Belgium, 2012

First of

all, on behalf of my country, I would like to welcome

the broad vision and the pertinence of the ideas put

forward by the Secretary-General.

I come from Belgium, one of the six founding

countries of the European Union (EU), a multicultural

union of 500 million people who, as President Obama

has reminded us, live in peace — something that I wish

for the entire world — after experiencing horrifying

wars.

Belgium provides a unique setting for political

decisions and international meetings. Brussels is

the capital of Europe and also the seat of NATO

headquarters. We are naturally open to the world. I

myself come from the city of Mons, which will be the

European cultural capital in 2015. In 2014, Belgium

will solemnly commemorate the centennial of the

start of the sad and painful First World War. We will

do so in memory of the young people from more than

50 countries who, on our territory, defended the ideals

of peace and freedom. In 2013, Antwerp will host the

World Outgames, a gathering of tolerance and diversity, while the city of Liège is a candidate to host the World’s

Fair in 2017. All those international events have a single

goal: to bring us closer together and to mobilize around

universal values.

For my country, respect for life and human rights

is fundamental. Whether we speak of the rights of the

child, of women or of refugees, or of the struggle against

all forms of discrimination, a single principle guides

my country: the effective equality of all human beings,

regardless of status or beliefs. In that light, Belgium will

join Slovenia in sponsoring a draft resolution against

racial discrimination. I hope members will support it.

All heads of State and ministers share an immense

collective responsibility to ensure that women become

equal to men worldwide at the political, social and

economic levels; to ensure that little girls are no

longer subjected to circumcision; and that acts of

violence against women are systematically fought and

eliminated.

In my country, women head three ministries: the

Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and

the Ministry of the Police. Significant efforts have

also been made to more effectively combat domestic

violence. Our national laws prohibit and punish all

forms of discrimination, whether on the basis of gender

or that of claimed race, disability or sexual orientation.

In my country, both marriage and adoption are open

to same-sex couples. Those are grounds for pride in

Belgium.

With the support of several countries of the European

Union, Belgium invites members to take vigorous,

concerted action in various realms of social life. I am

thinking first and foremost of the decriminalization of

sexual orientation and the promotion of the rights of

lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In that

regard, I welcome the initiative of UNESCO to counter

homophobia in schools.

For my country, freedom of religion, which is to

say the freedom to practise or not practise a religion,

is fundamental. Belgium unequivocally condemns

Islamophobia. We just as firmly condemn violence,

which is unacceptable in all cases. We believe that

human beings should be free to think what they wish

and be able to express their indignation without ever

resorting to violence. Diplomatic missions should be

inviolable throughout the world. It is not by oppressing

human beings or promoting violence that the fundamental challenges of prosperity, the well-being of

citizens and peace will be resolved.

Belgium attaches particular importance to

strengthening the rule of law throughout the world. The

reason for that is simple: in my country we are convinced

that the rule of law is necessary for development and

prosperity. It contributes to a better world, because the

purpose of the rule of law is to enable every human

being to live, flourish and love in complete freedom.

For that reason, and in the spirit of mutual human

respect, we support the principle of the responsibility

to protect victims of violence wherever they are. In

the same spirit, Belgium responded to the Secretary-

General’s call by instituting 17 specific projects.

The rule of law and the enforcement of respect for

human rights require us to step up the fight against

impunity. Belgium will continue its policy of active

cooperation with international criminal tribunals. The

action of the International Criminal Court will help to

usher in an era of responsibility. It is incumbent upon all

States to cooperate with the Court. Belgium, together

with Slovenia and the Netherlands, calls on all States

represented here to improve international cooperation

in mutual legal assistance and extradition.

As the President of Brazil pointed out

(see A/67/PV.6), the effects of the economic crisis

and financial speculation are felt by every household.

When the balance sheets of banks represent 300 per

cent, 400 per cent or 600 per cent of gross domestic

product — indeed, even more in some countries — we

should not be surprised that there is a direct link between

bank management and the economic and budgetary

health of sovereign States. In many countries in-depth

studies have been carried out and decisions taken, but

clearly that is not enough. That is because the financial

world operates in line with the rhythm of its own peculiar

logic. Here at the United States the phenomenon is

better understood than elsewhere. Programme trading

dominates financial exchanges. The software reacts a

million times faster than human traders, buying and

selling thousands of shares every millionth of a second.

We must work together here at the international level to

establish oversight mechanisms for the financial world,

with a view to ensuring that it again assists more in job

creation and that it steers clear of risky management

practices that compromise the economic and budgetary

health of nations.

In Belgium we are working on the issue nationally

and within the eurozone. But an agreed international approach is becoming indispensable. Beyond such

in-depth reforms in the banking and financial sectors,

let us also dare to tax financial transactions. It is high

time that income derived from that source be used to

promote prosperity for our people.

The Assembly is committed to the follow-up

to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development. We can never underline enough that we

must break with an economic development model that

devours natural resources and energy. Belgium supports

the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All

initiative. It also stresses the importance of merging

within one process the Millennium Development Goals

and the sustainable development goals.

I would like to turn to some regional issues that my

country finds especially disturbing and tragic. In the

Great Lakes region, the situation in the eastern part of

the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the resurgent

violence and the Mouvement du 23 Mars rebellion

greatly concern the Belgian Government, especially

because of their serious impact on local populations.

We see images of massacres, rape, forced recruitment,

including of children, pillaging, 400,000 internally

displaced persons — all of it completely unacceptable.

Belgium calls upon the countries of the region to

redouble their efforts to put an end to the current

rebellion. We also call for a response to the root causes

of instability in the Great Lakes region. We commend

the Secretary-General’s attention to the region and his

initiative in calling a high-level meeting tomorrow

on the crisis. Our Foreign Minister will attend, and

Belgium stands ready to do what it can to help.

The territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic

of the Congo must categorically be respected. All

external support for the rebels must stop. Let us not

delude ourselves. Denying the facts does not make

them disappear. The facts on the ground give the lie to

all denials. Belgium calls on all countries in the Great

Lakes region to pledge to respect the sovereignty of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Belgium also urges

the Congolese authorities to institute the necessary

reforms in the army and the police to re-establish the

rule of law in the whole of its territory, including,

obviously, the eastern part.

I dearly hope that reason will prevail. Belgium is

ready to work to help restore trust among the countries

of the region. We furthermore hope that direct relations

between the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the President of Rwanda can be established

and that it will speed progress towards a solution.

As to Syria, we are all deeply concerned by the

deteriorating situation of an impasse on the ground,

and a political impasse as well. We are appalled by

the posture of a regime that kills its own citizens.

Beyond the 30,000 dead there are at least 250,000

refugees in neighbouring countries, and even more

internally displaced. How is it that the collective human

conscience is not in agreement to stop the massacre? I

say respectfully to the members of the Security Council

that we cannot knowingly allow such human suffering

to go on. Unless we take action we are complicit in

crimes against humanity.

Belgium has faith in and supports Joint Special

Representative Lakhdar Brahimi. Belgium also supports

the efforts by Arab countries and hopes that they will

be successful. We must all hope for a political solution.

One thing is certain. Bashar Al-Assad must leave. The

regime has lost all legitimacy. Given the urgency of the

situation and the approaching winter, Belgium urges

the international community to take concrete steps on

the humanitarian front and to come to the aid of the

millions of people affected. Humanitarian concerns are

our highest priority. The Belgian Government provides

financial support for humanitarian aid to the refugees.

In that connection, I will allow myself to insist

that my country demands earnestly that a solution be

found to enable humanitarian organizations to carry

out their work, particularly in hospitals, in line with

international humanitarian law. I believe that both the

Chinese and Russian authorities will be able to join us

in those objectives.

I have another comment concerning the region; I

wish to mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Belgium

favours the rapid resumption of negotiations aimed

at finding a solution based on the coexistence of two

States — the State of Israel and a State of Palestine that

is independent, democratic, united and viable — living

together in peace, security and prosperity. We also wish

to state very clearly our opposition to the continuation

of colonization.

My country believes that multilateralism is the only

way to improve conditions of our planet. Belgium is the

fifteenth largest contributor to the United Nations.

Let us have the courage and strength to agree to

free humankind from wars and social injustices, and support its development. I invite all of us to spur our

awareness. Let us demonstrate together our capacity to

act.