First of all, I would like to endorse what my colleague Mr. Charles Michel just said on behalf of the European Union, since I come from a generation that has never seen war. We thought that war belonged only in history books. However, our continent is now experiencing war on its soil. I think that our strength is precisely our solidarity, our unison and, above all, our unity.
I am proud that, with its partners, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is contributing to the European Union’s determined action to promote common values — human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights. As Europeans, we are wholeheartedly committed to defending such values, which are the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and to strengthening multilateralism — doing things together, with the United Nations at its heart.
For his presidency, the President has framed the general debate under the theme “A watershed moment”, and he stressed the need to find “transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”. I want to say that we are currently at a watershed moment for the entire world and for the United Nations.
For almost seven months, the Russian Federation, which, I do not need to recall, is a permanent member of the Security Council, has been waging a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, a sovereign neighbour, with the involvement of Belarus. For many people, and perhaps in many other countries, on the European continent anyway, that unprovoked and unjustified war has revived the fear of a war. As I said a moment ago, now more than ever, it is again becoming a matter of wondering if it is possible. The recent threats and measures announced by Moscow only exacerbate the situation. I want to say that we strongly condemn them.
We face a situation with the Russian veto and the Security Council deadlocked. That is difficult. The Secretary-General condemned Russia’s clear violation of the United Nations Charter. I do not need to remind Member States that, on 16 March, the International Court of Justice indicated provisional measures requiring the Russian Federation to immediately suspend the military operations.
This Assembly also met in an emergency special session and adopted three resolutions in that context (resolutions ES-11/1, ES-11/2 and ES-11/3). We also see that a large majority of the members of this Assembly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and demanded a ceasefire.
At the request of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, I, as Prime Minister, also wanted to do something. I held talks with the Russian President. As there are representatives of the Russian Federation in this Hall, I must say that I do not regret having tried. I am disappointed with the outcome when, for example, I heard President Erdogan say last week that there would perhaps be peace, and, the same day, President Putin announced the organization of referendums. When we ourselves organize a referendum, we know how long it takes. Organizing a referendum in time of war and, if I understood correctly, going knocking on doors and asking people to vote at the ballot box, I do not know how that would be arranged. One cannot organize a referendum in the current circumstances.
The population is being driven abroad. I even fear that the referendums will be an excuse to justify further actions, to say that it is a Russian territory, and that Donbas must therefore be protected by Russia, and to support the use of even more brutal means than those already being used. I regret that.
I appreciated the discussions that I had with President Putin — the exchanges and the frankness. But I must say that today I note that it is easy to begin a war, but the greatness of a political figure is rather to know when to end it and to want to get out of it.
I do not know how President Putin is now going to explain. In recent days, there has also been the mobilization, where young people are requested to join the Russian troops. How is he going to explain to mothers that they are going to lose their sons, to wives that they will lose their husbands and to children that they will lose their fathers to a meaningless war? I have now been Prime Minister of my country for nine years and, as a politician, I have always tried to find answers to the questions that I ask myself. I say to the Russian representatives that this is the first time that I was not able to find answers. I cannot understand. I therefore once again appeal to their President that there be a ceasefire and diplomacy.
I made those calls but, after Bucha, I could not go on. I say it frankly. I could not understand. In particular, finding out that soldiers who had committed crimes were being decorated is intolerable to me — and that word is not strong enough. It is unacceptable to me.
The war continues. It has already claimed more than 14,000 victims among the civilian population in Ukraine, including more than 1,000 children. When we see the mass graves that are being found, with people who have been beaten up, which is what I also saw in Bucha — summary executions — every day that it continues is one day too many.
I would also like to say that the Russian aggression also poses threats to Ukrainian nuclear facilities. In many countries, people are frightened. It is an unacceptable risk for Ukraine, but also the other European countries.
As I said, about three months ago, I travelled to Ukraine. I visited the towns of Borodyanka, Bucha and Irpin, where I met — forgive me, but I am talking about a personal experience — a woman who had lost everything, but she remained hopeful and retained the will to believe in peace. She was there with her grandson, who had become deaf from the bombings next to him. I say to the Russian representatives that one cannot condemn a country and a generation. One cannot kill innocent people. I cannot find the words.
When I saw the impact of the atrocities committed by the Russian military forces, I could only bow to the memory of the children — the innocent — who pay with their lives, shattered by the war.
I say it here, and I also said it in Kyiv: Ukraine can continue to count on us to help it to defend its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and the right to legitimate defence, as enshrined in Article 51 of the Charter. It is our responsibility to help Ukraine. We cannot accept a larger neighbour. Those here can see that I am not from one of the larger countries in terms of its size or its army, but I cannot imagine living in a country where I would have to worry about the extent of action of my neighbours. I think that the greatest project that my continent has seen is the European Union. If I have lived in peace since 1957, it is precisely because we try to build things together. It is true that my country is between France and Germany, which were enemies at the time of the Second World War. Today we are partners, and we are building something together.
I would not be here today, and I would not be living in a democracy, if countries that were not my neighbours, but other countries, had not helped us. In Luxembourg, we too opened our doors to people fleeing war. Those people are not seeking a better life; they simply want to live. We welcomed more than 1,000 students from Ukraine to our schools. Whether it is in Kyiv or in our country, there is the courage of those students, families, children and men in Ukraine who have also begun to rebuild their country and revive their cities, liberated after the barbarity that took place there. We must constantly honour that courage and support the investigations carried out by national and international actors — I am thinking in particular of the International Criminal Court — so that those responsible for war crimes and other crimes committed in Ukraine are identified, prosecuted and punished. There can be no impunity, not for war crimes, crimes against humanity, the crime of genocide or the crime of aggression.
Let me take this opportunity to also commend the courage in Russia, because President Putin has now called for a mobilization, and we see young Russians leaving their country. As Mr. Michel said earlier, we cannot talk about war by just condemning it. It is already too late, for what has taken place is inexcusable. A ceasefire and an end to the killing of innocent people are things that are close to my heart. I will say why I am so sensitive to this subject. I had a grandmother who was Russian and a grandfather who was Polish. I have a grandfather from Luxembourg and a French grandmother. My grandmother was Orthodox, my grandfather Jewish, the other grandfather an atheist and the other grandmother a Catholic. Even in my country, having Jewish blood, being liberal and one’s husband being a man, I would have been condemned to death in my own country. Let us accept differences. Let us accept the wealth of diversity. If we are to live in peace, let us not make the same mistakes. I appeal to President Putin. I said earlier that starting a war was not the most difficult, but knowing how to get out of it is where one recognizes greatness, particularly as this war started at a time when most of us sighed with relief that we were leaving the coronavirus disease behind. We thought that we were going to be able to leave it behind.
Now there is food insecurity, particularly in countries with vulnerable populations in Africa and the Middle East. I reiterate to African colleagues, for I know that the narrative that it is European sanctions that create problems for the food crisis is false. It is the war, the aggression in Ukraine that is responsible for the problems that they are experiencing.
I must also thank President Erdogan, who sat at the table to try and find a way out of the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain exports. It is a crucial agreement for millions of people.
We are also seeing a rise in energy prices and very harsh consequences for many Europeans as well. It is easy to say that we should abandon the sanctions. What I would like is that we give up the war — not us, but them, our Russian colleagues.
I would also like to welcome the Secretary-General’s initiative to convene the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance to identify short-, medium- and long-term solutions. I thank Antonio Guterres and his teams for their tremendous efforts, as I said earlier, regarding the agreement with Tiirkiye.
We must also express our support for the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in strengthening food resilience.
Today we see that the Sahel region is suffering from food insecurity, amplified by climate change and the effects of the war. Not long ago — and I would like to thank the leadership of President Bazoum — I was in the Niger, a partner country of Luxembourg’s cooperation. We want to work towards more stability in the region. I also remember when I met Mr. Roch Kabore and Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The leaders have now changed. I think that stability in Africa is a tragic element, together with other existing crises.
I am proud to be Prime Minister of a country where 1 per cent of its gross national income is allocated to official development assistance (ODA). As most Member States can imagine, every time we talk about official development assistance, there is someone who will say: why are they helping others; there are still problems at home? But I am proud of the 1 per cent assistance. When we see some problems that we have at home, they are tiny compared to others.
We also want to contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the partnership with Africa is crucial. We intend to strengthen it at the continental level, between the European Union and the African Union, and at the bilateral level. That partnership goes beyond traditional cooperation, focusing on social sectors, such as health care and education. It extends to cooperation on renewable energy and the fight against climate change, as we are also doing with our partners in Cabo Verde. It also extends to cooperation in technology and information and communications. I was recently in Kigali, in Rwanda, where we continue such collaboration.
If we want to be credible partners, we must particularly not just hold donor meetings, because they tend to do only that, but also deliver on our commitments. It is pointless to meet to make promises, but then not keep them. For my part, for example in terms of climate financing, my country decided to apply the principle of additionality. Our financing is therefore in addition to our ODA.
At the twenty-sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Glasgow, I announced that the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was going to increase its climate financing to €220 million for the period from 2021 to 2025. Half of that funding will go to adaptation to climate change in the most vulnerable countries. We also intend to invest an increasing share in innovative instruments to mobilize private financing.
We are a European leader in sustainable financing. We play a major role in mobilizing the private capital needed to finance the transition to carbon neutrality, including with the European Investment Bank in the area of sustainable financing.
Given the climate emergency, I must say that, as politicians, we are at times a little timid. We ask ourselves if we should or should not act. We wonder what the consequences will be if the temperature increases by 1°C or 2°C. But some countries wonder how long they will even exist. They risk being erased from the map of the world because of the temperature rise. Are we as aware of that? In Luxembourg, I launched the Citizens’ Climate Council, where we asked 100 people to meet and make proposals. We realize that our citizens’ proposals are often bolder than how we, as politicians, think. It is quite an interesting experience, and we need to listen to them.
Many of us will meet in Sharm El-Sheikh. We must mobilize to stay on course for the 1.5°C target that we signed up to in Paris. Only by making joint efforts can we manage to mitigate the impact of climate change. Allow me to also think about our friends in Pakistan and what is happening there.
Climate change also has an impact on human rights, in particular the rights of children. That is among Luxembourg’s priorities at the Human Rights Council, where we are also committed to promoting gender equality, fighting against discrimination, strengthening the rule of law and civic space and combating impunity. Allow me to have a thought for Mahsa Amini in Iran and what happened with the morality police, who decided a woman’s fate. As I said before the Assembly last year (see A/76/PV.13), is it normal that, depending on my place of birth, my rights differ, and that, depending on my place of birth, if I am a member of a certain religion, I do not have rights? Is it normal that, if I have a different political view, I do not have rights and, if I am of a different sexual orientation, I do not have rights? In some countries, I would even be condemned to death. And if I am a woman, I have less rights than a man. That is a reality today in 2022.
It is therefore very important that we continue to have the independent international commission to investigate violations of human rights. Unfortunately, that has an increasingly heavy workload at the international level.
We are committed to living up to the responsibility of Luxembourg having been elected to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 term. This is the first time that we have had the honour of a seat on the Council. I would like to take this opportunity today to thank Member States very warmly, on my own behalf and on behalf of my Government and country, for having placed their trust in us.
The President emphasized the fact that we are at a decisive turning point and that we all should meet the various challenges facing us, be it war or climate change. We must find common responses. We must also act together. To those who say that the United Nations is powerless, I say that the United Nations is what we make it. It all depends on our ambition and what we manage to do with that. It is up to us to mobilize to find solutions and forge partnerships and compromises that allow us to strengthen multilateral cooperation.
This spring, for example, Luxembourg had the honour of facilitating, together with Bangladesh, the negotiations that led to the adoption by consensus of the first declaration on the progress made in the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (resolution 76/266). We were also involved in the efforts that led to the adoption by consensus of the Liechtenstein veto initiative (resolution 76/262). It establishes a permanent mandate for this Assembly to debate the use of the veto in the Security Council. We have a system. It is what it is. Let us make the best of it. We also need Security Council reform. The United Nations cannot be a dog that barks but does not bite — a dog without teeth. It is important that we achieve a United Nations that works. We manage to explain what this body is. Let us recall why we are here. It was after the Second World War that we wanted to sit around a table to find solutions and work together. Today the United Nations should not be a place where, by means of a veto, I can obstruct the will to build something together.
We therefore welcome the work that has been launched to follow up on the proposals made by the
Secretary-General. A few days ago, the Transforming Education Summit was held. The decision was taken to establish the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
The involvement of young people is crucial because they will be paying for the mistakes that we are making today. We must have the courage to recognize that politics, of course, involves achieving short-term objectives but most importantly, it is about the legacy we leave to future generations.
I therefore want to assure the Assembly that Luxembourg will continue to place itself at the service of the United Nations in order to champion our common values — the values of humanity. That is why the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is also submitting its candidature for a seat on the Security Council for the 2031 to 2032 term. It is why we continue to be committed to peace and security in Ukraine, Mali and the Middle East. It is why we are committed to rights for all human beings and supporting humanitarian action for the people of the Sahel and Syria. And it is why we will always be at the ready to defend the Charter of the United Nations. I hope that by the time we meet here next year the ongoing atrocities in Ukraine will have been relegated to history.