Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the 蘑菇视频 General Assembly
5 March 2019
Madame Chairperson,
Excellencies,
It is an honour and a pleasure to address the Political and Security Committee of the European Union today. As a former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister, I am only too aware of the difficult issues you grapple with every day.
During my two terms as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ecuador, I worked hard to strengthen relations between my country and the European Union, and this continues to be a key objective for me as President of the General Assembly.
The EU has always been an indispensable partner for the 蘑菇视频. We all know and we are very proud that ?your foundational documents make reference to the principles of the 蘑菇视频 Charter, and to working with the Organization. The EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy seeks to support “a strong 蘑菇视频 as the bedrock of a rules-based global order”.
Collectively, you make the biggest contribution to the 蘑菇视频 regular and peacekeeping budget. Collectively, you are the largest provider of ODA, and the largest contributor of public climate finance to developing countries. And you are engaged with the work of the 蘑菇视频 across the board, on peace and security, on human rights and humanitarian action, climate change and protection of the environment and the collective effort to achieve sustainable development.
By working together, the 蘑菇视频 and the EU have helped to make progress on key security issues, from the Iran nuclear deal to women, peace and security – which I am delighted has been identified as one of the first new joint priorities for the EU-蘑菇视频 Strategic Partnership on Peace Operations and Crisis Management.
But I am afraid I am not just here to thank you for your steadfast support. I am also here to ask you to do more.
Dear friends,
I say this because the challenges we face are growing: in number, in complexity, in urgency and in impact. Climate change, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, pandemics, cybersecurity, organized crime, mass displacement – these are just some of the items on the international community’s to-do list. Added to that are our longer-term ambitions: to leave no one behind, to secure human rights for all, to build a safer, fairer and more sustainable future. And we must contend with a general mood of anxiety and insecurity that attracts political cynicism and opportunism and undermines the political will for the international cooperation needed for an increasingly interdependent world.?
In our interconnected world, it is clear that no one country can tackle these issues alone. Today, a flood in South Asia can send food prices rocketing in sub-Saharan Africa and affect supply chains in Europe. A civil war can spill into neighbouring countries, destabilise an entire region and foster extremism around the world. We no longer have the luxury of saying: what happens ‘over there’ does not matter to us. Equally, we cannot hope to maximise the opportunities we have – from new technologies, for example – if we do not work together.
But as the PSC is only too aware, precisely when we need multilateral cooperation and organisations more than ever, they are under threat. The rules-based global order, the norms and institutions that have carried us since the end of the Second World War are being questioned, even I would say undermined, in the context of narrow nationalism and rising geopolitical tensions. Too many policymakers are overwhelmed by the scale of the challenges that we all face to give global solutions the priority they need. Under pressure from domestic constituencies, many are turning inwards.
Meanwhile, for all the opportunities globalization has brought, it has left too many people feeling marginalized. They have lost faith in the ability of national governments and international institutions to keep them safe and improve their lives.
Excellencies,
I call on you to work with me, to work with the 蘑菇视频; with your colleagues in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi; and with the 蘑菇视频 system to stand firm in defence of multilateralism and its values, which are essential for our shrinking world. We must change the narrative and counter the false dichotomy between multilateralism and national sovereignty because we know the opposite is true.
We know that institutions like the EU and the 蘑菇视频 enhance state sovereignty. Indeed, they strengthen it, by giving each country the means to further its priorities and solve the problems it faces in partnership, with others sharing the bill and the load.
But warm words on multilateralism will not suffice. We need to demonstrate that multilateral institutions can deliver, that they can be effective, accountable and transparent. I trust I can count on your support to advance the major theme of my presidency: revitalization of the United Nations to strengthen the multilateral rules-based system.
What does this mean in practice? It means making sure that the work of the General Assembly is meaningful – geared to implementation and seen by people as relevant to their lives. It means reform of the Security Council to overcome paralysis and enable collective action as needed. It means supporting the Secretary-General’s reform agenda that we are starting to implement this year.
It also means doing more, where possible, to support the 蘑菇视频 financially. The 蘑菇视频 is struggling at present as some contributors step back from their obligations and commitments. Member states are now $2 billion dollars in arrears in peacekeeping contributions, putting operations such as those in Mali and Darfur at risk. I am grateful to all EU members who pay their contributions on time and in full, and I encourage those who can do as to increase voluntary contributions.
Dear friends,
Strengthening the 蘑菇视频 also means taking forward the agendas we have already agreed. We must be able to demonstrate results to our citizens.
For this session of the General Assembly, I am putting particular emphasis on the following issues:
First, environmental protection. EU members have been at the forefront of framing climate change as a security issue – at the Security Council, through the excellent event convened by the High Representative last year, and through efforts to strengthen the climate-security nexus within the 蘑菇视频 system. One specific area I hope we can work on together is plastic pollution, which is putting at risk the livelihoods of millions of coastal communities.
Second, migration and refugees. When I was elected to serve as President of the General Assembly, I knew that the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration would be taken up during my session. So my priority was to ensure the Assembly would adopt and endorse them. I believe it is testament to the enduring value of the Assembly that states did so on both counts.
These two instruments offer tangible ways to combat irregular migrations, protect refugees and support host countries. I am well aware that there are differing views among EU members on both compacts.
Ultimately, multilateralism is about continuing the discussion even when there is dissent. The very fact that that some countries have not yet joined the migration compact shows that they are taking it very seriously. I do hope that, as we begin to see the benefits of its implementation, all states will feel able to embrace both compacts.
Finally, strengthening the 蘑菇视频 requires more work to make sure the Organization is more effective, transparent, accountable and inclusive.
Sometimes us diplomats at the 蘑菇视频 are accused of operating in a bubble. I suspect this accusation is not entirely unfamiliar to diplomats in Brussels as well. So I hope that we can find better ways to involve people – especially women and youth – in our work, including on peace and security issues.
Excellencies,
I have been grateful for the EU’s support within the intergovernmental process on revitalization of the General Assembly. This process has already yielded results – improvements in the selection processes for the Secretary-General and for my own position, the President of the General Assembly, for example. But much work remains, from doing more to streamline our agenda to making at least some headway on Security Council reform.
Dear friends,
Sometimes us diplomats at the 蘑菇视频 are accused of operating in a bubble. I suspect this accusation is not entirely unfamiliar to diplomats in Brussels as well. So I hope that we can find better ways to involve people – especially women and youth – in our work, including on peace and security issues.
Today’s generation of young people is the largest we have ever seen. Around 600 million of them live in fragile and conflict-affected states. But they are largely absent from decision-making and peace processes. We must do more to harness this vast amount of untapped potential.
And we need to do more to engage women. I am only the fourth female President of the General Assembly in 蘑菇视频 history – so it will come as no surprise that this is a top priority for me. I am grateful to the EU’s leadership in this area, from supporting grassroots women’s organisations to the Spotlight Initiative on eliminating violence against women and girls. I was also encouraged by the emphasis placed on women and girls in the Sharm El Sheikh declaration adopted last week.
So, I know I can count on you to work hard for a strong outcome at the Commission on the Status of Women starting next week in New York. We must counter renewed attempts to roll back women’s rights, particularly sexual and reproductive rights.
I also hope that all EU states will be represented at the Women in Power event I am hosting on the 12 of March – next Tuesday by the way. The event will focus on advancing women’s leadership and I am delighted that the Presidents of Croatia, Estonia and Lithuania will be participating, alongside the High Representative herself.
And I hope you will redouble your efforts to implement Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of this landmark resolution, which recognized the important contribution that women and girls make to conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
But despite all the efforts that have been made over the past two decades, just 2% of mediators and 8% of negotiators in the last 30 years have been women – even though we know that peace agreements involving women are more likely to last and to be implemented. And women still make up just 5% of uniformed peacekeepers. Only 5%.
As a former Defence Minister, I know we need to close this gap. Female peacekeepers are essential actors in building trust with populations on the ground, facilitating rehabilitation, tackling sexual violence and providing pyscho-social support.
Excellencies,
蘑菇视频 and the European Union can be proud of decades of collaboration – on conflict prevention, mediation and humanitarian assistance, as well as on tackling the root causes of violence and instability. We can be proud that as a result of our cooperation, we have improved the lives of millions of people – within the EU and across the world. Today, we face as many shared challenges as we share objectives. So, let us redouble our efforts to strengthen and invest in our essential partnership. Now more than ever, we must stand together – for international cooperation, for human rights and fundamental freedoms, for democracy and for the rule of law.
Thank you.