YouSaid · the spoken record

Kang

lines on the record: 108
first: 2014-10-30
most recent: 2018-09-27
sittings or episodes: 10
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

“As for the Government of the Republic of Korea, we are committed to continuing to work with the international community to ensure that the Council's sanctions are implemented faithfully, even as we continue to engage North Korea to facilitate substantial progress towards complete denuclearization. We are also furthering inter-Korean dialogue to solidify the momentum for reconciliation and better relations. That includes implementing the comprehensive military agreement signed in Pyongyang, which aims to eliminate the threat of war and prevent accidental clashes. Last week, while in North Korea, many of us joined”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“The Council unanimously adopted a series of sanctions in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, and the international community acted unity in fully implementing them, thereby sending a clear message to North Korea that the pursuit of its nuclear weapons programme will never be accepted. But at the same time, the door for dialogue was kept open to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. Eventually, the will of the international community prevailed, and North Korea changed course and came to the path of dialogue and peaceful resolution. In the past few months, it has taken a series of "for the first-time" actions that were unthinkable only a year ago.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“More specifically, in the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, North Korea announced that it will permanently dismantle its Dongchang-ri missile engine test site and launch platform under the observation of experts from relevant countries, and indicated its willingness to take additional measures, such as the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, as the United States takes corresponding measures. Hopes are now high that the upcoming United States-North Korea negotiations will produce more concrete outcomes. The international community has been able to bring North Korea back to the dialogue through a well- measured combination ofdiplomatic tools. In particular, the Security Council played a critical role.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“At the first-ever United States-North Korea summit, on 12 June, the top leaders ofthe two countries also confirmed the common goal of building a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and the North Korean leader reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization. Last week, President Moon Jae-in visited Pyongyang for his third summit meeting with Chairman Kim. They discussed at length the denuclearization challenge, including concrete ways to bring it about. For the first time in his own voice, the North Korean leader stated his commitment to turn the Korean peninsula into a land ofpeace, free of nuclear weapons and threat - and that at a joint press conference with President Moon Jae-in, which was broadcast live to the rest ofthe world.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“In April, North Korea took a step forward by announcing that it would discontinue nuclear tests as well as ballistic missile tests of intercontinental range. It also announced that it would dismantle its nuclear test site, which it did a month later. On 27 April, the two Koreas held an inter-Korean summit - the first in more than a decade. In the outcome, the Panmunjom Declaration, the two sides agreed to actively cooperate for the establishment of a permanent and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and confirmed the common goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through complete denuclearization.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“But here we are, and we have a different set of numbers to ponder: three inter-Korean summits and the first-ever United States-North Korea summit in a matter of five months, with more likely to follow in the months to come. Allow me to quickly recap the milestone developments on the Korean peninsula that have brought us to this point. They started with North Korea's participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, in February and March, to which the North Korean leader sent a high-level delegation. That was quickly followed by the visit of President Moon Jae-in's special envoy to Pyongyang in early March, who came back with first-hand confirmation of Chairman Kim's intentions on denuclearization.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“I thank you very much, Mr. President, for convening this meeting and for the opportunity to speak to the Security Council. As you state, Mr. President, we are indeed at the dawn of a new day with regard to the challenge of North Korea's denuclearization. It is useful to take a step back and to realize just how new a day it is. Barely a year ago here in the Council, we were counting the numbers of North Korea's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches and calling for united action to bring North Korea to the right side of history. At the time, the thought of President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un shaking hands and holding a summit would have been considered a daydream. It would have been a fantasy to imagine President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong Un on top of Mount Paekdu taking photos together.”
2018-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8363 (2018) · source
“The Republic of Korea will work assiduously and tirelessly to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean peninsula. We will work closely with all to that end. I would like to conclude with a message to North Korea, which I am sure is shared by the Council as a whole: "Come to the right side of history." The meeting rose at 7pm.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“Even now, North Korea is continuing its reckless drive towards nuclear weaponization, testing the resolve of the international community. We can only go as fast and as effectively as the slowest link among us. North Korea will try to take advantage of the weakest link among us to defeat the Council's resolve and decisions. Therefore, the Council members and the international community must stand together in implementing the sanctions and in sending the unequivocal message to North Korea that it will pay painfully and dearly for its provocations, and its nuclear weapons programme will never be accepted. Let me emphasize that our common goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of North Korean nuclear programme in a peaceful manner.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“Thus, with a renewed sense of urgency, we must ensure now more than ever the full implementation of the Security Council's resolutions, which include sanctions on North Korean coal, iron, fisheries, textiles and overseas labourers, as well as a steep cut in refined petroleum products going into the North. Fully implemented, these sanctions will have a significant impact and force a change of course on the North Korean regime. Let me reiterate, however, that the sanctions are not an end in themselves or to bring North Korea down, but to bring it to the negotiating table for denuclearization. In that regard, we deeply appreciate the active efforts of the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) and its Chair.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“With repeated provocations and resolutions, it is perhaps easy to lose the sense of urgency around the issue. Perhaps it has become routine. But we must not let that happen. Indeed, the urgency of the issue is heightened by the day and by the week. We may be rapidly approaching a point of no return. The North Korean leader is quoted as saying that North Korea is indeed in the final stages of nuclear weaponization and that it will clearly demonstrate to the world that this goal will be achieved despite endless sanctions. Further troubling is the potential for the proliferation of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles, which would deal a crippling blow to the international non-proliferation regimes.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“The international community has reacted firmly and rapidly to the latest provocations by North Korea. In addition to the quick adoption of the new Security Council resolution, numerous countries and international organizations have strongly condemned North Korea and taken unilateral measures. The Republic of Korea appreciates and welcomes the firm actions taken by the international community. North Korea must be stopped. North Korea must be made to understand that continued provocations will only deepen its diplomatic isolation and intensify the economic pressure that will lead the regime to ruin. Denuclearization is the only path to a secure and stable future for the North. Since the first nuclear test by North Korea in 2006, nine Security Council resolutions have been adopted.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“Last year, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and launched 24 ballistic missiles. This year, during a period of less than nine months, North Korea conducted another nuclear test and launched 19 ballistic missiles. On average, since 2016 North Korea has launched two ballistic missiles every month. The most recent, sixth nuclear test, on 3 September, was especially alarming, with its explosive yield far exceeding the sum of all five previous tests and North Korea claiming it as a hydrogen bomb to be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Security Council quickly responded with the strongest ever resolution - resolution 2375 (2017) - but the ink was barely dry on that new resolution when North Korea launched yet another ballistic missile launch, which flew a distance of 3,700 kilometres over Japan into the Pacific.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“We have also been a strong advocate of countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) to non-State actors by supporting efforts to build an enduring nuclear security architecture and implementing relevant Security Council resolutions. Not least, we continue to work with the international community to make meaningful progress in the run-up to the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Although I could elaborate futher on my Government's efforts in field of the non-proliferation of WMDs, I am compelled on this occasion to focus on the single topic that poses the most urgent and grave threat to the international non-proliferation regime - that is, North Korea's nuclear and missiles threat.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to speak to the Council. I also thank Secretary Tillerson for calling for the meeting and Under-Secretary-General Namamitsu for her briefing. It is a great honour for me to return to the Council, although under very different circumstances and with very different responsibilities. I shall be brief, as it is late in the day. Let me start by reaffirming my Government's strong commitment to strengthening the global non-proliferation regime. As outgoing Chair of both the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime, we have led the strengthening of the multilateral export control regime.”
2017-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8053 (2017) · source
“The cessation of hostilities is a crucial window of action, both for the parties to the conflict to consider peace and for those civilians caught in its grasp to receive much-needed aid.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Parties to the conflict must recognize their responsibility to protect the civilians of Yemen and facilitate the unfettered delivery of impartial aid to the people in need. Similarly, the delivery of commercial goods to the country must be better managed through the UNVIM. process to relieve the acute price and availability pressures on daily necessities. Building barriers around the people of Yemen - through access restrictions, delivery delays or visa denials for humanitarian staff- is not in the interest of peace or of the Yemeni people. It will prolong the suffering of those in need and drive more and more communities into real and life-threatening risk.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“We will continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need, but what is needed above all in Yemen is peace - peace for nearly three and a half million children, the country's next generation, to return to school; for the displaced to return home; for livelihoods to recover and for the rebuilding of social service infrastructure, heritage sites and communities. For the people of Yemen, peace is not something abstract; it is vital to their survival. I call on the parties to redouble their commitment to finding a negotiated political settlement to the conflict, and call upon all Member States and the Council to continue to support such genuine efforts. Meanwhile, as the process develops, we cannot simply wait and hope. Action is required.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“It is now a matter ofurgency that, during the upcoming meeting, UNVIM be fully operationalized as a single mechanism for the clearance of commercial vessels into Yemen. To delay further will have far-reaching consequences, increasing the already severe humanitarian needs. Despite the overwhelming human tragedy that characterizes Yemen today, we maintain hope that the parties to the conflict will choose the only path to a solution, namely, negotiation and dialogue over the coming weeks, no matter how challenging that path may seem. There is no military solution.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Constricting the pipeline of food, fuel and medical supplies into the country means that less will be available for civilian consumption and that what is delivered will be available only at an inflated price. For example, in February, only 15 per cent of the monthly fuel requirement was delivered, while food imports fell by a quarter. As a consequence, prices rose and civilians faced greater hardship. The Steering Committee of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) met for the first time on 11 April, to be followed by a second meeting on 18 April. In the past 12 hours, the representative from the Government of Yemen to the Steering Committee affirmed to the United Nations that the Government of Yemen had agreed to the UNVIM head office being located in Djibouti.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“In order for humanitarian agencies, both United Nations bodies and non- governmental organizations, to continue their work, more funding is required now. Because it is so critical that this assistance reach everyone in need across the country with impartiality, it is important that funding be given through the humanitarian response plan released earlier this year. Commercial imports have notably decreased over the past two months, primarily because of delays in the coalition clearance process, in particular for vessels trying to reach the port at Al Hudaydah. Delays in the delivery of commercial goods into Yemen have a direct humanitarian consequence.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“In that context, I underscore that the terms for the cessation of hostilities not only include a halt in hostilities but also obligate the parties to allow unhindered humanitarian assistance. I remind all parties that this facilitation is an obligation under international humanitarian law. While air strikes, rockets and ground fighting indiscriminately kill civilians, these administrative obstacles are only nominally less devastating, as they directly contribute to hunger, sickness, deprivation and death. Operations are also being impacted financially. Now into the second quarter of 2016, the Yemen humanitarian response plan remains critically underfunded, at only 16 per cent. To date, $296 million has been received against the $1.8 billion requested.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“There has been no headway in negotiating the start of the nationwide emergency food-security and nutrition assessment, which has been blocked for seven months now, and there remain long lists of critical humanitarian supplies sitting in warehouses or in ports awaiting clearance by the authorities. These include United Nations armoured vehicles, along with approximately 100 protective vests and helmets required for United Nations staff to expand and operate safely, particularly on missions outside Sana'a. Progress is also required towards simplifying the current deconfliction mechanism with the coalition. For operations to meaningfully expand during the cessation and beyond, as well as for existing humanitarian relief efforts to consistently reach those most in need, these impediments must be immediately removed.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Some 2.3 million people have been reached with emergency water and sanitation programmes, and United Nations Population Fund has this month established two shelters in Yemen where survivors of gender-based violence can receive legal, psychosocial and health services. Millions of fearful, innocent civilians across Yemen, on whichever side of the conflict lines they reside, are being reached, and lives are being saved. But this is hardly enough. The cessation of hostilities must be made to hold. Despite these efforts by humanitarian agencies, vital operations continue to be hampered by a variety of bureaucratic impediments, principally by the authorities on the ground. Missions are frequently cancelled due to lack of clearance. Interference with implementing- partner selection is common.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Coinciding with the start of the cessation of hostilities, a nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting around 5 million children was successfully launched with the support of UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank. This extraordinary effort has involved more than 19,000 mobile vaccination teams of over 46,000 health workers and some 5,000 vehicles that were rented to facilitate monitoring across all governorates. Around 3.5 million people are receiving food assistance each month from the World Food Programme. So far this year, around 2.2 million people have been reached with health interventions in 22 governorates through the procurement of medicines, the provision of trauma kits, immunizations, and the maintaining of an uninterrupted supply-chain management system.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“In Ta'izz City, one of the most severely affected by hostilities, three mobile health and nutrition teams have been deployed, including to districts in the enclave, and partners will be delivering medical supplies for over 130,000 people. Some 240,000 people are now receiving food assistance in the Al Jawf, Al Dhale'e and Ta'izz governorates. As the cessation of hostilities continues to strengthen, the humanitarian community will similarly increase assistance on the ground in the most affected areas. At the same time, United Nations agencies and partners continue to ramp up ongoing relief efforts across the country.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“In addition, following efforts by the United Nations and partners to prepare to scale up operations where possible in anticipation of the cessation of hostilities, humanitarian organizations have begun to respond in areas that were previously difficult to access. For example, in Sa'ada, UNICEF was able to restart the rehabilitation of a water facility in Kitaf district serving some 10,000 people, which had been damaged in air strikes. As a result of the calm, parents in the governorate are also more willing to send their children to school again, and efforts are being undertaken to reopen around 100 schools. And unlike in previous efforts in Sa'ada, the calm has allowed for vaccination teams to go door to door, increasing the number of children reached.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Nor can we ignore the dismal reality that women face in Yemen today, which is a crisis that barely registers on the world's radar. Over half a million pregnant women lack access to health care that would ensure safe births, and, although notoriously underreported in Yemen, the number of recorded cases of gender-based violence is steadily increasing. And at the time when the burden upon the women of Yemen is increasing, with women the primary providers for nearly a third of all displaced households across the country, over 40 per cent of women-run businesses have closed in the past year. This paints a very bleak picture, but there is some cause for very cautious optimism. The cessation of hostilities is bringing calm to many areas of the country, reducing the crippling violence that has devastated communities.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“For example, in Ta'izz governorate, intensified fighting in and around Ta'izz City since mid-March has left scores of people dead and wounded and has also significantly hampered relief work. Children have been particularly affected; they are among the most vulnerable in any society but they are all the more so in Yemen. Up until 10 April, when the cessation took effect, an average of six children had been killed or maimed in hostilities each day since March last year. Secondary effects of war and neglect also kill. UNICEF estimates that some 10,000 children under the age of 5 may have died in the past year from preventable diseases, and this in addition to the 40,000 children who die in Yemen every year before their fifth birthday.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Ms. Kang: I thank the Security Council for this opportunity to brief it on the latest humanitarian developments in Yemen on behalf of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Stephen O'Brien. We welcome the cessation of hostilities, which is a long-awaited respite at a time of appalling suffering and trauma in Yemen. More than 6,400 people have now been killed, and over 30,500 have been injured. Displacement has spiked, with some 2.8 million people having been forced from their homes. Livelihoods have been ravaged. Some 14.1 million people now need help accessing adequate health care as a result of a year of intensified conflict. The lack of supplies, medicines, electricity, fuel for generators, and staff or equipment have caused health services to decline across the country. Entire governorates have been engulfed in relentless violence.”
2016-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7672 (2016) · source
“Thirdly, this will require protecting civilians from any form of violence, including targeted or indiscriminate attacks, as well as from the use of explosive weapons or landmines in populated areas, at all times.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“In the meantime, I would reiterate the Emergency Relief Coordinator's call - on behalf of the humanitarian community and all people in need - that the parties to the conflict immediately end the practice of siege and starvation and fully adhere to international humanitarian law. That will require, first, facilitating full, unhindered, unconditional and sustained access to all people in need, including in besieged and hard- to-reach areas, for all types of assistance, including medical and surgical supplies. Secondly, it will require allowing freedom of movement for civilians, of all ages, to enter and exit besieged and hard-to- reach areas in safety and dignity, and permitting the immediate medical evacuation of sick and wounded patients to a safe place for treatment.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Food, water and medicine are not bargaining chips or favours that the parties to a conflict can grant or deny at will; they are basic necessities that lie at the very essence of survival and the right to life, which the Security Council and its members have a responsibility to protect. The Council cannot let more people die on its watch. As highlighted by the Emergency Relief Coordinator to the Security Council last Monday, there is no alternative to a political, negotiated solution to this desperate conflict. The Council and all the relevant stakeholders, in particular those that support the warring parties, must put their differences aside and place Syria on a firm path to peace.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Throughout the year, 80 requests for inter-agency cross-line convoys to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, out of a total of 113, went unanswered. This week, the United Nations submitted requests for further inter-agency convoys to bring life-saving assistance to besieged and hard-to- reach communities across the country. Those requests and other outstanding requests must be approved as a matter of urgency and without further delay. Similarly, the slow and bureaucratic procedures that have been imposed on humanitarian operations in Syria must be simplified and streamlined.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Teams on the ground are working on multiple tracks to provide urgent treatment on site, conduct screening to identify critical cases and, where required, negotiate for the timely medical evacuation of patients. At present, almost 390 patients have been screened, 9 have been evacuated together with their family members and at least 19 others are in need of urgent evacuation. The United Nations has requested approval for their immediate and unconditional transfer to a safe place for treatment and for sustained access to the area for medical and humanitarian partners. While those developments are positive, they are but a trickle. In 2015, the United Nations was able to reach less than 3 per cent of the population of besieged areas on average, with assistance in any given sector; in 2014, the figure was less than 5 per cent.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Separately, the third part of a series of convoys brought assistance to over 37,000 people in Al-Waer, Homs governorate. Further assistance is scheduled to reach the areas later this week. Those and other aid deliveries have saved thousands of lives, often at great cost. More than 80 humanitarian workers have been killed since the conflict began. Many others remain missing. In some cases, simply bringing assistance to people in need is not enough. In Madaya, the siege has resulted in conditions so severe that people have lost their lives, and many others currently suffer severe acute malnutrition, which, if left untreated, may result in death.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“The United Nations and its partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and NGOs, have worked tirelessly for over four years to bring life-saving assistance to people to need across Syria. In 2015, that included, for example, food assistance for over 6 million people on average each month, safe drinking water for over 8 million people, non-food items for over 4.8 million people, and nutrition interventions for over 1.6 million people, many of them children. This week, on 11 and 14 January, inter-agency convoys made up of 130 trucks reached the town of Madaya and the nearby qune, as well as Fu'ah and Kafraya, with urgent assistance for over 60,000 people, including food and nutritional support, medicines and medical equipment, and non-food items.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Around 400,000 people in Syria are trapped in areas besieged by the various parties to the conflict. That includes towns and villages besieged by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Government and allied forces, and non-State armed groups and the Al-Nusra Front. More broadly, the United Nations estimates that 4.5 million people reside in areas in Syria that are hard- to-reach, subject to various forms of restrictions on the movement of people and goods that severely limit their access to services and assistance. In addition to conflict and insecurity, that includes the deliberate obstruction of, or delays in, the delivery of aid, as well as the denial or removal of certain relief items, such as medical and surgical supplies, from aid convoys.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“There can be no reason or rationale, no explanation or excuse, for preventing aid from reaching people in need. It is a grave violation of international law, and it must stop immediately. The primary responsibility for this suffering lies with the party maintaining a siege. It is, however, shared by those that conduct military activities in or from populated areas, thereby using civilians as shields and placing them in harm's way. As the Secretary-General pointed out in his statement to the General Assembly yesterday, all sides, including the Syrian Government, which has the primary responsibility to protect the Syrian people, are committing atrocious acts prohibited under international humanitarian law. Tragically, the situation in Madaya is not unique.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Our requests have mostly gone unanswered, and the people of Syria continue to live in a nightmarish reality dictated by a conflict that respects few rules and obeys no laws. In recent days, harrowing images of malnutrition and hunger from the Syrian town of Madaya have shocked the world's conscience. Regrettably, the use of siege and starvation as a weapon of war has become routine and systematic in Syria, with devastating consequences for civilians. The barbarity of this tactic cannot be overstated. By besieging civilian towns and villages, the parties to the conflict have launched a vicious war on ordinary men, women and children, with callous indifference for their lives, health and well-being. A siege that denies people access to the basic necessities of life is unlawful, unacceptable and unconscionable.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“Ms. Kang: On behalf of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Stephen O'Brien, I have the honour to deliver the following briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria. For more than four years, the humanitarian community, including United Nations agencies and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, sounded the alarm about the impact of Syria's conflict on ordinary men, women and children. We have written scores of reports, given numerous briefings and made countless statements describing the brutality, desperation and destitution facing Syria's people. We have requested, called for, insisted - even demanded - that the conflict be brought to an end, that civilians be protected from the relentless violence and that access be granted for life-saving humanitarian assistance.”
2016-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7605 (2016) · source
“The United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism is expected to be operational in mid-January, once all pledges have been received, thereby ensuring steady flows of commercial supplies, especially those vital to the survival and wellbeing of the Yemeni people. May I once again remind the parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians from hostilities; safeguard civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals; and enable the movement of humanitarian workers and supplies into and across all areas of the country. United Nations agencies and partners will continue to scale up their assistance to save lives. However, only a political settlement can end the immense suffering facing more than 20 million men, women and children in Yemen today.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“Wheat, pulses, oil and sugar have been offloaded in the warehouses of the partners of the World Food Programme in the districts of Al-Mudhaffar, Al-Qahirah, Al-Salh and Al-Taiziah. The distribution of those supplies has not yet taken place. We continue to monitor commercial imports into Yemen, and I am relieved to report some improvements in that regard. Food imports have returned to pre-crisis levels. Although still half of what they were before the crisis, fuel imports have increased fourfold since October. Prices remain high despite that progress, in part because of damaged road networks throughout the country. It is vital that continued increases in imports of all critical commodities are sustained.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“We are very grateful for the tireless efforts of the Special Envoy. I welcome the agreement reached in Switzerland to facilitate humanitarian access to all affected governorates in Yemen, in particular Taiz. I call on the parties to take concrete measures to implement that in practice. Over 200,000 civilians in Taiz have been effectively cut off from assistance. Three months of virtual siege has grounded to a halt much of the city's basic services. Over 50 per cent of its water network has been destroyed by fighting. The health facilities that remain open are operating with limited capacity and are overwhelmed with the war wounded, often to the detriment of those with chronic illness. To date, only a small amount of supplies have entered the areas of the city affected by the siege.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“The announcement of the cessation of hostilities by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen and the agreement by the Yemeni parties, as of 15 December was seized by humanitarian actors as a long-awaited opportunity to reach areas of the country that have been inaccessible, in particular to carry out independent needs assessment and projet monitoring, two activities that have been extremely challenging due to the lack of security guarantees and continuing hostilities. While United Nations agencies and partners were able to proceed with some of their intended activities, notably in Taiz governorate, deliveries have been impacted by continued fighting, denials of clearance for convoy movements, and delays stemming from the resumption of cumbersome movement notification procedures to the coalition.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“Four million people have been provided access to emergency water and sanitation through water trucking and the provision of fuel. Since April, monthly food distributions have been steadily expanding, with 1.9 million people reached in November and 3 million people planned for December. By February, 5 million people should be receiving food assistance each month across the country. Over 250 metric tons of life-saving medical supplies have been distributed to health facilities, assisting more than 7 million Yemenis. International and national non-governmental organizations are playing a significant role in the response, running and supporting health facilities, providing psychosocial care, administering treatment to malnourished children and implementing critical water and sanitation projects.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“Nearly 85 per cent of those children have been recruited by non-State actors. Yemeni women have been particularly impacted by the conflict, and their voices are important for us to listen to and heed. Over 30 per cent of displaced households in some areas of the country are female-headed, a notable increase from the 9 per cent before the current crisis. Approximately 70 per cent more gender-based violence incidents have been reported since March. Women are also disproportionately impacted by the failing economy and social services, resulting in a lack of access for many to life-saving reproductive care. Despite a challenging and dangerous environment, humanitarian organizations on the ground are responding with life-saving assistance.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“The conflict is devastating the country and causing widespread suffering as parties show disregard for human life and the protection of civilians and indiscriminately target civilian infrastructure, in clear violation of international humanitarian law. More than 2,700 civilians have been confirmed killed, at least 637 of them children. At least 70 health facilities have been hit by air strikes or shelling. Over 170 schools have been destroyed, and more than 600 damaged. At least 58 schools have been occupied by armed groups, nearly all of them in Taiz governorate. Another 238 schools are hosting people displaced by the violence. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict has verified at least 740 cases of child recruitment this year - almost five times the number in 2014.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“Relentless air strikes, shelling and violence continue to force Yemeni families from their homes. Today Yemen has over 2.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) - an eightfold increase since the start of the conflict. While displacement has decreased in the southern governorates, where people have been returning home in recent months, it has increased significantly in the northern governorates, primarily due to air strikes. Taiz governorate now hosts the highest number of IDPs - nearly 400,000 people - followed by the northern governorates of Amran and Hajjah. In addition, almost 170,000 Yemenis, refugees and migrants have fled to neighbouring countries, often forced to take perilous seajourneys.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source
“The north has no financial resources, and the relevant authorities cannot procure the supplies they need or to pay salaries to doctors, nurses and teachers. While some 14 million people lack adequate access to health-care assistance, Yemen's health system is close to collapse. Prior to the conflict, some 70 per cent of health care was provided by the private sector, which is now no longer functioning because of the failing economy, and the public system is unable to absorb the burden. Health facilities are closing - including 190 that provided nutrition services - medicines and supplies are depleted and health workers have gone unpaid for months. Patients with chronic illness, such as kidney disease and diabetes, can no longer find the most basic treatments.”
2015-12-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7596 (2015) · source