YouSaid · the spoken record

Grandi

lines on the record: 204
first: 2017-11-02
most recent: 2023-10-31
sittings or episodes: 8
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“For 13 months now, we have struggled to deliver aid to people in danger amidst two sides that are fixated on a military outcome but have been so far unable to achieve it and have not heeded the Council’s appeals for political negotiations. This has created some of the worst possible humanitarian contexts in the world. Council members know the statistics. Some 20 million people — up to a fifth of the population of that very large country — are estimated to be in need. That is true in Tigre, of course, but also increasingly in other regions like Afar, Amhara and beyond. At least 4 million of those people — one-fifth of those in need — are internally displaced. Access has been very erratic, inadequate and often dangerous.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Finally, I would like to make a point that I have made many times but that I would be remiss if I did not repeat here today. This is a point that is even more directly related to the Security Council’s core work. The point is that the apparently growing inability of the international community to make and build peace obliges us humanitarian and refugee organizations to work more and more in situations of active conflict and rampant crisis, with rising expectations, once again, of what we can deliver but in circumstances that in reality offer decreasing possibilities to actually deliver. Yemen, Libya and others are cases in point. Perhaps the most significant example of this situation today is Ethiopia, which Council members know very well.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“The objective here is to remove the obstacles that prevent or discourage people from returning, but removing those obstacles, as I have discussed in Damascus and in many other capitals, will require international corporation — the cooperation of Syria, of course, first and foremost, in removing the security, legal and human rights obstacles that may prevent people from returning, but also the cooperation of donors in ensuring that at least basic humanitarian support is provided to those returning to their communities. We must bear in mind, of course, that this has to happen in parallel with the continuation of support to the countries in the vicinity that are still hosting almost 6 million Syrian refugees, and Lebanon in particular.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Yes, while I understand that reconstruction, in the full sense, must wait for a political agreement, it is important that what we define as “humanitarian” encompass at least the basic needs in the spirit recognized in resolution 2585 (2021). It is important that this apply to all Syrians, whoever controls the area where they live, including, by the way, those who choose to return, be they internally displaced persons — and many internally displaced persons, for one reason or the other, have made the choice to return home — or returning refugees. Of course, many fewer refugees than IDPs have returned home, but those who do make that choice — and there are some who do — must be helped. I know that this has always been a very controversial issue, but I wish to reiterate my point.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“The situation of Syria presents some such features. The humanitarian situation inside the country, which I visited in October, is worsening as a result of conflict, lack of resources, the effects of sanctions and the political and economic crisis in nearby Lebanon. What I have observed is queues for bread and fuel, for example, that have not been seen in Syria for a long time, and a very severe lack of services and access to livelihoods, especially outside Damascus. Once again, I appreciate the very complex politics around this situation, but I am also concerned that the slow progress — I think we cannot call it otherwise — towards political solutions is increasingly condemning millions to very hard lives.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“They continue to host millions, and enhanced aid and resettlement places are in order at this difficult time and in the uncertainty of what may happen next in terms of outflow. Another outcome of what I hold to be an international failure and that I want to bring to the Council’s attention today is the increasing politicization of humanitarian and, specifically, refugee work. I am not naive. I have learned through many years of working on this issue that we must be able, as humanitarian and refugee workers, to navigate very intricate political issues. What I fear more, or more specifically, is the paralysis of humanitarian action that is generated by conflicting political agendas interfering with that action. This increasingly prevents us from helping people as much as we should be able to.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Just to give one example, we estimate that about 150,000 internally displaced persons have actually returned to their homes following the 15 August change in authorities. We will continue to meet urgent needs, prepare for winter and try to prevent that major outflow, and we will continue to need humanitarian resources. If I may make a very specific appeal to the Security Council, we need the widest scope for humanitarian exception for the sanctions regime in order to be able to function properly. Finally on Afghanistan, I would ask the Council not to forget that it is important to keep a supportive eye on its neighbours and step up the support that is provided to them. Iran and Pakistan have hosted Afghan refugees for generations.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“From my perspective — the perspective of the refugee organization — I have to report that, although it is certainly not dramatic and not yet a major symptom or a major consequence, we have seen an initial sign, an uptick, of Afghans trying to leave the country in recent weeks. We firmly believe, and I said this many times, that a deeper and more and more widespread implosion of states and of the economy will almost inevitably trigger a much bigger outflow of Afghans to neighbouring countries and even beyond. Of course, meanwhile, I can assure the Council once more that we will continue to use what is now a relatively safer space — safer than before — prevailing in the country.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“But I think we need to continue to note that progress and build on it and try to push that those agendas further. I have one word of warning that Council members will have heard before. Humanitarian agencies, in spite of the work that we do and are doing, cannot replicate the role of States. We cannot save economies. We cannot make societies fully functional. We are not a replacement for real engagement and political solutions. I fully understand the complexities of the situation. I appreciate the work that is being done, with the cooperation of many countries represented here, to try and find a way forward to ensure services, cash flow and the functioning of society of the economy. But I wish to join colleagues who have already warned the Council many times that slow progress around this fundamental issue is very risky at this point.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Of course, forced displacement also continues to be an important feature of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, with an estimated 3.5 million people displaced by conflict, and 700,000 in recent months alone, especially just before 15 August. I saw that myself when I visited Afghanistan in September. I also saw humanitarian agencies stepping up. Just to give a sense from our perspective, each week my organization, UNHCR, is able to reach 60,000 displaced persons with concrete assistance. The same goes for other humanitarian agencies. As Council members know, we are proud of the choice we made in August to stay and deliver, because that has also allowed us to engage the Taliban on the very important issue of rights — the rights of women and girls and the rights of minorities — on which limited progress has occurred.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“As has frequently been the case, that leaves humanitarians to work alone in the face of the difficulties and challenges, amid an increasing set of expectations that humanitarians can “solve”, while in reality it is becoming even more difficult to “save” — which is our primary responsibility. Think of Myanmar. Think of Yemen. Think, to a certain extent — where we have seen this lately, but hopefully we will emerge from it — of the Sudan and other places. Most starkly, we see such a situation in Afghanistan. I would like to recall, as the Council probably knows already, that there are 39 million people in Afghanistan, 23 million of whom face extreme levels of hunger. But they are also facing other humanitarian challenges, such as a lack of housing, poor health and a lack of clean water, as well as a host of protection challenges.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“International failures compel us to engage with all types of interlocutors, including some that are not recognized internationally. More and more, we speak about dealing with “de facto” authorities in many countries —which, of course, we do. As humanitarians, we speak to whomever is in control of the areas in which we have to operate. But the types of situations in which we are finding ourselves create limitations to our very work. Such situations are also very often made more complicated by political difficulties, the existence of sanctions and other restrictions to the necessary dialogue and engagement. That prevents the finding of solutions and often aggravates humanitarian needs and makes them more protracted.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“This continues to draw attention, although perhaps a bit more intermittently and, in particular, if I may say, when it affects countries in the global North. That is when it hits the headlines and attracts attention, although it is always a consequence of all other failures. Forced displacement also continues to be subjected to political manipulation and, many times, to generate overblown reactions. Very recently, we saw a mix of all those elements in the crisis that developed on the border between Belarus and some European Union countries. Failure and inaction have other consequences as well. For example, they compel us humanitarians to work in situations that are increasingly uncertain and that expose us to very difficult dilemmas.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“That serves to underscore the importance — which I know the Council has discussed many times — of putting the climate emergency front and centre on the Council’s agenda. With such challenges, which of course are present as well in other parts of the world, the multilateral system has probably never been as important. Yet, sadly, as we all know, the international system seems to be more prone to failure than ever before. And international failure has many faces. It includes instability and insecurity, which are issues the Council deals with every day, but also famine, disaster and the collapse of States, which, again, the Council hears very much about. But it also includes forced displacement, which is one of my main messages today.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Just to remind everyone, more than 11,000 more refugees arrived in the Niger from northern Nigeria just last month — bringing to 600,000 the total population of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Niger. Like in many other developing countries — and I would like to remind everyone that 90 per cent of the world’s 84 million refugees and displaced persons find themselves in developing countries — people in the Niger face a perfect storm as the consequences of the coronavirus disease pandemic, climate change and conflict come together, often creating situations of forced displacement, which in themselves create additional challenges. For example, the Sahel is the place where it is most obvious that there is a direct correlation between the climate emergency, conflict over scarce resources and forced displacement.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“Mr. Grandi: I thank you, Mr. President, for the invitation. I am very honoured to be able to have this opportunity during the Niger’s presidency. I apologize for not being able to be there in person to address the Security Council. This is an opportunity, from the perspective of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to highlight the role that the Niger has played over the past few years. It is a very exemplary role in terms of addressing forced displacement. As a country with limited resources in the middle of a very troubled area, the Niger is always ready to host people in distress, in a good spirit of solidarity. I am talking about both people coming from neighbouring countries and people evacuated from Libya.”
2021-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8919 (2021) · source
“It is important, in talking about peace and security, not to forget those who must not be left behind - the most marginalized and excluded. Refugees are such people. In discussing solutions, it must be remembered that they, too, must be included. Some here were kind enough to say that we should have more frequent exchanges. I just want to say that this is the Council's choice. I am always available, as the Council is aware; I also come here to speak about specific situations. I think that the relationship, described so well by the Ambassador of Kuwait, between refugee issues and the peace- and security- related issues that the Council deals with is very clear, as this morning's debate has proved once again. I thank Council members once again for having listened patiently to our Views.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I think that that is at the heart of the reforms in which the Secretary-General is encouraging all of us at the United Nations and Member States to participate. I think that it is really his ambition, ifI have understood correctly, to bring together these different perspectives, which are sometimes in tension with one another, and to try to chart a way forward in which the United Nations can play a positive role. When the Secretary-General conducts his executive committee meetings on various issues, we are often invited to participate, although we are not a standing member. This is really where all the dimensions of the crisis are analysed and the position ofthe United Nations forged. I believe that this is very high on the list of priorities of the current United Nations administration.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I thank the representative of France for having mentioned the necessary support to our sister agency the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It is very important. The stability of the region also hinges on the possibility for the refugee population, assisted by UNRWA, to remain in schools and to have access to jobs and health services. As a former Commissioner General, I not only thank him for that but also because the countries that are affected by that unresolved issue are those that are also hosting Syrian refugees. It is a combination that needs to be kept in mind in providing support to UNRWA. The final point is to say that I appreciate what many said about the importance of linking humanitarian, human rights, development and peace and security work.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I should also mention that this year marks the midpoint of another important UNHCR campaign, launched by my predecessor, who is now the Secretary- General, on reducing and eliminating statelessness. That is another very important aspect of our work mentioned by the representative of the United States. Around the Executive Committee meeting in October, we will have a special event on statelessness. In December there is the Global Refugee Forum, which will mark the first anniversary of the Compact and in which we hope Member States will participate at the ministerial level to showcase progress made since the New York Declaration and pledge commitments and engagement for the future. I have two final points.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“The next opportunity will be that if the peace process in South Sudan progresses, and we are watching that very closely, it will provide openings for cooperation to also solve the massive displacement. One third of the South Sudanese population is in exile. As we have been discussing with the parties, IGAD and the African Union, it is important than those in exile be kept informed of the progress of the peace process and have a voice in that. We have obtained some results in that regard. We must remember that this is a population that has left its country at least three times in the past. Their trust in peace is very fragile. If we want to gain it, we need to nurture it in the right manner. That is an example of cooperation with the African Union that we need to cultivate.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“We should remember that I am not talking only about States but the solidarity that is given to refugees in countless African villages that I have visited in my travels and that often means sharing the very little that is available in the absence of any other resources. I believe that it is very significant that we work together. The partnership with the African Union is very strong and I think it can be further developed. We increasingly see that the right approach to addressing the refugee crisis and finding solutions is on a regional basis. We have learned many lessons working with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union on the Somali refugees in terms of both strengthening the protection in host countries and looking at solutions in Somalia.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I reiterate that access by humanitarian organizations where people are in fragile situations continues to be key. Finally. I want to go back to the first statement of the representative of Equatorial Guinea to thank him for reminding us, because I was given only 15 minutes at the beginning I could not mention that it is the African Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa and the fiftieth anniversary of the 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. That is a very important instrument and Equatorial Guinea has the task of conducting a series of activities to mark that solidarity, which is so strong and widespread in Africa.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“But I am encouraged by it being said that I radiate optimism. A little optimism is needed if we have to work in such difficult situations. I am encouraged by this approval. As I said, I hope to visit soon. I will visit ifI can go to northern Rakhine. I think that it is very important for me to see the situation there. I hope that we will also be able to continue. UNDP and UNHCR have indicated to the Government of Myanmar that they are ready to extend the memorandum of understanding but that they hope that the extension, if it happens - we do not yet know - will be accompanied by some practical results. There was a question from the representative of Kuwait in that regard. Let me again say what could be a really important take-away here is access. In Myanmar also, access and presence are important.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“The assessment should be in the range of 10 times more than that but that is what we were able to do in the narrow space that became available in the past few months before the Arakan Army offensive. That really was a setback. But it is a good sign that some of the projects identified and approved by the Government have now been approved for implementation. We need to continue to do that. But let me say once again that we need to look at the other tracks. We need to look at freedom of movement for the Rohingya. There are many who are still in Myanmar. If nothing is done to alleviate the discrimination against their marginalization, there would be no incentive for those who are in Bangladesh to return. That is the key issue. It is not a matter of making a decision that these people go back. It needs to be created.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“If we want to address this problem, we need another paradigm of cooperation, and we would like the Council to help us to do that, but first and foremost is the cessation of this kind of hostility. Unfortunately, I must say that since I do not know what the prospects are for scaling back the current surge in hostilities, I think that we must also be prepared for further displacement, including in some of the neighbouring countries, which we are working on. On Myanmar, the 34 projects that have recently been approved are the results of two of the three rounds of assessment that UNHCR and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were able to conduct on the basis of the memorandum of understanding.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I think that the first priority, which the Council well knows, is to halt the current escalation of hostilities. Let me join the Secretary-General in appealing to all members for that to be done in a unified, strong manner. The voice of the Security Council must be heard because what is happening now in Libya is very dangerous. If that happens, I think it is important that the question put by the representative of France of the relationship between agencies such as UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration and the authorities needs to be reset. We cannot continue to operate under constant pressure, threats, intimidation and volatility of commitments made.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I think that there are new avenues that we can explore and are exploring that are very important. Taking the cue from the Polish statement with regard to trafficking, it is a scourge that we all want to combat. That is also something of which the Council has been seized. Much of the emphasis has been on the control and security side. That is fair enough. It is a criminal activity that needs that kind of response. I think it also needs to be looked at more broadly. Creating legal pathways, and resettlement is one, but also, in the migration field, which is not mine, creating legal migration channels is the best competition to trafficking. Ultimately, that can really push it back. There were a few questions on specific situations, such as from the United Kingdom representative on Libya.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I would therefore encourage the Council to continue to look at that aspect. Returning to the Compact and what it represents and the new resources that we want to mobilize, I would very much like to echo the appeal made by the representative of the United States - by far our biggest financial backer - in saying that the scope of "contributor" needs to be expanded, and not just through UNHCR. The Compact promotes a great deal of bilateral support to the countries hosting refugees. The World Bank and others have really shown the way. There is a great deal of interest in the private sector. I was at the Boao Forum for Asia in China just a few days ago. I was amazed at the interest of the Chinese private sector in supporting humanitarian operations worldwide.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“The issue of alternative modes of financing was raised, and I think the Compact is already promoting such financing. We are already applying the Compact in about 15 countries in Africa and in Latin America, and we see that there is progress there in helping the host countries bear the responsibility they have been shouldering for so long. But we must continue to work on a solution, especially returns. We must also continue to say that resettlement, which many Council members have cited as an important solution, continues to be important. I am indeed concerned that the global resettlement figures have declined a great deal in the past couple of years. Resettlement will never be a mass solution for lots of people, but it is a solution of choice for people who are extremely vulnerable and exposed.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I am thinking not only of the more recent crises, but of the Afghans, for example, who have been in exile for decades - 40 years this year - and of the Somalis who have been in the Horn of Africa for 25 to 30 years, and the list, unfortunately, is long. Conflicts tend to be very protracted. What do we then do for countries that are hosting these people literally for generations? I think that this was gist of the representative of Indonesia's question, and it is an important one. I think that this is where the Compact can play a role. The Compact was put in place not just for new emergencies, but also for protracted ones. The Compact aims at mobilizing different types of resources, not just humanitarian but development resources, the role of the private sector and civil society and so on. It is really a new paradigm.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I know that Rukban is a very complex situation because it is at the intersection of different security problems, but I would encourage those members of the Council that have influence and access to facilitate this solution and promote our presence as an additional guarantee that if people return - which they want to do - they will be doing so in safety. There was an important question raised by the representative of Indonesia, which is often the case. I would like to say that it is true that, when I say that people also have the right not to return if they think that the conditions are not right to do so, there is the question of what is going to happen.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“We have been able survey the intentions of the people in Rukban, and most of them want to go back home, once guarantees of safety are in place. The situation is very much like the situation of many refugees, and I have raised this issue, not only with the authorities in Damascus but also in Homs province, from which most of the people in Rukban come, to say that it is important that if these people go back - and I hope that they can go back - we can be present there to ensure a climate in which returnees can be confident.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Otherwise, we could we cannot bring those reports to the authorities. When I was in Syria just a few ways weeks ago, I discussed this issue at length with the Syrian Government, and we are making some progress in that regard. Still, we need further encouragement and progress, and this applies - to reply to the question asked by the representative of the United States -to Rukban as well. In Rukban, there is a very mixed population that has been deprived of humanitarian assistance for a very long time. We were last able to conduct a convoy from the Syrian side - that is, no longer from the Jordanian side - into Rukban in March, with the help of other United Nations agencies. But we assume that this will become increasingly difficult, so a solution is urgent.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“What is also very important - and I said this in my opening remarks, but the Council is giving me the opportunity to raise it again - is that in situations like Syria - but the same applies to Myanmar and other situations of potential future return - is that my organization be present in the areas of return. That is also part of our protection mandate, especially if we are to convey a message of confidence to the people that there is a neutral, impartial observer to their returns, a presence that can be encouraging to them. This is sometimes quite difficult. In Syria, we have established a protocol with the Government whereby, if we learn of things that can happen to people returning, we have a mechanism now established to raise these reports with the Syrian Government. But we can do that only if we are present.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“But, of course, when people choose to go back - and sometimes people do choose to go back in difficult circumstances - we see some of them going back to Syria, and we see some of them going back to other difficult situations - then those people need humanitarian support. We all know that the question of aid and reconstruction in Syria is fraught with many political elements and dimensions. I invite and encourage to Council members is to delink the politics, which are inevitable after such a long war, from the humanitarian needs of the people, which have to be to be met.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Of course, we have to be clear, once again, on the fact that, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the return of refugees to their homes has to be safe, dignified and secure. These are the three pillars of return; they are necessary if we want to ensure that returns are happening in a context of international protection. It is also true that returns that are safe, dignified, well supported and voluntary have a chance to be more sustainable. Returns that happen in less-than-ideal conditions very often translate into fresh displacement. We have seen it in many places. Then it becomes even more difficult to help people, and a situation is created that could be a seed for further conflict. It is therefore also in an issue that I would invite Council members to consider from their stability/ security perspective.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Mr. Grandi: I thank everyone for the many expressions of appreciation and support that I have heard this morning. As expressions of support both from the Security Council as an institution - the supreme body responsible for peace and security, and one that is intimately related to our work - and from many - in fact, all - representatives of the individual countries on the Council, they are encouraging for us. For the sake of brevity, I will try to group the numerous questions and remarks that I have heard, starting perhaps with the issue of returns, which has been mentioned by many. It is a quite a complex issue. I touched on it in my opening remarks.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“But let us take a leaf from the exemplary response of the people and the leadership of New Zealand by responding to this toxic trend in a firm and organized manner, restating the values that underpin the solidarity provided to refugees, and reaffirming - as do the Sustainable Development Goals - that our societies will not be truly prosperous, stable and peaceful if they do not include all.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Make no mistake - I see that this solidarity is still very strong when I go around the world and talk about this issue, every day in many countries. However, over the course of these three and a half decades, I have never seen such toxicity, such poison, in the language of politics, in the media, in social media and even in everyday discussions and conversations around this issue. This toxicity often focuses, sadly, tragically, on refugees, migrants and foreigners. That should be of concern to us all. What we have seen in Christchurch, New Zealand, is also the result of that toxic language of politics.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“In the meantime, let us not forget that, similarly to the situation in Syria, Bangladesh is hosting a million people in difficult circumstances. I shall visit the country, along with representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and IOM, in a couple of weeks. That will be an opportunity for me to recall that we need international support in order to at least to give dignity to people who are living in difficult exile. I shall close with a few remarks that take me back to my initial point. As Council members may know, I have been an international civil servant and I have worked with refugees for well over three decades. In my career in this field of work, I have seen much solidarity, and even heroism, in some of the responses that are provided on the ground, with the support of the Security Council.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Restoring security is key in that regard, as it is to implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, especially in terms of pathways to citizenship, documentation, access to services and ending the inequality before the law that has been characteristic of that situation and has affected the Rohingya community. I think that it would be useful to continue to insist that some visible signals be given by the Government of Myanmar, including with respect to freedom of movement for the Rohingya who have not left and are still there; solving the problem of internally displaced persons who are confined to camps in very difficult circumstances; or tackling the hate-speech campaigns that we are seeing periodically in social media, directed at the Rohingya.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“I am glad to report, as I have not been able to do previously, that the Government of Myanmar very recently authorized the implementation of 34 projects. That may seem like a lot, but they are very small compared to what needs to be done. We should be carrying out hundreds of projects. It is good to sustain that momentum. I hope to visit Myanmar soon to do just that. Inclusive development, encompassing the communities, is important, but as I have often said, it is not enough to break that cycle of exclusion, displacement and fragile return that has prevailed for decades. At the risk of sounding repetitive here, let me repeat nevertheless that returns must be voluntary. I think everybody agrees on that.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Meanwhile, I would be remiss ifI failed to say that support for the countries hosting refugees - Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq, which will host those refugees in large numbers for some time to come - needs to continue. I want to also mention, as I have several times here in the Chamber, the situation in Myanmar. As Council members know, the United Nations Development Programme and UNHCR have had a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Myanmar since June 2018. The implementation has been very slow and made slower by the security situation in northern Rakhine, with the offensive of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, with which Council members are familiar. We have received reports recently of violence against civilians, which has provoked fresh displacement, which is of course worrying.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“They have three sets of concerns: material concerns, such as shelter, services and jobs; security concerns, including conscription and retaliation in general; and legal and administrative obstacles related to property and documentation. On all these matters, we have established a fairly constructive dialogue with the Government of Syria, and I would like to thank the Russian Federation for having supported that dialogue. But we need faster action and faster responses on the part of Syria, as well as access for UNHCR and United Nations staff to the areas where people return in order to create and build the confidence that they desperately need to make that very difficult choice.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“We think that return is a right, but it is equally a right to make the choice not to return if circumstances are not conducive to that, in the absence of security and basic support. In other words, we want to appeal once more for the free and informed choice of refugees to be respected and for returns to be - in a phrase that we use almost as a slogan - dignified, secure and safe. Key to that is work that we can do together to remove obstacles to return. A case in point here is, of course, Syria. The vast majority of the almost 6 million Syrian refugees in the Middle East want to return. They tell us that in our surveys, but not all of them agree. The majority are still hesitant to do so now. It is important to look at this from the refugees' perspective.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“The third and last point I want to raise concerns the fact that solutions to forced displacement exist and are possible even in difficult circumstances, but we need to work together to remove obstacles, in particular those that prevent people from returning to their countries. In the context that I have described, we are increasingly challenged by one type of scenario, where peace is not completely established but where circumstances are evolving in that direction. That very often not only translates into pressure on refugees to return under less than ideal circumstances, but also leads to some refugees deciding, in spite of those circumstances, to do so. Contrary to some perceptions, my organization does not block returns. We do not block returns.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“Eighty-five per cent of the world's refugees are in poor or middle-income countries. That is where the crisis is, including the situation in Venezuela. My appeal is therefore for support to be stepped up. That hospitality must not be taken for granted, as we see not only in Colombia or Peru, but also in Lebanon and Bangladesh. I could cite many other examples. The global compact provides a blueprint for better responses - a blueprint that is not only humanitarian but goes beyond to the medium and long terms. It is a type of response that is key not only from the humanitarian point of view, but also - and this is the Council's perspective - to the stability of the entire region, and hence directly of concern to the Council.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“As we speak, countries of the region are concluding an important meeting in Quito, as part of the Quito process, to forge more regional cooperation to respond to the situation in Venezuela. I appeal to those countries to keep the doors open, in spite of the burden, and to diminish the restrictions imposed on Venezuelans. Support for those countries needs to increase bilaterally through United Nations channels - our appeal for the humanitarian crisis in that region is one of the most poorly funded globally - and of course, most importantly, through the international financial institutions. Failure to do so will also leave those Governments exposed politically in their own countries and under the burden of an unsustainable mass of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source
“We must appeal, with the others, for a political solution to be found quickly to that crisis. But it is important not to forget - and sometimes I worry that the Council is forgetting - about the other dimension of that crisis: the outflow of people. Three and a half million Venezuelans have left the country. On refugees and migrants, IOM. and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) work together because it is a very mixed group of people. Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil are the countries most impacted, but there are about 15 countries in all that are receiving Venezuelans. Latin American solidarity, once again, has been outstanding.”
2019-04-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8504 (2019) · source