YouSaid · the spoken record

Allen

lines on the record: 1,072
first: 2017-08-15
most recent: 2020-12-07
sittings or episodes: 159
sources: un-security-council

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

“It is very helpful and important for the Council to hear ground truth from the Force Commanders. I therefore hope that they will feel enabled and emboldened to answer all questions fully and without any need to be diplomatic. With regard to my questions, I would like to ask a general question to either one or both of the Force Commanders, which is what impact they are seeing on the ground from the support provided from Headquarters as a result of the Secretary-General's reforms of the peace and security architecture. My second general question involves the great deal of focus placed on improving the performance of uniformed components in missions. Do they have access to the data that they need to be able to drive forward performance improvement efforts based on evidence?”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for your guidance to limit today's meeting to questions. I will do so. I have to say that following our Polish colleague's intervention, that he has already taken some of my questions. Therefore, I think that, as you will speak last, Sir, that you will have a difficult time and will really have to think of something new. I also thank the Force Commanders here today. May I, like my Polish colleague, pay tribute to the men and women who serve in blue the Security Council and the United Nations. I pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in doing so. I also ask the Force Commanders to please pass on the thanks of the Council to their own troops for all that they are doing in sometimes very difficult circumstances.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Along with Germany, we will engage with all our colleagues on the Council and especially our African Union friends with regard to the details of the proposed technical rollover. In conclusion, we will be watching the actions ofthe Transitional Military Council in the coming days and weeks. It still has a choice to make. The international community should be united in demanding that it make the right choice. That would require immediate steps to establish a civilian-led transitional authority that in turn would pave the way for peace in Darfur. Moreover, it has an obligation to the people of the Sudan, who have shown tremendous bravery and perseverance in their dignified and legitimate demands for a better tomorrow.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“The United Kingdom and Germany believe that the most prudent approach would be a technical rollover of UNAMID's mandate, which would provide time for progress on the broader political situation. It would give time for the issue regarding the handover of UNAMID's team sites to be resolved, and it would enable the United Nations and the African Union to develop a political strategy to address the outstanding challenges that will remain following UNAMID's departure. I take note of the communique of the African Union issued yesterday, and in particular its clear rejection of any handover of assets to the Rapid Support Forces under any circumstances, and its demand that the decree issued by the Transitional Military Council be repealed.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“For peacebuilding to be sustainable, the international community requires a willing and able partner in the host State. Unfortunately, the current conditions do not lend themselves to that. As a result, we in the Council have a responsibility to step back, take stock of the current situation and consider how that affects the assumptions that we have all previously expressed and shared about UNAMID's immediate future. I would like to say that as we have been since UNAMID first deployed to Darfur 15 years ago, the United Kingdom remains firmly committed to supporting efforts to build peace and stability in Darfur, and that commitment guides our approach to UNAMID's mandate renewal.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“The other obvious impact of the wider situation is on the Darfur peace process, which is currently stalled. The Transitional Military Council previously stated that resolving the Sudan's internal conflicts would be its top priority, and at the time that was a welcome statement. However, its recent actions severely undermine that commitment. The United Kingdom therefore calls on the military authorities to undertake confidence-building measures, including agreeing to an independent and transparent investigation of the violence in Khartoum. The United Kingdom remains committed to the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Darfur, and if it is to succeed a number of conditions should be met. UNAMID's departure must be undertaken responsibly, without creating security and protection vacuums.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“That would not only violate existing agreements on the handover of the sites, as well as United Nations principles, financial rules and regulations, it would also be grossly negligent. We would risk enabling violence against civilians. Since the events of 11 April, Darfur has witnessed a spike in violence in camps for internally displaced persons, intercommunal clashes and attacks on humanitarian actors. This week, UNAMID verified intercommunal clashes in central Darfur that resulted in the deaths of 17 people, 15 injured and more than 100 houses burned. Following the incident, UNAMID plans to intensify its confidence-building measures to promote intercommunal dialogue. That is just one example of the important role that UNAMID continues to play in Darfur, despite its limited footprint.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“Let us not forget that the Rapid Support Forces came from the militia known as the Janjaweed. This militia was responsible for a conflict which the United Nations estimates left 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. It should be of great concern to us all that the Rapid Support Forces currently occupy most of the team sites that UNAMID has vacated to date. The Transitional Military Council has shown no signs of abiding by previous agreements on the handover of UNAMID team sites for civilian use. As Under-Secretary-General Lacroix stated, it has gone so far as to explicitly demand by decree that UNAMID's remaining team sites be given to the Rapid Support Forces. UNAMID team sites must not be handed over to the Rapid Support Forces.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“Unfortunately, the violence, human rights violations and abuses perpetrated in Khartoum on and since 3 June are all too familiar to the people of Darfur. As Andrew Gilmour referenced, there remain serious human rights and protection concerns in Darfur. The very forces that perpetrated the recent violence in Khartoum, the Rapid Support Forces, have targeted and continue to target civilians in Darfur. That includes indiscriminate shooting, the looting and burning ofvillages and sexual and gender-based violence, among other crimes. As noted by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, in her statement on the Sudan yesterday, the Rapid Support Forces have "consistently been listed by the Secretary-General in his annual report on conflict-related sexual violence".”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“We note that, today, the Transitional Military Council has acknowledged the violations committed by the security services on 3 June and said that an investigation is under way. The United Kingdom urges the military authorities to ensure that the investigation is transparent and ensures the accountability that the military authorities have a responsibility to deliver for the Sudanese people. May I also say how strongly we support the position of the African Union (AU). The African Union has demonstrated strong regional leadership in response to the situation in the Sudan. We fully support its efforts to find a peaceful and swift resolution to the current crisis and we call on all international partners to show their support for those AU efforts.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“It could choose to engage with the international community to gain the support that the Sudan desperately needs as it seeks to turn around decades of economic mismanagement and to help resolve conflict. Instead, the Transitional Military Council chose brutal violence that resulted in the deaths of over 100 peaceful civilian protesters and the injury of hundreds more. Through our press statement this week (SC/13836), we in the Council strongly condemned that violence and urged the authorities to immediately end the use of violence, fully respect human rights and ensure justice and accountability. I am sure that will be the clear and unambiguous message that will be sent by members of the Council today.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“Let me, too, thank Under-Secretary-General Lacroix and Assistant Secretary-General Gilmour for their briefings this morning. Let me speak a little, first, about the wider situation in the Sudan and its impact on Darfur and then, secondly, on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) and our approach to the upcoming mandate renewal. We meet again during uncertain times in the Sudan. When we last met in the Chamber on this issue (see S/PV.8513), I said that the Transitional Military Council had a choice. It could choose to deliver on the legitimate demands of the Sudanese people for a political system that is inclusive, respectful of human rights and the rule of law.”
2019-06-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8549 (2019) · source
“We believe that the United Nations and the League of Arab States can achieve more when they work together in that spirit.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“The United Kingdom fully supports the United Nations and Special Envoy Martin Griffiths as he continues his efforts to secure agreement by the parties to the conflict to implement the Stockholm agreements. We encourage both parties to continue to engage constructively with the Special Envoy and Lieutenant General Lollesgaard. We are deeply concerned about the reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Freedom of navigation is vital to the global economy and all of our interests. The challenges facing the region are immense. All of us sitting around this table today must show agility and prioritize practical action in working together to address them.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“The protracted and worsening violence benefits no one and serves only to demonstrate that there is no military solution. We call on all involved in the conflict to commit to an immediate ceasefire, allow unfettered humanitarian access and resume political talks. Achieving that will require compromise on all sides. We remain fully supportive of the United Nations-led political process and the efforts of Special Representative Salame as the only way to achieve security and stability in Libya. It has now been four years since the devastating conflict in Yemen began. Without a political settlement, the horrific suffering of millions will continue.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“With regards to the Middle East peace process, the United Kingdom remains committed to a two-State solution, leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian State, based on the 1967 borders and with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both States. We have consistently called and continue to call for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of a two-State solution, including terrorism, anti-Semitic incitement, settlement expansion and the demolition of Palestinian property. We should all encourage all parties to abide by international law and promote peace, stability and security. Turning to Libya, the United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“We have all recently seen again horrifying scenes of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, being bombed in Syria, this time in Idlib. We cannot shirk our responsibilities as members of the Council. Working with the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria and with the League of Arab States, we have to redouble our efforts to seek a negotiated political settlement in line with resolution 2254 (2015), which remains the only sustainable solution to the conflict. The United Kingdom will not resume engagement with Syria or consider reconstruction until a credible, substantive and genuine political process is firmly under way. And I echo the comments of the United States Ambassador on the importance of the League of Arab States' suspension of Syria.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“We expect the Transitional Military Council to act on their demands and engage in dialogue to agree on a swift transition to civilian Government. We utterly condemn the use of force against peaceful protesters, and we encourage all partners, including in the League of Arab States and especially those with influence over the Transitional Military Council, to support the African Union's mediation efforts and the calls for an end to violence and a swift transfer to civilian rule. Stability will come with an inclusive agreement, not with violence and exclusion. We will continue to engage with all sides to that end. On Syria, the United Kingdom's position remains clear. Peace through a negotiated political settlement is absolutely essential for the sake of the people of Syria and the region.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“I thank the Secretaries-General for their briefings today. I want to congratulate you, Mr. President, and Kuwait on organizing this first meeting with the League of Arab States under this agenda item. We agree with others that sustainable long-term peace and prosperity is best achieved through coordinated efforts. As the regional situation continues to evolve, the League of Arab States has shown resolve and perseverance in working to strengthen regional security and stability. Stronger cooperation will enable us all to confront the urgent challenges that we share in the region and that demand the international community's immediate attention. To begin with the Sudan, the international community must support the demands of the Sudanese people for a better future.”
2019-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8548 (2019) · source
“As members of the Security Council, we too have a shared responsibility to act, to come together on the basis of these commitments and to continue to strengthen our approaches, with the support of others - the rest of the United Nations system - in the area of conflict prevention and mediation. Mary Robinson shared some wise quotes from Kofi Annan. Let me end with his words: "We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better."”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“It is also why we offered the groundbreaking resolution 2349 (2017) on the Lake Chad Basin issue and its root causes, which include climate change. Let me take the opportunity to inform colleagues that the United Kingdom has today announced that we will reduce our emissions to net zero by 2050 and will enshrine that commitment in our law. When the Security Council embraced the concept of sustaining peace in resolution 2282 (2016), it recognized the shared responsibility of all three pillars of the United Nations to act to prevent the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“But where there may be scope to prevent further deterioration through quick action by the United Nations and regional and subregional bodies - including, in particular, the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States - and to encourage and support efforts to establish a credible political dialogue, the United Kingdom is open to working together with all parties and organizations to try and find solutions. On the thematic issue, I would also note Mary Robinson's words on the behalf of The Elders on climate change. I agree very much that this is an increasingly concerning driver of instability. That is why the United Kingdom called the first Security Council debate on the impact of climate change on peace and security in 2007 (see S/PV.5663).”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“Regrettably, it is difficult to disagree with that assessment, but I am grateful that we have an opportunity today to pause and consider. Let me give an example of a country-level issue and a thematic issue where I think we could be thinking about these questions. At the country level, the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon is an example of a developing crisis that has implications for fragile regional stability and wider international peace and security.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“For that and other reasons, the United Kingdom in 2018 committed $1.6 million to increasing women's participation in peace processes. The Secretary-General talked about FemWise-Africa, and I would also like to highlight the development of the Commonwealth Women Mediators Network, which I believe will play an increasingly important role in the coming years. More broadly, peace processes including and involving women fully are more likely to be inclusive of all groups and of the grass roots, making it more likely, in turn, that they will succeed. It is indeed about achieving success. The Kuwaiti presidency's concept note for today's meeting (S/2019/456, annex) states that the Council's "reactive" approach to crises means that action is often taken only once political and security situations have already deteriorated.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“The mediation standby team of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is an important part of this prevention toolkit, with a wide range of preventive diplomacy capacities and expertise, including on the design and management of dialogue processes, constitution-making, gender and inclusion issues, natural resources, power-sharing and security arrangements. The United Kingdom has been one of the largest donors to the DPPA multi-year appeal to support those activities. The United Kingdom believes strongly, however, that further progress is essential on the matter of women's participation. Women continue to build peace when formal processes fail. They lobby for peace processes to begin when parties refuse to talk and implement peace agreements long after the international donors have walked away.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“They are well placed to assume mediation roles, as the African Union (AU) did during the peace talks in the Central African Republic, for example. Let me take this opportunity also to express our strong support for ongoing AU-led mediation efforts to resolve the current crisis in the Sudan and its people's calls for a civilian-led transitional authority. It was good that the Security Council issued a press statement last night standing behind African Union efforts condemning violence and calling for talks to resolve the situation. It is therefore critical that the United Nations retains an agile mediation capacity.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“Let me also salute the hard work of United Nations Special Envoys and Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, who are on the front lines of complex negotiations in situations such as Libya and Yemen. Again, I find myself agreeing with Ban Ki-moon on the importance of standing behind our mediator when the going gets tough. In our recent press statement on Yemen, the Security Council, among other points, reiterated its unequivocal support for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. We need to stand behind the people we send out there, even when things are difficult. I also want to salute, as my French and Chinese colleagues have done, the role that regional and subregional organizations play.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“I know that some members of the Security Council are concerned by any expansion of the Council's agenda. If we do not find ways of effective conflict prevention in countries not yet on our agenda where we have concerns, then we make it more likely that they will actually come onto the agenda. We therefore have to find some way of collectively resolving this dilemma. At a time when the concept of conflict prevention can prompt different responses from Security Council members, I believe that the question of the importance of mediation is something that unites us all, around which we all can find consensus. I actually thought that the statement by the representative of China underlined that very point.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“Let me also thank our briefers today. The United Kingdom held an open debate on mediation during our own presidency of the Security Council in August (see S/PV.8334). We are very glad to see the Kuwaiti presidency taking the debate further, because we believe that mediation can and does work. We believe that properly deployed and executed, mediation can help parties to resolve disputes before they are allowed to spiral into darker and more entrenched cycles of violence. We also believe, as the Council recognized in its January 2018 presidential statement (S/PRST/2018/ 1), that mediation has to be one element of a comprehensive conflict- prevention strategy. Ban Ki-moon talked about the importance of conflict prevention, of dealing with issues before they get out of control.”
2019-06-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8546 (2019) · source
“They suffer every day, and those of us who have met them cannot fail to be moved by their suffering. They relive conflicts as others are able to move on. Whatever positions that Member States around this table take on individual conflicts, let us all agree collectively that resolving cases of missing persons should be a humanitarian priority, and let us try to remove this issue from the political arena.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“Another 17,000 are believed to have gone missing as a result of Government repression before the beginning of the conflict. The United Kingdom underlines the importance of the work that the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 is undertaking on accountability and takes note of its plans to develop a system to categorize and classify material that might be relevant to locating missing persons. Long after a conflict ends, families and communities are deeply affected by those who remain missing. Since the beginning of my diplomatic career, in Cyprus, I have met many families in this position, from a range of conflicts.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“We urge political leaders to focus on those efforts rather than divisive political rhetoric, which only perpetuates antagonism. Resolution 2474 (2019), adopted today, highlights the actions that Member States can take to prevent people from going missing in armed conflict. But sadly there are too many examples of States deliberately targeting civilians in armed conflict, including through arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported in 2012 that enforced disappearance was used by the ruling regime in Syria to eliminate opposition groups and create a climate of fear. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic estimates that at least 60,000 people have gone missing in Syria since the beginning of the civil war.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“As we have heard today, the issue of missing persons is a complex and prevalent problem in Iraq and Kuwait, but also in many conflict situations around the world. In Kosovo we welcome the efforts of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Government of Kosovo to address legacy issues, including investigating cases of missing persons. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, more than 17,000 people are still registered as missing after the conflicts that broke out in the former Yugoslavia in the 19905. Justice for all victims and their families is a crucial part of future stability. The United Kingdom calls on both Pristina and Belgrade to support all necessary action, which must include assisting existing domestic war-crimes courts in ensuring that outstanding cases of war crimes are heard.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“It also underscores that States bear the primary responsibility to protect their civilians and uphold the human rights of all individuals within their territory. But we need international cooperation in addressing the issue of missing persons, both during and after conflicts. After conflicts, international support to resolve this issue is frequently an important factor in promoting post-conflict peace, security and reconciliation. In that connection, I would like to commend the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the International Commission on Missing Persons for providing long- term institutional capacity and technical expertise to Governments with regard to the location, recovery and identification of missing persons.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“In Iraq, between 5,000 and 7,000 Yazidi women and girls were abducted and subjected to sexual slavery by Da'esh in 2014. Today, more than 3,000 Yazidi women and children remain unaccounted for. Given the scale of the global missing persons phenomenon, resolution 2474 (2019), adopted this morning, provides an important opportunity to review and strengthen international cooperation on this issue. The United Kingdom welcomes Kuwait's leadership on this important and complex issue and we were pleased to vote in favour of the resolution that Kuwait submitted. The resolution underlines the existing international legal obligations in this area and builds on the work of existing mechanisms.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“As armed conflicts create significant mass displacement, many migrants, refugees or internally displaced people go missing because they are afraid or unable to contact their families. Combatants and civilians may go missing as a result of abductions, mass atrocities, forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and, of course, extrajudicial killings. Women and children may be particularly at risk of being abducted for sexual exploitation or enslavement. The actions of non-State armed groups pose a particular challenge. In north-east Nigeria, Boko Haram has abducted hundreds if not thousands of women and children, including 274 girls kidnapped from their secondary school in Chibok in 2014. Five years on, more than 112 of those girls are still missing.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“I would like to formally welcome you today, Mr. President, to the Council. I congratulate you and your team on presiding over it and thank you for the great work you have already done this month. Every year, thousands of people go missing amid Violence and armed conflict. Every one of those missing persons is an individual - a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a sister, a brother. Their absence is directly felt by their loved ones for a lifetime. Uncertainty about the fate of family members, not knowing whether they are dead or alive, can continue for many years after the fighting ends. The trauma that causes can undermine relationships among communities and makes peacebuilding and reconciliation harder. The circumstances in which disappearances occur can vary greatly.”
2019-06-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8543 (2019) · source
“The United Kingdom supports the African Union's decision, and the leadership that it is showing in seeking to enable a transition to a civilian-led Government in the Sudan. We call on all Council members to support it in that regard.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“Those decisions should be the result of the annual negotiations between the current and incoming members of the Council, and that has always been a process of consensus. I would like to take this opportunity to underline our support for the code of conduct of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, which asks members to refrain from voting against credible Council action aimed at stopping mass atrocities and crimes against humanity, and also, of course, for reform of the Security Council generally. Lastly, I welcome the information that the representative of South Africa shared about the decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council to suspend the Sudan in the wake of the Violence and killings by its military authorities, which are unacceptable and should be condemned by us all.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“Every subsidiary body is different, and it is right that we therefore consider their working methods primarily on a case-by-case basis, but there are also cross- cutting issues, including, of course, with regard to due process. I definitely agree about the vital role that targeted sanctions play in giving effect to the Council's decisions, and about the importance of our ability as a Council to ensure that those sanctions regimes are strong. We continue to be happy to discuss those issues in more detail our Council colleagues. On the subject of the distribution of chairmanships, the United Kingdom has chaired subsidiary bodies in the past and we have no objection in principle to doing so again.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“The United Kingdom is committed to close consultation with all relevant stakeholders during negotiation processes. We consult with troop- and police-contributing countries, Chairs of Sanctions Committees, countries of the region and Chairs of the Peacebuilding Commission's country-specific configurations, and we do that routinely on every draft resolution for which we are the penholder. When we last held the presidency of the Council, in August, we made sure that we spoke to the Permanent Representatives of every country that was on the Council's agenda that month or was directly affected. The Council's subsidiary bodies, including, as Mr. Cockayne said, its Sanctions Committees, are a vital element in our work, and I would like to pay tribute to their Chairs and the work they do. We support efforts to strengthen their working methods.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“I would like to address some of the issues raised by my South African colleague in his statement. Where penholding is concerned, in recent years we have seen growing flexibility in that area and a variety of penholding configurations. For its part, the United Kingdom shares the pen with Germany on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur and on Libyan sanctions. We are currently working with Poland on a draft resolution on disabilities and conflict. We believe it is an important principle to keep the practice of penholding informal, and we maintain the principle that every Council member has an equal right to take up the pen on any issue. But I also want to underline the importance of how penholders discharge their responsibilities, particularly their commitment to conducting negotiations in an inclusive manner.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“Given the comments that she made about the cost of such missions, I think we should look again at the possible use of mini-missions. With regard to products, they are the principal way through which the Security Council exercises its authority. In order to have impact on the ground, Council products should be concise and use clear and straightforward language. That has not always been the case. IfI were to read out one of last year's resolutions on Somalia, resolution 2431 (2018), it would take me more than 45 minutes. Last week, we collectively adopted resolution 2472 (2019) on Somalia, which brought the length down from 12 pages to seven. The United Kingdom is committed to continuing its efforts in that area, in line with our commitments to improve mandates, under the Secretary-General's Action for Peacekeeping initiative.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“Too often, we have seen members of the Council block or attempt to block discussions of situations that may endanger the maintenance of international peace and security. In that context, the United Kingdom recently initiated a monthly, informal discussion at the level of permanent representatives to encourage a frank exchange among ambassadors on developing threats to peace and security. That is a positive development, but I would like to emphasize that it is no substitute for proper Council consideration, not least for reasons of transparency. I agree with what Ms. Landgren had to say on the importance of well-considered Security Council missions that are properly aligned with the activities of other bodies and ensure a focus on conflict prevention as well.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“More effective working methods will not by themselves deliver that but they can make a contribution. Since the open debate in January 2018 (S/PV.8173), the United Kingdom has focused its efforts in two key areas and taken a number of actions. On meetings, we believe that the Council needs to spend its time discussing the right issues. We spend too much of our time on yesterday's conflicts. We are pleased in that context that at the end of last year the Council was able to agree on a reduction in the frequency of meetings on Kosovo. It is also important that we respond to the Secretary- General's call for a surge in diplomacy to support conflict prevention. The Council needs to shoulder its responsibilities under Article 34 of the Charter.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“We are still falling short of that ambition, including on such important issues as timekeeping and interactivity. I agree with my American and French colleagues on the need for both greater interactivity in consultations and the right balance of public and private meetings. There is an important balance struck in note 507 between flexibility and the need to ensure that the Council's working methods are clear and transparent. Flexibility has been one ofthe hallmarks ofthe Council's working practices over many decades and remains a priority for the United Kingdom in its consideration of any proposal to amend working methods. The Council is busier than ever; there are ever- more meetings and products. The increased volume of work does not necessarily translate into effective action on the ground.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“I very much welcome the opportunity to discuss working methods today. It is an important subject and it affects the Council's ability to deliver on its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations as an effective, efficient and transparent organ. I also thank you, Mr. President, for your chairmanship of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. I would also like to highlight the progress that has been made in recent years, in particular the renegotiation in 2017 of the note by the President (S/2017/507, annex), known as note 507, led by the Japanese Ambassador, whomI see in the Chamber today. That was an important step - note 507 is both a record of the evolution of Council practice and an aspirational document that sets out the Council's collective ambition for how it should function.”
2019-06-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8539 (2019) · source
“I very much look forward to the Council receiving theirjoint report once they have been to all those countries. I think that that would be a good opportunity for us then to come back to the issue and discuss it among ourselves. Finally, let me say that we remain very concerned about the current Ebola outbreak in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is crucial that the international community provide the necessary technical and financial support to the response led by the Congolese Government and the United Nations. We very much welcome the recent appointment of a senior United Nations Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator, based in Butembo.”
2019-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8538 (2019) · source
“We utterly condemn the violence wreaked by those groups on civilian populations and recognize the sacrifices made by the armed forces of the countries of the Lake Chad basin in the fight against terrorism. The United Kingdom remains committed to its support for efforts to tackle that crisis. It is right that a coordinated, coherent response should be led first and foremost by the Governments of the affected countries themselves, but with support from regional partners, the United Nations and the international community, including, of course, the United Kingdom. I very much welcome the joint visits that Special Representative Fall has been undertaking with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Chambas, to the countries of the region.”
2019-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8538 (2019) · source
“As the Secretary-General's report makes clear, the shrinking space for political opposition, civil society and free and independent media is a concern with respect not only to Cameroon but also to Chad, the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo. We urge the Governments of those countries to take constructive steps to ensure the protection of civil space and civil and political rights, given that they are the fundamental building blocks of long-term stability. The United Kingdom also remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian and security situation in the wider Lake Chad basin, caused by the conflict with and actions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa.”
2019-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8538 (2019) · source