YouSaid · the spoken record

Deputy Secretary-General

lines on the record: 595
first: 1998-06-29
most recent: 2020-11-03
sittings or episodes: 58
sources: un-security-council

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“The United Nations system is tackling climate risks on several fronts. During the past 18 months, the Security Council has recognized the adverse effects of climate change on stability in several geographical areas - the Lake Chad basin, West Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The United Nations system takes seriously its responsibility to provide integrated analysis to the Security Council as it discusses those issues. In that spirit, we are determined to fully mobilize the United Nations capacity to better understand and respond to climate-related security risks at all levels. We are increasing our climate-related security-risk assessments and management strategies.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“Climate security-risk assessments and reporting from the local, national and regional levels should be considered as an early warning for conflict prevention. We must understand climate change as one issue in a web of factors that can lead to and exacerbate conflict. Within that web, climate change acts as a threat multiplier, applying additional stress on prevailing political, social and economic pressure points. As the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission said to me during our visit, "At the end of the day, what was the origin of this conflict?" For him, the disappearance of the Lake was a key factor. In B01, the Lake has shrunk by more than 90 per cent in just a few decades. Action on climate change is urgent and is an integral part of building a culture of prevention and ensuring peace.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“There are only places for terrorists to hide. Declining economic activity and agricultural loss have led to a lack of employment opportunities across the region. The resulting socioeconomic marginalization has exposed populations, in particular the young, to the risk of violent extremism and has provided a breeding ground for recruitment by groups such as Boko Haram. The Boko Haram insurgency in north-east Nigeria and the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and the Niger has left over 10 million people displaced and has resulted in the massive destruction of basic infrastructure, health-care and educational facilities, commercial properties, private homes and agricultural assets. The multidimensional nature of the crisis underlines the complex relationship between climate change and conflict.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“Margot Wallstrom, I have seen the situation on the ground in all its complexity and urgency. The basin is experiencing a crisis brought on by a combination of political, socioeconomic, humanitarian and environmental factors. The drastic shrinking of Lake Chad by more than 90 per cent since the 1960s has led to environmental degradation, socioeconomic marginalization and insecurity affecting 40 million people. Exacerbated competition over scant resources and the vicious cycle of risk and vulnerability have decreased the resilience of populations to cope with the humanitarian crisis. I personally grew up in the Lake Chad basin, in Maiduguri. As a child, I would cross the lake on a hovercraft, thinking that I was going to the United Kingdom. Today, you can hardly take a canoe across it. The situation is real. There is no trade.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“It is no coincidence that the countries most vulnerable to climate change are often those most vulnerable to conflict and fragility. Fragile countries are in danger of becoming stuck in a cycle of conflict and climate disaster. Where resilience is eroded, communities may be displaced and exposed to exploitation. That said, the impact of climate change on security can take many different shapes, as the concept note for this debate continues to argue. They includes loss of livelihoods, food insecurity and risks to the natural resource base. Many of those manifestations become visible only over time. The Lake Chad basin is grappling with many of those challenges. Havingjust returned from ajoint visit to the region with the African Union and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ms.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“That build-up means that we are at increasing risk from heat waves, floods, droughts and wildfires, and we are now seeing all those things happening more frequently. While the impact of climate change may be spread unevenly across various regions today, no country will be spared from its consequences in the long term. But we see disproportionate effects on socially vulnerable and marginalized groups. We must act together with a joint vision and a commitment to multilateral cooperation. That is our only chance at finding effective and sustainable solutions to this huge challenge. The impacts of climate change go well beyond the strictly environmental. Climate change is inextricably linked to some of the most pressing security challenges of our time.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“The Deputy Secretary-General: I would like to begin by commending the Security Council for focusing its attention on climate-related security risks. I would like to address four key issues today: first, the nature of the challenges to our common security posed by climate risks; secondly, the impacts of climate change; thirdly, the actions being taken by the United Nations system to tackle them; and, lastly, what we need to ask of all of us to ensure that we continue to centrally integrate climate concerns in our security considerations. It is clear that climate change is a real threat and is proceeding at a relentless pace. Earlier this year, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that 2015, 2016 and 2017 were the warmest years on record. The level of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere continues to rise.”
2018-07-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8307 (2018) · source
“We also saw it in the Niger, when they got together with the ruling rural integrated programmes. I would point to the African Union-United Nations framework for peace, security and development. The Secretary-General was there yesterday. They launched the action plan for development, which includes the Sahel Strategy. We believe that that represented a solid step forward. Again, we would plead for support for that and for the African Women Leaders Network. That is a strong group. They will manage to put together and launch the fund for women. It takes a different angle. This time they are looking at building the capacities of women fund managers, which means they are looking to leverage resources that are available in the private sector and elsewhere. It is not just a case of grants; it is a case of how we leverage more funding for that.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“I would say that we did see a really wonderful opportunity of getting behind a cross-border initiative of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to draft its plan, which really answered a number of the issues we had and took care of the context of climate and conflict. But it needs to be urgently supported. There are frameworks and vehicles, checks and balances that we can put in there with respect to the areas that we really worry about or the risks that we think we can mitigate through a better joined-up partnership of multilateral system. But it needs to happen now. I think that reforms in the development system really do help in bringing about good coordination. We saw excellent coordination in the humanitarian and development nexus in Chad and in South Sudan, where of course the tensions probably helped us to come together.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“That, I think, is far more dangerous and we need to turn it back. We also saw the challenge of the conflicts between farmers and herders across the region. Again, I would emphasize that population growth and other dynamics, such as urbanization, and the stress they put on food security are something we have not really looked at. We have gone to the symptoms and looked at them from the political, ethnic or religious point of view. It is much more than that, and I think that we need a better, joined-up response to how we articulate the Sustainable Development Goal on cities, for instance. This happens in context and has repercussions on insecurity.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“I suppose that the eight-point plan for the Republic of the Niger did have money for education, but there is just no fiscal space for it because funding is being taken up by the responsibilities to care for migrants coming back across the borders from Lybia, as well as by security issues related to handling Boko Haram. I think the other concern is that Boko Haram is becoming much more organized. In its own way, it is providing an alternative to what Governments cannot provide for their peoples. There is an urgent need to stop that trend. It was not just the suicide bombers that we saw, who obviously in some cases were either hypnotized or forced into it, but there are many willing girls who are now following and communities that are sympathizing with many of these terrorist groups.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“We saw that on the ground. We saw the concerns of Heads of State there. It was reflected in many instances. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden said, we should not have been going to fistula clinics and seeing them full of young girls. We should have been going to classrooms. Instead, here we were in Niamey, with three centres. We only saw one, and they had huge demands to expand. We were really looking to say that we should be looking at prevention, and prevention meant getting girls into school and investments in development.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“I think that many of the Heads of State in the region emphasize the need for coordination and living up to the commitments that were made five or six years ago, which have yet to realize any benefits. Had we done so, we probably would not be in the position that we are in now. The urgency of getting behind one strategy is really important. We are grateful that that is an outcome of the Security Council. I must say that the real concern for me is that that urgency must come when countries are grappling with a fragile State and everything that comes with it - the expectations of people and trying to maintain a democracy, which is not just about elections. It is about the three arms of Government, which need to be supported equally, and that gap is closing as countries inch towards becoming failed States. That is a very real concern.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“The Deputy Secretary-General: I thank speakers for their incredibly supportive response to the opportunity that we have had to share about our visit - but, more important, about the big issues. The representative of Chad referred to the importance of the recalibrated United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel, which cannot be underscored enough. While we await the African Union's review of the Strategy, one thing we have learned is the need to be better coordinated and coherent and really work towards ajoined-up response in terms of investments. We also thank the representative of France because, along with France, Germany and the European Union, the Alliance for the Sahel has also been incredibly important in bringing this all together.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“We look forward to working together to draw the appropriate lessons towards building lives of peace, security and equality for all.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“Investing in peace now in this region will bring lasting global dividends for all. With resolution 1325 (2000) and the seven resolutions that build on it we have the necessary commitments. We have tools such as a recalibrated United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel. We must now bring these tools and commitments to life, while encouraging further alignment among the United Nations Support Plan for the Sahel, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda 2063 and, most important, national plans. The cost of inaction is high. Poverty, weak institutions and gender inequality, including the abhorrent practices such as child marriage, are creating an environment ripe for extremism. I thank members of the Council again for supporting such joint missions, which we believe contribute greatly to advancing the work of the Council.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“With today's conflicts being greater in both number and complexity, it is more important than ever to find the path to peacebuilding and sustainable development for all. Across the three countries we visited, it is evident that women can be the agents of a new and necessary approach - a new narrative, a new paradigm. We sensed during our visit an increasingly pressing need to operationalize the policies, frameworks and agendas that we have in place. For 18 years, the Security Council has discussed the agenda item of women and peace and security in annual thematic debates. Once a year we assert that gender equality is foundational to stability and peace. But rarely have we moved beyond the principles. We believe that now is the time to move from frameworks to action.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“Security therefore comes at a price; all too often it comes at the expense of development. In that context, it is critical that we all step up, which means urgently increasing our budget support for development in those and other fragile countries. It is a matter, first and foremost, of human dignity. But it is also a matter of peace and security. Investment in development must be transformative: it must support scaled-up, integrated projects such as we saw in the Niger when we visited the United Nations programme that brought together health, nutrition, agriculture, water and sanitation, alongside women's empowerment, recognizing the context of climate change. I am confident that the reforms that we are pursuing in the United Nations will provide the necessary space to scale up such interventions.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“We reminded leaders that inclusion is not a woman's issue; it is, rather, a whole-of- society issue. Thirdly, there is a clear need to keep countries experiencing fragility today from becoming failed States tomorrow. Chad and the Niger are dealing with challenges that are largely not of their making, including insecurity that originated beyond their borders and climate change, which respects no borders at all. Despite their own constraints, they are among the world's most generous hosts of refugees. But the impact on their economies and development aspirations has been profound. The President of the Niger, for example, presented to us his renaissance plan to meet the basic needs of the country's population, but it has been hampered by the fall in uranium and oil prices and the expenditures on security.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“The women religious leaders we met in Chad are a very powerful voice against gender inequality and against the attacks on women's rights that are such a core part of terrorist groups' strategy and identity. By teaching the Qur'an, they are sending a message that the Qur'an and Islam are for both men and women and that Islam is a religion of peace. Women are also seeking greater inclusion in the economy. In the B01 region of the Lake Chad basin we saw the multiple roles fisherwomen were playing in maintaining livelihoods in the absence of men who had been killed and in building community resilience in the face of environmental degradation and insecurity caused by the Boko Haram insurgency. Such models, if scaled up, have the potential to generate economic dividends for the country.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“It was also borne out in the stories of women in rural areas of Chad, where the impact of Boko Haram has resulted in insecurity, loss of family members and the increased use of female suicide bombers. Secondly, we heard a universal and increasingly frustrated call by women for greater inclusion, representation and participation in all areas of society. They demand greater participation in decision-making. In Juba in South Sudan, in Addis Ababa and in Khartoum they asked that their voices be heard in the peace process. In Chad and the Niger they advocated for the implementation of legislation on a quota for political participation and the recognition of their role in the economy and in preventing violent extremism. Greater representation at the community level is a further imperative.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“Throughout the trip, we met with women civil society leaders, community representatives and religious and traditional chiefs. We visited many development projects, and then met with local authorities, senior Government officials and Heads of State to discuss the key challenges and opportunities that exist and to convey the voices and messages that we had heard from women. Four issues resonated most dramatically. The first was the need to address the stark cost that women and girls pay for conflict. That was particularly evident in South Sudan, where we visited women in protection-of-civilian sites who spoke of the violence they face both inside and outside the camps.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“At various points on the trip, we were also joined by senior United Nations colleagues, including the Executive Directors of UN- Women and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and representatives of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa and the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. We were also joined by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and the Special Adviser on the Sahel. I was very proud to lead a delegation in which women made up the majority. Our purpose was to highlight issues of women and peace and security and development.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“When I reported back to the Security Council at that time (see S/PV.8022) - marking the first time the Security Council heard a briefing on women and peace and security in relation to a country situation - members of the Council requested further trips of this nature, a request that I am pleased to report we took forward. I would like to thank the people and the Governments of South Sudan, Chad and the Niger. We were joined in the Niger and Chad by Foreign Minister Wallstrom in her capacity as President of the Security Council for July.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“The Deputy Secretary-General: Let me begin by thanking the President of the Security Council for convening today's meeting on women and peace and security in the Sahel, as well as for Sweden's leadership on this issue during the country's time in the Security Council. Yesterday I returned from a joint United Nations- African Union mission to three countries - South Sudan, the Niger and Chad. That mission was the second of its kind, following last year's high-level visit to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2018-07-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8306 (2018) · source
“Those commitments include engaging all parties to the conflict to prevent sexual violence and ensuring that survivors and civil society organizations can voice their concerns about security, protection and limitations in service provision and that they can help shape inclusive new policies and laws. Resolution 2106 (2013) calls on all actors - the Security Council, parties to armed conflict, Member States and United Nations entities - to do much more to combat impunity for those crimes. Let us intensify our efforts to end the horrific litany of sexual violence in conflict so that our women, girls, men and boys have no less burden to bear as they work to rebuild their shattered lives.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“Last month in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a female engagement team of 16 soldiers from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nepal supported a civilian mission to one of the country's most remote areas in response to reports of abductions and sexual violence inflicted on hundreds of civilians. This shows the value of alert networks and the importance of women in peacekeeping to better address conflict-related sexual violence. Women's protection advisers deployed to United Nations peace operations also have a leading role to play in supporting Government counterparts in implementing their commitments.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“In that context, I welcome the continued engagement by those parties listed by the Secretary-General in his reports on conflict-related sexual violence. For example, the signing of a unilateral communique by a coalition of armed groups in Mali in July 2017 and the development of a joint communique implementation plan by the Iraq Government last month are both very encouraging. Let me also highlight the increased vigilance being shown by peacekeepers in protecting women, girls, men and boys from sexual violence as part of their protection-of-civilians mandate.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“The children born of rape are often ostracized and relegated to the margins of society. That serves yet again to highlight the fact that, in the end, sexual violence has consequences for all affected women, girls, men and boys. It is a deliberate tactic to humiliate and disempower and undermine social cohesion. Our responsibility must be to bring justice, recognition and reparations to the survivors of those horrendous crimes - not only justice in the courtroom but also social justice and economic empowerment. We should recognize and support the resilience of the many survivors who are working as agents of change. Ifwe are to prevent these crimes being repeated, we must ensure accountability and deterrence.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“Sexual violence is also a very common method of torture of detainees, and in many conflicts most detainees are men and boys. But overall women and girls are disproportionately affected. Gender-based discrimination is the invisible driver of most crimes of sexual violence. The lower one's status in terms of wealth, health and education, the greater her vulnerability and exposure to harm. Last year, I travelled with Special Representative of the Secretary-General Pramila Patten to Nigeria and to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In both nations, the consequences of sexual violence are profound and enduring for survivors, their families and their communities. Survivors are forced to live with the untreated physical and psychological trauma, the social stigma and unwanted pregnancies.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“The Deputy Secretary-General: Let me begin by commanding Peru and His Excellency Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra for convening this important open debate on sexual violence and conflict. I also very warmly welcome Ms. Razia Sultana here today to amplify the voices of the Rohingya community and to offer an account to the plight of women and girls systematically targeted due to their religion or ethnicity. This year in Myanmar, and in many other conflict situations, the widespread threat and use the sexual violence is once again being used as a tactic to advance military, economic and ideological objectives. Once again it has been a driver of massive forced displacement. Let me be clear: both genders endure the horrific brutality of sexual violence in conflict.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“We should also recognize that security measures and military operations have proven limits. There will be no sustaining peace without sustainable development, and development gains will always be at risk without lasting peace. I hope that we can work together to end this crisis, which has caused immense suffering and continues to have serious consequences well beyond the borders.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“Finally, the Security Council's visit to the region over a year ago should not be underestimated, and the adoption of resolution 2349 (2017) really created a momentum that must be maintained. The visit by the African Union Peace and Security Council in July 2017 further highlighted the challenges faced by the Multinational Joint Task Force. Sustained international, financial and technical support for the Force remains crucial to protecting the fragile progress made in the fight against Boko Haram. The joint ECCAS-ECOWAS summit on Boko Haram - the first to be held in the first half of 2018 - will be another important undertaking. We must continue to address these complex challenges, in close cooperation with the affected countries and all relevant subregional organizations, in line resolution 2349 (2017).”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“The United Nations continues to support the affected Governments in creating livelihoods, strengthening institutions, building community resilience and taking other steps to address the root causes. National and local non-governmental organizations and faith-based organizations still have an invaluable role to play in prevention and reintegration efforts. Restoring the Lake Chad ecosystem is going to be essential. It would improve livelihoods for millions of people, reduce local tensions and foster regional integration and development. Last month's international conference on Lake Chad in Abuja was successful, and the adoption of the Abjua declaration reaffirmed the region's commitment to increasing cooperation to address the socioeconomic impact of climate change and instability in the Sahel, West Africa and the Lake Chad region.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“I would also like to highlight the importance of strengthening the Safe Schools initiative, as well as communications infrastructure, so that people can call for assistance when needed. This was a major gap in the recent abduction of the 110 girls in Yobe state. The crisis has resulted in massive destruction of basic infrastructure, health and educational facilities, commercial buildings, private houses and agricultural assets. Along with the impacts of violent extremism, underdevelopment, demographic shifts and climate change, we can see another powerful example of a complex, multidimensional situation that really requires an integrated approach to addressing the humanitarian and development challenges that will link to sustainable peace.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“As of today, 4.5 million people are severely food insecure across the Lake Chad basin, and that number is expected to rise to 5.8 million by June. The scale-up of assistance has taken place in an extremely volatile environment. On 1 March, three aid workers were killed in the town of Rann, in Borno state, following an attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgent. Three others are still missing, and humanitarian aid has temporarily been suspended. An estimated $1.6 billion will be required to assist 7.8 million people in four countries. I call on Member States to ensure that the humanitarian appeal is well funded and that the pledges are disbursed promptly. The experience of the last appeal was successful. It was very much appreciated, it came in time and it has been well disbursed.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“The humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad basin remains complex and dire, with 10.7 million people in need of life-saving assistance and 2.3 million people - including 1.5 million children - forcibly displaced from their homes. We thank the Governments of Cameroon and Nigeria for their continued cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the framework of the tripartite agreement, and we encourage all the affected States to fully implement the 2016 Abuja Action Statement. Humanitarian assistance has scaled up considerably and reached more than 6 million people in 2017. Food security has improved in the north-east of Nigeria, where famine was averted last year. But that progress is still very fragile.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“Boko Haram has abducted more than 4,000 women and girls. Those who are able to return often face stigmatization by their communities. Over the past several years, the group's use of women and girls to carry out suicide attacks has increased dramatically. One reason may be the lack of women in the security sector who can check other women at checkpoints. Clearly, women's participation in efforts to promote gender equality are critical elements of our response. Boko Haram, sadly and horrifically, used children in 135 suicide attacks in 2017, representing a fivefold increase from 2016. The international community must do more to respond to the plight of children affected by the upheaval in the region, including through support for the return of children to their communities and a more concerted effort on reintegation and rehabilitation.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“Investments and strengthening community justice mechanisms will be essential to promoting reconciliation, ensuring accountability and sustaining peace. It is also critical for counter-terrorism activities and initiatives aimed at preventing violent extremism to integrate the human rights and the gender dimensions. We welcome the recruitment of the three African Union-Lake Chad Basin Commission human rights officers as part of the civilian component of the Multinational Joint Task Force. The appointment of a gender advisor for the Force is, however, needed urgently to enhance the protection of women and girls and ensure their participation in peace and development processes. Too many girls and women across the region continue to experience sexual and gender-based violence and other violations of their rights.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“Today, though, we are very grateful and relieved that most of those girls - 105 - have been returned to their families. The United Nations is supporting the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission in developing a stabilization, recovery and resilience strategy for the region, in line with resolution 2349 (2017). The strategy, we hope, will be launched next month in N'Djamena. In parallel, the Special Representatives of the Secretary- General for Central Africa and for West Africa and the Sahel continue their efforts, in close partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, to address the root causes of the crisis. Violations of human rights continue to fuel insecurity in the Lake Chad basin.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“Since the last such briefing, in September 2017 (see S/PV.8047), considerable progress has been made in the fight against Boko Haram. The Multinational Joint Task Force operations have contributed to the liberation of hostages and led to many territorial gains. The Secretary-General commends the Governments of the region for their sustained efforts and increased coordination, which have been crucial. It is now key that we stabilize the areas that have been reclaimed and that we seize the opportunity to really promote sustainable development. Unfortunately, Boko Haram continues to carry out raids, abductions and suicide bombings, as demonstrated last month by the horrific abduction of 110 schoolgirls in north-east Nigeria's Yobe state.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“The Deputy Secretary-General: I wish to begin by thanking the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands and Ambassador Van Oosterom for having convened this briefing and for the really dynamic presidency of the Security Council this month. Let me also say that I wish to congratulate the Security Council, because I am here in Monrovia as we come to the closure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia tomorrow. This is really an exciting moment, although there are a lot of concerns about how we will continue to build on the gains of peace and to ensure that there is sustainable development. But the Government and the President of Liberia were very, very appreciative of the support of the United Nations and wished me to convey that to the Council. I welcome this opportunity to brief the Council on the situation in the Lake Chad basin.”
2018-03-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8212 (2018) · source
“With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and the sustaining peace resolutions, we have mapped the road to a safer, more resilient and sustainable world. The challenge now is how to ensure that the journey is successful and that its gains are truly irreversible. I look forward to the support of the Security Council in orienting efforts and resources towards our ultimate goal of achieving sustainable development and sustaining peace.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“In order to ensure that we are on the right peacebuilding track, we must get the politics right. Peacekeeping operations are political instruments that ideally accompany a locally-owned peace process. To that end, missions provide good offices and work closely with the various parties and communities to achieve and implement peace agreements. In considering all those areas, a broader and more sustained level of engagement by members of a united and strong Security Council, individually or collectively, is essential in order to ensure that member States, the United Nations system and all our partners are aligned behind a common purpose and a common vision for action that integrates all pillars of the United Nations and brings all its activities together in a truly integrated fashion.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“They require the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of armed groups, and they entail a focus on justice and reconciliation, proven credible elections and the extension of legitimate and accountable State authority. For many people suffering in conflict-affected countries United Nations peacekeeping missions are a rare source ofhope for the return ofpeace. Their success is a source of great pride for us all. I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women of United Nations peacekeeping missions, whether civilian, military or police, and take the opportunity to encourage more women to join our missions. I would particularly like to honour the sacrifices of those who have lost their lives while providing an indispensable service.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“In order to deepen those successes we must work together for gender parity, particularly in missions that are moving from military to police and civilian components. For example, we must use the window of opportunity that is emerging from the drawdown of the military component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti to engage more women in police and civilian operations. Peace processes are rarely short or straightforward. The complexity of current conflicts requires a multidimensional approach that prioritizes a range of initiatives. They include providing crucial protection for civilians under threat and strengthening institutions, as well as the rule oflaw, so as to bolster respect for human rights at all levels.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“In many ways, one of peacekeeping's most important contributions to peace is the preparation for a smooth and effective peacekeeping mission drawdown and hand-over to the United Nations Country Team. We have recently seen successful examples of that process in Cote d'Ivoire and soon in Liberia. In Haiti and Darfur, community-violence reduction programmes are impeding the recruitment of at-risk youth by armed criminal groups, thereby contributing to stability and social cohesion. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali mainstreams the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and security-sector reform processes.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“Among other steps, the Secretary-General's recommendation calls for strengthening the leadership of Resident Coordinators and establishing a direct line from them to the Secretary-General, thereby ensuring more responsive accountability, coordination and efficiency on issues that are related to prevention, sustaining development and sustaining peace. In order to effectively implement such reforms and sustain peace we must build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters. Each mission and peacekeeping operation must be considered in its unique political and development context.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“It is crucial to recognize that development is an end in itself and a central part of our work. The Secretary-General's repositioning of the United Nations development system and the reform of the peacebuilding architecture reflect the instrumental role ofthe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a road map for sustainable development and sustaining peace. The Sustainable Development Goals are key tools for preventing crises and achieving sustained peace. The reform of the United Nations system has been designed to reinforce the interlinkages between the 2030 Agenda and the sustaining peace agenda, as outlined in the presentation on the Secretary- General's report on the United Nations development system (E/20183) to the Economic and Social Council in July.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source
“Humanitarian and development actors need to work together to bridge the gap between relief efforts and development aid, and enable Governments and communities to build and strengthen their capacities for resilience, disaster risk reduction and mitigation, and conflict prevention, in particular in developing countries. It is our duty to support the people of the world and provide them with effective and timely humanitarian assistance and development programmes simultaneously, through a coherent whole-of-system approach. Guided by the Secretary-General's ambition to overcome fragmentation and make prevention the priority of the United Nations, we have taken important steps to outline a comprehensive and bold agenda so as to improve how the United Nations delivers to the people it serves.”
2017-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8033 (2017) · source