic services to citizens. Egypt reiterates its belief in the priority of preventing conflicts and crises through preventive diplomacy. In compliance with its obligations to the United Nations, Egypt has resorted to the Charter under Chapter Vi, Article 35, on the pacific settlement of disputes, to bring to the attention of the Council the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. That issue constitutes a threat to regional peace and security due to its direct impact on the lives of 150 million people in Egypt and the Sudan, the two downstream countries, as a result of the Ethiopian unilateral course in the construction of a giant dam on the Nile River without reaching an agreement on filling and operating the dam, or informing the downstream countries of the studies on security and safety, or completing studies of the cross-border environmental, economic and social impacts of this huge project In that regard, we welcome the fact that the Security Council shouldered its responsibilities in its adoption of presidential statement S/PRST/2021/18, which encourages the parties to resume negotiations to finalize an acceptable and binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam within a reasonable time frame. Egypt has accepted its obligations under presidential statement S/PRST/2021/18. We expect the Ethiopian side to adopt a constructive approach and abide by the relevant Security Council directives, instead of continuing its procrastination and intransigence, as we have noticed a negative attitude from the Ethiopian side towards the Security Council statement. In conclusion, I thank you again, Mr. President, for convening this important debate, to which I wish every success.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Bangladesh.

Mr. Hossain (Bangladesh): I thank Mexico for organizing yet another thought-provoking open debate during its presidency. I also thank the heads of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice for their remarks. The idea behind establishing the United Nations was based on preventive diplomacy. That concept is well recognized in the Charter of the United Nations. While the Security Council is specifically entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, it is the collective responsibility of the United Nations to avert threats to peace. The other principal organs, namely, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, take a broader view to preventing conflict by taking actions that address the underlying causes of conflict, such as socioeconomic inequality, discrimination and weak governance. Carrying out such structural preventive measures requires the coherent and coordinated performance of all organs of the United Nations in an integrated manner. Over the years, the United Nations approach to peace has shifted from a reaction-based approach to one of prevention. Successive Secretaries-General have made valuable contributions in articulating that concept. Addressing the drivers of conflict lies at the heart of such an approach. The world today faces many challenges to international peace and security. Various new and emerging challenges — such as climate change, poverty and inequality, terrorism and violent extremism and human displacement — have also added new dimensions to traditional global threats. In such a complex scenario, the importance of preventive diplomacy, which would place all United Nations organs under a single umbrella, cannot be overemphasized. Bangladesh has always supported the United Nations focus on prevention for ending and resolving conflicts, including by leveraging the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthening the rule of law at the global level and bolstering the authority of the General Assembly. Operationalizing the concept of One United Nations requires coherence, coordination and complementarity among the principal organs, including the governing bodies of United Nations entities. In that regard, close and seamless communication in a horizontal manner among the key organs is essential. Allow me to share some ideas in that regard. First, the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is uniquely positioned to support the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council through its advisory and bridging role in the sustaining peace agenda. We would like to see enhanced communication between the PBC and the Security Council with regard to addressing multidimensional security challenges. Secondly, as the principal entity responsible for enforcing the decisions of the International Court of Justice, the Security Council needs to fulfil its role in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner, including by supporting monitoring mechanisms where they exist. It is equally important for there to be more interactions between the Court and the other organs, with a particular focus on implementing the decisions of the Court. Thirdly, the Organization’s presence in the field, through its administration of funds and programmes, can provide critical input regarding emerging challenges and threats, as well as recommendations for their early settlement. We welcome the briefings that the representatives of those funds and programmes deliver to the Peacebuilding Commission and the Council. Fourthly, the United Nations needs to increase the visibility of its principal organs vis-à-vis the global community in order to demonstrate their joint cooperation and coordination on the prevention of conflict. A useful way to show that would be for the Presidents of the Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Council to organize joint media stakeouts on a quarterly basis. Finally, the Secretary-General’s recent report Our Common Agenda calls for the reform of the three principal organs to make the Security Council more representative, revitalize the work of the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and Social Council with a view to enabling the Organization to address from a prevention perspective the cross-cutting issues of security, climate change, health, development, gender equality and human rights. We look forward to implementing those important recommendations through an inclusive and participatory process.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Turkey.

Mrs. Kocyigit Grba (Turkey): I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council and the President of the International Court of Justice, for their informative briefings. We welcome the Security Council’s increased focus on prevention at a time when our world faces unprecedentedly complex challenges. Strong and effective multilateralism based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations is a prerequisite for security, stability, peace and prosperity. Preventive diplomacy plays a particularly crucial role in fostering dialogue and trust and managing security challenges. We must remember that multilateralism is more than a mere concept. The actions of Member States determine its fate. When we succeed at multilateralism, it is often hard-earned; when we fail at multilateralism, we all fail together. Therefore, as we reflect on the unacceptable levels of human suffering in the world while we carry out our discussions today, we must acknowledge the simple fact that we, the Member States, have the power to mobilize all the principal organs to uphold our duties under the Charter of the United Nations. The Charter confers the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security to the Security Council. The General Assembly, as the most representative and deliberative policymaking body, is tasked to reflect the aspirations of the people we serve. The Security Council has on many occasions been divided and unable to fulfil its responsibilities. It is impossible to deny that the gap between the Council’s responsibilities and its performance continues to grow. The Council’s shortcomings can often be attributed to the differences that exist between its members, in particular its permanent members. The reform of the Security Council is therefore an issue that requires serious attention. As we begin a new round of negotiations, we can work together to strengthen this organ. We firmly believe that a more representative, accountable and transparent Council would reinforce global solidarity and cooperation at this critical juncture. Moreover, we trust that the Council and the membership at large will work to strengthen the implementation of the Charter to formulate rules and processes that expedite justice for those who violate the rule of law. The lack of accountability for serious crimes signifies our collective failure to mobilize all the mechanisms and tools of the multilateral system available to prevent violations from occurring and recurring. The maintenance of peace and security is the primary raison d’être of the United Nations, and the General Assembly has a critical role to play in that regard. Let us not forget that, when the Security Council fails to fulfil its responsibility, the General Assembly serves as a critical backstop for the maintenance of peace and security. The relationship between the two organs is therefore an important element of preventive diplomacy. In that context, we expect the Security Council to work closely with the General Assembly to advance peace and security without encroaching on their respective mandates. That would not only enhance the accountability and transparency of the Council but would also promote greater cohesion throughout the system. After all, members of the Council are first and foremost members of the General Assembly, and non-permanent members are elected by, and accountable to, the General Assembly. Neither the Council nor the Assembly can achieve results it we neglect the symbiotic relationship between the two organs. My region has borne witness to the Security Council’s failure to effectively prevent conflict, which has led to some of the worst humanitarian tragedies in the history of the Organization. The Security Council’s inability to take preventive action has led to the outbreak of protracted conflicts, which leave Member States with little option but to safeguard their security through national measures. The internal dynamics and decisions of the Council have reduced the role of the United Nations to one of intervention during conflict resolution, after the damage has already been done. If we are to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, the Council must focus more on preventive diplomacy and mediation in order to address the root causes of conflict. Conflicts do not emerge out of nowhere; neither do they evolve in a vacuum. Mediation is an important tool throughout different phases of the peace continuum. Timely interventions to mediate among parties can avert hostilities. To put it simply: preventive diplomacy can save lives. The coronavirus disease pandemic has taught us that multilateral action in an increasingly complex environment requires innovation, flexibility and greater cooperation between nations. Parallel threats caused by conflict, as well as deepening inequalities resulting from climate change, famine and technological developments, are now combined with non-conventional security risks. In that context, we welcome the Secretary-General’s efforts vis-à-vis Our Common Agenda. It is clear that the traditional approaches will not suffice. We call on all the organs of the United Nations to work together to protect the people we serve and, in doing so, enhance our collective security. I assure you, Mr. President, that Turkey will continue championing multilateralism and upholding the Charter.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Liechtenstein.

Mr. Wenaweser (Liechtenstein): Liechtenstein firmly agrees that the Security Council must work in concert with the principal organs of the United Nations in order to be effective in its efforts towards preventive diplomacy. While the Council has the primary responsibility for upholding peace and security, the task of sustaining peace must be an effort carried out the three pillars of the United Nations system. We appreciate in particular, Mr. President, that you highlighted in your concept note (S/2021/888, annex) the role of the International Court of Justice. By adjudicating disputes between States and upholding the rule of law at the international level, the Court provides an essential platform for the maintenance of international peace and security through the peaceful settlement of disputes. Unfortunately, we know from recent experience that the Council is not always able to uphold the mandate given to it by the Charter in Article 1. Political disagreement concerning the fundamentals runs deep, and the blocking power of the veto often looms large. Where the Council is unable to carry out its tasks, other bodies must be able to backstop its efforts. To that end, along with the representative of Turkey, we support a strong and active role by the General Assembly as the central deliberative and decision-making organ of the United Nations and the guardian of international law. In recent years, the Assembly has demonstrated in a number of instances, most notably in connection with the situations in Myanmar and the Syrian Arab Republic, that, where the Council cannot fulfil its role, the Assembly is indeed capable of stepping in. Liechtenstein will continue to pursue initiatives aimed at underscoring the General Assembly’s role in upholding peace and security, including the possibility of mandating a debate every time a veto is cast in the Security Council, without prejudice to the outcome of such a debate. We also reiterate the importance of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group code of conduct, whose signatories commit to taking measures to end and prevent atrocity crimes when serving on the Council and undertake to not vote against credible draft resolutions put forward to that effect. The ACT code of conduct has been signed by 122 States, including 10 Council members, a majority in any procedural decision. We encourage members to change the political culture in the Council when faced with the risk of occurrence of atrocity crimes. Liechtenstein encourages the Council to make sure its work with the other principal organs of the United Nations to ensure conflict prevention is inextricably linked to a human security perspective. That is put forward both in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Secretary-General’s recent report Our Common Agenda, in which the insecurity of individuals is seen as relevant to the Council’s mandate. Taking on such a perspective would also help the Council to prevent the kinds of conflict situations already on its agenda. For example, the Council could focus on the potential effects of climate change before it brings farmers and herders into conflict. A human security perspective would be a much broader lens through which the Council could view its mandate. Climate change, corruption, small arms, pandemics and human rights violations would all become relevant as and when they affect the security of individuals. Obviously, the Council cannot be expected to take on such a task alone. That is why working together with the other principal organs of the United Nations is so important. Other relevant bodies could also be key partners in that regard. For example, the Council should deepen its coordination with the United Nations human rights bodies in Geneva. Human rights violations not only manifest themselves in armed conflict, but they are also frequently the root and proximate causes of situations on the Council’s agenda. In particular, the Council should hear from the High Commissioner for Human Rights whenever applicable. We also highlight the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund, which together play an indispensable role in the work of implementing many of the thematic agendas outlined by the Council and can also provide an essential bridging function in situations where peacekeeping operations are discontinued or scaled down. We hope to see that valuable collaboration increase in breadth and scope, notably in the area of transitional justice and on the climate-security nexus. It would strengthen the United Nations ability to carry out effective preventive diplomacy.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Belgium.

Mr. Kridelka (Belgium) (spoke in French): I want to thank you, Mr. President, and your country, Mexico, for giving me this opportunity to speak on the theme of today’s debate, given that conflict prevention was one of the most important priorities for Belgium during our recent Security Council presidency. I would like to focus on three points today. First, I wish to underscore the importance of combating impunity, in particular through transitional justice, which can make a powerful contribution to conflict prevention and peacekeeping. Establishing accountability for human rights violations and the most serious crimes is crucial. That means restoring people’s confidence in inclusive institutions and, in turn, achieving sustainable peace. Transitional justice is also a priority for the African Union. (spoke in English) During our time on the Council, Belgium tried, together with our South African friends, to bring about the adoption of a draft resolution on transitional justice. Transitional justice is one of the major lessons that Africa has taught the rest of the world. There was a very interesting policy document from the African Union in 2019. We worked very hard with South Africa but, unfortunately, the political context prevented us from adopting the draft resolution. (spoke in French) The Security Council should play a greater role in the area of preventive diplomacy. The entire system of the United Nations, including its peacekeeping operations, special political missions and country teams, should all unite around a comprehensive and common strategy. Transitional justice must be adapted to local contexts, victim-centred, human rights-based and gender-sensitive. It is important for the Organization to speak with one voice on transitional justice in order to help States to build their capacity, reform their public institutions and, in turn, strengthen the rule of law. Secondly, Belgium encourages cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including through an ongoing dialogue between the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Security Council. Regional organizations such as the European Union can contribute to preventive diplomacy by engaging in joint context analyses and information exchange mechanisms. We support the initiatives outlined by the Secretary-General in his Action for Peacekeeping framework, which aims to foster coherent cooperation between different actors within the same context. Thirdly, we need to strengthen the early-warning mechanism, in particular through the exchange of information between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), in accordance with their respective mandates. The Commission should fully exercise its advisory role by providing short, focused, specific and actionable recommendations. We encourage dialogue among the PBC and regional organizations, international financial institutions and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. We also welcome the Commission’s adequate inclusion in its discussions of local and civil society actors, including women’s rights organizations and young people’s groups. The Secretary-General has called for predictable, flexible and long-term funding for the Peacebuilding Fund, including in his report Our Common Agenda. Belgium supports the Secretary-General’s call in that regard. Ms. Sophie Wilmès, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, recently agreed to allocate an additional €2 million to the Peacebuilding Fund, bringing our total contributions to the Fund since it was created to $10.5 million. That contribution is testament to the importance that Belgium accords to that instrument, especially in the area of prevention.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Qatar.

Ms. Al-Thani (Qatar) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, we would like to commend you, Mr. President, for inviting the heads of the principal organs of the United Nations to discuss preventive diplomacy, a matter of great importance to all of the organs and a crucial element of the Charter of the United Nations. I thank you as well, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. I would also like to thank the Secretary- General, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council and the President of the International Court of Justice for their presence today in the Security Council and for their informative briefings. Combining preventive diplomacy efforts and acting early to address the root causes of conflict is the most efficient way to achieve lasting peace and avoid the terrible consequences of conflict and its long-term impact on peoples and States. Ensuring the primacy of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, friendly relations, the non-use or threat of use of force, respect for the sovereignty and independence of States and refraining from intervention in their internal affairs all constitute essential elements in conflict prevention. Given the extent to which peace and security are inherently linked to the development of rights, human rights and the rule of law, it should always be a priority to do everything possible to achieve these foundations, on which the United Nations was built, and to avoid risk factors such as poverty, injustice, exclusion, inequality and discrimination at different levels. It is imperative that preventive diplomacy efforts keep pace in a holistic manner with the evolution, diversity and complexity of the factors leading to conflicts. Here, we see the importance of the complementarity of the mandates of the main United Nations organs and the need for effective communication and cooperation among them to ensure that the Organization’s efforts encompass the various aspects of conflict prevention. This is one of the purposes of the United Nations Charter. We agree that the maintenance of international peace and security through preventive diplomacy is at the heart of the work of all the principal organs of the United Nations, each according to its mandate. Accordingly, it is encouraging to note the increased interest in this necessary coordination, which is embodied in several instances, such as the Peacebuilding Commission. Qatar attaches high priority in its foreign policy to the principle of consolidating international peace and security by encouraging the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and has adopted this approach as an integral part of the country’s permanent constitution. On this basis, preventive diplomacy and mediation in settling disputes have become hallmarks of Qatari diplomacy. The State of Qatar has become one of the most active countries at the regional and international levels in providing the groundwork for mediation and the prevention of conflicts and their escalation. In this context, the State of Qatar has made intense diplomatic efforts and hosted many peace talks to settle differences and disputes, which have resulted in multiple tangible achievements. Among the most prominent of those in recent times are the Qatari mediation efforts in Afghanistan, which facilitated an agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan in February 2020 is still continuing in the current circumstances. Prior to that, the mediation efforts of the State of Qatar and its preventive diplomacy in situations of conflict and tensions in many regional files were praised internationally, including by the Security Council, and it was able to achieve constructive agreements, such as the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. Recognizing the close link between sustainable peace and development, the realization of human rights, the empowerment of women and the rule of law, the State of Qatar’s mediation efforts have been accompanied by intensive humanitarian and development efforts in order to strengthen the appropriate groundwork for establishing and sustaining peace. In this context, the State of Qatar has been providing relief support in the Gaza Strip to meet emergency and development needs and to develop infrastructure, amounting to more than $1 billion, in order to improve deteriorating living conditions and thereby contribute to creating conditions conducive to peace. Qatar is also making significant efforts aimed at addressing the humanitarian and economic difficulties that Afghanistan is currently facing in order to help put that country on the path of peace, security and stability. In conclusion, the State of Qatar, while stressing the importance of preventive diplomacy remaining an essential element in the efforts of all the principal organs of the United Nations, will work as a State Member of the Organization to strengthen that principle in the framework of the work of these major organs, as it is a fundamental and influential principle in implementing the purposes of the United Nations to maintain peace and security and spare the peoples of the world the scourge of conflicts

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Argentina.

Ms. Squeff (Argentina) (spoke in Spanish): First of all, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, and the delegation of Mexico for convening this important open debate. The term “preventive diplomacy” was first coined by former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. Since then, the good offices of successive Secretaries-General have contributed to the peaceful resolution of different types of conflicts, such as international conflicts, internal conflicts, electoral disputes or border disputes. The timely intervention of Secretaries-General has been in many cases the main way to prevent the escalation of conflicts and to defuse existing conflicts. The nature of conflict and violence has changed substantially since the United Nations was established more than 75 years ago. While the number of wars between States has decreased dramatically since 1946, at the same time, intra-State conflict and violence continues to increase. The vast majority of conflicts today are internal in nature, fought between non-State actors of different kinds, such as political factions, terrorist groups or organized crime groups. Regional tensions, the breakdown of the rule of law, absent or co-opted State institutions, illicit economic gains and resource scarcity aggravated by climate change have become the main drivers of conflict. In addition, there are new threats to international peace and security emerging that are difficult to address in a traditional manner, such as transnational criminal networks, the evolution of weapons technology and the use of cyberspace for nefarious purposes. Against that backdrop characterized by constantly evolving conflicts, preventive diplomacy has had to adapt and reinvent itself. Preventive diplomacy today is conducted by a wider range of actors who use a wider range of tools. In the context of the United Nations, the preventive diplomacy actions that were traditionally carried out by the Secretary-General now depend on dialogue among the principal organs, which enables crises and conflicts to be addressed from different angles and in a cooperative manner. The Charter of the United Nations makes it clear that conflict prevention is a fundamental responsibility of the Security Council and the United Nations system as a whole. The Security Council has a crucial role to play in supporting preventive diplomacy. Indeed, in recent years, the Council has increased its engagement and flexibility to address emerging threats before they escalate and are included on the formal agenda of the Council. Through its actions, the Council can send important signals that can help to ease violence and open a channel for dialogue between warring parties, facilitating, for example, the work of the Secretary-General or that of his Special Envoys in good offices missions. While the Security Council has generally focused on operational prevention, the other principal organs of the United Nations have pursued a broader approach to conflict prevention by focusing on long-term structural prevention, such as building resilience by adopting measures to address the underlying causes of conflict, such as hunger and poverty, lack of employment opportunities, discrimination or lack of inclusive policies. In that context, I wish to highlight the role of the Economic and Social Council in the structural prevention of conflicts. There are two initiatives that have worked successfully to date that we can mention as concrete examples, namely, the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, of which my country is a member, and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa. In accordance with Articles 10 and 11 of the Charter, the General Assembly has broad authority to consider conflict prevention in all its aspects, develop recommendations and bring to the attention of the Security Council situations that may endanger international peace and security. The Assembly thereby also plays a central role in the preventive diplomacy architecture. Through its normative capacity and deliberative functions, the General Assembly contributes to creating an environment conducive to conflict prevention. Operational and structural prevention actions are interdependent and complementary. That is why preventive diplomacy cannot take place without involving all the elements of the United Nations system. In particular, we would like to highlight the role that the Peacebuilding Commission has played in that regard. The Commission, which is an intergovernmental advisory body of the Security Council and the General Assembly, ensures sustained attention is given to those countries emerging from conflict, including in their reconstruction and institution-building efforts vital for post-conflict recovery. Those peacebuilding tasks are crucial to prevent a relapse into violence, hence why the Commission’s mandate is central to the preventive system. The United Nations is the entity that is best equipped and prepared to carry out preventive diplomacy as it has the necessary bodies and mandates to address all dimensions of conflict in an interdisciplinary manner. It is up to us to make it effective.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Germany.

Mr. Sautter (Germany): I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Mexico for this important initiative. Prevention should be at the core of our common efforts for the maintenance of international peace and security. Conflict prevention requires a whole-of- United Nations approach. At the same time, it is up to all of us, as Member States, to support the United Nations in fostering conflict prevention. Diplomacy, mediation, the promotion of human rights, social inclusion and respect for the rule of law are all critical to prevent disputes from evolving into conflicts. Conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding efforts build a continuum and should not be considered in isolation, yet too often that continues to be the case, including within the Council. Today’s open debate offers a good opportunity to recall a key instrument that helps foster coordination, namely the Peacebuilding Commission and its mandate to “serve a bridging role among the principal organs and relevant entities of the United Nations”. I share the Secretary-General’s conviction that the Peacebuilding Commission has the potential to mobilize the entire United Nations system for conflict prevention and sustaining peace. To maximize its impact, the Commission needs to freely interact and coordinate with all relevant United Nations bodies. It must be in a position to brief United Nations bodies on its work, as intended in the twin resolutions (resolution 2558 (2020) and General Assembly resolution 75/201). While the Commission’s interconnectedness with the Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council has continuously increased, other relevant United Nations bodies are yet to be involved. Both the Security Council and the General Assembly rightly commended the Peacebuilding Commission’s activities in 2016 by stating that “security, development and human rights are closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing” (resolution 2282 (2016), para. 4 (b)). I would like to highlight the centrality of human rights in conflict prevention. Respect for human rights is essential to building resilient and inclusive societies and to protecting all of its different segments, including the most vulnerable groups. Systematic violations of human rights, on the other hand, often serve as precursors of violent conflict. Germany, together with Switzerland, is co-chairing the Human Rights and Conflict Prevention Caucus in New York. That cross-regional group is dedicated to strengthening collaboration between all three pillars of the United Nations. We also put a clear focus on strengthening human rights and conflict prevention during our term on the Security Council in 2019 and 2020, including by inviting the High Commissioner for Human Rights to brief the Security Council. Our common goal should be to make expertise available to all United Nations actors in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Therefore, Germany advocates dialogue and exchange between all three United Nations pillars, including by providing the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission with the opportunity to brief the Human Rights Council. Let me conclude by stating that Germany’s commitment to preventive diplomacy and conflict prevention is unwavering. Both lie at the heart of the United Nations and both require comprehensive action by the entire United Nations system.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Azerbaijan.

Mr. Aliyev (Azerbaijan): I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. At the outset, we would like to congratulate Mexico on its assumption of the presidency in the Security Council for the month of November. We would also like to express our gratitude to the delegation of Mexico for having convened this open debate and for submitting the concept note on the topic (see S/2021/888, annex). We thank the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council, the President of the International Court of Justice and the Secretary-General for their briefings. Promoting and sustaining international peace is a key issue for the Non-Aligned Movement. The Movement and its member States have historically opposed war and supported peace. At the eighteenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Baku in October 2019, the Heads of State and Government of member States reaffirmed the validity of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles and norms of international law as indispensable to preserving and promoting peace and security, the rule of law, economic development, social progress and all human rights for all. The faithful observance of the principles of international law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among States and the fulfilment in good faith of the obligations assumed by States, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, are of the greatest importance for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Non-Aligned Movement is committed to supporting and promoting the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles and norms of international law, including those relating to the territorial integrity of States and the inviolability of their international borders, the inadmissibility of the use of force, non-interference in the internal affairs of States and the right to self-determination of peoples under foreign occupation and colonial or alien domination. The Movement denounces and demands the repeal of unilateral coercive measures against Member States that are not authorized by the Security Council in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations or are inconsistent with the principles of international law or the Charter, given their extraterritorial implications and illegal character and as they violate human rights and prevent the full economic and social development of the peoples subjected to them. Multiple, complex and newly emerging threats and challenges to international peace and security necessitate the renewal of our collective commitment to the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the Charter of the United Nations and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Preserving and strengthening those values is fundamental to promoting and supporting the three pillars of the United Nations, namely, peace and security, development and human rights. The Movement reiterates its grave concern at the increased and continued encroachment by the Security Council on issues that clearly fall within the functions and powers of other principal organs of the United Nations and their subsidiary bodies. In that sense, the Movement recalls that the principal organs of the United Nations have distinct and separate roles, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirms that they have to carry out only those functions and powers that are established in their respective mandates. Close cooperation and coordination among those organs is highly indispensable in order to enable the United Nations to remain relevant and capable of meeting the existing, new and emerging threats and challenges. In that context, at the eighteenth Summit of the Movement, the Heads of State and Government urged all States to uphold the primacy of and full respect for the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations pertaining to the functions and powers of the General Assembly. They also called on the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council to conduct regular discussions and coordination among themselves regarding the agenda and programme of work of the respective principal organs in order to establish increased coherence and complementarity among those organs in a mutually reinforcing manner, respectful of each other’s mandates, and with a view to generating a mutual understanding among them, as the members of the respective organs have vested, in good faith, their trust and confidence in them. The Movementemphasizesthesignificantroleplayed by the International Court of Justice — the principal judicial organ of the United Nations — in promoting and encouraging the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the Court. The Movement urges the Security Council, the General Assembly and other organs of the United Nations, as well as its specialized agencies that are duly authorized to do so, to make greater use of the International Court of Justice as a source of advisory opinions and interpretation of international law within the scope of their activities. Faithful to its commitment to strengthening its role as an anti-war and peace-loving force, the Movement reaffirms its determination to work for the establishment of a peaceful and prosperous world and a just and equitable world order. We also renew our determination to work for a multipolar world through the strengthening of the United Nations and its multilateral processes, which are indispensable to our efforts to promote the interests of our nations and humankind as a whole.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Albania.

Mr. Hoxha (Albania): Since first articulated by the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Dag Hammarskjöld, the concept of preventive diplomacy has undergone substantial changes. Preventive diplomacy relates to the core of our profession, our collective work and our continued efforts, as it aims to prevent disputes and, more particularly, escalation into conflicts. Preventive diplomacy remains highly relevant in efforts to preserve peace and security. Today it is being conducted by a broader array of actors, using a wider range of tools. As mentioned in the Secretary-General’s recent report Our Common Agenda, the United Nations should focus more on system-wide cooperation and its prevention efforts. Preventive efforts should be seen as a most valuable investment. The biggest return clearly comes in lives saved. However, prevention may also have a strong economic impact. The World Bank has calculated that the average cost of a civil war is equivalent to more than 30 years of gross domestic product growth for a medium-sized developing country. Let us take an example. The economic cost of the conflict in Syria after 10 years is estimated to be more than $1.2 trillion. Even if the conflict were to end today, its cost would continue to accumulate, if not double, for another decade. Ten years of war has reduced the overall life expectancy of Syrian children by 13 years. That is staggering. Every effort invested in prevention, however difficult or slow in producing the desired results, is therefore far less costly and has the potential of a multiplier effect for a positive outcome. In order to put prevention at the heart of its work, the United Nations should improve its mechanisms to identify and consider the warning signs of potential conflicts, and to act in advance. In that regard, as the United Nations organ with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Security Council has a key role to play in prevention. Over years, the Council has considerably improved its work through greater engagement and flexibility in addressing emerging threats before they are placed on the Council’s formal agenda and promoting a more proactive approach to preventive diplomacy. But that is not always the case. It took the Council several months to convene an open meeting on the conflict in Ethiopia, where, unfortunately, every horrible and reprehensible act on the books is taking place, with huge consequences for the population and bleak prospects for the country. Let me highlight a few key important points that we think will help to improve the prevention capacities of the United Nations. First, the Peacebuilding Commission, as a dedicated intergovernmental platform to oversee and guide the United Nations system’s approach to sustaining peace, should be empowered. A more effective Peacebuilding Fund is needed, and we should explore innovative ways to increase the contributions to the Fund as one of the most important instruments to finance preventive action on the ground. Secondly, human rights and human rights information are, and should be, seen as a valuable set of tools for conflict prevention, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Human rights violations and the escalation of conflicts are strongly interlinked. Experience has shown that respect for human rights has proved to be instrumental in setting countries on the path to peace and development and averting escalation to violent conflict. Human rights violations are always a serious warning of a conflict to come. Thirdly, we need to increase the meaningful participation of women in United Nations peace operations, including peacekeeping operations. Women are promoters of positive change and they can significantly contribute to efforts to increase the preventive abilities and capacities of the Organization. Fourthly, a strong and active partnership of the United Nations with regional organizations plays an important role in ensuring early warning, engaging national networks and coordinating regional responses. It is imperative to devise strategies on synergies that can be created between the United Nations and other international regional organizations in order to increase efficiency and avoid overlap. As an incoming member of the Security Council and as a member of the human rights and conflict prevention caucus, Albania will support a broad inclusion of human rights on the Council’s agenda. We will work closely with all Council members, especially like-minded countries, to increase the synergies between the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, as well as to strengthen the role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the activities of the Security Council. To that end, Albania will engage to increase the number of regular briefings to the Security Council by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as civil society representatives active in the field of human rights and conflict prevention. Albania will also advocate for a greater use of the human rights reports by the Security Council. In conclusion, Albania will remain seriously engaged in improving and strengthening United Nations capacities for preventive diplomacy, as a wise investment for peace and development and a must in order to prevent the worst from occurring and being endlessly repeated.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Ukraine.

Mr. Kyslytsya (Ukraine): Ukraine highly appreciates the initiative of the Mexican presidency to hold this important open debate, and we express our gratitude to the briefers for their presentations. As the concept note (S/2021/888, annex) rightly points out, the maintenance of international peace and security through preventive diplomacy is an issue at the heart of the work of all United Nations principal organs. Insufficient preventive measures at early stages can only encourage an instigator to expand violence in terms of both intensity and geographical scope. The armed aggression against Ukraine serves as a powerful example. In some countries, a lack of democracy, no accountability and the absence of the rule of law make regimes prone to aggression. Restoring democracy and respect for human rights are therefore crucial to prevention. Since 2010, in the Human Rights Council Ukraine has been promoting the initiative on the role of prevention in the promotion and protection of human rights violations. The relevant resolution on our proposal was adopted. I hope that events such as today’s open debate will contribute to overcoming the long-standing ideological, and even physical, separation of human rights issues in Geneva, on the one hand, and security issues in New York, on the other hand. The Security Council should demonstrate a holistic approach to ensuring respect for human rights and responding to their violations as an essential element of efforts to prevent conflicts and crisis situations. I commend the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice for their commitment to ensuring a viable contribution by the respective principal organs to strengthening preventive activities. Ukraine also believes that the Secretary-General should use his authority, as envisaged in Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, more often and more explicitly by proposing actionable recommendations to resolve conflicts, protect civilians and ensure accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. We commend the focus on prevention in the report Our Common Agenda. We are ready to constructively engage in a follow-up process, in line with General Assembly resolution 76/6, adopted yesterday. From our point of view, it is critical to explore the preventive diplomacy toolbox for discouraging an instigator from new flare-ups of violence, Imposing sanctions and other restrictive measures against an aggressor is a legitimate and adequate response aimed at restoring respect for the norms and principles of international law. It should not be blanketly regarded as an illegitimate coercive unilateral measure, especially when, from a permanent seat, an aggressor blocks any preventive actions by the Security Council. Preventive diplomacy must not lag behind developments on the ground. The current situation on the European Union border with Belarus serves as a test of our ability to ensure efficient prevention. Attempts to weaponize migration pose a serious threat to the entire region, and Ukraine may be among the most affected. We have no choice but to take additional prevention measures and reinforce the protection of our border, in line with the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine. Strong preventive diplomacy is not optional. However, it is successful if it delivers practical results. Discussions, such as the one we have had today, must be followed up on by concrete actions to break the cycle of impunity and hold violators accountable.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Poland.

Mr. Szczerski (Poland): Let me begin by thanking Mexico for organizing today’s timely and important debate. Poland expresses its appreciation to all the briefers for their insightful and inspiring remarks. Conflict prevention efforts do not make the headlines, but their main objective is for conflicts themselves not to become headlines. This is what all of us are striving to accomplish at the United Nations. Making preventive diplomacy work should therefore be right at the heart of twenty-first century multilateralism, building upon the rule of law and human rights. In this vein, Poland welcomes the focus of the Secretary-General’s report entitled Our Common Agenda, on the system-wide coordination of prevention efforts. Effective preventive diplomacy requires cross- pillar commitment from the entire United Nations system, and it is key that the United Nations adopts the preventive mindset in all its activities. Today’s conflicts have become more complex and fluid, often spreading across borders to affect broader regions. Their multifaceted character requires taking into account not only political military but also social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects of growing tensions and unrest. Investing in preventive diplomacy is especially urgent today because the international community needs to have the capabilities to identify and tackle some grave risks to our common security that are below the threshold of outright military conflict. A good example of a serious challenge in this context is the recent weaponization of civilians who are currently trapped in the territory of Belarus. For months, the Belarusian authorities have issued these people visas and tricked them into the flying thousands of kilometres — from countries that do not even share a border with Belarus — on the false promise that they would be travelling to a better future. Let me stress again that all those people were admitted to Belarus with the consent and knowledge of the Belarusian authorities. In so doing, the Belarusian regime has unscrupulously engaged the country’s apparatus to destabilize the situation in neighbouring countries, which qualifies as a hybrid attack against the European Union and NATO through their eastern borders. Belarus must assume its full responsibility for people whose arrival on its territory it itself had organized. Unfortunately, the Belarusian response is a mix of denials, accusations and open threats. Minsk is not interested in reducing tensions or in providing access to humanitarian assistance for people it legally admitted to its territory. The inhuman instrumentalization of people by Belarus is detrimental to finding effective solutions to the existing real, not artificially created, refugee crisis. Poland strongly believes that the time for preventive diplomacy is now. We need to act before the situation spins out of control and the security and stability of the whole region deteriorates further. We therefore call on the international community, first, not to participate in the Belarusian disinformation campaign; secondly, to withdraw its support for Belarusian policy in international forums; and, thirdly, to assist in the process of dismantling the human trafficking network that contributed to triggering the crisis in the first place. We must do all we can to prevent this type of hybrid action from becoming a new practice of authoritarian regimes to achieve their political goals. These actions cannot be allowed to become a new form of triggering international crises anywhere in the world. I would ask that all of us think about that. We call on all those who stand behind the Belarusian regime to abandon the policy of building tensions and support a policy of relieving tensions. This shows how urgent and clear the need is for more coherent, sustained cooperation among the principal United nations bodies. Poland calls for the Security Council’s engagement in advancing proactive, integrated and forward- looking preventive diplomacy in collaboration with the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice. We stand ready to endorse any initiative within the United Nations framework aimed at strengthening conflict prevention.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Morocco.

Mr. Hilale (Morocco) (spoke in French): Mr. President, the Kingdom of Morocco would like to thank and commend you for organizing today’s debate on the prevention of conflicts, a matter which is crucial for the maintenance of international peace and security. We would like to thank the briefers for their briefings and detailed thoughts. We welcome the fact that preventive diplomacy, the prevention of conflicts and other forms of preventive action are coming into focus within the United Nations. In fact, preventive diplomacy is at the heart of the United Nations mandate. Enshrined in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter, the prevention of conflicts is not so much a choice as an international obligation. Collective action based on investment in efforts to reach agreements through negotiation and mediation is crucial to avoid a posteriori actions that increase the risk of aggravating conflicts. The Security Council has a key responsibility in preventing conflicts given its mandate to uphold international peace and security. It focuses on the management of crises and conflicts in the immediate term. However, preventive action means combining, on the one hand, short-term actions that show the efficacy of principles that we defend, with, on the other hand, investments in structural policies for the long term, hence the importance of coherent action within the United Nations system as a whole towards conflict prevention. In this regard, we should acknowledge the important role played by the Peacebuilding Commission, which makes valuable contributions to the Security Council on issues examined by the two bodies. Coherence in United Nations action is also clearly reflected in the vision of the Secretary-General for the future of the Organization, notably in his report Our Common Agenda. Accordingly, we would like to express our appreciation for the Secretary-General’s commitments to preventing conflict as well as his focus on the need for cooperation across the entire United Nations system in terms of prevention, which involves important issues linked to peace and security, the environment, climate change, health, new technologies, economic development and human rights. We welcome the adoption yesterday by the General Assembly of a procedural resolution on the implementation of Our Common Agenda (General Assembly resolution 76/6). We express our willingness to work diligently and constructively on it in order to implement the recommendations that require a mandate from the General Assembly. To better to strengthen the capacity of the Organization to prevent conflicts, it is crucial that, first of all, we make the analyses of the different bodies coherent in order to better anticipate conflicts and crises and overcome difficulties in adapting to the evolving nature of conflicts. Secondly, we must strengthen the consistency of action among different United Nations bodies and, from that, rationalize mandates and initiatives on cross-cutting issues and appropriately prioritize attention and resources, focusing on pragmatic high-impact solutions, while scrupulously respecting the mandates and prerogatives of each body, in line with the United Nations Charter, in particular Article 12, paragraph 1. Thirdly, we must invest more in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus so as to build societies on more robust foundations and guarantee lasting peace. In conclusion, I would like to underscore the fact that Morocco, which has made conflict prevention one of the main aspects of its foreign policy, will continue to work with commitment and determination for the maintenance and building of peace, as well as to promote the values of tolerance, dialogue, consultation and coexistence and to strengthen mediation as a tool for the prevention of conflicts.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Portugal.

Mr. Ferreira Silva Aranda (Portugal): Allow me to join others in congratulating Mexico for convening today’s timely debate. The use of preventive diplomacy to maintain international peace and security is increasingly crucial to facing emerging risks and dangerous trends, as the report by the Secretary-General entitled Our Common Agenda underscores. We echo the call for the international community to act as one in addressing the root causes of conflicts. That will only be possible if, as the concept note (S/2021/888, annex) rightly sets out, all the principal United Nations organs work together to strengthen the rule of law, eradicate poverty, promote sustainable development and solve disputes, all of which pave the way to more effective conflict prevention. Shifting the Organization’s focus from conflict management to conflict prevention is more necessary than ever and it has been one of the main tenets of the Secretary-General’s reforms. We need to break down silos at the heart of the United Nations system in order to foster greater coordination and efficiency in the Organization’s intervention. We acknowledge the role of the Standing Principals’ Group in enabling more efficient communication between departments and between the Headquarters and the operations in the field. The Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and, in particular, the Peacebuilding Support Office, are crucial to ensuring this cross-cutting approach, as they were designed to serve as a hinge between the pillars of peace and security, human rights and development. The Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation is also contributing to preventive diplomacy while increasing the effectiveness of the Organization’s work with regional organizations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world. Despite those important steps, more and can be done. The United Nations system should better anticipate, identify and adapt to new peace and security risks. We also support an expanded role for the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) to ensure that it can address the multiple threats to peace and security in a coherent, cross-cutting and preventive manner. The Council and the PBC should increase their cooperation in conflict prevention. Finally, we must ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and youth in preventive efforts. That is fundamental if we are to increase effectiveness and maintain social cohesion.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Armenia.

Mr. Margaryan (Armenia): I would like to thank the delegation of Mexico for convening the open debate on the topic of peace and security through preventive diplomacy. I also thank the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council and the President of the International Court of Justice for their presentations on the role of the principal organs of the United Nations in the promotion of peace and security. The coordinating role of the principal organs, within their respective mandates, is also of the utmost importance for the transparency, inclusivity and conflict-sensitivity of the activities of United Nations specialized agencies, programmes and funds in humanitarian response and peacebuilding, in particular in the light of the attempts to manipulate and instrumentalize their work to advance one-sided conflict narratives or legitimize the consequences of the use of force. In his report Our Common Agenda, the Secretary- General stresses that: “our collective peace and security is increasingly under threat as a result of emerging risks and dangerous trends for which traditional forms of prevention, management and resolution are ill suited”. Strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations is key for identifying early warning signs and ensuring timely responses to challenges such as military build-ups in violation of legally binding commitments in the field of arms control, as well as military posturing, the recruitment and use of foreign terrorist fighters, racial profiling and hate crimes on ethnic and religious grounds. The consolidated support of the international community is paramount for the comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of principles and elements developed over the years, including the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. Armenia values the unwavering support by the Security Council and the Secretary-General to the efforts of the co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group, the internationally agreed mediation format for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We also underscore the key role of the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, in ensuring accountability for gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in conflict situations. If we are to contribute to efforts to achieve the common goal of sustainable peace, we cannot avoid addressing specific situations that, if not publicly condemned and adequately contained, have the potential of turning into a major catastrophe in our region. In recent days, Azerbaijan has been conducting armed attacks against the territorial integrity of Armenia, in utter disregard of the Charter of the United Nations and the provisions of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, on the establishment of a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, following the 44-day war. Azerbaijan’s ongoing attacks against the Republic of Armenia are being carried out from territories that came under its control as a result of the implementation of that trilateral statement. Such aggressive actions are detrimental to the efforts of the international community to de-escalate the situation and are severely undermining the prospects for peace in our region. A strong and unequivocal reaction to Azerbaijan’s illegal actions is critical for preventing further major escalations of the security situation in the region and beyond. The relevant international actors need to undertake urgent and effective steps aimed at preventing further escalation and demanding the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of South Africa.

Ms. Joyini (South Africa): We thank you, Mr. President, for convening this timely debate. We also thank the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Economic and Social Council, the President of the International Court of Justice and the Secretary-General for their briefings. A July 2020 letter from the group of independent eminent persons to the Secretary-General on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, underlined that: “[t]oday’s conflicts are multidimensional, marked to varying degrees by persistent exclusion, inequalities and grievances, including refugee flows, internal displacement and humanitarian spillovers of conflict, weak governance and State capacity, and compounded by climate change, violent extremism and the perverse use of new technologies” (S/2020/678, annex II ). Those multiple threats and risks to international peace and security require the renewal of our collective commitment to the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the Charter of the United Nations and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To address those challenges, we need innovative and proactive approaches and the collaborative efforts of all relevant entities of the United Nations. The primacy of preventive diplomacy in averting the escalation of conflict and providing opportunities for inclusive dialogue and negotiations that lead to settlements and pave the way to peaceful and stable societies is well known by the Council. Resolving conflict in its early stages will prevent countless deaths, the destruction of infrastructure and psychological turmoil. For that reason, we need to enhance our efforts to adopt preventive diplomatic methods in our approaches to addressing rising tensions and conflicts. The primary organs of the United Nations must work in synergy if we are to achieve the goal of preventive diplomacy. The Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly all have the potential to play a greater role in supporting the Security Council in preventing conflict. That is why regular interaction, coordination and collaboration between the Security Council and other primary organs of the United Nations in fulfilling the Council’s mandate cannot be overemphasized. That would establish increased coherence and complementarity among those organs in a mutually reinforcing manner, respectful of each other’s mandates, and with a view to generating a mutual understanding among them. Similarly, we urge the Council to strengthen its interactions with regional and subregional organizations in preventive diplomacy initiatives, and in this context strive towards effectively utilizing the good offices of the Secretary-General, in collaboration with regional organizations. South Africa has consistently advocated for peaceful settlements of international disputes and conflicts, in line with Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirms the validity of the purposes and principles of the Charter and international law as indispensable to preserving and promoting international peace and security, the rule of law, socioeconomic development and all aspects of human rights. We wish to emphasize the important role played by the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, in promoting and encouraging .the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. We encourage the Security Council to interact regularly with the International Court of Justice and draw from. its legal advisory expertise pertaining to the prevention of conflicts and settling disputes that may have catastrophic implications for countries concerned. In conclusion, according to the United Nations Charter, preventive diplomacy should be at the core of the United Nations system. However, due to the prevailing unbalanced power distribution, effective responses are often undermined. We therefore wish to reiterate that reform that takes into account the equality of States within the United Nations system can foster proactive approaches to rising tensions and improve preventive diplomacy methods. In taking this mandate seriously, we must work collectively towards reform that results in effective responses to conflict situations, including through preventive diplomacy.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of the United Arab Emirates.

Ms. Shaheen (United Arab Emirates): At the outset, we would like to thank Mexico for organizing today’s open debate and directing our attention to preventative diplomacy. We also extend our thanks to our briefers today for their valuable insights. Peace and security are multifaceted concepts linked to sustainable development, women’s empowerment and the rule of law. If we do not approach them holistically, they are elusive. That is why the Security Council must enhance its coordination with other United Nations organs. A Council that is more open and receptive to coordination with other United Nations bodies, as well as with external stakeholders, is also a Council with more effective outcomes. In our collective mission to make the United Nations and its organs better deliver on its mandates, we must shift gears in our approach from a strategy that mostly focuses on conflict management to one that prioritizes prevention. We welcome the Secretary-General’s focus on prevention in the Our Common Agenda report, particularly the proposal for a new agenda for peace. Without a doubt, addressing the root causes of conflict will yield long-term benefits that foster a culture of peace and resilience. We would like to draw attention today to the emerging challenges that have been identified in recent years and are clear examples of why the Council should collaborate with the rest of the United Nations system to achieve shared goals. The Security Council would benefit from enhancing and standardizing its analysis of climate change-driven security implications. That includes building on the work of the climate security mechanism and the Council’s Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security. During our upcoming term on the Security Council, the United Arab Emirates will champion innovative approaches, such as using satellite imagery, predictive modelling and access to early data in order to allow the Council to act sooner and more effectively. Additionally, we are all clear that a world where women are empowered is a world where peace and prosperity are more durable. It is critical that the international community ensure their full, equal and meaningful participation across all sectors of society to build resilience, guarantee stability and promote prosperous and peaceful societies. To respond to these cross-cutting issues, we need to supplement near- term strategies with approaches that strengthen long- term resilience. Maintaining regular communication and transparency between the Council and wider United Nations membership is vital. It cannot be limited to an annual report submitted to the General Assembly. The United Arab Emirates supports regular engagement on shared priorities with the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, as well as with the incoming President of the Council and the President of the General Assembly. The United Arab Emirates also supports greater interaction between the Council and the International Court of Justice, in accordance with its mandates under the Charter of the United Nations. The International Court of Justice plays a vital role in the peaceful resolution of disputes, as evidenced by the geographical diversity and wide variety of cases currently before it. The Court also contributes positively to the rule of law at the international level and plays a key role in defusing tensions among States. We want to emphasize the critical role of regional organizations in conflict prevention. With crises in the Middle East occupying a significant portion of the Security Council’s agenda, the Council and the League of Arab States would benefit from closer cooperation in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. In this regard, we support the holding of an annual briefing on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States. In conclusion, we hope that today’s open debate will help further efforts on this organ’s cooperation with other United Nations organs to better deliver on its mandate. The United Arab Emirates will be a reliable partner in this journey, particularly when we take a seat at this table in 2022.

The President (spoke in Spanish): I now give the floor to the representative of Indonesia.

Mr. Situmorang (Indonesia): Let me begin by thanking Mexico for its initiative in convening this meeting. Indonesia has consistently called for a stronger early warning system, supported by the multilateral system, to prevent conflict and enhance peacebuilding efforts. On that note, allow me to share the following points. First, we must strengthen coordination among all United Nations bodies. As current security challenges are closely interlinked, addressing the root causes of conflict and instability requires concerted efforts. All United Nations bodies must be able to respond in a coherent manner, harnessing the strengths of its different organs. The key words are “division of labour” and “coordination with a clear road map”. United Nations missions on the ground have the capacity to identify drivers of conflict and serve as an early warning system, while United Nations agencies, funds and programmes have the technical capacities to address specific conflict drivers. The Peacebuilding Commission also plays a vital role in coordination responses across the United Nations principal organs and beyond. To achieve such harmonious coordination, all United Nations bodies need to effectively and efficiently exercise their respective mandates, under the guidance of the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions. Secondly, on the importance of regional organizations, Indonesia believes that our efforts to prevent conflict could be further enhanced with strong cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, which have deep knowledge, unique perspective and strong local connections, which are crucial to supporting peacebuilding efforts and preventing conflicts. We believe that regional organizations could further leverage their role in preventing, managing and resolving conflicts, as well as collectively addressing their root causes. We all for the Security Council to continue supporting efforts by regional and subregional organizations. Regional organization are also essential in building a security architecture that provides an avenue for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. My final point is on nurturing the culture of trust and dialogue. We can learn from the South-East Asia experience, which has today become among the fastest- growing economy and an engine of global growth. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established exactly to deal with disputes and the distrust that marred our region at the time. That does not mean that the region is free from troubles, yet the key to ASEAN’s success is our collective efforts and our culture of dialogue and consensus-building — or what we call the ASEAN Way — which enables regions to settle differences in a constructive manner. For that to succeed, trust is essential, along with mechanisms to build confidence among all parties. We call for the Council to support efforts to further nurture trust-building and dialogue to support peacebuilding processes in conflict-prone and conflict-affected areas. In conclusion, Indonesia would like to underscore that strengthening conflict prevention cannot be done by a single organization. All United Nations bodies and international and regional organizations must work in a coordinated manner.

The President (spoke in Spanish): The representative of Azerbaijan has asked for the floor to make a further statement. I now give him the floor.

Mr. Aliyev (Azerbaijan): Our delegation requested the floor in its national capacity for a further statement in connection with the false and patently misleading statement made by the Armenian representative. My country has seriously suffered from the devastating effects of the war unleashed against it by Armenia in the early 1990s. A significant part of the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan was seized and remained under occupation for nearly 30 years, notwithstanding resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993). Serious violations of international humanitarian law were committed in the course of the occupation, resulting in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians and the ethnic cleansing of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, involving more than 700,000 Azerbaijanis. Most captured cities, towns and villages of Azerbaijan were razed to the ground. Last fall, another act of aggression by Armenia became a logical consequence of the impunity it enjoyed for 30 years. Armenia’s armed attacks involved the use of military force against densely populated Azerbaijani cities far outside the theatre of active hostilities, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians and destroying or damaging numerous civilian objects. Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation to liberate its occupied territories, protect its people and allow the internally displaced persons to return to their homes — while acting in full accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The three-decades-long armed conflict has been resolved. Azerbaijan has expressed its readiness for the normalization of inter-State relations with Armenia, including through the signing of a peace treaty. Ensuring lasting peace, development, progress and good-neighbourliness is the basis of Azerbaijan’s vision for the future. However, Armenia has failed to reciprocate the peace agenda put forward by Azerbaijan. Today’s large-scale armed provocations by Armenia against Azerbaijan in the border area between the two States, to which armed forces of Azerbaijan adequately responded, as well as Armenia’s continued territorial claims, are the results of irresponsible actions on the State level and of dangerous revanchist ideas overtly propagated in Armenia. In conclusion, Azerbaijan is confident that there is no alternative to the normalization of relations between the two countries, based on mutual recognition and respect for one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognized borders. Azerbaijan is determined to advance the peacebuilding agenda, reconciliation, peaceful coexistence and development. The meeting rose at 5.15 p.m.