On 23 and 24 May, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Foradori participated in the World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey, on the initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General with the objective of improving the humanitarian system by making it more effective and inclusive.
Representatives of 117 countries, including 65 Heads of State and Government, non-governmental organizations and humanitarian institutions, attended the summit, where States, international organizations and non-governmental actors held discussions on an equal footing.
Five core responsibilities were dealt with as part of the summit’s work agenda: political leadership to prevent and end conflicts; upholding the norms that safeguard humanity; leaving no one behind; changing people’s lives -from delivering aid to ending need-, and investing in humanity.
Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Foradori addressed the summit’s plenary session and stated that Argentina reaffirms its continued commitment to International Humanitarian Aid, as evidenced by the actions it has taken and its cooperation with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), and the World Food Programme, among other similar agencies.
At the plenary session, Foradori stressed that “we reiterate our deep commitment to providing Humanitarian Aid to refugees, mainly Syrian refugees, through the Humanitarian Missions the White Helmets are undertaking in Lebanon -where Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra travelled a few days ago- and in any other places where the international community requires our assistance. We also highlight that we assume our shared responsibility for admitting refugees into our country through the Syria Programme, which is being implemented in Argentina”.
In this regard, Ambassador Foradori signed a cooperation agreement with the head of the International Organization for Migration, William Swing, with the aim of exchanging experiences related to humanitarian aid to migrants.
Furthermore, Mr. Foradori and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende chaired a panel discussion in which UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Geeta Rao Gupta, and UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, also participated. The panel discussed the “Safe Schools” initiative and Ambassador Foradori stated that “indiscriminate or deliberate attacks mainly against civilians and civil property, especially attacks perpetrated against medical facilities, hospitals and schools, not only violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law but they also threaten peace-building possibilities”.
At the end of the summit, Argentina announced that it will host the 2nd International Conference on Safe Schools in the second half of 2016.
Press Release No. 156/16
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