Mr. President,
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues.
I have the honour to introduce the draft resolution on the strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations, contained in document A/64/L.32.
I would like to thank all delegations for the constructive spirit of partnership in which the consultations were held, allowing us to reach consensus on this important resolution once again. The resolution is a statement to the world of our shared humanitarian concerns and our commonality of purpose. A re-affirmation of the importance of humanitarian action, and a confirmation that humanitarian assistance is a priority and a responsibility for all.
The resolution reaffirms the unique and leading role that the United Nations plays in humanitarian emergencies. Since the origin of the resolution, 18 years ago at the 46th Session of this Assembly, national and international emergency response capacities have been strengthened considerably. At the same time, humanitarian action stands at a dangerous crossroad. It is confronted with rising difficulties of access, insecurity and increasing needs, as well as global trends that are driving chronic vulnerability on an unprecedented scale. The multilateralism of the United Nations has never been more needed.
Tensions between international humanitarian assistance and the notion of national sovereignty are always present in our at times difficult deliberations on this resolution. There have been many advances in support for international humanitarian law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. But there are obstacles when combining such universal norms with the sovereignty of nations.
The primary role of the affected State in providing humanitarian assistance and protecting civilians must always be respected. But we must also ensure that the international community takes collective responsibility for dealing with challenges that affect us all. Sovereignty means above all responsibility. Respect for human life and the protection of vulnerable people are universal concepts, supported by all the religious traditions and accepted in all cultures.
There is too often a perception that humanitarian assistance is not genuinely neutral or independent, but a Western affair reflecting a Western agenda. While recognizing remarkable humanitarian efforts at the national and local level in many developing countries, traditional international humanitarian assistance has indeed for many years been a Western dominated affair. We should pay tribute to all humanitarian workers wherever they come from, for their unselfish efforts, often in dangerous situations, to save lives and alleviate suffering.
As we move forward, there should be less emphasis on the international fire brigade side of humanitarian business, even if well-coordinated international responses always will be needed, and more focus on building local, national and regional capacity. We need a new approach, with full respect for the people and the societies whom are being helped, and the countries from which they come. A genuinely shared global humanitarian partnership.
The world faces a series of interconnected global trends, which will transform the humanitarian landscape in the years to come. Climate change, the global food crisis, population growth, rapidly increasing urbanisation, land, water and energy scarcities, the risks of pandemics, and the current global economic and financial crisis, are challenges that go well beyond the ability of any state to deal with alone.
We cannot tackle these challenges successfully without greater cooperation, coherence and coordination within the international community. We must reshape our understanding of humanitarian versus development aid to deal with situations where there are humanitarian needs in developmental contexts. We must favour prevention rather than response, and to reinforce social protection programmes in developing countries. Strategies, whether developmental or humanitarian, must be aimed at supporting resilience to these global challenges.
This draft resolution should ensure that the fruits of our collective thinking are put into action for the benefit of all people in need. What counts at the end of the day are not how many paragraphs we agree upon, but how many lives we save and how much human suffering we alleviate.
My delegation, and the 70 co-sponsors, looks forward to the adoption by consensus once again of this important resolution.
I thank you for your attention.