The topics before the United Nations Security Council are Admitting Kosovo, Palestine, and Taiwan into the United Nations; Security in the South China Sea; and Human Trafficking. The Government of the French Republic looks forward to working multilaterally with its fellow Security Council members in addressing these issues at the upcoming Security Council meeting.
I. Admitting Kosovo, Palestine, and Taiwan into the United Nations
France has made its position on Kosovo quite clear. France was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, having recognized Kosovo on February 18, 2008 —the day after it had declared independence. Not only does France hold an embassy in Pristina, Kosovo holds an embassy in Paris. In fact, France is one of only three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council that have recognized their declaration of independence. France played a key role in the deployment of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and worked with the International Steering Group (ISG) during its supervision of Kosovo. With the dissolution of the CSP and the end of the ISG’s involvement in Kosovo, Kosovo has become responsible for its own governance. Kosovo has been accepted into a variety of trans-national institutions —having joined the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Council of Europe Development Bank. Kosovo’s declaration of independence was found to have not violated the principles of international law or the framework outlined by the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in an advisory opinion released in July 2010. With that in mind, France urges its fellow UN member states to admit Kosovo into the UN.
While France unabashedly condemns terrorist acts and the act of settlement-building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, France has supported the Palestinian Authority as a nation; actively contributing to economic development and the consolidation of the institutions of the future Palestinian State. France has, in the past, voted in favor of granting Palestine non-member observer state status —a decision which made no change to Palestine’s power within the UN and acted purely as a symbolic gesture (A/RES/67/19). France believes that the only way in which to de-escalate and resolve the conflict in the Middle East is through the creation of an independent and democratic Palestinian State that will live alongside the nation of Israel—a two-State solution. This would require “borders based on the 1967 Lines, with agreed equivalent land swaps; security arrangements that preserve the sovereignty of the Palestinian State and guaranteeing the security of Israel; a fair, equitable, and negotiated solution to the refugee problem; and an arrangement making Jerusalem the capital of both states.” As the Palestinian flag now flies at the UN, Palestine should be recognized as a sovereign state; France encourages UN members to admit Palestine into the UN as a full member-state.
France continues to recognize the one-China policy —and does not desire to see the use of force to determine Taiwan’s status of statehood. Taiwan is a capitalist nation whose real GDP growth rate in 2017 was 2.8% —a growth rate larger than the United States, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In comparison to the last country accepted into the UN, South Sudan, the Taiwanese GDP per capita exceeds the South Sudanese GDP per capita by a great margin ($50,300 compared to $1,500). France has maintained an industrial relationship with Taiwan. In the past decade, correspondence between Taiwan and France has been frequent, involving many Taiwanese visiting France to discuss “bilateral cooperation” between the two countries. France has been a leader in the fields of industrial and scientific development, narrowing in on aerospace and green energy technology. As a prospering capitalist nation, it should be present during UN sessions. The Republic of China should be placed under consideration for the status of a non-member observer entity, a status held by the state of Palestine before the passing of A/RES/67/19; France urges its fellow UN member states to recognize the ROC as the legitimate representative of the occupants of Chinese Taipei and grant non-state observer status to the ROC.
II. Security in the South China Sea
France joined fellow UN Security Council members (the United Kingdom and the United States) in placing pressure on the increased militarization of the disputed islands by the Chinese government. In the past, this has meant sailing warships in these disputed waters. Looking forward, this includes intent to exercise aerial capabilities. According to Gregory B. Poling, the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), there is an overwhelming consensus among UN member-states that is at odds with China’s supposed claims to the South China Sea. French Defense Minister Florence Parly has stated that a legally binding code of conduct that is consistent with international maritime law should be in place—freedom of navigation must be upheld. The conflict within the South China Sea and the salvaging of the UN Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) should be a top priority for the UN Security Council. Outside of the general concerns that align with the majority of UN member-states, France has an obligation to defend its citizens living in the French territories in the Pacific (e.g. New Caledonia and French Polynesia) and their interests.
Militarization of the South China Sea by the People’s Republic of China is unnecessary; it provides political instability and weakens the validity of established international law as well as established maritime law. UNCLOS has stated that countries cannot claim sovereignty over land masses that are or have been submerged at high tide prior to construction atop of them. China’s attempts to claim sovereignty are in contradiction to the rulings of UNCLOS and threaten to disrupt the shipment of goods and the movement of military forces. French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that while France does not wish to antagonize the government of China, the Indo-Pacific region must be protected from hegemonic rule. To ensure that freedom of navigation and aviation is maintained in the South China Sea, a “strong Indo-Pacific axis” is needed. If the People’s Republic of China is unwilling to acknowledge the rulings of UNCLOS and the validity of maritime law, France urges its fellow UN member-states to develop a regular and visible naval presence in the South China Sea to uphold a rules-based maritime order.
III. Human Trafficking
France is considered a destination country for men, women, and children being trafficked from Eastern Europe, West Africa, and Asia, as well as the Caribbean and Brazil. Those being trafficked are typically being utilized for forced prostitution and forced labor. For women and children this means being forced into domestic servitude —often utilized by diplomats who maintain diplomatic immunity. Men are purportedly being subjected to forced labor in southern France. We estimate that the majority of the commercial (illegal) sex trade in the country is performed by those forced into prostitution. The Government of France has already complied with the standards laid out for the elimination of human trafficking, working with NGOs like the Committee Against Modern Slavery (CCEM) to provide aid and support for victims of trafficking. France in the past has led efforts among European countries to prevent human trafficking, sponsoring a conference among law enforcement, magistrates, and NGOs to better prevent human trafficking and protect victims of it.
The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was entered into force by the United Nations General Assembly on December 25, 2003 and has been ratified by 173 members-states, France included. States who have ratified this protocol are committed to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and protecting those who have found themselves victim to it. While the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is responsible for implementing the protocol, trafficking remains an issue across the world. France is among 46 European states who have ratified The Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings established a Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). GRETA acts as a monitoring mechanism among 47 European states —all of whom have ratified the treaty. France urges the UN Security Council to establish an equivalent monitoring mechanism to provide oversight among UN member-states who are not in Europe. Such a mechanism can monitor compliance to international human trafficking standards. France further urges its fellow UN member-states to increase implementation of pre-existing human trafficking statues. Additionally, France recommends a general improvement for protections of all unaccompanied minors when entering the country; these minors are potential victims of trafficking. Further protections must be made to account for victims who have denounced their traffickers including but not limited to preventing victims from inappropriate penalization for unlawful acts committed as a result of being trafficked and the implementation of witness protection programs. Standards for prosecution of those involved in human trafficking should be made among UN member-states to strengthen the validity of a nation’s anti-trafficking statute.
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