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Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Mr<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0Dennis Francis,<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n at the\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0Monthly Meeting<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n [As Delivered]<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 18 December 2023<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \n Excellencies,<\/i><\/p>\n Distinguished Delegates,<\/i><\/p>\n I should like to sincerely thank His Excellency, Jos\u00e9 Alfonso Blanco Conde, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, and Chair of\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 my home constituency \u2013 for inviting me to this meeting today.<\/p>\n As a fellow son of the region, I am delighted to see you all again.<\/p>\n GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0has always been a strong supporter of the General Assembly and indeed the Office of the PGA.<\/p>\n While I am not unmindful that some your countries have done so before, I wish to take this opportunity to particularly thank the Missions of the\u00a0Dominican Republic<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Saint Kitts and Nevis<\/b>\u00a0for the secondment of very able diplomats to be part of my team.<\/p>\n As we near the end of the first phase of our work, it is an opportune moment to look back and evaluate how we are advancing against the goals of\u00a0peace<\/b>,\u00a0prosperity<\/b>,\u00a0progress<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0sustainability<\/b>\u00a0– the four \u201cwatch words\u201d of my Presidency.<\/p>\n We can say two things, for certain:<\/p>\n First,<\/b>\u00a0it has become resoundingly clear that\u00a0peace<\/b>\u00a0is the bedrock of any progress we hope to make across our priorities.<\/p>\n Second,<\/b>\u00a0the\u00a0General Assembly is\u00a0undoubtedly<\/b>\u00a0at the centre of\u00a0<\/span>global efforts to foster international cooperation and understanding on today\u2019s most pressing issues \u2013\u00a0increasingly<\/b>, those related to peace and security.<\/p>\n More than 70 days into the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, the Assembly has been active and ambitious \u2013 in providing a forum for all the 193 Member States to thoroughly ponder on the vexing issues, and to seek solutions.<\/p>\n Where the\u00a0Security Council has been paralyzed by vetoes and disunity, the General Assembly \u2013 in contrast \u2013 has<\/span>\u00a0called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the immediate release of all hostages.<\/p>\n As President of the General Assembly, I will seize every opportunity I can to encourage cooperation among Member States with the same, single goal in mind \u2013 that is, achieving lasting\u00a0peace<\/b>\u00a0for all.<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/i><\/p>\n This is a message I also brought to the people of our fellow neighbour,\u00a0Haiti<\/b>, during my official visit in November \u2013 where I expressed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s continued support and solidarity with the Haitian people.<\/p>\n Many of you attended the informal meeting earlier this morning, and I need not elaborate to you \u2013 Haiti\u2019s neighbours and friends \u2013 how dire the\u00a0security, political and humanitarian crises<\/b>\u00a0are for the country and for our region.<\/p>\n I urged all political actors and national stakeholders in Haiti to engage constructively in the national\u00a0dialogue facilitated by CARICOM<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 and to ensure the full and active participation of the most vulnerable such as women and the young people in an all-inclusive political process on Haiti\u2019s future.<\/p>\n This morning\u2019s meeting on Haiti also showcased the trio of\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0Presidencies steering the three main Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ organs \u2013 the General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC \u2013 on an issue critical for the region, and indeed for the international community.<\/span><\/p>\n My Dear Colleagues,<\/i><\/p>\n The issue of Haiti and of many others, speak to the very core of our mission \u2013 in the\u00a0General Assembly and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system at large\u00a0 \u2013 to promote honour, respect, empower and uplift democracy and the rule of law and the human rights that are inherent in all of us.<\/span><\/p>\n This mission is particularly important in our pursuit of a world in which women and girls also have full and equal opportunities as men and boys to participate in all spheres of life.<\/p>\n This is why I have made the promotion of\u00a0gender equality a top priority<\/b>\u00a0of my Presidency\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 and I have appointed our own, Keisha McGuire, Former Permanent Representative of Grenada, as my\u00a0Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women\u2019s Empowerment<\/b>.<\/p>\n As you know, I have also reestablished the\u00a0Advisory Board on Gender Equality\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 and I would like to again thank one of our own, Her Excellency Ms Egry Lopez of El Salvador, for continuing as a Board member \u2013 thus ensuring that I benefit from her well known activism and competent advice on mainstreaming a gender perspective across the work of the\u00a0General Assembly.<\/span><\/p>\n I also would like to thank the\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0members that have joined the second phase of the campaign for Permanent Missions to complete Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ trainings on gender equality and the prevention of sexual harassment \u2013 which I launched together with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Women. I encourage all your teams to complete these trainings, so that the\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0can be in a strong position to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality.<\/span><\/p>\n I know that I can continue to count on you,\u00a0Dear Colleagues<\/i>, as strong voices for human rights and gender mainstreaming throughout this session.<\/span><\/p>\n Dear Friends,<\/i><\/p>\n Another priority issue that is dear to your hearts and mine is the need to make meaningful progress for those countries in special situations, namely the LDCs, LLDCs and the SIDS.<\/p>\n This is important to my Presidency, and I am pleased to inform you that I have re-established the\u00a0Advisory Board on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 to ensure that these countries are at the forefront of our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n In this regard, I wish to acknowledge and thank Her Excellency Paula Narvaez Ojeda, Permanent Representative of Chile and President of ECOSOC , as well as His Excellency Aubrey Webson of Antigua and Barbuda who are both members of this Advisory Board.<\/p>\n You are among the many\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0members steering the important work of this 78th Session \u2013 which makes me very proud and also feel very supported.<\/p>\n Here I should also like to recognize the following\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>\u00a0colleagues for their sterling contributions to my Presidency:<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/i><\/p>\n As we look ahead, the Assembly will continue its preparations on several high-level events, such as the\u00a0Summit of the Future<\/b>\u00a0in September, 2024.<\/p>\n Indeed, the legitimate expectation should be that the Summit delivers measurable, adequately resourced commitments \u2013 for fast-tracking the SDGs, fortifying the global peace and security architecture, enhancing digital cooperation, as well as redressing governance gaps and supporting a re-invigorated Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.<\/p>\n I fully agree with the\u00a0Secretary-General that\u00a0global economic governance<\/b>\u00a0must be at the heart of reforms \u2013 so that we can\u00a0build real trust<\/b>\u00a0and solidarity; and also enhance both\u00a0inclusion and equity<\/b>\u00a0in our multilateral system.<\/span><\/p>\n The coming months will, therefore, be critical for solidifying Member States\u2019 priorities \u2013 and I encourage you to engage in all the upcoming processes with an open mind; and to be\u00a0creative and bold<\/b>\u00a0in your leadership, so that we can usher in the transformative solutions needed to accelerate action.<\/span><\/p>\n As President of the General Assembly, I will continue to advance these issues throughout the 78th Session \u2013 including the announced first ever\u00a0Sustainability Week<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 a flagship initiative of my Presidency to be organized in April 2024, which will be an important stepping stone on our path towards true sustainable development.<\/p>\n It will feature high-level meetings on sustainability and resilience themes in the sectors of transport, energy, infrastructure, tourism and debt. My team is working on the logistics of organizing this important Week \u2013 and we count on your support to ensure highest possible participation by your delegations.<\/p>\n Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n As I conclude, I know that the four \u201cwatchwords\u201d of my Presidency resonate well among many Member States and are fully embraced by all of us in\u00a0GRULAC<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n And I have no doubt that I can count on your continued support to make this vision a reality for the\u00a08 billion people<\/b>\u00a0counting on us to deliver, by:<\/span><\/p>\n As always, my door \u2013 and that of my team \u2013 will remain open to you, at any time.<\/span><\/p>\n Once again,\u00a0I wish to thank you Chair<\/b>, for the invitation to participate in today\u2019s discussion; and I look forward to hearing your insights.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remarks by the President of the General Assembly, Mr.\u00a0Dennis Francis, at the\u00a0GRULAC\u00a0Monthly Meeting [As Delivered] 18 December 2023 Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I should like to sincerely thank His Excellency, Jos\u00e9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Remarks of the President of the General Assembly<\/p>\r\n H.E Dennis Francis<\/p>\r\n GA plenary meeting on the Monday, 30 October 2023<\/p>\r\n As Delivered<\/i><\/i><\/p>\r\nPresident of the International Criminal Court, Judge Piotr Hofmanski,<\/i><\/i>\r\n\r\nExcellencies,<\/i>\r\n\r\nDistinguished Delegates,<\/i>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/i>\r\n\r\nToday we gather to consider the annual report of the\u00a0International Criminal Court (ICC) \u2013 a\u00a0 critical pillar of the international legal order.\r\n\r\nThe ICC stands as a perennial symbol of our shared commitment to justice and humanity\u2019s greatest aspirations.\r\n\r\nIt serves as an emphatic reminder that\u00a0no one \u2013 I repeat, no one \u2013 should be exempt from accountability for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community,\u00a0and that regardless of their status, position or location, perpetrators of such crimes will invariably face the weight of justice.\r\n\r\nIndeed, when it comes to the most egregious crimes against humanity,\u00a0 accountability knows no exceptions and justifiably so.\r\n\r\nIn those grave and heinous cases \u2013 when national legal systems prove unable or unwilling to bring perpetrators to justice \u2013 the ICC must step in.\r\n\r\nAccordingly, the ICC stands as a testament to our unshakeable resolve to end impunity, and moreover, to deter others from the commission of such crimes in the future.\r\n\r\nThe Court is indeed a truly unique embodiment of our collective resolution to upholding the principles of justice and accountability.\r\n\r\nI express my\u00a0 fulsome appreciation to the Court for its diligent efforts,\u00a0 as indeed to its judges and its prosecutor, as well as to the dedicated staff who have laudibly committed themselves to the pursuit of justice \u2013 and indeed, to what is\u00a0right<\/i>.\r\n\r\nThe report highlights both the progress and the challenges faced by the ICC this year, specifically as regards the prevention and punishment of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.\r\n\r\nThese principles are fundamental to our global vision of peace and are integral to our mission of maintaining international peace and security, promoting respect for human rights, and delivering justice to those who have suffered the gravest injustices.\r\n\r\nLadies and Gentlemen,<\/i>\r\n\r\nWe must acknowledge that the Court operates in a multifaceted international landscape.\r\n\r\nIts jurisdiction spans cases where state parties have brought situations to the attention of the Court, including situations referred by the United Nations Security Council.\r\n\r\nWhile it may present a unique set of challenges \u2013this duality in referral mechanisms underscores the importance of international cooperation.\r\n\r\nDespite these challenges, the hope for universal ratification of the Rome Statute, and the Kampala amendments, serve as a profound affirmation of the ICC's enduring commitment to justice.\r\n\r\nAs more countries join and support the ICC, the bold ambition of ending impunity for the most serious crimes becomes increasingly realistic to achieve.\r\n\r\nAs we engage in this discussion, let us remember the voices of the victims, whose suffering must compel us to take meaningful action.\r\n\r\nI underscore the\u00a0need for universal cooperation with the court among Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States in our common pursuit of a more just and peaceful world.\r\n\r\nI call upon States to support the ICC where it faces constraints in its pursuit of justice, including predictable funding to effectively undertake its investigations and prosecutions.\r\n\r\nIn line with the fundamental principle of complementarity, States should cooperate\u00a0with the ICC and with each other in investigations and prosecutions, including by sharing information and evidence to uphold the rule of law and ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes.\r\n\r\nLet us remain committed to strengthening the international legal framework and ensuring that the ICC continues to fulfill its essential role in our global efforts to prevent impunity and injustice and to promote lasting peace.\r\n\r\nI thank you and look forward to a fruitful discussion on this important matter.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Report of the International Criminal Court,<\/p>\r\n