YouSaid · the spoken record

Chambas

lines on the record: 282
first: 2003-03-18
most recent: 2023-03-30
sittings or episodes: 23
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 case of the clashes in and around El Sereif in Northern Darfur, UNAMID has established and is currently upgrading a temporary operating base for the protection of the population from armed attack and the facilitation of the safe delivery of emergency humanitarian aid by the United Nations country team. Whenever there is a concentration of newly displaced persons around our camps, as happened recently in Labado and Muhajeria, UNAMID provides initial humanitarian assistance, such as water and food, from our own resources, in addition to ensuring security for displaced persons. In the past four months, UNAMID military personnel have come under attack from unknown armed elements on four occasions.”
2013-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7010 (2013) · source
“UNAMID has also, in conjunction with Government authorities, supported local mediation activities to bring community-based conflicts under control and create space for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. Against that backdrop of increased violence and the resultant threats to the population, UNAMID continues to do its utmost to protect civilians. That includes logistic and technical support to local mediation, assistance to Government efforts aimed at ending the violence, medical evacuation of the injured, increased patrolling in the affected locations, advocacy with local authorities and non-signatory movements, and conducting reporting, monitoring and evaluations on issues pertaining to human rights abuses, sexual and gender-based violence and child protection.”
2013-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7010 (2013) · source
“The increased militarization and proliferation of arms among civilian populations in Darfur, accompanied by a deterioration in the humanitarian conditions for host communities and internally displaced persons, has meant that inter-ethnic violence has actually brought about more death, injury and displacement than the fighting between the Government and non-signatories in 2013. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has continued to strongly encourage all parties to those inter-ethnic conflicts and relevant civil society actors to enter into dialogue with a view to addressing the root causes of the clashes and developing a common vision for their resolution.”
2013-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7010 (2013) · source
“Although, civilian populations do not appear to have been deliberately targeted, the main impact of these events on civilians is still displacement, injury and death. The steady upsurge in inter-ethnic violence throughout the Darfur states in the first half of 2013 is very worrying. Inter- and intra-ethnic fighting between the Beni Hussein and the Aballa/northern Rizeigat in Northern Darfur; the Salamat and the Misseriya and the Salamat and Ta'aisha in Central and Southern Darfur; the Birgid and the Zaghawa in Northern Darfur; and the Gimir and Beni Halba in Southern Darfur reflect growing tensions over access to and control of land, water and mineral resources.”
2013-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7010 (2013) · source
“Mr. Chambas: I thank you, Madam, for the opportunity to introduce the report of the Secretary- General on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (8/2013/420). It highlights progress in our common effort to achieve peace and stability in Darfur and the challenges we face on this path, and reviews possible opportunities. As detailed in the report and brought keenly to our attention by recent tragic events, the security situation in Darfur remains volatile. Since the beginning of the year, fighting between the Government of the Sudan and non-signatory movements, on the one hand, and, on the other, inter- and intra-ethnic clashes have led not only to loss of life, but also to a situation of protracted displacement, socioeconomic dislocation and loss of property for the civilian populations caught in the crossfire.”
2013-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7010 (2013) · source
“It is easier and cheaper to invest in peace than to invest in conflict resolution. This United Nations initiative will yield greater peace dividends than the deployment of troops to contain conflicts and wars. ECOWAS fully supports this new approach by the United Nations and hopes that West Africa, which has been a hot spot of conflicts in the world, will be a major beneficiary of it.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“ECOWAS is undertaking various peacebuilding and peace consolidation initiatives in the West African subregion, including accelerating the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development and regional integration programmes, improving the capacity of electoral management bodies, facilitating the establishment and strengthening of the capacity of national human rights institutions to protect human rights and addressing the humanitarian challenges of post-conflict reconstruction. ECOWAS has established a Peace Fund to help countries with post-conflict reconstruction. A proactive initiative composed of peace consolidation and post-conflict reconstruction is an urgent step to prevent conflict backlash in post-conflict countries. It is also an effective conflict prevention measure.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Yet the challenge of peace consolidation and post-conflict reconstruction is urgent and requires that there be multiple options and strategies for assisting countries. Those options may include the following. The first is continued support by various United Nations agencies for peace consolidation initiatives in West Africa. The United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) can be a focal point for coordinated peace consolidation efforts by United Nations agencies. We in ECOWAS are already working very closely together with UNOWA; we are engaging in very close collaboration with Mr. Ould-Abdallah and his colleagues in Dakar. The second option is support for ECOWAS in its peace consolidation initiatives in the subregion.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“While conditionalities should not be set for countries, it is important that the international resources mobilized for development be used judiciously as the country improves its capacity to generate its own resources internally. The establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission is a welcome development. Africa, which has eight of the world's 17 United Nations peacekeeping operations in 2006, should qualify for the Commission's pilot scheme. West Africa, which has been an epicentre of conflict and war on the continent, should be a natural beneficiary of the work of the Commission. However, the Peacebuilding Commission may not be in a position to take on many countries in its first few years of operation.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“The reason is that conflicts usually trigger the flight of human capital from conflict spots to other parts of the world, especially Europe and North America. To reinforce local capacity in the area of economic policy formulation, the international community, led by the United Nations, could help mobilize the diaspora human resources of each post- conflict country to assist it in the economic sphere. Liberia, for instance, has tremendous human resources in North America - resources that can be effectively harnessed in a systematic way for policy formulation and development priorities in that country. There must be mutual accountability on the part of both the international community, which is assisting the post-conflict country, and the country itself. The country must conduct a regime of transparency, accountability and due process.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“The third way is institutional capacity enhancement. Key institutions central to effective governance either have been weakened or are virtually non-functional in many post-war countries. Those institutions include the judiciary, civil service, parliament and security forces. They need both human capacity enhancement and the provision of required institutional facilities and resources. For instance, conducting elections is an arduous challenge for post- conflict countries; so is maintaining law and order. The international community can target those strategic governance sectors for capacity support. The fourth way is policy formulation. Many post- conflict countries have a dearth of capacity in the area of policy formulation, especially with regard to the economy.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“In most cases, post-conflict countries do not have the fiscal basis to raise the revenue needed for their budgetary obligations. They depend largely on foreign aid and support for their budgets. This constitutes a major means by which the international community can facilitate the stability of a new Government and put it on a sustainable path. The second way is project facilitation, especially the reconstruction of infrastructure. In many post- conflict countries in West Africa, the social infrastructure - electricity, water, roads, et cetera has- either collapsed during the war or is barely functional. The reconstruction of those facilities is a major challenge to new Governments in many post- conflict countries, which is germane to peace consolidation. Liberia and Sierra Leone are good cases in point.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Peace consolidation for West African countries will include the following four major components: the rebuilding of democratic institutions, including the judiciary, parliament and the civil service; security sector reform to establish competent, truly national security forces that are well equipped and can adequately protect lives and property; support for the economic capacity of the Government to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and deliver social services to the people; and private sector development to create jobs and economic opportunities for the large army of unemployed people, especially youth. There are several ways through which the international community, especially the United Nations, can assist in the process of peace consolidation in post-war countries. These include budget support programmes.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Pro-peace forces must be reinforced, while institutions, infrastructure and facilities must be reconstructed. Peace is still very fragile in many post- conflict countries in West Africa, where the United Nations has assisted us in facilitating peace. Also, there are new threats to peace in some hitherto fairly stable countries such as Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. In Liberia, for example, while the country installed a new democratic Government, headed by Africa's first elected woman president, Her Excellency, Ms. Ellen J ohnson-Sirleaf, on 16 January 2006, the country needs 06-4607] tremendous support to put it on the path of irreversible peace.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“As the Secretary-General rightly observed, the Peacebuilding Commission is designed to fill a gaping hole in the peace activities of the United Nations and is meant to assist countries in their transition from war to peace and stimulate stability, democracy and development. This is highly commendable. From July 2004 to June 2005, it is estimated that the United Nations spent about $4.5 billion on peacekeeping operations. That expenditure would not have been worthwhile without strong back- up in terms of post-conflict peace consolidation. That is because there is the possibility of a backlash if urgent steps are not taken by the international community, led by the United Nations, to scale-up peacebuilding initiatives and activities for the peoples and Governments of post-conflict countries.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“The youth crisis in West Africa, which is partly the fallout of prolonged conflict in some West African countries and the debilitating economic situation, is potentially explosive in West Africa and poses serious migration challenges for Western countries in Europe and North America. It is cheaper and easier to invest in and consolidate peace than it is to contain and resolve conflicts. Peace consolidation is a proactive, rather than a reactive, response to threats to peace. As I said earlier, the United Nations has been a major partner in the peace process in West Africa. The United Nations has also taken a bold initiative in creating the Peacebuilding Commission to support post-war countries in the process of peacebuilding and national recovery.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Kofi Annan, for their solidarity and tremendous support in facilitating peace in war- torn and conflict-infected West African countries. The United Nations was our partner in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, and it is currently our partner in cote d'Ivoire. As the global body with a mandate for ensuring peace and security in the world, 06-4607] the United Nations is playing its appropriate role in the peace process in West Africa. Let me preface my statement with some general observations. Conflict in West Africa is a serious threat to global peace and security and requires global attention and priority.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Mr. Chambas: It is certainly a pleasure to see you, Sir, presiding over this body, and I deem it a great honour to have been invited to participate in today's important open debate on peace consolidation in West Africa. Your country, Ghana, is one of the poles of democracy, stability and growth within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and has been at the forefront in working to ensure peace, stability and democracy in West Africa. Our collective efforts have yielded positive dividends, as peace and normalcy gradually return to the West African region. We commend you for this brilliant initiative. I would like to express appreciation to the United Nations, especially the Security Council and the Secretary-General, Mr.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“I call on all of us to seize this opportunity of renewed attention within the international community, especially the United Nations, to devise and implement concrete and sustainable strategies to curb the daunting cross-border problems in West Africa by establishing confidence- building measures, especially in the Mano River Union conflict system. I look forward to fruitful, interactive and deepening cooperation with the United Nations on these pertinent issues of peace, security and development in West Africa, and once again I wish you, Sir, a successful tenure as President of the Security Council.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Indeed, the ECOWAS secretariat will work closely with the United Nations Office for West Africa in order to draw up a work programme that will include, among other things, the questions of armed groups, democracy, good governance and civil/military relations, and that will contribute to the promotion of lasting peace in West Africa. I thank the Security Council once again for devoting this special meeting to West Africa. ECOWAS would support initiatives aimed at ridding our subregion of illicit small arms, mercenaries and the practice of child-soldiering and other related trans- frontier vices and crime.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Civil society could play a great role in the drive towards effective implementation of policy decisions, conventions and grass-roots awareness-raising and sensitization. There is no doubt that the "naming and shaming" dissuasive strategy can best be performed with the help of members of civil society who are endowed with track-two diplomacy skills and experience and are often recognized for their usually frank and undiplomatic style. To attain our common objectives, ECOWAS looks forward to working closely with the international community and, in particular, with the United Nations.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“We cannot adequately confront these ills without adequate collaboration with civil society. Interestingly, there are clear indications that West African civil society is mobilizing and self-organizing. ECOWAS has provided a space for civil society mobilization and collaboration. The first-ever civil society forum of all West African countries was held on the eve of the annual summit of heads of State and Government last December in Accra. ECOWAS is willing to pay greater attention to the recommendations of that particular historic forum. As structures and frameworks for civil society participation in human security issues are being set up at the national and subregional levels, ECOWAS has moved ahead to create a civil society focal point at the secretariat to accommodate and facilitate the budding endeavours and partnerships.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“I am referring to the issue of youth unemployment in failed States. In post-conflict reconstruction efforts, priority must be given to retraining, to providing young people with practical, technical skills, to supporting the private sector as it seeks to regenerate its activities and to make available micro-finance for self-employment in agriculture, the trades and cottage industries. In the same vein, capacity-building for economic management and income-generating activities need to be promoted. Of no less importance are the problems of extortion at roadblocks within and between States members of ECOWAS; child trafficking for domestic and plantation labour, as well as human trafficking for commercial sex purposes; the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is ravaging our communities and workforce; and the dire need for reforms in the security sector.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Collaboration and coordinated action among UNAMSIL, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Mission in Cote d'Ivoire, the United Nations Office for West Africa and ECOWAS could be a great asset in the endeavour to rid the Mano River basin of illicit arms, mercenaries, trans-frontier drug and diamond traffickers and armed marauders. We want to see DDRR programmes go beyond the local perception of the purchase of arms from combatants to include the effective reintegration of ex- combatants and their victims. The affected communities must benefit from the process. It will not suffice to limit our efforts on the DDRR processes; we must begin to ask ourselves what it is that has pushed young people to take up arms against constituted authority, and we must work to eliminate the causes.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“The successful disarmament, demobilization, resettlement and reintegration (DDRR) processes in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire will be critical in addressing the daunting task of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa. We are aware that the failed DDRR process in Liberia in 1997 paved the way for the cycle of violence that subsequently unfolded, leading to the second phase of the Liberian civil war. The suggestion that the DDRR programmes in the Mano River Union countries, including Cote d'Ivoire, should be tackled and coordinated regionally ought to be given greater consideration.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“As we work to set up a Small Arms Unit in the secretariat to complement the Programme for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development initiative for implementing the Moratorium, what is now required is the political will of West African leaders and the support of the international community to transform the Moratorium into a convention, if we are to make headway in combating the nefarious phenomenon of illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons. Twelve out of 15 national commissions are already operational, and the projected DDR programmes in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire could provide an opportunity for them to build their own national commissions to combat the proliferation of illicit arms and light weapons. Our collaboration with national commissions and civil society organizations is as strategic as it is vital.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“In this regard, we look forward to the report of the joint mission of the United Nations and the European Union, which explored, among other issues, support for capacity-building in the ECOWAS secretariat. West African leaders have renewed their commitment to the Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms, and have tasked the ECOWAS secretariat to take necessary measures for the full implementation of the plan of action. In line with this, the secretariat, together with the Governments of Canada, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, convened, from 22 to 24 March 2004, a conference in Abuja on combating small-arms brokering and trafficking, to explore appropriate strategies to address the dangers posed by the illicit trade in small arms, which have become West Africa's weapons of mass destruction.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“In view of the enormous challenges posed by such issues relating to cross- border activities, various capacity-building initiatives have been stepped up to strengthen and enhance the skills of our staff in the ECOWAS secretariat to deal with them. Thanks to the support of some of our bilateral donors and partners, concrete moves are under way to operationalize the ECOWAS early warning system for conflict prevention so that we become more proactive in dealing with actual and potential violent conflicts through effective monitoring systems. We are currently recruiting technically competent staff to enhance our resolve to deliver in those areas and to stay on top of the issues.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Those agents of destabilization have been recruited to fight wars in which they have nothing at stake but their wage - wars in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire, as well as the attempted invasion of Guinea in 2000 and 2001. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone reported the attempted crossing of the Sierra Leonean border by armed fighters as hostilities ceased in Liberia and as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) commenced. The Malian authorities also announced the capture of arms-carrying mercenaries of various West African nationalities along its border with Cote d'Ivoire in early March this year. ECOWAS is very concerned about the threat posed by those cross-border problems and trans- frontier criminal activities.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is an example of a United Nations success story and a clear demonstration of how international concern and solidarity towards Africa can bring change and hope in hitherto hopeless situations. We hope the drawdown of that force will be aligned with the duration of missions in neighbouring Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire. Hundreds of thousands of the small but lethal arms and light weapons that fuelled those wars have remained in circulation - and in the wrong hands. So, too, have the hundreds of thousands of mercenaries, who have become veritable veterans of West Africa's armed conflicts.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“The war in Liberia came to an end with the signing in August 2003 of the ECOWAS-brokered Accra Peace Agreement and the subsequent departure of former President Charles Taylor from power, paving the way for a transitional Government. The 15,000- strong United Nations Mission is bringing hope to millions of war-afflicted Liberians. Armed hostilities ended in Cote d'Ivoire with the signing of ECOWAS-brokered ceasefire agreements and the Linas-Marcoussis Accord. The announced deployment of 6,431 Blue Helmets to consolidate peace and stability there is being awaited with high expectations and has now become even more crucial.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“The spate of armed attacks and killings, and the growing link among small-arms trafficking, mercenary activities and armed banditry are seriously undermining efforts to achieve economic development, attract investment, ensure political and economic stability, security and the rule of law and to guarantee and protect human rights and freedoms. The appalling phenomenon of the recruitment and use of child soldiers is still rife, and remains challenging, despite the international conventions and protocols that are in place. Armed factions in West Africa continue to abusively recruit children and minors as combatants.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“As in the economic field, a regional approach is clearly called for if we are to adequately and effectively deal with cross-border issues such as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, trafficking in children, the illicit exploitation of natural resources, the movement of mercenaries and non-State armed groups, mass refugee movements and forced displacement, among others. The menace posed by the upsurge in the use of mercenaries or soldiers of fortune and child soldiers and in the illicit proliferation of small arms in West Africa can no longer be overlooked. Even in countries perceived to be relatively stable and peaceful, waves of armed attacks and the growing activities of trans- frontier criminal gangs are taking on an alarming dimension.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“The summit therefore placed a high premium on integration, cooperation and a regional approach to ramp up economic growth and enhance the chances of meeting the Millennium Development Goals in West Africa. The message simply was that, working together with shared responsibilities and mutual accountability, much could be achieved. That is why we fully share the conclusion reached in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2004/200) that cross-border problems cannot be solved at the national level alone, but rather require a regional approach. We commend the Secretary-General for the report and find its recommendations to be useful and appropriate for our collective action.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“James Wolfensohn, just held in Accra, Ghana, on 20 March 2004. The meeting was devoted to looking at the challenges of development and integration and of the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) in West Africa. It came to an important conclusion which is pertinent to today's special session; namely, that the political and socio- economic instabilities in West Africa have been disruptive of the development process and have discouraged long-term investment. The summit also recognized the importance of a regional approach to economic development, emphasizing that the critical challenges of development could not be faced and dealt with satisfactorily by States acting individually and in isolation.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Mr. Chambas: On behalf of the secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. Thank you, Sir, for inviting ECOWAS to this very important meeting on ways to combat subregional and cross-border problems in West Africa. We are grateful that the Security Council has continued to devote particular attention to the West African subregion, a subregion that has had more than its fair share of conflicts. I am confident that the enormous resources and focus the international community is currently investing in West Africa will yield commensurate results. This special meeting is being held on the heels of an extraordinary summit of West African leaders with the President of the World Bank, Mr.”
2004-03-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4933 (2004) · source
“Finally, I wish to register the deep appreciation of ECOWAS towards the United Nations; towards Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his personal commitment to seeing Liberia climb out of the abyss in which it has found itself for more than a decade; towards the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs for working closely with us and providing invaluable technical and material support; and, of course, once again, towards this crucially important organ of the United Nations, the Security Council, for giving high priority to meeting its responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in our West African subregion.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“Keeping the current regime of sanctions in place will doubtless make it impossible for it to function effectively. Therefore, I would strongly entreat the Council to consider lifting all the sanctions currently imposed on Liberia, except the arms embargo, to further signal support for the Liberian peace process.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“The sanctions were imposed on Liberia for its role in support of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone and for the failure of the Government of former President Taylor to respect the resolutions of the Council. Today, the interim Government of President Blah not only denounces any support for rebel groups that might seek to overthrow the Governments of neighbouring countries but also seeks to build good- neighbourly relations based on friendship and cooperation. Furthermore, on 14 October 2003, a Transitional Government will be inaugurated pursuant to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of Accra. It will be an all-inclusive Government of national unity to lead Liberia through the two-year transition period. As the Foreign Minister of Ghana has observed, the Transitional Government faces monumental challenges.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“Illicit arms brokering plays a key role in facilitating illegal transfers of arms to groups that are prevented from buying them legally - such as embargoed States and groups, insurgents, organized criminals and terrorists. Arms-producing States should establish a formal register of arms brokers. We see a register as a useful way of keeping arms brokers informed of their responsibilities. Also, the ability to strike people or companies from the register would be a very strong signal to them that, wherever they are operating, Governments are able to effectively monitor and control their activities to ensure that they are in the best interests of Africa's people. The other issue I wish to call attention to is the need to review the current regime of sanctions against Liberia.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“These youths should be provided skills and opportunities for employment more worthy than the banditry and killing they have been accustomed to over the past decade or so. Secondly, now that we seem to be bringing the conflict in Liberia under control we should pay attention to the urgent need to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa. Nowhere have the damaging consequences of these types of weapons been felt more than in Liberia and the Mano River Union countries, where they have done so much harm to innocent people. ECOWAS would like to cooperate with the international community to identify ways in which we can prevent, combat and eradicate illicit brokering in small arms and weapons.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“Conscious and deliberate efforts should be directed at their disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into the West African community. They should certainly not be allowed to infiltrate back into their various countries, for instance Sierra Leone, with their weapons. The return of peace to Liberia should help consolidate peace in neighbouring countries, as Liberia should no longer be a source of arms and armed groups fuelling conflicts in the subregion. To ensure this, the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of Liberian combatants should be an integral part of the peacekeeping operation. The authorized budget of the peacekeeping operation should include the effective disarmament, demobilization and, I emphasize, reintegration of the thousands of youths into Liberia society in constructive and productive employment.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“We hope he will continue to play a useful role in Liberia, given his tremendous experience and knowledge of the political and humanitarian situation in the subregion. I shall now focus my remarks on three issues that require special attention in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by the Liberian parties. First is the issue of armed groups that have moved about freely from one country to the other in the Mano River Union area and also in western Cote d'Ivoire. The armed groups in Liberia have among them several thousand nationals of other West African countries but, especially, significant numbers of Sierra Leoneans. This matter deserves special attention, as these armed elements could pose a threat to the peace that now happily prevails in Sierra Leone.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“We hope that the resolution which we hope the Council will adopt soon to authorize a peacekeeping operation will establish such a mechanism. The appointment of Mr. Jacques Klein as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia is also very welcome. Mr. Klein was in Accra during the final phase of the peace talks. He had the opportunity to meet most of the key Liberian personalities with whom he will be working to ensure the thorough implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. ECOWAS looks forward very much to a close working relationship with Mr. Klein principally through the Special Representative of the Executive Secretary in Liberia, Mr. Francis Blain. We also wish to commend the efforts of Mr. Abou Moussa, with whom we have worked very closely over the past year.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“There is no gainsaying that we have much to gain from deepening collaboration to better deal with conflicts and political instability in our subregion, through addressing issues such as conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, peace-building, humanitarian concerns, human rights, et cetera. We truly look forward to strengthening the relations that are developing systematically between ECOWAS and the Security Council. In that regard we call for the establishment of a consultative mechanism under which there would be regular meetings between the United Nations and ECOWAS, alternately in New York and in Abuja, to discuss developments in Liberia, structured similarly to what we had in the case of Sierra Leone.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“The Council delegation warned that those who would take lightly the lives of others with impunity and disregard for international humanitarian law would not go unpunished. But it also offered the firm support of the Council to the peace process, with assurances that if Liberians would demonstrate a resolve to end the war and agree on a comprehensive accord that would return the country to normalcy, the Council would in turn authorize a peacekeeping operation and would galvanize international humanitarian reconstruction and redevelopment assistance for Liberia. The excellent working relationship between the Security Council and ECOWAS in the resolution of the Liberian crisis is a shining example of the partnership that should exist between this body and regional organizations in tackling regional issues of peace and security.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“The Council delegation's presence in Accra was timely, and strongly underscored the support of the United Nations in particular, and of the international community as a whole, for the initiatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to return Liberia to peace and security. It encouraged the Liberian stakeholders to utilize dialogue and negotiation to settle their differences, rather than violence and war, which have over the years ruined their country. The Council buttressed the position of the African Union and ECOWAS that no group which sought to attain political power by force of arms would obtain the recognition of the international community, least of all, that of the Security Council.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“Mr. Chambas: It gives me great pleasure to address the Security Council on this special occasion of a briefing on the peace process in Liberia. Since the visit of a Security Council delegation to West Africa in June 2003, significant progress has been achieved in bringing an end to the civil war in Liberia and establishing the basis for returning that country to lasting peace. Indeed, the Council's visit to our subregion not only gave impetus and structure to our collaboration and continuing dialogue, but more important, served as a catalyst for the Accra peace talks which were then ongoing.”
2003-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4815 (2003) · source
“Indeed, it should encourage the creation of the right synergy and collaborative working relationships between ECOWAS and the Council to deal with these problems of peace and security. In that regard, we very much welcome the scheduled visit by the Security Council to the subregion during the presidency of the United Kingdom. We look forward to continuing these discussions during that impending visit.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source
“That is what faces us as we attempt to stabilize Cote d'Ivoire and restore normality, peace and prosperity. I believe that the Council is now challenged to find ways in which it can support worthy subregional efforts to maintain peace and security, which, after all, is the primary responsibility of the Security Council. I know that in this discussion there have been suggestions, inter alia, that we might begin to look at cases of successful subregional deployment of troops under Chapter VIII to stabilize crisis situations and ask ourselves whether it might not be prudent for the Council to provide the requisite resources for such forces. We think that the Council should indeed encourage ECOWAS and other subregional organizations to continue to play a leading role, for instance, as we are doing in Cote d'Ivoire.”
2003-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4746 (2003) · source