YouSaid · the spoken record

Gomes

lines on the record
32
first
1998-04-30
most recent
2018-08-30
sittings or episodes
2
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “I conclude by vigorously reaffirming that the situation prevailing in Guinea-Bissau is not irredeemable; it is within our power to change course. Not only do we have the ability, but we, the citizens of Guinea-Bissau, ultimately bear the responsibility to do so. Such is the new path we wish to blaze - a course that will allow us to renew the institutions of our Republic, crucially through the transparent holding of free and credible legislative elections on 18 November. This path towards a stable Guinea-Bissau will allow us to build peace, democracy, social justice and respect for human rights, and thereby a hopeful and prosperous future for our country and its population.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  2. “At that time - that is to say, at a time when our country recorded notable economic growth and showed promising development indices - no one would have imagined that, two decades later, we would be here to consider how to unite our energies and resources in order to rebuild a State that many years squandered in political conflict have weakened to the point of failure. As we have seen elsewhere, especially in Africa, that is no easy task, but for our part we are firmly resolved to succeed in turning the situation around so that our country can assume its rightful place among the community of nations. It is that rightful place - that of a dignified and respectable country conscious of its national and international obligations - that we wish to rediscover and restore within the international community.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  3. “Our country has many strengths for building a better future for its population and for providing genuine opportunities for the education and flourishing of its young people in particular. The citizens of Guinea-Bissau, our countrymen, are not bellicose people. On the contrary, we are a united and peaceful people. In the recent past, our soldiers have participated, honourably in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Guinea-Bissau served on the Security Council in 1996 and 1997 and assumed the presidency 22 years ago this month.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  4. “I am thinking in particular but not only about strengthening the rule of law, protecting fundamental freedoms, matters related to the existence and functioning of an accessible, effective and fair justice system, the overarching issue of gender, the increased participation of women in society in general, and in particular their rightful place in all political and economic areas, and the effective exercise of power, as noted by Ms. Tavares Pinto in her most edifying briefing. We are, in any case, ready to participate actively in such consideration. The crisis situation in Guinea-Bissau is not inevitable. We have known periods of great stability, during which most of our efforts were focused on the problems of development and creating better living conditions for our people.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  5. “In that regard, I am pleased that the Secretary-General has indicated in his report that he intends to make recommendations to the Security Council on a new configuration ofUNIOGBIS, which no doubt will better meet our common desire to achieve greater efficiency and further results, including by rationalizing resources and focusing on targeted actions that can have an impact immediately, or at least in the short term.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  6. “At the beginning of my remarks, I said that two decades ago - to be more precise, in June 1998, the date of the outbreak of an armed conflict that proved to be devastating and whose consequences we still suffer today - the situation in Guinea-Bissau has been on the agenda of the Security Council. Was it not the Secretary-General of that time - the sorely- missed Kofi Annan, an illustrious son of Ghana, his native country, and of Africa, where he was raised, a citizen emeritus committed to the world, and to whose memory and unforgettable work I respectfully pay tribute - who recommended to the Security Council the establishment of an effective political structure in Guinea-Bissau in 1999? Twenty years later, where are we? The question indeed deserves to be asked and calls for reflection.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  7. “However, we hope that a national surge will emerge. I am convinced that a better awareness of the real issues - in particular, the ongoing pursuit of the improved social well-being of our people - is possible in our country. We have every reason to assert that our people - the people of Guinea Bissau, who are a peaceful, hospitable and noble people - are ready to demonstrate once again their civic and political maturity and their commitment to further working, alongside other peoples of the world, to build a more just, peaceful, secure and prosperous world for all.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  8. “In that regard, I take this opportunity to very warmly thank all countries and institutions, including the ECOWAS Commission and the West African Economic and Monetary Union in particular, which have been willing to help to ensure the availability of the necessary funds in the form of pledges that have yet to be disbursed to us. I would also like to express our gratitude to the Government of Portugal, which, as in previous elections, has provided us with a significant amount of materials. Admittedly, the organization of the legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau on 18 November is not an end in itself. However, it is clearly a decisive step towards restoring political stability in our country, consolidating the gains of democracy and strengthening the rule of law. Over the past two decades, we have faced difficulties of all kinds.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  9. “Ultimately, we will make use of the kits provided by Timor-Leste and Nigeria to address the electoral census arrangement, which we have negotiated with the political parties. Our Government has made an exceptional effort to contribute to the financing of the legislative elections, the organization of which requires considerable funds that, unfortunately, we alone are not able to ensure. There is currently a significant financial gap that needs to be urgently filled. That is why we have sought the help of our development partners and the international community in general.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  10. “Given the delivery schedules for the biometric registration kits that we ordered from abroad, and which we paid for through our own funds on deposit with the United Nations Development Programme, and in order to be able to meet, as far as possible, all the stages ofthe electoral process, we appealed to brotherly and friendly countries, such as Timor-Leste, Nigeria, Mali, Angola and Cabo Verde, to provide us on a temporary basis with some of the equipment for voter registration at their disposal, which will allow us, with the goodwill of all political actors of our country, to initiate operations in the coming days and to anticipate the identification and full registration of voters throughout the national territory. Allow me to express our deep gratitude to all those countries for their great support and solidarity.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  11. “In that regard, I would like to remove all ambiguity and to affirm that we are sparing no effort to ensure the holding of legislative elections in our country on the scheduled date of 18 November. That said, I again call on the international community to keep its promises and, above all, to honour its pledges because at the moment the international community is not contributing a penny to preparing and, ultimately, to holding the census that is due to start. Currently, only the Government, with its meagre resources, is dealing with that very burdensome task for the State budget. That is the mandate that I have received, and it is a responsibility that I, as Prime Minister, intend to fully assume, with the support of all members of the Government.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  12. “That is the bet that we have made, and it is certainly the path that the Government as a whole has chosen to follow. That is why I took the time to recall the negotiation among the political parties regarding a well-defined process that has proved to be the best suited to the electoral census. The organization of elections at the national level is never an easy task, even for the richest countries, where the democratic system is firmly and sufficiently anchored in their values. In the case of our country, Guinea-Bissau, I must say that the difficulties that we face are still numerous, but they are not insurmountable. Certain aspects related to the agreed choice that we have made with regard to the electoral census and to the printing of voting cards are described in the report under consideration.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  13. “We are convinced that the stability pact, once adopted with the shared support and commitment of all, will contribute greatly to lifting spirits and to forging a feeling of national unity of action at all levels in the judicious, effective and responsible management of the destiny of our people. The free, transparent and credible elections sought by all can happen in Guinea-Bissau only if we ensure in advance the involvement of all, without exception, in choosing the method and specific technical conditions that will allow them to take place. A reliable electoral census, undertaken in full transparency, under the conditions stipulated by the electoral law and without eliciting suspicions of manipulation or fraud, is a sine qua non condition for success.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  14. “With regard to the presence of ECOMIB, it would be desirable for it to be able to carry out on the ground the additional mission of supporting us more closely in the reform process in general and in particular in the defence and security sectors. If all the measures that I have just cited are to succeed, Guineans must come to an agreement among themselves before the elections. It is in that spirit that I proposed to the political parties represented in our Parliament the adoption of a stability pact, the draft of which is still the subject of discussions, which I personally led on 20 August. Those consultations will be broadened to take into account the point of view and contribution ofcivil society and all those who are willing to participate in improving its content and promoting its adoption.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  15. “Such an approach could be launched immediately after the legislative elections and allow us to respond appropriately to the current and legitimate questions that are being posed. For example, is the presence of UNIOGBIS still useful in Guinea-Bissau after more than 20 years? What about the presence of the ECOWAS mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB)? In our opinion, it is necessary to strengthen the international presence while reshaping it in response to the needs of the reform and rebuilding of the State. We believe that cooperation between the United Nations and the Government following the legislative elections should be based on the principle of strengthening the Government's capacity to carry out reform.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  16. “That is why the State must be rebuilt through reform of the defence, security and justice sectors and the whole range of institutions allowing a return to regulation, which would facilitate competition and make it harder to wage war. It would also stimulate further growth through investment, creating more income to distribute and therefore fewer political parties trying to prey on public funds. Once that vision shared by the Government and the international community has been consolidated, we could negotiate the restructuring of our cooperation and the coordination of aid. All cooperation agencies in the country would be reconfigured with a View to supporting the country in its reforms once they have been prescribed and perhaps even the subject of a round table.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  17. “The Constitution, which should be nothing more than a basic law of provisory political compromise and which was drafted for that purpose at a specific time more than 30 years ago, remains unchanged in its most important aspects, including the distribution of powers between the two heads of the executive branch, namely, the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. One of the consequences of the failure of the national project of the post-independence period, with its range of individual and collective disappointments, was the withdrawal of different social and ethnic groups. That has only reinforced the idea that it is everyone for themselves in the management of the State of Guinea-Bissau. As a result, crises arise one after another and resemble each other.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  18. “While it is true that such political struggles over various sources of State income exist everywhere, we must point out that they have become exacerbated in my country by the following factors: the collapse of an entire system regulating access to State institutions; the total or partial loss of legal and regulatory mechanisms that regulate access to institutional posts; the total or partial absence of rules protecting different professions within State institutions; the loss of the tradition of merit-based promotion, and the collapse of the principle of organization according to which each post must correspond to a well-defined task. The context of such structural State failure is exacerbated by a Constitution that is not harmonious or sufficiently clear, which makes political governance even more difficult.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  19. “As these resources dwindle, the more fiercely the battles rage among actors who seek to take advantage of the rare sources of financing, which are the ministries, independent funds, State enterprises and projects financed by donors.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  20. “As a result of those crises, the gaps among social groups are growing. Individuals who should in principle make up the elites within the State institutions are instead obliged to be part of an everyone-for-themselves system. That approach to socioeconomic survival is encouraged by some who exploit the institutions by monopolizing them rather than by serving the State. Therefore, we have for years seen a succession of progressive monopolization processes by individuals and groups of individuals, most often organized into political parties. Those political entities end up evolving only around projects of pure and simple predation on our meagre national income.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  21. “The correct answers to those questions will lead us to a diagnosis that is likely to provide strategies for all stakeholders to follow in the current crisis with a view to its definitive resolution. The recurring political crises in Guinea-Bissau involve a number of factors, including the following elements. The collapse of State institutions following the failure of the economic development of our national post-independence project has had a considerable impact on shaping the political crises that we have witnessed to date. That widespread situation is characterized by social and political malaise and has engendered classic survival strategies across all fields to access the fragile State structures of Guinea-Bissau, including enormous vulnerability to transnational and organized crime.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  22. “Indeed, in our current context, it is not advisable to adopt unilateral acts that could upset the balance that we are still trying to establish and that might have a negative impact on the electoral process and, ultimately, on the organization and the success of the elections. It is true that the holding of elections is essential to political stability in Guinea-Bissau. However, it is also true that Guinea-Bissau has experienced successive political crises for more than two decades, despite its long-standing tradition of success in organizing five different rounds of elections since the establishment of a multiparty political system in the country. In other words, it is entirely legitimate to question the real sources of political instability in my country, which arise on a recurring basis.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  23. “It is not unusual, after such a long period of crisis in a country as fragile as ours, for it to be difficult and even laborious to quickly restore a climate of trust between political parties and other protagonists in national life. One of our major concerns since we set about carrying out the task entrusted to us has always been to prioritize dialogue. We have decided, whenever possible, to take no major decisions that commit the parties represented in our Government without consulting with them first. Let me stress that ours is a consensus-based and inclusive Government.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  24. “Indeed, thanks in particular to the persistent efforts of ECOWAS and the good will of political parties, civil society and other important actors in Guinea Bissau, the political crisis, which had raged practically uninterrupted since 2014 and made it difficult for Parliament in particular to function fully found a happy outcome, thereby enabling the appointment by the President of the Republic, Mr. Jose' Mario Vaz, of a consensus Prime Minister, whose primary responsibility is to create the necessary conditions for the holding of legislative elections on the scheduled date. The inclusive Government that I have the honour to lead took office on 26 April. A calendar had already been adopted two months prior to that date. Nevertheless, the Government was able to catch up in the process of organizing elections without cutting any corners.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  25. “A new hope was born in Guinea Bissau following the Lome agreement of 14 April, thanks to the fruitful impetus of the ECOWAS member countries, whose tireless support and active solidarity I should like to salute here and now. In that regard, I am pleased to highlight the leading and decisive role played by all the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States, and thank them for their understanding and for having always been at our side in the search for a consensual and lasting solution to the political crisis in Guinea-Bissau. In particular, I thank Mr. Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea, and Mr. Faure Gnassingbe, President of the Republic of Togo, for their invaluable and fraternal support in their capacity, respectively, as mediator and outgoing Chair of our subregional organization.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  26. “As a result, its validity and binding character were called into question beginning the day following its signature, on 14 October 2016, in the capital of the Republic of Guinea, by some of the participants in the negotiations conducted under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mediator, the President of the Republic of Guinea, Mr. Alpha Conde. I will not rehash the many ups and downs of Guinea- Bissau's recent political history, since the successive reports that have been submited to the Security Council in recent years make ample mention of them. I would rather, if I may, dwell on the organization of the legislative elections that are due to take place on 18 November, that is to say, in less than three months.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  27. “Six months ago, the Security Council engaged in timely and serious consideration about what could or should happen in Guinea-Bissau, given the numerous internal contradictions and the persistence of a political impasse that seemed insurmountable. As the Council knows, the Conakry Agreement, which was to serve as a road map and mark the way out of the crisis, has been difficult to implement, in particular because of the differing, even contradictory, interpretations that have hampered it.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  28. “I would also like to express our gratitude to the members and the Chair of the Guinea-Bissau configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, who recently visited Guinea-Bissau. This was his second visit, which highlights his personal interest in and commitment to stability and progress in our country. We thank him for his encouraging briefing and greatly appreciate his objective and confident view of our country. We also thank Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba, Chair of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 2048 (2012) concerning Guinea-Bissau, for the work he carried out with total objectivity.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  29. “Mr. Gomes (Guinea-Bissau) (spoke in French): Today's consideration of the Secretary-General's report (S/2018/771) on developments in my country and the activities of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) gives me the opportunity to thank the Council for the special and sustained attention that it has focused on my country over the past two decades. Allow me to take this opportunity to also express our deep appreciation to the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report and for his continued efforts to help ensure peace and political stability in our country. I thank his Special Representative, Ambassador Jose Viegas Filho, for introducing the report and thank him and his entire team in Bissau for the remarkable work they are doing.”

    2018-08-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8337 (2018) · source

  30. “We believe that the Council, in establishing this important judicial mechanism, cannot overlook the need to continue to provide them with the necessary means to carry out their tasks. The creation of a third Trial Chamber, which is the object of the draft resolution before the Council, is the appropriate response at this moment. We are confident that this measure will result in improving the efficiency of the Tribunal. In taking this measure, we are also contributing to redressing a horrifying tragedy and thus to the restoration of peace, justice and security in the Great Lakes region.”

    1998-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3877 (1998) · source

  31. “We also recognize that the trials of the persons responsible for them will serve as a clear signal to the international community: crimes such as those perpetrated in Rwanda are simply not admissible and will not be tolerated; impunity cannot continue. The same views and goals lead us today to adopt this draft resolution. Justice has to be done, and has to be done without delay. Those accused must be tried fairly and promptly. We are extremely concerned about the large number of people detained and waiting for trial in Rwanda. The Council is aware of its responsibility to ensure these rights of the accused and does not forget that justice delayed is justice denied. We know the difficulties faced by the International Tribunal, and we recognize the efforts put forward by all its magistrates and personnel to overcome them.”

    1998-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3877 (1998) · source

  32. “The International Tribunal for Rwanda was established in 1994 to prosecute persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The creation of this Tribunal should be seen as part of the response of the international community to the tragedy that occurred in the Great Lakes region. It is no doubt contributing to the restoration of peace and justice in that region. But the International Tribunal was meant to serve, above all, as a means to enable as much as possible the redressing of the gross violations perpetrated. We cannot forget how important this is for those who survived and suffered the effects of those blatant human rights violations.”

    1998-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3877 (1998) · source