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

“In summary, Ireland endorses all of the recommendations made in the report of the Secretary- General on small arms. We fully agree, in particular, that the Security Council should call upon Member States to support efforts aimed at developing an international instrument to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons. We also agree with the specific recommendations of the Secretary-General on more vigorous use of arms embargoes; the establishment of monitoring mechanisms under each relevant Council resolution involving arms embargo issues; and the inclusion of clear DDR provisions in the mandate of peacekeeping operations. My delegation sees merit in the recommendation that consideration be given to ensuring that DDR activities are not entirely dependent upon voluntary contributions from Member States.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“There is a second challenge for the Council that we need to address. The Security Council has made disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) central to conflict resolution and post-conflict peace- building. Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are all current examples, to a greater or lesser extent, of the challenges facing the United Nations in this area. Ireland strongly supports the recommendation of the Secretary-General that the Council call upon parties to conflicts under its consideration to place activities relating to disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in the texts of negotiated agreements, and that disarmament, demobilization and reintegration as well as weapons collection and disposal activities be included in the mandates of peacekeeping operations.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“The Council has made considerable progress in this work, but I think it fair to say we still have some distance to go in detailed monitoring; in controlling financial sources used for the purchase of illegal weapons; and in working with business, financial institutions and other actors - internationally, regionally and at the local level - on the implementation of arms embargoes. The Secretary-General's report rightly draws attention to the link between the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and the illicit exploitation of natural and other resources. We agree with his recommendation that we should look at the recommendations of the various panels established to investigate such links, including that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Panel, with regard to the issue of small arms.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“My delegation attaches importance to the recommendation that the Security Council should encourage States which have not already done so to establish the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure effective control over the export and transit of small arms and light weapons. This includes the use of authenticated end-user certificates. We know from various Panel reports that forged end-user certificates have been the route through which illegal arms shipments have been made in recent conflicts. We have to do more on this.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“Many of the world's conflict situations are fuelled in large measure by the easy supply of small arms. The ease with which they are concealed and moved, their low cost and the flagrant manner in which Council arms embargoes are often violated makes it an extremely difficult task to retrieve and destroy these weapons. It makes sense to do everything possible to stop their supply at the source. We believe that Member States have a primary responsibility in this area. Accordingly, we support the recommendation contained in the Secretary-General's report that Member States should be called upon to bring their own national legislation into compliance with the Security Council's measures and sanctions, in particular arms embargoes.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“Two particular challenges for the Council are worth emphasizing today. First, the Council has imposed an arms embargo as part of all current United Nations sanctions regimes. The Council has also sought to strengthen compliance with arms embargoes through the establishment of independent panels of experts and monitoring mechanisms. The States Members of the United Nations and regional organizations have the main responsibility for monitoring and enforcing arms embargoes. We support consideration of Council action against States that deliberately violate arms embargoes. The experience of the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola has shown that the flow of weapons from producing countries can be stemmed - particularly with the cooperation of those countries.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“The United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, held in July last year, agreed a modest but still worthwhile Programme of Action as a first step towards controlling the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. It also made a range of proposals for Security Council consideration and action. The Conference was, in summary, a first important step - though it was nonetheless only a step - in achieving meaningful international action in this area. In general terms, the Security Council should offer its full assistance and support to the United Nations agencies and programmes which are active or may be established in efforts to counteract the illicit spread of these weapons. Ireland would encourage the Council also to urge all Governments to support such agencies.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“The report is candid, detailed and makes a number of important recommendations. Ireland fully endorses all of the proposals made by the Secretary-General. Arms control activities, including combating illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, remains an essential dimension in conflict-prevention and peace-building efforts. As the Secretary-General states in his report, small arms fuel, intensify and contribute to the prolongation of conflicts. They are, in summary, instruments of death that cause over half a million deaths each year, mostly of civilians and mostly of elderly people, women and children.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“This public meeting of the Council today on small arms addresses a subject of the greatest importance. My delegation is therefore especially grateful to you, Sir, for convening it. We also appreciate the issues paper you have circulated. I would also like to express appreciation, as others have done, to Ambassador Valdivieso and Colombia for the orientation paper, and to Colombia for all of the work it has done on this issue since joining the Council. Ireland fully associates itself with the statement that will be made later in this debate by the representative of Denmark on behalf of the European Union. May I first express the appreciation of my delegation for the report of the Secretary-General on small arms and to Under-Secretary-General Dhanapala for his introduction and briefing this morning.”
2002-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4623 (2002) · source
“This is something to which the Council will need to pay due attention and give much commitment in the period ahead. Finally, let me thank the Secretariat, since this is an appropriate moment to do so, for all of its commitment to and support for the work of the Council during the year, which my delegation much appreciated.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“On Africa, it is clear that if the phrase "We are a community", as has been said, has any meaning, it has to find an expression in Africa. The Ad Hoc Group on Africa has got off to a very good start. We have had a serious level of engagement with issues related to the Great Lakes, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sierra Leone, the Mano River Union region, Burundi, Somalia and Angola. The central point here is that with the African Union and the development of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), there is now a real prospect for advancing the interests of Africa and supporting Africa. But this will require, as President Mbeki and others said, an enormous level of engagement by the international community in supporting the efforts of Africa.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“This is not just a narrow point of emphasis. The international community must be seen to be effective in its engagement with Afghanistan, and over the coming period it will be important, therefore, for the Council to maintain that level of engagement. On the Middle East, in terms of the Council's work, we have made considerable progress over the year, with resolution 1397 (2002), adopted in March, affirming the Vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, existing side by side within secure and recognized borders. We know where we need to go. What is now important is to redouble the efforts to get there. We appreciate the fact that there is now a monthly briefing of the Council on the Middle East. This has been a very valuable and important contribution to the work ofthe Council on the Middle East.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The Counter-Terrorism Committee works extremely well, and I join others in paying tribute to Ambassador Greenstock for his work in explaining and outlining goals and objectives to the wider United Nations membership and to the international community. It has worked extremely well in a very sensitive area, and I think that much of that is due to the openness that has been adopted. On Afghanistan, there has been important progress, with the Bonn agreements and the work of Mr. Brahimi and of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA), and the role of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). What is now important is to stand by the people of Afghanistan in the reconstruction process, so that the opportunity that is there for the people of Afghanistan after many years of great suffering is fully seized.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The wrap-up debate does not have to be held every month, but we certainly favour the concept, as during the Singapore presidency, of its being open to non-Council members to speak - perhaps, as we agreed, with a limitation for everyone, including Council members, of three minutes each. But we thought it worked extremely well, and we would like to see this continued. The eleventh of September, of course, overshadowed the Council's work during the year. We can take pride in the fact that the Council acted resolutely and decisively. Resolution 1373 (2001) provides a very valuable scaffolding across the board in the fight against terrorism.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“There was the mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea, led by Ambassador Kolby, and the mission to the Great Lakes, chaired by Ambassador Levitte. We would be open to and see merit in smaller missions. But there will always be a tension as to the numbers - how representative a smaller group would be. So we would see value in the idea of, perhaps, one, three or four Council members going on a particular mission. It would also, I think, logistically make it more possible to use this instrument more regularly and in a more valuable way. On the question of themes and of wrap-up debates, we think that they are a very worthwhile innovation in the Council's work over the recent period.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The United Nations family of institutions also need to talk more to one another about what is done in the Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the funds and programmes, and so on. We also need more follow-up of Council decisions and implementation of Council resolutions. In my delegation's view, we should consider establishing more Council committees. In the ad hoc Working Group on Africa, chaired by Ambassador Koonjul, we have a good example of a committee that has done excellent work. It would be a valuable innovation to look at whether committees in other areas considering particular thematic or geographical issues could perhaps follow up on them. That is certainly an innovation that we would see as worth considering. With regard to Council missions, we think they are a very valuable instrument.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“In terms of Council procedures, I should like to make a few general observations. I think it is important that the Council, while recognizing the interlinkages between issues, not encroach on other United Nations bodies or on their roles. That is a theme that has emerged in the general debates on the Council report over the past several years. The United Nations machinery across the range of institutions and committees must be respected, and at times there is a sense that the Council, while rightly debating and assessing thematic issues, needs to be careful that the standing of other United Nations bodies is not diminished and that their prerogatives are fully respected. At the intergovernmental level, it is clear that we need to talk more to one another, as was pointed out in last year's debate in the General Assembly.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The cooperation among nations in safeguarding the peace, preventing wars, reacting to crisis and rebuilding after conflicts is indispensable to maintaining and advancing international peace. Isaiah Berlin titled one of his books "The Crooked Timber of Humanity", and that is a fundamental point. Life and politics are untidy; many of the crises that the Council deals with are both complex and difficult. They can be a cauldron of forces; spirits summoned from the deep when conflicts start are not easily put back into the deep. So the world that the Council deals with in the issues on its agenda are inherently untidy in many respects. They are extremely complex, and there is rarely a straight line from A to Z. So the Council must, using its best judgement, take due stock of the situation, advance its goals and give proper monitoring to that.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“And, while accepting the concept of British pragmatism, it is also important, as one British philosopher said, that we not let too much daylight into what at times must be a very complex set of negotiations and assessments among all Council members. There is always an intersection between the world of power and capitals and the instruments of multilateral decision-making and responsibilities. That is as it should be. The Council has 15 members, each bringing to the table its own judgements and perspectives. But in its work, what unites the Council and is its central theme - which Ireland has certainly found impressive during our period on the Council - is the sense of Council members that they are also servants of an ideal that, as Ambassador Levitte said, retains its importance, even after nearly 60 years.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The test, as Ambassador Greenstock and others have pointed out, is not necessarily the number of meetings we have, but the progress we make in advancing the Council's objectives - especially where it matters, which is the task of safeguarding and advancing peace and preventing conflicts. The fundamental point that we must always get right, as Ambassador Strcmmen pointed out, is to address the mandate given to us, which essentially is that the Council has the primary - not sole, but primary - responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Ambassador Mahbubani made the point that in some ways, the Council may be one of the more conservative institutions in the world. But in safeguarding its Charter responsibility and mandate, the Council is surely right to be conservative.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“I want to make a few general points, some of which reflect comments already made, on the work of the Council and on how the Council operates, as well as on some specific issues on the Council's agenda, as dealt with in the report for the past year. The Security Council is, of course, at the very centre of the multilateral system and of international cooperation. It enjoys unique legitimacy and authority in international law. It deals with a wide canvas of issues; the monthly agenda - as has been said - can often be fairly stretched. Inevitably, the tyranny of time pressures and events does not always allow for the reflection we would want to give to linkages between issues, to thematic focus and to operational coherence in what we do.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“First of all, I should like to thank you, Mr. President, for arranging today's public meeting of the Council on the annual report to the General Assembly. Like others, I should also like to pay warm tribute to Ambassador Mahbubani, to Minister Lee and to everyone else in the Singapore Mission for the commitment in preparing this report, largely in response - as Ambassador Mahbubani said- to the comments of Member States in the general debate with regard to making it shorter, more analytical and more reflective. Singapore has been a good friend of the important process of making the Council's work more transparent, more open and more reflective. With this report, we have taken an important step in that direction, which we very much appreciate.”
2002-09-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4616 (2002) · source
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, in a speech to the Commonwealth Institute in London on 6 June, spoke of "a subtle change in emphasis in many parts of the world; order and security have become the overriding priorities. In the past, the world has learned that emphasis on national order and security often involved curtailment of democracy and human rights. As a result, a shadow has been cast". We need to heed those words of wisdom and warning. Finally, Ireland fully shares the view that regional organizations have a critical role to play in the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), and we warmly welcome progress in that area to date.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“We are also ready to support capacity-building in relation to the specified areas through existing bilateral aid programmes at country level and the provision of fellowships for participation in relevant courses or seminars in Ireland. Ireland will continue to work with our developing country partners to come up with a list of areas in which relevant assistance can be provided, either within the framework of existing programmes or by means of additional mechanisms. Fourthly, and most important, the fight against international terrorism can never be at the expense of human rights. This is not a point of narrow emphasis: if we in the international community go down that road i and it is a slippery road - then we are lost, as are the core values that the United Nations stands for.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“Thirdly, Ireland attaches great importance to generous assistance by the international community in supporting the efforts of developing countries to implement resolution 1373 (2001). That is what we agreed to do in resolution 1377 (2001). Ireland welcomes the work of the CTC to date in this area. We hope the concept of a trust fund will also be kept under review. We understand the problems but hope that they can be solved. Ireland, for its part, is in the process of compiling a list of experts who could be included in the CTC's directory of advice and expertise in the areas of legislative and administrative practices, as set out in the relevant provisions of resolution 1373 (2001).”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“The role of the United Nations is to provide global legitimacy, to build a global consensus, to act as the defender and promoter of multilateralism and internationalism against those who are enemies of the international good. In so doing, we must continue to be guided by the need to avoid any actions that could undermine this sense of international legitimacy in the struggle against international terrorism, just as we must also progress in our work of protecting that sense of international legitimacy. As we advance in the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), it may well be necessary at some stage for the Security Council to strengthen and protect this sense of legitimacy by a renewed mandate in the light of our experiences to date.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“Many States - often because their economies are not fully or even partially integrated into the global economy - never had any need until now to put in place technical legislation in respect of financial flows or regulatory frameworks. All of this will take time and effort. What is noteworthy today is how much has already been achieved. That said, it is important that all States reply to the CTC as required under resolution 1373 (2001). Secondly, the CTC must continue to be vigilant in the extreme in not going beyond the letter or the spirit of what is required by resolution 1373 (2001). The CTC, and the wider United Nations, must complement the work of other institutions, which have their own specific mandates or roles in the struggle against terrorism. They must not duplicate this work or replace it.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“My delegation also appreciates the work of the three Vice-Chairmen - Ambassador Koonjul, Ambassador Lavrov and Ambassador Valdivieso - and thanks the experts and the Secretariat for their commitment and dedication in the complex and difficult work of the CTC. At this stage in our debate, I would like to make a few general points of importance to my delegation. First, the CTC must continue to avoid at all costs - as it has done to date - any simplistic formula, such as "You have succeeded; you have not succeeded", in its approach to States. Many of the detailed requirements - on banking or finance, for example - are extremely complex.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“It is now realistic to assess what has been achieved. At one important level, there has been a dramatic and welcome increase in the number of States that have ratified some or all of the 12 international conventions and protocols against terrorism. At another level, throughout the world legislative measures are being put in place in response to resolution 1373 (2001), and executive decisions are being taken. In summary, a strong architectural framework in the fight by the international community against international terrorism is now clearly visible. I want to pay special tribute to the Chairman of the CTC, Ambassador Greenstock, and his colleagues in New York and London, for the leadership and support given to the Committee since its establishment. We appreciate this work, which has been well done.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“I would like, first of all, to thank you, Mr. President, for arranging today's open meeting of the Council on the work of the Counter- Terrorism Committee (CTC). Ireland fully associates itself with the statement to be delivered later in the debate by Spain on behalf of the European Union. Resolution 1373 (2001) set in motion the construction of global scaffolding against international terrorism. Clear and defined tasks are required of all States through resolution 1373 (2001) - tasks relating to legislative and executive actions against international terrorism. The provisions of resolution 1373 (2001) involve the establishment and maintenance of a global consensus of action. Those who perpetrate acts of international terrorism are the enemies of all States, and they must be the friends of none.”
2002-06-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4561 (2002) · source
“Ireland, together with our partners in the European Union, will continue to support greater integration and regional cooperation through the Stability Pact and the stabilization and association process.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“Steiner has said - and Under-Secretary-General Guehenno made the point as well this morning - there is hope for a real breakthrough on returns over the next number of years, and we must encourage all efforts, locally and regionally, to ensure that this opportunity is seized. My delegation is also grateful for Mr. Guehenno's update on the issue of the location of the missing. The sensitivity of this issue and its central importance in the wider promotion of justice cannot be underestimated. Kosovo's vocation lies in Europe. Peace and stability in south-eastern Europe are clearly dependent on Kosovo's successful development. Kosovo's leaders must work to build a truly multi-ethnic, democratic society to ensure Kosovo's progress along the road towards European integration.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“While there have clearly been ongoing tensions given the continued detention of those arrested at that time, the lack of further protests of this nature is encouraging. But there remains a need for further engagement on the part of local community leaders who have condemned these and similar attacks, to send the clear message that there is nothing whatsoever to be gained from extremism. It is imperative that in the northern part of Kosovo the authority of UNMIK is respected. Ireland strongly supports the emphasis given by UNMIK to minority returns, which, like the prisoners issue, remains deeply emotive. As Mr.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“As we have said before, progress on the creation of a society based on the rule of law is fundamental if Kosovo is to ensure its future development, and particularly if it wishes to open up genuine European perspectives. Democracy will not take root in an environment in which crime, violence or terrorism flourish. Ethnically motivated violence is a particular scourge, and such incidents can only harm Kosovo's European progress. We commend the Special Representative's strengthening of the UNMIK police and his introduction of special regulations to tackle organized crime, as well as the policy of zero tolerance which informs his approach. Ireland welcomes the general calm that has prevailed in Mitrovica since the attacks on UNMIK police in early April.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“The level of participation in the preparatory process is heartening and a substantial improvement on the situation in the municipal elections held two years ago. My delegation welcomes the most recent meeting of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-UNMIK High- ranking Working Group, held in Belgrade at the end of May. This fourth meeting since the signature of the Common Document last November is an important signal of increased cooperation. Mr. Steiner has articulated a comprehensive vision for Kosovo's future development, based on economic progress, the rule of law, and a fair and just society for all the peoples of Kosovo. An emphasis on economic reform and reconstruction, including privatization, will be essential to ensuring real and lasting stability in Kosovo.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“Therefore, it is essential now that the Kosovo Assembly focus on the critical tasks within its competence. Clear progress is urgently needed in these areas, including education and health, the creation of jobs and the strengthening of the rule of law. As Mr. Steiner has said, the Assembly must not allow itself to be sidetracked from its very substantial responsibilities. Kosovo's elected leaders must now work to develop a genuine political dialogue - within as well as between Kosovo's various communities - if the Provisional Government is to be fully effective. Such a dialogue will be central to the preparations for municipal elections in October. Under-Secretary-General Guehenno's update this morning on the preparations for the municipal elections was encouraging.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“Ireland warmly commends the work being done by Special Representative Steiner, including the priorities he has outlined and, of course, on the benchmarking process. We also warmly commend, as Ambassador Eldon just said, the policy of openness and transparency the Special Representative has brought to his work since his appointment. The Security Council made clear last month that the resolution adopted by the Kosovo Assembly regarding the border agreement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was, as stated by the Special Representative, null and void. The adoption of such resolutions, which also called the Common Document into question, does not enhance the credibility of the Kosovo Assembly. It also creates real obstacles to the development of regional dialogue.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“My delegation joins others in also thanking Under-Secretary-General Guehenno for his comprehensive briefing this morning on recent developments in Kosovo. Ireland, of course, fully supports the statement that will be delivered shortly by the representative of Spain on behalf of the European Union, so I will make only a few points of particular emphasis to my delegation at this stage of our discussion. Ireland welcomes the increased progress on ensuring participation by all communities in the provisional institutions of self-government. The acceptance by the coalition Povratak of their positions in the Provisional Government is especially welcome. It is essential that Kosovo have a truly multi-ethnic Government with genuine cooperation between the different communities represented.”
2002-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4559 (2002) · source
“But it is also a critical point that in advancing this goal we also need to ensure that, with respect to the development component, the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the international donor community are brought together so that, as we tackle challenges in one critical area, we provide the people of Africa and African organizations with the resources to advance both goals at the same time.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“It will also require a sense of focus and clarity so that, as African countries themselves put in place structures of cooperation that advance good governance, economic policies in terms of trade, and new codes of action, the international community will respond in a reciprocal way so that the challenge that is now being undertaken by African countries is met fully and adequately by the international community. If it is not, as NEPAD emphasizes, it would be extremely difficult for the people of Africa or African countries to do this on their own. In conclusion, I think that all the points made this morning emphasize the need for greater focus on partnership and cooperation among the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and African regional and subregional organizations, African countries and civil society.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“This is something that in the Working Group we can seriously look at in the period ahead. The final point is the role of NEPAD, which of course will be considered at the G-9 Summit, at the World Economic Forum in Durban and beyond. The issues at stake with NEPAD are, without exaggeration, of fundamental importance to the future of Africa. They will affect every aspect of policy, of development, of conflict prevention. They will require the closest cooperation and coordination by the international community. They will require the engagement of all United Nations institutions, including the Council in terms of its own role.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“On the one hand, you have the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and the prospects for disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration, and you have the role of the Council in fostering and encouraging peace and dialogue, while on the other hand you have enormous problems of economic and social development. Logically, in terms of action by the United Nations family, these have to be considered as two sides of one coin. There are two final points that I also want briefly to pick up on. One is arms, which has been emphasized by several speakers. Clearly, in Sierra Leone there is a very good example of this. We need to continue to highlight the importance of disarmament and arms control initiatives in conflict prevention.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The issue is especially important, I think, because one of the themes that struck me during the Council mission to the Great Lakes region was the disconnect between what happens in development and the actions undertaken by the Council. For example, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we had a briefing on the economic and social situation, we heard about the results of the Consolidated Appeals by the United Nations agencies. I think that something like one-sixth of what is required has been provided so far for the current year. That makes it extraordinarily difficult.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“But, as several speakers have said in our discussion, it is the range of problems such as lack of trade access and, despite the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative, the problem of debt. These are two sides of one coin. It is very difficult to address underlying causes of conflict without offering people the opportunity for economic and social development. Therefore, as is emphasized in NEPAD and has been emphasized by most speakers today, the issue of development, while it is not a direct responsibility of the Council, is of critical importance to Council action in terms of pre-conflict or conflict situations or of peacemaking operations. There the dialogue with the Economic and Social Council will be of critical importance to the work of the Working Group in looking at implications of Council actions on development and vice versa.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“It is therefore important to remember that when, for political reasons - in terms of the impact of sanctions regionally and on particular countries - and for reasons ofjustice, a decision has to be taken about sanctions, it should be remembered that, even when applied in a very limited way, sanctions can sometimes be a blunt instrument. There I think the partnership and dialogue that the Working Group and the Economic and Social Council can advance with the OAU and regional organizations would be important. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) makes the point on development issues that the challenge facing Africa in this area is enormous. It is not simply the inability to harness globalization. It is not simply the technology gap that has developed.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The point on this, which I think has been made by several speakers this morning, is, first, the need for sanctions not only to be targeted but to be focused so that their humanitarian impact is limited, but also, as Assistant Secretary-General Fall said, so that there is the possibility of an exit strategy when circumstances are appropriate. There is a phrase to the effect that when change is not necessary, it is not necessary to change. That conservative dynamic can sometimes apply to institutions as well.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“There were always, of course, the funds and programmes and specialized agencies, but the importance of the Economic and Social Council in this is to bring that extra dimension of pulling threads together and providing a concept of partnership both to the Council and to the OAU and regional organizations in Africa as to what is possible and the range of actions that can be jointly undertaken. One point that did come up this morning, raised by Assistant Secretary-General Fall and which I also wanted to mention, is the issue of sanctions. That is an important issue for the Council at the moment, partly because of the number of countries in Africa where there are targeted sanctions in operation through Council action.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“The second point on the institutions is to look at ways of strengthening the mediation capacity of the United Nations, including fact-finding missions and special representatives. We can look at various new mechanisms for doing this, but there is an important requirement to look at new possibilities to add to the range of instruments that the Council and the United Nations have at their disposal. The point on the Economic and Social Council has already been made strongly by several speakers and is absolutely true. Up to now, over the past 5 to 15 years, as the Council has become increasingly engaged in African issues, it has at times appeared to lack a serious partner and interlocutor on the economic and development side.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“What is certainly true is that there is very substantial room for working together, and this is an area where the new Council Working Group will be able to play a major role in a way that has not been possible up to now. So when the Council does look at different situations it will do so with deep knowledge of where African countries themselves are coming from and where, as Ambassador Kanu of Sierra Leone just said, we have a serious knowledge of the regional implications and what this means. The Mano River countries are a very good example where, as several speakers have emphasized, it is very difficult to consider one country - Sierra Leone, for example - in isolation from what is happening in the neighbouring countries. This is true of many of the countries in Africa where conflict or the potential for conflict may exist.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source
“There is blame on all sides for that, but there is now a very real opportunity in terms of the OAU structures and the new ideas that will be going to Durban that we heard of this morning to look at ways in which we can seriously engage, jointly, in approaching both pre-conflict and conflict situations in Africa. There are various ideas put forward on how to do this: joint missions between the Council and the OAU, the sharing of information and documents, special briefings, joint special envoys, and bringing in subregional organizations such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community into this framework.”
2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source