YouSaid · the spoken record

Aurelia Frick

lines on the record: 128
first: 2009-09-24
most recent: 2018-09-24
sittings or episodes: 10
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

“Furthermore, the Court is also undertaking preliminary investigations regarding Côte d’Ivoire. The central role played by the Court in those situations and in many others has illustrated the profound paradigm shift brought about by the Rome Statute. The core principle of that shift is now firmly entrenched in the fabric of international law: there must be accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. But accountability has not yet arrived everywhere that it is needed. Serious allegations of crimes committed in Sri Lanka and in Syria, for instance, have not yet found an appropriate and transparent justice mechanism. Again, the primary responsibility to ensure an end to impunity falls on the States concerned.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“At the same time, we sympathize with those who perceived a selective application of the responsibility to protect. As the stalemate in the Security Council on Syria showed, politics continues, at times, to trump principle. In response, however, we need more principled action, not more politics. Secondly, have we lived up to our promise to ensure accountability for the worst crimes? Have we lived up to the promise of “Never again!”, which we gave in the aftermath of Rwanda and Srebrenica? Once more, the international response to crimes committed in Libya has provided a glimmer of hope. The Security Council’s unanimous referral of the Libya situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was a historic decision. The ICC responded appropriately with swift action.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The concept has three pillars: in the first instance, the primary responsibility of the State concerned, and then the second pillar, according to which other States have a responsibility to assist in the protection of civilians. In two recent instances, however, the international community has had to act under the last and third pillar. We commend the Security Council for taking swift action to protect civilians in Libya and in Côte d’Ivoire. In both instances, the Council authorized the use of force only as a last resort, but also without undue delay. Some have criticized the actions taken and argued that they were aimed at regime change. Let us not forget, however, that the regimes in question had a 11-51398 2 choice. It was they who chose to attack civilians. It was they who forced the international community to act.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The United Nations has yet again proven its ability to settle complex and violent conflicts by peaceful means. The developments in northern Africa and the Middle East may have roots mainly in the lack of connections between Governments and their people. While they may be primarily internal in nature, there is also an international dimension to the rapid changes we are witnessing. The events since February have put the Organization itself to the test, and more challenges can be expected to occur. In recent years we have sharpened tools and concepts that are essential in helping us solve or prevent conflicts. So how did we apply them during these challenging times? First, how well did we carry out our commitment to protect civilians? The United Nations has made much progress in developing the concept of the responsibility to protect.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is a great honour to again address this Assembly, especially at the first general debate ever opened by a woman. What an inspiration! This debate has already proven that the General Assembly can indeed play a central role in multilateral diplomacy, in particular at this time of great change and turmoil. I would like to express the solidarity of my country, Liechtenstein, with all of the peoples of the world that have, in recent months, sought to attain freedom from oppression and tyranny. We admire the courage of all of those women and men, young and old, who have stood up for their rights, often at great personal risk. We, the United Nations, must stand by them. I also wish to welcome South Sudan as the 193rd State Member of the Organization.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“This integration will not be a quick or easy process. But we must not shy away from these discussions, and we have to approach them with both an open mind and a determination to stand firmly on the principle of fighting impunity. The challenges in global governance are numerous and interlinked. The governance architecture reflected in the Charter gives us the possibility of addressing them. It is up to us to make the necessary political investments to make this system work for our peoples.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“But experience shows that there is no contradiction between peace and justice over the long run. And there is a broad international consensus that there can be no impunity for the worst crimes under international law, and therefore no amnesties. Given the massive crimes committed against civilian populations all over the world, this common stance against impunity is more important than ever. It is embodied by the International Criminal Court, whose effects are felt across the globe. Most important, though, it is also leading States to make greater efforts to fulfil their obligations to investigate and prosecute domestically. These are developments of truly historic dimensions. 10-55276 6 We are only at the beginning of our efforts to integrate the justice dimension into our overall governance structure.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“A number of important reforms have been undertaken since. Most notably, we have strengthened internal oversight and accountability. But can we be confident that we have now appropriately managed the risk of another system breakdown in the future? Clearly, more needs to be done in this area, in particular to fully implement some of the management reform measures already taken. The strongest emerging tool in our system of global governance is the dimension of justice. We have made tremendous normative and institutional progress in this area in the recent past. At the same time, we are struggling with the challenge to reconcile peace and justice in particular. How can we balance the dignity of victims and the justice owed to them with the likelihood of preventing further crimes? That is a choice nobody will want to face.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The group of small five countries, of which we are a member, has over the last few years initiated a process of reflection and gradual improvements that is very much in the interests of the Council itself. We look forward to continuing this process, with both the permanent and the elected members of the Council. The role of the United Nations in global governance depends not only on the performance of its intergovernmental organs, but to a great degree also on the performance of the Secretariat. This is an enormous responsibility on the shoulders of all our international civil servants, especially the Secretary-General himself. We saw a few years ago how much damage this Organization can suffer from management failures and system breakdowns in the areas of procurement and accountability.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“If States increasingly believe that the Security Council can only be reformed in a climate of serious institutional crisis, a view with which we disagree, then we must reconsider the wisdom of trying to find a negotiated solution at this time. Of no less importance for the legitimacy of the Council’s work is the way in which it arrives at its decisions. Addressing the way in which the Council conducts its work is one of the biggest governance challenges we face in the United Nations system. If the Council is indeed to carry out its functions on behalf of the entire membership, as mandated by the Charter, it must be ready to listen to those it represents — especially when they are directly affected by its work.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Yet its effectiveness is increasingly undermined by the perception that decisions of the Council lack the required political legitimacy. A central ingredient of that perception is the Council’s composition. Everybody agrees that it no longer reflects today’s geopolitical realities. And yet an agreement to change it has been elusive for well over a decade. We believe that there could be a middle ground in the negotiations: the creation of a new category of seats allowing States to serve permanently on the Council, if the wider membership elects them to do so, on a recurrent basis. It seems to us the only logical approach towards a compromise, given the various positions around the table. But the principal question may well be one of timing.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“And, more importantly, they can never be a substitute for genuine multilateralism, which must continue to take place inside the United Nations. But we can only safeguard this central place of the United Nations if we can put it to use to find effective solutions to problems such as climate change, disarmament and other areas where results have been insufficient. If we continue to underachieve in the United Nations framework, we must not be surprised if solutions are sought elsewhere. The United Nations continues to be the centre of global governance in the area of peace and security, the domain of the Security Council. The Council has the power to make decisions that are binding upon Member States, including on the use of force. This is the strongest tool available in international law.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The quality of the discussions within the Group of 20 and the effectiveness of their outcomes would greatly benefit from an approach based on “variable geometry” — bringing in the views of all those who are directly affected by the subject matter under consideration. We are therefore an active member of the Global Governance Group, coordinated by Singapore, which seeks to promote the principles of inclusion and participation. We are grateful to the hosts of the next two Group of 20 summits, Korea and France, for their constructive exchange with Global Governance Group 5 10-55276 Ministers yesterday here in New York. We look forward to continuing this dialogue. We welcome the work of the Group of 20 and other groupings that seek to contribute to global solutions. At the same time, they can only deal with a limited number of issues.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“We certainly welcome the fact that the largest developed nations and the most powerful emerging Powers gather to discuss matters that affect the global economic and financial architecture. The recent crisis has illustrated how important — indeed, indispensable — common action by the Group of 20 in such situations can be. And more is to be done to address the systemic issues that led to the crisis in the first place. We will continue to support those activities. At the same time, inclusion and participation should be placed higher on the Group’s agenda, and its work should be better integrated with that of the United Nations system.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“Past experience has shown time and again that multilateral action can be very effective when it is based on a broad political consensus, which is not the same as giving everyone a right to veto. A strong fundamental agreement among States is the only way to ensure that decisions are effectively put into practice. The place where such decisions are possible, where genuine political consensus can be forged, is and remains the United Nations. We therefore have to invest in the United Nations to make the improvements that are required, instead of looking for solutions outside. It is with this general philosophy in mind that we view efforts by different groupings, most prominently the Group of 20, to discuss questions of global reach.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The very purpose of the Charter was in fact to establish a system of global governance, with the United Nations at its centre. Today, we must ask ourselves: Is the United Nations still at the centre of global governance? How does it relate to a number of other rising actors in the ever more crowded field of international relations? How can we improve global governance so that it better serves our peoples? There can be no doubt, to our mind, that global governance can only be effective if it is truly global. That means global not only in reach, but also in participation. A system where a few make decisions that everyone else is expected to implement would be not only be unjust, but also ineffective.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“It is a great honour for me to speak to the Assembly today, 20 years after the admission of Liechtenstein to the United Nations. Membership of the United Nations is one of the cornerstones of our foreign policy and the central platform for global diplomatic contacts. A strong United Nations, with a strong General Assembly, is a matter of self-interest to us. It is therefore a special pleasure, Sir, to welcome you in the presidency of the Assembly. We look forward to working under your leadership. You have already shown wise leadership by placing this general debate under the broad theme of global governance, the discussion most urgently needed in the General Assembly, which is the main deliberative body of the Organization.”
2010-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 65 (2010)
“The renewed expressions of commitment that we have witnessed in this Hall over the past days give us confidence. The Assembly will do its best to live up to the world’s expectations and, more than ever, strive in unison.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We will prepare the 2010 summit on the Millennium Development Goals, continue discussions on the arms trade treaty, move ahead with various reform processes, negotiate both a new budget and a new scale of assessments, address human rights both in specific situations and thematically, keep working on the promotion of the rule of law at all levels, work to strengthen the framework for development and humanitarian assistance, and much more. Looking at the work programme ahead, it seems to us that the General Assembly does not need much revitalization. There are numerous concrete challenges in front of us, to which we Member States must rise. We must look beyond our short-term domestic interests and work hard to make progress on our comprehensive agenda.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“The International Criminal Court will not be able to put on trial all perpetrators of the most serious crimes. But its work illustrates the world’s consensus that there must be accountability for these crimes and that impunity is no longer an option. The 2010 review conference will give us the opportunity to add the crime of aggression to the list of crimes under the active jurisdiction of the Court. We hope that we will find it in ourselves to seize this historic event. The General Assembly remains the heart of genuine multilateral work. We must trust that the President will lead the Assembly in a manner that reflects the priorities of the membership as a whole. Important negotiations are ahead of us.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Most important, we have created the International Criminal Court — an institution that seemed a distant dream not too long ago. During its first years in operation, the Court has been remarkably successful. It has also been subject to controversial political discussions. This is not surprising, because justice can be difficult and can seem inconvenient. That is particularly true in situations of ongoing conflict. But it is not a choice. To quote Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the debate is no longer between peace and justice but between peace and what kind of justice. Indeed, peace, development and justice go hand in hand. These tasks must be fulfilled, first and foremost, by States themselves. We must therefore galvanize efforts to strengthen national judiciaries, in accordance with the principle of complementarity.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“We can wait for a massive institutional crisis to hit the Organization and then expand the Council under enormous public pressure, or we can work in a cooperative manner towards a solution that is both a compromise and politically sustainable. We believe that only the latter approach is in the best interest of the Organization. As a result of the last session, there are now clear ideas on the table on how to bridge the gap. They deserve a thorough review during the coming months. Over the past two decades, multilateralism has perhaps been most successful in the area of international criminal justice. The first generation of international tribunals has had a tremendous impact, and is now approaching the conclusion of its work.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“As numerous judicial challenges have shown, those procedures must be brought closer to international standards of human rights and due process. Such improvements would go a long way in improving the effectiveness, perception and legitimacy of sanctions. The composition of the Security Council is outdated. This is sadly almost the only agreement we have found after many years of controversial discussions on its enlargement. Our position on the matter is clear. None of the proposals submitted at the 2005 World Summit, or variations thereof, will receive the necessary support in the Assembly, let alone in the ratification process. We see only two avenues towards expansion.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“In today’s interconnected world, we must uphold this principle more than ever. But the practice of the Organization has sometimes veered away from the ideals of inclusion, transparency and legitimacy. On international peace and security, the Security Council is mandated to carry out its functions on behalf of all of us. Our understanding is therefore that the Council’s legitimacy depends on the extent to which its actions reflect a very wide political consensus. Often, 45 09-52592 though, the Council shows little interest in including in its decision-making process those who are instrumental for implementation. Together with the other members of the Small Five Group, we will continue to work for inclusion and transparency in the Council’s work. We will also look for further improvements in the Council’s sanctions procedures.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“Most important, rules must apply to everyone equally, on the basis of a level playing field. The notion of sovereign equality is one of the core principles of the United Nations Charter. Indeed, it is the main pillar of genuine multilateralism. I was therefore pleased to accept an invitation from the Foreign Minister of Singapore to discuss issues of global governance together with some other colleagues and friends. I look forward to continuing those exchanges and I hope that the G-20 and other partners will find interest in our input and ideas. Our goal is positive engagement, productive cooperation and the highest possible quality in decision-making. The drafters of the United Nations Charter understood that the inclusion of all States was a prerequisite for effective multilateralism.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is about investing into the future of our planet. The global financial and economic crisis has rippled through our countries and disrupted the lives of people worldwide. It has also deeply affected our progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. While much attention has been paid and much money has been mobilized to keep the world economy afloat, another crisis has emerged in its wake. It is a crisis of global governance, and it may have lasting repercussions. We acknowledge that there are times when concerted action by groups such as the Group of Eight and the Group of 20 (G-20) can bring us closer to solutions for everyone. But we cannot ignore the gap between those who are taking decisions and the rest of us. Good and effective solutions require the support of those who are to implement them.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“On climate change, the United Nations is working hard to seal the deal. Last Tuesday, an unprecedented number of heads of State or Government gathered in this Hall to discuss climate change threats. We applaud Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for this excellent initiative. The Liechtenstein delegation left that meeting with the belief that a breakthrough is possible because everybody seems to understand the gravity of the situation. We are approaching Copenhagen with the firm conviction that we must listen to the voices of those who are most at risk — those whose very survival is at stake. What is now required from us is a leap of faith — no half-hearted compromises, no more postponing, and no more talk about concessions either. Copenhagen is not about giving up something — other than our self-destructive habits.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)
“It is a great honour for me to address the General Assembly, a body that represents the heart of multilateral diplomacy, for the first time tonight. As such, it is called to fulfil the expectations and hopes of peoples and individuals around the world — hopes for peace, hopes for an end to poverty and suffering and hopes to see human rights respected. Since my arrival in New York a couple of days ago, I have been encouraged by the multiple calls for international cooperation and the renewed commitment to multilateralism. For Liechtenstein, the United Nations has always been the epitome of multilateralism. We believe that genuine multilateralism is needed today in order to address the challenges before us. On disarmament and non-proliferation, we seem to be finally about to enter a new era.”
2009-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 64 (2009)