"The eyes of the world are on the Security Council."
Statement by Matthew Rycroft of the UK Mission to the UN at the Formal Launch of the ACT Code of Conduct
Thank you Madam Foreign Minister and thank you to the panel.
I congratulate the ACT Group on the formal launch of the Code of Conduct today. The United Kingdom is proud to be a signatory.
As a Permanent Member of the Security Council, we take our responsibilities to international peace and security very seriously. Credible action is always needed to prevent or respond to genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
There are frankly too many occasions where the Council has failed to do so. The formal launch today of the Code today sends a clear message that this cannot continue; a message from over half of the UN, including nine current members and three future members of the Security Council. I hope all of the UN’s membership will listen and join us. And let us all press them to do so.
We now need to harness this collective agreement and start delivering. The eyes of the world are on the Security Council. Unresolved crises in the Middle East and Africa has led to untold suffering, from Syria to South Sudan.
To respond to those who challenge our relevance, let’s turn this code into action. We need to show that we’re not just responding to crises, but preventing them. For the UK, this means delivering the Global Goals, supporting inclusive societies and strong institutions, listening to the UN reviews on peacekeeping, peacebuilding and Women, Peace and Security, investing our political and financial capital in prevention. And finally it means the Security Council being willing and able to recognise the early warning signs and take early and effective action.
We look forward to pursuing all of this during our November Presidency of the Security Council, working accountably, coherently and transparently with the ACT Group of others.
Thank you.