UNSC Open Debate on “Peace and Security through preventative diplomacy: A Common objective to all UN principal organs”

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

New York,

16 November 2021

 

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

It is indeed a great honour to speak today at the Security Council Open Debate on “peace and security through preventive diplomacy”. My first, as the President of the 76^th session of the General Assembly.

I thank you Mr. President for the initiative and the invitation, as the President of the Security Council, for organizing this meeting.

 

Excellencies,

For 76 years the United Nations has represented the pinnacle of what concerted diplomacy can achieve in preventing global conflict.

In that time, we have learned much about what is required to preserve international peace.

We understand better how socio-economic factors exacerbate conflict and more keenly appreciate diplomacy’s role in preventing it.

We understand that peace requires a holistic effort that goes beyond traditional paradigms.

One that considers the security, human rights, and development priorities of the entire membership.

One that empowers all voices in the global security discourse, including women and youth.

It is in acknowledgement of this that the membership has been increasingly calling for a more representative Security Council.

One that is better equipped to deal with the novel and complex challenges of the 21^st century.

One that works in tandem with other UN organs to deliver comprehensive solutions to current and emerging security issues. 

 

Excellencies,

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated socio-economic challenges. It has starkly highlighted the interconnectedness of today’s challenges. Our health, our economic prosperity, our planet’s wellbeing, and our safety and security – are all interlinked.

Indeed, the 2030 Agenda has long recognized that peace and sustainable development complement each other.

Communities that struggle to meet their most basic needs, or that lack economic and social mobility, are prone to unrest and strife.

Climate crises and disasters threaten displacement and force communities into competition over scarce resources.

Ineffective institutions rob people of hope and undermine their faith in governments and justice systems.

And the absence of democratic participation, political freedoms, and equality deprives entire populations of their human rights. This limits their ability to turn to peaceful recourse in redressing their grievances.  

We see these truths borne out in many conflict-ridden places across the world.

The global community simply must do more.

In addition to humanitarian relief, we must support preventive measures to build resilience, and strengthen sustainable development to give people the opportunity to live in dignity and in prosperity.

Truly, human rights, justice and sustainable development are our greatest tools in both building and maintaining peace and security.

 

Excellencies,

Preventive diplomacy today is being conducted by a broader array of actors, using a wider range of tools, than ever before.

These include the development of early warning systems and targeted funding mechanisms for rapid response, the establishment of dedicated prevention structures, and the ongoing use of special envoys.

The critical importance of peacekeeping operations in the Organization’s overall peace and security toolkit has been recognized for decades.

However, today, sustaining peace and peacebuilding is no longer limited to traditional military peacekeeping but also includes strengthening capacities, institutions, and democratic integrity.

This dramatically reduces the likelihood of conflict and is one of the most effective strategies to secure durable peace.

The Peacebuilding Commission, which is an intergovernmental advisory body of the Security Council and the General Assembly, ensures sustained international attention to countries emerging from conflict, including to the reconstruction and institution-building efforts necessary for recovering from conflict.

I welcome the call in “Our Common Agenda” to invest in prevention and strengthening peacebuilding efforts through adequate and predictable financing.

And I call upon all UN bodies to coordinate to embed peacebuilding, and peacekeeping operations more deeply in the global security architecture.      

 

Excellencies,

Global security will always be within the proper remit of the Security Council. However, work done by the General Assembly and ECOSOC to build resilient and prosperous communities facilitates the work of the Security Council.

In fact, in November 1999, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement recognising “the importance of building a culture of prevention… and the need for all UN organs to pursue preventive strategies”.

In fact, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his 2011 report, “Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering Results” underscored the importance of preventive diplomacy throughout the conflict spectrum.

The report noted that “through its norm-setting capacity and deliberative functions, the General Assembly has a central role in contributing to a conducive environment for conflict prevention”.

The Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda” report, also stresses the importance of system-wide cooperation and the need for greater focus on prevention.

The agenda’s commitment to boosting partnerships envisions stronger engagement within the UN system and calls for reforms of the UN’s three principal organs: making the Security Council more representative, revitalizing the work of the General Assembly, and strengthening ECOSOC.  

 

Excellencies,

Revitalizing the General Assembly is one the key elements of my ‘Presidency of Hope’. To that end, I not only want to make it more inclusive of the views and priorities of the membership, but also want to strengthen cooperation between the main UN organs, to streamline our responses to global challenges – including security challenges.

I call upon the membership to work together to implement General Assembly resolution 75/325 on ‘Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly’, which ‘encourages regular interaction and continued coordination between the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC’.

Regular coordination meetings between the General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC, as mandated in the resolution, help bridge differences and improve the efficiency of our work.

On my part, as President of the General Assembly, I am keen to engage with my peers to synergize our efforts to recover better, improve global governance, and strengthen the international security regime.

Under my Presidency of Hope, I will continue to engage with Member States, as well as with the principal organs of the UN, to ensure progress in our common endeavors.

I hope that same spirit of cooperation will guide our discussions today.

I look forward to a wide-ranging and productive debate. I expect that their outcomes will put us in a better position to deliver to our global constituents.

Thank you.