YouSaid · the spoken record

Xavier Bettel

lines on the record: 186
first: 2014-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
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

“Since its establishment in 2005, we have played an active part in the work and discussions of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, and we support the Peacebuilding Fund. The policy guidance and financial support provided by those entities have often been crucial in preventing the relapse of post-conflict countries into conflict, and they contribute to peacebuilding. The adoption by the General Assembly and the Security Council this year of almost identical resolutions to bring about sustainable peace represents a paradigm shift. The resolutions put conflict prevention at the very heart of United Nations action, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, which highlights the need to take effective collective measures to prevent and avert threats to peace.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“No religion can condone such savagery. It is important to remind those young people that no reward awaits them. All they are doing is injuring their own religion. The United Nations also plays a vital role in the maintenance of international peace and security, and a particular role is reserved for the Security Council. All too often, regrettably, the United Nations acts too late when a crisis has already erupted. We firmly endorse efforts to prevent crises or to avoid the recurrence of conflicts. Luxembourg strongly supports the Secretary- General’s Human Rights Up Front initiative. Massive violations of human rights are often the first signs of a crisis about to worsen.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The United Nations remains the place the international community chooses as the forum for addressing the many multidimensional crises and challenges our planet faces today. That is true of sustainable development. It is also the case in regard to combating terrorism. The United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has established a political framework to combat terrorism while respecting human rights and individual freedoms. In that context, we welcome the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. We all must also open the eyes of some young people who in their past behaviour showed no such tendencies yet tomorrow want to fight against their own families. For what reason? Because of religion? Absolutely not. They flout and abuse Islam. They kill their own brothers and sisters. We must condemn such behaviour.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“It is important to focus on education, health and job creation in the context of inclusive national development policies that make use of the human potential and natural resources of Africa. Such policies should aim to reduce poverty and inequality, reduce vulnerability to shocks and create countless prospects for the development and flourishing of the peoples. Africa is a continent to which my country, Luxembourg, feels close because of strong ties developed over many years as a result of our development cooperation policy. That partnership is a work in progress and aims to meet the needs of the African countries. Its focus has become increasingly economic, in complement to efforts hitherto concentrated on social sectors.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Rather than give a gloomy account of current events, I want to comment on the remarkable development potential of the African continent. I am persuaded that, together, we can act so that peace can become a reality in South Sudan, Somalia, Libya and the Central African Republic. It is up to the parties to those conflicts to bring about their settlement, thereby reducing the suffering of the population and paving the way for sustainable development. The international community is ready to assist and support their efforts for the restoration and consolidation of peace. Africa has formidable resources. In the first place, it has a pool of extraordinary talent represented by its youth.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Terrorist attacks have shaken the Middle East and Africa, Europe, the United States and Asia. The effects of climate change manifest themselves in increasingly extreme weather patterns that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable States and populations, creating tension and unrest and pushing people to migrate to places they hope will be more clement. Armed conflicts persist or are likely to break out, endangering the survival of thousands of civilians, exposing them to violence, including sexual violence, and threatening their most basic rights. The African continent remains particularly vulnerable to both internal and external challenges and shocks. I do not wish to recite a litany of ongoing or potential crises.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I think that the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on 19 September can help to deal with all those problems at an appropriate level: on the global level of our Organization. The population displacement has affected all regions of the world. It also affects those countries that are experiencing precarious situations for their own populations. As the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1) invites us to do, we will actively participate in the work for the adoption in 2018 of a global compact on refugees and a global compact for safe, regular and orderly migration. Armed conflict, the proliferation of weapons, the lack of development, violent extremism, radicalization and terrorism, threats posed by climate change, poor governance and violations of human rights continue to dominate the daily news.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Migration, when it is controlled, can constitute an opportunity for everyone. We must, I think, provide sufficient development opportunities to avoid disorderly movements. The approach adopted at the European Union-Africa summit, held in Valletta in 2015, seems to me to be a good one. Europe has committed itself to strengthening assistance to its African partners with increased cooperation on migratory flows at the borders. In the view of my country, it is an additional effort and not challenging to the existing models of cooperation and assistance. But what has happened since the Valletta Summit? The meetings provided an opportunity for dialogue, but it is essential to honour the commitments and to act.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We cannot fail to welcome them, but it is difficult to accommodate all of them. At stake, as we know very well today, is the acceptance of our opinions. Populism is being nourished by the feeling that matters are not under control. Some people profit from the confused situation by exploiting it for their own purposes. When I hear, as I did again this week, a political candidate say that a refugee may be a terrorist, I condemn such statements in the firmest possible terms. That is because a person who has left his country is a victim of terrorism, not a perpetrator. I believe that we need to keep the paths of legal migration open, not merely because developed countries, notably those in Europe, need them, but also because it would be mistaken and dangerous to declare an end to all migration.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“On the European level, solidarity and burden-sharing are also indispensable to a credible migration policy that includes border controls or respects the Dublin Regulation. It is necessary to clearly distinguish between refugees in need of protection and irregular economic migrants. Most of the refugees in need of international protection have had to flee situations of war, sometimes, as in the case of Syria, through mass exoduses. The role of our Organization is crucial in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, peacekeeping and the responsibility to protect civilian populations. A large part of the migration towards European countries is also economic. One cannot treat with contempt those who, for themselves or for their loved ones, often embark on a long and dangerous journey.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Sharing, giving and helping are not words we hear much among many of my constituents these days. But are we aware of how fortunate we are? While in our country some parents must decide only if the dinner they will serve their children will be hot or cold, in other countries the question is, when will I be able to give my children some food? The high-level meeting held earlier this week reminded us that the challenge posed by mass movements of refugees and migrants in recent months and years can be addressed only globally. In the second half of 2015, my country held the presidency of the Council of European Union. Migration was, unfortunately, at the centre of our concerns during the presidency. Personally, I have learned a few lessons from that experience.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Official development assistance has an important rolе to play, but we must also mobilize other sources of funding. Faced with the relative decline in financial resources for development and humanitarian action, it is more urgent than ever to broaden the donor base. The first World Humanitarian Summit, in which I had the honour to take part last May in Istanbul, made it possible to reassert the principles governing humanitarian action: humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. As a signatory to the grand bargain, Luxembourg will seek to increase the predictability and effectiveness of its humanitarian contributions through multi-year agreements. We also intend to strengthen aid by allocating 5 per cent of funding directly to local organizations by 2020.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We must chart a course to a sustainable future for coming generations. Luxembourg is actively working to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and will be among those States ratifying the Paris Agreement at the end of the year. We must act in an inclusive manner, involving the various stakeholders and ensuring that our policies are consistent, particularly in the area of development, so that we can strike a balance between the economic, environmental and social pillars. We must invest in education and health care. We must fight social inequality, ensure decent work for all and provide robust social protection systems. My country is among the seven countries that spend at least 0.7 per cent of gross national income on official development assistance; this has been the case since 2000.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“A year ago virtually to this day, we adopted, in this very Hall, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Today we must implement this ambitious universal programme and maintain the 2015 momentum. I therefore welcome the selection of the theme “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world” for this session of the Assembly. We must work to ensure that no one is left behind and that we can all can reap the benefits of sustainable, just and equitable development. The year 2015 was also marked by the adoption of the Paris Agreement, which Luxembourg strongly committed to during its presidency of the Council of the European Union. The time has come to implement these international agreements and to ensure that the commitments that we have made internationally and nationally bear fruit.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“May I first of all congratulate Mr. Thompson on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy- first session. I wish also to take this opportunity to thank his predecessor, whose outstanding work enabled us to modernize and render more transparent an entire series of processes, including that leading to the selection of future Secretaries-General of our Organization. I also wish to commend the exemplary commitment of our Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, as his mandate and his decade of service to our Organization draws to a close. He has rightly stated, as fact and as an imperative, that we are the first generation that can put an end to poverty, and we are the last generation that can act so as to avoid the repercussions of unbridled climate change.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Today, I would like to take this opportunity to heartily thank the Assembly, in my personal capacity and in the name of the Government of Luxembourg, for the trust placed in us. The Aseembly can rest assured that we will continue to serve the United Nations to uphold our common values, the values of humankind.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In conclusion, allow me to return to the three keywords that guide our efforts: commitment, solidarity, responsibility. It was our eagerness to work for strong and effective multilateralism and our resolve to serve the United Nations that motivated Luxembourg to aspire to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council, for the first time in its history, for the 2013-2014 term. During the past 20 months, Luxembourg has worked hard every day to show that it is up to that responsibility. It has worked hard to show that it is worthy of the honour bestowed upon it by the General Assembly when it was elected to the Security Council. We carry out our mandate in the name of all States Members of the United Nations, and we are quite aware of that.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“This is not a simple humanitarian emergency, far from it. It is a multidimensional crisis that threatens the institutions, societies and economies of the three countries affected by the outbreak — and the region as a whole. It calls for mobilization at every level: national, regional and global. The Secretary-General fully appreciates the magnitude of the challenge, and we wholeheartedly support the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. There is no time to lose. Beyond the contributions we have already made to the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross, we stand ready to do more, in close consultation with the countries of West Africa, many of which are Luxembourg’s partners, as well as with the United Nations and civil society organizations on the ground.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I urge Iran to engage fully and in good faith in order to allow those discussions to lead to the expected results as soon as possible. In Africa as well as in Latin America, small arms are the real weapons of mass destruction. The devastating consequences of the unregulated arms trade are well documented. I am therefore particularly pleased that the Arms Trade Treaty, which was adopted last year by a very broad majority of the Assembly, will enter into force on 25 December. Luxembourg was honoured to be among the first States to sign and ratify it. It is our fervent hope that we will be able to achieve our shared goal of making it a universal treaty. Also along the lines of threats to international peace and security, allow me to touch upon the serious crisis caused by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is unacceptable that to this day, a religion or a sexual orientation, for example, prevents a person from living freely in certain societies. Diversity is the richness of our society, it is not a crime. As I address the Assembly, there are numerous threats to peace and security we must face that require a holistic response. I have already addressed terrorism and our common struggle to eradicate that scourge. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction constitutes another clear threat. The joint plan of action agreed in Geneva on 24 November 2013 was an important milestone towards solving the Iranian nuclear issue. I would like to reiterate Luxembourg’s full support for the efforts of the EU 3+3 to arrive at a comprehensive settlement that restores trust in the exclusively peaceful purpose of the Iranian nuclear programme.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Its aim is to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to act as a smoke detector before it is too late to prevent the fire from spreading or, to continue that metaphor, to alert the fire brigade before the fire gets out of control. Luxembourg welcomes that initiative. It is a forceful reminder of our collective obligation to protect and promote human rights. It rightly places the protection of human rights at the centre of the efforts undertaken by the United Nations to prevent conflicts. Tackling the root causes of conflict, poverty, discrimination, the absence of the rule of law, to name just those few, is part of the same preventive approach. However, I also have to recall that in certain countries, being different is not always accepted. The rights of minorities must be respected.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“All together, we must do everything we can to safeguard that hope and future from the horrors of war. We cannot acquiesce to sacrificing future generations. The fight against sexual violence calls for the same commitment. Sexual violence in conflict spares no one. It affects adults and children, women and men. We must resolutely tackle this scourge. The prevention of conflict is a core purpose of the Organization. Spotting early-warning signs of a conflict is of crucial importance if we want to take the most effective measures at the right time, and if we want to prevent a situation from escalating into open conflict. We know that most conflicts are preceded by a significant deterioration in the human rights situation. It is on that basis that the Secretary-General launched the Rights Up Front initiative — rights before anything else.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“With regard to grave violations of international law and war crimes, I would like to draw attention to the violations and atrocities committed against children. Children are often the first victims of armed conflicts: they are killed and maimed, they are abducted and recruited, and they are sexually abused. They are deprived of their right to education and health care. They are cruelly denied access to humanitarian assistance. As Chair of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Luxembourg is working in a determined way to strengthen and to implement fully the children and armed conflict agenda. We will continue to do so beyond our tenure on the Security Council. Children embody the hope and future of every society.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The conflict has already cost the lives of more than 3,000 people. It must end and it must end now. Dialogue and diplomacy are of the essence. From Syria to the Central African Republic, from Iraq to South Sudan, the list of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on a daily basis becomes longer each day. The perpetrators of those crimes, of grave violations and abuses of human rights, of violations of international law and international humanitarian law must be held accountable before justice for their acts. The fight against impunity must cease to be an abstract objective and become a tangible reality. The International Criminal Court has an important role to play in that regard.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I would, however, like to say that they all bring one duty to light, namely, to protect civilians. That duty is at the heart of the mandates entrusted to the stabilization and peacekeeping missions of the United Nations and regional organizations like the African Union in Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and now in the Central African Republic. On the African continent, our credibility and our responsibility to protect are at stake. Twenty years after the Rwandan genocide, indifference is no longer an option. I should now like to say a word about my own continent, Europe. The crisis in Ukraine has step-by- step turned into a conflict — one that, unfortunately, shows that the times when we thought peace on the European continent had become self-evident are over.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The cycle of violence must stop. The actions that fuel hatred and discord must cease. Israelis and Palestinians must finally be able to live in peace, security and dignity. The two-State solution, the peaceful coexistence of two democratic States — Israel and Palestine — within secure and recognized borders, remains the only possible way forward in that regard. A political solution must be sought as soon as possible to avoid extremists from all sides from prevailing and to avoid measures being taken that would make the two-State solution impossible. With its partners in the European Union, Luxembourg is ready to contribute to a global and sustainable solution. The time allotted to me does not suffice to do justice to the manifold crises that we face today.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We do so pursuant to Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), which we adopted the day before yesterday at the Security Council summit presided over by the United States President, Barack Obama, in which I had the honour to particiapte. Beyond the fight against terrorism, we must tackle the root causes of the grave crisis in Iraq. In that context, we welcome the formation of the new Iraqi Government of national unity, under the leadership of Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. We encourage him to follow an inclusive approach that respects all ethnic and religious segments of Iraqi society and that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of all. The Iraqi people must regain trust in their country’s democratic institutions. For the third time in six years, this summer we witnessed bloody fighting in the Gaza Strip.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The lasting settlement of the Syrian conflict requires a political solution — a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, in accordance with the Geneva communiqué of June 2012 (S/2012/522, annex). Today, we cannot procrastinate in the face of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by terrorist groups, in particular the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. That group is neither a State nor Islamic. It defiles Islam and seeks only to spread its terror regime and to destabilize Syria, Iraq and the entire region. My country fully supports the measures adopted against individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida to cut off their channels of financing, to prevent radicalization and to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Those figures rarely make the headlines now. However, behind those figures, there is so much suffering and so many shattered lives. That cannot continue. We must put an end to the indiscriminate attacks against civilians, schools and hospitals, the bombardment with barrel bombs, the denial of humanitarian assistance and the use of famine as a weapon of war. At the initiative of Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg, the Security Council unanimously adopted two resolutions on access for humanitarian aid to Syria (Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014) and 2165 (2014)). I strongly hope that those resolutions will have a real and decisive impact on the ground. However, humanitarian action cannot be a substitute for political action.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Luxembourg has made it the guiding principle of its action in the Security Council since 1 January 2013 by devoting its undivided attention to the root causes of conflict, their humanitarian and economic impact and human rights, in particular the rights of children affected by conflict. To illustrate that approach, I will talk about the conflict in Syria. That conflict, which has been raging for three and a half years, now shocks the human conscience. There are more than 191,000 people dead. There are 10.8 million Syrians in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, over half of whom are children. More than 4.5 million Syrians are trapped by the fighting in areas that are difficult for humanitarian actors to access. More than 3 million Syrians have been forced to leave their country, over 1 million of whom are refugees in Lebanon.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Before the upcoming meetings, in accordance with the timetable that we agreed in Warsaw, the European Union will present additional contributions to rise to the challenge. We are also making commitments at the national level. I would mention, for example, our support for the statement on carbon pricing, presented at the Climate Summit, as well as the new contribution of €5 million to the Green Climate Fund, which we announced at the summit, without any reduction in our official development assistance. There will be no development without security and no security without development. And both development and security also depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law. We all know Kofi Annan’s saying.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In that context, allow me to welcome the holding of the climate summit on Tuesday. That summit clearly achieved the dual objective set by the Secretary-General: to demonstrate the essential political will to reach a global agreement in 2015 and to act as a catalyst for concrete action on the ground so as to reduce emissions and to increase resilience. In the second half of 2015, my country will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). We will spare no effort to ensure that we reach an international climate agreement at the 2015 Paris climate summit that is applicable to all countries, with the objective of keeping global warming below 2°C. With its European Union partners, Luxembourg has made binding commitments to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Aware of its international responsibilities, my country has a long-standing commitment to development, motivated by a desire for solidarity with the poorest people. Since 2000, Luxembourg has been one of the five industrialized countries to allocate at least 0.7 per cent of its gross national income to development cooperation. In 2009, our development assistance reached the level of 1 per cent of gross national income. The Government is committed to maintaining that high level despite a difficult budgetary position, which is no easier in our country than in others. Such aid can offer upcoming generations prospects and opportunities for the future and, we should realize, can therefore, I hope, prevent certain conflicts. The fight against climate change is an integral part of any global partnership for development.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It must be based on human rights. It must give the social sectors, health care and education all the importance that they deserve. The issues of governance, justice, peace and security, as well as the protection of the environment, sustainable consumption and production patterns and sustained economic growth, must be part of that agenda. Luxembourg supports and welcomes the important work accomplished by the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Its report (A/67/941, annex) and the set of goals that it proposes are a useful basis for the negotiations that will culminate in a year’s time in the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda and a new model for sustainable development that reconciles “the ambitions of humanity and the needs of the planet”, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We have the responsibility to overcome such issues for the sake of future generations. Commitment, solidarity and responsibility also define the approach that should guide our response to the challenges facing us on the eve of 2015. With the President’s choice of the theme for this sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly, he calls upon us to develop and deliver on a transformative post- 2015 development agenda and to ensure its effective implementation. That post-2015 development agenda must be bold and ambitious if we are to live up to our collective responsibility to eradicate poverty and to promote sustainable development. It must build on the Millennium Development Goals and must go further. The agenda must be holistic, action-oriented and universally applicable. It must benefit both developing and developed countries.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It is a great honour for me to address the General Assembly for the first time, and I must say that I do so with great emotion. Commitment, solidarity and responsibility are the three key words that have guided and will continue to guide my country’s action at the United Nations. As a founding Member of the United Nations, Luxembourg has based its foreign policy on active participation in multilateral cooperation. That multilateralism is founded on respect for international law and cooperation among sovereign and equal States in order to work collectively for peace, development and respect for human rights. For us, the United Nations is at the heart of multilateralism. We are committed to making the United Nations as effective as possible so that we can solve together, in solidarity, issues that far exceed our capacities as States.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)