YouSaid · the spoken record

Christian Wenaweser

lines on the record: 118
first: 2020-05-15
most recent: 2021-10-15
sittings or episodes: 18
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

“Further collaboration with the Peacebuilding Commission, which has dealt from time to time with issues relating to self-governance and autonomy in conflict resolution, may also enhance the Council’s capabilities in this regard. 2 Target 16.7: “Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision -making at all levels”, https://indicators.report/targets/16-7/. 3 United Nations and World Bank. Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict, Washington, D.C.: World Bank, 2018. p. 146.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“The handbook sets out a range of practices for States, mediators and others interested in preventing and resolving conflict seen through the self-determination lens, as well as case studies of relevant conflicts. We stand ready and able to engage with Council members further on the recommendations raised therein. Going forward, the Council could also consider other steps within the United Nations system to enhance its consideration of the topic of this open debate. For example, the Council could encourage the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs to consider how questions relating to self-determination, seen in a broad sense, as already discussed, may be relevant to the causes of and solutions to conflict, including in mediation processes.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“not only contribute to upholding target 16.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals, 2 but as is noted in the publication of the United Nations and the World Bank entitled Pathways for Peace, “self-governance arrangements such as federalism have proven effective in many cases in reducing local violent conflict”. 3 One way to meet the aspirations and uphold the human rights of such communities is therefore to devolve power meaningfully to a level at which it can be practically exercised in the service of sustainable peace. As part of our engagement on this issue, Liechtenstein earlier in 2021 published a handbook on self-determination in conflict prevention and resolution.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“And, of course, processes should not only be inclusive of women, but of all affected groups, including youth, ethnic and religious minorities and indigenous peoples, as well as civil society. In doing so, peace processes create the broadest mandate possible and expand a constituency for peace that lasts. Inclusion is a significant strand of the work of both the Peacebuilding Commission and the Council, and Liechtenstein hopes that both will continue to uphold high standards for inclusion in the situations on their respective agendas. Third, the Council can encourage internal governance arrangements that meet the aspirations of relevant communities, and that are in line with international human rights standards. Forms of self-governance, decentralization and devolution of powers 1 https://wps.unwomen.org/participation/.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“Important work on the link between conflict prevention and the protection of the human rights of minorities has been undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and the topic should inform the Council’s efforts to prevent conflict, including its recurrence, for example in post-conflict peace processes and transitions. Second, the Council should ensure that efforts to prevent and resolve conflict are inclusive. Figures from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) show that women’s participation increases the probability of peace agreements lasting two years by 20 per cent, and by 35 per cent the probability of a peace agreement lasting 15 years.1 The lesson here is simple: inclusion works.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“First, the Council should encourage relevant actors to uphold the human rights of minority communities as a means of enhancing conflict prevention. This is not only the right thing to do under international human rights law, it is also a powerful way to defuse tensions, prevent conflict and facilitate economic prosperity as well as sustainable development, given that many conflicts grow out of forms of inequality, injustice and exclusion from power, opportunity, services and security that specifically affect minority groups and indigenous peoples.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“Liechtenstein sees this process of seeking out governance arrangements as an extension of the right of self-determination, expressed internally within a State. Applied in such a manner, expressions of self-determination can include self- governance, autonomy and devolution arrangements within a State, and as a preventive measure, with the aim of preventing internal tensions over questions of governance from developing into violent conflict. By applying a “self-determination lens” to the causes of and solutions to conflict, the United Nations can significantly strengthen its conflict prevention and resolution architecture. Three elements of this approach are worth highlighting for the Council’s consideration.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“Thank you for bringing this topic to the attention of the Council today, which is understudied given its prevalence among Council situations. For our comments, we base ourselves on your analysis that the majority of Council situations begin as intercommunal tensions with roots in ethnic, racial, regional, partisan and religious differences. While factually accurate, this in no way takes anything away from the fact that diversity is every country’s strength. To fully realize this strength, communities within a country, in particular those that are in a minority within a State, must be able to benefit from governance arrangements that allow them to flourish and that are in line with international human rights standards.”
2021-10-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/868 (2021) · source
“More regular, or more formal, meetings between Peacebuilding Commission configuration Chairs and Council members on country situations, where applicable, could be considered, building on previous annual informal interactive discussions. In line with the needed emphasis on the rule of law, the Council should also have an interest in introducing a clear justice and accountability component into the Peacebuilding Commission’s work. This is also important in the light of the parameters for sustainable peace given in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular those contained within Sustainable Development Goal 16. The fulfilment of Goal 16 is vital to both Council and Peacebuilding Commission mandates, and particularly so in situations of transition, where upholding peace and justice must be at the centre.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“In order to more effectively address human rights violations as part of its peace and security mandate, the Security Council must also better coordinate with the human rights machinery of the United Nations, in particular the Human Rights Council, relevant special procedures mandate holders and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Council should also expand cooperation with the Peacebuilding Commission, the body specifically designed to address post-conflict dynamics. The Security Council could contribute constructively to the work of the Commission in helping to reassess the criteria to establish configurations and consider how their establishment can assist the transition process.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“Situations of armed conflict often jeopardize the enjoyment of human rights, but at the same time, violations of human rights can spark or intensify ongoing tensions or conflicts. By committing to the protection of human rights, and by strengthening or creating legal avenues for accountability and justice for such violations, human rights and rule of law components create the enabling conditions for sustainable peace even after the end of a peacekeeping operation, and in so doing, ease the transition out of a peaceke eping operation. As it stands, the wide divergence in mandates among different peace operations is concerning.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“In this, Liechtenstein encourages a “multi-stakeholder” or “whole-of-society” approach, complementing close engagement with the national Government, with the meaningful participation of civil society and underrepresented groups, as applicable – minorities, women, young people and indigenous peoples. In this way, peacekeeping transitions can be made to be responsive to real issues and pressures, making their gains more sustainable – rather than beholden to theoretical plans laid out in United Nations documents. One key decision that the Security Council can take in advance to lay the foundation for sustainable peace is to systematically include clear human rights and rule of law components across peace operations.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“I thank the President for the opportunity to address this important topic. In our brief comments, Liechtenstein wishes to highlight the role that the Council can play alongside partners to contribute to sustainable transitions. Fundamentally, the Council should see transitions not as a deadline or set of deadlines by which to leave but as a part of the life cycle of any operation. The process of transition should contribute to sustainable peace, notably through the fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on “peace, justice and strong institutions”. As such, many of the most important decisions relevant to transitions must be made well in advance; sustainable, durable peace can only be created by wise, long-term planning.”
2021-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/783 (2021) · source
“We therefore encourage Council members to explore safe modalities for in-person participation in open debates, for example including timed arrivals of non-Council members and the use of the antechamber to ensure an uninterrupted flow in the speakers list.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Liechtenstein congratulates Estonia for being able to bring the Council back to the chamber for the vast majority of meetings, following the trend set by the Chinese presidency toward the end of May. In this respect, the natural next step for the Council is to make open debates truly open to the membership by ensuring that the in -person format, including verbal statements, applies to all participants. The added value of open debates lies in their inclusivity and transparency, whereby United Nations Member and observer States are given the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on equal terms with Council members. In its current guise, the Council risks creating a “two-tier” system for participation in open debates, which defeats the very purpose of the format.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“While the frequent use of the procedural vote would be a signal of a dysfunctional Council, it can be an important way to address divisions, thus ensuring that the Council is fit for purpose. Liechtenstein notes that the use of Arria-formula meetings by members of the Council has increased significantly, and sometimes in a manner that is clearly not in keeping with its original purpose. In many cases, Arria-formula meetings lend important value to the Council’s work on topics for which a formal meeting is not possible, as well as enhancing the Council’s inclusivity and relevance. We are increasingly aware of the use of Arria-formula meetings to bring negative atmospherics to the Council’s work or to provide a forum to promote narrow political interests and narratives by a small group of States.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“While, before the pandemic, some briefers had been able to address the Council virtually, this practice has been further institutionalized in the Council’s work. Briefers have had hitherto unforeseen opportunities to inform Council discussions, and record levels of high - level participation have been made possible, without the additional costs to our climate that related travel would otherwise entail. Videoconference participation should now be broadly accepted in Council meetings, with the aim of enhancing the inclusivity of the Council’s discussions. In coming back to the chamber, we must ensure that the Council has not lost any of its agility to address situations with the requisite urgency. One tool that the Council has unfortunately been unable to utilize while absent from the chamber is the ability to hold procedural votes.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“The Council rose to the challenge in some areas; it found new ways to operate and made progress in harnessing technological innovations that might otherwise have taken far longer. The Council must now hold on to these improvements while ensuring that it does not roll back on pre-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) standards of working methods in areas where pandemic-induced progress has not been so forthcoming. Liechtenstein hopes that submissions to this debate will help to inform ongoing discussions in the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions and can, in parallel, contribute a thorough lessons-learned process so that the Council can be better prepared for future crises. We appreciate the progress that has been made on the holding of meetings via videoconference over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Liechtenstein aligns itself with the statement made on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group. Let me begin by honouring the memory of one of our former colleagues who made a big personal contribution to the working methods of the Security Council. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, as the Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, oversaw the adoption of the first note 507 in 2006. Liechtenstein sends its condolences and deep gratitude to his family and to all those who knew him. Working methods have long been an area subject to ongoing discussions and slow and gradual improvements, even before the challenge to maintain business continuity created by the pandemic.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“In conclusion, Liechtenstein underlines the strong preventive dimension of the protection-of-civilians agenda. In Myanmar, an unaccountable military elite with a long history of attacking its own civilian population continues to violently trample on peaceful dissent, adding a new bloody chapter to its long history of brutal oppression and threatening regional stability. Time and again the international community has failed to live up to its responsibility to hold to account those who are guilty of grave violations of international humanitarian law. We must draw the right lessons from that failure, in particular for the sake of the people of Myanmar, and pursue justice in the face of atrocity crimes.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“In this context, the ongoing threat to end the mandate for the final border crossing at Bab Al-Hawa seriously jeopardizes the survival of 2.8 million civilians in need in the north-west of Syria. This is one of many instances, albeit a particularly blatant one, of how the constant threat and use of the veto prevents the Security Council from taking vital action. It is also a grave violation of the Code of Conduct of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, which enshrines the expectation of 122 States for the Council to do better in precisely those situations. If the Security Council does not take its responsibility seriously, we must be ready to use all available tools of the General Assembly to support the Syrian people.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“Today Syria is in the midst of an enormous humanitarian crisis, potentially its deadliest yet — 60 per cent of all Syrians are food insecure, children are hungrier than ever and the health-care institutions, and medical personnel are under constant attack. The Syrian Government has systematically attacked medical facilities over 400 times since the beginning of the war. At the same time, humanitarian access continues to be used as a political tool, including by members of the Security Council. For many years, Syrian Government forces have destroyed vital humanitarian aid supplies intended for its own people, including as recently as March in an air strike on a warehouse supported by an non-governmental organization.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“Stigmatization and cultural taboos continue to be strongly associated with all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and are particularly strong when such crimes are perpetrated against men and boys. A culture of silence continues to impede accountability and justice and contributes to further cycles of violence and persistent harmful gender stereotypes. In response, the Council must do more to implement resolution 2467 (2019), in particular its survivor-centred approach, and in doing so should benefit from the important work done with civil society actors, such as the All Survivors Project.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“Widespread sexual violence continues to be a blight on the lives of countless civilians in armed conflicts, with extremely deep and long-lasting consequences on the affected societies. In that regard, Liechtenstein is alarmed by reports emerging from the Tigray region of Ethiopia of the widespread use of rape as a weapon of war in what appears to be an environment of complete impunity. Among the many victims are girls as young as eight. There must be accountability for the perpetrators of these crimes. If there is an unwillingness or inability to provide justice at the national level, the responsibility to ensure accountability lies with the international community. Reports on rape and other forms of sexual violence are even more concerning in the light of the fact that these crimes are often underreported.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“Depriving children access to education has a devastating long- term impact on sustainable development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 4, and irreparably harms children, families, communities and societies. Liechtenstein is particularly concerned about the scale, severity and recurrence of violations and abuses endured by children in Yemen. Starvation is used as a weapon of war, in blatant violation of international law, thus gravely affecting children and other particularly vulnerable populations. It is of the utmost urgency that all parties to the conflict immediately end and prevent all violations of international law, including attacks on schools, comply with all their obligations under international law and provide immediate and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to all those in need.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“In only a few days we will mark the sixth anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration — a political commitment to protect students, teachers and educational facilities from the worst effects of armed conflict. Liechtenstein is a proud signatory to the Declaration and continues to be fully committed to its principles. The current global situation tragically illustrates its high importance. Schools continue to be deliberately targeted and used for military purposes, thereby eroding their sanctity as safe spaces and exposing schools, teachers and students to harm. Such attacks gravely violate the human right to education and can constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing the yearly open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. The high relevance of this topic reflects the extent to which the international community fails to protect the most vulnerable from harm during armed conflict, despite numerous obligations and commitments to the contrary. The world continues to witness routine and systematic violations of the fundamental principles of the protection of civilians, as contained in international humanitarian law, with military attacks carried out without due consideration of the obligation to ensure their necessity, proportionality and distinction.”
2021-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/505 (2021) · source
“It is long past time for those parties to demonstrate their commitment to peace through concrete actions and to refrain from unilateral steps to undermine it, in particular through acts that clearly violate the decisions of the Council and are crimes under international humanitarian law. In that respect, we call on the Security Council to take steps to ensure the implementation of its own resolutions, and we note the statement issued by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on 3 March.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“The increasing violence, death and destruction we have seen in recent days must be a wake-up call for all who have influence, in particular the Security Council, to help bring about a cessation of violence and address the long-standing and well-known causes of the conflict, in line with the obvious historic obligation of the United Nations as well as the mandate of the Security Council. A sustainable solution can be achieved only if the parties are willing to embark on credible and constructive negotiations in good faith and are assisted in their effort to do so.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“The large numbers of civilian casualties, many of them children, caused by Israeli air strikes in Gaza are unacceptable. The basic principles of the protection of civilians under international humanitarian law must be safeguarded at all times and there must be accountability for violating them. Liechtenstein reiterates its belief that a two-State solution based on applicable international law, in particular international humanitarian law and relevant Security Council resolutions, remains the only viable pathway to a peaceful, stable and secure Middle East. Liechtenstein is gravely concerned over settlement activities, notably the threatened evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and calls on Israel to cease those activities, as it is obliged to do under international law.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to contribute to today’s open video-teleconference. Liechtenstein approaches today’s meeting with an atmosphere of grave concern regarding the escalation in and around Gaza and the violence in the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, as well as in Israel. Liechtenstein urgently calls on all actors to end the violence, demonstrate utmost restraint and work towards de-escalation and a ceasefire. Liechtenstein stresses the need for all actors to demonstrate respect for international humanitarian law, in particular the principles of military necessity and proportionality. The indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza must end; the deliberate targeting of civilians constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“Resolution 2467 (2019) and its comprehensive survivor-centred approach is an important step forward for the women and peace and security agenda. In times of quarantines, lockdowns and other restrictions on movement caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, it is particularly important to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence have access to reporting mechanisms and necessary services. We call on the Council to include conflict-related sexual violence as a designation criterion in targeted sanctions regimes as well as to fully implement resolution 2467 (2019).”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“We call for full and immediate compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law and unhindered humanitarian access to conflict-affected areas to facilitate the delivery of assistance to survivors of sexual violence. Furthermore, we call for immediate access for United Nations mandate holders, including the Special Envoy and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. Harmful gender stereotypes and abusive power dynamics are the root cause of sexual and gender-based violence, which affects women and girls disproportionately, but the same stereotypes also harm men and boys and LGBTI+ people and often result in underreporting, as has also been documented by the Liechtenstein-based human rights organization All Survivors Project.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“We welcome the agreement by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a joint investigation into the human rights violations and abuses by all parties, as a first step in a much-needed accountability process. Furthermore, we are alarmed by the situation in Myanmar, where a culture of impunity, among the armed forces in particular, including for serious cases of sexual and gender-based violence, has enabled an ongoing systematic attack against the civilian population. In particular, Rohingya women and children in camps for internally displaced persons and those who fled to Bangladesh have remained at significant risk of sexual violence, including forced marriage and forced pregnancy.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“In looking at country situations, we are particularly concerned about the numerous reports of serious forms of sexual and gender-based violence committed in north and central Tigray during military operations since last November. Reports of over 100 relevant violations include cases of individuals forced to rape members of their own families, of women being forced by military elements to have sex in exchange for basic commodities and reports of sexual violence against women and girls in refugee camps. Due to limited access to the affected areas, it is likely that sexual violence crimes have been underreported.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“International civil society organizations such as Justice Rapid Response have also done ground-breaking work in ensuring that conflict-related sexual violence crimes are investigated promptly and professionally. Despite the legal and normative frameworks to prevent and eliminate sexual and gender-based violence, conflict-related sexual violence continues to be rampant, including through its systematic use as a tactic of war and attacking civilian populations. The most recent report (S/2021/312) by the Secretary-General documents rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls and boys in a large number of conflict situations, many of which are on the Security Council’s agenda.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“The Office of the ICC Prosecutor has placed a sharp focus on expertise and commitment to prosecute sexual and gender-based crimes, as evidenced in some of the best-known proceedings before the Court. The trial of Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda marked the first time a militia leader was charged with sexual and gender-based crimes. And Lord Resistance Army warlord Dominic Ongwen has also been charged with sexual and gender-based crimes, including sexual slavery. Moreover, the participation of victims in proceedings of the ICC is a key element of the Rome Statute. The Trust Fund for Victims, created by the Assembly of States Parties in 2004, has provided assistance to many victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“In the area of norms-setting, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has played a pioneering role in establishing a comprehensive and victim- centred framework to expansively and efficiently respond to conflict-related sexual violence crimes. For the first time in history, it firmly established conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence as crimes against humanity and war crimes. Gender-based crimes can furthermore constitute acts of genocide. It also requires the ICC Prosecutor to appoint advisers with legal expertise on sexual and gender-based violence. The Court’s victims and witnesses unit includes staff with experience in trauma-related to sexual crimes.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for focusing this debate on conflict-related sexual violence on victim and survivor assistance and access to services, a dimension that all too often remains neglected. Far too few victims and survivors receive the medical, legal and psychosocial services they so urgently need. Underreporting of sexual violence crimes due to stigma, fear of retaliation and weak rule-of-law institutions compound the situation. At the same time, we can draw on decades of experience, lessons learned and best practices in supporting victims and survivors. The Security Council’s women and peace and security resolutions that specifically address conflict-related sexual violence have helped further our understanding and better equip our response in this regard.”
2021-04-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/375 (2021) · source
“It is not sufficient for the Council to address the nexus between climate change and security when the emissions of S/2021/198 S/2021/198 its members are themselves determinative of the scale of the security threat. More ambitious targets and stronger implementation within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is vital to this effort, including through nationally determined contributions On this note, Liechtenstein welcomes the United States’ decision to re-enter into the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and hopes that it will mark a new chapter both in the Council’s engagement on climate change and in our collective multilateral response. Such engagement is badly needed. The present and future security of billions of people depends on Council members’ willingness to avert climate disaster today.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“More systematic references to the impact of climate insecurity on situations on the Council’s agenda, particularly those outside of the African continent, are necessary and long overdue. But most importantly, Council members must urgently limit their own emissions. The five years since the Paris Agreement have been the hottest on record, and it is increasingly possible that the global average temperature will rise 1.5° C in the next five years at least temporarily, a threshold deemed the point of no return during the Paris negotiations. The members of the Council bear particular responsibility, given that a small number of its members combined are responsible for more than half of the world’s CO₂ emissions.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“The 2009 report of the Secretary-General, entitled “Climate change and its possible security implications” (A/64/350), which addresses the “interdependence between human vulnerability and national security”, may be a useful starting point in this regard. Liechtenstein continues to support the important innovation of the Informal Expert Group on climate and security. Building on this momentum, the Council should tap into the wide range of expertise across the United Nations system, such as the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs-United Nations Development Programme-United Nations Environment Programme Climate Security Mechanism. In addition, it should pursue a resolution on climate and security as a standalone topic, one that establishes a reporting mechanism that makes use of this considerable expertise.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“However, the Security Council’s engagement on climate and security would be significantly strengthened by moving beyond a hard security paradigm framed in terms of causes of and solutions to armed conflict, towards one framed in terms of human security. Seen through the lens of human security, it is just as valid to understand climate change itself as a cause of insecurity requiring a Council response. An understanding of climate insecurity as worthy of the Council’s attention before those affected resort to or are affected by armed violence or conflict would indeed strengthen the United Kingdom’s emphasis on conflict prevention and upstream action.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“The concept note (S/2021/155, annex) for this debate very effectively raises the complexities of the relationship between climate and security, including the role of climate impacts as a threat multiplier and the deleterious effect of conflict on the ability of States to adapt to climate change. Liechtenstein also appreciates the intention expressed in the concept note to address climate preventively. It is clear that climate impacts, such as desertification and dwindling water resources, are leading to violent conflict, as are secondary impacts, including increased involuntary migration, poverty, the loss of livelihoods and social tensions between farmers and herders.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for bringing the pre-eminent systemic security issue of our time to the Security Council’s attention. Liechtenstein appreciates the United Kingdom’s long-standing commitment to addressing the links between climate and security, going back to April 2007 when it was the first to raise the topic in this body. This discussion also builds on recent Council open debates, notably those held by the Niger last September (S/2020/929) and Tunisia last month (S/2021/24). Addressing the climate and security nexus is a prerequisite for the Council to fulfil its mandate. Accordingly, the Council should draw from the entire United Nations system to create a policy that tackles climate security risks, including through preventive action.”
2021-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/198 (2021) · source
“The inaugural meeting in November of the Informal Expert Group on Climate and Security of Members of the United Nations Security Council is also a significant step forward for the Council’s work. Nevertheless, systematic references to the impact of climate change on Council situations remain long overdue. Going forward, the Council must also address the root cause of those impacts. A small minority of its members combined are responsible for more than half of global carbon dioxide emissions, and all States must uphold their responsibilities to present and future generations by urgently working to reduce them.”
2021-01-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/24 (2021) · source
“It is increasingly possible that the next five years will see the world reach 1.5°C of warming — a threshold deemed the point of no return during the Paris negotiations and a frightening portent for our fragile world. Liechtenstein is pleased that the Council increasingly recognizes the value of addressing secondary impacts of climate change, such as involuntary migration, poverty, the loss of livelihoods and tensions between farmers and herders, and is supportive of the Council’s efforts to tap into expertise across the United Nations development system, such as the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs-United Nations Development Programme-United Nations Environment Programme Climate Security Mechanism.”
2021-01-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/24 (2021) · source
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remain our blueprint for building back better — a road map for sustaining peace based on international law, human rights, cooperation, solidarity and multilateralism. Challenges to the rule of law and attempts to undermine democratic processes, even in societies with long democratic traditions, must be met by responsible leadership, long-term policy thinking, stronger commitments against corruption and organized crime and an honest discussion about information and the role of social media. The fulfilment of SDG 16 in particular is key to achieving sustainable development and to ensuring that the Council lives up to its mandate.”
2021-01-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/24 (2021) · source
“If the Council is to uphold security threats in all their aspects, the challenges resulting from the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and climate change urgently require its attention. On both of those issues the Council has the mandate to act, but as it stands Council members lack the necessary political will to avert impending catastrophe. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to wide-ranging human rights restrictions and increased risk of mass poverty and hunger, massive negative impacts on education, rising inequality and heightened social tensions, as well as the erosion of trust in institutions, resulting in fragile contexts. Liechtenstein is pleased that the Council has addressed COVID-19, albeit in a limited manner, and encourages it to build on that precedent through a human security-centred approach.”
2021-01-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/24 (2021) · source
“Liechtenstein is grateful for this opportunity to consider the particular challenges fragile contexts pose to the Security Council’s efforts in the maintenance of peace and security. Focusing on the concept of fragility as a broader frame for efforts to uphold peace and security underlines the point that the Council’s work can be successful only if it takes on a similarly broad paradigm of human security. Attempts to restrict the Council to so-called “hard security” issues of armed conflict, terrorism and comparable threats result in a myopic focus on militarized causes of, and solutions to, conflict instead of sustainable and comprehensive conflict prevention and resolution.”
2021-01-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/24 (2021) · source