YouSaid · the spoken record

Guterres

lines on the record: 423
first: 2002-11-14
most recent: 2015-12-21
sittings or episodes: 28
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

“We appeal for UNRWA to be effectively supported, financially and by other means, by the international community, and we hope that developments will move towards the achievement of full respect for humanitarian law in relation to the Gaza conflict. The United Kingdom representative mentioned internal displacement and the commitment of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I want to be very clear in saying that we are totally committed to playing our role. As underlined by the United States delegation and the Russian delegation, our role is different in relation to refugees and in relation to internally displaced persons. In relation to refugees, we have a mandate, which is a very strong mandate, by the way, enshrined in international law.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The Ambassador made a meaningful number of references to the interrelated questions of safety and security in humanitarian action and the protection and preservation of the humanitarian space. I would like once again to emphasize that these are key questions for the success of humanitarian action in today's world. Finally, I would like to congratulate Japan on the establishment of its pilot project on resettlement, which I hope will be successful and lead to a meaningful resettlement programme in the near future. I would also like to express my gratitude for the statement made by the representative of the United Kingdom. First of all, I wish to say that we are deeply committed to fully supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in its activities.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“To prevent conflict, it is necessary in many circumstances, for instance, to be much more effective in relation to support for adaptation to climate change, support for rural communities and the need to be able to allow people to live in their rural environments if they so wish. Migration should be an option; it should not be an obligation or a necessity. Thus, to a certain extent, prevention has become a complex issue requiring a combined group of actions in which, of course, the political and the diplomatic will always be paramount but in which effective cooperation among the economic, social and environmental dimensions is also extremely important. Again, I would like to underline the importance of the concept of human security as a unifying concept for protection, assistance and solutions for refugees and other displaced persons.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“On the one hand, we have needs that are increasing everywhere; on the other, we, too, are the victims of the global financial crisis. I have been in Government myself; I am sure it is impossible for a Government not to do everything that is required to make sure that there is no meltdown of its financial system, so I fully understand the need to use hundreds of billions of dollars and other currencies in support of the financial systems, but I strongly hope that the same commitment will exist in support of human life and humanitarian action. I should also like to express my deep gratitude to the Ambassador of Japan for his reference to the root causes of displacement and the needs of prevention. I think it is very important to underline that prevention is no longer only a political and diplomatic endeavour.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“We are in a situation today in which we are witnessing increasingly mixed flows of population, the majority being economic migrants, but also including refugees, asylum seekers and women and child victims of trafficking, who are in need of international protection. With the role of smugglers and traffickers and the way such movements of populations take place, it is sometimes very difficult to detect those people and to grant them physical access to the territory to present their claims and receive fair treatment for those claims. The experience of our cooperation in Turkey in this regard is extremely important to us. I should also like to express my gratitude for the appeal made by the representative of Turkey for financial support for the activities of my Office. This is indeed a difficult moment for humanitarian organizations.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“He also discussed the range of problems in protecting civilians and the absolute need to guarantee the humanitarian and civilian nature of refugee camps. That issue has been raised in many statements. It is tragic to note all the victims of massive human rights violations and violence, the terrible suffering of women and the forcible recruitment of children that take place in refugee camps, and that we are powerless to stop it. The intervention of peacekeeping forces is often absolutely critical in that regard. (spoke in English) I would like to express my gratitude to the representative of Turkey and to underline one aspect in which Turkey is at the very centre of our action. Turkey is not only an asylum country; it is also a country of transit.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Mexico, with its borders of solidarity, cities of solidarity and solidarity-based resettlement programme, has one of the world's best action plans for the protection of refugees. I believe that the example set by Costa Rica is of great importance to the world today, where tolerance is critical to ensuring the protection of refugees. The Ambassador of Costa Rica spoke of the need for stronger international solidarity. It is true that most refugees are in countries of the South, and that most wish to return to their homes. They do not want to emigrate to wealthier countries; they want to go home. If that is to be possible and they are to be protected upon their return, institutional solidarity, especially between the developed and developing worlds, is absolutely essential.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“I thank you, Sir, and the representatives of member States for their extremely useful and profound contributions to this debate. Many of them mentioned their interest in our meeting more often. I am entirely at the Council's disposal. I am convinced that there is no humanitarian solution to humanitarian tragedies; the solution is always a political one. Dialogue with the Security Council is, for us, an absolute priority in the framework of our inter-institutional cooperation. As I said, I am always available to the Council. (spoke in Spanish) To the Ambassador of Costa Rica, I should like first to express my admiration for his country and Latin America in general as traditional hosts to refugees.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“And, in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, effective prevention will require new networks and coalitions to be formed, linking those who are working to promote human security at the level of the local community with those who are striving to attain the same objective - human security - on a national, regional and global basis.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Prevention is, in my View, the most important element of the responsibility to protect. While some aspects of the concept of the responsibility to protect remain controversial, I do not believe that prevention is among them. Indeed, the notion of preventing and removing threats to peace is to be found at the beginning of the very first Article of the United Nations Charter. Effective prevention will require a carefully balanced, coordinated and targeted combination of measures in the political, diplomatic, developmental, environmental and humanitarian domains. Effective prevention will require that action be taken by a wide range of stakeholders, including States, United Nations entities, regional bodies, international financial organizations and non-State actors.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The international community has struggled for many years to ensure that conflict is followed by lasting peace and effective governance and that the destruction of livelihoods and the provision of emergency relief are succeeded by a process of sustainable development. There is still a long way to go. Nonetheless, I am encouraged by the recent attention to that issue and am confident that it will remain among the permanent concerns of the Security Council. It goes without saying that the search for solutions to which I have just referred is essentially reactive in nature, dealing with the effects rather than the causes of crisis. The most effective means of addressing the issue of forced displacement is through preventive activities that anticipate and avert the conflicts that oblige people to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The engagement of women, as envisaged in resolution 1325 (2000), is of particular importance. UNHCR recently facilitated the participation of Sudanese refugees in Chad in peace discussions, and a similar approach is being explored in the Central African Republic. I value the impetus provided to such efforts by the Security Council in its presidential statement of May 2008 on post-conflict peacebuilding (S/PRST/2008/l6), as well as by the reference in resolution 1830 (2008) to the need to create conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Such processes have in many instances been obstructed by a failure to resolve outstanding land and property issues in an effective and equitable manner, especially in situations in which refugees, displaced persons and ex-combatants return simultaneously to communities where land tenure has never been formalized or where the land registration system has broken down. A collaborative approach to addressing those challenges is crucial. The experience of the Peacebuilding Commission in Burundi is particularly relevant in that regard. The involvement of refugees and internally displaced persons in peace processes can provide critical perspectives on the causes of conflict and can contribute to a sense of shared ownership in peacemaking and peacebuilding.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“That is a shared responsibility, and the peacebuilding architecture established by the United Nations provides a vital resource in that effort, as do the peacebuilding missions mandated by the Security Council. Those efforts complement and facilitate the work of my Office, most notably by supporting the voluntary return and sustainable reintegration of refugees and displaced persons. Indeed, the scale of return and the success of reintegration are two of the most tangible indicators of progress in any peacebuilding process.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“However, where conflict is still ongoing, there must be a balance between ensuring a coherent approach across the United Nations system and preserving the autonomy of humanitarian action, rooted in the fundamental principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. That is particularly crucial in situations in which humanitarian agencies are operating in highly politicized and militarized environments. That will not always be easy. We rely on the wisdom of the Security Council to support the establishment of arrangements that are pragmatic and flexible, based on solid common sense and tailored to the specifics of each situation. As I have already observed, solutions to armed conflicts must of necessity be political in nature. However, once peace is achieved, it needs to be supported in a variety of ways.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The third challenge I wish to address is that of preserving humanitarian space in the context of an integrated United Nations presence. In UNHCR's experience, once a peace consolidation process is under way, an integrated presence can provide an effective framework for collaboration between humanitarian agencies and the political and security components of the United Nations system. For UNHCR, such partnerships are particularly valuable in pursuing solutions to displacement in transitional contexts. We currently enjoy constructive partnerships with the United Nations Mission in Liberia, with the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi and, in southern Sudan, with the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, to cite just three examples.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“5 And yet, with the evolving nature of armed conflict, the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers has increased, creating a tension between the imperatives of staff safety and effective humanitarian action. That issue continues to give rise to acute dilemmas. In Somalia last year, UNHCR staff members were bombed in Bossaso, shot at in Garowe and taken hostage in Mogadishu. The security risks could hardly be greater, and yet the nature of UNHCR's work requires us to be close to those whom we seek to help. And the way in which we are perceived by local populations and the relevant actors is, to be frank, usually more important to our security than the armoured cars at our disposal or the barbed-wire fences we may erect. We will never be able to eliminate risk entirely, but I believe that we can collectively do better in managing it.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“It is not my intention to opine on peacekeeping doctrines, but I am glad to know that those issues will be at the centre of the Security Council's forthcoming debates. A second challenge in today's environment is that posed by the concurrent needs to ensure staff security and to deliver humanitarian protection and assistance. Humanitarian personnel are deployed in the most dangerous places in the world. Many risk their own lives in the effort to help vulnerable populations to preserve theirs. Ensuring staff safety must be a top priority of every humanitarian organization and of the United Nations as a whole. That is non-negotiable.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“UNHCR welcomes the recent Council resolutions reinforcing the capacity and the role of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in protecting civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the opportunity they provide to give effect to resolution 1820 (2008), on combating sexual violence against civilians, particularly women and girls. However, in situations in which there is no peace to keep, mandates for the protection of civilians must be sufficiently clear and strong and must be supported by appropriate levels of political and material support. Many peacekeeping operations start in a situation of relative tranquillity, only to be affected later by a deteriorating security environment.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“While the protection of civilians is primarily a responsibility of States, the Security Council is increasingly called upon to pursue that goal when States are unable or unwilling to discharge their responsibilities. As a humanitarian agency, UNHCR has limited capacity to provide physical security for its beneficiaries. In some situations, ensuring the security of camps and maintaining their civilian and humanitarian character are possible only with the support of peacekeepers. In eastern Chad, for example, we anticipate that the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad will play a crucial role in discouraging attacks on camps, preventing the recruitment of children and reducing the threats of banditry and sexual violence.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“I would now like to turn to three particular challenges for the international community in responding to humanitarian crises. All three centre on the work of the Security Council but also have important implications for my Office. And all three exemplify the complex relationship that exists today between the imperative of maintaining peace and security and that of ensuring the effective delivery of protection and humanitarian assistance. 09-20310 First is the challenge of peacekeeping in situations where there is no peace to keep, and its relation to the protection of civilians. Security Council resolutions 1296 (2000) and 1674 (2006) reiterate that the deliberate targeting of civilians in situations of armed conflict remains a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“UNHCR is striving to analyse and respond to these developments - an objective that I believe we share with the Security Council. Refugees are people who have left their country because of persecution or armed conflict, and they benefit from the specific protection regime established by international law. No such legal framework exists for other people who have been forcibly displaced, other than the general human rights instruments that are applicable to all. In drawing attention to this issue, UNHCR is not seeking any expansion of its mandate or to broaden the established definition of a refugee. But I believe we have a duty to promote a serious discussion on new forms of forced displacement, the protection gaps that are emerging and the possible forms of collective response.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“While the relationship between forced displacement and armed conflict is long-standing and well understood, the links with other phenomena, such as climate change, extreme poverty and poor governance, are not. As a result of climate change, natural disasters are on the increase. They have become more frequent, intense and devastating in their human impact, reinforcing the potential for displacement. The same applies to drought and the rising level of oceans. The full impact of the current financial meltdown and economic recession, following the recent food and energy crises, will have a strong impact on the developing world and it seems inevitable that more and more people will be on the move. Conflict, climate change and extreme deprivation will interact and strengthen each other as causes of displacement.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Serious human rights violations persist in South Kivu, targeted predominantly at women and girls, and every six months the number of people who die unnecessarily in the country as a result of armed conflict and material deprivation is equivalent to the number of people killed by the 2004 Asian tsunami. Only the Security Council has the legitimacy to lead the efforts of the international community to bring this wholly unacceptable situation to an end. UNHCR is prepared to play its part, but our role and capacities are obviously limited. Just as patterns of conflict are becoming more complex, so too are contemporary forms of displacement.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The solution must be political and involve the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, other regional actors and the international community as a whole. The current tragedy in North Kivu has a complex historical heritage arising from colonial rule and exacerbated more recently by the Rwanda genocide and two Congolese civil wars. The solution must also address the Forces democratiques de liberation du Rwanda presence in the area, the persistence of which threatens to undermine any peace agreement. And peace will be short-lived if the underlying problems of access to land, property, citizenship, inter-ethnic relations and the representation of minorities are not resolved. But the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not just North Kivu. We have recently witnessed some significant population displacements in Ituri and Orientale province.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“They are normally not perceived as having implications for global security. The Central African Republic is a typical example. Although it is on the agenda of the Security Council, few in the world are aware that some 100,000 refugees have been forced to flee to Chad and Cameroon and that more than 200,000 of its citizens are internally displaced, in conditions of grave deprivation. We might discuss many other crises around the world, but I will focus on one particular situation because of its importance to the work of both the Security Council and my Office: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attention of the international community has recently been concentrated on North Kivu. To echo my earlier remarks, there is no humanitarian solution to that conflict.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“A sister agency, UNRWA, was created before UNHCR existed to address the needs of Palestinian refugees in the area. While we may not be directly involved, it is impossible for me not to make reference to the current political and humanitarian crisis. In Gaza, the civilian population is not even allowed to flee to safety elsewhere. I want to express UNHCR's firm solidarity with UNRWA's action and to call for a strict adherence to humanitarian principles in and around Gaza, including respect for the universal right to seek and enjoy asylum. Beyond this first group of interrelated conflicts, others have been multiplying and deepening around the world. But contrary to the situations I have just examined, they generally lack international attention, largely because their impact is local or at best regional.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“In Somalia, the hardships endured by the people are well known to the Council. With more than a million Somalis already dependent on food aid, any further limitations on humanitarian access could lead to additional population displacements of a daunting magnitude. Preserving the capacity of the World Food Programme to continue its food distribution programme in southern and central Somalia is absolutely essential with the complex political situation that currently prevails. The burden placed on neighbouring States, including Kenya, Yemen and Djibouti, is already enormous. Any further deterioration would stretch regional capacities beyond the breaking point and could generate a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. UNHCR is not present in Gaza.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Without a political agreement that involves both the Government of Khartoum and the different rebel movements, there is a risk that the African Union- United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur will be unable to meet the security expectations of the affected populations. This would represent a terrible blow to the people, first of all, but also to the credibility of those organizations and the international community as a whole. Even if a comprehensive peace agreement can be established, the international force strengthened and impunity ended, a massive investment will be needed to re-establish the social, economic and environmental equilibrium of the area, ensuring harmony between different ethnic groups and between farmers and herders, and overcoming the tensions created by dwindling water resources and high population growth rates.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“To prepare for returns, we redeployed the UNHCR representative in Iraq from Amman to Baghdad in March 2008, and we have also established an international presence in Erbil, Mosul and Basra. We have national staff in ll of the country's governorates and plan to further expand our presence and activities in Iraq as the evolving security 3 environment permits. Beyond security, sustainable return to Iraq will require effective action in the areas of property restitution, or property compensation for those unable to go back to their places of origin, and full and equitable access to welfare services and public distribution systems. In Darfur, an appalling humanitarian and human rights disaster persists. More than 2 million persons remain displaced internally and, just in Chad, nearly a quarter of a million Sudanese have sought refuge.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“However, there is a long way to go. Voluntary return must take place in safety and dignity. It is therefore imperative that States preserve the asylum space that they have made available to Iraqi refugees throughout the past five years in the region and beyond. More than 2 million Iraqis are still hosted mainly by Jordan and Syria in a very generous way and a similar number remains displaced inside Iraq. I call on the world's more prosperous States to offer full support to those countries and organizations that are hearing the brunt of the Iraqi exodus, both by means of material assistance and through the expanded provision of resettlement opportunities to those vulnerable Iraqis for whom voluntary repatriation will not be a viable option.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Accordingly, just two months ago, the Government of Afghanistan and UNHCR organized an international conference in Kabul to consolidate a comprehensive strategy for the sustainable return and reintegration of the country's refugees and displaced persons. This was cited as a positive expression of regional cooperation in the recent Security Council report on its mission to Afghanistan. However, the success of the conference will depend on a resolute follow-up process by all stakeholders, based on a strengthened national and international commitment to security, governance and economic and social development. In Iraq, with the improved security situation, UNHCR is working hard to help the Government create appropriate conditions for the voluntary return and sustainable reintegration of refugees and internally displaced persons.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“On the contrary, most of those who repatriated did so because of growing insecurity in the neighbouring areas of Pakistan and declining living standards for refugees in urban centres as a result of the economic crisis. In fact, violence, weak governance and development gaps in Afghanistan contribute to a situation in which 3 million of the country's citizens remain in exile in Pakistan and Iran. 09-20310 We are now witnessing a new dimension to the crisis in the region, namely, the displacement of some 300,000 people in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas. As in Afghanistan, UNHCR has very limited access, with serious constraints on the delivery of humanitarian assistance. These developments have confirmed that the Afghan situation cannot be understood or addressed in isolation.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The solution, as always, can only be political, and the contribution of the United Nations to resolving those conflicts in an effective and equitable manner is crucial to the credibility of the Organization, in particular among certain segments of international public opinion. Let me now go into a little more detail. In Afghanistan, intensified conflict, coupled with the deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers, has limited humanitarian access to around half of the country's territory. Even so, in 2008, 278,000 Afghans returned to their homeland, mainly from Pakistan, with our support. In reality, that significant number of returns was in not due to a meaningful improvement of the situation in Afghanistan.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“But even so, those conflicts are now increasingly interrelated and together have major implications for global peace and security, drawing the serious attention of the international community. Those conflicts are at the centre of many of today's humanitarian disasters and have generated around two thirds of the total number of refugees worldwide. They require a strong humanitarian response. While it is absolutely vital that the victims of armed conflict be provided with essential protection and assistance, we must also acknowledge the limitations of humanitarian action and its inability to resolve deep-rooted conflicts within and between States.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Inasmuch as forced displacement arises from persecution and serious human rights violations, it is also often the result of threats to or breaches of 09-20310 international peace and security. At the same time, neglected displacement scenarios can represent a threat to peace and security. As such, situations of which the Security Council is seized are often those where UNHCR is deeply engaged. In today's world, I can perceive two groups of conflicts. The first extends from South and South-West Asia, through the Middle East to Sudan and Chad and into the Horn of Africa. From Peshawar to Kandahar, from Mosul to Gaza and from El Geneina to Mogadishu, we are confronted with a series of distinct crises, each with its own historical roots.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Wherever possible, UNHCR therefore works in collaboration with the broader humanitarian community in the context of the so-called cluster approach to support States in providing the internally displaced with protection, assistance and solutions. Another issue high on the UNHCR agenda is statelessness. In countries with reliable data, at least 3 million women, children and men are known to be stateless. However, the global number may be as high as 12 million. In my briefing today, I will first comment on recent trends in forced displacement. I will then outline three important challenges encountered by my Office for which the role of the Security Council is highly relevant. And in conclusion, I will make a few comments on the issue of resolving situations of forced displacement.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“Unfortunately, despite large-scale repatriation movements, the following two years saw a significant increase in refugee numbers, primarily due to the situations in Iraq and Somalia. While we are still compiling the latest statistics, our current estimate is that the total number of refugees under the mandate of my Office currently exceeds 11 million. That does not include the 4.6 million Palestinians for whom the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has responsibility. The number of conflict-induced internally displaced persons has also grown and is now more than 26 million worldwide. While States have primary responsibility for the protection and welfare of displaced citizens, some lack the capacity, or even the will, to exercise it.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) enjoys a long-standing and positive relationship with all of those countries, but I would particularly like to express my appreciation to Uganda 2 for agreeing to host a special summit on forced displacement in Africa. At that summit next April, African heads of State will consider a new African Union Convention on Protection and Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons. If adopted, as we all hope, the Convention will be the first legally binding international instrument specifically related to internal displacement. It will also signify African leadership on a matter of truly global concern. In January 2006, I informed the Council that the number of refugees was at its lowest level for almost a quarter of a century.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“At the outset, I would like to express my gratitude for this opportunity to address the Security Council. On a personal note, Sir, allow me to congratulate you on France's assuming the presidency of the Council at the beginning of the year. The excellent cooperation between France and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is robust and proved to be particularly fruitful during the recent French presidency of the European Union. (spoke in English) Allow me to switch into English. Allow me also to salute the presence of the five newly elected Security Council members - Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda.”
2009-01-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6062 (2009) · source
“We would also like to thank the international community for its support, and the embassies in East Timor for their cooperation and support during the crisis. We will work with determination with all of you to guarantee that our people have a great future - a future in peace, stability and development.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“We therefore believe that the recommendations of the Secretary-General, including the recommendations relating to the presence of a very small military force under the command and control of the United Nations, are important. That is the best option that we have in facing the current crisis in East Timor. As a colleague who has for many years shared with Council members the corridors and meeting rooms of this House, I appeal to the Council to work with us in ensuring that Timor-Leste does not relapse into conflict again. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to UNOTIL and all of its staff, and, in particular, to Special Representative Hasegawa, for the excellent cooperation and support given to the Government and people during the crisis that we recently faced.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“As Prime Minister Ramos-Horta has said, the budget is pro-poor and pro-job-creation. We hope and pray that the combination of better economic and social policies and continuing international support in all areas will help us to overcome today's crises. We acknowledge that there are differences of opinion among Member States, but I am hopeful that the Council will take into account the seriousness of the situation confronting our people and our country today. While there are no more gunshots, many guns remain in civilian hands, and the underlying causes of the conflict have yet to be fully addressed. It will take time for us to reconstitute the defence and police forces. It will take many more years for those institutions to regain the confidence and trust of our people.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“While the primary underlying causes of the current crisis are political and institutional, poverty and the related high urban unemployment and the absence of any prospects of employment opportunities, especially for young people, also contributed to the crisis. In order to ensure coordinated support for the economic development of our country, the new mission should work closely with the Government and its partners and provide assistance in the design of poverty-reduction and economic growth policies and strategies so as to promote the goals of our national development plan and work towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The 2006-2007 budget was adopted yesterday by the national Parliament; it represents an increase of 122 per cent compared with the previous fiscal year.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“The President and the Government have agreed to hold both the parliamentary and presidential elections before May 2007. The Government of Timor-Leste is committed to a free, fair and credible electoral process. Having consulted internally and having taken due consideration of concerns raised by civil society, the Church and other stakeholders, we have called upon the international community to assist us in that endeavour, including through the provision of technical and logistical support. We intend to continue discussions with the United Nations regarding the most appropriate type of assistance. Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“The impartiality of the PNTL in a tense political environment will be tested again when it deals with the first nationwide elections. The presence of United Nations police will be vital in providing advice and in supporting the national police in planning and carrying out their electoral-related security responsibilities, including through training and assistance in the development and implementation of a comprehensive election security plan aimed at forestalling volatility and possible violence throughout the electoral period. The Government is moving to prepare for the upcoming elections. The draft electoral laws on presidential and parliamentary elections, which were submitted to the national Parliament for a broad public debate, are expected to be approved, after the Parliament's annual recess, in mid-September.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“The Government is considering the recommendations contained therein, and will take appropriate measures. We believe that a strong international police presence will be vital if executive policing functions are to be performed in Dili and throughout Timor-Leste while the PNTL is being reconstituted. United Nations police officers will be equally important in assisting and further enhancing the capacity of our national police in the maintenance of law and respect for human rights throughout the districts and subdistricts. While the national police have been trained by United Nations police and bilateral partners and have the basic know-how to carry out routine policing, the most recent events demonstrated the inability of the PNTL to adequately deal with developments that are of a political nature.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“I wish to express my Government's greatest appreciation for the work of the international Independent Special Commission of Inquiry, which is currently undertaking an investigation into the events of 28 and 29 April, 23 to 25 May and related events that contributed to the crisis. The establishment of the facts and circumstances relevant to those events will be critical if Timor-Leste is to achieve reconciliation and uphold the rule of law. The Commission will submit its findings and recommendations by 7 October. The Government considers the domestic justice system to be the primary avenue of accountability for any criminal acts and human rights violations identified by the Commission. We therefore welcome the report of the Secretary-General on justice and reconciliation (S/2006/580).”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“Also, a significant number of human rights officers are needed to support our national institutions, including the Office of the Provedor and the national Parliament, as well as civil society, in monitoring, promoting and protecting human rights and promoting justice and reconciliation. It is of vital importance that the international community remain engaged in fostering the genuine commitment to justice and human rights that exists in the Government, in civil society and among the Timorese people. At the same time, I wish to assure the members of the Security Council that the Government will expeditiously search for a solution to the grievances of the 594 petitioners by means of the recently invigorated national Commission of Investigation.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source
“Cognizant of the fact that institutional failures in the Timorese national police (PNTL) and the Timorese armed forces (F-FDTL) are at the core of the recent crisis in Timor-Leste, a holistic approach to security- sector reform will be required. International advisory support is important in reviewing the future role and needs of the defence sector, including both the F-FDTL and the Ministry of Defence. In the area of justice, the funds made available under the Justice System Programme of the United Nations Development Programme are not sufficient to cover the support needed for the Office of the Prosecutor-General, particularly in the light of the recent violent incidents and the expected increase in the number of cases that the national judicial system will have to handle.”
2006-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5512 (2006) · source