As delivered
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, at the Annual American Bar Association Meeting Showcase Luncheon
10 August 2017
Mark Alcott, ABA Representative to UN
Visiting Presidents and Members of Foreign Bar Associations
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I acknowledge the honour of being asked to speak at the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association, and I thank the President of the American Bar Association and the other organizers of today’s event for the invitation.
The United Nations is a house that from its outset has been steeped in the influence of international legal professionals – whether on diplomatic delegations, within the staffing cohort, or amongst the experts who play such instrumental roles in helping the UN advance the rule of law across the world.
Indeed, since its establishment in 1945, the promotion of justice and the rule of law has been a golden thread running through the work of the United Nations in pursuit of its three founding pillars – the maintenance of peace and security, the protection of human rights, and the advancement of development.
The logic behind this golden thread is clear.
For the 71 peacekeeping operations that have been established since the UN’s foundation, and for the nearly 100,000 peacekeepers currently deployed by the UN across the world, the promotion of the rule of law is at the very heart of their efforts to build and sustain international peace.
And then in the UN’s work to promote and protect human rights everywhere, the ending of discriminatory laws, the promotion of fair and transparent processes, discouraging violations, and fighting impunity is fundamental.
And through the UN’s efforts to achieve sustainable development to build effective institutions, lift public trust in government, and ensure equal access to justice, we make our stand for a just, peaceful and prosperous world.
For over seven decades now, the United Nations has been at the forefront of global efforts to promote the rule of law across our world.
The International Court of Justice – the principal judicial organ of the UN – has increasingly become the forum of choice for a growing number of States to peacefully settle their international disputes.
The establishment of legal bodies such as the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, have been critical steps in the global fight against impunity and for ensuring justice for victims of crimes perpetrated during war.
Meanwhile, the increasing number of international courts and tribunals focused on specialized areas of law, including human rights, law of the sea, and trade law, point to a growing understanding among Member States of the importance of an international rules-based order.
For all of these accomplishments, we are confronted by a conundrum: how to precisely quantify to the global public the importance and the success of each of these achievements. Especially since these achievements belong to humanity as a whole and are seldom celebrated.
We ponder how many conflicts have been prevented?
How many lives have been saved?
How much people have had their sense of hope restored through the acknowledgement of crimes perpetrated against them, and the rendering of international justice?
Far too often – as with much of what the United Nations does – it is the shortcomings and failures that receive widespread attention, with little acknowledgement of achievements, particularly in averting even graver tragedies.
Indeed, in our current global landscape, characterized by an unprecedented pace of change, and the fears that arise in times of great uncertainty, we are seeing in some parts of the world an instinct to withdraw from international engagement and to revert to nationalistic tendencies. That tendency even extends to a questioning of the importance of the rule of law, both within national boundaries and at international levels.
In a world facing complex global security challenges, including the worst humanitarian and refugee crisis since World War II, shifting global dynamics, unprecedented technological advancement and population growth, widening inequality, climate change, and large-scale environmental degradation, the importance of international law becomes greatly elevated. That point cannot be overstated.
These are the times when more, not less, needs to be done to strengthen the rule of law at national and international levels.
I would like to make a further point that emphasizes the role of the United Nations in strengthening the rule of law in these challenging times.
The decision by world leaders at the United Nations in September 2015 to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a major milestone in our efforts to build a world of sustainable peace and justice.
Based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda seeks to shift humanity’s current trajectory away from its current course towards unsustainability, towards a future that is safe, secure and prosperous for all.
Premised on the commitment to ‘leave no one behind’, the SDGs stand to transform our world by breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty; building peaceful societies; increasing global prosperity; achieving gender equality; protecting our natural environmental, and averting the worst impacts of climate change – all by 2030.
Critically, it dedicates our efforts towards the promotion of the rule of law across the world.
Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda specifically seeks to ‘promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’. Goal 16 is underpinned by specific targets by which to measure success.
I emphasize that the SDGs are integrated and mutually-reinforcing in nature, and that the 2030 Agenda inherently places peace, human rights, justice, and strong institutions as a fundamental requirement to achieve sustainable development. The Agenda recognizes an international rules-based order as indispensable for achieving a just, peaceful and prosperous world.
It is obvious to all, that achieving this reality will require all stakeholders – Governments at all levels, civil society, the private sector, and grassroots organizations – to work together in new and innovative ways.
The Ocean Conference held here at the UN in June of this year was a prime example of such partnership and innovation in action. With around 6,000 participants from Governments, the UN system, civil society, the scientific community, academia, and the business sector, nearly 1,400 voluntary commitments for action were made in the cause of reversing the cycle of decline in which the Ocean is currently caught.
It is in The Ocean Conference’s positive spirit of common purpose, that action must now be taken to build on the inter-linkages between the SDGs. We must pursue cross-cutting actions across the SDGs to strengthen the rule of law, peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.
And in this regard, I commend the American Bar Association and visiting members of foreign bar associations for your dedicated efforts to strengthen justice systems, to improve governance, and protect human rights across the world.
In particular I mention the work being undertaken through the Rule of Law Initiative to promote legal education, improve access to justice, address land and resource governance, fight human trafficking, and support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. This work is essential not only for promotion of the rule of law, but for achieving peaceful and inclusive societies, and accelerating SDG implementation.
I encourage you to do all you can to further support this work – at home and abroad – as a critical component of sustainable development. With the American Bar Association representing a network of over 400,000 attorneys, you have a huge opportunity to bolster UN efforts in our common aim of advancing the rule of law.
I encourage you all to continue supporting the development, understanding, and dissemination of international law.
I encourage you to continue your capacity-building, legal education and training assistance across the world.
And I urge you to assist in the fight against corruption and organized crime, building robust legal frameworks, ensuring equal access to justice, supporting accountable institutions, and promoting inclusive and representative decision-making at all levels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In our interconnected world, international law shapes our daily lives – from internet governance and air travel, to international trade and environmental protections.
We must continue to work together to build global understanding of international law as an enabler and a pre-requisite of peace, justice and development, and to promote the rule of law everywhere.
I thank you for your attention.