Madam President, I will make four points today.
First, as the president of the Mechanism rightly noted in her remarks today, the upcoming 30th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica reminds us of the significance of the work which the Mechanism has undertaken. And important work continues with the Mechanism continuing to perform important judicial, prosecutorial and operational functions as part of its ongoing work.
Second, State cooperation with the Mechanism remains essential, and we welcome the support that States continue to provide.
The UK will continue to play its part, including through the enforcement of a number of sentences of imprisonment of persons convicted by the Mechanism or its predecessor institutions.
We welcome the President’s request for States to give serious consideration to enforcing the sentences of imprisonment of persons currently housed in the UN Detention Unit in The Hague.
And we call once again on Serbia to ensure the arrest and transfer of Petar Jojic and Vjerica Radeta to the Mechanism.
Third, the President made reference in her remarks today to a case in the UK relating to a judge from the Mechanism roster. The UK would like to thank the Secretary-General for the prompt action taken to waive immunity and for the close co-operation that UK and UN officials took to keep each other updated on the case.
Fourth and finally, as we look to the future, it is important to have regard to the broader context. This includes both the Mechanism’s status as a residual institution and the financial challenges facing the United Nations more broadly.
There will therefore continue to be a need for rigorous budgeting and efficiency in all UN bodies, including at the Mechanism. In this context, we welcome the measures that the Mechanism has taken to maximise efficiency as outlined in the report.
We are also pleased to hear of the ongoing cross-organ consultation on options for the location of the archives and for the transfer of certain other functions.
We encourage the Mechanism to continue and to deepen such work over the period ahead.
We look forward to seeing more detailed proposals in the Secretary-General’s reports later in the year.
This will be helpful as we work to deliver the vision of the Mechanism as a small, temporary and efficient institution.
Madam President, to conclude, the UK remains a steadfast supporter of the Mechanism’s work and of its role in delivering justice.
