Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 2 July 2018 - Strasbourg

73rd Session of the UN General Assembly (debate)

  Miguel Arias Cañete, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, today’s discussion shows the strong synergies and common ground between the European Parliament report and the European Union priorities for the United Nations and the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, adopted at the Foreign Affairs Council on 25 June.

In the coming year the European Union will focus on peace and conflict prevention, a common positive agenda with the promotion and protection of human rights at the heart of multilateralism, and on expanding global engagement on issues such as climate action, the environment, migration, counterterrorism and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These are set priorities and I see in the draft European Parliament recommendation the same narrative and key priorities. In the year ahead of us we need to capitalise on this common agenda in our changing global landscape.

The European Union will strive for a strong United Nations as the bedrock of the multilateral rules-based order. This will be a decisive year for UN reform, and the European Union is a strong supporter of the United Nations Secretary-General’s ambitious reform agenda. The European Union has a strategic interest in seeing reforms unfold this year and we will vigorously support their implementation. I also want to say that I am pleased to see UN reform as a point in Parliament’s report for the first time.

Enhanced cooperation with the African Union (AU) is key. The ground-breaking joint trilateral AU-EU-United Nations work on Libyan migration, aims to pave the way for enhanced cooperation on the wider peace and security agenda. The support being provided to the G5 Sahel Joint Force is a key example of the importance of investing in global security partnerships, and we are happy to see Parliament’s report welcoming trilateral cooperation as a strong means of strengthening multilateralism. We see the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an opportunity to advance this work at a time of negative threats. We both say that human rights are at the heart of multilateralism.

Looking ahead, European Union unity is essential in order to fortify multilateralism and the current strong presence of European Union Member States at the UN Security Council contributes to positive forward momentum. A lot can be achieved through this European Union presence.

Let me be more specific on our three interlinked priorities. On peace and conflict prevention the European Union will pursue an integrated approach, deploying all its tools and policies in support of prevention. Meaningful participation by women and youth in all aspects of peace and conflict prevention is critical to success, including in peace processes. Mediation is also a crucial tool to foster peace. In the coming year the European Union will further enhance cooperation with the UN on mediation and will step up efforts to carry out joint mediation actions, including with the AU and other partners.

The European Union supports efforts to improve the performance of peace-keeping in order to protect populations better. In this respect, the European Union supports the UN action for peacekeeping initiatives. This will focus on prevention and calls for an integrated approach. Peace and security are indivisible from sustainable development and human rights.

On our common positive agenda this year, marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Union strongly supports the pledge by the UN Secretary-General to move forwards on the human rights agenda, particularly at a time when there have been serious negative trends around the world in human rights. The 2030 Agenda is our joint blueprint for action in the years ahead, across all the pillars of the United Nations. The European Union sees the Sustainable Development Goals as an extraordinary opportunity to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, societal and environmental.

The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, launched in 2017, illustrates an innovative, joined-up approach. This initiative also reaffirms the European Union’s resolute and unwavering commitment to gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment – a common EU- UN imperative.

Finally, on the issue of expanding our global engagement, the coming year will be crucial to accelerating climate action and operationalising the landmark Paris Agreement. Together with China and Canada, the European Union organised the 2018 Ministerial on Climate Action, renewing global momentum towards the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

With regard to migration, the European Union and its Member States are proactively engaged in the United Nations processes shaping the .. migration response firmly on the UN Agenda. The European Union will continue to intensify its efforts to strengthen the respect for international humanitarian law, as well as refugee law and international human rights law. ... full, prompt, impartial and effective investigation in cases of violations.

May I close by signalling once again my appreciation of Parliament’s role and my gratitude to the rapporteur, Mr Freund, and for his support in keeping these important issues high on the international agenda.