YouSaid · the spoken record

Ernest Bai Koroma

lines on the record: 93
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2016-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I would therefore urge that the reform process move faster so that Africa can take its rightful place in the Security Council. The United Nations must change with the times and must do so by effecting the relevant reforms. Redressing the much-acknowledged historical injustice done to the continent will be a remarkable step in our universal push to transform our world. We cannot effectively deal with the evolving challenges of our time if we continue to hold on to the edicts and structures established 71 years ago. Equitable geographical representation, with the attendant privileges in the membership of the Security Council, will only make it more legitimate, representative, effective, transparent and accountable.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We cannot champion the cause of justice and legitimacy when Africa remains excluded from and underrepresented in the highest decision-making organ of our global Organization. The reforms must start here, and they must be deliberate and enduring. While we acknowledge the gradual progress made so far, particularly in the transparent process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary-General, let me again reiterate that African Member States are unhappy about the slow pace of Security Council reform. In concluding, let me once again reiterate Africa’s strong concern over the continuous failure of the United Nations to adopt measures, including text-based negotiations, that will lead to a comprehensive and early reform of the Security Council to reflect contemporary realities.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“As we move into the implementation of the first phase of the SDGs, we must remember that fragile States were unable to make remarkable progress in the implementation of the MDGs largely owing to the absence of peace, justice and effective State institutions. It is therefore urgent for all parties to cooperate with global initiatives in finding enduring peace in Syria, South Sudan and Libya. This is why the world must accelerate its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in fighting terrorism and in stemming the dangerous escalation in the arms race. We cannot sustain this world with bombs and the unending threat of war. We cannot achieve a universal push towards development when armed conflicts continue to drive millions into refugee camps and when millions find themselves trapped between warring factions.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Though we contribute almost nothing to global warming, Sierra Leone is the third most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change. Dealing with climate change is therefore an urgent life-and- death matter for us. That is why we welcome the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and we will implement its provisions in Sierra Leone. My Government, in collaboration with our development partners, is implementing projects on adaptation, including climate information and early-warning systems. We remain committed to these efforts, and we seek further collaboration in confronting this global threat against humankind.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We strongly consider its 27 recommendations as the way forward for appropriate action at the national, regional and international levels. We must collectively commit ourselves to the full implementation of the Panel’s recommendations in order to protect humankind from the scourge of future health crises. On behalf of the Government and the people of Sierra Leone, let me express our appreciation to the international community for supporting us in our efforts to defeat the Ebola virus. We are now implementing our post-Ebola recovery programme. We applaud the support that we have received, but we still face enormous resource gaps. I would therefore like to remind our bilateral friends and the international community to fulfil their pledges to our recovery programme.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Efforts to address youth empowerment and unemployment remain at the heart of our Agenda for Prosperity. My Government has also made a record number of appointments of youths and women into top- level decision-making positions, including ministerial, ambassadorial and leadership posts in Government departments and agencies and in the military, police, Parliament, the judiciary and local government. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa shone a spotlight on the critical need for the world to have a more robust and effective global health architecture, with strong and accountable leadership to deal with health crises, including pandemics. In this context, my delegation commends the High-Level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises for its comprehensive report.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Those strides represent important contributions to our journey towards attaining a resilient and inclusive Sierra Leone. They remain the bedrock of our aspirations to become a middle-income country by 2035. That is why we have hastened to put in place major relevant policy decisions and enacted appropriate legislation to empower women, improve the situation of youth and ensure that the physically challenged are not marginalized. My Government’s vision for the empowerment of women as enshrined in pillar 8 of our Agenda for Prosperity is consistent with global aspirations, in recognition of the crucial importance of women and gender parity in our development process. Most of my Government’s programmes are youth- oriented and range from education to health, community development and employment.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“My Government remains committed to good governance and will continue to build on our post- conflict peacebuilding and democratic gains by further strengthening our democratic institutions and by providing access to the justice sector and establishing a level playing field there. To that end, we have taken steps to improve the conditions of service in our justice sector in order to attract and deploy more qualified personnel to the bench and as state counsels in every region and district of Sierra Leone. We have established a legal-aid board so as to ensure that every indigent person has legal representation, that no one enters our correctional institutions without an indictment, and that court cases are speedily heard and justice is fairly served.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The parallel resolutions demonstrate our commitment to take a comprehensive approach to transitional justice and to accountability in the security sector, both of which are critical to consolidating peace, reducing poverty and preventing countries from relapsing into conflict. In Sierra Leone, our commitment to continue to address the key underlying causes of fragility and the drivers of conflict is underlined by our participation as a pilot country in the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States. As the current Chair of the Group of Seven Fragile States Plus, Sierra Leone emphasizes the importance of incorporating SDG 16 into our efforts. We also recognize that the effective management of our natural resources is central to ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development and a resilient future for Sierra Leoneans.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Millions of people need humanitarian help, and millions more have been forcibly displaced from their homes. We must set the right tone in addressing the lingering challenges facing our world. My delegation endorses the Assembly’s adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (resolution 71/1) and fully subscribes to its call to address the root causes of the problem, including efforts aimed at preventing crisis situations before they erupt. Sierra Leone also welcomes the simultaneous adoptions in April by the Security Council of its resolution 2282 (2016) on post-conflict peacebuilding, and by the General Assembly of its resolution 70/262, reviewing the United Nations peacebuilding architecture.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I made a pledge at the Summit to contribute further to United Nations peacekeeping with commitments to provide two formed police units, special weapons and tactics units and police guards to the United Nations Stand-by Arrangements System, and we are now ready to deploy at short notice. Sierra Leone welcomes the Secretary-General’s report prepared for the World Humanitarian Summit (A/70/709) and its annex, the Agenda for Humanity. This year’s World Humanitarian Summit was a turning point at which we collectively pledged to improve our response to people caught in natural disasters and conflicts, empower them as agents of their own recovery and summon greater political will for preventing and ending the wars that have caused so much suffering.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“That is why we believe that the dilution of any of its key elements is akin to continuing a status quo that is unfair, unjust, non-inclusive and unfit for the requirements of the twenty-first century. Africa has asked me, as Coordinator of its African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State on United Nations Reforms, to tell the world that we will stand united behind the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. At the African Union’s July summit in Kigali we reaffirmed the African position, and we deplore any attempts to weaken any of those positions through divide-and-rule policies that are reminiscent of the colonial era. In September last year at the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping, we committed to enlarging and modernizing United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Without strong African voices at the highest level of our premier global decision-making body, without the energetic voices of the region that is home to the world’s largest number of young people, and without the decisive contribution of the continent that is most affected by Security Council decisions, no solution that the United Nations might propose to our challenges can be sustainable, inclusive or lasting. Yes, Africa’s position is about righting historical wrongs and enhancing its voice in the United Nations. But most of all, Africa’s position relates to our contribution to making the United Nations more effective, democratic and forward-looking.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We have also established an international benchmarks system for Sierra Leone, which will enable us to address the challenges involved in obtaining the reliable statistical data we need in order to report on our progress. But whatever we do at the national level, whatever efforts we make on the global stage, whatever projects the brightest among us design, we will not be able to deliver on the SDGs’ promise of an inclusive, fairer and better world without the reform of the United Nations. Let me be blunt. Our premier global institution lacks the democratic characteristics needed to tackle the development, security and other challenges facing Africa and many other parts of the world.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In Sierra Leone, drawing on the lessons learned from the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, we have taken action to quickly integrate the SDGs into our national development planning processes by linking each of the 17 Goals and 169 targets to our national development programme — the Agenda for Prosperity. Sierra Leone was one of the 22 countries reviewed during the Economic and Social Council’s High-Level Political Forum in July. We shared our views on how we want to implement the SDGs, on the challenges we foresee and on how we hope to overcome them. At the same time, we have formulated a national integrated results framework that aligns the SDGs with our Alliance for Prosperity monitoring and evaluation mechanism.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“We in Sierra Leone will always remember the Secretary-General with deep appreciation for his exemplary role in mobilizing support for the successful fight against the deadly Ebola disease. The theme chosen by the President for our debate this year, “The Sustainable Development Goals: a universal push to transform our world”, could not have been more thoughtful. In order to achieve that goal, we must universally promote the Sustainable Development Goals. We must push forward with energy, compassion and resolve to save the millions of women and children still trapped in poverty, bring peace to our troubled region, and prevent and contain disease outbreaks.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I congratulate the President on his election, and I commend his predecessor for his effective leadership at the previous session. Let me also, on behalf of the Government and the people of Sierra Leone, applaud His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon for his dedication and commitment to the advancement of global peace and development during his 10 years of service to our Organization as Secretary- General. I commend him for his vision and initiatives, including the major high-level panel reviews, the historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change and convening the first World Humanitarian Summit.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“With the commitment of leaving no one behind, we must objectively follow a pragmatic approach, with renewed vigour and resolve, to provide a future for our people that will guarantee justice, sustainable peace and security, accountability and democratic governance, employment opportunities, the transparent and equitable distribution of wealth, a safe and sustainable environment, improved health and relevant education. It is also important to ensure that conflicts are resolved around the world, if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, as no development can take place without peace. Together, let us rise to that challenge with greater resolve, and take action to create a fairer, safer and better world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Sierra Leone is poised and ready to continue working with the international community to resume its pre-Ebola development trajectory. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships for the effective implementation of our post-Ebola recovery plans, both national and subregional. In conclusion, as our noble Organization celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year, it is important to reflect on the Charter, which reaffirms “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large or small”.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Sierra Leone National Recovery Plan is based on two main pillars. The first pillar concentrates on immediate recovery activities, including maintaining zero infections. The second pillar focuses on building resilient and sustainable national systems , including a viable health system, and establishing an integrated national security and disaster risk management system. I must state, with a considerable measure of satisfaction, that the international community’s commitment to supporting the Ebola recovery plans has been very encouraging. On behalf of the Government and the people of Sierra Leone, allow me, Sir, to once again applaud our development partners for their unwavering commitment of support to Sierra Leone’s development aspirations.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I particularly commend the Secretary-General for mobilizing, for the very first time, a coordinated and integrated United Nations system intervention to support countries affected by the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in our region. In addition to containing the epidemic, the intervention of the United Nations and our partners has resulted in an enhanced preparedness to respond to similar outbreaks in the future. That is a useful model that can be applied to contain and tackle pandemics wherever they may surface. In order to guarantee a lasting recovery, my Government, in collaboration with our sister Republics of Guinea and Liberia, have also formulated a subregional post-Ebola socioeconomic recovery plan to ensure that the three most Ebola-affected countries return to the path of stability and prosperity.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“24/51 15-29431 29/09/2015 A/70/PV.16 At a time when Sierra Leone was being commended for its remarkable progress with respect to peace, stability and steady economic growth, we were hit by the unprecedented Ebola virus outbreak, which took a heavy toll on the entire socioeconomic fabric of Sierra Leone. However, we fought back, with support from our international friends, and have now almost defeated the evil virus, with zero cases being recorded for several days in September. As we make progress to end the epidemic, I wish to commend the United Nations agencies and the international community for their support and their commitment to ending the epidemic, as well as their support for the post-Ebola recovery plan.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone is closely collaborating with the Government to ensure that a human rights culture is entrenched in our society and that the Government ratifies several international treaties and protocols whose ratification is still outstanding and fulfils its various reporting obligations. We have undertaken specific reform measures to improve the national investment climate. My Government is keen on delivering results in several priority areas, including infrastructure development, commercial agriculture, improved access to education and health-care services, youth empowerment and employment, women’s empowerment, effective and efficient public service delivery and the social and political integration of persons with disabilities.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Agenda for Prosperity aims to build a sustainable future for all Sierra Leoneans. It demonstrates our firm commitment to putting Sierra Leone on the path to resilience and sustainability. To that end, we have recorded significant progress in strengthening political and economic governance, including the improvement of social indicators. My Government has continued to place emphasis on the protection of the basic rights of the people of Sierra Leone. We have put in place comprehensive reforms in the justice sector, in response to both national and global demands, to ensure that the rights of citizens are preserved and that access to justice is accorded to all.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Without that solidarity, the challenges will jump across borders, evade immigration controls and leap over walls. That is why we need cooperative and coordinated partnerships to strengthen the capacities to respond to those challenges. Our voice, as fragile and conflict-affected States under the Group of Seven Plus, is a call for country ownership and country-led implementation of the SDGs. Since 2012, Sierra Leone has been proactively tailoring its development framework in anticipation of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1). The implementation of our national vision for socioeconomic development, as contained in the Government’s poverty reduction strategy paper and articulated in the Agenda for Prosperity, was launched in July 2013 as Sierra Leone’s road map for the post-2015 development agenda.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We need to integrate that insight into our decisions about other urgent matters — youth unemployment, insecurity, extreme hunger, violence against women, transnational organized crime and piracy. Allowing these to get out of control in vulnerable nations increases the vulnerability of all nations. Africa has made efforts to strengthen the continent’s capacity for preventing and resolving conflicts. Countries in the global South have also been at the forefront of finding solutions and providing relief from the miseries of the world. They host more refugees than other lands; they contribute more personnel to peacekeeping missions. Global solidarity is imperative in building our regional capacity to better handle those challenges.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Changes in the weather patterns in the Pacific and in the ocean currents of the North Atlantic are unleashing devastating floods in many places. A week and a half ago, we witnessed floods of proportions hitherto unseen in Sierra Leone, which devastated many parts of our capital, Freetown. Storms rage in the Cape Verde Islands and floods have ravaged other parts of West Africa. We believe that our experts are right when they attribute those disasters to man-made climate change. We call for action, not only to lower emissions of greenhouse gases, which are implicated in those changes, but also to shore up capabilities to deal with the effects of climate change. No country, I reiterate, is immune from the physical, social, health and other consequences of climate change.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“However, our globalized world has multiplied the routes along which these challenges move, going from country to country, from one region to another, from one group of people to another. That is why we cannot say a particular problem is only a problem for this country or that region. Poorer countries suffer disproportionately from particular problems but, without support from the world to solve them, the problems spread and haunt other regions, other countries and other groups. We need to incorporate that piece of wisdom into decision-making in every country, every region and every global organization. That is also the piece of wisdom we need to incorporate into our decisions about climate change.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“We applaud our collective establishment of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone for the purpose of carrying out the continuing legal obligations of the original Special Court. Given the profile of persons convicted by the Court and those currently serving prison sentences under the supervision of the Residual 15-29431 23/51 A/70/PV.16 29/09/2015 Court, it is in the interest of international peace and security and in furtherance of justice that we extend support to the effective operations of the Residual Court in order to enable it to fully deliver on its mandate. Whether it be terrorism, climate change, disease or refugees, no country is immune from the challenges facing the world at large. Some countries may be able to keep some of these problems from reaching their shores.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to the men and women in uniform, as well as to civilian staff, who continue to make the ultimate sacrifice to serve humankind in complex and dangerous environments around the world. We totally condemn attacks against United Nations peacekeepers, and we call for action against the perpetrators of these cowardly acts. The report of the Advisory Group of Experts for the 2015 Review of the United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture and its recommendations is a useful document that informs us of lessons learned, best practices and the challenges ahead in terms of preventing relapses into violent conflict. We look forward to constructive engagement in the intergovernmental process in the light of the fact that Sierra Leone is one of the case studies and a storehouse of lessons learned.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Sierra Leone is very committed to promoting inclusion in governance and in development and to furthering peace around the world. We shall continue to support initiatives to sustain and expand democracy, peace and security, in Africa in particular, and in the world at large. The contribution of Sierra Leone to United Nations peacekeeping efforts demonstrates our strong commitment to global peace and stability. We acknowledge the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations on uniting our strengths for peace: politics, partnership and people (A/70/95). We stand ready to explore further ways of increasing our contribution to global peacekeeping in order to enhance the success of United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The current state of affairs also undermines the effectiveness of the Security Council in its pursuit of international peace and security. The need to address the issue of Africa’s non-representation in the permanent category and its underrepresentation in the non-permanent category is long overdue and therefore now imperative. Africa’s demand for two permanent seats and two additional non-permanent seats as articulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration is just and provides a framework for a fairer and more inclusive United Nations. I welcome the recent adoption of resolution 69/321, designed, inter alia, to further the intergovernmental negotiation process, and I very much hope that meaningful progress will be made towards a consensus-building mechanism in the course of this seventieth session.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Making our global Organization more democratic, more participatory and fairer is part of the struggle for inclusion the world over. It is a prerequisite for achieving our universal aspirations as expressed in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (resolution 70/1). As the Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council, I take this opportunity to emphasize once again the need for urgent reform of the Council and again echo Africa’s concern over the failure of the General Assembly to adopt measures that will lead to a comprehensive reform of the Security Council. I wish to call attention to the regrettable status quo that undermines the principles of equity, legitimacy, accountability and transparency.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The challenges have the urgency of a life-and-death situation for millions. What we see the world over — in the refugee crisis, in the fight against poverty, transnational organized crime, terrorism, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, piracy, violence against women, in our actions to uphold human rights, and in the efforts for expanding access to health and education — what we see are struggles to promote inclusion in the better achievements of humankind: achievements in the areas of security, safety, peace, education, health and development. Where there is exclusion, people seek inclusion. The poor seek inclusion in a fairer world, and refugees seek inclusion in a safer world. We believe that the SDGs are about building a fairer, safer and better world for those excluded from the great achievements of humankind.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“What is left now for us to do is to take action on all these fronts: to continue action to reform our Organization, to commence action in areas 22/51 15-29431 29/09/2015 A/70/PV.16 where there has not yet been action, to take action to overcome challenges, and to follow through on action to sustain, deepen and expand our achievements. The unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals and its accompanying challenges are critical to the work that lies ahead. We have learned lessons that are invaluable, and we have made undeniable progress. But the challenges we still face are seen in the millions not going to school, the millions not having health care, the millions of women who are oppressed, and the millions of people whose rights and lives are being trampled upon in the war zones and on the refugee routes of the world.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Many actions need to be taken in the offices of our Organization, and many actions must be taken in the field where the citizens of the world lead their lives. The two are interlinked. Without changes within the structures of our global Organization, our actions in the field will be hindered by the lack of ownership, lack of inclusion and lack of irreversible successes. That is why we commend the President for the choice and relevance of the theme of this session: “The United Nations at 70 — a new commitment to action”. We have put forward negotiating positions for reform in our Organization, we have drawn up plans for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we adopted the financing for development framework in Addis Ababa in July.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Seventy years ago, we committed to promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. Today, that is still our task and common goal, and the very foundation in which our shared and common values are firmly embedded and should therefore be respected. It is in the pursuit of that task and our shared values that, 15 years ago, the Millennium Declaration (resolution 55/2) articulated a bold vision to eradicate extreme poverty, promote gender equality and ensure that children everywhere receive a basic education. Together, we have achieved a lot, getting millions out of poverty, getting millions into schools and breaking down many barriers to the empowerment of women. But our achievements are works in progress, as is our Organization. Many challenges still remain.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I would like to warmly congratulate the President on his election to conduct the affairs of the Assembly at its historic seventieth session. I can assure him of my personal support and that of Sierra Leone during his tenure. I would also like to convey my sincere appreciation to his predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Sam Kutesa of the Republic of Uganda, for the effective way in which he led the previous session. And I heartily commend the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his constructive leadership of our Organization. Sierra Leone will continue to support progressive implementation of his laudable Five-Year Action Agenda, announced on 25 January 2012. We also welcome his synthesizing report on the work of the Organization (A/70/1), which articulates a call to action to transform our world beyond 2015.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The effects of poverty, disease, hunger and desperation can no longer be boxed in and contained in a corner of a city, or a country, region or continent. We are on each other’s doorsteps, and we must continue to build the structures for the peaceful resolution of our conflicts.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We must act now to save the world from the anger of the weak and the excessive indulgence and repression perpetrated by the strong. I would like to emphasize that international cooperation in the peaceful settlement of disputes is the life blood of our Organization. In all our deliberations, from global warming to human trafficking, from the threats of nuclear weapons to the scourge of abject poverty, from communicable and non-communicable diseases to ruthless natural disasters, and from the flow of illicit drugs to the seemingly unending upheavals in the financial markets, we should always remember that we need each other. The world is too connected for the consequences of failure to be localized.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We must also allow our discussion of the mediation of disputes through peaceful means to move towards the resolution of threats to the international economic and financial systems. The greatest threat today to the security of most individuals in most societies stems from the non-resolution of issues relating to excessive speculation in the most important food crops of the world, the rising food and fuel prices and the fact that the burden of sacrifice for our recovery is increasingly placed on the shoulders of the weak and the poor. In most places in the world we are seeing the rallying of the strong and powerful to protect their indulgence and the rallying of young people, the weak and the dispossessed to secure their very lives, their dignity and humanity. The alternatives to the non-resolution of those disputes are dire.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Of course, we are quite conscious of the inevitability of disputes in the conduct of inter-State as well as intra-State relations. But it is imperative to respect the set of principles enshrined in Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations in our interactions with each other. They include the sovereign equality of all United Nations Members, the peaceful settlement of disputes and the prohibition of the threat or use of force. Obviously, mediation remains the best mechanism for the prevention and settlement of armed conflicts. It should be utilized to the fullest extent possible. Sierra Leone firmly believes that the United Nations should make better use of Chapter VI of the Charter, namely, measures for the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“However, we are encouraged by the unfolding developments and prospects of relative peace in our sister republics. At the same time, we are concerned about the continued threats posed to peace and stability by the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons across our subregion. International cooperation and assistance are necessary in order to eradicate this menace. Sierra Leone, for its part, recently launched a five-year action plan to expand the scope of its activities concerning small arms and light weapons. Considering the prevailing incidence of violence and armed conflict in various regions of the world, the choice of the theme, “The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes”, for this year’s general debate is relevant and appropriate.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“However, we need all necessary international assistance in support of our commitment to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. In that regard, we have continued to dialogue with all stakeholders including the National Electoral Commission, the Political Parties Registration Commission and political parties. We remain committed to peace, security and development, but the need to continue with national capacity-building programmes in priority peacebuilding thematic areas beyond the 2012 elections remains critical. Recently, peace and stability were not only threatened but painfully disturbed by pockets of armed conflict in the subregion of the Economic Community of West African States, particularly in the Mano River Union basin.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“As a State party to many international human rights instruments we are committed to their implementation and respect our reporting obligations under the relevant conventions. We have, for instance, just completed our sixth periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. We have ratified the 5 11-51191 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and have commissioned a National Action Plan for the implementation of Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008). As we prepare for our 2012 presidential, parliamentary and local council elections, we are cognizant of the fact that it is our primary responsibility to organize and provide the necessary logistical requirements for this democratic process.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The establishment of a Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone and the presentation of our national report to the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council in May this year are clear manifestations of our commitment to build a human rights regime that respects international norms and practices. In June this year, the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions awarded an “A” status accreditation to the Human Rights Commission of Siena Leone in recognition of its achievements and independence. I have pledged my support and initiated processes that will make women constitute at least 30 per cent of elective offices in our country.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We expect export levels to increase, given our substantial investment in developing our infrastructure and ongoing revamping of our mining, agriculture and tourism sectors. We have also put in place strong corrective measures to stabilize the fiscal situation. We have continued to build on progress achieved in the area of peace consolidation. Our democratic institutions, such as the National Electoral Commission, the Political Parties Registration Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission, have continued to make progress in carrying out their respective mandates. We have also continued to build on gains achieved in the areas of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In spite of the many challenges that have impeded our capacity to complete our projects, we are determined, with the cooperation and support of our development partners, to accelerate our country’s positive transformation. It is my sincere hope that successful implementation of the projects and programmes in the Joint Vision of the United Nations Family for Sierra Leone, which has been aligned with our agenda for change, will enhance Sierra Leone’s efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals. The economy of Sierra Leone, like many around the world, is currently encountering budgetary difficulties that can be traced to the global economic meltdown. We are, however, optimistic about future growth levels.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“We have done so against the background of the unprecedented challenges facing our world today, such as the rise in fuel and food prices, the global financial crisis, and the chain of unending conflicts around the world. Inspired by the conviction that no goals, however comprehensive or meaningful, can be achieved without the sustained determination to implement them, I have declared 2011 the year of implementation for Sierra Leone. Accordingly, my Government has demonstrated its commitment to that declaration. We are going to ensure that every single Sierra Leonean benefits from the dividends of our well-earned peace and democracy.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“It is therefore imperative that we reaffirm our commitment to the standards and principles of this noble Organization by generating the political will for a reformed Security Council that would pave the way for correcting the historical injustice done to Africa, through the allocation during this session of two permanent and five non-permanent seats to Africa, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. Since I addressed the Assembly last year, Sierra Leone has continued to make steady progress, particularly in the priority sectors outlined in my Government’s agenda for change, namely, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, health and education. Those five sectors were purposely selected from many others requiring transformation because we believe they can have the greatest positive impact on the lives of our people.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)