I am honoured to speak on behalf of the member countries of the Human Security Network, namely Austria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Ireland, Jordan, Mali, Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand as well as South-Africa as an observer.

The HSN aims at promoting human security issues in various international fora, contributing to the elaboration of new norms and principles and to the implementation of existing standards relevant to human security. By putting the security of people and communities at the centre of policy shaping and by mobilizing political will through its unique interregional perspective, the members of the HSN are committed to strengthening human security approaches, both freedom from fear and freedom from want in order to enhance the safety, dignity and the well-being of people world-wide.

The overall theme of the conference - Protecting human dignity - indicates that many objectives of the conference overlap with the objectives of human security. Strengthening of respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law is one of the key human security objectives. Many issues discussed at this conference are on the agenda of both the HSN and humanitarian actors, in particular the protection of civilians affected by armed conflict, children in armed conflict, gender and conflict, the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, the problem of small arms proliferation, the global elimination of anti-personnel mines, the struggle against HIV/AIDS and the mitigation of impacts of natural disasters.

The HSN has therefore engaged in an intensive dialogue with the International Movement of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent in order to identify synergies and complementarities in its ongoing activities. Ministers, State Secretaries and Special Envoys of the Network met with representatives of the ICRC, the Federation and OCHA to discuss issues related to human security and humanitarian action.

The HSN members agreed to cooperate on their initiatives and national pledges during the conference and to support each other wherever possible. The members of the HSN used this opportunity to collectively reaffirm their commitment to international humanitarian law and its full implementation. The HSN also stressed the importance of opposing attempts to dilute standards and principles of international humanitarian law.

The effective protection of civilians in armed conflict remains one of the primary concerns of the Movement, as well as of the international community. In relation to this, the HSN welcomes the speed with which the 1998 Statute of Rome has entered into force, thereby establishing the International Criminal Court in 2002. The HSN hopes that the ICC will contribute to ending impunity.

People missing as a result of armed conflict or internal violence is a harsh reality and highly distressing for the families concerned. The HSN acknowledges the right of families to know about the fate of disappeared family members.

The HSN expresses its deep concern about the increasing number of attacks on humanitarian personnel working in conflict and post conflict situations and stresses the importance to further the implementation of humanitarian principles by all parties to conflicts, governments as well as armed non-state actors.

Natural disasters cause enormous damage throughout the world and have a devastating impact on human security. This is of great concern to the HSN. Integrated risk reduction strategies are required, involving all actors including governments, international institutions and civil society.

The HSN also recognises that HIV/AIDS poses a major threat to human security and requires the full attention of the international community. Concerted efforts are urgently needed at the local, national, regional and international level to prevent further spreading of this deadly disease and to care for people with HIV/AIDS, while addressing in a multi-sectoral and coordinated manner the problems associated with HIV/AIDS.

The HSN is of the view that civil society involvement is crucial for enhancing human security worldwide. The HSN recognizes the value of civil society initiatives and participation in promoting dialogue, conflict resolution, respect for international humanitarian law and in addressing the human costs of armed conflict, natural disasters, and deadly diseases.

By undertaking joint actions at this conference, the HSN underlines the importance of cross-regional cooperation. In this spirit, the HSN co-sponsored two workshops, namely on children in armed conflict and small arms proliferation in order to identify options for action for both the international community and the Movement. The workshops were organised in cooperation with the Canadian Red-Cross and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue respectively.

The Human Security Network will continue to give priority attention to the promotion and protection of the rights of children affected by armed conflict in line with the "HSN Support Strategy" in this field which the HSN Ministers adopted in May 2003 in Graz. This strategy identifies a set of operative principles, including strengthening monitoring, reporting and training, and an alarm function in cases of child rights violations.

The HSN agreed to further explore ways to follow up on the conference's results and to work closely together with the Movement in order to improve the framework conditions for humanitarian work. The HSN also agreed to maintain in close contact mainly through its missions in Geneva and in New York in order to put humanitarian concerns on the agenda of relevant UN organisations, agencies and programmes. Ministers of the HSN will meet again in Bamako and Timbuktu in May 2004 under the chair of Mali.