YouSaid · the spoken record

Anderson

lines on the record: 216
first: 2009-10-05
most recent: 2013-04-17
sittings or episodes: 27
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

“I would also like to note that the Irish Defence Forces are breaking new ground in producing their own resolution 1325 (2000) action plan so as to ensure that the objectives for which they bear responsibility are delivered. As we know, sexual violence in conflict is vicious and pitiless, and there is no sign of it abating. Rather, the roll call of shame continues to grow ever longer. Insofar as today's debate strengthens our resolve and brings us closer to achieving a real and life-changing impact on the ground, it will indeed be worthwhile.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“While acknowledging progress on other aspects of the resolution 1325 (2000) agenda, it finds that: "There are worrying indications that the Council's focus is less sharp when it comes to the women's participation aspect". That imbalance needs to be addressed. The Security Council should factor women's participation into all its deliberations and decisions in a systematic way. Such a focus is essential if we are to move beyond symptoms and to address root causes. Finally, let me briefly update the Council on developments in Ireland. We are currently undertaking an independent review of our resolution 1325 (2000) national action plan and, in the interests of transparency and sharing lessons learned, we intend to make public the main lessons identified as part of that process.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“There is an inextricable connection between women's treatment in peacetime and their treatment in conflict. As Special Representative Bangura put it recently: "If women are seen as second-class citizens in peacetime, their rights will not be respected when there is unrest. If they are viewed as unimportant before war breaks out, they will be treated as expendable during conflict". Empowerment cannot and will not happen without women's participation. Promoting participation is a challenge that is shared right across the United Nations system, but the Security Council clearly has responsibilities within its remit. The detailed and independent Security Council Report to which I referred earlier gives cause for concern in that regard.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Ireland strongly endorses that recommendation, and we hope at our next open debate, in June, to hear of progress being made towards its fulfilment. The second issue concerns the deployment of women's protection advisers. One particular innovation that has made a real difference and has had a catalytic impact on the ground is the deployment of more women's protection advisers to missions. I reiterate the call by the Group of Friends for the necessary and specific budgetary resources to be identified to ensure that women's protection advisers are deployed where they are needed in all the relevant Security Council- mandated missions. The third issue is the focus on participation. A defining feature of the resolution 1325 (2000) agenda is that it goes beyond protection to embrace empowerment.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“The steps already taken by the Security Council in relation to targeted sanctions are welcome and significant, but there is more to be done. As the non-profit organization Security Council Report identified in its recent cross-cutting report, political caution in the Council has precluded a more ambitious use of sanctions in the women, peace and security context. To achieve more traction and to deliver more results, the Council needs to be more consistent and comprehensive in its approach. One of the core recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report is that all the Security Council Sanctions Committees include a focus on crimes of sexual violence and that the Council expand its institutional capacity so as to develop ways to apply sanctions where no such committees are in place.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“I would like to focus onjust three points, following on from the European Union statement and from the statement by the representative of Canada on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, both of which Ireland has aligned itself with. The first issue relates to ending impunity, which is absolutely critical to ensuring both accountability and effective deterrence. That requires a multi-pronged approach: building national capacity to investigate and prosecute acts of sexual violence; further steps to ensure that international criminal justice deals with sexual violence in a more systematic and consistent manner; and further consideration of how the Security Council can act more effectively in applying targeted sanctions.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“As the report points out, sexual violence is almost universally underreported. The information it presents is therefore only indicative of the scope and character of sexual violence being committed against women, children and men. The report needs to be updated almost as soon as it is written. As an example, the latest information reaching us about the Central African Republic suggests a situation out of control, with sexual violence employed on all sides as an instrument of conflict. Faced with such horrors, how can we translate the concern voiced around this table into meaningful action on the ground?”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“We look forward to that momentum being maintained with a further Security Council debate in June. Such high-profile action and momentum - and even more of both - are desperately needed. The recent report of the Secretary-General (S/2013/l49) sets out the brutal realities facing women in conflict situations today. It does not shirk from going into exhaustive and difficult detail. That includes the 1,700 rape cases registered in and around Mogadishu last year, almost one third of which involved child victims; the use of sexual violence in Syria during house searches, at checkpoints and in detention; and the scale, savagery and systematic nature of conflict-related sexual violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite its range and specificity, the Secretary- General's report is far from comprehensive.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“Conflict-related sexual violence is an issue that, in recent years, has continued to rise on the international agenda. Such attention has been driven by several factors, including the sustained leadership shown by the Council; the work of the Secretary-General and the authoritative and passionate voice of his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict; and the efforts of Member States and those of civil society organizations, which do so much to amplify the voices of marginalized women and men. Last week's forthright Group of Eight declaration is clear evidence ofhow high-profile the issue has become. I would like to commend the United Kingdom on the leadership that it has demonstrated with its Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.”
2013-04-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6948 (2013) · source
“If we are serious about achieving the current targets for women in peacekeeping, we have to think realistically about finding the necessary incentives and innovative ways to advance towards these targets. I would conclude by acknowledging the sacrifices made by peacekeepers seeking to sustain and build peace in some of the most difficult places on Earth. In the past year, 111 peacekeepers were killed in carrying out their duty. It is our duty here in New York to ensure that the work of those who run such risks makes the maximum possible difference.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“If deployed peacekeeping missions were to reach out to populations in more traditional societies, the deployment of more women would act as a multiplier of peacebuilding potential. This is a difficult challenge for all troop contributors, no less for Ireland than for any other Member of the United Nations. The Irish Defence Forces ensure that its personnel receive tailored predeployment training in the human rights of women and minorities, cultural awareness and codes of conduct and behaviour. We also fund and participate in a gender perspective pilot programme in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. But there is an important point to be made.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“In the written version of my statement, I set out in some detail how Ireland is utilizing its current presidency of the Council of the European Union as an opportunity to drive efforts to further enhance this European Union/ United Nations cooperation. I also make the point that more prominence could be given to non-United Nations partners, including regional organizations, in the United Nations lessons-learned processes. The fourth point concerns gender. There is a crucial element common to peacekeeping and peacebuilding that is conspicuous by its absence in the concept note for today's debate (S/2013/4, annex). Perhaps the single most transformative step towards ensuring the success of peacekeepers as early peacebuilders would be the deployment of more women on missions.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“Rather than saddling peacekeeping missions with more and more responsibilities, we should instead be thinking about enhancing political peacebuilding missions, separate missions, or separate arms within existing missions. But this is a larger debate for another day. My third point concerns the role of regional organizations. Ireland has direct experience of the positive contribution that regional organizations can make to peacekeeping and peacebuilding. We have led initiatives to improve cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union in relation to peace operations and have given financial support to the expansion of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations Liaison Office in Brussels.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“As a United Nations community, it is important that we either match our expectations of missions with resources, or alternatively we should temper our ambitions. It is wishful thinking, and even somewhat hypocritical, to try to have it both ways. In standing back and looking at the peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities currently undertaken by the United Nations, we must also ask ourselves whether we, collectively, are continuing disproportionately to focus on the symptoms of conflict at the expense of addressing the root causes. It is a truism that preventing conflict is far more cost-effective than managing crises, yet we continue to pour resources into the latter. Perhaps a paradigm shift is needed.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“While maintaining the flexibility and responsiveness characteristic of these projects, efforts to better coordinate and integrate them into broader frameworks greatly enhance their sustainability, and thereby their impact. My second point concerns realism. We must do more to engender a sense of realism. Oscar Wilde famously wrote: "I can resist anything except temptation". Over time, the temptation before this Council has been to add, paragraph by paragraph in mandate resolutions, more and broader objectives. No one objects to these objectives, but missions 4 even modern multidimensional operations - struggle to deliver them as an entire set, not least because they do not always receive a proportionate increase in resources or clear guidance as to what the real priorities are.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“I would like today to touch briefly on four points. My first point concerns sustainability. Paragraph 1 of resolution 2086 (2013), adopted earlier today, refers to peacekeeping contributing to "a comprehensive strategy for durable peace and security". There are at least two critical aspects to ensuring such durability or sustainability. First, peacebuilding tasks must be undertaken by peacekeepers in a coordinated and coherent manner within an integrated United Nations framework. Secondly, they must support national strategic priorities and planning. The question of how quick-impact projects can contribute more effectively to peacebuilding is of relevance here. From the many such projects delivered over the years by the Irish Defence Forces, we have learned one key lesson.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“A written version of my statement is being circulated, and I will deliver a slightly abbreviated version so as to respect the time constraints. I welcome the initiative that Pakistan has taken in scheduling this open debate on United Nations peacekeeping. Indeed, for such a crucial and iconic part of the United Nation's work - Blue Helmets are instantly recognized the world over 4 the Council would undoubtedly benefit from scheduling such debates more frequently. Ireland is one of the staunchest supporters of United Nations peacekeeping, with our Defence Forces participating continuously in United Nations peace operations since their first deployment 55 years ago. We are also among the top 10 donors to the Peacebuilding Fund. We are therefore keenly interested in the evolving interlinkages between peacekeeping and peacebuilding.”
2013-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6903 (2013) · source
“We need to ensure that fine words in New York translate into measurable and meaningful results on the ground. These regular Security Council debates are worthwhile insofar as they allow us to make that connection.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“The challenge is to document and disseminate such initiatives in different countries so as to transform single experiences into mainstream policy. The strength of civil society initiatives often lies in their spontaneity and local buy-in; the weaknesses can be in ensuring structure, durability and transferability. The Senegalese experiment was a particularly successful one, and it is encouraging that UN-Women and the United Nations Development Programme are working to ensure that it is properly recorded and adapted for use in other situations. It is evident from the Secretary-General's report that there is a substantial and expanding conceptual infrastructure dedicated to women and peace and security issues. As in so many other areas of United Nations work, the challenge is implementation, implementation, implementation.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“To make just a quick point in relation to civil society, the Secretary-General's report makes specific mention of one model for civil society engagement, namely, the election "situation room". It was my privilege recently to co-host at the Irish Mission a panel discussion on the contribution made by the women's situation room to ensuring peace and stability during the Senegalese presidential elections held earlier this year. Ms. Bineta Diop, who addressed the Security Council this morning, was our main speaker. It was immensely encouraging to hear about this participative, bottom-up initiative. In the dynamism and proactive participation of civil society at the grassroots level, empowering and building on the capacities and real-life experiences of local women, the women's situation room is a model to be emulated and replicated widely.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“For example, Member States taking an active role in supporting the Syrian opposition coalition that is trying to organize itself have themselves a responsibility to seek to ensure the adequate representation of women in that opposition. It may be objected that in the immediacy of a crisis there are other priorities requiring more urgent attention. But there is a clear message in the Secretary- General's report, that is, if a proper role for women is not built in at the key moment, it will become much harder to graft it on later. Women's role and concerns are time and again pushed down the priority list; they become in effect preamble or postscript issues, instead of getting the front-and-centre treatment they need.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“And we know that change is both necessary and possible. The Secretary-General points out in his report that a combination of strong gender analysis, active efforts by his Special Adviser on Yemen and close engagement with women leaders and groups resulted in the inclusion of gender-specific commitments in the Yemen Transition Agreement. In its recent statements on women and peace and security, the Security Councilhas recognizedthe primary role and responsibility of national Governments. That is indeed true, and we all recognize the importance of national ownership. But national ownership can never become a rationale or alibi for inaction by the rest of us.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“The prospect of critical transitional opportunities being squandered should concern us all deeply. And the risks are clearly and visibly there. Although we are witnessing parts of the world, especially the Arab world, undergoing social and political tumult and transformation, when the smoke clears there tends to be one striking constant: women still struggling to secure a place at the table. It would seem that there is a deep-seated reluctance, even more ingrained than fear of authoritarian rulers, to let women play their rightful role in charting the way forward. The empowerment agenda is not an outsider's agenda; it is one that is arising organically from within those societies. Women, either individually or in civil society organizations, have demonstrated, often at great personal cost, their hunger and passion for change.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“I would like to thank the delegations of Guatemala and India for preparing and scheduling today's important debate. To respect the time constraints, I will touch on just a couple ofpoints, and circulate a slightly longer written text. The first point relates to transitions. The Secretary General's report of 2 October bluntly states that "considerable obstacles persist to women's participation and representation in public decision-making in relation to peace and transition processes" (S/20]2/732,para. 65). Times of transition are absolutely critical; as a society is being reshaped, opportunities can be either seized or squandered. If such periods of transition are used to comprehensively strengthen women's political and economic participation, the foundations will be laid for more just, more stable and more prosperous societies.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“The role of the Security Council in today's world is too important to leave on indefinite hold our wish to see a more effective and transparent Council, accountable to the community of nations on whose behalf it carries out its vital work. I believe that the great majority of States Members of the United Nations want to see improvements in the working methods of the Security Council that will ensure that the work of the Council is more effective and more transparent to the wider membership. It is incumbent upon all of us to put aside our individual political agendas and work for sensible and practical changes that are readily attainable. Even modest success in this important area will help to build the wider confidence that will enable us over time to meet the more complex challenges of comprehensive reform.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“Finally, I know that some members have expressed reticence about moving ahead on working methods, noting that that issue is but one element of the comprehensive agenda for reform of the Security Council. I understand such concerns, given the sharp divisions within the membership on certain aspects of the overall reform agenda. Like others, we are frustrated by the lack of progress on a comprehensive reform of the Security Council, on which discussions remain stalled after almost 20 years. However, the issue of working methods is unique among the elements of the prospective comprehensive reform in that it applies to the currently configured Council equally as it would to a reformed Council.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“There are many potential areas for improvement in that connection. One example would be the provision of regular briefings to the membership on the work of the Council's subsidiary bodies. Another would involve seeking the views of the membership on the Council's annual report at the time of its drafting. We believe that those and many other ideas are worthy of consideration by the members of the Council. Today's annual debate provides a welcome one-off opportunity to discuss such issues, but what is really needed is a rolling dialogue on the matters between the Council and the wider United Nations membership in the period ahead. For our part, we are ready to participate in such a dialogue.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“That would ideally involve the adoption of formal rules of procedure and the inclusion of an analytical element on the implementation of its working methods in the Council's annual report. Secondly, there is the need to improve accountability in relation to the missions and operations mandated by the Council, which are a key output of its work. That could, for example, include the provision of more detailed and timely information to Member States on all aspects of operations and missions, as well as more regular participation by troop - and police-contributing countries in informal discussions on the missions and operations in which they participate, and on ways to improve the drafting and refining of relevant mandates. Thirdly, we wish to see greater openness towards the wider membership with regard to the Council's day-to-day work.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“Such steps are welcome in themselves, but we believe that much more needs to be done to improve the transparency and accountability of the workings of the Council. A wealth of ideas and suggestions for improving the Council's working methods has been proposed in recent years. A number of them are set down in the concept paper. For the sake of brevity, today I will confine myselfto mentioning just a few elements that fall under the overall headings of transparency, accountability and openness. First, there is the overriding requirement to take measures that will add structure to the Council's working methods and that make them more transparent to the wider membership.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“Accordingly, we have a direct interest in understanding its decision-making processes and in working to ensure that those processes operate with the maximum transparency and accountability for all of us, who are pledged to be bound by its decisions. Ireland has been a consistent supporter ofinitiatives aimed at improving the working methods of the Security Council, notably those proposed in recent years by the group of five small nations. We acknowledge that members of the Council have shown a willingness to respond to aspects of those initiatives, as well as the fact that steps have been taken internally by the Council in the form of agreement on presidential notes. Those developments address some of the concerns raised by non-Council members.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this annual debate on the working methods of the Security Council and for the excellent concept paper (S/2012/853, annex) that you circulated to help guide our discussion today. At the outset, let me state our clear view that the question of improving the working methods of the Security Council is a matter of legitimate interest to all Member States. We fully respect the prerogatives of the Security Council regarding its own working methods, but we must never forget that the Council acts on behalf of the world community on matters of peace and security and that Member States are individually and collectively bound by its decisions.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“I might mention that, as of May, our defence forces will deploy a gender adviser and gender focal points in the unit deploying to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The report before us makes for difficult reading, but it also lays down a challenge. We can no longer claim ignorance of what is happening, or the scale of what is happening; nor can we claim a lack of credible evidence as a rationale for inaction. The Special Representative, fully backed by the Secretary-General, is pursuing her mandate in her characteristic vigorous and clear-sighted way. It is for all of us - in the Security Council, in the General Assembly and across the United Nations system - to take on our share of responsibility.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The transition from EUFOR to MINURCAT afforded us the opportunity to witness differences in approach between the two peacekeeping models. One of the areas where there was a measurable difference was in relation to the gender focus. Mission requirements relating to resolution 1325 (2000) were more specific and detailed during the EUFOR deployment than during the subsequent MINURCAT deployment. That was a specific experience at a specific time, and may not be fully representative of today's circumstances. Yet the Chad experience left a strong imprint on our peacekeepers and an awareness of the challenge confronting the United Nations in that regard. Seeing the practical outcomes of gender work with EUFOR also further strengthened the commitment to training Irish peacekeepers on gender issues. A number of steps have been taken.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Blue Helmet is designed to inspire confidence and trust; it is unthinkable that in any circumstance it should instil fear of rape or sexual violence. Recognizing that progress is being made, it is still salutary to hear directly from those with first-hand experience. In Ireland's case, we had an instructive recent experience of peacekeeping in Chad. Ireland had overall command of the European Union military operation in the Republic of Chad and in the Central African Republic (EUFOR), and deployed more than 400 Irish troops. Subsequently, when EUFOR was replaced by United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), our troops continued to serve in the same numbers with the Mission until 2010.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“When the international community comes together in a high-profile conference, one would hope to see from the outset a strong consciousness of the gender dimension of the conflict. The time has well passed when sexual violence could be viewed as in some sense collateral damage - a regrettable but inevitable by- product of larger forces at work. My third point pertains to the responsibilities of United Nations peacekeepers, and Chad is the case study. The Secretary-General's report sets out steps being taken to improve the training of peacekeepers with regard to conflict-related sexual violence. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UN-Women collaboration in that regard is particularly welcome. The standards for United Nations peacekeepers must be the highest.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The statement from the women ambassadors, produced yesterday, is intended as an input to the London Conference. It outlines issues of concern and concludes with the urging of Somali women that the international community raise issues of gender, including with Somali leaders. Amid the range and gravity of the problems facing Somalia, and the imperative to advance on the political and security fronts, it is easy to see how specific issues predominantly affecting women may not be prioritized, or may be seen as symptomatic of deeper problems that, if addressed, will help to alleviate the situation of women. But the phenomenon of women as a footnote has been with us far too long.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The Conference on Somalia is meeting in London today, and we look forward to a substantive outcome. It is worthwhile, however, to mention an initiative of women ambassadors accredited to the African Union. The cross-regional group of women ambassadors - I might mention that the Ambassadors of Togo and Ireland were part of that group - were concerned that initial preparatory papers for the London Conference lacked any focus on the situation of women in Somalia, despite the gravity of their situation and the shared principles of resolution 1325 (2000). With African Union (AU) and United Nations support, the group undertook meetings with Somali women both in Nairobi and in camps of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Ethiopian border region.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“On the issue of sexual violence in conflict, the Council has the opportunity to assert itself, to demonstrate that disunity does not define it, and to act decisively to sanction perpetrators, to refer cases to the International Criminal Court, to mandate commissions of inquiry and to condemn violations explicitly in resolutions and statements. My second point is that women are not a footnote; and Somalia is a case study in that regard. The Secretary-General's report sets out the scale of sexual violence in Somalia: the crimes of Al-Shabaab; the groups of men in military uniform who prey on women and girls in internally displaced camps in Mogadishu; the rapes and gang-rapes in camps in Kenya; and the chronic and largely unaddressed sexual violence in Puntland.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“What steps have the national authorities taken? What have we at the United Nations been able, or willing, to do? The possibility of measuring outcomes will apply not just in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also in relation to the list of parties set out in annex 1 to the Secretary-General's report. The report includes clear recommendations to the Security Council on increasing pressure on perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. We look to the Council to show determination in its response. Too many recent headlines from the Security Council have been ones of disunity.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We all recognize the simple equation: impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence guarantees that the virus will spread; conversely, ending impunity and making the perpetrators pay will act as a deterrent. The first step in ending impunity is the systematic gathering of credible evidence. The Secretary- General's report gives a sense of the progress being made in that regard. For the first time in a report of this nature, the Secretary-General has named individuals on the basis of credible reports of culpability. In the commentary on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, one finds the names of 10 or so individuals. That specificity of data will enable us to measure outcomes. When we next come back to this issue, it will be important to focus on precisely what has happened in those cases.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The latest report from the Secretary-General validates both the appointment of a dedicated Special Representative and the clarity and scope of her mandate. The report addresses a range of specific situations spanning four continents, all of them deserving our attention. In some of these situations, conflict still rages; others are post-conflict but still dealing with a poisonous legacy. Cote d'Ivoire, Libya and South Sudan are among the more recent ugly chapters. The sexual violence being unleashed in Syria, with male detainees as particular targets, deserves our unequivocal condemnation. Given the time constraints and the breadth of coverage in earlier interventions, I will limit myself to commenting on three points, illustrated by three case studies. The first is a case study on ending impunity.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“As a concrete demonstration of that support, we have made a financial contribution to the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict. Aware that the Team of Experts relies upon extrabudgetary resources, we were pleased to be able to contribute $135,000 at the end of last year. The report before us is testament to the need for a dedicated Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, with the strong mandate which the Special Representative holds. These are crimes surrounded by taboos and silence, consistently underreported and, even when they are reported, unlikely to be followed up. If there is to be any chance of penetrating the darkness, we need a strong and unwavering searchlight. The independent voice and exclusive focus of the Special Representative helps to shine that steady light.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“In his statement, he made clear that the issue of women and peace and security will receive strong emphasis throughout Ireland's chairing of the Organization. A new Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues, Ms. June Zeitlin, has been appointed. Ireland is also providing a dedicated military officer, based at our Permanent Mission to the OSCE in Vienna, to examine ways in which the OSCE can support the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions. Ireland has also wished to demonstrate at the national level its strong continuing support for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We appreciate very much that this debate on conflict-related sexual violence is taking place during Togo's presidency of the Security Council. We commend the Secretary- General for his report (S/2012/33). It is compelling in its range, clarity and detail. The litany of crimes to which it bears witness is shameful. The challenge is to ensure that our outrage translates into determined and purposeful action, yielding early and measurable results. Before commenting further on the Secretary-General's report, I would wish to note actions undertaken by my Government in the past few months. Our Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister addressed the Security Council two weeks ago (see S/PV.6715) in his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).”
2012-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6722Resumption1 (2012) · source
“As we implement our national action plan, Ireland will continue to listen to the voices of women affected by conflict, strengthen institutional capacities through comprehensive training of personnel deployed overseas, and support programmes that promote women's participation. In its Peace Prize citation earlier this month, the Nobel Committee wrote that "[w]e cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society". That is not just a worthy sentiment in a citation; it is a bald statement of reality and one that demands our full and urgent attention.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Our watchwords must be "delivery" and "urgency". Good intentions and solemn commitments are of value only to the extent that they are acted upon. All of us must step up to the plate. Ireland's principal pledge at last year's debate on women and peace and security was to develop, adopt and launch a national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000) (see S/PV.6411). I am pleased to announce that Ireland has recently adopted its national action plan and that this plan will be officially launched in the coming weeks. The plan was informed by a cross- learning initiative that brought together women from Timor-Leste, Liberia, Ireland and Northern Ireland to discuss the most critical issues facing women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The striking and inspirational roles played by women in the early stages of events in Cairo, Benghazi and elsewhere have given way to a sense of women being side-lined. The risks for women are obvious; revolutions begin on the streets but, at a later stage, key decisions may be taken in smoke-filled rooms. In that transition, women all too easily lose out; their courage helped to make the revolution, but their inexperience of power allows others to shape the outcomes. Special Representative Wallstrom has previously referred to the risk that the Arab Spring could turn into a cold winter for Arab women. As those societies and interim Governments continue to adjust and settle, the international community must use its leverage to ensure that democratic changes under way are seen through and that the full role promised to women is realized.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Its place is not at the end of a long list; it is a concern that should condition the approach from start to finish. The promise and potential of women peacebuilders was evident to a delegation of women ambassadors, including Ireland's Ambassador to the African Union, who paid a visit to the Sudan earlier this year and met with a cross-section of women peacebuilders, legislators and internally displaced persons. The delegation's report noted the determination of women to play a full role in conflict prevention efforts and recommended that international organizations take on more responsibility for implementing women and peace and security priorities. The Arab Spring provides a crucible for addressing the questions of the representation and participation of women.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Processes need to be structured from the outset to draw more fully on non-formal and non-traditional influences, where women, woven into the social fabric of societies, have so much to offer. The mediation phase, when things remain in flux, presents a good opportunity to empower and include such groups. As the Secretary-General points out in his report, it is critical that women peacebuilders and mediators be engaged as early as possible in the conflict prevention and resolution cycle - and not just by the inclusion of women negotiators, but by a broader gender perspective, so that gender is established as a thread running through all major peacebuilding issues, rather than being parked on its own as a discrete topic. Gender is not a box to be ticked, a nod to political correctness.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source
“The corollary is equally clear: "[The e]xclusion of women and lack of gender expertise in negotiations leads to irreversible setbacks for women's rights" (S/2011/598*, para. 18). While the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) and the four subsequent resolutions on the topic represented a paradigm shift in relation to women and conflict, there remains a striking reluctance in many quarters to include women as full and equal partners in peace efforts. Of the nine peace agreements signed during the course of 2010, only two have provisions ensuring women's rights. There is a basic design flaw that needs to be addressed: peace processes in general are not set up to engage non-traditional actors like women's groups or other civil society organizations. That has to change.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642Resumption1 (2011) · source