Mr. President,

We would like to express our appreciation to Switzerland for convening this important annual open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

This year’s theme could not be more relevant and timelier, given the scale of the grievances caused by hunger and food insecurity in various parts of the world in recent years.

First of all, it should be noted that conflicts continue to pose major threats to global food security.
The situation has been further aggravated by Covid-19 pandemic, disruptions in agricultural production and supply chains as well as extreme climate events.

The international community should take urgent steps to break the vicious cycle between armed conflict and food security.
As a leading country in the humanitarian field, Türkiye continues to do its part to alleviate the human suffering caused by this cycle.

The Black Sea Initiative has been a landmark achievement in easing the pressure on food insecurity for millions of people and reducing global food prices.

This initiative facilitated so far, the safe export of over 30 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs from Ukraine.
We will continue to support the Secretary-General’s efforts and closely work with the parties for the full implementation of the deal to help people in need in different parts of the world.

In Syria, we are also pleased to cooperate with the United Nations for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of vulnerable people through the UN cross-border aid mechanism. Food security and nutrition as well as protection are at the forefront of this assistance.

The devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria last February have further deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the north-west.

The uninterrupted delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid to Syria is more critical than ever. We will continue to work in close dialogue with all parties to extend the UN Security Council authorization in July.

The need for protection of Palestinian civilians also remains an imperative task in front of the UN. It is deeply concerning that the World Food Program operations in Palestine risk suspension due to funding shortfall. It is a disgrace that even the symptoms of this longest standing conflict at UN’s agenda cannot be eliminated, let alone addressing its root causes.

Mr. President,

In the face of the ongoing threats to international peace and security, primarily the expanded scale and scope of armed conflicts, we should update our conventional approaches and double our efforts to protect the civilians, especially women and children, who bear the brunt of conflicts.

The protection of civilians was recognized as a matter of international peace and security almost 25 years ago by this Security Council.

The global track record, however, confirms that we should have done better in a quarter of a century.

Thus, we urge all and primarily the Security Council, to utilize the normative framework built up over the years, disallow serious violations of international law, and keep prevention and addressing the root causes of conflicts at the top of our agenda.

Thank you.