This year’s debate on the report (see A/68/314) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) comes at a time when the Court finds itself in the headlines more frequently than any of us could have imagined at the Rome Conference 15 years ago. Some of the Court’s activities are evoking strong reactions, …
Women and children continue to be disproportionately affected by armed conflicts and their aftermath. We have witnessed, in particular, an alarming increase in sexual violence, which is often used as a method of warfare. It has disastrous long-term consequences, not only for the victim, but also for…
We thank Ambassadors Cesare Maria Ragaglini and Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti for all their efforts and crucial contributions to the successful establishment of the High-level Political Forum.
Resolution 67/290 is a milestone agreement that will provide for a strong institutional framework for sustain…
The initiative to request today’s debate originated with the Accountability, Coherence, Transparency Group (ACT), which is dedicated to enhancing the Security Council’s working methods. While we appreciate this opportunity to speak, we find it unfortunate that Council was not able to accede to the r…
Let me thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the floor in order to speak on behalf of the group of like-minded States on targeted sanctions, namely, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. As is well known, our group …
Liechtenstein strongly condemns all forms of terrorism and reaffirms its commitment to contributing to the fullest extent to the international fight against terrorism in all its aspects, including through cooperation with the relevant United Nations bodies. We welcome initiatives to make the United …
Liechtenstein strongly condemns all acts of terrorism, irrespective of their motivation and wherever and by whomsoever committed. We also reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the fullest extent to the international fight against terrorism in all its aspects, including through cooperation with th…
We would like to thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2012/376), which once again makes for a sobering read. The abysmal state of the protection of civilians is, of course, first and foremost the responsibility of the parties to a conflict, including non-State armed groups. But it is also c…
The year 2012 may well become the year of the rule of law at the United Nations, not least because of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to be held in September. It is gratifying to see that the Security Council pays corresponding attention.
We agree that the Security Council is playing…
We welcome the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2011/772*) on the situation in Afghanistan, and would like to thank Special Representative Staffan de Mistura for his service. We would also particularly like to congratulate Mr. Ján Kubiš on taking on this challenging position and pledge our …
My delegation associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Singapore, who spoke on behalf of the group of five small nations (S-5) earlier this afternoon.
We are entering the eighteenth year of our collective effort to reform the Security Council. Much has happened during thos…
We welcome this debate as a critical opportunity for communication between the Security Council and the Member States. We appreciate the efforts made by the delegation of Germany in producing the annual report (A/66/2), and we thank the representative of Portugal for presenting it to the Assembly th…
It is a pleasure to see you, Madam President, preside over this meeting. I would like to thank you for convening it. We welcome the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2011/598*), which for the first time measures the progress of implementing resolution 1325 (2000) against specific indicators.…
I would like to thank the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for presenting another rich report on the activities of the Court (A/66/309). The Court continues to have a profound impact in several conflict and post- conflict situations in furtherance of its mandate to fight impunity,…
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have substantial negative impacts on human health and development. Demographic trends such as ageing, rapid and unplanned urbanization and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles only point to a rise in NCD incidence in the future.
NCDs now impose their greatest b…
I would like to thank the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Dupuy Lasserre, for her comprehensive report to the General Assembly on the work of the Council (A/66/53 and A/66/53/Add.1). She has presented the report on a successful year for the Council, which has, moreover, undergone a…
For over three decades, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has caused immense suffering in countries and communities throughout the world and has had a devastating impact on development and human rights. Ten years after the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (resolution S-26/2) and five years after the 2…
The Council has taken important decisions on the topic of protection of civilians in armed conflict, in particular resolutions 1265 (1999) and 1894 (2009). As in other thematic areas, however, it has struggled with the application of the provisions and principles of its thematic decisions when deali…
Today it is my honour to take the floor on behalf of the Group of Western European and other States.
Twenty-five years have gone by since the Chernobyl tragedy, and it remains particularly present in our memories, both individual and collective. The recent, tragic events in Fukushima have once agai…
As a sponsor of resolution 65/265, we welcome the Assembly’s consensus decision to suspend Libya’s membership rights in the Human Rights Council. The reports from
Libya continue to be alarming, and include widespread incidences of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions and arrests, as well…
