YouSaid · the spoken record

Janez Janša

lines on the record

16

first

2007-09-24

most recent

2012-09-24

sittings or episodes

2

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

1. “It was in 1946 that Raphael Lemkin asserted that our whole heritage is a product of the contributions of all nations. Each and every nation and the United Nations as a whole have an enormous responsibility, and also an opportunity, to prevent future atrocities. We cannot escape our history but let us learn from it. I fully believe that we do not want the mistakes of yesterday to be repeated tomorrow. We took over the responsibility for the world from our fathers and have an enormous responsibility to make it a better place for our children. I therefore invite all here to do so by joining in our efforts for a world free from genocide.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

2. “Effective prosecution undoubtedly has a deterrent effect and contributes substantially to a culture of prevention. Moreover, a genuine culture of prevention needs to be developed globally. We should improve our understanding of the warning signs, which should trigger early action. These days we witness numerous acts of violence against diplomatic and consular missions in one part of our world. I strongly condemn such violent acts. They can never be justified. Freedom of speech is fundamental in a democracy, and a violent response has never been able to silence it. Only by strengthening intercultural dialogue can we diminish the potential for conflict. Only mutual respect can contribute to maintaining peace and security. Mr. Prosor (Israel), Vice-President, took the Chair.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

3. “Slovenia stands ready to start a dialogue to that end. We are going to convene the first meeting in the following months. I am glad that we have already enlisted substantial support for the initiative during this Assembly session. The initiative originates from international civil society. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin has collected many thousands of supporters among international non-governmental organizations, lawyers, students, journalists and other individuals. Support is on the increase, and this is not just one isolated initiative. There are many others across the globe. We should, of course, also enhance our collaboration with a view to the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of genocide and mass atrocities, including individual States.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

4. “Bearing that in mind, we should be able to set at least basic limits on human behaviour and stop mass atrocities. I therefore urge the States Members of the United Nations, the members of the regional and subregional organizations and the United Nations system to develop a new strategy to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities. Moreover, an intergovernmental forum of like-minded countries should be formed to propose a United Nations resolution that would set a clear mandate for the preparation and adoption of an appropriate legal mechanism — a legal mechanism that would provide the responsibility to protect concept with new tools, a legal mechanism that would enforce crime prevention, a mechanism to facilitate a more rapid and effective response to acts of genocide and other mass atrocities.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

5. “Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon urged in his speech at the opening of this session that we should give the responsibility to protect concept a tangible meaning. To my regret, however, we have not yet achieved a common understanding on the modalities involved. We should therefore focus and strengthen our dialogue to that end. There is room for improving the modes of collaboration between the national, regional and international levels. It will be recalled that after the Second World War more than 80 countries witnessed mass atrocities. At least 53 million innocent lives were lost. Behind those numbers were real men and women made of f lesh and blood, and also children. They had futures but were not allowed to live. Behind those numbers there are still traumatized families and the distorted creative potential of the affected societies.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

6. “The Offices of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect were established at that time. The Human Rights Council has helped to promote the culture of prevention. Over the past months, the Syrian tragedy has increased awareness of our responsibility to prevent and stop mass atrocities. United States President Barack Obama has established a promising atrocities prevention board and, in his remarks at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in April, made the point that national sovereignty was never a licence to slaughter your people. I hope we all share his belief that preventing genocide is an achievable goal.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

7. “He stalked the halls of the United Nations every day until December 1948, when the General Assembly finally adopted the Convention. Afterwards he continued his work, and his endeavours paid off in 1951, when the Convention came into force. We then waited half a century to see the first conviction of an individual for the crime of genocide. The establishment of the International Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the 1990s was followed by the historic creation of the permanent International Criminal Court. That was another milestone in the humanization of international relations. A further encouraging development is that the United Nations system has improved its internal coordination of activities related to the prevention of genocide.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

8. “Among other issues of global concern, I would like to draw the Assembly’s attention to the horrific scenes in Syria. A civil war has been dragging on there for many months. Efforts at mediation unfortunately have failed. It shocks our conscience that we have been unable to stop the bloodshed. Sadly, we have not succeeded in protecting civilians. In my view, the situation is critical. It speaks to the urgent need to consider strengthening the preventive capacities of the United Nations, its States Members and regional organizations. Concerted efforts to avert mass atrocities are needed. Last year we celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention was the result of the tireless efforts of Mr. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

9. “At the outset, let me congratulate His Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremić, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, on his election and wish him success in discharging his duties. It is my honour to pay tribute to the Secretary- General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his able leadership and tireless efforts in guiding the United Nations in these demanding times. The theme of this session of the General Assembly is “Bringing about adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations by peaceful means”. We had an opportunity to listen to the speakers at the opening of the session, who stressed the importance of preventing violence and the responsibility of all Member States, their leaders and international organizations to take any action they can to prevent and raise awareness of such horrible events.”

   2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)

10. “Slovenia actively participates in initiatives on intercultural dialogue, devoting special attention to the Mediterranean area. We hope to see the early establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean university, which would be a Slovenian contribution to raising awareness about the need for peaceful coexistence among those with different cultures and world views. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of the chief architects of the United Nations, predicted at the time of the establishment of the Organization that change would be a regular feature of its development. Indeed, the United Nations continues to be built today. The great hopes of humanity depend on our joint efforts, which will never be completed. Therefore, it is my hope that the sixty-second session of the General Assembly will be crowned with success.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

11. “Slovenia attaches great importance to the concept of human security, which is in accordance with the pillars of the United Nations: development, security and human rights. We accord special attention to children: the youngest victims of violence, poverty and deadly pandemics are also the most powerless. Therefore, it remains true that a man never stands so tall as when he kneels to help a child. In that respect, Slovenia takes particular pride in its full cooperation with the non-governmental sector. The Together Foundation, which is concerned with the psychosocial well-being of children in societies affected by armed conflict, and the Slovenian International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina were founded as a result of Slovenia’s initiatives aimed at the wider region.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

12. “Even the most determined efforts to achieve global security have little chance for lasting success under conditions of inequality. Therefore, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is of paramount importance. Creating equal opportunities for the disadvantaged and demonstrating solidarity with them are sustainable investments in peace. It is only when both developed and developing countries choose to make such investments that the benefits of the world’s current economic growth will be more fairly distributed. Slovenia was very pleased to become a member of the Human Rights Council. The trust that has been placed in us will be honoured through our active and open efforts to achieve the implementation of human rights standards. We will continue to support the policy of global abolition of the death penalty.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

13. “In the last decade and a half, the international community has dedicated considerable human and financial resources to the region of the Balkans. The contribution is great; therefore the dividends of peace for the whole region should not be wasted at the end of the stabilization process. We need to pursue solutions to secure these dividends; then they should be further invested in the common European project. The international community must, within the framework of the United Nations, complete the establishment of mechanisms aimed at meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century. Finalizing a comprehensive United Nations convention on international terrorism must continue to be a key priority. Another challenge remains concrete application of the concept of the responsibility to protect.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

14. “The European Union has showed the will and ability to take initiative. We hope that such examples will set the dominant tone of the overall discussion through the new framework for the period after 2012. Slovenia welcomes the progress made so far in the United Nations reform process and will continue to work towards the more responsive, effective and representative United Nations. The role of the United Nations in maintaining peace and security is indispensable. This year, more than 10 per cent of the members of the Slovenian armed forces participated in missions abroad under the mandate of the Security Council. The majority of them helped to strengthen peace and stability in South- Eastern Europe, and also in Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

15. “The discussions this week have proved that the global community has identified the challenges brought about by the human impact on the environment. The will to find solutions under United Nations auspices was clearly expressed. The sheer dimension and complexity of the issue require that this Organization have primacy. Today, environmental changes are occurring all over the world. Slovenia pins great hopes on a regional approach in the search for solutions. At the global level, we support the principle of common, but different, responsibilities. A common approach is necessary because of the considerable impact of climate change, including on global security and stability. Country-specific solutions should allow space for realizing development potential. Slovenia is very serious about its commitments within the European framework.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)

16. “Mr. President, let me first express my gratitude to your predecessor, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, for her leadership of the General Assembly. To you, Sir, on behalf of Slovenia, I assure full support for your leadership. We also look forward to cooperating with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. An important part of the sixty-second session of the General Assembly will coincide with a period of increased international responsibility for Slovenia. We will do our best to make good use of this opportunity and to benefit not only Europe, but the international community as a whole. The United Nations will be at the heart of our efforts. This Organization still represents humankind in its best light.”

    2007-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 62 (2007)