Mr. Chairman,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

- I would like to congratulate the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden for addressing such an important issue in this fourth and final event in the series of Stockholm International Forum. Preventing and punishing perpetrators of serious crimes, such as genocide, mass murders and crimes against humanity, must surely be a priority in the world’s agenda. Effective means must urgently be established to prevent the loss of more lives due to such terrible crimes.

- Events which have occurred since the adoption of the charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide show that there still is much to be done in order to achieve a world free of war and genocide. Needless to stress the horrific acts which took place in some conflicts of the last decade, or the fact that casualties amongst civilians during wars have never been so great. According to the United Nations report “Women and Armed Conflict”, 90 per cent of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children, compared to a century ago when 90 per cent of those who lost their lives were military personnel.

- I would like to contribute to the discussion by briefly referring to two current ways of addressing the contemporary manifestations of genocide: humanitarian intervention and the International Criminal Court.

- World peace and stability depend on the observance of international law, which includes the United Nations Charter, as well as the human rights and international humanitarian law treaties. The Charter is accepted by virtually every country in the world and establishes certain indisputable principles to rule international politics: sovereignty, self-determination, and non-intervention. These must be observed, and so does international law represented, by the human rights and international humanitarian treaties, such as the Convention against Genocide. Frequently, our common dilemma is how to uphold these principles in such a way that they do not conflict.

- Regarding intervention, there are some key points on which we should be very clear. First, any international intervention, particularly those which involve military actions, in order to be legitimate, must have a sound legal basis and be conducted under legitimate authority.
Second, the decision process on international interventions must follow a clear set of rules.
Third, within the international legal order, the United Nations Security Council is the organ with both the authority and the legitimacy to decide on the use of force to respond to threats to international peace and security. Fourth, force must only be used as a last resort and in accordance with international law.

- Bearing in mind the preceding considerations, it is clear that international action is needed to prevent, stop and punish crimes such as genocide. Short of intervention, this can take place on several levels: fully implementing the
1948 Convention; preventing regional conflicts and strife; effectively dealing with poverty and disease and countering humanitarian crises with action by the General Assembly and regional organizations. Improving the United Nations’ capacity to respond to these threats and challenges, among others, requires significant changes of current UN structures, such as an enlarged and more representative Security Council; a more responsive General Assembly and an Economic and Social Council better equipped to deal with the social and humanitarian aspects of conflict and post-conflict situations.

Mr. Chairman,

- The entry into force of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court represented a landmark and constitutes an important deterrent against the practice of heinous acts during armed conflicts. It sends out a clear message that international society will no longer tolerate impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Brazil is firmly committed to the integrity of the Rome Statute and to its full implementation.

- However distressed by the recurrence of genocide, we must take heed to the instruments available and those we can further perfect in order to prevent and stop this crime from ever taking place again, as well as to punish those responsible for its occurrence. Brazil is ready to contribute to achieve these goals.
Thank you.