Speech by Commissioner Lahbib at the UN General Assembly on Humanitarian Diplomacy that Safeguards International Humanitarian Law

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the only event at this year's UN General Assembly dedicated to international humanitarian law.

Today across the world civilians are paying an unbearable price for war. The international system built to protect them is under pressure. Multilateral institutions are weakened. International humanitarian law is treated like a buffet: people pick what suits them and leave the rest.

These rules exist for a reason. They protect people in the hardest moments, not the easiest ones.

I have seen this myself, in Africa, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Latin America. In the darkest corners of the world, humanitarian diplomacy can still shine a ray of light. It can open a road, get a checkpoint lifted, and bring food and medicine to people who have lost everything.

That is what humanitarian diplomacy can deliver.

Today we are discussing what is working, what is not, and how we can do better. Let me highlight our efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider Great Lakes region.

Earlier this year, I travelled from Kinshasa to Burundi, where I visited a refugee centre near the Congolese border. I then went to Rwanda and finally to Goma. We were the first EU delegation to enter Goma since M23 seized the city.

I met presidents and ministers. I also sat down with humanitarian workers, civil society, and refugees who had fled the fighting. I also met AFC/M23 because when lives are at stake, we need to speak to those who can open doors, remove barriers, and get help through.

My message was the same everywhere: respect international humanitarian law. Protect civilians. Protect aid workers. Let humanitarian aid through. And this diplomacy delivered results.