“At 80 years, our cherished organization is challenged,” said Johann Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, pointing to a budgetary crisis, a crisis of multilateralism, and a lack of respect for international law. Current security and humanitarian crises are aggravated by pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss – all of which threaten to bring more instability, more conflicts over resources, and more lost lives and livelihoods.  He underscored the need for justice, peace and respect.  Since joining the UN, Germany has been adamant: justice means development.  “Where hunger persists, there can be no lasting peace,” German Chancellor Willy Brandt said in his first address to the United Nations in 1973.  Justice, he emphasized, requires that every human being has access to food, clean water, education, and health care.

As the second largest contributor to the UN system and one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, “we will continue to provide aid through well-established partners operating in line with humanitarian principles – including the UN,” he stated, stressing that aid must reach those who need it most. Accordingly, he called on Israel to enable safe humanitarian access.  He reiterated Germany’s support for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in camps in Sudan and neighbouring countries.  “Through UNHCR, we have supported countries in providing shelter, food and medical services for refugees,” he said, adding: “we are investing in giving people a long-term perspective.”

Regarding Germany’s contributions to peacekeeping and peacebuilding, he recalled that its troops, police officers, and personnel have served in 14 peacekeeping missions over the last three and a half decades.  “As we speak, the German military is contributing the maritime component to [the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] UNIFIL off the shores of Lebanon,” he said.  German personnel also support the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), while also contributing financially to the security of Haiti, where gangs are terrorizing the civilian population.  “This is a situation where the UN has an essential role to play for peace and security,” he stressed.  As the largest donor to UN peacebuilding, Germany will continue to provide skilled personnel to the UN system, working for peace, development, and human rights at all levels, he pledged.  “Now more than ever, we need our United Nations to be fit for purpose. Therefore, the UN80 process must succeed,” he concluded.