21 September 2017 – Delivering a strong message in favour of promoting unity among countries to solve the problems that afflict humanity, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, the President of El Salvador, told the United Nations General Assembly today that dialogue and the peaceful settlement of disputes are indispensable to achieving world peace.

“As a country that has experienced an internal armed conflict for more than a decade that could yet find lasting solutions only through dialogue and negotiation, we know very well the importance of peaceful means to resolve differences,” he explained in his address to the UN General Assembly’s annual general debate.

Citing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he said that it is essential to recognize the positive contributions of migrants in destination societies. To that end, he advocated that the United States Government extend the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) to the thousands of Salvadorans living in that country.

Turning to national issues, he stressed that El Salvador allocates more than half of public spending to education, health and safety. He also emphasized that his preventive approach to dealing with violence has halved homicides and extortion.

Finally, he reiterated El Salvador’s commitment to disarmament, arms control, the fight against organized crime and the unity to address the challenges of climate change.

Full statement (in Spanish) available here

21 September 2017 – Germany warned the United Nations General Assembly today not to be lured by the siren song of ‘our country first,’ calling it a recipe for more conflict and less prosperity that must be eschewed in favour more international cooperation and the strengthening of the UN.

“A world view which puts one’s own national interests first and is no longer engaged in a balancing of interests between the nations and countries of this world is gaining ever more ground,” Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the Assembly’s 72nd annual general debate.

“National egoism is worthless as a regulatory principle for our world! For this world view describes the world as an arena, a kind of battleground, in which everyone is fighting against everyone else and in which everyone has to assert their own interests, either alone or in alliances of convenience.

“In this world view, the law of the strongest prevails, not the strength of the law. Ladies and gentlemen, I am convinced that we have to rise against this world view. We need more international cooperation and less national egoism, not the other way round,” he declared.

The motto ‘our country first’ not only leads to more national confrontations and less prosperity. In the end, there will only be losers,” he added. “In international cooperation, no one loses sovereignty. Rather we all gain new sovereignty which we could no longer have as nation-states on our own in today’s world.”

Turning to individual world crises, Mr. Gabriel stressed that international community had made clear it will not accept the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear provocations, and called for using all diplomatic means to defuse the situation and find a long-term solution.

He cited the international agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear programme as a way out of an impasse, provided all terms are rigorously adhered to.

Full statement available here

21 September 2017 – In midst of recovery from two major earthquakes in the last two weeks, Luis Videgaray Caso, the Minster for Foreign Affairs of Mexico told world leaders today that his country takes comfort in the global solidarity shown during this tragic time.

This coming together evidenced by emergency assistance from countries both near and far, the Minister expressed his appreciation for the support in the aftermath of the disaster and added that being a member of the United Nations through such an ordeal, means “being among family.”

He said the degree of international unity being demonstrated in Mexico today is the sort of remedy other global challenges are lacking, and that the root of many world challenges stem from a mistrust in multilateralism.

“No country, as powerful as it may be, is capable of responding alone to the enormous challenges shared during our time,” he noted.

Turning to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Mr. Caso reaffirmed the power of solidarity, saying that for his nation, the agenda is a state commitment, and that UN Members States should collectively channel the Organization as a means of prioritizing human prosperity.

In his address, the Mexican leader also underscored the importance for protecting human rights, ensuring women and girls are not vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence, and combatting discrimination.

Underscoring the need to strengthen measures promoting inclusion, Mr. Caso reaffirmed his country’s openness to the world and expressed hope for cross-cultural bridges to neighbors near and far.

Acknowledging his country’s socio-political tension with the United States, Mr. Caso noted that Mexico is proud of being a member of North America and underscored support for fellow Mexicans “regardless of immigration status.”

“The Mexican Government has a moral and legal obligation to protect and support you,” he said, and celebrated the “dreamers” – undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children – who through this legislation were able to pursue education and hopes for a better life.

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Caso recalled the tragic disasters that hit Mexico, adding: “My message to you today is that we Mexicans will overcome this catastrophe and our nation will emerge stronger.”

“The people and Government of Mexico stand.”

Full statement (in Spanish) available here

21 September 2017 – Effective international cooperation with the United Nations at its core is essential to address global challenges which have become even more complex and intertwined, the Prime Minister of Slovenia told world leaders today, urging unity among the international community.

Noting that the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change are the “true test,” Prime Minister Miro Cerar stressed that now is not the time to go back on commitments.

“We need to turn them into real progress that will benefit people around the globe,” he urged, addressing the general debate at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

Noting that partnership and collaboration among the entire global community is vital not only for achieving sustainable development, but also for addressing the challenges associated with the scale of migration and refugee flows seen around the world.

In his address, the Prime Minister also underscored the importance of respect for human rights, including rights of children and women, rule of law, and gender equality and women’s empowerment.

He also noted the reform efforts initiated by Secretary-General António Guterres, and expressed his country’s support for the same.

The Prime Minister, further spoke of the need to combat terrorism in all its forms as well as violent extremism around the world, as well as advance the non-proliferation and disarmament agenda and urged for full implementation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

In that context, the Prime Minister strongly condemned the violations by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of numerous Security Council resolutions as well as its own international commitments.

“They pose a serious threat to peace and security in the region and wider,” he stressed.

Full statement available here

21 September 2017 – Nearly seven months after the United Nations issued an urgent call for action to counter the threat of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, north-east Nigeria and Yemen, global efforts have kept that crisis at bay but millions of people still suffer and many are dying at this very moment, Secretary-General António Guterres warned today.

“To keep famine at bay doesn’t mean to keep suffering at bay,” Mr. Guterres said at a high-level event on famine prevention and response, organized by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Bank.

“So, millions and millions of people suffer, millions and millions of people are not food secure, and we have people dying at this very moment,” he added.

The Secretary-General noted that since the call for action was issued in February, 60 per cent of the $4.9 billion required to cover urgent humanitarian operations has been received.

Humanitarian agencies and their partners are reaching close to 30 million people each month with life-saving food, livelihood support, health, water and sanitation and nutrition assistance, he added.

However, in each of the four countries, people’s needs have deepened since February.

In South Sudan, 6 million people are now severely food insecure – an increase of one million, and more than half of the population.

In Somalia, 3.1 million people are now unable to meet their daily food needs – an increase of 200,000 since the call to action.

In Yemen, the scene of the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world, a staggering 17 million people are now food insecure, 6.8 million of whom are one step away from famine.

And in north-eastern Nigeria, around 5.2 million people are severely food insecure and in need of emergency assistance. Of an estimated 450,000 children who will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, one in five is likely to die without specialized treatment.

Unfortunately, despite the generosity of some donors, $1.8 billion is still urgently needed, and that figure is expected to increase by the end of the year, Mr. Guterres said.

Humanitarian aid is saving lives, but a long-term solution depends on ending and preventing conflict, a most important factor behind these crises, he added.

Also addressing the event was Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, who stated that global attention must remain fixed on the task of saving lives and investing together in the future as “the risk of famine has clearly not passed.”