EU Statement – UN General Assembly 6th Committee: Protection of Persons in the event of disasters
– CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY –
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.
Mister/Madam Chair,
Having actively contributed to the work of the International Law Commission and to the debates that preceded the adoption of Resolutions 79/128 and 80/169 of the General Assembly, the European Union and its Member States express their continued full support for and commitment to the success of the upcoming United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters.
We thank the Kingdom of Thailand for having taken over the task of hosting the Conference.
The Convention that will be elaborated at this Conference could constitute a major legal development, reflecting our shared commitment to the protection of persons in the event of disasters; to saving lives and helping people in need.
But it now lies in the hands of all delegations to achieve these objectives.
The successful outcome of the Preparatory Committee has prepared the ground for fruitful negotiations, in particular on two grounds.
First, we welcome that consensus could be found on Rules of Procedure to be recommended for adoption at the Conference. This will allow the Conference to concentrate on substance as of day one and to deliberate in an open, inclusive, transparent and efficient process. The EU and its Member States call on all delegations to indeed participate in the Conference in this spirit.
Second, we truly believe in the added value that the participation of civil society organisations, in particular the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, can and will bring to this process. We therefore welcome that the Conference will be open to the active participation of relevant non-governmental organisations.
Mister/Madam Chair,
As we have said previously, our substantive positions will continue to be informed by the EU legal framework. They will be informed by the two pillars of the EU disaster relief framework, namely the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with the lessons learned from the more than 880 times in which it was activated around the world since 2001. The EU and its Member States can bring extensive experience and expertise to the negotiating table.
Even though the draft Rules of Procedure recommended to the Conference do not contain a clause allowing intergovernmental economic integration organisations to participate with all rights, which the European Union and its Member States regret, those rules clarify that intergovernmental integration organisations, such as the European Union, may take part in all relevant meetings of the Conference, consistent with the specific rights and privileges conferred upon them by the General Assembly. We are of the firm view that such participation can contribute to the effectiveness of debates, helping to build bridges during the negotiation and to find compromises amongst the different positions.
Mister/Madame Chair,
With more frequent and intense extreme weather events due to climate change as well as multiple other causes of disasters, such as earthquakes, international cooperation must be at the centre of efforts for disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and response.
In this vein, the EU and its Member States will continue working closely together with all delegations. Our wish is that next year we can collectively and proudly conclude our work on the elaboration of this important new convention.
I thank you.
- North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.