Our world, our future, our responsibility.

The Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations is tasked to actively participate in fulfilling the goals and principles of the United Nations, while promoting the national position of Hungary, and to advise national authorities on the developments in the international arena.

The Permanent Mission acts in the spirit of dialogue, openness, inclusivity and bridge-building, with due respect for others’ positions, in search of long term, principled win-win solutions for the universal issues related to peace, security, social and economic development and human rights.

While Hungary is fully committed to fulfilling all obligations and goals of the United Nations, it puts particular emphasis to the following foreign policy priorities:

Working for a better United Nations: Hungary seeks to create a more responsive, effective, efficient and credible United Nations and therefore fully support the reform efforts of Secretary General Guterres. We welcome the initiatives to modernize, simplify and restructure the UN bureaucracy and its main substantive pillars. The UN needs to become more efficient, more relevant and more responsive to emerging challenges and needs, stemming from the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Hungary stands for better results through increased coordination, transparency and accountability.

Strengthening preventive diplomacy as well as building trust and reconciliation: Hungary is strong advocate of preventive diplomacy, mediation and „putting peace first” in today’s complex security contexts. We are particularly encouraged by the dedication of Secretary-General Guterres to make the UN more fit for the peace and security challenges of our time also by integrating prevention into the three pillars of the work of the organization as well as enhancing the coherence of activities of the UN in this field.

Promoting and protecting human rights: Sustainable development can only be achieved for the people and by the people, through full economic, social and political inclusion. This requires the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.

For historical and moral reasons, the international protection and promotion of minority rights - especially the rights of persons belonging to national, religious and ethnic minorities - is one of the main objectives of the Hungarian foreign policy. We are convinced that violating ethnic, religious, racial or linguistic freedoms poses a great risk on future of societies. Hungary is contributing to the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, notwithstanding through leading and sponsoring initiatives in its national capacity and as a member of the European Union. Hungary works towards de-politicising the work of the Council, stepping up efforts to re-build confidence among members and seeks for a consensual track.

Protection of religious minorities (with special attention to Christians) in conflict: Hungary is firmly committed to the promotion and protection of minorities, including religious minorities, with special regard to Christians, as well as to the accountability of any criminal offences against them. We are deeply concerned by the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, and are convinced that the protection of ethnic and religious pluralism is crucial for the long-term stability and security of the region. We have to ensure accountability for perpetrators, and Hungary actively supports national and international efforts in this regard.

Gender equality / Women’s empowerment: Hungary is a strong supporter of efforts aimed at providing equal rights and empowering women in all educational, economic, financial, judicial and social processes, as a key to global progress. We promote women’s engagement in local, national, and global decision-making structures, including electoral processes.

We stand firm in fighting violence against women, including sexual violence in conflict situations, sexual exploitation and abuse, with special regard to sexual violence in conflict. We have to break down gender stereotypes, and enable all women and girls to reach their full potential within and beyond the UN, including in science and the STEM sector. The inclusion of women in preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention and resolution, post-conflict peacebuilding and reconciliation should be fully used. Sustainable peace, prosperity and the respect for human rights can only be achieved with women’s meaningful participation in all levels of decision-making, and long-term economic empowerment.

Fight against modern slavery: We work towards achieving the various SDG targets aimed at eradicating modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labor, in particular when it targets women, children, religious or ethnic minorities. In this context, Hungary calls for strengthening UN response, including through enhanced international cooperation, close partnership, and strong leadership. We believe in a human rights and survivor-centered as well as an exploitation type-specific approach to human trafficking that is based on the protection of survivors, with a special focus on women and children.

Actively participating in the maintenance of peace and security: Supporting the Security Council as the ultimate body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. Hungary supports comprehensive Security Council reform and enlargement efforts aimed at reflecting the realities of the 21st century. More than ever we all need a strong and representative Council which continues to play the decisive role in preserving peace and security on the globe. Hungary also focuses on improving the working methods of the Security Council and its interaction with other organs within and outside the UN. As an active and founding member of the ACT (Accountability, Coherence, Transparency) Group, Hungary advocates all efforts aimed at making the Security Council more efficient, inclusive and legitimate. We took active part in the elaboration of and continue to promote the ACT Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Hungary contributes to UN peace operations meaningfully, and currently has troops and policemen in Lebanon, Western Sahara, Cyprus and Kosovo. Hungary supports the peacekeeping reform efforts, including its better linkage with peacebuilding, with special focus on building inclusive societies, education, protection of culture and human rights. It is currently under consideration, how Hungary could deploy a new contingent to a UN peacekeeping operation. We seek further opportunities to boost police presence in UN peace operations as well.

We strongly committed to identify, nominate and deploy female military experts and police officers to UN peacekeeping and EU CSDP missions, as women’s participation in UN peace and security efforts, including post-conflict governance and peacekeeping are essential to achieve mission mandates and to foster the creation of peaceful and inclusive societies.

Hungary remains active in the field of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. Every year we submit the resolution on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction, as its sole sponsor, and so far it has always been adopted by consensus.

We share the view that the spread of violent extremism and terrorism requires improved coordination among the numerous UN entities mandated to deal with specific aspects of these phenomena. For these reasons, Hungary, as an active and long-time supporter of counter-terrorism and fighting violent-extremism, welcomes the architectural reforms of counter-terrorism forces of the UN and the establishment of the Office of Counter-Terrorism. The most recent indication of that was the organization of a Regional Conference under the theme “Prevention of Radicalization to Terrorism: Regional Policy Responses and Risk Mitigation”, which was convened in Budapest on 7-8 November, 2019. The Conference brought together over 200 participants from 61 Member States as well as international, regional and civil society organizations who examined strategies addressing the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism. It is also worth mentioning that the Host Country Agreement of the UN Programme Support Office in Budapest was ratified at the conference. That brings the UNOCT into the family of UN entities present in Budapest.

Ensuring accountability: Understanding the mutually reinforcing correlation between peace, security and accountability, Hungary supports ensuring criminal justice for atrocity crimes. Therefore, Hungary provided political and financial support to the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up to assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Turning words into action in Sustainable Development: Hungary is determined to take its share of responsibility in delivering on our common transformative commitments enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. We are working together with partners towards the full operationalization of the system-wide efforts and activities of the UN charting a path towards sustainable development. Only sustainable development, the comprehensive implementation of the 2030 Agenda, is capable of addressing the root causes of the different forms of unsustainability, be it economic, environmental or social.

Water resources management is a key priority for our country. A key driver and enabler for sustainable development, and the most critical natural resource of our century, water must become one of the highest political priorities, integrated into other policy areas. Hungary will continue to make efforts aiming at mainstreaming water in the international development agenda as well as enhancing the implementation of the water-related SDG goals and targets, linking political decision-making closer with technology development, financing and public perceptions on sustainable water management and facilitating the reform of international institutional architecture supporting cooperation on water. Hungary, complying its leadership role in this subject, organized the Budapest Water Summit series in 2013, 2016 and 2019.

The most important areas for improvement are strengthening UN-Water and its mandate, to have a better interaction with Member States, and to explore the added value and drawbacks of platforms providing coherent policy guidance and oversee monitoring and follow-up of the implementation.

Global Compact on Migration: The Hungarian Government decided on 18 July 2018 to withdraw from the UN Global Compact on Migration, and will not participate in its implementation process. Hungary interprets the migration related paragraphs of recent resolutions by the General Assembly in line with its national position. It is a long-standing position of the Hungarian Government not to support endeavours that could encourage migration. We understand that our view does not shared by the majority of UN member states, although the number of states realizing the risks of the GCM (and consequently leaving the process) are increasing. Events in recent years proved that migration and its consequences pose serious security challenges and cause major difficulties for countries of origin, transit and destination.

Humanitarian aid and international development projects: We continue to assist the implementation of the Agenda for Humanity set out by the World Humanitarian Summit process, based on the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. Pursuing a coordinated approach towards humanitarian assistance and sustainable development, we promote durable political solutions for international peace and security.

Hungary has been actively supporting persecuted minorities. The Hungarian Deputy State Secretariat for the Aid of Persecuted Christians, and launched humanitarian aid and international development projects to deliver all help needed directly to those in need, thereby enabling communities to safely return, remain and reintegrate in their homeland, which is a pre-requisite for renewed religious pluralism, long-standing survival and peaceful co-existence of different ethnic and religious groups.

Since 2010 the Government of Hungary has pioneered a substantial, 150% increase in the amount of its Official Development Assistance (ODA). Within the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme, Hungary provides education opportunities for foreign students in Hungarian higher education institutions.

Hungary is an active participant in the work of different UN trend setting groups. Hungary is member of the following groups:

  • Group of Friends of Accountability, Transparence and Transparency (ACT)
  • Group of Friends of African Women Leaders Network,
  • Group of Friends of the Alliance Of Civilizations,
  • Group of Friends on Children And Armed Conflict,
  • Group of Friends of Children and the SDGs,
  • Group of Friends On The Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities,
  • Group of Friends of Culture.
  • Group of Friends of Cybersecurity and e-Governance,
  • Group of Friends of Decent Work for All,
  • Group of Friends of Education for Global Citizenship,
  • Group of Friends of Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls,
  • Group of Friends of Eliminating Sexual Harrasment,
  • Group of Friends of Financial Inclusion,
  • Group of Friends of Gender Parity,
  • Group of Friends of the Humanitarian Fact Finding Commission,
  • Group of Friends of Humanitarian Liaison Working Group,
  • Group of Friends of Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
  • Group of Friends on Mediation,
  • Group of Friends of Mental Health and Well-being,
  • Group of Friends of Modern Slavery, 
  • Group of Friend of Persons with Disabilities,
  • Group of Friends of Preventing Violent Extremism,
  • Group of Friends of Protection of Cultural Heritage,
  • Group of Friends on Resolution 1540,
  • Group of Friends On The Responsibility To Protect (R2P),
  • Group of Friends of Sport,
  • Group of Friends of Sustainable Cities,
  • Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy for All,
  • Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage,
  • Group of Friends of Victims of Acts of Violence based on Religion or Belief
  • Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism
  • Group of Friends of Vision
  • Member of the Steering Committee of the Group of Friends of Water,
  • Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan,
  • Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security,

Hungary is also a member of the Humanitarian Liaison Working Group. Hungary as co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Group of Friends of Water aims to provide added value to water-related decisions and implementation measures.

Hungary as a regional center for the United Nations: Hungary takes pride in hosting an increasing number of UN offices (UNHCR, FAO, ILO, IOM, WHO, IMF, UNICEF, IFRC, UNOCT) and will strive to ensure that Budapest becomes a growing regional hub in Europe.