YouSaid · the spoken record

Haley

lines on the record: 982
first: 2017-02-02
most recent: 2018-12-18
sittings or episodes: 124
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

“Resolution 2375 (2017), adopted in September, banned all new permits for North Koreans who work abroad and send the majority of their earnings to Pyongyang. That is a source of over $500 million each year to the Kim regime. Today's resolution goes further; it requires that countries expel all North Korean workers within 24 months. Previous resolutions banned 90 per cent of North Korea's exports. This resolution bans all remaining categories of major North Korean exports - a loss of nearly $250 million in revenue to the regime. Previous resolutions cracked down on the smuggling of banned items, such as oil and coal. But sanctions evasion has continued, so this resolution closes the loopholes in the system and requires countries to seize and impound ships caught smuggling illicit goods. The list goes on.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“They banned all joint ventures and all new work permits for overseas North Korean labourers. And, critical to the regime's ability to develop its nuclear and missile programmes, the previous resolution cut off 55 per cent of refined petroleum products going to North Korea. Today, we cut deeper. After North Korea's September nuclear test, the Council capped refined petroleum exports into North Korea. Today's resolution achieves an 89 per cent total reduction of the Kim regime's ability to import gasoline, diesel and other refined products. And should the North Korean regime conduct another nuclear or ballistic missile test, the resolution commits the Security Council to take even further action. It sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“I commend the members of the Security Council for their unity and persistence in this sustained international defence of peace and security. On November 29, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. This was another attempt by the Kim regime to masquerade as a great Power, while its people starve and its soldiers defect. But for the international community, this is an unprecedented challenge from a defiant State. We have therefore leveled an unprecedented response. Resolution 2397 (2017) ratchets up the pressure on North Korea even further, building on our previous resolution on this topic, resolution 2375 (2017), which included the strongest sanctions ever imposed on that country. Those sanctions fully banned textile exports from North Korea.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“Today, for the tenth time, the Council stands united against a North Korean regime that rejects the pursuit of peace. The Kim regime continues to defy the resolutions ofthe Council, the norms of civilized behaviour and the patience of the international community. Its arrogance and hostility to anything productive has set its country on a destructive path. Nine times before today, we have asked the North Korean regime to choose the path of peace. And it should do so, we would welcome it back into the community of nations. But Pyongyang has chosen the path of isolation. As we have in the past, we will continue to match the Kim regime's choice of aggressive actions with actions of international sanction.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“Before I begin, I want to take a moment to honour some very important people. As we gather together in the Security Council, many around the world are preparing to gather with their families to celebrate a season of peace and generosity. Amid this celebration, we remember the men and women of our military who are away from their families, fulfilling their solemn vow to defend our nation and its allies against those who would harm us. My prayer this Christmas is that our words and deeds today will contribute to our shared cause of peace and that they honour those who keep us safe. And with that, I would like to specifically thank my Chinese colleagues for working with us on the negotiations of resolution 2397 (2017). I want to thank all other members of the Council that quickly moved to make action and allow this to come forward.”
2017-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8151 (2017) · source
“Today, based on the United Nations report, we have an opportunity to confront the Iranian regime for its actions, which are clearly in violation of Security Council resolutions. The international community must demonstrate that we are committed to ensuring accountability for the full spectrum of Iran's malign behaviour. The Security Council must follow through on the violations listed in the Secretary-General's report.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“The Secretary- General's report devotes considerable space to Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal. While the Plan itself was not intended to directly address Iran's non-nuclear behaviour, we must all recognize that resolution 2231 (2015) does address such behaviour, and that is made clear in the Secretary-General's report. While the United States continues to uphold its commitments under the Plan, the international community must also demand full implementation of resolution 2231 (2015) by responding to Iran's dangerous violations. We must not allow ourselves to be held hostage to the nuclear agreement or treat Iran any differently than we would any other country violating a resolution.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“We could adopt a new resolution that makes clear that Iran is prohibited from all activities related to ballistic missiles. We could explore imposing sanctions on Iran in response to its clear violations of the Yemen arms embargo. We could hold the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accountable for its violations of numerous Security Council resolutions. In the coming days, we will continue to explore those options and others with our colleagues. We must speak with one voice in dealing with Iranian threats to peace. While we do so, we must also make it clear - as I do now - that the Iranian people are not the problem. The Iranian people are victims of their own Government. I want to add a final point about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“International peace and security depend on our working together to expose and hold accountable the Iranian regime's hostile actions. The United States will continue to share what we know with the United Nations and other parties to combat this threat, but the effort of one nation is not enough. We must all act cooperatively to expose the crimes of the Tehran regime and do whatever is needed to make sure they get the message. If we do, then Iran will bring the world deeper into a broadening regional conflict. Based on the violations mentioned in the Secretary- General's report, there are a few options that we can use to put pressure on Iran to adjust its behaviour. The Security Council could strengthen the provisions of resolution 2231 (2015).”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“The warehouse also contains material from Iranian-manufactured anti-tank guided missiles, which the Houthis have used to destroy buildings, an unmanned aerial vehicle known as a kamikaze drone, and material from a Shark-33 explosive boat. Those boats have a warhead inside them that has blown six-foot-wide holes in the sides of ships, killing and injuring numerous personnel. All of these weapons recovered from attacks and planned attacks on a G-20 country were made by Iranian weapons industries tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. We have made this information public because Iran's destabilizing behaviour is only growing. It will continue to grow unless we raise the cost of defying the international community.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“The missile debris recovered in Saudi Arabia came from Iranian Qiam-I missiles. We have multiple indicators: everything from the lack of tail fins at the base of the missile - which only Iranian missiles lack - to the logo of an Iranian defence manufacturer stamped on the side. The fact that these missiles were transferred from Iran and fired by a group of militants should gravely concern us. The intended target of the 4 November missiles should concern us even more. The target was the civilian airport in Riyadh. Hundreds of innocent civilians could have been killed. Just imagine if this had been the John F. Kennedy airport in New York City, or Paris or Brussels.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“To build on its conclusions, the United States took the extraordinary step of revealing, in a public setting, military equipment recovered directly from military attacks on our partners in the region. Last week, we put this information on display in Washington, DC. Nearly a dozen countries have sent delegations to see it. Members of Congress are now viewing it. We invite the entire Security Council to visit this massive and compelling display of information about Iran's violations. The material speaks for itself. The evidence is undeniable. The Secretary-General's report refers to debris from missiles fired by Houthi militants from Yemen into Saudi Arabia in July and November. The inventory at the warehouse in Washington, DC, removes any shred of doubt that the missiles are from Iran.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“It notes that arms seized by the United States from a ship in the Gulf of Oman were identical to those previously seized by France, which the United Nations had concluded were of Iranian origin. The report describes a dual English-Farsi keyboard that was part of the guidance system of an unmanned surface vehicle used against the Saudi coalition in Yemen. That was just one of several pieces of evidence that point to the Iranian manufacture of the detonation and guidance systems of the weapon. There is plenty more. The United States and our partners went to great lengths to support the Secretary-General's investigation. We shared our intelligence, and we insisted on the use of the highest standards of evidence and methodology. We therefore welcome this report and the evidence it presents.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“It is only a matter of time before one of these missiles hits its target. If we do not do something, we will miss the opportunity to prevent further violence from Iran. Before us is the Secretary-General's fourth report (S/2017/1030) on the Iranian regime's lack of full compliance with resolution 2231 (2015), and it is the most damning report yet. The report makes the case that Iran is illegally transferring weapons. I know that many Member States put a lot of effort into the nuclear agreement with Iran, but that should not allow us to look the other way as concerns the very serious non-nuclear items, like the sales of arms, ballistic missile testing and support for terrorism. The report was compiled before the latest attacks, but it points to evidence of the Iranian origin of missiles fired from Yemen into Saudi Arabia this year.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“This discussion could not have come at a better time. There were reports this morning that the Houthi militants in Yemen had fired yet another missile into Saudi Arabia. According to the Houthis themselves, it was targeted at a meeting of Saudi leaders in Riyadh, in an area crowded with Government offices. Thankfully the missile was intercepted before it could hit its intended target, but the very fact of this attack is a flashing red siren for the Council. This is not the first time that the Houthis have fired missiles at civilians in a country belonging to the Group of 20 (G-20) and, unless we act, it will not be the last. While we do not yet have sufficient insight into this particular attack, it bears all the hallmarks of previous attacks using weapons provided by Iran.”
2017-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8143 (2017) · source
“Today, for the simple act of deciding where to put its embassy, the United States was forced to defend its sovereignty. The record will reflect that we did so proudly. Today, for acknowledging a basic truth about the capital city of Israel, we are accused of harming peace. The record will reflect that we reject that outrageous claim. For these reasons, and with the best interest of both the Israeli and the Palestinian people firmly in mind, the United States voted no on this draft resolution.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“I have been to the Palestinian refugee camps that the United States supports with its contributions. I have met with men, women and children there; I have advocated on their behalf. I can say that their leaders do them no favours by being more open to abandoning peace negotiations than to doing the hard work of seeing them to completion. The United States has never been more committed to peace in the Middle East. We were committed to it before the President announced our recognition of Jerusalem as the capital ofIsrael, and we are committed to it today. What we witnessed today in the Security Council is an insult. It will not be forgotten. It is one more example of the United Nations doing more harm than good in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operates schools and medical facilities throughout the region. It is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. Last year, the United States voluntarily funded almost 30 per cent of the UNRWA budget; that is more than the next two largest donors combined. It is vastly more than some ofthe members of the Council that have considerable financial resources of their own. I will be blunt. When the American people see a group of countries whose total contributions to the Palestinian people is less than 1 per cent ofthe UNRWA budget, and when they see those countries accuse the United States of being insufficiently committed to peace, the American people lose their patience.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“What does it gain the Palestinian people for their leaders to throw up roadblocks to negotiations? A peace process that is damaged by the simple recognition that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel is not a peace process; it is a justification for an endless stalemate. What does it gain the Palestinian people for some of their leaders to accuse the United States of being hostile to the cause of peace? It gains them nothing, but it risks costing them a great deal. The United States has done more by far than any other country to assist the Palestinian people. Since 1994, we have given over $5 billion to the Palestinians in bilateral economic assistance, security assistance and humanitarian assistance.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“Specifically regarding the provision on diplomatic missions in Jerusalem, Secretary Muskie said "In our judgement this provision is not binding. It is without force. And we reject it as a disruptive attempt to dictate to other nations. It does nothing to promote a resolution of the difficult problems facing Israel and its neighbours. It does nothing to advance the cause of peace." (ibid., para. 111) That was true in 1980, and it is equally true today. The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy. Buried even deeper in the jargon of the draft resolution is the accusation that the United States is setting back the prospects of peace in the Middle East. That is a scandalous charge. Those who are making it should consider that it only harms the very Palestinian people they claim to speak for.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“I suspect that very few Member States would welcome Security Council pronouncements about their sovereign decisions, and I can think of some that should fear it. It is worth noting that this is not a new American position. Back in 1980, when Jimmy Carter was the American President, the Security Council voted on resolution 478 (1980), which called upon diplomatic missions to relocate from Jerusalem. The United States did not support resolution 478 (1980). In his remarks, the then Secretary of State Ed Muskie said the following: "The draft resolution before us today is illustrative of a preoccupation which has produced this series of unbalanced and unrealistic texts on Middle East issues" (S/PV2245, para. 106).”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“Rather, what is troubling to some people is that the United States had the courage and honesty to recognize a fundamental reality. Jerusalem has been the political, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people for thousands of years. They have had no other capital city, but the United States recognition of the obvious * that Jerusalem is the capital and seat of the modern Israeli Government - is too much for some. First, some have threatened violence on the street, as if violence would somehow improve the prospects for peace. Now today, buried in diplomatic jargon, some presume to tell America where to put our embassy. The United States has a sovereign right to determine where and whether we establish an embassy.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“The President took great care not to prejudge final-status negotiations in any way, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, which remains a subject to be negotiated only by the parties. The position is fully in line with previous Security Council resolutions on this item. The President was also careful to state that we support the status quo regarding Jerusalem's holy sites and that we support a two-State solution if that is what the parties agree to. Again, those positions are fully consistent with previous Security Council resolutions. It is highly regrettable that some are trying to distort the President's position to serve their own agendas. What is troubling to some people is not that the United States has harmed the peace process. We have, in fact, done no such thing.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“I have been the proud representative of the United States at the United Nations for nearly a year now. This is the first time I have exercised the American right to veto a draft resolution in the Security Council. The exercise of the veto is not something that the United States does often. We have not done it in more than six years. We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance. The fact that this veto has been exercised in defence of American sovereignty and in defence of America's role in the Middle East peace process is not a source of embarrassment for us. It should be an embarrassment to the remainder of the Security Council. As I did when we discussed this topic 10 days ago (see S/PV.8128), I will once again note the features of the President's announcement on Jerusalem that are most relevant here.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8139 (2017) · source
“We call on all countries that share this commitment to learn the hard lessons of the past and work to bring Israel and the Palestinian people to the peace table in good faith.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“The United States refuses to accept the double standard that says we are not impartial when we stand by the will of the American people by moving our United States Embassy; but somehow the United Nations is a neutral party when it consistently singles out Israel for condemnation. For decades, Israel has withstood wave after wave of bias in the United Nations and its agencies. The United States has often stood beside Israel. We did not on 23 December 2016. We will not make that mistake again. This week marks the one-year anniversary of a significant setback for peace in the Middle East peace, but the United States has an undiminished commitment to helping bring about final-status negotiations that will lead to lasting peace. Our hand remains extended to both parties.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“Given the chance today, the United States would veto resolution 2334 (2016) for another reason. The resolution gave new life to an ugly creation of the Human Rights Council: the database of companies operating in Jewish communities. That is an effort to create a blacklist, plain and simple. It is yet another obstacle to a negotiated peace. It is a stain on America's conscience that we gave the so-called boycott, divestmen and sanctions movement momentum by allowing the adoption of resolution 2334 (2016). To the United Nations shame, this has been a disproportionately hostile place for the Middle East's most enduring democracy.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“Furthermore, the Council passed judgement on issues that must be decided in direct negotiations between the parties. If the United Nations history in the peace efforts proves anything, it is that talking in New York cannot take the place of face-to-face negotiations between the regional parties. It only sets back the cause of peace, not advances it. As ifto make that very point, resolution 2334 (2016) demanded a halt to all Israeli settlement activity in East Jerusalem, even in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. That is something that no responsible person or country would ever expect Israel would do and, in that way resolution 2334 (2016) did what President Trump's announcement on Jerusalem as the capital of Israel did not do - it prejudged issues that should be left to final status negotiations.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“Reasonable people can disagree about that and, in fact, over the years the United States has expressed criticism ofIsraeli settlement policies many times. But in truth, it was resolution 2334 (2016) itself that was an impediment to peace. The Security Council put the negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians further out of reach by injecting itself yet again in between the two parties to the conflict. By misplacing the blame for the failure of peace efforts squarely on the Israeli settlements, the resolution gave a pass to Palestinian leaders who for many years rejected one peace proposal after another. It also gave them encouragement to avoid negotiations in future. It refused to acknowledge the legacy of failed negotiations unrelated to settlements.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“In this meeting, I will not use the Council's time to address where a sovereign nation might decide to put its embassy, and why we have every right to do so. Rather, I will address a more appropriate and urgent concern. This week marks the first anniversary of the adoption of resolution 2334 (2016). On that day in December 2016 (see S/PV.7853), the United States elected to abstain in the voting in the Council, allowing the measure to be adopted. Now it is one year and a new Administration later. Given the chance to vote again on resolution 2334 (2016), I can say with complete confidence that the United States would vote "no". We would exercise our veto power. The reasons are very relevant to the cause of peace in the Middle East. On the surface, resolution 2334 (2016) described Israeli settlements as impediments to peace.”
2017-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8138 (2017) · source
“Around here, we keep hearing that the situation in Burma is complex and that it will take time, but there are steps that we can take right now to help the Burmese people. We can demand that independent investigators be allowed to enter the country to help hold those responsible for atrocities to account. We can provide help to those who have been brutally attacked by members of the Burmese security forces and we can speak out for the human rights of all people in Burma. Our plea is simple. Let us do what we can without delay, work diligently to see every refugee home safe and urgently pursue justice so that all of Burma can be made whole.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“We call on Burma to work with the United Nations and its agencies and allow immediate and unhindered access to all humanitarian actors so that they can provide help to those who need it. We continue to be grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for hosting such a large number of refugees. We also encourage Bangladesh to continue to partner more closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee to address this challenge and ensure that survivors of sexual violence receive the support they desperately need. We remain concerned about the fact that refugees in the camps are vulnerable to disease and human trafficking, among other dangers. We therefore hope that the international community will step up to support the United Nations response.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“There is no denying that these atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, have taken place. The United States unequivocally condemns all acts of violence in Burma, including the horrific violence conducted by the Burmese security forces, who should be the ones protecting their own people. What is worse, if one asks the Rohingya if they want to go home, they are too scared to go back. Before they can return, Burmese authorities must create an environment that is safe for people to return voluntarily to their homes. It is more than just a process; there must be a cultural change, which only Burmese leadership can effect. While we hear promises from the Government of Burma, we need to see action.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“We must shine a spotlight on these accounts of ethnic cleansing. The number of people who have fled Burma in just over three months has now risen to 646,000 people - an average ofmore than 40,000 people per week. This is the fastest displacement of refugees since Rwanda. More people are dead and displaced inside Burma, yet we still have not seen any concrete action to hold accountable those responsible for these atrocities. Instead, we see an investigation by the Burmese military that denies all responsibility. This is unacceptable. Burma must allow an independent, transparent and credible investigation into what has happened. Allowing full access for the United Nations fact-finding mission to gather information and evidence on the ground is vital to accountability and a solution to the crisis. We cannot allow more time to pass.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“Anyone the military caught was slaughtered. After they were shot or stabbed, they were cut into many pieces, put inside plastic bins and thrown in the river." Speaking with the reporter, Jenna swallows her emotions and says one more thing: "They shot him dead. They killed my father. I am very sad that I lost my father." The pain and the suffering of the Rohingya are unimaginable. Over and over we hear stories like Jenna's. The refugees tell us about security forces destroying their homes, gang raping women, burning children and killing people in the most twisted ways. It is for Rohingya children like Jenna, and to learn all that we can of what happened, that we are here today. We must speak out for them and reject any attempt to play down the magnitude of this man-made tragedy.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“I thank Mr. Feltman for his briefing, and Ms. Patten for her leadership and service. As we confront issues like this one, it is important that we hear stories, and when we hear the stories, we have to imagine the faces because; otherwise these are just numbers or yet more impersonal pieces of data. But to understand that these are stories, then we have to take it one step further and ask "What if this was my family?" Therefore, to accompany Ms. Patten's stories, I want to tell the Security Council about Jenna: she is a 10-year-old Rohingya refugee and she has lost everything. In Jenna's words, "I saw with my own eyes people killed by the military and chopped into pieces". She continues: "[t]hey burned my house but not only my house: every house next to my house was burning. We all ran from our houses and together we fled.”
2017-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8133 (2017) · source
“He said: "It is our responsibility and our duty to confront this danger together, because the longer we wait the greater the danger grows and the fewer the options become". The crisis in North Korea is one of human rights and peace and security. History will judge us on how we respond.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“We must insist that the North Korean Government and other relevant Member States immediately implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, the Secretary-General and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Member States must also provide safe passage or temporary protection for North Korean asylum-seekers. The forcible repatriation of these women means certain torture, sexual Violence and hard labour. Too often, it is a death sentence. During his visit to the South Korean National Assembly in November, President Trump described the obligation we all have to open our eyes to the evil of the North Korean regime and to act.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“This will be a rare chance to hear directly from Ms. Ji about her experience in detail. We will also hear from the former Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Justice Michael Kirby, and renowned North Korean human rights expert David Hawk. I urge all Council members to join us and participate in our discussion. The two North Korean women with us here today, as well as all defectors who have lived to tell their stories, are a source of hope for millions. We must tell and retell their stories until the world knows what is going on in the black box that is North Korea. We must tell and retell their stories so that leaders inside and outside of the Council cannot plead ignorance. We have no excuse not to act.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“She is now a successful entrepreneur running a small cosmetics company and works to raise awareness about the terrible conditions in North Korea. These two amazing women have the kind of courage and persistence that few human beings can claim. I thank them and all other North Korean defectors who survived to tell their stories. They are the voice for the millions of their countrymen and countrywomen who remain trapped in a walking nightmare. The tragic reality, however, is that the North Korean regime and other enabling Member States are creating new stories like this every day. That is why, immediately following this meeting, the United States will co-host an event on this issue, along with Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, in Conference Room 1.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“After serving in the North Korean military for several years, she returned to her hometown to find that her mother had been detained and tortured for dealing with Chinese traders. When her mother was released from detention after two months, she died while Ms. Jo was carrying her home on her back. To make a living, Ms. Jo continued her mother's business working with Chinese traders and also found herself being harassed, jailed and tortured by North Korean security officials. Eventually, after a failed attempt to escape, she landed in a North Korean detention centre, where she was tortured and beaten and nearly lost her life. But she was determined to create a better life for her young daughter, so she tried again. In 2014, she escaped to China, where she was caught but was able to find a way out of detention to reach South Korea in 2015.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“In addition to certain torture, hard labour and other abuses, the regime subjects returned pregnant women to forced abortions in an effort to maintain "ethnic purity". If the baby is born alive, it is killed. These details are so horrific that they are difficult to believe, so today I have invited two remarkably courageous women who were imprisoned multiple times in North Korea before escaping to China. I should like to ask these brave women - Ms. Ji Hyeon-A and Ms. Jo Yuri 4 to briefly stand to be recognized. Given time constraints, I would like to now share a bit of one of their stories. Ms. Jo suffered greatly as she sought to flee the repressive North Korean regime.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“They must contend with traffickers who lure them into forced labour, sex work or forced marriages, and then they must remain undetected as they cross international borders in search of a country that will provide temporary protection. What makes these dangerous escapes even more harrowing is that many defectors do not reach freedom on their first attempt. North Koreans fleeing to neighbouring States are often caught, detained and forcibly repatriated. The regime has subjected returnees to torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and imprisonment. In some cases, they are killed. The majority of asylum-seekers are women. They pay the highest price for being captured and repatriated.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“Punishment for possession ofa foreign DVD or SD card can include imprisonment or even execution. And it is not just North Koreans who suffer under this system. A large number of Japanese and other citizens have been abducted by the North Korean Government over the past few decades. Many of their family members still do not know what has become of their loved ones. Nor can we overlook the terrorist acts that the North Korean Government has committed against both its own nationals and other nationals abroad, most recently in Kuala Lumpur. But even for North Koreans trying to escape, the road to freedom is dangerous and sometimes deadly. They must survive border guards who shoot to kill.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“There, they face torture, forced labour, summary executions, starvation, sexual Violence and other forms of inhumane treatment. Many of those detained are in the camps not because of anything they did but because of something a family member did. The North Korean regime's system of guilt by association allows for up to three generations of family members to be imprisoned along with the accused. Defectors have reported that all North Koreans aged 12 and older are required to attend public executions - a graphic reminder of the consequences of disobedience to the Government. The regime bans foreign media. Radios and televisions are fixed to State media channels. State security officials regularly raid apartment buildings in an effort to catch individuals with foreign media.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“Non-governmental organizations have revealed video footage of children as young as five years old forced to carry out heavy labour in dangerous conditions, including work on railroad lines and in mines. Meanwhile, the Kim regime not only builds nuclear weapons, it builds theme parks and high-rises in Pyongyang for the elite and politically obedient, where they live in relative comfort. The remaining 85 per cent of North Koreans must obtain permission to enter the city. The country is dotted with military checkpoints to ensure that everyone stays where the Government wants him or her to be. Worse, the North Korean Government imprisons an estimated 100,000 North Koreans, including children, in political prison camps.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“Their menacing march towards building a nuclear- weapon arsenal begins with the oppression and exploitation of ordinary North Korean people. By exporting workers abroad to earn hard currency and exploiting forced labour at home, the regime uses its people to underwrite its nuclear and ballisti-missile programmes. The Government has developed a strict caste system designed to control and suppress the will of the people. The regime forces the North Korean people to work up to 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, often with no compensation. Failure to report to an assigned job can result in imprisonment in a forced labour camp for six months to two years.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“I thank Assistant-Secretary-General Jenca and High Commissioner Al-Hussein for their briefings. I am grateful for this discussion today, because we must tell the full story of the North Korean people. Only a few of them, some of whom are with us today, have escaped to tell the truth about their struggle for freedom. My hope is that we will hear their stories today and add our voices to the cause of basic human rights in North Korea. The systematic human rights violations and abuses of the North Korean Government are more than the cause of its people's suffering. They are a means to a single end - keeping the Kim Jong-un regime in power. The regime is using that power to develop an unnecessary arsenal and support enormous conventional military forces that pose a grave risk to international peace and security.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“So while I understand the concerns of some Council members, I think it is extremely important that if we are to stay true to our word on prevention, then we must stay true to our word that prevention also includes human rights and the ability to call out countries when they commit abuses like the ones we are seeing. I therefore suggest that not only should we do this today, but we should be doing it more often with other countries when we see such things coming up. We have seen it in Venezuela and Syria. If we truly care about prevention, human rights have to be at the heart of it.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source
“This issue has become a repeated problem. We continue to think that there is a separation between peace and security and human rights, and there is not. If we go back in history, it shows that any country that does not take care of its people ends up in conflict. We have seen that in multiple cases in multiple places. As much as the Secretary-General and the Council talk about prevention when it comes to conflict, prevention is about how a country treats its people as well. If it starts to treat its people carelessly or abuse them, it will easily abuse other countries, and that is what we are seeing happen in North Korea.”
2017-12-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8130 (2017) · source