YouSaid · the spoken record

Arbeiter

lines on the record: 129
first: 2018-09-17
most recent: 2023-03-07
sittings or episodes: 14
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In the light of the increased number of threats, reprisals and violence, including against women who provide briefings to the Council, more must be done to protect women peacebuilders and women human rights defenders. Canada has its own set of practical guidelines — Voices at Risk — which are designed to help Canadian diplomats to support human rights defenders and peacebuilders. We also believe that it is important to recognize the remarkable civil society contributions that often go unnoticed. That is why, on the twentieth anniversary of resolution 1325 (2000), Canada launched the five-year women and peace and security awards programme ahead of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the agenda. Canada is deeply committed to continuing its work to make headway on the agenda.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We will ensure women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in addressing terrorism and violent extremism, as well as in tackling the adverse impacts of climate change and in disaster risk reduction. Finally, we will continue to develop, implement and monitor action plans to implement our women and peace and security commitments and to share best practices. On the eve of International Women’s Day, we commend Ms. Chiziane and all women and girls who work tirelessly for justice, equality and peace. They inspire us to intensify our efforts. (spoke in French) Allow me to say a few words in my capacity as the representative of Canada.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We will strengthen international support and protection for women refugees and displaced women in conflict and post-conflict settings, in particular with respect to protection against human trafficking and conflict-related violence. We will prevent and respond to all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination, including by ensuring survivors’ access to essential services, such as sexual and reproductive health, livelihood and mental health and psychosocial support services, as well as remedy and reparations services. We will promote accountability for sexual and gender-based violence and encourage the Council to pursue the fight against impunity with all the means at its disposal, including by applying conflict-related sexual violence as a designation criterion in sanctions regimes.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We will promote a safe and enabling environment for all women peacebuilders, mediators, human rights defenders, civil-society leaders, journalists and media workers by amplifying their voices, swiftly and unequivocally condemning attacks, intimidation and reprisals against them online and offline and ensuring predictable and flexible funding for them. We call on the Council to ensure that all United Nations missions provide, monitor and report on support for women peacebuilders and human rights defenders and to fully ensure the independent contribution of civil society to the Council’s work. We commit to promoting the full, equal and meaningful participation of uniformed women in peacekeeping at all levels, including in leadership positions.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Regrettably, women and girls continue to be excluded from decision-making and face discrimination, sexual and gender-based violence — both off- and online — as well as human rights violations. That requires our urgent and concerted action. In that regard, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and promoting the autonomy, empowerment and human rights of all women and girls. We will advocate for and support women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels and all stages of political, peace and security processes. That includes United Nations-led peace processes, which must ensure women’s participation.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, and your Government for convening us today. I know there has been a long list of speakers already, and there are still many speakers to go, but I beg the Council’s indulgence because I have two statements to give — one on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security, which many Member States have already referred to, and a very brief statement in my national capacity. I promise to be as quick as I can. I am pleased, as I mentioned, to speak on behalf of 65 members of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security. There remains a significant gap between the ambition of our women and peace and security agenda commitments and the realization of women and girls’ full, equal and meaningful participation in political, peace and security processes.”
2023-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9276Resumption1 (2023) · source
“In December, Canada proudly announced a commitment of $70 million over three years to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund in order to help close the peacebuilding funding gap and support gender-focused interventions. We are making that investment because we believe the Peacebuilding Fund is a critical mechanism and catalyst to help sustain peace, particularly for States under the stress of armed conflict and climate change. We look forward to working with partners to continue to close the financial gap in the area of peacebuilding, and we hope to continue to receive guidance from the United Nations so as to ensure adequate funding for its peacebuilding activities.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Fourthly and finally, on the funding mechanisms available to support resilience building, particularly for Sahelian and coastal States in West Africa, the General Assembly took an important step in September by adopting by consensus the resolution on financing for peacebuilding (General Assembly resolution 76/305). We thank Kenya and Sweden for acting as facilitators for that resolution. The clear call for Member States to increase their contributions to peacebuilding and peacekeeping, including through voluntary, innovative and assessed contributions, is important. Peacebuilding and conflict prevention is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. The earlier we are able to act, the more tools we have at our disposal and the more lives and financial resources we can save.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Canada also made that a pillar of its term as Chair in 2020. The strength of the PBC is that everything is done at the request and with the consent of the countries and regions with whom the Commission engages. The PBC speaks with countries, not just about them. Its work is grounded on national priorities to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies. There is deep value in the advice that the PBC can offer to the Security Council, particularly on the renewal of mandates for United Nations peace operations — and especially in contexts where the United Nations is transitioning. It is in those contexts in particular where we must leverage the strengths of these two organs and support countries on the path to sustainable peace.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“And having renewed the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations for another five years, we will continue to deepen the work we are doing within our own institutions, and with partners globally, in order to ensure receptive environments for women uniformed personnel. (spoke in French) Thirdly, on the collaboration between the Council and other United Nations organs to ensure more coherent strategies to build resilience, we believe there is good practice to build on, fortunately, in the form of the relationship between the Security Council and the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). Thanks to the work of consecutive PBC Chairs, including Bangladesh and Egypt, there has been good progress in strengthening the Commission’s crucial advisory role, in particular in offering advice to the Security Council.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“As part of that process, we are seeking to address a broader range of security issues and recommitting to meaningful engagement with civil society and indigenous representatives. We are also determined to promote and protect women peacebuilders in all their diversity, recognizing that supporting them is one of the single most important contributions we can make to building sustainable peace. We are redoubling our own efforts, together with partners, to implement resolution 2538 (2020) and address the barriers that women peacekeepers face. I wish to commend Ghana for its leadership in that regard. Canada’s Department of National Defence recently undertook an independent assessment of barriers to the meaningful participation of women from the Canadian Armed Forces in peace operations.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“This open debate is a welcome start to that discussion, which Member States can carry through the upcoming session of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, as well as the 2023 Peacekeeping Ministerial process. Secondly, on how we can leverage thematic agendas, like the women and peace and security agenda, to build resilience, Canada is part of a growing number of countries — 104 — that have developed a national action plan on women and peace and security. That is a testament to the commitment of more than 50 per cent of the United Nations membership to implement, at home, resolution 1325 (2000) and the subsequent nine Council resolutions on women and peace and security. Canada is now in the process of drafting its next women and peace and security national action plan.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“But the peacekeeping partnership extends beyond the Security Council — from host Governments to local civil society and women’s rights organizations, to troop- and police-contributing countries, financial contributors, regional organizations and the Secretariat. Mission success depends on all of those actors working together and holding each other accountable. Peacekeeping is one of the most effective and efficient tools we have to mitigate conflict and protect civilians. It is incumbent upon all of us to think constructively and critically about how to ensure that peace operations can evolve and deliver to meet existing and new challenges.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“First, on the Council’s role in ensuring that United Nations peace operations can address the causes of conflict and insecurity, over time we have come to understand that certain ingredients are key to mission success — genuine commitment by the conflict parties to a gender-responsive and inclusive peace process, clear and achievable mandates with the resources to match, the full backing of the Security Council and positive regional engagement. But in many contexts where United Nations peace operations are deployed, those ingredients are missing and, where they are absent, missions are struggling. The Security Council has a central role in putting the peace operations it authorizes in the best possible position for success, using all of the tools at its disposal.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Allow me to congratulate Ghana on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. We thank Ghana for having convened this open debate to explore the peacekeeping and peacebuilding nexus and to consider how the Security Council can better respond to threats without borders, such as climate change and terrorism. We also look forward to Ghana hosting the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in 2023 and to contributing to the process. We know that we are in good hands, and we want Ghana to know that it can count on our support. I will use my time today to offer some perspectives on integrating resilience in peace operations to sustain peace.”
2022-11-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9181Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Furthermore, the coronavirus disease and other health security threats exacerbate fragilities and inequalities and seriously undermine sustainable development. Rising food insecurity, exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions on the continent. Such threats — climate challenge, health risks and food insecurity — risk erasing hard-won peacebuilding gains in Africa. If the Security Council is serious about preventing conflict and sustaining peace on the African continent, it should listen to the voices of African States, regional organizations and civil society, and address those threats with the priority and attention that they deserve.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Canada is working closely with the African Union Commission in that regard, including through a $10 million grant that will help build the AU’s institutional capacity in gender equality, as well as increase the involvement of women in peacebuilding, early-warning and mediation efforts. We are also seeking to provide more sustainable and flexible support to women peacebuilders, including through a dedicated $5 million envelope to support local grass- roots women peacebuilders. My third and final point is on the need for sustained engagement and partnerships, particularly amid the interlinked challenges facing the continent. Yesterday we heard very clearly from the African Union Commissioner that climate change represents a clear threat to peace and security in Africa.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Worryingly, however, several such previously positive partnerships are under strain elsewhere, as certain Governments undertake actions that risk undermining the ability of the United Nations to support their efforts to sustain peace. Inclusive national ownership means working together to empower communities and people, in addition to supporting the State. It is essential to support the capacity of local civil society organizations and, in particular, women peacebuilders in building and sustaining peace. But recognizing the important role played by those organizations is not enough. We must urgently improve access to adequate funding for women peacebuilders to elevate their voices and address the rising levels of violence against them.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That is as true for development as it is for peacebuilding and community policing. All-foreign teams designing infrastructure or mediating in protracted conflicts in Africa or elsewhere are harbingers of problems ahead. Sustainable peace and development instead require local and national responses. We welcome the participation of the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission in this open debate, and we encourage the Security Council to make better use of the Peacebuilding Commission’s advisory and liaison role. (spoke in English) Secondly, national ownership is crucial to building and sustaining peace. Fortunately, there are many examples of African Member States assuming such ownership, such as in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, while continuing to benefit from a positive partnership with the United Nations.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We know from many examples on the continent that lasting peace is built when we recognize and address the intrinsic links among human rights, sustainable development, peace and security. Just and inclusive societies, with the full and complete participation of all, without discrimination, in the social, economic, cultural, civic and political life of their communities, are peaceful societies. As the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission said, that means building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions that deliver justice, protect and promote human rights and address all forms of discrimination, exclusion and inequality that can lead to conflict. Capacity-building means investing in, and supporting, local efforts, rather than importing and then exporting external know-how.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Mr. Arbeiter (Canada) (spoke in French): I would like to make three points regarding today’s topic, namely, on capacity-building for sustainable peace in Africa. First, I would like to commend the efforts and examples of African States themselves, African regional and subregional organizations, in particular the African Union (AU), and African civil society organizations in building and sustaining peace on the continent. Those examples, such as Liberia’s peaceful transition, the African Union’s efforts to improve early warning, the tireless work of civil society networks across the Sahel, among others, are not just African solutions to African problems; they are examples from which we can all learn to better prevent conflict and keep the peace.”
2022-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9106Resumption1 (2022) · source
“There is no substitute for dedicated expertise. And we know that the demands on the system are greater than ever. Canada is committed to advocating for those resources to ensure that the United Nations has what it needs to do this important work. Secondly, it is encouraging to see the growing number of countries endorsing key instruments aimed at protecting children. Thirdly and finally, for years Canada and many other Member States have asked the Secretary-General to release his report earlier in advance of the Council’s annual open debate on the subject. It is an important report, with significant decisions that can affect both bilateral and multilateral policies. All Member States, regardless of their status, should have more time to consider and review its contents.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“Those are not mere assertions by Canada but facts that have been corroborated by the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and independent organizations. (spoke in English) The designation of Ukraine as a situation of concern in the Secretary-General’s report is a welcome step, as is the inclusion of Ethiopia and Mozambique in the same category. We applaud the Secretary- General’s initiative. In those three situations and all others, we urge the Secretary-General to ensure that the verification of information on grave violations against children leads to accurate, credible and transparent listing decisions. That is critical to changing behaviour and holding the parties to conflict accountable. Allow me to make three points to conclude. First, we hear the calls for more resources for child protection.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“We are concerned about the decision to list the Syrian Government in annex I.B to the Secretary- General’s report. That decision should have been taken only based on a significant decrease in serious violations and respect for specific time-bound commitments. According to the report of the Secretary-General, the Syrian Government has not achieved either of those things. The decision therefore sets a troubling precedent. In Ukraine, children have been killed or maimed by Russian forces. It can be proved that deliberate large-scale attacks have been mounted against schools and hospitals. Russia has arrested and forcibly expelled hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children. Rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian girls and boys are widespread.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“The displacement of a child due to war is one displacement too many; the displacement of more than 40 million children is a disaster — one that is human-made. Although this issue is the subject of debate within the Council, those violations occur in States in which Governments and other stakeholders have obligations. In Afghanistan, the Taliban shamelessly tramples the rights of girls, in particular their right to education. Last year, more Afghan boys were killed or maimed than in any other country of the world. In the central Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions, we note a considerable increase in the number of serious violations perpetrated against girls. In Syria, the Al-Assad regime continues its attacks on children, bombs schools and hospitals and recruits children into its armed forces.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“We reaffirm our long-standing call for the information presented in the Secretary-General’s annual reports, as collected and verified by the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, to be accurate and to be reflected in the annexes to the report in a timely manner. We also recall that it is important for the Secretary-General to use clear criteria and procedures for the listing and delisting of the parties to conflict that are deemed to be responsible for serious violations in all situations mentioned in the report. Allow me to make a brief statement as the representative of Canada. More than 40 million children throughout the world are now displaced due to conflict and violence. That statistic exceeds the total population of my country, Canada, and the populations of more than 157 States Members of the United Nations.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“In that regard, the Group of Friends reaffirms the importance of the independence, impartiality and credibility of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, as well as the mechanism for establishing the lists contained in the annexes to the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. Those two tools together remain particularly important in our efforts to protect children and foster accountability for serious violations. We note that Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ukraine and the central Sahel region have been included in the report, with immediate effect, as situations of concern. We also underline the decisions taken concerning the lists contained in the annexes to the report and the criteria underpinning those decisions.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“(spoke in French) On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the mandate on children and armed conflict, we express our sincere gratitude for the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF and all those involved in the protection of children within the United Nations and civil society. Over the past 25 years, we have worked together to implement a range of robust tools to support that unique and important mandate, ranging from the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, among many others. Those tools must be upheld and strengthened.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“Fifthly and finally, we urge the Security Council, Member States, the Secretariat and host countries to support the full implementation of child protection mandates by United Nations peace operations, including in contexts in which the United Nations may be transitioning. We also recall the importance of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund, which can play key roles in mobilizing attention and resources to address the needs of children in conflict and post-conflict settings, including for the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“We encourage all States Members of the United Nations to accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and to consider endorsing and implementing practical child-protection instruments, such as the Safe Schools Declaration, the Paris Principles and Commitments and the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers. Fourthly, we call for adequate resourcing for child protection specialists and activities, including within United Nations peace operations, United Nations country task forces on monitoring and reporting and international fact-finding and investigative mechanisms, as well as international judicial bodies.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“To that end, we strongly encourage all parties to armed conflict to sign and implement action plans and other concrete and time-bound measures to enhance the protection of children in armed conflict. Secondly, we call for full accountability for grave violations through national and international justice mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court. True justice also involves reparations and access to gender- and age-sensitive comprehensive specialized services, including medical, mental health and psychosocial support, sexual and reproductive health- care services and legal and livelihood support for survivors of grave violations. Thirdly, a growing number of Member States have acceded to or endorsed key instruments aimed at strengthening the protection of children in armed conflict.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“Displaced children face heightened risks, including vulnerability to trafficking, forced deportation, exploitation, recruitment and use and other abuses; children with disabilities and those who are unaccompanied or separated from their caregivers are at especially high risk. Against that troubling backdrop, the Group of Friends would like to make the following recommendations, on which we are committed to following up through our own collective engagement. First, we urge all parties to armed conflict to fully comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law and to act to prevent and end grave violations against children.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“That grave violation disproportionately affects girls and also impacts boys and is already prone to severe under-reporting and lack of data. We are dismayed by the widespread attacks against schools and hospitals as described in the report, particularly amid the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, which is causing the largest disruption to children’s education in history. Furthermore, we are alarmed by the soaring numbers of children displaced as a result of conflict and violence around the world — now more than 36.5 million children, according to the United Nations. That figure does not include the more than 4.5 million children who have been displaced by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“Reading the report together with the recent analysis conducted by UNICEF, which highlights the fact that grave violations have increased year after year for the past 16 years, we are presented with a dire picture of the plight of conflict- affected children. The persistently high levels of killing or maiming of children, the recruitment and use of children and the denial of humanitarian assistance by parties to armed conflict are extremely troubling. The dramatic increase in abductions is cause for serious concern, as abduction often leads to other grave violations against children. The significant increases in verified incidents of sexual violence against children are also alarming and must be reversed.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict. We welcome today’s open debate, convened by Brazil, and thank the briefers for their statements. We would in particular like to acknowledge and thank Patrick Kumi for sharing his experiences and recommendations. We encourage the Security Council to regularly include children and youth briefers in its deliberations and briefings. We call for the safe and meaningful inclusion and participation of children and young people in all peace and security matters, including political and peace processes, protection and humanitarian responses and reintegration programming. The Group of Friends is deeply concerned about the figures and trends presented in the Secretary-General’s annual report (S/2022/493).”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096 (2022) · source
“We are committed to diplomacy with Iran. We have requested Iranian cooperation to allow Canadian experts to assist with the identification and recovery of victims. Prime Minister Trudeau has also requested a credible, complete investigation into Flight PS752, including with the participation of Canadian experts. This is an international tragedy affecting numerous Member States. Together, guided by the Charter and with the assistance of the United Nations system, we can act to investigate, provide answers to victims’ families and prevent another tragedy.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“Finally, as the Secretary-General noted and my grandmother personally experienced, civilians pay the highest price for conflict. In the latest example, Canadian hearts are heavy following the tragedy involving Flight PS752 in Tehran. We mourn the death of 176 people, including 63 Canadians and many Iranian, Ukrainian, Swedish, Afghan, German and British nationals. While we are many nations united in our loss, the connecting flight from Kyiv arrived in Toronto yesterday with 138 empty seats. That represents the depth of the loss for Canada — citizens, residents, extended family members, international students, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sons, colleagues, friends and neighbours. We joined the statement made yesterday in the Council (see S/PV.8699) by the representative of Ukraine on this tragedy.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“Instead, the form and scope of potential non-military measures are left to the Security Council to determine. Canada sees that as both a strength and an obligation. To us, upholding the Charter means seeing it as supple enough to respond to the challenges of today. This week in particular, that means heeding the Secretary-General’s recently issued statement to “stop escalation, exercise maximum restraint, re-start dialogue and renew international cooperation.” As always, Canada stands ready to do its part. Prime Minister Trudeau has been in close contact with his counterparts in the region and around the world, delivering very much the same messages. Canada has consistently called for safeguarding the rules-based international system. As reflected in the Charter, the Council has a critical role to play. We all do.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“I would like to think that the best homage we can pay to it and to people like Bru’cha is to respect the Charter, to see it as it is — a living document that directs and anchors us but allows the United Nations to evolve to address emerging issues. That is not necessarily about reopening the Charter but rather revitalizing some of its provisions. There is nothing hindering creative use of Article 99 to support conflict prevention. More can be undertaken to enhance regional arrangements, which Canada hopes will figure prominently in the briefing Viet Nam has convened on cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, later this month. It is also worth noting that the measures contemplated in Article 41 are by no means comprehensive.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“My grandmother escaped persecution in Poland, survived the holocaust in present-day Russia, was a displaced stateless person in Austria, arrived penniless in Canada, worked hard, raised a family, saved, prayed, loved, lived and died. Her story is special to me, but it is not unique, nor is it limited to time and place. In an era of resurgent authoritarianism, growing antisemitism and hatred of all kinds, it is not difficult to see parallels. However, a major difference is the advent of the United Nations Charter and the global safety net it sought to usher in. The Charter’s values are timeless and universal. It outlines tenets of decency, State behaviour, rights and obligations. The Charter tells us what should happen in Syria, for the Rohingya and for the world as a whole.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“A decade later, in 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted in Bru’cha’s home town. The most successful treaty ever, the Protocol gave her a sense, at age 66, that an organization established four decades prior was capable of evolving to address unforeseen issues. (spoke in English) In the year 2000, at the age of 79, my grandmother witnessed the unanimous adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). Canada was an elected member of the Security Council at that time, and her grandson — that was me — was about to join the Canadian foreign service. In 2014, before her death at the age of 92, Bru’cha would learn that there were more refugees, displaced persons and asylum seekers than at any other point in history. She saw much of her early life replayed on small screens, in real time, from different places.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“Like many others, she would reflect on how the international community was getting stronger, richer, more open to diversity. The major United Nations milestones reached in the 1960s and 1970s reinforced the essence of the United Nations, namely, leveraging cooperation to solve global challenges. In a relatively short period, the United Nations Development Programme was established, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons came into force and the first ever world conferences on the environment, food and women were convened. The Charter was continuing to drive the international community to work together, while at the same time reinforcing the limits of State behaviour. In 1977, with Canada serving as an elected member, the Security Council imposed a mandatory arms embargo on South Africa.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“My grandfather became a laundry presser and my grandmother worked the night shift at a bakery in the heart of Montreal, where they eventually settled. (spoke in French) In 1956, a few short years after becoming a Canadian citizen, Bru’cha would learn how Lester B. Pearson developed the idea for the first fully-fledged United Nations peacekeeping force. She heard of the leadership of Canadian Major General Burns who led the force. Bru’cha may have felt that the international community had turned a corner. States would help when needed, with force if necessary. A new multilateral path was being forged. In 1960, my grandmother learned of the biggest membership growth in the United Nations’ short history, with 17 new States admitted, 16 of them African, 15 of which had just won their independence.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“With the help of an older brother, she managed to make it to the somewhat safer Soviet Union. Authorities there tried to compel her to take Soviet citizenship. Steel-willed from birth, she refused and was arrested and sent to a forced labour camp. She and my grandfather, Sam, met at the camp, were secretly married there and escaped after three years of hard labour. While the United Nations Charter was being negotiated, Bru’cha was living in a displaced persons camp in Austria, now with a young son – my father – and a newborn daughter, searching for remaining relatives. Bru’cha, Sam and their children eventually travelled by boat, as so many refugees and migrants still do, landing in Quebec City on the SS Samaria on 28 September 1948.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“I thank the President for dedicating this first open debate of the decade to marking the history of the Charter of the United Nations. Much has already been said, so if you will permit me, Mr. President, I would like to share the story of my grandmother, whose life coincided with that of the Charter. My grandmother was a remarkable woman. She was strong, assertive, determined and unflappable. She belonged to the extraordinary generation of men, women and children born between the First and Second World Wars, many of whom did not survive to see the Charter come into being. My grandmother was born in Łódź, Poland, in 1921, the seventh of eight children. Her parents named her Bru’cha — which means prayer in Hebrew. She was 18 years old when the Second World War broke out and Poland was partitioned.”
2020-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8699Resumption1 (2020) · source
“Reconciliation is not about closing a sad chapter of Canada's past but about opening new healing pathways of reconciliation that are forged in truth and justice".”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“I would like to commend the Gambia, along with other countries, for regularly coming to the PBC to offer their frank assessment of challenges and opportunities for reconciliation. As a longstanding member and a candidate to serve as the next Chair of the PBC and an aspiring member of the Council, Canada will continue to promote efforts to strengthen United Nations support for national reconciliation processes. Our willingness to listen, to learn and to adapt to meeting new challenges are among the assets that have prepared us for such potential future roles on both the PBC and, we hope, on the Security Council. In closing, I would like to leave the Council with these words from the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: "Without truth, justice, and healing, there can be no genuine reconciliation.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“Canada, South Africa, the Gambia and the Central African Republic are all distinct cases with their own legacies of oppression and exclusion, but there are common lessons to be learned. Sustained political commitment is a prerequisite for effectiveness. (Spoke in English) This is where Canada believes that the Security Council, regional organizations and other external actors have a crucial role to play. We commend the work of the African Union in particular for providing technical support to the Gambia and in brokering the peace process in the Central African Republic. The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) offers a valuable platform for strengthening these partnerships and for offering sustained attention and accompaniment.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“Canada encourages the Gambia to follow through on the Commission's recommendations to ensure accountability of those responsible for violations. In the Central African Republic, we welcomed the signing of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation. We appreciate that inclusivity, local-level dialogue and community engagement continue to be important parts of this process, particularly in increasing women's participation. Combating impunity is vital to sustaining peace in the Central African Republic. We commend the work of the Special Criminal Court and encourage the establishment of the truth, justice, reparation and reconciliation commission as soon as possible, taking into account gender-balance policies.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“Theirs is an example of both the links between systemic inequality and instability and those between genuine efforts towards equality and stability. In that vein, we are very encouraged that we are seeing similar action today in The Gambia and the first inklings of what we hope to see in the Central African Republic. (spoke in French) The establishment of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission in the Gambia marked a major break from the violations of the former regime. We commend the Commission's outreach efforts to ensure that more victims and witnesses can participate. Canada is proud to have provided technical assistance for forensic investigations and financial support to local organizations to strengthen the participation of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source