Belgium is looking forward to a close cooperation with these countries in the Security Council in 2020. Our country will reach out to the newly elected members to prepare this cooperation as good as possible on a variety of topics. As stated in the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security.

Belgium is confident that the newly elected members will commit themselves to foster consensus and act for peace. In this way, we can provide credible and efficient multilateral solutions to the many challenges ahead and contribute to maintaining the multilateral rules-based order.

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An estimated 2,275 died or went missing crossing the Mediterranean in 2018, despite a major drop in the number of arrivals reaching European shores. In total, 139,300 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe, the lowest number in five years.

“Saving lives at sea is not a choice, nor a matter of politics, but an age-old obligation,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “We can put an end to these tragedies by having the courage and vision to look beyond the next boat, and adopt a long-term approach based on regional cooperation, that places human life and dignity at its core.”

The report describes how shifts in policy by some European States saw numerous incidents where large numbers of people were left stranded at sea for days on end, waiting for permission to dock. NGO boats and their crews faced growing restrictions on their search and rescue operations. On routes from Libya to Europe, one person died at sea for every 14 who arrived in Europe – a sharp rise on 2017 levels. Thousands more were returned to Libya where they faced appalling conditions inside detention centres.

For many, setting foot in Europe was the final stop of a nightmarish journey on which they had faced torture, rape and sexual assault, and the threat of being kidnapped and held for ransom. States must take urgent action to dismantle smuggling networks and bring perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

However, new seeds of hope did emerge in some places. Despite political deadlock on progressing with a regional approach to sea rescue and disembarkation, as called for by UNHCR and IOM last June, several States committed to relocating people rescued on the central Mediterranean – a potential foundation for a predictable and lasting solution. Thousands of resettlement places were also pledged by States for evacuating refugees out of Libya.

The report also reveals significant changes in the routes being used by refugees and migrants. For the first time in recent years, Spain became the primary entry point to Europe as around 6,800 arrived by land (through the enclaves in Ceuta and Melilla) and a further 58,600 people successfully crossed over the perilous Western Mediterranean. As a result, the death toll for the western Mediterranean nearly quadrupled from 202 in 2017 to 777. Some 23,400 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy in 2018, a fivefold decrease compared to the previous year. Greece received a similar number of sea arrivals, some 32,500 compared to 30,000 in 2017, but saw a near threefold increase in the number of people arriving via its land border with Turkey.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded some 24,000 arrivals as refugees and migrants transited through the Western Balkans. Cyprus received several boats carrying Syrian refugees from Lebanon while the UK witnessed small numbers crossing from France towards the end of the year.

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In 2015, the VUB was the first Belgian university to offer a program for refugees.

Migrants who have fled war, violence or prosecution, have often received training or posses work experience from their home country. But it is not always easy for them to continue their academic career in their host country.

The Refugee Student Program at the VUB offers this possibility to refugees in Belgium. In addition, the InCampus program provides 20 refugee students with a pathway to teach them the language and skills needed to register and succeed at VUB.

Barbara Hendricks’ visit is a testimony of respect for the efforts of the VUB in this regard.

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Seventy years after its adoption, on 10 December 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly, the Declaration continues indeed to embody the common ideal to be achieved by all peoples and nations. As the foundation of the universality of the values of equality, justice and dignity, it remains as relevant as it was on the first day. The universality of human rights is the foundation of the modern international order, the primary obligation of all States. It remains the compass that guides Belgium’s action, both in our domestic policy and on the international stage, towards a better and fairer future for all.

Over the past three years, our country has been tirelessly involved in the Human Rights Council on many issues such as the fight against impunity, respect for human rights in the fight against terrorism or the promotion of the participation of civil society. Our country has also worked to protect and strengthen human rights institutions on the ground, starting with the Human Rights Council itself but also with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or regional organizations such as the Council of Europe and the African Union. At the end of its term of office, Belgium intends to continue these efforts as an observer member.

From next January until the end of 2020, it is as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council that Belgium will endeavor to keep the defense of human rights at the top of the international agenda. Peace and security, like development, necessarily require respect for the fundamental rights of each individual.

2019 will also be the year of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Second Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which aims to abolish the death penalty. The right to life, enshrined in Article 3 of the Declaration, is a fundamental condition for the enjoyment of all other rights enshrined therein. With this conviction in mind, our country will host, together with the European Union, the Seventh World Congress against the Death Penalty in Brussels from 26 February to 1 March next year.

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25 October 2018 at 11:00
Rond-point Schuman in Brussels

In presence of:

Federica Mogherini
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Barbara Pesce-Monteiro
United Nations Director in Brussels

Cristobal Gabarron
Artist

After displaying Enlightened Universe in New York and Geneva, the Gabarron Foundation brings Enlightened Universe to Brussels to celebrate UN day and the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Over the last few years, the Belgian development agency has been thoroughly reformed. During that process, the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) was reformed and the Belgian Development Agency (BTC) was transformed into the Belgian development agency Enabel. A number of new emphases were also made in terms of content, including a more prominent role for the private sector, new ways of financing and digitalization as a lever for development. The new legal framework confirms this turnaround.

Partnerships are central

Central to this bill are the partnerships our country wants to establish in order to achieve measurable results. A good example is the partnership which Minister Alexander De Croo established with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and the Belgian development agency Enabel to eradicate sleeping sickness in 10 years.

The new law will ensure a legal anchoring of the two axes that have been guiding the Belgian development policy in recent years: (1) a rights-based approach that focuses on respect for human rights and (2) sustainable and inclusive economic growth through the development of a strong private sector as a driving force for sustainable development.

Important role of the private sector

The new Belgian development policy also focuses much more on involving the private sector in realizing the sustainable development goals. The private sector and free entrepreneurship are indeed important engines of progress and human development. Our country invests through BIO in local companies in our partner countries abroad, but this bridge between the development world and the business world must also be built domestically. One and a half years ago, more than a hundred Belgian companies and organizations endorsed the Belgian SDG Charter and the sustainable development goals. This partnership with the private sector is now being furthered. For example, companies that want to invest in developing countries will be eligible for financial support in the future.

The use of new, innovative forms of financing is an important novelty as well. Last year, together with the International Committee of the Red Cross, our country launched the world’s first Humanitarian Impact Bond. This innovative financing mechanism bridges the gap between private investors, donor countries and the Red Cross. The Belgian government only reimburses the pre-financing of private investors when they reach the results which were defined at the onset. This form of result-oriented and cost-efficient work must be further embedded into the Belgian development policy in the coming years.

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The new countries replace Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Netherlands and Sweden at the end of this year, having each served two-year terms on the 15-member Security Council.

The Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security, with all UN Member States required to comply with Council decisions.

The Council’s ten non-permanent seats are allocated according to a rotation pattern set by the Assembly in 1963 to ensure fair regional representation on the Council. Five come from African and Asian and Pacific States; one from Eastern Europe; two from Latin American States; and two from Western European and Other States.

All countries other than Indonesia ran unopposed from their respective regional groups, as Indonesia secured its place following a run-off with the Maldives for the Asia-Pacific Group seat.

This will be the Dominican Republic’s first time on the Security Council. The other four countries having previously served on the council.

The permanent seats are held by China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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What are the goals of your visit in Brussels?

Well, we have here political consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium. This year we hope to boost our relationship with Belgium and fill the empty spaces in our international relations. We consider Belgium as an essential bridge to help us connect with the European Union, and In many fields: political, cultural, economically, and investment. We are learning a lot from our connections in Belgium.

Is it easy for a Belgian company to invest in Uzbekistan nowadays?

We have now created some conditions to make it easier for Belgian companies to be active in Uzbekistan. We are considering more actions as we realise doing business in Uzbekistan should be directed into earning money. We want to help the connection in where we can make money from these joint connections.

Do you have any concrete example in mind of a successful Belgian company who invested in Uzbekistan?

Today, we consider one company along with many others who are actively looking at the potential of having businesses in Uzbekistan. One company we have had the chance to talk to is Victor Buyck Steel Company. this is a good company for linking Belgium to Uzbekistan. However, this is not limited to one project, it is just used as an example to show how the connections between our two countries can be made. We hope this will continue.

Do you think Belgian companies are afraid to invest in Central Asia?

There is a certain experience that Belgian companies have acquired in the region in the latest years. They find the conditions to be acceptable but the process has not so far been permanent. So we will be doing additional steps to secure international investments because when we talk about investors from Belgium, we are talking about the possibility of having partners.

Belgium is conducting a lobbying campaign in order to become a non-permanent member of the United National Security Council. Is Uzbekistan supporting Belgium?

We are supporting Belgium, but not just because we are trying to establish trading links, but because we have such a record between Uzbekistan and Belgium that we support them. And also, Belgium was one of the first countries that recognised us as an independent country in 1991.

There was a change of Presidents in Uzbekistan 2 years ago with the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev. What are the new priorities of this new administration?

The priority is on our foreign policy. It is becoming more of a priority because, together with our neighbours, we are creating a new dimension initiated by our President. Safe and stable relations with our neighbours in Central Asia and even to bring in Afganistan to the equation and help them become part of our interactions.

How is the border with Afghanistan?

It’s not a large border, but we have these good relations with all our neighbouring Republics; so if Afghanistan will be stable, we want to extend our relations to them. Our Central Asian nations have our ethnic peoples spread all over each other’s countries and thus it benefits us if they remain secure.

Kazakstan has the task within the United Nation, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, to have an overview about Afghanistan. Do they coordinate the work with their neighbours?

The relations are much better with Kazakstan – partly thanks to the new president. The level of integration is better. We have found ways to deal with issues that are important, for instance, the water pipeline from Tajikistan.

You were saying the priorities are – to have good relations with the neighbours. About foreign policy, what is the priority for the President? relations with the US, Russia, the EU?

We want it to be balanced between the nations. I said about foreign policy, but it means investment, and not limited to private business, it could be state business.

I understand Uzbekistan set for this year the goal of receiving 10 million tourists to the country. How do you see this strategy and how do you think you will achieve this figure?

We have the potential and the willingness to reach this goal. It is not just going to be Uzbekistan alone in this pursuit, it will be in tandem with other countries. But for our own side, we will be creating more services and infrastructure to improve the experience of tourists. Hotels, highspeed trains, roads etc. We will try everything with our partners to achieve this.

What would you say to convince Belgians to visit Uzbekistan?

Come Belgium! Visit Uzbekistan, and enjoy yourself!

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