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

“In my country, already afflicted by an acute economic and social crisis, climate change has affected one of Lebanon’s ancient symbols, the iconic cedar tree that adorns our national flag and Lebanon’s national pride. The cedars, whereas the Bible mentions Solomon procuring them to build the temple in Jerusalem, are now victims of rising temperature and wild fires. Climate change also hit Lebanon’s multisecular industry: winemaking. The hottest temperatures recorded last year in Lebanon and the continued decline in rainfall have taken a heavy toll on the winemakers’ work, threatening their livelihoods. This has of course been aggravated by the current situation and in particular as a result of the pandemic.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“We congratulate the United Kingdom on its assumption of the Security Council presidency this month and pay tribute to the sisterly country of Tunisia for its presidency the previous month. The high-level attendance for this open debate reinforces our belief that climate change is, in the words of Sir David Attenborough, the “biggest threat to security that modern humans have ever faced”. In this regard, we express our appreciation to the British Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Boris Johnson, for presiding over this open debate, and to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, for his briefing to the Council, along with the other briefers.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“It is high time that permanent solutions be found so that this region may live in peace and security, with the potential of its peoples realized through a new peaceful space.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“In a most recent and alarming development, the Israeli army kidnapped a Lebanese shepherd on 12 January and released him three days later. It is high time that this august body take Israeli violations seriously and act to stop them. To ignore Lebanon’s daily suffering is akin to ignoring the principles and purposes that this Organization and this Council were built upon. This contributes to neither peace nor security in Lebanon and the region. The situation in the wider region is no better. People are deprived of their right to live in peace and security. The many protracted conflicts in the region call for a renewed momentum to move from crisis-management mode to action. All these issues are on the Security Council table.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Daily, Israeli fighter jets fly very low over Beirut and all over Lebanon. The planes fly day and night, depriving the exhausted Lebanese people, traumatized by the Beirut port explosion, a pandemic and a debilitating financial situation, from much-needed rest. The only option Lebanon had to protest against the Israeli violations was to appeal to the Security Council through several complaints deposited with the Council. These Israeli violations not only terrorize civilians and endanger the safety of civilian aviation, but they also violate United Nations resolutions, especially resolution 1701 (2006). In 2020, Israeli breaches of our airspace totalled 2,022, of which 216 were by warplanes and 1,804 by reconnaissance aircraft. That is in addition to 600 territorial breaches and 520 maritime breaches in the same year.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Tor Wennesland of Norway upon his recent appointment as new Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and to wish him the best of luck in his new endeavour. We also salute the work of his predecessor Mr. Nikolay Mladenov. Time is of essence if the international community is to preserve what is left of the basis of a just and comprehensive solution based on two States and the land- for-peace formula. The parameters of a solution are well known, and their basis is still the same as in resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1978) and other relevant resolutions, especially resolution 2334 (2016), and the Arab Peace Initiative. In the middle of this terrible pandemic and the pain and loss that people around the world are going through, the Lebanese people are suffering another fate.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Lebanon also welcomes the recent announcement by the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held in May and July, respectively, and considers it another step in the right direction towards much-needed Palestinian unity. As we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of our United Nations, the role of the United Nations and the Security Council is more important than ever in upholding international law and standing by its historic commitments towards the Palestinian people and their rights. It is just as important to impress upon Israel its obligations as occupying Power towards the Palestinian people in every field, including public health and vaccination. We also wish to congratulate Mr.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Anthony Blinken, and his affirmation that the Palestinians are entitled to their State through the so- called two-State solution, as the only way to fulfil the aspirations of the two sides, are a step in the right direction. He stressed the importance of making “sure that neither party takes steps” that make it more difficult to achieve this goal. This is very encouraging. The recent convening of the Cairo Ministerial Meeting on the Middle East Peace Process, gathering Egypt, Jordan, France and Germany, was another important step in the right direction. The final communiqué truly captured the essence of comprehensive peace in the region by recalling that “the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-State solution is an indispensable requirement”.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Time and again, Lebanon has called on the Security Council to compel Israel to abide by its legal obligations and move beyond mere condemnation of Israel’s constant violations of international law. There is renewed hope now for a new and more balanced approach to finding a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, a solution based on international legality and relevant United Nations resolutions. We are indeed hopeful that the new Administration in Washington, D.C., which announced its willingness to prioritize human rights and international legality, will view the Middle East once again through the prism of these two important principles. The recent statement on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by the nominee to serve as secretary of state of the United States of America, Mr.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“A champion of equal rights and justice, Dr. King identified the most important ingredient for peace when he said: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice”. For the Palestinians, these past decades have been characterized by the presence of injustice rather than justice, the latest being the approval by Israeli authorities of 800 new settlement units, in continuous defiance of international legality and as part of a continuous effort to deny the Palestinians their inalienable rights to an independent and viable Palestinian State, within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to live in peace and dignity. How could we expect anything different when Israel has been allowed to act with total impunity?”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“We congratulate Tunisia on assuming the presidency of the Council this month and thank South Africa for its productive presidency in the month of December. We take this opportunity to congratulate the incoming members of the Security Council and wish them success during their term. We pay tribute to the outgoing members and thank them for their contribution to the Council and towards the maintenance of peace and Security. Lebanon cannot but underline Tunisia’s historic and longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause and, in this regard, we welcome the focus of this debate on the need to mobilize support to achieve a just and peaceful solution for Palestine. It is the most dearly awaited peace in the world. A few days ago, we celebrated, in the United States of America, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Despite the progress that has been made during the past 20 years regarding the women and peace and security agenda, millions of women still agree that much work remains to be done to evolve into a future where women lead and participate equally, fully and meaningfully in peace and security matters. The voices of women, their active presence on the ground across the world, their demands and their aspirations should be translated into real change. The world of today, grappling with widespread conflicts, wars and upheavals, needs an increased representation of women in all domains at all levels for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict and the promotion of peace and security.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“We thank UNIFIL troop-contributing countries for expanding the participation of women in their contingents, and we strongly support the expansion of the role and number of women in UNIFIL, as well as their meaningful participation in all aspects of operations. As a signatory country to the Action for Peacekeeping Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, we consider the women and peace and security agenda critical to enhancing the performance of peacekeeping operations at all levels, thereby contributing to longer lasting and sustainable peace. In that regard, we commend UNIFIL for incorporating a gender perspective in its mission and for ensuring women’s full participation in the day-to-day operations, in compliance with resolution 1325 (2000).”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“Allow me to express my great gratitude for the immense contribution and achievements of female peacekeepers in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and to stress the key role of women in peacekeeping. Today, women represent a small but increasing percentage of the peacekeepers serving under the UNIFIL flag. Over the past years, UNIFIL, which ranks second among major United Nations peacekeeping operations in terms of the percentage of female peacekeepers, has witnessed a slight increase in the number of women peacekeepers, with around 29 per cent of approximately 800 civilian peacekeepers and around 5 per cent of approximately 10,300 military peacekeepers being women. We strongly support the United Nations efforts to ensure gender parity in peacekeeping.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“Women were also stationed in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, where fighting took place between the LAF and the Fath al-Islam group in 2007.S/2020/1084 Regarding the participation of women in the security forces, the General Directorate of General Security has included the goal of a gradual increase in the recruitment of women in its ranks in its five-year strategic plan. With respect to the political participation of women, Lebanon is committed to advancing this agenda. The current caretaker Government comprises six women ministers, among them the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, making her the first Arab woman to hold that position. In 2019, the previous Government also embraced the Arab world’s first female interior minister.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“Today, the participation of women in the Military Academy amounts to 43 per cent and the percentage of women among high-ranking military officers and soldiers is 5.5 per cent, with five women brigadier generals. Moreover, women in the LAF have been deployed to high-risk areas, such as the Wadi Hmeid checkpoint in Arsal, one of the military’s most dangerous deployments, which was attacked by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Jabhat al-Nusrah in 2014.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“This year, despite all the ongoing challenges, implementation is on the right track, with the National Steering Committee 1325, spearheaded by the National Commission for Lebanese Women and supported by United Nations agencies, leading the coordination and implementation efforts. Despite the unprecedented domestic crises, Lebanon is progressing rapidly in the field of women’s participation in the defence and security sectors. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) made it a top priority to enlist women within their ranks, which resulted in a significant increase in female enrolment, with more than 4,000 women, including in the air force, land border regiments and the Republican Guard Brigade.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“They were also the first responders to the tragic blast of 4 August 2020 as firefighters, nurses, doctors, paramedics, pharmacists, caregivers, social workers, activists, journalists, reporters, media workers, survivors, human rights defenders, leaders and volunteers. In that context, our first national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000), which was endorsed by the Council of Ministers last year, reflects Lebanon’s aspirations 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.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“On 27 November 2019, following a night of unrest in the Beirut suburbs, Lebanese mothers and women of the area flooded the streets and marched together in a solidarity rally, carrying Lebanese flags, banners, white roses and candles, calling for peace, coexistence and unity and chanting out loud: “We, the mothers of the country, will not accept its segregation.” Lebanese women have been at the forefront of every occasion. They have played an essential role through their widespread participation in the 2019 movement on the ground, raising their voices to call for systemic change, maintaining the peaceful face of the protests and forming buffers between security forces and protesters to prevent outbreaks of violence.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“Allow me first to congratulate you, Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, and I thank you for organizing this important debate on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the milestone resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security. I would also like to thank the speakers for their thorough briefings, as well as for their leadership in their respective field. Coming from a country where women have shown the whole world that women’s role is not to bear the brunt of conflicts and heal the wounds resulting from them, it is with great pride that I address the Council today. Women have proved that they are not just victims but essential and active agents of change. Allow me to recall one particular relevant moment that asserts the latter.”
2020-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1084 (2020) · source
“These Israeli actions are in contravention of international law, the Geneva Conventions and Security Council resolutions on this matter. But, most importantly, they end any hope for an equitable settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and any chance for peace. Any solution to the Palestinian question must be just and comprehensive, based on international legality and rooted in relevant United Nations resolutions especially, Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 2334 (2016). It must also be based on the formula of land-for-peace and the two-State solution, including a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Arab Peace Initiative remains a credible way forward for such a peace. Ignoring the rights and national aspirations of the Palestinian people will not lead to real peace.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“This is coupled with the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and rise in settler violence, excessive use of force by Israeli security forces and increasing house demolitions by Israeli authorities, as documented by relevant Secretary Council reports. The Israeli plans for annexation of parts of the West Bank were supposedly suspended last August. They were not cancelled, just put on hold, and now we are witnessing unprecedented and record settlement activity by the Israeli authorities. Nearly 5,000 new settlement units are reported as being approved by the Israel High Planning Council in mid-October. There are reports that 12,159 settlement units have been approved so far in 2020. Peace Now reports that this is the highest total of settlement units advances in any year since it began tracking in 2012.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“Furthermore, Lebanon salutes the crew of the Bangladeshi ship who were badly hit by the explosion at the port, and the rest of the affected UNIFIL personnel for their courage and sacrifice.Lebanon reiterates its full commitment to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety and calls on this organ to do everything in its power to make sure that Israel does the same and stops its daily violations by land, sea and air of Lebanese sovereignty. Palestinians have been suffering a strangling blockade and unliveable conditions in Gaza, and experiencing hardships and restrictions on their freedom of movement in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“At the request of the Government of Lebanon and in coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces, UNIFIL, on 27 September, deployed a multinational force detachment to Beirut in order to assist the Lebanese authorities with their efforts to deal with the aftermath of the explosion. Lebanon is extremely thankful to UNIFIL’s leadership and staff for their relentless dedication, and commends the strong and steady cooperation between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Government. Let me also express my country’s genuine gratitude to troop-contributing countries, for their longstanding support and unwavering commitment especially through these challenging times Lebanon is going through.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“Last August, the Security Council adopted resolution 2539 (2020), extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until 31 August 2021. By renewing the mandate of UNIFIL, the Security Council and its members voiced their strong and unified message of support to UNIFIL, preserving its badly needed strong capacity to preserve peace and security along the Blue Line. After the port explosion and in line with UNIFIL’s mission mandate spelled out in resolution 2539 (2020), which authorizes it to take “temporary and special measures to provide support to Lebanon and its people”, UNIFIL extended a helping hand to Lebanon in Beirut.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“The first meeting between the Lebanese and the Israelis, under the auspices of the United Nations and in the presence representatives of the United States, was held on 14 October at Naqoura, and other meetings are expected to follow before the end of the month and in the coming months. A day before the start of the discussions, President Michel Aoun gave his instructions to the members of the Lebanese delegation, stressing that “these discussions are technical and are limited to the demarcation of the maritime borders” and aim to “defend internationally recognized Lebanese rights”. Lebanon hopes that a border agreement will be reached soon that will allow Lebanon to recover its land and territorial waters, benefit from its natural resources, extend its sovereignty over all its land and water and help its economy.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament announced on 1 October that a framework agreement was reached to start indirect technical negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations and with the mediation of the United States, to reach an agreement over the disputed land and maritime border between Lebanon and Israel. Once such an agreement on the delineation of the maritime and border is reached, the Speaker said it will be deposited with the United Nations, in accordance with international rules and practices. The framework agreement will be based on the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire understanding, of April 1996, and on resolution 1701 (2006).”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“All of these challenges are taking place in the midst of a political vacuum, in the absence of a new Government. The Lebanese people are seeking a glimmer of hope in the formation of a new Government and a new way of doing business in that Government. They hope S/2020/1055 that, after a period of political gridlock, the country will be back charting a path of economic, financial and political rehabilitation. A new Prime Minister, Mr. Saad Hariri, has been designated to form this new Government and, if this hope materializes with the formation of a new Government, Lebanon can start again on the road to finding solutions for its problems, and enact the reforms required by the international community, which will allow international support to flow again to the country. There is also movement on another front in Lebanon.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“We also thank the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme for organizing briefings for member States to help with the response to the situation in Lebanon. These meetings are invaluable in garnering support and much needed assistance to help Lebanon mitigate the effects of the explosion in different areas. Sectors in dire need for assistance are education and health. The impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic is heavily concentrated in the education sector, where the deficit in technology penetration and Internet is threatening to produce a lost generation if students cannot go to school and have no access to virtual learning. Health is also a major challenge, with the sector facing problems of capacity and shortages of medicine and of medical equipment.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“A sense of despair descended on the country and population, but the quick response of the United Nations and the international community was overwhelming and heartening. Support, sympathy and aid poured into the country, telling the Lebanese that they are not alone, making a difference and encouraging the Lebanese to stand up again and start the long journey of recovery. In this journey, Lebanon needs its friends and the international community today more than ever as it embarks on the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase of its recovery to build back better. We thank France and the United Nations for swiftly stepping in to help Lebanon by holding an international conference on 9 August to help Lebanon in response to the explosion and the humanitarian crisis.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“Some countries are doing better than the others, but the trajectory for the majority is alarming. My country, Lebanon, has been through an annus horribilis in every sense of the word since last October. The economic and financial crisis that wrecked the lives of the people and robbed them of their savings and financial security was accompanied by a pandemic, accompanied by a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the port of Beirut and a large part of the city. It also caused the death of 200 people and injured thousands. The explosion destroyed the heart of the city of Beirut and its business district, making the recovery more difficult. It also shattered the cultural and art districts, adding to the darkness that has overshadowed the lives of people and deprived them of even the pleasure of finding refuge in their cultural heritage.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“I would like to start by congratulating the Russian Federation on assuming the presidency of the Council for this month, and thanking the Niger for its successful presidency last month. I would also like to wish all participants a happy United Nations Day. On this seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the situation in the Middle East is fraught with conflict, challenges and a lack of a horizon for comprehensive and durable peace in the region. The principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations are challenged in every area of peace and security, there is no path for a sustainable future for its young populations, and the pandemic is stealing what progress was made over the last few decades in most areas, especially in education, poverty reduction, rights and equality.”
2020-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1055 (2020) · source
“According to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the planet could see a greater temperature increase in the next 50 years than it had in the last 6,000 years combined. This would be the greatest threat to life on Earth, human and natural alike. Today, the emblem of our country, Lebanon’s iconic cedar trees — the Cedrus libani — are under threat of disappearing because of climate change. If nothing is done to reverse the adverse impact of climate change, they could disappear by the end of this century. This is a reminder, if one were ever needed, that climate change can also be a threat to millenary symbols, a culture, and the history of a country or a region.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“Conflict hotspots could be identified or reprioritized depending on climate vulnerability areas identified by the IPCC. The road map of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and its local implementation in vulnerable countries could also be an entry point for enhanced preparedness in potential conflicts caused by extreme weather events. We need to increase awareness on the probability and geography of climate events. Climate impacts are not the same across countries, and some are more at risk than others. Increased climate-risk information, coupled with a thorough understanding of local readiness, would be a first step towards mobilizing resources and increasing the Council’s preparedness.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“The implementation of the nationally determined contributions to satisfy the Paris Agreement temperature goal will result in fewer climatic disasters, inherently reducing the need for adaptation and therefore safeguarding peace. Greater enhanced cooperation is essential. We believe that formal and solid cooperation between the Security Council and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could be established to share findings and streamline the response to climate risks. Greater preparedness is needed. In this regard, the IPCC’s work cannot be overlooked. It includes the mapping of climate risks and vulnerabilities per region. It would be worthwhile to mainstream these scientific findings in the Security Council’s work on conflict risk.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“Should the flight away from hot climates reach the scale that current research suggests is likely, it will amount to a vast remapping of the world’s populations”. This is very alarming for all of us, but particularly for developing countries. It is alarming for it has human, economic and security dimensions with which our countries are not equipped to deal. For instance, forced migration due to lack of resources or extreme weather events might top up the current displacement crisis already ongoing in Lebanon. This will only exacerbate food security and basic services infrastructure. This multiplier effect puts Lebanon on a risky path and makes it less likely to secure peace. Implementation and compliance remain fundamental.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“The human consequences of climate change are enormous and of historic proportions, especially on migration. According to recent studies cited in the New York Times Magazine this week, hundreds of millions of people are forced by extreme heat and drought to choose between flight or death, thus resulting in the “greatest wave of global migration the world has seen”. According to the World Bank, more than 8 million people have moved towards the Middle East, Europe and North America as a result of monsoon rainfall and drought, which are a consequence of climate change. The same New York Times Magazine issue warns that “[i]n the African Sahel, millions of rural people have been streaming toward the coasts and the cities amid drought and widespread crop failures.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“We thank Germany and the co-sponsors of this timely and extremely important open debate. The enormous security challenges posed by climate change are a concern to all, hence the importance of this debate. The ministerial format of this meeting testifies to the urgency of this topic, and we express our appreciation to His Excellency Heiko Maas for presiding over this open debate. Climate change is a threat multiplier for the current global challenges, whether geopolitical, economic or social. In order to effectively tackle the climate crisis, the response should be integrated with sustainable development and safeguarding livelihoods, economies and ecosystems. Merging climate change and security solutions into a coordinated, whole-of-Government approach is a substantial step towards real resilience.”
2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source
“Let us empower it by stopping any violations of the resolution that granted UNIFIL its mandate, in accordance with resolution 1701 (2006), to allow this United Nations mission to effectively implement this mandate.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“The stability of the south and in all of Lebanon is undermined daily by the continued Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty by land, air and sea in grave violation of resolution 1701 (2006). Just to give an example, from 19 February to 16 June of this year, and during a cruel pandemic, UNIFIL recorded a daily average of 3.7 airspace violations, with 11 daily overflight hours. These repeated violations by Israel further destabilize the situation. Once again, we call on the Council to take measures to compel Israel to cease its violations of the country’s sovereignty and stop increasing the tension in the region. As many members have said in the Council, UNIFIL is a regional public good.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“In that dire context, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has proved to be an important bastion of stability in southern Lebanon and the region. The recent visit by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon, Mr. Nassif Hitti, to the UNIFIL headquarters is a testament to Lebanon’s appreciation of UNIFIL’s role and our country’s long-standing commitment to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety. In that regard, Lebanon once again calls for the renewal of UNIFIL’s mission without any changes to its mandate in order to further preserve the relative calm that has been prevailing in its area of operations and to safeguard the stability in the south.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“Lebanon is facing multiple challenges because of the absence of a peaceful horizon in the region, the financial and economic crisis and a pandemic that will put its population at grave risk should it overwhelm its medical facilities and supplies. Amid all these serious threats, the Government is trying to find a solution to the current economic impasse. It is working with international financial institutions to put the country back on a recovery trajectory. The Lebanese authorities have reaffirmed that they remain committed to implementing essential and necessary reforms, and they continue to seek the support of the international community, especially friendly countries of the region and the world.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“Unfortunately, this threat of annexation is just the culmination of decades of occupation, confiscation of land, settlement expansion, demolition of Palestinian homes, killings, imprisonment and deportations of Palestinians from their own land and country. No genuine peace process within the internationally agreed parameters can take place while Israel keeps imposing a fait accompli that goes unanswered by the Security Council, and for how much longer? We call on the Security Council to assume its responsibility, move beyond condemnations and put an end to Israeli’s illegal and illegitimate measures, which contravene all the relevant United Nations resolutions adopted by this very Council.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“There is no need to remind the Council of the multitude of condemnations that this decision has drawn from Governments, but also Parliaments, academia and civil society. In a letter, 1,080 Members of Parliament from 25 European countries rejected the annexation plans by Israel, underscoring the fact that it would be “fatal” to the prospects for peace, and called on their respective countries and the European Union to adopt international sanctions as a response. The annexation plan has also prompted more than 400 scholars of Jewish studies in North and South America, Europe and Israel to write a letter rejecting such plan and explaining that it would “formally (de jure) creat[e] apartheid conditions in Israel and Palestine”.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“How much longer can the Security Council accept Israel’s unilateral and illegal actions, which have defied and undermined the maintenance of peace and security in the region for so many decades? How much longer do the Palestinians have to see their basic rights violated and their legitimate aspirations to live in peace and security in an independent State denied? Two years ago, during this same quarterly debate (see S/PV.8316), an overwhelming number of countries strongly condemned the adoption of a basic law by Israel enshrining de jure discrimination against the Arabs. Today, on the eve of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, Israel has decided to again manifest its utter disregard for international legality and multilateralism by stating its intention to annex parts of the West Bank.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“The Middle East is truly at a “watershed moment”, as Secretary-General António Guterres told the Council recently (see S/2020/596, annex 1). For the Palestinians and the Arabs, this is a moment that will define whether we are condemned to a future of continuous conflict or a hopeful future of possible peace. The threat of annexation of parts of the West Bank is hanging like a sword over the heads of the Palestinians, and it constitutes an “existential threat to their future”, as Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayeh rightly said. Israel is threatening to take unilateral action that will upend decades of peacemaking and of hope for a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Such an act will end the two-State solution and bury any prospects for peace.”
2020-07-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/736 (2020) · source
“Peacekeeping operations should keep this as the most important task to inform the implementation of their mandates. A security approach alone can bring neither peace nor security.”
2020-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/674 (2020) · source
“The UNIFIL leadership understood early on the importance of working with the local population, not only to help them preserve their most important right to live in peace but also to assist them in making their daily lives more sustainable through environmental, health and educational projects. Women peacekeepers in UNIFIL play an important role as a bridge with the local community, where trust is indispensable for implementing the mandate. The access that the population, especially children, have to United Nations information and educational training teach the children about their rights and about the importance of working together in the community, as well as with the peacekeepers to preserve peace. There is no peace and security without preserving human rights and the basic rights to live in peace and in liberty, free of fear or want.”
2020-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/674 (2020) · source
“Women have proved to be a great asset to peacekeeping missions for many reasons. They are easy to approach and bond with; they are trusted, which makes them more effective in dealing with the host community; and they empower women and girls by their mere presence. As the world celebrates the twentieth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000), on women and peace and security, we need to acknowledge the important role that women peacekeepers have played, and play every day, in promoting human rights to allow for real peace and sustained security to take hold. Lebanon is grateful to have one of the most successful peace operations — UNIFIL.”
2020-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/674 (2020) · source
“Nothing is more effective than the unity of the Security Council in upholding international law and acting as a deterrent to human rights violators in an area of conflict. Those who violate human rights depend on divisions within the international community to continue committing human rights atrocities with impunity. The Security Council should deprive the violators of this tool by uniting around human rights as one of the most important tasks of any operation that has the word peace as part of its name. Human rights are intrinsically linked to peace and security. There can be neither peace nor security in the absence of human rights or when these rights are trampled. This makes it essential that peacekeeping missions monitor human rights abuses and support the vulnerable, especially women and children.”
2020-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/674 (2020) · source