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UN Chief Praises Germany’s Commitment to Multilateralism Throughout ‘Dramatic Year’

by admin in United Nations - Germany

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and UN Secretary-General António Guterres,  meet in Berlin, Germany December 17, 2020 (© Janine Schmitz/photothek.de)  

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW YORK –  Throughout a challenging year, Germany has been a reliable, generous and “exemplary” friend to multilateralism, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday speaking at the National Parliament building in Berlin.  During a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at the Bundestag, Secretary-General Guterres recalled a global UN survey of some 1.5 million participants, in which 99 per cent of Germans “affirmed their commitment to multilateralism, and international cooperation, to solve the problems of today’s world…by far, the largest percentage” of any one nation.   In commemorating the world body’s 75th anniversary and acknowledging the suffering caused by COVID-19, and challenges “from climate change to inequality, to lawlessness in cyberspace to the different fragilities that undermine our world”,  Guterres maintained that “Germany has been on the frontline” of all UN activities. 

The Secretary-General also elaborated on Germany’s assistance in Libya, the Sahel, Sudan, Ethiopia and several other crises around the world.  He was appreciative of its role in Libya, including hosting the Berlin Conference last January and its efforts galvanize the international community to support the Libyan people.   

 

Germany wants to continue playing its part in preserving global peace – as a permanent member of the Security Council.

“We have shown over the past two years that we are capable of filling a seat on the UN Security Council in the long term. We therefore want not only to stand for a non-permanent seat again in eight years’ time, but also seek to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council before that date.”

-German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas

Germany has been a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since 1 January 2019. Its two-year term will end on 31 December 2020. The Federal Republic of Germany became a Security Council member for the sixth time, thus assuming particular responsibility for peace and security around the world and striving to strengthen the international order at a time when the multilateral order, with the United Nations at its heart, has come under tremendous pressure, the German Foreign Service Office said in a statement.

Germany Looks  back here at the most important issues
  • Libya:    Good news from Libya has been rare in the past years, but several recent developments give grounds for hope. Germany has continued to work alongside the UN Special Envoy for Libya to launch a political process aimed at stabilising the country. The Berlin Process, through which Germany is supporting the UN’s peace efforts, is crucial here. At the start of 2020, a major conference was held in Berlin at the invitation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and brought supporters of the parties to the conflict around a table.
  • Syria:   Following long and tough negotiations, the cross-border resolution was extended, thus ensuring access for deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Syria. As co-penholder with Belgium, Germany worked hard to achieve this result, ultimately suggesting a compromise in order to maintain aid to millions of Syrians.
  • The Sudan:     Since the overthrow of dictator al-Bashir, there is a sense of a new beginning in the Sudan and the country is undergoing a transition process, which Germany has supported from the start. In June 2020, Germany co-hosted a Sudan Partnership Conference with UN Secretary‑General António Guterres in order to mobilise political and financial support. Germany and the UK called in the Security Council for a new UN mission in the Sudan. From 2021, the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) will replace the previous UNAMID mission and support the transition to democracy.
SOURCE:   German Foreign Service Office 
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