19.06.2025 Statement by Denmark at the UNSC High-Level Open Debate on Poverty, Underdevelopment and Conflict

Checked Against Delivery

Thank you, Mr. President,

And let me begin also by thanking Guyana and you, foreign minister Todd, for convening today’s debate on this critical topic, and for your efforts to bring peace, security and development nexus to the forefront of our work. 

Let me also thank the Secretary-General, and the distinguished briefers for their interventions.

Mr. President,

80 years since the founding of this Organisation, our world is in a state of disarray. Violent conflicts are raging, and the ideals upon which the UN was founded are strained on a near daily basis. 

In this context, today’s debate is a welcome reminder of the need for the international community, including this Council, to refocus our attention.

To place conflict prevention and sustainable development at the heart of our policies.

Allow me to make three points.

First,

Around this table, we are frequently reminded of the immediate consequences of war. Yet each conflict also leaves a lasting legacy of inequality, injustice and impoverished communities.

This Council needs to place these people at the heart of our discussions.

Often these are young people. They are the ones bearing the brunt of these interconnected crises – and the generational consequences of conflict, inequalities and climate change.

Around the world, they face a range of challenges. From stigmatisation, to political exclusion, to economic insecurity.

But young people are not problems to be solved.

They are peacebuilders, educators, leaders.

Investing in their rights and opportunities today, will empower them to lead the peace they will ultimately inherit tomorrow. They will pay peace dividends for generations to come. This is not an add-on, but our mandate at its core.

Second, Mr. President,

If we treat conflict as an event, we will always arrive too late. Conflict prevention must become an integrated part of this Council’s work.

This makes sense politically, morally and financially. Prevention saves both lives and money.

The longer we take to invest in prevention, the more complex challenges grow, the deeper inequalities cut, and the more likely violence is to arise.

For Denmark, this is not abstract. Human rights, youth empowerment and gender equality are goals in their own rights, but they are also political imperatives for sustainable peace and development.

For more than four decades, we have upheld our ODA commitment of 0.7 % of GNI. We continue to dedicate part of that to peace and stabilisation.

We do so in the firm belief that peace and sustainable development are closely linked. We will continue our strong commitment to all three pillars of the UN-system – peace and security, development and human rights.

Mr. President, my third point.

We already have the tools at our disposal. We have the agendas and the frameworks to guide our actions. What is needed now, is to adapt them to today’s complex realities.

For example, we recognise the Peacebuilding Commission as a critical platform to support national peacebuilding priorities, spot emerging risks and early-warning signs.

The ongoing review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture is a chance to refocus our efforts towards inclusive local impact and nationally led prevention. It is a chance to mobilize the full force of the UN system and beyond.

In addition, the Review of all forms of Peace Operations represents an opportunity to adapt this indispensable tool to ever-changing realities on the ground.

Also, The 25th Anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and the 10th Anniversary of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, are important occasions to recommit to shifting power for peace.

Finally, we need to expand our joint efforts with regional organizations and financial institutions. They are critical partners of countries in their efforts to sustain peace. They are also critical partners of this Council.

Mr President, in closing,

Just as conflict starts well before the pulling of a trigger, peace does not end with the signing of a deal. Sustained efforts are needed to avoid relapse into violent conflict.

We know that the road to lasting peace is long.

It takes time and it takes commitment to address the drivers and enablers of conflict. It takes partnership, investment and a willingness to adapt.

I thank you.