YouSaid · the spoken record

Gertze

lines on the record

230

first

2017-01-10

most recent

2023-10-24

sittings or episodes

30

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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

1. “Namibia congratulates the Republic of Gabon on using its presidency of the Security Council to highlight the important nexus between climate and security. Climate change effects everyone, everywhere. Our world is on fire. We see that in African countries, where we are already experiencing an increase in persistent drought, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, coastal erosion and ocean acidification, further threatening food security and efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The direct link between climate change and conflict is not one that we draw naturally and logically.”

   2022-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9150 (2022) · source

2. “It is against that background that my delegation welcomes the focus of today’s debate on stronger cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations. We believe that such partnerships will foster greater inclusivity, breaking down the barriers of inequality and exclusivity and bringing us closer to a world in which no one is left behind.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

3. “Sustaining peace on the continent requires strong recognition of and support for the capacity of regional organizations in providing leadership on regional issues. Africa continues to evolve, and our resolve to build institutional capacity and strengthen our governance and peace and security infrastructure serves as our commitment to building the Africa we want. In conclusion, the Council’s agenda continues to be dominated by African issues. Through stronger partnerships, we are confident that inclusivity in debates and decision-making on matters affecting the lives of the people we represent in the Africa Union and the United Nations would be strengthened. In Namibia, we hold the belief that inclusivity spells harmony, while exclusivity could lead to conflict.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

4. “With only seven years remaining until the deadline to silence the guns on the continent, my delegation places emphasis on partnership on an equal footing, with due regard for the value of African voices, not only in providing solutions to African problems, but also in providing global leadership. As long as the Security Council fails to reflect, in stature and composition, the makeup of the multipolar world, it can never adequately address global concerns. While the spotlight may be on Africa today through this focused open debate, we are reminded that we remain guests in this Chamber, with no permanent voice to represent the interests of the continent, whose population of 1.3 billion people constitutes approximately 17 per cent of the world’s population.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

5. “That served as the precursor for the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which has become an important global instrument for monitoring the prevention, combating and eradication of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. As a current member of the AU Peace and Security Council and as Chair of the Southern African Development Community Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Namibia continues to demonstrate its commitment to regional and continental stability by advocating for the advancement of infrastructure for peace, democracy and the protection of human rights.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

6. “Last month, the African Union celebrated the fifth annual Africa Amnesty Month to reduce the number of illegally owned weapons. The threat posed by the use, misuse and abuse of small arms and light weapons continues to have devastating consequences around the world. The continued proliferation of small arms and light weapons fuels conflict and has, in many instances, had devastating effects on intimate partner relationships, as those weapons are used to perpetrate sexual and gender-based violence. In that connection, Africa provided remarkable leadership in the drafting of the Bamako Declaration on an African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

7. “The ability to seamlessly dovetail the priorities outlined in Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been extremely beneficial. That has greatly supported our ability to domesticate the elements of both agendas simultaneously. We are encouraged that the scope and depth of the AU-United Nations partnership continues to grow in stature. Despite that, the continent continues to face a plethora of challenges and ever-present threats such as terrorism, organized crime, violent extremism, food insecurity and pronounced energy and climate challenges. These challenges are not insurmountable. They do, however, require concerted and coordinated efforts to ensure that the AU-United Nations partnership is leveraged for the benefit of the citizens of all member States.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

8. “I thank you, Sir, for hosting this high-level event, which coincides with the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the transformation of the Organization of African Unity into the African Union (AU). Allow me to also extend my gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, for their elaborate and informative briefings. Embracing a multipolar world is synonymous with embracing divergent views and appreciating different contexts. The power dynamic in a setting that accommodates multipolarity requires us to be cognizant of that. The AU-United Nations partnership is symbiotic in nature and has been beneficial on many scores, chief among which is the alignment of development priorities.”

   2022-10-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9149 (2022) · source

9. “At a time when new conflicts shake the international community, we must not ignore this open sore. Peace and stability in the Middle East depend on the international community, all of us, taking decisive action to support a just and peaceful solution to the question of Palestine.”

   2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

10. “The Bureau issued a statement after the meeting, warning against diverting international attention from the question of Palestine and also appealing for assistance to ensure that Palestine meets its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets. In conclusion, the Committee reiterates its commitment to work towards the end of Israel’s occupation and the realization of the rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and independence, in accordance with international law and all relevant United Nations resolutions and past agreements. Resolving the question of Palestine is long overdue. That question has at its core our unfulfilled promise to the Palestinian people. It remains an ongoing source of injustice, fuelling instability and violence and endangering human lives.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

11. “There, he called on the OIC to help encourage broader international engagement for the realization of a just and peaceful solution to the question of Palestine. New global crises and conflicts should not divert the United Nations and the international community’s attention from the grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Israel, the occupying Power, promotes policies and practices that are turning into a de facto annexation with different and discriminatory rights and legal systems applying to the population under its control. On 30 March, the Bureau of the Committee met the President of the General Assembly and explored alternative ways to revive the Middle East peace process and international efforts to address this injustice, which in May will mark 74 years since the Nakba that befell the Palestinian people.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

12. “They run counter to resolution 2334 (2016), which, in paragraph 6, calls for “immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including all acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and destruction”. The Committee stresses the decisive role and responsibility of the international community, and the Security Council in particular, in resolving this conflict. To that effect, the Committee continues to engage with Member States to garner support for the resumption of peace negotiations. Also, the Committee Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang of Senegal, addressed the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which took place in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 22 March.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

13. “In that regard, the Palestinian people also continue to face forced displacement, evictions and the destruction of their property and structures. The negative effects of those violations, especially on Palestinian women, was echoed at the Committee’s event on the margins of the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Speakers gave testimony on the plight of Palestinian women in the East Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, where Palestinian families also face relentless settler violence. Such acts of infringement and violence disintegrate families and heighten tensions on the ground.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

14. “Faithful to its mandate to raise awareness about such issues, on 27 April the Committee will host a discussion with civil society organizations on the impact of the Israeli occupation and settlements on Palestinian rights. As repeatedly stated by the overwhelming majority of the international community and in the Security Council, Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law. The expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, especially in and around East Jerusalem, adversely affects the contiguity of a future Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and is the source of countless other human rights violations against the Palestinian people.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

15. “In its report (A/HRC/49/85) to the forty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council, held between 28 February and 1 April, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted a total of 502 such incidents. The Committee calls for the protection of civilians, in line with the Council’s relevant resolutions on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and specifically calls for the protection of the Palestinian civilian population, in accordance with international humanitarian law. The Committee reiterates that the Israeli occupation is the main driver of human rights violations and conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

16. “The Committee reiterates its calls for calm and restraint and calls on the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, as well as armed groups, to avoid violence, de-escalate tensions and prevent inflaming the already tense situation of the past few weeks. Indeed, on 19 April and 22 March (see S/PV.9000), the United Nations Special Coordinator expressed concern over the situation and reported that, between 10 December 2021 and 18 March 2022, a total of 24 Palestinians were killed, four of whom were children, and 2,966 injured. The Committee is equally concerned about the killing of Israeli civilians. We strongly condemn any violent act against civilians, including recurring settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, carried out with passive acquiescence and even the support of Israeli security forces.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

17. “The Committee also appeals to political, religious and community leaders to help to restore calm. The Committee further calls on Israel to uphold and respect the historic status quo of the holy sites and its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Committee recalls that Israel is the occupying Power in East Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian territory it has occupied since 1967 and bears no sovereignty rights therein and that all measures to alter the demography, character and status of that territory, including East Jerusalem, are illegal, null and void. In that regard, the Committee recalls the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 476 (1980), 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016), and calls for their full respect and implementation.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

18. “The 15-year land, air and sea blockade of Gaza continues to create additional immense suffering for over 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, despite recent easing of access and trade, affecting all aspects of life, and is at the root of the dire humanitarian crisis afflicting the population. On 15 and 17 April, during a sacred time when religious holidays for Muslims, Jews and Christians overlapped, the world witnessed unconscious scenes inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque when Israeli police forcibly removed worshippers and used excessive force against Palestinians, causing injury to more than 150 people, among them women and children, and causing damage to the mosque. The Committee shares the Secretary- General’s deep concern over the situation in Jerusalem.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

19. “Mr. Gertze: On behalf of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, I would like to congratulate the United Kingdom for its able presidency of the Security Council this month. We also thank Mr. Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, for his briefing. As we gather at this quarterly Council debate on the question of Palestine, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is deteriorating, with particular intensity in occupied East Jerusalem, where tensions are dangerously heightened. The core problem is well known. Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian territory and its continuous human rights violations and use of excessive force against Palestinian civilians fuel desolation among a population already despairing from 55 years of military occupation.”

    2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021Resumption1 (2022) · source

20. “Increased military spending does not speak to that overall goal. We must make efforts at the national level to reverse that trend. As we celebrate the continued growth of the depth of the women and peace and security agenda, Namibia remains quick to caution that we must guard against an overburdened agenda, which runs the risk of losing its focus and value. In conclusion, we would like to draw attention to the strong set of recommendations compiled by the Action for Peacekeeping initiative earlier this year, which speak directly to the challenges of barriers to women’s participation in peacekeeping, and we call on all Member States and United Nations agencies to implement them.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

21. “There is a need for an increased integration of gender in national planning and budgeting as part of our strategies to train national officials to execute plans and programme, and hence strengthen the abilities of women to advocate for decision-making positions and political leadership in general. In addition, we should broaden the space for women’s participation in peace processes, including by training women mediators and advocating gender equality measures, as critical to security policies and practices. The increasing trajectory in military spending highlighted in the Secretary-General’s report (S/2021/827) is of great concern. We must remember that the women and peace and security agenda is a means to an end, and that end is ensuring just and peaceful societies, as well as lasting peace.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

22. “As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, we must not be distracted from the zero- tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, nor must we allow impunity for violations of that policy. In the context of conflict, therefore, our call for action continues to be to ensure that as we focus on and bring all our energy to the battle against COVID-19, we maintain a clear lens on peacekeeping operations. We should develop strategies to promote women’s participation in decision-making, including engagement with national electoral systems and political parties to provide an equal playing field for women candidates. There is also a need to support leadership development for women and girls so that we assist them in cultivating their political potential and professional skills.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

23. “Public health emergencies have a differentiated impact on women and men owing to gender roles and structural gender inequalities, which are often intensified in conflict-affected countries. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic proved no different. Despite the negative impacts of the pandemic, not only has COVID-19 provided an opportunity to build more peaceful, inclusive and just societies, it has also highlighted how critical the women and peace and security agenda is. The agenda provides an important perspective from which to understand and respond to conflict and instability. It recognizes the stratified impact of conflict on women and girls and places women at the centre of efforts to prevent its outbreak and achieve sustainable peace.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

24. “For Namibia, some bold decisions over the past several years, including introducing a gender quota in national politics, has resulted in women taking up 47 per cent representation in the National Assembly today. We hope to extend that to women in the security sector via the programmes that the Peace Centre will work on. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations is crucial, and within the African context, Namibia remains a champion of the agenda, especially in our region via the Southern African Development Community and African Union mechanisms and through our troop contributions to peacekeeping missions.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

25. “The Centre’s objective is to be a centre of excellence that captures a unique niche of innovative distinction among institutions working with women and peace and security worldwide by taking on the challenge of further conceptualizing and operationalizing the concept of women’s influence in peace processes. Further, the Centre’s main functions will be general advocacy for the women and peace and security agenda on networking and partnerships and on capacity- building and training. In that regard, Namibia commits to elevating women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes. Women’s meaningful participation in peace processes and humanitarian action is particularly important as it is at the core of resolution 1325 (2000).”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

26. “Namibia thanks you, Mr. President, for organizing this open debate on the issue of women and peace and security. We are encouraged, as always, by the overwhelming support for this open debate. We thank the Secretary-General and all the briefers for their invaluable input to this meeting this morning. As the initiator of resolution 1325 (2000), Namibia has maintained a leadership role over the past 20 years. We solidified that role by launching an International Women’s Peace Centre in Windhoek, on 31 October 2020, during the twentieth anniversary of the resolution.”

    2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886Resumption1 (2021) · source

27. “That success is notably demonstrated by the fact that we will hold our sixth presidential and general elections next week. While some countries continue to be plagued by conflict and violence around the world, notably in the Middle East and on the African continent, others are emerging from them. Reconciliation processes should form an essential element of any peace process and should include women. Reconciliation in different forms allows for wounds to be healed and truth to be spoken. It remains a fundamental step towards ensuring a country's peace, security, harmony and prosperity.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

28. “The Commission notably advocates for and ensures the inclusion of young people and women in peacebuilding processes, two essential actors in peace and reconciliation processes. However, Namibia wishes to caution that, while the need to promote dialogue in reconciling parties cannot be overemphasized, the impact of external parties in such processes should not be ignored. There are real dangers that the vested interests of external parties couldjeopardize reconciliation processes in some cases. As Namibia prepares to mark 30 years of independence in March next year, we take pride in the steps we have taken to ensure our smooth transition to an independent, free State. With the essential help of the United Nations and the international community at large, our reconciliation process has by and large been a successful one.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

29. “My country had to go back to the basics to ensure that Namibia could enjoy freedom, peace and stability, while holding hands as "one Namibia, one Nation". Today we are proud that out of two warring factions during our liberation struggle, Namibia has succeeded in integrating those who were fighting on the side ofthe apartheid South African Government with the People's Liberation Army of Namibia into one unified national defence force. With the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission in 2005, the United Nations further cemented the importance of peacebuilding and reconciliation. The aim of the Commission is to propose integrated strategies for post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery, to bring together all the relevant actors and to marshal resources.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

30. “Reconciliation can take different forms, most notably truth and reconciliation commissions and court systems. The United Nations has long taken a leading role in promoting and ensuring reconciliation. At independence, Namibia faced a daunting task of reconciliation and nation-building, subsequent to the collapse of the apartheid system. which thrived on the principle of divide and rule. Namibia was fortunate to have had United Nations Special Representatives in the persons of Sean MacBride of Ireland and Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, among others, who, together with the United Nations Transition Assistance Group, worked tirelessly to bring about an internationally acceptable transition to independence for Namibia.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

31. “For those to be successful, the need for dialogue between aggrieved parties is of the utmost importance. We recognize that the success of dialogue is linked to the parties' desire to resolve conflict. Maintaining peace after such negotiations would require ongoing dialogue to assist with reconciling the parties. Reconciliation has long been recognized as an essential step that countries must take in their path to achieve full peace and stability after violence and conflicts. If we want to ensure that conflicts do not re-emerge or reignite, some form of reconciliation between parties must take place. Reconciliation is part and parcel of any peacebuilding process. Reconciliation requires that structural injustices in the political, social, judicial and economic spheres be addressed.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

32. “I congratulate you, Mr. President, on the assumption by the United Kingdom of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. I thank you for organizing today's open debate on this important topic. If one looks at the never-ending list of unresolved conflicts and the amount of time that this Council spends annually on debating and seeking resolution to conflicts, please forgive me for drawing the conclusion that peace must be boring. Otherwise, how do we explain the persistent presence of conflicts. Of course, we recognize the seriousness of this matter and we therefore want to begin our intervention by highlighting that for peace to prevail, conflicts should have been prevented in the first place. To that end, early warning and intelligence gathering are most crucial.”

    2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668 (2019) · source

33. “Next year, the international community will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). That should be an opportunity for Member States to outline and/or renew commitments made to ensure that women are adequately represented in peace and security matters. In that regard, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate Namibia's intention to establish an international women's peace centre in Windhoek. We are diligently consulting with our various stakeholders and partners in establishing this centre, as we intend to launch it in 2020 as part of our commitment. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the centre and to hearing the commitments of other Member States for 2020.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

34. “At the meeting, participants discussed the importance of having a youthful voice on this agenda and how the convergence of the women and peace and security agenda and disarmament can be translated into national actions at the local, national and regional levels. The meeting underscored that access to information, youth networks and the use of technology, including social media, can play a crucial role in promoting and supporting the active engagement of women and young people in peace and security. A total of 85 countries are currently members of the Network and we strongly encourage all countries to join. We look forward to handing over the chairmanship of the Network to Canada and Uruguay next year.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

35. “Namibia welcomes the launch of the African Union Continental Results Framework for Monitoring and Reporting on the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa. We strongly believe that monitoring, reporting and accountability are important tools to ensure the post-2020 meaningful implementation of the women and peace and security agenda. In April, Namibia organized the third meeting of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network. The Network enables closer coordination among Member States and facilitates the annual sharing and exchange of best practices and lessons learned.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

36. “These plans provide a valuable tool for States to implement their commitments to the women and peace and security agenda and to detail their actions and obligations under the Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, of which there are now 10. Namibia launched its first national action plan earlier this year. Our plan is forward- looking and incorporates emerging issues, trends and threats to peace and security, such as climate change, cybersecurity and the traffic of persons, while also looking at how those issues impact the overall women and peace and security agenda. Regional and subregional organizations must also take stronger measures to ensure that the women and peace and security agenda is implemented at those levels.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

37. “We welcome the formation of women mediator networks, notably the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, which act as a direct response to current obstacles to women's meaningful participation and influence in all aspects of peace processes. Women continue to be underrepresented in arms control and disarmament forums, as highlighted in the report of the Secretary-General (S/2019/800). In 2017, only one-quarter of the participants in multilateral disarmament meetings at the United Nations were women. There is an urgent need to mainstream the women and peace and security agenda in disarmament. As of September, 82 countries had adopted and were implementing national action plans on women and peace and security.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

38. “While we appreciate that we have made some progress over the past 19 years, Namibia, as an initiator of the landmark resolution 1325 (2000), notes with a sense of disappointment that there are still too few women peacekeepers in the world today. Currently, only 4.2 per cent of the military personnel in United Nations peacekeeping missions are women. Namibia has peacekeepers, both military and police personnel, deployed in three missions: the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. I am happy to report that Namibia has female police officers deployed in all three missions. Another important issue that needs to be addressed is the greater inclusion of women in conflict prevention, peace processes and mediation.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

39. “Namibia thanks you most sincerely, Mr. President, for organizing this important debate today. We are encouraged, as always, by the overwhelming support for this open debate. We also welcome the Security Council's unanimous adoption of resolution 2493 (2019), the tenth resolution on women and peace and security. We are fast approaching the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). The historic mindset shift towards finally recognizing the immeasurable and constructive role that women can play globally in the crucial pursuit of peace and security set us on a great path of hope and progress.”

    2019-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8649Resumption1 (2019) · source

40. “We must implement all the resolutions adopted in this Chamber and face our collective responsibility vis-a-vis past and future generations of Palestinians and Israelis. We all know that making the two-State solution a reality is the only way forward for peace and stability in the region. It is time to act to bring an end to the Israeli occupation; to realize the long-denied Palestinian rights, including to self-determination and freedom; and to make peace a reality. Failure to act will only hasten the demise of the two-State solution and bring more conflict and suffering.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

41. “Achieving reconciliation and holding general elections, which will be organized soon, as announced by President Mahmoud Abbas during the general debate of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session (see A/74/PV.7), would constitute positive steps towards reuniting the Palestinian people under a single, legitimate Palestinian national Government. Finally, the only just and viable solution to ensure peace and prosperity in the region remains the international consensus on how to resolve the conflict: two States living side by side in peace and security along the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State. We are at a critical juncture, and it is time for the parties and the rest of the international community alike to break the inertia and walk the talk.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

42. “The Committee reiterates its call on all Member States to provide UNRWA with the reliable and sustainable funding necessary to deliver critical humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees in all five fields of operation, contributing to their development and protection and to stability in the region. We also urge Member States to continue strongly supporting its General Assembly mandate, which is to be renewed in November. We commend Egypt and others for their ongoing efforts to advance the reconciliation process and call on the Palestinian parties to actively engage towards that end.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

43. “The Committee welcomes the steps taken by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of International Assistance to Palestinians as presented in its September report to bring relief to the population through a package of urgent humanitarian and economic interventions for Gaza. These measures should go hand in hand with efforts to address the continuing fiscal crisis faced by the Palestinian Government, which hampers its ability to deliver services to the population. In September, UNRWA was able to reopen 709 schools, allowing 530,000 refugee children to continue their education. However, the Agency's financial situation remains challenging albeit improved following the ministerial pledging conference held on 26 September in New York.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

44. “In Gaza, the situation also remains volatile, as weekly Great March of Return demonstrations and the ensuing casualties among Palestinian civilians have continued, alongside the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel. The dire economic situation, especially the insufficient energy supply, combined with the scarcity of essential medicines, is causing a health crisis, with the health system reported to be near collapse. We reiterate our call on Israel, the occupying Power, to abide by international standards with regard to the use of force. We also call on Palestinian militants in Gaza to stop the indiscriminate firing of rockets into southern Israel.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

45. “The annexation, if realized, will effectively entrench a one-State reality of separate and vastly unequal legal systems, political rights and social opportunities." The international community must consider what that would mean with regard to the viability of the long-standing international consensus on a two-State solution, based on the pre-l967 borders, which such an action would effectively terminate. The Committee is also gravely concerned about the recurrent and rising tensions in Jerusalem at the holy sites, including continuing provocations, incitement and violations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Committee urges Israeli authorities to abide by international law and avoid actions that undermine an already fragile situation there, and calls for respect for the historic and legal status quo and the sanctity of the holy sites.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

46. “The Committee would like to express its profound concern about the escalating rhetoric and threats by Israeli officials concerning intentions to annex settlements and the Jordan Valley. The Jordan Valley makes up 30 per cent of the occupied West Bank and is home to more than 65,000 Palestinians. Annexation is strictly prohibited under international law and cannot go unchallenged by the international community, obliging the Council to act should any such aggression be committed. As was recently stated by Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk, "By annexing these areas, Israel will further confine Palestinians to live in small, fragmented and disconnected cantons while others will continue to live under Israeli military rule.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

47. “The Committee joins the calls for the Secretary-General's reports on the implementation of resolution 2334 (2016) to be provided in writing and to include Member States' reports on how they comply with operative paragraph 5, which requires Member States to distinguish in their dealings between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Such measures of distinction are crucial to upholding international law, including the relevant United Nations resolutions, and to ensuring that this illegal situation does not receive support or recognition. In that regard, the Committee looks forward to the publication by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of the relevant database, as mandated by Human Rights Council resolution 31/36.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

48. “The violence and loss of life have continued, illegal Israeli settlements have expanded, demolitions of Palestinian homes and evictions of their inhabitants have accelerated, and the humanitarian and economic situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, has continued to deteriorate under the oppressive weight and as a result of the illegal practices of Israel's 52-year military occupation. I want to reiterate in the strongest terms that the Israeli settlements in occupied areas are illegal under international law, and that as has been reaffirmed in resolution 2334 (2016), among other things, Israel must halt its expansion immediately and completely.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

49. “As we gather quarterly in the Council to collectively consider the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, I can only lament the ongoing illegal occupation of the Palestinian territory and the worsening situation on the ground, which have a negative impact not only on the rights of Palestinians, including children, but also on the security of Israelis and the prospects for a peaceful and just solution to the question of Palestine, which has already been too long delayed.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source

50. “No amount of humanitarian and economic support can substitute for a negotiated two-State solution, the only one that can meet the legitimate aspirations and security needs of both Israelis and Palestinians. I will now deliver a statement in my capacity under rule 39 as Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. At the outset, on behalf of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people, I would like to commend the leadership of the delegation of South Africa in its presidency of the Security Council this month.”

    2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source