YouSaid · the spoken record

Alvarez

lines on the record: 32
first: 2008-04-30
most recent: 2010-04-28
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-security-council

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“Finally, the Group wishes to reiterate its commitment to the future of Haiti and to its Government and people as they embark on the path of reconstruction, peacebuilding, stabilization, recovery and sustainable development.”
2010-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6303 (2010) · source
“The Group of Friends of Haiti shares the Secretary-General's assessment of the impact of the 12 January earthquake on the progress made in previous years in the process of economic and political stabilization. The earthquake not only destroyed the infrastructure that had been built, but also generated new obstacles to overcome. The Group recognizes that the devastation has also presented opportunities in the form of the support offered by the international community and of the Government's vision for a decentralized and strengthened State, with improved institutions and regional development. The Group of Friends of Haiti welcomes the Secretary-General's report, which highlights the ongoing contribution of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti to the stabilization and peacebuilding in the country.”
2010-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6303 (2010) · source
“The Group of Friends of Haiti wishes to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Edmond Mulet, for his leadership and outstanding work, as well as for his comprehensive briefing on MINUSTAH's activities. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/200) enables us to better understand the impact of the devastating earthquake of 12 January, and underlines the extraordinary efforts deployed by MINUSTAH and the United Nations in Haiti. The Group of Friends of Haiti recognizes that MINUSTAH will play a critical role in creating the necessary conditions to provide humanitarian assistance, stability and the infrastructure needed for the total reconstruction of the country.”
2010-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6303 (2010) · source
“Mr. Alvarez (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): The Uruguayan delegation, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Haiti, thanks Japan for its initiative to organize this debate on the situation in Haiti and for taking time to noting the progress carried out in the area through the efforts of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The Group of Friends of Haiti welcomes the presence of the Prime Minister of Haiti, Jean-Max Bellerive, and reiterates the commitment of States members of the Group to the reconstruction and stabilization of the country. This debate highlights the continued strong commitment of the Security Council and the wider international community to the stabilization process of Haiti.”
2010-04-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6303 (2010) · source
“The principle of national ownership can also appear to be an empty concept in devastated countries with limited institutional capacity. Nevertheless, it is the best way to proceed not just because it is the most correct politically, but because it avoids sowing the seeds of discord and resurgent conflict. It is the way to promote sustainable peace. Therefore, above and beyond the existing differences in each situation, when the international community finds in a given country emerging from conflict leadership that is clear, conciliatory and able to achieve political stability and national reconciliation, it should not squander the opportunity to decisively and sustainably promote its efforts to consolidate peace and to promote economic and social development. The examples we have heard today speak to that.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Although when we talk about strategies we tend to think about the medium and long terms, it is essential that we keep in mind the immediate and short-term dimensions in the aftermath of a conflict so as to produce tangible results 7 such as the restoration of basic services - at the onset of peace processes. In doing so, in addition to appreciating the inherent benefits of peace, the parties would see the desirability of having launched such a process. That would also serve to generate trust among the parties involved. In conclusion, with regard to the guiding principles of peacebuilding efforts, allow me to point out that it can indeed seem nearly impossible to find broad consensus in the formulation of an agreed national strategy in politically and ethnically divided societies that have just torn themselves apart.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In that connection, we should keep especially in mind the comparative advantage of civilian experts from developing countries. That will require the expanded use of South- South and triangular cooperation mechanisms. We should also make maximal use of the presence of Blue Helmets in carrying out peacebuilding tasks. It is indisputable that there can be no development without security. However, security alone is not enough to sustainably consolidate stability and peace. Any peacebuilding strategy should therefore include elements that serve to promote social and economic development.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We have trust in the leadership of the Chair of the Organizational Committee, as well as in the work of the facilitators, to achieve a positive outcome to the current review process. Along with its legitimacy, the United Nations has a comparative advantage in helping affected countries to define comprehensive and integrated peacebuilding strategies, which are crucial to ensuring sustainable peace and development. In that regard, as we have said on other occasions, there can hardly be sustainable peace in countries emerging from armed conflict if the causes of those conflicts are not addressed. Security sector reform is another extremely important thematic area in which the United Nations can bring relevant added value. In this as in other areas, it is essential to enjoy abundant and flexible financial and human resources.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The establishment of a body specifically mandated to take up this issue should have helped, in large measure, to resolve this problem. However, in spite of the substantial contribution made by the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) since its inception, in particular in countries on its agenda, its place within the Organization and the support resources at its disposal are insufficient to maximize its potential. In that regard, although there seems to be a certain degree of consensus as to the need to strengthen the PBC, we also have the impression that, in the context of the difficult review process currently under way, substantive differences exist as to its role and structure. To that end, we could focus on making timely and viable changes that strengthen the PBC and, above all, try to increase its added value on the ground.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In many cases, it is not the most relevant one - at least when it comes to financial contributions, which are a crucial element in such a critical phase. Nevertheless, due to the unique legitimacy derived from its universally representative character, it is of course the United Nations that is expected to play a central role in mobilizing and coordinating support to countries emerging from conflict. Nevertheless, given that peacebuilding encompasses a considerable range of thematic issues and owing to the very structure of the Organization, when it comes to making that concept a reality, significant challenges arise within the United Nations system in the areas of leadership, coordination and the definition of responsibilities, which we need to address.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Mr. Alvarez (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to commend the delegation of Japan for having convened this open debate, whose intrinsic importance was underscored by the presence this morning of important officials. Who better than the representatives of the countries that have experienced such a crucial transitional phase and achieved positive results to illustrate for us - through their experiences, mistakes and successes 7 that each case is different and to remind us that we cannot effectively apply a single approach to differing situations? Peacebuilding is a complex long- and medium- term process that encompasses a broad range of tasks and stakeholders that require coordination and coherence. The United Nations is certainly just one of the actors involved.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Uruguay reiterates its desire to continue working proactively and constructively to move forward in this matter in an inclusive and coordinated fashion, relying on lessons learned, particularly in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the representative body for all Member States. In this respect, I would like to take this opportunity to invite participants to a new workshop which we will organize, together with the permanent representative of Australia, in the morning of 8 December. There, we hope to repeat the open discussion and to start to seek a common understanding with a view to the upcoming session of the Special Committee.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Accordingly, the involvement of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the protection of civilians, in coordination with the work of the peacekeeping missions, is of vital importance. In this regard, it is urgent to maintain and strengthen the norms of international humanitarian law with a view to fighting impunity, ensuring access for humanitarian personnel and providing proper safety and security conditions so that they may carry out their tasks with the ultimate objective of avoiding and/or alleviating the suffering of the civilian population in emergency situations.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Likewise, even though we do agree that protection - in the light of evidence of physical violence - is an essential matter in the protection of civilians, it should be looked at from a comprehensive point of view, including humanitarian assistance, police work and the promotion of the rule of law, political stability, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, reconstruction and economic and social development. No one questions the fact that the State has the primary responsibility to assist victims in emergency situations that could take place on their own territory. However, when the scope and duration of these emergencies exceed the response capacity of States, international cooperation in terms of humanitarian assistance is crucial.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The complexity of the situations and the lack of human and material resources, even if they do not justify inaction, are real conditions that must be borne in mind in order not to exaggerate expectations and so that we do not fix parameters that we are not in a position to fulfil. All stakeholders - the Security Council, the Secretariat, the police- and troop-contributing countries - need to make a great deal of improvement in this area so that this balance will get closer to what innocent civilians expect of the United Nations.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“What can we effectively do on the ground, given the circumstances in which the United Nations operates? What can we do to improve this situation? By way of example, it is very clear that we must provide missions with some type of concept or guidelines which would interpret in a fairly standard way the mandates which are approved by the Security Council. In order to take advantage of the experience acquired and to bolster the legitimacy and the commitment to their implementation, these guidelines must be developed with the participation of the actors involved, especially the police and troop-contributing countries which are responsible for the most sensitive tasks involved in implementation. It is also clear that we have to find a balance between intentions and capabilities, between mandates and resources.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Secondly, while we are aware of the fact that the protection of civilians is a task that is fundamentally carried out on the ground, its effective implementation is not easy if the actors do not have the necessary and suitable planning, guidelines, coordination, training, resources and political commitment. That is why it is one thing to incorporate protection language in a Security Council resolution and quite another to implement this intention effectively on the ground. The distance between the two extremes is very large and, as the independent study has pointed out, the link that should bind them together is completely broken. Thus, to move forward in a sustainable fashion, all the actors involved should have more or less the same idea of what is expected when the protection of civilians is mandated.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“After 10 years of discussion on this subject and after the approval of mandates for the protection of civilians by the Security Council, two facts are quite evident. First, there is a clear evolution in the awareness of the international community on the need for the United Nations to play an important support role in the protection of the lives of innocent persons affected by conflict. Accordingly, peacekeeping operations are probably the most tangible tool that the Organization possesses to make this protection effective. It is also true that a large part of the credibility of the United Nations depends on this tool.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Mr. Alvarez (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the efforts of the Government of Austria over the past year to reach agreement on how to improve the situation of civilian populations affected by armed conflict. I would also like to welcome the presentation of the independent study on the protection of civilians in the context of United Nations peacekeeping operations. This document was brought about through exhaustive efforts that we commend. The fact that it is an independent study allows us to consider it without preconceived notions and draw from it valid lessons on the basis of which all stakeholders involved in this issue can build, in a coordinated fashion, the broadest consensus possible on the protection of civilians in peacekeeping operations.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The positive effect of quick-impact projects should also be taken into account. There are over 100,000 women and men deployed in 16 missions who can provide a resolute contribution in the early stages of restoring stability. To conclude, as is clear from the report and this debate, much remains to be done with respect to mechanisms of the management, financing and coordination of peacebuilding. That is only natural, bearing in mind that this Organization has undertaken systematic and institutionalized efforts in this area for only a short time. For that reason, Uruguay believes that it is extremely timely for all of us to take this opportunity to renew our support to the Peacebuilding Commission and take advantage of the approaching 2010 review to strengthen it and make it an even more effective tool for the Organization.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Somewhat linked to the aspect mentioned earlier, there is one matter that caught our attention it was not covered properly in the report of the Secretary-General. It concerns the support that military personnel deployed in peacekeeping operations could contribute, precisely in that early period, when there is a transition towards a peacebuilding phase or when both tasks - peacekeeping and peacebuilding - occur simultaneously. The role of peacekeepers as early peacebuilders must not be underestimated. The support that such personnel can contribute in key areas such as providing security and strengthening the rule of law, including areas such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, as well as security sector reform and even expanding State authority, must be drawn on.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“From the standpoint of a developing country that has actively cooperated in peacekeeping as well as in early recovery activities, primarily through valuable human resources, we particularly appreciate the emphasis placed on the need for the United Nations to draw more on/take better advantage of the capacities in the southern hemisphere in order to contribute to the task of peacebuilding. In that regard, we hope to see the realization of the idea put forward by the Secretary- General in the report of creating new systems of outreach to appropriately qualified personnel from developing countries. Uruguay, along with the rest of our region, has valuable human resources to contribute in various areas key to peacebuilding.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Likewise, we appreciate that issues linked to security, undoubtedly indispensable to providing a minimum framework of stability, be only one area in which the Secretariat has proposed seeking considerable progress in the coming months. Support for governmental institutions that serve essential functions, the reintegration of returnees, early employment generation, the rehabilitation of basic infrastructure and various aspects of economic revitalization are activities of equal priority, without which peacebuilding is not sustainable. As we have already stated in other thematic debates, it also seems important that dialogue and peace processes be inclusive and representative, and we agree that regional organizations can play a positive role in that respect.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“In that respect, let me stress that the Peacebuilding Commission is unique in being probably the only intergovernmental forum that brings together developing and developed countries to jointly discuss peacebuilding and reconstruction; that links political aspects, such as those of security and development; that so closely involves itself in specific countries; and that has a level of legitimacy that probably no other body has. Meanwhile, we fully agree with a number of concepts highlighted in the report, such as the need to strengthen national ownership and to give priority to a country's own needs, which goes hand in hand with strengthening national capacity from the start.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“That point, summarized in the need to approach this issue from a comprehensive standpoint that encompasses the various key areas to stabilize a country and to begin to give it concrete steps in its economic and social development, is crucial for the international community's peacebuilding efforts to be effective and sustainable. In that regard, we are convinced that the Peacebuilding Commission is a key tool to improving the current situation, and we hope that the 2010 review process creates a favourable climate for that body to fully engage in the area of coordination.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Mr. Alvarez (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, allow me to congratulate the Council for having convened this debate on such an important topic. Peacebuilding in the immediate aftermath of conflict is crucial in guaranteeing peace, security and the minimal conditions for human development for millions of people who have emerged or who are emerging from conflict, as well as in preventing such conflicts from reoccurring. In that respect, Uruguay would like to take this opportunity to highlight certain aspects of the report (S/2009/304) presented this morning by the Secretary- General that we find to be particularly relevant. Probably the most striking point in that report relates to the need to give greater coordination and coherence within and beyond the United Nations system to peacebuilding efforts.”
2009-07-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6165Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Thus, in the period from 1998 to 2008, Uruguay, through its competent bodies and in close cooperation with the United Nations, destroyed more than 35,000 illegal weapons. The delegation of Uruguay would like to express its support for the recommendations of the Secretary- General, especially those calling for the unconditional application of all Security Council resolutions concerning sanctions, including those that impose arms embargoes, in order to effectively control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in conflict situations.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Therefore, and in conformity with that Protocol, in 2007 the Interior Ministry of Uruguay approved a circular that requires that all firearms and ammunition imported into the country, as well as small arms and light weapons destined for use by the armed forces, the national police and other authorized official institutions, be marked. According to the INTERPOL database, in Uruguay there is no illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. Nor are they currently any national firearms manufacturers in Uruguay. Nevertheless, the Government of Uruguay has begun campaigns to destroy small arms and light weapons that are not duly registered or that have been confiscated because they have been traced back to illegal activities.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Currently, Uruguay has a body of laws, standards and administrative procedures that are related to small arms and light weapons in areas such as production, export, import, transit and retransfer. Uruguay is also party to all international instruments in this area that are identified in the Secretary-General's report. With regard to the most recent steps taken by our country, I can report that, by Law 18.233 of 11 December 2007, Uruguay ratified the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition. That instrument, which is a protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime - the Palermo Convention - establishes the obligation to draw up standards for marking in order to identify and track firearms.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source
“As shown in the Secretary-General's report, small arms continue to be the weapons most used in conflicts, particularly in those going on at present, especially those which continue to be considered by the Security Council. Once again, it is noted with concern that the majority of these weapons are in the hands of civilians, in much larger quantities than those available to armies, police and national armed groups. That is why, in the opinion of the Government of Uruguay, one of the main problems that the international community must face is the civilian population's access to such weapons. The Uruguayan Government has made great efforts to adapt its policies and legislation to international and regional instruments related to the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source
“That has somehow prevented us from continuing to implement, through various mechanisms, means of improving the Council's working methods in a clear and defined manner. The delegation of Uruguay notes that the report of the Secretary-General (S/2008/258) updates and summarizes the information related to small arms in all their aspects and once again alerts the entire international community to the harmful effects of illicit small arms on security, human rights and the social and economic development of States. Uruguay fully agrees that studying the phenomenon of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is not limited to security issues, but includes other, broader subjects related to human rights and development.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Mr. Alvarez (Uruguay) (spoke in Spanish): At the outset, I should like to congratulate you, Mr. President, for the initiative to hold an open debate, as the delegation of South Africa has done on previous occasions. As stated by the delegation of Uruguay during the most recent open Security Council debate on this item (see S/PV.5390), in March 2006, we encourage the holding of such debates, since they are one of the Council's main mechanisms for improving its interaction with the General Assembly and other organs of the system. However, we continue to regret the fact that the item related to the Security Council's working methods has, to a certain extent, been postponed and unfairly linked to resolving the more politically complex issue of increasing the number of Council members.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881Resumption1 (2008) · source