(As delivered)
Statement by Mr. Shinsuke Sugiyama
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
On the Occasion of the High-level Thematic Debate of the
United Nations General Assembly
“In a World of Risks: A New Commitment for Peace”
10 May 2016
Mr. President,
I would like to join the previous speakers in commending you, Mr. President, for convening this thematic debate. Peace and stability provide us with great opportunities to enjoy better living standards and economic prosperity. It is true that Japan has enjoyed fruits of peaceful development for many decades and is ready to work even more proactively for world peace, upholding all the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and raising the banner of “Proactive Contribution to Peace,” based upon the principle of international cooperation from a panoramic viewpoint.
Mr. President,
Among the many areas we are working on with the UN, I would like to focus on three specific topics today.
First, counter-terrorism and violent extremism, which many of the previous speakers touched upon. I greatly appreciate the UN for gathering the political will to fight against terrorism, yet there is room for further collaboration in other leading international fora. As the G7 Presidency for this year, I would like to underline that the G7 members are working on a G7 Action Plan on Counter-terrorism and Violent Extremism to be hopefully adopted at the Summit meeting in Ise-Shima, Japan, later this month.
We should address the root causes of what drives people to become brutal radicalists, namely by strengthening the resilience of society and thus providing good conditions so people may enjoy their livelihoods and empowering moderate forces in society.
Mr. President,
My second point is on security in Asia. Ignoring its grave human rights situations, including the abductions issues, the DPRK continues its nuclear and missile developments. Its provocations this year even more jeopardized the regional and international peace and security, constituting grave challenges to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime based on the NPT as well. We strongly urge the DPRK to fully comply with UNSC resolutions, and call upon every Member State to strictly implement them, including Resolution 2270.
It also highlights the need for redoubling our efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Last month, the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Hiroshima Declaration on Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, which Japan and my Foreign Minister, and assisted by myself, took the lead, was issued to revitalize the momentum towards a world free of nuclear weapons. As the only country to have ever suffered from the atomic bombings, we call for further efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons including the early entry into force of the CTBT.
Mr. President,
Thirdly, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, in particular in Africa. Japan’s priority in this region is to cope with the root causes of conflicts, as well as to meet the imminent humanitarian needs, so as to enhance “human security”.
Japan’s initiative in holding the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process is simultaneously addressing security and development in Africa. This year in August, Japan will co-host the Sixth round of TICAD in Kenya.
Peace and stability of South Sudan is crucial for Africa, as other distinguished delegates mentioned. Therefore, we have been dispatching our Self-Defense Forces personnel to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). In this regard, Japan welcomes the establishment of the Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan on April 29th.
Japan wishes to hold an open debate on the theme of “Peacebuilding in Africa” in July during our Security Council Presidency. This demonstrates Japan’s dedication and determination to making further contributions for greater coherence of UN peacebuilding efforts.
Mr. President,
In closing, I would like to underline that the issues related to international peace and security should be dealt with in a principled manner, and that this requires improvement in the organizational structure of existing UN architecture.
Japan strongly upholds the Rule of Law and the peaceful settlement of disputes based on international law in dealing with any issues or conflicts.
The Security Council also needs to be reformed now to work more effectively and to better represent the current membership of the UN, since we have only been discussing without reaching any tangible outcomes for more than two decades by now. During the last 70 years, the international community's landscape has changed significantly and the number of Member States has increased by almost four-fold from 51 countries to 193 countries. However, the composition of the Council remains almost entirely unchanged. The UN, inter alia the Security Council, bears vital responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security of the world as stipulated in the UN Charter. Difficult as it may be, I would like to urge all Member States to work even harder to realize the early reform of the UNSC in a way that reflects the realities of the international community in the 21st century, and to make the Council better play the important role bestowed on by the UN Charter. Let us all act to accomplish this long over-due, and yet remaining as the most important international agenda.
I thank you, Mr. President.
