YouSaid · the spoken record

Simonetta Sommaruga

lines on the record
19
first
2015-09-24
most recent
2020-09-24
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. “It is up to us — the political representatives of our countries — to take the right decisions for the good of our fellow human beings and our planet. Let us assume this responsibility. Let us strengthen the UN’s capacity to act, and ensure that the decisions we make today will be a source of pride for generations of tomorrow.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  2. “Beyond the necessary fight against the current pandemic, we must think now about the world that will emerge from this crisis and that cannot entirely be yesterday’s. If every crisis is a suffering, it is also a moment of change that allows us to reinvent ourselves. So let’s reinvent ourselves, keeping in mind the goals we set for ourselves when the UN was created seventy-five years ago. Ladies and gentlemen, There are moments that leave their mark for generations. Such moments require decisive and courageous action. This is true today. From my country’s perspective, the most urgent tasks are to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, and to step up our efforts for peace.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  3. “The most vulnerable have been hit hardest: the child in the overcrowded displacement camp; the single mother who has lost her job; the young adult whose job prospects have been destroyed; or elderly people and the sick, who are particularly at risk. My country is coping with this pandemic as best it can. The World Health Organization plays a central part in fighting the pandemic. As host state of the WHO and other international health organisations, Switzerland is committed to ensuring that they can take effective action. For this to happen, the WHO must have sufficient resources and the support of all of us to carry out its reforms. Is it fair to demand so much from this organisation when 80% of its funding comes from voluntary contributions?”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  4. “Switzerland’s peace policy draws on essential characteristics of my country’s political culture, such as power-sharing, openness to dialogue, tolerance and consideration of everyone’s interests. In the future, Switzerland intends to further step up its capacities and expertise in mediation and facilitation in order to support those who wish to end conflicts through dialogue. Ladies and gentlemen, While “International Geneva” contributes to peace and security in the world, it is also the seat of the World Health Organization, which has played such a crucial role since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current health crisis has caused untold suffering in the world.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  5. “We reaffirm here our support for the International Criminal Court as an integral part of a rules-based international order. To facilitate debate on the best ways to adhere to these humanitarian norms, Switzerland was one of the first countries to publish a voluntary report on its national implementation. My country would welcome it if other countries followed. While it is right to try to prevent conflicts and to seek to mitigate their worst humanitarian consequences, it is also crucial to find lasting solutions to the conflicts that are ongoing. As the capital of peace, “International Geneva” contributes to this by providing a space for dialogue between the parties to a conflict.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  6. “My country is prepared to take on more responsibilities, which is why for the first time, Switzerland is a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the period 2023-2024. Switzerland of course wholeheartedly supports the Secretary General’s appeal for a global ceasefire. But beyond such an appeal, is there anything else we can do? We must put even more effort into preventing conflicts. Here too, human rights must remain at the centre of our action. “International Geneva” also contributes to conflict prevention, for example by hosting the Human Rights Council and the Arms Trade Treaty Secretariat. By prosecuting the worst crimes, the International Criminal Court is contributing to uphold international humanitarian law.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  7. “We would do well to work together to achieve the goals of the UN because they benefit all of us and they make us stronger. My country is proud to contribute to the achievement of the UN’s goals, even if it is not always easy. It is difficult to translate the goals we have set ourselves - on climate or gender equality for example - into national policy. But that is why all of us politicians are elected: to offer our respective populations and humanity as a whole a decent life in freedom and security. My country also advocates for an international order regulated by the rule of law. We are committed to international humanitarian law and to the prevention of conflicts, and we provide good offices wherever they are desired.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  8. “And it is often Member States that stand in the way of the UN’s work. They block decisions or refuse to implement them, undermine resolutions or flout their principles. This weakens the UN. And it weakens all of us, too. If we want a strong UN, then we — Member States — must strongly support the organisation and work together to pursue its objectives. Because the goals of the UN are our goals. Ladies and gentlemen, We live in an era marked by geopolitical tensions. Many States are also increasingly polarised in their internal affairs. More than ever, the UN is indispensable for the promotion of peace and security in the world. It embodies the causes of human rights, sustainable development and a world governed by the rule of law.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  9. “Mr President of the General Assembly, Mr Secretary-General, Distinguished Heads of State and government, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, There are moments that leave their mark for generations. The founding of the United Nations seventy-five years ago was one such moment. For this, we can be grateful to our parents. Are we nevertheless permitted to take a critical look at the UN today? — Yes, we are... We even have to. In fact, seventy-five years on and there are still wars, there are more refugees and displaced people than ever before, there is a climate crisis currently without a solution, millions are going hungry and we haven’t achieved gender equality. We could criticise the UN for this — but who are we really talking about, when we blame “the UN”? We are in fact talking about ourselves, because the UN is its Member States.”

    2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)

  10. “In December, Geneva will host the thirty-second International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. That will be an important opportunity to make progress towards the creation of an institutional framework in which to discuss how we can improve compliance with international humanitarian law. Let us continue to work together to build a modern and effective United Nations by reforming its governance. In this context, Geneva, as one of the main centres of global governance, has an essential role to play. The United Nations can count on the full support of my country, Switzerland, to strengthen it during the next 70 years.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  11. “It is also essential that the perpetrators of human rights violations be brought to justice. Switzerland here wishes to recall the important role played by the International Criminal Court in the fight against impunity. As far as the humanitarian system is concerned, it has clearly reached its limits as a result of the growing number, longer duration and increasing complexity of crises. So far this year, 82 million people have required immediate humanitarian assistance. That is an unprecedented number. The World Humanitarian Summit, which is to be held in Istanbul in May 2016, will afford us an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the humanitarian system in order to enable it to better and more effectively respond to victims’ needs.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  12. “Finally, Switzerland is also convinced that a strong United Nations is a United Nations capable of taking action and decisions when international peace and security are under threat. In this connection, we reiterate our long-standing call to the members of the Security Council not to block or vote against any resolution aimed at preventing or putting an end to crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Human rights are the third pillar of the United Nations. Here, Switzerland is proud to be seeking election to the Human Rights Council for the 2016-2018 term. Switzerland’s priorities on human rights are the abolition of the death penalty, the implementation of the prohibition of torture, the promotion of women’s and children’s rights, and the protection of human rights defenders.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  13. “That self-evident truth was apparent during the various peace and dialogue processes conducted in Geneva on Syria, Libya, Iran and Yemen. As for the review of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), Switzerland will continue its effort to promote the participation of women in peace processes. We must also grant women more responsibility when it comes to security-related issues. Their involvement contributes to the duribility of peace agreements by expanding the agenda of negotiations and by improving the population’s commitment to such agreements. The United Nations will review its global counter- terrorism strategy during the summer of 2016. The implementation of this strategy is a priority for Switzerland, especially the parts relating to terrorism prevention and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  14. “The ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1) that we have just adopted is a huge step forward. We need to continue to impart this momentum by achieving an ambitious agreement at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. As for the peace and security pillar, it affords us an opportunity to strengthen the United Nations, especially with regard to the protection of the civilian population. Switzerland is convinced that one cannot resolve a conflict through a purely military approach. The United Nations must base each of its actions on a political strategy aimed at finding a lasting solution to the conflict.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  15. “If countries seek answers to such large-scale phenomena as the current migration movements in an individualistic way, without coordinating, everything will be brought to a standstill. Human beings are not free from inconsistencies, none of us are. To some extent at least, that is part of human nature. However, when it comes to the actions of Governments, States and communities of States, we must strive to minimize such inconsistencies. As we all know, in order to address poverty, the challenges of migration, conflicts, terrorism, organized crime and climate change, collective action is vital. The United Nations is more necessary than ever. What we require is a strong United Nations for a better world. To that end, we need to focus on three priorities.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  16. “If we each continue to look after our own interests, we will all lose out in the end — the migrants will lose out, and the solidarity between States will fall by the wayside. If we fail to protect human dignity, we do ourselves a disservice, because to betray one’s own values is to betray oneself. I say once again, therefore, that the refugee crises require responses based on solidarity. One cannot ask Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon to take in all the refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. These countries have already done so much, such admirable work, which has received too little recognition thus far. Similarly, it is not possible to ask a few European countries to take in all of the refugees. We will all be judged on how we respond to this traumatic humanitarian challenge. Here we face yet another inconsistency.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  17. “Let us ask ourselves why so many educated young people wish to leave their own countries. This concerns not only developing countries but also a considerable number of European States as well. We must acknowledge that we have not yet succeeded in achieving anything close to a fair global distribution of wealth, nor have we succeeded in establishing the rule of law as the norm. Corruption remains endemic. We have to admit that we have not yet succeeded in combining growth with the protection of our environment. Furthermore, all too often national interests impede the formulation of joint responses. I am thinking here specifically of the refugee crisis in the Middle East and in Europe. Faced with such major flows of migrants, the solutions can only be joint ones.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  18. “That means that the crises and the wars which ravage the world are still far too many in number. Today we have 60 million displaced persons worldwide, which is more than at any time since the United Nations was founded. Not only have we not made sufficient progress when tackling certain problems, but we have created new ones ourselves, such as global warming. Even though we might not like to admit this, we must recognize that our behaviour continues to be marked by major inconsistencies. I should like to offer two examples of that. First, many countries continue to live in abject poverty when they have a wealth of natural resources. Secondly, we are concerned about movements of mass migration, yet, by causing global warming, we are depriving entire populations of the basic conditions they need in order to remain where they are.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)

  19. “On the ruins of a world ravaged by the Second World War, 51 countries decided to give humankind a forum for voicing opinions again and came together to proclaim the values enshrined in the Charter: dignity, human rights, equality, justice, tolerance and peace. It is fitting that we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of our Organization, which has achieved so much. It would be difficult to imagine a world without the United Nations. It has contributed to reducing poverty in a great many countries, and it has achieved its primary goal: our generation is the first one not to have lived through a world war. However, if we wish to make an honest assessment we also need to be critical. Today, close to 120,000 soldiers are currently active in United Nations peacekeeping missions.”

    2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)