Press releases

Mr. President, Excellencies,   Let me first congratulate His Excellency Foreign Minister Bui Son on his appointment and welcome him to the United Nations. I thank Viet Nam for putting this important issue on the agenda and reminding us of the work left to do. Landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices maim and kill indiscriminately. They are left in the path of women walking to work, a family displaced by conflict and seeking safety, children on their way to school. They crush lives and end livelihoods.

[scroll down for French version] Today, on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, we reflect on how far we have come in raising awareness of the dangers posed by landmines, and recommit to our target of a mine-free world.      More than 160 states are party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. I call on those that have not yet acceded to the Convention to do so without delay.

It is a pleasure to greet the peacekeeping partners who have gathered for this event.  I thank the Government of the Netherlands for bringing us together. Three years ago, I launched the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, asking you to join me in making our operations more efficient and impactful. Together, we produced the Declaration of Shared Commitments. 154 Member States and four organizations have endorsed this roadmap and we have made progress on all fronts. I thank our peacekeepers for their outstanding service.

[scroll down for French version] Today we commemorate the life of Monsignor Oscar Romero, who was murdered for his vocal opposition to inequality, marginalization and injustice in El Salvador. We honour all victims and survivors of gross human rights violations around the world. We reaffirm and celebrate their dignity by acknowledging their experiences; by renewing our commitment to justice and remedy for them; and by pledging to do everything in our power to prevent any recurrence of such crimes.