YouSaid · the spoken record

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

lines on the record: 74
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2021-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
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

“And this question will not be decided on any battlefield in our world. After all, the firepower of the most powerful army comes to an end, as does the long arm of the strongest State. But the appeal of freedom and democracy in the hearts and minds of people lives on. That is my firm belief.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“It is the project for freedom and human dignity that the countries of the world have set as their yardstick in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Because the Universal Declaration must remain the yardstick for us Germans, even after failing in Afghanistan, withdrawal from the world is not an option. While people are being robbed of their dignity, indifference is impossible. That is why more realism in foreign policy does not mean less responsibility, nor does it mean less ambition to make the world a better place. On the contrary, the inherent human yearning for freedom and dignity and self-determination will never be extinguished anywhere. Doing justice to this human yearning instead of suppressing it — that is the real question defining our future in the twenty-first century.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I believe the task is a different one: it is not by missionary zeal that we render the best service to this tremendous idea but by letting the strength of democracy shine through at home, by bringing democracy to bear in the daily lives of our citizens and by resisting any authoritarian temptation. Only through that can we render the best service to this tremendous idea. At this General Assembly, President Biden spoke of the global power of democracy (see A/76/PV.3). I would like to underscore that democracy is not a force directed against anyone. It is not a Western instrument of political power. It is an open project, regardless of compass reading or geographical borders — and regardless of skin colour.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I began my address with democracy and the democratic transition unfolding in my own country. As I draw to a close, I would like to widen the angle once more and consider the situation of liberal democracy as a whole — its credibility, its impact and its future at this difficult geopolitical juncture. In Afghanistan, a long engagement which cost many lives has failed — but not the idea behind it. My country has a deep-seated commitment to the idea of freedom and democracy, perhaps precisely because our German path to get there was long. We do of course know that, in reality, political systems will never be perfect — not in Europe, not in America, not anywhere. Consequently, they can neither be exported, nor, taking it further, imposed.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We need strong joint decisions at the upcoming summit in Glasgow. After all, when it comes to climate change, it is also true that the gap between our ambitious goals and our concrete policies remains much too wide. It is our shared job to close this gap, and we need to do it now. After all, we are living in an era in which humankind can irreversibly destroy the living conditions on our planet. It is up to us, our generation, to leave the future open for our children and grandchildren. We have to leave them an open future in which climate and environmental protection, economic prosperity, a self- determined life in freedom and social cohesion are all possible simultaneously. This is — and I am not using this lofty word lightly — is our historic task. We must not fail because the future of humankind is at stake.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Apocalyptic fires and scorching temperatures, tropical storms and hurricanes, failed harvests, drought and famine: they are happening now, they are happening in this country and everywhere. They pose a threat to people, families, livelihoods — to everyone, particularly the most vulnerable — but also to the rich industrialized countries. Devastating floods in western Germany this summer cost almost 200 of my compatriots their lives, and we also recall the recent images from New York City of huge masses of water in streets, apartments and subways. Against this dramatic backdrop, the regression to the national egoisms I warn against is more than just a step back to the past: it is robbing us of our shared future. It is harming the very institutions and instruments that we now need.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Too many people are still waiting for the life-saving vaccine. That is why the distribution of vaccines must not be an instrument for countries to showcase themselves or grant tactical favours. The COVAX initiative under the auspices of the United Nations is the right way forward together, because it is our shared way forward together. One in three COVAX vaccine doses is being made available by Europe, and, as the world’s second- largest donor, my country will contribute €2.5 billion, which will make at least another 100 million doses available by the end of the year. What holds true for the existential threat posed by the pandemic is just as true for climate change.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We know that the United States is setting new and different priorities, and we know that, as the world changes, alliances also need to adapt. But no short-term advantage is worth causing cracks to appear in our transatlantic unity. We need to be mindful of that together. The responsibility of the major Powers, including us Europeans, weighs upon us all the more heavily when we call to mind the great global challenges, the major issues facing humankind. Never before have we had such an existential experience of our interdependence, our reliance on one another, as we have had in the almost two years of the coronavirus pandemic. And yet, although we do know that the pandemic is only over when it is over everywhere, when we take stock of global vaccine distribution, the picture is at best mixed.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We are ready to renew the nuclear agreement, and we call upon Iran to return to serious negotiations as quickly as possible. I know we are in agreement with our closest partner, France, in saying that we need a strong common foreign and security policy in Europe. Only a strong Europe can expect others to play their part along with us in building a peaceful international order. Only a strong Europe can do both at the same time: seek cooperation with China where cooperation is in the interest of both sides and indeed necessary, and, at the same time, demand that China respect human rights and international law, as well as the legitimate interests of its neighbours. A strong, rules-based peaceful order also needs a strong transatlantic partnership.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“The privileges the major Powers enjoy in the United Nations system are justified only to the extent that they promote and uphold the international peaceful order in the interests of all and do not ignore or undermine that order in pursuit of their own interests. The United Nations is not a boxing ring devoid of values at the disposal of world Powers. I also do know that our hand pointing the finger at others has other fingers pointing back at ourselves. Those warning now about an American withdrawal should not succumb to similar reflexes at home. We Europeans and we Germans have to do more for our own security. We need to do more for peace and stability in our neighbourhood and around the world. We need to continue our multilateral efforts — in Libya, in eastern Ukraine and in the Middle East.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“I am deliberately using this German word that has made its way into many languages: schadenfreude, which refers to a mindset in which loss to one is gain to another. Such a mindset fails to do justice to the reality of our interconnected world. Regional instability, weakening State structures, refugee and migrant flows, religious extremism and terror, and new forms of conflict — hybrid, digital, environmental and resource-based — are developments that threaten us all, and all of us, small and large alike, have to deal with them. The major Powers — the United States, China and Russia — shoulder a particular responsibility towards smaller countries.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“That is why, in these unstable times, my country is also investing more in its defence capability. But one thing is clear as well: future generations will not judge us on our military strength today but on whether we were able to resolve problems and conflicts. Military strength without the will to forge understanding or the courage to engage in diplomacy does not make the world a more peaceful place. That is why we need strength at the negotiating table just as we need strength in defence. For this reason, Germany shouldered this responsibility over the past two years in the Security Council, and we would like to do so again in the 2027-2028 term. Yes, we failed on many things in Afghanistan, but our failure should not be cause for schadenfreude for others.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“We need to be more realistic in defining and prioritizing our aims and interests. We can often achieve more when we want less. Secondly, we need to be smarter in choosing our instruments and setting our priorities. German and European foreign policy must not restrict itself to being right and condemning others. We need to extend our diplomatic, military, civilian, humanitarian toolboxes. For me, being smart also means less a sense of mission and more openness in our endeavour to find potential solutions and common ground, including with those who are different from us. Thirdly, even though some may find this paradoxical, we need to get stronger with regard to our means. Citizens in all our countries expect their Governments to protect them from threat and attack — and rightly so.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“But despite an immense endeavour and investment, we were not able in two decades to establish a self- sustaining political order in Afghanistan. My country also shares responsibility, and we have an ongoing responsibility, particularly towards the many Afghans who had hoped for a more peaceful, free and democratic future. Yet I believe we need to ask ourselves: what conclusion do we draw from this failure? What lessons can we learn and what tasks do we feel able to perform having had to acknowledge that we wanted too much? I am convinced that resignation would be the wrong lesson to draw. To my mind, this moment of geopolitical disenchantment contains three messages for our foreign policy: we need to become more honest, smarter and stronger. First, we need to be honest with regard to both our options and our limits.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“That aspiration, that obligation is one shared by every German Government, and that is why it was important for me to come to New York today as Federal President and convey Germany’s message to the international community: our partners can rely on us, and our competitors will need to keep reckoning with us. To my mind, our foreign policy responsibility begins with a frank and undistorted look at the world. Over the past few days, speakers at this session of the General Assembly have been unusually open in their endeavours here. Indeed, the global situation today is in many respects sobering. The fall of Kabul marks a turning point. We achieved our goal of defeating those who wrought horrendous terror on that city 20 years ago.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“First, we Germans do not forget that our political and economic rebirth after two World Wars, our journey to re-enter the international community after all the horrors for which my country was responsible and, finally, our peaceful reunification — this, Germany’s path of fortune — was possible only with the support of our neighbours and partners. Secondly, we remain convinced that the path to a more peaceful future and the resolution of the major issues facing humankind will require much, much greater cooperation on the part of the international community. The Preamble to Germany’s Basic Law formulates our aspiration in brief but precise terms: “to promote world peace as an equal partner in a united Europe”.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“As we meet in this venerable forum, the final election rallies are being held in Germany. The day after tomorrow, 60 million Germans will be called upon to elect a new parliament. They will decide on new coalitions and on the successor to the Federal Chancellor who has governed Germany for 16 years. At this time of political transition in my country, I would like to assure the Assembly that after this election, Germany will remain a country that is aware of its international responsibility and shoulders it. There are two compelling reasons for that.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“and we will be guided by them. Despite crises and conflicts, I still firmly believe that the future lies in our hands. We will make the world a better place if we assume responsibility together — not against but with one another and, above all, if we work for those who follow us as the next generation. We have the choice. But we have to decide!”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“When Willy Brandt, then Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, spoke in the General Assembly on 26 September 1973, after the flags of the two parts of Germany had been hoisted in front of this building, he said: “In a world in which we are all increasingly dependent on each other, a policy for peace must not stop at our own doorstep.” (A/PV.2128, para. 33) This is all the more true today in our interconnected world than it was back then. And it is all the more true for a large and prosperous country that our partners, rightly, perceive should play a role commensurate to its size and capabilities. It is for that reason that Germany is applying for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the 2019-2020 term. Peace, justice, innovation and partnership — those are our goals. They are the leitmotif of our candidature.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As we seek to strengthen the dialogue between East and West, especially in these difficult times, we have assumed the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this year. It is, by the way, the sole organization in which East and West continue to work together on a regular basis. We need the United Nations, as well as regional institutions such as the African Union and the OSCE, in order to ensure that diverging interests and differences of opinion do not turn into lasting alienation, thereby preparing the ground for even more new conflicts. Our own history reminds us Germans that we must do everything we can to overcome the rifts in Europe.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Progress has finally been achieved with the Trilateral Contact Group’s framework resolution on the disengagement of forces, which was ratified this week. A ceasefire is not all that is needed for the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, but we cannot make any political headway if the weapons are not silenced. However, there is much more at stake. We must be aware that genuine and lasting security in Europe can only take the form of cooperative security. That is why, as I have proposed, we must pay more attention to arms control in Europe. Such efforts are not meant to substitute for obligations not yet met. Rather, I have in mind new challenges, new technologies and new threats, many of which have not even been mentioned in existing documents. Our goal is to enable security for everyone.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We wish to convey our thanks to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States President Barack Obama for hosting the 20 September Leaders’ Summit on Refugees, alongside co-hosts Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico and Sweden. We also need to revitalize engagement and cooperation in Europe as well. New rifts have emerged on our continent following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, in violation of international law and the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The security situation has changed, and we need to react. First, we need to strengthen our readiness to defend ourselves. At the same time, we must also be engaged. Together with France, Russia and Ukraine, we have been working tirelessly in the Normandy format on a political solution to the Ukraine conflict.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Our response to refugee movements and migration must be a joint, global task in full awareness of the future. Clearly, the challenge will become even bigger if conflicts, hardship and poverty persist. That is why we must tackle the root causes together. Moreover, we must improve the architectural framework of international efforts designed to deal with refugee movements and migration. As co-Chair, along with Morocco, of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, we want to play our part during the next two years. Through the Berlin Round Table on Refugees and Migration, we are focusing on improving the structures of humanitarian assistance. The General Assembly’s high-level plenary meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, held on 19 September, took important decisions on still more joint actions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In Tikrit, we joined forces with United Nations agencies to rebuild schools and wells, so that as many as 90 per cent of those who have fled could return. In Ramadi, we are concentrating on unexploded mine clearance. In the case of Mosul, we are currently preparing to help local forces to begin rebuilding the city, which we hope will be liberated soon. At the same time, we are promoting access to education and the labour market in the countries neighbouring Syria — Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon — so that the people can have a future in their own region. In 2015 in Germany, we welcomed and gave shelter to more than 1 million people. We have begun training refugees so that they acquire the skills needed to rebuild their cities. The objective is to ensure that the belief in a future at home does not remain a mere hope but can become a reality.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The parties in the country and the region can, and indeed should, declare their legitimate interests. However, a fair balance of those interests must be found. Insisting on one of the many absolute truths will not bring peace any closer. I reiterate and want to be quite clear: there will be no winners in that war. In the face of such suffering, we have an obligation to try right now to alleviate the plight of the Syrian people. Currently, Germany is one of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid. To date, we have made available approximately $2.5 billion for Syria and its neighbours. We have been particularly active in helping to stabilize areas in Iraq that have been liberated from the Islamic State.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Al-Assad’s Air Force must cease its attacks. I believe that Moscow also has a responsibility to help bring that about. If we do not succeed, then all efforts to find a political solution to Syria will be lost in a hail of bombs. For that reason alone, although unsuccessful yesterday, our efforts in the International Syria Support Group for a ceasefire must continue. While the international community works hard in New York to bring about a ceasefire, Al-Assad continues to bomb Aleppo to bits, which again demonstrates that the Al-Assad regime cannot and must not be allowed to determine Syria’s future. However, we also cannot allow the conflict to be used by nearby or distant Powers to redraw the political and ethnic map of the Middle East. Syria’s external borders must remain, and we should not allow new internal borders to be defined.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In Libya and Yemen, we are supporting the tireless efforts of the Special Envoys of the Secretary- General to find political solutions. In Syria, it is clear that without the dedicated work of the United Nations and its experts, there would be even more suffering today and there would be even less hope for a solution. The hope raised a week ago by the ceasefire has again vanished, following the deadly, cynical and despicable attack on humanitarian aid workers a few days ago. Today the situation could not be more serious. We are again faced with the choice. Will we succeed in taking the first step towards a ceasefire, which would finally make humanitarian access possible so that people can receive what they need to survive? To that end, I have proposed an agreement on banning military flights during a period of several days.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We would also like to thank him for his commitment to the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which the German Parliament ratified earlier this week. Where if not here, at the United Nations, could we demonstrate that, solely through cooperation, we can move forward towards justice and sustainability, towards peace and security. The Charter of the United Nations and international law provide the foundation for that. North Korea has, in a blatant manner, repeatedly violated central principles of international law. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the latest nuclear test carried out by North Korea. We cannot accept any country jeopardizing security in that region. The United Nations provides the tools we need for our work here in New York and in crisis-stricken regions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In the context of all the crisis meetings, it gives me hope that we, here in the United Nations, have made an important choice about the direction we want to take, that is, the right choice. Our choice has also been for unity, sustainability and transformation with the document that we adopted last year: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 Agenda is a global compact on the world’s future, the focal point, the point of convergence for our joint actions. Our policies should be based on human rights, the rule of law and the fight against poverty and discrimination. We will also put global justice on the agenda of the Group of 20 when we assume the chairmanship in 2017. I wish to express our thanks to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who initiated the 2030 Agenda.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The choice before us is withdrawal, resignation and going it alone, or shared responsibility for a better future. Whether we succeed in finding durable solutions to the major pressing challenges we face depends on the decision we make on that choice. I am talking in particular now about the Syrian crisis and the issue of refugees and migration. However, far beyond acute crisis management, that also presents us with a choice on which direction our world takes, and in what kind of international order we will live together in the future. The objective and focus of German foreign policy are clear — we want to shape a just and peaceful world, and we want to shape it together with all partners who share that goal. The United Nations is and will remain our central forum for that.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Or do we allow that wonderful peace and social project to fall apart again, or even allow populists to drive us apart? We have the choice. In Asia, too, where new Powers are jostling for influence, there is also a choice. Do they believe that their future will depend solely on their own strength? Or does the key to a bright future and cooperative security lie in their involvement in the international order? Our Asian partners have the choice. The United States is also faced with a choice, in six weeks’ time. There, too, the choice is about a supposedly possible withdrawal from a crisis-ridden world, which some are calling for, or cooperation with international partners to solve the world’s problems. That choice is important for all of us.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Or do we move forward and work together to master the challenges of the twenty-first century, whether they be migration, climate change or terrorism? In light of the dramatic meetings on Syria this week, I would like to add that we can also choose whether to put our faith in the power of diplomacy, or to shrug our shoulders in resignation at the many conflicts around us — Syria, Libya, Yemen and eastern Ukraine. Do we give up and allow those conflicts to escalate even further? Or do we live up to our responsibility and continue working on solutions despite all the setbacks? We have the choice. In Europe, too, we are faced with a choice, now that the United Kingdom has made its choice and has opted to leave the European Union. Do we now fight to hold Europe together?”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“For far too many people, the world has become an unsafe place. The challenges confronting us seem immense, and at times it seems all but hopeless to find solutions to the many conflicts around us. However, all of us here, as politicians, have a choice. The choice is between resignation and engagement in those crises, between isolation and multilateral cooperation, and between national navel-gazing and shared responsibility for one another. We have the choice. Do we relinquish the civilizational progress achieved by the founding generation of the United Nations after experiencing two world wars and turn back to the nineteenth century? Do we return to the era of fragile, purpose-oriented power alliances and power struggles among nation States?”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It is time for us to once again reaffirm that we Germans want to be a people of good neighbours to others near and far.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“In the seven decades that have passed since that time, Germany has been fortunate enough to be gradually and cautiously welcomed back into the heart of the international community. For that, we Germans are grateful, but we are also aware of our responsibility. When Mr. Willy Brandt became the Federal Chancellor of Germany in 1969, he said that we Germans want to be a people of good neighbours. At the time, Germany was still divided, and those words were meant as a gesture of reconciliation towards Poland, France and the other European neighbours that had suffered greatly at German hands. Today, when a Syrian family in Berlin tells me their tale of war and expulsion, Mr. Brandt’s words take on a new meaning. Now the world has become smaller, but the crises are no fewer.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Secondly, we are committed to re-establishing and stabilizing State structures across the arc of crisis from Libya to Iraq and Afghanistan. And thirdly, especially in our capacity as President of the Human Rights Council, we are championing the fundamental importance of human rights. For no political order can endure if the people are not secure in their rights. In conclusion, I would like to return to the founding of the United Nations 70 years ago. As magnificent as that moment was, it also inspires a sense of great humility in me as a German, because the Charter of the United Nations was part of humankind’s response to the war and inhumanity that had originated in my country.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That is why we are working with others on the major global projects, on the ambitious 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (resolution 70/1), which has just been adopted and on the equally, if not more, ambitious goals to combat climate change, which we hope to adopt together at the Conference of the Parties in Paris this December. The United Nations provides a framework, a roof, for our global endeavours. But under that roof, the work must continue at many levels. We Germans believe, first, that the way forward lies in regional cooperation in the European Union and the OSCE and in cooperation with other regional organizations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the African Union, among others.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“That is what must prompt us to crawl out of our diplomatic trenches, for there can be no military solution. Neither supposed eternal truths nor national interests must be allowed to obstruct efforts to take the first steps in defusing the conflict in Syria. In these turbulent times, the idea of universal good- neighbourliness would be no more than a dream if there were not already an umbrella, a roof, under which universal good-neighbourliness has been practised for decades. Today we need the United Nations more than ever. We need a legitimate and responsive United Nations, and that is why Germany is campaigning for the reform of the United Nations and the Security Council.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“38/55 15-29658 01/10/2015 A/70/PV.22 We already have a basis for joint action aimed at achieving those goals, as illustrated by Security Council resolution 2139 (2014). We must now implement it together with all the stakeholders as a first step towards defusing the conflict. I appeal to the stakeholders in Syria and Syria’s neighbours — but not only to them. Instead of multilateral decisions, such as those recently taken by Russia, regarding military action in Syria, we need Russia to now take political action that will advocate transition in Syria. That would be an important contribution to ending the stalemate. For that stalemate is a lethal one, which claims new lives every day. At the risk of repeating myself, let me stress that when dealing with a humanitarian catastrophe as horrifying as the one in Syria, we are all neighbours.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“However, the realities are still somewhat different. In Syria, in the fifth year of the war, the slaughter knows no end. We will only put an end to it by acting together. We have to halt the brutality of Al-Assad’s dictatorship, as evinced by its use of barrel bombs and torture. We have to break the control of the Islamic State. We have to silence the guns in Syria and provide the people who live there with access to humanitarian aid. Moreover, we also share the commons goals of preserving the territorial integrity of Syria and restoring conditions in which all ethnic and religious groups can live in peace with each other, as well as in peace with neighbouring countries. Those are goals that all the actors must believe in, whatever differences may exist between the United States of America and Russia or between Saudi Arabia and Iran.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“While that may take time and perseverance, it works. This past summer, the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany concluded an agreement with Iran. After more than 10 years of negotiations, we managed to agree that Iran will never have an atomic bomb and that we can verify this. The negotiations succeeded in bringing a number of actors to the same table, including Russia and the United States of America. The negotiations have therefore proved that while neighbours may not like one another, they can still solve problems together. Indeed they must do so, if living side by side is not to become unbearable for them both. The agreement that was reached has created common ground on which greater security can be established in the Middle East, if we persevere in our joint efforts.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The European Union unanimously condemned Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and the actions in eastern Ukraine, and we responded, not only in terms of condemnation and isolation, but also by launching a political process to defuse the conflict. The Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) has played an indispensable role in that process from the outset. We want to further strengthen the OSCE as an institution for our common security when we Germans assume its chairmanship next year. Active political responsibility is also part and parcel of good-neighbourliness. A neighbourhood in which nobody looks beyond their garden gate will not be worth living in for long. People must be vigilant, because there are many conflicts that can only be solved in concert and by means of multilateral diplomacy.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Accordingly, I met with the members of the Group of Seven and other partners the day before yesterday, and I am delighted to report that together we have raised an additional $1.8 billion, of which over $100 million will come from Germany, intended for the United Nations relief agencies. That will also help relieve the burden on the neighbouring countries in which the huge majority of refugees arrive, especially Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. They too need our help, so that one exodus does not trigger another. But good-neighbourliness comprises more than just humanity and compassion. Good-neighbourliness also presupposes that we agree on joint rules that we all must obey. They include respecting each other’s borders and sovereignty. That fundamental norm is still being violated, even in Europe.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Those statistics show that even we cannot absorb such numbers by ourselves over the long term. We need to arrive at a European solution, together with our European neighbours, as well as with our neighbours around the Mediterranean, especially Turkey. Secondly, the relief agencies of the United Nations system — the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — all help people in need, on the spot and with no intermediaries. It is scandalous that those organizations are underfunded to the point that they have to cut food rations and medical aid.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“If that is so, then we are all neighbours, and I would advise us to act as good neighbours. We come from very different backgrounds. We have different traditions, religions, values and world views. That diversity must be respected. No world view takes precedence over any other, but I can think of no culture in which people are unaware of what it means to be a good neighbour and in which people do not appreciate living in an atmosphere of good-neighbourliness. Nobody is investing as much hope in that spirit of good-neighbourliness today than the millions of women, men and children who have fled their homes. My country has assumed its responsibility towards them over the past months. Since the beginning of the year, we have taken in 600,000 refugees. Currently, upwards of 10,000 new refugees are arriving every day.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Just as the Charter of the United Nations was adopted as a bold response to war and suffering, today new pillars will be built only if States are ready to assume responsibility and work together to find concrete answers to the crises of our times — to poverty and underdevelopment, to refugees and migration, to the devastating civil war in Syria and the failing States across the arc of crisis from Libya to Afghanistan, to religious extremism and terrorism and the murderous deeds of the people who call themselves the Islamic State. There is, however, one major difference between now and the situation 70 years ago. The world of today 15-29658 37/55 A/70/PV.22 01/10/2015 is more closely interconnected than ever before. Borders are becoming blurred. In this age of globalization, some say, the world has become a village.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The foundations of the United Nations are still strong, but the world order built on them has come loose from its moorings. The old balance of power is under pressure. Powerful new players have emerged on the world stage. Most serious of all, non-State actors are now increasingly responsible for war and violence. They abide by no rules — not even the minimum standards enshrined in the international law of war. We therefore urgently need new buttresses and pillars so that the order based on the United Nations can withstand the tempests of our times. What form could these new pillars take? How should the world order of tomorrow look? I do not think that there is a theoretical answer to that question; the only answer is a practical one.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The founding of the United Nations 70 years ago cast light on the dark twentieth century. That was a pivotal moment for our world. It came not against a backdrop of glorious sunshine and green pastures, but amid the ruins of the Second World War with its more than 50 million graves. As the winter of the Cold War spread its frosty fingers, the mothers and fathers of the United Nations forged the foundations of a new order — an order that is not perfect, and which may never be perfect, but which has often enough protected us from relapse into the old barbarism. Today, 70 years on, it is clear that we are again living in turbulent times. Millions of people are gravely affected by wars and violence, and more than 60 million people have fled their homes — more than at any time since the end of the Second World War.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The United Nations is not a finished product. Perhaps it will never be a finished product. It must evolve further, so that in all its parts, including the Security Council, it reflects today’s world. I believe that the United Nations is worth every effort, for in it lives the world’s hope for peace and a legal order. I assure the Assembly that my country will play its part in making that hope a reality, step by step.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“How do we create prosperity? That question is not only directed at a few countries in need of help. Rather, it is a call to the whole world for more sustainable economic activity. With its shift to renewable energies, Germany has set out on a path that, although not easy, is one the world must take if we want to preserve our natural resources and if the fight for scarce resources, water and arable land is not to become the major conflict of the twenty-first century. Our children will judge us by those huge tasks. They will look back, just as we are looking back at our forebears in this year of commemoration. Having learned from two World Wars, our forebears established the United Nations as their lesson to us. If we want to continue that lesson, if we want to master the tasks facing us, then we must further develop this institution.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)