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

“Across the country, humanitarian convoys are regularly attacked or shot at and their personnel are intimidated or kidnapped. As an example, on 21 March, a World Health Organization (WHO) convoy carrying medical assistance for 80,000 people was hijacked by an armed group on its way from Tartus to Aleppo, and all the supplies were stolen. Yet, despite the threat, humanitarian workers continue their critical work. I want to pay particular tribute to the work of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers. They have shown incredible dedication, impartiality and courage since the beginning of the conflict. Many of them do not hesitate to risk their lives every day to bring assistance to the people in need, whether they live in Government- or opposition-controlled areas. Eighteen have been killed in the course of their humanitarian work.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“The data available to us shows that the people in the opposition-held areas are in the most urgent need. We have a duty and a responsibility to try to reach them. During my recent visit to Turkey, I was horrified to hear accounts of children dying of hunger in those areas. We need to get aid into those hard-to-reach areas. It is difficult to do that cross-line because of bureaucratic constraints. The Council needs to consider alternative forms of aid delivery, including cross-border operations, because too many lives are being lost. When I tell the Council that the journey from Damascus to Aleppo is 310 kilometres, with the 50 checkpoints that I mentioned, members should remember what I said about the need for ministers now to sign off each truck - the journey from Kilis to Aleppo is just 56 kilometres.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“In the case of Aleppo, it is important to highlight that, contrary to some widely held perceptions, aid flows across the Turkish border have significantly declined in the past two months. The main crossing point at Kilis, through which 50 per cent of aid reportedly flows, has recorded a reduction to approximately 20 trucks per day, down from between 50 and 80 trucks two months ago. The assistance coordination unit, the humanitarian arm of the Syrian coalition, has limited capacity and access. We are therefore not reaching those most urgently in need of our help, that is, the 2.5 million people in Aleppo and north of the city. The strengthening of the assistance coordination unit should not come at the expense of Syrian Arab Red Crescent.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“The continued conflict and the proliferation of armed groups has made Syria a highly unpredictable and insecure environment, jeopardizing aid organizations' operations. In the past two months, access to those in the most severe need has diminished. Homs is a good example. In February and March, 276,000 people in the most severe need were effectively cut off from assistance, as the Government had closed down Syrian Arab Red Crescent cross-line operations. We have similar restrictions in Rif Damascus, Aleppo, Dar'a and elsewhere. They have all been the target of United Nations-led cross-line missions, but, due to access restrictions, the scale of aid delivered falls far short of the needs.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“Notwithstanding the fact that NGOs are cleared to accept United Nations funding, every project is considered in detail by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the result that projects designed in February for funding under the Central Emergency Response Fund are still awaiting final approval in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Twenty-two armoured vehicles, which are so vital for staff security, are still pending approval for import. In the past 24 hours, we have been informed that every truck needs a permit signed by two ministers to enable clearance through Government checkpoints. When I tell the Council that a convoy from Damascus to Aleppo goes through 50 checkpoints, half of them Government-controlled, members will appreciate the impossibility of that request. We cannot do business that way.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“All aid convoys require 72 hours' notice, with as many as 10 notes verbale being exchanged to gain approval for a single convoy. The approved list of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has recently been reduced, from 110 to 29. Only four additional international NGOs have been approved this year and, given the bureaucratic hurdles, only one is operational. The approval to open United Nations hubs in six key cities was issued more than a year ago, yet this has only been operationalized recently for two cities, with a commitment to continue discussions on two more.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“We urgently need to increase our support to those countries and give them the help they need to continue to keep their borders open. I visited Syria four times in the past year. My most recent visit was in January, and I was able to report to the Council areas of improvement in our relationship with the Syrian Government, including their agreement that United Nations humanitarian agencies and our partners could access all areas of Syria and their agreement to fast-track administrative procedures to facilitate an effective humanitarian response. I regret to inform the Council that, since my visit in January, bureaucratic obstacles have grown and are inhibiting our ability to respond. Twenty-one visas are pending, many for more than two months.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“We have heard testimonies of houses burned with families inside and of people being bombed and killed while queuing for a piece of bread. That is the reality of Syria today. Children are among the ones who suffer most. More than 3 million have already been affected, including 2 million displaced. Children have been murdered, tortured and subjected to sexual violence. Many do not have enough food to eat. Millions have been traumatized by the horrors they have witnessed. The brutal conflict is not only shattering Syria's present, it is also destroying its future. The High Commissioner for Refugees will briefthe Council on the situation of the more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. I share his concern about the growing impact of the refugee crisis on neighbouring countries, particularly Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“Large parts do not have running water because there is no electricity. Waste is piling up, raising fears that diseases will multiply as the summer heat approaches. There are growing concerns about outbreaks of diarrhoea and, potentially, even cholera if the most basic of services cannot be urgently restored. The group visited a hospital in Aleppo, where more than 3,500 war- wounded patients had reportedly been treated. There is no blood bank, and doctors are performing surgery at times without anaesthetics or even suture thread. The hospital and its staff are regularly hit during fighting. However, our descriptions cannot begin to give the Council the real picture of the horrors being meted out every day.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“The latest figures show 6.8 million people in need, 4.25 million people internally displaced and an additional 1.3 million who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. The economic collapse has led to a consequential collapse in people's coping mechanisms. At the same time that needs are growing dramatically, so, too, are the constraints inhibiting our ability to scale up the humanitarian response. Therefore, the question facing all of us around this table is: when is not enough too little, and when does continuing to do too little become part of the problem? Syria's main cities have been devastated by the conflict. Dayr al-Zawr, Hama, Homs and Idlib have been reduced to rubble. A United Nations inter-agency convoy that crossed the front lines in Aleppo last week witnessed the extraordinary destruction in the city.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“Ms. Amos: The situation in Syria is a humanitarian catastrophe, with ordinary people paying a price for the failure to end the conflict. The parties to the conflict have become increasingly entrenched in the rhetoric and reality of war, with total disregard for the impact on people's lives. This body has been unable to reach the consensus necessary to support a political resolution to the crisis. The destruction of essential infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, the devaluation of the currency, rising food prices, a shortage of fuel and electricity and a lack of water has had an impact on the majority of Syrians. The needs are growing rapidly and are most severe in the conflict and opposition-controlled areas.”
2013-04-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6949 (2013) · source
“I welcome the focus on compliance and access. Humanitarian actors must be able to engage with armed groups if we are to make progress on both of these issues. Some States have expressed concern at the Secretary-General's focus in the report (S/2012/376) on engagement with non-State armed groups. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to engaging such groups. Engagement for exclusively humanitarian purposes is essential to our efforts to seek improved protection for civilians and ensure safe and sustained access. I look forward to continuing to work with the Council in addressing protection of civilians concerns and issues relating to humanitarian action more broadly as well as with individual Member States.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Ms. Amos: The number of countries participating in the debate today demonstrates its timeliness. I am encouraged that the majority of States have referred to the core challenges to enhancing the protection of civilians and the need to redouble our efforts to ensure compliance with the law. I welcome the concern expressed by a number of States regarding the need for improved casualty reporting to address the humanitarian impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, to prevent attacks against and interference with health-care workers and facilities, and the need for a comprehensive and robust arms trade treaty. Many speakers have also underlined the importance of ensuring accountability for those who violate the law. Attention has also been drawn to the importance of safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790Resumption1 (2012) · source
“As the Secretary-General has reminded us, the solution to many of the problems we see in contemporary conflicts is strengthened compliance by parties to conflict with the letter and spirit of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Ensuring such compliance begins, of course, with the parties to conflict. But the responsibility is not theirs alone. It is a responsibility that is incumbent upon us all - the United Nations, its Member States and the Security Council. We can and must do more to fulfil that responsibility and ensure that the law has meaning for those it is intended to protect.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“The final issue is accountability. In most, if not all, of the situations mentioned, serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law are being committed. The perpetrators of such acts must be held accountable, either domestically or internationally. The Security Council and Member States have a responsibility to ensure that this happens. The workshop on accountability, convened in November 2011 jointly by the Permanent Mission of Portugal and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, discussed ways in which the Council could more actively support and strengthen accountability at both the national and the international levels. I would urge the Council to engage in further dialogue with a View to taking forward the recommendations emerging from the workshop.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“The Council might also consider more robust actions, such as the imposition of targeted measures against the leadership of parties that use explosive weapons in violation of applicable international law. The third issue I would stress is the need for more systematic recording of civilian casualties. Such recording, combined with regular reporting, can confirm the causes of harm to civilians and the actions needed to end such harm, including by the Council. It also allows parties to conflict to better understand the impact of their actions, enabling them to undertake prompt corrective action to ensure their compliance with the law. I am encouraged by the commitment of the African Union Mission in Somalia to establish a civilian casualty tracking analysis and response cell, as well as its adoption of the policy on indirect fire.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“Next month's United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty will provide an opportunity to address the humanitarian impact of the poorly regulated trade in arms. Secondly, action is needed to address the use in populated areas of explosive weapons with wide-area effect, the humanitarian impact of which is clear in parts of Syria. More than 21,000 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapons in 2011. Some 87 per cent of these deaths and injuries occurred in populated areas, including markets, schools, places of worship and homes. I urge the Council to be more proactive and systematic in calling on all parties, in Syria and elsewhere, to refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“I welcome NATO's decision this month to cease aerial attacks on residential areas. Lastly, I am concerned by renewed violence this month in the west of Cote d'Ivoire and between Israel and militant groups in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Secretary-General's report provides important recommendations for addressing the five core challenges to enhance the protection of civilians. I would like to focus on four issues identified in the report. First is the need for a comprehensive and robust arms trade treaty. The poorly regulated trade in arms and corresponding widespread availability and misuse of weapons fuel and facilitate many of the violations that that we see in armed conflict.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“In Afghanistan, the number of internally displaced people has continued to grow, with more than 87,000 Afghans displaced in the first four months of this year. As of April, there were an estimated 408,000 internally displaced persons in the country. On a more positive note, there was a 21 per cent reduction in overall casualty figures in Afghanistan during the first four months of 2012, compared to the same period last year. However, the deaths on 6 June of 40 civilians and the wounding of 67 others in indiscriminate attacks by anti-Government elements and an airstrike by pro-Government forces underline the precarious position in which civilians find themselves. They also underline the need for all parties to take the necessary steps to spare civilians from the effects of hostilities.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“In Yemen, a Government offensive to regain control of cities in the Abyan governorate has resulted in civilian deaths and injuries. Road closures and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance have made it difficult for civilians to obtain treatment and to leave areas of fighting. Fighting in northern Mali has forced 174,000 people to flee the country. An additional 170,000 are internally displaced. Insecurity in the north has severely restricted humanitarian access and forced a number of humanitarian organizations to cease operations. This is troubling given reports of arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, including rape, and other violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by the parties to the conflict.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“Meanwhile, the redeployment of some Congolese forces to fight the M-23 has left a security vacuum elsewhere that is being exploited by the Forces democratiques de libe'ration du Rwanda and other armed groups in an effort to take control of mines and towns. The result is that tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced. Continued fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (or SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (or SPLM-N), including aerial bombardment of civilian areas by the SAF, has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of refugees fleeing to South Sudan. Those remaining in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan urgently need assistance, yet the Sudanese Government continues to refuse humanitarian access to areas under SPLM-N control. We are in ongoing discussions on this.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“Anti-Government groups are also reportedly responsible for Violations, including torture, summary executions and abductions. Residents in the most affected areas are often unable to access water, food or medical care. It is imperative that civilians who wish to leave areas of fighting be allowed to do so safely. All relevant parties need to allow safe, timely and unimpeded access by humanitarian organizations to all areas affected by Violence to enable the provision of assistance to people in need. The plight of civilians in other situations also warrants our continued attention. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, intensified military operations in North Kivu between the Congolese armed forces and the March 23 Movement (M-23) have displaced over 220,000 people since early April.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“Ms. Amos: The Secretary-General's report (S/2012/376) provides a compelling reminder of the situation that confronts civilians affected by conflict and violence, and of the pressing need to strengthen efforts to protect them. Since the submission of the report, a number of the situations to which it refers have deteriorated. In Syria, in recent weeks we have seen an alarming intensification in the violence. The ongoing use of artillery and tanks by Syrian security forces in populated areas is of the utmost concern, as are reports of summary executions of civilians, torture and other forms of ill-treatment by Syrian security forces and militia, including against children. Schools have been raided, used as military bases and detention centres. Hospitals and health facilities have been targeted.”
2012-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6790 (2012) · source
“The Council also has a key role in promoting genuine accountability for serious violations, the absence of which serves to encourage rather than deter violations. The Council must be 11-33032 comprehensive and consistent in its approach and consider all situations requiring attention and action.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“The events of the past few months have provided a compelling reminder of the fundamental and enduring importance of the Council's protection-of- civilians agenda. Moreover, they have underscored the need to ensure that the commitments therein, as expressed in the five thematic protection-of-civilians resolutions and the aide-memoire (see S/PRST/2010/ 25), translate into concerted Council action in response to violations of the law as we have seen in Cote d'Ivoire and Libya, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Demanding compliance with the law and enforcing such demands through targeted sanctions are critically important actions that the Council can take to enhance compliance.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“It is not clear whether the imposition of similar measures in regard to Cote d'Ivoire, and at an earlier stage of the crisis, might have prompted similar action by influential individuals and prevented the further deterioration of the situation. The adoption of resolution 1973 (2011) on Libya and the authorization and subsequent use of force and other measures to protect civilians has prevented civilian deaths and injury. But it has also raised concerns in terms of the potential undermining of the protection of civilians agenda and its important role in providing a framework for action in future crises. In addition to complying scrupulously with international humanitarian law, the implementation of the Council's decision must be exclusively limited to promoting and ensuring the protection of civilians.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“The Council's responses to the crises in Libya and Cote d'Ivoire have raised questions that need to be addressed. First, in terms of consistency of approach, resolution 1970 (2011) on Libya essentially followed the course laid out by the Secretary-General in the reports to which I have just referred. The Council condemned the violations, demanded compliance with the law, imposed the arms embargo and targeted sanctions and referred the situation to the ICC. The latter action in particular is believed to have prompted some in positions of power in Libya to reflect on their role in the violence and, subsequently, to defect from the Government.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“As those reports made clear, aside from the fundamental responsibility on all the parties to conflict themselves, the Security Council too has a responsibility to promote compliance: first, by using all available opportunities to condemn violations and to remind parties of, and demand compliance with, their obligations; secondly, by applying targeted sanctions against the leadership of parties that routinely violate their obligations to respect civilians; and, thirdly, by promoting accountability, including by mandating commissions of inquiry to examine situations where concerns exist regarding serious violations, with a view to identifying the perpetrators and ensuring their prosecution at the national level, or referring the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“It is the willingness of parties to conflict to respect and ensure respect for those rules, including through the rigorous pursuit of accountability, that is absent. Enhancing compliance with international law, particularly in the conduct of hostilities, is the first of the five core challenges identified in the last two Secretary-General's reports on the protection of civilians (S/2010/579 and 8/2009/277).”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“The recent report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka found that some 40,000 civilians may have died in the final stages of the conflict and that credible allegations existed of human rights and humanitarian law violations by both parties to the conflict. Some of those violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. International law requires that these allegations be properly investigated. When it comes to protecting civilians in the conduct of hostilities, the picture is stark. It will remain so in the absence of determined efforts by parties to conflict to comply with the law. Clear and binding rules regulating the conduct of hostilities exist.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“March and April of this year witnessed an escalation in violence in Gaza and southern Israel, with 3 one Israeli child killed and three Israelis injured. Fifteen Palestinian civilians, including six children, were killed and 104 injured, 37 of them children. In Afghanistan, over 7,000 civilians were killed or injured in 2010 - an increase of 19 per cent over 2009. Anti-Government elements were reportedly responsible for over 5,000 of those deaths and injuries. Military operations by pro-Government forces accounted for some 800 civilian casualties. Improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks in civilian areas continue to cause large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries. The Taliban's declaration on 1 May of the start ofa spring offensive is of great concern.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“In Darfur, fighting between Government and rebel forces remains a major source of insecurity and displaced an estimated additional 70,000 people during the first three months of this year. In Colombia, civilians continue to be affected by the armed conflict and the actions principally of guerrilla groups and new armed groups that have emerged following the demobilization process. These groups continue to use landmines and improvised explosive devices, with over 150 civilians killed or injured by such weapons in 2010. Civilians have been killed and injured in attacks against military units located in and around homes and schools. The Government estimates that over 111,000 people were forcibly displaced last year due to the conflict, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to 3.6 million.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“In the north-east of the country, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continues to pose a grave threat to civilian populations, as well as in neighbouring Central African Republic and southern Sudan. During the first quarter of this year, 107 LRA attacks - which routinely include the killing, rape, beating and abduction of civilians - were reported across the three countries. In southern Sudan, following the relative stability of January's referendum, the security situation has deteriorated sharply. Intercommunal conflict and clashes between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and increasingly active militia groups have reportedly killed over 1,100 people, the majority civilians, and displaced over 116,000. Reports indicate that SPLA soldiers have targeted or fired indiscriminately at civilians and burned and looted homes.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“In Somalia, civilians continue to bear the brunt of fighting between militants and forces of the Transitional Federal Government and the African 11-33032 Union. During 2010, over 7,000 civilians reported weapons-related injuries in Mogadishu - the highest number of civilian casualties in a decade. Children accounted for 20 per cent of those injured. In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, conflict persists, with direct attacks against civilians by foreign and Congolese armed groups. Some elements of the national security forces continue to be implicated in these violations. Sexual violence, including rape, remains a defining characteristic of the conflict. At the end of 2010, some 1.7 million people remained internally displaced, 1.3 million of them in the Kivus.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“In Cote d'Ivoire, at least 25 civilians were killed and more wounded in a single incident on 17 March in which a market was shelled in the Abobo district of Abidjan. Explosive weapons have an immediate and indiscriminate impact, killing and injuring those caught in the blast radius, including civilians, while the damage to buildings and infrastructure hampers longer- term reconstruction and development. I reiterate my call on parties to conflict to refrain from the use of these weapons in densely populated areas. While Libya and Cote d'Ivoire have recently occupied the headlines, civilians in other conflicts continue to be killed and injured as the parties fail to comply with their obligations in the conduct of hostilities.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“Humanitarian organizations were forced either to limit their movements or to suspend activities altogether. While the violence has subsided, the humanitarian situation remains precarious and our access to those in need in Abidjan and elsewhere continues to be hampered by pockets of instability due to violence by militias. In Libya, the reported use of cluster munitions and Grad rockets by Government forces in Misrata marks the latest development in a broader pattern of the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas by Government, as well as opposition and coalition forces. In one incident alone on 14 April, an attack involving Grad rockets reportedly killed a dozen civilians and wounded many more as they queued to buy bread.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“There are still an estimated 150,000 internally displaced people in 11-33032 western Cote d'Ivoire and a further 177,500 Ivorians registered as refugees in several West African nations, including nearly 160,000 in Liberia, though these numbers change as people move back and forth across the border. At the height of the violence, humanitarian workers experienced immense difficulty in accessing people in need due to the fighting and to the checkpoints and blockades established in Abidjan by the parties to the conflict. These checkpoints and blockades were often the scene of the harassment and obstruction of humanitarian workers. The situation was further compounded by attacks on United Nations peacekeepers and the theft of humanitarian vehicles, equipment and supplies.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“The shelling and mining of Misrata port is also hampering efforts to supply urgently needed aid and to evacuate those, including the sick and wounded, who want to leave. I will continue to call upon all parties to agree to a temporary cessation of hostilities in Misrata on humanitarian grounds, to allow those who wish to flee to do so, and to enable humanitarian personnel to comprehensively assess the situation and bring more aid. In Cote d'Ivoire, November's post-election crisis degenerated into a conflict marked by increased violence that seriously affected the civilian population. Direct attacks against civilians, indiscriminate shelling, sexual violence, and attacks against humanitarian workers and peacekeepers have all been reported and must be investigated without delay.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“As I reported to the Council yesterday in my briefing on Libya (see S/PV.6530), civilians continue to be killed and injured by fighting between Government and opposition forces, especially in Misrata and the Western Nafusa mountains. Indiscriminate rocket and mortar attacks on densely populated areas of Misrata, as well as sniper attacks, continue to cause civilian casualties. There are also concerns over civilian casualties resulting from coalition air strikes. The fighting in Misrata has limited the population's access to food, water and other basic commodities. Medical facilities are short of supplies and trained personnel. This is particularly troubling given the continuous heavy fighting in the city, as are reports of attacks on ambulances transporting the wounded to these facilities.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“In the six months since my last briefing (see S/PV.6427), we have witnessed an unprecedented series of crises in parts of the Middle East and North and sub-Saharan Africa. I am concerned at the violence levelled against civilians in Bahrain, Yemen and, more recently, Syria, and at the loss of life and other human rights violations. In Syria, reports of the deployment of tanks and of the shelling of residential areas are alarming. Of particular concern, however, was the deterioration of the situations in Libya and C6te d'Ivoire into armed conflict. There have been serious allegations of violations of the rules regulating the conduct of hostilities in both these countries.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“Ms. Amos: I will focus my remarks today on the pressing need to ensure more effective protection for civilians in the conduct of hostilities. The deliberate targeting of civilians or other flagrant disregard for their well-being in violation of international humanitarian law during hostilities results in hundreds being killed, injured, maimed and traumatized every week. Recent events in Libya and Cote d'Ivoire are the latest examples of this, but other situations also demand our attention. This initial failure to respect the law is almost always the precursor to further violence, suffering and trauma inflicted upon 2 civilians, including massive displacement within and across borders.”
2011-05-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6531 (2011) · source
“We will need additional resources to support increased humanitarian activities within Libya. I count on members' continued support for the humanitarian effort in Libya, and for achieving the desperately needed temporary humanitarian pause.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“In this complex and charged environment, a loss of confidence by any of the parties to the current hostilities in the strictly neutral, impartial and independent character of humanitarian action would jeopardize our ability to reach the people who need help. Humanitarian agencies must have access to all people, regardless of where they are and under whose control they happen to find themselves. The work of humanitarian agencies must not be impaired. Aid workers must not become targets because of perceived compromises to their neutrality, impartiality and independence. The next two to three months will be a critical period for Libya. So far, we have received $144 million for humanitarian work. That is 46 per cent of what is needed. I would like to thank Member States for their support. We are now revising our appeal.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“The lack of fuel is also impacting on the functioning of desalination plants and other water purification mechanisms. Desalination supplies are running out. The current situation will contribute to the 3 need for continuing humanitarian assistance in Libya in the months ahead. Those structural vulnerabilities need to be addressed to ensure that the adverse effects on the civilian population are minimized. The delivery of humanitarian assistance in Libya must remain distinct from the military activities of all parties to the conflict. Every possible effort is being made to deliver assistance and evacuate the injured and third-country nationals while using only civilian resources. Only as a last resort will the military assets that have been generously offered by some Member States be mobilized. We have not yet reached that point.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“Between 75 and 90 per cent of all consumed cereals are imported. The country requires between 110,000 and 150,000 metric tons of food monthly to feed its population of over 6.5 million. A recent inter-agency mission found two months of food stocks in the eastern region of the country; Western Libya has three months of food stock. Also of concern for the country's longer-term food security is the disruption of the public food distribution system, the departure of third-country national agricultural workers and the unavailability of fuel to transport agricultural produce around the country. The short supply of cash combined with rising food prices will make it increasingly difficult for vulnerable people to get what they need.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“Thousands of foreign nurses and doctors left the country at the start of the crisis. Essential medicines, supplies and vaccines will not be replenished when they run out. Even if imported medicines do enter the country, they cannot be distributed to health facilities due to fuel shortages and the disruption of supply lines. Schools are closed. School buildings have been damaged or are sheltering displaced people. School- age children are traumatized. Teachers and students are unable to get to school, including in Tripoli, because of fuel shortages. Annual examinations have been postponed. No planning is under way for the next academic year. Educational materials are increasingly unavailable, as they also must be imported. Food stocks are being depleted. Libya is a food deficit country, heavily reliant on imports.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“The longer this situation continues, the greater the likelihood that those families will need significant support. 11-32881 The manner in which the sanctions are implemented and monitored is causing serious delays in the arrival of commercial goods. In addition, the conflict has caused a serious disruption of supply lines within the country, which has already led to shortages of fuel and difficulties in obtaining commodities, including foodstuffs, medicines and other essential goods. There have also been severe cash shortages throughout the country. The impact of these problems is being felt nationwide and in all sectors. I am particularly concerned about the effect on the health sector. In Tripoli the Libyan Ministry of Health has reported that only 45 percent of medical staff are working.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“A pause would also enable the delivery of essential medical supplies and other relief items, as well as the evacuation of third-country nationals, the wounded and others who require emergency medical assistance. My colleagues and I will continue to press for this. In Benghazi and other areas there are no immediate acute emergency needs. But an influx of approximately 58,000 displaced people has given rise to some humanitarian requirements. There are also protection concerns and wider human rights concerns. Throughout Libya communities have opened their homes to families who have been displaced. While that is a testament to the generosity of the Libyan people, it means that host families themselves are doubly affected by the crisis.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“The reported use of cluster bombs and sea and land mines, as well as deaths and injuries caused by aerial bombing, show a callous disregard for the physical and psychological well-being of civilians. There are reports of sexual violence, including rape. We are also concerned that children could be recruited as combatants. Disappearances and abductions are reported. The shelling of the port in Misrata has prevented humanitarian ships from accessing the port. All parties need to agree a temporary pause in the fighting in Misrata and other areas. That would provide a respite from violence for the civilian population and enable those who wish to leave to do so. An independent assessment of the humanitarian situation could be conducted.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its partners are providing food and non-food items to those refugees, as well as to host families. The Libyan Ministry of Social Welfare has informed us that it is assisting approximately 5,000 families from Misrata, the Western Mountains region and southern areas - about 33,000 people in total. In spite of the repeated requests of the Secretary- General and the international community as a whole, civilians are still coming under fire in these areas of conflict. This has to stop. The Security Council must continue to insist that all parties respect international humanitarian law and ensure that civilians are spared.”
2011-05-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6530 (2011) · source