YouSaid · the spoken record

Edrees

lines on the record: 286
first: 2008-02-12
most recent: 2020-03-11
sittings or episodes: 32
sources: un-security-council

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“Mr. Edrees (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to congratulate and thank you, Mr. President. I also thank Mr. Nikolay Mladenov for his briefing and ongoing efforts to promote the peace process in the Middle East and maintain its terms of reference, as well as his attempts to contain the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip while continuously encouraging Palestinian reconciliation efforts. Today's briefing and statements only reflect the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people. We all know it full well. Therefore, I will not touch upon the factors or reasons behind the situation, which is due mainly to the continued occupation and practices of Israel, which, despite the illegality of its actions, has been able to maintain an unacceptable situation on the ground.”
2019-01-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8449 (2019) · source
“Egypt will inaugurate a relevant AU centre in Cairo that seeks to ensure cooperation and the mobilization of efforts to achieve peace, stability and security on our continent and in the world.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“The Foreign Ministry of Egypt and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding hosted over the past few days a high-level regional conference in Cairo on developing the performance of peacekeeping operations in Africa. A number of United Nations and African officials took part in that conference, including the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. The conference sought to build on the content of the Declaration of Shared Commitments and to give troop- contributing countries the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on developing the performance of peacekeeping operations. As President ofthe AU in 2019, Egypt will continue to strengthen the strategic partnership between the AU and the United Nations in peacekeeping, reconstruction and development in Africa.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“In order to ensure the success of peacekeeping operations, we must ensure a just distribution of obligations and tasks among troop- contributing countries, donor countries and the Secretariat. This is also linked to strengthening the strategic and operational coordination between the United Nations and the African Union (AU). In closing, my country endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in September, as part of the Secretary- General's Action for Peacekeeping initiative. We have also signed on to the Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians. That demonstrates Egypt's commitment to continuing to work to achieve more effective international peacekeeping operations.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Therefore, we must focus, as a United Nations priority, on the safety and security of peacekeepers and we must allocate financial resources and provide technical capabilities in line with the challenges facing our international troops in Africa. Fifthly, we must stress the importance of national ownership and respect for the sovereignty of concerned African States. Peacekeeping operations must contribute effectively to creating the necessary security environment to allow States and institutions to carry out their responsibilities, including the provision of security and basic services to their citizens and support for the basic role of States in ending conflicts. Sixthly, we must ensure an equitable distribution of responsibilities and strengthen the partnerships of the United Nations.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Those are the main criteria for ensuring the success ofpeacekeeping operations and the safety and security of international peacekeepers on the African continent. Thirdly, we must design clear and sequenced mandates for peacekeeping operations in Africa. The clarity of mandates is one of the most important criteria for ensuring the success of peacekeeping operations. Mandates must be realistic and capable of keeping track of developments on the ground, including political developments. Fourthly, we must ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers. We have witnessed recently an increase in casualties and in threats facing peacekeeping operations, especially as those international operations expand in Africa.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“First, priority must be given to political solutions, and the United Nations response to African conflicts must be adequate and comprehensive. Peace cannot be achieved through military and security solutions alone without clear political vision. In order to ensure the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, the United Nations must increase its efforts and resources in order to respond to all stages of the conflict, and strive to build peace according to the priorities of every African host country and in line with the specificities of every conflict. Secondly, it is important to be committed to the basic principles of peacekeeping, including the consent of the parties to the conflict, impartiality and the non-use of force, except in cases of defending the mandates or self-defence.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Currently, Egypt is among the 10 countries that contribute the greatest number of troops and police to peacekeeping operations. Egypt believes that in order to enhance the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, we need to adopt a comprehensive approach to all stages of those operations, including mandate design and periodic review, the configuration of missions with the provision of equipment and deployment processes, as well as exit strategies. Therefore, we must adopt practical and objective frameworks to assess performance, resources and the alignment of the configuration of every mission with its mandate and with the security and political environment. Egypt would like to stress the following points.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“We therefore thank the Chinese presidency for convening this open debate. We are keen on participating in this meeting in order to underscore our commitment to joining any effort aimed at promoting the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations on the African continent. In our capacity as Chair of the Group of 77 and China, we have contributed to negotiations on increasing the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations, the 2019 peacekeeping operations budget and the Secretary- General's proposals on the structural reform of the peace and security architecture. Egypt is committed to supporting and developing peacekeeping operations in Africa, and it has contributed to those operations since 1960. Over the past six decades, we have contributed more than 30,000 Egyptian troops and police to 38 peacekeeping operations.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Mr. Edrees (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I should like to express my condolences to Malawi and Tanzania on the deaths last week of their nationals in peacekeeping operations. United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa have achieved considerable successes over the course of the Organization's history in terms of maintaining international peace and security and protecting civilians. The tasks of those peacekeeping operations have evolved over decades and the expectations of the international community have increased. However, at the moment those operations are currently facing unprecedented challenges in carrying out complicated tasks in an unconventional security environment and a tendency to reduce the funding for those missions in Africa. That is why our meeting today is particularly important.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Allow me to remind the Council of the wise words that should never be forgotten of former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, at the first Security Council summit ever held on 31 January 1992, in which he stated, "Collective security can be based only on collective confidence and good faith - confidence in the principles by which it is governed and good faith in the means by which it is sought to be ensured. With all the convulsions in global society, only one power is left that can impose order on incipient chaos: it is the power of principles transcending changing perceptions of expediency." (S/PV3046, p. 11)”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“On 18 and 19 November, Egypt will host a regional high-level conference on improving the performance of peacekeeping operations in Africa, based on the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, and allow troop-contributing countries to take part in discussions related to improving peacekeeping operations. In conclusion, we have become accustomed to the presence and criticism of the United Nations. We have therefore forgotten that the results achieved by the Organization can only reflect our cooperation or lack thereof.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“In that regard, during its chairmanship of the African Union in 2019 Egypt will continue to focus on the various dimensions to implementing the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, notably by strengthening the institutional framework for tripartite dialogue among the troop- and equipment-contributing countries and the Secretariat. We also intend to deepen the strategic partnership with the United Nations in peacekeeping and in rebuilding and development efforts in post- conflict situations.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“Egypt remains convinced that the effective deployment of peacekeeping operations requires an overall vision of all their stages, from designing the mandates to the periodic reviews, as well as the structure of operations and the equipment, predeployment and exit strategy. It is therefore important that we establish practical and objective frameworks to assess performance through the competent bodies. We also have to ensure that there are sufficient resources available for the implementation of mandates and that the structure of the operation is commensurate with the specific nature and situation of the mission.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“In the light of the three areas that I have mentioned, and given that my country is a major contributor to peacekeeping operations, as well as the fact that Egypt is due to Chair the African Union in 2019, and that the African continent has the highest number of peacekeeping operations and contributes the highest number of peacekeeping personnel, allow me to once again state that Egypt welcomes the adoption of the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, an initiative of the Secretary- General that will enable troop-contributing countries to participate in a more significant way in the consultations pertaining to strengthening peacekeeping operations.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“In that context, I would like to warn against the growing threat of becoming dependent on voluntary funding as opposed to regular base funding, which is moving the Organization away from its mission and the multilateral nature of its main objectives.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“However, we cannot ignore the impression shared by some of us, enhanced by some of our practices, that our main multilateral Organization is increasingly becoming a forum for the mere delivery of speeches, with no effective implementation of measures or real impact. That is creating pseudo-multilateralism, of which we should be very wary. The effectiveness of our Organization depends on our belief in it and respect for its Charter and on the capacities that we dedicate to allowing it to effectively fulfil its mission. In that regard, it is important that multilateralism also include decision-making and not be limited to mere deliberations and statements. We also need to provide the Organization with the resources necessary to implement the mandates that we have entrusted to it.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We support the Common African Position, which seeks to bring genuine change to the Council's decision-making mechanism, rather than simply cosmetic changes. That brings me to the third and final aspect of our vision for strengthening multilateral action and our practices, namely, the lack of commitment to collective action in the light of the difficulties we face and the substantial efforts that are required to achieve it. The notion of collective action entails the generation of solutions on which everyone agrees so that we can attain the Sustainable Development Goals and maintain international peace and security. In practice, that requires intensive and tough deliberations and consultations, as well as compromise and creative and innovative vision.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“The successive crises that we are facing as a human society have proved that multilateral action on a small scale- so-called mini- multilateralism, or closed forums diplomacy - have created a kind of alternative multilateralism, which has not prevented conflicts from breaking out or made it possible for the international community to overcome them. That applies to all areas, be it the maintenance of international peace and security, global crises or other issues, including the recent international financial crisis, the effects of which are still being felt. With regard to multilateral institutions, I would like to make particular reference to the structural irregularities of the Security Council. It is important that we advance towards the genuine reform of the Council in order to remedy the hegemony of certain members.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“This selective approach is exacerbating the state of polarization we have historically seen in the Council, and has undermined the ability of the international community to resolve recent ongoing crises, such as those in Yemen and in Syria, as well as its ability to reach fair and lasting solutions to more long-standing issues, such as the Palestinian question. That brings me to the second area in strengthening multilateralism, which is through the establishment of democracy worldwide and ensuring the universality of multilateralism and fair representation.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“Our efforts to establish international peace and security are facing similar challenges. This selective approach is undoubtedly leading to opportunistic multilateralism, which is harmful in the long term to the trust and credibility we have placed in international institutions and multilateral action. In this context, the selective approach of the Security Council in dealing with certain issues, including those relating to the Middle East, and its double standards with regard to the implementation of its own pertinent resolutions have greatly contributed to the current regrettable situations in that delicate part of the world, which is characterized by deterioration and disorder.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“Our recurring dialogue on this issue reflects the difficulty ofthe challenges multilateral action faces, as well as our shared awareness of the need not to delay in addressing them by strengthening contexts and practices related to multilateralism. In this regard, I would like to stress three areas that I believe are particularly important and should be a priority in strengthening multilateralism. First is the comprehensive approach pertaining to crises and other issues. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a road map for our common future has provided us with a global approach to development. Nevertheless, we are concerned to see that attempts are being made by some to choose to discuss certain issues and close their eyes to others.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“(spoke in Arabic): I would like to begin by thanking the delegation of the People's Republic of China for having convened today's important meeting on ways to strengthen multilateral action and for inviting Member States to take part in this debate. I also thank the Secretary-General and the representative of the President of the General Assembly for their valuable briefings at the beginning of the meeting. Today's debate follows another high-level dialogue, which was called for by the President of the General Assembly on 31 October, on the renewal of our commitment to multilateral action. That debate was also co-sponsored by the Presidents of the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“Egypt stands ready to provide all forms of support to our Syrian brothers in the next phase of the process, including by providing them with constitutional expertise that could be useful in the coming days. We also express our readiness to work constructively to bring together the various views among Syrian national factions so as to firmly establish the country's sovereignty and ensure the integrity of Syrian territories and the safety of the Syrian people.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing further delays on the political track, which threaten to create additional complications in the crisis and to increase the suffering of our brother people of Syria. Let me underscore the need for Special Envoy De Mistura to exercise his authority and call for the convening of the first meeting of the constitutional committee without delay, as he indicated earlier that he would, while keeping in mind that the lists for the committee have been drawn up. We also hope that the Special Envoy will brief the Security Council and keep it updated on the progress made, especially following his visit to Damascus. In conclusion, I underline that Egypt will remain committed to supporting the brotherly people of Syria.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“I reaffirm our rejection of allowing the political process to be held hostage to developments on the ground or of simply succumbing to the delusion of a military solution. In that context, I reaffirm the content of the statement issued on 27 September at the recent ministerial meeting of the Small Group in New York, on the margins of the General Assembly meetings. The statement called for support for a political solution and the convening of a constitutional committee to that end as soon as possible. I would like to remind the Council that work on the constitutional committee is aimed primarily at facilitating political negotiations by moving forward the activation of one of the four negotiating baskets.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Today, we reaffirm and underscore that the brotherly people of Syria will be able to heal from the damage and the wounds suffered by their country over the past several years only through a comprehensive and inclusive political solution, provided that it is based on international consensus embodied in resolution 2254 (2015) and the United Nations-led Geneva process. Unfortunately, 10 months have passed since the latest round of negotiations was held within the framework of the Geneva process. That is unacceptable. The lack of progress in the negotiations will simply exacerbate the crisis and hold it hostage to the situation on the ground, which will lead to the further deterioration of the situation and an increase in the number of victims of the Syrian crisis. We must not remain silent in that regard.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Whether it be the Al-Nusra Front or others, and regardless of their nationalities, those terrorist organizations - in Idlib or elsewhere - must be stopped from spreading beyond Syria to other countries of the region, including Libya, with which we share a border of over 1,000 kilometres. We are not here to simply substitute one safe haven for terrorists with another in a region that has been blighted by disputes and conflicts, external interference and terrorist organizations and militias.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“We have warned of the dangers of ignoring or turning a blind eye to parties that have transformed parts of Syria into fertile ground for terrorism and extremism. Certain parts of Syria would not have become safe havens for terrorist groups had it not been for the questionable failure of the international community to uphold its duty in this regard, a failure that requires further explanation. I am compelled to reiterate the same call that we have issued time and time again to all countries, especially the major Powers, to set aside their differences and search for an adequate format, to be coordinated among them, in order to eliminate the presence of terrorist organizations inside Syria.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Moreover, it has positively used its non-permanent membership of the Security Council to contribute to guaranteeing continued humanitarian access to Syrians throughout the country, including Idlib, over two full years. We made strenuous efforts to prevent humanitarian support from being affected by the polarization witnessed in the Security Council during that time. Those efforts were crowned by the adoption of resolution 2393 (2017) concerning cross- border assistance, based on a draft resolution that we penned in cooperation with Sweden and Japan. Furthermore, since the beginning of the crisis, Egypt has consistently affirmed the need to eradicate terrorism and extremism in Syria. We have warned of the dangers of being lenient with terrorist organizations or politicizing the positions of countries in this regard.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Such a solution would at the same time meet the aspirations of the Syrian people in all its different factions and components and allow them to live in prosperity, freedom and democracy. Egypt has not reaffirmed this position simply by making statements and slogans; rather we have translated our words into action at every level. In recent years, we have communicated with all Syrian parties in order to facilitate a settlement. We have exerted great efforts to support the voices of the national opposition and to make them heard and heeded in order to counterbalance the voices of extremism that enjoy the funding and support ofmany other parties. This has given Syrians the opportunity to establish the Cairo platform, which has become a main foundation for the Syrian national opposition. Egypt has also sponsored many truce agreements in Syria.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“Mr. Edrees (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): I would like at the outset to thank you, Mr. President, for giving us the opportunity today to address the Council and to clarify the Egyptian position at this important stage in the Syrian crisis. I would also like to express our appreciation to Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and thank him for his comprehensive briefing. Since the early days ofthe crisis, Egypt has reiterated what everyone has said today - that there is no military solution to this crisis and a settlement in Syria will be achieved only through a political solution that would uphold Syria's sovereignty over its territories within one country for all Syrians.”
2018-10-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8373 (2018) · source
“In conclusion, we look forward to any new serious initiatives for a comprehensive political settlement in the upcoming period. We are ready to support any such initiative politically and practically as long as it is based on restoring the Palestinians' legal rights. We reiterate that the Palestinian question remains the focal point of the Middle East, and dealing with the crises in that area must take this fact into consideration and not conflate it with other challenges.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“But let me reiterate the Egyptian call for a resumption of direct negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides on the basis of the clear and defined international guidelines contained in Council resolutions, most recently resolution 2334 (2016), and let me recall that these principles will remain valid as time goes on because the rights they reflect are inalienable. I recall once again that these rights are not the reason why we have not reached a political settlement; on the contrary, it is because they have been neglected, circumvented and not realized. This is why the international community has failed over the years to achieve peace. It has been shown that an economic approach alone will not work unless it is combined with a political vision or is the natural outcome of peace.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“In the same context, I call on the Palestinian parties as well to respond quickly to the Egyptian efforts in order to achieve reconciliation, and I appeal to the international community and members of the Security Council, notably the influential parties, to support these efforts and build upon them gradually, especially through steps that started effectively with the return of the Palestinian Authority to control the Gaza crossings. I am not here today to talk once again about the violations or the injustices afflicting the Palestinian people. The Council and the international community are well aware of that.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“Furthermore, I urge them to take into consideration previous experience and other accords that have regulated the movement to and from Gaza. I also implore them to refrain from consecrating fake accounts about the means to alleviate humanitarian suffering that focus on ways to excuse the occupying Power from its responsibilities or make other parties pay the price of that occupation, including by touching on the opening of crossings without clarifying the facts or specifying responsibilities.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“Let me recall that this situation has not arisen out of a vacuum and that any attempt to turn a blind eye to the root causes underlying the situation will only prolong the tragedy and lead to the potential collapse of the Strip. Therefore, I caution once again that the deteriorating situation is only one of the symptoms of the current stalemate in the peace process. It must not be addressed in isolation from the broader context of the Palestinian question and an end to the occupation. Gaza is part of the occupied Palestinian territory, as is the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. I call on the members of the Council, when they debate that question, to be guided by international law, international humanitarian law and specific, unambiguous responsibilities therein.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“In that context, Egypt, voluntarily and in solidarity with the people of the Strip, worked to mitigate that humanitarian crisis during the past period, despite the fact that we do not have a legal responsibility to do so. We have opened the Rafah crossing, which is for individuals, and worked to alleviate that crisis. But those exceptional measures will not be enough until Israel lives live up to its responsibilities in accordance with international law and until the control of the Palestinian Authority over the Strip has been restored. Egypt welcomes the interest of the Council in the humanitarian situation in the Strip.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“Consequently, there have been more unilateral measures and decisions made with regard to the holy city of Jerusalem that contravene Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. The human tragedy witnessed in Gaza today is one of the grave symptoms that I have mentioned. Let me again caution on the situation of the people of Gaza, the huge pressures on them and the potential explosion of the situation there, due to the energy crisis, the crisis of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), confrontations with the Israeli security forces that have claimed the lives of scores of Palestinian victims, and the obstruction of movement to and from the Strip.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“The region and the world have seen the injustice that has befallen successive generations ofPalestinians, who still await their independence, the return of their land and the enjoyment of a dignified life like that enjoyed by other peoples of the planet, and like the Israeli people whose State was established by a resolution of this Organization, living side by side with the Palestinian people. Instead of seeing an end to such an unjust situation through the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, the two-State solution is regressing in an unprecedented way because illegal settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes are eating away at Palestinian land, while imposing an artificial division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“Regrettably, we meet again today to discuss the focal question that goes back over 70 years, remaining without settlement not because of a lack of ideas, the rules of international law or the resolutions of the Council, but because of the lack of ability or will to engage in serious negotiations to end the Israeli occupation of Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Golan, and reach international consensus to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people through the establishment of an independent Palestinian State based on the 4 June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. There are multiple symptoms of the continued occupation and the absence of a clear political horizon.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“Mr. Edrees (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): Let me begin by extending our thanks to the Swedish presidency of the Security Council for holding this open debate and to Mr. Nickolay Mladenov for his briefing today and his persistent efforts to settle the Palestinian question.”
2018-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8316 (2018) · source
“We are willing here to make available all of the services of the Cairo International Centre to provide training on conflict resolution and the maintenance of peace at the regional and sub-regional levels and to provide greater protection for children. Seventh, we cannot eliminate violations against children's rights in conflict areas without a comprehensive implementation of transitional justice systems or bringing perpetrators to justice. Eighth, the Peacebuilding Commission plays a key role in highlighting the issue of the protection of children in peacebuilding efforts in the aftermath of conflict. We support the call made by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to include specialized child advisers in the various peacekeeping missions.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“We pay particular attention to child education and health and to support their families, with the new strategy for children 2015- 2020. We are also taking special measures to help refugee or displaced children who have left conflict zones and are currently on Egyptian territory so that we can ensure them the same levels of health and education services as their Egyptian counterparts. Sixth, Egypt pays tribute to the regional and sub-regional dimensions reflected in the new resolution on children and armed conflict, especially since the exploitation of children can be a cross-border issue. This drew the attention of Egyptian research centres, which have done many studies on unaccompanied children moving across borders to flee conflicts. They are easy prey for human traffickers and armed terrorist groups.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“We call on the Secretary-General to continue, in his next report, to follow up on such violations and to include their perpetrators on the list annexed to the report, not to point fingers to one party or another but to identify solutions that will ensure the protection of Palestinian children in the occupied territories. Fourth, the lack of funding for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for children remains a major obstacle in their protection. We therefore support the appeal made in the resolution adopted today to the international community, particularly the donor community, to increase its contribution to such programmes. Fifth, Egypt has ratified the 2007 Optional Protocol on prohibiting child recruitment, and amended its Constitution to comply therewith.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“The report refers to positive aspects regarding children in situations of conflict worldwide, with one exception: the children in the Palestinian territories, whose suffering continues as a result of killings, detention and the bombing of schools under the yoke of Israeli occupation. We wish to know why the perpetrators of those violations were not included in the annex to the report. We echo the Secretary-General in calling on the Israeli Government to respect international principles relating to justice for minors; to reconsider its use of administrative detention for children and of solitary confinement for them as a punitive measure; and to discourage the use of children as spies.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“First, we reiterate that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians, particularly children, in armed conflict lies with the Governments concerned. Second, we will not be able to prevent conflicts, as resolution 2427 (2018) states, unless we attack the deep-rooted causes of their outbreak, which include obstacles to sustainable development and the combating against poverty. We must link conflict prevention with cooperation with States so as to build their capacity. Third, although we support the most recent developments in terms of the way in which the report of the Secretary-General is drafted, we believe that no double standards should be used.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“Egypt calls on the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to pursue its positive approach, aimed at ensuring that these reports are not merely a tool for pointing fingers at one party or another but can truly sound a warning to the international community about the threat posed by such violations and promote the identification of solutions to protect children in armed conflict areas. We support her mandate, which will be consolidated by means of resolution 2427 (2018), which we have just adopted and which Egypt co-sponsored. The resolution will complement the legal and institutional framework of the mandate, and we trust that this will have positive repercussions for children in areas of conflict next year. Against this backdrop, we wish to emphasize the following points.”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“Mr. Edrees (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): I would like to thank you, Madam President, as well as the Swedish presidency ofthe Security Council, for having convened this important meeting on an issue that we deem of great interest and high priority. My thanks also go to Ms. Virginia Gamba for her valuable briefing on the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (S/2018/465), as well as to Ms. Henrietta Fore and Ms. Yenny Londofio for their briefings. More than 245 million children are living in conflict-affected areas throughout the world. This year's report records the highest percentage of violations of children's rights since Graca Machel's famous study (see A/51/306).”
2018-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8305 (2018) · source
“Many regions of the world have managed to overcome decades-long wars and conflicts and to establish sustained peace and cooperation. This would not have been achievable in the absence of clear rules for coexistence, cooperation and respect for diversity and differences. We are confident that the States of the Middle East can set such rules, and we hope that our discussion today will set the stage for concrete, practical and serious steps to be taken in the right direction.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source