Statement by the Minister of  Foreign and Worship of Argentina, Susana Malcorra 

May 10, 2016

 

Thank you Mister President

In 2015, this Organization celebrated its 70th anniversary. As the Secretary General remarked at that time, the drafting of the Charter was a "glorious bet". It was a historic time when the founding members, such as Argentina, facing the destruction of war, decided to bet on humanity.

This debate offers us a useful opportunity to reflect on the importance of the United Nations as the milestone of the multilateral system facing the complex challenges in the current scenario.

Current threats to peace and security require a transversal analysis that incorporates, for example, the relationship between terrorism and organized crime (drug trafficking, illicit arms trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, migrant smuggling) as well as the coexistence of transnational conflicts with traditional dynamic of armed conflicts (such as direct hostilities between States, intervention in civil wars, etc.).

The year 2015 was marked by two milestones for the United Nations system: the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Peace and Security and Development are mutually reinforcing, that is why it is absolutely necessary to address the new threats in order to ensure a full development and universal compliance with the targets set forth.
 

Nowadays, the answer to the needs of vulnerable populations should be given integrating the three foundational pillars of the Organization. Today's challenges require a global and holistic reaction that in the short term mitigates the suffering and increase the resilience of societies and in the long run reduce vulnerabilities, strengthening national capacities.

Mister President,
 

Understanding that the leading role in the fight against all threats, new and old, rely on sovereign states, the United Nations must respond with a comprehensive approach, taking into account the root causes of these new threats and having as the main objective strengthening the rule of law, promoting sustained and sustainable economic growth, poverty eradication, social development, promotion of democracy and full respect for human rights.
This approach requires that the UN System avoids action in separate silos and, also, that it reaches systemic coherence. The international community does not ask less but more from the United Nations. The international community also asks us that we remember the determination of our predecessors in establishing this Organization to save future generations from the scourge of war. In order to do this, we must achieve an UN that focuses on the issues, transformed.
 

Mister President,
 

Today, more than ever, the concept of “Preventive Diplomacy” proposed by Dag Hammarksjold 55 years ago, and revitalized by  the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his report "Preventive Diplomacy: Delivering Results" wrote in 2011, acquires a new dimension in the light of the current threats to peace and security, as well as the three recent reviews of the Organization in matters of peacekeeping operations, architecture of peace and the implementation of Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.

These reports recognized the importance of conflict prevention and developing a holistic approach to solve them. A preventive approach must necessarily include a comprehensive national involvement in the processes of peace building, such us the participation of governments and various political and social actors from Member States involved in these processes. The United Nations should promote national participation, as well as other the involvement of international actors.

Moreover, in the processes of peace building, it is essential to strengthen partnerships with regional organizations, allowing a greater involvement of regional and local actors, based on their competitive advantages

On the other hand, the three reports also stressed the need for increased and improved women participation in all the decision-making spheres in matters of peace and security. The effective and meaningful participation of women contributes to resilience, to greater effectiveness of humanitarian efforts, peace and security and, ultimately, to sustainable peace. The same should be considered for Youth. It is should be a determinant.

By establishing a peacekeeping operation, we must reflect on its mandate a long-term vision that allows us to achieve a sustainable peace, avoiding hasty departures and rushed returns. We must plan peacekeeping missions from the necessities, not from the organizational imperatives, with clear goals and indicators to measure their progress and allowing the development of orderly departures strategies. These strategies should also include periods of transition and the transfer of responsibilities to the United Nations team in the country and, ultimately, to the local government. We believe that we must plan our initial deployment in the field in a way that our success is reflected in the need of not having to return.
 

In Argentina we remain convinced of the importance of this Organization. The recent experience in managing crises caused by diseases such as Ebola and Zika have shown us that the regions must unite and work in coordination since we cannot build walls to stop these kinds of threats that transcend borders.
 

The same applies to threats to international peace and security. Multilateralism is our best and unique strategy. The United Nations Charter remains our road map. We do not need to reinvent the wheel, as Organization. We just have to keep focus on the issues, to design possible solutions, to do our job and to reaffirm our commitment of leave no one behind.
I thank you.