We gather here today not merely as representatives of states or organisations, but as guardians of a promise. A promise that was made in the founding resolution of the Human Rights Council of 2006.

Namely that the Council will “promote universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all”!

This promise may sound abstract, but it is not. Because human rights are not abstract legal formulas.

They directly affect individual lives.

They affect those who exercise their rights and fight for them:

The journalist who risks to speak the truth to an authoritarian government.

The daily prayer of a believer who refuses to hide his faith.

The dream of a child seeking education in the midst of a war.

The hope of women that equality becomes a reality.

The simple, fundamental dignity of a glass of clean water and a safe place to wash.

Or the shield against the horrors of slavery and torture.

At this point: Let me introduce to you the German artist Paula Doepfner, who is with me today. I would like to invite you to later on take a look at her art displayed here today.

At first glance, it may appear abstract. Only on closer inspection can one make out the delicate lettering of the Istanbul Protocol – a United Nations manual on documenting and investigating torture.

Ladies and gentlemen,

To put it differently: Human rights are the very essence of what it means to be human.

Whether civil, political, economic, social, or cultural – all human rights matter.

Because there cannot be peace without justice.

There cannot be development without dignity.

There cannot be freedom without culture.

The history of my own country has shown us what happens when human rights are systematically destroyed and replaced by murderous terror.

Human rights, to this day, can never be taken for granted.

Germany is aware of its responsibility: to stand up for human rights where they are violated or challenged – both at home and around the world.

We will work with you – as we have done before – to ensure that no one is left behind and that human rights are protected regardless of personal origin or political systems they live in.

If elected to a seat on the Human Rights Council, we will continue to advocate for the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights.

We will continue to contribute to shaping and strengthening the international human rights architecture.

At the same time, we need to acknowledge that the world around us is changing and that the pressure on the multilateral system is growing rapidly.

Hence, the Council needs to adapt to these developments!

As an institution, we must become more effective and also closely examine our instruments.

If elected, Germany wants to actively contribute to the Council’s reform efforts: We want to work towards a Council that is not only more effective, but also more inclusive, and more results-oriented.

We want to safeguard the critical role of civil society, enhance the protection of human rights defenders worldwide against reprisals, and strengthen mechanisms to prevent impunity for human rights violations, including via international courts.

This is why we are working right now towards the extension of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate on Russia.

The international community needs to learn about the systematic oppression within Russia. Russian human rights defenders need a place to turn to – today more than ever!

This is why we have helped adapt the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria to support the transition to a new Syria, in close cooperation with the Syrian Government.

And finally, this is why we are calling for accountability and the extension of the mandate for the Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan. In order to ensure that war‑torn societies have a real possibility to return to peace and that victims are given a voice.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Reforms, effective instruments and individual projects need the necessary resources – to close the gaps between our aspirations and the reality on the ground.

Therefore, Germany is the second-largest contributor to the United Nations in general.

As well as a substantial financial supporter of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council’s Special Procedures.

Germany is determined to keep the system alive!

I am very pleased to announce tonight that Germany will provide an additional voluntary contribution of six million euro to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We all know the challenges of today’s world.

But we also know the power of collective action.

Human rights require our combined efforts – in this context, let me also commend our highly esteemed co-applicant and “WEOG team mate” Ireland. I would like to thank the Irish representative for being here today.

Excellencies, colleagues,

We want to work with all of you.

We want to listen, to bridge divides, and to find common ground in our shared commitment to human rights and human dignity.

Let us jointly demonstrate that the Human Rights Council’s principles are not abstract.

Let us turn them into concrete action – together!

Thank you.