Toespraak Verhagen voor VN Veiligheidsraad
Gelegenheid:Open Security Council debate 20 May 2008
Thank you, Mr President.
Mr President, (Mr Secretary-General), members of the Council, colleagues
Like others, I would like to express my condoleances to the people of China and Birma/Myanmar.
Securing sustainable peace is even harder than ending armed conflict. Today, as the international community is involved in efforts to end armed conflicts in many places, we must prepare for that hard task: securing sustainable peace. As urgent as that is, so timely is this debate and I commend the United Kingdom initiative for organizing it. It has proven to be a stimulating debate and I associate myself with the previous speakers, notably the Representative of the European Union.
Mr. President, peace is more than the absence of armed conflict.
Peace encompasses freedom of want and fear, and freedom of religion and expression.
Peace is to be able to live a decent life, raise a family and not having reason to fear authorities or others to hurt you or your family.
Peace is about living in a country with people of different beliefs, races and convictions, where human rights are respected and where one is governed by legitimate leaders who know that their legitimacy rests on the quality and fairness of their decisions.
Peace requires the rule of law, domestically and if that fails domestically, through international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the special tribunals set up by this Council for the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone and Lebanon.
Finally, peace is also about being protected by one’s government against harm, and about being helped by the government if you are harmed - by arms, by man-made disasters, or by natural disasters such as the cyclone which hit Birma two weeks ago or the earthquake which hit China last week. And while all this may seem simple and fundamental, this kind of peace is elusive for millions. This is what this debate today is about: it’s about what we can do better in helping people, real people, to reach real peace.
As is pointed out in the excellent note prepared by you, Mr President, primary responsibility for building peace and stimulating sustainable development after conflict lies with national authorities.
The principle of the Responsibility to Protect, embraced by all of us at the 2005 Summit, stresses that each individual State has the responsibility to protect its populations. This responsibility is broad.
The R2P principle is not, in my view, aimed at eroding or undermining the principle of national sovereignty. It aims to promote responsible conduct by governments, or – as you suggested yesterday, Mr. President – responsible sovereignty. So, in my view, it also includes protection against non-man made threats such as the effects of natural disasters. Why? Because gross negligence and woefully inadequate responses to such threats, may actually lead to even greater humanitarian suffering. Suffering may be caused to such extent that the inadequate response must be considered a crime against humanity, thus forming a ground for action by this Council.
It follows that when a government cannot or does not effectively live up to its responsibility, the international community must act. The Security Council is the central forum for debate and decisions in such cases, while member states can join assistance efforts. Against this background, I warmly support the leadership role taken up by the Secretary-General and some countries, notably the ASEAN countries, to come to the rescue of the suffering Birmese people. The government and the people of the Netherlands are committed to support these efforts.
I return to peacebuilding after armed conflict. As has been pointed out by others, crucial elements in meeting the challenge of building peace after conflict, are timing, coordination, assuring that capacity to assist is ready to be deployed right when needed. These factors are crucial for timely action.
Next to the Security Council, the Peace Building Commission has a central role to play in mobilising support, if possible even before fighting has ended. We expect the PBC to ensure that countries that are “donor orphans” are not left behind.
We see a pivotal role for UNDP to lead in the recovery phase enabling the government to provide basic services and helping restore the social fabric. It urgently needs to develop greater surge capacity, working with UN agencies and others like NATO and the European Union.
Hence, the necessity of coordination. And hence our support for strengthened roles of the representatives of the UN. Afghanistan is a case in point and my government will be very pleased when the UN will be able to spread its presence throughout the country.
Allow me to underscore, Mr President, the urgent need for coordination both by, and within the UN. The roles of the Security Council, the Peace Building Commission, UNDP and others must be channelled through One UN office in the country concerned. Almost by definition we speak of countries in turmoil and with very little governmental capacity. These are seldom able to deal efficiently with a multitude of actors, donors and interlocutors.
On capacity, I agree that the challenge is to create effective ways for making expert capacity permanently available, for example by pooling. We all face the same difficulty as others do: too few experts available when we need them.
The need for flexible funding is evident. In the Netherlands, we have created a Stability Fund with this aim. It can be used both for ODA as well as non-ODA assistance. We suggest others to set up similar funds.
What we also need is dedicated funding for early recovery between the humanitarian assistance and the development phase, when the limelight is often missing and resources are hard to mobilise. A central fund may be helpful, in combination with a country level fund to which NGOs should have access. The Special Recovery Fund in Southern Sudan could be a model.
Mr President, when peace is in sight there is no time to lose. Peace building requires the provision of basic services, effective and inclusive dialogue, and providing people with secure and safe livelihoods. We call for strong UN leadership and pledge our support for efforts in this respect.
Thank you, Mr. President.