18 February 2025
Thank you, Mr. President,
Minister Wang Yi, thank you for your presence. Denmark welcomes the focus of today’s debate.
Thank you, Secretary-General, for your powerful words and importantly, your clarion call to action.
Mr. President,
80 years ago, from the ashes of two devastating world wars, the international community came together to establish the United Nations.
The task was as momentous as it was visionary: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
It was a moment of hope in history.
Of unbridled optimism for humanity, for the promise of the Charter.
Today, that promise remains as important as ever.
Denmark is a founding member of this Organisation. Our belief remains as firm as it was 80 years ago.
That many of our challenges are too great, and too global, for any nation, large or small, to face it alone.
A strong and fair system, with the United Nations at its core and international law as its foundation, remains our best – indeed our only – option to address the multitude of threats and challenges we face.
Mr. President,
Allow me to make four points.
First, multilateralism works.
For eight decades, the United Nations has helped to prevent a third world war.
Together, we have created programmes to reduce poverty and hunger, protect human rights, eradicate disease, increase access to education and healthcare, advance gender equality and build sustainable peace.
We have worked to expand and uphold international law, and pursued accountability when international crimes have been committed.
While much remains to be done, let me be clear: Denmark strongly supports this system and all that we have achieved, imperfect as it may be.
Second, Mr. President,
Recent landmark agreements such as the Pact for the Future, the 2030 Agenda, and the Paris Agreement exemplify the potential of multilateralism at its best.
But potential must be translated into impact. What is needed now, is implementation.
The Pact presents a bold vision for the multilateral system, including the Security Council. Around this table, it is our responsibility to act.
We must not be afraid to rethink our tools. To adapt to changing realities.
This is especially necessary for UN peace operations.
Denmark firmly believes that UN peace operations remain indispensable for addressing conflicts and sustaining peace. For millions, the blue helmet represents hope in the darkest corners of conflict.
But as the very nature of conflict evolves, so too must our response.
To effectively address the complex security challenges of our time, more agile, adaptable and responsive approaches are needed. This includes working across the whole peace continuum – from preventive measures and diplomacy to peacekeeping and post-conflict recovery.
The Security Council should lead in advancing fresh thinking on how to ensure this.
Mr. President, my third point,
We cannot seriously tackle the issues facing multilateralism when the Security Council continues to operate in a reality of yesteryear.
Excellencies,
It is no longer 1945.
The world needs a more representative Security Council. One which reflects the global diversity of the 21st century.
One which redresses the historical injustice done to the African continent and ensures greater representation of developing countries across regions.
As we push for fundamental reforms , we must also assess the actions, and tragically, inactions of the Council.
Too often, this Council has been unable to act to alleviate immense suffering due to the veto. The veto should never stand in the way of action to prevent and end atrocity crimes.
Fourth, Mr. President,
Underpinning all of these points, and indeed, all of our collective action, must be an unwavering commitment to international law and the UN Charter.
For Denmark, as a small country, this is our guiding star.
Respect for the basic purposes and principles of the UN – including sovereign equality, territorial integrity and political independence for all states – is indispensable to the cause of peace. It is the foundation for a world in which might does not make right. As we uphold these principles, the respect for human rights and international humanitarian law must be at the core.
We must end cycles of impunity and ensure accountability for victims and survivors of international crimes. This should be accompanied by efforts to identify and address the root causes of conflict.
While states bear the primary responsibility to protect their population from atrocities, this Council has an important role to play in ensuring timely and decisive international action.
Mr. President, to conclude,
Multilateralism is based on a fundamental willingness to work together. To understand the language, culture and concern of others and to find compromises.
That is what the United Nations stands for.
That is how we uphold the promise of the Charter.
Count on Denmark’s unwavering commitment to this goal.
Thank you.