YouSaid · the spoken record

Kasanda

lines on the record: 93
first: 1996-02-06
most recent: 2000-03-15
sittings or episodes: 13
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

“To this effect, my Government will fully cooperate with all efforts by the international community to ensure compliance with the Security Council sanctions against UNITA. With regard to the contents of the report itself, I wish to state that a number of the suggestions and recommendations made will certainly prove effective in ensuring that sanctions are further tightened in order to completely diminish UNITA's ability to wage war. The report, however, has just come out, and many Governments, including my own, have not had a chance to study and consider it fully. My Government will therefore comment on the report at an appropriate time.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“My delegation wishes to congratulate the Panel of Experts on violations of Security Council sanctions against UNITA for the great amount of work they put into compiling the report which is before the Security Council today. Special thanks, of course, go to Ambassador Fowler for the leadership role he continues to play to ensure that the sanctions imposed by the Security Council against UNITA not only remain effective but are tightened. My delegation wishes to reiterate the Zambian Government's commitment to ensuring peace in our region. As such, we will remain opposed to actions that could reinforce conflict in neighbouring countries. Peace and stability must return to Angola without any further suffering of the Angolan people.”
2000-03-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4113Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Africa must have access to affordable drugs that prolong the lives of people with HIV, together with treatment for opportunistic infections that occur in people with AIDS. There are also the problems of dual infections, such as HIV infection concurrent with tuberculosis or with other sexually transmitted diseases. There is also the problem of mother-to-child transmission. All of these can be prevented only if appropriate and affordable drugs are available. The Zambian delegation values the discussion that has taken place today on a subject that is so vital to human development, and my delegation shares your hope, Mr. President, that the dialogue that has begun today will be continued in the Council's later work.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We must hope that this example will be emulated by other Governments and international financial institutions. The next track of international support to Africa lies in a renewed commitment to increase official development assistance to Africa. In this regard, it is our belief that development assistance from donors could include specific components for AIDS-related activities. There is also the eternal problem of the debt burden of African countries. Scarce resources continue to be spent on servicing the debt. If the war against AIDS is to be meaningful, a comprehensive and lasting solution must be urgently found to the debt problem. Creditor nations have the capacity and the will to bring about positive change and make a difference in this regard. The last area in which international support is required is treatment and drugs.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Education not only removes the stigma on the AIDS condition but also leads to favourable and positive change in behaviour patterns by groups most at risk. The next stage in the fight against the AIDS pandemic is international support. The world and Africa must fight the disease as partners. International partnerships in research activity and treatment already in place must be strengthened, improved and better coordinated. In the end, however, it is the lack of financial resources that is proving the greatest obstacle to success in the war against AIDS. At this juncture, my delegation would like to thank the United States Government for the contribution which the Vice-President announced this morning to the global war against the AIDS pandemic.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“We must recognize the disease for what it is: a threat to our very survival as viable nations. Secondly, we must step up the effort that we are engaged in to discontinue traditional or cultural practices that encourage the spread of HIV/AIDS. Thirdly, we must reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. We must embrace people living with AIDS and recognize them as equal members of society. The conspiracy of silence must be broken and we must begin treating AIDS like any other disease that must be openly confronted. Fourthly, AIDS education should form an essential part of the curricula in our schools. We must openly discuss, in the workplace, the prevention and treatment of AIDS, and care for those living with AIDS.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“The AIDS scourge is threatening the very foundations of African societies, threatening economic and social stability and, in the end, leading to political instability throughout the continent. In this new millennium, HIV/AIDS will constitute the key factor that will determine the pace and quality of our development, well-being and survival. It is clear from what we have heard this morning and this afternoon that the AIDS pandemic presents the greatest challenge not only to Africa, but to the international community as a whole. A number of responses have been offered by many speakers today. However, my delegation would like to emphasize several points. I will start with African countries. In this regard, the most important first step, as we see it, is political commitment.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“My delegation is particularly grateful for the fact that the first Council meeting of the new millennium has dealt with this high-profile discussion on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. We thank you very much, Mr. President, for making this possible. There is no doubt that the AIDS epidemic is having a negative impact on the sustainable development of African countries. It destroys the most productive sector of African populations. Technicians, teachers, factory workers, doctors - all fall victim to this pandemic. Virtually no aspect of public or private life remains untouched by its devastating impact. The disruption of the social fabric of African communities is immense. The numbers of orphaned children, street kids and households headed by teenagers who are themselves HIV-positive are all on the increase throughout Africa.”
2000-01-10 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4087Resumption1 (2000) · source
“Voluntary moratoriums on arms exports do not work. It is therefore absolutely necessary publicly to expose private companies and national Governments that put profit before human lives. Public censure, we believe, cannot fail to be a positive instrument for conflict reduction.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is not difficult to see that it is very hard for a force of that strength to carry out normal peacekeeping duties and then carry out the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme as well. With respect to additional instruments, I agree with Ambassador Fowler of Canada that it is not a question of additional instruments; it is more a question of improving the quality of the measures already in place. Ambassador Fowler's new and improved sanctions regime against UNITA is a case in point, and my delegation looks forward to the publication of the sanctions Committee's report in February 2000. As mentioned by several delegations in one form or another, where our action is necessary is in providing a mechanism to investigate arms trafficking and to stop arms from being exported to areas of conflict in Africa.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“As the representative of India said, one hopes that these meetings are not essentially symbolic, but that the Council will actually look at what its visitors - those it is consulting - say and will consider it and see what it can do with it. As to the means of African peacekeeping, we should look at the peace missions themselves. Here, planning should be comprehensive, and missions should be mandated for periods longer than the traditional three to six months, a period that is too short properly to assess the chances of a mission's success or failure. Also, the strength of a mission should be commensurate with the job to be performed. For example, we are told that in Sierra Leone combatants number about 45,000; the United Nations force that has been put in place numbers about 6,000.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The OAU, however, is essentially a political organization, and its military and logistical capacity for conflict prevention and resolution are limited. It is in that area, therefore, that support is critically needed. We believe also that the Council should widen its sources in the consultative process. I refer to the need to involve parties closely affected by a conflict that the Council is considering. Here, Irecall the Security Council meeting held on 21 September 1999, at which the President of Zambia, who served as mediator on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, had a very useful exchange with the Council.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The Council must banish the shadow of Somalia, which led to such a negative reaction to the Rwandan tragedy and which has continued to haunt new efforts at conflict reduction and prevention in Africa. We hope that the time has come when the Security Council will not hesitate to summon the political will necessary to address conflict situations in Africa now and in the future. With regard to cooperation between the Security Council and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), my delegation is in agreement with several suggestions already made by many delegations, such as encouraging more visits by the OAU Secretary-General and his officials to consult with the Council on matters of common interest.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“My delegation joins with previous speakers in thanking you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting. Fortunately, what started as an experiment under the Dutch presidency is now developing into what could become a tangible practice, which we hope will be part of the Council's culture of business. My delegation listened with great interest to the contributions on the subject before us by many delegations this morning and this afternoon. We welcome the frank admissions that the Council has been hesitant and sometimes unwilling to take effective and timely action relative to conflict situations in Africa. We welcome the apparent new commitment on the part of Council members to afford Africa and its problems the priority attention they deserve.”
1999-12-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4081Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Failure to have a clear mandate for the peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, failure to have a force strong enough to carry out the mandate and failure to deploy the force under Chapter VII will only serve to reinforce the perception that conflict in Africa does not command the same priority as that attached to hot spots elsewhere in the world. I would like to conclude my contribution by referring once again to the Secretary-General's report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The observations and recommendations made by the Secretary-General in that report continue to be relevant. They provide ready options for the Security Council in its role of enhancing peace and security by preventing armed conflicts.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The situation on the ground demands quick action by the Security Council in order to prevent the development of a vacuum that could easily be filled by forces working against peace in the region. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest land mass area in Africa. The nature of the conflict is also complex. Africa expects that the envisaged peacekeeping force to be deployed will be of an appropriate size with a clear mandate. Such a force must be deployed under Chapter VII of the Charter, as envisaged in the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. Indeed, such a peacekeeping force must be several times larger than that mandated for East Timor. We call upon the Council to summon the necessary political will to also commit the financial resources that will enable such a force to carry out its mandate.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“I am referring to the Security Council's approval of the deployment of up to 90 military liaison officers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, as required, to the belligerent and other neighbouring States. Zambia is, however, gravely concerned that the Security Council is not moving quickly enough to authorize the second stage of the deployment of 500 military observers. We believe very strongly that the delay is sending the wrong message to all the parties involved in the conflict. There is a real danger now that the peace process, so delicately nurtured, could unravel. We call upon the Council to take action on the second stage of the peace process. Indeed, the third stage, involving the creation of a peacekeeping force, is itself unnecessarily being held hostage to preoccupations with demands for security guarantees.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“While on the subject, my delegation expresses gratitude to all those countries that have extended financial support to the Joint Military Commission. The JMC will need continued support from the international community for it to effectively carry out its responsibilities under the Lusaka Agreement. The successful implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement offers the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbours a chance to enjoy genuine peace and stability. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. The continued support of the Security Council is therefore not only expected but imperative. My delegation welcomes the positive steps already taken by the Council relative to United Nations deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“These initiatives, without doubt, are an indication of the determination of African leaders to search for lasting solutions to the continent's problems. These efforts, however, are complementary and are not meant to absolve the Security Council of its responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the world, Africa included. Having authorized a peace Mission for Sierra Leone, the Security Council now has a great opportunity to prevent the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from developing into a wider conflagration in Central Africa. As already noted, a Ceasefire Agreement is already in place and the Joint Military Commission (JMC) has begun to lay the basic infrastructure in the implementation of that Agreement.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is difficult for the Security Council to escape the perception of a double standard in the treatment of conflicts in Africa as opposed to those in other regions of the world. In this area of preventing and halting conflict, African leaders have shown willingness to take risks for peace. They have taken initiatives to deal with threats to peace and stability on the continent. Through its Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, and along with two subregional groupings - the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - the Organization of African Unity has succeeded in concluding ceasefire agreements in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Sierra Leone.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The Council should be seen to be fair and even- handed as it executes its responsibilities in the maintenance of international peace and security. Last month the Security Council adopted resolutions establishing two peacekeeping missions, one in Sierra Leone and another in East Timor. For Sierra Leone, with an area of 71,740 square kilometres, the Security Council decided that the military component should comprise a maximum of only 6,000 military personnel, including 260 military observers. And yet in the case of East Timor, with an area of less than 5,000 square kilometres, the Council authorized a military contingent of up to 8,950 troops and up to 200 military observers.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The Security Council would do well to heed the Secretary-General's advice. The second role is that of strengthening sanctions regimes. In this respect my delegation would like once again to congratulate Ambassador Fowler, the Chairman of the Security Council sanctions Committee relative to UNITA, for breathing new life into the international sanctions against that illegal organization, which has caused so much suffering to the Angolan people and which has contributed to the destabilization of that region of Africa. Another area that holds a distinct role for the Security Council in the prevention of armed conflict is that of peacekeeping. In this area, the Security Council should as a matter of principle give equal treatment to all conflict situations regardless of the geographical location of the conflict.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“There are clear roles for the Security Council in stopping the flow of the small arms that fuel armed conflict not only in Africa but in many other parts of the world. First, the Security Council, through the creation of appropriate mechanisms, should publicly identify private arms merchants and the zones of conflict that form the markets for their illicit arms. Exposure would constitute international condemnation and censure of these merchants of death and thereby help to stop the trade in this category of weapons. In his report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (S/l998/318), the Secretary-General was unequivocal in urging the Security Council to address this issue of the identification of international arms merchants as a matter of urgent priority.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The proliferation of small arms and light weapons has contributed to and prolonged many of the conflicts in Africa. My Government is concerned about the current high level of proliferation of and trafficking in small arms and light weapons in Africa. According to recent statistics released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, conflicts in Africa have generated more than 8 million of the roughly 22 million refugees in the world. The situation is worse when one takes into account the additional millions who are internally displaced. This stark reality indicates that armed conflicts on the African continent deserve the urgent attention of the international community.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“As many speakers indicated yesterday, in order to address conflict prevention more effectively the Security Council needs to include in its strategy early warning mechanisms, preventive diplomacy and, where possible, preventive deployment and appropriate preventive disarmament. However, as with any other exercise, the timing of those measures is critical to the success of the whole process. The experience in our part of the world, however, is that, despite effective regional efforts with respect to early warning mechanisms and preventive diplomacy, Security Council action either has come too late or has been inadequate. The example of the events prior to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 is testimony to this. I wish now to turn to the matter of conflict situations on the African continent.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“My delegation is pleased to address the Security Council on this important subject: the role of the Security Council in the prevention of armed conflicts. Under Article 24 of the Charter, the Security Council is mandated with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. This debate serves to enhance collective commitment to the pursuit of peace, stability and cooperation among nations. The African continent has continued to provide one of the greatest challenges for the Security Council insofar as the prevalence of armed conflicts is concerned. Regrettably, this will continue to be so in the foreseeable future if the international community fails effectively to assist Africa to address the causes of armed conflict on the continent.”
1999-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4072Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The international community should assist Africa in all these areas in order to guarantee peace and development in the continent.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“Africa has also taken deliberate steps to enhance democracy and good governance as well as respect for human rights, as part of a process of striving to achieve durable peace and sustainable development. Africa has determined that the only legitimate road to political power is through the ballot box. In this regard, and as many previous speakers have noted, African heads of State or Government, at their meeting in Algiers in July, took a fundamental decision, namely that they would in future deny recognition to leaders who assume political power through extra-constitutional means such as military coups. However, as we all know, democratic values and institutions do not thrive in conditions of widespread poverty, conflict and deprivation.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“In this regard, my delegation offers a special commendation to Ambassador Robert Fowler, Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 864 (1993) concerning the situation in Angola, for the excellent work the Committee is doing in that area. We support stronger collaboration among African regional and subregional mechanisms for conflict management, resolution and prevention. In that connection, the Security Council should work assiduously to strengthen support for regional and subregional initiatives as well as to enhance coordination with those mechanisms in the areas of conflict prevention and the maintenance of peace and security in Africa and indeed the world over.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“While efforts at finding solutions and preventing conflicts in Africa are gathering pace, the widespread availability of small arms continues to cause great concern. Conflicts in Africa are being exacerbated by the ruthless drive for fat profits on the part of international arms merchants. These greedy sharks must be stopped by timely international action. The uncontrolled sale of small arms has also contributed to undermining sanctions regimes wherever they have been put in place. A case in point is Angola. The loopholes in the sanctions regime against UNITA should be closed in order to cut the supply of arms to Savimbi's rebel movement and thereby diminish his capacity to wage war against his own people.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“The presence of peacekeepers will have a positive effect on many other aspects of the peace process, including building confidence among the population, thereby making the organization of a national political dialogue much easier. It is my delegation's fervent hope and expectation that the Security Council will move quickly to take advantage of the Ceasefire Agreement, an Agreement that has been wholeheartedly supported by all the members of this body. Collective support for the Agreement should be extended to practical support for enforcement measures to bring peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo quickly and without further bloodshed. We count on the support of the Security Council and the international community at large, just as we counted on them during the painstaking negotiations that led to the Ceasefire Agreement.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“In his recent briefing for Security Council members on 21 September 1999, President Frederick Chiluba of Zambia, in his capacity as the SADC mediator on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, left on the Security Council table proposals that point the way forward in the search for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The institutions created under the Ceasefire Agreement are already in place, and a vacuum should not be allowed to develop and be filled by men of violence. The Security Council needs to act speedily and send to the Democratic Republic of the Congo a peacekeeping force with an appropriate mandate and of an appropriate size, based on assessed needs on the ground.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“Through the efforts of our regional organization, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and subregional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), teething problems are beginning to be amenable to solution. Sierra Leone is one such case. Another is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Here, the leaders of the SADC and the Central African regions, in cooperation with the OAU and the United Nations, have laid the foundations on which peace can be established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These efforts, however, cannot succeed without the Security Council assuming its responsibilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“Conflict in Africa has had devastating consequences on the lives of the African people. From Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from Somalia to southern Sudan and from Sierra Leone to Ethiopia and Eritrea, the story of great human suffering is the same. Conflict has orphaned children. Other children have become child soldiers. Economic and social infrastructures have been disrupted by war. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced within their countries' borders. Millions more are living as refugees in neighboring countries or are scattered elsewhere on the continent. This situation has had a negative impact on the economic and social fabric of host countries. As several speakers in this debate have pointed out, however, there is a growing realization that Africans themselves should find solutions to these African problems.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“My delegation joins with all those who have spoken before me to pay you a tribute, Mr. President, for the magnificent and most efficient manner in which you have handled the Council's business throughout the month of September. I should also like to congratulate your predecessor, the Ambassador of Namibia, for his impressive performance in conducting the Council's affairs in the month of August. I should like to thank the Secretary-General for his detailed statement to the Council yesterday. In his briefing, he was candid and frank about the challenges that lie ahead in the common struggle to improve human conditions in Africa. In this, among other things, he struck a note of hope for the future, if only all of us, and in particular this Council, are prepared to play our part by living up to our commitments and obligations.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption3 (1999) · source
“We reaffirm the fundamental principle that children must live out their childhood in peace, freedom and security, free from abuse, violence and exploitation.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In all war-torn countries the world over, the existence of international humanitarian law and human rights law has not led to a better life for ordinary innocent civilians, including children. There is absolutely no commitment whatsoever to such international norms. If anything, there is but mockery of these international standards by warlords and their supporters. This must stand as a challenge to the international community, and the Security Council should find more lasting and effective ways to hold culprits to account and to ensure that all concerned abide by their obligations under international law. We call upon parties directly or indirectly involved in conflicts to respect existing international standards and to make every effort possible to protect children from Violence.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The phenomenon of small and light weapons has introduced a new and disturbing dynamic in modern warfare. It has led to a vast expansion in the involvement of children under age as both victims and perpetrators. Handguns, rifles, machine guns, grenades and anti- personnel landmines are all weapons of choice in conflicts where children are used as both soldiers and perpetrators. Light arms are wreaking havoc on, and ruining the lives of, young children. The issue of small and light arms should therefore be a matter of public concern, to the international community in general and to the Security Council in particular. We therefore urge the Council to take concrete steps to control the overflow of small and light weapons on the international scene.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is not surprising, therefore, that such children continue violent activities long after the original conflicts have ended. In a significant number of cases, the dividing line between warfare and outright banditry completely disappears. My delegation applauds the International Labour Organization, which adopted on 17 June 1999 the Convention on the worst forms of child labour, intended to end the exploitation of the millions of children under the age of 18 who are involved in all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery. Such practices include the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, serfdom and prostitution. Zambia believes that all recruitment of child soldiers must stop now. For the sake of all children the world over, we need a total ban on the use of child soldiers under 18 years of age.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Zambia fully supports strengthening the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989. We strongly support the draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child relative to children in armed conflicts, which aims to raise the minimum age limit to 18 years for recruitment into the armed forces. The time has come to stop the scourge of child soldiering, because all too often war becomes a permanent way of life for many children, some of whom are recruited at the tender age of seven years. In many of the world's protracted internal conflicts, such children go for years deprived of education or training in marketable skills. Hundreds of thousands of children under conflict conditions have become street children, traumatized and without hope for the future.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“There are equally chilling accounts in Africa, where more than 120,000 children under 18 years of age are being used as soldiers. These children are also subjected to other forms of cruelty, such as physical brutality, with girls suffering humiliation, exploitation and sexual abuse. Again, all too often we get reports of poor children, perhaps without parents and without access to education, being lured into armed groups by promises of payment, food or protection. Some children are forcibly conscripted, but are told to say they volunteered. For all intents and purposes, the distinction between forced, compulsory and voluntary recruitment is blurred, hence the need to have a complete prohibition on child participation in combat altogether.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is my delegation's hope that the Council would pay special attention to Ambassador Otunnu's recommendations and suggestions aimed at improving the human condition of children. As we meet here, we are united in the global outrage against the exploitation of children under age who serve as soldiers. This meeting is therefore an unequivocal expression of the international outrage against the unrelenting exploitation of children under arms, which has led to the growing consensus to raise the age limit to 18 years for serving in the military. It is appalling that more than 300,000 children under 18 years of age are currently participating in the 50 or so armed conflicts that are under way worldwide. There are chilling reports of some guerrilla movements, in South Asia, fighting legitimate Governments using young girls as suicide bombers.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your presidency of the Security Council for this month of August. My delegation is also happy that you took the initiative to organize this meeting for the purpose of discussing the all- important subject of the protection of children in armed conflict. On this occasion, as many delegations have noted, it is fitting to pay tribute to Mr. Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, for his tireless crusade to save children from the scourge of war throughout the world. Today he presented a candid and graphic report on the prevalence of the acts of inhumanity being committed against women and particularly children in conflict situations throughout the world.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In this regard, my delegation Wishes to urge the Security Council at the appropriate time to put in place the machinery needed for policing the ceasefire once it has been realized. Security Council involvement is an essential ingredient on the difficult road to the establishment of lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Africa is part of greater humanity; the progress of that humanity is bound up with the progress or lack of it on the African continent. Fortunately, the Charter of the United Nations does not discriminate between one conflict in one part of the world and another in another part of the world. All must be treated the same. Indeed, the fact that the Security Council is involved in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is as it should be, because under the Charter the Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, which are currently being threatened by the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For now, it is essential that, given the limitations of the regional efforts, the Security Council should be able to augment those efforts in a tangible way.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In this connection, my delegation is happy to recall that the Security Council presidential statement issued on 11 December 1998 stated, inter alia, "The Security Council is prepared to consider, in the light of efforts towards peaceful resolution of the conflict, the active involvement of the United Nations, in coordination with OAU, including through concrete, sustainable and effective measures, to assist in the implementation of an effective ceasefire agreement and in an agreed process for a political settlement of the conflict." (S/PRST/1998/36, sixth paragraph) There are those who misguidedly say "Leave Africa to Africans; let them solve their own problems." To such people we say Africa is not an island. It is part of the global village.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“As Chairman of the regional mediation effort on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Chiluba has been greatly inspired and encouraged by the support that his mediation efforts have enjoyed not only from the OAU, but from the United Nations, the Security Council, the European Union and, indeed, the international community at large.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In this regard, we thank the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations, and we much appreciate the contributions of the senior officials of these organizations in the overall search for a peaceful solution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mediation efforts so far expended have revealed that the matter at hand is as delicate as it is complex. Hence, the need to proceed with caution and patience so as to ensure that the solution that may he arrived at enjoys the support of all the parties concerned. The mediation effort is also expensive in terms of investment in time, energy and resources. This therefore calls for assistance from the international community to enrich the regional efforts.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is therefore to be expected that any developments in either country would have an immediate impact on the social, economic and security interests of the other. This has already been borne out by the considerable influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Zambia in the recent past. The southern African leaders have been exploring the possibilities of bringing a halt to the conflict for some time now. In this respect, Zambia was honoured to be requested at the second Victoria Falls summit of the regional heads of State, held in Zimbabwe, in September 1998, to spearhead a mediation effort in pursuit of the mandate by regional leaders. This is an indication of Africa's strong belief that only a negotiated settlement can guarantee lasting peace.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Africa is a continent tormented by various conflicts, including the one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is the subject of our debate in the Council today. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has profound ramifications for peace and security, not only in the Great Lakes area, but for Africa as a whole. It is a conflict that has pitted not only the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the rebel elements within the country, but also some African countries against other African countries. If not resolved quickly, this conflict will mushroom and pose a grave danger to international peace and security. Furthermore, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one country, among others, with which my own country, Zambia, has a very long border.”
1999-03-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3987Resumption1 (1999) · source