By Miroslav Lajčák
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 5 2018 (IPS)

As we open this Forum, I will make three main points. First, I want to ask: what does a culture of peace actually mean?

And, frankly it might be different for every person in this room. But I will share some elements, which have stuck with me.

Miroslav Lajčák

It cannot be installed. It cannot be erected,

It must be built up – block after block, layer after layer. And this must be done, not by the hands of internationals– but by the people on the ground; the people who were there – in their countries, and in their villages – when peace was not.

Cultures do not come about in a day or a week. And neither does peace. A second element is simplicity. “The culture of peace”.

This is a very simple phrase. It can be easily translated into different languages. And it can be understood – even without a degree in philosophy, or years of experience at the United Nations.

Because we all have some idea of culture.

It is around us, every day. It’s in what we do…where we go…how we speak. And if peace is not a part of these everyday habits – then we simply do not have a culture of peace.

And, thirdly, another element is hope. Let’s be frank: a culture of peace is not, yet, a reality.

Conflicts rage on, across the world. International terrorism poses as grave a threat as ever. And political and religious intolerance is rising.

But we have chosen not to accept this, as our fate. In fact, through this resolution – and this Forum – we are saying no.

We are recommitting to the very ideals of the United Nations Charter. We are showing that it is in our power, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Not in some places in the world – but in all.

And that is a powerful message of hope. This brings me to my second point – on the United Nations Charter.

The document doesn’t specifically mention a “culture of peace”. But I believe it is embedded in every word.

And I think we are closer now – than we have ever been – to an international system, which can support and promote a culture of peace.

In the past, our tools and mechanisms were designed to react to conflict. They jumped into action when there was an outbreak in violence, or when a peace treaty was signed.

Now we are opening our eyes. We are asking ourselves the question: what can we do, proactively, to build peace, from the ground up, and to make sure it won’t go anywhere, in the future?

So, we have moved from reactive to proactive; from response to prevention; from concentrating on the effects of conflict to exploring the accelerators of peace.

And central to that has been a renewed focus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding – which are all part of a larger cycle of Sustaining Peace.

Not just in theory. But also, in practice. And here’s the thing: We are doing this. Now.

We are reforming the United Nations’ peace and security pillar.

We are investing more in mediation and peacebuilding capacities.

We are reviewing the way our peacekeeping operations work on the ground.

And we are looking at how our efforts for Sustainable Development and human rights have a direct impact on prospects for peace.

Last April, we all met in this hall. We listened to leaders, policy makers and activists give their take on this new approach to peace. And what we heard was very exciting.

Commitments to preventive diplomacy. Calls for a “quantum leap” in peacebuilding finance. Discussions on coherence and partnerships. And success stories from the ground.

So, it is happening. In this hall. In offices nearby. And in UN country teams and peace operations all over the world.

We are moving our international system towards a culture of peace.

But, as my third point, I want to highlight that, to get there, we need to widen our approach.

We cannot achieve a culture of peace from a hall like this. We need to take action on the ground. And we need new approaches. In some cases, that means a complete re-set.

For example, students all over the world are studying peace theory in university. But maybe we need to start much sooner. Maybe young children should not, only, be learning lessons in maths and history – but also in humanity and peace.

Also, we are seeing some exciting initiatives, which bring all three pillars of the United Nations together. For example, the UN’s Peace and Development Advisers – who are deployed in the field. Now, we need to scale these best practices up – and bring all areas of the United Nations’ work together, for a cultural shift.

And we must remember: culture includes– not just some – but everyone.

So, gender equality is crucial. Every time a woman is denied her voice, her rights, or her place in society – we are taking a step away from a culture of peace. Also, if young people continue to be excluded from our decisions and processes, we won’t get very far.

So, we need everyone involved. From heads of states and top United Nations officials, to the people who work, for the United Nations, academic institutions or NGOs on the ground.

The late Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, delivered a Nobel Lecture, in 2001. During it, he said, “Peace must be made real and tangible in the daily existence of every individual in need”.

That is a simple message. But it is an important one. Peace should not be a theory. It should not be a principle, or an aim, or an outcome. It should not have a budget or a timeline.

Instead, peace should be something that we can touch, see, feel and experience – on a daily basis. It should be in the air around us or the ground we walk on. It should, in essence, be a culture.

And one that is here to stay.

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The President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Miroslav Lajčák, briefed the press on his priorities for the Assembly's seventy-second session, on 10 October 2017 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. ©UNIS/GENEVA

By Miroslav Lajčák
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 20 2018 (IPS)

At the start of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly of the United Nations I emphasized our common goal: peace and a decent life for all people on a sustainable planet. Many leaders echoed this overarching priority at the general debate and beyond.

One very important element of this is universal access to water and sanitation. At a most basic level, human beings cannot survive without water. Equally important is sanitation, a lack of which negatively affects our quality of life and claims the lives of millions each year.

One thing is clear: we all share a common goal of achieving universal access to water and sanitation. We have come a long way towards achieving this goal but we have much further to go.

The statistics on water and sanitation are alarming. In 2015, 844 million people still lacked access to safe drinking water. More than 2.3 billion people still did not have basic sanitation services and 892 million people practised open defecation.
Water runs through every single United Nations priority. Lack of access to water and sanitation can undo progress made in the areas of development, human dignity, and peace and security.

The pressing question is: how can we meet the existential challenge of ensuring access to water and sanitation for everyone once and for all?

I would like to reflect on three things: many problems in accessing water and sanitation still exist; we have come a long way in combating these problems; and we have a lot more work to do. The launch in March of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2018 will propel us to reach further.

Where we are today

The statistics on water and sanitation are alarming. In 2015, 844 million people still lacked access to safe drinking water. More than 2.3 billion people still did not have basic sanitation services and 892 million people practised open defecation.

For people on the ground, especially the vulnerable, these numbers translate into hardship, insecurity and loss of livelihoods. For instance, women and girls in some developing countries still embark on dangerous journeys in search of drinking water or to defecate in the open because they do not have access to toilet facilities, which exposes them to violence, including sexual abuse.

Further, children are dying from entirely preventable diseases, resulting from poor quality water and sanitation. Diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age.

Water can also be the source of disasters and conflicts, presenting an obstacle to meeting many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The frequency and severity of water-related disasters are increasing dramatically. They claim lives and disproportionately affect progress towards achieving the SDGs in developing countries, in particular the most vulnerable, such as small island developing States and the least developed countries.

Due to the constantly growing demand for water provoked by many factors, including population growth, food and energy production, and the adverse impacts of climate change, water resources will become increasingly scarce. Therefore, it is expected that tensions over access to water could intensify at both the national and international levels.

In this context, the Global High-level Panel on Water and Peace estimates that by mid-century, close to 4 billion people, which represents about 40 per cent of the world’s population, will live in water-stressed basins.

Progress Made

Despite these alarming projections, providing access to water and sanitation is possible and we have made some improvement. However, the progress achieved has been uneven and many people are still being left behind.

It is against this backdrop that Member States of the United Nations have put a special focus on the critical issue of access to water and sanitation during the last few decades, starting from the first United Nations Water Conference, held in 1977, in Mar del Plata, Argentina.

More and more, the United Nations General Assembly has been recognizing the centrality of water to sustainable development. From the Millennium Development Goals, which established a target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water to the General Assembly’s recognition of water and sanitation as a human right, the United Nations has laid the foundations.

Mindful of the critical importance of water and sanitation, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has a dedicated goal to this issue, SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

This goal, as well as other related goals and targets, aims to address all issues related to the water cycle, including access to adequate water and sanitation, improving quality and efficiency of water delivery, sustainable water management as well as strengthening international cooperation. At the upcoming high-level political forum on sustainable development, we will learn of progress being made on SDG 6, including at the national level.

International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028

More recently, the General Assembly unanimously proclaimed the period from 2018 to 2028 the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, to commence on World Water Day, 22 March 2018. The formal launch of this Water Decade, which is the second of its kind, will be an important opportunity for the international community to reiterate its commitment to achieving water-related goals and targets. It will also offer an opportunity to contribute to the follow-up and review of SDG 6, at the high-level political forum in July 2018.

Throughout the Decade, our focus should be on people. The true measure of the relevance of the United Nations is the meaningful change it brings to people’s lives around the world. We should emphasize the implementation of the various frameworks related to water and sanitation, with a particular focus on women and children, who are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to these services.

The Decade should also be catalytic in building new and innovative partnerships to achieve water-related goals. It should offer a platform for advocacy and networking in support of our universally agreed goals.

I look forward to the opportunity to launch the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028. On 22 March, at the launch, we will present the Action Plan for the Decade and have a dialogue about how the International Decade for Action can help to advance the implementation of water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda.

Let us ensure that no one is left without access to water and sanitation by the end of this decade.

Looking Ahead: We Need All Hands on Deck

We have the tools to achieve access to water and sanitation for all. In some cases, the tools need to be enhanced; in other cases, we need simply to use them.

Meeting water and sanitation goals and targets means taking action, both nationally and internationally, and adopting a holistic approach that addresses the entire water cycle. Further, we must treat water as a cross-cutting issue, the scope of which extends beyond SDG 6.

At the international level, the United Nations system must continue to play a leading role in promoting cooperation and building partnerships, and should offer a platform for continued discussion, policymaking and mainstreaming of water-related issues to relevant processes.

We must also address international governance issues related to water. Within the United Nations system, water and sanitation is addressed in a fragmented and poorly coordinated manner.

This is despite efforts by the UN-Water mechanism as well as the work undertaken by different agencies, funds and programmes. Going forward, we need a platform for regular intergovernmental deliberations to keep track of and push for progress on the implementation of water-related goals.

The alignment of the agendas of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiary bodies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the repositioning of the United Nations development system, could offer solutions to this challenging situation.

The conclusions and recommendations of the working dialogue, convened during the seventy-first session of the General Assembly, on: “Improving the integration and coordination of the work of the United Nations on the water-related goals and targets under its sustainable development pillar, with particular emphasis on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, could also contribute to resolving the governance challenges.

While cooperation at the international level remains important, governments bear the primary responsibility to meet water and sanitation needs of their populations. Water and sanitation need to be mainstreamed into national development planning and budgeting processes, and must include sustainable use and efficiency, address wastewater, promote education and raise awareness.

For effective cooperation nationally and internationally, involvement of all stakeholders is critical. Financial institutions, the private sector, civil society and high water-use sectors, such as energy, agriculture and industry must all be involved in developing plans and policies.

Importantly, we must mobilize financing for infrastructure and building capacities for access to water and sanitation. Traditional financial sources, including official development assistance, are not sufficient, even though critical for many developing countries. We must rely on all sources available, national and international, public and private, as well as blended and innovative financing.

Finally, prevention of water-related conflicts is essential. As always, we need to promote dialogue, international cooperation, hydro-diplomacy and water-related mediation to address transboundary water issues.

This could contribute to strengthening regional peace and security in the long run. Cooperation between States to establish frameworks on the use, management and benefit-sharing of water resources, should be pursued. This concerted action will help prevent tensions from escalating into violence.

The United Nations, Governments and all stakeholders have an obligation to people to deliver on water-related goals and targets. I am committed to maintaining momentum towards this end.

This article first appeared in the UN Chronicle, published by the Department of Public Information. The link follows: https://unchronicle.un.org/article/achieving-universal-access-water-and-sanitation

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Miroslav Lajčák, speaking at the 8th IRENA Assembly in Abu Dhabi. Credit: UN Photo

By Miroslav Lajčák
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan 15 2018 (IPS)

The Paris Agreement ushered in a new global approach to climate change. At the core of this agreement are the Nationally Determined Contributions. We are now implementing these pledges.

Over the last few days we have heard much about challenges and opportunities. Challenges are nothing new. It is how we respond that determines our fate.

That being said, the size and extent of the climate change threat is new. It is arguably the biggest challenge humanity faces today. This means that we must act urgently and seize opportunities quickly. One such opportunity is renewable energy.

We are now implementing the pledges. And we are more than halfway to the 2020 finish line. There will be checkpoints along the way. Later this year, there will be the 2018 facilitative dialogue. This is a much-needed chance to assess how far we have come and how much further we have to go.

We already know that the current pledges are not enough to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius. We have the tools, the plan and will submit new and more ambitious pledges in 2020. But we need urgent action now.

So where do we stand today?

First, access to energy remains a major development concern. The importance of access to modern and affordable energy lies in the impact it has on people’s lives.

Billions of people around the world still lack access to affordable and modern energy. For example, in Africa just under 50% of the population had access to electricity.

The energy challenge is many-sided. But with the right energy policies we can provide energy to everyone without creating additional burden on our planet. Many developing countries are investing in low-carbon energy sources and energy efficiency measures. This can ensure that economic growth is not coupled with pressure on the environment. Likewise, the share of renewable energy in the mix is growing steadily.

To make this transition to sustainable energy, many countries need support –such as capacity building and transfer of technology. Inclusion of renewable energy plans in nationally determined contributions can help attract the financing needed to implement them. Which brings me to my next point:

Nationally determined contributions are critical tools for saving our planet.

As we are all aware, the current pledges will carry us over the 2 degree Celsius precipice, and far beyond, our 1.5 degree aspiration. On one hand, we must commend the 165 countries that made pledges. These pledges form a good basis for action. But at the same time, we cannot afford to ignore the reality that they are far from enough. We should consider the pledges as a floor rather than as a ceiling.

We need urgent and far-reaching pre-2020 action. Time is running out for the woman losing her livelihood to climate-induced desertification. For the child who will have to abandon her home to a rapidly-rising sea level.

And for the communities that will have to build back only to be washed away again. Time is already up for many lives lost in heatwaves, droughts, extreme weather events and public health crises – all due to climate change.

Simply put: We must do what we have pledged to do. We must pledge to do more. And we must take urgent action to fulfil these promises. This is our joint and individual responsibility to our people and our planet.

My third point is that SDG 7 is pivotal for the achievement of Agenda 2030. It calls on us to provide energy for all by 2030, and to do so sustainably. This means increasing access, efficiency, renewables and the means with which to do it. Sustainable energy is also critical for achieving the overall goal of the Paris Agreement – to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.

Development does not necessarily equal more carbon emissions. In fact, sustainable development, creating a decent life for all on a sustainable planet, involves less carbon emissions. Instead of a vicious cycle involving development for some and increased carbon emissions, we have the chance to create a “virtuous circle” of raising ambition, development and renewable energy deployment.

In conclusion, we live in a time of challenges, opportunities and high stakes. Our failure to act decisively and unequivocally at this critical moment in history will determine our future.

The Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals are our plans. The climate pledges manifest our collective promise to the people of this world, and it is the lives of these people that should spur us into action.

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By Miroslav Lajčák
GENEVA, Nov 28 2017 (IPS)

I want to thank Director-General Lacy Swing for inviting me to address you today. My thanks also go to Ambassador Mauras, as Chair of the International Organization for Migration Council, along with Ambassador Quinn, as outgoing-Chair, for their work and commitment. Furthermore, I want to acknowledge the valuable work being done by Special Representative Arbour, and Deputy Director-General Thompson.

We are meeting here, in Geneva – the headquarters of the International Organization for Migration. I think it is fitting to reflect, for a moment, on what migration means for our world.

In doing so, I want to point something out: we have never lived in a world without migration. There are different theories about how humans came to be on this planet. One thing we can all agree on, however, is that we have always moved. We have always migrated. This has happened in response to the circumstances around us.

Migration is part of our humanity. It would not be possible to make it disappear.

Nor should we want to. It has enriched our society. It has allowed composers, artists and writers to advance their crafts. It has seen researchers and scientists explore new terrains, and exchange ideas towards ground-breaking discoveries. It has influenced and enriched cuisines, cultures and languages. Without it, our world would be a lot less colourful.

However, while migration is as old as we are, how it is happening is new. The planet is now home to more people. And when there are more people, there are more chances that these people will move and migrate.

In fact, there are now 244 million international migrants in the world.  Another development, which has affected migration trends, is technology. Information and communication technology is changing every part of the migration process – from the decision to move, to life in a new community.

What we are currently grappling with is how to react and adapt to these new trends. We’ve done some good work, but we need to do better.

I want to make four main points today in this respect.

Miroslav Lajčák, President of the seventy-second session of the General Assembly. Credit: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

First, we’ve already had a major achievement. This came through the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, in 2016.

This was a first and major move towards international action in response to the changing nature of migration. And it was the first concrete step towards the kind of global framework we badly need.

Because, migration touches everything. The journey of an international migrant is made across national borders. Every country, every community, and every person has experienced migration – in some way. It is a truly global phenomenon.

And, we have a body which is set up to address global phenomena: the United Nations. It defies logic, therefore, that we have been trying to address migration on our own – at national level – in an ad hoc way – with no framework in place to guide our international cooperation.

But, we already know this. That is why, last year, we came together, to say no to business as usual. That is why we adopted the Declaration. That is why we committed to negotiating and adopting the world’s first international compact on migration. And that is why we need to do even more.

I want to focus my second point on the need to do more, and to take action.

The New York Declaration was a big achievement. It was a bold, and visionary commitment by all countries in the world. However, it is still not enough. Aspirations must become actions. Promises must become realities. Commitments must become results.

We will need to find more pathways for regular migration, and tackle causes of irregular migration. We will need to ensure that women migrants are protected and empowered to participate in finding local solutions. We will need to address the special needs of migrants in vulnerable situations. We will need to fight against human smuggling.

Migration is a global phenomenon. And a global phenomenon demands a global response, led by a global framework.

MIROSLAV LAJČÁK
President of the UN General Assembly

We will need to dismantle cultures of stereotypes and xenophobia, and replace them with tolerance and integration. We will need to ensure that everyone who leaves his or her home enjoys the same human rights as everyone who doesn’t. We will need to make difficult structural and institutional changes.

None of this will be easy. Which is why none of us can go it alone. This brings me to my third point, on partnerships.

One person may decide, or be forced, to leave his or her home. Everything that happens afterwards, however, involves a multitude of other actors and entities. I’m talking about the crew on board the airplane or ship. The law enforcement officials at border crossings. The first person to stamp a passport or record personal details. The recruiter aiding in the search for job placements. The clerk who facilitates the transfer of money to family back home. The neighbours in a new community.

Our response must therefore involve coordination – not only among national governments, but with a wide array of other partners at national, regional and international level. These include local authorities, civil society, faith-based organisations, the media, regional organisations, international financial institutions, and the private sector.

A focus on partnerships must be present throughout this process – from negotiations to implementation. We cannot call for a whole-of-society approach, but settle for some-of-society inclusion instead. We cannot stress the need for participation from everyone, while only listening and engaging with a few. We cannot call this a global compact, unless it will touch upon each person and entity involved in international migration around the world.

Finally, for my fourth point, I want to stress that IOM will be one of the most important partners of all.

The decision made in 2016 to integrate IOM into the UN system was a significant step. It paved the way for the Organization’s experience and expertise:

• To enhance the UN’s capacity to assist and protect migrants;
• To support Member States in addressing migration; and
• To promote coherence between migration and related policy domains

So, the International Organization for Migration is uniquely positioned to strengthen the United Nations’ approach to international migration.

IOM will also be crucial as we begin to negotiate the Global Compact, in 2018. Not only because of its years of policy-making and advocacy. But also because of the work it has done, on the ground, with people.

We need people to be at the forefront of all of our discussions. We cannot measure migration only by laws, and policies, and regulations. It should instead be measured by the people it affects. Because, before people are migrants, they are, simply, just people. They are engineers, shopkeepers, doctors, musicians, mothers, fathers, children, young people. They have the same hopes and fears as those who have not left their homes.

And, importantly, they are entitled to the same fundamental human rights. Throughout its 400 locations, IOM interacts with these people every day. It has heard their stories. And it has brought them to the international stage.  We will therefore need the help of IOM in ensuring that we put people first in all of our negotiations.

We can start here, at this annual Council session. I’m pleased to hear that IOM will co-lead, along with the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, the Global Migration Group during the negotiation process next year.

I also want to call on you, on IOM, today, to play a role in updating Geneva-based UN Member States on the negotiation process. This will help to ensure that Geneva is adequately informed, and that it can play an active role throughout the process – even when negotiations are taking place elsewhere.

I want to conclude by acknowledging that we do not have an easy task ahead. Like many of you, I am a career diplomat. So, I know, all too well, the challenges facing us. I know that many of us will arrive to negotiations, with rigid instructions. I know that some of us will be requested to pair back language, or mark out red lines. And I know there will be late nights at the office, as we work towards an agreement that is inclusive, effective and politically relevant.

However, we must persevere. Simply because we have no other choice. Our response to today’s trends of international migration is not working. It is not working for governments. And it is not working for people.

Migration is a global phenomenon. And a global phenomenon demands a global response, led by a global framework. The United Nations has seen this, first-hand. It has risen to the challenges before. It has led the drafting and implementation of international responses to almost all of the most pressing global issues – from disaster response to the promotion of human rights. It is time for the UN to lead the charge towards a global response to international migration.

However, it can only do this if we let it. If we don’t, we cannot criticise the United Nations; we will have only ourselves to blame.

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