YouSaid · the spoken record

Emyr Jones Parry

lines on the record: 1,334
first: 2003-07-29
most recent: 2007-08-10
sittings or episodes: 195
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

“Secondly, the report highlights the need to link action on sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping operations with action on HIV and AIDS. On their own, sexual abuse and exploitation are an issue of great concern. Adding the risks of HIV infection exacerbates the critical and complex nature of that issue. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations and troop and police contributors are now required to put in place policies and measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. It is essential that those measures be coordinated and consistent with United Nations policies and programmes to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. The Under-Secretary-General has said that the training for peacekeepers is being revised to take that into account, and that is very welcome.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“The United Kingdom will play its part to provide political commitment, sufficient funding and a response that is coordinated and effective. We are therefore pleased to be supporting the trust funds of UNAIDS and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. It helps train HIV counsellors and supports collaborative projects for peacekeepers and local communities in situations where expertise is often scarce. I want to conclude by highlighting some of the conclusions and recommendations of the UNAIDS report. First, monitoring and evaluation need to be a central component of all AIDS programmes in peacekeeping operations. We cannot hope to tackle the epidemic without the very best information on the size and nature of the problem and whether the solutions which are being used are working.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“The past five years have seen considerable improvements in our knowledge of the epidemic and in the methods being used to tackle it. There is now much agreement on best practices and the need for a common approach by all. We very much welcome the recently agreed UNAIDS policy position on intensifying prevention. We urge Member States to apply those best practices to both their peacekeeping and their national uniformed personnel. The role and the responsibility of troop-contributing countries are crucial. The report also highlights the importance of high- level political commitment, support and advocacy. We warmly welcome the leadership of UNAIDS, which has helped ensure that the issue of HIV and AIDS remains at the top of the international agenda.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“We look forward to welcoming that emphasis in the forthcoming report. Tackling HIV and AIDS among peacekeeping personnel is essential. But, as the report acknowledges, efforts must not stop there. Peacekeepers and the communities they are protecting are both vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. United Nations peacekeeping operations - with their military, police and civilian elements - are in an excellent position to engage with vulnerable communities that have been affected by conflict in order to ensure that the epidemic does not gain a foothold among them. So, the United Kingdom very much welcomes the outreach to local communities that is being done by peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Eritrea and Ethiopia, and we would encourage similar activities in other missions.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“The report also advocates a single national monitoring and evaluation framework and the inclusion of the uniformed services in that system. We agree with that. As the report sets out, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge. Infection rates among armed forces remain, in many places, a matter of guesswork. A robust mechanism for monitoring and assessing impact is essential. So, we welcome the steps that have already been taken by UNAIDS, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and other stakeholders to assess the impact of their interventions on national commitment, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. We look forward to reading the results of that work. It will be critical for UNAIDS to use that learning to guide their future programming and communications material.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“We see four broad issues that are relevant to the links between AIDS and security: first, HIV and AIDS in military and other uniformed services; secondly, tackling AIDS in conflict and post-conflict situations and in humanitarian emergencies; thirdly, AIDS, conflict and gender; and fourthly, AIDS and fragile States. The report and our meeting today focus particularly on the first aspect. However, there are links among all four broad issues that we must not ignore. The UNAIDS report documents some welcome and encouraging progress. AIDS advisers are now in place in nine major peacekeeping operations, and there are focal points in other, smaller operations. Getting the right people with the right skills on the ground is the first essential step in tackling the problem.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“I want to begin by thanking the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, and the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Peter Piot, for their informative briefings and UNAIDS for its report on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1308 (2000). Taking action on HIV and AIDS is a key priority for the United Kingdom Government. The UNAIDS report sets out in stark and honest terms the particular threat that the AIDS epidemic poses to social stability and security. We unreservedly support the efforts being made across the United Nations, including here in the Security Council, to ensure that substantial and concerted action is taken to tackle the pandemic.”
2005-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5228 (2005) · source
“When humanitarian crises, injustice, oppression and bad governance come together, we risk instability and conflict, and then it is the responsibility of the Council and of the United Nations more widely to address such situations and try to help.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Where hunger is the result of chronic poverty rather than an unforeseen crisis, we need to help African Governments provide a long-term response, instead of relying on an emergency system. Again, Mr. Morris's figures on Ethiopia were very revealing. That emphasis on the need to tackle child hunger by feeding and educating children in their places of origin is a good example of how to prevent crises. My last point, which I am addressing to colleagues in the Council in general, is that prevention is so much better than cure. The primary role of the Council is to preserve and ensure international peace and security, and to do that we have to be better at predicting and preventing conflict before it happens.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Jan Egeland also made the point, when we were debating the protection of civilians, that, where there are crisis hunger situations, we must make clear that it is the responsibility of Governments to provide the World Food Programme and all other humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations with full cooperation and access to those in need. Of course, that is a secondary responsibility of Governments, in a way. Their primary responsibility is to protect their own people and to put in place policies which safeguard them so as to try to avoid such problems. Fourthly, the persistent nature of hunger in Africa means that we all now need to look particularly hard at how the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals can be secured more quickly than is happening at present. The year 2150 is not acceptable.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“First, the Executive Director described the so-called triple threat of food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and weakened governance capacity. We agree very much that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has increased the vulnerability of many poor communities in Africa and has weakened the ability of many Governments to respond. The international community needs to do more to help. Secondly, the evidence of changing climatic patterns in Africa needs to be monitored closely for the long-term impact on food production and other natural resources. That should help us to predict possible food insecurity, and to take preventive action. Thirdly, humanitarian access is crucial and the Executive Director touched on the real problems that his personnel have had and the tragedies that have befallen them.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“As for the United Kingdom, in response to the current crisis we have already given more than $570,000 through United Nations agencies, in addition to a contribution since September 2001 of $100 million for relief and HIV/AIDS programmes in Zimbabwe. For our part, we will consider further contributions if, sadly, they prove necessary. It is right that members of the Council should express concern about the impact that food security has on conflict, on peace and on wider security. But we must highlight, too, that bad governance and a failure to work with the international community to prevent food insecurity, as in Zimbabwe, is a legitimate concern for the international community. If I may, I would like to make some precise points relating to what we think might be proposals for future action.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Up to 300,000 people have been made homeless, and thousands of children have been forced to abandon school. It is important to realize that this particular crisis has been caused by the action of the Zimbabwean Government; it is a man-made, not a natural, phenomenon. The economic collapse in Zimbabwe is the result of bad policies and bad governance. No less a figure that Amartya Sen has argued that the role of democracy in preventing famine is now well known. He has pointed out that the great famines have invariably taken place under authoritarian regimes. So we, like others, look forward to the report to be produced by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, on her visit to Zimbabwe, and we hope that the Council will give it due consideration.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Lack of food; poverty; increasing disease through lack of immunization: these can lead to increased refugee flows. And the impact on regional peace and security or, as Mr. Morris put it, on stability, is evident. Zimbabwe is an obvious example. The crisis there is particularly distressing. The international community is already gearing up to increase assistance in response to another poor harvest in that country. The poor communities there have been devastated not just by low food production but by the continuing economic collapse which has undermined their ability to buy food and other staples. Now we are also responding to an additional crisis, a crisis caused by the Zimbabwean Government's crackdown on the poorest communities in that country.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“But governance is itself an indicator of the political state of a country. Bad governance can be a sign of a lack of democracy, of declining respect for human rights or of a potential - or even actual - conflict. Food shortages and the inadequate distribution of food are known causes of instability and can contribute to increasing the potential for conflict. Again, as Mr. Morris put it, hunger is both a cause and an effect of conflict. That is put very succinctly, and the duality of that relationship is clear. Moreover, bad governance is itself a cause of food insecurity. Food crises are often related to access to food and linked to policies of Government. It is not always solely agricultural production. And it is often poor governance and mismanagement rather than drought that are the cause of a crisis.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“The underlying causes of hunger are very complex, but there is no doubt that there are links both to governance and to peace and security - and these are the principal concern of the Security Council. If I may quote the Executive Director, "A lethal mix of AIDS, recurring drought and failing governance is eroding social and political stability" (supra). That is the situation we confront. The forthcoming September summit will provide a major opportunity to take a step forward on development and to try to secure, on time, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. But essentially, development is a bargain between donors and recipients. The former must do more, and they must do it better; and the latter must tackle governance and corruption and have the policies to achieve the Goals.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Like other colleagues, I am very grateful to Mr. Morris for his detailed and very sober briefing on the food security situation in Southern Africa and for his comprehensive assessment, which I thought successfully set out the context of the situation as he sees it following his visit. It is sad, but it is true, that hunger remains a major feature in many African countries. This year, despite a better-than-average harvest overall, there are significant crises, both looming and actual, in several countries. The United Kingdom noted carefully what the Executive Director said about the situation in Darfur and elsewhere, and we have to take account of that in our policies.”
2005-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5220 (2005) · source
“Do we carry on taking comfort in the alibi that we cannot comment on the internal affairs of sovereign States, however extreme the violations, however grave the injustice and, sometimes, when the State is itself the perpetrator? In my opening remarks, I referred to our collective failure to protect civilians in armed conflict, because the United Kingdom firmly believes that the international community has a collective responsibility to protect. That is why we think it is vital that we reach agreement on that concept at the millennium review summit. As the Secretary-General said in his report: "Our declared principles and our common interests demand no less" (A/59/2005, para. 132).”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“There can be no justification for deliberately targeting humanitarian workers or abducting them against their will. We condemn such acts in the strongest terms. The fact that the physical protection afforded by humanitarian emblems has diminished in recent years serves only to underline the need for States to take concrete and urgent action. That is why the Security Council passed a resolution on the subject last year. We urge all those who have not already done so to sign and ratify the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, and to do so without delay. Listening to Jan Egeland's sober catalogue of violence against civilians, the international community has to ask itself whether those situations should continue to be tolerated passively.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“The third gap is in conventional arms exports. We already have treaties and mechanisms to curb the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. But we have yet to tackle head-on the proliferation of conventional arms - weapons that account for so much misery and destruction across the world. The British Government is committed to work with others to secure a legally binding treaty on the international trade in conventional arms, building upon the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and the United Kingdom's own transfer-controls initiative. My last point regards the gap in the safety and security of humanitarian personnel.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“The second is the gap in responses to sexual and gender-based violence, and the fact that such crimes are often committed with total impunity and are not investigated, or those responsible prosecuted. We believe it particularly important to sustain effective national legal and judicial systems. That is why we support the Secretary-General's call for a dedicated Rule of Law Assistance Unit as part of the proposed Peacebuilding Support Office. In circumstances where national systems fail, the international community has a special role to play, including through the International Criminal Court, in order to hold perpetrators of such crimes to account. But of course, I rally to the simple proposition that primary responsibility for protection, for looking after victims and for delivering justice must rest with national Governments.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“The first gap pertains to physical protection: protection for humanitarian convoys, protection for camps for internally displaced persons and protection for areas of unrest, to prevent displacement. While Security Council peacekeeping mandates have come a long way in incorporating protection concerns, we need to take a step further, especially in terms of civilian policing, and to ensure that those enlisted to provide protection have the capacity and the expertise to do so. But capacity is in itself not enough. Member States must have the political will to agree and implement action, and to do so promptly and robustly, to help save and protect lives.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“Those include re- establishing justice and the rule of law, social reconciliation, political mediation and economic development. The summit to be held this September to review the Millennium Development Goals will provide an unprecedented opportunity to make progress on all those fronts and to take a bold step towards the realization of the goals enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations - goals directly aimed at preserving human dignity in a safe and secure world. That is why an ambitious and successful outcome for the September summit is of the utmost importance for my Government. And that is why the subject of today's debate is of direct relevance to the work of the Council. For the purposes of this debate, I would like to draw attention to four key protection gaps, which we believe demand the Council's immediate attention.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“I would like to express my thanks to you, Mr. President, for convening this meeting, and to Mr. Egeland for his briefing and to associate the United Kingdom with the statement to be delivered later by Luxembourg on behalf of the European Union. Despite significant gains in the evolution of international humanitarian and human rights law, and despite the best efforts of national Governments, civil society actors and international organizations, we have collectively failed to protect civilians in situations of armed conflict, as we have been starkly reminded by Jan Egeland's briefing today. Of course, the issues are highly complex and challenging. They encompass a wide range of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as peacebuilding, issues.”
2005-06-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5209 (2005) · source
“I think the questions I would have asked have been asked. I would just extend from the United Kingdom every best wish to Burundi now as it moves forward, that it should do so with utmost success.”
2005-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5203 (2005) · source
“Like other colleagues, I am grateful to both speakers for their contributions earlier. Ending impunity for past crimes in Burundi is vital. It is necessary for national reconciliation. It is essential for justice, and it is a desirable deterrent throughout the region. Therefore, the United Kingdom supports very much the recommendations we have heard this afternoon. The hybrid special chamber, with the mandate up to the present day, should deliver the lasting benefits which are necessary, will help the Burundian judicial system and will be, we hope, a continuing deterrent to any future actions. Mr. Zacklin's justification of the commission, which we set in the context of the work of the special chamber, was particularly welcome, because we had been interested in the interaction, how the two would come together.”
2005-06-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5203 (2005) · source
“The transfer of a number of case files to Rwanda raises the question of the death penalty and the capacity of the Rwandan judicial system to cope when faced with perhaps a great many legal cases connected with the genocide. Could we have some comments on that? How does the Prosecutor intend to handle related issues? Those are my detailed questions. In conclusion, I thank both Tribunals for the tremendous work they are doing and their representatives for the part they play in that.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“For our part, the United Kingdom was pleased, with the Government of Norway, to co-fund the project. But the speed and the cost-effective manner of its implementation has been quite remarkable. The Prosecutor set out some ideas on an active programme for tracking and arresting the remaining fugitives likely to be brought to trial by the ICTR. It would be very welcome if we could have more information on that. As well, the increasing demands on the Appeals Chamber and the need to increase the number of appeals judges in the future is something which ought to concern us. It would be useful to know whether or not there has been cooperation and consultations between the two Tribunals; it would help to get clarity on that, as well as an estimate of the increase we think would be needed to take us forward on the whole completion strategy.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“Croatia will be judged on the concrete results of its action. The reduction in financial arrears owed to the ICTY over the past 12 months is certainly very welcome, but $71 million remains outstanding. It is incumbent on all Member States to bring their contributions up to date without delay. Turning to the report of the ICTR (S/2005/336, enclosure), I again thank the President and the Prosecutor for the briefings they have given the Council this morning. I particularly congratulate President Mose on his reappointment as President. Steady progress is being made towards implementation of the completion strategy. The establishment of the fourth courtroom will further enhance the Court's already good performance in trial turnover. The assistance and the contribution of the Government of Tanzania is very much welcome.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“As we approach the tenth anniversary of Srebrenica, all the countries involved in the conflict of the 1990s have an opportunity to put behind them the events of the past and to move forward. Let us hope that the recent showing in Serbia of a graphic video bringing home the brutality and the actuality of events will actually have the required impact, because the clearest evidence that we can have of meaningful reconciliation is the delivery of those three individuals to The Hague. So, the acknowledgement by the Croatian Government, through the adoption of an action plan, that it can and must do more to locate and arrest Gotovina is welcome. But an action plan in itself is not enough, and we look to the Croatian authorities to take the decisive action required to deliver Gotovina to the ICTY.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“The recent referral of one case to the Sarajevo War Crimes Chamber is welcome, as is the commitment of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to assist the ICTY in monitoring any such transferred cases. This has been a remarkably good six months for the ICTY. Twenty indictees have arrived in The Hague, and now only 10 are at large. It is particularly welcome to hear the Prosecutor's comments on the cooperation which he is now getting from regional leaders. But, as others have underlined, it is a fact that Karadzic, Mladic and Gotovina have still not reached The Hague. A requirement set out on numerous occasions by the Security Council is full cooperation, and that is clearly not yet the case. The United Kingdom agrees very much with the comments made by Ms. Del Ponte.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“The United Kingdom warmly welcomes the establishment of working groups of judges to examine procedures and practices to speed up trials and appeals. We look forward to hearing about the implementation of their recommendations. The Prosecutor's review of indictments to see whether cases can be joined and the number of charges reduced is very much welcome. It would be helpful to have more details on the projected savings in trial time if they are available. The President of the Court has mentioned the possibility of building a fourth courtroom to increase trial capacity. The remarkable speed and cost- effectiveness of the installation of such a courtroom at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) may indeed be a good precedent. Fully costed ideas on that would indeed be very welcome.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“I would like to address each Tribunal in turn, beginning with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Like others, I thank the President and the Prosecutor for their reports on the progress made by the ICTY towards meeting its completion strategy and, in particular, on the completion of investigations by the Prosecutor by the end-of-2004 deadline, both of which are very welcome. We note the Tribunal President's indication that it is too early to say accurately when ICTY will complete its work, but that trials are likely to slip beyond the 2008 deadline into 2009. I know that the President will want to keep the Council closely informed as that position becomes clearer.”
2005-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5199 (2005) · source
“But it is equally clear that Kosovo's final status, whatever it is to be, must be negotiated, must be fair to the interests of all communities in Kosovo and must promote regional stability and multi-ethnicity. For its part, the United Kingdom, in the Contact Group, in the Council, in the European Union and in the region, will continue to work to build a stable, sustainable European future for Kosovo and for the region as a whole, a future in which we very much hope that Serbia and Montenegro too will assume its rightful place within the European family.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Covic's perception of, for example, freedom of movement for minorities in Kosovo does not seem to us to be borne out by the situation on the ground as reflected by the empirical data in the technical assessment annexed to the Secretary-General's report- an assessment which I did not consider actually to have been "embellished". I use that word because Mr. Covic used it I think, three times. We do not consider it to have been embellished. The trend remains positive, and the Provisional Institutions should continue to work hard on making the implementation of standards of tangible benefit to all Kosovars. When final status discussions begin, it is clear that an independent Kosovo is one option to be considered.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Instead, the Serb interest would be better pursued through constructive engagement by Belgrade and if Belgrade encouraged and empowered the Serbs in Kosovo to take their full part in the different processes within Kosovo. Fourthly, the United Kingdom fully supports the Special Representative's emphasis on the importance of restructuring the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Ambassador Kai Eide first brought this to the Council's attention in his report of August 2004 (S/2004/932, annex I, enclosure), and we look forward to action beginning on that soon. In conclusion, the Secretary-General's report (S/2005/335) and the Special Representative's technical assessment contained in its annex I give cause for qualified optimism. But there can be no room for complacency; there is much more hard work ahead. But Mr.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Kosovo Serb participation this week in the decentralization working groups is also encouraging. In our view, the authorities in Belgrade should now be actively encouraging Kosovo Serbs to take their rightful place in Kosovo's Government institutions. The only way for Kosovo Serb interests to be fully reflected and addressed now and in the future is through the full engagement of Kosovo Serbs in Kosovo's political life. I like what the Special Representative said when he noted that the fault was not in Kosovo but that the victims were. I also listened to and heard the specific points made by Mr. Covic. But it struck me that the best way to address shortcomings is not across this Chamber.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“It is therefore disappointing that there has been little progress on the Government's five decentralization pilot projects since the last time the Council discussed Kosovo, in February. As the Contact Group made clear to Prime Minister Kosumi on 25 May, progress on those pilot projects before and during the comprehensive review will be a factor in determining the outcome of that review. Thirdly, Kosovo Serbs need to be allowed to play a full part in the political life of Kosovo. I did not say that Kosovo Serbs should play a full part in the life of Kosovo. That, I hope, is obvious. I said they should be allowed to play a full part. The United Kingdom welcomes the resumption of the direct dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on energy, missing persons and transport.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Demonstrable progress in the standards implementation process must continue up to, during and beyond the review. It remains up to the Provisional Institutions and all of Kosovo's communities, with UNMIK's help, to make progress on standards if the review is to decide that it is possible to move to the next stage and to start discussing Kosovo's future status, as provided for in Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). However, standards are much more than just a means to future status discussions. They represent fundamental issues which will be decisive for the future of Kosovo and its people, irrespective of issues of status. Secondly, decentralization, while not formally one of the standards, is a key measure of progress and an important element in reassuring minorities.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Kosovo's institutions reacted quickly and calmly in electing a new Government after the indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of former Prime Minister Haradinaj. The Belgrade Government's calls for calm following that indictment also helped. That voluntary resignation and surrender to the Tribunal is an example of cooperation with the ICTY, which others should certainly follow. I have four points on priorities for the coming months. First, the United Kingdom welcomes the Secretary-General's recommendations to begin this summer a comprehensive review of Kosovo's progress. We look forward to the early appointment of a special envoy to conduct that review. The outcome of the comprehensive review is not predetermined.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“Mr. President, I am particularly pleased to welcome you. I am grateful to the Secretary-General for his report and to the Special Representative for his briefing, for his outstanding and, I think, impartial leadership of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and for the integrity that he brings to his work. It is good to welcome Mr. Covic back, and I thank him for his intervention. The United Kingdom associates itself with the European Union statement to be delivered subsequently by the representative of Luxembourg. The United Kingdom shares the Secretary- General's assessment that progress in implementing the standards for Kosovo has continued since his last report, although it is clear that further and continuing progress will be required.”
2005-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5188 (2005) · source
“More generally, do we have the willingness to put in place systems and to accept our global responsibilities to tackle the conflict spectrum as a whole and to be prepared to help build peace where necessary? The summit in September in New York is the opportunity for nations to make it clear that we accept that responsibility to help countries become peaceful, rule-of-law abiding, democratic States, moving towards economic prosperity. The Peacebuilding Commission is a key aspect of that implementation. The challenge for the summit will be for heads of State or Government to make clear that the international community is prepared to accept this responsibility, and therefore to will the means to implement this commitment much more successfully.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“If that is true - and there is a lot of evidence out there today that it is - the United Kingdom believes that it follows that a society underpinned by respect for human rights and the rule of law is essential for any post-conflict society to achieve lasting peace and stability. Fledgling democracies will carry the people with them only if basic freedoms are respected and if the Government is seen to work for the good and the development of all the people. In conclusion, political will is key to success. It determines how well we react to a given crisis. Does the international community have the determination to resolve a particular conflict and then to make the real effort necessary to build peace in that country?”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“The instruments of peacebuilding and the emphasis on rule of law and human rights can also be directly relevant to pre- conflict situations. Sustained effort is, therefore, necessary throughout the spectrum from potential conflict, to conflict to peacebuilding if we are to have less conflict to resolve. It is becoming increasingly accepted that a breakdown in rule of law and increasing violations of human rights are reliable indicators of impending conflict. Regimes whose authority is questioned often cut corners on fundamental freedoms. This will generally deepen discontent and hasten conflict.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Seventh, we need to sustain political will and attention until a country has made the transition to development and sustainable peace. Peacebuilding is a long-term effort; there are no quick fixes. The time horizon for transition is five to ten years, if not more. Yet studies show that post-conflict countries are most vulnerable to a return to conflict three to five years after the end of fighting. That is why, very simply, we have to sustain international attention and funding throughout that period into durable stability. Lastly, while peacebuilding is crucial, it is only part of the conflict spectrum. Moreover, there is no regular sequence in which conflict ends, peace is re-established and stability ensues.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Sixthly, we need to strengthen our collective expertise and human resources. It is much more difficult by definition to mobilize civilian experts. But their contribution is crucial, especially in the critical area of the rule of law, which can be the key to stability in the early phases of peacebuilding. Therefore we need to develop mechanisms to get the right civilian expertise into post-conflict situations much more quickly. The Secretary-General is working on a roster of experts in justice and the rule of law, and the European Union is developing similar rapid civilian deployment capacities, as are many Members States, including the United Kingdom. But these efforts need to be brought together so that we have an inventory of rapidly available capacity which can be launched as soon as they are needed.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“Hence the strong need for the proposed Peacebuilding Commission to permit all those interested in a given situation to come together, to identify strategy and then to deliver their individual contributions with maximum coherence of effort and minimum gaps and overlaps. And that, of course, leads directly into the role of what a Special Representative of the Secretary-General should be doing in theatre. Fifthly, we need earlier, adequate and more predictable funding for peacebuilding, as many have already argued. Donor pledges for reconstruction often take six to nine months to arrive. But, as Mr. Wolfensohn reminded us, immediately a conflict has ended, financing is required, inter alia, to pay civil servants, the military, police, teachers, doctors and so on, as cash is invariably short for Governments.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“It is therefore critical that national/transitional Governments and local civil society are involved from the beginning and help set priorities for peacebuilding and reconstruction. Fourthly, it seems to the United Kingdom that we need better coordination and coherence within the international community. It is inevitable and indeed desirable, that many different international actors take part in peacebuilding, including, often, regional organizations. We therefore need to ensure that there is no wasteful duplication of effort or unhealthy competition on the ground. Instead, the different components need to make concerted, coherent and positive contributions.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“The question is: do Special Representatives have the necessary training and experience to fulfil these roles? Are they recruited in a manner that ensures that we have the best talent available for this vital job? Do they have a clear set of objectives set by the United Nations Headquarters, with desired outcomes to work towards? I fear that the answers to those questions are invariably negative. Thirdly, we need the right combination of national ownership and international support, as others have already argued. The international community has a moral duty to help States resolve conflict and a strong interest in seeing this succeed. But for peace to be sustainable, it must be owned and driven forward by the people of the country.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source
“So all those involved, be it the United Nations Development Group, the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs or the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, need to be working on the same set of comprehensive elements. Integrated missions, where all elements of the United Nations work together in a coherent and coordinated way, are still not a sufficient reality. Secondly, that integrated plan needs to be delivered by one responsible individual. The advantage of the post of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General is that this person should have the authority and resources to deliver all aspects of a peace-support operation, including welding together the work of the specialist agencies and giving strategic direction to a peacekeeping operation.”
2005-05-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5187 (2005) · source