DOMINIQUE HASLER, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein, spotlighted global challenges, stating that while there have never been more conflicts in the world since the United Nations founding, progress towards attaining the Global Goals are stagnating, with the number of displaced persons at peak levels, and children suffering in unprecedented proportions.  She called for collective efforts towards safeguarding the international order for future generations, stating that doing so presents Member States with “an opportunity to make the United Nations stronger, more equitable, more resilient.”  Recalling how the Organization has survived two devastating world wars, and expressing hopes that member countries “will not allow unlawful war-making to bring devastation, human suffering and instability to the peoples that we represent,” she enjoined leaders to introspect, asking “are we truly trying hard enough to put these promises into action?”

On the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine, which she described as “the most egregious, blatant and manifest violation of the prohibition of the illegal use of force since the creation of the United Nations,” she said that beyond calling for a complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from the embattled nation and defining parameters for a just peace, the international community must “ensure criminal accountability for this act of aggression for the individuals who have ordered it, in line with international law.”  This is a task that belongs to the International Criminal Court, which itself must be given the competence by member countries to exercise full jurisdiction as quickly as possible.  She spotlighted the inability, most times, of the Security Council to take necessary action.  Next year’s Summit of the Future will be “an essential collective test for all of us,” she said.  “We must show our ability to find ways to ensure collective action when the Security Council fails in its task.”

Resonating with the Secretary-General’s description of the climate fight being “the fight of our lives”, she highlighted the devastating effects of climate change, expressing hopes of significant progress in the Conference of Parties meeting in Abu Dhabi later this year.  She also restated her country’s support for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the question of climate change. Further, she expressed Liechtenstein’s commitment to the SDGs, highlighting that bills in the country’s Parliament are now evaluated against the Global Goals.  On gender equality, she said “we will not forget the countless women who suffer from violence and oppression worldwide.  We will continue calling out situations of systematic gender persecutions from Afghanistan to Iran.”