YouSaid · the spoken record

Guillermo Fernandez Soto

lines on the record: 7
first: 2021-06-18
most recent: 2021-06-18
sittings or episodes: 1
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 certain that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has opened new horizons for us to consider and redefine the working methods of the Organization. The pandemic has allowed us to break the patterns of the past, innovate in the virtual realm and direct us toward new paradigms.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Its interaction with other United Nations bodies must also be promoted, given that a large part of its working agenda has to do with the conduct, monitoring and verification of the mandates of peacekeeping missions and special political missions. A good example is the constructive cooperation with the Peacebuilding Commission, which was a priority during our chairmanship in 2019 –2020. To conclude, I would like to highlight my country’s unshakeable commitment to multilateralism and respect for international law, together with building an Organization that can meet the challenges of the twenty-first century fully and in a timely manner. Improvements and new tools for the Security Council are essential in order to meet this goal, with a view to executing its universal mandate for the pr eservation of peace and security.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“During that mandate, we noted the potential and major contributions of the elected members to the activities of the Security Council and the fulfillment of its responsibilities. Our task is aimed at improving working methods and procedures in order to guarantee transparency and inclusion for all member States. Devising actions to address such problems as climate change, progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, peacebuilding and protection of women and children in conflict situations has provided an impetus to the elected members for the evolution of the Security Council mandate. Its cooperation with regional and subregional organizations must be revitalized.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“We must continue thinking of innovative ways and new spaces – formal and informal – that will lead to stronger ties among the membership as a whole. Colombia believes that the veto power should be limited, as well as its application. The expansion of this prerogative does not help to increase transparency, nor does it guarantee the principle of sovereign equality among States. A process of regular elections and balanced regional distribution is the best path. Guaranteeing those conditions will result in greater efficiency and effectiveness of this body, making it more democratic and representative. Colombia last served as an elected member of the Security Council during the period 2011–2012.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Open debates on specific current topics have been very positive, particularly under the present circumstances. They should continue, including in virtual format, with the participation of civil society representatives and from a gender perspective. A more analytical, integrated and contextualized annual report to be submitted to the General Assembly is an essential tool. It must go beyond by incorporating the main challenges to international peace and security, as well as contributions to address them. Having more rigorous working methods ensures better interaction between the Security Council and the General Assembly, a principle that has received broad support. These good practices should be preserved, ensuring that all can be heard.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Therefore, we need a revitalized Security Council in order to confront the new realities. As stated on various occasions during intergovernmental negotiations in the General Assembly, our objective, together with the Uniting for Consensus Group, is to reinforce the Council’s legitimacy in the eyes of the membership in general and international public opinion. This will improve both its authority and its effectiveness. Basically, it implies a revitalization of the multilateral system as a whole. Colombia supports the efforts aimed at increasing transparency and building a new culture of accountability. Transparency is reinforced by means of periodic reporting, which provides to the membership as a whole the most relevant tools and platforms regarding the activities of the Council.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source
“Colombia wishes to thank Estonia for convening this annual debate on the working methods of the Security Council. My delegation associates itself with the statement by New Zealand on behalf of the countries which have served as elected members of the Security Council in recent years. We believe that the provisions of note S/2017/507 should remain in force, insofar as they establish the areas of work which form the agenda of the Council, through which its mandate is fulfilled. During the current pandemic, the world has experienced the exacerbation of social and economic problems, making the guarantee of international peace and security more complex. Those problems represent an additional challenge to its work and its responsibility to respond to a world that is increasingly fragmented and fragile.”
2021-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/572 (2021) · source