83rd Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 72nd Session

World leaders in General Assembly stress importance of conflict prevention, mediation during High-Level Debate on building, sustaining peace at 83rd plenary meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / General Assembly
• Video Length: 04:00:00
• Production Date: 24 April 2018
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: ANTONIO GUTERRES; JUAN MANUEL SANTOS CALDERON; JÜRI RATAS; KING PHILIPPE; MICHAEL HIGGINS; MICHELLE YEOH; MIROSLAV LAJČÁK
• Corporate Name: EUROPEAN UNION - EU
• Subject Topical: DISPLACED PERSONS; GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE; HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS; PEACEBUILDING; YOUTH
• MAMS Id: 2135970
• Parent Id: 2135970

Description

Member States must go beyond resolutions and statements and recommit to a new approach to peace, the General Assembly heard today during a high-level debate that explored opportunities for strengthening the United Nations work on sustaining peace.

The two-day meeting was convened by the Assembly President in line with General Assembly resolution 70/262 and Security Council resolution 2282 (2016), renewing the United Nations’ commitment to conflict prevention, as embodied in its Charter. (For background, please see Press Release GA/12010).

In opening remarks, Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák (Slovakia) said that, while there had not been another world war since the founding of the United Nations, the Organization had not been there when people needed it. “We could have done more to respond to conflicts and more to prevent them from happening at all,” he said. With people facing unending conflict in parts of the world, a new approach was needed. The signs were already there: rising intolerance, hate speech and disregard for the systems that we had spent 70 years building.

Secretary-General António Guterres said that, two years after the General Assembly and the Security Council had adopted twin resolutions on sustaining peace, it was time to look at progress and forge a common path ahead. Remarking that more countries were experiencing violent conflict than at any time in nearly three decades, he highlighted the record numbers of civilians being killed or displaced by violence, war and persecution.

Emphasizing the central message of his report on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, he said the coherence of international efforts to support Governments and their people must be enhanced. But, without progress on financing, efforts could be futile. Noting that $233 billion had been spent on humanitarian interventions, peacekeeping and hosting refugees, he said more must be invested in prevention — above all because it saved lives.

The need for prevention featured prominently throughout the discussion, with several speakers stressing that it must be at the core of multilateral efforts.

On that note, Ireland’s President said outbreaks and recurrence of conflict would only be prevented by addressing their root causes. That demanded political imagination and financial commitment, which must be met with answerable determination by Member States. Calling for investment in prevention as a matter of moral duty and financial prudence, he said conflict prevention would not only save lives, but also open possibilities for development and human flourishing.

Meanwhile, Albania’s Foreign Minister noted that human rights monitoring and analysis could provide crucial early warning signs of grievances that, if unaddressed, could lead to violent conflict. Further, the Peacebuilding Commission was an important instrument for preventative action, he said.

Echoing that sentiment, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Croatia, said a solid prevention system — an approach supported by the peacebuilding review — could save Government resources that, in turn, could be invested in improving living conditions in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In that connection, several speakers underscored that sustainable and inclusive development, with respect for human rights, was the best tool to prevent violent conflict and instability, pointing to the 2030 Agenda as a blueprint for more stable and resilient societies.

The King of Belgium said time was needed to heal the wounds caused by humiliation and violence, to bring perpetrators of serious abuses to trial, and to remember. The United Nations’ failure in recent years to prevent wars or to swiftly end them should not overshadow its successes. The scale, complexity and duration of many of today’s conflicts must encourage Member States to find other ways to create lasting peace.

In that vein, several speakers highlighted experiences in their own countries that provided hope about the prospects for ending even the most protracted conflicts.

While acknowledging that making peace was more difficult than making war, Colombia’s President said the most complex challenge was finding the proper balance between peace and justice. Towards that end, his Government had placed victims at the core of conflict resolution in a process that involved truth, reparations and sanctions. The success of such efforts was crucial to achieving a sustainable peace, he said.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina shared insights from more than 25 years of peacebuilding in his country, stressing that efforts must be carefully coordinated and introduced at an early stage, with a focus on rebuilding national institutions, including the rule of law and the security sector.

The Gambia’s President said partners were essential for providing material and financial support, as well as capacity‑building, technical cooperation and an exchange of ideas. The Peacebuilding Support Office and the Peacebuilding Fund must be provided with financial resources so that timely interventions could be launched.

Similarly, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister said his country’s strong partnership with the United Nations had helped it overcome security, social and economic challenges on its road to a sustained peace.

Also speaking today were Heads of State and Government, ministers and senior officials from the Central African Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Venezuela (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), Turkey (also on behalf of the “MIKTA” Group), Iran, Germany, Peru, Norway, Montenegro, Iceland, Sweden, Bangladesh, Ghana, Philippines, Poland, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Republic of Moldova, Switzerland (also on behalf of the Human Rights and Conflict Prevention Caucus), United Kingdom, Maldives, Spain, Slovenia, France, Qatar, Greece, Latvia, Ukraine, Portugal, Bulgaria, Brazil, Czechia, Lesotho and India, as well as the European Union.

Michelle Yeoh, Actress, Producer and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador; Ishmael Beah, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Advocate for Children Affected by War; Joy Onyesoh, President of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Nigeria; and Jayathma Wickramanayake, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth also delivered remarks.

The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 25 April, to continue its high-level meeting and take action on a related draft resolution.