YouSaid · the spoken record

Egeland

lines on the record: 421
first: 2003-12-09
most recent: 2022-01-27
sittings or episodes: 20
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

“Indicators suggest that with central authorities being unable to provide security in 80 per cent of Afghan territory, the security situation may worsen further. In Somalia, the prognosis is equally bleak. In the past four months, 500 people have been killed, 2,000 have been injured and an estimated 18,000 have been displaced as a result of the fighting in Mogadishu alone. Urgent political action is required to stop that country, already ravaged by war, from spiralling further back into chaos. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, figures are worse still, with daily reports of massacres, rapes and scores of children dying from disease and neglect associated with the conflict. In Darfur, the African Union reports that 69 people were killed in the month immediately following the signing of the Darfur peace accord.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“In Iraq, the Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, civilians continue to bear the full brunt of armed conflict and terror. Despite all our efforts, women are still raped 06-40877 and violated as a matter of course, children are still forcibly recruited and defenceless civilians continue to be killed - in violation of the most basic principles enshrined in centuries of international law-making. In the time that we take today to debate how best to protect civilians, dozens will have died from the direct, blunt and brutal Violence of conflict in just the six crisis situations that I mentioned earlier. At the end of June, President Karzai stated that up to 600 civilians had been killed in Afghanistan in recent weeks.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Together, they provide a principled framework to ensure better protection for all civilians in situations of conflict. The new resolution details how peacekeeping missions can better provide physical protection for civilians. However, it still fails to ensure a predictable response to the massive suffering of vulnerable civilians. We, as the United Nations, and the Security Council specifically, now have the responsibility to protect, as reaffirmed in resolution 1674 (2006). There are too many times when we still do not come to the defence of civilian populations in need. When our response is weak, we appear to wash our hands of our humanitarian responsibilities to protect lives. The world is, indeed, a safer place for most of us, but it is still a death trap for too many defenceless civilians - men, women and children.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Our collective efforts are having an impact: more systematic engagement by the Security Council in more crisis areas, more comprehensive peacekeeping; an enhanced humanitarian response and more mediation and effective judicial recourse offered in more places have contributed to stronger protection and the reduction of conflict related civilian deaths. Where there is concerted, coherent and systematic international action and strong positive political engagement from the parties to conflicts, we can - and we will - make significant progress. The recent adoption of Security Council resolution 1674 (2006), on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, is fundamental to this progress. It represents a strengthening of the earlier resolutions 1265 (1999) and 1296 (2000).”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Mr. Egeland: There are signs of progress in our work to better protect civilians caught in conflict. First, while there are more than 20 million displaced persons of concern to the Office of the United Nations High 2 Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) worldwide, the High Commissioner documents that the overall number of refugees fell to 8.4 million in 2005 - the lowest figure since the 19605 and half the number of a decade ago. Secondly, in a number of countries, including in southern Sudan and Burundi, the prospects for return for the displaced are improving - a positive development. Thirdly, with the reduction in the number of armed conflicts, according to the Human Security Report, most of us are living in a safer world. Conflicts have been resolved and displacement brought to an end in, for example, Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“The Council's attention will remain crucial, as the next few weeks will be make or break. We can turn the corner towards reconciliation and reconstruction, or see an even worse collapse of our efforts to provide protection and relief to millions of people. All of us have to do whatever is in our power to make sure that we finally turn the corner to a better future.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Such an arrangement could help make refugee and IDP areas more secure and enhance the safety of humanitarian workers. The High Commissioner for Refugees is developing various options in that regard. In Darfur and eastern Chad, humanitarian relief constitutes a lifeline for close to 4 million people. Attacking relief workers or impeding their work means attacking that lifeline. If relief workers have to pull out, hundreds of thousands of lives are put at risk. Those attacking our colleagues not only violate fundamental norms of humanitarian law, they also endanger the lives of millions of their fellow citizens. Impunity for the attacks has to stop, and the attacks themselves have to stop. Lastly, I want to thank the Security Council for the re-energized attention that is has been paying to the critical situation in Darfur and eastern Chad.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“That means that we are confronted with a very dangerous vacuum that is being filled by rebels, militias and others, leaving civilians, IDPs, refugee camps and relief workers utterly exposed. Something has to be done urgently to prevent a scenario in which more and more civilians are attacked and displaced, refugee camps become increasingly militarized and potentially embroiled in the conflict, and relief workers have to be withdrawn. A number of options could be considered, including assistance to the Government of Chad to enable it to meet its security responsibilities. Humanitarian organizations have also been employing more Chadian security staff themselves. But we also have to consider other security arrangements now, before the situation become much worse.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“One group of IDPS I spoke with at the Gouroukoun site near Goz Beida had been attacked three times before deciding to flee the villages. One indication of the lawlessness in eastern Chad is the fact that at least 13,000 people have fled from Chad to Darfur in recent weeks to escape the fighting and the attacks. The humanitarian colleagues I spoke to during my visit expected the situation in eastern Chad to deteriorate further, rather than improve in the coming weeks. At the same time, President Deby made it very clear to me that the Government lacked the capacity to ensure the security and protection of the civilian population in eastern Chad and of the humanitarian organizations that are there to assist them.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Severe funding shortfalls are also a major constraint, with only 25 per cent of the required $179 million funded to date. I am considering a CERF request that has just been submitted by the Humanitarian Coordinator, but we urgently need additional donor contributions for the operation in Chad. Another major concern in eastern Chad is the targeting of refugees and IDPs, including children, for recruitment by various armed groups. This is undermining the civilian and humanitarian character of the camps, and further increases their vulnerability to attack. The displaced and the civilian population are also being threatened by militia and rebel attacks and by the almost total lack of law and order in the area.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“As I was able to see during my visit to Abeche and Goz Beida, the threats against relief workers and the civilian population in eastern Chad are at least as serious as those in Darfur. A total of 24 vehicles have been hijacked from humanitarian organizations in eastern Chad in the past few months alone. Only two weeks ago, a UNICEF colleague was shot and almost killed in Abeche. As we speak, staff at the French military hospital are fighting to save her arm. All of these attacks are being committed with total impunity. As a result of the insecurity, United Nations agencies and NGOs have been forced to reduce staff and programmes in many areas, at a time when needs are continuing to increase, particularly those of the 50,000 new internally displaced persons.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Large areas throughout Darfur are inaccessible to us as a result of those direct attacks and the continuing fighting, as can be seen from the map that we distributed. In many parts of West Darfur, we have had no - or only very limited - access since last December. NGOs are using every available means to distribute food and other supplies, including through food committees and donkey convoys. But nowhere near enough assistance is getting through, and the hunger season is approaching. The few sources of food and income left to the local population are threatened by militias that burn crops, continue to steal livestock and continue to abuse women collecting firewood. Let me turn now to the situation in Chad.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“I also came back from the visit with an even greater sense of admiration for the thousands of humanitarian and AMIS colleagues on the ground. Their commitment to work in the most difficult conditions and under constant threat to their personal safety is truly awe-inspiring. The attacks against relief workers have been relentless and are threatening our operations in many areas. Our staff, compounds, trucks and vehicles are being targeted, literally on a daily basis. In El Geneina alone, there were seven armed incidents against NGOs in three weeks. The Government urgently has to ensure law and order in areas under its control, as I discussed with Vice- President Taha. All rebel factions and militia groups have to stop hijacking vehicles and attacking relief workers.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Following the findings of my mission, I have also approved a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) grant of $21 million to cover the most urgent additional needs resulting from the most recent wave of displacement in recent months, which is not covered by the work plan that we issued in November of last year for 2006. We also urgently need new and substantial contributions from donors for the rest of the Sudan. The total shortfall under the work plan for 2006 amounts to $983 million. Many vital sectors have received less than 20 per cent of their funding. Humanitarian programmes in southern Sudan are still only 17 per cent funded. I want to appeal especially to those donors that have so far contributed much less than they did last year, and to donors in the Gulf region that have a particular interest in the Sudan.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Given the four-month lead time for food deliveries, additional pledges are needed now, not in one or two months. Overall, we still face a shortfall of $389 million for Darfur alone. During my visit, I could see the impact these shortfalls are having on our operations, particularly those of United Nations agencies and many smaller NGOs. Feeding centres have had to be closed, food cannot be distributed, staff is being reduced, teachers in camps are no longer being paid and many IDPs no longer have access to free health care in hospitals. I hope the Government will consider filling some of those gaps, particularly the payment of teachers' salaries and fees for health services.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“This is the first pledge by the Government of the Sudan to the United Nations appeal since the beginning of the Darfur crisis. It sends a positive signal at this important moment, and provides urgently needed relief to Sudanese citizens. Together, these contributions of cereal will help to increase the rations from 1,050 kilocalories to 1,770 kilocalories per person per day until August. However, additional funding is still needed for other essential items in the food basket, such as sugar, salt and pulses. And even the additional cereal contributions are not enough to carry us through to the next harvest at the end of October. The World Food Programme still needs an additional 53,000 metric tons of cereals for September and October to cover the entire "hunger season", as it is called locally.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Secondly, another positive development is the number of new contributions that have reduced the grave funding shortfall for Darfur from 80 per cent to 60 per cent in recent days. Most important, the World Food Programme will be able to avert at least some of the ration cuts for Darfur as a result of several generous pledges, including an additional 47,000 metric tons from the United States Government, a purchase of 35,000 metric tons through internal loans against an expected pledge from the European Commission, and 20,000 metric tons being contributed by the Government of National Unity of the Sudan. I had appealed for this contribution from the Government of Sudan in my meetings with Vice- President Taha and Minister Kosti and want to express my appreciation for their prompt action.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“The Government should also lift the many other access restrictions listed on the fact sheet we provided to Council members during my last briefing, including those restrictions for work in eastern Sudan. This includes the application of the agreement between the Government and the United Nations to allow freedom of movement to all United Nations staff. The refusal by the Government to implement the relevant provisions of the agreement is having increasingly dire consequences, particularly in the east where essential relief activities had to be suspended. It would be very timely and important for the upcoming Security Council mission to the Sudan to review these humanitarian access issues with the Government.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“These rules should ensure that national and international NGOs can carry out their activities freely and effectively, and in accordance with international human rights standards. These are encouraging initial steps. But to resolve the daily administrative nightmares we face, they now have to be translated into real changes in the way national and local authorities deal with humanitarian organizations and staff, in particular the Humanitarian Aid Commission and national security authorities. To implement the moratorium, I take for granted that visas and stay permits (which are valid until the end of January 2007) will be issued to NGO staff, as was initially agreed.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“First, regarding access restrictions, both the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Kosti, and Vice-President Taha gave me assurances that the previously agreed moratorium on restrictions for Darfur would now be fully implemented. They also agreed that procedures for humanitarian organizations had to be clear and predictable, which today they are not. Since then, a policy statement has been issued by the Vice-President declaring the Government's intention to ensure fuller humanitarian access to Darfur. Furthermore, after our meetings, the Humanitarian Ministry and the Aid Commission convened a gathering with NGOs in Khartoum with the stated purpose of opening a new chapter of cooperation. NGOs were also invited to work with the Government in the drafting of new rules and regulations to implement the feared and restrictive NGO law.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“But we must ensure that all returns occur voluntarily and in safety and dignity, in full compliance with international standards. Well- established mechanisms are now in place between the Government, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in this respect, which we should use and build upon. We hope that conditions will be in place that would allow significant returns between the end of the coming rainy season and the planting season in the spring of 2007. When I briefed the Council one month ago, access restrictions and funding shortfalls were threatening the viability of our humanitarian operation in Darfur, the largest single operation on Earth. While that remains true today, I also have some positive developments to report.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“AMIS needs a new and stronger mandate for protecting the population, patrolling dangerous areas, building confidence and helping to implement the peace agreement. It cannot be right that so many of these courageous men and women serving with AMIS have not even been paid their salary for two months. AMIS has to be supported and strengthened immediately to give it the capacity and credibility to do its job. As the Secretary-General said to the Council last week (see S/PV.5434), we cannot afford to lose a single day. A stronger and larger AMIS presence will also help establish the kind of secure environment in which IDPs will be able to return home. Plans have been in place for some time to support returns, and some Government officials seem eager for this process to be accelerated, even prematurely, before the upcoming rainy season.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“They are essential to avoid epidemics, flooding, the blocking of access and the destruction of infrastructure. Every day counts, as time is running out. An outbreak of cholera in Kalma would be a nightmare scenario for the 95,000 inhabitants of this crowded camp as well as for the population of nearby Nyala. I also hope that AMIS civilian police can return quickly to Kalma and to several other camps from which it has had to withdraw in the last few days. I welcome the appeal by Mr. Abdel Wahid of the SLA, calling for restraint and calm. I also welcome the response of the many sheikhs and youth leaders who apologized for the numerous incidents during the demonstrations. The role of AMIS is more important than ever.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Given the systematic nature of the looting, it is believed that the attack on the AMIS compound was well planned and coordinated in advance. The incident in Kalma underscores the fact that new and better security arrangements have to be put in place for the camp. Discussions are ongoing in that regard, particularly regarding the future involvement of Government police. In a positive development, when I met with the Governor of South Darfur, he agreed that the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) could return to Kalma as camp coordinator - a decision also confirmed to me by Second Vice-President Taha. The speedy return of the NRC will not only help to lower tensions in what has been the largest and most volatile camp in Darfur, but also allow the much-needed preparations for the approaching rainy season to start.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Senior Government officials with whom I spoke seemed fully committed to the implementation of the agreement and eager to turn the page. At the same time, however, a string of demonstrations have been taking place against the peace agreement in IDP camps in all three Darfur states. In several instances, the demonstrations have turned violent and have resulted in casualties, including in Kalma, in South Darfur; in Zalingei, in West Darfur; and in Abu Shouk, in North Darfur. The most troubling aspect of several of those demonstrations has been the targeting of unarmed AMIS personnel and compounds inside the camps. A particularly tragic incident occurred on 8 May, the day I visited the Kalma camp. The AMIS police compound in the camp was attacked and systematically looted, and a Sudanese AMIS language assistant was brutally murdered.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“The main road from Nyala has to be declared "no-go" for extended periods, and local government authorities have been blocking fuel deliveries for bore holes and water pumps. Nevertheless, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam and another non- governmental organization (NGO), ZOA, are managing to provide food, water and other relief, and the World Food Programme (WFP) and two additional NGOs are planning to start operations in the coming weeks. It was too early to tell what the impact of the peace agreement on the ground would be. The local representatives of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) with whom I spoke in Gereida, who are part of the Minawi faction, told me they accepted the peace agreement despite some reservations.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“The number of displaced in Gereida has tripled in the past four months, with current estimates ranging between 100,000 and 120,000. Recently arrived internally displaced persons (IDPs) with whom I spoke gave harrowing accounts of attacks on their villages by Government forces and militias only 12 days prior to my visit. In fact, on 14 May, after I left, an armed militia attacked another village southwest of Gereida, as confirmed by AMIS. Reports of attacks on villages in other areas of Darfur are still reaching us almost every day. As more and more people arrive in Gereida with little or nothing to sustain them, the humanitarian community is only barely able to meet the rising needs and is confronted with constant access problems.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“With so much at stake, all of us will regret it if we fail to do everything we can right now to achieve the immediate goals on which we all agree: implement the peace agreement and bring on board those who have not signed it, immediately and substantially strengthen the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS), take concrete steps to accelerate the transition to a United Nations operation and make sure that the humanitarian lifeline to more than 3 million people is secure and funded. The alternative to peace and reconciliation is what I saw in the Gereida area in South Darfur: massive displacement, constant violence, attacks against civilians, and a few humanitarian organizations struggling to provide relief to more and more people.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“Mr. Egeland: Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this opportunity to brief the Council on my visit to the Sudan and Chad between 6 and 11 May. What I saw in Darfur and in eastern Chad drove home how much is really now at stake. The next few weeks will be absolutely critical for millions of lives in this region. With the Darfur peace agreement, signed the day before I arrived in the Sudan, there is finally real hope that we are turning the corner. But we could also still enter a downward spiral that would pull millions even further into the abyss. The alternative to peace could be catastrophic. With even more violence and attacks, the humanitarian operation could not be sustained and relief workers would have to withdraw. Malnutrition and mortality rates would again multiply - in some areas within weeks, not months.”
2006-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5441 (2006) · source
“President, that you will do it in a slightly slower The meeting mxe at 12.2017.m. pace, but I hope that it will only be slightly slower than the pace I havejust suggested as being needed. lf there are no other comments from colleagues. then the Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on its agenda.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“We as OCHA are phasing out of Angola, Sierra Leone - of a number of areas. We are phasing down in Liberia as we speak. We are discussing handing over operations in places in southern Sudan to our development colleagues in the course of next year. Africa is the youngest continent, and it is one The President: Thank you very much indeed, with great promise for positive change. With increased Mr. Egeland, for your briefing and for the way in resources next year from the 6-8, from the European which you have dealt with the questions. Union - all of those who have promised greatly increased resources - I think we can do a lot. But then we must make progress on the political and security fronts. So I am very heartened to hear that Council members will now study our proposals. You say, Mr.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“My first mission was as a young assistant to Torvald Stoltenberg and Lord Owen during the joint United Nations-European Union effort in 1994 in the Balkans, namely in Bosnia. I saw at that time how we discussed safe areas in Bosnia and the provision of increased food, water and sanitation to Srebrenica and to the other safe areas. People were not disarmed at the time, there was no political or security action commensurate with a large humanitarian operation, and then Srebrenica happened. Let us not repeat that in the places that I have described. We have to have some way of healing the wound, because we recognize we are the plaster on the wound. I would like to end on a positive note, because, as the representative of Greece and others have noted, there has also been a lot of positive change in Africa in recent years.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“With a new emergency Fund, we may have more predictable funding. With a better coordination structure among ourselves as humanitarian workers, our work will be more effective and we will have more leadership among humanitarian coordinators on the ground. The technological revolution makes it possible for us to do miracles where before we had to be passive observers to suffering. But too often we see that this technological revolution is not being reflected in an ethical, moral and political revolution that would make it possible for us to really do our work. Here I am very heartened to hear many members say that yes, there has to be progress on the political front, in terms of peacemaking and security.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“The Secretary-General has been invited by President Mugabe, who reiterated that invitation to me while I was there. The Secretary-General is planning to send Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari on a mission to engage in dialogue with the Government. We hope to see progress on many fronts, so that both Mr. Gambari's visit and the possible visit by the Secretary-General can advance our work and our common agenda. I should like to make two final and general points, which also surfaced during our debate. Indeed, humanitarian work is, overall, making major progress. We are thankful for the increased attention of Security Council members and for their increased investment in us. In 2005 we achieved an unprecedented number of goals; we reached more people more effectively and more speedily.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“As I tried to outline in my briefing, if there are changes in the various areas where we see the Government changing its policies and practices; if donors invest not only in food handouts but in financing agricultural production and livelihoods; if there is a climate in which the Government and others facilitate our work in all aspects so that we can become effective in all aspects, including in the area of shelter; and if the disastrous evictions and other practices stop - if all of those things happen, I think that we will see positive change in Zimbabwe. We need to see positive change; indeed, cross-border migration is also continuing, because the situation is becoming intolerable for many people. The representative of Denmark asked about a future United Nations engagement with Zimbabwe.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“It is the kind of situation where we have to say, it cannot continue like this in 2006, with yet another generation of children being abducted to become killing machines on behalf of that movement. The proposed panel of experts would be one way of finding out why it does not stop, why it continues, why it is allowed to go on. I really urge the Council to look at the other proposals as well, regarding both northern Uganda and the regional dimension of the crisis. As humanitarians, we have the hope that we can now say, "Enough is enough. We have to see change." Zimbabwe could continue to deteriorate, but it could also improve in the year ahead. If there is one country in the world that should be able to feed itself, it is Zimbabwe.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“I have tried to describe the situation: millions of people are being affected by the actions of as few as 1,000 combatants roaming around those areas. But when they target humanitarian workers and civilians, the consequence is immediate paralysis. The representative of France asked how this could be, how the situation could continue - how such a small number of fighters could wreak such havoc. I really do not know. It may be due to neglect and ineffective action over so many years. The Lord's Resistance Army has been active in northern Uganda for nearly 20 years, and now it is acting regionally. It is really an outrage to see what has been unfolding over the past 20 years. It must stop. It really must stop.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“We would have 13,000 humanitarian workers caught in the crossfire and, of course, operations would be paralysed. Within weeks, millions would starve and be in the utmost peril. We should therefore rather focus on how to achieve success in Abuja, so that our progress can continue and we can plan for the return of people. Again, it is the kind of situation that is unsustainable in the long term. We cannot have many millions of people on regular food handouts in overcrowded camps. It has to change for the better. The same is, of course, true of the Ugandan situation. Not nearly enough attention has been paid to the crisis in northern Uganda. I hope that attention is forthcoming, as the crisis has now become a regional one.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“We are once again down to levels of access that are comparable to those we started with in 2004. Our colleagues in the field say, therefore that they are extremely worried that the major gains we have made could be lost. Again, it goes back to not having had political and security progress commensurate to that made in the humanitarian area. The parties - the armed groups, the armed men - are outrageously irresponsible, at all levels, in their acts against civilians and internally displaced persons. Some of them are also outrageously irresponsible in their whole attitude towards reaching a negotiated settlement. A question was asked as to what the consequences would be if no deal is reached in Abuja. Well, I do not dare to even think of the consequences, because the situation could potentially totally unravel.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“In each of these three situations, there is at the moment a crisis that is deteriorating. What is happening in Darfur, in northern Uganda and in the region at large, and also in the southern African region, including Zimbabwe, is indeed a moral outrage. First, with respect to Darfur, the reports we are getting from our colleagues in the field is that it all could end tomorrow. Together we have built up a remarkable humanitarian operation. Against all odds, mortality rates are now one third of what they were in the beginning of 2004. We have been able to provide logistical changes - a camp management operation, a food operation, a water sanitation operation, primary health care and primary schooling, which is remarkable. Now it is all in jeopardy.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“Mr. Egeland: I thank you very much, Mr. President, for organizing this meeting, and I give my heartfelt thanks to the members of the Council for their support for this type of briefing and for the work that our colleagues are doing on the ground under very difficult circumstances, often with their own lives at stake as they try to prevent further suffering and a further loss of lives among our beneficiaries. There is a strong consensus around the Council table that the situations that I have described must see positive change in the year ahead. Indeed, as the representative of China observed, our motive as humanitarians in bringing this up is that we need to see change. We want to see change. It is our job to bring to the Council's attention situations that are going badly or which are deteriorating.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“The greatest contribution we can make to addressing humanitarian crises in Africa is determined, energetic and sustained efforts to bring an end to the conflict and injustice that cause so much suffering in Africa.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“We must demonstrate our humanity by responding equally to the needs of those affected, whether they are families returning home to the southern Sudan, young men and women looking for a future beyond the IDP camps of northern Uganda, or AIDS patients trying to sustain their families through a drought in Zimbabwe. I call upon all Member States to live up to their commitments to fund, support and facilitate a much more ambitious development and humanitarian agenda. And finally, we must recognize that too many of these humanitarian crises result from a total absence of peace and security. Humanitarian aid cannot be an alibi for an unwillingness to address the root causes of conflict.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“More is currently at stake in terms of lives saved or lives lost in Africa than on any other continent. At the same time, there is great hope and opportunity, given the forward-looking initiatives of the African Union and the subregional organizations. Also, the Group of Eight countries and other donors have pledged more resources for Africa than at any other time. In this coming year, we must and can see change. As humanitarian workers, we cannot accept that so many lives are lost every year on this continent to preventable diseases, neglect and senseless brutality. We cannot accept that low levels of funding impede our operations in so many places.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“The Government must stop further evictions and be more flexible in allowing shelter and other programmes for those affected. It must ensure that beneficiaries are assisted solely on the basis of need. The United Nations and our humanitarian partners, as well as the donors, should be guided in their own response by the needs of the population. We should provide the appropriate level of assistance where and when we identify the needs. Beyond food aid, we need to invest in food security, livelihoods and basic services. The Governments in the region and in Africa at large should engage more proactively with Zimbabwe to find constructive solutions, also given their interdependence and the risk of increased migratory movements. All parties must understand the importance of neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“There is no substitute for engagement and dialogue at all levels in order to address the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. From my discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe, I am convinced that the United Nations and the humanitarian community at large must try to engage more actively with the Government to address the enormous humanitarian crisis. We reached agreement on some issues during my mission: a more active and systematic dialogue on food security; a more hands-on approach to resolving bureaucratic problems for humanitarian organizations through one- stop shops at both the Government and the United Nations; and the initiation of a shelter programme for households affected by the eviction campaign. However, sustained progress will require the following.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“Yet we much recognize that this huge need for food assistance is symbolic of the vicious cycle that we are caught in. It was raining when I left Zimbabwe, but all expected that next year's harvest would be poor because of the lack of a skilled agricultural labour force, in part caused by the devastating toll of the HIV/AIDS pandemic; counterproductive agricultural policies and practices; and a lack of inputs such as fertilizer, seeds and tools. It is not sustainable to provide food assistance for millions of people year after year without making the necessary investment to get out of the situation. We can have a new approach that again will provide food security for all Zimbabweans. That will require major efforts from all, nationally as well as internationally.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“Basic services continue to deteriorate, particularly in the health, water and sanitation sectors. Inflation currently stands at over 500 per cent. In that context, and as I told the Government in my meetings in Harare, the massive urban eviction campaign of hundreds of thousands of people was the worst possible action at the worst possible time. We are now entering the peak of the "lean season". Food prices are rising fast, placing some basic commodities out of reach for a growing portion of the population. I welcome the memorandum of understanding finalized by the Government and the World Food Programme, which will ensure that these emergency needs are met. I also hope it will lead to better collaboration between the Government and the humanitarian agencies in other sectors.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“Finally, I have just returned from Zimbabwe and South Africa. As I reported to the Council in April, the humanitarian situation in the subregion is already very serious due to severe food insecurity, widespread HIV/AIDS and inadequate basic services. More than 10 million people in the region are in need of food assistance. The situation could deteriorate in 2006, particularly in Zimbabwe and Malawi, unless actions are taken to meet immediate needs and to reverse the decline in key sectors. In Zimbabwe, the humanitarian situation has worsened significantly in 2005. More than 3 million people - almost one third of the population - will receive food through WFP in January and even more will receive assistance come April. Annual maize production, the basic staple, is one third of what it was several years ago.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source
“To help the Council consider further steps and improve its understanding of the LRA, it could consider appointing a panel of experts. Such a panel could explore the sources of funding and support for the LRA and work with the three affected Governments and other parties to determine how the Council could most effectively contribute to reducing the threat emanating from the LRA. The Council could request regular updates on the effects of the LRA's activities on the region. I also hope that, in their reports to the Council, the United Nations Mission in the Sudan and the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can indicate what else they can do, within their mandates, to provide security to relief workers and help create the necessary conditions for the return of refugees and IDPs.”
2005-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5331 (2005) · source