The Importance of Multilateralism and the Role of the UN General Assembly in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

23 January 2019

Major General Salim bin Musallam bin Ali Qatan, Commandant of the National Defence College (NDC)

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests,

Good afternoon,

I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to the Government of Oman, as well as to the National Defense College, for inviting me to speak. I understand that the College recently celebrated its 6^th anniversary, so I would like to congratulate you on six successful years.

While I am here in my role as President of the UN General Assembly, my previous career experience includes serving as both Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ecuador. I say this because I wish to convey to you both my respect for what you do, as well as emphasize that – based on my experience – issues related to international affairs, human rights, development and defense must go hand-in-hand. These issues are all deeply intertwined and the closer the synergies between those of us working in these areas, the closer we are to achieving success.

With the world’s worst humanitarian crisis across the border in Yemen, I do not have to remind this audience about the importance of defense, of human rights, and of international cooperation.

In this respect, I am very pleased to note that Oman has been a strong supporter of multilateralism and an advocate for the use of diplomacy for peace. Indeed, this College was founded by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to ensure that future leaders understand the interlinked nature of local, regional and international environments, and their impact on national security.

And this support has not been confined to warm words only. Oman has led by example, from serving as a mediator in the region, to facilitating the Iran nuclear deal and supporting UN efforts to broker peace in Yemen.

Ladies and gentlemen, our topic today is on the role of the UN – and the UN General Assembly more specifically – in maintaining peace and security. In that respect, I would like to make two main points.

First, I would like to argue the necessity of a strong, multilateral approach to peace and security backed by the United Nations;

And second, I would emphasize that the UN General Assembly – the world’s most deliberative forum – can and must play a key role in this respect.

First, allow me to be clear: peace and security cannot be imposed. As last year’s remarkable developments in the Horn of Africa have shown, local and regional actors might lead the way. But the United Nations can and must play a strong supporting role.

As His Excellency Yousef bin Alwai bin Abdullah has made clear at the General Assembly:

“Peace and dialogue have become an inevitable necessity for humankind and their realization is a collective responsibility … without the support of the international community, national and international interests cannot be enhanced. Both can only be achieved when we give the United Nations the strong role it requires to protect the world from conflicts and wars.”

This was the founding promise of the United Nations in 1945: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and to give peace a firmer footing through international cooperation, international law, fundamental human rights and better standards of life.

It is not always easy – particularly at this time, particularly in this region – to remember the transformative impact the United Nations has had in this regard. Over the past seven decades, the UN has helped to bring peace to countries such as Colombia, Liberia, Nepal and Sierra Leone.

UN peacekeepers have supported peace agreements and protected civilians in all regions of the world, from demobilizing combat forces in El Salvador to clearing landmines in South Sudan. Overall, UN peace and security activities are credited with making a major contribution to the 40-percent decline in conflict since the 1990s.

But, as the suffering in Syria and Yemen has made painfully clear, too many people still endure the violence of war. Longstanding causes of conflict – political tensions, poverty – are being exacerbated by newer drivers, such as climate change and extremism. We are now starting to see a reversal of the hard-won gains of previous years. More countries are experiencing violent conflict than at any time in nearly three decades. Attacks against civilians have risen for the first time in a decade. Women and girls have been subjected to mass abduction and rape. Nearly 70 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of conflicts.

Meanwhile, nuclear proliferation remains a critical issue. Chemical and biological weapons pose a constant threat, including from non-state actors. Cyber security threats have emerged in recent years, including as a means for covert attacks. And an arms race in outer space now looms as a realistic possibility.

This country has long recognized that in our interconnected world, we cannot ignore crises that occur outside our own borders. Many of today’s armed conflicts, particularly in this region, have demonstrated the extent to which the line between inter- and intra-state conflict has been blurred.

We cannot afford to be indifferent.

Multilateralism is the only possible response to the challenges we face – that has been the constant refrain of my presidency, and no message is more important at this time.

As President of the General Assembly, I serve as the de facto guardian of multilateralism. An important element of this role is to emphasize that multilateralism does not represent, in any sense, a threat to the sovereignty of states. On the contrary, multilateralism gives every sovereign state the opportunity – and means – to solve complex challenges that it could not overcome on its own.

Dear friends,

My second point refers to the essential role that a revitalized UN General Assembly can and must play in building and maintaining peace and security.

Because if you consider the full spectrum of what the international community needs to deliver, from tackling the root causes of conflict through to post-conflict peacebuilding, then it is clear that the task of maintaining peace and security is shared by the whole of the United Nations – by all of its constituent parts, by all of its Member States.

And no other part of the United Nations, no other forum, is as representative of ALL Member States as the General Assembly. As I so often say: one seat, one mic, one vote, just as it should be.

The General Assembly resolutions reflect the weight of world opinion and have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people. Conflict prevention is a good case in point.

Member States have long called for prevention to be the focus of the UN’s peace and security work. Apart from the unacceptable cost in human life, conflict and violence are estimated to cost around $14 trillion dollars per year – more than 12 per cent of global GDP. As the body that adopts the Organization’s programme of work and its budget, the General Assembly can drive this much-needed shift to prevention of conflict.

Many of the Assembly’s most significant achievements relate to tackling the root causes of conflict: from creating human rights and arms control treaties, to adopting the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. Member States have embraced the Sustainable Development Goals as an investment in peace.

During my presidency, we will be placing particular emphasis on Goal 8 on decent work. Unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, stands at over 30 per cent in some countries in this region. This can have deep implications on social unrest. It is for this reason that I have included decent work and the empowerment of youth in peace and security as two of the seven priorities of my Presidency.

However, the General Assembly’s role is not limited to conflict prevention. It is mandated by the UN Charter to make recommendations on peace and security matters, and it has done so in relation to specific conflict situations from its earliest days.

This role was notably expressed in a General Assembly resolution adopted by Member States in 1950 – in the context of the situation in Korea. Called “Uniting for Peace”, the resolution reaffirmed the Security Council’s primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, whilst recognizing that failure by the Council to discharge this responsibility did not relieve Member States of their obligation under the Charter to maintain peace. As such, the resolution stipulated that in cases where the Council fails to exercise its responsibility, the General Assembly should consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations for collective measures.

Even without this procedure, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on pressing situations. In its current session, there are some 40 items related to peace and security.

Let us not forget, it was the General Assembly that created what many describe as the first UN peacekeeping force – the UN Emergency Force – during the Suez crisis; it was the General Assembly that established humanitarian and observer missions to countries such as Guatemala and Haiti; and it was the General Assembly that, in 2016, set up the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist with investigating serious breaches of international law in Syria.

Clearly, the General Assembly has a crucial role to play in building and sustaining peace. From its practical responsibilities in relation to financing peace operations and reviewing the work of the Peacebuilding Commission, to ensuring that the voices of those affected by conflict are heard.

Finally, the General Assembly is at the heart of efforts to strengthen the international community’s capacity to maintain peace and security. It is in the driving seat where reform of the United Nations is concerned, from taking forward reform of the Security Council, to the major review of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture that is currently underway.

In my capacity as President of the General Assembly, I am doing my utmost to assist Member States in these tasks, and to promote greater coordination between the main bodies of the United Nations, so that we can better deliver on our promise of peace to the world’s people.

Excellencies, dear friends,

It is abundantly clear that peace is more than the absence of war. To be sustainable, peace must be nurtured, before, during and after conflict. Peace, development and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. We must work across this continuum – at the General Assembly and beyond – if we are to address the many challenges we face. And we must embrace multilateralism if we are to foster a lasting peace for the world.

As we enter this new year, let us redouble our efforts to understand one another, to engage in frank and productive dialogue, and to strengthen multilateral action for a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable planet.

Thank you.