YouSaid · the spoken record

Corr

lines on the record: 387
first: 2001-08-20
most recent: 2002-12-20
sittings or episodes: 44
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

“Ireland supported the draft resolution presented by Syria on behalf of the Arab group because we considered it appropriate that the Council address the important issues raised in the draft resolution. We also consider it appropriate and important that the Council condemn the recent killings of international staff and the deliberate destruction of a food warehouse and its contents at a time when the population of Gaza is finding it so difficult to survive. We also supported the draft resolution because we consider it fully appropriate also to remind Israel of the need to fully respect international humanitarian law. It is obliged to fully respect the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention which applies in the occupied territories.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4681 (2002) · source
“We leave also with a deep sense of admiration and respect for the Secretary-General, for his commitment, his integrity and his willingness to show leadership at all times. We have appreciated that very much. In conclusion, it is right to express our appreciation to everyone from the Secretariat involved in the work of the Council, but also to the Secretariat generally for the work that is done for the people of the world with great idealism and effectiveness. This work is often not appreciated around the world as it should be. This is a place that matters. It is, therefore, to be guarded and cherished. That was the approach we tried to bring to our period on the Security Council, and it is the strong conviction that we have as we end it.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“It should focus more on main items on its agenda rather than necessarily dealing with all items on its agenda in a routine way. It needs to strengthen its partnership with other United Nations bodies and they need to strengthen their partnership with the Security Council. Here I am thinking of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Human Rights, for example. Ireland finishes our Security Council with a strong sense of pride at having served. We are proud too that we have tried to highlight issues we think matter: Africa, the Middle East, human rights and conflict prevention. We leave with great admiration for all the other members of the Council and for their work in the service of peace.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“That is the world we live in, and the Security Council reflects this. But perception can be as important as reality. We need to address perceptions. Those perceptions can include, and at times have included, a sense that the permanent five may not always show the sensitivity to the elected 10 that is required. This is a matter of perception, not necessarily substance, but we do think it needs to be addressed in the period ahead. One way of doing this might be a monthly meeting involving all Council members away from the United Nations building, where we would look at issues in a free and flexible way. Finally, where do we stand? In the view of my delegation, the Security Council works well. It could work better. It has come a long way in becoming more open and more transparent.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“We need committees that could filter and look at in more depth the issues on the Council agenda. We need more structured dialogue with the Secretary-General and with the Secretariat. Apart from the very valuable monthly lunch, perhaps the Secretary-General could set aside part of the day once a month for a background look at issues on the Council's agenda and at the canvas against which we must consider them. The relationship between the permanent five and the elected 10 has been an issue of some contention over the past months and years. In my view, there has been a growing and welcome level of cooperation among the elected 10. This is the way it should be. In terms of the permanent five, my delegation has never seen any plots or conspiracy. These are the members of the Council which are permanent; they have a veto.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“We need the capacity to think boldly, and not just on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). But there are operational implications, such as how effectively DDR operates in the Great Lakes and so forth. How do we operate? On our working methods, it has been the view of my delegation, and I repeat today, that there is too much on our agenda. There is too much of "this issue, this morning, this month". We need a more focused approach, perhaps involving setting aside one or two days a month to look at issues that have to appear on our agenda, but in such a way as to deal with them speedily and effectively instead of devoting a full morning to each of them. We need more committees of the Council. The Ad Hoc Working Group on Africa and the sanctions Committees are examples of how effectively committees can operate.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“Specifically, we need more strategic focus on the situation in the Middle East. It is a profound and growing threat to international peace and security. The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is intolerable and unacceptable. That this situation still prevails is an affront to the international community and reveals our lack of political will in a place of deadly danger and injustice. We also need more strategic focus on conceptual and thematic issues. There is deep and unacceptable poverty in Africa. There is alienation among many in the Arab world. There is alienation in many parts of the world because of exclusion from the benefits of globalization. We also need more strategic focus on conflict prevention and on peace-building when conflict is over.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“In Africa, as Ambassador Koonjul has just said, new and important forces are at work: the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, regional cooperation and an increasing sense of African ownership of African issues. We need to support all of this in the work of the Council, including in relation to specific decisions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, the Great Lakes region, Somalia and the Central African Republic. We need to remember that collective security and international peace and security are concepts. Our decisions on issues operationally are part of a wider matrix. Terrorism in a failed State can be terrorism anywhere in the world. Profound alienation, bitterness and failure to respect human rights do not end at borders.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“In the main, in the View of my delegation, we have done well. In Africa, the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is at work. Support has been given to the Burundi peace process. Peace has been broadly achieved in Sierra Leone and Angola. Regional instability in many parts of Africa still remains a problem. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is at work in the service of the people of Afghanistan. Each month the Council looks at many issues on its agenda. We take decisions, rightly, when we view the time is right. That is the way it should be. But in an increasingly untidy world, where events create enormous pressure, we must stand further back from time to time and look at the wider canvas and the wider forces at work.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“And we must show fairness. We should not have double standards on decisions we take. It is surely wrong if war can flow from some decisions of the Council While only shrugs and indifference flow from others. The Security Council must also be about partnership. The Council cannot do everything and yet specific decisions and issues have implications often involving the economic and social as well as the political dimensions. We need to see the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council as partners and they need to View the Security Council as a partner. We need stronger partnership throughout the intergovernmental system in the United Nations. Too much light in the United Nations, perhaps, shines on this Chamber, and too little elsewhere. How have we done in the light of these tests?”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“In a world where bipolar deterrence or balanced equilibrium are gone and where market forces shape much of the world in a rather Darwinian fashion at times, this is a place that says, on behalf of the international community, "It is so; let it be done". Even though the Council is intensely political, it needs to always value this special and austere role in international law. The Security Council must also value its legitimacy; this is a political test. People around the world, as we have seen in recent months, look to the Council as a test of the legitimacy of major actions affecting international peace and security. Therefore, a sense of honour and fairness needs to be embedded in our work. We must honour our decisions when taken and our word when given. We must also honour the expectations that the international community has in us.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“Those are issues I want to address in my remarks today. On how the Council performs its work, it seems to me there are four central tests that must be met. The Council is about, above all else, the safeguarding of international peace and security. This is the place that intersects with power and the views of capitals, some that are powerful, some less so. But collective security is about power and about the willingness to use power for the wider good if necessary. If the Security Council is just a talking shop, its role has ended. There is always a balance there between multilateralism and the individual role of States, between national interests and the global public good. This tension meets often in this Chamber. But the Security Council is also about law.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“The Council stands at the very centre of the multilateral and international system, supporting cooperation by nations, anticipating and averting threats to peace, but also building peace, and enforcing peace where that is called for, conscious always of risks, whatever their shape - but, as is the duty of the Council, conscious also of hopes. This is as it should be. Internationalism is about action, not just ideals. To serve in the Security Council, therefore, is a great honour for any country. The Council is the property of all United Nations Member States. It is the property of the world, not of its members, permanent or elected, and not of any combination of them. What are the standards the Council must meet? How do we meet these tests, how effectively does the Council operate? Where do we stand, looking back and looking forward?”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“May I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this wrap-up discussion on the work of the Security Council over the past year. We find this a very valuable exercise, and today it especially offers departing members of the Council a chance to give our views and assessment on the work of the Council. I would also like to thank you, Mr. President, for the work of the Colombian presidency over the past month, and everyone in your delegation for a month of real achievement, commitment and effectiveness in the work of the Council. There is a phrase of TS. Eliot - "liberation from the future as well as the past" - that seems to me in many ways, perhaps with undue scepticism, to sum up the work of the Security Council.”
2002-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4677 (2002) · source
“In a speech during the Second World War, Albert Camus spoke of the innocent who suffer and who need help and, in words of challenge and humanism, asked, "if you will not help us to do this, then who will?" People around the world today ask this of Member States here in the United Nations. We owe them an answer and we owe them action.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“Yet all too often United Nations country appeals - even in dire situations - remain partially or even substantially under-funded. We as Member States need to look at this as an indication of seriousness of purpose. The present situation is haphazard and can be excessively prone to media focus on the last atrocity, rather than the considered views of OCHA or the Secretary-General. This is something we as Member States must consider urgently if we are serious about conflict prevention, protecting the rights of civilians where they are in peril, and addressing dire needs, whether or not they are at the centre of world attention.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“Here, I would like to add my delegation's strong view about the need for early action and follow-up by the Council on the Panel report. Finally, the rise of terrorism has added a new set of challenges to the work of protecting civilians. Here, as we in the international community pursue the work of combating terrorism, let me simply wholeheartedly endorse the words of the Secretary-General in paragraph 62 of the report: "to pursue security at the expense of human rights will ultimately be self- defeating". There is one final point that I would like to make. The question of adequate funding for United Nations agencies involved in the protection of civilians - Agencies dealing with food, refugee protection and shelter - is an immediate practical issue that we should not ignore.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“At the conclusion of his report, the Secretary- General highlights three themes - "global issues", as he rightly describes them - that must especially shape our work in the protection of civilians. Gender-based violence in humanitarian and conflict situations is an issue of the utmost gravity and seriousness. Such abuse is endemic in situations of mass displacement and conflict. We must continue to place this issue at the forefront of our agenda, including full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), and build on progress already achieved, not least in the mandates of United Nations field operations. Secondly, the commercial exploitation of resources has led to devastating consequences for civilians. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is an especially graphic example, as we know from the recent report of the Panel of Experts.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“So is the proposal for the rapid deployment of United Nations multidisciplinary assessment teams to assist and support the separation of combatants and civilians. The restoration or establishment of the rule of law, justice and reconciliation is a foundation for assured protection of civilians in situations of conflict and when conflict is ending. The entry into force last July of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court represents an important deterrent against war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. An important light has been lit in the fight for justice for innocent people who suffer injustice. Such injustice is not the work of fate, it is the result of acts of human beings against other human beings.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“The role of protectors of civilians in conflict bears special honour; its violation deserves special dishonour. On the separation of civilians and armed elements, the Secretary-General points to successful relocation exercises over the past year, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My Delegation welcomes the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda for Protection proposals and the practical steps now being considered by United Nations agencies. These include issues relating to the location of refugee camps and problems deriving from the intermingling of combatants and civilians. The suggestion of the Secretary-General of a roster of experts who could be seconded by Governments to assist in overcoming a lack of resources and capacity by States in conflict areas is to be welcomed.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“They must have full freedom to negotiate access issues with non-State actors. As the Secretary-General points out, significant bilateral pressure on warring parties by Security Council members and others to obtain access can play a vital role. The aide-memoire is a valuable instrument for structuring and shaping negotiations on access and related issues that need to be addressed. The grave humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, highlighted by Ms. Bertini in her report last August, underscores all of these themes. It is also right today to pause and mourn the recent loss of three brave staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, while serving others in humanitarian work: Ian Hook, Osama Hassan Tahrawi and Ahlam Riziq Kandil.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“Unless we do so, safeguarding international peace and security will rest on shallow foundations and we will have failed people around the world who look to the United Nations when no other hope exists for them. This political will must also be, literally, political. We must strongly work, for example, with the African Union and support the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) in building new hope in Africa. In his report, the Secretary-General focused on central themes that must shape this work. Ireland warmly endorses all of the recommendations made by the Secretary-General. Access to vulnerable populations is an indispensable and absolute requirement for the protection of civilians. The United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, including non-governmental organizations, must have access to those in need.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“We need to build on the positive steps already taken, including strongly promoting the use of the aide- memoire and the road map throughout the United Nations system and by Member States. There is now a moment of real opportunity, as many conflicts - such as those in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone - have either ended or are, hopefully, about to end. All of these conflicts point to what we must now do if, at a time of relative hope, we can summon the necessary political will and determination. And that is to regard the protection of civilians in armed conflict as an imperative to shape the work of the United Nations in the years to come.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“This includes the aide-memoire developed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on key civilian protection issues; closer cooperation between Secretariat departments and OCHA; regular and systematic briefings by OCHA of the Security Council on civilian and humanitarian issues, including recently on the situation in Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the development of the road map for the protection of civilians, a provisional version of which is attached to the Secretary-General's report (S/2002/l300). All these are valuable steps. We now need to further strengthen cooperation within the United Nations family, especially the Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“Today we should show the same determination with regard to the loss of millions of lives and the terrible humanitarian suffering resulting from conflicts that have ravaged much of Africa, as well as other parts of the world, in recent years. Here at the United Nations we are making some real progress at an institutional level.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“Countless others have died or suffered from malnutrition or disease as a consequence of conflict. Each was an individual human being with a right to live. The loss of each was a violation of the moral imperative described by Kant - that human beings must be treated not as means but as ends in themselves. That is a doctrine of moral universality that is at the core of everything that the United Nations stands for. It is right today to make a clear political point: the catastrophes of two world wars that devastated Europe and the world in the first half of the twentieth century and led to the loss of millions of civilian lives led to actions that reshaped the world, including the founding of the United Nations.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“And we must begin, as the Secretary-General emphasized in his statement this morning, with a commitment of political will, here in the Security Council and by all Member States. The basis for progress has to be awareness and understanding by Member States of their obligations and responsibilities in that area. Ireland fully associates itself with the statement that will be made later in the debate by the representative of Denmark on behalf of the European Union. We also associate ourselves with the statement that Austria will make on behalf of the Human Security Network. Statistics of life and death - arbitrary life or death - can mask realities of very dark dimensions. Two-and-a-half million civilians have been killed directly in conflict situations over the past decade. Over 30 million have been uprooted or displaced.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“On behalf of my delegation, I should like to thank you, Madam President, for your attendance at this morning's important meeting of the Security Council. I also wish to welcome the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway and to thank him for Norway's work in the area of the protection of civilians in armed conflict. In addition, I wish to thank Under-Secretary-General Oshima and Director General Gnaedinger of the International Committee of the Red Cross for their important statements this morning. We in the United Nations have made considerable progress in recent years in addressing a moral and political challenge of the first magnitude: the protection of civilians in armed conflict. We still have a long distance to travel.”
2002-12-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4660 (2002) · source
“The developments in Burundi this week are an important contribution to this. It is now important for the Security Council and the international community to support, in every way possible, the agreement and the wider peace process.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“The increase in the number of internally displaced persons, the threat posed to civilians by armed groups and the food security situation are all of deep concern. This breakthrough will have important implications for access to populations in need and will begin at last to put Burundi on the road to recovery and development. It is now important for donors to honour the pledges made, including those made at the donor conference this week. The budgetary position in Burundi is appalling, and major social programmes are needed. It is one of the very poorest countries in the world, and the peace that has now been achieved deserves a chance. Deputy President Zuma spoke of the wider goal of creating a climate of peace, order, stability and sustainable development on the African continent.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“As my colleagues emphasized this afternoon, it is also important to keep pressure on the National Liberation Forces to join the process. Nonetheless - and this point came out strongly in the Deputy President's statement - after nine years of conflict and close to 300,000 deaths, the agreement is a major breakthrough. It offers a way forward to allow a divided country to come together. It builds on Arusha and the establishment of the Transitional Government last November. Of course, there are challenges and problems involved that have to be faced. But the hope far outweighs them. The breakthrough is also important in View of the deterioration in an already appalling humanitarian situation.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“As Deputy President Zuma said, this is good news for Burundi, for Africa and for peace. It is important now for both sides to follow up their words and signatures with deeds and actions, and to fully observe the ceasefire. It is also important to keep up the momentum and to keep pressure on the parties to reach early agreement on how to bring the Forces for the Defence of Democracy into the power-sharing arrangements. Clearly, it is crucial that the sides implement agreements on the reform of the security sector and the structure of the army. The transition clock continues to tick, with the handover of power in Burundi due to take place in May. Any slippage could be damaging for the process and for the progress that has been achieved.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“I, too, would like, on behalf of my delegation, to thank Deputy President Zuma for his very comprehensive briefing and for travelling to New York to brief the Council today. I would also like to express strong support and appreciation for the Deputy President's efforts in helping to resolve one of the most complex challenges to peace in Africa, and for the leading role played by South Africa, including by former President Mandela, in this process. This reflects well on the African Union's attempt to find African solutions to the problems of the region. It is also important today to express strong support and appreciation for the efforts of the regional initiative. Like other speakers, I would like to welcome our new colleague from France, Ambassador de la Sabliere, to the Council.”
2002-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4655 (2002) · source
“Finally, in terms of the immediate crisis involving the planting of seeds for next year - something that the WFP has been emphasizing in recent weeks - is this something, in terms of support by the international community, or indeed by the WFP, about which much can be done over the coming weeks, or is the shortfall in seeds, fertilizers, hand tools, and so on, a real difficulty in terms of planning for a reasonable crop, given climate conditions next year?”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“It has also meant that in some countries, for example in Senegal and Tanzania - I think I saw recent figures on fisheries - there has been a diversion of food production for exports, given its greater value, which has implications for the local economy where the promotion of exports can weaken the local base. It can also lead to weakness in prices of commodities, which is another issue. But I think that is a related point.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“So, would it be possible to say what can be done by the WFP to encourage donors to return to long-term agriculture support development, particularly through your own programmes? A final point that I did want to ask about, which was touched upon by Mr. Morris, is the question - without getting into a wider debate - of globalization and protectionism. There has been some criticism in some African countries that the liberalization of their economies has not been met with a reciprocal response by developed countries in terms of reduced tariffs and an easing of protectionism in agriculture.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“I believe the figure for degraded cropland was 72 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, and 31 per cent for pastureland. The third point is the level of support that has been given in terms of long-term development funding by the international community. The NEPAD paper makes the strong point that support by developed countries, including the multilateral institutions, has seriously diminished for agriculture over the past decade. The figure of the World Bank from its loan portfolio, as far as I recall, was around 39 per cent for agricultural development in 1980, I believe. Now the figure is something less than 10 per cent. That is a very serious factor in terms of tackling food insecurity, if that trend persists.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“That was also a theme that I think came across recently in the International Food Policy Research Institute programme, which emphasized that the role of small farmers is probably the single most important dimension in addressing food insecurity in Africa. A second question that struck me in this area was the recent report by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources, which very strongly emphasized that - and this goes to the point of long- term programmes, not just to the short-term issues - low soil fertility and degradation of land suggest there is a very real need for very long-term support by the WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the international community in general in tackling soil degradation and strengthening soil fertility.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“First, in terms of the challenge facing Governments and the private sector in Africa, the document of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) states clearly that the agrarian system and biases in economic policy are clear factors in causing food insecurity, as well, of course, as drought and the instability in world commodity prices. I would be grateful for an assessment, however brief, of what can be done by Governments and the private sector in terms of the provision of irrigation equipment for developing arable land to address the food insecurity situation. That also links up with the question of Government policy that Ambassador Williams and others have mentioned, the strong theme that comes across in NEPAD of the importance of developing community leadership and Government policies to support it.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“It is work that matters a great deal to the peoples of Africa and other areas that are suffering food insecurity. A major debt of appreciation is owed by the entire international community for it. This also relates, of course, to the issue of support and donor contributions, which was a strong theme of the presentation. I am grateful for the kind words that were said about my own country, Ireland, and also about the European Union, which has substantially increased its funding in the recent past, including in the response to the current situation in Africa. Three points struck me while listening to the presentation about which I would like to ask questions in a very general, not detailed, way.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“Another theme that came across very clearly in the presentation is the fact that a central issue is political commitment, particularly by developed countries, where the resolution of many of these crises is in our hands if we display imagination and good will. What is now important is that that imagination and good will be shown not just in meeting the short- term humanitarian crises, but in support for the WFP and its long-term development work, which has suffered, as Mr. Morris said this afternoon, because of the scale of resources now required on the humanitarian front. In saying that, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Morris and everyone else involved in the WFP for the work that they do. That is work that is carried out for the entire international community.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“It is a situation that is intolerable from a moral and humanitarian perspective. I think it must first be seen in that context. Secondly, as Mr. Morris rightly said, it is also a threat to international peace and security of the most fundamental nature - if not today, then perhaps tomorrow or the day after. That is of course the current situation in crisis situations such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and other areas recovering from enormous levels of violence and conflict, where the situation concerning reintegration programmes for internally displaced persons already poses major social challenges throughout those countries and also poses challenges to the work of the World Food Programme (WFP).”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“As other colleagues have done, may I first warmly congratulate Colombia, and you personally, Sir, on assuming the presidency for the month of December. I would also like to thank China's Ambassador Wang Yingfan and his colleagues for a very successful and effective presidency in the month of November. I would also like to thank Mr. Morris for a very clear and comprehensive assessment of the gravity of the food crisis situation facing Africa and, indeed, the international community. It was a very clear, focused, honest and candid presentation, for which we are very grateful. Three general themes emerged from the presentation made by Mr. Morris. The first is that this is a humanitarian situation of the utmost gravity, with 14 million people in Southern Africa and the same number in the Horn of Africa affected.”
2002-12-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4652 (2002) · source
“In addition, as Ambassador Koonjul and others have pointed out this morning, the extremely bleak economic situation of Bougainville is a factor of which the international community, including the United Nations agencies, will have to take substantial account in the year ahead. What is important now is to maintain our full support for the peace process and to allow UNPOB to finish its work.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“We should therefore focus, not on rigid time frames, but on benchmarks in how it completes that work, and by that standard it is doing very well. Today, it is also right to express particular appreciation to the Peace Monitoring Group countries - Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu - for their crucial contribution to and work in the process. The year ahead will be an active one for United Nations engagement in Bougainville. Stages II and III of the weapons disposal process and the critical determination that the United Nations must make in certifying that the process is complete will be major challenges. The pre-election period will also be a time when sound judgement and advice will be called for.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“The United Nations Political Office in Bougainville is extremely modest in terms of resources and personnel, as the representative of Singapore pointed out. Under the leadership of Ambassador Sinclair, it has done an excellent job in meeting its goals and in working to build peace and to advance agreed objectives, especially with regard to weapons disposal. There will always be some moves backward and forward in such an interlinked political and disarmament process; what is important is to maintain clarity of focus on the task ahead. UNPOB does that admirably. UNPOB's finishing its work is something that matters to the people of Bougainville, of Papua New Guinea and of the region. At small financial cost but with great gains for peace, UNPOB remains critical to the completion of the process.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“There is now a good prospect that stage III of weapons disposal - a decision on the final phase of the weapons, which would see most, if not all, of them destroyed - can be completed by the middle of 2003, thus allowing for elections for an autonomous government in Bougainville. It remains essential that the United Nations maintain its full support and engagement with regard to the process now well under way. Much progress has already been achieved, including on the amnesty and pardons issue. The Bougainville Constitutional Commission has been at work consulting the people of Bougainville, and it will soon begin to draft the Bougainville Constitution. All of that progress must continue.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“The Prime Minister reaffirmed that the peace process remains a national priority. My delegation warmly welcomes that commitment. The meeting of the Peace Process Consultative Committee, held in Arawa on 30 October, agreed on a new target date of 24 December for completion of stage II of the agreed weapons disposal plan. It is now important that all sides make rapid progress towards meeting that goal, given a recent lack of momentum in the weapons disposal process, as we heard from Sir Kieran Prendergast this morning. In that area, of course, UNPOB has a critical role to play, since its verification and certification roles become the trigger for implementation of agreed arrangements for autonomy and for the guarantee of a referendum among Bougainvilleans on Bougainville's political future.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“First of all, I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for arranging today's open meeting. It is especially important to hear the views of the countries in the region and to thank them for their engagement and cooperation in the peace process. Like previous speakers, I also wish to thank Under- Secretary-General Prendergast for his comprehensive briefing on the peace process in Bougainville. Ireland strongly supports the recommendation of the Secretary-General and the request of the Government of Papua New Guinea that the mandate of the United Nations Political Office in Bougainville (UNPOB) be extended for another 12 months. Prime Minister Somare said earlier this month that promising peace is no longer enough; we must help people realize the practical potential of peace.”
2002-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4647 (2002) · source
“The current mission shows that peace-building is very much part of the Council's work, and not merely something to be contracted out to other parts of the United Nations system. Only a few years ago, it was very difficult to convince the United Nations membership that the Council should be engaging in peace-building work. Now, that debate appears to have been put to rest, to the benefit of Timor-Leste and the United Nations. It is now appropriate that in the period ahead the Council should maintain its Vigorous involvement with Timor-Leste. Ireland strongly urges that it do just that.”
2002-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4646 (2002) · source