YouSaid · the spoken record

Amal Mudallali

lines on the record: 186
first: 2020-04-23
most recent: 2021-10-21
sittings or episodes: 24
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

“Twenty-one years later, the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda is still stalling. Despite all the commitments, both verbal and on paper, the implementation of the women and peace and security agenda still has long strides to make in the real world. Now is the time to act and make sure that women are present in all places and at every table where peace is served. We are already late, but today we can choose to do the right thing.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“My country fully supports the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative and believes that the women and peace and security agenda is instrumental in enhancing the performance of peacekeeping operations at all levels. In that regard, we commend UNIFIL for incorporating a gender perspective in its mission and for ensuring that women are deployed in all areas of operations. We thank UNIFIL troop-contributing countries for expanding the participation of women in their contingents, and we call on them to support the expansion of the role and number of women in UNIFIL at all levels and in key positions. I seize this opportunity to salute women peacekeepers serving under UNIFIL’s flag and to thank them for their efforts and their important contributions. Lebanon is grateful for their valuable and brave service.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“In peacekeeping operations, women have proven themselves to be equal to men peacekeepers, performing the same duties and taking on the same responsibilities. However, we are still far from achieving gender equality in peacekeeping operations. While it is true that we have witnessed some progress in the participation and roles of women in peacekeeping operations, the numbers are still discouraging. In the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in 2021, only 7 per cent of UNIFIL uniformed personnel and 31 per cent of its civilian staff were women. Increasing women’s full, equal, inclusive and meaningful participation in United Nations peacekeeping is essential for the success of United Nations peacekeeping efforts and for sustaining peace.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“Some of the proposed amendments are the fruit of close collaboration among United Nations agencies, civil society and official institutions — yet another testament to the efficacy of women’s grass-roots movements in Lebanon in designing and affecting change. Despite all the challenges, Lebanon is moving forward with the implementation of its national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). As mentioned in the Secretary- General’s 2021 report on women and peace and security, the Lebanese national action plan mandates the relevant authorities to double the number of women in the security sector annually from 2019 to 2023, and female representation reached 43 per cent in the most recent class of recruits to the military academy.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“Lebanon thanks the Secretary-General for his call in his 2021 report on women and peace and security (S/2021/827) to take positive steps to amplify the voices of women, including young women, women’s rights activists and leaders of peaceful protests in Lebanon. That call aligns with our national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000), which reflects Lebanon’s commitment to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment and to consolidate the equal, full, meaningful and effective participation of women in building sustainable peace, preventing conflicts and promoting national stability. As Lebanon prepares to hold parliamentary elections in March 2022, six proposals to amend the electoral law have been presented for discussion by the members of Parliament, which would allow the adoption of a women’s quota for both candidacies and seats.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“In my country, Lebanon, women and peacebuilding go hand in hand. As Ms. Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, recently reaffirmed, women in Lebanon are at the forefront of all current peacemaking initiatives. Across Lebanon, female politicians, female front-line responders, and female peacebuilders are working to find common ground, looking for areas of compromise and building platforms for dialogue. Those women deserve the explicit support of the international community and of the Council at this critical juncture in Lebanon’s history to persevere and continue on their vocational path towards peace and stability.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“Allow me, at the outset, to congratulate Kenya on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of October and thank it for organizing this important annual debate on women and peace and security under the theme of “Investing in women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding”. I also would like to thank the briefers for their insightful interventions. This year’s annual debate comes at a critical time for women in general and women peacebuilders in particular. The backsliding on commitments to gender equality and the backlash against women’s rights are on the rise everywhere. In many parts of the world, we are going back to an era where women are silenced again. In Afghanistan, women who have fought for change for over 20 years are at risk of losing their voices again.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/886 (2021) · source
“Lebanon remains committed to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety and continues to condemn the daily Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty by air and ground.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“Lebanon thanks all Security Council members for their invaluable unanimous support of this resolution, which is providing assistance to the Lebanese army. We cannot stress enough the stabilizing role of UNIFIL in the south of Lebanon and the region. We reiterate our support for UNIFIL’s leadership and staff and for the thousands of women and men peacekeepers from over 40 countries working in the mission. We are grateful to all the troop-contributing countries. We extend our sincere condolences to the Government and the people of Ghana, but most importantly to the family of Sergeant Sekyere Mansfield, who died while doing his honourable duty in the service of peace in UNIFIL this week. Cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces remains strong and robust.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“There is also agreement that differences over judicial issues should be resolved through a process sanctioned by the Constitution, which guarantees the independence of the judiciary, as Prime Minister Najib Azmi Mikati affirmed this week. This has paved the way for the judiciary to find a solution to a contentious judicial issue related to the port explosion. The Lebanese people have learned from years of wars that dialogue is the shortest and most effective way to solve problems and live together in peace and security. They will continue to do so despite the current difficulties. Lebanon welcomes the unanimous adoption, on 30 August, of resolution 2591 (2021), which extended for one year, without changes, the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“It will not be easy, but with the help of the international community and friends, Lebanon can regain its political and financial health and once again become a magnet in the region. There was an unfortunate event last week in Beirut involving a shooting at a demonstration that killed five demonstrators and injured others. The country is trying to contain the ramifications of this incident and move towards unity and reconciliation. The consensus in Lebanon is that there should never be a return to communal infighting and that all political differences should be resolved through dialogue. We hope that people’s legitimate political demands will be met through implementing much-needed reforms and through a democratic and transparent process that leads to the preservation of Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“A team from the International Monetary Fund is in Beirut holding talks with the Lebanese authorities on how to move forward on fixing Lebanon’s finances with the help of the international community. Discussions are also under way on how to resolve the outstanding problems in relation to energy, electricity and supplies. The approval last month of a road map involving Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Syria to supply natural gas to my country is a positive development that will help ease the power shortages that have heavily affected peoples’ lives in Lebanon. There is determination to move Lebanon out of its unprecedented crisis and get it back on a sustainable recovery path.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“It currently lacks funds to operate in the coming months of November and December. UNRWA’s vital role to millions of Palestinian refugees, particularly those in Lebanon, is unquestionable. We have always stressed the importance of ensuring predictable financing for the Agency by providing sustained and multi-year contributions. In this regard, the preparations for holding an international conference co-chaired by Jordan and Sweden in November 2021 in support of UNRWA are a critical step. This year’s return of the United States as a UNRWA partner and donor is also a positive step forward. Lebanon has a new Government and is trying to put the political, financial and economic processes of recovery on track after more than a year of political gridlock and a debilitating financial crisis.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“The absence of a peace horizon or hope for an end of the occupation will prolong any prospects for peace for the Palestinian people and the region as a whole. Lebanon welcomes the determination by the United States Administration to move forward with opening a consulate in Jerusalem and deepen American ties with the Palestinians in the context of working toward a two-State solution, as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken affirmed last week. This will give the Palestinians hope for a better future in their own independent State. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, recently warned that the Agency is at risk of collapse if funding is not guaranteed in the upcoming weeks.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“Only a comprehensive and just settlement based on resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 2334 (2016), inter alia, can be a basis for a political settlement that gives the Palestinians their due political rights and self-determination. The absence of such a settlement will prolong the daily Palestinian suffering stemming from the Israeli occupation, in particular the land confiscation, house demolitions, acts of violence against Palestinians and the imprisonment of millions in Gaza. This is in addition to the violence and harassment that the Palestinians endure from the settlers. During olive-harvesting season, Palestinian villagers endure attacks by settlers who uproot trees, destroy their crops and physically assault them.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“Israeli settlement activities are accelerating and uprooting the Palestinians from their land to build new settlements or expand existing ones. This is the torturous daily reality for Palestinians. Only last week the Israeli authorities approved a new building plan in an illegal Jerusalem settlement. In fact, three new building plans for new or existing settlements in and around Jerusalem have been designed to split Palestinian villages off from Jerusalem and sever all their physical ties to the holy city, while linking the Israeli settlements in the West Bank to Jerusalem. This policy will render any hopes for a Palestinian State impossible, as long as every day passes without a peaceful settlement.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“Allow me to thank the President for his active and effective presidency this month and for giving prominence to issues that deserve the attention of the Security Council and the whole United Nations system. The situation in the Middle East continues to grip the Council and the whole world because of the protracted conflicts, the enduring occupation and the humanitarian crises that were borne of these unfortunate conditions. The path to peace is still blocked in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with no movement on the horizon that might bring hope for peace to millions of Palestinians under occupation. The situation on the ground is getting worse, making the goal of a two-State solution harder to implement with every passing day.”
2021-10-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/884 (2021) · source
“Peace must drown violence and conflict in a sea of information about what brings us together and not what keeps us apart. Multilateralism must become our guiding principle and not only an aspiration. Only together can we build peace and, as Martin Luther King said, upon receiving his Nobel Prize, “sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood”.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“The barrage of fake news that was amplified during the pandemic not only threatened social cohesion in societies, but it also led to violence, spread divisions and weaponized diversity. Peace and peacebuilding have to start and end with stopping this infodemic and instead spread a culture of peace and understanding. Instead of telling us what is wrong with the other side, information should teach us to respect and value the differences of our cultures and views. Instead of violence, it should teach populations peace and coexistence. The role of peacemakers is critical in fighting this scourge of fake news. The voices of peacemakers and peacebuilders should be louder and stronger than the voices of division and exclusion.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“Equality and fairness can go a long way in cementing the cohesion of society with all its components and creating a healthy culture of peace. Another driver of conflict is injustice. The absence of or a weakened rule of law that causes injustice and oppression can lead to conflict, especially when people are forced to seek justice outside the rule of law and the State system, like in cases of revenge. Justice is a foundation and a prerequisite for peace. If there is no justice, there is no peace. A major threat to diversity, peace and cohesion is the rise of fake news, or what is being branded at the United Nations as the “infodemic”, or the use of social media to spread misinformation and disinformation about the pandemic or other aspects of society and life.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“For peace to take hold, certain criteria are necessary. First among them is inclusion. In diverse societies and countries, a major source of conflict is exclusion and the feeling of communities, whether ethnic or religious, that they are left out and left behind because of their beliefs or ethnicity. Diversity should be a strength in a certain country and not a weakness. National ownership of peacebuilding processes must be inclusive of all sectors of society and all its components, especially women and youth. Women have to be part of peace processes, and their effectiveness in delivering peaceful solutions is supported by research. Peace also cannot be an elite domain; it has to be an equalizer and include all of society, regardless of one’s status in society.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“It exposed countries’ and societies’ vulnerabilities and awakened us to the reality that multilateralism proved to be our weakest link – and not the strongest, as we had hoped for – when we needed it most. The pandemic also showed that diversity, which was supposed to be a source of strength in our societies, became a source of division and exclusion. To tackle the challenges that conflicts around the world present to peace and peacebuilding, we need to draw on the principles of the United Nations and the work of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the issue because they represent the will of the international community. But peace is not the work of Member States or individuals alone, it is a “whole- of-system” approach and a comprehensive approach that is inclusive and sustainable.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council worked in parallel and responded with resolutions (General Assembly resolution 70/262 and Security Council resolutions 2282 (2016), 2413 (2018) and 2558 (2020)) that vowed a commitment to taking a more comprehensive approach to peace and to working towards building peace and solving conflicts. They also pointed to the responsibility of all of us to work together to build and sustain peaceful and resilient societies, with an emphasis on the role of the different stakeholders, especially women, youth and civil society. The pandemic proved to be a crisis multiplier and also a revealer.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“To counter the instability and insecurity that the pandemic has unleashed, in addition to existing conflicts, our work on building and sustaining peace takes on a new urgency that requires a “whole-of-international-community” approach and a “whole-of-society” approach. The world was going in the wrong direction even before the pandemic, and conflicts were multiplying, leaving behind a trail of suffering, killed or injured, record numbers of displaced people and a rise in hate speech, nationalism and racism.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“While there are numerous factors that are the root causes of these conflicts, like occupation, interference in internal affairs of other countries and conflict over resources, what the majority of these conflicts have in common is the prominence of their ethnic, religious and cultural aspects. Clashes over identity are used by different parties to gain power or to strengthen their hold on power. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated these conflicts. As a study by Mercy Corps has found out, the pandemic has diminished trust in government leaders and institutions, increased economic hardships and resource scarcity, and disrupted and eroded social cohesion. This new reality makes prevention and support for peacebuilding more urgent than ever.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“I would like to start by congratulating Kenya on assuming the presidency of the Security Council this month, and to welcome President Kenyatta to the United Nations and thank him for his effort giving this topic the attention that it deserves. There is no better time than today to discuss peacebuilding and sustaining peace in the context of diversity, State-building and the search for peace. Our world is rife with conflict and suffers a dearth of peace. As Kenya rightly noted in its concept paper for this debate, the majority of situations before the Security Council stem from domestic conflicts. Unfortunately, a sizeable number of these conflicts come from our region, the Middle East.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“Lebanon reiterates its full commitment to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety and to the preservation of the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“In its resolution 2539 (2020), the Council authorized UNIFIL to take special measures to assist Lebanese authorities in the aftermath of the 4 August 2020 port explosion in dealing with the destruction that befell Beirut. This commendable and appreciated effort was also present this last month in resolution 2591 (2021) when this Council authorized UNIFIL to take temporary and special measures to support and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces with the provision of relevant additional non-lethal material and logistical support owing to the economic crisis that Lebanon is facing. Lebanon is extremely grateful to the leadership and staff of UNIFIL for their relentless dedication and commends the strong and steady cooperation that exists between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Armed Forces.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“As a country that has experienced the horrors of war, Lebanon knows the value of peace and the importance of having an integrated approach to achieving a long-lasting peace. I seize this opportunity to express Lebanon’s gratitude to all troop-contributing countries in UNIFIL for their efforts in contributing to Lebanon’s stability. I would also like to thank all members of the Security Council for supporting UNIFIL and for taking exceptional measures to assist Lebanon during these unprecedented difficulties that it is facing, and we appreciate all the efforts being exerted by so many of Lebanon’s friends in this Council to help Lebanon maintain its security and stability.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“Lebanon supported the increased efforts of the Commission in promoting the women and peace and security agenda in line with the Commission’s gender strategy. Women can play an important part as a driver and advocate of peacebuilding and sustaining peace, and they should not be excluded from the process of transition, as they are an important component of making peace. Lebanon also continued to support the youth, peace and security agenda and the Peacebuilding Commission’s call for greater inclusion of youth representatives in coalitions and partnerships that are aimed at supporting peacebuilding initiatives and processes. We also emphasized the importance of combating climate change and the protection of the environment for peace and security.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“Moreover, it is important to repeat how important it is to foster cooperation and partnership between host countries, various United Nations entities, troop- and police-contributing countries, regional organizations and other partners. While primary responsibility remains in the hands of national Governments and authorities in identifying, driving and directing priorities, strategies and activities for sustaining peace, ensuring the full and effective participation of all segments of society is key to advancing national peacebuilding processes and objectives in order to ensure that their needs are taken into account. As a member of the Peacebuilding Commission, Lebanon has consistently called for addressing the root causes of conflict, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting human rights and enhancing inclusion.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“We encourage peacekeeping operations to invest more in coordination, cooperation programmes and communication with host countries, their militaries and host communities for a successful transition as well. Moreover, drawing on previous experiences in mission closure is essential. Lessons learned from transition processes are fundamental in ensuring successful drawdowns and exits of longstanding United Nations peacekeeping missions planned for the coming years. It is important to recognize the need to adequately resource the peacebuilding components of United Nations peacekeeping missions, including during mission transitions and drawdowns. We have to promote the need for political solutions as an integral part of transition processes while keeping in mind the need for peacekeeping mandates to have clearly defined goals and objectives.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“These priorities include coherent action to serve an overarching political strategy, the safety and security of peacekeepers, and the application of a gender lens to peacekeeping activities, all key for successful transitions. There is one essential element that has to be emphasized to make transitions successful and safer for host countries and peacekeepers as well. Close cooperation and coordination with the host country’s military services that are working side by side with the peacekeepers are indispensable to making transitions smoother and sustainable. The coordination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with the Lebanese Army is an example of such cooperation that will make transition, when the time comes, much easier and more effective.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“But as important as sustaining peace is, the role of peacekeeping operations in winding down conflict and violence and transitioning into a peaceful and sustainable environment is equally important in making it possible to end these operations while preserving peaceful environments in the long term. Such transitions can help to avoid a relapse into another conflict, sustain the gains made in conflict resolution and conflict management, and pave the way for durable peace. Here, Lebanon, as the host of one of the oldest peacekeeping operations, would like to stress the importance of the priorities of peacekeeping reform embodied in the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping Plus initiative.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“Lebanon congratulates Ireland on assuming the presidency of the Council this month and on a diversified and important programme of work, especially on organizing this important debate by a champion of peacekeeping like Ireland. We also thank India for its productive presidency during the month of August. Peacekeeping operations are indispensable for the international community’s efforts to mitigate regional crises and to preserve peace and avoid conflict through lowering tension. Peacekeeping operations are an important component of prevention through their work on preventing sliding into conflict and focusing on peacebuilding and sustaining peace.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“On the contrary, they create a cycle of violence and new grievances. Only by addressing the root cause of this long-standing injustice, occupation, can the region live in peace and security. A state of permanent occupation has led, over the years, to what Human Rights Watch recently described in a report as “crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution” against Palestinians. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of France warned of a risk of “long-lasting apartheid” in Israel if there was no Palestinian State. A few days ago, we marked Nelson Mandela International Day to commemorate the life and legacy of the iconic anti-apartheid figure who uttered these powerful words: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“The policy of mere condemnation from the international community has unfortunately empowered Israeli authorities over the years, creating and enshrining a culture of impunity. In its press statement of 22 May 2021, the Security Council members “reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders”. The Security Council must live up to its responsibility and act swiftly and decisively towards its commitment, on the basis of international law, including the relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. We must learn from the Gaza attack of May of this year that military power and violence do not solve the problem.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“Once again, we call on the Council to compel Israel to stop its violation of Lebanese sovereignty, to stop endangering peace and security in the region and to abide by its obligations under international law. Needless to say, today the Palestinian people continue to live under the oppression of the Israeli authorities, and the occupation continues unabated, with its destruction of Palestinian homes and the approval of settlement projects. The latest approval of settlement plans seeks to connect East Jerusalem with the rest of the West Bank. No matter the Government in power in Israel, the intensification of the occupation of the Palestinian territory remains the norm. This, along with the other illegal settlement activities, threatens the fu ture of a Palestinian State and ends any hope of a just and peaceful solution to the conflict.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“UNIFIL continues to play an important and indispensable role in maintaining security and stability in South Lebanon, for the benefit not only of the southern borders but also of the region. The French delegation put it correctly – in a Security Council meeting in 2017 – when it described UNIFIL as a regional public good. In this regard, we welcome the renewal of the UNIFIL budget on 30 June and reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety. The Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, in particular by air, persist, causing damage to villages along the border and creating an imminent danger to civil aviation. The violations are well documented in letters of complaints addressed to the Security Council.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“A brain drain is depriving Lebanon of its young people, who are leaving out of despair at the situation and at rising poverty and inequality rates that are changing the character of the country. Suffice it to say that the two latest communiqués from the United Nations Children’s Fund report that millions of Lebanese are at risk of losing access to safe water and that a majority of families in Lebanon can no longer afford to meet the basic needs of their children. Forming a government is the first step on a long road towards implementing the indispensable reforms needed to help Lebanon out of this dire crisis. As the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is nearing its annual term, Lebanon has expressed its willingness, at the highest level in the country, to extend the mandate of UNIFIL without changes.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“I wish to congratulate France on its assumption of the presidency of the Council, and I commend the Ambassador and his mission on their active work during this month. I seize this opportunity to thank Estonia on a good job as President of the Council last month. After nine months of political gridlock, Lebanon seems to be inching towards forming a much-needed Government. The parliamentary consultations that were held this week tasked the former Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, to form such a Government. The challenges are daunting. The financial crisis left the Lebanese people with little or no electricity on a daily basis; skyrocketing inflation and prices, with the Lebanese pound losing over 90 per cent of its value; and water, fuel and medicine shortages at a time of renewed resurgence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.”
2021-07-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/685 (2021) · source
“All perpetrators of all violations against children must be brought to justice and held accountable without any delay. We recall Security Council resolution 2427 (2018) and we stress on the importance of accountability for all violations and abuses against children in armed conflict. We need to give our children a better future, a better world to live and prosper in. We need to act now, and we need to build a post-pandemic world where our children do not have to hide from the terrifying noises of sirens, from raids and shelling, where they do not have to run from bombings, and where they do not have to live in constant fear. Our children deserve better. They deserve to dream. Let us all help them to fulfil their dreams.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“The Secretary-General noted that these grave violations do not affect boys and girls the same way; whereas 85 per cent of children recruited and used were boys, 98 per cent of sexual violence was perpetrated against girls. These alarmingly high numbers reveal how violations against children soared, in the context of conflicts and how, despite the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to silence the guns, many conflicts have intensified, and others have erupted. COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to the fire by aggravating existing vulnerabilities for children, hindering their access to education, health, and social services, and exposing them to recruitment, abduction, and sexual violation. Impunity is not an option anymore. Perpetrators cannot get away with killing, maiming, raping, abducting, and recruiting children anymore.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“As the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, stated, “The wars of adults have taken away the childhood of millions of boys and girls again in 2020.” As we read the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, published last week, we are struck by the number of violations against children in 2020 verified by the United Nations: “26,425 grave violations”. It is important to highlight that this striking number refers to violations being verified by the United Nations, without representing the full scale of violations against children. As stated in the aforementioned report, attacks on schools increased, verified cases of abduction and sexual violence against children increased alarmingly by 90 and 70 per cent, respectively.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“When we talk about children who died, we think about children who did not, children who woke up without their parents, without a father, without a mother, without a sibling, without a classmate, without a friend; children who woke up with one of their body parts missing, children who cannot sleep at night from the trauma of the bombing and the loss. Unfortunately, the year 2020 has been particularly somber for children.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“As we celebrate this year the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the children and armed conflict agenda, including the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the New York Times on its front page of 26 May 2021 reminded the world that those 67 victims that were killed in Gaza: “They were just children”. One of those children, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl called Nadine Abdullatif, reminded us too, while weeping and pointing at the rubble asking: “What am I supposed to do? Fix it? I’m only 10. I can’t even deal with this anymore. I just want to be a doctor or anything to help my people. But I can’t. I’m just a kid”.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Allow me first to congratulate the President of the Republic of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, on chairing this timely open debate and to congratulate Estonia on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of June. We thank the President for organizing this important high-level open debate on children and armed conflict and we thank the speakers for their thorough briefing, as well as for their leadership in their respective field. This open debate is very timely; it comes only a month after the bombing of the occupied Palestinian territories where at least 67 Palestinian children under 18 years old were killed in Gaza. As Secretary-General António Guterres describes perfectly in one sentence: “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza”.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Finally, Lebanon reiterates its full commitment to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety and to preserving the safety and security of UNIFIL’s personnel.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“Lebanon condemns all attacks against UNIFIL personnel, and Lebanese authorities will act swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice. The relationship between UNIFIL and the Lebanese authorities is very strong, and Lebanon is eager to strengthen it further through capacity-building programmes and continuous cooperation and coordination on the ground. Lebanon is extremely thankful to UNIFIL’s leadership and staff for their unstinting dedication, and it commends the strong and steady cooperation that exists between UNIFIL and the Lebanese authorities. We also wish to thank the troop-contributing countries for their long-standing support and unwavering commitment, especially in the challenging times that Lebanon is experiencing.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source
“The explosion that hit Beirut on 4 August last year took its toll on one of the Maritime Task Force ships of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and was a testament to the mission’s readiness and preparedness in case of emergency. A total of 23 UNIFIL peacekeepers from Bangladesh were admitted to hospitals in the aftermath of the explosion. UNIFIL’s crisis response was a proof of its high state of readiness, which was invaluable for the rapid evacuation and medical treatment of the injured personnel. As a country that is hosting peacekeepers, Lebanon is committed to the safety and security of the UNIFIL mission as a whole. Lebanon is also committed to abiding by resolution 2518 (2020) on capacity-building and the safety and security of peacekeepers.”
2021-05-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/501 (2021) · source