Speech by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Peacekeeping Day

"How wonderful it would be..."

Hello, "Moin", and a warm welcome to the Federal Foreign Office.

Christoph de Vries,

Ladies and gentlemen,

And, first and foremost, esteemed peacekeepers,

"How wonderful it would be if suffering were to disappear,

how wonderful it would be without a war,

how wonderful it would be if wishes were genuine,

how wonderful it would be, but it won't be."

You may perhaps have already read these words today.

You'll find them on one of the panels that are part of the exhibition in the foyer. They were penned by a young Ukrainian man.

As part of the "Poetry Project", young people with a refugee background seek and find words to express their experiences in poems.

A number of the authors are with us today.

Thousands of texts have been written since 2016.

Each one tells the story of an individual experience of uprooting, new beginnings and life in a foreign land.

These stories are often characterised by war, by pain and death.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have decided to display selected texts from this project to mark this year's Peacekeeping Day.

After all, these words not only offer us insights into the experiences and feelings of the authors.

Rather, they show us the reality in which our foreign policy takes effect.

And when I speak of "foreign policy", that might sound like something abstract.

It becomes tangible when we, on this Peacekeeping Day, pay tribute to the people who give our foreign policy a face.

You're doing this in very different ways, as soldiers, as police officers, as civilian advisors.

Civilian and military expertise, hand in hand.

Esteemed award winners, you're working in the most diverse places around the world towards a common goal: peace.

A state that's often far removed from the regions in which you're working.

But we don't even need to look too far afield to see that peace and security are not a given.

We have witnessed Russia's illegal war against Ukraine for over four years now.

A war relentlessly waged by Putin's regime against the people of Ukraine.

They have been heroically defending themselves for over four years now.

And they're defending both their and our security.

They're defending Europe.

Russia's recent threats against Latvia have demonstrated this all too clearly.

Threats made by the Russian representative in the United Nations Security Council.

In the very body in which states should jointly strive for peace through diplomacy, Russia is openly threatening a NATO ally with violence.

I want to state very clearly that such conduct makes a mockery of the Security Council!

Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, we would have liked to have stood up to this behaviour in the Security Council as a non-permanent member.

You also know that we unfortunately didn't make the cut in this intense competition.

The fact that Germany wasn't elected is regrettable.

For us, but also for the United Nations.

It goes without saying that we enjoy very close relations with Austria and Portugal within the European Union and that we will liaise closely with one another - to promote a strong and resolute European voice in the UN Security Council.

We have a strong voice and influence also outside the Security Council.

And we will continue to bring our influence to bear to make a tangible contribution to managing crises, resolving conflicts and ending wars.

After all, these are the challenges that we must address.

Challenges that require decisive action.

You, our peacekeepers, are doing just that.

You're standing up for peace and security in various international organisations and in a wide range of missions and deployments.

I'm talking about your expertise, which makes a difference on the ground.

On the ground - that includes countries such as Kosovo, where we have had a NATO mission for over 20 years and are playing an active role in the region with German soldiers.

Not only that, but our civilian peacekeepers are contributing to the stability of the region as advisors, prosecutors and forensic scientists.

I'm talking about OSCE field offices in the Western Balkans.

About a UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

About EU and NATO missions in Iraq.

About CSDP border monitoring missions in Armenia and Georgia.

About helping the Republic of Moldova to defend itself against hybrid threats from Russia.

And many other contributions, in which you, the German peacekeepers, bring your expertise to bear.

You often do this under the most adverse circumstances, sometimes putting your own lives at risk.

And you bring the experiences that you gather there, the knowledge you acquire there, back to Germany with you.

To the various institutions where you work

and where you can provide important impetus with a view to improving our work.

Our country thus benefits from your dedication in many different ways.

After all, the increasing interconnection between internal and external political challenges requires an ever-broader wealth of experience.

Your contribution has a lasting impact.

Not only abroad, but also here at home.

This strengthens our country's defensive capabilities.

After all, we have seen in countries such as Ukraine that defensive capabilities aren't just a question of the military.

Rather, a society needs all of us in order to become able to defend itself, to become resilient.

I quoted the following at the beginning of my speech: "How wonderful it would be, but it won't be."

Ladies and gentlemen, these words speak for themselves.

However, they aren't the final word to my mind.

I see them as a call to action for all of us.

After all, one day this might read:

"How wonderful it is…"

That's what I want to work towards, and I'd like to thank everyone who supports me, who supports us in this endeavour.

But especially you, our peacekeepers.

As an expression of this gratitude, I'd now like to present an award to three individuals on behalf of all the civilian experts seconded by the Centre for International Peace Operations.

And I'd like to start with you, Ms Albermann.

Ms Albermann,

Since 2024, you have made an important contribution to peace and security in Europe at the NATO Liaison Office in the Republic of Moldova.

As an expert for foreign and security policy, you're committed with great professionalism to strategic communication, to tackling disinformation and to strengthening the resilience of society as a whole.

With your experience of NATO Headquarters in Brussels and the EU delegation in the US, you bring valuable expertise to a region where it is urgently needed.

You're strengthening Moldova's democratic resilience.

Your involvement in the parliamentary elections was a particularly formative experience for you.

You described how, while you were there, you were once again reminded of how important the EU is as an achievement.

I'm familiar with this experience, this change of perspective, from my visits to the country.

With great personal commitment, you have built trust, brought people together and thus strengthened the partnership with the country.

Connections to home are important especially when you're abroad.

It's wonderful to see that you're sharing this moment with your family today.

Ms Albermann,

At a time when disinformation is deliberately being deployed to destabilise democracies and our societies in Europe are facing major challenges, your commitment is particularly important.

It's a great pleasure for me to present you with this award today.

Congratulations!

Mr Hofmann,

You have put your knowledge, experience and commitment at the service of peace and security for 25 years now.

I would like today to express my thanks to you for that.

Since 2025, you have been Head of Security and Health at the EU mission in Rafah.

Your work builds on an extraordinary wealth of experience

which includes missions within the framework of the OSCE, EUPOL COPPS and EULEX in Kosovo.

You're responsible for the security of the mission personnel, thus, in a critical environment, enabling the mission to operate in the first place.

Your example underscores the indispensable role played by civilian expertise in peacekeeping.

For instance, you have made a significant contribution to helping reopen the Rafah crossing.

To ensuring that people in Gaza have access to medical treatment.

I can imagine that this task was and continues to be one of the most difficult of your career.

But your motivation remains undiminished, even after 25 years.

The wide range of tasks and the different challenges you face, as well as the appreciation that you receive for your work spur you on time and again.

You have said that no one mission is the same.

This makes the people who have supported you over many years all the more important. This includes your partner, who has long accompanied you on your journey.

Mr Hofmann,

Your commitment stands for experience, dependability and the willingness to take responsibility for others.

It is with great appreciation that I now present you with this award .

Congratulations!

Mr Körner,

Since 2023, you have supported Ukraine as part of EU Advisory Mission EUAM in the prosecution of international crimes against the backdrop of the ongoing war.

The work of the Ukrainian authorities has set new standards around the world in this regard.

This, in addition to your 12-year stint at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, has made you a staunch advocate of international law.

Furthermore, you assumed management of the mission's Legal Unit last year.

Where the law is violated on a daily basis, people are needed who defend it.

You, Mr Körner, are working with a high level of expertise and personal courage in an environment characterised by war, uncertainty and the most heinous crimes.

I myself was in Ukraine this year for the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre.

It was there that I announced Germany's involvement - including personnel - in a special tribunal to investigate Russia's crimes.

This also builds on your crucial work.

Despite all the challenges, you have never lost your firm belief in the importance of your work.

When you speak about this, you talk about the impressive strength of civil society and those who hold firm to law and justice under the most difficult circumstances.

Far from home, the bond that you share with your family forms an important foundation.

It's wonderful that you are able to spend the next few days here in Berlin with your parents, whom we also offer a warm welcome today.

Your commitment shows that, behind the lofty terms law, justice and the rule of law, there are always people and names at the end of the day.

I now present you with this award for your commitment.

Congratulations!