6th edition of the Ferney Model of United Nations (FerMUN)

Madame l’Ambassadeur,
Monsieur le Proviseur du Lycée international de Ferney-Voltaire,
Chers délégués,
Chers collègues,

Bienvenue dans la Salle des Droits de l’Homme et de l’Alliance des Civilisations, le siège du Conseil des droits de l'homme au Palais des Nations. C’est toujours un plaisir d'accueillir les jeunes esprits qui sont prêts à relever les multiples défis auxquels notre monde est confronté aujourd'hui. Je vous remercie chaleureusement de votre invitation de partager quelques moments avec vous.

Tout d'abord, permettez-moi de remercier le Lycée international de Ferney-Voltaire pour l'organisation de cette sixième conférence de la Modélisation des Nations Unies intitulé «FerMUN 2016; Le Changement nécessaire».
Ces sessions donnent aux jeunes, provenant de différentes parties du monde, une compréhension de la diplomatie et des négociations multilatérales. Il est remarquable que cette année, 650 étudiants de 50 nationalités, provenant de 39 écoles de 15 pays à travers le monde, prennent part à cette conférence. C’est vraiment comme les Nations Unies! Cette dernière intègre les principes de la diversité et du multilinguisme. J’encourage vivement les jeunes à discuter des enjeux mondiaux et à participer à la construction du monde de demain.

Comme vous le savez, l'Organisation des Nations Unies a eu 70 ans cette année. Je suis fier des résultats concrets réalisés par l'ONU et de son impact dans le monde depuis sa création en 1945. L'ONU travaille dans de nombreux domaines pour aider les États à mettre en œuvre les objectifs énoncés dans la Charte des Nations Unies. Dans le langage de Genève, ces objectifs couvrent les domaines de la paix, du droit et du bien-être. En examinant l'état du monde d'aujourd'hui et en le comparant à la situation d'il y a soixante-dix ans, nous trouvons à la fois d'énormes progrès mais aussi des revers décevants. En regardant les statistiques mondiales, nous devrions être cependant encouragés par le fait que notre population, en moyenne, n'a jamais vécu aussi bien. Nous vivons plus longtemps, nous sommes en meilleure santé, et nous sommes mieux instruits que jamais auparavant. Ceci est en soi un exploit du système international des sept dernières décennies. Mais nous sommes également confrontés à d’anciens et de nouveaux défis mondiaux, qui transcendent les frontières et les continents.

Let me now share a few thoughts on the themes and challenges that you have chosen to tackle during the next three days – namely, migration, terrorism and climate change.

More than one million asylum seekers and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe during 2015. Most of them fled war and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. But just because the news headlines kept focussing on Europe, we should not forget that migration is not just a European problem, but a global issue, which needs global solutions. In search for solutions, meetings are already scheduled for 2016, including a conference on the Syria humanitarian crisis in London in February, a Resettlement Plus conference in Geneva in March, the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May and an international conference convened by the UN Secretary General during the General Assembly session to look at the broader issue of migration. I encourage you to look beyond the immediate news headlines, and think about how to deal with the much broader, long-term migratory trends in the future. It is also imperative to tackle the negative discourse around asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants, and showcase, based on facts, figures and statistics, the social and economic value that they bring to global and national economies.

Terrorism is a major threat to everything the United Nations stands for - peace and security, development and human rights. It defies national borders. Its motivations, financing, tactics and targets are constantly evolving and changing. That is why it is so difficult to address this threat. Coordination, cooperation and sharing of practices among States and other actors at all levels is essential to effectively combat terrorism. But what is even more essential is prevention and addressing the root causes, such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, injustice and impunity. With the rise of ideologies that promote hatred, it is also very clear that there is no investment today more crucial to tomorrow’s peace and security than an education that fosters tolerance, openness, inclusion and respect for human rights.

The year 2015 was the warmest on record. The last five years have been the warmest five-year period on record, with many extreme weather events influenced by climate change and human-induced global warming. And it is also the year when the international community reached a tipping point in the collective action against climate change, with the signing of the Paris Agreement. This Agreement provides a pathway forward to limit the temperature rise to well below 2 degrees, hopefully even 1.5. The Paris Document is truly monumental as it covers all countries, all emissions, and it solidifies international cooperation on climate change. It also provides the tools needed to address climate change and to adapt to its impacts. It will help us move towards a more sustainable future. For you, who are gathered here to practice your negotiation skills, the Paris Conference is also a perfect example of what diplomacy can achieve. It is significant that after previous failed attempts, this largest gathering of world leaders ever on the global issue ended in a legally binding instrument that all countries agreed to.

The real impact of the Paris Agreement will be demonstrated when it is implemented. A giant step forward has been taken last month, although there is a long way to go before the pledges made in Paris will be put into action. To begin implementing their post-2020 climate action plans, countries will need to mobilize resources and make investments in low-carbon sectors. Action on climate needs to intertwine with the implementation efforts for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that we also agreed to in 2015. These frameworks are interlinked. The collective effort and engagement of all actors – Member States, the UN system, civil society, the private sector, academic and research institutions - will be required, as well as a new mode of functioning and new partnerships.

International Geneva has an important role to play in this endeavour as a majority of UN agencies and other stakeholders that will be working on implementing the new roadmap are based here in Geneva. Some of you might be joining International Geneva in the future as representatives of your countries, members of non-governmental organizations, researchers in academic institutions or United Nations staff. The knowledge of the system and practical skills you develop through Model United Nations will be of good service to you then. It is your generation that inherits the “to do” list that was set up by the international community in 2015.

In conclusion, let me wish you a fruitful discussion, innovative ideas and out of the box solutions to be generated at this session over the next three days. And I very much hope that this event will inspire you to great achievements in the future.

Thank you very much.