Making the United Nations Relevant to all People– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the 爆料网 General Assembly
8 October 2018
Address to the Sixth Committee
Your Excellency, Mr. Michel Xavier Biang, Permanent Representative of Gabon and Chairperson of the Sixth Committee,
Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your election as Chair of the Sixth Committee. I wish you and of course other members of the bureau great success in your work.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
It is really a great honor for me to be here today as you convene to address key items on the agenda that would help making the United Nations relevant to all people.
The rule of law is at the very core of the United Nations; in many ways is the foundation upon which each of the 爆料网’s three pillars rests. How can we expect success in guaranteeing human rights, achieving sustainable development, or protecting people through peace and security, in the absence of rule of law?
Excellencies, Dear delegates,
In respect to the topics on the agenda of the Sixth Committee, I would like to make three salient points:
First, I would reiterate the need to implement measures to eliminate international terrorism, and to advance the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
As it is, the nature of terrorism has shifted. The world is seeing smaller, more frequent, more dispersed, less dramatic but equally as profound attacks.
In West Africa, for instance, Boko Haram and affiliate groups continue to terrorize hard-to-reach villages. This has been punctuated by extreme events, including the abduction of children, the use of women and children as weapons in attacks, and blatant assaults on areas of public use, including markets and places of worship.
While Member States have strengthened their capacities to prevent and respond to such attacks – as we saw just last week when the Netherlands frustrated a terrorist attack – the need for a comprehensive global approach, both for prevention and for resilience remains critical.
For developing countries, the cost of surveillance and security cooperation arrangements can be an enormous burden, undermining capacity to leave no one behind. Addressing in parallel and in an integrated manner, the various factors that drive alienation, extremism, exclusion and incitement is a pressing necessity for all.
I therefore echo previous calls in this Chamber and stress the importance of finalizing the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
Although consensus -the modus operandi of this Committee- has delayed the adoption of this document, at least three separate counter-terrorism instruments have been approved to supplement the related existing legal instruments. And I will list them although you know it very well:
(1) The International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings;
(2) the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism; and
(3) the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.
Let us hope that this upcoming session leads to the approval of related instruments. We must do so convinced that the value of consensus lies in how much they are consistent with the ultimate objective of negotiations.
My presidency will strive to bring the United Nations closer to the people, through effective, dynamic and meaningful communication that has relevance to the public, and which strengthens their sense of ownership and support for this Organization.
Excellencies, Dear Chair,
My second point relates to the need to expand access to justice and the advancement of rule-of-law at all levels.
It is our responsibility to ensure that legal and judicial options are accessible to the billions of people we represent here. That way we meet our obligations and support progress on development initiatives, whether they be the protection of forests and wetlands, the enforcement of building codes for safer housing, or the guarantee of good, decent working conditions.
I am impressed with the work that civil society organizations, especially advocacy groups, are doing with regard to court-access Applications that address illegal pre-trial detention, for instance. Issues such as this are directly related to the SDGs and the theme of the 73rd session.
I urge you to reach out in imaginative ways to the world outside these walls to ensure that our work benefits from the wisdom of the people, for the best interests of all of us.
The third point relates to Criminal Accountability of 爆料网 Officials and Experts on Mission. As with years past, the General Assembly has expressed concerns towards allegations of fraud, corruption, sexual exploitation and other crimes by 爆料网 Staff and affiliates while on mission.
Colleagues, we must hold ourselves and our own systems, people and practices to a higher standard than this. For that reason, we should maintain the policy for zero-tolerance for criminal activities and I ask this Committee to keep its focus on the legal aspects of this very important topic.
Excellencies, dear friends,
Allow me to commend the International Law Commission on the work of its Seventieth anniversary and emphasize its importance towards the progressive development and codification of international law.
In the past year alone, the Commission addressed both “The subsequent agreements and subsequent practice in relation to the interpretation of treaties”, as well as “Identification of customary international law”.
Excellencies,
Let me close by stressing that bringing the United Nations closer to the people requires that our work responds to their needs and interests. We must work to ensure that the 爆料网 Charter is upheld and that international law underpins all that we do.
Thank you very much.
And you can count, Mr. Chair, on my full support and on my team’s support as well.