YouSaid · the spoken record

Amos

lines on the record: 305
first: 2010-11-22
most recent: 2015-05-28
sittings or episodes: 26
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

“The focus of the Government of Syria remains on controlling the work of the United Nations and its partners. Our focus remains on the people who so desperately need our help. Despite repeated calls for the free passage of all medicines and surgical equipment in aid convoys, certain items continue to be excluded or removed, depriving tens of thousands of people each month of their basic right to life-saving medical assistance. The Government continues to prohibit the inclusion of medical supplies in shipments intended for opposition-held areas. This deliberate denial of essential medicine and medical equipment undermines the very basis of humanitarian actlon. The ability of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to operate in Syria also remains severely constrained due to bureaucratic and operational constraints.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“Food assistance fell by nearly 1 million in May and has yet to be restored to previous levels, with only 50 per cent of planned food assistance dispatched in June. On 9 June, the Government announced additional requirements involving the submission of monthly distribution plans and weekly loading plans. In addition, the Government introduced new procedures for the delivery of assistance to hard- to-reach locations through United Nations hubs. The new procedures require three levels of approval, undermine previous agreements and have caused two successive months of decline in aid deliveries. I cannot describe to the Council the frustration felt by experienced aid workers who have to spend endless hours trying to get agreement for aid deliveries as people's lives hang in the balance.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“Despite all these efforts, four years into this war we are unable to sustainably reach nearly half of those identified as being in the direst need. Insecurity and active conflict play a role in preventing humanitarian access to many locations. However arbitrary restrictions and obstructions, including bureaucratic procedures imposed by the Government, limit or obstruct where, to whom and how often we deliver aid. Some opposition groups have also attacked, threatened and refused to cooperate with humanitarian workers. In April, the Government of Syria introduced new truck-sealing procedures intended to streamline and ensure safe passage of regular aid deliveries. This new mechanism was poorly implemented and resulted in a large backlog ofdeliveries.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“The number of people in need in hard-to-reach areas now stands at 4.7 million, which represents an increase of 1.2 million since resolution 2139 (2014) was adopted in February. United Nations agencies and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners continue their efforts to meet urgent humanitarian needs. Staff have deployed to difficult and dangerous locations to engage in negotiations to secure access and to deliver much- needed aid. Many have been killed, injured, detained or taken hostage. Nearly 60 aid workers have lost their lives in the course of their work so far. Countless hours have been spent negotiating and facilitating convoy movements, in compliance with complicated and onerous administrative procedures.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“In Deir ez-Zor, ongoing fighting, with the deliberate denial of access into the governorate by various opposition groups, has made it increasingly difficult for humanitarian organizations to bring life-saving relief supplies to the area. Over the course of the past two weeks, more than 40,000 people have been displaced to eastern Deir ez-Zor city. Once again, I remind the Council that targeting or indiscriminately attacking vulnerable civilians constitutes a war crime. There can be no justification for such action. Deliberately obstructing humanitarian access and depriving civilians of access to services essential to their survival is unlawful and inhumane. In 2011, I told the Council that 1 million people in Syria needed humanitarian assistance. That figure now stands at 10.8 million, 1.5 million more than there were just six months ago.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was not part of the truce agreement and has not been assigned a monitoring role. UNRWA is seeking the support of all parties to ensure it is granted unhindered access, as it has been unable to enter the camp to deliver assistance since early June. In recent weeks, attacks on civilian infrastructure by armed opposition groups have increased, resulting in significant damage or disruption to water, sewage and electricity networks in the cities of Aleppo, Idlib and Deir ez-Zor. In Aleppo city, as many as 1 million people remain without safe drinking water after one such attack.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“This level of obstruction is inhuman and goes against the basic commitment to human dignity and rights that United Nations Member States agreed to in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter, which reads in part: "The purposes of the United Nations are to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all." On 21 June, a truce in Yarmouk was agreed between the parties. The agreement foresees the surrender of weapons by non-State armed groups, the withdrawal of foreign fighters, the return of Palestinian refugees, the restoration of basic services and the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“This morning in Aleppo, at least 17 civilians were reportedly killed and more than 30 injured by barrel bombs dropped near Halawaniyeh Square. Also this morning, at least 15 civilians were killed by aerial strikes targeting numerous neighborhoods in Ar- Raqqa, including an educational facility and a library. On 7 June, 10 people were killed and 55 others were injured when a car bomb went off in Horns city. Some 241,000 people continue to live under siege conditions, unable to leave their communities, and we are unable to get in to deliver much needed humanitarianumanitarian assistance. Since my last briefing to the Council, only 2,467 people - or 1 per cent of those living in besieged areas - have received much-needed food assistance.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“There have been numerous examples of targeted or indiscriminate attacks on civilians in densely populated areas, in violation of the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. The failure to respect and protect the lives of civilians was, for example, apparent on the morning of 18 June, when barrel bombs were dropped on a camp for displaced people in Al-Shajara in southern Syria, near the border with Jordan. Around 350 families lived in the camp. Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed. Countless others have lost their lives or been injured as the conflict continues to rage in other parts of country, including in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, Dar'a, Rural Damascus and Deir eZ-Zor.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: This is the fourth briefing to the Council since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014) on humanitarian access issues in Syria. The resolution demands action by parties to the conflict in a number of areas, including ceasing attacks against civilians and doing everything in their power to facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need of assistance. With its adoption, we had all hoped for a significant improvement in the situation on the ground. However, I again regret to inform the Council that violence and attacks on civilians by all parties to the conflict and human rights abuses continue unabated, with devastating consequences for those affected.”
2014-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7212 (2014) · source
“I also ask Security Council members to continue hosting Somali asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, and to ensure their protection and safety; to ensure that refugee returns are voluntary and conducted in a safe and dignified manner; to help us secure additional funding; to work with banks and Somali money transfer operators to put in place a transitional mechanism until a proper financial system is established; and to support ongoing humanitarian initiatives that contribute to predictable, safe and sustained access to affected people. We need to work together to manage and share the risks involved in continued humanitarian operations. Failure to address humanitarian needs today will not only undermine the peace and State-building gains of the past two years, but will also lead to further crises.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“However, thanks to the United Nations Risk Management Unit and other monitoring systems, we are now better able to detect risks, evaluate the capacity of our local partners and track programmes with stronger reporting and auditing tools. Urgent action must be taken to prevent the country from slipping back into a major humanitarian crisis. Early warnings must trigger early action so that Somalia moves towards and not away from food security, that it remains polio-free, and that the resilience of the people is reinforced. We are asking for an immediate injection of $60 million for the next three months to address urgent food, nutrition and health-care needs.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“Water and sanitation supplies to some settlements for internally displaced persons in Mogadishu have ceased because of lack of funding, and we are receiving reports of increased acute watery diarrhea in these areas. Somalia remains one of the most complex environments in which to deliver assistance. However, to the extent possible, humanitarian partners are managing rather than avoiding risk in order to be able to continue to deliver critical life-saving programmes. Assistance continues to be delivered through local partners in many parts of Somalia where agencies are not able to operate directly. In limited instances, there have been cases of diversion.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“Remittances, another lifeline for millions of Somalis, are at risk as banks continue to threaten to close Somali money transfer organizations, which are seen as being at high risk for illegal activities. This limited funding has forced the humanitarian community to cut back on all but the most basic of interventions. There is a great risk that the gains made in the past years will be reversed. For instance, if funding is not secured immediately, UNICEF may suspend primary health-care activities that provide medical services to more than 3 million people. UNICEF has also warned that 50,000 children under the age of five could die from severe malnutrition if funding is not received.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“That is of grave concern, and we are working to enhance measures to mitigate threats against aid workers. Unpredictable bureaucratic impediments imposed by local and regional administrations, including arbitrary taxation, the payment of registration fees and the need for aid agencies to seek approval for the recruitment of staff, the renting of premises and the choice of national partners often inhibit the ability of agencies to access people in need. Despite the commitment of the international community to averting another humanitarian disaster in Somalia, financial support is especially low this year. Only 19 per cent ofthe $933-million humanitarian appeal is funded. Some donors have announced a decrease of their contribution this year, and we expect this will continue into 2015.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“A massive and well-coordinated vaccination campaign targeting 4 million people in 2013 managed to contain the polio outbreak of May that year. Unfortunately, one case was confirmed today in Puntland. Humanitarian workers in Somalia continue to face tremendous challenges in carrying out their work. Large parts of southern and central Somalia, mainly rural areas and the outskirts of the main towns, remain under the control or influence of Al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab's ability to disrupt and infiltrate areas under the control of the Somali Federal Government continues to hamper aid delivery, and in some instances has forced agencies to resort to costly air operations. Al-Shabaab has carried out bold and targeted attacks on Government officials, international organizations and humanitarian workers.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“We have carried out assessments in four of the newly recovered towns, as well as in Afgooye and Baidoa. Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge as a result of the offensive in those two locations. The assessments confirm that people have limited access to food, water, primary health care and nutrition supplies. Insecurity has prevented us from assessing the remaining towns. Humanitarian partners are steadfast in their commitment to assisting the people of Somalia. Funding received so far this year helped us reach over 1 million people with food and livelihoods assistance and 97,000 children were treated for malnutrition. Water and sanitation interventions supported 400,000 people, and 500,000 people benefited from basic health-care services.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“On Monday, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations issued another alert that a below-average harvest is expected in July and August, partly due to two poor rainy seasons. The situation is further compounded by the ongoing military offensive and the new Al-Shabaab tactic of blocking major supply routes and encircling newly recovered areas. Al-Shabaab's tactic of encirclement has prevented commercial activity and humanitarian assistance from reaching newly recovered areas. Access to basic commodities is limited and food prices have increased. For instance, the average price of basic items in Waajid, Xuddur and Maxaas in the Bay, Bakool and Hiraan regions have more than doubled. More than 70,000 people have been temporarily displaced as a result of the conflict, significantly disrupting the planting season.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“One in seven children dies before his or her first birthday; one in eighteen women dies in childbirth, and only one in three people has access to safe drinking water. Global acute malnutrition levels among internally displaced persons are above global emergency levels of 15 per cent. Approximately 857,000 people in Somalia require urgent and life-saving assistance. An additional 2 million people are on the margin of food insecurity and require continued livelihoods support. Decades of conflict have displaced over one million people inside Somalia. They are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and susceptible to human rights violations, such as rape. An additional 1 million Somalis continue to seek refuge and protection in neighbouring countries.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to brief the Council on the humanitarian situation in Somalia. Since the establishment of the Federal Government of Somalia in 2012, optimism over the expected progress in State- and peacebuilding and political and security improvements have not translated into an improvement in the humanitarian situation. The adoption of resolution 2124 (2013), in support of the joint the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army military offensive, which resulted in military gains, has not led to a substantial improvement in the daily lives of the people of Somalia. Development indicators in Somalia remain among the worst in the world.”
2014-06-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7191 (2014) · source
“We must provide the people of the Central African Republic with the security that they need and the services and assistance they require so that peace and reconciliation efforts have some chance of success.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“Many pledges made at the January Brussels conference, which I co-chaired with European Union Commissioner Georgieva, have yet to translate into funds. I ask Member States and international organizations that made pledges to honour them as soon as possible. As the United Nations and operational partners extend humanitarian operations outside Bangui, continued financial support by the international community is crucial to support our efforts. The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic is dire, and more must be done to ensure that the work of the Transition Government, humanitarian workers, Operation Sangaris and MISCA troops is sustained.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“The movement for Central Africans, troops and humanitarian workers within the country will be severely restricted as the already poorly maintained roads become impossible to use. While increased logistics capacity will be required once the rains set in, financial support is urgently needed now to provide seeds and tools so that people can plant, to support the pre-positioning of stocks and voluntary returns where possible and to improve conditions in sites where internally displaced persons are located. The humanitarian strategic response plan for 2014 requests $551 million for humanitarian interventions in the Central African Republic, which is modest given the scale ofthe need, but it is only funded at 16 per cent.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“We want to see the international community's resources targeted to stabilizing the security situation in those areas, restoring State authority and the rule of law, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian assistance and basic services and promoting reconciliation efforts. It is important to demonstrate that communities can continue to live side by side in peace and stability. As highlighted by the Secretary-General in his six-point proposal, the humanitarian response in the Central African Republic is severely underfunded, further limiting our reach to people in need - and time is not our side. A food crisis is looming, and with the rainy season upon us, millions ofpeople could be at risk of communicable diseases.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“As further evidence that the conflict is not simply about religion, religious and community leaders have come together and shown great courage and leadership as they stand up to extremist elements. We were impressed by their tireless work and resolve to intervene to try to stop the Violence and promote reconciliation. Again, we must do everything we can to support their mediation and reconciliation efforts at the national and local levels and demonstrate that, despite the horrors of the conflict, communities can still live together. One of the recommendations from our visit is a proposal for a coordinated operational focus on four geographic areas - Bossangoa, Bria, N'Dele and Bambari - where both communities are still living together and where a combination of international, national and local efforts can make an immediate difference.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“The restoration of services is also urgently needed, and all efforts to support the authorities in that endeavour must be made. While in Bangui, we spoke with the Head of State of the Transition, Ms. Samba- Panza. She has a difficult and challenging task and needs to demonstrate as soon as possible the benefits of political transition. She told us that people point to their stomachs when they see her and that if she is not able to give people the means to feed themselves soon she will lose their trust. She outlined her priorities as security, institution-building, the restoration of basic services, justice, the rule oflaw and reconciliation. She made it clear that she required the support of the whole international community to make progress in all those areas.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“But to do that security must be improved. For example, the insecurity on the road from Douala to Bangui, which is central to commercial activity in the country and for humanitarian supply, prevents the regular transportation of goods and relief items into the country by road. The alternative - airlifting of relief goods - forces us to divert our already limited resources from feeding and supporting people to paying for the transport of their food. Almost eight times more expensive than moving goods by road, air transport from Douala is unsustainable in the longer term. As the Secretary-General outlines in his report to the Security Council (S/2014/142), a comprehensive and multidimensional response is required to meet the vast needs ofa country that has been ignored for years.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“Attempts to establish areas of temporary protection for people under threat in their neighbourhoods and to facilitate the voluntary return of IDPs have not yet achieved the desired results due to the inability to provide the necessary security. For example, one site, called PKS, where we have tried to establish a safe environment, was attacked a few days before our visit. Improved security will also allow humanitarian workers to save more lives and make a real difference through their relief operations. The international humanitarian community, given the scale of the crisis in Bangui, declared it one of our highest priority crises, and at a meeting yesterday we reconfirmed our commitment to doing all we can to secure additional capacity and resources to support the people of the Central African Republic.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“Security and stability must be urgently restored, and while the forces of France and the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic have provided security and saved lives where and when they have been deployed, they do not have the substantial resources required to provide security throughout the country. More troops are desperately needed and they are needed now. The Central Africans need to feel safe in their own country. It is the first vital step for recovery. As we speak, people are living in fear of being attacked and the international community appears paralysed.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“While people - at all levels - told us that the conflict is not about religion, but about the pursuit of power and economic advantage, it is being played out through religious and ethnic conflict. Communities and people's fear is being exploited for political gain. Today, those seeking personal gain at the expense of the people are gaining ground. We are witnessing armed groups attacking communities, the exploitation and manipulation of widespread fear and, increasingly, retaliatory attacks by and against ordinary people. The longer that goes on the more difficult it will be for the Central African Republic to recover. Humanitarian assistance alone cannot resolve the situation in the Central African Republic.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“More than 288,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries and thousands more are desperately trying to leave, seeing it as their last and only option. Humanitarian workers are now facing the difficult dilemma of either responding positively to their requests to leave and thereby appearing to contribute to changing the demography of communities, or of not facilitating their exit and leaving them at risk of being killed. Unless the current trajectory is urgently reversed, the demographic and social changes taking place in the Central African Republic will have severe and lasting consequences for the country, the region and the continent. Trust between communities that have lived side by side for years has eroded.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“The State cannot deliver basic services and the salaries of civil society servants have not been paid for months. There is no national army, and the police and the gendarmerie are ill-equipped to address the challenges the country is facing. Mr. Ladsous referred to that. Mr. Guterres will speak to the regional implications of the crisis, which are now profound. The Central African Republic is experiencing unacceptable sectarian brutality, persistent insecurity and fear with tragic humanitarian consequences. More than 650,000 people are still internally displaced across the country, with more than 232,000 in Bangui alone. There are 70,000 people still living at the airport site for internally displaced persons (IDPs), in appalling conditions that are set to deteriorate dramatically with the onset of the rainy season.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: I thank you very much, Mr. President, for the opportunity to brief the Council on the situation in the Central African Republic following my recent visit with the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Mr. Michel Sidibe; Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security, Ms. Mbaranga Gasarabwe; and the African Union Political Affairs Commissioner, Ms. Aisha Abdullahi. The situation in the Central African Republic remains extremely grave and urgent action by all, including by the Council, is required to prevent further bloodshed. The violence has led to the total breakdown of the State locally and nationally. State institutions, which were weak, have now totally collapsed in Bangui and across the country.”
2014-03-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7128 (2014) · source
“I hope that all Member States will engage in those efforts. While our humanitarian and peacekeeping work saves lives and can enhance the safety and security of people affected by conflict, it remains the primary responsibility of the parties to conflict to respect and protect civilians and spare them from the effects of hostilities. Until such time as parties act accordingly, and until such time as they are persuaded or coerced into complying with the law - including by the Council - or held accountable for their failures, the lack of sustained protection for civilians will continue to give little cause for optimism, but considerable cause for despair, outrage and shame.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Moreover, explosive remnants of war remain buried in farmland and in the rubble of damaged buildings, posing a threat to people and those working on rubble-removal and reconstruction. The Secretary-General has repeatedly called on parties to conflict to avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas. He has asked the Office for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs to continue working with Member States, United Nations colleagues, the ICRC and civil society to strengthen the protection of civilians against such weapons. We will work to promote Member States' recognition of the humanitarian impact of explosive-weapon use in populated areas and their commitment to avoid or limit such use in the future, including by building on good practice in that area.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Explosive-weapon use in populated areas results in damage to, or the destruction of, housing and other infrastructure, such as schools. Approximately one third of the housing stock in Syria has been destroyed by the fighting, while nearly one fifth of the schools are either damaged or being used as shelters. Livelihoods are also devastated as land and other means of production are rendered unusable as the result of explosive remnants of war, which will continue to pose a threat to civilians until they are removed. Damage to the agricultural sector during hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza from 14 to 21 November 2012 is estimated at $20 million.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In the Sudanese states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, aerial bombardment of civilian areas by Sudanese forces and shelling both by Sudanese forces and by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North continue to result in death, injury and displacement. Explosive weapons can result in horrific injuries requiring emergency and specialist medical treatment, rehabilitation and psychosocial support services. But often that treatment and support is unavailable, in part because health facilities have been damaged or destroyed. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), from which the Council will hear later, reports that explosive weapons are the leading cause of damage to health-care facilities in armed conflicts.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Last week, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported a 14 per cent increase in civilian casualties in 2013, as compared to the previous year. The indiscriminate use of improvised explosive devices by anti-Government elements increased in 2013 and remained the leading cause of civilian casualties. In addition to being killed or injured, civilians are also displaced, often for long periods and in precarious conditions. In Syria, 6.5 million people are internally displaced, and 2.5 million have fled the country. Many of those displaced have fled fighting characterized by the devastating and continuing use of explosive weapons in populated areas - all despite the Council's calls for the removal of heavy weapons from population centres.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The work of human rights, the protection of women and children and security-sector reform staff is just as essential for ensuring protection in the long term. Along with the protection cluster, their work also helps to guide the military component in its approach to the protection of civilians. Let me now turn to the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. As is apparent in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, we must do more in that area. According to the British non-governmental organization Action on Armed Violence, almost 38,000 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons worldwide in 2012. Of those, 78 per cent were civilians. When explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 91 per cent of casualties were civilians.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has peacekeeping and peace-enforcement troops under the same command. It may be the only way in which they can protect civilians, but we must remain mindful that, if that impartiality is called into question - in particular if the mission is perceived to have become a party to the conflict - its close proximity to civilians, including in pursuit of its protection activities, could place civilians at increased risk of attack at the same time. Thirdly, it is important that the civilian contribution to implementing the protection mandate is not overshadowed by a focus on the military role and the physical protection of civilians.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“We all know that there needs to be a clear distinction between humanitarian action and a mission's political and military objectives, so as to maintain the centrality of the principles underpinning humanitarian work. It is important that the United Nations and other humanitarian actors are, and are seen to be, neutral, impartial and independent. However, that is not always easy to achieve in volatile, fast-moving conflict situations, where communities look to the United Nations for protection but their leaders cite the partiality of the United Nations in support of one side or another, thereby increasing risks to humanitarian workers and limiting their access to people in need. Secondly, many of the tasks undertaken by peacekeepers to protect civilians rely on their impartiality. But peacekeepers are also sometimes expected to use force.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Mandating peacekeeping missions to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence remains among the most significant actions taken by the Council to enhance protection, and it has undoubtedly saved lives. In many countries, we are constantly asking our peacekeepers to do more, as their numbers are not necessarily commensurate with the task at hand. We have seen that in the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo, South Sudan and elsewhere. But we also recognize that the implementation of a robust protection mandate by peacekeepers can lead to tensions for missions and humanitarian actors. We have sought to address some of those challenges. But there are three specific areas where our continued engagement is essential. First, ensuring effective coordination between missions and humanitarian actors is essential.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“However, the majority of the displaced, 85 per cent of them, are in open areas where access is difficult and insecure. We continue to receive reports of ongoing clashes, despite the cessation of hostilities agreement, leading to further displacements. People are exposed to physical and sexual violence, the destruction of their property, separation from their families and psychosocial trauma. In all those situations and in many others, humanitarian workers face significant challenges as they seek to protect and assist those in need. That is often done at great personal risk, as we saw four days ago in Horns. They, too, must be protected and respected by parties to conflict. In 2013, 120 humanitarian workers were reported killed, 105 injured and 113 kidnapped. Let me now turn to peacekeeping operations.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“I am gravely concerned by reports of reprisals against the minority Muslim community. In many towns, Muslim groups are currently isolated and threatened by anti-Balaka forces, and tens of thousands have already left the country for Chad or Cameroon. Many local religious leaders are doing all they can to bring communities together, but the trust has gone. In South Sudan, thousands of lives were saved when the United Nations Mission in South Sudan allowed people into its bases after violence erupted on 15 December. Nearly 75,000 people are still receiving protection and assistance in eight United Nations bases, crowded together in unsustainable conditions and too fearful to return to homes and communities, which have been razed to the ground.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“There are 250,000 people in areas of the country that are besieged. They cannot leave, and we cannot get aid in. The recent and desperately needed humanitarian pause in Homs has enabled United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent workers to evacuate more than 1,000 civilians and to deliver some food and medicines to people in the Old City. It was a heroic effort, as people waiting to leave and humanitarian workers trying to get aid in were being deliberately targeted. We will learn the lessons from that operation and seek to replicate it in other parts of the country. Atrocities continue in the Central African Republic, including against those fleeing violence. There are 100,000 people seeking refuge at the airport, and thousands have fled into the bush. The conflict is complex, and all communities are affected by the violence.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In many respects, we seem to be going backwards as international exhortations, including from the Council, go unheeded. In Syria, civilians have been subjected to brutal violence for almost three years, and there appears to be no end in sight. We all hope that the current talks in Geneva will deliver a positive result. As the violence intensifies and the situation on the ground becomes more complicated, people are becoming even more desperate. There are reports and allegations of the systematic targeting of communities with specific religious affiliations. And the use of siege as a weapon of war is particularly heinous - the deliberate denial of humanitarian assistance to people in desperate need. As a world community, we had all hoped that we had moved beyond that, and yet we are witnessing it in Syria every day.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“I regret to inform the Council that, despite the extensive human rights and humanitarian law that has been put in place and the widespread availability of social media, which is now used to track atrocities against civilians, civilians continue to be killed, injured and maimed in conflict by targeted or indiscriminate attacks on a regular basis. They are arbitrarily detained, tortured, raped or forcibly recruited. They are displaced to an uncertain fate, often with no or only limited access to basic necessities. The recent examples of Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan bear that out, with parties to conflict failing, sometimes deliberately, to respect and protect civilians pursuant to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Ms. Amos: The Secretary-General's latest report (S/20l3/689) on the protection ofcivilians takes stock of the current, very bleak state of affairs in this area of work and also provides an update on progress in responding to the five core challenges. It makes recommendations for strengthening protection, addressing new weapon technologies, explosive weapons use in populated areas, casualty recording, non-State armed groups, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian access and accountability. In today's briefing, I will focus my remarks on the general deterioration in the protection of civilians in the past year, the impact of key developments in peacekeeping operations on the issue and the pressing need to strengthen the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Each day that passes without the parties upholding their most basic obligations results in more lives lost, more people displaced and more people denied access to the most basic services. As we deliberate, people continue to die unnecessarily. I call upon all the members of the Council to exert influence and take the necessary action to stop this brutality and violence. The Council's leadership role is vital. Words, despite their ability to shock, cannot really paint a picture of the grim and gruesome reality of Syria today. I am extremely disappointed that we have not been able to make further progress.”
2013-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7049 (2013) · source
“We need humanitarian pauses immediately in all locations where communities are being held hostage by one party or the other to the conflict to deliver food, medicine and shelter. People must be allowed to move to safer areas without fear of attack. We need those who control the checkpoints on both sides of the conflict to ensure the safe and unhindered passage of humanitarian convoys. We need the Government to immediately lift all bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian operations. There is simply no reason why humanitarian staff, whose only interest is to help those in desperate need, have not been granted visas to scale up our operations. This is a race against time. Three weeks have passed since the adoption of the Council's statement, with little change to report.”
2013-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7049 (2013) · source