YouSaid · the spoken record

Jens Frølich Holte

lines on the record: 23
first: 2021-04-08
most recent: 2021-06-28
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We urge Member States to treat these children in line with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We also call on all States who have not yet done so, to ratify the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict, and to endorse the Paris Principles. The Secretary-General has put forth a number of recommendations in his report. Norway supports these and urges all States, parties, and other relevant actors to implement them along with the conclusions agreed in the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. Children living in conflict have no time to lose. Their childhood and our common future is at stake. Let’s join forces and act now to ensure a better life for the millions of children living in armed conflict.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“People affected by conflict consistently identify safe access to education for their children as a priority. Protecting these institutions is essential to achieving peace and security and has a firm place on the Council’s agenda. We must do more to safeguard educational institutions from military use and attacks, and we must invest more in education in situations of crisis and conflict. Norway urges all countries to join the 109 States, 10 of which are on the Council, that have endorsed and are working together to implement the Safe Schools Declaration. Norway has been a long-standing advocate for treating children recruited and used in armed conflict, including children associated with armed groups and terrorist organizations, primarily as victims.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“The civilian character of schools and hospitals must be respected. These attacks deprive children of their rights to health and education, and of the protective environment that schools should normally provide. This has long-term negative consequences for children and their communities. Norway would like to emphasize the invaluable role of educational institutions. Schools and universities reflect the past, present and future of a community; they are vital to individuals and to societies, economies, and cultures. They are part of the social framework that can support people through crises. They provide individuals with a lifelong foundation, for no one can deprive them of what they have learned while attending school. With education comes dignity.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“Therefore, the monitoring and reporting mechanism of the United Nations must be given full access, and the political and financial support it needs. Maintaining the independence, impartiality and credibility of the mandate is crucial. The criteria applied in listing and delisting decisions must be objective. We must ensure that child protection provisions and operational capacity are included in mandates all relevant of United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. President, Norway strongly condemns the continued attacks against schools and hospitals. We are also concerned about the increased use of schools for military purposes. We know that attacks and insecurity have resulted in the closure of thousands of schools, and denied millions of children education.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“The pandemic has made the vulnerable even more vulnerable. It has severely magnified the risks children face and increased their need for protection. And it is threatening to undo the gains made in the protection of children in conflict. For example, Loss of family income, closure of schools and disruption of protection activities have left children more exposed to recruitment and use by armed forces and groups, as well as to sexual violence. Progress achieved on release and reintegration programmes for children associated with armed forces and groups has been reversed, and ill -treatment in detention has increased. Violations against children are always unacceptable and these trends are deeply concerning. We must have the facts to be able to respond adequately.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“As chair of the working group on children and armed conflict we are committed to strengthening the partnership with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict. The annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict clearly shows the devastating impact war and conflict have on children. In many ways, childhood is the first victim of war. The United Nations has verified a total of 26,425 grave violations against children in 2020. The highest numbers of violations were the recruitment and use of children, followed by the killing and maiming of children. Verified cases of abduction and sexual violence against children incr eased alarmingly by 90 and 70 per cent, respectively. This in a year that access for monitoring has been hampered by the pandemic.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“We are approaching the twenty-fifth anniversary of the mandate on children and armed conflict. Those who were children when the mandate was adopted, have long since become adults. Protecting children from the devastating effects of conflict is more important than ever. We must act now to prevent new cycles of conflict and build sustainable peace. To succeed, we must work to ensure that the mandate shapes the behaviour of state and non-State actors to end and prevent violations against children. This requires dialogue with parties to conflict and commitments that translate into concrete action. We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the United Nations monitoring and reporting mechanism for their untiring work. Norway, i ncluding as member of the Council, reaffirms our strong support for the mandate.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“I thank the President for hosting this year’s annual debate on children and armed conflict. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General and Executive Director Fore as well as Mr. Onisimus from Plan International Nigeria and Mr. Whitaker for their statements. Earlier this year, we asked children in Norway what they think is the most important issue for the Security Council. One child said ‘to work for peace and children’s rights. Another stated that all children must be able to attend school, also during war, and have a safe childhood. I could not agree more. This underscores why protection of civilians is one of Norway’s main priorities for its term on the Security Council. Since we took our seat on the Council, we have worked to make protection of children in conflict a cross-cutting issue on its agenda.”
2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source
“We recall the words of Secretary-General Guterres in the 2018 debate on protection of civilians: “[P]rotecting civilians in conflict is ... the only way to lay the foundation for sustained peace” (S/PV.8264, p.3). To sum it up, only if protection succeeds, can peace succeed.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“We hope to come away from this discussion with joint recognition of the need to support humanitarian rehabilitation of infrastructure. Humanitarian action to maintain and repair indispensable civilian objects and infrastructure is crucial to the survival of the civilian population. Strengthening the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is also an important part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including those on health, education, food security, peace and justice. The protection during a conflict of civilians and civilian infrastructure that delivers essential services can determine the prospects for achieving sustainable peace and reconciliation. It will affect the ability to ensure the voluntary and dignified return and reintegration of displaced persons, and to prevent conflict from recurring.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“We urge States parties to the Rome Statute to ratify the recent amendment concerning the war crime of starvation in non-international armed conflict. Hostile cyberoperations conducted in armed conflict pose a serious threat to objects indispensable to the survival of, and delivery of essential services to, the civilian population. We reaffirm that international humanitarian law applies in this regard. Fundamentally, in order to truly protect civilian populations, all parties to armed conflicts must fully respect and implement their obligations under international humanitarian law. Impunity for any violations must end. All States must investigate, within their jurisdiction, attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Those responsible must be held to account.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“In many conflict-affected areas, environmental degradation, coupled with the impacts of climate change, has a devastating effect on food security, health and livelihoods. In this context, the International Committee of the Red Cross Guidelines on the Protection of the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict are a useful tool, which identifies a range of concrete measures. Recognizing the scale and consequence of this issue, we welcome the opportunity to discuss it in the Security Council. We recall resolution 2417 (2018), which links armed conflict, conflict-induced food insecurity and the threat of famine and call on all parties to spare infrastructure needed for food production and distribution. The intentional use of the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“We support Ireland’s leadership in negotiating what we hope will be a strong political declaration — a declaration that will encourage parties to conflict to minimize the use of such weapons and develop policies and practices that will strengthen implementation of international humanitarian law and increase the protection of civilians in armed conflict. The destruction of infrastructure leads to environmental degradation. Syria, with damage to oil refineries and the destruction of water and waste-management systems; Yemen, with the destruction of water and sanitation facilities; and Tigray, where farmland is scorched to cinders, are all examples of destruction that causes long-term damage to the environment.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“The destruction of water and electricity systems affects the health of the population and the quality of health services. Essential services crumble and disappear. As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated, this has an immediate effect on individuals and their communities, and a global impact on health. Now more than ever, we must ensure the protection of health infrastructure, including to be able to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and similar outbreaks in the future. We call for the full implementation of resolutions 2286 (2016) and 2565 (2021). We must strengthen the protection of civilians from humanitarian harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“Education protects children and young people from a wide range of violations and threats to their health and lives, including sexual and gender-based violence and recruitment and use by armed forces and groups. Increasingly, educational facilities are being attacked or used for military purposes. This is an unacceptable and dangerous trend, which hinders safe access to and the enjoyment of the right to education. We must all take steps to strengthen the protection of education amid conflict. We therefore encourage all States to join the 107 that have endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration and are working together to implement it. Attacks on health-care facilities, personnel and their means of transport are unacceptable. Facilities are being destroyed, and patients and staff killed, maimed or displaced.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“We would like to thank Viet Nam for hosting this debate and the briefers for setting the stage. The destruction of civilian infrastructure has devastating consequences for the civilian population, and we welcome resolution 2573 (2021), adopted today. The protracted nature of today’s conflicts, the impact of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the malicious use of new technologies exacerbate this problem. We have seen all too clearly that the failure to protect civilians and critical civilian infrastructure has immediate humanitarian ramifications for, as well as long-term impacts on, individuals and communities. Protecting schools and universities is essential. The right to education must be upheld in peacetime and armed conflict alike.”
2021-04-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/415 (2021) · source
“We must condemn the illegal use, stockpiling, production and transfer of such mines, and we must hold those responsible for such activities to account.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“However, some countries affected by armed conflict have seen a disproportionate increase. They include Syria, Nigeria and, in particular, Afghanistan, which experiences at least one casualty every day. In those areas, much of the increase is due to the use of new landmines, most significantly the use of improvised land mines by non-State actors. There is a pressing need to find ways to counter that deadly trend. As we have heard today, for many people the scourge of landmines is a horrific daily reality. We must therefore remain steadfast in our focus. As the Security Council, there are a few practical steps that we can take. We must reaffirm the obligation of all not to use anti-personnel mines.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“In our view, the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention is critical to the success of global mine action. Since its adoption in Oslo in 1997, the Convention has become one of the most successful disarmament treaties. There are 164 States parties and many more countries are observing the norm against use established by the Convention, including use of improvised anti-personnel mines. Likewise, S/2021/346 S/2021/346 the Convention on Cluster Munitions is a key instrument to protect people from unexploded ordnance. We call on States that have not yet acceded to those Conventions to do so as a matter of urgency. Since the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention entered into force, there has been a steady decline in the number of casualties from mines and explosive remnants of war, with a global low in 2013.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“The importance of that is also recognized in the Oslo Action Plan on mine action. In addition, mine risk education plays an important role in protecting civilians from explosions, especially in areas where hostilities are ongoing or clearance activities have not yet been completed. Such programmes must be context-specific and integrated into wider humanitarian, protection and mine-clearance efforts. Survivors and victims must be heard. Indeed, mine action can open up new opportunities for participation and empowerment, particularly for women. Ensuring the inclusion of women in clearance programmes will benefit both the programme itself and society at large. Norway consistently argues in favour of effectual multilateral disarmament treaties.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“That is why it has long been a humanitarian priority for Norway to clear mines and explosive remnants of war and provide risk education to affected populations. In our experience, successful mine action requires four things: first, full implementation of the obligation not to use anti-personnel mines; secondly, strong national ownership and commitment to mine action — it is almost impossible to make progress without political will; thirdly, international cooperation and support, including from donors, mine operators, civil society, the United Nations and regional organizations; and, fourthly, effective, targeted mine action programmes that are sensitive to gender, age and disability and give adequate consideration to the diverse needs and experiences of people in affected communities.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“They render agricultural land and grazing areas unusable, increasing the risk of food insecurity and denying people their livelihoods. They terrorize entire communities, often for decades. They tear apart families and leave victims in need of lifelong assistance. Improvised landmines and explosive devices in particular pose a severe threat to peacekeepers and peacekeeping operations. Mine action is vital. Resolution 2365 (2017) acknowledged that anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war merit special attention from the Security Council. They have a destabilizing effect on peace and security, amplify the effects of conflict, pose obstacles to conflict resolution and the provision of humanitarian relief and threaten peacekeeping personnel.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source
“I thank Viet Nam for holding a debate on this very important issue, as well as the briefers for their valuable input. I congratulate you, Foreign Minister Son, on your new position. Chairing this important meeting on the first day in the job is a great start. There is no acceptable use of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. By design, they kill and maim indiscriminately. Whether they be civilians or combatants, children or soldiers, men or women, in conflict or post-conflict, an anti-personnel landmine does not differentiate when its deadly payload is unleashed on unsuspecting victims. In fact, year after year the numbers show that children pay the highest price. They are disproportionately harmed by landmines and explosive remnants of war. Mines and cluster munitions also hinder the return of refugees.”
2021-04-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/346 (2021) · source