YouSaid · the spoken record

Haroon

lines on the record: 396
first: 2008-11-19
most recent: 2012-09-20
sittings or episodes: 41
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 would like to mention that, to my mind, the progress that the Palestinians have made in establishing State institutions over the past couple of years, despite overwhelming obstacles, has been extraordinary - a fact that was not only accepted by a number of independent observers but that was also manifested in the acceptance of its membership last year by UNESCO. There is no gainsaying the fact that the Palestinians are working towards full United Nations membership as a just reward. I would like now to come to a point that has been whispered about in certain corridors of late. Someone asked "Have you noticed how often we mention Iran, Syria, Nigeria, Libya and the Sudan?" They wonder, and I wonder with them, whether we should be afraid, being a Muslim, since all those countries seem to come from that category.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“In my mind, they also constitute a major roadblock to peace. Settlement activity and peace are mutually exclusive. This strangulation was further extended and enforced by a decree with effect from 2 January. So life in Gaza will not, cannot, return to normal. We therefore call for the full implementation of resolution 1860 (2009). We would like to join the civilized world and suggest that, to stop strangulation and starvation, the United Nations should arrange a flotilla of its own to carry relief supplies to the hapless Gazans. Surely the Israelis cannot deny United Nations humanitarian supplies under United Nations auspices.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“The Middle East Quartet and the international community seem to be in a haze of suspended promises. The Palestinians want a halt to this settlement activity - a demand that is endorsed by the Council and universally supported - yet there is seemingly no recourse on the matter. As some speakers have mentioned today, last week Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos informed the Council that settlement activity had rendered 43 per cent of the West Bank unusable for Palestinians, and had impeded access to services, leading to increased violence and severe starvation in the territory. The Gaza strangulation and starvation are neither legally justifiable nor morally tenable. They are systematically eradicating the space for the establishment of a viable Palestinian State.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“We therefore call upon the Security Council to transform its words into resolute action, notwithstanding the very welcome recent Quartet activities in the Middle East. The Council should ensure a mechanism to implement its decisions on Israel and Palestine; if it fails to do so, it will further undermine its own credibility. While we deliberate endlessly in the Security Council, the Palestinian observer showcased today how his people continue to suffer at the hands of what they call an occupation force. I am not terribly sure whether his cry for help is condemned to be unheard here or whether his people's dreams of peace and tranquility are not shared by others while they continue to draw world attention to their encirclement and the uncrossable barriers surrounding them. The settlement activity of Israel continues sadly unabated.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“I welcome you, Sir, to the Security Council and thank you for convening today's debate. I should like to thank Oscar Fernandez-Taranco for a very difficult assessment, which he gave in a very honest fashion. I also align my delegation with the statements to be delivered by the representatives of Egypt and Kazakhstan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, respectively. As members are well aware, Pakistan has stood by its Palestinian brethren in their six-decade quest for the realization of their inalienable right to self- determination. Today, the protagonists of the Arab Spring, citing democracy, have said much the same thing with respect to many parts of the world.”
2012-01-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6706 (2012) · source
“Let me conclude by stating that Pakistan, as an observer State of the AU and a country in search of peace and stability in its own neighbourhood, identifies closely with the theme of today's debate. Out of nearly 10,000 Pakistani peacekeepers in the United Nations missions around the world, 9,000 are performing duties 1220579 in Africa. In the peace and stability of Africa, we see their safety and eventual safe return home. In the economic progress of Africa, we see opportunities for the whole global South, including Pakistan. We hope that today's debate and high-level participation, together with the draft resolution to be adopted later (S/20l2/25) will further concretize the modalities of AU-United Nations cooperation and pave the way of constructive collaboration.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Considering that most of the AU's work on peace and security is based on Chapter VI provisions related to the pacific settlement of disputes, the two organizations can identify relevant areas for capacity- building cooperation in mediation, arbitration and other measures relating to preventive diplomacy. Another avenue of cooperation could be security sector reform (SSR). The AU has developed an elaborate SSR policy framework for implementation, which must be supported by the United Nations. It would also be important to widen the discourse of AU-United Nations cooperation beyond the work of the Security Council to include issues such as fair trade practices, food and environmental security, and investment in governance institutions.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Secondly, regular interaction with subregional organizations in Africa will be critical to developing commonalities in respective decisions relating to peace and security, thereby ensuring their smooth implementation. In this regard, the Security Council has already expressed clear intentions in its presidential statement of 13 January 2010 (S/PRST/2010/l). The challenge is to translate the intent into action. Finally, AU-United Nations cooperation - as noted by President Zuma as well - can be optimized by strict prioritization in areas of building local capacities.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“While coordinating the evolution of a common strategic vision will be 12-20579 incremental, we believe that an expressly targeted focus on three key areas will further enhance cooperation between the two bodies. First, efforts should be made to ensure that the annual consultative mechanism between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council translates into formulating cohesive positions and strategies. The two Councils can do so by holding more frequent and informal exchanges, especially among their respective presidencies. Such exchanges need to be replicated between the AU Commission and the Secretariat, as well as among other relevant bodies in the AU and United Nations systems, namely, the Peacebuilding Commission and its five country configurations, which are all related to Africa.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The AU Commission and the United Nations Secretariat provide the administrative foundation for that partnership. It is worthwhile noting that Africa's consensual and united position for enhanced representation at the Security Council, which is a legitimate demand, will also eventually strengthen the cooperation between the two bodies. Contacts between the AU and the United Nations, particularly between their two Councils, are too slowly evolving into a common strategic vision in areas of prevention and management, and manifest themselves in a lack of resolution of conflicts. That vision should forge enhanced political coherence to address the challenges of peace and security.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“From preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts to active peacekeeping, peacebuilding and catalysing political processes, the continent is using a wide range of instruments in the international toolkit for peace and security. The world can learn from that. The Africa of today has sagaciously resorted to the vast spectrum of modalities for peaceful settlement of disputes, as envisaged in Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter- a practice that merits emulation by the Council. The cooperation between the AU and the United Nations in peace and security adds value to the work of both organizations, particularly in matters of peace and security. The AU Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council define the AU-United Nations relationship at a strategic level.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“I salute African wisdom and sagacity, because while most regional organizations are based solely on trade and economic considerations, Africa has made significant strides to conceive the challenge of peace and security as a collective responsibility. The African Union is an embodiment of that pioneering spirit. Within a decade of its foundation, the African Union has created a solid edifice for peace in Africa, in the form of African Peace and Security Architecture. The Architecture stands on institutions like the AU Peace and Security Council, the Panel of the Wise, the African Standby Force and the Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Framework. A set of subregional organizations further strengthens the Architecture. The AU has evolved tangible remedial measures for the entire spectrum of a conflict cycle.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“This forum's venture today would not be complete without invoking the great example of President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. That is world-class leadership. Asia and Africa are bound by strong interlinkages of history and friendship. The early twentieth century witnessed mutually inspiring independence movements in the South Asian subcontinent and the freedom struggle in Africa. Pakistan's strong support for Africa's decolonization struggle is well known. Today the two continents are partners in their respective peace and development and in the prosperity of their people. With 70 per cent of world trade binding our shores in the future, the world shall have to take note.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“We also welcome the representatives who have come from China, France, Germany, Portugal and Togo to take part in today's debate. Africa continuously defies its detractors, not only by progressing but by committing itself to the challenges of peace and security, including the building of bridges with the international and regional comity of nations. We commend the timely epoch-building initiative of South Africa to hold a debate on the African Union (AU)-United Nations relationship. The high-level participation is a necessary reflection of the close attention being paid to those linkages by the leadership of Africa. After all, this is the nation that gave the world the concept of transitional law, and that then peacefully upheld the rule of law in a manner that humankind can learn from.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“Pakistan's delegation warmly welcomes you, Madam President, to the Security Council. As we wish you and your delegation a productive visit, we warmly congratulate South Africa and the African National Congress on its one- hundredth anniversary. In that light, it is befitting that President Zuma's statement compels attention as a veritable tour de force in Africa. His role in the African Union should be viewed as historically groundbreaking. We also thank Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his rightfully vast report (8/2011/805) and for his briefing on Africa. We also thank the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Colombia, Guatemala and Kenya, as well as the African Union Commissioner, for their participation and for their important statements.”
2012-01-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6702Resumption1 (2012) · source
“The inclusive participation of the host authorities and capacity- building on professional grounds are vital ingredients for national ownership. The engagement of civil society and key stakeholders, however nascent those may be in a post-conflict zone, will help consolidate the gains made in security sector reform programmes. I will conclude by referring to the latest report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (A/65/ 19). I remind the Secretariat to continue its briefings to Member States on developments relating to security sector reform, particularly regarding the support provided to field missions. We can all stand to benefit from such briefings.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“I will take this opportunity to highlight the very commendable role played by the African Union in developing a security sector reform policy framework for implementation. The African Union's engagement with security sector reform augurs well for the maintenance of peace and security on the continent. For that, the efforts undertaken by the African leadership must be supported wholeheartedly by the United Nations. For our part, Pakistan supports Africa in that very important initiative. Finally, our collective approach to security sector reform must resonate with established international principles, consistent with the United Nations Charter. Security sector reform can be neither imposed nor seen to be imposed on a reluctant host Government. Successful and sustainable security sector reform rests on the principle of national ownership.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“An ongoing example is our contingent in the United Nations Mission in Liberia. Our troops will continue to support security sector reform programmes. However, it is important to underscore that security sector reform cannot be left to military and police components alone. Diverse fields, such as judicial reform, border management, Customs and civil emergencies, warrant a steady civilian contribution to security sector reform. Those are areas where the Peacebuilding Commission, and its various configurations, can play a role through the financial resources catalysed by the Peacebuilding Fund. Most important, a regional organization plays a central role in articulating a framework for multilateral security sector reform efforts.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“In this context, the United Nations Inter-Agency SSR Support Unit, established in 2009, and the Secretary- General's inter-agency Security Sector Reform Task Force have made positive contributions. The role of SSR practitioners in Headquarters, however, needs to be recalibrated to increase their responsiveness to the field missions. For this, capacity- building in the SSR Unit is as essential as utilizing other structures in the United Nations and regional organizations, with a view to building cohesion and avoiding duplication. Secondly, United Nations peacekeeping missions are essential for implementing SSR, which forms part of many current mandates. Pakistani contingents in various United Nations peacekeeping missions have supported activities relating to security sector reform with distinction.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“As a leading troop contributor, Pakistan is cognizant of the criticality of establishing an effective security sector for the successful and timely withdrawal of all peacekeeping missions. A viable security sector, enjoying the confidence of the local population, is key to a sustainable transition from peacekeeping to long-term peacebuilding, economic recovery and development. In this brief intervention, we will highlight four points pertinent to further streamlining our collective approach to SSR. First, we acknowledge the important work done in the United Nations since the Secretary-General's report on the subject (S/2008/39) to evolve a rich discourse on SSR and to build the requisite support structures in Headquarters as well as in the field.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“Mr. President, the Pakistan delegation warmly felicitates the delegation of Nigeria, for ably steering the work of the Security Council this month and for convening this important debate. We are happy to see the Foreign Minister of Nigeria presiding today. Your participation, Sir, in today's debate is propitious for realigning our collective focus on this important subject. The presidential statement adopted today (S/PRST/2011/ 19) has flagged relevant issues. Before proceeding, I would like to align Pakistan with the statement made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement by the representative of Egypt. Security sector reform (SSR) is critical in laying the foundation for durable peace and preventing relapse into conflict.”
2011-10-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6630 (2011) · source
“That has not, despite many words here, quite materialized, and has been the bane of the problem in Afghanistan. These are valid observations that merit serious attention from Afghanistan's international partners. Pakistan is not oblivious to Afghanistan's developmental needs or the imperatives of a successful implementation of the Kabul process. We will continue our assistance programmes in Afghanistan, the largest that we have with any country at the moment, being the State that we are, despite our serious resource constraints. We have also offered assistance in capacity-building for Afghan security forces. We are still hosts to millions of Afghan refugees, at very considerable cost to us. The present report on the situation in Afghanistan does not update us on the refugee situation. We hope it will do so in the next report.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“As stated by our Foreign Minister in the general debate at the General Assembly on Tuesday, we must work closely together and as responsible partners in a cooperative manner, and not rush to judgments or question each others' intentions (see A/66/PV.29). The report of the Secretary-General has rightly pointed out that development, governance and the rule of law are crucial for irreversible transition processes, as envisaged in the Kabul Conference. The Secretary- General has stressed the need for capturing the current political and financial interest in transition to set the country on a sustainable course. He has also underlined the value of long-term international support and private sector investment in facilitating the transition.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“Thirdly, in terms of multilateral cooperation, we are engaged in a number of important regional initiatives in Afghanistan, with other friendly countries like Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey, the Russian Federation, China, the United States and even Kyrgyzstan. Besides regional connectivity for economic cooperation, security is a common theme of these initiatives. Undertaken at the highest political level, the exchange is credible and meaningful. In deference to such concrete and comprehensive interactions, we tend to avoid a blame game, even when militants cross over from the other side and attack our troops and innocent civilians.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“Pakistan is working for Afghanistan's security and stability on three distinct layers. First, we have maintained a robust presence of our forces along the international border. We would hope that this is being done on the other side as well. The total number of our troops in paramilitary deployment in the border regions far exceeds the number of international troops in all of Afghanistan. Secondly, we provide and seek cross-border security and intelligence cooperation in concrete terms. That is done under the auspices of the Tripartite Commission, which also includes the United States and the International Security Assistance Force. Since its inception in 2003 in Islamabad, the Tripartite Commission has met 35 times and remains a potent platform for seeking operational clarity and coordination on the ground.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“Rabbani's untimely demise must not leave a void. We hope that the Security Council will respect his legacy. We respect the determination of the Afghan Government and its people for a viable and results- oriented reconciliation process. Only an Afghanistan at peace with itself can ensure the security of its own people, assets and visitors. Only when the Afghans are settled will my country, Pakistan, be settled and face less of a security threat than it does today. The report of the Secretary-General under consideration (S/2011/590) has rightly underlined the need for constructive dialogue and reconciliation while avoiding the politics of mistrust, intimidation, fear or revenge. We agree with that observation. Reconciliation under the threat of coercion or retribution is inferior at best.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“As far as we know, it was a person named Hamidullah Akhund who came to talk to the Peace Council, claiming, and I stress this, to represent the Quetta Shura. That means - conclusion- that the Quetta Shura was involved in the attack. I have no time for the Quetta Shura or anyone else who propagates violence. But I do wonder why it is in a way moved towards Pakistan in matters that normally become inamicable to my country. I now quote what I have said to the Council itself many times: "the opposition grouping headed by opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah has strongly opposed the idea of negotiating with the Taliban and has characterized the group as unworthy of participating in the Government". Those are all matters raised by Radio Free Kabul and Mr. Gwakh in the Asia Times. I thought it pertinent to read them out before the Council. Mr.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“Atta Mohammad Noor, tells Radio Free Afghanistan, that it was Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence that was supporting them. I wonder where he got that from in Balkh. Anyway, this was considered very credible by some people, I am sorry to say. But then the NDS intelligence spokesman, Shafiqullah Taheri, said that it was possible that the Quetta Shura was involved. This was a new interdiction. The Quetta Shura is the leadership council of the Afghan Taliban that is believed to based in Pakistan, which I find very intriguing; how this all shifts into a mould with great ease. Now it changes again. The same person says our investigations are continuing, despite such major accusations being made.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“The other important aspect of this was that after this gruesome incident - and the revered President Karzai himself has said that it was Mr. Stanekzai who first alerted him that a messenger had arrived in Kabul, bearing an important message from the Taliban - initially, and very interestingly, the Taliban spokesman Mr. Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in an interview with Reuters. But as world indignation built up, the same spokesman later wrote in a statement to Radio Free Afghanistan that the group did not know about the incident, which was very pat. I will then go a step further. This is very interesting; it reminds me of the last part of the film Casablanca. Major Strasser has been shot dead: "Round up the usual suspects". Now, the next day, the Balkh provincial Governor, Mr.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“An eyewitness from the National Directorate of Security (NDS) of Afghanistan who was witness to this gruesome act said that Rahmatullah Wahidyar, a member of the High Peace Council and Deputy Minister in the former Taliban regime, was the one who brought the bomber to meet with Rabbani and with top presidential adviser Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, who was also seriously injured in that day's attack. Who is Rahmatullah Wahidyar? A document issued by the Security Council itself de-listed him, at a time when I sat here and said before the Council and Mr. De Mistura, "We are de-listing a lot of people. I hope we know what we are doing". Unfortunately, it seems that was not necessarily so. He was de-listed - vide a letter dated 18 July 2011 from the Chairman of the Committee established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1988 (2011).”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“He was a person who had a dream and who knew that the long-term solution to security challenges was rooted in effective reconciliation and reintegration. I feel that it is important to bring certain aspects of this to the attention of this assembly of personages in the Security Council. I will now read from portions of an article by Bashir Ahmad Gwakh of the Asia Times, contributed to by Frud Bezhan of Radio Free Afghanistan and its correspondent Zarghona Mangal. Mr. Rabbani was summoned to his home to receive a man bearing a "special message" from Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Let there be no doubt about that fact.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“For those of us here who were not aware of his contributions, his genius, his capabilities and his immense efforts, he was a person who brought together not only Afghans, but also the people and Government of Pakistan with the people and Government of Afghanistan. I am not terribly sure if there is anyone who can step into his shoes, and I would like to state that we stand by the people of Afghanistan not only in this hour of grief but at this tremendous moment of trial. He was martyred by the enemies of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Those forces can be defeated only by an even greater resolve for reconciliation and reintegration. A reconciled Afghanistan was his dream until the very last moment of his illustrious life. In fact, he ran back post-haste from Tehran to Afghanistan to meet this awkward end.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“I would like to congratulate you, Sir, and your team on your able guidance of the work of the Security Council for the month of September and for convening today's debate. I would also like to pay my respects to and welcome to the Security Council His Excellency Mr. Zalmai Rassoul, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, who joins us here today. And I offer my appreciation of the briefing by Special Representative Staffan de Mistura and the important work done by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) under his able leadership. However, before I proceed any further, I would like to speak about and offer a eulogy for that great personage Ustad Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was unfortunately martyred at a time when the world needed him most.”
2011-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6625 (2011) · source
“In conclusion, allow me to underline that important work is being undertaken in relevant forums, most notably the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We underscore the importance of the mandates that each of the principal organs of the United Nations has been given by the Charter. The General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council must retain their pre-eminence and importance.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Pakistan's vast glacial area covers around 15,000 square kilometres, and is in rapid retreat. The rate of glacial recession in Pakistan, which has increased by 23 per cent in the past decade alone, is faster than in any other part of the world. Of Pakistan's total land area, only 24 per cent is cultivated, of which 80 per cent is irrigated by water flowing through the predominantly glacier-fed rivers of the country. Against that backdrop, climate change affects almost all sectors of the country, in particular those of water resources, energy, health, forestry and biodiversity 4 with a particularly significant impact on agricultural productivity. Last year's unprecedented floods in Pakistan demonstrated the urgency of addressing the threat that climate change poses.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“In the United States a typical meal travels on average 1,400 miles to the plate. Famine was what finally defeated the American Plains Indians: when 99.99 per cent of the bison had been exterminated, they were inescapably dependent on the buffalo and met their downfall. Today, climate change is an inescapable reality for Pakistan. It is beginning to manifest itself with increasing intensity and ferocity. We are one of the worst victims of climate injustice. For us, dealing with climate change is no longer a matter of choice; it is an imperative. While there is a global scientific debate taking place about the level and timing of glacial melt, the signs in Pakistan are ominously Clear. In my province of Sindh, with hundreds of thousands of arable acres, water availability is down to less than half of what it was 50 years ago.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“While the Mediterranean world was mired in the dark ages, in Mexico there existed a "one world", much like what we have at the United Nations today. They read the heavens, preceded Copernicus's heliocentric theory and devised a calendar accurate until 2012. Thousands of years ago, the Olmecas built the pyramid of Cholula, one-third larger than the great pyramids of Giza; the Mayas build their famous city of Uxmal; and the Toltecs, their fabled Tula. And then: destruction! They had problems frighteningly similar to our own. Their own version of global warming had brought them continuous drought and pervasive famine. Their hyper-dependence on a single crop, maize, made them uniquely vulnerable to climate change. If our food base were hammered as hard as Tula's, we would each have to go a long way for a meal.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“By destroying people's livelihoods, aggravating poverty and fuelling terrorism among the have-nots, can we even begin to fathom what we have wreaked? Let me say that a major cause in any civilization's decline and fall 4 as documented by such scholars as Arnold Toynbee, Oswald Spengler and Edward Gibbon 4 is wealth inequity, the exploitation of the populace and the violent rise of poverty, inspiring class warfare arising out of the inability to feed people. Conflict, not cooperation, is fast becoming the world condition. If we are to have any chance at disaster-prevention or consequence management, we must act quickly and decisively. The coming catastrophes will exacerbate the current conflicts. Let me now take the Council back in time and history.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Ten years ago, a 100,000-acre fire would have been massive disaster. Now wildfires in the United States alone are routinely many times that size. Firestorms increasingly consume the Amazon rainforest. During one recent year, satellite photos documented more than 350,000 Amazon forest fires. Previously, that rainforest had been impervious to such conflagration. The Earth's shrinking forest canopy has also diminished the rainforest's assimilation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, sabotaging its cleansing of the atmosphere as well as undercutting raincloud development over desolated jungles, reducing precipitation even further. These multiple disasters 4 shrinking farmlands, pandemic wildfires and food and water scarcity 4 compounded by dwindling energy reserves, are destabilizing the world's most violently troubled nations.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“More Brazilian rainforest is now consumed each year by fire than by loggers. More carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere by wildfires than by internal combustion engines. The pandemic fire plague thus renders exponential the greenhouse effect. And the wildfire plague mounts annually in size and frequency, eroding and ruining even more land. The first of the mega-fires was in Yellowstone in 1988. Since then, the number of such fires has skyrocketed, and the total increase in their devastation has had a multiplier effect. The fires pumped out incomprehensible quantities of greenhouse gases, accelerated drought, increased desertification and impeded rainforests' ability to process carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. These natural infernos are now many times the size of anything people had seen previously.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“One of global warming's most disastrous yet least-reported consequences has been global drought, which has transformed a further one fifth of the planet's semi-arid cropland into irretrievable desert. Such desertification has created serious food and water shortages, destroying almost one third of all crop lands and range lands and potentially depleting water supplies for 1 billion people around the world. Water scarcity is already fuelling serious conflicts in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Of Africa's 51 nations, only 12 feed their people without assistance. Another by-product of global warming, the worldwide wildfire plague has aggravated drought and desertification even further. The aridity crisis fuels the global wildfire plague, most dramatically in what we consider a most important region, namely, the Amazon Basin.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Ironically, the current levels of voluntary pledges 4 at the lower end of their ranges 4 suggest that they will have either increased emissions by 6 per cent, or 4 at the upper end 4 reduced them by 16 per cent. Either way, even after including emission-reduction actions by developing countries, we are heading towards a global temperature increase of 2.5 to 5Â° C, spelling disaster in particular for vulnerable developing countries that neither contributed to climate change nor are capable of handling its fallout. In these circumstances, Pakistan primarily recognizes that small island countries have expressed legitimate concerns about the threat posed to their very survival by climate change and rising seas. We consider this debate an important contribution to our quest for a solution within the UNFCCC-led process.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Decisions adopted at the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Cancun represent a tiny glimmer of hope amidst a pall of gloom, apathy and disenchantment with climate change negotiations. There is no gainsaying the fact that a climate catastrophe is unfolding due to low levels of emission- reduction pledges by the developed world, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the delivery of financial commitments to heal the affected world. Scientific and pragmatic sense requires that developed countries cut their emissions to at least 25-40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Much gratitude and plaudits to Germany for organizing what I consider to be a very significant contribution to this cause. While we associate ourselves with the statement delivered by the representative of Argentina on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, we would like to make some additional points in our national capacity. Pakistan strongly believes it is imperative to address the threat posed by climate change to all developing countries. We are particularly worried about the existential peril of rising sea levels for a number of developing countries, most notably small island developing States (SIDS). There is now clear scientific evidence that, barring effective measures to reduce global warming, some countries' very existence will be threatened.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“There are no provisions for situations other than armed conflict. In conclusion, I have been asked by my Government to condemn in the strongest possible terms any use of children by extremists or any other groups to promote their nihilistic agenda, and to say that my Government is taking appropriate action to stop such practices. At the same time, we sincerely hope that the future reports of the Secretary-General will remain higher on objectivity but squarely correspond to the given mandate.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Today, the Council has decided to amend this further, and in paragraph 22 (a) the wording about situations of concern has been removed and replaced by "or in other situations". So we should start to lose any ambiguity and understand where we stand to do this good work. The work is exemplary, but it starts moving elsewhere. I endorse what my Indian colleague said earlier. We have four trigger mechanisms; let us keep them going. Let us not make things contentious. That is what the United Nations is all about: the letter of the law. Who better than the Security Council to know about that? I would like to say that the reference to Pakistan, from my Government's point of View, is misleading and serves to accord undeserved respectability to terrorists and criminals - which would be greatly unfortunate.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Paragraph 3 says that the annexes to the Secretary- General's reports should be "in accordance with the conditions set out in paragraph 16 of its resolution 1379 (2001)", which Ijust read. That remains the core, which cannot be in any way mitigated or set aside. When there have been attempts to do so, the Office of Legal Affairs points out the difficulties. In a note to the Special Representative in 2009, the Office wrote that that this terminology has been used by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in the title of the annex, without a clear mandate of the Security Council nor, for that matter, its endorsement, and that that situation gives rise to legal, political and practical difficulties for the Secretary-General, the Special Representative and the Secretariat as a whole.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“As a refresher, I would like to recall that in 2001 we adopted resolution 1379 (2001), of which paragraph 16 is the important feature. That paragraph speaks of parties to armed conflict that recruit or use children in violation of the international obligations applicable to them, in situations that are on the Security Council's agenda or that may be brought to the attention of the Council by the Secretary-General, in accordance with Article 99 of the Charter, which in his opinion - and I want to underline this - may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security. Then in 2009, in resolution 1882 (2009), we added, in paragraph 19 (a), the words "or in other situations of concern". The important phrase here is "in accordance with paragraph 3 of the present resolution".”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“I do not think that anyone in this Chamber will ignore these noble intentions; but even hell has a path paved with good intentions, and we must have what I consider strictures where the mandate is concerned. The children and armed conflict mandate was created by the Council precisely to look into such situations, to ensure that the rights of children are protected in the worst environments of conflict. This is very important; indeed it is the crucial core of what needs to be achieved. There are thousands and thousands of derivations of actions that this body takes. How many can we stretch into without losing the direction of the core? I think that all other situations should be aptly covered by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other relevant United Nations agencies.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Pakistan also takes pride in being actively involved in promoting and protecting the rights of the child. We have a national commission for child welfare in development, in collaboration with UNICEF and the International Labour Organization, and we have worked for legislation on the progressive elimination of child labour, the rehabilitation of working children, formal and non-formal education, free vocational training and skill development. The United Nations agencies have been very helpful throughout this process. We have also signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, and have worked on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which is at a very advanced stage and within this year will see fruition.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source