YouSaid · the spoken record

Courtois

lines on the record
15
first
2021-11-22
most recent
2023-12-15
sittings or episodes
3
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “The New Agenda for Peace underscores the necessity to confront challenges associated with the diversion, proliferation and misuse of small arms, light weapons and ammunition. Now more than ever, the international community must restore a vision of disarmament and arms control as a crucial path towards sustainable peace and security.”

    2023-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9509Resumption1 (2023) · source

  2. “The faithful implementation of those instruments is a humanitarian imperative and will go a long way in preventing serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. The findings of the latest report of the Secretary- General on small arms and light weapons (S/2023/823) are worrisome: small arms and light weapons, as well as heavy explosive weapons, are one of the leading causes of civilian casualties in armed conflicts. There is a gap between the obligations assumed by States under international law and the prevailing practices in the use and transfer of small arms, light weapons and other conventional arms. We urge States to take an honest look at how their actions and inactions perpetuate violence, insecurity and suffering.”

    2023-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9509Resumption1 (2023) · source

  3. “And States that supply arms to those parties have obligations as well: they must do everything reasonably in their power to ensure that the recipients of those arms respect international humanitarian law. They must exert greater diligence in assessing the risks posed by the arms they transfer, and they must implement timely, robust and practical measures that can realistically offset risks. Where there is a distinctly clear risk that arms would be used to commit violations of international humanitarian law, States must refrain from transferring them. The ICRC encourages States that have not yet done so to adhere to the instruments regulating small arms and light weapons, as well as other conventional arms, including the Arms Trade Treaty.”

    2023-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9509Resumption1 (2023) · source

  4. “It also prolongs conflicts, drives displacement and negatively affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the use of small arms and light weapons has differentiated humanitarian impacts, with women, men, girls and boys affected in particular ways. Small arms are also used to commit or facilitate sexual and gender-based violence. In line with its mandate, the ICRC deploys all possible efforts to protect and assist the people affected by war and violence and to promote international humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. In times of armed conflict, the ICRC can succeed in its mission only if the parties strictly abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.”

    2023-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9509Resumption1 (2023) · source

  5. “Ms. Courtois: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is grateful for the opportunity to address the Security Council and welcomes the attention given to the impact of the diversion, illicit trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition on peace and security. Every day, the ICRC witnesses the immense human suffering caused by armed violence and conflict, fuelled by the widespread availability and misuse of arms and ammunition. Poorly regulated or inadequately controlled arms flows can lead to grim humanitarian consequences — people killed or suffering life-altering injuries and trauma — and to violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. It may jeopardize access to, or completely halt the delivery of, medical and humanitarian assistance.”

    2023-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9509Resumption1 (2023) · source

  6. “Along the way, leveraging the collective expertise of actors in conflict and post-conflict situations, and listening closely to the local communities that are most affected, can help inform a response that responds to rising shocks and limits the impact the crisis is having on people affected by armed conflict and instability.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  7. “Humanitarian actors bring proximity to communities, an understanding of how people manage in conflict situations and an ability to test and identify promising practices, but longer-term systemic shifts are needed to empower resilient populations and ensure protection from greater and more frequent climate shocks. The Security Council and its regional partners bring the ability to design context-appropriate and multidisciplinary responses to armed conflict, which are climate sensitive and have a built-in risk tolerance.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  8. “This has effects on all dimensions of people’s lives, from their safety and health to their food, water and economic security. The ICRC sees real-time development reversals and meets people who have not received adequate support in adapting to changing weather patterns and extreme shocks. As conflicts and fragility tend to last for decades, waiting for stability to address climate risks is not a viable option, particularly when the risks themselves are a contributing factor towards new or increased instability. Humanitarian action is a vital component in fragmented environments, but it is far from the only ingredient needed to achieve sustainable peace.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  9. “This is reflected in the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations, co-developed with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has been signed by over 360 humanitarian organizations. Governments can also show their support for the Charter by endorsing its commitments. The concept note (S/2023/408, annex) also discusses how climate action can provide entry points for peacebuilding and underscores the potential for synergies between security, humanitarian, development and climate actors that help to reduce instability and fragility, which is particularly important for situations of protracted conflict. Today 60 per cent of the 25 countries most vulnerable to climate change and with the least adaptation capacity are affected by armed conflict.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  10. “Additionally, based on its civilian character, any part of the natural environment that is not a military objective is also protected against incidental damage. Today’s debate explores how climate change impacts the capacity of United Nations peacekeeping and special political missions to implement their mandates, a challenge which is equally present for humanitarian organizations. Humanitarian organizations like the ICRC have a role and a responsibility to work with others, first, to reduce the impacts of crises by adapting their own responses and, secondly, to strengthen people’s resilience to growing risks in conflict settings.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  11. “Ms. Courtois: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes today’s important debate on climate change, peace and security held at the initiative of the United Arab Emirates. ICRC has briefed the Security Council, most recently in October 2022 under the presidency of Gabon (see S/PV.9150), that the compounded impacts of environmental degradation, climate change and armed conflict are changing the pattern of humanitarian needs, creating new and combined risks for vulnerable populations and multiplying existing inequalities in conflict zones. Furthermore, the natural environment, which has certain protections under international humanitarian law, continues to be a silent casualty of war, with the consequences of environmental damage for conflict- affected populations that include a lowered resilience to climate shocks.”

    2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source

  12. “Secondly, States that support warring parties must leverage their influence and mitigate adverse humanitarian consequences. They must take steps to better manage arms stockpiles, ensure recipients have training and the means to adhere to international humanitarian law and human right obligations, and safeguard arms transfers so that no arms are transferred if there is a clear risk that international humanitarian law or human rights law would be violated. Failing to manage the supply chain, without regard to how weapons will be used, is putting a dirt-cheap price on the lives of civilians. We urge States to take an honest look at how actions and inactions perpetuate violations, insecurity and suffering. The well-being of millions of people depends on that.”

    2021-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8909Resumption1 (2021) · source

  13. “Despite the advances made in regulating the international arms trade, including the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty in 2013, weapons and ammunition continue to be supplied in large numbers to parties to armed conflicts — States and non-State armed groups alike — and diverted to unauthorized end users and end uses. There is a gap between the obligations assumed by States under international law and the arms-transfer practices of too many States. The problem of small arms and light weapons must be addressed in a manner that mitigates the risks from small-arms violence and assists victims. Towards that aim, the ICRC encourages States to, first, adhere to the abundant number of existing instruments related to small arms and light weapons as well as other conventional arms and to faithfully implement them, including the Arms Trade Treaty.”

    2021-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8909Resumption1 (2021) · source

  14. “Humanitarian impacts are often gendered, including when weapons are used to commit or facilitate sexual and gender-based violence. Too often, children are victims of violence. In South Sudan, for example, our surgical teams have cared for a staggering 9,000 patients wounded by weapons over the past decade, and a quarter of those treated for gunshot wounds have been women or children. More than 40,000 wounded Afghans have been treated at ICRC- supported medical facilities over the past month. It is heartbreaking to see our wards filled with people who have lost limbs, particularly children.”

    2021-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8909Resumption1 (2021) · source

  15. “Ms. Courtois: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is grateful for this opportunity to address the Security Council and welcomes the attention to the impact of diversion and trafficking of small arms and light weapons on peace and security. Contemporary armed conflicts tend to be protracted, fuelled by a steady inflow of arms and ammunition and are rarely fought alone, leading to a diffusion of responsibilities, fragmented command chains and unchecked flows of weapons. Every day, the ICRC witnesses the suffering caused by the widespread availability, poor regulation and misuse of arms and ammunition. We see high levels of armed violence and insecurity. Medical and humanitarian assistance is hindered or halted.”

    2021-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8909Resumption1 (2021) · source