Mister President,
During Switzerland's term on the Council, I had the honor of chairing the Committee established by resolution 1718 (2006) concerning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In this capacity, I had the pleasure of chairing over fifteen meetings of various formats, circulating 466 notes, signing 242 letters and approving, on behalf of the Committee, 48 requests for humanitarian exemptions to the sanction measures. In this work, I have received exemplary support from the Secretariat team, whom I would like to thank warmly through its Director, Claudia Banz. I would also like to thank all the members of the Committee for their cooperation over the past two years. Finally, I would also like to thank my team, who has done an absolutely impeccable job.
These statistics can bring some comfort to our assessment, and it seems clear that the most complex sanctions measures in force go hand in hand with a particularly delicate and heavy workload.
At the same time, these figures should not mislead us about the growing global threat posed by the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic weapons program, global tensions and their deleterious impact not only on the smooth running of the Committee, but on the whole architecture of disarmament and arms control.
I would like to mention three major challenges that the Committee has had to face and will have to overcome in the future in order to fulfill the mandate given to it by this Council.
Firstly, the inadequate implementation of sanctions measures, and the contradictions that prevent the Committee from fulfilling one of its central functions, i.e. monitoring the situation. The veto on the renewal of the mandate of the Group of Experts is only the most visible consequence of this, as we have been unable to reach agreement even on purely technical issues.
If we really want to maintain sanctions measures as an effective instrument of the Council for the maintenance of nuclear non-proliferation, a wake-up call is needed. Continued unravelling of the system which, for over half a century, has restricted access to the deadliest weapon ever developed, is a serious dereliction of our duty to maintain international peace and security. This is our responsibility towards all Member States.
Secondly, with the end of the Group of Experts, which for 15 years had supported the Committee in its work, we have lost a fundamental instrument of information and communication. Its expertise not only benefited our deliberations within the Committee, but its reports also informed Member States and the public about the implementation of sanctions measures, their impact and the scope for adapting them to changing circumstances. While we have, with the support of Committee members, begun the task of tapping new sources of information, we are still far from being able to make up for this loss.
It seems clear to me that a new mandate for the Group of Experts from the Council is the most desirable solution - and indeed the only one that can effectively support the implementation of the Committee's mandate. In the meantime, the Committee will continue to depend on information provided by Member States and certain organizations, which individually or as part of groups, will submit reports on violations of sanctions measures, as in the past. Deprived of their own Group of Experts, Committee members will have to analyze the reports they receive themselves.
Thirdly, if the sanctions targeting the DPRK's nuclear weapons program are the most elaborate of the Council's sanctions regimes, so too is the humanitarian exemption process. As the Council demonstrated again last week with the adoption of resolution 2761, Council sanctions are not adopted against the civilian population and are not intended to have a humanitarian impact. The 1718 Committee has therefore never lost sight of the population of the DPRK. All requests for humanitarian exemptions submitted during our term of office have been approved under the fast-track procedures established by our predecessors. We also welcome the fact that the 1718 Committee was the first to update its procedures following the adoption of resolution 2664.
Despite this, the heavy restrictions put in place by the DPRK in recent years in connection with the pandemic have been a major obstacle to international humanitarian assistance. While we welcome the opening of borders, this must go hand in hand with rapid, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. To achieve this, the entry of international personnel into the DPRK is essential.
Mister President,
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation have always been a priority for the UN and this Council, and as part of the Pact for the Future we have all committed ourselves to strengthening them and preventing any erosion of existing international norms. We must not fail in this task. Yet, despite our own efforts and the support of many Committee members, signs of relativization are particularly visible within the 1718 Committee, and I regret to hand over a difficult legacy to my succession.
I can assure you, however, that my successor will not be left alone in this task, as the will, not only within this Council but also among the Member States, for a political solution to the issue of the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic missile program is clearly being felt. To this end, however, the Council will have to break its silence on the issue.
If it decides to do so, I am convinced that the Council will find within the 1718 Committee the right place to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean peninsula at peace. We must turn hopes into concrete action.
Thank you very much.