Thank you, Mr. President!
Yesterday, leaders of the world adopted the Pact for the Future.
The ICRC is with you when you say in that Pact that “fellow human beings are enduring terrible suffering”.
We are also with you when you warn us of “rising catastrophic and existential risks, many caused by the choices we make”.
However, you are also right when you say that “there is a path to a brighter future for all of humanity”. That your formula for this brighter future includes international cooperation based on respect for international law, resonates loudly with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
This year, we mark the 75th Anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which regulate how wars are fought. Every State in this General Assembly has committed to respect and to ensure respect for these rules in word and in deed.
We are with you in Pact Action 14: “We will protect all civilians in armed conflict”. International humanitarian law requires that fighting parties only attack military targets, take all precautions to minimize harm to civilians, and then actually do so.
We encourage all states here today to use their influence to speak to warring parties to make sure this happens.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed or suffered appalling injuries as victims of deliberate or indiscriminate attacks. We can and must do better.
We are also with you in Action 15: “We will ensure people affected by humanitarian emergencies receive the support they need.” The rules for humanitarian assistance are set out in IHL. Parties to armed conflict must allow and facilitate passage of humanitarian relief.
However, we are faced with a compelling reality: millions of people in warzones are left out of basic humanitarian support due to a lack of humanitarian presence.
Destruction of basic infrastructure could be avoided if attacks were restrained, and based on proportionality and distinction.
The reality of today is that the compounding effects of destruction, disinvestment and abandonment are leading to unbearable costs for generations to come. We can and must do better.
The path to a brighter future for humanity is available to us, you have said.
In war, that path is lit by the Geneva Conventions.
At the ICRC, we offer our hand to you along this path.
Let’s walk it together.
