Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at an open debate on Peacebuilding and sustaining peace, Promoting conflict prevention – empowering all actors including women and youth

Thank you very much Mr. President,

I want to thank the Japanese presidency for convening this meeting. The topic is all the more relevant in light of the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace, which we support. I wish to thank the briefers Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo, Chair of the PBC Ambassador Sérgio Danese, as well as the academia and civil society representatives Professor Williams and Ms. Rolls. Thank you very much for your insights.

Preventing conflicts is far more cost-effective than responding to them and their consequences. With the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War, it is time to put conflict prevention and peacebuilding front and center of our priorities.

Many conflicts could be avoided by strict compliance with international law. And it starts with us. We, the Security Council members have the responsibility to lead by example. We need to uphold the Charter, the international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law.

We also need to promptly respond to crisis situations as they erupt, as well as to engage in horizon scanning for emerging conflicts.

The Security Council is the strongest when united. Unity can help prevent conflicts and it can save lives.

Second, the efforts on a global, regional and national level should be complementary and should mutually reinforce each other. National prevention strategies, as proposed by the New Agenda for Peace, should be comprehensive and should follow a holistic approach. It should tackle all the root causes and drivers of conflict and violence in a society.

Effective prevention means equal opportunities, reducing the inequality and poverty, respect for rule of law, protection of human rights in their entirety, promoting full, equal and meaningful participation of women and youth, addressing structural gender inequalities and it should be climate-sensitive.

Today, no crisis or conflict in the world can be efficiently addressed, without inclusion. One of the surest ways to address sustainably the underlying causes of conflict is to fully implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.

Women and youth are particularly affected by conflicts, whether as civilians in directly affected areas, refugees and internally displaced persons, or as persons directly targeted. However, they also can substantially contribute to conflict prevention and resolution, as well as long-term peacebuilding.

The UN system too, would need to strengthen its capacity to deliver early warning and early action in countries that are vulnerable to conflicts over natural resources and environmental issues. Other international organizations, such as International Organization for Migration, could also contribute with their innovative tools.

Mr. President,

In the context of one of the deadliest conflicts that is taking place today, to paraphrase my minister – behind the political and media landscape, most people want peace and a normal, decent life and a peaceful, safe future for their children. They should be given space to present their ideas and give us the energy to continue to advocate for peace.  That is why in Ljubljana on March 8, on the International Women’s Day, my minister hosted Israeli and Palestinian women, representatives of two sister non-governmental organizations that advocate for a political solution in the interest of an inclusive, sustainable and just peace. These women are – as women have been many times in history – a ray of hope for positive change. A ray of hope for peace. On the basis of that hope, we will continue striving for peace in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Thank you.

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