EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Our Common Agenda, Frameworks for a peaceful world
Mr Vice-President,
Mr Under-Secretary-General,
Colleagues,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, the country of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, align themselves with this statement.
Our efforts to maintain peace and security are closely interlinked with what we discussed in the first two clusters: our ability to address poverty, injustice, and climate change; to promote global health; uphold all human rights, promote the rule of law and to enhance the involvement of women and youth.
We fully agree with the Secretary-General that the picture is alarming: We are facing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945, repeated violations of the UN Charter and International Law, the return of military coups, rising impunity, and human rights and the rule of law are under assault. New crises are erupting, while existing ones becoming protracted.
The nature of conflicts has also changed, new actors are gaining ground, and there are new challenges and threats, such as cyber-attacks and disinformation – none of which our current toolbox is fully ready to deal with.
There clearly is a need for a strengthened approach to peace and security. We therefore fully support an ambitious ‘New Agenda for Peace’ – one that advances a comprehensive and integrated approach to peace and security, including, including by addressing cross-cutting issues, such as organized crime, corruption, and climate change.
The New Agenda should also reinforce the commitment to Women, Peace and Security by ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in all stages of peace processes and peacebuilding, and ensuring accountability for its implementation.
The ‘New Agenda’ should put a strong focus on prevention and further strengthening mediation capacities, including those of regional organisations, which – if sufficiently equipped - could play a vital role. We will come back to their specific role under the 5th Cluster.
We also strongly echo the call in the UN75 Declaration for the Secretary-General to make full use of his diplomatic tool box, including the unmatched legitimacy of his ‘good offices’ - all the more important when geopolitical tensions are on the rise, threatening to paralyze the Security Council.
The EU would like to offer support for the ‘The New Agenda’ to progress particularly in the following five areas:
Firstly, we need to be better equipped to tackle new threats and challenges. This requires strengthening cooperation to prevent and counter terrorism and cyber-related risks, including disinformation, a more determined commitment to non-proliferation and disarmament, and strengthening our foresight capacity.
Secondly, we must invest much more political and financial capital in preventing conflict and building peace and confidence. This includes applying a gender perspective throughout all our work related to peace and security. There can be no sustainable peace without a holistic approach to peacebuilding – one that is anchored in human rights and is inclusive of all of society.
The Peacebuilding Commission still has untapped potential as a convening and collaborative body. We look for it to be focused and operational and be able to attract real commitment from government and major donors. IFIs should – within their mandate – be called upon to focus more strongly on these challenges. The Peacebuilding Fund has proven its worth, but lacks predictable and sustainable funding. The EU and its Member States have contributed more than 60% of the PBF’s budget since its launch, but more is needed from all of us. We are open to discuss all options, including the possibility of assessed contributions. We look forward to discussing concrete options at the upcoming high- level event later this year.
Thirdly, we need a thorough reflection on the UN’s role in violent conflicts, and specifically how to ensure that UN peacekeeping missions can contribute to the advancement of political solutions to conflicts and are well-equipped to address today’s new challenges and actors, including terrorist groups and mercenaries. Over and above the A4P and A4Pplus initiatives, which we support, the UN needs to adjust and rethink peacekeeping, while being more operational in peacekeeping settings.
Fourthly, we need concrete measures to ensure that the Security Council as the main body for international peace and security is responsive in the face of serious human rights violations and abuses. In this regard, the ACT Code of Conduct “regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes” as well as the French-Mexican “Political Declaration on the suspension of veto powers in cases of mass atrocity” should be explored within the ‘New Agenda for Peace’. We strongly call upon all to back up those initiatives.
Fifthly, the EU and its Member States welcome that peaceful, secure and sustainable use of outer space features so prominently on “Our Common Agenda”, including as a deliverable for the Summit of the Future. We recognize the need to discuss ways and means to reinforce global governance of outer space and address challenges such as space debris, building on COPUOS’ achievements and in close cooperation with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). On the security side, without excluding the possibility of a legally binding instrument in the future, we believe that voluntary measures constitute a pragmatic way forward, with a view to preserving outer space as a global commons. Last week, the European Commission adopted a space package with two new initiatives - a Proposal for a Regulation a space-based secure connectivity and a Joint Communication on Space Traffic Management, both aimed at the protection of the long-term viability of space activities.
Mr President, any new Agenda must be underpinned by reinforcing human rights and fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence, and the prohibition of the threat of or the use of force, which are absolute prerequisites for peace and security - currently put into question across the globe, including on the European continent. Diplomacy and peaceful settlement of disputes must always prevail!
The EU supports the Secretary-General’s proposal of a ‘Global road map for the development and effective implementation of international law’. In this regard, we also hope to conclude this year negotiations for an ambitious international, legally binding instrument under the UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
We must also strengthen transitional justice and accountability, including through the ICC, and advance our work towards a Convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. The effective implementation of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’- agenda would also contribute to this effort.
Making a fuller use of existing Human Rights Mechanisms, which must be sustainably funded, is also essential. We should also make better use of the work undertaken and information gathered by Special Procedures and Mandate holders in Geneva, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Moving on to the digital space: An area rich in opportunities, but also of increasing risks, such as the misuse of technology, cyber-attacks, and disinformation – all putting at risk a truly global, open, free, stable and secure internet
But if we get it right, if we manage to protect the digital commons as a Global Public Good, achieve affordable, meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion, close the digital divide, and ensure respect and protection of human rights online as we do offline, then the digital space and technologies can serve as enablers and accelerator for the implementation of the SDGs, with the prospect of further advances in other areas.
The EU has made serious financial commitments towards promoting sustainable connectivity across the globe, and particularly in Africa, where we are building robust partnerships aimed at bridging the digital divide. Providing the necessary infrastructure is part of this offer, including via our new Global Gateway strategy
The Global Digital Compact could serve to “turbo charge” the implementation of the SDGs and other areas. The EU looks forward to engaging constructively towards establishing a truly human centric Global Digital Compact – one that ensures a human rights-based approach to the digital space, addresses both its opportunities and risks in all its dimensions and breaks down silos.
The round tables and the Secretary-General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation can form the technical backbone for principles and commitments, while a public “listening” exercise with true multi-stakeholder engagement could launch the reflection as to what the new Compact should entail. We call on the Secretary-General to make use of all existing fora, including the Internet Governance Forum. The outcome should be a stronger, inclusive, human rights-based and multi-stakeholder internet governance, including governments, civil society and the private sector, to the benefit of all.
The EU stands ready to share its expertise, not only with regards to Data Protection, digital services and markets, artificial intelligence, but also on the EU Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online. We also support a strong role for the Tech Envoy Office and look forward to the swift nomination of a new Envoy.
Lastly, we welcome the Secretary-General’s resolve to address disinformation and misinformation online and off-line. We need a whole-of-society approach fully in line with human rights standards, including with regard to freedom of expression and opinion, one that invests in education, media literacy and pluralism, awareness-raising, resilience and trust, and one that involves all relevant stakeholders, including media professionals, social media platforms, civil society, human rights defenders, academia and youth. We are ready to share our experience, including that of the “EU Code of Practice” – the first self-regulatory set of standards to counter disinformation in Europe.
I thank you.