YouSaid · the spoken record

Gata Mavita Wa Lufuta

lines on the record: 541
first: 2012-09-19
most recent: 2019-10-09
sittings or episodes: 40
sources: un-security-council

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“That is why it has never shirked its responsibilities and remains determined to combat all negative forces still present in its territory to ensure that peace and harmony return to the region. In that regard, the country will continue to fight the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Forces democratiques de libe'ration du Rwanda (FDLR). The resurgence of the terrorist activities of the ADF, whose strike force was significantly weakened following Operation Sokola, launched in January by the Forces armees de la Republique democratique du Congo (FARDC) with MONUSCO's support, is once again a challenge, which must be resolved. After having driven the ADF from its stongholds and destroyed its chains of command, the ADF terrorist elements today are rebuilding their ranks and operate randomly in small groups. In just one month, as Mr.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“Abandi, refused the offer of immediate repatriation of ex-M23 members. However, a joint agreement was reached with the Executive Secretariat of the ICGLR that the Coordinator of the ex-M-23 members would be summoned for a new meeting to harmonize the viewpoints. That meeting will be held on 7 and 8 November at the headquarters of the National Oversight Mechanism in Kinshasa. This time it will be attended by the special envoys, regional and international observers for the process of the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement and representatives of other countries of the Great Lakes region. As we have underscored many times to the Council, the Democratic Republic of the Congo seeks peace on its territory and throughout the territories of the States of the region.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“Rene Abandi, was invited to participate in that meeting as a focal point, in line with the Nairobi declaration. However, he could not participate for personal reasons. It is also important to clarify that the road map integrates the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's decision, taken on 17 September 2014, to conduct an immediate repatriation of ex-M-23 members who are eligible and who wished to be repatriated. The Coordinator of the former M-23 members was notified of the Government decision's on 18 September by the Executive Secretariat of the ICGLR, which then organized a confirmation meeting on 1 October in Kampala. Mr. Abandi and the Ugandan authorities also participated in the meeting. Unexpectedly, through his letter dated 2 October addressed to the Government, Mr.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“A road map has been drawn up outlining the repatriation process for the ex-M23 combatants in Uganda and Rwanda through the National Oversight Mechanism of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, assisted by the Executive Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in accordance with the Nairobi declaration and the recommendation of the joint ministerial meeting of the ICGLR and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on 2 July and the relevant decision of the mini-summit of the ICGLR of 14 August in Luanda. It should be noted that a harmonization meeting with the Executive Secretariat of the ICGLR on the content of the draft road map was held on the premises of the National Oversight Mechanism on 1 September. At that time, the Coordinator designated by the former M-23 members, Mr.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“An oversight mission to verify the viability of locations has been established, and it visited, on 24 to 29 July 2014, Walikale and Kisangani, which are to be used as transit centres and for the reintegration of former M-23 combatants, before the centre in Kisangani is established. Orders granting amnesty to 410 former M-23 members have been issued and prisoners have gradually been released, and that process is being accelerated.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“In that regard, my delegation would like to note that the Government has undertaken several actions, including the drawing up of a road map and a follow-up timetable for its implementation. An amnesty law was put into effect on 11 February by our Head of State, while a decree regarding the measures for its implementation was signed and issued, withthe individual commitment forms published in our four national languages. Furthermore, a technical monitoring and identification team has been established and has visited Uganda and Kigali to identify former M-23 combatants; explain the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process; explain the amnesty; and facilitate the signing of the individual commitment document for former combatants.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“The briefings prompt us to make the following comments. Generally speaking, it is important to note that the commendable efforts mentioned in the follow-up report (S/2014/698) of September have continued in the various sectors related to the implementation of the national commitments undertaken by the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the Addis Ababa Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework and the Nairobi Declarations, which marked the end of the Kampala dialogue between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23). My delegation believes it is important to go back to the situation ofthe former members of the M-23 and the implementation of the Nairobi Declarations.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“Finally, I would like to pay heartfelt tribute to His Excellency Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon for the constant commitment he has unfailingly shown and for his personal efforts aimed at peace in my country. We have carefully followed the presentation of the two reports of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the report on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region (S/2017/697). Those reports were just introduced by Mr. Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mr. Said Djinnit, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and I thank them very much.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“Mr. Gata Mavita wa Lufuta (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): As the Argentine presidency of the Security Council draws to a close, allow me to congratulate you, Madam, on your stewardship of the discussions within this principal organ of the United Nations tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security. I would like to once again express how pleased we are at seeing you, Madam, presiding over the Security Council during the month of October. On behalf of the people and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I would like to thank the Council once again for the efforts undertaken by the United Nations to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and to ensure its peace and stability.”
2014-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7288 (2014) · source
“Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and Ms. Sylvie Lucas, the Permanent Representative of Luxembourg and Chair of the Council's Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, for their dedication to the cause of children. My country also welcomes the excellent cooperation that has evolved with the Office of the Special Representative, the United Nations special Task Force, the child protection division of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and UNICEF. To all these partners, my country is extremely grateful.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“This law, by comparison with the old Congolese criminal code, has made important innovations, including raising the age threshold for victims of sexual abuse from 14 to 18. It severely punishes practices such as forced marriage and prostitution, exploitation of children, sexual slavery, bestiality and genital mutilation, which are subject to stiff penalties. Nonetheless, the new law on sexual violence both retains these offences and adds 16 more, based on international humanitarian law. In conclusion, my Government is determined to build on the efforts already made in implementing its action plan for eradicating sexual violence and the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and groups, as well as other serious violations of children's rights. In that regard, my country would like to thank Ms.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“These strong measures targeting children's rights have had significant results. To avoid confusion, my delegation would like to make it clear to the Council that since the defeat of the Mouvement du 23 mars, and in accordance with President Kabila's appeal to the armed groups to lay down their arms, some of the national armed groups have responded to that appeal. The findings show that as these groups give themselves up, their ranks include children, whom our armed forces systematically remand to child protection services. This could be interpreted to mean that these children have come from our army, when in fact there are no more child soldiers in the ranks of our armed forces today. Among major actions taken by the authorities to combat sexual violence was the law of20 July 2006.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Two coordinating bodies have also been set up to monitor implementation of the action plan, with encouraging results. According to the Government's interim report on the plan, covering the period from 4 October 2012 to 30 June 2013, 2,894 children were separated from the military and from armed groups by June 2013, while during the same period 2,824, including 365 girls, were taken in charge through transitional host centres. Combating impunity for serious crimes against children has entered a new phase with the establishment of new juvenile courts in 10 of the country's provinces. Again with the aim of strengthening the protection of children, the Government has decided to disqualify anyone who has committed six serious violations of children's rights during a conflict from joining the armed forces.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“It also provides for awareness and traning campaigns in every military garrison in the country in order to enable all military personnel to absorb the action plan's directives and resulting obligations. The second directive, issued by the Director- General of our national intelligence agency, grants members of the United Nations special Task Force and child protection agencies access to the intelligence service's staff, documents, sites and facilities and authorizes the release of all children associated with armed groups and their referral to child protection agencies. Thanks to these orders, the United Nations Task Force and child protection agencies have been able to visit five military training centres and to identify without hindrance about 5,000 recruits.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“To ensure the plan's effective implementation, my Government, together with its partners, has committed to assessing the progress made in this situation every six months. I would point out that significant progress has indeed been made since the plan was signed. Furthermore, the Congolese authorities have issued two directives, of which the first, decreed by the Minister of National Defence and Veterans' Affairs, is intended for the armed forces. It instructs commanders of military training centres to facilitate access to military encampments for the United Nations special Task Force on children and armed conflict and for child protection agencies for the purpose of verification. It also instructs the military leadership to take severe disciplinary and punitive action against anyone committing a serious violation of children's rights.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“The progress that has been made on the ground in this area no doubt figured in the Secretary-General's commendation, in his report, ofmy Government's efforts to combat this phenomenon, and in his encouraging my country's military authorities to further strengthen the procedures for verifying the age of prospective recruits during future recruitment drives. It is important to emphasize that my Government's efforts are supported by various international partners, including the United Nations. In October 2012, in fact, the Congolese Government and the United Nations signed an action plan consisting of a series of commitments aimed at ending the recruitment and use of children by the armed forces and security services as well as sexual violence against children.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Mabunda ended a visit to New York to consult with key stakeholders from the international community in this area. My country supports the United Nations Children, Not Soldiers global campaign launched earlier this year by the Special Representative of the Secretary- General for Children and Armed Conflict, together with UNICEF, aimed at eradicating the recruitment and use by Government security forces of children in armed conflicts by the end of 2016. It should be emphasized that the objectives of this campaign, as outlined in resolution 2143 (2014) of 7 March, are already part of a series of initiatives that my Government is working to implement effectively.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“I also note that it is my country's continued relapses into war that have produced the phenomenon of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, with time and on the initiative of our Head of State, my Government decided to end this phenomenon within our armed forces by taking various actions, including setting up biometric files for identifying military personnel in order to keep better track of army units' personnel data, including their age. For the same reasons, and to clearly express our political commitment and firm determination to eradicate the phenomena of sexual violence and child soldiers, on 9 July the President of the Republic, Mr. Joseph Kabila Kabange, appointed Mrs. Jeannine Mabunda to be his personal representative on combating sexual violence and the recruitment of children. Last week Mrs.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Mr. Gata Mavita wa Lufuta (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, and expressing our satisfaction to see you preside over the Security Council in September. You are the representative of the United States of America, a country with which my country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, enjoys excellent relations, marked by reciprocal respect. I would also like to thank you for convening this important Security Council meeting on children and armed conflict, a subject that gives my country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the opportunity to speak on an issue that is now one of my Government's top priorities. My delegation takes due note of the Secretary- General's report on children and armed conflict (S/2014/339).”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“As Ijust said, as a member of the Security Council, he should not say or do certain things. He has no right to that. In response to everything he just said, which offends my country, I invite him to have respect for my country and for the authorities of my country.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Mr. Gata Mavita wa Lufuta (Democratic Republic of Congo) (spoke in French): I appreciate the rectification that the representative of Rwanda has just made. It is a commemoration in which we will all participate, because what his country experienced was sad and we cannot accept it. I would also like to take this opportunity to say we do not have a culture of impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I think that what we say at this tabledeserves a minimum of respect because it is said in the name of the authorities of our countries. I had already said it last time - the Ambassador of Rwanda should learn to respect other countries, to respect us, to respect the authorities of my country. We will therefore no longer accept that type of language.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Mary Robinson, Special Envoy of the Secretary- General for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, for her commitment and efforts towards restoring a lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the Great Lakes region.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“It is not possible without the sincerity of the actors, and it can only be built in the context of truth. The truth is that, though it has been repeatedly assaulted, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that loves peace, has always respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all its neighbours. And it always will be thus." Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the presence among us of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Martin Kobler, and thank him for the dynamism that he has impressed upon MONUSCO's activities in the field of operations. I also wish to express our gratitude to Her Excellency Mrs.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“In the words of President Kabila Kabange on the occasion of the signing of the Framework Agreement, "It is time, high time, that we guarantee our people the right to life and sustained enjoyment of the most precious good which they expect from their leaders, namely, peace - not the peace ofbayonets, and still less the peace ofcemeteries, whose essence is artificial and ephemeral, but the peace that arises from the recognition of a shared destiny, the will to live together and responsibly address problems, and respect for rules and principles, especially those that we have just subscribed again by signing the Framework agreement. "That peace is admittedly demanding, but it is the only one able to withstand the ravages of time and the vagaries of history.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“The work of the Intervention Brigade, working side by side with the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo led to the defeat of M-23, was very much appreciated by the Congolese people. For my Government, the second mandate of the Intervention Brigade, which will soon begin, should bring success to the efforts already undertaken to restore peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and throughout the Great Lakes region.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“The renewal of the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo should be undertaken in the spirit of paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of resolution 2098 (2013), of 28 March 2013, by which the Security Council decided to extend and complete, through the Force Intervention Brigade, the mission it had been given to neutralize armed groups, as set out sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph 12 of the resolution, which would allow it to reduce the threat posed by armed groups to State authority and civilian security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and prepare the way for stabilization activities. To that end, I congratulate MONUSCO, its Intervention Brigade and the countries contributing troops to it for the quality of the work done throughout the first term now coming to a close.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“It is a pretext, and he knows that today, if the Council removes that pretext there will no longer be any reason to be in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to carry out such activities there. I therefore appeal to the international community and all Security Council members to help us to resolve the situation, in which my country is truly innocent. We cannot tolerate being accused here without grounds.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“As I said here last time, if the Democratic Republic of the Congo was not involved in the Rwandan genocide, could Rwanda not help us regarding the 6 million people who have died in the east? One should not make fun of the Congolese people because the Congolese Government has no reason to support the FDLR. We have no interest in supporting it. Mr. Kobler works in the region. He can attest to that. Yesterday, as the Council knows, when the experts presented the report here, what were the accusations of the Rwandan representative? In condemning the experts' report he was also criticizing MONUSCO. He said that MONUSCO was also cooperating with the FDLR. I believe that to be in bad faith, because Rwanda supports that element, which allows it to carry on destabilizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Today the problem has become a problem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is constantly having to deal with it. It is certainly the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is suffering because the FDLR, since coming to our country, has been killing the Congolese. Congolese women are being raped. Congolese villages are being burned. We are the ones suffering from the FDLR. Unless one is cynical, can one believe that a Government Whose people are suffering from such acts can support those criminals? No, one cannot. I said that the last time to the Ambassador of Rwanda, who, as the Council, knows, continues to talk about the genocide, soon to be commemorated. But he should not be cynical about the Congolese people, who are suffering. In the eastern part of my country, we have lost more than 6 million people, who have died.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“The Brigade was established at the request of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on it the Council conferred the mandate to eradicate all the opposition forces in the region, as well as the various armed groups. That task - as I have said, and Mr. Kobler is present - has begun. As we have always said, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not interested in supporting the FDLR. The FDLR has been present in Rwanda since the Rwandan genocide. The Council knows well that the FDLR did not come to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at our country's request. It was because the Democratic Republic of the Congo wanted to be hospitable by welcoming the Rwandan people who were fleeing the genocide. That is how those responsible for the genocide came to the country.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“With regard to the support of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the FDLR, which the Ambassador of Rwanda has just spoken of, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during a previous Council meeting (see S/PV.7107), made the Council aware of the Government's efforts in the pursuit it had already conducted with the Government of Rwanda. Subsequently, those efforts were continued by my Government alone, and then with the help of MONUSCO. As we have already told the Council, those efforts were interrupted after the M-23 rebellion. As I have just said, now that the M-23 rebellion has been put down, it was the Democratic Republic of the Congo that asked the Council to establish the Intervention Brigade.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Kobler has also requested, in a communique to the FDLR rebels, that they immediately stop supporting their leaders who are being prosecuted, or expect to be forcibly disarmed. Along those same lines - to take up the idea expressed on 26 February before the American Senate by the Special Envoy ofthe United States ofAmerica for the Great Lakes Region - if the countries sheltering the defeated elements of the M-23 fail to hand them over to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and international justice, they will have the great responsibility, in line with the provisions of the Framework, to ensure that those individuals do not resume their hostile activities.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“In the area of operations, the pursuit of rebels who rejected the DDR programme began with the launch of the campaign to restore peace to the east by the Forces arme'es de la Republique democratique du Congo (FARDC) on 16 January. Operations are progressing satisfactorily against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in North Kivu and in the southern part of that province, and against the Rwandese rebels of the FDLR in South Kivu. In that vein, Mr. Martin Kobler recently welcomed the FARDC operations against the FDLR and the armed groups and announced the support and close engagement of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) with the Congolese army to neutralize the FDLR. As the spokesperson of the Government said during a press conference on 7 March, Mr.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Furthermore, as my country's President announced in his address to the nation on 31 December, the decentralization process will soon start with the establishment of the new Government, against the background of the gradual establishment of new provinces, the devolution of central Government financial services to the provinces and the establishment of the national stabilization fund. The Council will recall that, after the defeat of the Mouvement du 23 mars (M-23), the President, the Supreme Commander of the Forces arme'es de la Republique democratique du Congo, ordered the forcible disarmament of all national and foreign armed groups still active throughout the country who refused to respond to the offer of voluntary disarmament.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Within the framework of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme, I wish to recall that on 26 December 2013 the Council of Ministers adopted the third national plan for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. The identification of combatants from armed groups in North Kivu, regrouped into the Bweremana and Kanyaruchinya sites, has been completed. Those who are eligible under the plan will be consistently evacuated to triage centres for DDR operations. Meanwhile, the evacuation to the Kitona triage centre of Bakata- Katanga ex-combatants who fulfil the conditions continues.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Joseph Kabila Kabange, promulgated on 11 February 2014 the law on amnesty for rebellion, war and political crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 18 February 2006 and 20 December 2013. One month ago, after his statement before the Lower Chamber of Parliament, the Chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission met with political parties and groups. That meeting, which marked the launch of the 2014-2016 electoral cycle, led to the unanimous adoption of the new Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates. As of 10 February, the Code had been signed by 233 political parties.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“To that effect, as soon as the Framework was signed, the Congolese Government undertook to fulfil its obligations. It is pursuing its efforts to conclude security sector reform. Reforming the structures and staffs of the army, the security services and the police; recruiting Congolese youth from all provinces of the country into the defence forces; reopening military academies; and training, with help from bilateral partners, of special forces and support units, with the primary goal of making operational the rapid-reaction force - all those concrete actions have already begun and the Government will bolster them so as to make the defence of our territory more effective and to better guarantee the authority of the State. As stressed by the Secretary-General in his two reports, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“From that perspective, my delegation would like to endorse the appeal launched by the Heads of State and Government of the signatory countries of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework at the high-level meeting of the regional oversight Mmechanism, which took place in Addis Ababa on 31 January 2014, in which they called upon the countries of the region to cooperate and undertake necessary measures to neutralize armed groups; to combat impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity, conflict-related sexual violence and other gross violations ofhuman rights; and to undertake appropriate actions against those persons subject to the United Nations sanctions regime. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is determined to assume its share of responsibility so that peace and concord return to the region.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“For the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the implementation of the Framework - which for the first time lays the foundations for sustainable peace in the east of the country and for peaceful cohabitation between it and its neighbours, especially those of the east - should be emphasized. That Framework and resolution 2098 (2013), which reinforces the Framework, represent major innovations, both in stemming the crisis that has been rampant in the Great Lakes region since the mid-1990s and in the traditional United Nations peacekeeping doctrine. For the long-suffering people of the region, the Framework and the resolution are striking proof of the determination of the international community to help find a definitive solution to the instability that has lasted far too long and has cost my country greatly.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“My delegation has taken note of the Secretary- General's report on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region (S/2014/153), as well as the Secretary-General's report on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2014/157), which the Council is currently discussing. My delegation is pleased to note that the two reports both acknowledge the efforts of my country in the implementation of its commitments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“I should also like to convey to the Security Council the gratitude of the people and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the United Nations efforts to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and to ensure its peace and stability. Finally, I would like to pay tribute Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon, whose interest in working to consolidate peace in my country led to his personal involvement in bringing together the leaders of the Great Lakes region and Southern Africa for the signing of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. That agreement was concluded in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Mr. Gata MaVita wa Lufuta (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (spoke in French): At the outset, Madam President, I would like to express how honoured we are to see you presiding over the Security Council today. You represent Luxembourg, a country with which the Democratic Republic of the Congo enjoys a long relationship marked by mutual esteem and respect. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to your predecessor, the representative of Lithuania, and to congratulate her for the commitment and skill with which she headed the Council during the past month.”
2014-03-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7137 (2014) · source
“Along those lines, my delegation takes this opportunity to call upon the foreign and domestic armed groups still active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to respond positively to the invitation of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congolese armed forces to lay down their arms and to surrender to Congolese authorities so that they can be repatriated to their countries, in the case of foreigners, or inscribed in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme, in the case of Congolese nationals. My delegation welcomes the commitment of the Security Council to working to protect children against grave violations committed during armed conflict.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Compared to the earlier criminal code of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the law brings meaningful change, including by raising the age limit for those considered to be victims of sexual violence from 14 to 18 years old. Practices that were formerly considered to be lesser crimes - including forced marriage, forced prostitution or the exploitation of children, sexual slavery, bestiality and genital mutilation - are now punished more severely. Moreover, the new law on sexual violence, includes not only those crimes but also 16 additional crimes under the principle of international humanitarian law. In conclusion, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is resolved to pursue its campaign to eradicate this phenomenon.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“It gives the United Nations task force and child-protection agencies access to intelligence staff, documents, sites and installations, and authorizes the release of all children associated with armed groups into the care of child-protection agencies. Moreover, two coordination mechanisms have been created to follow up the implementation of the action plan. Results have been encouraging. According to statistics, 2,494 children were removed from armed groups and forces in June 2013, while 2,824 children, of whom 365 were girls, were placed in the care of the transitional support structure. Those numbers fell through 31 December 2013 and perhaps even more by today. Among the wide-ranging actions undertaken by the Government to address the phenomenon of sexual violence, I note the law of 20 July 2006.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“In October 2012, my Government and the United Nations signed an action plan with a series of commitments by both parties, aiming to end the recruitment and use of children by Congolese armed forces and security services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as sexual violence against children. Progress has been made since the signing of that action plan. Two directives have been issued by the Congolese authorities. The first was issued by the Ministry of National Defence and Veterans Affairs to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Armed Forces, recalling the various commitments made by the Government in the matter and the obligations arising therefrom. The second was issued by the general administrator of the Congolese National Intelligence Agency.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Thousands of child victims of violent attacks by armed groups have suffered considerable material and moral damage. I speak on behalf of those children, whose families, generally in a dire economic situation, would have liked concrete measures of redress and reparation to be made for them. From the viewpoint of education, displaced children living in areas of combat have virtually no access to education, which leaves them even more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups. Given the scope of the phenomenon, and pursuant to the recommendations contained in the annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, the Congolese authorities have spared no expense in tackling the challenges.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“However, internal displacements from ongoing acts of violence have not completely ceased, given the armed groups that continue to recruit children, subjecting them to forced labour and the extraction of natural resources. These children are also used to grind rocks into gravel in quarries. Once broken down, coltan is used in electronic devices. The high level of radioactivity of such substances explains the frequent respiratory problems, sometimes lethal, suffered by a great number of Congolese children who have been transporting and breaking down coltan. Those who survive are traumatized by acts of vandalism and barbarism perpetrated by the armed groups that victimize them. They have had to witness, powerlessly, horrible scenes of violence in which their families and friends have been killed before their eyes.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Indeed, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that has suffered for more than a decade of intermittent armed conflicts with the grimmest of consequences, children are among those civilians whose rights are most frequently violated. What is worse, given their immature psychological makeup, they experience great trauma when they are recruited as soldiers. That is the case, for example, when they are forced to kill an adversary in cold blood or a comrade in arms suspected of collaboration, or when forced to burn villages or to stand by helplessly as comrades suffer. All the armed groups operating in the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recruit boys and girls as soldiers, messengers, spies or traffickers or to transport munitions. Change has been palpable since the defeat of the Mouvement du 23 mars.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source
“Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, for their commitment to the cause of children. In one of her annual reports, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict writes that thousands of children continue to be killed, maimed or abducted, suffer sexual violence, or are denied access to humanitarian assistance or health care in many countries. In several countries, she continues, they have also been used to commit suicide attacks or to serve as human shields. That description corresponds exactly to the ordeal suffered daily by Congolese children due to the presence of numerous foreign and domestic armed groups that plunder the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2014-03-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7129 (2014) · source