DOMINIQUE HASLER, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, said that, when it comes to fighting the pandemic, international solidarity is a matter of self-interest.  However, 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still much uncertainty about where the world stands and how to be prepared for setbacks, she observed.  Although the scientific community has responded at impressive speed and developed effective vaccines in record time, the response has so far not been sufficient to provide universal access.

She went on to say that both climate change related catastrophes and the recent report of the International Panel on Climate Change are making it brutally clear that there is very little time left to reverse the downward spiral and meet obligations to future generations.  In that context, she pointed out that Liechtenstein leads the world on solar power per capita.

Environmental, social, and corporate governance have taken a key place in the discussion on policymaking as well as in the private sector, she went on to say.  Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking, one of Liechtenstein’s key Sustainable Development Goals projects, places a strong emphasis on the social and corporate governance dimension.  The initiative is a public-private partnership embedded in the United Nations system that places financial institutions at the heart of the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking.

Turning to ongoing global conflicts, she stressed that the prevalence of impunity not only leads to new atrocity crimes, but also makes sustainable peace and thus development impossible.  Justice may be a long time coming, especially for those in the most powerful positions, but justice is a key ingredient for any society to move forward with hope, legitimacy and the support both of its own people and of the international community.  The General Assembly must take responsibility and step forward in such situations and should convene in each case when the Security Council action has been blocked by a veto, she said.