YouSaid · the spoken record

David Shearer

lines on the record

62

first

2020-06-23

most recent

2021-03-03

sittings or episodes

5

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

1. “Madame President, it is very good to be with you. We thank you for convening us to discuss this very important topic. Human rights is a core business for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). It is one of the four pillars in our mandate, but it also occupies a cross-cutting role right across the entire Mission, as it is central both to peace and security and to the protection of civilians. At UNMISS, we are often looked to to provide a definitive account of human rights issues and to speak out on behalf of others about what has happened, because others will not or cannot do so. The Security Council is aware of South Sudan’s poor record on human rights, particularly since the outbreak of conflict in 2013.”

   2020-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/674 (2020) · source

2. “Yes, people will die from the virus, like everywhere else in the world. However, the real threat to the people of South Sudan lies in the collapse of the already fragile health system. That could result in many, many more lives being lost — a tragedy that can be prevented. Lastly, I would like to finish with a message from the United Nations to the Transitional Government and the people of South Sudan: We are here, standing strong with them as we pass through this COVID-19 emergency. The United Nations, humanitarian agencies and donors have remained and, together, we are saving and changing lives. By working together, we can overcome COVID-19 and push the peace process forward so that South Sudan can achieve the lasting peace and prosperity it deserves.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

3. “A unity Government acts in the best interests of all its people, regardless of ethnic identity, and should act collectively and swiftly to curtail conflict in the states. Within a unity Government, parties would negotiate their positions, but important decisions, such as the Constitution, would remain true to the peace agreement. And, S/2020/582 collective solutions must be found to advance transitional security arrangements so that soldiers no longer abandon locations in the absence of food and supplies. Secondly, we acknowledge that regional partners and peace guarantors are beset by their own COVID-19 struggles, but it is vital that the guarantors and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development remain actively engaged to maintain momentum in the peace process. Thirdly, COVID-19 is going to hit hard, but not in the way that we think.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

4. “About 7.4 million people will need humanitarian assistance, an increase of 1.6 million, including many urban poor who previously did not rely on aid. Last week, the humanitarian country team launched a $390 million addendum to its original plan to respond to the additional needs. My report today might have been bleaker had it not been for the recent agreement between the parties on the allocation of states. However, the peace process is faltering. It requires renewed energy and a reset. I would like to leave the Council with three key takeaways. First, what is needed from the Transitional Government of National Unity? A unity government, by definition, takes decisions collaboratively — whether as a presidency or cabinet. This way of working needs to become a habit, not an exception.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

5. “The tensions have also been reflected in riots among different communities living in protection of civilians sites. Today, residents of such sites face greater intimidation from people they live alongside than from the external threats for which the sites were established. Tragically, the escalating violence has hit the most desperate even harder. People in Jonglei live in what is described by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as the “famine triangle”, where livelihoods were overwhelmed by last year’s floods. A new addendum to the humanitarian response plan, outlines the deterioration, combined with a hike in food prices from COVID-related transport delays.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

6. “In Jonglei, Unity, Lakes, Warrap and Western Equatoria, hundreds of civilians have been killed, women and children abducted, property stolen or destroyed and over 60,000 people displaced. The violence can no longer be pigeonholed as intercommunal”. Fighters in uniform have been spotted, suggesting that organized forces may be joining the conflict, which risks unravelling the ceasefire. A truly unified national leadership would have acted promptly and stepped in to curb the conflict. Instead, the violence has been allowed to play out and is being used to sort out power arrangements at the national and subnational levels. This cycle of impunity continues to fuel serious human rights violations where civilians once bore the brunt of violence.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

7. “Following my briefing in March (see S/PV.8741), there have been some encouraging steps towards peace — the formation of the transitional Government, the appointment of Vice-Presidents and a joint Cabinet and the gathering of troops at training sites for reunification. That is positive, particularly if we compare it to less than a year ago, when the transitional Government seemed in doubt and Riek Machar’s return to Juba uncertain. Last week, a four-month stand-off between parties over the allocation of states ended. The individual governors are yet to be named, but women need to take at least three of the positions. Those appointments are critical to filling a power vacuum. The political impasse, on top of the COVID-19 lockdown, caused conflict to escalate, with violent incidents multiplying four-fold in two years.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

8. “Two weeks ago, UNPOL was called on to quell fighting between youth in the Juba protection of civilians site. Dozens of Rwandan police officers physically intervened and, in doing so, exposed themselves and others to COVID-19. Their partner contingent was unable to provide support as it was in quarantine because some of its personnel tested positive in earlier operations.We ask our people to take risks to do their jobs, but we have a duty to ensure that they are well equipped and that the risks they take are necessary. If we do not ensure this, we could lose our operational capabilities and possibly lives.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

9. “Non-governmental organizations are stepping up to staff those facilities, but equipment and expertise are severely lacking. We are doing what we can to give limited care to critical patients who previously had nothing. But more importantly, the measures are designed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to other facilities that are treating common but lethal illnesses. The challenge for peacekeepers and humanitarians alike is to balance carrying out critical work while exercising a duty of care to keep our staff safe so that, in turn, they can continue to deliver. That means that peacekeeping patrols — which must interact with local populations — are currently prioritized to critical areas where lives are at risk. The efforts of United Nations police (UNPOL) are also more focused.”

   2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

10. “That is the lesson we must learn from Ebola in West Africa, when 11,000 died from the virus but many more died from totally preventable health problems. To keep clinics open, it is imperative that health workers have personal protective equipment. Already, 86 health workers have been infected. Personal protective equipment is in short supply, and health workers are fearful. Meanwhile, their salaries continue to go unpaid. Experts predict the pandemic will peak in July or August. For those who become seriously ill, there is little in the way of critical care. International support and the Ministry of Health have expanded the infectious diseases hospital in Juba. In the regions, UNMISS has renovated and equipped hospitals in 10 states.”

    2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

11. “The Government’s prevention measures, informed by World Health Organization guidance, have been communicated constantly through campaigns across the country, supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Yet, despite widespread awareness, observance of the measures has remained patchy. Few will submit to isolation at home. The need to earn a living means people’s behaviour remains unchanged; not working today means not eating tomorrow. Our greatest fear regarding COVID-19 is its potential impact on the already fragile health system. Disruption to vaccinations, maternal health services or routine treatment for curable diseases like malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia will result in a devastating increase in deaths — likely greater than the predicted loss of life from COVID-19.”

    2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source

12. “I thank the Council for the opportunity to brief it on the situation in South Sudan. I would like to begin by acknowledging the devastation caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to the people and economies of all Member States and nations around the world. These are truly challenging times. Some early-affected countries are now beginning to emerge from the crisis. But for others, the full impact is only beginning to hit. South Sudan is one of those countries. While its 1,900 recorded cases appear low, limited testing, as well as social stigma, are obscuring the true magnitude of the virus. The only antidote to COVID-19 is prevention.”

    2020-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/582 (2020) · source