YouSaid · the spoken record

Da Silva

lines on the record: 89
first: 1997-09-25
most recent: 2020-08-10
sittings or episodes: 9
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

“There is therefore agreement that the pension fund is a necessary, albeit insufficient, element in reconfiguring the defence and security forces that will have a very positive effect on the health of public finances by reducing the total wage bill and improving the social profile of these forces. The fund is thus of a strategic nature in terms of both short- and medium- term reforms. The revitalization of the military hierarchy as provided for in the road map entails proceeding with gradual departures. With an army made up of 70 per cent officers, it is clear that a good part of the military hierarchy has reached the age limit and, under the terms of the law, should retire. The retirement age is between 48 and 64 years of age, based on categories.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“As for the second category, the Government had to resort to new arbitration, which set the pension at between 60 and 100 per cent of current salaries. This applies to soldiers and corporals whose present salaries are, respectively, approximately $60 and $67. Furthermore, the total cost of the pension fund will be accordingly reassessed by 15 July. Additional measures are planned, such as the establishment of a pension fund for the defence and security forces, following a specific regime, which will be integrated into the civil service pension fund in a general system for all of the State's civil servants. Through these savings and staff assessments, we will be able to ensure the continuation of the pension fund beyond 2015.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“In addition, my next trip to Timor-Leste next August as head of a military delegation to the official ceremony for demobilizing former guerrilla fighters will be an opportunity to draw lessons and learn from the experience of the Timorese people. In connection with that task, on 16 June the Government approved a payment scale for the pension fund that takes into account two other aspects other than age-based retirements. The first pertains to the retirement of military personnel who are veterans of the war of independence, while the second has to do with early voluntary retirements for those who have not reached the age threshold. With regard to the first category, retirees will receive pension payments of 100 per cent of their current salaries, in accordance with the law adopted following independence.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“We have also conducted a bidding process based on specifications prepared with the European Union delegation and selected a bank - namely, the Banco da Africa Ocidental in Bissau, which has just been mentioned - to manage the pension fund. An account has already been opened for the disbursement of funds. The first payments have been proposed by the road map task force for next September, although that has not yet been decided. With regard to departures due to retirement, the timetable for the following numbers: 1,320 people in 2009, 153 in 2010, 157 in 2011, 169 in 2012, 133 in 2013, 138 in 2014 and 108 in 2015. The number of early voluntary departures is estimated in the hundreds.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“Progress has also been made in humanitarian demining operations and in the destruction of explosive devices. There are good prospects for building new and more secure weapons depots, with support from the Republic of Angola and the United States. Four working teams have been established to provide technical advice to the Steering Committee on programmes involving demobilization, the pension fund, reintegration, recruitment, military training, infrastructure and equipment and legal and institutional management. The teams are composed of civil servants from the army, the police, the justice sector, UNIOGBIS, UNDP, the European Union, the African Union and ECOWAS, as well as the Angolan and Brazilian military missions.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“We have also received a contribution of $16.8 million from the 2011-2013 Peacebuilding Priority Plan for Guinea-Bissau, disbursed through the Peacebuilding Fund. We have developed plans, at no additional cost, to rehabilitate prisons and military barracks and expect to launch those projects in July. We have created a national guard as a new component of Guinea-Bissau's security apparatus. That was done by means of an organic law that was approved by Parliament, enacted by the President and published in the official gazette. Six-week training sessions have already been held for several groups of former police forces. However, the only difficulty facing the national guard is the establishment of its headquarters and command centre. We have expanded model police stations throughout the country.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“For instance, on the legal front, beyond the certifications for the army, the security sector and the judicial sector that were approved last year by the Government and Parliament and enacted by our country's President, other legislation has recently been adopted, in areas such as those mentioned by Mrs. Viotti. For instance, the organic law on the basic organization of the armed forces was approved by the President and subsequently passed by the Parliament, on 16 June. The new law created the post of an army deputy chief of staff. Approval was also given for a political declaration on combating drug trafficking and organized crime, which includes a national operational plan for the period 2011 to 2014, as well as an operational plan for security sector reform that includes a very precise implementation timetable.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“For instance, officers now account for 70 per cent of our army, while soldiers account for 30 per cent. There is insufficient re-enlistment owing to the failure to apply the mandatory military service law. This situation demands change. The legal framework for police and security forces was virtually non-existent, and the army was rife with deficiencies, not to mention its undertrained troops and lack of training programmes. Under those circumstances, defence and security sector reform was imperative. That effort has already led to encouraging changes and progress.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“In addition, there was a general feeling, which we shared, that the link between this reform and the economic development of our country was very strong indeed, given that defence and security sector reform, including of the structural elements of the State, is itself a prerequisite for development. Our army and security forces, which we inherited from the war of independence, were no longer adapted to the new demands created by the new approach to national defence following independence. That is why we experimented with a series of reforms, in particular during the post-conflict period. However, they did not produce the desired results. The army and the security forces were still heavily overstaffed, with significant imbalances in the number of officers, sergeants and soldiers.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“I wish to take the opportunity of being here today with the members of the Security Council to emphasize some important aspects of the defence and security sector reform process, including judicial reform as well as civil service and public finance reforms. In passing, it is worth recalling that the very reason for the reforms stems from the fact that these sectors have witnessed repeated episodes of conflict, in particular towards the end of the 1990s, in what was a very difficult economic situation. The public administration was plagued by poor management, crumbling and sorely lacking infrastructure, disturbing health and education indicators, a faltering judicial sector and the ineffective fight against criminality and organized crime.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“I myself chaired that committee, whose members included representatives of various institutions, ranging from the country's presidency to civil society, the armed forces and the judiciary. A number of working meetings have since been held within the committee and between it and the European Union. On Friday, 24 June, we concluded our second working meeting with the delegation of the European Union and ambassadors of EU member States accredited to Guinea-Bissau. That meeting assessed my Government's progress in executing its commitments, with the results deemed satisfactory by both parties.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“My Government agreed with the outcome of those consultations, which was the result of some preparation and understanding among the main national institutions, which met with President Malam Bacai Sanha, in the presence of the President of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the President of the Supreme Court, to reassert Guinea-Bissau's commitment to dialogue and to restoring its close relations with the European Union, our country's largest economic partner. Following those consultations, which took place in Brussels on 29 March, and after preliminary meetings with the ACP secretariat and Committee of Ambassadors - and we believe that those results were very encouraging - my Government undertook a number of commitments. Through a decree issued by the Prime Minister, a follow-up committee was established in late in April.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“In terms of our political agenda, the Prime Minister noted here that we were holding consultations with the European Union under article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement. That Agreement is the legal framework underpinning cooperation between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) and is aimed at furthering political dialogue, in particular on respect for human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“At the initiative of the Steering Committee for defence and security sector reform, ECOWAS and the CPLP were invited to send experts who would help to establish a task force charged with implementing the road map. That was accomplished between 28 April and 3 May, with the involvement of the African Union, and resulted in the formulation of relevant recommendations on an organizational chart for the mission, the composition of civilian, military and security components and a proposed schedule for implementing the various actions outlined in the road map. The plan for the task force will be submitted to the Steering Committee and will subsequently include multilateral partners, such as UNIOGBIS, UNDP and the European Union, as well as bilateral partners.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“At the same time, it underscored the importance of taking into account political developments subsequent to the creation of that road map, with a view to ensuring complementarity and effectiveness in its implementation. ECOWAS heads of State and Government subsequently held a summit-level meeting in Abuja on 24 March, where they adopted the road map. In doing so, they paved the way for the plan's implementation by allocating $63 million in support of priority reform programmes, such as those relating to the pension fund, demobilization and recruitment, reintegration, institutional training and support and the setting up of the technical assistance mission.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“We believe that it is our duty to come here once again today to share with the members of the Council information on the situation in Guinea-Bissau and on the short-, medium- and long-term prospects that could put my country on the path to political stabilization, and in which lie the groundwork for socio-economic development and for respect of our international commitments, in particular towards the Millennium Development Goals. Following the recommendations of the Security Council, in particular with regard to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)-CPLP road map, the Government Council of Ministers met and agreed on the actions outlined in that road map.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“I wish to underscore the unfailing support of the CPLP, and in particular that of Angola, for the speedy provision of resources to begin the restructuring process of our country's defence and security forces. Last February, His Excellency Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior was here in the Chamber (see S/PV.6489) leading an important governmental delegation, of which I was part, in order to share with the Council developments in the political and socio- economic context in Guinea-Bissau.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“Similarly, I would like to thank His Excellency the Secretary-General for his efforts to stabilize the political and social situation of our country, in particular through strong and fruitful cooperation between our national authorities and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea- Bissau (UNIOGBIS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as regards their involvement in Guinea-Bissau. I would also like to welcome the presence among us of the Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the Ministry for Foreign Relations of Angola - the country currently chairing the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) - as well as of the Executive Secretary of the CPLP.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“Mr. Da Silva (Guinea-Bissau) (spoke in French): I would first of all like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President, Mr. Nelson Messone of Gabon, a country with which Guinea-Bissau has good friendly relations, on his assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. I would also like to extend our warm greetings to the members of this important international body that oversees peace and security in the world. I thank them on behalf of the Government and the people of Guinea-Bissau for having given us this opportunity to speak at this meeting about developments in our country's political, institutional and socio-economic situation.”
2011-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6569 (2011) · source
“Hunger and poverty affect people's capacity to work, as well as their health, their dignity and their hopes; they also break down families, tear apart societies and weaken economies. Hunger and poverty fuel a vicious circle of frustration and humiliation that sets the stage for violence, crises and conflicts of all sorts. I would like to reiterate that, as far as Brazil is concerned, the Council must continue to be the principal international body for the promotion of international peace and security, as defined by the Charter. Brazil will not shirk its responsibilities in promoting the reforms needed to strengthen this institution. A reformed Council will be better equipped to take the lead in facing the complex decisions required at this historic moment.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“The values of good governance and the democratic principles that we so cherish at home should lead us to embrace multilateralism and collective decision-making in multilateral institutions. We have before us an historic opportunity to expand the Council in an equitable manner. For the majority of United Nations Member countries, that means expanding the number of Council seats, with developing countries from all regions as both permanent and non-permanent Council members. I am convinced that there will be no peace or security in the world as long as a billion people are oppressed by hunger. I insist that that evil can be considered the most devastating of all weapons of mass destruction.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“With regard to issues such as these, United Nations action is irreplaceable. That is certainly the case with the Middle East conflict, where sensitive political issues need to be resolved with credibility and transparency. In that spirit, Brazil supports the efforts of the Quartet to promote the implementation of the road map to peace. United Nations reform, now being discussed, cannot be dissociated from restructuring of the Security Council. New responsibilities - many of them not anticipated in the Charter of the United Nations - have arisen as a result of a broader agenda. The Council must stop running such a deficit in transparency and representativity.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti offers a new paradigm for responding to the challenges of conflict resolution and national reconstruction. We are contributing to the long-term stabilization of the country without resorting to the excessive use of force or to any imposed solution. We encourage dialogue among all political actors and support institutional and economic reconstruction. The establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission demonstrates that the international community shares that view. Better coordination between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council would ensure that situations such as those in Haiti and Guinea-Bissau are adequately addressed. Those are deep crises in societies that seek to find their way back to development.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“The Council must also continue to devote attention to African issues. During my visits to 14 African countries, as well as in contacts maintained with many African leaders in Brasilia, I have witnessed major institutional and economic progress in the region. The firm political will of African leaders to overcome today's conflicts and to cope with a legacy of dependency has culminated in the establishment of the African Union. Their example should inspire parts of the world that are working towards integration with the international community in a sovereign and peaceful manner. In Haiti, Latin America wants to prove that the United Nations is not condemned to merely clean up the wreckage of conflicts it could not prevent.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“At that time, we were striving to learn lessons from the civil wars in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and to restore the Organization's capacity to counter massive human rights abuses. Today, we face threats of growing complexity. Both of the resolutions we have just adopted are attempts to respond to those challenges. Barbaric acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated against innocent and defenceless people. Combating this scourge demands resolve, yet repression alone will not defeat it. We must prevent terror from breeding in hotbeds of hopelessness. We must reject prejudice and discrimination, whatever their guise or pretext. In combating irrational violence, the best means at our disposal are the promotion of a culture of dialogue, the promotion of development and the unyielding protection of human rights.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“I would like to congratulate you, Madam President, on the initiative of convening this meeting, which is being held at a critical juncture for the future of the United Nations. Efforts to strengthen the United Nations and its main bodies are being intensified. We need to adapt the Security Council to the political and economic requirements of a world that is undergoing a profound transformation. This is only the third summit of the Security Council in its 60 years of existence. In 1992, we met to celebrate the end of the East-West confrontation, as new prospects dawned for the Council to act to promote international stability. There were reasons to believe in the future of collective security. In 2000, our summit meeting coincided with brutal acts of violence fuelled by racial and religious intolerance.”
2005-09-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5261 (2005) · source
“It is our wish that the hopes raised throughout Africa by our debate - in Angola, in Burundi, in the Central African Republic, in Liberia, in Rwanda, in Sierra Leone, in Somalia, in the Republic of the Congo and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - not be disappointed.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Lastly, we must ensure respect for the rights of the individual and help African countries create conditions that will lead to economic progress by undertaking the economic reforms that are necessary for the development and well-being of their peoples. The importance of a Security Council meeting devoted to Africa explains the presence in this Chamber of many African colleagues who would have liked to take an active part in our discussions. Our present deliberations are, in fact, the first stage in an effort towards collective deliberation. It is therefore important that the dialogue be pursued and that account be taken of the opinion of the countries directly concerned in formulating a series of measures designed to contribute to the settlement of conflicts in Africa.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“I have in mind, in particular, the initiative taken by the United States, France and the United Kingdom to help Africans in this regard, a most timely initiative that deserves our appreciation and the support of the whole of the international community. Above all, however, we must give Africans the means to prevent conflicts by supporting the efforts of the OAU and subregional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose contribution to the settlement of the conflict in Liberia is recognized by all. We should work with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to ensure the protection of refugees and their voluntary return to their country of origin.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Where inter-ethnic conflicts exist, we should ensure respect for the rights of the individual and promote a culture of peace rooted in the diversity and wealth of a country's ethnic groups. What can we expect from today's meeting? First, we can expect a confirmation of the view shared by members of the Security Council with regard to the seriousness of the conflicts that currently exist in Africa and that are causing such distress and taking such a toll on the populations concerned. We must be innovative and create the machinery needed to increase the capacity of African countries to help in the settlement of conflicts in their region.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Even if our countries today have embraced democracy, that democracy, to be viable, must in the long term be realized by taking into account the specific cultural characteristics of each one of us. Democracy is a complex and lengthy process which, while principally dependent on the effort of individual peoples, must have a foundation of international assistance if it is to take shape and bear fruit. Many conflicts in Africa are the direct result of a lack of a state of law and of Viable economic structures. The effort of the international community should be aimed at encouraging the emergence of pluralist political forces supported by a civil society that is aware of its basic rights and on a private sector that is both dynamic and entrepreneurial.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We believe that, in the light of recent developments, the case of Libya deserves reconsideration. I have in mind, in particular, the joint proposals by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the League of Arab States, which provide for machinery to ensure that the rights of victims are respected and that justice is done in accordance with universally accepted norms. We understand that it is up to the African Governments, first and foremost, to ensure respect for their citizens' basic rights and to promote democracy and good governance so as to create conditions for genuine progress and prosperity for all. African countries should cultivate tolerance and respect for others, and they should foster a sense of belonging, regardless of ethnic group, to the same nation.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“We are a part of it, we debate within it to find solutions that are, whenever possible, the results of consensus. However, notwithstanding the good intentions and eloquence with which decisions are announced, it sometimes seems that we do not have a clear enough idea of the seriousness of certain crises and that, as a result, we do not act with the necessary speed and urgency. In this connection, the case of Congo (Brazzaville) is conspicuous and calls for thoughtful reflection. The United Nations Charter confers upon the Security Council the power and the responsibility to take coercive measures to enforce respect for its decisions. Those measures, whose effects in humanitarian terms can cause harm to innocent populations, should have time limits and should be periodically reviewed on the basis of objective data.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“The Security Council, and the international community as a whole, should try to identify the true causes of all the conflicts besetting many African countries and impeding the social and economic progress of their peoples. We know, of course, that the United Nations cannot do everything, but we maintain the conviction that together we can undertake to do more and with greater success. We have seen what can be done elsewhere, and quickly, in similar circumstances. Let us try to put equal value on the life of every human being throughout the world. Suffering in Africa should not be viewed as inevitable. What are the resources available to us? We have, of course, the Security Council, whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of international peace and security.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Revolt, inter- ethnic and inter-State conflict, tribal war, coup d 'etat, massive displacement of populations and concentrations of refugees unfortunately constitute the heavy burden carried today by certain peoples in Africa. Why? That is the question asked by so many men, women and children, including many old people who no longer have the strength to walk, human beings who are hunted down like animals, having to wander in the forests in mortal danger. Why is there such unhappiness and desolation? Why are all these atrocities and killings taking place? We have the duty to seek out together the reasons for all these calamities, and to propose solutions.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“This is also an eloquent expression of the interest that the Security Council takes in Africa, and a token of friendship and solidarity with the peoples whom we represent. The presence of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, current Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, and of Mr. Salim Salim, its Secretary-General, whose statements cannot fail to inspire and contribute to our collective endeavour, give our discussions an exceptional character. I also pay tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, for his tireless efforts to find solutions to the problems of Africa. Africa is constantly to the fore on the international scene in a way that is increasingly worrying.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“There must also be an opportunity for every citizen to prosper and benefit from improved standards of living equitably shared. While it is true that from now on democracy and political pluralism will be part of the political vocabulary in Africa, as in the rest of the world, principles no less important than tolerance, the right to dissent and respect for the individual are not yet firmly embedded in the hearts and minds of all the men and women in our continent. Africa is suffering from many ills. It is still faced with afflictions which, given their seriousness and intensity, warrant all the support that is so sorely needed. That is why we are so pleased, Madam President, that your country, the United States of America, took the initiative in organizing a ministerial meeting of Security Council members devoted to Africa.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“But the upheavals we are seeing in Africa are also, unfortunately, a tragic and uncontrollable consequence of the refusal of some African leaders to hear the cries of distress of their people or to comply with the rules and norms of democracy and good governance that the people are demanding, sometimes through Violent protest and even through armed struggle. No African people today will submit to being ignored or living under a dictatorial regime. African societies need more room to express themselves so as to participate more effectively in the conduct and management of national affairs - matters that are of direct concern to them. The holding of free and democratic elections in many countries reflects the awareness of this new reality by African statesmen. But the electoral process alone is not enough.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source
“Mr. Da Silva (Guinea-Bissau) (spoke in Portuguese; interpretation from French text furnished by the delegation): There can be no question but that Africa has witnessed far-reaching changes in the past six years. These changes of a political, economic and social nature have been greatly inspired and conditioned, if not caused, by major global transformations as we approach the end of the century, and reflect the acknowledgement by African Governments of the aspiration of their peoples to greater freedom and democracy and respect for their basic rights within the context of a multiplicity of ideas and equality of opportunity. In many cases, they are the outcome of an electoral process, sometimes conducted under the supervision of the United Nations and other international observers.”
1997-09-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3819 (1997) · source