YouSaid · the spoken record

Kanu

lines on the record: 81
first: 2002-05-22
most recent: 2023-12-07
sittings or episodes: 11
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

“The third and final point is that cooperation between the relevant United Nations agencies and regional organizations should be enhanced to ensure a holistic, coherent and coordinated approach to fighting organized crime.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The first is the comprehensive and effective implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the universal instruments against terrorism, which provide an agreed framework to strengthen preventive measures, bring criminals to justice and mitigate the destabilizing potential of organized criminal groups. The second is capacity-building and technology transfer to countries, particularly in the global South, by countries with the relevant technology and resources to do so. In pursuance of that, we encourage Member States to allow joint investigation teams and cooperate to facilitate the collection, sharing and exchange of analysis and information, with a view to countering transnational organized crime as a threat to international peace and security.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“To source and sell illicit firearms, for example, organized criminal groups have gained the logistical capacities to ship arms across the globe and interact with petty criminals, terrorists and non-State armed groups alike. The epidemic of transnational organized crime can be tackled only by urgent, coordinated global action, greater cooperation among States and regions and by investing and making technology available to States, particularly developing States. In order to combat this scourge, Sierra Leone will put forward three action points as part of the myriad tools that may be available to States.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Member States, particularly in affected regions, are called upon to strengthen border management to effectively tackle organized crime across borders and criminal activities. Sierra Leone supports the view that transnational organized crime can take many forms and is constantly evolving, adapting to political, economic, social conditions and markets, creating new forms of crime, extracting profits through increasingly complex networks and methods and recruiting or affecting the young population. Regrettably, trafficking networks adapt their methods and routes to changes in technology, legislation, supply sources and demand.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Regrettably, illicit drug markets continue to expand in terms of harm as well as scope, from the growing narcotics supply and drug sales on social media platforms to the relentless spread of synthetic drugs, which are cheap and easy to manufacture anywhere in the world, and some of which are deadly in even the smallest of doses. Sierra Leone is gravely concerned about the linkage between organized crime and the funding of terrorism, which serves as a driver of instability. That endangers peace and prolongs conflicts. It is a clear concern for the West African region and the Sahel. In tackling transnational organized crime, we continue to strongly urge for the control of small arms and light weapons and the curbing of their illicit flow across borders.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Transnationalorganizedcrimeandrelatedcorruption exacerbate inequalities and hamper efforts towards the building of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, and of effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. The consequences thereof include the potential erosion of States’s capabilities and authority. A comprehensive approach is therefore needed to make progress in addressing the drivers of transnational organized crimes, including the illicit flows of weapons and finance. That can be achieved only through multilateral action and cooperation. The 2023 World Drug Report notes that the harms caused by drug trafficking and illicit drug economies are contributing to and compounding transnational organized crime threats, from instability and violence to environmental devastation.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Sierra Leone thanks the Ecuadorian presidency of the Security Council for the month of December for convening this important open debate. We congratulate you, Madam, on assuming the presidency. We also thank the briefers for their important contribution to the debate. Regrettably, there has been a proliferation of transnational organized crime. This development can now be considered an epidemic and, at such a scale, a global security crisis that is clearly a threat to international peace and security. There is gang violence in cities; sexual exploitation, especially of children; forced labour; the drug epidemic; and indiscriminate and uncontrolled killings of people through gun violence. Sierra Leone therefore notes with serious concern the increasing threats posed by transnational organized crime to international peace and security.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“In conclusion, Sierra Leone is convinced that one of the approaches to resolving ongoing conflicts around the world is to reform the Security Council to reflect present-day geopolitical and regional realities. Its rules and practices should rekindle trust in the United Nations to make it fit for purpose. There is urgency to redress the historical injustice done to Africa, as that questions the very structural legitimacy of the Security Council.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The consolidation of avenues of cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union is not only needed to sustain peace and security in Africa, but, more broadly, to also address the complex nature of the socioeconomic and other thematic security risks, including climate-induced insecurity, which continues to disproportionately affect Africa. In Africa’s search for home-grown solutions to African challenges, the African Union, in collaboration with subregional organizations in Africa, should continue to focus efforts on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU Agenda 2063 in order to address the root causes of conflict, silence the guns in Africa, address the adverse impact of climate change and build a better and secure future for all Africans.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That should be done across the range of available tools that can make peace sustainable, including conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, sustaining peace and addressing the request for the sustainable financing of AU-led peace support operations, whose importance cannot be overemphasized. Sierra Leone further underscores the need for continued improvement of the working methods between the two Councils to facilitate regular dialogue and cooperation on capacity-building and mutual strategies for achieving sustainable peace and stability in Africa, especially through regular monthly coordination meetings between the Chair of the AU Peace and Security Council and the President of the United Nations Security Council, as well as undertaking joint field and assessment missions.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We therefore fully subscribe to the proposal of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, adopted as a consensus paper, on predictable, adequate and sustainable financing, based on its suggested tripartite actionable funding models, which are United Nations assessed contributions for hybrid missions, assessed contributions through a United Nations support office model and direct support to African Union subregional peace support operations. There is a need to deepen the cooperation and partnership between the United Nations and the African Union, and in particular between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The African Union has also supported mediation efforts in conflicts in Africa through such bodies as UN-Women Africa and the Panel of the Wise. Furthermore, the African Union has set up a peace fund to support peace operations, and the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions on the continent. Despite those efforts, the missing link in the puzzle has been and is still the lack of adequate, predictable and sustainable financing for regionally and subregionally led peace support initiatives.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That is further buttressed by the Secretary-General in his policy brief on the New Agenda for Peace, in which he says, “Regional frameworks and organizations are critical building blocks for the networked multilateralism that I envisage. They are particularly urgent in regions where long-standing security architectures are collapsing or where they have never been built”. In that regard, the regional economic communities in Africa and the African Union itself have clearly contributed to the maintenance of peace and security in the continent by providing troops for peace support operations, as was the case with the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group in West Africa and the African Union Mission in Somalia.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The growing role of the African Union (AU) in peace support operations across Africa, the limitations on its resources notwithstanding, lends credence to the argument in favour of developing effective partnerships between the United Nations and regional arrangements to enable early responses to disputes and emerging crises. Regional and subregional organizations are well positioned to understand the causes of conflicts, owing to their knowledge of the interests and concerns of the parties to a conflict in their region. They have a better understanding of bilateral relations between countries and are best placed to act as credible mediators in conflict situations.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We must therefore reinforce the involvement of regional and subregional arrangements in the peaceful settlement of disputes, including through conflict prevention, confidence-building and mediation, in view of their existing and potential capabilities and their understanding of the dynamics of regional conflicts. In our subregion, the successful engagements of the Economic Community of West African States in the conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, for instance, illustrate the viability of utilizing subregional frameworks in the search for peace in a particular region.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“To achieve that objective, we need to restore the multilateral rules- based order, underlining the paradigm of coexistence and cooperation, in order to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security. The complexities and the current frequency of conflicts are requiring actors at the regional, subregional and bilateral levels to take on a greatly enhanced role in the prevention of conflicts and conflict mediation, as provided for in Chapter VIII of the Charter. While the Security Council does bear the primary responsibility for the maintenance of global peace and security, as stipulated in Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations, in these times the Council has been unable to act promptly, effectively or with unity of purpose.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The Charter is a living document that provides a forward-looking framework for preventing conflict and the escalation of disputes through various mechanisms for the pacific settlement of disputes, as set out in its Chapter VI. The catastrophic toll of conflict on human lives — with conflicts unfolding in the Middle East, Ukraine, Somalia, the Sahel, the Great Lakes, the Horn of Africa, the Lake Chad basin and elsewhere — underscores the primacy of dialogue in the search for global peace and security. The path to peace is forged by dialogue and cooperation, which is shaped by mutual trust and a common understanding of the specific concerns and threats from the perspectives of the parties involved in conflicts.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for providing strong leadership of the Security Council, and I would like to commend the presidency of Brazil for its efforts during this difficult moment for the maintenance of international peace and security. Let me also thank the briefers, Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari, former Presidents Michelle Bachelet and Thabo Mbeki, and Ms. Josefina Echavarría Álvarez, for their important contributions, enriching our understanding of the topic of today’s debate. The deepening mistrust of the role of collective security, as that role was envisaged in the Charter of the United Nations, has profoundly diminished faith in the ability of the United Nations to respond to the myriad conflicts around the world.”
2023-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9448Resumption1 (2023) · source
“It is our hope that the twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in the United Arab Emirates, will see countries commit to more ambitious climate targets and to taking concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“The Council can better promote the perspectives and voices of those most impacted, particularly women and children, to inform inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches to climate change, peace and security by engaging with civil society and non-governmental organizations that work with women and children affected by climate change. That can help the Council to understand the specific needs and concerns of those groups and respond accordingly to address them. Let me conclude by expressing Sierra Leone’s commitment to pursue constructive engagement on climate change, peace and security, including climate security, noting the nexus to peacebuilding, addressing fragility, as well as the potential disproportionate impact on women, children and other vulnerable groups.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That includes working with local communities to build resilience to climate change and supporting Governments to develop climate-resilient policies. We thus reiterate our call for a climate change approach to both case-specific and thematic issues, noting the developments in 2022, including the expressed concerns that climate change is a risk multiplier that can exacerbate insecurity. The Security Council, having agreed on the need to combat climate change, must unite on the role it must play in addressing this threat under its mandate and in appropriate circumstances.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That includes considering the specific risks posed by climate change, such as water scarcity, food insecurity and mass displacement and how those risks can interact with other factors, such as poverty, inequality and political instability to increase the risk of conflict. Furthermore, the Security Council should integrate climate change into its mandates for United Nations missions in climate-fragile settings. That includes facilitating the provision of the necessary resources that missions will need to assess and address climate change security risks in their areas of operation. In addition, peace operations can play a key role in early warning and prevention by identifying and addressing climate-related security risks.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“First, it should raise awareness of the issue of climate change and its impact on peace and security. That includes engaging with Governments, civil society and relevant stakeholders to discuss the issue and to develop solutions. Secondly, the Security Council should take a more integrated approach to conflict resolution in order to address the root causes of conflict, including climate change. That includes working with all relevant stakeholders to develop and implement solutions that address the needs of all affected populations. Additionally, the Council should make climate change a central focus of its deliberations on conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Sierra Leone recognizes the nexus between climate change, peace and security and welcomes the Council’s continuing consideration of climate change security risks and this debate on climate change, peace and security and implications for international peace and security. Sierra Leone, a developing African coastal State, as with other small island developing States, is vulnerable to climate change. In that regard, Sierra Leone during its tenure in the Security Council will prioritize the continuing consideration and engagement on climate security and risks as an imperative. In view of that, the Security Council can better integrate the impact of climate change on peace and security into its conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding efforts in the following ways.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for convening this important open debate. The delegation of Sierra Leone congratulates you, Madam President, on assuming the presidency of the Council for the month of June 2023. I also thank the briefers for their important contributions. Sierra Leone uses this opportunity to express its profound gratitude to the Member States of the United Nations for their trust in the election of Sierra Leone as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2024 to 2025 term. We look forward to joining the members of the Council in the discharge of its important mandate.”
2023-06-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9345Resumption1 (2023) · source
“In order to futureproof trust and sustain peace, we need to take into consideration the steps we have highlighted, among others, to strengthen trust and make it more resilient.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That requires confronting issues such as inequality, exclusion, discrimination and marginalization, as well as working to promote social cohesion and inclusion. Sixthly, we should foster international cooperation, which is a vital part of building trust and sustaining peace. Governments and other stakeholders should work to address global challenges, including climate change, poverty, terrorism and conflict, as well as promoting international norms and standards that support peace and security. In conclusion, trust is essential for peace. When people and countries trust each other, they are more likely to cooperate and resolve their differences peacefully. However, trust can be fragile and easily broken.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Economic development can help to create opportunities and reduce poverty, which in turn can reduce tensions and promote peace. Governments and other stakeholders should prioritize policies and programmes that promote economic development, job creation and social protection. In that regard, reforming the international financial system is fundamental. Fourthly, we should strengthen institutions. Strong and accountable institutions are critical to building trust and sustaining peace. Member States and other stakeholders, such as international financial institutions, should invest in institutions that promote the rule of law, human rights and good governance and that are responsive to people’s needs. Fifthly, we should address the root causes of conflict, which are vital if we are to futureproof trust and sustain peace.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“First, we should promote inclusive dialogue and participation, which are crucial to building trust between countries, including among marginalized groups and communities within those countries. Governments and other stakeholders should create platforms and mechanisms that enable communities to engage in dialogue, participate in decision-making and hold Governments accountable. Secondly, we should invest in education and information, both of them essential tools for building trust and promoting peace. Member States and other stakeholders should pursue education and information programmes that promote understanding and tolerance and counter hate speech and misinformation. Thirdly, we should foster economic development.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“That view is definitely in line with resolution 2282 (2016) and General Assembly resolution 70/262, twin resolutions on the review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture adopted in 2016. For our part, at the domestic level, Sierra Leone recently established and operationalized the Commission for Peace and National Cohesion, with a mandate to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts, build, promote and maintain trust and sustainable peace and advise the Government on all aspects of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Futureproofing trust to sustain peace requires a multifaceted approach that involves various actors, including Governments, international organizations, civil society and communities. With regard to the United Nations system’s part, we would like to point to some of the steps that can be pursued.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I congratulate you, Madam President, and the delegation of Switzerland on assuming your maiden presidency of the Security Council and thank you for convening this important open debate. I also thank the briefers for their important contributions. Futureproofing trust for sustaining peace is a timely and relevant topic given our present-day reality as we strive to strengthen multilateralism and build trust in the multilateral rules-based system. That in turn has to led to a situation in which peace and security can be maintained and conflicts prevented. Sierra Leone strongly believes that the international community, including the United Nations system, can do more to build peaceful and resilient societies.”
2023-05-03 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9315Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Sierra Leone has undertaken a number of development initiatives since the end of our civil conflict more than two decades ago, not least the implementation of three poverty reduction strategies and our current medium-term national development plan, which is focused on human capital development and prioritizes education. That has had a direct correlation to the consolidation of peace and stability in Sierra Leone over the years. Let me conclude by emphasizing the link between development and silencing the guns, which cannot be overstated. Governments are urged to allocate adequate resources to implement development policies and priorities, foster a conducive environment for private-sector growth and job creation and take all necessary measures to mitigate against and prevent the drivers of conflict.”
2023-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9299Resumption1 (2023) · source
“A comprehensive and inclusive approach to preventing conflict must therefore include the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and development policies that tangibly benefit and transform the lives of ordinary people on the continent. The impact of development policies on the implementation of the Silencing the Guns initiative should be positive, but they can be negative as well. In cases where development policies tend to benefit a minority of persons in a particular country, the consequences might lead to inequality and conflict. The goal is to frame and implement development policies to generate positive impacts, leading to stability and prosperity.”
2023-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9299Resumption1 (2023) · source
“It is critically important for Africa and its people to put in place strategic guidelines to address those challenges. Sierra Leone therefore appreciates the convening of this debate, which presents an opportunity to propose multidimensional approaches and solutions to silencing the guns in Africa. While a lack of good governance, along with economic challenges and marginalization from political processes, is behind some of the root causes of conflict across much of Africa, there is a need to focus on prevention as a way of addressing both the proximate and the remote causes of those conflicts. Of course, solutions to conflict situations on the continent must be expressly diagnosed and the root causes targeted and addressed.”
2023-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9299Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for convening this important open debate on peace and security in Africa, focusing on the impact of development policies in the implementation of the Silencing the Guns initiative. Let me also congratulate you and the delegation of Mozambique on your sterling leadership and conduct of the presidency of the Security Council during this month. And I thank the briefers for their very important contributions. The African Union Master Roadmap on silencing the guns in Africa highlights that the cycle of violent conflicts and disruptive crises persists on the continent, as do situations where we have seen relapses into a cycle of violence and destruction for some countries that were perceived to have emerged from conflicts.”
2023-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9299Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Sierra Leone therefore welcomes the study of the topic of sea level rise in relation to international law by the International Law Commission. The study by the Commission, which is legal in nature, exemplifies the critical synergy that can be developed through a whole-of-United-Nations approach as part of the preventive mechanisms. Let me conclude by expressing Sierra Leone’s commitment to pursue constructive engagement on climate change, peace and security, including ocean- related climate security, noting the nexus related to peacebuilding and addressing fragility and the potential disproportionate impacts on women and children.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source
“We therefore acknowledge the work and efforts to integrate climate change language into country- and region-specific outcomes. We call for a climate change approach to both case-specific and thematic issues, noting the developments in 2022, including the expressed concerns that climate change is a risk multiplier that can exacerbate insecurity. Having agreed on the need to combat climate change, the Security Council must unite around the role that it must play in addressing the threat under its mandate and in appropriate circumstances. On sea level rise, appropriate attention must be paid by the Security Council to the identifiable ocean- related climate security risks and threats, including loss of territory, the attendant humanitarian consequences, State sovereignty, statehood and maritime delimitation and disputes.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source
“In the ongoing consultations within the General Assembly to request an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in relation to climate change, an initiative led by Vanuatu and of which Sierra Leone is a core member, recognition has been duly given to the unprecedented challenge of civilizational proportions of climate change, requiring an immediate and urgent response. That response must be comprehensive and multidimensional, taking a whole-of-United-Nations approach to addressing climate change and its effects. Sierra Leone notes the sustained efforts to continue the Security Council’s engagement on the security implications of climate change, particularly following its 13 December 2021 vote on the thematic draft resolution contained in document S/2021/990, proposed by Ireland and the Niger.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for convening this important open debate of the Security Council. The delegation of Sierra Leone congratulates Malta on its election to the Security Council and its assumption of the presidency. I also thank the briefers for their important contributions. Sierra Leone recognizes the nexus between climate change and peace and security, and welcomes the debate on sea level rise and implications for international peace and security. Given the acute awareness of the vulnerability of States, in particular developing costal States and small island developing States, to climate change, in its bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the term 2024–2025 Sierra Leone has prioritized the serious consideration of and robust engagement on climate security and risks as an imperative.”
2023-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9260Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Finally, as the old cliche goes, there can be no peace without development and no development without peace. Together we are stronger, and it is much easier to sustain peace with all stakeholders on board than when some are excluded and marginalized.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“In that regard, my Government has identified strengthening national cohesion as a top priority for promoting unity within the country. With that in mind, in May we launched a presidential initiative that was heralded by a national conference on peacebuilding, diversity management and rebuilding national cohesion. That will soon be followed by the creation of an independent commission for peace and national cohesion, to be established by an act of Parliament later this year or early next year. The support of the United Nations in that regard will be highly appreciated. In building peace and national reconciliation and avoiding polarization, it is critical that all stakeholders, citizens, Governments, politicians, civil society, the private sector, women and young people are all engaged in the national development process.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“The Special Court represents an acknowledgement of the intrinsic link connecting reconciliation, justice, the need to fight impunity, the promotion of the rule of law and the preservation ofpeace and stability in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is therefore proud to be a pioneer that puts into practice two transitional mechanisms. We took that unfamiliar path because of our genuine desire to consolidate peace and seek justice for victims. The two mechanisms have unquestionably been a positive force in terms of sustaining peace for our country. It is critically important that we understand and address the ways in which mutual mistrust, suspicion, anger and animosity spill over into the priorities of national development, such as fighting corruption and attracting foreign investment.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“Together with the Commission, the Special Court for Sierra Leone was established, through the partnership and assistance of the United Nations, to bring to justice those who bore the greatest responsibility for the serious crimes committed during the war. It achieved that objective and completed its operations in Sierra Leone in 2013. The Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone was established 2013 to oversee the continuing legal obligations of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. We are indeed grateful to United Nations Member States for their continued support in terms of the subvention to the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone under the item "Proposed programme budget for the year 2020" on the agenda of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“In the 1990s, Sierra Leone was embroiled in a brutal civil war, which left tens of thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. At the end of the war, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Sierra Leone was set up to not only expose perpetrators and identify victims, but also to serve as a mirror through which all Sierra Leoneans examined their own roles in the conflict. The dialogue helped the victims to face their perpetrators, as well as to reconcile and move on with their lives. The findings of the Commission encouraged Sierra Leoneans to believe that the past must never be forgotten. The Commission's recommendations touched on every aspect of the lives of Sierra Leoneans. Its final report served as a road map for building a new society in which all Sierra Leoneans can walk unafraid with pride and dignity.”
2019-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8668Resumption1 (2019) · source
“As part of the cooperative efforts, my delegation has taken the initiative to solicit financial support from African States and States members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. That is the message from Sierra Leone.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source
“We - the Government, the people and the Special Court itself - have all played, and continue to play, our part to bring an end to impunity in Sierra Leone. The Council has also played its part. The journey has been long, but it is not over yet. The international community, and in particular the States that make up the international community, must give the Special Court the financial stability it needs to see the trials through to the very end of the appeals process, to support the legacy work of the Court and to ensure its ability to engage the people of Sierra Leone, particularly now that an important part of its work is taking place so far away from home. In conclusion, we are convinced that no one State or group of States can mobilize resources all by themselves.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source
“But we must all bear in mind also that the administration of justice is not free. When my President called for justice, and when that call was answered by the international community, it raised the expectations of the people of my country. They expected, and continue to expect, fair justice, impartial justice and independent justice. They expect cases to be concluded, judgements to be issued and appeals to be heard and decided upon, so that we will finally have acknowledgement of the responsibility of those who planned and unleashed horrific crimes upon the people of Sierra Leone. The promises made just seven years ago must be honoured. We call upon all present here, and upon the international community as a whole, to honour those promises.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source
“It brings challenges of ensuring its ongoing independence and its perception of being independent, given that the trial is taking place on the premises of the International Criminal Court. It brings challenges of logistics and challenges of the law. We are confident that the Special Court will rise to those challenges, as it has risen to other challenges in the past. But the one challenge it has always faced, and one which it continues to face, is a challenge that the Special Court cannot overcome alone. The administration of justice does not have to be expensive; we hear too much about money. One of the distinguishing features of the Special Court has been its ability to do its work on a limited budget, a budget that has consistently been far lower than those of other international courts and tribunals.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source
“The life of the Special Court has been characterized by milestones and challenges. Its latest milestone, just a few days ago, was the commencement of the trial of a former head of State - the first African head of State to be brought to trial for serious violations of international humanitarian law - whose antics threatened not only his own country but also its neighbours, including Sierra Leone. But that milestone brings with it its own challenges, as the trial is taking place not in Freetown but in The Hague. It brings challenges of ensuring that the people of Sierra Leone have the access they have come to expect to trials being conducted on their behalf.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source
“I would be remiss were I not to highlight the critical role that the Special Court has played in helping us to maintain and strengthen peace in our country. Even before it came into existence, the very idea of the Special Court was an important factor in the cessation of hostilities. Indeed, the weapons-burning ceremony marking the end of the war took place only a few days after the signing of the Agreement on the establishment of the Special Court by the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone, who is now the Vice-President, Mr. Solomon Ekuma Berewa, and Mr. Hans Corell, who at the time was the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs. Never before has the link between peace and justice been so clear. Let it stand as a reminder and as an admonition to those who would seek to drive a wedge between the two.”
2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source