YouSaid · the spoken record

Jonathan Allen

lines on the record: 336
first: 2020-03-31
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 49
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

“Let me begin by thanking the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for his briefing. I want to say how grateful the United Kingdom is for the hard work of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. I am very pleased that the Council has extended its mandate for a further year to continue its valuable work. I am also delighted to see Foreign Minister Blum de Barberi and welcome her today. We were very encouraged to hear of President Duque Márquez’s new commitment to Colombia in order to combat the serious impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. I want to say to him that all of our countries are struggling from the social and economic effects of the virus. We must seize this opportunity to build back better and create fairer, greener and more sustainable economies and societies.”
2020-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/1023 (2020) · source
“The Syrian regime continues to drag its feet on the political track, perhaps in the mistaken hope that it and its allies will succeed in the brutal military suppression of their people. The Syrian authorities have serious questions to answer. How are they taking forward implementation of resolution 2254 (2015)? What steps will they take to unlock progress? What approach are they taking with regard to making the Constitutional Committee a success? What do they have to say to Syrians all around the world who want to return home but are too terrified to do so? What are they willing to do on issues such as detainees and missing persons? We hear from the Syrian regime about everything except its own responsibilities.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“The very least the Syrian regime and other parties can do in the interests of humanity is to grant independent organizations access to detention facilities and to provide loved ones with information as to the whereabouts or the fate of detained or disappeared family members. The mistreatment and torture of detainees must stop. We take note of the harrowing accounts of torture and detention presented in the latest report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (A/HRC/45/31). This is people being beaten with sticks and cables, bound around tires, hung from ceilings and walls and lashed. These crimes are clear evidence of a breakdown in respect for human life by the regime and others, as well as a lack of will on the part of the regime to engage with resolution 2254 (2015).”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“We would therefore welcome further clarification on how elections will be conducted next year and how they will meet the standards envisaged by the Security Council. Resolution 2254 (2015) is clear that a new constitution should be in place before those elections take place. As such, recent Russian statements that suggest elections and the Constitutional Committee could be decoupled are deeply concerning. They are damaging to the political process and to the unanimous opinion of the Security Council.On detainees, the release of political prisoners and vulnerable persons, particularly in the context of a nascent political process and an ever-worsening COVID-19 outbreak, should not be a controversial priority.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“In resolution 2254 (2015), we expressed our support for free and fair elections, administered under the supervision of the United Nations, to the satisfaction of the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. This means that all those entitled to vote have the right to be registered and must be free to make their choice, that all registered political parties have an equal right to contest the elections and campaign for voter support, and that all votes be counted and the announced results reflect that vote count. The United Kingdom was clear the Syrian presidential elections in 2014 fell far short of these standards.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“It has been called for repeatedly by Special Envoy Pedersen, including just today. Russia’s approach is to say that anybody who objects to the Al-Assad regime’s barbarism and brutality is a terrorist. But I think it would be better for all of us and for our debate if we stuck with the United Nations definitions. We are pleased that the ceasefire in Idlib continues broadly to hold, but we have concerns about the recent increase in air strikes. We call on all parties to respect the agreement of 5 March between Turkey and Russia and to work with the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy on the implementation of a full nationwide ceasefire.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“For tangible progress to be made, all parties, including the Syrian regime, should be ready to make concessions and commit to outcomes to help deliver a lasting end to the conflict. As we all determined in that 8 October presidential statement, the launch of the Syrian-owned and Syrian-led Constitutional Committee should be the beginning of a political process to end the Syrian conflict, in line with resolution 2254 (2015), which meets the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians. The United Kingdom continues to stand behind its commitment to resolution 2254 (2015) and calls for parallel progress to be made on all aspects of the resolution. Crucially, this requires a nationwide ceasefire. The Russian Ambassador asks “Why?” Well, it was called for in resolution 2254 (2015), which the Russian Federation voted for.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, and let me also thank Special Envoy Pedersen for his continuing efforts to facilitate the reaching of a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Along with nearly all Council members, we have for many years emphasized the need for dialogue and the fundamental importance of finding a political solution to the crisis. For this reason, we welcome the convening of the third meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva at the end of August. We are pleased to note that some discussions took place, despite cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerging among the delegates. But almost a year since the Security Council welcomed the launch of the Constitutional Committee in its presidential statement of 8 October 2019 (S/PRST/2019/12), there appears to be very little substantive progress.”
2020-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/936 (2020) · source
“A famine declaration means that it is already too late to save lives. It is a collective failure, including by us here. We must not stand idly by and allow ourselves to get to that point. We must act now to prevent a catastrophe in the coming months.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“That should include updates on progress with regard to the recommendations of the United Nations, and it should include evidence on wrongdoing, where collection is possible, to increase accountability and to allow us, as members of the Council, to focus on those responsible. If the risk of famine continues, the Council needs to take action to improve the protection of civilians and work against denial of humanitarian access in whichever situation that occurs. We believe that the Council must remain fully engaged in this agenda over the coming weeks. We believe that we should return to this discussion later this autumn and hear from our briefers whether the situation has changed for the better or for the worse, and consider what further action we could take. Famine and hunger should not be inevitable consequences of war and conflict.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“The United Kingdom has also announced the appointment of Nick Dyer as the United Kingdom’s first Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs. We call on all Member States to rapidly mobilize all financial means to support swift humanitarian action before it is too late. We, the members of the Security Council, must also play our role. Not only is it incumbent upon us to step up our funding, but we can also mobilize our diplomatic efforts. We can use our influence with actors on the ground to insist on unfettered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians in that regard. Having welcomed this briefing today and the white note that preceded it, I would like to set out what I hope will be a common expectation that United Nations reporting on such situations, and on others of concern, should continue.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“We have a collective responsibility to act fast, but we have heard today that our contributions are not keeping up with needs. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom announced a call to action to prevent famine. That included the announcement of an additional aid package worth over $150 million, which aims to alleviate extreme hunger for more than 6 million people. I say additional, as the United Kingdom is proud to be one of the main humanitarian donors not just to individual country appeals, but also to core funds, such as the Central Emergency Response Fund. I believe that in 2020, the United Kingdom has given just over $1 billion in humanitarian assistance. We have given just under $1 billion in assistance to deal with COVID-19.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“Close joint work between the United Nations and the Nigerian Government is essential to ensuring the full protection of civilians, as well as progress on humanitarian access. In South Sudan, we continue to see a stalling peace process and escalating violence at the subnational level. Again, it is vital that the Government of South Sudan and also any non-State groups ensure unrestricted access for humanitarian workers and reduce the risk that aid workers face there. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an expanded security and political effort that works with regional, national and subnational authorities is needed to address the conflict drivers. But, more broadly, the international community must come together. We must coordinate and prioritize our efforts. We must break the cycle of armed conflict and humanitarian crisis.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“On Yemen, famine can be prevented only by urgent external financial assistance to the Central Bank of Yemen to improve the affordability of food and medicines through immediate funding for the desperately underresourced United Nations humanitarian response and urgent progress towards a nationwide ceasefire. All States Members of the United Nations, I think, have a responsibility to provide funding to the United Nations-led response, particularly those that have made commitments to do so. Of course, the Yemeni parties bear the primary responsibility to agree urgently to United Nations peace proposals. In north-eastern Nigeria, the deliberate targeting of aid workers by non- State armed groups in the north-east is an abhorrent and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“That includes the prevention of humanitarian access to life-saving support through bureaucratic impediments, delays to aid delivery, blockades and inhibited monitoring. But, as we know from our discussions, unfortunately and tragically aid workers who try to serve populations in many different theatres face deliberate attacks. The rising risk of famine and acute food insecurity in conflict zones requires immediate action on the ground, first, by both Governments and non-State armed groups. With regard to the countries cited in today’s briefing, I want to make a few brief comments.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“The United Kingdom shares the strong concerns raised on the rising risk of famine and acute food insecurity in Yemen, north-eastern Nigeria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We are just as concerned about the deteriorating food security situation in several other conflict-affected countries, including Somalia, Burkina Faso and Afghanistan. It is clear that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has further compounded by such humanitarian emergencies, increasing pre-existing vulnerabilities. Armed actors are violating the rights and safety of civilians, deploying tactics that use the suffering of civilians as a weapon of war and wilfully disregarding their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“I want to thank the Dominican Republic for its leadership in calling for today’s meeting. Let me also thank our three United Nations principals for their briefings, in the context of resolution 2417 (2018). It is important that we meet today to consider our role in preventing harm. That is what resolution 2417 (2018) is about, so I am very pleased to see this meeting taking place today. The prospect of famine in the twenty-first century is a human-made and preventable failure, as our briefers have set out. The link between conflict and hunger could not be clearer: armed conflict and violence are playing a central role in denying civilians their basic rights to food and to life.”
2020-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/930 (2020) · source
“Statement by the Political Counsellor of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations, Sonia Farrey It would take too long to address all the familiar allegations and inaccuracies, but I do want to respond to the point raised on the White Helmets. The United Kingdom is proud of its support to the White Helmets and their life-saving search and rescue activities in Syria, alongside other donors. The organization is estimated to have saved over 115,000 lives and provided essential services to more than 4 million Syrians. Allegations linking the White Helmets to terrorist groups are baseless and are part of a concerted disinformation campaign by the Syrian regime and Russia seeking to undermine the White Helmets’ valuable work.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“As the Council reaffirmed last November in a presidential statement (S/PRST/2019/14), any use of chemical weapons anywhere at any time by anyone under any circumstance is unacceptable and a threat to international peace and security. The Russian Federation should urgently conduct a full and transparent investigation into this use of a banned chemical weapon and should uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention. We cannot allow this behaviour to become normalized. It is difficult not to conclude that Russia’s attacks on the international architecture to prevent the use of chemical weapons are not only designed to protect its Syrian clients but also to protect itself. That is a sad state of affairs. It is also a very dangerous state of affairs for all of us.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“I believe that the majority of the Security Council accepts the findings of the United Nations and the OPCW and are strong supporters of the OPCW Technical Secretariat, its staff and its integrity. And we hope that when the time comes, members of the Council will act on the evidence and on their conscience. Others have mentioned the issue of Mr. Alexei Navalny. We are gravely concerned by the poisoning of Mr. Navalny by Novichok, a banned chemical weapon. A similar nerve agent, members will recall, was previously used with lethal effect in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has full confidence in Germany’s findings, and we stand united with them. The use of a banned chemical weapon is absolutely unacceptable.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“When the Council sought to take action on the basis of the findings of the JIM in 2016, Russia used its veto to block it. When the JIM found the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun, they used their veto to stop the JIM’s work. When the OPCW Conference of States Parties established its own identification team, they refused to recognize it, and have since sought to impugn its cross-regional representation. As many have said today, it is vital for upholding the international non-proliferation regime that organizations such as the OPCW and the United Nations be able to act without interference and without politicization of their work. I do not want to dwell on these issues of division.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“An anecdotal approach is taken rather than the evidence-based approach taken, in contrast, by the teams carrying out the investigations, which includes the consistency and corroboration of evidence and information obtained from the Fact-Finding Mission, coupled with information obtained through interviews, analyses of samples, reviews of laboratory results and analyses of munition remnants, reports and advice from experts, specialists and forensic institutes, all of which allowed the conclusion to be drawn that units of the Syrian Arab Air Force were responsible for attacks. By contrast, some Council members would have us put aside the evidence- based approach of independent investigators in favour of what Russian and Syrian military police, engaged in a bloody battle against the Syrian people, say they have discovered.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“This disinformation we have seen in action today in the form of lengthy, somewhat random assertions about various incidents, which it is claimed undermine the many independent expert teams that have carried out their work. Mud is thrown everywhere in the hope that some will stick somewhere.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“We should do as we decided in resolution 2118 (2013) and take action in response to non-compliance and the threat to international peace and security. Not to do so would be a dereliction of the Council’s duty. The Council should be able to act in unity on the basis of the findings by two independent bodies, which have identified the perpetrators of these chemical- weapon attacks. And so it is a matter of great regret that some Council members have sought to politicize what should be a non-partisan issue and have attempted to undermine and block investigations into chemical-weapon use in Syria and into the perpetrators. They have spread conspiracy theories and disinformation designed to block, undermine and call into question the integrity and reports of the JIM and the Investigation and an Identification Team.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“The Executive Council accepted the findings of the Investigation and an Identification Team report, provided a deadline for Syria to comply finally with its obligations and recommended that the Conference of States Parties take action should Syria fail to comply. And just as the OPCW Executive Council has a role in upholding compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention and its own decisions, so the Security Council has a clear and distinct obligation to address the repeated breaches of resolution 2118 (2013). These breaches include the use of chemical weapons, as identified by both the JIM and the Investigation and an Identification Team; the retention and production of chemical weapons to carry out attacks; and the lack of full compliance with the OPCW.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“Furthermore, the fact that the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) and now the OPCW Investigation and an Identification Team have found the Syrian authorities responsible for using chemical weapons on no fewer than seven occasions is inconsistent with claims that Syria has no chemical weapons capability. And it is notable that the first Investigation and an Identification Team report confirms that Syrian-made aerial bombs of the type unaccounted for in the declaration were used as a delivery system for the attacks in Ltamenah in March 2017. So, after six years of outstanding compliance issues and further confirmation of the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons, we welcome the robust, proportionate and reasonable action taken by the OPCW Executive Council in its decision of 9 July.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“This includes the whereabouts of 5.2 tons of “DF”, which is a key component of sarin, and 2,000 aerial bombs, a delivery system for chemical weapons, including the sarin used in the Khan Shaykhun incident in 2017. Since their initial declaration, in 2013, the Syrian authorities have themselves admitted to having produced chemical weapons not in the original declaration. That includes ricin, which the Syrian authorities admitted to possessing in 2014. And then Soman, which the regime admitted to possessing in 2016, along with what they call “research and development activities” on nitrogen mustard, which they admitted in 2019. Other so-far-undeclared chemical agents or their precursors or degradation products have been also detected and identified by the OPCW.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“As we have been told again by the High Representative today, due to the unresolved gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in Syria’s declaration under the Chemical Weapons Convention, that declaration cannot be considered accurate and complete. The outstanding issues are significant, and they go to the heart of Syria’s compliance — or rather, non-compliance — with the Convention for the following reasons. Since 2014, the number of chemical agents identified by the Declaration and Assessment Team as having been in Syria’s possession has more than doubled as compared to their initial declaration. The fate of more than 400 tons of chemicals and thousands of munitions is unclear.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“Independent United Nations and OPCW fact-finding missions have concluded that chemical weapons have been used in Syria on over 40 occasions since 2014, including the sarin attack on Khan Shaykhun on 4 April 2017, which killed hundreds, and the chlorine attack on Douma on 7 April 2018, which killed dozens of people. These technical missions comprise different experts from many countries who, over many years, all independently came to the same conclusion. Now it remains impossible, seven years after the adoption of resolution 2118 (2013) and following 83 monthly reports from the Director General of the OPCW, for the Council to verify the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical-weapons programme.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“And we noted Syria’s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Now some Council members would have you, Mr. President, believe that this was the end of it, that Syria’s chemical weapons programme was entirely destroyed, that the Syrian regime never used or produced them again and that any use was by non-State actors or that attacks were staged. They maintain that Syria has and continues to comply fully with the OPCW. However inconvenient they may find the truth, unfortunately their interpretation is not borne out by the facts.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“I thank you very much, Mr President, and I also want to thank Under- Secretary-General Nakamitsu again for another of her briefings. In August 2013, when hundreds of people were killed in a United Nations- verified sarin attack on Ghouta, the use of chemical weapons in Syria was regrettably added to the list of violations in an already brutal war. Following that Ghouta attack, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2118 (2013). In that resolution, we — all of us — condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria. We endorsed the procedures for the destruction of Syria’s chemical-weapons programme. We decided that Syria should not produce or use chemical weapons ever again. We decided that it should comply fully with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations.”
2020-09-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/902 (2020) · source
“We need to be ready to be agile to support the United Nations as they collectively shine a light and tell us where more activity is needed, whether that is in our humanitarian funding or whether it is in our political messaging. As the impact of COVID-19 affects vulnerable countries in different ways, we need to look further ahead at evolving risks to instability and take action to prevent conflict. Problems with access to humanitarian aid and health care should be highlighted in particular, and that could lead us to undertake more timely interventions, which must be our common goal. 32/3620-11860”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“The United Kingdom strongly urges parties to armed conflict to invest in peace processes that include the meaningful participation of women, youth, religious groups and civil society. Let me conclude by saying that I think that we need more regular horizon- scanning of situations that may threaten international peace and security, using effective early-warning mechanisms and United Nations analysis coming from those in the field and the relevant United Nations agencies and departments. It is vital that we take a unified and combined approach. And that is not a message just to the United Nations but also to us, its Member States.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“But the Council needs a better understanding overall of who is blocking access, what its impact is on the humanitarian situation and how to address it. Let me just quickly say that I am grateful to Under-Secretary-General Lacroix for his comprehensive briefing on the peacekeeping side, and I wish to express thanks and appreciation for peacekeepers and their actions to support their host countries and of course, to avoid inadvertently spreading the virus themselves. Ultimately, conflict prevention and resolution are our only lasting solution. Women have a crucial role to play here, and the gendered impact of COVID-19 risks undermining peace and worsening conflict. However, this remains largely unacknowledged and undervalued by Governments and international organizations.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Millions of people are in crisis or emergency stages of food insecurity, and the risk of famine looms in several countries. The United Kingdom continues to support the United Nations and other international organizations, which we believe may provide effective and efficient support in those places that need it most. The United Kingdom’s current contribution is more than $1 billion. More also needs to be done though on the ground by Governments and non-State armed groups to improve humanitarian access in areas where it is hard to reach the most vulnerable populations. Access has been further challenged by COVID-19 lockdown measures and international travel restrictions. I would urge, as did Mark Lowcock, all Governments to ease visa restrictions on key humanitarian workers.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“We have always worked, and we continue to work, with organizations and individuals to ensure that sanctions do not affect humanitarian operations and that organizations and individuals are able to import non-conflict-related goods. The issue in Syria, of course, is the chronic mismanagement of Syria’s economy by a corrupt regime and its friends. I would turn, if I might, to the question of famine. Resolution 2532 (2020) underpins some vital humanitarian principles and interests. Conflict and COVID-19 have seen the outlook for food security in 2020 become increasingly bleak. Mark Lowcock warned about that not only today but also in his white note. An end to conflict and the realization of the ceasefire call contained in resolution 2532 (2020) are essential.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“There are United Kingdom and European Union sanctions on Syria. They specifically target those responsible for human rights abuses against ordinary Syrians and those who support or benefit from the Al-Assad regime’s corruption and murderous activity. Sanctions do not apply to food, medicine, medical equipment or medical assistance. Put simply, S/2020/897 S/2020/897 the problem facing Syria’s health sector is not sanctions but rather that the regime is more intent on bombing hospitals than building them, and the restrictions imposed on cross-border aid. Humanitarian exemptions apply to sanctions regimes, mitigating the impact of sanctions on humanitarian programmes.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“More encouragingly, we welcome the recent progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement with the Sudan, including the important steps taken in Juba on 31 August with the Sudan Revolutionary Front. Again, we urge all parties involved to work together with the international community to ensure the swift and effective implementation of that agreement and for all other groups to engage without preconditions to achieve the comprehensive peace that the Sudanese people have called for. My colleague the representative of China mentioned sanctions. I think it is a shame that there has been some intentional blurring of issues on sanctions and attempts to take advantage of a potential COVID-19-related tragedy. Sanctions are a vital tool in our armoury. Let us take the example of Syria and work that through.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“The humanitarian crisis, already the world’s worst, is significantly worsening, with the effects of restrictions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on access and shortages of United Nations funding, as described regularly by Mark Lowcock in our debates on Yemen, which make the peace process even more necessary and even more urgent. We must also not lose focus on South Sudan. Recent increases in violence, combined with food insecurity and flooding, put South Sudan again at risk of catastrophe. The peace deal of 2018 remains the best chance for long-term stability. But pressure is needed from all parties in order to deliver further progress if we are going to maintain that ceasefire, protect humanitarian workers and ensure that we can help South Sudan respond.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Let me talk about the situation in three areas out of many which we could discuss today, Yemen, South Sudan and the Sudan, and see if we can draw any conclusions. In Yemen, following the Secretary-General’s call, we did see unilateral ceasefires by the Saudi-led coalition. These were, sadly, not reciprocated. But that is why the Council must continue to strongly support the United Nations Special Envoy’s efforts to secure a lasting political solution to the conflict in Yemen and why it is vital that all Member States comply with the arms embargo. It is also vital, as the Council has called for regularly, that all parties engage constructively with the process. And we urge all to cease provocative military offenses, in particular the Houthis in Ma’rib, as well as their cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“I thought it was a particularly thoughtful and thought-provoking set of briefings, which perhaps reflects the subject matter that we are discussing today. I think that there is a lot for us to take away from that. Because this is our first Council meeting in follow-up to the original resolution (resolution 2532 (2020)), I just want to again pay tribute to the painstaking French diplomacy that got us here, particularly to Nicolas de Rivière. I want also to pay personal tribute to the Tunisian Permanent Representative, Mr. Kabtani. The United Kingdom strongly supports the implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) and calls on all Member States to uphold their international commitments. Breaches of the arms embargoes agreed by the Council are worsening in conflicts throughout the world.”
2020-09-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/897 (2020) · source
“Let all commit to a lasting ceasefire and let us empower a strong UNSMIL to take forward negotiations on peace and lasting security.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“We must move forward with resuming production for the benefit of all Libyans and the Libyan economy. I want to echo the concluding remarks of Acting Special Representative Williams. There is no military solution in Libya. Those who deliberately undermined the peace process in April 2019 thought that a military campaign could work. Fifteen months later, it has been proved time and again that it cannot. All that has been achieved in the meantime is death and misery amid a huge increase in weaponry into Libya. So let me once again urge the Libyan parties and their international backers to listen to the cries of the Libyan people for peace and to put the interests of the Libyan people above their own narrow, selfish interests.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“We are concerned about reports that civilians were fired upon and abducted during recent protests. It is vital that the right to peaceful assembly, protest and freedom of expression are upheld. In that regard, we welcome the appointment of the members of the Independent Fact Finding Mission on Libya to investigate human rights violations and abuses, and we reiterate our call for all parties to allow the Mission access to the whole country. We support the calls to resume oil production in the recent statements from the Government of National Accord and the House of Representatives. We welcome the independent audit of the two Central Bank branches as a vital step towards improved transparency and reunification. The oil blockade only serves to harm the Libyan people.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“The increase in civilian casualties from April to June, documented by UNSMIL, is unacceptable, as are the continued attacks on medical facilities, ambulances, medical personnel and schools. We reiterate our concern about casualties resulting from mines, booby traps and improvised explosive devices left by withdrawing forces aligned with the Libyan National Army. We continue to call for the mass grave sites at Tarhouna to be secured until a proper investigation can be conducted. We reiterate our condemnation of all human rights violations and abuses, as well as violations of international humanitarian law, including indiscriminate attacks; unlawful killings; sexual and gender-based violence, the silencing of journalists, activists and human rights defenders; and the mistreatment of vulnerable people, particularly migrants.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“A demilitarized solution in Sirte could serve as a foundation for a broader ceasefire, but we remain highly concerned about the ongoing conflict, which is fuelled by reckless international intervention and violations of the arms embargo through the provision of arms and supplies to the parties, as well as the activities of the Wagner Group and other foreign mercenaries. We fully support the work of the Panel of Experts of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya and call for the external backers of the parties to comply with the embargo and the commitments they made at the Berlin Conference. That applies to all external backers. We are troubled by the ongoing humanitarian impact of the conflict and its effect on human rights, compounded by the worsening COVID-19 situation, as set out by Ms. Williams.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“International backers must commit to the departure from Libya of all foreign forces and mercenaries, and must provide Libyan parties with the space and support needed to achieve a ceasefire, engage meaningfully in the United Nations-led political process and secure an inclusive political agreement that places the people of Libya at its centre. We welcome the continued engagement of the parties in the United Nations-led 5+5 dialogue, which the United Kingdom supports as co-chair of the Security Working Group, and we urge the parties to have the courage to make the necessary compromises. We fully support UNSMIL’s efforts to de-escalate the situation around Sirte.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“We are concerned about the rapidly shrinking space for Libyan women to voice their opinions and participate in political life and post-conflict reconstruction, with some women subjected to physical threats and attacks seemingly linked to their public roles. In the twentieth anniversary year of resolution 1325 (2000), we welcome the Acting Special Representative’s commitment to the full and effective participation of women in political and public life, including all political processes and peacebuilding initiatives. Remember, colleagues, this is about not only what is right, but also what is effective. I said that the international community, including members of the Council, were not honouring commitments freely entered into or honouring the obligations laid down by the Council.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“We commend both sides for their commitment to the political process and thank UNSMIL for its leadership in engaging with and facilitating dialogue between the Libyan parties. These statements alone are not enough. This opportunity must be seized by all involved in the conflict and the Libyan people if we are to make progress in achieving sustainable peace. Now is the time for restraint from those on all sides of the conflict and for all Libyan parties to take their cue from these statements and engage constructively to implement them. We also need a reinvigorated UNSMIL that can take advantage of this and any other opportunities.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source
“We are failing to enforce the obligations and commitments laid out by the Council. The humanitarian backdrop is particularly concerning, as is the rise in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. The people of Libya have had enough, as they demonstrated once again in recent days. But let us try to pick up on one of the glimmers of light in her statement. The United Kingdom welcomes the 21 August statement from the President of the Presidency Council, Faiez Serraj, and the President of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, calling for a ceasefire. The Libyan people have been clear about their desire for peace. And as the events since April 2019 have demonstrated, there is no military solution. These announcements mark a significant step on the road towards sustained peace, security and stability.”
2020-09-02 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/879 (2020) · source