In a speech to the General Debate of the 80th General Assembly, Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative to the United Nations of Denmark, said the costs are felt across the world when the Security Council is “unable or unwilling to act.”
She spotlighted violence across the globe including war in Sudan, the erasure of women’s rights in Afghanistan and “the horrible situation” in Gaza. “What is going on in Gaza right now has nothing to do with self-defence,” she said, decrying a man-made famine and the killing of thousands of civilians. She called on Israel to comply with international law, underscoring that the two-State solution remains the only path to peace for both peoples — who each deserve security and dignity.
Denmark continues to support Ukraine
Turning to the Russian Federation’s “horrific and illegal war of choice” in Ukraine, she underlined that “Denmark will continue to support Ukraine, for as long as it takes. Kyiv is fighting to defend the “very principles that define the UN-based world order: territorial integrity, national sovereignty and the right to political independence”. Moreover, the Russian Federation has made clear its intentions to continue on “the path of war” with repeated violations of European airspace.
Support for ICJ/ICC
The grim situation must not give way to a “world ruled by brute force”, she said. She reiterated support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, voicing concern over the widening financing gap and calling on Member States to provide official development assistance (ODA).
