Mr President, Excellencies, dear colleagues,
A more just, more democratic and more sustainable world order is one that places freedom at its heart.
History shows us that there is no such thing as absolute freedom. While freedom is essential for living in society, it is only guaranteed when it is protected by rules. Rules of principle, rules of law.
More than 75 years ago, when we adopted the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we learned the lessons of the history of the first half of the 20th century, particularly the two world wars.
These universal standards made it possible to build a world in which the force of law would eventually prevail over the law of force.
And it is in particular the prohibition of the use of force - a real paradigm shift in international law, when the world previously believed in the idea of the ‘just war’ - that was placed at the heart of our Charter.
Since the adoption of the Charter, We the Peoples of the United Nations have built stone by stone the foundations of our universal commitments; and we have tried - together - to build a better world: less poverty, controlled epidemics, humanitarian assistance for those in need.
Many of us were bathed in an optimism fuelled by the spirit of ‘never again’.
When the Berlin Wall came down, we believed that the ideals based on the principles of the Charter would take hold once and for all.
But we have not been able to stay the course.
Our optimism clashed against the merciless wall of realism.
And yet we knew that history is not linear and that human beings have this unfortunate tendency to repeat the same mistakes.
Protectionism and nationalism, symptoms of this global malaise, illustrate a gigantic lack of trust between humans.
Wars, poverty, misinformation and geopolitical visions that are difficult to reconcile are gaining ground all over the world.
Ukraine, for example, has been devastated by military aggression for over two years, in flagrant violation of the Charter. For more than a year, Sudan has again been in the grip of civil war. And 75 years of multilateral engagement have yet to bring peace to the Middle East.
Yes, multilateralism is ailing. If the United Nations seem too weak to us today, it is because it reflects too little willingness on the part of all the Member States to obey the law of duty that they have voluntarily imposed on themselves.
We must regain the momentum that has held our community together.
Mr President,
In May 2023, in this very place, I chaired a debate on the role of trust between states. Trust is a key element if this Council is to fulfil its mandate. To build trust, we need to seek more dialogue, especially where there are divisions. Seeking and creating dialogue sometimes requires creativity and risk-taking.
When we organised an international conference on peace in Ukraine a month ago, our aim was precisely to build trust through dialogue. In Switzerland, for two days, around a hundred delegations discussed possible paths to peace. By no means did we all agree on the paths to peace, but we tried to establish a basis of trust on which to move forward.
And we are providing a forum for further discussions, such as the one currently taking place on Sudan under the aegis of the UN in Geneva, or the one that took place earlier in the context of Yemen.
As the depositary of the Geneva Conventions, Switzerland is ready to shoulder its responsibilities for a world order based on humanitarian law. As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions next month (12 August) - and I hope to welcome you to Switzerland for this important commemoration - it is high time to reaffirm the universal validity of international humanitarian law.
At the end of October (from 28 to 31), Switzerland will host the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva. Under the motto ‘managing uncertainty - strengthening humanity’, the aim of this conference is to improve humanitarian response through effective dialogue.
Faced with an increase in wars and the systematic use of violence, we need to believe in respect for international humanitarian law.
While trust can be created through dialogue, it can also be created through a change of perspective. As a doctor by training, I believe in scientific diplomacy. I am convinced that science can help strengthen our work. An approach based on scientifically established facts strengthens mutual trust. It makes it possible to anticipate the risks and opportunities for peace. During our Presidency of the Council in October, we will be proposing a meeting on the potential of science diplomacy.
Dear Colleagues,
It is up to us, the members of this Council, to live up to the responsibility we have been given - whether by the General Assembly or by the history of our common humanity.
Thank you.