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

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  1. “As His Excellency President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah said earlier this year during his address to the nation on the occasion of the forty-sixth anniversary of the independence of our beloved country, Sierra Leone has come a long way and should be proud, and it has remained united in the face of adversity. We have remained united as a democracy, and the basic democratic principles by which we live our lives have been, to a very large extent, enhanced by the presence of the Special Court, as an independent institution seeking to administer the rule of law. For all our strength and for all our determination that Sierra Leone should never fall back into those days of despair, we have not achieved our goal of sustainable peace on our own.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  2. “That is a real and tangible example of the legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which will serve the people and indeed the world for decades to come. The Special Court began its work in mid-2002, just a few months after the last presidential and parliamentary elections in my country. We had just secured peace at that time and there were some who voiced concerns that the situation was not stable enough to support the work of the Court; others were concerned that the Special Court would undermine the peace process we had worked so hard to secure. Neither fear came to pass. Now, in just a couple of months, we will again have general elections in my country, in an atmosphere of stable peace.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  3. “But the Special Court has gone one step further, establishing a working group on legacy to strengthen its impact on the rule of law and to play an active role in promoting initiatives to reach the same goal. At the end of 2006, for example, as part of its legacy work, the Special Court was instrumental in the holding of a national consultative conference organized by the international non- governmental organization No Peace Without Justice and the Sierra Leone non-governmental organization Manifesto 99, with the active support and participation of the Government of Sierra Leone, on implementing legislation for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. As a result of that Conference, draft legislation has now been prepared and we anticipate that it will become part of the laws of Sierra Leone early next year.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  4. “That is why the Special Court is based in Freetown, and that is why the Court was called upon to implement a robust outreach programme which has grown from strength to strength under the leadership of the Court's outreach coordinator. That is why, in answer to the calls from ordinary Sierra Leoneans, the Court has been looking at its legacy and at what added benefit it can bring beyond its judicial work. The mere presence of the Special Court, with its mandate to identify those who bear the greatest responsibility for the crimes committed in Sierra Leone and to apply the rules to them equally, no matter who they are, has been a catalyst for the establishment of the rule of law in my country.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  5. “That support has been grounded on the equally strong belief that, in order to do its work, the Special Court must both be and be perceived as being independent, impartial and fair. I will not address the last two matters because they are for history and legal historians to judge, but I will say that, from our perspective, the independence of the Court has been a critical factor in its ability to do its work and to reach the people of Sierra Leone. That has not come about by chance. From the very beginning, the people of Sierra Leone were at the forefront of those who called for the establishment of the Special Court.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  6. “We remain grateful for the quick response to His Excellency's request and we are proud to have seen the Special Court develop into a fully fledged international court, with many of its practices recognized as an example of how international criminal justice could and should be administered and of how to engage the population and maximize the impact of its work on those who suffered so dreadfully during those terrible years of conflict. My Government has never wavered in its support for the Special Court, as we believed and continue to believe that justice is necessary for Sierra Leone to address and overcome its past and again become one of the brightest jewels of West Africa.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  7. “We thank you, Sir, for convening this important meeting on the Special Court for Sierra Leone. We also welcome the presence here of the President of the Court, George Gelaga King; the Prosecutor, Mr. Stephen Rapp; and the Acting Registrar of the Court, Mr. Herman von Hebel. We also welcome the participation of the Deputy Secretary-General in this debate. It has now been five years since the Special Court for Sierra Leone was established and seven years since the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, requested the assistance of the United Nations and the international community to help our country answer the cries for justice from our people.”

    2007-06-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5690 (2007) · source

  8. “Even though much has been achieved with regard to strengthening international law and the rule of law within and across States, much more remains to be done. The rule of law in international relations calls for respect for the Charter of the United Nations and respect for conventions to which States are parties, and even the resolutions of the Security Council under Chapter VII require compliance. In conclusion, my delegation calls on the international community, especially the newly established Peacebuilding Commission, to embrace the Justice Rapid Response mechanism as one means of strengthening international law, the rule of law and the maintenance of international peace and security.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  9. “The development and reinforcement of the principles of international law, especially in the realm of transitional justice, have not been accompanied in equal measure by practical assistance to help States or international organizations meet their responsibilities. Indeed, the principle of complementarity, enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, provides for prosecution by States of crimes covered by the Statute, except where they are unwilling or unable to carry out such prosecutions. I can say that there are States that are indeed willing to prosecute heinous crimes but that do not have the capacity to do so. The Justice Rapid Response mechanism can fill that gap by providing the requisite assistance to such States.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  10. “I call on the international community to respond positively to the clarion call of the Secretary-General for financial contributions to the Special Court. The experience of Sierra Leone and other countries emerging from conflict clearly indicates that there is a gap in the international community's response to impunity, especially within a relatively 06-4010] short time. The Justice Rapid Response initiative is one mechanism proposed by like-minded States - including my country, Sierra Leone - to fill the gaps in the international community's ability to address accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and to ensure that international law, the rule of law and justice play an integral part in post- conflict peacebuilding.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  11. “Indeed, the corpus of opinio iuris sive necessitas of the Assembly has played a significant role in strengthening international law and contributing to its progressive development and codification. The Assembly has initiated and adopted a number of conventions that have greatly contributed to the strengthening of international law, the rule of law and the maintenance of international peace and security. The Assembly has also enhanced the rule of law in international relations by adopting important resolutions in that regard. Let me digress a bit and make a plea for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The Court now has Charles Taylor in its custody. The Court requires financial resources to complete its mandate.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  12. “That, in effect, means that the international community has an effective and independent means of strengthening international law and putting an end to the culture of impunity. The perpetrators of heinous crimes can run, but they cannot hide. My delegation calls on all those States that have not done so to become parties to the Statute of the International Criminal Court. We believe the Court has sufficient safeguards to convince them to become parties to the 1998 Rome Statute. While the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, strengthening international law is not the exclusive domain of this organ; the General Assembly and its organs have an important role to play in that regard.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  13. “Those ad hoc tribunals have sent a loud and clear message to those who bear the greatest responsibility for heinous crimes that prick the conscience of humankind: impunity can no longer be tolerated. The ad hoc tribunals have been encumbered 2 by a variety of problems that are the direct consequence of their ad hoc character. Nevertheless, they too have contributed in their own way to the enhancement of international peace, regional stability and reconciliation. The experience of the ad hoc tribunals has made it essentially clear that a permanent international tribunal can enhance the cause of international law, the rule of law and justice. The international community now has a permanent International Criminal Court, and cases are now on its dockets.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  14. “In recent times, the international community has realized that if we are to prevent conflict or relapse into conflict, the promotion of the rule of law is a top priority. The Security Council is the principal organ responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, and that role is intrinsically connected to the promotion of international law and the rule of law in international relations. The nexus between justice and the rule of law is the very foundation for the strengthening of international law and the maintenance of international peace and security. In the past several years, the Council has established ad hoc tribunals to deal with serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  15. “We thank the Danish presidency for convening this important debate. The presence here today of the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs is an indication of the importance that Denmark attaches to international law issues. In the same vein, we also thank Judge Higgins, President of the International Court of Justice, and Mr. Michel, the United Nations Legal Counsel, for their eloquent contributions to the debate. My country, Sierra Leone, attaches great importance to international law, the rule of law and justice; hence the request made in June 2000 by my President, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, for the establishment of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The restoration of the rule of law in a society that has experienced conflict over a period of time is essential for the sustainable resolution of conflict and rebuilding a just society.”

    2006-06-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5474Resumption1 (2006) · source

  16. “He said inter alia that the International Criminal Court "must serve as a bastion against tyranny and lawlessness, and as a building block in the global architecture of collective security." The Sierra Leone delegation subscribes to that view.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  17. “Sierra Leone believes that accountability, reconciliation and reintegration can be achieved through the rule of law. The rule of law is the only way to move forward and rebuild a thriving and peaceful democratic society. Accounting for our past and attributing individual criminal liability to those most responsible for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are sure ways for the United Nations to foster justice and the rule of law, as the United Nations is an instrument of justice and the rule of law. In conclusion, let me remind this body of what the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan said in September last year before the first session of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  18. “This delegation does not believe that those individuals will engage in frivolous and vexatious prosecutions and thus betray the collective confidence entrusted to them by humankind. The International Criminal Court is the tool that can be instrumental not only in bringing to justice war criminals but also in disseminating the notion of individual criminal justice for egregious crimes. The Court furthers the Security Council's goal of maintaining international peace and security. It is not a threat to the sovereignty of States. In this delegation's View, the principle of complementarity ensures the sanctity of the sovereignty of States. It is only when States are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute that the ICC will intervene.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  19. “Sadly, despite this expression of determination by the international community to establish a just legal order, the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has not enjoyed full universality. This delegation calls on all States, and these include our dear friends, members of the Security Council, who are not parties to the Statute to sign and ratify the Statute as a matter of urgency. This will demonstrate their commitment to the promotion of justice and the rule of law in international relations. The Judges, the Prosecutor, his deputy and the Registrar of the Court have all been elected. Those eminent persons represent the collective wish of mankind to end impunity and foster the rule of law in international relations.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  20. “However, establishing and promoting justice and the rule of law require resources, for justice and the rule of law are not cheap. They are expensive to attain. In this regard, let me digress and make a plea for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The Court needs resources and we call on all States to contribute to the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The Court is an important mechanism for the restoration of peace and the rule of law in Sierra Leone. For decades, the international community has been trying to set up a court that will bring justice to victims of heinous crimes and bring an end to the culture of impunity. The international community now has an International Criminal Court that is fully operational. There are now over ninety States that are parties to the Court's Statute.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  21. “Our continent of Africa, in particular our subregion of West Africa, has suffered unimaginable wrongs, not only in terms of the loss of human life but also in the erosion of the rule of law. My delegation believes that the absence of the rule of law creates an atmosphere in which gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law are often accepted and encouraged with impunity. We in developing countries need the rule of law in order to live in a peaceful and just society. But durable and sustainable peace is something we cannot achieve without the help and assistance of developed countries, which need to show more leadership in the respect of the rule of law, both nationally and internationally. An effective rule of law is the sine qua non for justice and therefore, for accountability.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  22. “I thank the United Kingdom, President of the Security Council, for organizing this timely meeting. The Sierra Leone delegation also thanks the Secretary-General and the Office of Legal Affairs for their contributions to the promotion of the rule of law in international relations. The Security Council is the principal organ for the maintenance of international peace and security and this role is intrinsically linked to the promotion of justice and the rule of law. This delegation also believes that justice and the rule of law are essential elements for building peace and democracy. In this effort, the United Nations, and, in particular the Security Council, must be consistent and firm in its application of international instruments relating to the observance, promotion and protection of human rights and international humanitarian law.”

    2003-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4835 (2003) · source

  23. “While special school feeding programmes are very positive initiatives that help both boy and girl students to learn in better conditions, special efforts are still needed to get more girls to enter school and to improve their attendance, thereby eliminating a form of discrimination. In conclusion, the Sierra Leone delegation wishes to emphasize again its belief that the regional approach to the prevention and resolution of conflicts is an efficient one that requires thorough cooperation with the subregional and international community.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  24. “The public service is weak in a country that has experienced years of civil war, not to say sometimes non-existent, and strengthening those countries' capacity is one of the critical contributions that the United Nations - especially this Working Group - can make in assisting these countries to direct and manage their own development. The work of the Economic Commission for Africa in enhancing the administrative capacity of African countries is commendable. Building the capacity required for the consolidation of democratic practices and institutions is also of crucial importance. The importance of creating small- and medium- sized enterprises in Africa in order to increase the employment prospects of the underemployed and unemployed needs to be given continued attention.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  25. “Indeed, in Sierra Leone, the illicit trade in arms and diamonds has shown to be a major element fuelling the conflict. An effective way for the United Nations to assist African countries in the area of peace-building is to combine measures in support of peace-building and longer-term development in a comprehensive and coherent response. A critical element of forging national reconciliation and social cohesion is to promote a culture of peace, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has a leading role in that field. We can only agree with the importance of disseminating the culture of peace among parliamentarians and members of the armed and police forces as well, in particular when many of them were ex-combatants and joined a reintegration programme.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  26. “The report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa highlighted the critical nexus between peace and development and advanced a comprehensive and integrated approach to conflict prevention, poverty eradication and development. That approach has been accepted by the international community, including African countries themselves, as a framework for the provision of support to Africa. Indeed, Sierra Leone, based on its own painful experience, confirms that peace, democracy and good governance are prerequisites for sustainable development in any African country. One of the elements contributing to violent conflict in Africa is the rapid accumulation, illicit sale and indiscriminate use of small arms, which aggravate conflict situations.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  27. “It ought to properly integrate all the economic, social and political problems that create conflict and poverty. Sierra Leone wishes to acknowledge the support provided for certain African initiatives to resolve disputes. In this respect, we would like to pay tribute to the United Nations Development Program for its contribution to the Mano River Women's Peace Network. Another example is the work of the United Nations Development Fund for Women towards gender mainstreaming in its peace programme in East Africa, Central Africa and the Horn of Africa, facilitating women's participation in peace and reconciliation meetings and negotiations, and supporting their involvement in advocacy for peace. We strongly encourage its further development in the rest of the African region.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  28. “However, as long as the situation in neighbouring countries, such as Liberia and Guinea-Bissau, remains dire, the threat of instability spilling back into Sierra Leone is still very real. Equally, the huge number of refugees and internally displaced persons still on the move in a number of countries in West Africa troubles us. In that sense, it has always been our view that the efforts of subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, in the context of Chapter VIII of the Charter are absolutely essential and that cooperation should be given a very practical focus. Indeed, the subregional organization's efforts must continue to be enhanced. The Council should not, however, concentrate only on conflict.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  29. “The Council needs to maintain its attention, as it has done in the past, on the overall regional problems. West Africa, in particular, is a region where the intricate net of individual conflicts, fed by poverty, has heightened the risk of the region becoming the world's first failed region. Sierra Leone has preoccupied the Council over the past few years, but today I can assure you that, thanks to the constant involvement of the United Nations, the Sierra Leonean people have been given hope. The imminent establishment of the Special Court and the peacefully held presidential and legislative elections are testimony enough to encourage the Council to further support the peace process.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  30. “The report of the Secretary- General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa - which was considered by the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council - contains a series of specific as well as broad recommendations on issues ranging from post-conflict peace-building to the mobilization of resources for development. We also salute the importance of the follow-up work of the Open-Ended Ad Hoc Working Group of the General Assembly on the Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa. The causes and solutions to conflicts in African countries are nearly always linked to a wider, regional problem of instability.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source

  31. “I would like to thank the Security Council, and in particular you yourself, Sir, for organizing today's debate and for inviting Sierra Leone to participate in it, and to express my delegation's satisfaction at seeing you preside over such an important meeting. Our appreciation also goes to the Chairman of the ad hoc Working Group, the Ambassador of Mauritius, for his initiative. Since this is the first time my delegation is taking the floor since the election of the new members of the Council - Bulgaria, Cameroon, Guinea, Mexico and the Syrian Arab Republic - we would also like to salute their election and to wish them all success in the fulfilment of their arduous mandate. Today's debate certainly attests to the Security Council's commitment to seeking long-term solutions to the problems of Africa.”

    2002-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4538Resumption1 (2002) · source