Address of Andrej Plenković PM of the Republic of Croatia at the 72nd session of the General Assembly of the UN

Mr. President,

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me use this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to all those affected by the destruction wrought by hurricanes Irma and Maria as well as to the people of Mexico, who have been hit by successive earth quakes these past few days. 25 years ago, my country’s first president, Franjo Tuđman, addressed the General Assembly as Croatia was being admitted to the United Nations, bringing us back into the fold of free nations.

At that time, he appealed to the international community to help end the aggression against Croatia and establish lasting peace.

Since then, my country has been rebuilt, modernised and profoundly transformed and has become one of Europe's top tourist destinations.

Today, Croatia is a Member State of the European Union and NATO.

Building on its unique historical circumstances we are now actively participating in peacekeeping operations around the globe and provide development aid to societies in need.

I address you as the Prime Minister of a country which has during this relatively short time served on the Security Council, has presided over the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission, and which is currently a member of the Human Rights Council. Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we celebrate the International Day of Peace.

I would like to reiterate that Croatia as a peace-loving nation, as symbolised here in the UN by the recently restored "Peace monument" of our great sculptor Antun Augustinčić, is a strong advocate of a rules-based international order.
At the national and global level, we believe that institutions need to be more open to the public and genuinely involve people in their decision-making.

It is only through active and informed citizenry that we can make governments accountable and create credible institutions.

Only well-functioning institutions assure implementation of the rule of law.

Such citizens' involvement brings a welcomed mix of representative and participatory democracy, by bringing forward substantiated arguments and avoiding superficial and misleading populism.

Croatia puts great emphasis on peace, justice and strong institutions as one of the seventeen goals to transform our world. Building state institutions was a particular challenge for a country which achieved peace and re-established its territorial integrity only 20 years ago.

Croatia is dedicated to assisting others in post-conflict transition with its own experiences in reconciliation and confidence building.

We were a recipient of international security assistance, including through several UN missions.

One of the most successful peacekeeping missions to date was UNTAES – the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia, which ended in January 1998 with the peaceful reintegration of our formerly occupied territories.

We put at disposal this unique know-how and extensive expertise as a useful complementary contribution to the international community's efforts in similar situations, such as with the implementation of the Minsk Agreements in Ukraine, where we can draw many parallels.  Mr. President,

Discussing strong international organisations globally means addressing the strength of this august institution – the United Nations – as well.

As the world changes, our firm belief is that the UN must also keep up and change. 

Croatia supports the Secretary-General's drive to reform the Secretariat, especially in peacekeeping and development.

Secretary-General's “surge in diplomacy” is also a much needed development.

Central to UN reform is reform of the Security Council.

It is vital that its membership – both permanent and non-permanent – is regionally balanced and more reflective of the world seventy years into the organization’s life.

In particular, we believe that the path to achieving this goal would be expedited by enlarging both categories of membership – permanent and non-permanent members – including through ensuring that the Eastern European Group is better represented in the Security Council’s non-permanent membership.  Mr. President,

One of the effects of globalisation is that the world is faced with an unprecedented number of people on the move.

Refugee crises and mass migration are a reality.

One in 30 people around the world are migrants. 

Croatia in the past has been faced with acute refugee and migrant crises.

The approach we took has always been – and will always be – one that puts people first.

In the context of the upcoming negotiations on the Global Compact on Migration, we would advocate an approach to human mobility that prioritises safety, dignity and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, no matter where they come from and where they are headed.

As with all global challenges, here too a holistic approach is required.

We therefore need to work together to fight the root causes of mass migrations – be it poverty, failing States and wars or climate change and natural disasters – while standing against exploitation and abuse in the context of human trafficking and people smuggling.

In the framework of the European Union Croatia is working with its partners on stemming illegal flows of people, especially from the Eastern Mediterranean – Balkan route, while at the same time providing concrete support to countries of origin to address root causes, in particular through its development aid programmes. Mr. President,

In addressing crises across the globe our focus should be on early-warning, prevention and diplomacy.

Any post-conflict measure comes too late, especially in terms of human life.

Conflicts need to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and require tailor made approaches.

While a consistent approach of the UN – and in particular the Security Council – to conflicts is essential for the Organization’s credibility, copy-pasted "one-size-fits-all" approaches are not the most effective way to proceed.

In understanding the situation and risks on the ground we must in particular draw on the knowledge and experience of local populations, neighbouring countries and regional organizations.

Croatia believes that when addressing conflicts and crises – be it in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Yemen or anywhere else in the world – it is important to have a global comprehensive approach based on solidarity and coordinated international effort under strong UN leadership.

One that would include political, humanitarian, socio-economic, stabilisation and security elements, and where reconstruction goes hand in hand with reconciliation, and building resilience. Our contribution to peacekeeping operations will continue to be an important component of our foreign policy, both through direct participation and in terms of sharing our experiences and expertise or know-how.

Croatia has contributed to 19 UN peace-keeping operations to date and we are currently preparing our contribution to UNIFIL in Lebanon.

Like many other countries, apart from UN peacekeeping operations, we also participate in international operations led by other organisations (EU, NATO and OSCE). Human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal values.

We should spare no effort in their promotion and protection.

Any violation of human rights requires an immediate and appropriate response.

We advocate tighter links between the Human Rights Council and the Security Council.

We also acknowledge the importance to the principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and take particular pride in the fact that one of Croatia’s top diplomats leads the UN’s efforts in this respect.

We welcome the establishment of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism because it is evident that there is a real need for strategic coordination and leadership to our global counter-terrorism efforts.

It is also necessary that we continue working on preventing and countering radicalisation and violent extremism. Mr. President,

Croatia fully supports recent unanimous Security Council action on North Korea, whose actions represent a direct threat to international peace and security.

We appeal to North-Korean authorities to discontinue developing and testing nuclear weapons and to fully meet their commitments under international law, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and global non-proliferation regime. Mr. President, 

Adherence to the standards, principles and rules of international law and their faithful implementation represent a firm foundation for lasting peace and stability worldwide, to which we are deeply attached. In that regard I would particularly like to recall the principles of good faith and free consent.  

We believe that disputes should be resolved through peaceful means and in conformity with international law.

It is of the utmost importance that all international adjudications meet the highest legal standards and fully respect their relevant rules. 

Compromising the impartiality or independence of international adjudicators and tribunals, as was the case in the terminated Arbitration Process between Croatia and Slovenia, makes their decisions legally void and left Croatia with no choice other than to withdraw from the arbitration process.

We consider that this example of undermining the rule of law is a discouragement for States considering third-party dispute settlement.

At the same time, we want to solve the open border issue with our neighbouring friend and ally, Slovenia, through bilateral dialogue. 

In addition, Croatia strongly supports full and unequivocal implementation of all applicable rules of international humanitarian and criminal law, as well as full investigation and punishment of all atrocities. Preserving peace and stability in South East Europe is obviously of key importance for my country.

While the world faces many overwhelming challenges, we should bear in mind that regional stability in South East Europe is still to be entrenched.

By transferring our knowledge and promoting the integration of the countries of Southeast Europe to the European Union, and NATO – if they wish so – Croatia actively encourages stability in the region.

We believe in building strong societies in our neighbourhood, aiming to shift away from containing crises towards prevention, political dialogue and active engagement.

This is especially important in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, where proper implementation of the constitutional equality of its three constituent peoples – Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats – is a prerequisite for ensuring the full functionality and stability of the state and its European integration
process which we wholeheartedly support. Mr. President,

Two years ago, through the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community properly recognized the limits of reach of individual governments.

Universal challenges indeed demand our joint response. 

In addition, cooperation with academia, the business community and civil society is indispensable, but it would be unwise not to also tap the ideas and ingenuity of each individual in our respective societies.

Especially of our youth who is, in the age of modern technology, absorbing knowledge and acquiring skills in a faster and more open manner.

Thus it is our global task to adjust our educational systems to form the future responsible citizens, to give them job opportunities and fit the real needs of our labour markets.

Coming from Croatia, the homeland of Nikola Tesla, the great inventor, I cannot but stress how vitally important it is that the UN facilitates a transformation towards the age of digital economy and narrows the digital divide, which could generate new inequalities.

Eradicating poverty remains our primary development objective, since it is a cause and consequence of conflict, instability and crises.

But it is only by paying equal attention to transformational, cross-cutting elements – such as human rights, equality, good governance, the rule of law and inclusive societies – that we will be able to achieve true sustainable development. As we are witnessing the daily erosion of climate conditions and increasing natural disasters, more is required from humanity.

This burden is ours to bear.

In the recent months, unfortunately, my country was not spared wildfires and floods either, which reached unprecedented dimensions.

These increasingly worrying warnings are a call to action – without delay.

Croatia has already demonstrated its dedication to global efforts to preserve the environment by ratifying the Paris Agreement.

Two days ago I expressed our principled support to the new French initiative – the Global Pact for the Environment – aimed at better coordinating global action against climate change.

In the context of sustainable development, synergies between global, national and local policies need to be strengthened.

We believe that next year’s High Level Political Forum will offer a platform to discuss efficient measures for a true transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies, such as the pivotal goal of making cities and human settlements inclusive and safe, while granting their inhabitants a proper quality of life. Mr. President,

Croatia’s commitment to multilateralism is unwavering.

We believe in the UN system and our joint potential to promote effective, inclusive and sustainable global governance, based on the rules and principles of international law.

It is with this aspiration in mind that Croatia joined the United Nations 25 years ago.

A quarter of a century later, I stand before you with the same noble ambitions and responsibility – for the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and economic betterment, for solidarity with humans living in precarious conditions and for common issues concerning our planet.

Only with joint vigour to that end, we can advance and materialize our professed common goals and values.

It is incumbent upon us to do so, and the time is now. 

Thank you. 

News | Plenkovic Andrej