YouSaid · the spoken record

Briz Gutierrez

lines on the record: 156
first: 2004-02-26
most recent: 2013-09-05
sittings or episodes: 21
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

“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): We would like to thank Germany for organizing this open debate. We acknowledge its leadership as Chair of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict and on resolution 2068 (2012), which we have adopted today. We appreciate the presence of Ms. Leila Zerrougui and her briefing to us, and we take this opportunity to welcome her appointment as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict. We also appreciate the statements by Mr. Ladsous, Mr. Lake and Mr. Tolbert. We note that 32 out of 52 parties listed in the annexes to the Secretary-General's report (S/2012/261) are persistent perpetrators. The majority belong to non-State armed groups.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“We therefore believe that the Security Council should consider the recommendations of the report of the assessment mission, especially those identified as of immediate importance, at the national, regional and international levels, and thus contribute to strengthening the capacity of the United Nations system to assist countries of the Sahel region on security issues.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“We should also continue to support the countries of the Sahel region in complying with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council aimed at combating terrorism, in particular resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), and implement the United Nations Global Counter-terrorism Strategy, adopted in 2006. In conclusion, the economic crisis, migration, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, organized crime and terrorism have been exacerbated by the crisis in Libya and could take root in the Sahel region, creating a lethal scenario of insecurity and instability at a time when the region is facing an economic contraction brought on by various factors.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“What is new here is not the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons, which was already taking place in the region, but the type of weapons that are in circulation now - no longer just small arms but also heavy weapons such as shoulder- fired surface-to-air missiles, whose greater destructive power increases the risk to the entire region. The weapons reported to be coming out of Libya are, given the proximity of the borders, circulating throughout the Sahel region and could easily fall into the hands of the criminal and terrorist groups operating in the area. We deem it urgent to effectively implement Security Council resolution 2017 (2011) and for UNOWA and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya to continue their communication and cooperation.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“It is important that all donor countries maintain their support for humanitarian activities provided through OCHA, and for the strategy on preparedness for a food crisis in the Sahel, launched by the inter-agency standing committee in Dakar on 15 December 2011. As to the security situation, we are concerned by the proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and other weapons, drug trafficking, and the expansion and actions of terrorist groups. Guatemala agrees with the conclusion of the report (see S/2012/42) that most countries in the Sahel region cannot address on their own the threat of transnational organized crime, in particular the activities of such terrorist groups as Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram. Of course, we support the strengthening of existing security mechanisms and strategies at the regional level.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“For all these reasons, my delegation believes that the United Nations should support all efforts to assist the countries in the Sahel that share these cross-border challenges and seriously consider the situation in the Sahel, including the recommendations of the assessment mission. Regarding the humanitarian situation, Guatemala is concerned that, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 20 million people in the Sahel require humanitarian assistance, particularly in Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. We believe that early warning systems to prevent a food and nutrition crisis need to be strengthened.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“We commend the commitment of the Governments of the countries affected by the Libyan crisis, which are already taking steps to address the security and humanitarian challenges. The Sahel region has become a corridor in which illegal activities - including drug trafficking, the trafficking of small arms and light weapons, terrorism and transnational organized crime - are on the rise, exacerbating existing socio-economic challenges in a region in which most countries are listed as least developed countries. In addition, the Sahel region is facing extreme drought and flooding as a result of climate change.”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): I thank Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe for his briefing. The situation in the Sahel region was of great concern to my delegation even before the impact of the Libyan crisis last year. We therefore welcome the initiative of the Secretary-General to dispatch a mission to the Sahel to assess the impact of the Libyan crisis and the security situation in the Sahel region. We also welcome the support that the assessment mission received from the countries of the region, particularly the authorities of the five countries visited and from relevant regional organizations, particularly the Economic Community of West African States and United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA).”
2012-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6709 (2012) · source
“Together, we must ensure that populations at risk have access at all times to the best possible protection, that perpetrators of abuses face the consequences of their actions, and that the enhancement, monitoring and strengthening of capabilities have tangible results. The Council and the entire international community will be judged according to their capacity to protect the most vulnerable.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“We believe that the evolution in the doctrine of international humanitarian law in recent years was a major advance. The primary responsibility to protect civilians falls on States but they, in turn, are obligated to seek international assistance when they are unable to provide it. In other words, sovereignty equals responsibility and responsibility equals accountability. In the coming years, both the Security Council and the General Assembly will have a prominent role to play in making this concept operational, which provides an opportunity to continue to improve the assistance architecture of the United Nations.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“That situation is exacerbated by the proliferation and fragmentation of non-State armed groups that resort to strategies that flagrantly contravene international law, as well as by the new technology to which such groups have ready access, including long-range artillery and missiles, which leads to wider conflict zones and exposes civilians to even more attacks. It is therefore important to recognize that conventional measures are not sufficient to address core challenges and emerging dangers. I would like to raise one additional point that has natural links to the protection of civilians and that cannot be left out of today's debate. Our delegation is among those that consider paragraphs 138 and 139 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (General Assembly resolution 60/1) to be one of the singular achievements of that meeting.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“That also includes strengthening the leadership role that women take on during reconciliation processes. Women are agents of change in cases such as that of Guatemala, where they are able to create spaces for conflict prevention, mediation and resolution, as well as for peacebuilding. We are concerned about the asymmetric nature of existing conflicts, in which there is a steady rise in breaches of international law and non-observance of the principles of distinction and proportionality by the parties to armed conflicts.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“We also acknowledge that much progress has been made in achieving greater consistency in the implementation of mandates, in the identification of problems and existing limitations and in seeking solutions. The allocation of sufficient resources for protection activities and initiatives is crucial, and enhances the capacity of peacekeeping operations to protect civilians. Similarly, support should also be given to self-protection initiatives by civilian populations, which not only involve the main stakeholders but also solidify the foundations for their long-term recovery and development. Their participation is crucial in helping to salvage what remains of their communities by promoting the reconstruction of the social fabric and by supporting the reintegration of displaced persons.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“The fact is that, despite the numerous reports, resolutions, wealth of experience and lessons learned accumulated in the past decade, civilians still account for the vast majority of casualties, and the risks they bear have only intensified. Moreover, it is the most vulnerable civilians - children and women - who are the most exposed to risks. There is much more to say on this theme, but today we would like to focus on the challenges to implementation in the field and on the lessons learned. We encourage more progress with regard to the conceptual and operational aspects of the protection of civilians in the framework of peacekeeping operations.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“Guatemala, like other troop-contributing countries, struggles with the dilemma of limiting our presence in a country to keeping the peace, without exposing our troops to offensive actions that place them in harm's way, while at the same time supporting humanitarian efforts to protect the civilian population as part of a broader mandate to restore stability and normality in the daily lives of inhabitants. From a wider standpoint, we welcome the continued willingness of the Council to address the needs of civilians with regard to their protection in armed conflict. It is crucial to redouble our efforts to overcome the five core challenges identified by the Secretary-General in 2009.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): We are pleased to participate in this important debate. I would like to thank President Cavaco Silva of Portugal for being here this morning. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director from the International Committee of the Red Cross. My delegation associates itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Egypt on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. In addition we would like to make the following points in our national capacity.”
2011-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6650 (2011) · source
“At least in our case, logically, the peace accords did not resolve all the age-old and structural problems facing our society, but we continue to strive to close that gap. That concludes the essence of the experience that we wished to share with the Council today.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Seventh, it takes a long time to reverse a number of aspects of the conflict that existed prior to the peacebuilding process, since they have become entrenched in attitudes and modes of behaviour. For example, Guatemala still suffers, to this day from the culture of impunity that was born in the shadow of the internal conflict and now shelters delinquent activities. We therefore turned once again to the United Nations, devising an innovative arrangement to strengthen the rule of law in the form of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. My main point is that, 16 years after our internal conflict came to an end, we continue to suffer its consequences. Eighth and last, just as the concept paper has identified a gap between security and economic recovery, peacebuilding is often accompanied by a gap in expectations.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“At least in our case, the peace accords can be interpreted as a sort of road map that enabled the peacebuilding process to tackle head-on the main sources of tension that fueled the conflict. The very titles of the various accords illustrate the point - including, in particular, the Human Rights Accord, and the Accords on the Identity and Rights of Indigenous Peoples, on Socioeconomic and Agrarian Issues, and on the Strengthening of Civilian Power and the Role of the Army in a Democratic Society. A sixth lesson to be drawn from our experience is that peacebuilding is by definition a holistic process. Multiple and diverse commitments must be addressed simultaneously, and not in an isolated or sequential way. This, too, makes clear the enormous complexity of moving forward with such a process.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“This leads me to our fourth point, which is the crucial importance of international cooperation in peacebuilding processes. Without a doubt, during the first years of implementation of the commitments contained in our own peace accords, external financing acted as a catalyst for many projects, programmes and policies that would have been hard to carry out without such support. Guatemala underlines the importance of avoiding what the concept paper (S/20lO/ 167) calls the "peacebuilding gaps" between security and economic recovery. The fifth point is that peacebuilding must necessarily address those sources of tension that led to conflict in the first place, be they due to ideological polarization, different historical grievances or serious economic and social disparities.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Not only is this logical, but, in the absence of a sense of ownership, it would be difficult to build productive relationships between domestic actors and international cooperation entities. Thirdly, if there is a sense of ownership and functioning national institutions, the country will be paradoxically better prepared to tolerate a higher level of participation on the part of the international community in the decision-making process. Guatemala serves as an example of this. The United Nations played a fundamental role in every step involved in the winning and building of peace, but it carried out this role at the request of the domestic parties and not as an external actor with its own agenda. Thus, many viewed the Organization as another stakeholder in the peace process, and not as an extraneous presence.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Unfortunately, in a five- minute statement, only some general concepts can be formulated, which, though they may not sound like anything new, do contain important observations. I will mention eight points. The first thing is that every peacebuilding process is unique and that in this area, as in so many others, there is no universally valid formula. We are often asked if our own experience is transferable to other countries. Rather than respond with a clear yes or no, we tend to say that it depends on the specific circumstances of each country and each situation. The second point that stands out for us is the cardinal importance of domestic actors - former parties to a conflict and civil society - having a sense of ownership of the process.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): We are grateful to you, Mr. President, for having convened this meeting on peacebuilding, as well as for having prepared the concept paper circulated on 1 April (see S/2010/167). We would also like to thank the Ministers from Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste and the representative of the World Bank for their participation. As is well known, after an internal conflict of over four decades, Guatemala signed its peace agreements in December 1996. The process that led to that act and, in particular, the subsequent peacebuilding process, has left us with many lessons, some of which we would like to share in the context of the questions raised in the concept paper.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We reaffirm our conviction that there can and must be a closer relationship between the two organs; in our View, the Peacebuilding Commission provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen and strengthen that relationship. Those are some of the points we wished to bring to the attention of the Security Council.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968Resumption1 (2008) · source
“In that regard, we recall the note in document S/2002/ 199 concerning the content and adoption of the annual report of the Council to the General Assembly. We believe that it would be useful once again to have a report that meets the analytical needs of the rest of the membership. Not only should it be adopted in a public meeting, but a public debate on its content should be permitted. We highly appreciate the efforts of the delegation of Viet Nam to address this shortcoming by organizing an informal meeting this year. At the same time, however, we cannot overlook the need for consideration of the relationship between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. Strengthening that relationship is another major challenge on our agenda.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968Resumption1 (2008) · source
“It is also important for us to recognize the increasingly widespread perception that the members of the Council, in particular the elected members, serve to represent the membership of the Organization in its entirety. In our particular case, we would like to thank the delegations of Costa Rica, Panama and Peru for keeping the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States abreast of the activities of the Council over the past two years. We take this opportunity to draw your attention to the pending task of improving the interaction between United Nations organs, in particular between the Council and the General Assembly, which leaves much to desired. Several initiatives taken in recent years that seem to have been dropped could be taken up once again.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Nonetheless, we must remember that those improvements have been made in an ad hoc manner and are not binding. Each of those improvements responded mainly to the ability and the will of each presidency to maintain contact with delegations that are not members of the Council and, more importantly, to listen to and take into account their suggestions, observations and concerns. That is why we agree with other delegations on the importance of discussing and formalizing the rules of procedure in order to have the necessary certainty and predictability to be able to tackle energetically and flexibly the various questions, whether recurring or emergency matters, that come before the Council.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): Thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate and for having distributed the informative concept paper contained in S/2008/528, with which we agree on several issues. My delegation fully associates itself with the statement made by the Cuban delegation on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, and we would like to take this opportunity to add - or reiterate - a few comments that we consider important. At the outset, we would like to acknowledge that, even before the publication of the note by the President of the Council (S/2006/507), which was mainly a compilation of measures that were already in practice, the work of the Council has progressively benefited from greater transparency, effectiveness and interaction.”
2008-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5968Resumption1 (2008) · source
“We believe that this will mean additional political thrust for the implementation of the 2001 Programme of Action and will ensure that the United Nations will continue to play a key role in combating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“The Antigua Guatemala Declaration states that arms and ammunition transfers through illicit brokers pose one of the greatest risks for the diversion of small arms and light weapons to the illicit market, including to non-State actors. Guatemala therefore proposes the adoption of a legally binding instrument on the conventional arms trade. We welcome the establishment and work of the Group of Governmental Experts addressing this issue. Finally, my delegation believes that the efforts of the international community to address the problem of small arms, as well as the momentum that has been generated in the General Assembly, will be well strengthened through this type of debate.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“In 2004, the National Commission for the Eradication of Illegal Firearms was established with the mandate to formulate, coordinate and implement a national disarmament programme within our State civil security policy. At the subregional and regional levels important progress has also been made. Guatemala was the venue for the preparatory meeting of Latin American and Caribbean countries to review progress on the Programme of Action. The Antigua Guatemala Declaration was adopted at that meeting. It reflected the views of countries to make progress in the implementation of the Programme of Action and to meaningfully address some topics that are not dealt with adequately by the Programme of Action. Unfortunately, the expectations of our Declaration far surpassed the outcome of the 2006 review conference.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“Furthermore, as indicated by the Secretary- General in recommendations 6, 7 and 9, it is important that the Council be able to include elements related to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programmes in the mandates of peacekeeping operations, including the destruction of surplus stockpiles. It is encouraging to see that this has already been put into practice, and we welcome the fact that the Council has noted the importance of applying broad international and regional criteria incorporating the social and economic aspects of DDR, including the special needs of women and child soldiers. At the national level, Guatemala has made a great effort in the implementation of the Programme of Action.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“Guatemala agreed to be the first pilot country, and the preparatory work is already being done to initiate implementation of the Geneva Declaration on the ground. The spirit of Recommendation 4 covers one of the main areas of competence of the Security Council in this regard. Accordingly, we believe that a comprehensive approach will require not only decisive and timely imposition of arms embargoes by the Council, but also their strict monitoring. We appreciate the efforts of the sanctions committees and their monitoring machinery to supervise compliance with the measures against the illicit trade in small arms. We are sure that their future work will be strengthened through the inclusion by Member States in their national legislation of measures to prevent violations of the embargoes imposed by the Security Council.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“We welcome the reference in the report of the Secretary-General to the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development. In April 2007, Guatemala hosted the meeting of Latin American and Caribbean countries to develop a strategy for the implementation of the plan of action, which responds to the mandates of the Geneva Declaration. That meeting was a political effort to place on the development agenda of countries the need for a comprehensive approach to the general problem generated by the proliferation and misuse of small arms. Annexed to that Declaration was the adopted Declaration of Guatemala on Armed Violence and Development, which would serve as a base for national and regional work to reduce armed violence from a development perspective.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“This programme has facilitated the exchange of information and cooperation among the member States of the Central American Integration System and has also helped in prevention, combating and eradicating the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons at the borders. We are concerned that the nature and ambition of the adopted international instrument on marking and tracing of small arms and light weapons do not correspond to the needs to the countries most affected. We hope to be able to meet that goal later. We feel that we should seek better results in other comprehensive provisions of the Programme of Action that still need to be addressed. The proposal to create baseline inventories with a view to having quantitative indicators for small arms in order to establish measurable goals is timely.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“Since 1999, the Council has spoken out on the impact of this phenomenon and the intensity and duration of armed conflicts, and how they undermine peace agreements, generate complications for peacebuilding efforts and increase the vulnerability of civilians. More recently it has spoken out on the humanitarian consequences and their social and economic implications. In connection to the Recommendation 1 in the report of the Secretary-General, the commitment of Guatemala is shown through its participation in the Central American small arms control programme, which has a regional scope. One of the axes of its work is the exchange of information for control and tracing.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. We also thank Ms. Hoppe for her briefing on the report of the Secretary-General. This debate - which is not the first to be held by Security Council on this topic - is of particular importance in light of the upcoming Third Biennial Meeting of States on the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects. While the origin and nature of the Programme of Action were an initiative of the General Assembly, we see the participation of the Security Council with a view to its success as necessary, given its function as the body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
2008-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5881 (2008) · source
“In conclusion, Guatemala recognizes and is grateful for the valuable contributions made by the Paris Principles and Guidelines on children associated with armed forces or armed groups. They provide us with a comprehensive picture of the experiences and lessons learned in the course of the past 10 years. We also appreciate the so-called toolkit developed by the Council's Working Group. We believe its work should be decisively utilized.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“There should also be closer controls over the sale and availability of weapons and over capital flows intended for weapons. Eliminating such groups should be a resolute and urgent priority for the Security Council. Given the sensitive nature of the issue before us today, it is important that any information coming into the United Nations system, the Office of the Special Representative, the Security Council and any other body of the Organization should be objective, reliable and from responsible interlocutors. From the community level to national and international institutions, communication, cooperation, coordination, information exchange and verification, and transparency among all parties and actors should be carried out in line with the relevant mandates and working methods.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“In that connection, we should also recall the importance of fully adhering to and implementing international principles, norms and procedures of restorative justice and social rehabilitation when it comes to addressing cases of children accused of committing crimes in association with armed groups or forces. That reference to justice leads me to the annexes published by the Secretary-General in his reports, which identify groups that recruit children and on which, year after year, several groups are listed that we already know to be habitual violators of the rights of children. In that connection, there is a need to put an end to impunity. Guatemala concurs with the Secretary-General that those groups should be subjected to much more robust and effective targeted sanctions.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“The role of civil society can also be very important as regards working with Governments to implement a monitoring and reporting mechanism, mediation efforts to secure the release of children in the hands or combatants and rescuing children from military organizations. Civil society also has a role to play in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of children and in designing and implementing reconciliation processes aimed at repairing the social fabric. If they do not receive appropriate assistance, as adults, children who have grown up in a climate of violence, have suffered from violence or have been forced to engage in it are likely to repeat that behaviour.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Worse yet is a phenomenon that has been documented in several conflicts, namely, the denial of the very humanitarian assistance that goes some way towards ameliorating the problems of children affected by armed conflict. The responsibility to protect children in armed conflict is incumbent upon us all. However, there is no doubt that this is the primary responsibility of States. Civil society can be a country's best ally - gathering information on examples or cases of violence against children and sharing that information with the relevant Government officials responsible for corroborating it and taking the appropriate steps.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“It is now up to us to continue to move ahead to address the very widespread phenomenon of gender-based violence, including the systematic rape of girls, sexual slavery and the brutal violence to which they are subjected and their ensuing stigmatization by their communities. We must also not fail to increasingly address other forms of violence that also affect children: mutilation, murder, kidnapping and attacks against school and hospitals. Such violence forces children to flee their families and communities, forcing them to become refugees in neighbouring towns and countries. Without a doubt, that makes them even more vulnerable.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“For example, this subject has been regularly discussed in 11 open debates, and resolutions have been adopted that refer specifically to the situation of children in armed conflict - including resolution 1612 (2005), which set out the conceptual framework to strengthen the protection of children who are victims of armed conflict and to combat the recruitment and use of children as soldiers by armed forces or groups of any sort. It is clear that of the six grave violations identified throughout the years, the recruitment and use of children has garnered the greatest attention. In addition, more recently, child protection advisers have been included in peacekeeping and special political operations.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“We regret how many young lives have been lost or tragically and violently affected, especially as regards girls. Unfortunately, since then we have also witnessed the changes that have taken place in war tactics and the nature of conflicts, wherein civilian populations have increasingly become the targets of violence and unspeakable atrocities, leading to a new spiral of violence and further threats to children. In spite of so many atrocities, which have all caused irreversible damage to children, Guatemala recognizes that some progress was made in that time.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Mr. Briz Gutierrez (Guatemala) (spoke in Spanish): Allow me to thank the Vice-President and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama for his presence at our meeting this morning, to which we have come to debate this issue. We also welcome the presence of several ministers of State, as well as the briefings by Ms. Coomaraswamy and Ms. Veneman, the valuable contribution of Ms. Jo Becker of Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict and the information provided by the organization Security Council Report. A little over 10 years ago, Graga Machel's report (A/51/306) highlighted to the Organization the horrors suffered by children affected by armed conflict. That led to the holding of the Security Council's first open debate on children and armed conflict. In June 2008, 10 years will have passed since that event.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Lastly, I wish to reiterate my country's commitment to the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations in Africa. Guatemala is proud to be taking an increasingly active part in all peacekeeping operations in the region, since we are certain those operations will benefit the Organization in fulfilling the objectives and principles of the Charter.”
2007-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5735Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Guatemala welcomes the memorandum of understanding signed in Addis Ababa on 16 November 2006 between the United Nations and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, with the acceptance of the Government of the Sudan, regarding a hybrid operation in Darfur and consequently the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 1769 (2007). However, we believe that it is necessary for the Security Council, when focusing on Darfur, not to put aside the situation between the north and south of the country. While a ceasefire has progressed successfully, it is necessary to tackle the causes of the conflict. Otherwise, there is a danger that hostilities may resume, not only between the north and south but also throughout the country.”
2007-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5735Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Guatemala wishes to congratulate Liberia for the progress made in that country and the positive steps that have been taken. That is a real example of stability and strengthening in the region and an example that makes us feel optimistic regarding the future progress of our brothers in the region. We also congratulate the Government of Sierra Leone for the peaceful environment in which the recent presidential and parliamentary elections were held, since the withdrawal of the United Nations mission in December 2005.”
2007-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5735Resumption1 (2007) · source
“It is difficult to see, as yet, how the unit will deal with conflict prevention matters when, as we understand it, the Secretariat has not yet filled all of the vacant posts approved by the General Assembly. We understand that the DPA will be very soon submitting to the General Assembly a report on the restructuring of that Department. We hope that in the report the Secretary- General will explain in detail to the General Assembly his ideas on the role that may be played by the unit in conflict prevention. Guatemala wishes to take this opportunity to welcome the appointment of Mr. Ian Egeland as Special Adviser to the Secretary-General. It is certain that his experience and training will ensure that he can make considerable progress in conflict mediation. We hope to see the outcome of his work in synergy with the Mediation Unit.”
2007-08-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5735Resumption1 (2007) · source