YouSaid · the spoken record

Fifield

lines on the record: 67
first: 2019-10-29
most recent: 2023-04-24
sittings or episodes: 13
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

“The Summit of the Future is an opportunity to consider whether the United Nations we have now is both the United Nations we want and the United Nations we need for the future. We look forward to engaging in this process with countries genuinely committed to reform.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We are committed to working with each other to that end. The Security Council’s inability to respond to Russia’s attack on Ukraine has once again highlighted the importance of reform. Member States must have confidence that the Security Council can respond effectively to threats to, and breaches of, international peace and security. The Security Council veto power was never intended to be used to enable unchecked abuse of the United Nations Charter by the very countries that were given the veto. The declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 75/1) and the Our Common Agenda (A/75/982) report demonstrate the broad political support for a multilateral system that is equitable, inclusive, efficient and effective.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We cannot accept a situation where large countries determine the fate of smaller countries. Aside from terrible damage and loss of life in Ukraine, Russia’s invasion is compounding human suffering. It is propelling the global crisis in food and energy security that is having such a terrible impact on the populations of so many Member States. It reminds us all how much is at stake if we fail to protect the United Nations Charter. We cannot be passive when big Powers flout the rules. We must continue to work together to hold Russia to account. Australia’s vision is for a multilateral system that delivers security, stability and prosperity for Australia, our region and the world. Being genuinely committed to the United Nations means being genuinely committed to reforming the United Nations in order to keep it vital.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308Resumption1 (2023) · source
“In order to maintain those sovereign choices, the small and medium countries of the world, including Australia, must work together. The purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations are fundamental to our aspirations, and they are critical to the multilateral system being able to effectively address the global challenges we all face. We want to see all countries uphold the United Nations Charter. Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine renders stark our interest in living in a world where no country dominates and no country is dominated. The attack on Ukraine is an attack on all small countries. It is an assertion that a larger country is entitled to subjugate a smaller neighbour — to decide whether another country can even exist.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Australia welcomes the opportunity to speak on this important topic. Australia is a country that shares common ground with so many of the world’s peoples. We are a land that is home to the oldest continuous culture on the planet and to people from more than 300 ancestries. We see ourselves reflected in the world, just as the world can see itself reflected in us. And we want to see the interests of all the world’s peoples upheld along with our own. Our interests lie in a world that operates by rules, standards and norms, where a larger country does not determine the fate of a smaller country and where each country can pursue its own aspirations and its own prosperity. We want to live according to our own laws and values, determined by our own citizens — respecting, but not deferring to others.”
2023-04-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9308Resumption1 (2023) · source
“It is time to commit to the use of assessed contributions to support the critical work of the PBF — from election monitoring in Latin America and mapping climate security threats in the Pacific to supporting peacekeeping transitions in Africa. Our commitment to United Nations peacebuilding remains steadfast. We have been a proud supporter of the PBF since its establishment in 2006, and we are pleased to have, this month, committed to a further three-year agreement with an increased contribution of $A12 million for the PBF. That is a core part of Australia’s peace investment portfolio.”
2023-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9250 (2023) · source
“Despite being a core task of the United Nations, peacebuilding is underfunded, relying too often on a small pool of donors for voluntary funding. Australia firmly believes that the United Nations peacebuilding work must be adequately, predictably and sustainably financed. So, while we call on all States to consider making and increasing voluntary contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), we also support assessed contributions for the PBF. In 2022, the General Assembly made it clear that assessed contributions could be used to finance the PBF and encouraged the Fifth Committee to conclude its deliberations. More than 67 countries from every region of the world have benefited from the timely, catalytic and risk-tolerant investments of the PBF. We encourage Member States to consider their investment in peace.”
2023-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9250 (2023) · source
“Sustained, inclusive and targeted peacebuilding results in lives and money saved in the long term — the World Bank has estimated up to $70 billion per year on average. For example, in Liberia women peace activists started peace huts shortly after the end of the civil war in 2003. The huts, among other activities, mediated local disputes, monitored police and justice services and referred victims of violence to counselling. At $1.5 million, that local women-lead intervention cost just 1.5 per cent of the $105 million spent on peacekeeping, policing and the justice sector in Liberia that year. The local police considered them key to reducing and preventing violence in the community. We cannot talk about investment in peacebuilding without talking about the gap between the finances available and those required to fulfil current needs.”
2023-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9250 (2023) · source
“Peacebuilding is not just the activity of select countries; all of us are engaged in investing in our own sustainable peace. We are constantly working to build and uphold resilient and effective institutions, with the experience of individuals at their core. We must invest in people in all their diversity and ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women and youth in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Sharing the lessons we have learned and continue to learn will be key to realizing those aims globally. The late Secretary-General Kofi Annan questioned: “The world today spends billions preparing for war. Shouldn’t we spend a billion or two preparing for peace?” (SG/SM/6149). Global spending on peacebuilding represents only a fraction of military spending and spending on crisis response and reconstruction.”
2023-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9250 (2023) · source
“First, I would like to thank Japan for convening this timely debate on investment in people to enhance resilience against complex challenges. There can be no greater complex challenges than modern threats to sustainable peace. Countries emerging from or at risk of conflict must grapple with multifaceted challenges. Those include the impacts of the coronavirus disease pandemic, the climate crisis, worsening food insecurity and economic shocks, including those triggered by Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. There should be no greater investment than the one each of our countries makes in peoples’ resilience to such challenges. One of the greatest ways that can be done is through inclusive participation in peacebuilding.”
2023-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9250 (2023) · source
“We need a United Nations development system that is fit for purpose, transparent, accountable, effective, results-oriented and modern in order to deliver on the commitments we all made under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. There have been some commendable gains, for example, in providing more tailored support to emerging economies — including small island developing States, like those across the Pacific — through the reinvigorated resident coordinator system. The Summit of the Future in 2024 represents an opportunity to work together towards a multilateral system that ensures no one is left behind. It is an opportunity we must take.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The United Nations must be accountable to Members, transparent, inclusive and led by high quality individuals representative of all peoples and groups. While we recognize that United Nations agencies have made efforts to address and prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, there is also room for reforms to make United Nations workplaces safer and more inclusive. Central to Australia’s reform agenda and to any refreshed multilateral system are the protection and promotion of universal human rights and upholding the multilateral human rights system. We must strengthen accountability and transparency mechanisms if we are to realize that key purpose of the United Nations. Australia was an early proponent of United Nations development system reform.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The multilateral system must protect the sovereign equality and the rights of small- and medium- sized countries like Australia. All countries must uphold the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Australia is in favour of reforming the Security Council, which is central to preserving international peace and security. Member States must have confidence that the Council can respond effectively to threats to and breaches of international peace and security. The Council’s inability to respond to Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a stark reminder of the need for Security Council reform. The Council needs to be more reflective of the world today, not the world of 1945. We need greater representation from Asia, Africa and Latin America.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for convening this debate on a topic, which has been highlighted by recent events, on how to make the Organization stronger, more effective and more representative. We can only solve our biggest problems together. No one here needs reminding of the challenges that we all face — climate change, food insecurity, sustainable development and economic headwinds — all of which is against the backdrop of increased geostrategic competition and Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, which is causing immense human suffering and has exacerbated existing fragilities in the global economy. We need a United Nations and other international institutions that are fit for purpose and equipped to address those challenges, as well as challenges yet to emerge.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“As an international community, we must do more to end grave violations against children and to shield current and future generations of children from the impact of armed conflict. In doing so we strengthen the foundations for a sustainable peace.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“It is our shared responsibility to prevent further harm to and the exploitation of children in conflicts. All parties to conflict must comply with international obligations and commitments to protect children, including international, humanitarian and human rights law. All parties must take action to protect children in accordance with the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality. We must prioritize gender- and age-responsive interventions with the interests of the child at the centre. Australia supports increased child-protection capacity in United Nations peace operations and special political missions and increased support for the United Nations Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism to inform response and prevention efforts.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We must also highlight the plight of children in other conflict situations, such as in Myanmar, where an accurate picture of the extent of violations against children is sadly difficult to obtain. However, I must say that the inclusion of Ukraine, Ethiopia and Mozambique as new situations of concern for the next report is a sobering reminder that the rights of children across the world need our active attention and protection more than ever. Australia is particularly concerned by the increase in grave violations against girls, who, in addition to becoming casualties of conflict, are disproportionately subjected to abduction and sexual violence, and such incidents are vastly underreported. Conflict also displaces children from their homes and disrupts their education, development and well-being.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That demonstrates the critical role of the children and armed conflict mandate, which continues to have Australia’s full support. Sadly, despite that success, conflict continues to take a devastating toll on children each and every day. The Secretary-General’s report details 23,982 — let me say that again, 23,982 — grave violations committed against children in the past year alone, especially the violations of killing and maiming, recruitment and use, and denial of humanitarian access. The well-being of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Syria and Yemen continues to be of great concern. We encourage the signing and implementation of joint and national action plans with the United Nations to end and prevent grave violations in those countries.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Australia thanks Brazil for convening today’s important debate, which coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. We would like to thank the Special Representative, Mrs. Virginia Gamba de Potgieter, for her leadership and dedication to children affected by armed conflict around the world. We also thank her team for producing the Secretary-General’s annual report (S/2022/493). In the past 25 years, more than 170,000 children have been freed from armed forces and groups and reintegrated into society — thank goodness. That has been achieved with the help of child protection advisers, joint and national action plans and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration — all guided by the United Nations children and armed conflict efforts.”
2022-07-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9096Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That will contribute to the success of all such efforts and where possible help to avoid duplication and the retraumatization of survivors. It is imperative to ensure that the design and implementation of all accountability efforts adopt a survivor-centred approach, integrate gender perspectives and address intersecting inequalities. It is our shared responsibility to seize this opportunity to strengthen accountability and justice for serious violations of international law at every level.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The ICC is especially key to investigating and prosecuting international crimes when a State is unable or unwilling to do so. We were pleased to recently provide additional support to assist the ICC Prosecutor and his Office, and we are also pleased to be co-sponsoring the establishment of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine mandated by the Human Rights Council as part of efforts to hold Russia to account. The Commission of Inquiry will be critical in investigating and reporting on evidence of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. While accountability efforts may be distinct and autonomous, we encourage greater coordination among such efforts at all levels.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“It is the primary responsibility of States to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes of international concern. It is essential that all States strengthen their domestic criminal justice systems and enhance their capacity to conduct genuine investigations and prosecutions of those crimes. However, Australia recognizes that accountability and justice can be delivered through a range of mechanisms and initiatives. In addition to national efforts, Australia strongly supports the crucial role of international accountability initiatives such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Human Rights Council and international investigative mechanisms. Australia is committed to working with such bodies to advance accountability and ensure that they deliver on their core mandates.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Australia thanks Albania, in particular Prime Minister Rama, for convening this important debate. We also thank today’s briefers for their valuable insights. Accountability is an essential element of the rules- based international order. It is critical to upholding international peace and security. As we meet today, Russia is continuing to commit flagrant violations of international law in Ukraine, with a growing list of atrocities. That must only underline the international community’s resolve to ensure accountability. Today’s debate invites us to consider how we can hold the perpetrators of serious violations of international law to account. That requires us to strengthen accountability and justice at the national, regional and international levels. Accountability starts at home.”
2022-06-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9052Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The credibility and legitimacy of United Nations peace operations largely depend on the willingness and capability of peacekeepers to act when civilians are under threat. Peacekeepers must be empowered and supported by both the United Nations and troop- contributing countries to protect civilians. That includes being equipped to understand and identify the early-warning signs of heightened risks to civilians of the commission of mass atrocity crimes. Ultimately, we as a global community must work to ensure that human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law are enforced and that accountability measures ensure justice and deter future perpetrators.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Another serious element of the challenges we face is to better understand how misinformation, disinformation and hate speech are used to inflame conflict and how they heighten the risk of violence towards civilians and humanitarian staff. Australia welcomes constructive thinking. It welcomes constructive ideas on how the multilateral system can better intercept and counter those insidious and destructive tools of conflict. Peace operations play an important role in protecting civilians by creating more stable conditions for physical protection, intercommunal dialogue and the protection of human rights, as well as by contributing to processes of accountability within judicial systems.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“In northern Ethiopia, delays in delivering humanitarian assistance and attacks on humanitarian workers have contributed to a growing humanitarian crisis, with 9.4 million people now in need of assistance. That number should not just roll off the tongue. Similarly, in South Sudan, attacks on humanitarian workers have prevented life-saving assistance from reaching people in need. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict and violence. Protecting the human rights of women and girls in humanitarian crises is essential. That includes accountability for perpetrators of any form of violence, the appointment of gender advisers, the appointment of women protection advisers and women’s participation and leadership at all stages and levels of conflict resolution and peace processes.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“And beyond the terrible harm inflicted upon civilians caught up in conflict, those situations also grievously undermine fundamental human rights. We unequivocally support measures to promote full compliance with international humanitarian law, especially in relation to the protection of civilians. We must hold to account those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes in order to ensure justice and deter future perpetrators. National prosecutions and those by the International Criminal Court, which are complementary to national jurisdictions, play a critical role. Today’s report highlights the disturbing trend in obstructing the free passage and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance to persons in need, as well as deliberate attacks against humanitarian workers.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Australia welcomes this year’s annual debate on the protection of civilians. We thank the Secretary-General for his report (S/2022/381). It is clear that, despite the existing legal framework supporting the protection of civilians in armed conflict, respect for international law continues to be flouted. Every day we are confronted with fresh examples of egregious violations of the international legal rules protecting civilian populations. As we have seen with Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and its wanton disregard for the protection of Ukrainian civilians, conflict is ruinous to societies and generates irrevocable trauma. Civilians are adversely impacted by conflict on a daily basis in many parts of the world: Ukraine, Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen, South Sudan and many more places.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Those restrictions will reduce the amount of product available for global trade, bringing up prices and causing supply chain issues as countries compete for alternative supplies. Australia urges all countries to keep agricultural trade open, improve access to food, lower import barriers and cut export restrictions. Our highest priority should be to ensure that food can make its way to the most vulnerable. Australia will always remain a reliable open supplier of food products to the world. But the greatest and most immediate improvement, and let us all say it again, will come from the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Famine can be averted with early action, but that requires unhindered humanitarian access and a well-resourced rapid response. Australia calls on all actors to allow access for humanitarian agencies to reach those most in need. International trade should also support food security. The most critical short-term global response to curtail the food price increases is maintaining open, transparent and predictable agricultural trade. Experience and evidence clearly showed that domestic protections such as trade barriers and subsidies make economies weaker and more costly in the long run. Despite that, the scale of the current restrictions being imposed on food and fertilizer trade surpassed those enacted during the last major food crisis of 2007 to 2008, according to the World Bank.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The food security crisis is occurring because global food prices are now at record high levels — record highs as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine; record highs because Ukraine is preoccupied with defending itself against Russia’s unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion rather than shipping grain; record highs because more than 7 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the war and agricultural land and civilian infrastructure has been damaged, significantly disrupting the growing season and access to markets. Let us be clear. One way to rapidly improve food security is for Russia to immediately end its war in Ukraine. Another useful response to growing food insecurity is to focus on humanitarian needs, including through organizations such as the World Food Programme.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That demonstrates the causal effect of conflict on hunger crises, including in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Yemen, among other examples. I should also like to call out yet again the disinformation that we have heard today and in recent weeks, and that is the disingenuous claim that the food security crisis that we are discussing has been caused by Western sanctions. That is incorrect.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank the briefers for their update earlier today. We are gathered for a clear reason — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is threatening global food security and is compounding the devastating impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic, the conflict and climate change. It has had a great impact on fragile food systems, causing further disruption to global food production and exports, inflating already high commodity and food prices. It must be said that the numbers are alarming. Forty-three million people were on the brink of famine before the invasion of Ukraine. Now the World Food Programme estimates an additional 33 to 47 million people will fall into acute food insecurity as a direct result of the invasion.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Australia strongly condemns the use of sexual violence and rape as weapons of war. Efforts to prevent and resolve conflict cannot be separated from efforts to address gender-based violence. We must do more. If we are to fulfil the promise of the women and peace and security agenda, we must put an end to sexual violence against women and girls in conflict.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Gender advisers are critical to embedding gender-responsive planning and resourcing into peace operations and advancing prevention, protection, compliance, accountability and justice for survivors. Australia trains and deploys military and civilian gender advisers on military, police and humanitarian relief and recovery, as well as crisis- management operations and missions. We also support the Elsie Initiative and the UN-Women Female Military Officers Course, both of which promote the meaningful representation of uniformed women across all levels of United Nations peace operations. Australia is also a founding member of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies. We are proud to be working with diverse regional and global partners in that endeavour.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Australia is proud to partner with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the United Kingdom, the United Nations Population Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee, as well as international non-governmental organizations such as the Danish Refugee Council, to provide those support services. For our part, our second national action plan on women and peace and security, for the period 2021- 2031, uses a survivor-centred approach to reducing sexual and gender-based violence and increasing access to justice. In almost all the settings covered in the Secretary- General’s report, impunity for crimes of conflict- related sexual violence remains the norm and the pace of justice unacceptably low and slow.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We are gravely concerned about the ongoing use of military interventions at the expense of political processes, and about the devastating and disproportionate consequences that such military action has for women and girls. The ongoing targeting of women peacebuilders and human rights defenders, including through sexual violence and harassment, is unacceptable. We must ensure that women, girls, men and boys affected by sexual violence have access to comprehensive support, including sexual and reproductive health services and psychosocial, legal and other crisis support services.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I want to thank the United Kingdom for convening today’s open debate and for its continued leadership on the problem of sexual violence in conflict. Australia also thanks today’s briefers and welcomes the analysis and recommendations in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2022/272). Women and girls continue to face appalling levels of sexual violence in conflict-affected settings, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria and Iraq. We are also concerned about the increasing reports of acts of sexual violence against women and girls in Ukraine. Australia fully supports the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which will investigate all the alleged violations and human rights abuses.”
2022-04-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9016Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The Council has a critical role to play in leading action to address the root causes of the intimidation, violence and attacks that violate the human rights of women and girls. We thank the women peacebuilders, civil-society representatives and human rights defenders for their work and for continuing to speak out.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We support increasing financing, which is key to effective participation, and recognize the importance of diverse partnerships, locally led initiatives and resources in preventing conflict and violence and promoting participation in peace and security processes, including through the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund. Mechanisms that enable women and girls to participate meaningfully can also support the identification and prevention of human rights violations and abuses. The collection and use of data and research in evidence-based decision-making and leadership is important. We must embed gender equality and women’s empowerment in all United Nations peace operations.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949Resumption1 (2022) · source
“The diverse voices and legitimacy of women must be defended and promoted at every level, and we must continue to stand by those who need our support. Australia will continue to do just that by standing with its partners in order to strengthen women’s participation and protect those at risk of or subjected to violence. We commend the work of organizations dedicated to protecting people under threat and ensuring that women’s voices continue to be heard, prioritized and valued. Australia especially acknowledges the work of women’s rights organizations and human rights defenders.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949Resumption1 (2022) · source
“National action plans on women and peace and security are essential to empowering women and girls and eliminating violence against them. Through its second national action plan, Australia continues to work to ensure that women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace and security processes and the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence are at the centre of our efforts. Australia is gravely concerned about the ongoing escalation of reprisals, intimidation and violence against women peacebuilders, civil-society representatives and human rights defenders. The reports of targeted killings of women’s rights defenders in Afghanistan and on the situation of women and girls in Myanmar are tragic reminders of the urgent need for collective action.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank Norway for convening today’s timely open debate and for its continued leadership on the women and peace and security agenda. It is critical that women participate fully, equally and meaningfully in all peace and security processes without the threat of reprisals, intimidation or violence. Women have the right to lead and participate in restoring, building and maintaining peace and security and in governing their communities and countries. The evidence shows that women’s meaningful participation strengthens protection efforts, advances the human rights of women and girls, accelerates economic recovery, supports peacebuilding efforts and leads to sustainable peace. The role of civil society, women’s human rights defenders, peacebuilders and mediators is invaluable.”
2022-01-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8949Resumption1 (2022) · source
“We must promote, protect and defend the human rights of women and girls in all contexts. Through you, Mr. President, let me again thank Kenya for hosting this debate.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“We also need men to take action on the women and peace and security agenda. In April, Australia launched its second national action plan on women and peace and security, guiding us to 2031. We will continue to contribute to the protection and promotion of women’s and girls’ human rights, the prevention and resolution of conflict and the establishment of enduring peace. Women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace and security remains at the centre of our efforts. We will also focus on reducing sexual and gender-based violence, and we will support resilience, security and just responses to crises and conflicts. Our leadership will be accountable. Eliminating gender inequalities and all forms of discrimination against women and girls is our shared imperative.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“We look forward to working with other States Members of the United Nations as we progress towards our common goal of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls for international peace and security and sustainable development. I would now like to offer a short statement in my national capacity on behalf of Australia. Implementation of the women and peace and security agenda requires inclusive and sustained action at all levels, from the grass roots to global gatherings. It is essential that we work with and support the leadership of women civil-society actors, human rights defenders and peacebuilders. Their voices and legitimacy must be projected and defended at all levels. For peace and security to replace crisis and conflict, we need more women in analysis and decision-making roles.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“MIKTA strongly supports the meaningful engagement and leadership of women of all backgrounds in all aspects of peace processes. This includes, for example, investments in the Elsie Initiative Fund, deployment of women to United Nations peace operations, efforts to increase women representation in the security sector, assistance to grass-roots networks of women peacemakers, and support for the Secretary-General’s uniformed gender parity strategy, as clearly reflected in resolution 2538 (2020). Women and girls everywhere have the right to lives of safety, security and dignity. The MIKTA Group recommits to promoting and protecting the human rights of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations. We will meet our obligations under the women and peace and security agenda.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“The MIKTA Group appreciates this year’s report of the Secretary-General on women and peace and security (S/2021/827). The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a disproportionate negative impact on the lives of women and girls, especially in conflict-affected states. COVID-19 has also highlighted the continued exclusion of women from decision-making processes and leadership, as well as greater rates of violence. As a matter of human rights and international peace and security, the Secretary-General rightly stresses the significance of women’s participation and leadership in peace processes, peace operations, political transitions and the security sector, as well as gender provisions in ceasefires and peace agreements. In this regard, investing in women in peacekeeping and peacebuilding, the theme of this year’s debate, is timely.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“It is also essential to mainstream gender equality and gender analysis, as acknowledged in our national action plans and policies and the Security Council’s women and peace and security resolutions. We will be successful in implementing the women and peace and security agenda if we address the root causes of gender inequality and promote and defend the human rights of women and girls. We recognize that the violence inflicted on all women and girls, including sexual and gender-based violence, reprisals, harmful practices and trafficking is particularly pernicious and therefore a priority for action. A survivor-centred approach is key to restoring safety and dignity, ensuring access to justice and accountability and ending impunity.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“Delivering life-saving and empowering outcomes for peace and security is a collective endeavour for Governments, civil society, women’s rights organizations and women peacebuilders. We must ensure that all women and girls in all conflicts and crises are party to resolution efforts, have their basic needs met and recourse to justice where their rights are violated, and that they continue to have access such essential services as quality education, employment and health care, including sexual and reproductive health services, and mental and psychosocial support. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace processes, including at all levels of decision-making and leadership, is central to our national action plans and policies.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source