CARLOS ALVARADO QUESADA, President of Costa Rica, citing three responsibilities — to prevent, protect and end impunity — described the prevention of armed conflict as the raison d’étre of the United Nations.  Fulfilling it requires using all tools for preventive diplomacy, tackling root causes and finding sustainable solutions.  He called for ending the uncontrolled flow of arms and for the Security Council to honour Article 26 of the Charter, which would help prevent the diversion of world resources to armaments.  Noting that military spending has risen to $1.9 trillion, the highest level since the cold war, he said achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will require $2‑$3 trillion more each year.  “The time has come to honour Article 26 of our Charter,” he asserted, recalling the twenty‑fifth anniversary of the responsibility to protect and cautioning against veto use for mass human rights violations.  The Council has a commitment to act in a timely, decisive manner.  “Indifference to such atrocities makes us all complicit,” he said, describing the International Criminal Court as the biggest achievement in the quest to end impunity and ensure justice for victims.  “We must renew our commitment and ensure it is kept as an institution of integrity and independence,” he said, pressing States to uphold the Rome Statute and ratify the Kampala amendments, and urging that the situation in Syria be referred to it.  The Council should refrain from using the veto in that context.  Differences and disputes must be resolved through the rule of law, not through might, with those guilty of committing crimes against humanity punished and victims compensated.

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