28 February 2017
Información para la Prensa N°: 052/17
Deputy Foreign Minister Pedro Villagra Delgado attended the High-Level Segment of the Human Rights Council and the Conference on Disarmament, held in Geneva. He also held bilateral meetings with the participating countries in both meetings.
In his address to the Conference of Disarmament, the Deputy Foreign Minister mentioned the importance of commencing negotiations towards a treaty on the prohibition of fissile material, of furthering the prevention of the arms race in outer space and of reaching negative security assurance agreements.
He concluded by calling for the prompt entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
In his statement before the High-Level Segment of the Human Rights Council, the Deputy Foreign Minister affirmed that human rights must guide the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and underscored Argentina’s role in the comprehensive defence of human rights. He also referred to our country’s leading role as regards the Convention on Enforced Disappearances, the right to the truth, the use of forensic genetics, transitional justice and the protection against violence and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition, he highlighted gender equality as a State policy.
During his visit, the Deputy Foreign Minister held a formal meeting with officials from United Nations organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi; the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer; the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
In these meetings, the Deputy Foreign Minister underscored the importance of the Syria Programme implemented by Argentina as a gesture of solidarity and commitment towards the international protection of refugees and the development of the Global Compact on Refugees, to which Argentina is willing to contribute. In addition, during the meeting with Maurer, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Deputy Minister Villagra Delgado highlighted the importance of the initiative to identify fallen soldiers of the Malvinas War as an example of international cooperation between the organization and Argentina. In his conversation with Michael Moller, the Deputy Foreign Minister reaffirmed Argentina’s commitment towards multilateralism and the United Nations system and underscored the consistency between the Sustainable Development Goals framework and Argentina’s “Zero Poverty” aim.
Lastly, the Deputy Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Poland, countries with which Argentina shares close ties and a common agenda in the international and multilateral arenas. In addition to assessing the bilateral agenda, the Deputy Foreign Minister stated that the Second International Conference on Safe Schools (to be held on 28-29 March in Buenos Aires), jointly organized with Norway, will be an opportunity to warn the international community about the gravity of attacks on schools, as well as the military use of those institutions.