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I have to say I'm very happy and very honored to introduce Commissioner Lahbib to you.

Commissioner Lahbib, thank you so much for being available today.

I know that you just came back this morning from New York.

We really appreciate that you are here, that you are talking to us at the end of this conference. We had quite some discussions this week. It was a very intense week.

And I think this plenary now will be highly relevant to complement the picture that we have had this week.

So as we all know,

we have a lot of conflicts around the world which are protracted, which are continuing.

There are consistent humanitarian needs and as we all know, we have limited funding.

We know that international humanitarian law defines a very clear framework for the protection of people suffering from conflicts,

and let me also say that I think it has served us well.

But now we are faced with a new fragility of the world where the rules based order is at risk,

and we have discussed a lot about that this week. We have new types of conflicts. We have hybrid warfare.

We have many different actors and the use of technology, and of course we also see a big pressure on international humanitarian law.

We see a persistent noncompliance and sidelining and the pressure on multilateral organizations.

We had Volker Türk here this week as well, and he talked about that there are massive violations of international humanitarian law.

So for us, the question is how do we address this in the multilateral system, but also for us ambassadors here on the ground.

And I have to inform you also that we heard in this week also during the conference from parts of our hierarchy,

quite some reflections about the new world order and the need for the European Union to adapt.

And of course that poses some questions for us.

Do we now start to pick and choose when it comes to the international law that we want to apply?

Do we just use what we like, what is beneficial for us?

We heard a lot about transactional as well.

So far we have been a very staunch supporter of the multilateral system and the respect for international humanitarian law. We have been criticized for double standards.

I think there are a lot of challenges ahead, so I would really be very happy to hear your thoughts about this,

and we are looking forward to hearing your speech, colleagues.

Commissioner has a limited time, but she will take one or two questions in the end. Thank you so much. Please, Commissioner. Excellencies, Ambassadors, dear colleagues, and dear friends. Power politics. Might makes right.

Transactions, real politics, spheres of influence,

hard power, the law of the jungle.

These are the words we are here to describe today's world.

But I have to say that when I hear them. I do not think of geopolitics.

I think of the women and the children I've met.

From Palestine, Sudan, the DRC, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Colombia.

The people who suffer most when power replaces principles.

I also think of all of you in this room.

Because you stand on the front line of diplomacy in this new world.

You see how geopolitical decisions can tear through the lives of ordinary people.

You see what happens when international humanitarian law collapses,

when humanitarian access is blocked, when civilians are left unprotected.

So I would like to start by thanking you thanking all of you.

Thank you for the work you do, often far from the spotlight,

to help people living through the darkest moments of their lives.

Today there are more than 130 active conflicts around the world.

In most of them, violations of international humanitarian law are not the exception, they are the norm.

From world leaders, we increasingly hear the language of raw power.

But when you visit the places where those words land,

as I often do, The reality looks very, very different. You see a child starving.

An amputation without anesthesia, a school bombed to rubble, a humanitarian truck blocked at a checkpoint,

a funeral for an aid worker, a woman whose body has become a battlefield.

Today, the rules to protect human life are brushed away like an unwelcome house guest.

Humanitarian access is used as a bargaining chip, aid workers are targeted,

even the humanitarian system itself is under attack, as the need skyrockets. One thing is very clear.

The European Union will always be guided by the principles of international humanitarian law,

humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality.

We believe in cooperation between nations, and we will always stand by people caught in war. This is not up for debate.

Some say this language sounds maybe old fashioned or too idealistic, maybe too naive. I don't believe that.

These principles are not relics from the past.

They are the foundation, the very foundation of our Union.

Europe was built precisely to replace the law of the jungle with the rule of law,

and we must defend these principles.

If we start watering them down, we slide down a dangerous slope,

and Europe knows where that leads. We have seen that in the past. Ambassadors, the real question. The real question is this.

In today's world, how do we stay true to our principles and still get aid to the people who need it most?

Too often, humanitarian crises are expected to be solved by humanitarians alone,

and this is simply not realistic.

Humanitarian workers cannot negotiate peace deals on their own, of course,

they cannot force armed soldiers to open borders, to let aid through.

That requires political leverage, it requires humanitarian diplomacy,

and it requires the diplomatic skills all of you have here today.

Humanitarian diplomacy means using every political and diplomatic channel to create space for aid to reach people.

Sometimes that means negotiating humanitarian corridors, sometimes it means pushing authorities to respect international humanitarian law,

sometimes it means sitting face to face with de facto authorities, speaking with them.

Yes, speaking with them and building trust with them.

Today, humanitarian aid has become a weapon of war.

Food is controlled, access is blocked, medical care is withheld.

Humanitarian diplomacy only works, everyone plays their role.

It means humanitarian delivering, politicians negotiating, and you are diplomats,

helping to open doors with authorities and to increase access to civilians.

Later this year, we will present a new humanitarian communication,

including humanitarian diplomacy and respect for international humanitarian law,

and it will also highlight your crucial work.

Ambitious humanitarian diplomacy was, by the way,

at the heart of my recent mission to the Great Lakes region in Kinshasa,

Bujumburi, Kigali, and Goma.

I went there, knowing the risks, with a humanitarian mandate,

taking full responsibility, and I had three very clear goals.

To engage all parties to the conflict,

to push for respect for international humanitarian law, and to secure humanitarian access.

I spoke with the presidents of the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda,

with ministers, with even representatives of the M23.

And I reminded them of their own responsibilities. I told them what I saw.

With my own eyes, the immense needs in refugee camps and hospitals.

I asked for concrete commitments and I came back with concrete results.

Kinshasa and Goma agreed to establish a certain humanitarian corridors from Bukavu to Uvira and beyond,

with the success of one of our diplomats here, ambassador today.

For communities cut off for months, this corridor,

I can assure you, was a real lifeline.

Our ECO offices and the EU delegations play a very crucial role.

Their experience, their knowledge of the local context and their coordination on the ground made the difference.

Now this commitment must, of course, turn into real relief for people on the ground.

We will follow this closely with the EU Special Representative, who was with us as well, and our delegations.

Today, I must say that our thoughts are also with Cine Bisset.

A humanitarian worker with UNICEF killed in Goma on Wednesday.

She devoted her life to helping others, and she died saving lives.

This is Unacceptable and tragically, it is far too common.

We see the same crimes against humanitarian workers in Gaza.

Nearly 600 humanitarian workers have been killed since October 2023. They are protected under international humanitarian law. Yet they are dying in unprecedented numbers.

If this continues, Gaza will become not only the graveyard of humanitarian workers,

but the graveyard of international humanitarian law. The scale of suffering is unacceptable.

More than 80% of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

Border crossings remain largely closed and humanitarian aid cannot reach people in desperate need.

Madam President, Sudan is another place where access has become a weapon of war.

The humanitarian catastrophe has lasted more than 100 days and it is getting worse.

Millions displaced, families going hungry,

entire communities trapped without any basic services.

The EU continues to push for a ceasefire, humanitarian access and civilian transition,

and those who blockade and commit atrocities must be held accountable.

Our EU delegation in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey are working together to push for humanitarian access.

Last year, the EU Ambassador traveled to Khartoum with the Director General of DGEO and the UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner,

and just recently the Ambassador and ECO head of Off went together to Port Sudan.

This kind of teamwork makes a real difference, because only a political solution,

a diplomatic solution, will stop the suffering.

Now, allow me to turn to the dangerous escalation in Iran and the broader Middle East.

The EU has moved fast to bring home thousands of Europeans through our civil protection mechanism, thanks to the strong coordination between our delegations and Member States,

and this war is having a dramatic impact on the humanitarian situation across the region.

We see it in Iran and in Lebanon,

where 100s have been killed and 100s of thousands displaced.

This war will scar the Middle East for years to come, and here again.

International humanitarian law must be respected by all sides all sides.

When critical infrastructure collapses, the suffering does not stop when the bombs stop.

When bombs, schools, hospitals, museums, archaeological sites are attacked,

a country's identity is attacked, and it can take generations to recover.

It makes me think of the children I have met over the past year in Zaatari camp in Jordan,

in Cox Bazar in Bangladesh and in many other refugee camps.

These children have known nothing but war, displacement and camps,

and for many of them, the road to recovery will take a lifetime. Mr.

Ambassadors, today around the world, nearly 240 million people depend on humanitarian aid to survive, and at the same time,

the humanitarian system is under unprecedented pressure, while major donors are cutting their funding.

The European Union has made a clear choice we will step forward and not step back.

Today, the EU is the world's largest humanitarian donor.

This year alone, our initial global humanitarian budget is nearly €2 billion.

I think this is a great responsibility,

a responsibility to defend humanitarian principles and to use every diplomatic channel to protect civilians.

At the heart of our work lies one guiding principle international humanitarian law,

and it is not a la carte.

You cannot pick the rules you like and ignore the rest. It must be respected always and everywhere.

These rules exist for one reason to protect human life in the chaos of war,

and under my watch, we will continue to defend this legacy through advocacy,

diplomacy and funding. Let me end with one reflection.

I think international humanitarian law is the strongest shield we have to protect human life in war,

I said it, but it also protects global stability.

When civilians are attacked, when aid is blocked,

when international law collapses, conflicts spread, battlefields bleed across borders.

They bring displacement, instability and the risk of failed states.

So defending international humanitarian law is a moral duty,

a legal obligation and a strategic necessity.

I will continue to speak out against grave violations,

no matter where they occur, no matter who commits them. Thank you.