Belgium, 2011

Twelve months ago, I

stood here and insisted upon the importance of the

principle of accountability. This year there is even

more reason to underscore this core value in national

and international politics.

In several countries of the Arab world — in

Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Syria, Yemen and

elsewhere — people are transforming the outlook of

their societies, moving towards more accountable

leadership.

On the African continent, in Côte d’Ivoire a

leader who repeatedly plunged his country into

violence did not stand the test of democratic

legitimacy. With parliamentary elections scheduled to

take place later this year, Côte d’Ivoire is now ready to

make a fresh start.

And in Europe the arrest of Ratko Mladic

confirms what leaders should know all too well: that

war crimes will not remain unpunished for ever, that

this world will not accept impunity.

The past year has shown that, more than ever,

history is on the side of those who, worldwide, strive

for more accountability. They will find Belgium on

their side.

Accountability means first of all legal

accountability: the obligation to implement

international treaties and to respect international law. A

former Nuremberg prosecutor, Benjamin Ferencz,

stated, “There can be no peace without justice, no

justice without law and no meaningful law without a

Court to decide what is just and lawful under any given

circumstance”.

Some of the examples I have just mentioned

illustrate that all too well. Ratko Mladic is on trial in

The Hague. Mass atrocities committed in Côte d’Ivoire

and Libya have been referred to the International

Criminal Court.

From this place, I would like to launch a strong

appeal to those Member States that have not yet done

so to adhere to and shoulder the Rome Statute, as a

contribution to a sustainable and accountable

international legal system.

But accountability is of course much broader. It

also implies political accountability. Governments,

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politicians and civil servants are accountable and

responsible to their citizens, be it through the ballot

box or through constructive engagement with

representative organizations.

Let me be frank: this is also a challenge in the

continent I come from, Europe. We, as European

leaders, should not run away from the obligation of

being accountable to the people we represent. In the

Durban spirit of non-discrimination, let me add:

accountable to all the people, regardless of their ethnic

background, their religion or belief, their gender,

sexual orientation or social position.

Worldwide, the challenges are sometimes of a

different order. Let us be clear. Leaders who believe

that they can cling to power through terror and

suppression make a cruel mistake. Leaders who believe

that pointing guns at their own people, that sending

death squads on to the streets, that stoning women to

death is acceptable, have lost touch with humankind

and are bound to lose all support, not only from their

own people but also from the world.

Warlords who think that they can get away with

sexual abuse of women and recruiting child soldiers

should be stopped and held accountable by a united

and firm international community.

Belgium will not stand idly by when people claim

a future free of coercion and terror. Instead of

non-interference, Belgium believes in non-indifference.

Sovereignty cannot be a wall that leaders can use to

violate the rights of their citizens. Sovereignty cannot

be used as an excuse to run away from the

responsibility to protect their people.

This is one of the main lessons that I draw from

recent events in the Arab world: that democracy and

accountability are of a universal nature; that they

cannot be claimed, and should not be claimed, by any

nation or group of nations.

Take the case of Libya, where the Security

Council was able to prevent a massacre in Benghazi.

Belgium decided, with almost unanimous support in

Parliament, to take part in the military Operation

Unified Protector, assuming the risk and the cost.

That was because Belgium is convinced that the

international community has the responsibility to take

action when populations are exposed to imminent

danger. Molière said long ago that we are responsible

not only for what we do, but for what we do not do.

Today, now that the immediate danger is fading,

the international community has a responsibility to

help in the reconstruction of Libya. Let us not forget

that that responsibility is an integral part of the

responsibility to protect. Belgium will contribute.

Let us look at the rest of the African continent,

whose peoples want their voice to be heard through

free and fair elections. In that context, I wish to make

specific mention of the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, where, after years of violence, undeniable

progress has been made.

The important part played by the United Nations,

and in particular by the United Nations Organization

Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of

the Congo, cannot be ignored.

There are still significant challenges to be

overcome. They include the continuation and

strengthening of stabilization efforts in the east of

country, the reform of the security sector, the

establishment of the rule of law and countering

impunity and sexual violence.

Those are essential ingredients in the

consolidation of democracy. The 2006 elections put the

Democratic Republic of the Congo on the road to

democracy. The elections to be held at the end of

November should confirm that the Democratic

Republic of the Congo is ready once and for all to

move on from its bloody past.

As an important partner of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, my Government is contributing

financially to the preparations for the elections, and

demands that every candidate and every citizen be able

to participate peacefully and with full respect for

democratic rules.

Let us finally look at the Middle East, a conflict

region that has this week received much attention here

in the Hall. Dag Hammarskjöld, to whom this week is

dedicated and who himself devoted much of his effort

to finding a lasting peace in that region, said more than

half a century ago: “The building of a firm bridge …

over which you can pass without any difficulties may

be a long story”. More than 50 years later, we still do

not have such a “firm bridge”. That is not acceptable.

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The parameters of a sustainable solution are well

known. Both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples have

legitimate aspirations. People want statehood. People

want to live in peace and security. These were the

messages that President Abbas and Prime Minister

Netanyahu brought us yesterday. It must be possible to

satisfy both legitimate needs.

Over the past few months, the European Union

and its High Representative have spared no effort to

get a process of negotiations started. There is no

alternative to negotiations, however difficult and risky

the path may be. It is therefore my sincere hope that

the steps proposed by the Quartet yesterday will be

fully implemented.

It is also clear that the Palestinian Authority has

successfully progressed on the road to statehood, also

thanks to the important and sustained contributions by

the European Union and by Belgium, and that it has

now reached a level of statehood that the world cannot

ignore.

Now is the time to show leadership. After all, that

is what accountability towards the people of the region

is all about.

Many have said it before: the global challenges

we face are multiple. They range from terrorism to

climate change and sustainable development — in

which regard the upcoming United Nations Conference

on Sustainable Development will ask a lot of our

energy and creativity in the months ahead; from

financial turmoil to terrible humanitarian tragedies like

the one in the Horn of Africa; from banning cluster

munitions to curbing nuclear proliferation, notably in

North Korea and Iran; from guaranteeing the

responsible and transparent exploitation of natural

resources through schemes such as the Kimberley

Process; through to fully implementing the indicators

of the landmark Security Council resolution 1325

(2000) on women, peace and security.

For Belgium, the only way to address those

challenges is through a multilateral approach. No

country, however big or important, is capable of

tackling global challenges alone. No country, however

modest in size it may be, should think that it cannot be

part of the solution.

Multilateralism is not about blocking solutions. It

should lead to change, and should have at its centre the

United Nations, which indeed has proved its added

value in so many fields. Let me mention just one such

field to which Belgium attaches particular importance:

international conflict mediation.

When the Secretary-General addressed us earlier

this week he mentioned Guinea, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan

as United Nations mediation successes. The list is

undoubtedly longer, but so are the needs. I am

therefore grateful to the President of the General

Assembly for choosing mediation as a central theme

for our debate. I strongly believe that the United

Nations should continue to invest in strengthening its

mediation capacities.

I am proud to announce that Belgium has decided

to financially support the United Nations Mediation

Support Unit and to actively engage with the President

and with other Governments and non-governmental

stakeholders to strengthen the role of United Nations

mediation efforts.

Some say that the United Nations is losing its

power as a global platform for discussion and decision-

making. Some say that global trends point towards a

more fragmented structure of global governance. I do

not think that that is true. I would certainly not think

that it was desirable.

Belgium remains a staunch supporter of the

United Nations. Our current engagement in the

Peacebuilding Commission and our bid for a

non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the

period 2019-2020 show our willingness to play our role

in the United Nations.

Today I am also proud to introduce Belgium’s

candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the period

2015-2018, to add our voice to those who fight

impunity and discrimination; to give a voice to those

men, women and children who worldwide see their

rights curtailed; to turn the principle of non-

indifference into a living reality. That is not for the

sake of ourselves, but for the sake of those to whom we

are accountable.