50 years ago, On September 18, 1973, on the banks of the East River in New York, two German states joined the United Nations. The accession was carried out by a brief resolution of the General Assembly; However, this was by no means a mere diplomatic routine.
Almost three decades after the end of the Second World War initiated by Germany and the genocide perpetrated against European Jews, which had inflicted unspeakable suffering on millions of people, This day marked a return of the “vanquished enemy state” to the international community. To this day we continue to be grateful for this return, and for us this fact constitutes a commitment.
Germany’s accession occurred 28 years after the founding of the United Nations and it is testimony to our recognition of German guilt, to our commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter, to a world that relies on the force of law and not on the arbitrariness of the strongest. And September 18, 1973 represents a deeply rooted concept of German diplomacy.
German foreign policy should never be limited to looking after its own interests. For 75 years our Basic Law has entrusted it to “serve the peace of the world (…) (in) a united Europe.”
This task and our membership of the United Nations for 50 years are more important today than ever, at a time when The fundamental principles of the United Nations are being undermined. That is why, together with more than 140 countries, we have advocated in the General Assembly for the people of Ukraine and the principles of the Charter. And, according to the Charter, every country has the right to live in peace without having to fear being attacked by a stronger neighbor.
(You may be interested in: ‘Daniel Ortega is establishing a kind of tropicalized North Korea’)
It is evident that today we live in a different geopolitical reality than in times of the Cold War. The confrontation between the Eastern and Western blocs is fortunately part of the past. Instead Now a new multipolar reality is being formed in which we have to organize cooperation.
There are more and more countries with different positions that demand to participate in the configuration of the international order. And it’s fair. It was time for their voices to be taken more into account.
Therefore, we want to strengthen our associations with all countries in the world that are committed to an international order based on norms and law.
This order is not a “Western ideology,” as some maintain. Quite the opposite. This order has its foundation in the Charter of the United Nations and, with it, in the universal conviction that All States and all people have the same rights, no matter how powerful they are, and that never again will a State invade another neighbor. For us Germans, these principles are also a lesson from the Second World War and the atrocities that National Socialist Germany committed against its neighbors.
(You can read: The G77+China summit calls for building a new international architecture)
All states and all people have the same rights, no matter how powerful they are.
For this reason the Germans We have a special responsibility to strengthen the Charter of the United Nations. This is also why we have presented our candidacy to the Security Council for 2027-2028.
Those who question this order today are left to answer the question of what are the principles on which a better and more just order should be built.
We want to build on what was created in 1945 and has continued to develop since then. We know that this order is imperfect and that we must adapt it to our new world.
This includes finally configuring our international financial institutions, health bodies, but also the United Nations Security Council in such a way that our partners in Africa, Latin America and Asia have an adequate voice there.
This includes that Let’s put the Sustainable Development Goals at the center of the United Nations.
And this includes greater ambition regarding containing the climate crisis, which is the greatest threat of our time. With a clear roadmap towards the abandonment of fossil energies. And with solidarity with the most vulnerable States, which particularly suffer the consequences of the climate crisis.
However, honest associations also include self-critical reflection on our own ways of acting. For this reason, Germany also began the return of looted colonial art.. This will not heal all the wounds of the past, but it is an important step in the context of addressing our dark colonial history.
(Continue reading: ‘About the Holocaust, I want to highlight how easily people lose sight of their humanity.’)
We Germans made a promise to assume responsibility for the United Nations
With our accession 50 years ago, we Germans made a promise to assume responsibility for the United Nations. Today we not only recognize this promise, but, together with our partners, we want to renew it in a world that has changed.
With courage and confidence.
For a strong United Nations. For a better and fairer future for everyone.
ANNALENA BAERBOCK
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF GERMANY
#years #Germany #United #Nations #Opinion #column