Istanbul

24 May 2016

Opening remarks at press conference with President Erdogan of Turkey at the World Humanitarian Summit

Ban Ki-moon

Good afternoon, Your Excellency President Erdogan,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Merhaba. Degerli katilimcilar, hepiniz hosgeldiniz [Dear participants, welcome to all],

Let me begin by thanking His Excellency the President, the Government and people of Turkey for their hospitality, and for their role at the forefront of humanitarian action.

The World Humanitarian Summit has been a unique event, in form as well as substance.

I convened this Summit because we have reached a level of human suffering without parallel since the founding of the United Nations.

We have the wealth, knowledge and awareness to take better care of one another. But we need action, based on the five Core Responsibilities of the Agenda for Humanity:

  1. Political leadership to prevent and end conflicts;
  2. Upholding the norms that safeguard humanity;
  3. Leaving no one behind;
  4. Moving from delivering aid to ending need;
  5. And investing in humanity.

That is why I called on Governments, affected communities, NGOs and the private sector, regional organizations and others to join the United Nations in seeking out lasting solutions.

That call was heard and heeded. One hundred and seventy three Member States, 55 Heads of State and Government, some 350 private sector representatives, and thousands of people from civil society and non-governmental organizations have come together with energy and commitment.

We can be proud of what we have achieved. We must now take it forward, together.

It is disappointing that some world leaders could not be here, especially those from the G7 countries, apart Chancellor Angela Merkel from Germany. They are some of the most generous donors of funding for humanitarian action, but I urge their greater engagement, particularly in the search for political solutions.

The pledges are still coming in. So far, more than 400 Member States, organizations and other groups have made some 1,500 commitments. These will kickstart transformative change from the top down, and from the ground up.

For example:

  • The Education Cannot Wait fund will help provide quality education to children and youth in crises.
  • A ‘Grand Bargain’ will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of investment in emergency response.
  • The Global Preparedness Partnership will better prepare twenty of the countries that are most at risk of crisis.
  • And the One Billion Coalition for Resilience aims to mobilize a billion people to build safer and more stable communities worldwide.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Aligning the interests of such a diverse constellation of actors is inherently challenging.

Divisions between the members of the Security Council have prevented progress in recent years, not only on critical issues of war and peace, but on humanitarian affairs.

That is why I make a special appeal to leaders of the nations that are Permanent Members of that Council to take important steps at the highest level. The absence of these leaders from this meeting does not provide an excuse for inaction. They have a unique responsibility to pursue peace and stability, and to support the most vulnerable.

That is the foundation for the major agreements of the past two years: the Sendai Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The United Nations will continue to pursue these aims, and I urge all Member States to exercise their influence to support our efforts.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Looking forward, we will monitor and assess our progress, and make full use of intergovernmental processes and other forums, including the High-Level Meeting on large movements of Refugees and Migrants to be held in New York on September 19.

Humanitarian action is at the core of the United Nations Charter and our shared promise to the world’s people for security, sustainable development and human rights.

Together we must demonstrate that we are one humanity, with shared responsibility.

Thank you. Tesekkur ederim.