Thank you, Chair.

Germany aligns itself with the EU statement.

Human rights are universal, indivisible, and interdependent. We must keep them at the centre of our collective efforts as we work towards resolving conflict, growing prosperity, and fostering a more just and peaceful international order.

In 2024, we agreed on the Pact for the Future. We reaffirmed that [and I quote] “the three pillars of the United Nations – sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights – are equally important, interlinked and mutually reinforcing. We cannot have one without the others.”

We hear the calls on the United Nations to intensify its engagement on areas like peace and security or development.

We must jointly make sure that we strengthen these pillars while bolstering human rights at the same time: Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for social cohesion and peacebuilding in any society. Human rights violations are major drivers of conflict, and addressing them is a direct contribution to preventing the outbreak of violent conflict. This has been underlined time and again in the Peacebuilding Commission, most recently at the PBC Ministerial on Sept. 25 chaired by the German Foreign Minister.

Human rights are also an important prerequisite for sustainable development. Fighting discrimination, be it on grounds of race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, disability, age or other status, is not only a matter of compliance with binding legal obligations – it is also an active contribution to a society’s economic and social development. Anti-discrimination laws and compensatory measures, as implemented in Germany, create a level playing field. They make meritocratic competition with equal opportunities possible in the first place.

As regards the UN80 Initiative, much of the discussion so far has revolved around organisational and financial questions. With less than 1 % of UN funding going to the human rights pillar, savings should not be our first concern here.

In the face of current global challenges and crises, Germany does not and will not retreat from human rights. On the contrary. We firmly stand with human rights, and we look to the future convinced that progress remains possible.

Allow me to make a couple of points:

- International law is a key principle of our international order. International humanitarian and human rights law apply and must be adhered to without exception. Accountability must be ensured where these laws have been violated. Germany reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the international legal system, including the International Criminal Court.

- Germany will continue to work towards the two-state solution in the Middle East. This can only be realised if the human rights and dignity of all are respected and protected. We remain gravely concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the high number of civilian casualties. It is unacceptable that hostages remain captive in Gaza two years after the October 7 attack. We call for their immediate release, an immediate ceasefire, full unimpeded humanitarian access and the swift implementation of the US-plan for Gaza.

- Germany strongly condemns Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the blatant and systematic violations of international law and human rights. It is unbearable that Russia continues the torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war. Equally, we strongly condemn the ill-treatment of civilians who are often subject to arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, including the kidnapping of children.

- Germany is also deeply concerned about the continued and ever-growing prevalence of conflict-related sexual violence, amongst others, in Haiti, Sudan and Eastern DRC.

- Since last year, we have only seen significant improvement in one country on the agenda of this Committee: Syria. One year ago, who in this Committee would have thought that we would sit here now, discussing justice, accountability, and reconciliation for the Syrian people after 14 years of suffering? The Syrian people and the Syrian government deserve our full support in this endeavour. But recent outbreaks of violence have shown the need for agreements with all societal groups regarding their future role in Syria.

- As facilitator of the resolution on “National Human Rights Institutions” we want to emphasize the positive impact of NHRIs on promoting and protecting the human rights, this year with a focus on persons with disabilities.

- As co-facilitator of the resolution on the “Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation” we are committed to accounting for the many ways in which this right is challenged as well as how to safeguard and advance it.

- Civil society is an important partner in our human rights work. Its ideas, suggestions and constructive criticism help us effectively implementing our human rights obligations. Close cooperation with civil society is therefore essential in our quest to advance human rights. This applies in particular to the close involvement of young people in consultation and decision-making processes.
Young people are our present and future, their voices matter and must be heard. Honouring the plea to “not speak about them without them”, it gives me great pleasure to hand over to our youth delegates, Sahra and Dania, for the remainder of Germany’s allotted speaking time. The floor is yours!

***

As youth delegates we want to shed a light on hope. At the United Nations, hope can be found in many places – because of the promises made 80 years ago.

To whom did you make these promises? To us. To young people filled with hope for a better future. Who are these young people when talking about Germany?

It's Elias who worries about affording school trips.

It is Jonathan, who regularly protests for the unconditional respect of international law.

Or it is Maryam, who has to watch how her family in Afghanistan is cut off from the most basic human rights.

These are not just stories. They are the reality of our generation.

The truth is: a lot of young people are at the edge of losing hope, hope that you sitting in this very hall, will finally fulfill the promises written in the Charter.

It's all here. We have the answers.

However, trust has been broken, and there were decision made about us without us. But exclusion is not only a gap, its a risk multiplier. A risk to lose hope.

And without hope, we lose the courage for real change.

But change doesn't happen if we reproduce the system.

Change only happens when we dare to be brave.

That is why we must change the narrative:

– from seeing youth as people to protect, to seeing youth as drivers of real change.

– from tokenism, to true power-sharing.

– from ignoring youth expertise, to recognizing the knowledge and solutions we already bring.

Dear leaders, we don’t need you to give us a voice – we already have one.

What we do need is your trust and true collaboration.

And you will be surprised by the transformative potential of a generation – our generation – ready to shape a better world.

The answers are here.

But we cannot do it alone. Neither can you.

So, dear leaders: practice what you preach.