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Today is the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin wishes to pay tribute to the more than 95,000 men and women who serve with dedication under the flag of the United Nations in the thirteen peacekeeping operations deployed around the world.

Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Goffin on the 20th anniversary of two Protocols to the UN Children's Rights Convention, May 25, 2020.

During its two-year membership (2019-2020) of the UN Security Council, Belgium attaches great importance to ‘children and armed conflict’. The theme also occupies a central position during the Belgian presidency of the Security Council (February 2020).

Today, the United Nations Security Council is holding a debate on transitional justice. Belgium, which presides over the Security Council this month, is putting it on the agenda. Through this action, our country wants to step up the fight against impunity, with the ultimate goal of social reconciliation.

Belgium is putting the issue of children in armed conflict on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council, which our country presides over this month. February 12 is the “International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers”, and our country will use that symbolic day to issue a call to action. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin will chair the briefing at the UNSC on integrating child protection measures into peace processes. King Filip will address the UNSC on behalf of our country.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense Philippe Goffin is on his way to New York as part of the Belgian Presidency of the UN Security Council. The four-day visit will be intense, as it is full of encounters and meetings. On Tuesday and Wednesday (11-12/2) he will also participate in several activities with the King and Queen.

On February 1, 2020, Belgium will take over the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council for one month. Our country has been a member of the Security Council since January 1, 2019 for a period of two years. During its presidency, Belgium will put several topics on the Council's agenda, such as the issue of children in armed conflict, Transitional Justice and the importance of European cooperation within the Council.

Today, Philippe Goffin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence, opens the "E10 Dialogue" in Brussels. This two-day meeting brings together the ten current elected members of the UN Security Council and the five incoming elected members. The aim of the meeting is to increase cooperation between the elected members and to contribute as such to the efficient functioning of the Security Council. Our country is organizing the meeting together with Kuwait, which will complete its two-year mandate on 31 December, and Tunisia, which will join on 1 January 2020. This is only the second time that a similar initiative has been taken.

Today, we celebrate the United Nations Day as a commemoration of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter in 1945. The Charter established the international organization. Belgium was one of the first countries to sign the Charter and the United Nations remains a unique global framework for realizing our multilateral commitment.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo will participate in the annual session of the General Assembly in New York this week. It will be an intensive week full of meetings and events at the United Nations (UN).