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

“But recent events have underlined the fragility of the cessation of hostilities and the need for both sides and others in the region to avoid any action which could undermine it. It is also clear that the humanitarian effort faces serious challenges, not least in securing access to all those parts of Lebanon affected by the conflict. In that context, we support the Secretary-General's call for the air and sea blockade on Lebanon to be lifted as soon as possible. No one should underestimate the difficulties inherent in securing political agreement on issues where the two sides have such divergent views. In this context, it will be important to find arrangements that facilitate direct contacts between the two Governments. However, the progress reported by the Secretary- General is grounds for cautious optimism.”
2006-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5515 (2006) · source
“The Secretary- General reports that this has greatly improved the frequency and quantity of humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, and we underline our full support for his efforts to secure the political agreement necessary for a long-term solution, including through the current Visit to the region by Terje Roed-Larsen and Vijay Nambiar. The progress in planning for the enhanced United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployment is encouraging. The priority now is to give UNIFIL the resources to do its new job and to turn the many welcome offers to contribute into forces on the ground, as some have already done. The United Kingdom has already made a firm offer of air and naval assets and stands ready to deploy them quickly if the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) takes up our offer.”
2006-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5515 (2006) · source
“I am grateful to Under-Secretary-General Gambari for his briefing and to the Secretary-General for his report on the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) (S/2006/670). The United Kingdom aligns itself with the statement to be delivered shortly by the representative of Finland on behalf of the European Union. On Lebanon, the objectives of resolution 1701 (2006) are clear: to bring about a full cessation of hostilities, to create the space for an urgent humanitarian relief effort, and to begin a process leading to a permanent ceasefire and lasting peace. The United Kingdom welcomes the progress already made towards achieving those objectives. The cessation of hostilities has largely held.”
2006-08-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5515 (2006) · source
“I would conclude by underlining the importance of a public information component in the new mission to avoid a repetition of the escalation of panic that occurred during the recent crisis, which was partly caused by rumour filling the void left by a lack of reliable information. In support of Ian Martin's concluding remarks, let me say that we all need the Security Council to send a signal of continuing commitment to Timor-Leste, a signal that that commitment will be sustained until the job of the international community is done.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“We support the Secretary-General's intention to establish a human rights and transitional justice unit that would ensure effective follow-up to and implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor- Leste and other transitional justice mechanisms, including the process relating to the Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR). The transition of all justice-sector actors currently working under the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL) should go ahead, but I note of course that there are concerns regarding potential duplication with the United Nations Development Programme. Since both gender and youth issues have the potential to lead to future instability, it is important that gender and youth aspects be incorporated into the work of a follow-on mission.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“Given that the initial focus of the mission will be on policing and security-sector reform, it will be important that the mission have strong leadership with an appropriate background in that area. The United Kingdom endorses the findings and the recommendation in the Secretary-General's report on justice and reconciliation. The follow-on mission should assist the Timorese authorities to ensure accountability for human rights abuses and redress for victims.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“Putting in place the force-generation mandate of a United Nations force would, in our view, inevitably be time-consuming and, in practice, unnecessary given the presence on the ground of the partners and the requirements for the interim. We welcome the coordinated efforts between partners on the ground involved in the international stabilization force and the United Nations mission. We favour its providing appropriate guarantees to the mission; but it should be left there. It is not clear to me that a United Nations military liaison office needs to be included in the mission to assist the Border Patrol Unit in the planning and conduct of border security operations. Border tensions seem no longer to be a source of instability in Timor- Leste, as evidenced by the absence of incidents during the recent crisis.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“Following the recent crisis, police forces outside of Dili have continued to function reasonably well, so there should be no need to return to the levels of international police that were seen in 2001. It is important that a clear timetable be established for handing back executive functions to the police service and for a drawdown following next year's elections. As a bridging measure, we need the continued presence of an international stabilization force in the short term to provide support to the follow-on mission which we will be deploying, I hope, as a result of this discussion. The Australians and others are making a valuable contribution on the ground. The national command structures allow them to respond flexibly to changes as they take place.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“A revised approach will be essential to address the political origin of the recent crisis. We therefore support the recommendation made by the assessment team for United Nations support during the elections, in order to reassure the population and the international community that the elections are free and fair. We can thus endorse the proposal for a mission to coordinate a comprehensive review of the security sector, assessing options for the development of both the defence force and the police service. That will be vital in achieving sustainable peace in Timor-Leste. We agree that the reconstitution of the police service of Timor-Leste is the core task. We therefore support the proposal for a temporary blue-hatted executive police force within the mission. That police component should be of an appropriate size.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“I should like to begin by aligning myself with the statement to be delivered later by the Permanent 5 Representative of Finland on behalf of the European Union. In welcoming our former colleague Jose Luis Guterres, I should like to congratulate him on his elevation to the post of Foreign Minister of Timor- Leste. Like others, we are grateful to Ian Martin for leading the assessment mission to Timor-Leste, and to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report (S/2006/628). We welcome the Secretary-General's proposal for a compact between Timor-Leste and the international community in order to reorient the existing national economic plan and coordinate the activities of the Government, the United Nations and other actors in building the capacity of State and Government institutions.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“The region continues to have the Council's support and engagement as well as that of the rest of the United Nations, financial institutions and the international community at large. It deserves it. What that means is international support by all who can contribute, so that in any individual country and across the region, we tackle the three essential elements of peacebuilding: the ending and the prevention of conflict, delivering political progress based on institutions and the rule of law, and providing sustained economic development and implementing the Millennium Development Goals. West Africa demands and deserves our support for those goals.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“In C6te d'Ivoire, the international working group must ensure that the roadmap to a durable peace, including free and fair elections and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, is fully implemented. In Gambia, the ongoing investigations into the failed coup in March are a continuing concern. But West Africa has reason to be hopeful. What is clear to me is that we must work to ensure that the countries of the region can succeed together. Any individual failures will only jeopardize the prospect of gains for the others. That is why this thematic debate is so timely. That is why, as the presidential statement we will adopt today calls for, the United Nations in general and this Council in particular must continue to take a regional perspective.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Both countries should focus on nation-building, good governance, the fight against corruption, entrenching democracy through free and fair elections, tackling the root causes of conflict, such as youth unemployment and access to justice, encouraging economic growth and building efficient and effective institutions to deliver national services. The holding of presidential elections in Sierra Leone next year will be a particular test. We all need to continue to be vigilant, to watch developments in the region carefully. Worries remain over Guinea, which has the potential to destabilize the entire Mano River basin. We must all do what we can to work with regional actors to help bring about a peaceful and democratic transition there.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“The United Kingdom will support both countries through bilateral aid programmes, through our contribution in the European Union and through the training we are providing to each country. The arrest of Charles Taylor and his transfer to the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague was a particular triumph, not only for West Africa but for Africa as a whole, and for the system of international justice, because it demonstrates an ending of impunity. Liberia, like Sierra Leone, therefore also has the chance to build on its peace now.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Of course there are setbacks, as recent events in C6te d'Ivoire have shown, but the region now has a real opportunity to consolidate its fragile but increasingly stable peace. Through this Council, we need to work with the Peacebuilding Commission and, through the efforts of the entire United Nations family, make sure that the United Nations as a whole reinforces its support to West Africa so that it can build upon the gains that are being made. There is, of course, still a long way to go, but the United Kingdom is committed to the region, through its military and long-term development support. Both 06-4607] Sierra Leone and Liberia stand on the threshold of becoming regional and African success stories. Both have the opportunity to draw away from conflict once and for all, using instead their many resources to grow and develop.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“President, your country's record of stability and good governance sets an example to the subregion and more widely, and the United Kingdom stands fully behind Ghana in its efforts. We very much appreciate the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to bring peace to the region, and we are committed to working with the African Union and ECOWAS to deliver regional solutions to West African problems. Without that regional approach, there can be no lasting peace and stability. As we have seen only too clearly, adverse events in one State can quickly spill over into neighbouring States. But compared to the dark days of a few years ago, it is good now to see that peace is embedding itself within West Africa.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“I warmly welcome the initiative of Ghana to hold this debate. It is a particular pleasure, Sir, to welcome you back to the Council and to see you presiding over our work this morning. I should also like to thank our visitors who have already contributed to the debate and to associate the United Kingdom with the statement to be made by the representative of Finland on behalf of the presidency of the European Union. The United Kingdom has always had a particularly close interest in West Africa, an area which is central to the work of the Security Council. So, I should like to thank His Excellency President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Government of Ghana for their particularly strong and continued commitment to promoting regional peace and stability in West Africa, particularly in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire. If I may say so, Mr.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509 (2006) · source
“Should Iran implement the decisions of the IAEA and the Security Council and enter into negotiations, we would be ready to hold back from further action in the Security Council. We reaffirm that the proposals that were conveyed to Iran by the six countries on 6 June 2006 remain valid. The choice is now for Iran to make. We urge and encourage Iran to take the positive path by implementing the steps required by the IAEA Board and the Security Council and to return to talks on the basis of the ambitious package which we have put forward.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“We concluded that there was no alternative but to seek today's resolution, which creates a mandatory obligation on Iran to suspend fully all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA. A full suspension is required to help build confidence and to create the atmosphere of trust necessary for negotiations. Negotiations cannot succeed if Iran is continuing the activities that are the main source of international concern. We have adopted a Security Council resolution that makes the IAEA-required suspension mandatory. Should Iran refuse to comply, we will work for the adoption of measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the Charter.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“Suspension will not hinder Iran's development of a modern, civil nuclear power industry in any way, but the continuation of enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, would allow Iran to develop the know- how to produce fissile material suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Given the concern about Iran's ambitions, that is not a risk that we can afford to take. Our proposals suggest a procedure for reviewing the moratorium once international confidence in Iran's intentions has been restored. The United Kingdom is deeply disappointed that Iran has neither given any indication that it is ready to engage seriously on our proposals nor taken the steps needed to allow negotiations to begin.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“When Javier Solana presented those proposals, he made clear that it was essential for Iran to take the steps required by the IAEA Board in its repeated resolutions and by the Security Council in its presidential statement of 29 March. Those include the full suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA. For our part, we said that if Iran suspended all enrichment activity, we would be prepared to suspend further action in the Security Council.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“They would give Iran everything it needs to achieve its stated ambition of developing a modern, civil nuclear power industry, including active support in the building of light-water power reactors in Iran, participation in a uranium enrichment facility in Russia and legally binding assurances relating to the supply of nuclear material; address Iran's concern that it should not depend on a single foreign supplier; and provide a substantive package of cooperation in less proliferation-sensitive nuclear research and development. In addition, the proposals would also offer Iran significant political and economic benefits, including a trade and cooperation agreement with the European Union.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“The international community has shown great patience. We have given Iran many opportunities to show that it has no intention to develop nuclear weapons. Regrettably, Iran has not taken the steps required by the IAEA Board and the Security Council that would help build confidence. The United Kingdom remains fully committed to working for a negotiated solution. On 6 June, the European Union High Representative, Javier Solana, presented to Iran, on behalf of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, a new set of far-reaching and imaginative proposals for a comprehensive agreement that we would negotiate with Iran. The proposals offer Iran a way forward that would enable a solution based on mutual respect and cooperation.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is one of the Security Council's vital roles in carrying out its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Iran's nuclear activities and its history of concealment raise pressing questions about whether Iran's programme is, as it claims, solely for civil purposes. The United Kingdom commends the continuing investigation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is very deeply concerned about Iran's failure to cooperate fully with the Agency. As today's resolution notes, after more than three years, the Agency is still unable to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran. Important questions, including on activities with a possible military nuclear dimension, remain unanswered.”
2006-07-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5500 (2006) · source
“Against that backdrop, those launches were, as has been widely said, provocative, and have served only to raise tensions in the region. In our view, it is important that the Council react robustly and coherently. The United Kingdom is therefore delighted that the Council has unanimously agreed the resolution, and the united signal sent by the Council in this strong resolution is powerful and welcome. The requirements of the resolution are clear, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and all States concerned must now comply with these obligations.”
2006-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5490 (2006) · source
“The United Kingdom has made clear its grave concern about the missile launches by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 5 July. Many other countries have done the same. Those missile tests were carried out despite the urgings of the international community. The choice to conduct those launches took place against a particular backdrop: a stated intention to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a statement of possession of nuclear weapons and a commitment to a moratorium on missile testing that was reaffirmed as recently as September 2005. Since the launches, the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has maintained that they were part of a military policy that the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea intends to continue to pursue.”
2006-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5490 (2006) · source
“But it must exercise restraint and ensure that its actions are proportionate and measured, conform to international law and avoid civilian death and suffering. Disproportionate action will only escalate an already dangerous situation. This crisis underscores the need for the full and sustainable implementation of resolution 1559 (2004), including the importance of the Government of Lebanon exercising and being able to exercise its full authority throughout Lebanese territory.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“Prime Minister Blair has also spoken to the Secretary-General, and we fully support his decision to send a mission to the region to try to calm the situation and assist efforts for a diplomatic solution. We also fully support the mission of the European Union High Representative, who will be travelling to the region early next week. We hope that the two missions can coordinate closely on the ground and contribute to a solution. We reiterate our call for the urgent release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and for an end to attacks on Israeli towns and cities. We urge all those countries with influence over Hizbollah, in particular Syria and Iran, to play their part. Israel has every right to act in self-defence.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“The United Kingdom is gravely concerned by the escalation of this crisis, which poses a serious threat for Israel and Lebanon and for the wider security of the region. The United Kingdom is committed to helping to resolve this crisis. Foreign Secretary Beckett has spoken to her Israeli colleague, and the Prime Minister has spoken to the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr. Siniora. We appreciate the pressures that both Governments are under at this particularly difficult time. Our priority must be to calm the situation, support the moderates on all sides and create conditions for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution. Focusing on finding fault will not help us in that endeavour. We urge all parties to do all that they can to address this crisis and to prevent the situation from worsening.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“We therefore regret that further time was not allowed to try to resolve the outstanding differences and to reach a text on which we could all agree. We therefore abstained in the voting.”
2006-07-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5488 (2006) · source
“While Israel has every right to act in self-defence, it should do so in a way that does not escalate the situation, that is proportionate and measured and that conforms to international law and avoids civilian deaths and suffering. British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett made a statement today expressing her concern about the situation in Lebanon. It is important that any statement from the Council should support the efforts of those most closely involved in trying to resolve the conflict. Any text must therefore be balanced and carefully reflect all relevant aspects of the situation. While we appreciate the efforts of the sponsors to reflect some of our concerns, we still do not believe that the text before us was sufficiently balanced or that it recognized the complexity of the situation.”
2006-07-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5488 (2006) · source
“The United Kingdom is deeply concerned about the crisis in Gaza, which is undermining prospects for peace in the Middle East and causing a severe deterioration in the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian population. We are contributing nationally to efforts to resolve the crisis, through contacts in the region and with our key partners. We are urging all parties to do all they can to address this crisis and to prevent the situation from worsening. Only through negotiation can a viable solution be achieved. We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of Corporal Shalit. We call on the Palestinian Authority to bring an end to the violence and terrorist activities, including the firing of rockets into Israeli territory. We are very concerned about the suffering of the Palestinian population.”
2006-07-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5488 (2006) · source
“We cannot do that while violence continues at its current level and while one party refuses to accept the right of the other to exist.”
2006-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5481 (2006) · source
“The Commission is particularly focused on delivering allowances to front-line health workers, and expects to make the first of those payments by the middle of July. The mechanism is already paying some utility bills. The other parts of the mechanism, paying for health supplies and social security payments for the poorest Palestinians, are in the process of being established as a matter of urgency by the Commission and the World Bank. Finally, let me repeat the firm British view that a return to negotiations represents the best way to ensure lasting peace. Negotiations are manifestly the best way to move the process forward. It is the role of the international community and the responsibility of this Council to encourage negotiations and give them the best chances of success.”
2006-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5481 (2006) · source
“Given those humanitarian concerns, it might be appropriate to say something now about progress in establishing the temporary international mechanism. We have repeatedly emphasized the wish of the United Kingdom to see help given to the basic needs of the Palestinian people. We are not in the business of punishing Palestinians for the way they voted, but nor are we prepared to put our funds through a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority that has yet to demonstrate commitment to the Quartet's three principles. That is why the United Kingdom has been leading international efforts to find other ways of helping the Palestinians, including through the establishment of the temporary international mechanism. Following endorsement by the Quartet on 17 June, the European Commission now has teams on the ground working to set up the mechanism.”
2006-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5481 (2006) · source
“As the G-8 foreign ministers said in Moscow yesterday, "the detention of elected members of the Palestinian Government and legislature raises particular concerns". Those detained should be accorded their full legal rights. Most importantly, politics should be allowed to take hold over violence. Every effort should be made to maximize the chances of finding a diplomatic solution to the present situation. We urge all parties to find a way back to negotiations, which are the best way of ensuring a lasting peace, and to restore calm for the sake of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. We share the concerns expressed about the humanitarian situation and note that Israel is planning immediately to take steps to ease that situation. Restoring electricity and water supplies and access for humanitarian organizations must be a priority.”
2006-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5481 (2006) · source
“Like others, I am grateful to Assistant Secretary-General Kane for her briefing. At the outset, I should like to align myself with the statement to be made shortly by the representative of Austria on behalf of the European Union. Like others, the United Kingdom is deeply concerned at the current situation in Gaza, and in particular at the escalation in violence, so we urge both sides to show the utmost restraint. The urgent priority is the immediate and unconditional release of Corporal Shalit. That is in everyone's interests. We condemn the killing of two Israeli soldiers at the weekend and the murder of Eliyahu Asheri, but it is important that Israel abide by international law. It should seek to avoid civilian casualties and any action that adds to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”
2006-06-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5481 (2006) · source
“The United Nations should play its part, working with that Government and its people to provide the sort of future that we all want to see - the sort of future that we would like to believe the Government of the Sudan wants to see for all its people.”
2006-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5478 (2006) · source
“That is why I believe we came away reconfirmed in our view that, as the African Union itself had decided, it was right that the United Nations should take over the peacekeeping operation in Darfur. That is 06-41082 the short-term objective; we debated it earlier this week in another forum. I will end by stressing the wish that we all kept repeating and that is fundamental to policy: to see a partnership with the Government and the people of the Sudan. We cannot do that without the consent of the Government; that is obvious. But I just want to get across this simple message: our wish is to see an improvement in all the aspects of the situation in the Sudan.”
2006-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5478 (2006) · source
“I believe one of the things that the Council will be looking for is advice from the Secretary-General about - in addition to Darfur, which is very much on the agenda at the moment - what we should be doing about the situation in eastern Chad, the assistance we need to provide there, and the wider issue of the relationship between the two Governments. The absence of a real relationship really does have a severe impact on the situation. Fundamentally, the Council members expressed their support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Sudan. But I also wish to see a real improvement in the politics, the humanitarian situation and the security situation throughout the country. Our support for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Darfur Peace Agreement was evident.”
2006-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5478 (2006) · source
“Three years ago, the Council debated whether or not it was right to discuss the Sudan at all. Since then a lot has happened, much of it good in terms of the agreements reached on the ground. But there are now in place a range of United Nations policies, working in cooperation with the Government and the people of the Sudan, aimed at trying to improve the situation there. They cover a multiplicity of objectives. They involve a range of actors. I would like in particular to pay tribute to the work of the African Union on the ground, but I would also note support from the European Union and other bodies. What we all understood clearly was how complex the situation is and how interrelated are all the different aspects in the Sudan. But we also understood how it has to be set in a regional context. All those things hang together.”
2006-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5478 (2006) · source
“I would like to begin by thanking the colleagues who accompanied us on the mission and the Secretariat for all their support. As a written report has been presented and we had an opportunity to deliver some personal comments earlier, so I can be very brief. The first point is to emphasize the value of such visits. The fact-finding on the ground, the messages we delivered, the manner in which the Security Council 2 wishes to cooperate and work with the Government of the Sudan, in particular, and the way in which the cohesion of the members of the Council was enhanced by the experience all underline why such visits are crucial. I can only apologize that the schedule did not turn out to be as measured as I would have liked. The net result was that the pressures were, indeed, very intense.”
2006-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5478 (2006) · source
“There are, of course, many other areas worthy of specific mention in a debate such as this one. In the interests of time, however, let me conclude by saying that if our efforts are to be successful, we need to recognize the importance of a coherent, unified approach by the Council, by the Secretariat and the agencies of the United Nations, and Within the Department of Peacekeeping, and in all our peacekeeping operations. We also need to recognize that that should come through in individual theatres of action. The needs - which we have heard set out - and the imperative nature of the action required demonstrate why we really must do better.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Ensuring that gender issues have an important role in United Nations missions is a starting point. But we have to be quite clear: all of us have to redouble the aggregate effort to promote women's decision-making role in society, and in peace and security issues in particular, as was set out in resolution 1325 (2000) of this Council. The implementation of that key resolution has to be at the forefront. Providing adequate protection is a daunting task. It is a task that needs the closest possible coordination to be effective. The United Nations should continue to strengthen its efforts through partnerships and throughout its own direct action. However, let us remember that non-governmental organizations often play a central role. It is Vital that their knowledge and contributions are factored into our discussion of protection issues.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“I would like to say a few words about the particular importance of preventing sexual violence as an element of our work on protection. The scale of this problem is horrifying. For example, the International Red Cross has recently estimated that 60 to 70 per cent of all women in the camps for internally displaced persons in Darfur have suffered gender-based Violence. There are many instances of conflict where rape of civilians has been used as a deliberate weapon by armed groups. Action to tackle this problem should form a key part of the agenda on protection of civilians. However, it requires not just direct action to protect women and girls and to bring perpetrators to justice, but also serious efforts to address the cultural climate in which the use of rape as a weapon of war can be and often is commonplace.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“That is a need identified in the Darfur peace agreement, but unless we do that, there is little point, in my View, in deploying a mission to Darfur. One area particularly highlighted in resolution 1674 (2006) is the need to ensure effective security in and around camps for refugees and internally displaced persons. I will not elaborate on that point, but we all know exactly why that is essential. Where peacekeepers have a protection role, there is a need to ensure that they are appropriately tasked, adequately equipped and well-trained. The Council's responsibility is to ensure that we clearly understand the tasks that we are assigning, including those related to the protection of civilians, and that we then follow that through in the mandate and in the resources allocated for those operations.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Humanitarian agencies' efforts in places like Darfur and Northern Uganda are essential to provide the basic human security needs of hundreds of thousands or even millions of the most vulnerable. Where the Council has mandated peacekeeping operations, there may also be a direct security role for the United Nations or for relevant regional organizations. Resolution 1674 (2006) recognizes that there is more work to be done to ensure that peacekeeping missions are able to 06-40877 discharge that responsibility as effectively as possible within resources. Speaking bluntly, I would say that, politically and practically, we cannot deploy a United Nations mission to Darfur, unless we actually tackle and provide protection for civilians.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“The need for the United Nations family as a whole to provide political and practical support to efforts to end impunity is very important. I think it is also important for the Security Council, in adopting mandates for peacekeeping operations, to consider the extent to which the mandate should cover the collection and protection of evidence and, indeed, any special training necessary to investigate and prosecute crimes of that nature. That goes beyond customary mandates, but I think we need to think seriously about it. The United Nations system also has a role in direct provision of protection to civilians where their own Governments are failing to do so.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“In that regard, these humanitarian briefings, which have now become established by the Under- Secretary-General, are quite crucial. Protection of civilians should be an important element of what is set out before us on each occasion. Where conflict does occur, we need to make certain that the United Nations takes a lead in ensuring that the perpetrators of abuses against civilians are brought to justice. That is why the language in resolution 1674 (2006) about ending impunity was so important. Such language was essential, not just for reasons of natural justice, but because ending impunity is an indispensable part of helping societies to recover from the scars of conflict. Action against impunity promotes sustainable peace as well as truth and reconciliation.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source
“Preventing the occurrence of armed conflict should always be a prime consideration for the Council. That was recognized in the outcome document of the Summit last September, where we stressed the obligation of the United Nations to play its part and the primary responsibility of States to protect their own citizens. The Security Council has a role in endorsing and supporting that approach, which is set out in resolutions 1625 (2005) and 1653 (2006), as well as resolution 1674 (2006). That activity needs to be underpinned by a clear analysis and identification of flashpoints for potential conflict at an early stage. One of the crucial indicators in that regard is the way in which civilians are exposed to lawlessness and Violence.”
2006-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5476 (2006) · source