Iceland's FM Gunnarsdottir Slams World Leaders at UN General Assembly Address | DWS News | AC14 transcript

Madam president excellencies dear friends the United Nations was born from a harsh lesson of history the generation of 1945 had learned a terrible cost that while states can choose their actions they cannot control all the consequences they set in motion that lesson is painfully relevant today we are living through a profound international system united nationsil of uncertainty rules and restra unpred worldliending catastr usarnom restdom unit embod it is under enormous pressurean president state small protection that matters more not less despite its shortcomings the United Nations has mattered and it has mattered a lot peace keepeping and peace building. our understanding of human digity of the constitution of the ocean on countries like mine depend now strengthed further by the bbngj agreement the international court of justice helped states created to ensure accountability the most serious crimes.

The United Nations has advanced gender equality, racism and discrimination, delivered humanitarian assistance and helped countries build more peaceful and also prosperous societies. But loyalty to the United Nation nations canot mean pretending that everything works perfectly. Bureaucracy can be decisions, slow and resources fragmented. The security council and trusted with maintaining international peace and security has too often been paralyzed when action was needed most.

To often the vito has become a shield against action rather than a tool for preserving peace. So yes, the United Nations need reform needs reform and Iceland fully support the UN reform process. We need the United Nations that uses resources effectively and responds quickly when people needed United Nations that delivers for all. The deeper challenge however is political. The strength of the United Nations depends on our willingness to uphold the principles and wisdom on which they were founded.

Madam President, the most basic rules of international relations are being tested. international laven decisions must be respected unless they challenge our own actions or those of our friends that is sacred unless someone else territory stands in the unwedely and for states existential not simply of a matter of principle not at all Russia's brutal war against Ukraine R force another nationedmuture ukrainians unimaginable price behind every destroyed home is a family behind every casualty is someone who was loved Iceland's position remains clear very Ukraendy territorial integrity and lasting peace on the basis of international law.

Our support for Ukraine defends a principle on which all our countries security depends that no nation no nation gets to decide the future of another. This principle must apply everywhere including in the Middle East. In Gaza we continue to witness repeated violations of the seasfire and continued suffering among civilians despite the adoption of the 20 comprehensive peace plan and security council resolution 2803. The suffering of Palestinian civilians cannot become a background noise.

Children are still being killed. Families are still losing their homes and parents are still trying to keep their children alive again and again and again. We cannot accept Gaza being repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt while the underlying cause remains unresolved. And in the Westbank, illegal settlement activity continues to expand. Palestinian civilians face settler violence too often enabled by impunity, inflammatory rhetoric and permissive policies.

Earlier this month, Iceland joined 11 other states in addressing restriction on trading goods from settlements that are illegal under international law. Our objective remains clear. A viable Palestinian state alongside Israel with both people, both peoples able to live in security, dignity and peace. We have heard the words moral cowards from this podium. To me, moral cowards are those who refuse to sit down. Those leaders of the world who refuse to sit down and negotiate just and lasting peace.

Those leaders who deny access to humanitarian aid for people in desperate need. And moral cowers are those leaders of the world who repeatedly go against and disrespect international law. Madam President, we must not allow the horrors in Ukraine and the Middle East to make other crisis invisible. In Sudan, years of civil war have brought atrocities, must displacement and grave violation of international humanitarian law.

As humanitarian leaders have reminded us, Sudan does not suffer from a lack of analysis. suffers la ofs that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity cannot be met with indierence we created the international criminal court to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes so does accountability matters we have to bear that in mind and so does adherance to international law beyond the battlefield to be clear stands countries region global energy market security falls hardest on the most vulnerable the freedom codified in the united nation convention on the law of the sea are not optional not all for island nation dependent open maritime roots freedom of navigation is fundamental madam president 75 years after the 1951 refugee convention we should have hoped that the need for it would be diminishing instead humanitarian needs and forced displacement have reached stackering levels conflicts, poverty, poverty, drought, natural disasters and the growing effects of climate change. humanitarian assistance are investing in stability investing resilience and peace it is not charity offered when times are good cutting ODA is shortsided and risks making instability displacement and conflict worse. aside will not forget how much progress has been driven by the economic freedom perhaps humanity greatest gifts is our capacity to create to imagine something that doesn't exist and then bring room to flourish open free markets given peopleely to create exchange ideas take risks and build better lives for themselves and for others madan president another battle is taking place gaining ground we see attacks on democratic institutions, independent media, science and facts in public debate too often these movement target groups whose right supposedly matter less. women, LGBTQI plus people minorities migrants, people who look different, love differently or live differently.

These are not abstract groups. They are our daughters. They are our sons, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues. I am deeply concerned by the growing backlass against gender equality and LGBTQI plus rights, including within my own region, Europe. diversity some people simply threaten the freedom of others. I reject that completely human rights are not a zero some game. Equ take away from a man allowing an LGBTQI plus person to live freely does not make anyone else less free quite the opposite.

We should be very careful when governments begin telling us that some people's existence threettens society. our values dictate language useend human free societies are strongest when people are allowed to be themselves but freedom that belongs only to people who fit someone else definition of normal is not freedom a society more exeme than afghanistan women and systematically erased public life girls are denied education women are denied basic freedoms for me this can only be described as gender partite on the human rights council Iceland we have s to much words with deeds from Iran and Afghanistan to accountability for violations in Sudan throughout our term our council term Iceland will emphasize gender equality LGBTQI plus rights the rights of children and young people and the relationship between human rights and the environment humans responsibility guide usimate leaders sence explain themselves to island communities watching the sea rise around them to families losing landelihoods to dr erosion rising temperatures and changing ecosystems lives of communities across the region climate change is not an ideology millions already with consequences we need to address it not ignore it artificial intelligence revolution is changing how we work communicate and receive information it is also making it easier to produce convincing falsehoods and manipulate public debate.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental right we must defend. But that does not require passivity when foreign states or other actors spread fits manipulate democratic processes or use AI to deceive citizens at unprecedented speed and scale. Governments scientist businesses must cooperate internationally to harness the benefits of AI while confronting its risks and we need to move faster much. Madam president in difficult times nostalgia us to imagine that the world used to be simpler and safer it was not the decades after the cold war so genocide in Ruanda horrific wars in the form of Yugoslavia and the Congo the rise of international terrorism and devastating civil wars 25 years ago this month terrorist attacks in the United States changed of nuclear proliferation of best moment was our response countries came together built institutions and negotiated treaties they created human rights council a icc un women and the unfc theyed women of adopted the millennium development goals and later the sustainable development goals to put it simply none of this happened by itself it happened because political leaders consciously chose corporation over retreat that choice is before us President united nation secretary general must continue reforming this organization make difficult choices and direct resources where they make the greatest difference that will require courage from her her and so the choices made by yes Icelands choose whether toold the law inconvenient whether to defend the rights of people who are not our citizens and to protect and respect even that system does not deliver the outcome we want that is real test of our commitmentateralism Not what we say when the rules favor but what we do when they do not.

For Iceland the choice is clear. We choose international law over selective obedience. Accountability over impunity cooperation over isolation. Human dignity over division. generation united nations seen what could happen on power collapsed the chapter charter international law and the institutions that followed were their answer in that sense the united nation is a gift from a generation that learned that lesson at an extraordinary cost and Minister for affairs of Iceland.

I now give the flor to excellency Vivian Balaknan minister for for affairs of Singapore