Checked Against Delivery
Thank you Chairs,
Let me thank the briefers for their insightful briefings. We welcome today’s discussion, although, as Mr. Cohen said, the topic might not be new, it is still important.
The resolutions of the Security Council are not merely statements of intent. The Council has the ability to adopt binding decisions under the Charter to maintain international peace and security. As Member States, we all have an obligation to comply with the Charter in its entirety. This includes article 25 under which we have all agreed to accept and carry out the decisions by the Council.
Chair,
The Security Council’s enforcement measures are fundamental tools, not only to maintain international peace and security, but also to uphold international law.
While these tools - by their very nature - are enforceable and binding, they are only truly effective if Member States implement and comply with them. In spite of this, we continue to witness an unwillingness to fully implement Council resolutions by some member states and parties to conflict. Denmark calls on all Member States to fully implement the Council’s decisions.
Chairs,
Thematic resolutions of the Council carry equal importance and we must redouble our efforts to ensure their full implementation. This is why Denmark, alongside Spain and New Zealand, last month organised an Arria-formula meeting to mark the ten-year anniversary of resolution 2286 and to address the lack of implementation of this important resolution on protection of medical care in armed conflict. We remain committed to advancing its full implementation.
Effective implementation of Council resolutions also depends on adequate monitoring. In this respect we regret the current inability of the Council to appoint the Panel of Experts for the 1737 sanctions, as well as the veto on the 1718 Panel of Experts. Rendering both of those sanctions’ regimes without effective strong and independent monitoring mechanisms.
Implementation also requires adequate funding. While we firmly believe that efficiencies should be pursued when they can be found, we cannot expect UN peacekeeping operations to perform the same tasks mandated by this Council with significantly reduced resources. The introduction of contingency measures due to the liquidity crisis have affected protection of civilians and the safety and security of UN personnel.
Denmark underscores the importance of ensuring sufficient funding for UN peace operations and protecting UN peacekeepers. We will continue to pay our share of the assessed budget in a timely manner and urge others to do the same.
As part of our efforts to strengthen the protection of peacekeepers, Denmark and Pakistan put forward the resolution on “Accountability for Crimes against Peacekeepers”, which was adopted unanimously by the Council this morning with 153 co-sponsors. We thank all the co-sponsors for their support on this important resolution and we surely count for that resolution’s full implementation.
Let me conclude by reaffirming Denmark’s unwavering commitment to upholding and implementing the resolutions of the Council in full in accordance with the UN Charter.
I thank you.
