Thank you, Mr. President.

Germany fully aligns itself with the statements delivered by the European Union, the Group of Friends on the Protection of Civilians and the Group of Friends on Conflict and Hunger.

I would like to begin by paying tribute to the peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel saving civilian lives every day. Without their dedication and sacrifice, the United Nations would not be able to reach hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians.
I would like to make three points in this debate.

Firstly, protection of civilians must remain at the center of the UN’s work. In fragile contexts, UN missions provide a critical stabilizing presence. Yet, recent reductions in peacekeeping budgets risk creating serious protection gaps. Base closures, reduced patrols and limited mobility weaken missions’ ability to prevent violence and respond to threats. In civilian protection, “doing the same with less” is not possible. Sustainable protection ultimately depends on the ability to find political solutions to conflict. Until consensus on such solutions exists, the Council must ensure that UN missions retain the needed capacity and credibility to protect civilians effectively. A lack of political consensus, combined with reduced operational capacities, leaves civilians exposed.

Secondly, all UN missions, including those without an explicit PoC mandate, generate protection expectations among local populations. Communities look to UN personnel for security and de-escalation, independent of mandated tasks. Protection considerations should therefore be integrated systematically across all mission planning, mandate design and transitions.

Thirdly, we are deeply concerned by the rise in systematic attacks against peacekeepers, humanitarian and medical personnel as well as disruptions to humanitarian supply chains - all grave violations of international law and international humanitarian law. Staff are working under dangerous and often unacceptable conditions worldwide. Staff and vulnerable civilians need more than our words of solidarity. Humanitarian funding, such as the 1,5 billion USD raised at the Sudan conference in Berlin last month, prevent the humanitarian system from collapse. However, we need to tackle the problem at its roots.

This means:

• Collect better data on violations of international humanitarian law to inform the Council and enable concrete action.
• Hold perpetrators accountable, through national and international mechanisms.
• And strengthen the “One UN” approach, by better aligning the agencies, funds and programmes with mission activities.

The ambition is there: We have council resolutions 2286, 2730 and 2417. They all give us a roadmap for action, as does the ICRC Global Initiative. But we need to move towards implementation.

Mr President, before I close, let me address one point regarding the debate this morning:

I firmly reject the creative attempt by the Russian Federation to paint Germany as a trigger of, or link between, two very different conflicts, one of which has been caused by a Russian act of aggression.

Thank you very much.