YouSaid · the spoken record

Botchwey/Mr. Akufo-Addo

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22
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2022-11-10
most recent
2022-11-10
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1
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un-security-council

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  1. “The Security Council’s support for the adequate, predictable and sustainable financing of African- led operations would be an important starting point if it is to continue to assume its responsibility as the primary actor in the maintenance of international peace and security. In conclusion, I strongly urge the members of the Council to revisit the vexed issue of the reform of the United Nations system, particularly the Security Council, and to do so on the basis of the African Common Position on United Nations reform, as expressed in the Ezulwini Consensus, if the authority of the Council, which, in recent times, appears to have been devalued because of its anachronistic structure, is indeed to be restored. I now resume my functions as President of the Council.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  2. “There is therefore the need for the Council and the wider international community to address the underlying drivers of instability through the building of resilience in conflict-prone regions, including in the areas of promoting democratic values, development and State services. International support must be fully placed behind deliberate interventions to promote inclusive governance and the extension of effective State authority in several parts of our territories in order to meet the expectations of our largely youthful populations, who, in some instances, unfortunately fell victim to the radicalized messages of extremists.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  3. “It requires strong collaboration among the United Nations, the African Union and the regional economic communities, particularly the Economic Community of West African States, to address the question of adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for regional-led operations. The African Union has demonstrated its commitment and capacity to effectively manage such financing and comply with the required human rights standards in such operations. The Security Council and the wider international community must play their part if there is a desire to have continuing relevance. Thirdly, the structure and approach of international support to countering terrorism, including in the Sahel, must be pre-emptive rather than reactive.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  4. “Ghana welcomes the ongoing joint strategic assessment of the security, governance and development issues of the Sahel, just as we encourage the high-level panel led by the respected former President of the Republic of the Niger, His Excellency Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, to leverage the best elements of the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, the Accra Initiative, the Nouakchott Process and the Multinational Joint Task Force and consider recommendations for a unified and restructured regional force. We urge the Council to be supportive of such efforts. Secondly, the burden of confronting terrorism cannot be borne by those in the region alone.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  5. “It is important to underscore that arresting the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and West Africa will require urgent action predicated on concerted efforts if we are to succeed in our attempts to bring progress, prosperity and development to the peoples of the region. In that regard, I would like to share three key points for the Council’s consideration. First, in addressing the threats relating to terrorism in Africa, it is important that we leverage the role of the African Union and its regional economic communities in order to raise a robust and well-resourced force to confront terrorists and other armed groups, alongside other peace operation initiatives.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  6. “The international community, particularly the Council, which has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, therefore cannot choose to be neutral in the design and implementation of the specific responses required to confront the threat of international terrorism. We acknowledge that the fight against terrorism can be a protracted one that could take a number of years, but with collective efforts, terrorism and those behind its evil acts can and will eventually be defeated. We reiterate Ghana’s strong rejection and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  7. “While we can admit that the political context of the Security Council’s involvement is complex and the operating environment dangerous, our collective inaction, even as we contemplate whether or how to intervene, risks the further spread of instability across the continent. Some Sahelian and West African countries have already been overrun by terrorists and other armed groups. They now feel motivated and emboldened to extend their reach of influence to the coastal countries of West Africa in a grand attempt to get access to the high seas and create a vicious linkage between terrorism and piracy.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  8. “Terrorism has always posed a danger to international peace and security and continues to threaten peaceful coexistence between and within nations. In our current circumstances, the forms and manifestations of terrorism, especially on the African continent, have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, rendered millions homeless and handicapped the ability of many economies to pursue growth and sustainable development. The Sahel, for example, with a population of some 300 million people, accounted for the highest incidence of terrorist attacks recorded between January and June of this year, a period in which such attacks killed 5,412 people across Africa. Indeed, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism tells us that 179 of the 699 attacks in Africa this year occurred in the Sahel, with 1,909 fatalities.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  9. “I thank Ms. Ero for her briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the President of Ghana. The last time I was in this Chamber, I came in my capacity as the Foreign Minister of Ghana (see S/PV.4933). I am happy to be here once again, 16 years later, to address the Security Council, this time as President of the Republic. Having overseen my country’s successful bid for a non-permanent seat on the Council, I want to assure all Member States that as we have often stated, Ghana will work to address our collective interests as spelt out in the Charter of the United Nations. That is why Ghana chose “Counter- terrorism in Africa: an imperative for peace, security and development” as the theme for today’s high- level debate.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  10. “I am confident that today’s debate will offer useful insights for the summit, bringing us closer to the solutions we need to address the threat of terrorism in Africa and help to build peaceful, stable communities and societies across the continent.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  11. “That leads to my fifth and final point, which is that preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism requires resources. The magnitude of the problem calls for bold investment. Addressing those interlinked obstacles — from economic deprivation to organized crime and governance challenges — requires sustained and predictable funding at scale. In conclusion, I welcome the summit scheduled for October 2023 on counter-terrorism in Africa, organized jointly by the Office of Counter-Terrorism and Nigeria. It will be an opportunity to consider ways to strengthen United Nations support to counter-terrorism efforts across the continent.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  12. “I also reiterate our appeal to the Security Council to ensure predictable funding for African Union operations that the Council has authorized, including for countering terrorism. As requested by the Council, we are preparing a joint progress report on the financing of AU peace operations, which is due in April 2023. We must put in place an innovative architecture that supports African peace operations in an effective and sustainable manner. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the Economic Community of West African States, the current and past Chairs, for their efforts to tackle farmer-herders’ conflicts through protocols on transhumance and the free movement of people and goods. The only lasting solution to the underlying drivers of conflict is through sustainable development that leaves no one behind.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  13. “The challenges posed by terrorist and violent extremist groups can be met only through approaches that are adapted to local contexts. There are numerous regional initiatives countering terrorism in Africa, from the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basin to the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel, the Accra Initiative and the Nouakchott Process. Those regional arrangements require full support and a durable commitment from the international community. I welcome the United Nations-AU technical working group on preventing violent extremism and countering terrorism, which aims to increase coordination and synergies between our two organizations.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  14. “The Secretary- General’s Call to Action for Human Rights places human rights at the centre of our work at the United Nations, from humanitarian action to peace and security to sustainable development. That is why, in the face of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situations in the Sahel region, the Secretary-General has called for renewed efforts to promote State institutions and constitutional order. I would like to reiterate his call as we welcome President Nana Akufo-Addo. We look forward to the recommendations of the Independent High-level Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel for strengthening international coordination in order to effectively address the multidimensional crisis in the region. Fourthly, regional organizations have a critical role to play.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  15. “Counter-terrorism policies are therefore often strengthened by the meaningful participation and leadership of women and girls. Engaging all sectors of society requires sustained political commitment across Government departments, and partnerships with civil society, local communities, the private sector and much more. Thirdly, countering terrorism can never be an excuse for violating human rights or international law. Abuse committed under the guise of countering terrorism and violent extremism can only set us back. Successful counter-terrorism policies, like all policies, must uphold the rule of law and respect international law, including human rights law.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  16. “We must strike a better balance and ensure coherence and complementarity between preventive and militarized responses. There can be no sustainable development without peace, and there will certainly be no peace without sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU) are therefore crucial preventive tools. Secondly, everyone needs to be included. Addressing the many drivers of terrorism requires whole-of-society approaches that are community-based and gender-sensitive. Counter-terrorism strategies have a better chance of addressing the needs and concerns of society as a whole when they capture and reflect a wide array of voices, including those of civil society, minorities, young people and the private sector. There are complex links between terrorism, patriarchy and gender-based violence.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  17. “First, prevention remains our best response to terrorism, violent extremism and other threats to peace and security. We must address the instability and conflict that can lead to terrorism in the first place, as well as the conditions exploited by terrorists in pursuit of their agendas. If terrorist and extremist views too often find a welcoming home with deeply dissatisfied, marginalized and desperate people, it is up to us to help formulate responses that address those conditions. Fostering conflict-sensitive approaches and integrating relevant policies across United Nations entities is essential. Time and again, purely military and law- enforcement responses have not only proved their limits, but they have also been counterproductive.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  18. “Countering international terrorism requires effective multilateral responses. Such responses need to address terrorism together with concurrent and converging threats, including the worsening climate emergency, armed conflict, poverty and inequality, lawless cyberspace and the uneven recovery from the coronavirus disease pandemic. The New Agenda for Peace, envisaged as part of the Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), will embrace that holistic, comprehensive approach. In a context of increasing polarization, with divisions heightened by the war in Ukraine, the New Agenda for Peace will propose ways to address new and emerging risks and revitalize our collective peace and security system. Allow me to suggest a few ideas for the Council’s consideration on advancing counter- terrorism efforts in Africa.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  19. “They can plunge a country emerging from war back into the depths of conflict. Climate disruptions make matters worse, inducing intercommunal tensions and food insecurity, which are exploited by terrorists and other criminal groups. And digital tools make spreading hate and disinformation easier than ever. In many instances, it can be difficult to differentiate between terrorists, non-State armed groups and criminal networks. Those groups often pursue different agendas and strategies, fuelled by smuggling, human trafficking and other methods of illicit financing. Some have morphed into insurgencies, occupying territories and posing as alternatives to State authority. In today’s hyper-connected world, the spread of terrorism in Africa is not a concern for African Member States alone. The challenge belongs to us all.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  20. “Many more continue to suffer from the broader impact of terrorism on their lives and livelihoods. Women and girls in particular bear the brunt of insecurity and inequality. Some terrorist groups have a misogynistic worldview that denies women and girls their fundamental rights. The situation in the Sahel and West Africa is particularly urgent, with some of the most violent affiliates of Da’esh operating in the region. In the past two years, those groups have expanded across large areas of the Sahel, increasing their presence in Mali while penetrating further into Burkina Faso and the Niger. They have also expanded southward into countries of the Gulf of Guinea, which have so far largely avoided terrorist attacks or have recently emerged from armed conflict. Terrorist and violent extremist groups aggravate instability and human suffering.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  21. “I warmly welcome Her Excellency Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, to whom I now give the floor. The Deputy Secretary-General: Let me begin by conveying greetings from Secretary-General António Guterres, on whose behalf I deliver these remarks today. I would like to thank the Ghanian presidency for convening this debate on such an urgent issue. Terrorism is a major threat to international peace and security. Nowhere has that threat been felt more keenly than in Africa. Terrorists and violent extremists — including Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates — have exploited instability and conflict to increase their activities and intensify attacks across the continent. Their senseless, terror-fuelled violence has killed and wounded thousands.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source

  22. “In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in the meeting: His Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Ms. Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, Managing Director for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response of the European External Action Service; and Ms. Comfort Ero, President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Crisis Group. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2022/822, which contains the text of a letter dated 1 November 2022 from the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting a concept note on the item under consideration.”

    2022-11-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9188 (2022) · source