YouSaid · the spoken record

Holmes

lines on the record: 557
first: 2007-04-04
most recent: 2010-07-07
sittings or episodes: 25
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

“In conclusion, let me once again thank all those who have spoken in this debate and contributed to it. I think it was a very rich and worthwhile debate. Let me repeat, as this is probably my last word to the Council- although not necessarily, as I said at the beginning - my basic point that the gap between principle and practice, between norms and the reality on the ground, and between statements in the Council and how many States behave outside it is simply too wide at present to be acceptable. It must be bridged. If it is not, not only will the condition of civilians on the 10-43968 ground deteriorate, but so will the credibility of the Council and its members. Thank you again, Madam, for giving me the opportunity to respond.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“On the question of accountability, let me also add that, while there is room for legitimate disagreement over the right process for any given situation, it does not seem to be acceptable that a Government minister in Sri Lanka should advocate blocking the activity of the United Nations in that country to put pressure on the Secretary-General over a legitimate decision that he has taken to establish an advisory panel. I trust that the assurances that we have received about the safety and freedom of United Nations staff in Sri Lanka will be fully restored or fully met, and that the Government of Sri Lanka will clearly dissociate itself from the call of one of its own ministers and reassert the normal Government doctrine of collective responsibility for Government policies.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Several delegations have echoed the call for enhanced or more regularly available mechanisms to investigate violations of humanitarian law and human rights law in armed conflict. I take particular note, for example, of the recommendation of the representative of Argentina, that the existing International Fact-Finding Commission established under article 90 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions be considered by parties to armed conflict as a neutral and independent body designed for this purpose. This is not a new idea, and I have to say that previous efforts to actually put it to practical use have not hitherto been successful. However, what is clear to me is that something more systematic, more automatic and less politicized than the system we have now would be well worthwhile.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Let me also assure him, in response to some of his comments, that we accept that the military can and does play a role in the protection of civilians. However, we also have to accept that it does not always play such a role, or does not always play such a role as well as it should, and I therefore agree with him that further training for military forces of whatever kind would be well worthwhile in this area. I also agree with him that the realities on the ground must be respected and taken into account in all these areas, but we must also start from principles such as unhindered access for humanitarian actors, or we shall be lost. A lot of speakers have referred to the issue of accountability, as the Secretary-General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and I did in our presentations.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I recognize that systematic violations by one party to armed conflict in these situations create great challenges for other parties, especially when these violations themselves involve the principle of distinction and the use of civilians as human shields in one way or another. But the point that I want to make is that such challenges and violations cannot and do not justify disregard of the rules of international humanitarian law by other parties to the conflict. Indeed, as I have argued before, they actually require the party to the conflict to take more care, and not less, to protect civilians in such hostilities, however difficult that may be. Let me assure the representative of Sri Lanka that we do believe that non-State actors should be held as accountable for the acts they commit as member States are.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Some delegations have also referred, as we have heard before in similar debates, to the difficulties of asymmetric warfare and of reconciling the protection of civilians with this kind of warfare - in other words, fighting non-State armed groups that often take advantage of operating from within the civilian population. Asymmetric warfare is not, in fact, quite as new of a phenomenon as it is sometimes portrayed. However, there is no doubt that it does increasingly characterize many of today's internal conflicts and pose significant problems for those trying to conduct such warfare.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Nevertheless, the rules of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, apply not only wherever there is conflict between States in international relations, but also when armed hostilities involving non-State armed groups rise to levels of frequency or severity that go beyond that of sporadic violence, occasional riots or internal disturbances. Thus, facts on the ground that reflect conditions above these thresholds do trigger the application of the international humanitarian law of armed conflict, whether or not they also involve acts that can be characterized as terrorism.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“On the related point of the applicability of international humanitarian law to situations where terrorism is being practiced, I must respectfully disagree with the idea mentioned by some delegations that counter-terrorism cannot be defined as armed conflict, and therefore subject to international humanitarian law, and that it is instead entirely a matter within a country's sovereign right. Naturally, Governments have the responsibility to protect their citizens, including against terrorist acts.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I believe that this duty also includes the facilitation of engagement with non-State armed groups, again to enhance their compliance with international humanitarian law. We are long past the days in which either the fate of civilians or the conduct of non-State armed actors can simply be seen to be beyond the proper purview of the international community, even if no one is putting in question, naturally, the sovereignty of nation-States. This is the reason why, as both the Secretary-General and I noted earlier today, that States need to distinguish between engagement with such groups for political purposes and engagement with such groups for humanitarian purposes.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“A few speakers have mentioned the sensitive subject of engagement on humanitarian issues with non-State armed groups. Let me echo again the view that was expressed by the Secretary-General this morning that engagement with such groups is a critical element to ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law and especially with requirements to enable humanitarian access. I note that some States have suggested - or asserted - that their consent is a precondition to such engagement, even on humanitarian subjects. Of course, such consent is preferable, but let me point out that the first duty of States that are party to the Geneva Conventions is not only to respect international humanitarian law but also to ensure respect for international humanitarian law.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I recognize the efforts that have been made by the Government of Pakistan to protect civilians, but the fact remains that, despite the returns that there have been in the past few months, there are still around 1 million people displaced in Pakistan, and that process of displacement continues. There has been mention by several delegations of the relationship between the protection of civilians agenda and the responsibility to protect. These are, of course, linked but distinct domains and distinct initiatives, and it is important that they remain so. The protection of civilians is a much broader and wider concept, with wider application, whereas the responsibility to protect is very much focused on the four major crimes, and we need to bear those distinctions in mind.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I agree that there is a difference between these two kinds of situations, and I understand the difference and the point that is being made. But of course, this does not justify the civilian casualties that are caused in an unintended manner, since the requirements of distinction and proportionality, which are basic to international humanitarian law, still have to be fully met in all cases. I also appreciate the points made by the representative of Pakistan about the displaced in his country. Of course, a briefing of the kind that I gave this morning cannot do full justice to all the aspects and subtleties of any particular situation.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I also noted the worries that many delegations expressed, as I did myself, about the implications for the protection of civilians of the withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad later this year and the potential withdrawal at some future stage of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Again, let me assure delegations that we will continue to follow these questions very closely. Let me respond very briefly to some specific points that were raised by delegations during the debate. The representative of United Kingdom drew attention to the difference between deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on civilians and those military actions where efforts are made to avoid civilian casualties but they nevertheless result.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“I noted the strong interest of many of those who spoke in the protection of civilians mandates in peacekeeping contexts, the particular value of the study that was commissioned jointly by OCHA and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and, of course, the work that has been done since then to implement some of the recommendations of that report. I note the particular emphasis, which I also strongly welcome, on getting mandates of peacekeeping operations right in the first place and, in particular, on matching mandates to means and ensuring that expectations and resources for the protection of civilians are not too far removed from each other. Let me assure the Council that OCHA will continue to work with DPKO and the Department of Field Support in this area.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Let me say that I hope that this is my last statement to the Security Council, although because I still have almost two months of my mandate still to run, nothing is excluded in this rather uncertain world. I was struck by the reference that was made, I think, by the representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the forthcoming anniversary of Srebrenica, which is a very powerful reminder of exactly what we are talking about here. If we needed further reminders, today has seen further suicide bombings in Iraq, resulting in at least 35 civilian deaths amongst Shiite pilgrims in that country.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Mr. Holmes: Let me take the opportunity to thank all those delegations that have spoken in today's debate for their participation and the great commitment they have shown through that participation to the protection of civilians agenda, now and in the future. Let me also thank those who have sat through the debate this afternoon for ignoring the temptations of the World Cup. Let me also thank the many delegations that thanked the Secretary-General, myself and the High Commissioner for Human Rights on our initial presentations and on the role of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Of course, many delegations also mentioned in very kind terms my own role.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Positive normative developments contrast with a deteriorating reality on the ground and call into question the efficacy of the law and the credibility of the institutions that struggle to uphold it. So I urge the Security Council to work with Member States to craft new solutions to the changing nature of protection of civilian concerns. These new solutions must embrace an expansive vision of protection that extends beyond the immediate concerns of the battlefield. They must look to prevention as well as to mitigation. Only by focusing on consistency, credibility and a long-term approach can we hope to reduce the current gap between norms and reality.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“It can impose sanctions. It can establish international tribunals, and it has choices concerning the nature of its cooperation with the International Criminal Court. It needs to show that it is serious, and not selective, about this power. One idea is for a permanent mechanism to be established somewhere in the United Nations system to conduct inquiries on serious allegations more or less automatically, which would prevent calls for investigations from being politicized from the start. The world has changed in the 10 years since the Security Council first focused on the protection of civilians in a thematic manner, and even in my three and a half years as Emergency Relief Coordinator.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“And I welcome the panel set up by the Secretary-General to advise him on accountability for violations of humanitarian and human rights law in Sri Lanka, especially in the last stages of the conflict in that country, and the mechanism recently set up by the Government of Sri Lanka itself. Meanwhile, the calls for an inquiry into recent events in southern Kyrgyzstan are also hard to ignore. The point is that this scrutiny needs to become the norm. Actual and would-be violators need to understand that they have nowhere to hide. Politics must not always win out where powerful States or vocal States with powerful protection are involved. The Security Council has important powers in this regard. It can include accountability and remedies within benchmarks for the protection of civilians in peacekeeping mission mandates.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Prevention is always better than cure, and I believe in the power of deterrence. The conduct of parties to conflict is inevitably affected by their sense of susceptibility to punishment and accountability to their victims, and by clear signals that impunity will not be tolerated. The danger here is that the normative framework has outpaced the enforcement will and capacity of the international community, so I urge the Council to take a robust approach to accountability. National justice systems must remain the first line of defence, but when they prove unable or unwilling to bring perpetrators to justice and provide remedies to victims, the international community must explore alternative means. I welcome the commission of inquiry launched by the Secretary-General for crimes committed during violence in Guinea last September.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“And, while I am extremely worried by reports from Somalia about the number of civilians being killed and injured by both Government forces and armed groups like Al-Shabaab, I am also concerned that in its response to attacks on it, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) - whose mandate is authorized by the Council and whose operations are financially supported by the United Nations - is not taking sufficient notice of the basic principles of distinction between combatants and civilians and proportionality in the use of force. The challenges to AMISOM. are immense and its role commendable. However, more needs to be done to prevent harm to civilians and to ensure the proper investigation of alleged violations. The final theme I would like to address is once again that of accountability.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Military operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the Forces democratiques de liberation du Rwanda and the LRA have often sadly been accompanied by serious humanitarian consequences. The MONUSCO conditionality policy has drawn attention to the challenges to a United Nations peacekeeping operation when it is mandated to protect civilians while supporting a party to an armed conflict that is prone to abusive conduct. Measures to prevent the United Nations from being tainted by such abuses must also fully take into account the need for effective protection of civilians by influencing the forces concerned. This is a difficult balance to strike.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Comprehensive protection strategies have been developed for MONUSCO, the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, while the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and hopefully other peacekeeping missions are not far behind. DPKO and DFS have also begun to develop protection of civilians training standards for United Nations peacekeepers, and are outlining the resource and capability requirements for implementing protection of civilians mandates. We count on the support of the Member States throughout these processes. There can, of course, be tensions between military operations supported by peacekeeping missions and the protection of civilians.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“The publication in January 2010 of an independent study commissioned by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and DPKO outlined in detail the steps needed to translate Security Council peacekeeping mandates into effective action on the ground to protect civilians. We are making steady progress in addressing a number of the gaps identified. DPKO and the Department of Field Support (DFS) have developed an operational concept, in consultation with troop- and police-contributing countries and other stakeholders, to bring conceptual clarity to the protection of civilians in the United Nations peacekeeping context.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) plays a vital role in providing security and logistical support for humanitarians, and any drawdown can only heighten concerns both for humanitarians and for the populations they seek to serve. While it is welcome that countries are determined to shoulder their sovereign responsibilities, including protecting civilians, I would strongly encourage the drawdown of United Nations peacekeeping missions to be made contingent on the attainment of clear protection benchmarks endorsed by the Security Council.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“We wait to see whether the withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad in the East of the country will expose refugees, IDPs and the local population, as well as humanitarian actors, to new security threats. We are meanwhile working with the Government to help turn its promises into reality. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the humanitarian situation in the Kivu provinces remains alarming. In Orientale province, between December 2009 and April this year, close to 500 people were killed by the LRA and 400 abducted, of whom 168 were children.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“However, there is already enough tragic experience to encourage serious reflection on the military use of such weapons in such circumstances when measured against the enormous human suffering they cause. I urge the Council to begin a dialogue on ways to tackle this emerging issue. The planned withdrawal of thousands of United Nations peacekeepers from Chad and potentially from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has brought the issue of the protection of civilians in peacekeeping operations into the forefront of Security Council deliberations. This part of my statement includes input from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO). In Chad, it is critical that the Government fully assume its protection of civilian responsibilities and benchmarks outlined in resolution 1923 (2010).”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“In Afghanistan, suicide and improvised explosive device attacks by armed groups now cause more civilian casualties than any other tactic, representing 44 per cent of the total civilian casualties in 2009, or 1,054 people killed. Aerial attacks from international military operations also caused 359 civilian deaths. Suicide bombings elsewhere are also increasing and of increasing concern since the victims are so often civilians, with the attack on the Sufi temple in Lahore only one recent, horrific example. I worry that we have become so inured to such horrors that the international community now scarcely notices these events. More research is needed on the harm caused by explosive weapons in areas where civilians are present.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Like unexploded cluster munitions, landmines remain active long after the conflict has ended or moved on, creating deadly risks to civilians. But the use of "ordinary" explosive weapons in populated areas also repeatedly causes unacceptably high levels of harm to civilians. From air strikes and artillery attacks in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen and Gaza to rockets launched at Israeli civilian areas by Palestinian militants and car bombs and suicide attacks in Pakistan or Iraq, the use of explosive weapons and explosives has resulted in severe civilian suffering. The threefold increase in drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past year is of concern, given the inevitable risk of unintended civilian casualties.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“But I urge all affected States to use close cooperation with humanitarian actors to facilitate and expedite humanitarian aid to all who need it, and not slow it down or block it, or try to make artificial distinctions between the provision of goods and services and equally essential protection work designed to prevent abuses and save lives. Explosive weapons are of particular concern in the protection of civilians where their use is inherently indiscriminate. A landmine does not know whether the person who steps on it is a combatant or civilian. For example, in Colombia at least 50 per cent of the territory has been declared affected by mines, and the country has one of the highest rates of landmine victims in the world.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Over 200 have been kidnapped and injured in the past four years. Criminally-motivated attacks on humanitarian actors as soft targets, and in the context of wider lawlessness, remain a particular challenge in places such as Darfur, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On other fronts, the mechanisms to streamline bureaucratic requirements in Darfur and enhance access, jointly agreed with the Government of the Sudan, urgently need to be reinvigorated. In Gaza, a year and half after operation Cast Lead and three years after it was first instituted, the blockade is still in place, despite recent welcome steps to ease it. States legitimately demand that international humanitarian action be fully coordinated with the appropriate domestic authorities.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“For example, the World Food Programme has been driven out of large parts of South Central Somalia by Al-Shabaab violence and threats; in North-East Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Central African Republic, lack of 5 infrastructure and violent attacks by parties to conflict and criminal groups prevent humanitarians from reaching many victims of atrocities perpetrated by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In many parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, humanitarian actors cannot operate because of hostilities and insecurity. Violent attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets - whether politically or economically motivated - are the biggest threat. Over 100 humanitarian workers were killed in 2008 and 2009; at least 30 have been killed while carrying out their work so far this year.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“In Gaza, engaging the de facto authorities is indispensable in order to provide assistance to the people in need, address growing human rights and protection concerns, and guarantee the security of aid workers. These contacts do not in any way legitimize either the goals or the conduct of armed groups, but they do show that engagement by humanitarian actors with such groups can genuinely improve the treatment of civilians. I call once again on the Council and on Member States more widely to respect and promote this engagement and not to discourage it through, for example, donor practices which, however well intentioned, in reality criminalize contacts or the unintended provision of goods in ways which limit humanitarian assistance. Constraints on humanitarian access remain a major problem.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“So it is clear that enhancing the protection of civilians and reducing human suffering must, in part, be achieved by engaging with them over access and aid delivery and also by trying to influence their conduct and improve their compliance with humanitarian and human rights law. This is not just theory. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict has engaged with armed groups to address their recruitment and use of children and has used action plans signed by such groups to bring the practice to an end. UNICEF and the World Health Organization have been able to immunize millions of children by obtaining support for "days of tranquility" from parties to conflict, including, notably, the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“I also urge that, as part of the search for durable 10-43853 solutions and in the wider context of peace negotiations in places like Darfur, issues of land and property be given higher priority. The High Commissioner for Refugees also reported recently that there remained 15.2 million refugees around the world in 2009, many of them in protracted situations, and that 2009 was the worst year for voluntary repatriations in two decades. In my last briefing (see S/PV.6216), I noted that every armed conflict in the world today involves the participation of one or more non-State armed groups.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Another 90,000 people fled their homes in the southern Sudan over the same period as insecurity mounted in the run- up to the referendum in early 2011. In Kyrgyzstan, 375,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Equally worrying, new displacements continue to far outnumber returns and the reintegration of IDPs. Durable solutions are woefully missing for millions in protracted displacement situations, increasing both despair and reliance on humanitarian assistance. In this context, the Kampala Convention adopted by the African Union last October was a significant milestone. IDP hosting states must now apply the Convention on the ground to protect and assist IDPs.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Displacement through conflict is also getting worse. In 2009, 6.8 million people were displaced within their own country by conflict, more than at any point since the mid-19905. Some 1.8 million alone were in Pakistan, although many have since returned, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sudan, Somalia, the Philippines and Colombia also experienced large-scale new displacements. In Colombia, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is estimated by the Government to have increased in 2009 by 146,000. An alarming total of 27.1 million - the highest ever - were internally displaced globally at the end of last year as a result of conflict. Again, this year so far is also depressing. An upsurge in violence in Darfur has displaced 116,000 more people in the first half of the year.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“10-43853 In 2009 alone, there were thousands of civilian conflict deaths, from Gaza to Sri Lanka to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, and elsewhere too; and untold numbers of other casualties, including physical and psychological injury to men, women and children, as well as the destruction of their social, economic and cultural ties and institutions. This year does not look, so far, much better. According to official reports, 275 people were killed by the violence that broke out on 10 June in southern Kyrgyzstan, although the real death toll may be much higher, and the ethnic element involved is very worrying. In Somalia, in the past three months, just two of the main hospitals in Mogadishu have admitted over 1,384 war casualties, of whom 328 were children under 15.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“The Security Council has not often launched targeted measures against identified perpetrators responsible for grave violations against children. Doing so in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be an important signal in a region where impunity is so prevalent. Other mechanisms have helped to improve the quality of information available to the Security Council. For example, the Security Council's informal expert group on the protection of civilians has been briefed 14 times since its inception in 2009. Nevertheless, I fear that all too little has changed for the better on the ground in recent years. Civilians account for the vast majority of casualties in armed conflicts, especially in the internal conflicts that are now the norm, and they are increasingly targeted by combatants and armed elements.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Should anyone doubt the need for urgent attention to the problem, according to the United Nations Population Fund, 15,275 rapes - the vast majority by armed men were reported in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2009. And we know how few of the real number of rapes are reported. The director of the Panzi Hospital of Bukavu, Dr. Mukwege, told me recently that the problem of violent rape was worse than ever. The Council needs to continue to insist on comprehensive strategies to help put an end to sexual violence in armed conflict. More recently, in May, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, briefed a United Nations sanctions committee for the first time on the unlawful recruitment of children into armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“But, as I have asked before, the key question is whether these positive developments have actually improved the condition of civilians in armed conflict, or have normative advances merely widened the gap between international rules and reality on the ground, or created a new gap and called further into question the relevance of the law and the credibility of Security Council pronouncements? Since I last briefed the Council (see S/PV.6216), there have been two important institutional developments that should bear fruit. Following the adoption of resolution 1888 (2009), the first ever Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallstrom, was appointed.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“The Security Council has played an important role in expanding the weight of international jurisprudence on the conduct of hostilities; on the regulation of small arms, light weapons, mines and explosive remnants of war; on the displacement of civilian populations; on assistance to conflict-affected populations, including humanitarian access and the safety and security of humanitarian workers; on accountability for violations of the law; and on the protection of especially vulnerable groups, such as women and children.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“Mr. Holmes: First of all, allow me to express my sincere appreciation to you, Madam President, and the Government of Nigeria for convening this high-level open debate. I will reflect not only on some recent developments, but also briefly on those of my almost three and a half years as Emergency Relief Coordinator. I will also cover five specific issues: engaging non-State actors, humanitarian access, the harmful effect of explosive weapons, protection in peacekeeping missions, and accountability. The decade since the Security Council first focused on the protection of civilians has seen significant development of the normative framework.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354 (2010) · source
“In sum, the humanitarian situation in Haiti is undoubtedly improving day by day, but we are under no illusion about the scale of the challenges still ahead for the next weeks and months. The international humanitarian community will continue to support the Haitian Government in addressing the most urgent needs and gaps as the longer-term recovery and reconstruction processes gather pace in parallel. There are no instant solutions. It will take time to cover all these needs and care to maintain help to the most vulnerable without creating dangerous aid dependency. But we must not waver in helping several million people not only to survive this catastrophe, but also to rebuild better, more prosperous lives and livelihoods for the future.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“The Secretary- General and his Special Envoy for Haiti, President Clinton, launched yesterday the revised humanitarian appeal, taking into account not only relief needs but also early recovery help to be delivered within a 12-month time frame, including in key areas such as health, education and agriculture. The revised appeal, for a total of $1.4 billion, includes the amounts raised in response to the initial six-month appeal. Unmet needs therefore amount to $768 million, which is the amount we are asking for now to fund projects from 54 non-governmental organizations, 21 United Nations agencies and the International Organization for Migration. They include plans for the upcoming rainy and hurricane seasons, not least transitional shelter requirements, as well as vital disaster-risk reduction measures.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“While we continue to refine our assessment of the humanitarian needs, the longer-term post-disaster needs assessment process is now under way in parallel to look at reconstruction and redevelopment requirements. We need to make sure that our relief efforts pave the way as effectively as possible for this phase to enable Haiti to be built back better, which is the overriding aim of us all. On the resource mobilization front, I thank all Member States and private donors again for contributing generously to the relief operation and fully funding the initial six-month Haiti flash appeal. However, sustained and additional support will be necessary for the long haul before us.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“A Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator has also now been deployed to Port-au- Prince, not least to strengthen and expand partnerships with key stakeholders, including bilateral donors, military forces and private actors. 3 The situation in Port-Au-Prince, the capital, and surrounding towns has been the main focus of relief efforts so far, but there are huge needs elsewhere too, which require a nationwide response. Nearly half a million people have left earthquake-affected areas and dispersed around the country. Many have gone to areas that were already highly vulnerable before the earthquake. Host families and communities have been very generous, but are poorly placed to feed and look after their guests for long. Help is badly needed for all concerned and is now a priority for the relief operation.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“To do this, we need to mobilize urgently more heavy equipment, including assets which the military and the private sector can provide, to supplement the efforts of the 75,000 Haitians who have already been engaged in United Nations cash-for-work programmes. We also need to start a systematic effort to assess earthquake-affected structures, to decide which need demolition, which can be repaired and which can be used. The cluster approach that the international humanitarian community has developed since the Asian tsunami five years ago is proving its worth in improving coordination and the effectiveness of the response. Local cluster leadership is being reinforced, faced with a catastrophe of this magnitude and the 900-plus organizations on the ground whose efforts need to be coordinated.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“So, provision of suitable land is a high priority, and we are working with the Government on this. In a meeting with President Preval and Government ministers, I thanked him for the Government's continued leadership and engagement with the United Nations and partners. He was understandably anxious to see faster progress, on shelter in particular. I assured him that we were doing our utmost to meet the emergency shelter and sanitation requirements before the rainy season, as well as making an early start on the huge task of rubble removal: rapid clearance of some urban sites would free up areas to which the people on currently congested sites could move.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source
“It was both 10-24612 encouraging and worrying. It was encouraging because the camp seemed well organized and relatively clean, with good availability of food and shelter material, a rudimentary school already established and a calm atmosphere overall. There was excellent cooperation between the NGOs and the United States forces on the spot. But it was worrying, again, because of the very obvious unsuitability and unsustainability of the site once the rainy season begins. The steep slopes and floodable area at the bottom of the site mean that a lot of people must be moved out soon. But there is nowhere for them to go until alternative, more acceptable sites are made available. I give this detail because there are many similar sites with high risk of flooding that also need to be decongested.”
2010-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6274 (2010) · source