Special Advisor,
We very much welcome your presence here in the Human Rights Council and express our strong support for your office and your very important work. We also welcome the extension of your post to a full-time post as a Special Advisor of the Secretary General. We very much look forward to cooperating with you and your office.
In a ministerial meeting in Botswana on March 3 and 4, our ministers discussed issues pertaining to democracy, human rights and development, three mutually dependent and reinforcing concepts. It is our firm belief, that human rights and development are strongly linked to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the protection of the fundamental rights and human dignity of all persons. To work for full implementation of human rights and for increased development is also to work for prevention of genocide and mass atrocities.
Education, in particular human rights education and information, are crucial and efficient tools in prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. We must learn to read the early warning signals and act at the first signal of inter-group hatred or propaganda.
We know today that we have sufficient information with regard to situations around the world showing early warning signals for deadly conflict. The challenge for the international community today is how to implement that knowledge. It is the responsibility of every state to protect its citizens against genocide, ethic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes, to actively listen to the early warning signals and to act upon them already in a preventive stage, before the situation has escalated to violence.
With your indulgence, Special Advisor, we would like to ask you two questions:
- What assistance from individual states and the international community do you see as most important for your work?
- Which are the main challenges with regard to genocide prevention in the coming years and do you foresee a possible cooperation with the HRC's procedures and your office?
Thank you again for coming to the Council and rest assured of our support for your work.
Thank you Mr President.