Thank you, Chair.

Let me first express our sincere appreciation to Spain for the exemplary leadership in organizing this year’s ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment.

Germany aligns itself with the statement of the European Union and we would like to make two short remarks in national capacity.

First, on the humanitarian system: Germany will remain a major bilateral donor. We strongly support the Humanitarian Reset and we believe in the UN80 process.

We appreciate the important work OCHA and Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher are undertaking in driving the reform process forward while at the same time being confronted with multiple severe and compounding humanitarian crises.

The humanitarian reform is an immensely challenging endeavor that requires our collective support if we ultimately want to overcome critical challenges such as: overcoming parallel structures, better coordinating services and data across UN agencies, strengthening the pooled fund system and empowering local actors – just to name a few.

However, even with the best reset efforts and with the optimum hyperprioritization ultimately the financing of what then remains does not add up. We will still have to find additional resources. We call on all other donors and member states to step up and address the funding gap.

Second, over the past few years, we have seen a massive rise in systematic attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, all grave violations of international humanitarian law.

We want to express our deep appreciation for all humanitarian personnel on the ground, often working under dangerous and unacceptable circumstances, in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza and many other places. They deserve more than our words of solidarity. They deserve concrete and immediate action.

For that we have to continue to engage in tireless humanitarian diplomacy. We have to insist on unrestricted humanitarian access. Protection of civilians must be better embedded in military doctrines. We must collect better data on attacks in order to be prepared for future attacks and most importantly we must hold all perpetrators accountable.

Germany will remain a steadfast defender of international humanitarian law. Germany is also an active member of the ICRC’s “Global Initiative to Galvanize Respect for International Humanitarian Law” as well as the “Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel”. We urge member states who have not done so to join us in these important initiatives.

In conclusion, the roadmap for the Reset is clear. The legal framework to protect International Humanitarian Law is in place. What we need is accelerated implementation and collective will of all of us. For our part, Germany stands ready to contribute.

Thank you.