conflict, announced in Abu Dhabi on December, 3rd 2016, and encourage all States to contribute to support preventive and emergency operations and fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. We look forward to discussions during the 201st Session of the UNESCO Executive Board concerning the UNESCO Action Plan for the Protection of Culture and the Promotion of Cultural Pluralism in the event of armed conflict. Acknowledging that peacekeeping operations may negatively affect the host country’s environment, local economy and community, we underline the need to uphold the environmental sustainability of peace operations and the UN’s role in assessing and mitigating the footprint of peacekeeping across the whole mission cycle. We commend the work of the G7 Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Experts Group in considering and advising on these important peace and security issues, including the role of women, in consultation with the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union. We welcome the continuous efforts of the G7 Working Group on Climate Change and Fragility, the Group’s Terms of Reference and we look forward to its progress report in 2018. We also encourage the Working Group to identify proposals for action to increase resilience in fragile states. HUMAN RIGHTS We reaffirm our commitment to the protection and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. We recall the universal and interdependent character of all human rights, including civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. We recall that compliance with obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law as well as accountability are fundamental for peace and security. We will continue to oppose and work to eliminate all forms of discrimination across the world. We reaffirm the importance of promoting pluralism, inclusion, respect for diversity, as well as cross-cultural, cross-religious, and interfaith dialogues, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. We express our deep concern for all cases of persecution against persons belonging to religious or ethnic minorities across the world. We will continue to promote actively gender equality and women’s rights. We are fully committed to an effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Cairo Program of Action, the outcomes of their review conferences, and the fulfilment of States’ obligations under the Convention on Elimination of Joint Communiqué | G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING 29