France will work to make our societies freer, fairer and more united
Madam President,
Allow me to reiterate France’s solidarity with Israel, following the barbaric acts committed by Hamas terrorists. Our thoughts go out to all the families that have lost loved ones, including United Nations staff. Israel has the right to defend itself and to combat the terrorist groups that attacked it. In its response to Hamas in Gaza, we call upon Israel to respect international humanitarian law, and all measures to help and spare civilians in Gaza and elsewhere must be taken. France supports humanitarian operations on the ground, in connection with the United Nations.
Madam President,
Russia has broken with the international order based on the Charter and is flouting all international law, through its illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, followed by also illegal annexations that France will never recognize. Russia must put an end to its mass violations of human rights and its abuses, which it must be held accountable for. We welcome the decision taken by the General Assembly not to elect Russia to the Human Rights Council. France is also worried by the regression of freedoms in Russia itself.
As a consequence of the military operation launched by Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh has almost been emptied of its Armenian population. This population movement resembles ethnic cleansing. Azerbaijan has the responsibility to guarantee the safety of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, to respect their fundamental rights and freedoms, and to create the conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons. We reiterate our support for the territorial integrity and inviolability of Armenia’s borders, which our assembly must also do.
Human rights are also being violated on mass scale in Afghanistan, and we reiterate our strongest condemnation of the Taliban’s policy of segregation against Afghan women.
We once again call on the Iranian authorities to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iranian citizens.
We remind the Syrian regime that only a credible and inclusive political process will allow for a just and lasting peace, as well as the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees, in accordance with resolution 2254.
In the Sahel, serious attacks on democracy have increased in recent years: in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. We are continuing our efforts, in support of ECOWAS, to reinstate constitutional order in Niger, and notably for the release of President Bazoum.
We reiterate the importance of reports from the United Nations human rights protection system, and the need to follow up the situation in China, particularly in Xinjiang.
Madam President,
France thanks those States that have placed their trust in us by re-electing us to the Human Rights Council. On this 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, France will work closely with its partners and civil society with a strong ambition: the ambition of making our societies more free, more just and with greater solidarity. As the Minister reminded the General Assembly in September during several events she chaired, France will work tirelessly towards the universal abolition of the death penalty, to combat discrimination and promote women’s rights and their sexual and reproductive health and rights, the rights of LGBT+ persons, human rights defenders and press freedom, and to combat impunity.
Thank you Madam President.
