COMMITMENT - SOLIDARITY - RESPONSIBILITY

A long-standing commitment to multilateral cooperation

A multicultural and multilingual State by its history, its geographical situation and the composition of its population, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg has continuously based its foreign policy on an active participation in multilateral cooperation, on the regional level as well as on the international level, and is notably a founding member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the OECD and the OSCE.

Convinced of the necessity of an approach based on the primacy of international law and on multilateral cooperation among sovereign and equal States for peace and development, respect for human rights and the solving of international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, it was only natural that Luxembourg also became a founding member of the United Nations Organization.

Click to download the publication "Luxembourg and the United Nations".

Click to download a printable version of the text.

A concrete contribution to the goals and principles of the Organization

Luxembourg proves its commitment to the UN, its goals and principles not only by honouring its financial obligations under the Charter, but also by regularly making voluntary contributions to the Funds and Programmes of the United Nations, as well as by taking part in peacekeeping missions and pursuing an active policy of development cooperation.

Luxembourg’s contribution to the regular budget and the budget of peacekeeping operations of the UN currently ranks 54th in absolute terms and among the leading ones in per capita terms.

It is notably the 18th donor in absolute terms to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the 16th to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the 18th to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the 14th to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the 9th to the World Health Organization (WHO), the 19th to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the 26th, in absolute terms, to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Luxembourg is furthermore the 20th donor in absolute terms to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the 19th donor to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In the field of humanitarian assistance, Luxembourg is not only actively cooperating with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the 13th donor in absolute terms to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), but has also held the Chair of the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group from 2000 to 2002 and has been invited in the past few years by the Presidency of the General Assembly to coordinate work on the humanitarian resolutions in view of their adoption by the Assembly.

Under the impetus of Luxembourg, which assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the 11th time during the first semester of 2005, and in response to the urgent need to step up efforts in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Member States of the European Union decided to commit to a substantial increase in official development aid (ODA), and, on the basis of a precise timetable, to collectively attain the goal of an ODA/GNI rate of 0.7% by 2015.

Today, Luxembourg comes 2nd among the countries that exceed the United Nations target of 0.7% of Gross National Income in official development assistance. In fact, in 2008, Luxembourg’s ODA reached 0.95% of GNI. Luxembourg’s authorities are determined to continue this effort, especially in these times of crisis, and are aiming at an ODA level of 1% of GNI in 2010.

Furthermore, Luxembourg regularly takes an active part in peacekeeping operations. During the past years, Luxembourg troops notably contributed to UN efforts in ex-Yugoslavia (UNPROFOR, IFOR, SFOR and KFOR), in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and in Afghanistan (ISAF). In the context of the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy and its civilian and military crisis management, Luxembourg has, in the same vein, assumed its share of responsibility by participating, i.a., in missions in ex-Yugoslavia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Chad and in the Gaza Strip. Luxembourg currently also participates in the EU maritime operation in support of UN Security Council resolutions to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Commitment to democracy and good governance, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms is another permanent feature of Luxembourg’s diplomacy.

That is why Luxembourg has actively supported the transformation of the Commission on Human Rights into a Human Rights Council; the promotion of the notion of the responsibility to protect; the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission as well as efforts of the United Nations to counter terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Luxembourg attaches great importance to UN efforts in the fields of security sector reform, disarmament, armament reduction and limitation of the risk of nuclear proliferation. Furthermore, as one of the first countries, Luxembourg has signed and ratified the International Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Peace and security, development and human rights are the three fundamental pillars of the United Nations. These fundamental values can only come to fruition and concrete expression through a functioning and credible multilateral system.

Luxembourg is committed to the revitalization of the multilateral system, in particular through a reform of the United Nations, including a reform of the Security Council aiming at a more representative, transparent and open Council.

A strong will to assume responsibility

Beyond the efforts it makes in the fields of development cooperation and peacekeeping, Luxembourg seeks to play an active role in the daily work of the UN and to assume responsibility within the various bodies of the Organization as foreseen, in particular, by the Charter of the United Nations.

Luxembourg has indeed been a member of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) three times, and has had the honour of assuming the Presidency of ECOSOC in 2009. Luxembourg has also been a member of the Commission on Human Rights and has been sitting on the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) from 2007 to 2009. In 2008, Luxembourg had been assuming a second one year mandate in the Coordination Council of the UNAIDS Programme. Luxembourg has in the same vein played an active role on the Executive Boards of UNDP/UNFPA as well as UNICEF, of which it is currently a member, and intends to continue doing so in the future. Luxembourg was furthermore a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO from 2005 to 2009.

Luxembourg is also, among others, part of the “Friends of the Alliance of civilizations”, the “Friends of the Special Representative for children and armed conflict”, the “Friends on Conflict Prevention”, the “Friends of the International Criminal Court” and the “Friends on Climate Change”. Finally, acting as a facilitator for the President of the General Assembly, Luxembourg has striven to advance system-wide coherence within the UN system.

Since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, Luxembourg has been ceaselessly engaged in the fight against climate change, at the national, regional as well as international level. Luxembourg is determined to continue contributing to efforts aiming at the conclusion, within the UN framework, of a legally binding international agreement.

A candidature for the Security Council 2013 - 2014

Luxembourg has shown solidarity and commitment within the UN, but has never had the honour to hold a seat on the Security Council. Luxembourg is willing to serve on the Council and to contribute to carrying out the mission that the Security Council has been entrusted with, that is, the maintenance of international peace and security, in full transparency and in respect of the principle of sovereign equality of States as defined in the Charter of the United Nations.

In his report “In Larger Freedom”, former Secretary General Kofi Annan underlines that “Humanity will not enjoy security without development, it will not enjoy development without security, and it will not enjoy either without respect for human rights.”

It is in this spirit that Luxembourg, if given the opportunity to serve as a non-permanent member, will strive to make a meaningful contribution to the work of the Security Council of the United
Nations in 2013-2014.