First of all, allow me to congratulate you, Madam President, and Sweden on its membership in the Security Council and for immediately taking the initiative to hold this important debate on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. I also congratulate the other newly elected members of the Council: B…
Before I came here, Sahar Afzal, a representative of Dutch youth, asked me a simple question. “Minister,” he said, “do you still believe in the United Nations?” That question made me think. A plain and simple yes is the answer one would probably expect from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Ki…
First of all, I would like to express my thanks to all delegations for their patience.
The signal sent by the Assembly this afternoon has been quite clear, and I think it was reflected in the last vote, with 95 votes for Italy and 95 votes for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That means there is a c…
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Arab Republic of Egypt for organizing this important debate.
Today’s debate is, in my view, a very timely one, timely because of the upcoming review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and because of the several, very tragic ev…
The Kingdom of the Netherlands currently holds the Presidency of the European Union. Today, I will make a number of comments in my national capacity. A statement on behalf of the European Union (EU) will be delivered later.
I am extremely worried about the different crises in the Middle East. It so…
The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier by the observer of the European Union.
Terrorism and violent extremism are timely issues for the Security Council, so I thank you, Mr. President, for this possibility to debate today. I will address three issues: terr…
I appreciate the opportunity to speak here today on behalf of the Netherlands and the Dutch people. Today we recall the tragedy of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17, which occurred a little over a year ago. We mourn all 298 men, women and children on board on that flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.…
Approximately one third of all women in the Congolese province of Kivu have been raped. In the Sudan, tens of thousands of women in the last years have been molested, mutilated and sexually abused, and not a single person has been held accountable.
Recently, I visited the Democratic Republic of Con…
The Netherlands welcomes this important initiative to hold a debate on energy, security and climate. It has come at the right time. The primary responsibility of the Security Council is to maintain peace and security. Understandably, the Council tends to focus on current conflicts. Sometimes, howeve…
This summer, we should be halfway towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, but, unfortunately, we are lagging behind. Lagging behind means more poverty, fewer girls in school and more mothers dying when giving birth. To achieve our goals by 2015, we will all have to step up our efforts. B…
Today we are discussing the urgent question of if and how we will be able to finance the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) so that they can be reached by 2015. Many countries are lagging behind in reaching many of the MDGs, so we need to step up our efforts and keep our promises. Many Group of Sev…
