March 11, 2025
Madam President,
I would first like to thank the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Kaja Kallas, for her intervention.
I would like to make three points.
First, the European Union works with the United Nations for the rule of law over the use of force.
The European Union and its Member States are committed to defend and promote the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, against aggression and the illegal use of force.
We are mobilized, more than ever, to support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. In this war, which has been going on for over three years, the security of the European continent is at stake, but also the defense of the international order. The European Union and the European States are committed to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as the General Assembly has reiterated nine times since 2022, and again on February 24 this year.
This was emphasized by the High Representative : the European Union and its Member States are committed to effective multilateralism, in accordance with the values of the United Nations, which include peace, justice, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Secondly, this commitment is demonstrated wherever the European Union and its Member States contribute to efforts to respond to crises and restore international peace and stability.
In Africa, the European Union provides significant political and financial support to African Union operations and deploys several training missions. In Somalia, we are committed to continuing our engagement alongside the African Union within the framework of AUSSOM, in addition to the necessary support from the rest of the international community. In addition, the European Union co-organized, with France and Germany, the international humanitarian conference for Sudan and neighboring countries in April 2024 in Paris. This conference raised 2 billion euros, including nearly 900 million from the European Union and its member states, to support the civilian population.
In Gaza, in support of the ceasefire, the civilian CSDP mission EUBAM Rafah, to which France contributes, acts as a trusted third party at the crossing point. On February 14, a plane chartered by the European Union transported nearly 52 tons of humanitarian aid provided by France to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. In Syria, as the High Representative also pointed out, the European Union is willing to support the authorities in Damascus to enable a peaceful and representative political transition of all components of the Syrian people, in the spirit of the principles established by Security Council Resolution 2254, and to rebuild the country. In Lebanon, the Member States of the European Union provide almost a third of the UNIFIL peacekeepers and are increasing their support to the Lebanese armed forces. In the Red Sea, the CSDP operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES contributes to protecting maritime security and freedom of navigation. Off the coast of Libya, CSDP operation EUNAVFOR IRINI plays a major role in enforcing the arms embargo put in place by this Council.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, operation EUFOR Althea has played a fundamental role since 2004 in guaranteeing the stability of the country and the region, in accordance with the framework set by the Dayton-Paris Accords.
In Afghanistan, the European Union provides aid through trusted partners, focusing on support for the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. It is steadfast in its condemnation of the Taliban policy of segregation of women.
Throughout these crises, the European Union and its Member States have maintained their humanitarian support for populations in need while supporting the search for lasting political solutions.
The European Union also supports the implementation of the “Women, Peace and Security” and “Children in Armed Conflict” agendas.
Thirdly, the European Union places partnership with the United Nations at the core of its external action.
We are mobilized to implement the Pact of the Future and jointly address major contemporary challenges, in particular the climate and environmental challenges, financing for development, support for the least developed countries, the digital transition and artificial intelligence. This year, several key events will allow us to do so: the Nutrition for Growth Summit to be held this month in Paris, the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference to be held in Nice next June, and the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Seville. As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, I am not forgetting COP30, which will be held at the end of the year in Belém, and which must be dedicated to climate ambition. In line with the Paris Pact for the Peoples and the Planet, we reiterate that no country should have to choose between fighting poverty and fighting climate change.
To conclude, this UN-EU partnership is also demonstrated by stable and regular funding for the UN.
The EU Member States are the largest contributors to the regular budget and the third largest contributors to the peacekeeping operations budget, and they pay their contributions in full and on time. I would also like to emphasize that the European Union and its Member States contribute nearly one third of all financial contributions to United Nations agencies, funds and programs.
Thank you.