YouSaid · the spoken record

Kastberg

lines on the record: 18
first: 2003-05-22
most recent: 2003-05-22
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-security-council

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“So obviously we are proceeding more keenly on security issues. Other aspects of questions asked by the representatives of Mexico, Germany and other members have been covered by other colleagues, and I will not repeat their replies. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for having taken the initiative to convene this meeting. Certainly we will convey with appreciation the Council's interest to our colleagues in the field.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Obviously there is a hesitation on the part of parents to send children to school, and threats to girls by some communities to try to prevent them from going to school are obviously also a concern. Another element is the limitations on the movement of United Nations staff, in terms not only of long-distance travel but actually of travelling inside the cities, which obviously creates difficulties by limiting the outreach of humanitarian actions. A broader type of area security that enables United Nations humanitarian action to engage with local communities is obviously important, therefore, in enhancing freedom of movement. A further point is the repeated lootings. We have improved a number of water treatment plants, generating plants, pumps and so forth. We have made improvements, but they have been looted again.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Obviously that is constrained at the moment because of security considerations. I think that down the line the whole question of the availability of fresh food, and the income to be able to do that, will have a bearing on nutritional levels. Given recent events, the operations of the 3,000 community child centre units have been disrupted. Trying to get them operational again will require outreach to children throughout the country at the community level. Those are some suggestions, and we certainly welcome further dialogue on concrete suggestions. With regard to the questions from Germany and the United Kingdom on the impact of security and how it is felt more keenly, from our perspective, certainly, the fear felt by women and girls about going out is a major constraint.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“First, we are appreciative of the brilliant work of the World Food Programme, which provides the general food basket. There are certainly a number of areas outside the food area that we need to tackle. The number-one priority is water and sanitation. It is the disruption in that area which, combined with the infant formula - the second point - is causing an enormous increase in diarrhoea. So we will be working with our colleagues in the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization on phasing out the infant formula. It cannot be out immediately, but it needs to be phased out. It needs to be put into more of a therapeutic-type category, or at least combined with an attempt to encourage breastfeeding. The third area is the need to ensure a therapeutic feeding referral system that functions.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“On secondary education, regrettably, examinations were disrupted. An examination board could not be constituted and therefore it has not been possible to design an examination. That is bad news on the secondary education side. On the primary education side, we are at the moment actually printing the examination booklets and materials for the annual exams, which are supposed to take place quite soon. We hope that at least that part will progress. Again, security questions were raised in relation to school attendance. I will come back to the question of security. In terms of oil-for-food requirements, we would certainly welcome investments in education. I have given examples of some areas that we need to strengthen. Let me turn to the question posed by the representative of the United States regarding our advice on reducing malnutrition.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“In fact, on average we have seen a 35 per cent attendance increase when the physical facilities are improved. Much more work needs to be done in terms of modern teaching methodologies. The curriculum has not been updated for 20 years, and we also know that there are gender discrepancies, with many girls not going to school. We have some schools that are in dangerous locations at the moment because of the problem of landmines and unexploded ordnance. These are issues that will need to be tackled. Certainly there will also be a need for additional schools, because many schools are doing a double shift at the moment. As for the software aspect, the top-down style of teaching certainly needs to be changed in order to promote children's participation. That is a generic type of recommendation that we work on in many places.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Syria raised the question of education; the United States made suggestions about reducing malnutrition; and the United Kingdom and Germany spoke about issues of security. With regard to the question from Syria about the rates of enrolment, certainly before the war it was in the region of 75 per cent, which was too low in our opinion. The normalization process has not been completed, and the enrolment rates are therefore still very low - below the earlier figure. We see a need to strengthen that. I would like to make some remarks in that regard. Much of the school system has been dilapidated for years. We have noted that when a school is improved physically, the enrolment rate is higher. That is certainly one area in which we will need to work.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“So we are open to a much broader community as part of a greater collaborative effort. In terms of the questions regarding funds, 50 per cent of the Flash Appeal has been funded as it relates to the United Nations Children's Fund, and we are extremely grateful for that. But obviously we are only half way there. We have a relatively short timescale, so we are looking at strengthening that part. China, Russia and France raised the issue of the recent resolutions - 1472 (2003) and 1476 (2003). We adopted 19 contracts under that oil-for-food programme to a total value of $40 million, and certainly in the context of the new resolution we hope to strengthen routine immunization and additional contracts, at least in water and sanitation, as well as, perhaps, in other areas. Let me turn briefly to three other areas.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Mr. Kastberg: Let me begin by endorsing the gratitude expressed by Mr. Morris to you, Sir, and to the rest of the Council. Our colleague from the World Food Programme (WFP) is very humble; I do not think that ever before in history so much food has been moved in such a short time under such circumstances. The WFP is doing brilliant work. Let me also reinforce all the points that my colleagues have made on the issue of coordination. We are not only working very well together; we also happen to be very good friends. Ramiro Lopes da Silva, our Humanitarian Coordinator, is certainly an old colleague and friend. But this coordination also extends to the broader community of the Red Cross movement and to non-governmental organizations. A delegate from Oxfam, for instance, is doing the water coordination on behalf of the system.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762Resumption1 (2003) · source
“We believe we can work with communities in Iraq, in which the Iraqi people themselves form a cadre of educated, well trained, competent and committed people. We believe that Iraqis from all ethnic, linguistic, political and geographical backgrounds can be unified by making the well-being of children a national priority. So powerful is the pull of supporting and helping children that, immediately after the war, when the looting and burning of Baghdad was at its height, UNICEF's national staff dug into their own pockets and pulled together $95,000 to keep our office and programme running. In fact, it was for only three days that our office did not operate. Allow me to suggest, on behalf of Ms. Bellamy, that the world follow their example and commit to improving the immediate and long-term future of Iraq by investing in its children.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“We are committed to supporting the reconstruction effort by supporting efforts to protect vulnerable children in Iraq in areas such as juvenile justice, community rehabilitation and mine awareness and removal, as well as in providing direct protection, as is the case with the Palestinian children who have been driven out of their homes who are being assisted in the outskirts of Baghdad. These are some of the priorities that we believe are extremely important for Iraq's children: law and order; a return to a positive learning environment; basic water, sanitation, health services and nutrition care; and the protection of vulnerable children. We are already heavily engaged in that effort with committed staff.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“The worrying condition of Iraq's children indicates that addressing child malnutrition in a comprehensive manner that includes water and sanitation requires particular attention in the recovery effort. The protection of civilians and the protection of women against violence are also high on our agenda. We seek to protect children from abuse and exploitation, including sexual exploitation. We know that many children have been brought into armed gangs or have joined groups of street children and are using drugs. As the Deputy Secretary-General mentioned, we also know that children are being hurt and killed by landmines. In Baghdad alone there are about 800 hazardous sites, the majority related to cluster bombs and caches of dumped ammunition.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“Breast-milk substitutes, which were included by the former Government of Iraq in the oil-for-food basket, are actually killing children when mixed with contaminated water. We believe that food supplies for children must continue. However, we strongly urge that breast-milk substitutes be dropped. They should be available on the market and for doctors to prescribe as needed, but they should not be promoted for inclusion in the food basket. We are giving high priority to working with our WHO and other partners to promote breastfeeding as the optimal solution to protect the health of children. Also in the area of health, we have launched a national campaign to prevent measles. We have also begun to provide therapeutic feeding in various places, which we believe is making a difference.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“When not properly treated, diarrhoea leads to the loss of nutrients in the body, to dehydration and, all too often, to death. Doctors in Baghdad and in the north of the country told Ms. Bellamy this week that some 90 per cent of the children being brought to hospitals are now suffering from this affliction. We therefore currently need decent water and sanitation throughout Iraq. We are involved in that effort. We are currently providing 2 million litres of water per day by tanker trucks to the south of the country. We are establishing generating plants and pumping equipment in many areas, as well as supplying hospitals and other institutions with water. We also need certain policy decisions to be taken. If taken soon, such decisions could yield quick and positive results. One example of that pertains to infant feeding.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“It is for that reason that we would like to advocate for having children return to school as quickly as possible. Another high priority is to provide basic health care for children and women, in which we collaborate with our colleagues around this table - including with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross - and with many non-governmental organizations. Last week, a rapid nutritional assessment carried out by UNICEF local staff in Baghdad found that acute malnutrition had nearly doubled, from 4 per cent one year ago to almost 8 per cent today. We are not surprised. Wasting in children is related not only to how much they have to eat, but also to their bodies' ability to retain what is eaten.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“In the south and centre of the country school attendance rates remain well below the already low pre-war average of 75 per cent. Many people are reluctant to send their children, especially girls, to school through potentially dangerous situations. Another aspect that we would like to highlight relates to the situation of women. Iraqi women lost a lot of ground under the sanctions in terms of their participation in social, economic and political life. A reborn Iraq will be one in which Iraqi women must drive the reconstruction process. It would be a great disservice to Iraq if its women were to be kept in their homes out of fear. Restarting education empowers communities, makes an immediate difference in the lives of children and parents and builds a civil society.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“The ability of United Nations staff to be able to reach those most in need is still severely compromised by the development of a culture of lawlessness and fear and its impact on children, especially girls. We see this issue as overriding in its impact. I will make some comments in that regard later in my statement. Under the overall coordination of the United Nations, getting all children back in school as soon as possible is a paramount priority for us. Eighty per cent of Iraq's 8,500 primary school facilities have re- opened. We have delivered hundreds of school-in-a- box kits, as we call them. We are committed to delivering enough kits to supply all 3.5 million primary-school-age children with learning supplies by September. We must nevertheless be vigilant.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source
“Mr. Kastberg: My full statement, as well as a brief on our work, will be available to members. I will therefore not go through the full, detailed statement. Let me thank you, Mr. President, for inviting the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to participate in this meeting. I apologize on behalf of Ms. Carol Bellamy, our Executive Director, who happens, Sir, to be in your country today and who has visited various parts of Iraq in the last four days. She has sent us her observations, about which I will speak. As many of my United Nations colleagues present here have done, let me start by mentioning the high priority we place upon the need for law and order throughout Iraq.”
2003-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4762 (2003) · source