We live in a world where violence, inequality and injustice are obstacles to peace. Global military spending amounts to $1.6 trillion, and therefore greatly exceeds global health spending — $37.6 billion — let alone global education spending, at $6.8 billion. Gender equality helps prevent conflict, …
We welcome today’s first formal debate in the General Assembly on the responsibility to protect, and we align ourselves with the statement delivered by the representative of Qatar on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect (see A/72/PV.99).
Despite the increasing number of o…
On behalf of the Group of Western European and other States, I would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Ms. María
Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on her election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session.
As the current Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of…
Protecting civilians in armed conflict is a universal obligation under international humanitarian law, not a policy decision by States. Targeting civilians, health-care providers, schools or other protected persons or facilities is a crime, irrespective of considerations of military necessity. Never…
Not too long ago, we believed that we had firmly transitioned into an era of the primacy of international law. That belief has been weakened in the recent past; however, our determination to make it so has not. Those who believe in the rule of law, as we do, are challenged to stand up for the primac…
I thank you, Sir, for this opportunity to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Escalations in different parts of the region and political paralysis in the Council make the participation of the entire membership in this debate particularly important.
The ongoing paralysis of the Security Counci…
The discussion on the work of the United Nations on peacebuilding and sustaining peace goes to the very core of the purpose of the Organization. We welcome the Secretary-General’s leadership in this regard.
The recognition that efforts to sustain peace are necessary not only once conflict has broke…
Allow me to make a few brief comments in addition to the statement of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, which was delivered earlier by the representative of Switzerland.
At a time when the world faces so many challenges — from the crisis on the Korean peninsula to the crises of …
I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to discuss the situation of the Middle East in an open format. Developments in different parts of the region make it imperative that the broader membership can express itself on the action needed from the Security Council in order to meet the responsi…
We welcome today’s discussion and its thematic focus and would
like to see it become a regular item on the agenda of the Council, with annual reporting by the Secretary- General. We would like to thank you, Sir, for ably coordinating the preparation of resolution 2388 (2017), adopted earlier today,…
Deteriorating humanitarian situations threaten regional and international stability. The possible atrocity crimes in Myanmar, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere demand unified action by the Security Council to provide peace, security and accountability. The Council, one of the principal organs of the United…
Given the breadth of its thematic activities and its responsiveness to human rights emergencies, as the report presented by the President of the Human Rights Council (A/72/53 and A/72/53/Add.1) illustrates, the Council is living up to its role as the central and permanent human rights body of the Or…
I would like to thank President Fernández de Gurmendi for her outstanding service to the cause of international criminal justice. This is the last time that she will present a report of the Court to the Assembly, and we will miss her.
The Rome Statute is nearing the twentieth anniversary of its ado…
Human trafficking and modern slavery are among the biggest human rights scandals of our time. They are an affront to the public conscience, constitute grave violations of human rights law and are a serious obstacle to
sustainable development. They directly affect 46 million people worldwide.
With …
At the outset, I would like to thank the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Mr. Michel Sidibé and his
team for their incredible leadership in fighting the HIV/ AIDS epidemic.
For over three decades, that epidemic has caused immense suffering throughout the world and has had a dev…
We welcome the focus of today’s debate on health care in armed conflict. It also illustrates a deeper problem we are facing: the erosion of the respect for international humanitarian law. Article 24 of the First Geneva Convention states:
“Medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or …
I thank you, Madam President, for this opportunity to speak in this open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The Council needs to address a number of critical issues under this agenda item. The prospects for a two-State solution in the Israeli-Palestinian …
I have the honour to speak today on behalf of Australia and Switzerland, as well as on behalf of my own country.
Modern slavery and human trafficking are both causes and symptoms of instability and conflicts and a threat to both development and peace and security. Trafficking in persons is a human …
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Iceland and my own country, Liechtenstein.
We thank the President of the Human Rights Council for presenting the Council’s report (A/71/53) to the General Assembly, an established practice that reinforces the dynamic relationship between the …
We thank President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi for the presentation of the report of the International Criminal Court (see A/71/342), which illustrates the impressive progress the Court has made in the reporting period.
We regret the recent decisions of South Africa and Burundi to leave the Court.…
