News

Today, we mark the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, one of the most important documents of international law. In 1945, representatives of 50 countries gathered at a conference in San Francisco to sign a document, which lay the foundations for a post-war international community and binds all UN member states to an active participation and a moral obligation to protect the world from the horrors of war.

The 59th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council opened today in Geneva and will run until 9 July 2025. Slovenia will pay particular attention to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, while also responding to human rights situations around the world where the state of affairs is particularly worrying.

State Secretary Dr Melita Gabrič addressed members of the UN Security Council during the open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, with a particular focus on emerging threats, safeguarding civilian populations and strengthening accountability mechanisms.

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Sajovic, attended a two-day ministerial meeting of the United Nations (UN) member states on peacekeeping in Berlin on May 13 and 14. The meeting discussed the future of UN peacekeeping operations.

At the international academic conference titled Responsibility to Protect in Theory and Practice, Minister Tanja Fajon underlined: "There is no alternative to international law. We must all respect it, and Slovenia has consistently defended the same standards for all, without exception." The conference, held at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana, marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle.

Slovenia presented its statement before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, emphasising Israel's obligation to facilitate emergency humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, grounded in the principles of respect for human rights, adherence to international humanitarian law and its obligations as a UN Member State.

24 April is the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, declared by the UN General Assembly in 2018. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs marked the day in a particularly special way with a simulation of international negotiations within the framework of the United Nations, conducted by university and secondary school students under the auspices of the United Nations Association of Slovenia.

The 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council concluded in Geneva, with Slovenia as one of the key co-creators of initiatives that contribute significantly to the strengthening of international human rights standards.

In March, Denmark – the first among the new UNSC members – took over the presidency of the Security Council from China. The programme of work included discussions on the Middle East, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sudan and South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.

In February, the UN Security Council was chaired by China, which organised an open debate on multilateralism. Among other things, the Security Council discussed Syria and other issues relating to the Middle East, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.

On the second day of the high-level segment of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC 58), the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations in Geneva hosted a high-level side event titled: “Implementing Foreign Policy Goals with A Human Rights Lens: Advancing Equality through Multilateralism”.

This year, for the third time in its history, Slovenia serves as a member of the UNICEF Executive Board for the 2025–2027 term and participates in today’s first regular session of the UNICEF Executive Board in 2025 at the UN headquarters in New York.

In January, Algeria held the presidency of the UN Security Council. The month featured an open debate on the Middle East following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, attended by Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. Another open debate addressed the misuse of commercial spyware and the fight against terrorism in Africa.

In November, as the presidency of the UN Security Council was held by the United Kingdom, Slovenia co-sponsored two briefings, one on the denuclearisation of North Korea and the other on imminent famine in Gaza. State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in a high-level meeting on the situation in Gaza and Ukraine, where he called for the Security Council to take more decisive action on the conflicts..

At the United Nations Climate Conference in Baku, representatives of the countries today, in the early morning hours, reached a new agreement. According to this agreement rich countries, including Slovenia, will provide at least USD 300 billion in climate assistance to developing countries every year from 2025 to 2035.

The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee, the so-called Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which deals mainly with human rights issues, has concluded its session in New York. During its session, which began on 3 October, the Committee again addressed a wide range of thematic issues and human rights situations around the world.

Yesterday, State Secretary Marko Štucin attended high-level meetings on the situation in Gaza and Ukraine at the United Nations Security Council. On behalf of Slovenia, he called for more decisive action by the Security Council and respect for international and human rights law.

From 11 to 22 November, the 29th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Slovenian delegation will be led by Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy Bojan Kumer, who will participate in the ministerial negotiations to be held in the meeting’s second week.

Minister Tanja Fajon was the first Slovenian representative to visit Somalia, which has been struggling for decades with internal political challenges, a difficult humanitarian situation and the threat from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. She met with the Somali Prime Minister to discuss the situation in the country and the wider region, as well as the international peace support operations that are essential to building stability in Somalia.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon met representatives of the African Union and the United Nations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and visited children at the Salesian Don Bosco Children centre.