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"Check against delivery"

Ministerpräsident Söder

Ambassador Ischinger,

Deputy Secretary-General Lacroix,

Dear friends,

I am pleased to join you in honouring the United Nations for its achievements in peace and conflict resolution. Many of us in this room have had the opportunity to see the United Nations in action. Many of us remember the feeling when you first approach the UN headquarters in New York. When you look up at the UN building, rising high into the sky on the banks of the East River. When you see the mural in the Security Council's room, with a phoenix rising from the ashes of World War Two. When you see the majesty of the General Assembly hall you can't help thinking the UN is the most ambitious project that humanity has ever conceived. A project to end war on our planet. A project to end poverty and inequality. A project for global democracy. The UN is a symbol of hope. And this symbol of hope reaches not only the capitals of politics and economics, but also illuminates the lives of people in those places that have been forgotten. The hope reaches far into refugee camps, into cities destroyed by conflict, into the tiniest villages in the developing world, into their market stalls, their schools and hospitals. For many living in war and poverty, the two letters “UN” written on blue helmets around the world send the most powerful message of hope: The world has not forgotten you. We are here to help.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is very fitting that the Munich Security Conference, the United Nations and the European Union should come together in this way tonight. The goal of all three undertakings remains the same: No conflict, never again. The United Nations and the European Union were born out of the Second World War, with the ambition of removing the very causes that had led to the war. Ewald von Kleist, the founder of the Munich Security Conference, shared the same ambition. He had resisted the Nazi regime. And after the war, he saw the need for more dialogue on security policy. That's why he set up the Munich Security Conference in 1963. The Ewald-von-Kleist Prize celebrates the peace-makers and the bridge-builders. And no organisation deserves it more than the UN.

So please allow me to thank Ambassador Ischinger and the Munich Security Conference for their decision to award this year's Prize to the United Nations. First and foremost, with this prize, you honour the organization and its staff. I want to recognize the senior leadership from the United Nations and its Agencies here today. And I want to highlight the commitment and bravery of United Nations staff everywhere, including those who work in humanitarian emergencies, in conflict, and in peace operations.

I am proud to say that I have met many of these incredible people. This prize belongs to you.

It also belongs to those who have died in the service of the United Nations. I remember, as a Defence Minister, standing on the tarmac at Köln airport, waiting for the coffins of two of our soldiers, who died as peacekeepers during a UN mission in Mali. And I remember the feelings of their comrades, when I met them days later in Gao. All of them serving under the UN flag were ready to give their life in order to protect the values the UN stands for.

This Prize tonight is also a political statement. By honouring the United Nations, the Munich Security Conference stands strong in defending effective multilateralism. And this is why the European Union is proud to be the strongest supporter of the UN and the UN system. Take the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The whole world has declared war on poverty and on its causes.

For us, Europeans, the Development Goals have become the compass of our global action. Whenever we invest abroad, we ask ourselves: are we creating growth that is sustainable? are we investing enough in education, in good jobs for young people, in entrepreneurship of women, in clean energy, in good governance. This is not always easy. The benefits might be less visible in the short term. But in the long run we know that this is what truly works. This is what creates development that can stand the test of time. I could also mention the Climate Action Summit hosted by the Secretary-General in September, which truly resonates with our European Green Deal. Or the amazing work that the UN Agencies are doing in so many different fields. The World Health Organization, whose Director-General is here today, is at the forefront of the fight to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. UNICEF has changed the life of millions of children in over 190 countries. The UN Agencies for migrants and refugees have provided shelter and hope from Syria to Myanmar, to Venezuela. And the world needs UN peacekeeping.

Its successes are sometimes obscured by the protracted nature of some conflicts. But UN peacekeepers have made history, for instance in Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire – where two UN missions have just been concluded successfully. These are just some of the achievements that the United Nations can be proud of and which we should celebrate. It is for all these reasons, that the European Union with its Member States will continue to be the strongest supporter of multilateralism, a close partner on the ground for UN Agencies, and the single largest financial contributor to the UN system. When I took office, I said I would lead a geopolitical Commission. In a world of growing geopolitical tensions, we need the United Nations more than ever before. Yet we all know that the multilateral order has come under increasing pressure. Already, we see rejection of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Human rights are violated and their universal value is questioned. There is a push-back on women's rights. In many places, humanitarian access is routinely denied – we only have to look at Yemen to see the tragic results.And non-State actors, such as Boko Haram, who disdain international law, envelop entire regions with blatant disregard for human dignity.

Despite our best efforts, accountability for such violations is weak, and the International Criminal Court remains under pressure. Too often, the United Nations Security Council is trapped in its dynamics – just like it was during the Cold War. The determination found by “we the peoples” in the Charter of the United Nations has lost its luster. And sometimes the United Nations itself, as an organisation, has not lived up to its ideals. Over the years, cases of exploitation and abuse have tarnished its image, therefore, the zero-tolerance policy is a most welcome step forward in this regard. And if this was not enough, the effects of climate change and the advent of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, could lead to further challenges to international relations. It is right that the Secretary-General of the United Nations has this year set out these two issues as his priority. They align completely with the European Union's priorities of the European Green Deal and making Europe fit for the digital age.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The sum of all the challenges to the international system translates to a real threat to the United Nations. Can it withstand the pressure? Can the center hold? This question interlocks with the thesis of “Westlessness” that Ambassador Ischinger has put to the conference. Will the role of the United Nations diminish in this less Western world that he describes?

It is up to us! We shouldn't forget that the United Nations can only work if its Member States make it work.

Fort a good reason the preamble of the charter of the UN signed in 1945 starts:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED…

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.

And it ends with the words:

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

It is up to us! Everyone in this room is called upon!

When the UN fails, it is our collective failure. But when the UN succeeds, it is for the world's collective good. This what you, the United Nations stand for. This is why you are so precious. This is why you can always count on us, the European Union. We owe you. The world owes you so much. Tonight's prize is but a small sign of our dedication, to support the UN's work in our troubled world. And congratulations to the United Nations on this prize.