Meeting of the “Weimar Triangle” foreign ministers (Berlin and Weimar, March 31 to April 1, 2014)
United Nations – Human Rights Council – Review of the 25th session
DRC – Adoption of Security Council resolution 2147 renewing MONUSCO’s mandate (March 28, 2014)
ECOWAS – Election of the Ghanaian chair (March 29, 2014)
Fight against climate change – Presentation of the second volume of the IPCC report (Yokohama, March 31, 2014)
Meeting of the “Weimar Triangle” foreign ministers (Berlin and Weimar, March 31 to April 1, 2014)
Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will visit Berlin and Weimar today and tomorrow for consultations in the “Weimar Triangle” format with his German and Polish counterparts, Mr. Steinmeier and Mr. Sikorski.
In Berlin today, the three ministers will participate in a public debate with students from the Jacques Delors Institute on the theme “What voice for Europe?” The discussions will notably focus on the role of the “Weimar Triangle” and on current European issues.
In Weimar, the ministers will have an initial exchange of views this evening on the situation in Ukraine, relations with Russia and European security issues. Tomorrow, they will discuss the key current issues facing Europe: preparations for the European elections, the renewal of the institutions, the fight against climate change and the strengthening of the Common Security and Defense Policy.
Mr. Laurent Fabius will then travel to Brussels together with his German and Polish counterparts to participate in the NATO ministerial meeting on April 1.
United Nations – Human Rights Council – Review of the 25th session
The UN Human Rights Council closed its 25th session on March 28 in Geneva, after 4 weeks of work.
France welcomes the adoption on this occasion of a resolution condemning the serious and systematic human rights violations in Syria, notably the use of torture, attacks against civilians and the use of starvation and sieges as a method of warfare by the Damascus regime. This resolution renews for one year the mandate of the international commission of inquiry. It confirms the mobilization of the international community to ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to justice.
We also welcome the adoption of a resolution on human rights violations in North Korea.
Texts were also adopted on the human rights situation in several countries.
In addition, France welcomes the success of the first high-level dialogue organized by the Human Rights Council on the issue of the death penalty which, following a joint initiative with Benin, Costa Rica, Moldova and Mongolia, has made it possible to consolidate the global trend in support of the abolition of the death penalty. Lastly, we welcome the holding of a high-level panel on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
DRC – Adoption of Security Council resolution 2147 renewing MONUSCO’s mandate (March 28, 2014)
France welcomes the unanimous adoption by the Security Council, on France’s initiative, of resolution 2147.
The adopted text renews for one year the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It reaffirms the international community’s support for Mr. Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, whose action at the head of MONUSCO since August 2013 has made it possible to implement the mandate to protect civilians in a more proactive manner and to achieve remarkable results with respect to the neutralization of the armed groups. In particular, it renews the mandate of MONUSCO’s Rapid Reaction Force established by resolution 2098 and emphasizes the protection of civilians.
Lastly, resolution 2147 reaffirms to all signatories of the Addis Ababa framework agreement the need to implement their commitments in order to achieve a lasting solution to the crisis in the Great Lakes region. It encourages the DRC authorities to guarantee an inclusive, credible and transparent electoral process that will take place on schedule.
ECOWAS – Election of the Ghanaian chair (March 29, 2014)
France congratulates President John Dramani Mahama on his election as chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He replaces Côte d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara, to whom we pay tribute for his action over the last two years, during which ECOWAS notably played a critical role in resolving the Malian crisis and the transition in Guinea Bissau.
We wish President Mahama every success in exercising his mandate as chairman of ECOWAS.
Fight against climate change – Presentation of the second volume of the IPCC report (Yokohama, March 31, 2014)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) today released in Yokohama the second volume of its report on the effects of climate change.
This report again demonstrates the risks facing humanity if nothing is done to curb the effects of climate change.
The work of the IPCC panel indicates however that this situation is not a foregone conclusion and that there are solutions. These involve large-scale initiatives aimed at transforming our economic and social models and adapting them to respond to the requirements of sustainable development.
France will play a full role in this. We are fully mobilized to ensure that the 2015 Paris Climate Conference is successful and that it allows us to reach a global and ambitious agreement on the reduction of greenhouse gases.