A UN press conference on indigenous peoples. Credit: UN Photo

By Miroslav Lajčák
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 18 2018 (IPS)

First, I want to talk about how we got here.

It was nearly 100 years ago, when indigenous peoples first asserted their rights, on the international stage. But, they did not see much progress. At least until 1982 – when the first Working Group on Indigenous Populations was established.

And, in 2007, the rights of indigenous peoples were, finally, set out in an international instrument.

Let us be clear here. Rights are not aspirational. They are not ideals. They are not best-case scenarios. They are minimum standards. They are non-negotiable. And, they must be respected, and promoted.

Yet, here we are. More than a decade after the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted. And the fact is, these rights are not being realized.

That is not to say that there has been no progress. In fact, we heard many success stories, during yesterday’s opening of the Permanent Forum.

But, they are not enough.

Which is why, as my second point, I want to say that we need to do much more.

Last September, the General Assembly gave my office a new mandate. It requested that I organise informal interactive hearings – to look at how indigenous peoples can better participate at the United Nations.

So, that is why we are all sitting here. But, before we launch into our discussions, I want to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

I know that many of you were disappointed, with the General Assembly’s decision last year. After two years of talking, many of you wanted more than these interactive hearings.

We cannot gloss over this. And that is why I want to address it – from the outset. But I must also say this: Things may be moving slowly. But they are still moving.

When our predecessors formed the first indigenous working group, in 1982, their chances were slim. Many doubted whether an international instrument could be adopted. And, frankly, it took longer than it should have. But, it still happened.

So, we need to acknowledge the challenges, and frustrations. We cannot sweep them under the rug.

But we also cannot let them take away from the opportunities we have, in front of us.

And that brings me to my third point, on our discussions today.

This is your hearing. So, please be blunt. Please be concrete. Please be innovative.

Like I have said, we should not pretend that everything is perfect. Major problems persist – particularly at the national level. And, we need to draw attention to them. Today, however, we have a very specific mandate. And that is, to explore how we can carve out more space, for indigenous peoples, on the international stage.

That is why I ask you to focus on the future of our work, here, at the United Nations. And to try to come up with as many ideas and proposals as possible.

In particular, we should look at the following questions:

Which venues and forums are most suitable?

What modalities should govern participation?

What kind of participants should be selected?

And how will this selection happen?

We should also try to form a broader vision. This will allow us to better advise the General Assembly’s ongoing process to enhance indigenous peoples’ participation.

Finally, next steps.

As you know, this is our very first informal, interactive hearing. There will be two further hearings – next year, and the year after.

Then – during what we call the 75th Session of the General Assembly – negotiations between governments will start up again.

Turning back to today, the immediate outcome of our hearing will be a President’s Summary. But, I am confident that the longer-term outcome will be yet another step, in the direction of change.

So, this is where I will conclude. My main job, now, is to listen.

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By Miroslav Lajčák
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr 6 2018 (IPS)

I am honoured to pay a visit to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to address this Ministerial Meeting. I would like to use this opportunity to commend the role of the Non-Aligned Movement in promoting peace, security and development around the world.

I also want to start by acknowledging the commitment of Venezuela, as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement. I also thank Azerbaijan for welcoming us all to Baku, as the host of this conference.

Credit: UN photo

It is even evident in the United Nations’ Charter. The drafters of this Charter not only envisaged a world free from war – but also one in which social and economic progress improved the lives of all people.

Later, in 2015, this link became one of the core components of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And, it has been an element of almost all international resolutions on both peace and development since then.

The question, however, remains: how can we better use it, to tackle today’s challenges? And, in answering this, I want to focus on three areas in particular.

First, conflict prevention.

It is simple. We cannot achieve any of the 17 SDGs if bombs are falling from the sky. People cannot achieve social or economic progress, if they are fleeing their homes in terror. And, development cannot take root on battlegrounds.

We have seen this, in practice. Too often, development gains have been destroyed by the outbreak or recurrence of conflict. Which is why a stronger focus on conflict prevention is key to our global efforts for Sustainable Development.

On the other hand, development, itself, can be a valuable prevention tool. Because, at the heart of every SDG lies a chance to eradicate a root cause of conflict. So, Sustainable Development can both help and benefit from an increased focus on conflict prevention.

On 24 and 25 of April, I will convene a High-Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace. It aims to increase momentum towards a UN better equipped to prevent conflict.

The perspectives of the Non-Aligned Movement will be crucial. Many of you have extensive experience in mediation and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Your perspectives, as champions of development, will also help us to shed new light on the SDGs as tools for conflict prevention. Many of you have already confirmed your participation. And I look forward to welcoming even more of you to New York in April.

The second area I want to focus on, this morning, is coherence. We have, indeed, accepted the link between peace and development. We are taking some positive steps towards a more coherent approach.

One example can be seen through the expanding partnerships between the UN’s Peacebuilding Commission and development actors, such as the World Bank or UN Country Teams. And, I hope that my own presidency will also contribute to greater coherence in the work of the UN.

In March, I convened a high-level event to launch the Decade of Action: Water for Sustainable Development. We learnt many valuable lessons about the relationship between water and peace – and how it affects people on the ground. In fact, many such lessons came from delegations represented in this room today.

On 30 May, I will be convening a Youth Dialogue. It aims to address the role of young people in driving SDG implementation – including in the areas of employment and education.

In particular, it will explore the role for young people in preventing violent extremism. Given that the Non-Aligned Movement is home to most of the world’s young people, I count on your engagement.

And, my SDG financing event, planned for 11 June, will address the link between peace and development. We intend to hear from investors working in post-conflict areas. And, I hope this discussion will help us to lessen the gap between the funding spent on responding to conflicts, versus that which is available to address its root causes.

My third and final point is that the relationship between peace and development has an impact outside of these two areas.

Migration is a good example. Because, it can be affected by – and contribute to – both peace and development. As you know, we are currently negotiating a Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration.

Countries of the Non-Aligned Movement have extensive experience with migration. That is why we need your voices to continue to be heard.

Ongoing activities for UN reform are also relevant to the link between peace and development because the overarching aim of all reforms is a UN which is fit for purpose.

And this necessarily means a UN which can address the interconnected challenges in the areas of both peace and development. I hope we continue to see the active engagement of the Non-Aligned Movement in efforts to strengthen the UN system.

And, finally, we do need to build bridges between the two pillars of peace and security, and development. But, these bridges will be unbalanced, unless they extend to the third pillar of human rights and human dignity.

Before I conclude, I want to point something out. We cannot address the link between peace and sustainable development without acknowledging that we are facing major challenges, in both areas.

As we speak, institutions are crumbling to conflict. As we speak, people’s prayers and calls for peace remain unanswered. As we speak, climate change is waging an invisible war, across new battlegrounds. And, as we speak, the gap between the rich and the poor gets even wider.

Some areas in the world feel these challenges more than others. But no country, land, or group is immune. So, we need to recommit to working together. To cooperation. To multilateralism. And, to the United Nations.

I am standing today, in front of one of the most influential groups in the world. And, outside these walls, the demand for multilateralism is growing. But so too are attacks on the UN’s role and legitimacy.

So, I make an appeal to you all today: Let us stand together, in defence of our multilateral system.

We need it now more than ever. For peace. For sustainable development. And, for all of our futures.

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African migrants in Libya. Credit: Karlos Zurutuza / IPS

By Miroslav Lajčák
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 21 2018 (IPS)

This week, we began intergovernmental negotiations on the Global Compact on Migration. Therefore, it has never been more important to have a fact-based discussion on this issue.

To start us off, I want to make main three points. First, I want to stress that migration is a fact. It is not an idea. It is not a theory. It is not a trend. It is a fact.

This was the case for generations before us. And it will be the case for generations to come.

And we need to respond accordingly. Not with ideas or theories. But with facts. Data. Information. And evidence.

These are the tools we need. They allow us to better understand migration. They tell us how and where, and why, it happens. They help to flag both the opportunities and the risks it creates. And they enable us to develop effective, targeted policies in response.

That is why, during the Global Compact’s consultation phase, we heard repeated calls for more disaggregated data on migration. And that is why I am so glad that we are meeting here, to discuss this vital issue.

But, we cannot just look at the benefits of a fact-based approach. We must also be aware of how dangerous the alternative is. And that is the second point I want to make today.

When facts and information are absent, a vacuum develops in their place. But it does not stay around for long. Because there are too many actors, waiting on the side lines, ready to step in. And, the vacuum can quickly be filled by emotional rhetoric, politicized messaging, or even hate speech.

This can stoke tensions. It can encourage racial discrimination or xenophobia. And it can open, or widen, fault lines within and between societies.

And so, the risks that come from neglecting an evidence-based approach are grave.

However, let us be clear. This does not mean that the facts and data on migration will always be positive. Nor does it mean that an evidence-based approach will put us all on the same page.

Migration is a complex issue. Every person has a different experience with it. And so, every person has a different position on it. An evidence-based discussion will not change that. Legitimate concerns will remain. Legitimate differences will remain. But as long as they are based on real facts and real information, they can lead us to real dialogue. And, they can form the basis of effective partnerships.

And, as my third point, I will focus on this question of partnerships.

It is not up to one person, or one entity, to promote an evidence-based approach. We all have a responsibility.

Governments, in particular, must play a major role. They have the power to make decisions and form policies. And, they have the responsibility to do so based on the latest, and most concrete, analysis and information.

And we must focus on the roles for the private sector, civil society, regional organisations and, indeed, the United Nations. All of these stakeholders can act as crucial sources of data and facts. And they can be drivers and promoters of an evidence-based discussion.

Furthermore, an objective media is key. Because, it can distil sometimes technical, or complex, data down to information products, which are accessible to wider audiences.

We must do more to build partnerships between all these key players. We need to establish closer links between those who collect data, and those who distribute and analyse it. We need to design platforms for information-sharing.

We need to cooperate to ensure that data collection and disaggregation receives proper funding and support. And, we need to open channels of dialogue and experience-sharing between global, regional and national levels.

And, here, I want to give special thanks to the partners who worked so hard to fuel process so far with facts and information. In particular, I want to acknowledge the International Organization for Migration, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the UN entities in the Global Migration Group – though there are many others which played a key role.

As I said, we are discussing a crucial topic. And, we are doing so at a crucial time.

Yesterday, I opened the intergovernmental negotiations on the Global Compact on Migration. In doing so, I told all Member States in the room that the process now lies entirely in their hands.

And, the same is true, here, today. You may represent different entities, with different perspectives. But the power to ensure that we take an evidence-based approach lies in all of your hands.

You can be the sources. You can be the promoters. And you can be the champions.

You can do all of this individually. But, you will be more effective together. And, the United Nations is here to support you along the way.

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By Miroslav Lajčák
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 25 2017 (IPS)

When the Charter of Algiers was adopted 50 years ago, it marked the unity of the Group of 77. This unity has not wavered since then.

Credit: UN Photo

Today I want to focus on the key role played by the Group of 77 in strengthening our multilateral work. And I want to identify opportunities for stronger cooperation, as we head into the 72nd Session.

I will first point to the Group’s commitment to maintaining momentum around the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement.

These two frameworks involve big commitments. And big commitments need loud reminders to ensure they are met. The Group of 77 has spoken in a united voice. Over the past two years, it has worked to remind us all of the financial pledges made to humanity and to the planet. And I intend to add my voice over the coming year.

G77 members have also played a major role in promoting specific goals and issues. We have seen this through initiatives to mobilize youth for Sustainable Development. We will see this again, with the launch of the International Decade for Action on “Water for Sustainable Development” in 2018. And the Group’s commitment to combating climate change will be clear throughout COP23, which will be chaired by Fiji.

In addition, the Group has also acted as an import platform for south-south cooperation. I stand ready to support the preparation leading to the Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation, to be hosted by Argentina in 2019

This focus on financing and partnerships is very much in line with the priorities of my Presidency. I intend to work with the Group of 77 throughout the coming year to identify opportunities for the sharing of ideas and lessons learned.

Second, I want to stress that an active G77 is crucial in other areas.

In 2018 the General Assembly will be charged with adopting Global Compacts for Refugees and Migrants. To succeed, we must focus on the needs of people, rather than our individual positions or ideologies. And we will need active engagement from the Group of 77.

Additionally, I will convene a High-Level Event on Sustaining Peace in April 2018. It will offer us an important opportunity to strengthen UN actions around peace and prevention. I intend to consult many G77 members as we work towards this event.

Finally, another opportunity for better cooperation lies in our collective goal for a stronger United Nations.

The 72nd Session will see UN Member States consider the reform agenda of the UN’s Secretary-General. This will apply to the UN development system, peace and security architecture, and management. I am committed to facilitating open and inclusive dialogue on reforms. The G77 will be a key partner in this process.

For the UN to carry out the mandates set by Member States, it needs adequate funding. We will need a timely agreement on the UN regular budget for 2018-2019. I commend the Group for its active engagement in this area.

The Group of 77 has a loud – and a united – voice. It can call attention to the needs and priorities of its members. This helps to ensure a prominent role for Least Developing Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States on the international stage.

But, more importantly, the Group can shed light on the needs and priorities of the people living in these countries.

Many of them are facing challenges. Some have experienced the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma and Maria. Others are dealing with the effects of terrorism, conflict, or drought.

These people, however, are also creating opportunities. They are working to mediate conflicts – start new businesses – and advocate for people and the planet.

Let us ensure that the 72nd Session involves stronger cooperation between the G77 and UN bodies, including the General Assembly. And let us ensure that this cooperation is focused on the people you are all are here to represent.

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