YouSaid · the spoken record

Guehenno

lines on the record: 1,147
first: 2000-11-14
most recent: 2011-05-12
sittings or episodes: 58
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

“I am grateful for this opportunity to reiterate once again the United Nations appreciation to the European Union and the 21 member States, including Turkey, who have participated in the European Union-led peacekeeping force (EUFOR). I should also like to thank the High Representative, whose personal commitment has greatly contributed to the success of the operation. In extending its support to the Congolese people, EUFOR contributed to establishing an environment of stability in which to carry out the elections held in July and October 2006, in accordance with resolution 1671 (2006) of 25 April 2006. For the United Nations, that has been a very positive experience.”
2007-01-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5616 (2007) · source
“Finally, we must continue to invest resources in creating a stable and secure environment that will allow women to restore dignity, normalcy and hope to their lives in the post-conflict period. Programmes for women's economic and political empowerment and to support the education of girls can be sustained only under conditions of security. That means that the Member States must meet their obligations to contribute sufficient troops to enable our peacekeeping operations to deliver that much-needed security. I 5 count on the Security Council's support and partnership in that process.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“Our experiences from Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste have highlighted the need for a smooth transitioning of gender-related programmes to the United Nations country team, following the completion of a peacekeeping mandate. Otherwise, we risk creating a programmatic gap that can unravel the modest gains made by peacekeeping missions. Oftentimes, the only full-time and robust capacity to support gender-related activities in the countries in which we are engaged resides in the peacekeeping mission. Our United Nations partners need to be on the ground from the very beginning with the capacities and resources required to support women in the wide range of areas that fall beyond the scope and mandate of peacekeeping missions.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“Fewer than 2 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, of our military and police personnel are women, yet our peacekeepers are increasingly required to interact with women and men in the host country for purposes of information gathering, screening during disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes, and monitoring elections processes, amongst other things. To engage more effectively with the local population, a greater number of women peacekeepers must be deployed. That is an operational imperative. We also recognize the need for stronger partnership with United Nations agencies to sustain the investments of peacekeeping missions during the transitional period.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“We count on all the Member States to provide the support and resources required to fully implement the directive. Beyond the actions of my Department, some of the outstanding challenges can best be addressed through partnerships with Member States and our broader United Nations family. For example, our predominantly male profile in peacekeeping undermines the credibility of our efforts to lead by example in the host countries in which we are engaged. We need Member States to nominate more women candidates for senior civilian positions in missions.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“We have made progress, but some of our personnel have yet to understand their own responsibility for implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) - that it is not the sole responsibility of gender advisers, nor can it be just outsourced to our United Nations partners. I also recognize the need to build a critical mass of male champions to advocate and support the translation of our commitments to gender equality into practice. In that regard, I believe that my department needs a senior male envoy to support our political advocacy efforts. Clearly, my Department can do better to implement resolution 1325 (2000) and we are stepping up our efforts to do so. Our Action Plan, and a policy directive that I shall issue in the coming days to my Department and all missions, provide the framework to guide our future efforts.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“We continue to invest in efforts to ensure that our peacekeepers adhere to the highest levels of professional conduct and discipline. As part of that process, on 4 December in New York we will be convening a high-level conference on sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations and non- governmental organization personnel to take stock of achievements to date and challenges in stemming the problem. Notwithstanding those necessary and important foundation blocks, real gaps remain in our implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). In seeking to transform our working culture, there are undoubtedly pockets of resistance.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“We must therefore continue to support all legislative efforts to adopt national and customary legislation to guarantee effective equality of rights for women and girls in terms of access to resources and economic rights. (spoke in English) I want now to turn to our collective responsibilities. My Department has adopted a set of very concrete strategies to support implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We have developed a comprehensive action plan whose implementation is being monitored by my senior management team. We are making policy guidance and training tools available to peacekeepers and Member States. We have developed operational guidelines for our mission personnel to enable them to translate resolution 1325 (2000) into practice, and we have established gender components in missions and at Headquarters to oversee that work.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“The third priority is to amend and reform discriminatory laws that undermine equality of rights so as to enable the effective participation of women in the peacebuilding process. In Burundi, the southern Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire, women are unable to inherit land. Even when such rights are guaranteed by law, as they are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the implementation of the law is often sporadic. That is why, for many widows and female heads of household, access to land is an essential precondition of economic equality and of their ability to emerge from the desperate economic situation of many post-conflict societies.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“Their election - and women make up 30 per cent of the Assembly in Burundi and 25 per cent of Afghanistan's lower house - is a significant success, but only the very first step in a lengthy process to bring women into positions of responsibility. Let us not forget that, in Timor-Leste, four female parliamentarians had to leave office three months after their election in 2002 because of the chauvinism they faced and the difficulty of surviving in an environment hostile to them in Parliament. Newly elected women must be supported by their peers to help them establish themselves and resist the pressures that may be brought to bear against their full exercise of their parliamentary activities.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“To date, the most notable successes in electing women to political office have taken place in situations where constitutional guarantees have been put in place establishing quotas regarding the participation of women. In that regard, I should like to refer to the cases of Burundi and Afghanistan. No quota system was in place for the most recent elections in Haiti, and only five women won elective office. In Liberia only 14 of the 94 seats in the legislature were won by women, while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo women constitute only 8 per cent of the new legislature. It is not enough to ensure that women are elected.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“Not only does it have very negative effects on their health and psychological well-being, it also places them at greater risk of contracting the AIDS virus, stigmatizes them socially and limits their freedom of movement - which affects their ability to fulfil their frequent role as household breadwinners, a responsibility that many women in post-conflict situations must often bear on their own. The persistence of sexual violence is a basic indicator of our failure to provide adequate security to human communities in post-conflict situations. The second priority - beyond the initial step of supporting the participation of women in electoral processes - entails the need for us to work to ensure sustained support for women in the political arena in order that they may be part of the decision-making process.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“In Afghanistan, for example, attacks on schools put the lives of girls at risk when they attempt to exercise their basic right to education. In Darfur, women and girls are raped when they go to find firewood for cooking and heating. In Liberia more than 40 per cent of women and girls surveyed have been the victims of sexual violence. In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo over 12,000 rapes of women and girls have been reported in the last six months. As we know, rape has long-lasting consequences for women.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“We in the international community have a duty to extend to them our full support. Despite those positive developments, challenges and assaults on women's rights and gender equality continue to be rife in every post-conflict situation. I would like today to highlight three priority issues facing peacekeeping missions as they endeavour to provide support for women's participation in transitional processes and beyond. Those issues require the urgent attention of the Council. First is the problem of insecurity, a threat which many women continue to experience even after the guns have fallen silent. In many societies violence continues to be used as a way to control the movement and actions of women and girls as they work to rebuild their homes and communities.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“In the year since I briefed the Council on the efforts of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to implement resolution 1325 (2000), we witnessed the historic election in Liberia of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first woman head of State. That election has been a source of hope and inspiration to many women and girls in Africa and beyond. In the same period, Liberia adopted a law on rape to combat gender-based violence; the women of Sierra Leone succeeded in having laws adopted in the areas of human trafficking, civil inheritance rights and property rights; and the women of Timor-Leste submitted to parliament a draft law on domestic violence. We should pay tribute to all the women in those countries for their tangible efforts to translate the goals of resolution 1325 (2000) into reality.”
2006-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5556 (2006) · source
“In order to strengthen its efforts to restore calm and to provide basic humanitarian and medical assistance to the civilian population, it is important that UNIFIL be able to resume full operations in the area of operations without danger to its personnel. Some Lebanese civilians, displaced from their homes in the south, have tried to move north and cross the Litani, but have been stopped from doing so by the destruction of the bridges. Some Lebanese civilians are approaching UNIFIL with requests for shelter and other assistance.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“Due to the continued firing, UNIFIL has not been able to carry out its regular vehicle and helicopter patrols along the Blue Line. UNIFIL's ability to monitor developments in the area of operation, and especially along the Blue Line, has consequently been very limited. Today, UNIFIL has tried to carry out one patrol in the rear of its area of operation, away from the Blue Line, between Marjayoun and Naqoura, but has not been able to complete the patrol so far. It is the Mission's intention to increase patrolling as and where possible. UNIFIL is in contact with the parties, urging them to exercise restraint.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“He has also voiced deepest concern that the Israeli military is enforcing an air and sea blockade, which will increase the hardship of the civilian population in Lebanon. UNIFIL has reported several instances of firing close to its positions, including an ammunitions depot near Naqoura, by the IDF. The mission also reported one instance of Hizbollah firing close from one of UNIFIL's positions towards Israel. No United Nations personnel have been injured and no equipment has been damaged. Since the beginning of hostilities on 12 July, UNIFIL military personnel have remained confined to their positions, and during the heaviest exchanges of fire they have had to take shelter in bunkers. On 12 July, the IDF warned UNIFIL that any person - including United Nations personnel - moving close to the Blue Line would be shot at.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“Intermittent exchanges of fire from both sides continue along the Blue Line. The number of those killed and wounded on both sides is disturbingly high, although it cannot be reliably confirmed at this time. Based on available information, eight IDF soldiers have been killed and several wounded and two Israeli civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded. One Lebanese army soldier has been reported killed in the attack on an air base, in addition to the more than 50 civilians who have been reported killed and scores more wounded. The Personal Representative of the Secretary- General for Lebanon, Mr. Pedersen, has expressed his alarm at Israel's heavy attacks and the escalation that has taken place across the Blue Line.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“In the morning of 13 July, Hizbollah launched numerous rocket attacks on Nahariya, 10 kilometres south of the Blue Line, reportedly killing one Israeli civilian and wounding scores more. Later in the day, two rockets struck the city of Haifa causing some damage to buildings and injuries to several persons. The IDF responded with the bombing of Hizbollah positions, attacks on the Beirut international airport, the Hizbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television station and two air bases. The attacks have forced the closure of the Beirut airport. It has further been reported that, late on Thursday, Israel attacked the Beirut airport for a second time, setting the fuel depots on fire, as well a southern suburb of Beirut. Israeli planes also dropped leaflets across Lebanon warning the population to avoid areas known for Hizbollah's presence.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“An eighth IDF soldier was reportedly killed in the fighting that ensued during an attempt to retrieve the four bodies. It appears that the incursion was localized; the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has no reports at this point of additional IDF incursions into Lebanese territory. In the afternoon of 12 July local time, the Government of Lebanon requested UNIFIL to broker a ceasefire. Israel responded that a ceasefire would be contingent upon the return of the captured soldiers. The Secretary-General has condemned Hizbollah's attack, which resulted in the capture of two IDF soldiers, and has called for the soldiers' immediate and unconditional release. He has called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“While the exchange of fire stretched over the entire length of the Line, it was heaviest in the areas west of Bint Jubeil and in the Sheba'a farms area. Hizbollah targeted IDF positions and Israeli towns south of the Blue Line. Israel retaliated with ground, air and sea attacks. In addition to air strikes on Hizbollah positions, the IDF also targeted numerous roads and bridges in southern Lebanon. The IDF has stated that those attacks were to "prevent Hizbollah from transferring the abducted soldiers". At least one IDF tank and an IDF platoon crossed into Lebanon in the area of the Hizbollah attack in an 06-42993 attempt to rescue the captured soldiers. An explosive device detonated under the tank, killing four more IDF soldiers.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“Mr. Guehenno: As Council members are aware, the most serious crisis between Israel and Lebanon since the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from south Lebanon in 2000 has broken out, with rising numbers of casualties on both sides. The crisis started on 12 July, when, at about 9 o'clock local time, Hizbollah launched several rockets from Lebanese territory across the Blue Line towards Israel Defense Forces (IDF) positions near the coast and in the area of the Israeli town of Zarit. Shortly afterwards, Hizbollah fighters crossed the Blue Line into Israel and attacked an IDF patrol. Hizbollah captured two IDF soldiers, killed three others and wounded two more. The captured soldiers were taken into Lebanon. Subsequent to the attack on the patrol, a heavy exchange of fire ensued across the Blue Line between Hizbollah and the IDF.”
2006-07-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5489 (2006) · source
“Finally, let me say a word to Ambassador Oshima, who was kind enough to say that he did not envy me. I would say that when one goes to a mission - and I will be travelling to a mission in a few days' time - one sees the expectations of the people there and sees the difference that the peacekeepers are making on the ground. I think the difficulties that we face are part of the effort that needs to be undertaken to strengthen this vital instrument of peacekeeping. So it may be hard: it may sometimes be unpleasant; and when we receive news of sexual exploitation and abuse or possible fraud it hurts us deeply. But at the same time, when one sees the difference that is being made on the ground, one thinks it is worth all the effort.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“The challenge related to procurement is a more complex one, for two reasons: first, because there are issues of possible fraud, mismanagement and inadequate rules; and secondly, because this is a cross- cutting issue. While the issue of fraud has to be dealt with aggressively by OIOS, pursuing its investigations, the questions of mismanagement and of inadequate rules involve two departments: the Department of Management as the central actor in the procurement process, with its procurement office; and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, because we define the needs that then lead to contracts managed by the Department of Management. That is why we have to work closely together. I am encouraged to see how, at this stage, the two departments are working closely together to address this challenge.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“We hope that OIOS will get all the resources it needs to develop these investigations so that no stone is left unturned, so that every effort can be made, so that there will be follow- up, so that there will be no impunity and so that there will be accountability. I want to say a word on the two challenges that have occupied the Council yesterday and today: the challenge of sexual exploitation and abuse and the challenge related to procurement. I believe that the challenge of sexual exploitation and abuse is actually a more daunting one, because what we are facing there is essentially a change of culture that goes far beyond the United Nations: it affects all societies and all armies around the world. That is why the effort has to include a strong partnership between the Secretariat and Member States.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Mr. Guehenno: I want to begin by thanking the Security Council and all Member States for their strong support and engagement on a very important issue. Without a steady, long-term, persistent commitment, we will not resolve that issue. For our part, we will continue to pursue this effort aggressively. As we pursue it aggressively, more allegations will surface; that is an unpleasant part of having the kind of transparency that we want to have so that investigations can be held when they are needed. There, we will work closely with the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“The implementation of those reforms should also help to address some underlying structural 5 weaknesses that give rise to the acts of misconduct we have been discussing over the past few days. In conclusion, I want to say that we have tens of thousands of extremely competent, honest and courageous personnel in the field. Those are the nationals - uniformed and civilian personnel alike - of Member States. We cannot allow acts of serious misconduct by some to betray their good work and tarnish the reputation of United Nations peacekeeping. It is an indispensable instrument, it is effective, and it is helping maintain peace for tens of millions of people around the world.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“On that point, the Assistant Secretary-General for Mission Support, the Chef de Cabinet, the Head of OIOS, the Under-Secretary-General for Management and I are all fully on board with the Secretary- General's position that we need to be proactive and aggressive in detecting and dealing swiftly with this critical issue. If allegations are proven following due process, dishonest people should be fired and face justice. That is as important here as it is in the case of sex crimes, which constitute a different and most egregious category of offence and demand the highest degree of vigilance. And finally, we will be seeking formal support from Member States on a longer-term reform agenda for peacekeeping in general, as outlined in the Secretary-General's report now before the General Assembly's Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“It is one thing for auditors - and I happen to be an auditor by training - to disagree about whether financial loss to the Organization has occurred because a field manager chose to use mission aircraft to fly rations to troops when fuel supplies in a country were unexpectedly cut off and left a contractor unable to deliver them; it is another matter altogether when procurement officials deliberately defraud the Organization. But let me stress that, regardless of any divergence of views on methodology and accounting for loss, DPKO takes all OIOS findings and recommendations very seriously and is addressing the weaknesses identified in peacekeeping procurement in the same comprehensive, professional and sustained manner with which we have addressed the sexual exploitation and abuse issue over the past 18 months.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“06-25109 We will urge Member States, including all troop- contributing countries, to send an uncompromising message against prostitution in peacekeeping missions. Indeed, today, the single measure that would do the most to reduce the level of allegations and strengthen the policy of zero tolerance against sexual exploitation and abuse is if all troop contingents had an active and effective policy against all prostitution in mission areas. We will appeal to Member States not to conflate the issues of procurement procedures being stretched by honest peacekeepers trying to get a job done with financial fraud and with sexual exploitation and abuse.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“However, there is a great deal yet to be done and for that, as we will make clear in our discussions in the General Assembly, we need greater support from Member States. We will urge Member States to adopt a revised memorandum of understanding to incorporate the standards of conduct contained in the Secretary- General's prohibitions. We will urge Member States to firmly endorse the creation of fully fledged conduct and discipline units at Headquarters and in the field, and to establish such units in missions that are not currently served by them. Those units, as I have explained, are an essential tool for preventing misconduct and monitoring compliance with United Nations standards.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Under the heading of what might be termed remediation, we have made progress with our United Nations partners in developing a policy regarding support to victims. A United Nations-wide task force, led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and DPKO, has overseen the preparation of that policy, on which there have been broad consultations over the past year, including several meetings with Members States. It is being transmitted to the Secretary-General this week for final discussions and forwarding to Member States, as requested in the Summit Outcome document. The measures I have described are the beginning of a programme of systemic and sustained change. We have made significant progress.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“While troop-contributing countries have been requested to coordinate with OIOS in a manner that satisfies the requirements of their national jurisdictions, not all Member States are comfortable with the investigative role given to OIOS by the General Assembly, and have reserved their rights with respect to their uniformed personnel on the ground. We must sort through that issue to ensure rapid, reliable means of determining the facts, preserving the rights of the victims and the accused and discharging justice fairly. Those measures are what we have put in place together with our partners in the United Nations system, and we continue to develop those and other initiatives the areas of prevention and enforcement.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“We need its help and expertise; we cannot possibly be aware of all potential wrongdoing occurring across the globe, in 18 missions, comprising over 85,000 people drawn from over 100 countries. The specialized capacity of the OIOS helps ensure thoroughness in the handling and investigation of complaints, and it has established an investigative presence in six missions. But its hand must be strengthened; currently, OIOS does not have all the resources to do the job that it is being asked to do. Investigations in the field pose certain problems.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“We have developed a public information strategy and implementing procedure to guide missions in responding actively and transparently to local media and host populations on sexual exploitation and abuse issues. The DPKO conduct and discipline teams rely heavily on an ever-growing collaboration in this area with OIOS - the investigating authority for sexual exploitation and abuse offences. OIOS is an essential partner and a central element of our comprehensive strategy with regard to those important issues, which is why DPKO requested OIOS to undertake a global audit on discipline, among many numerous other audits, to help us identify and fix the most difficult problems in the field.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“The field has largely welcomed that important tool in the arsenal to combat sexual exploitation and abuse as well as other forms of indiscipline. In addition, the conduct and discipline teams are crucial in bringing the outreach to the host populations, to which I referred earlier. They have been active in making communities aware of the various methods - by telephone, e-mail or in person - through which complaints can be made in a confidential setting. In the middle of the year, we will formally launch a new comprehensive database to track and monitor all allegations. In the interim, we have implemented a file- sharing mechanism to report and store allegations securely and confidentially.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“As recommended by the Zeid report and endorsed by the General Assembly, we have designed, recruited for and staffed a multi- disciplinary conduct and discipline team at DPKO Headquarters, in addition to eight conduct and discipline teams established in peacekeeping operations in Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Sudan and Timor-Leste. The conduct and discipline teams develop policy, provide oversight of disciplinary issues and ensure the coherent application of United Nations standards of conduct. In missions, the teams provide policy advice to heads of mission on discipline, receive allegations from complainants, collaborate with the Integrated Mission Training Centres and help the mission leadership maintain a watchful eye on all issues related to conduct and discipline.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“For the past year, we had been making managers and commanders aware that they will be held accountable for those under their chain of command, and we mean it. We are in the process of making this accountability part of their performance evaluation. We have also sought and received the cooperation of two Member States in repatriating entire units for misconduct, in part related to sexual exploitation and abuse and in part related to other misconduct. One of the major reasons why we have made significant headway in the areas of enforcement and prevention is that Member States have recently given us the means to ensure that professional experts are dedicated to the task full time.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“In our discussions in the General Assembly, we will encourage troop-contributing countries to make use, in the mission area, of the welfare stipend paid by the Organization for every military peacekeeper. It is important that the issue of welfare and recreation be a priority, with a view to keeping soldiers busy when they are not on duty. With regard to enforcement, we have also made some progress. During 2005, investigations have been completed into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving 296 peacekeeping personnel, the breakdown by category being 84 civilians, 21 police and 191 military. So far, 17 civilians, 16 police and 137 military personnel have been dismissed or repatriated. Those numbers include six commanders.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Welfare is another important part of the equation, as armed forces throughout the world know all too well. This is especially true when uniformed personnel, as well as civilians, are deployed in quasi war-zones in the remotest parts of the world. Missions are now addressing that issue as a high priority. Most are now creating constructive recreational outlets, and several have even established, from existing resources, multipurpose sporting, socializing and dining facilities. Those are the types of initiatives included in our welfare strategy and standard operating procedures on welfare promulgated and sent to all heads of mission last month.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“They include an online e-learning standards of conduct module, pocket cards, mission- readiness booklets distributed to staff prior to deployment, security briefings and posters and brochures on sexual exploitation and abuse and human trafficking - prepared, I might add, in six languages - as well as other public information tools. Our personnel are not the only people whom we are targeting with this material. We are sharing it with host populations as well. They have a right to know the standards we expect of our people. They are also often in a better position to know when our personnel are violating those high standards. We are now actively encouraging and making it easier for the local 3 population to bring breaches of conduct to our attention. But prevention cannot be achieved through training, information and public outreach alone.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“We have also developed tools to reinforce that training and its underlying message of the duty of care that every peacekeeper has to the people whom they are meant to help. DPKO has worked with an outside professional company to produce a film on the code of conduct for peacekeepers. It has been widely distributed in the field and translated into a dozen languages. I am pleased to report that it has been well received. We have developed and are making use of other innovative tools and training materials to educate and inform personnel.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Two years ago, we did not even have a uniform standard governing what is, and what is not, considered to be sexual exploitation and abuse. One can hardly prevent the problem if one cannot define it clearly and consistently. Today, we can. Thanks to the efforts of the General Assembly last year, all United Nations civilian staff members, military personnel, contingents, United Nations volunteers and contractors are bound by the same very strict standards outlined in the Secretary-General's prohibitions on sexual exploitation and abuse. In the past, we did not do enough to promulgate, publicize and train personnel on whatever standards were on the books. Today, we most certainly do. Between 79 and 90 per cent of civilian police and military personnel receive mandatory training on sexual exploitation and abuse. Our aim is 100 per cent.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“We will need to work together to address that point. We also need to strengthen markedly the capacity of peacekeeping operations and of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to investigate violations while respecting due process. Once we have overcome those hurdles, we expect to narrow significantly the continuing gap between zero tolerance and full compliance. Until then, as we even more aggressively seek out non-compliance, measured against a higher 06-25109 standard than ever before, the progress being made will not seem obvious, nor will it be enough. Let me now refer to the progress that we have achieved. We are making headway in laying the foundations for the prevention of the problem in the longer term.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Today, not only is the severity of the problem openly recognized, but the General Assembly has adopted a comprehensive strategy to tackle it, building on the collective efforts of Prince Zeid, DPKO and the United Nations system at large. This strategy focuses on prevention and enforcement, and it will - upon approval by the General Assembly of a policy on victim assistance - incorporate remediation as well. We have already made concrete and meaningful progress to implement that strategy. Before discussing this, though, I want to be clear up front that we still have a considerable way to go. It must be said that not all troop contingents or staff on the ground fully support - even after all the negative publicity and attention - aspects of the zero-tolerance policy, particularly as it pertains to prostitution.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“But despite the risks, day in and day out, United Nations personnel - civilians, military and police alike - from 120 countries get on with doing their jobs in tough conditions and at great personal sacrifice. We dishonour those brave men and women when we fail to prevent or punish those from within their ranks who victimize the very people peacekeepers are meant to protect and serve. I am not so sure that this was fully understood a few years ago as clearly as it is today. Two years ago, prior to the revelation that a shockingly large number of United Nations peacekeepers had committed sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, neither we in DPKO nor Member States openly discussed or fully appreciated the magnitude of the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Security Council members know well that just some weeks ago three Jordanian soldiers died fighting gang members while helping to strengthen a central checkpoint on Haiti's most dangerous road. Not long before that a Canadian Royal Mounted Police officer was killed in an ambush while patrolling in Port-au- Prince. In the jungles of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, eight Guatemalan special forces soldiers lost their lives in a firefight with a hateful militia group. A year ago this week nine of their 06-25109 comrades from Bangladesh also fell in the line of duty in clashes with armed thugs. Unfortunately, they are not alone. This is a dangerous business, claiming and threatening the lives of men and women from Peru to Pakistan, Ireland to India, Bolivia to Brazil.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“I also must highlight the exceptional leadership Assistant Secretary-General Jane Holl Lute has demonstrated this past year in galvanizing the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the United Nations system as a whole to deal with this problem more seriously than we ever have in the past. Most of all, I express deep appreciation for the amount of time, energy and political attention that Member States have invested recently in seeking solutions to the problem. The troop-contributing countries especially deserve praise for engaging with the Secretariat and the membership at large on issues of extreme sensitivity and of great importance to their national honour. I stress the word "honour", because it has been earned at the cost of the lives of some of their finest uniformed personnel.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source
“Mr. Guehenno: Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to address publicly the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and the progress achieved to date to tackle it. As I begin, I must say a few words of admiration for the efforts of His Royal Highness Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, the Secretary-General's Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Peacekeeping Personnel. He has given us unflinching diplomatic and practical support on this issue. His involvement has been invaluable, and we are grateful for it.”
2006-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5379 (2006) · source