«Leadership and Moving Away from the Death Penalty» (General Assembly of the United Nations)

Bern, 25.09.2014 - New York, 25.09.2014 - Statement by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Didier Burkhalter, delivered at the high-level week of the 69th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations - Check against delivery

Honourable Presidents and Prime Minister,
Distinguished Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Ministers and Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

This event’s topic - leadership - is well chosen: Without vision and political courage, few decisions are taken, and certainly none as important as the abolition of capital punishment. In many countries - about one hundred today - the death penalty has been abolished as the result of hard work and thanks to extraordinary individuals striving to fulfil their vision of a better world - politicians, judges, artists, religious leaders, philosophers. Now is the time for each and every one of us to walk in their footsteps and help advance one of humanity’s great endeavours; the universal abolition of the death penalty. Without the determination of these countless individuals, the global abolitionist movement would not be where it is today.

There still is some way to go until no one is subjected any longer to the inhumane, inefficient and outdated punishment of death penalty. This challenge led Switzerland to set out an ambitious Abolition Strategy, which targets 2025 as the end date for universal abolition. This concrete deadline was intentionally chosen to provide direction and additional drive to international efforts already under way.

With this target in mind, Switzerland - together with several other countries, some of which are abolitionists and others not yet fully so – will be launching a Joint Declaration on next October 10, the 12th World Day against the Death Penalty. This joint call, supported by a balanced group of countries, representative of the different regions of the world, is above all an invitation to pursue efforts on the basis of a constructive, serious and respectful dialogue, open to all.

By calling upon all countries to move forward at a quicker pace, I am in no way seeking to isolate those countries which, to varying extents, still retain the death penalty. Quite the contrary - Switzerland itself took time before reaching complete abolition.

The Joint Declaration of October 10 calls for an inclusive dialogue, as widespread as possible, that is based on a serious examination of established facts and respect for popular concerns and beliefs. There is no quick or easy solution to global fears. One thing is certain though: The death penalty cannot bring relief; instead, it perpetuates the cycle of violence and problems it is supposed to end. Thus, we must continue to look for new and better ways to jointly address these challenges, whether old or new.

The upcoming United Nations resolution calling for the establishment of a global moratorium provides a fresh opportunity to various countries to take a step forward - towards abstention or, better still, towards a yes vote.

Among the many reasons for getting rid of capital punishment, which has no greater deterrent effect than similarly harsh alternatives (life imprisonment, for example), are the risks inherent to the death penalty, in particular the risk of killing innocents. Everyone knows of at least one or more cases of death penalty convicts who were exonerated, some after having spent several years on death row. Human error can unfortunately never be completely eliminated, not even in the most modern and sophisticated justice systems.

Another death penalty shortcoming, well known yet often ignored, relates to its discriminatory and abusive potential. We are well aware that a disproportionately high number of persons from vulnerable and marginalised groups are sentenced to death, whether for their political past or opinions, religious beliefs, socio-economic situation, sexual orientation, ethnic origin or nationality.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Switzerland is fully aware that the death penalty is a delicate issue, one that it is not always easy to discuss. The Joint Declaration, which hopefully all of you will read on October 10, encourages further exchange of experiences and opinions. Understanding and mutual support are necessary requirements for reaching the objective of universal abolition and a better world for all.

For the sake of our world, I invite everyone to take part in an informed and open-minded dialogue. I thank the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for organising today’s event, a valuable contribution to our joint undertaking.


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