YouSaid · the spoken record

Doris Leuthard

lines on the record

21

first

2010-09-24

most recent

2017-09-24

sittings or episodes

2

sources

un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “Switzerland is firmly convinced of the importance of investing in a well-functioning multilateral system, particularly in an efficient United Nations. Confronted by current challenges, and in the interconnected world that is ours, the notion of “every man for himself” is not a feasible option.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

2. “For example, it appears that political dialogue among States is insufficient with regard to combating climate change. Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, clearly show that the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change must be implemented quickly. Scientists believe that if nothing is done, such phenomena will become a new reality with which we will have to deal. The private sector, whose role in innovation, progress and development is essential, is involved, for example, in developing solutions, in consultation with the scientific community and the political sphere. Scientific diplomacy and exchanges with scientists allow us to make the right decisions. As policymakers, we must base our decisions on established facts.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

3. “Topics such as access to the Internet for all and the impact of digitization on sustainable development, as well as cybersecurity, should be addressed together. The twelfth Internet Governance Forum, which Switzerland will host in Geneva in December, will provide an opportunity to discuss those issues. So as to maintain the capacity of the United Nations, we must also invest in the relevant processes — because the United Nations stands out as much by its areas of work as by its methods of work. Effective and modern management is needed to ensure the robustness of the United Nations system. Reforms in management are therefore essential. In our interconnected world, dialogue is essential. Dialogue requires the time and involvement of all parties. It has to be conducted on a broad basis and involve all the relevant actors.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

4. “In Europe, for example, we must succeed in finding a solution based on solidarity between countries, and we must stabilize the political situation in Libya. Switzerland is working to ensure that the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration addresses not only the challenges caused by international migration, but also its opportunities. The road ahead remains long. It is necessary that all States participate in that work. We are pleased to be able to contribute concretely to its success thanks to the involvement our Permanent Representative in New York’s as a co-facilitator of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. Another topical challenge is the advent of digital technology, which is dramatically transforming the world. It represents a great opportunity, but also a cross-border challenge.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

5. “That is why Switzerland supports the Secretary-General’s action against all forms of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation committed by United Nations staff in the field. As part of its commitment to that issue, Switzerland will contribute to the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. With regard to the United Nations development system, we welcome the proposal to further encourage joint initiatives by the various entities of the Organization. Allow me to mention two examples of areas where we face major challenges: migration and digital technology. By the end of 2016, the number of displaced persons across the world had reached a level not seen since the Second World War. The majority of them have been displaced in their own country.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

6. “The United Nations and regional organizations can play a major role in that regard. Switzerland is actively committed to the non-proliferation and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, the use of which would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences. It is convinced that only negotiations and a diplomatic process will lead to a solution to the security situation posed by the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula. Trust is another important aspect. If an actor is to be able to take effective preventive measures, that actor needs to be trusted. For the United Nations, this means that the quality of the partnership established with the host State concerned and its population is of paramount importance. Sexual exploitation and sexual abuse break this relationship of trust.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

7. “With regard to peace and security, Switzerland supports the priority that the Secretary-General gives to prevention for a very simple reason. When a conflict arises, the price to pay — humanitarian, economic and financial — is much higher than the cost of prevention activities. In order to strengthen conflict prevention, it is essential to promote human rights. Switzerland calls on all States to support the appeal of 13 June, which calls for human rights to be at the core of conflict prevention. Increasing mediation capabilities is another important means of preventing conflicts. In addition, the Global High-level Panel on Water and Peace, launched at the initiative of Switzerland, proposed yesterday, here in New York, measures to better prevent water- related conflicts.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

8. “I am thinking, of course, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and of the desire to transfer resources from post-conflict management to prevention, in order to intensify peacebuilding activities. In those areas, it is necessary to make progress towards the objectives set. In that respect, the 2030 Agenda offers a good example. Its success will be measured by the yardstick of its implementation. Important steps have also been taken within the United Nations. Switzerland welcomes in particular the reforms of the United Nations system that Secretary- General Guterres is working to achieve in the three areas of peace and security, development and management.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

9. “In other words, we need the United Nations, and we need a strong United Nations. The fact that we must be reminded of that is a sign that should put us on alert. In order to preserve and strengthen the capacity of the United Nations, we must invest ceaselessly. Switzerland is actively involved in that regard. Investment in substantive issues is a top priority. It is important that we place at the heart of the activities of the United Nations the issues that will be of fundamental importance, tomorrow as today. In that regard, the States Members of the United Nations have made important strides in recent years.”

   2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

10. “They transcend borders, and they concern the entire international community. We therefore need a forum where we can meet. We need a forum where we can develop solutions and monitor their implementation. We need an actor with the necessary legitimacy to contribute to the implementation of these solutions on the ground. I would like to recall Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations. The purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security and, to that end, to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace. Collective, not individual. Because I am a patriot and because I defend, as the President of Switzerland, the interests of my country, we need a strong multilateral system. We need a strong United Nations.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

11. “I wish to express my sincere condolences to the Government and the citizens of Dominica and the Caribbean region, who are suffering from the destruction caused by the hurricanes. Switzerland will support the region. Since the year 2000, humankind has made remarkable progress in the fight against these major scourges: hunger, extreme poverty and difficulties in accessing education. But famine still affects 800 million people in the world, and every 10 seconds a child dies from malnutrition. Other challenges include climate change, global inequality, conflict and humanitarian disasters, as well as forced displacement and migration. No country, no actor on the world stage is in a position to find, alone, the answers to the challenges of today. They are too large. They are too complex.”

    2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)

12. “For that to happen, however, every Member State must accept its responsibilities and start with the task of putting its own house in order. Discussion and preparing reports are not enough, however; we need to act. Each Member State must commit itself clearly within the Organization to respond to the urgent questions facing the world of today and of tomorrow. Such commitments will strengthen confidence in the United Nations and its credibility. Switzerland remains firmly convinced of the aptness of a multilateral approach, with the United Nations at its centre. With the contributions of everyone in this Hall today we will be able to create a more just, peaceful and prosperous world. I thank all who are gathered here for their collective commitment.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

13. “They have also been the targets of systematic violence in armed conflicts. It is high time to make full use of their potential in mediation and reconstruction in countries affected by conflict. In that context, Switzerland welcomes the creation of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — UN Women — which brings us closer to the fulfilment of this vision. We must avoid making the United Nations an immutable historic monument, but rather turn it into a dynamic organization. The United Nations is the only organization in the world with the legitimacy to represent all nations and all peoples. It is the only legitimate organization in the world capable of narrowing differences and restoring a balance between regions.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

14. “Switzerland will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by the year 2020. Thirty years after the Cold War, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remains a grave threat to peace and security. But for civilian populations, the real devastation is caused by small arms and light weapons. Terrorists benefit from that situation by easily supplying themselves in the arms market. Switzerland, together with other countries, is supporting the full implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. That initiative provides for the involvement of specialists in humanitarian aid and education. Gender equality must at last become a reality. Access to education and health for women and girls has been restricted for decades. More than others, they have been victims of poverty.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

15. “Still today, 1.4 billion people around the world are living in extreme poverty. Every day too many mothers and children die of malnutrition and lack of care. We know that huge financial means are needed after a disaster. Money flows in emergency situations, but who is still concerned three years later? Who is involved in the reconstruction? Binding objectives must be defined as quickly as possible for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Nowadays, we have knowledge and we have clean and green technology. We must take action, each nation with measures aimed at its own targets. Waiting for the industrialized countries to invest in the South will not lead anywhere. Here too, all must fulfil their own responsibilities. This year in Mexico we still have an opportunity to make progress. The recent natural disasters are unmistakable signs.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

16. “As far as Switzerland is concerned, such groups lack legitimacy by virtue of their limited composition. It is therefore crucial for the United Nations and its principal organs to remain at the centre of world governance. That is why we must take care to ensure that the legitimacy of this universal body does not suffer from a lack of efficiency. To make progress in building a better world, it is our collective responsibility to meet a global challenge with a global response. Switzerland wants to contribute to this joint effort. Concerted global action is required in the following areas. The Millennium Development Goals must be implemented rapidly and fully. We know that dropping a sack of rice from a helicopter is not enough. We must instead teach people how to grow rice.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

17. “Its legitimacy also derives from the issues it addresses, which concern us all. This week’s agenda is the best possible 9 10-54827 proof. But the legitimacy of an organization also depends on its performance and its ability to respond to the expectations placed on it. By that standard the United Nations sometimes delivers mixed results. At times it seems ill-equipped and hesitant to act. The power derived from universal membership becomes a burden when we Member States are divided. Our debates should not be limited to the lowest common denominator. They must lead to action and to results in the interest of the common good of humanity. If the United Nations fails to act, other groups representing only a fraction of the countries of the world will step in, zealous for effective action, and play a central role in global governance.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

18. “That is the only way we will be able to find solutions that are in everyone’s interest. Every day we are reminded of the growing and increasingly complex global challenges confronting us: the economic and financial crisis, climate change, energy and food security, development and poverty, and peace and security. The search for sustainable solutions to those challenges calls for real governance, governance, moreover, that must reflect the new realities in the world. The new-found prosperity of some must go hand in hand with new responsibilities. States whose economic success enables them to play a more active role in the governance of the world must accept the new responsibilities that go with that active role. The United Nations enjoys a unique legitimacy because of its universal membership.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

19. “In a more globalized world, we must treasure and defend the principles of the United Nations Charter. We must take care to ensure the proper functioning of this common structure in a spirit of solidarity, respect and responsibility. A strong international community requires solidarity. That means more than providing assistance to countries when they are unable to help their own citizens. It also means reminding States of the responsibilities they have towards their own people in areas such as security, the rule of law, human rights and democracy, and all that in respect for the United Nations Charter. Every woman, every man, every citizen must make his and her contribution to the structure we are building together. At the same time every Member State must be able to place its national interests second to the common good.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

20. “We need a United Nations that will contribute effectively to solving the world’s problems. We need Member States that are ready to take full responsibility for building a better world. The future of the United Nations must reflect the world of tomorrow. Today, nearly one billion people are still malnourished. There will be many more people sharing this planet in the future, and no doubt we will have to make do with fewer resources. Thanks to new developments in technology and information, our citizens participate more directly in the challenges facing our societies. They are increasingly better informed and feel that at least some of the legitimacy of this universal Organization depends on its ability to respond effectively to those challenges. They demand accountability.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)

21. “It is a great honour for me to address, on behalf of Switzerland, the General Assembly, which this year is presided over by my compatriot, Mr. Joseph Deiss. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President on his election. His election is a great honour for Switzerland and is not only a personal recognition of President Deiss and his work but also of our country’s commitment to the United Nations as a member of the Organization and a defender of multilateralism. We find ourselves today in a building that is undergoing renovations. The architectural makeover of the United Nations prompts me to ask: what kind of United Nations are we building for the next 10, 20 or 30 years? We need a United Nations that can face the challenges of the future for the good of all.”

    2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)