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Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Goffin welcomes the resolution adopted today by the United Nations Security Council in New York on the Covid-19 pandemic. With resolution 2532, the Security Council calls for ninety-day humanitarian ceasefires in all conflict zones around the world to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The Security Council thus builds on the call previously made by Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a global humanitarian ceasefire - an appeal to which Belgium has subscribed from the start and which is of great importance for several conflict zones, such as Yemen and Syria.

On the 29th of April, after months of negotiations lead by Belgium, the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict reached an agreement on recommendations on how to counter violations of children’s rights in Afghanistan.

On the 15th of April, after months of negotiations lead by Belgium, the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict reached an agreement on recommendations on how to counter violations of children’s rights in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Yesterday, Belgium – as chair of the Working Group for Children and Armed Conflicts – announced conclusions on the situation of children in the armed conflict in Yemen were adopted unanimously. The fight against impunity, and more in particular children’s right violations, has long been one of Belgium’s foreign policy priorities. Also on the humanitarian front, Belgium is in the leading group of European donors with more than 9 million euros of humanitarian aid specifically targeted at Yemen.

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.