EU Presidency Statement - The Safety of UN and Associated Personnel

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia - and the Associated Countries - Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, as well as the EFTA countries of the European Economic Area - Iceland and Norway align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chairman,

The Secretary-General's report contained in A/55/637 formed the basis for our deliberations last year. The report painted a bleak picture of the conditions under which UN and associated personnel must perform their indispensable tasks. The situation has still not improved and more people in the service of the United Nations have lost their lives. This is absolutely unacceptable.

The attacks against the UN and associated personnel run counter to the purposes of this organization. They undermine the activities of the UN and so many organizations in their humanitarian and peacekeeping work around the world. The European Union finds it intolerable and requests that measures be taken to remedy this situation.

Mr. Chairman,

The Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was adopted by the General Assembly in 1994. It entered into force on 15 January 1999. Up until now 63 Member States have ratified it. The European Union urges all States to become parties to the Convention. The primary responsibility for the security and protection of UN and associated personnel rests with the States hosting UN operations. Hence, especially these States should consider becoming parties to the Convention and implement its provisions.

Mr. Chairman,

On the basis of resolution 56/89, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Scope of Legal Protection under the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel was established in order to consider the recommendations made by the Secretary-General. In its report A/57/52, the Ad Hoc Committee has presented a valuable contribution to our work. The European Union would like to commend the committee, its chairman and the other members of the bureau and Secretariat for the work done. The proposals in the report of the Secretary-General combined with the report of the Ad Hoc Committee form a solid basis for the work ahead of us.

The debate in April showed a general agreement on short-term measures to improve the convention. We now look forward to a discussion in the upcoming session of the Working Group on how to implement these measures, including a time frame for their implementation, as well a continued debate on how to deal with the recommendations of the Secretary-General on long-term measures.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

| Arriba |

• EU Presidency Statement - Safety of UN and Associated Personnel (23/10/2003)
• EU Presidency Statement - Convention on Safety of UN Personnel (13/10/2003)
• EU Presidency Statement - Human Resources Management (28/10/2002)