Statement at General Humanitarian Debate – presentation of the Omnibus resolution

Mr. President,

First, I would like to note that Sweden fully aligns itself with the statement that will be made later this morning on behalf of the European Union.

Today, it is my great privilege to introduce to the General Assembly, on behalf of 84 co-sponsors, this year’s draft resolution on the “Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations” contained in document A/76/L.23 – the so-called “Humanitarian Omnibus resolution.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the landmark resolution 46/182, presented and adopted in December 1991, which created the very foundations of today’s UN humanitarian system. Sweden has been honoured to facilitate the negotiations of this resolution ever since.

The goal of our collective efforts, as set out thirty years ago, is to effectively assist our fellow women and men, girls and boys,  affected by crisis. We remain convinced that principled humanitarian assistance is the best way to reach it. And we are certain that the resolutions up for adoption today equip the humanitarian community with the framework it needs to provide such assistance.

Last year, due to the limitations imposed by the pandemic, we restricted ourselves to a technical update of this resolution. At the same time, we committed to work towards resuming full-fledged negotiations on the 30th anniversary of this important resolution. We did not know at the time that the pandemic would still force us to negotiate in a virtual format. While this fact compelled us to limit the scope of negotiations, I am pleased that we were able to update the resolution with important new elements related to, inter alia, the pandemic, mental health and psychosocial support,  the importance of continuing education in humanitarian crises, food insecurity, and the integration of protection and health risks.

This endeavour required strong support from the secretariat, and I want to extend my warm gratitude to OCHA and the technical support staff for ensuring that the process went smoothly. Just as important, the limited scope of negotiations required all member states to be flexible, constructive and focused on the goal of reaching consensus. So, my second expression of gratitude is directed at the entire UN collective for working with us to ensure a consensual and substantially meaningful outcome.

Negotiating and adopting the resolution is the easy part. When we walk out of this building, we face the task of delivering on the commitments we are making today.

In this regard, I want to pay tribute to all frontline responders delivering humanitarian assistance. 113 humanitarian workers have lost their lives on duty this year.

We, as Member States of the United Nations, now need to translate the words of the resolution into concrete action to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity across the globe.

Thank you.