YouSaid · the spoken record

Kersti Kaljulaid

lines on the record
23
first
2020-05-27
most recent
2021-06-28
sittings or episodes
4
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

  1. “In conclusion, I invite us to close this open debate today with at least one actionable item every single individual here will take, and at least one every entity, every country here will take and follow through in the next few weeks to really move us all forward in finding meaningful solutions. Action brings hope of more action. Estonia – to start with ourselves – will continue funding the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF. We will also maintain, as we have until now, a strong focus on the protection of children as a member of the Security Council.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  2. “This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the creation of the children and armed conflict agenda, including the mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. A strong monitoring and reporting mechanism on grave violations against children is a part of it. We need to recognize here in the Security Council, that the protection of children is relevant for every situation on the Security Council’s agenda. It is crucial to ensure, preserve and strengthen the United Nations child protection capacity, including in mission transitions and drawdowns.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  3. “Until abduction of girls from schools is also done as an attack against the idea of girls’ education, we need to educate boys, future men – brothers and husbands – to think differently from their parents. A crucial part of prevention is ensuring accountability at the earliest stages possible. We must make sure that no one is above the law. No perpetrator should escape justice. We need strong national accountability measures for grave violations against children and for cooperation with relevant international accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court. All parties must comply with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  4. “He was wounded on his way home from school and his 13-year-old brother was killed. Children have been killed by regime forces in Myanmar. And in the first 3 months this year in Afghanistan, more than 150 children were recorded killed and 400 injured – and in just these few weeks, numerous schools have been damaged, preventing thousands of students from returning to classrooms. As every crisis, hopefully this one has also helped highlight where solutions might be. We need to think how we can use technology better. Even the basic level of mobile connection can help us to register and know where our children are. Only then can we help them. Education is the key of prevention. Schools must be protected from attack. This means education for girls, but also for boys.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  5. “Schools and child friendly spaces being closed, families having lost their income, children are an easy target – for example, to be recruited by armed groups, or to be married off, abducted, raped. The report of 2020 contains an overview of more than 26 000 verified grave violations against children. We can only guess how many violations have gone unnoticed and unreported due to the pandemic. Despite the work the United Nations and its partners have done, the situation is worsening in many countries. Multitude of children grow up without knowing anything but war – among them, a whole generation in Syria. The war in Yemen has had serious consequences for children. “The biggest war is to destroy children and the mothers who grieve from them,” said the mother of an 8-year-old Omar.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  6. “These are complex, uncomfortable, important questions we need to ask ourselves. As we are discussing the findings of the annual report of the Secretary-General today, I want to encourage us not to display difficult situations better than they actually are. It is humane from us to want to see and search for success and development. But we must be bold enough to admit if we could all learn and do better, taking next steps forward. In 2020, the situation of children in armed conflict was marked by a sustained high number of grave violations. As the pandemic has roamed on in 2021, we have had to admit that as we’ve implemented lockdown policies, we have also created challenges that task forces on the ground have needed to overcome to document and verify those violations, and to engage with parties to prevent and end those violations.”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  7. “First of all, I would like to thank all our briefers for their clear, urgent and deeply moving messages. A girl – her name is Graciela – was born in a small mining town in the Central African Republic. Her mother died when she was just a baby. And she also lost her father, when a rebel group attacked her hometown in 2014. She fled, but encountered another armed group on the road and had no choice but to join them. She had to cook for the group, but also train to fight. She hated that. Fortunately by now, she has been able to start a new life. After being denied access to education for a long time, she was able to go back to school. This has been a success story. But what would have this story been like during a pandemic? How has the pandemic affected numerous children in situations like these since spring 2020?”

    2021-06-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/617 (2021) · source

  8. “In conclusion, Estonia believes that multilateralism, which we see in Europe — born from the ashes of two World Wars — can help to secure and keep peace through active cooperation with the United Nations and other regional organizations. I encourage all regional organizations to take a bigger role in securing regional stability and work actively with the United Nations, which is and remains the cornerstone of our multilateral world order and is a forum where everybody has a voice.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  9. “Most recently, Russia announced that, under the pretext of military exercises, it will block parts of the Black Sea — namely, the Kerch Strait — restricting navigation by foreign military and official ships until October. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Russia does not engage in risk-reduction and confidence-building measures in the OSCE.Russia failed to explain its military build-up along the borders of Ukraine and in occupied Crimea last week at the OSCE. This runs counter to the letter and spirit of OSCE confidence-building mechanisms, including in particular of the Vienna Document, which is aimed at addressing concerns and reducing risks.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  10. “The number of people in the world living under democracies has increased from 1 to 4 billion over the past 65 years. The European Union is recognized as one of the best examples of effective regional multilateral cooperation. The EU is committed to multilateralism with the United Nations at its core. This method of diplomacy is part of our DNA. Respect for territorial integrity and the prohibition on the use of force are fundamental principles of international law at the core of the United Nations, the EU, ASEAN and other regional organizations. And yet we observe with the deepest concern threats of the use of military force here in Europe as well. We are witnessing an increased military build-up by Russia along the Ukraine border and in occupied Crimea.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  11. “The unfolding tragedies in Belarus, Yemen, Syria and Myanmar are clear proof of that. The entire world observes with pain the army killing its own citizens, including children, in Myanmar. In that regard, ASEAN has a critical role in pressuring the army to stop the atrocities. It is important that ASEAN be able to organize a summit dedicated to the grave situation in Myanmar. Drawing on the messages of our briefers today, it is also democratic governance that reassures the peaceful coexistence of States. Multilateral cooperation founded upon democratic debate, transparent information-sharing and confidence-building measures is a way towards more peaceful co-existence. These universal values are the reason that democratic governance has been embraced across the world on every continent.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  12. “Besides the strong partnership with the EU and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Security Council also holds annual consultations with the African Union Peace and Security Council, the League of Arab States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Regional and subregional organizations often know better how to mitigate tensions and deal with the aftermaths of bloody confrontations. They have a key responsibility in preventing violent conflicts and atrocity crimes and can build pressure to stop atrocities and open a door for negotiations. And for that, they must not stay silent when freedoms are suppressed. There must be accountability between a State and a society. This is the only road to a less violent world.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  13. “I extend my warm greetings to you in Hanoi and to the people of Viet Nam. I also welcome the former Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, as well as the representatives of regional organizations. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has clearly demonstrated that you can overcome global challenges only through joint and coordinated action. Here, regional organizations play a crucial role, and the European Union (EU) leads by example. The EU is the biggest donor to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, a global initiative to ensure safe and effective vaccines for all the countries in the world. I also welcome the support by regional organizations for the Secretary- General’s call for a global ceasefire.”

    2021-04-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/394 (2021) · source

  14. “Finally, we do not need national or regional governance structures, such as the European Union, but rather a global governance structure that will create a legally permissive environment for all these developments, including, of course, the necessary cyber security.”

    2020-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/953 (2020) · source

  15. “This is also true if we wish to make this global opportunity a golden opportunity potentially for those countries that are looking to leapfrog and for those people who have the skills to participate in the global services market, but who happen to come from the countries where it is difficult to offer their services to the rest of the world and for those in world, notably women and people with disabilities, who have found it very difficult to participate in the job market previously. Now, in this post-COVID world, it has been proven that you do not have to be where you are working. This is a golden opportunity for the weaker sectors of our society. We have to understand that we have to give our children and adolescents the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to participate in this new world of technology.”

    2020-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/953 (2020) · source

  16. “It is great to be with the Security Council and discuss the post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) governance in our global world. First of all, I would like to reiterate Estonia’s support for Secretary-General Guterres’s call for a global ceasefire and call on everybody to support it by the end of the year. COVID-19 has changed our world and, true to Estonian colours, I would like to point out that technological development is the area that helps us to maintain the coherence of our world and to continue to cooperate with each other. In addition, this pandemic has shown us that our world of work, education, communication and services has radically changed. What do we need to do now? We need to adapt our global governance model to what we are seeing in the real world.”

    2020-09-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/953 (2020) · source

  17. “Member States must cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court. United Nations monitoring missions also raise valuable awareness about the perpetrators in conflicts and their actions on the ground. The Secretary-General has repeatedly pointed to the key element of political will in moving from normative commitments to actual improvement in the protection of civilians. It is sometimes hard to comprehend how blatantly lacking this will can be. Each and every time I hear that we could not agree on wording in the Security Council I see in my mind’s eye that girl with one hand, trying to care for her little sister — an image of pure, innocent suffering. Aided by international law and good people around the world, we are powerful together if we want to be.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  18. “Estonia has promised to bring cybersecurity to the Security Council, and I believe we have delivered on that promise. The Council has a number of tools at its disposal to enhance compliance with international law and ensure accountability: investigative and judicial mechanisms, peacekeeping-mission mandates and targeted sanctions. These tools need to be applied consistently across all conflict situations. When it comes to sanctions, we observe with concern how the global pandemic is used as a pretext to call for their termination. Sanctions are built so as not to hinder humanitarian aid. There are other developments that do. Estonia calls for unimpeded humanitarian access in Syria. All arguments not to extend the cross-border mechanism in July do not correspond to the reality on the ground. We must value accountability.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  19. “We must protect civil society organizations and human rights defenders. They are our partners, and in delivering on their mandates, are risking their lives. The war has an ever-changing face — urbanization of conflict, climate change — but the new aspects confirm the significance of the fundamental framework of international law. New technologies can improve humanitarian assistance. Artificial intelligence is already reuniting lost family members separated by conflict, as people participating in the Red Cross Trace the Face website can attest. At the same time, we have seen cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, including health care. Existing international law therefore needs to be applied to cyberspace, and cybersecurity must be made part of both conflict prevention and conflict resolution.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  20. “Tomorrow a virtual “Every Woman, Every Child” high-level round table will discuss what can we do specifically in these trying times, when the only positive is that the health threats people constantly face in less developed parts of the world that are ravaged by conflict are more palpable for all of us because of COVID-19. Estonia has contributed to the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan and to the International Red Cross appeals. In Libya, 221 schools are non-functional. Unlawful attacks against schools, universities, students and teachers are frequent in conflicts around the globe. In February, journalists Abdel Nasser Haj Hamdan and Amjad Aktalati were killed in an air strike on Idlib while they were providing us with primary-source information about the conflict in Syria.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  21. “Estonia supports the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Security Council must really do something on this subject, making sure at least that State actors heed the call. I am particularly concerned about the most vulnerable — women, children and adolescents. In Africa, midwives are presented daily with fears of becoming infected with various diseases, not just COVID-19, while attending to mothers. Patricia Mwenyeheri, a midwife in Malawi, has access to only one hand-washing basin in her maternity ward. Is this adequate? Two weeks ago, a four-year-old girl was raped in Mogadishu. Is this gruesome sexual violence acceptable?”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  22. “All of us leaders, collectively, feel so inadequate. When I look into these young people’s eyes, which are full of acceptance of their fate, I cannot fully comprehend. Time stands still at this point in their personal timelines, where the past was suffering and the future is insecurity. Estonia has put the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, at the centre of our work in the Security Council. The Secretary-General’s annual report (S/2020/366) indicates that the normative framework for the protection of civilians is not really working in real life. Indeed, we have inadequately implemented what we have already agreed. The pandemic adds a new layer of risk that we must be develop the ability to mitigate.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source

  23. “First of all, I thank the briefers for their comprehensive and insightful briefings. My statement today starts with a confession: I feel helpless — and responsible for not being able to do more to put things right. Europe in the twenty-first century is sitting on the safe side of the conflict line in Ukraine, taking in some of the 1.4 million Ukrainians who have fled the war in that country. But some 3.5 million Ukrainians have been left behind, in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Visiting an International Migration Organization shelter in order to try to comprehend the suffering of the minors gathered there, some bearing wounds that life should never have inflicted on young people to begin with, I feel inadequate. All the things I have brought them feel inadequate too.”

    2020-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/465 (2020) · source