YouSaid · the spoken record

Heiko Maas

lines on the record: 49
first: 2018-09-24
most recent: 2020-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“Thirty years ago — after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain — this decision was underpinned by the Charter of Paris. The Charter proclaimed that the “era of confrontation and division of Europe” had ended and that a “new era of democracy, peace and unity” had begun. Today, in the midst of the pandemic, it is our generation that faces a choice. Either we go it alone, without taking others into consideration, and throw this multilateral legacy to the winds. Or we renew this legacy and show that the right response to the crises of our age is “more solidarity” — “more cooperation” and “more justice”. Germany is prepared to do just this. Together with you — as genuinely united nations. Thank you very much — and stay healthy!”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have called on Lukashenko time and again to support a national dialogue, mediated by the OSCE. However, he has rejected all offers and is continuing to tread the path of violence and suppression. And this must also have consequences if we are serious about our values and our international agreements. We’re discussing this in the European Union. Ladies and gentlemen, Courageous decisions are needed especially in times of crisis. Seventy-five years ago — following the devastation of the Second World War that was unleashed by Germany — the international community decided: To oppose war and to promote international cooperation. And to oppose the law of the strong and to promote the strength of the law. And so the United Nations was born.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Yes, we share the concerns about the end of the arms embargo as long as Iran threatens Israel and destabilises the entire region from Lebanon to Syria to Yemen. However, the destruction of the JCPOA doesn’t get us any closer to an arms embargo. On the contrary, at best, the JCPOA’s demise brings Iran closer to getting the atomic bomb. And this is why we, as JCPOA participants, continue to stand by its full applicability and call on Iran to likewise fully comply with the agreement. Ladies and gentlemen, We can watch human rights being hollowed out and trampled underfoot, even though all of us have committed to uphold them. Or we can stand by the side of those who are suppressed, abused and persecuted — such as the peaceful protesters in Belarus.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“This is also why we have firmly enshrined the issue of climate and security on the Security Council’s agenda in recent months. And we’re delighted that Norway, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and others will continue to work on this when they are members of the Security Council next year. Ladies and gentlemen, We can continue to violate arms control treaties — thereby destroying trust that has been built up over many decades. Or we can put nuclear disarmament and non proliferation back on the international agenda — as we have done in recent months, not least with a view to the upcoming Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Europe’s efforts to promote the nuclear agreement with Iran must also be seen in this context.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“A violation of this — as we have been able to prove together with our partners in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny — is a problem for the entire international community. I call on Russia to do more to investigate this case. A case such as this must have consequences. The EU therefore reserves the right to impose sanctions. And we’re grateful to our partners around the world fortheir unequivocal support. We need this same determination, this same will to cooperate also with respect to other existential issues facing humanity. Here, once again, we have a choice. We can continue to watch as our forests burn — and yet still deny the existence of human-induced climate change. Or we can listen to the voice of scientists and treat climate change as what it is, namely the biggest threat to security, prosperity and development on our planet.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Those who don’t clearly distinguish between perpetrators and victims, who blur the line between right and wrong, shake the very foundations of our rules-based order. Such people jeopardise our peaceful coexistence itself. This applies to those who stand in the way of the work of institutions such as the International Criminal Court. This applies to those who block the Security Council with one veto after another and who prevent its urgently needed reform with constantly new delay tactics. And this especially applies to those who contravene international law, although, as permanent members of the Security Council, they bear particular responsibility for upholding it. This isn’t the first time that we have been confronted by a violation of an existential principle of international cooperation, namely the banning of chemical weapons.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“A nationwide ceasefire and a comprehensive, genuine constitutional process, as envisaged by Resolution 2254 (2015), are prerequisites before we can talk about reconstruction of the country. And until that time, we stand firmly by the side of the Syrian people — with humanitarian assistance, which must continue to be provided across borders. There’s another thing that is necessary for lasting peace, namely justice. This is why we will continue to ensure that those responsible for the worst crimes against humanity — for murder, torture and rape — are held to account before German courts and why we will support the UN mechanisms for investigating these crimes with all our might. This is by no means just about Syria, however.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“•We need still greater efforts in the fight against violence and terrorism in the Sahel, and above all closer dialogue between the countries of the region, regional organisations and the international community. This is what the Sahel Alliance, the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel and the International Coalition for the Sahel are seeking to achieve. And we’re supporting the efforts made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help Mali return to a constitutional order as swiftly as possible — as peace, stability and development are what the people there are calling for. Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, a new, international effort is also needed in order to bring peace to Syria at long last.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“For this, both sides must make compromises and refrain from violence, but also from unilateral steps such as annexation and settlement construction. Wherever we Europeans are able to support this — politically or economically — we will do so. Ladies and gentlemen, Despite all the progress made in recent weeks, we’re still a very long way from a new global attitude. The Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire, which was adopted in the Security Council under Germany’s Presidency in July, is falling on deaf ears in many places. This is not only a problem as far as credibility of the Security Council is concerned. It is, first and foremost, a disaster for millions of people in war and crisis areas who are utterly defenceless in the face of the pandemic.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“However, forces outside the country must also fall into line at long last in order to achieve a solution. They must cease sending weapons and mercenaries, thus exacerbating the conflict. This is what we will aim to achieve when Antonio Guterres and I gather together the supporters of the Berlin Process once again in early October in order to make them honour their commitments. The latest developments in relations between Israel and the Arab countries in the Gulf are likewise grounds for hope — this is also the result of courageous cooperation. I have been in close dialogue with my counterparts from Jordan, Egypt and France in recent weeks, and we agreed that this new dynamic should be seized by the parties for fresh, credible negotiations on a two-state solution that alone holds the promise of lasting peace.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Such as in Ukraine, where the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have helped to bring about the longest ceasefire since the beginning of the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people in the east of the country are currently no longer living under the permanent spectre of war. This is grounds for hope for a genuinely permanent solution to the conflict. We will take this hope as the basis for intensive engagement in the Normandy format in the coming months, including at high-ranking political level. In Libya, too, we are focusing on cooperation with the United Nations in order to implement the decisions of the January Berlin Conference to the letter. The rapprochement between the government in Tripoli and the forces in the east of the country that has taken place in recent weeks is a major step forward.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Those affected by it must be at the centre of all of our efforts. And the search for vaccines and medicines must not be a competition or a beauty contest. This is why Germany has set aside more than three billion euro this year for global crisis management — with a particular focus on the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. And, as the biggest exporter of pharmaceutical products, we have expressed a clear commitment to distributing potential vaccines and medicines against COVID-19 in a fair way — as a global public good. Ladies and gentlemen, This crisis also shows that international cooperation is neither an ideology nor an end in itself. On the contrary, it delivers results. Far beyond the actual pandemic.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“On the one hand, they show that a lack of transparency, coupled with disinformation and conspiracy theories, can kill. On the other, they point to a path out of the crisis. It is the path of reason that is founded on scientific expertise. The path of cooperation that is based on common rules. Rules all of us have to abide by. And that is why I’m speaking to you today from quarantine at my home, having come into contact a few days ago with someone who tested positive for the virus. And I hope that the technology works and that you can understand what I’m saying nonetheless. Ladies and gentlemen, As long as the virus is out there, it can affect each and every one of us. That is why only when we get the pandemic under control throughout the world will we be able to overcome it in the long term.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Mr President, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, “The survivors were immune, the others dead.” This is the rather pithy description of the end of the Spanish flu one hundred years ago by a German medical historian. So pithy in fact that we recoil when we consider the pandemic that has a firm grip on our world today. Thirty million people have already been infected by coronavirus. Almost one million people have died. And its longer-term impacts — hunger, poverty, displacement and conflicts — are beginning to reach us only now. And yet 2020 isn’t 1920. History doesn’t repeat itself — at least, if we don’t allow it to. We have a choice, ladies and gentlemen, and few things illustrate this more clearly than the experiences that we have made during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Rather, it creates the prerequisites for our countries’ security and prosperity. In the past 12 months, countries from all parts of the world that share that view have joined together in the Alliance for Multilateralism. Tomorrow, more than 50 of my colleagues will be meeting here in New York to agree on concrete steps to strengthen international law and human rights and to discuss disarmament, crisis prevention, peacebuilding and global issues for the future, such as cybertechnology and climate change. That is multilateralism in practice. That is sustainable foreign policy. Sustainable development is not a principle of lofty discourse or an elite approach that only the wealthy can afford. On the contrary, we can no longer afford not to act sustainably.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Never going it alone again — that is a lesson from our history. Precisely because it was Germany that 80 years ago unleashed fire and destruction in Europe and the world, we must assume a special responsibility today for an order that secures peace. That is why we set up the Alliance for Multilateralism last year. We do not agree with the idea that if everyone thinks only of themselves, everyone has been thought of, because in the end that means only “everyone against everybody else”. The truth is that not one of the major issues of the future confronting us today can be resolved by one country acting alone. Only if we work together will we find answers to globalization, the digital revolution, migration and human-induced climate change. Cooperation is not a betrayal of one’s own country.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Following the launch of the disarmament initiative at an international ministerial meeting held in Stockholm in June, we would like to place nuclear disarmament issues firmly on the international agenda ahead of the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. I am looking forward to welcoming the supporters of the initiative to Berlin next year. Collaboration, compromise and the defence of our joint rules and institutions are what we understand by sustainability in foreign policy. More than most other countries, Germany has benefited from the rules-based order over the past 70 years. Peace, prosperity, free trade and a world open to the outside, as well as a liberal society within, are inextricably linked to multilateralism.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It was thanks to us that in April the subject of nuclear-arms control was put back on the Council’s agenda for the first time in seven years — I repeat, seven years — although if one thing is absolutely clear it is that we can build security only if we work with and not against one another. That is why many States are calling strongly and with increasing impatience for a return to concrete, realistic steps towards disarmament, especially in the nuclear field, and that is why those States that have yet to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty must finally do so.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Stable peace is 33 per cent more likely to be achieved if women are involved in the process. We are therefore committed to seeing an increase in the number of women peacekeepers. Only eight of every 100 seats at peace talks are currently occupied by women. That is nothing short of negligent. To put it simply, peace efforts will not work if 51 per cent of the world’s population is excluded. We will therefore continue to do whatever we can to fight for an equal world. That is not just a matter of justice but one of human decency and human reason. We will also continue to fight in the Security Council for disarmament and arms control.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Climate change has long ceased to be merely an ecological challenge for humankind. More and more often it is a matter of war and peace. Climate change is no less than a question of humankind’s survival. If people no longer have access to clean drinking water, if entire harvests are ruined by persistent drought and conflicts break out over the few remaining resources, the wars of the future will be climate wars. Climate protection must therefore become an imperative in a sustainable foreign policy. During our membership of the Council we are also focusing on the role of women. Sexual violence continues to be used as a tactic of war. That is abhorrent and perverse. With the adoption of resolution 2467 (2019) in April, we were able to help ensure better support for survivors of sexual violence, but more is at stake here.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We want to take on responsibility in that regard, too, and together with the Special Representative, we have launched a process intended to lead to achieving peace. Germany has now been a non-permanent member of the Security Council for nine months, and the impression I have is that far too often, crises and conflicts are not discussed in the Council until shots have been fired and people are dying. That is the very opposite of sustainable policymaking, because at that point it is already too late. The Security Council must move from being a crisis-response body to a crisis- prevention body. And, finally, it must also examine the causes of conflicts. That is why we put climate and security on the agenda at the very beginning of our term and will ensure that it remains there.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“And it is not only in the Sudan that we support peace processes. I am therefore pleased to announce that Germany is doubling its contribution to the Peacebuilding Fund this year, from €15 million to €30 million. In Mali, United Nations Blue Helmets, including almost 1,000 Germans, are working to secure a fragile peace on a daily basis. The prerequisite for lasting stability is that the people regain confidence in the local security forces. That is why together with France we have established a partnership for security and stability in the Sahel, and we call on all Member States to join us. A solution has yet to be found in the conflict in Libya. We support the United Nations and the tireless efforts of Special Representative Salame. An international process involving the supporters of the parties to the conflict is the only way forward.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“That is why, before the end of this week, we will establish an alliance against impunity, designed to strengthen international criminal jurisdiction. Without justice there can be no reconciliation or peace. Those four examples show that sustainable foreign policy demands stamina, resilience and resolve. Above all, it means working together reliably. When we do cooperate, we are making progress, often outside the glare of publicity. In the Sudan, after 30 years, there is at long last hope of a truly new beginning. I was there recently and I assured those in positions of responsibility that we will continue to support the transformation through mediation, in the Security Council, as a troop contributor to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and as a donor.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It will be crucial to ensure that the Committee begins work quickly and implements resolution 2254 (2015). Only when we finally get down to tackling the causes of conflict and address the Syrian people’s desire for social, economic and political participation can there be lasting peace in Syria. And reconstruction will be sustainable only when political progress is visible. Until then, Germany will not take part. Another element that is at least as important is justice. How can thousands of traumatized, tortured and displaced Syrians and victims of poison-gas attacks believe in peace if their tormentors go unpunished? The predominant impression now, and not only in Syria, is that even the worst crimes are not punished. International criminal law is under massive pressure.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Military equipment and soldiers are being withdrawn. At first glance it is a small step, just one piece of the disengagement called for by the Minsk process, but it is a huge step for the people who use the bridge each and every day. We want to seize that momentum. Together with France, we are working hard within the Normandy format to finally find solutions to issues that have been on the table for almost four years. After all, pursuing a sustainable foreign policy also means persistently pursuing goals, step by step. Standing still is not an option. Lastly, with regard to Syria, now in its ninth year of war, the idea of sustainable peace might almost seem naive, and yet today there are grounds for cautious hope. The creation of the Constitutional Committee is a first important step towards a political process.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Germany is ready to support those talks, not least in order to ensure that everything that the United Nations and the entire international community have worked for over almost two decades is not lost — a constitutional order, a minimum of stability, human rights and the rights of women and girls in particular. Thirdly, with regard to Ukraine, over the past two years, the Minsk process has more or less come to a standstill. Right there, in Europe, we have seen an aggression that has cost more than 13,000 lives. We will not simply sit back and accept it. The people in Ukraine want peace. President Zelenskyy has said that very clearly and made it one of his priorities, which has provided a new impetus. Take the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, for example. For four years it was a ruin. Now it is being rebuilt.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Secondly, with regard to Afghanistan, we very much regret that the terrible attacks by the Taliban sabotaged the talks with the United States in Doha. Germany closely followed and supported the talks from the outset. We are convinced that a sustainable solution to the conflict can come about only through political compromise. That is the only way we can ensure that peace endures in the long term. We owe that to all who have been engaged for a peaceful Afghanistan over the past 18 years, in some cases paying with their lives. For that reason, an agreement with the Taliban can also be only a first step. What we would then need would be intra-Afghan peace talks.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“There is something else that we emphasized today at our meeting with Iran, Russia and China. We want to continue to adhere to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the goal of an Iran with no nuclear weapons, simply because it creates security and a basis for further talks with Iran on other topics that are important in that context. Ultimately, diplomacy means not getting bogged down in a logic of despair. But it also means sticking to mutual agreements. That is why we expect Iran to meet the obligations it entered into with us and the entire international community with regard to the JCPOA and to respond positively to our current European efforts to make progress on a diplomatic solution.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“All who love their countries will be committed to cooperation, because only if we work together will we all have a future. A sustainable foreign policy is a multilateral foreign policy. The United Nations is founded on that very principle, which is also the guiding principle for German and European foreign policy. I would like to provide four examples that make that clear. First, concerning the situation in the Middle East, the attacks on two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia have shown us how fast things can escalate. Iran bears the responsibility for them, as we Europeans have made clear publicly and also at our meetings with the Iranian Foreign Minister. The only way to ease the tension is to hold talks between the United States and Iran, but that will happen only if no unrealistic preconditions are placed on such a dialogue.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“While we are talking about sustainability, men, women, and children are suffering from starvation and epidemics. While we are talking about sustainability, people are dying as a result of wars and conflicts that we have been trying to resolve for years without success. Syria, Mali, Ukraine, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea — the list is far too long. It is time to do more than just talk about sustainability. It is time to act sustainably, including in foreign and security policy. A sustainable foreign policy is one that seeks lasting solutions to conflict and involves all stakeholders in order to ensure both acceptance and stability. It focuses on prevention rather than merely reacting to events. It relies on viable agreements, not speedy deals at others’ expense.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Here in New York over the past few days, we have all heard a great many speeches — at the Climate Action Summit, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the countless side events, and of course here at the speech-making marathon known as the general debate. If we were to analyse all the speeches, we would probably find that one term, “sustainability”, crops up more often than any other. Some think the term is nothing but hype, a marketing trend or a bit of greenwashing for the post-material elite. And as long we do nothing more than talk about sustainability, none of that will change. While we here in New York are talking about sustainability, we risk losing the race against climate change. The Earth is ablaze.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“The fact that more than 190 Member States — countries of origin, transit and destination — reached agreement on such complex and controversial issues is a victory for multilateralism. That success is an achievement of nations that are truly united. The United Nations is built on our courage to reach compromises. The Organization grows with our desire to shape things. It thrives on our common pledge to act together first. Common ground is created when we put people at the heart of what we do. The desire for peace and security, and the dream of a prosperous and dignified life, are things that all people can relate to, whether they live in Baghdad, Berlin or Bamako. The United Nations belongs to the people. It is to them — the peoples of “We the peoples” — that we owe allegiance.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In that regard, the International Criminal Court remains indispensable because it sends a clear message to the victims and the perpetrators of the most serious crimes that justice will prevail. Earlier, I spoke about how we Germans in particular have faith when it comes to multilateralism. That faith is also based on the fact that the United Nations, time and again and despite all disagreements, delivers proof of what we can achieve by working together. I am thinking of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which remains our guiding set of principles for making this a better world for all people. I am also thinking about the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In the Security Council, the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, we will demand accountability when human rights are trampled on, be it through human trafficking in Africa or attacks on the Rohingya in Myanmar. Nowhere will impunity stand. Even in war, there are limits. We must hold to account those who wilfully attack humanitarian aid workers, hospitals and schools. Anyone who violates the most basic rules of human civilization must be punished. That also applies to those who use chemical weapons in breach of a taboo that was respected for decades. That is why it is so important that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been mandated to seek and identify those responsible. The perpetrators must be fully aware that there can be no impunity for crimes against humanity — never, and not anywhere.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Only just societies, societies where men and women enjoy equal rights and where women participate in all societal decision-making, will remain peaceful in the long term. It is not only a matter of fairness and respect; it is simply a question of humanity and reason. Kofi Annan put it this way in his report entitled “In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all”: “we will not enjoy development without security, we will not enjoy security without development, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human rights” (A/59/2005, para. 17). Seventy years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that instrument’s proclamation of dignity and personal freedom remains merely a distant promise for many.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“However, discussing potential cost savings alone does not do justice to the benefits that peacekeeping missions bring, for example, in countries such as Mali or Lebanon, which have held peaceful elections and enjoyed relative stability, thanks in part to the Blue Helmets and the political efforts of the United Nations. We Germans will continue to contribute, not only militarily and financially but also, always, politically, through diplomatic efforts and by investing in stability and reconstruction. After all, the success of United Nations missions hinges on the political backing of Member States. That is particularly true for Libya right now. To tackle the Herculean task of making progress on functioning State structures, the United Nations needs our political support. Peace is more than guns falling silent.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“For example, in Iraq, where Islamic State terrorists have mostly been militarily defeated, instead of leaving the Iraqi authorities to fend for themselves, we are training security forces to support administrative structures and providing civil support for efforts to promote stabilization, reconciliation and inclusive reconstruction. Only when military measures are embedded in a clear political strategy can peacekeepers truly bring peace. That is also the objective of the peacekeeping reform efforts of Secretary-General Guterres. It would be a mistake to limit our discussion to bartering over decimal points in scales for assessed contributions. Of course efficiency is important, including for us in Europe, who are the largest contributors of funding.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Germany and the European Union stand by the Paris Agreement. Moreover, we want to ensure that the Security Council makes the devastating effects that climate change can have on the security and stability of entire countries and regions an even greater priority. We also need a quantum leap when it comes to post-conflict peacebuilding. That is why Germany will contribute at least €25 million to the Peacebuilding Fund this year. Over the past three years, Germany has tripled its contributions to efforts aimed at promoting stabilization and preventing crises around the world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Otherwise, what currently sounds like science fiction may very soon become deadly reality, as exemplified by autonomous weapons systems, or killer robots that kill without any human control. I call on Members to support, both here in New York and in Geneva, our initiative to ban fully autonomous weapons before it is too late. It is not only in that domain that prevention is the right answer. The United Nations of the twenty- first century must tackle the root causes of conflict, including climate change. Action based solely on nationalism, with each country seeking to put itself first, reaches its limits in that respect, not least because our climate knows no borders. The alarm bells have rarely sounded as loudly as they did in the summer of 2018 in almost all parts of the world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We Europeans, together, therefore stand by the agreement. We are working on keeping economic exchange with Iran possible, and we call on Iran to continue to fully live up to its commitments. The fact that we stand by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action does not mean that we are turning a blind eye to Iran’s destructive role in the region or to its ballistic-missile programme. That said, if there were no agreement, that would not make the search for solutions in Yemen, Syria or elsewhere any easier. On the contrary, disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation must generally become more of a focus of the work of the United Nations once again. We share the view of Secretary-General Guterres on this matter. Our shared rules must keep pace with technological developments.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That is not some sort of nostalgic rhetoric from the days of the Cold War, whose balance of terror seems utterly benign compared to the scenario of a multipolar arms race with far more unpredictable players. In the case of North Korea, the Security Council’s united stance and sanctions helped to pave the way back to dialogue. That was important. However, North Korea must follow up its words with deeds, and that must lead to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Germany is prepared to contribute its know-how, including the expertise we gained during the difficult negotiations with Iran. The nuclear agreement with Iran may not be perfect. But so far, it has prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and averted an escalation that was highly likely three years ago. That is not insignificant.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“But whatever way they twist it, there will be lasting peace only if people can determine the course of their own lives, living in security and dignity on both sides of the 1967 lines. For that very reason, it remains important to work for a negotiated two-State solution, 25 years after Oslo. The conflict in Ukraine will also continue to compel our attention. Along with France, Russia and Ukraine, we are working hard to implement the Minsk agreements. The focus is on the measures agreed to a long time ago with a view to stabilizing the ceasefire. All efforts, including our discussions on a possible United Nations mission in eastern Ukraine, are aimed at achieving that end. Let us not forget that acute crisis management is at best a step towards peace. Lasting peace can be achieved only if we put a stop to the arms race.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Instead, we are doing our utmost to alleviate people’s suffering. It is shameful that financial support is running out once again. As the second-largest humanitarian donor, Germany is willing to provide the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with a further €116 million — that is, half of the amount currently needed — to help Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. But others also need to step up. After all, the Charter talks about “we the peoples”. Disruptive foreign-policy approaches have now also reached the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many people are keen to make us believe that the notion of a negotiated two-State solution is obsolete. They want us to think that it is now merely a term used in diplomacy and can no longer be achieved.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That sort of war cannot be resolved by military means, because the players in the region are too deeply involved and the individual stakes are too high. However, with united diplomatic efforts, we have managed to prevent escalation in Idlib, which is a glimmer of hope. The agreement between Turkey and Russia must now be permanently implemented. But ultimately, and at long last, we need a political process. To that end, talks must be held under the auspices of the United Nations. In resolution 2254 (2015), the Security Council itself showed the way. We must finally take the path to free and fair elections. At that point, we will also be willing to shoulder responsibility for reconstruction. However, there is one line that we will not cross: we will not become accomplices to a regime that has forfeited its political legitimacy.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Nevertheless, “we the peoples” also means that the Security Council itself must become more representative and inclusive. The world’s population has more than tripled since 1945, while the number of States Members of the United Nations has almost quadrupled. Yet the Security Council has hardly changed at all. That is why we should stop beating around the bush and finally start real negotiations on Security Council reform, as the vast majority of Member States have wanted for a long time. The crisis of multilateralism is most painfully evident in Syria. The civil war has long since turned into a widespread regional conflict, with further potential for escalation in an already ravaged part of the world.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We need to start keeping the promises we already made.” (SG/SM/9095) When Germany joins the Security Council as a non-permanent member in a few weeks’ time, that will be what motivates us. I thank the members of the Assembly for the immense trust they have shown in us through their votes. That trust is an incentive for us to play our part in tackling the world’s crises, and to do so with courage and hope, but without overestimating ourselves. We want to work with all Member States as a reliable partner putting dialogue and cooperation at the heart of its action. In our view, “we the peoples” refers in particular to those who find it hard to be heard at the United Nations. That means we will always seek dialogue with civil society, in the Security Council and beyond.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“That is why the founders of the United Nations chose those as the opening words of the Charter of the United Nations. They wanted to spell out that we need to work together to find solutions. They wanted to leave no doubt as to whom the United Nations and we as representatives of States serve — the people. The Charter’s promises are addressed to the people, who are assured that their freedom and dignity will be defended at the United Nations in New York. But does a boy in Idlib, who lives in constant fear of the next air strike, feel that? How does a girl in Africa feel when her life expectancy at birth is 30 years lower than it would be if she were born in Germany? If we do not act on their behalf, “we the peoples” will be nothing more than hollow words for them. Kofi Annan once said, “We don’t need any more promises.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Europe, which was scarred by war and destruction, was able to integrate in freedom, security and prosperity thanks to our neighbours’ courage in seeking reconciliation. The United States also played a crucial role in Europe’s reconstruction. The fact that Europe was then able to become the closest partner of the United Nations is a triumph of multilateralism. We believe in the United Nations because international cooperation changed our own fate for the better. Europe has proved to the world that multilateralism and sovereignty are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, in a world faced with immense global problems, we can safeguard sovereignty only by working together. Three words, “we the peoples”, express both our goal and how we will achieve it.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“A veteran of United Nations diplomacy recently told me that every session of the General Assembly has its own crisis to discuss, its own major topic. So what is the big issue in 2018? Syria? North Korea? The Middle East? Or the dramatic global refugee situation, from the Mediterranean to Venezuela? If we take a step back, those disparate conflicts reveal a bigger picture and a distinct pattern. It becomes clear that we are indeed facing a crisis — a crisis of multilateralism. And that crisis makes conflicts around the world appear insoluble. When I say that they “appear” insoluble, that reflects the faith that we Germans have in multilateralism. Germany’s post-war success story is also multilateralism’s success story.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)