– CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY –

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chair,

We thank the Chair of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country for the presentation of the report of the Committee.

This year’s Report indicates, once more, that the observance of privileges and immunities, is an issue of utmost importance, to enable the full participation of all delegations in the work of the United Nations, thereby allowing the UN to fully and efficiently discharge its responsibilities and fulfil its purposes.

Once again, the adoption of the Recommendations and Conclusions required extensive and difficult negotiations. We welcome the successful conclusion of this year’s consultations and the adoption of a compromise text, despite the challenges, thanks to the constructive engagement of all the members of the Committee. We commend, in particular, the Chair of the Committee for her determination in reaching this outcome.

During the reporting period, the Committee examined several important topics, including issuance of visas and travel restrictions by the Host Country, the security of premises of Missions and safety of their personnel.

We appreciate the challenges and complexities faced by host countries of international organizations.

We acknowledge the commitment of the United States, to engage on all matters related to its status as Host Country and to uphold its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement. In this context, we stress the importance of the full participation of all delegations in the work of the UN and we note the information provided by the Host Country in relation to the facilitation and improvement of its visa procedures.

We also acknowledge the views and serious concerns of some other members of the Committee and affected Member States.

In this context, we reiterate our encouragement to all concerned Member States to engage bilaterally with the Host Country in a timely manner, in order to effectively address their concerns.

We also express our appreciation and support for the continued commitment and actions of the Office of Legal Affairs to find solutions to issues that have arisen under the Headquarters Agreement affecting certain Permanent Missions and personnel of the Secretariat. In this regard, we welcome the engagement of the Legal Counsel with the authorities of the Host Country and concerned Permanent Missions, as well as of the Secretary General, and we encourage them to continue in their important efforts.  

Mr. Chair,

To conclude, we remain convinced that the Committee is an efficient, open, and transparent forum of discussion of all issues related to the implementation of the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations. We believe that dialogue, in a spirit of good faith and in full regard for the interest of the Organisation, on the full range of issues discussed in the Committee, remains the best avenue for finding acceptable solutions in line with international law.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.