国連創設75周年記念宣言フォローアップに関する総会本会議非公式会合における人間の安全保障フレンズ共同議長（セネガル常駐代表）によるグループ・ステートメント
令和3年7月8日
(As delivered)
Mme President,Mr. Secretary General,
Distinguished colleagues,
It is my honour to speak in my capacity as Co-chair of the Group of Friends of Human Security, on behalf of Chile, Costa Rica, Fiji, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and my own county, Senegal. We thank the Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for the powerful and inspiring statement he has just made, as well as for his steadfast commitment to our common Agenda.
This important declaration of our Heads of State and Government representing the peoples of the world was adopted amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which has exposed us to unprecedented challenges of a multi-dimensional nature. It continues to threaten the survival, livelihood and dignity of individuals worldwide and exacerbates the insecurity and fragility caused by preexisting and emerging global challenges.
Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the most impending challenges we face, as identified and spelled out in the 12 commitments of our Leaders. The challenges spread across all the three pillars of the United Nations – peace and security, development and human rights – which are interconnected and can only be solved through reinvigorated multilateralism.
Our Leaders requested the Secretary General to provide recommendations to advance our common agenda and respond to current and future challenges. What we expect is NOT a mere compilations of prescriptions for each separate issues that are already there. People can no longer afford fragmented, piecemeal responses. I believe this is among the most important lessons we learned during the COVID-19 crisis.
To address these challenges in a comprehensive manner and in the process of strengthening our global system to that end, we are convinced that human security is a necessary conceptual and operational framework.
It was with these thoughts that the Group of Friends of Human Security was relaunched in June with the participation of 63 Permanent Missions. Taking this opportunity, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the Secretary General for his participation and his insightful remarks at the first meeting.
We believe that human security should be a guiding principle in advancing our common agenda. Human security calls for people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific, and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people and all communities. In our view, that approach is indispensable in forging the better post-pandemic world.
Mme President,
Let me make four points to elaborate why we believe we should place human security at the forefront of our global commitments and mainstream it in the UN policy frameworks and its operational activities for advancing our common agenda.
First, the pandemic has shown us that we must put people at the centre of our actions to bring tangible improvements to people’s daily lives. Particular attention must be given to women and youth, and to the empowerment of all vulnerable people. Human security reminds us that our goal is constructing a society where all individuals have equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential. No one should be left behind.
Second, our challenges are intricate and borderless, rising in a situation where peace and security, development, and human rights, and humanitarian elements are closely interlinked. By galvanizing engagement of all relevant stakeholders on the ground, we must break down siloes across sectors and institutions. By focusing on people, human security provides a universal benchmark to assess the effectiveness of our development, humanitarian and peacebuilding strategies.
Third, we must be more resilient and better prepared. Human security underscores the value of prevention to anticipate crises and act early to lessen their most devastating effects. Merely reacting to disasters, conflicts, pandemics, and any other crises after they occur is no longer our option. We must empower people and communities, and strengthen institutions at all levels to build the resilience and minimize the potential for crisis to grow into human catastrophes.
Fourth, we need a unifying lens that brings together the different agendas of the international community for enhanced multilateral cooperation and integrated action by the UN system. Human security as agreed in the General Assembly Resolution 66/290 is based on national ownership and strengthens national solutions which are compatible with local realities. To that end, it calls for greater collaboration and partnership among Governments, international and regional organizations and civil society.
Mme President,
In conclusion, the United Nations plays the leading role to assist the Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihoods and dignity of their people. As we begin to see the end of the health crisis which has produced devastating economic and social consequences, the time has come to invest in strengthening human security. This is a moral imperative, our ultimate objective being to strengthen and empower people in a world free from fear, want and indignity.
I thank you.