YouSaid · the spoken record

Kohona

lines on the record: 237
first: 2009-10-05
most recent: 2015-01-15
sittings or episodes: 30
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

“I join previous speakers in expressing appreciation to you, Madam President, for convening today's open debate and congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency. We also thank the Secretary-General for his statement and Under-Secretary-General John Holmes and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for their useful briefings. My delegation believes that the protection task cannot be understood and addressed in humanitarian terms alone, as it requires focus and action on a multiplicity of different areas, ranging from politics to human rights to disarmament. The Security Council has considered the protection of civilians issue for over a decade. We can acknowledge that substantive results have been achieved in establishing a normative framework.”
2010-07-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6354Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We believe that the Peacebuilding Fund could be a channel through which national processes can be supported on their own merits. We hope that our candid views on post-conflict peace building strategies based on our own experience may contribute to the ongoing dialogue on how best to sustain and achieve durable peace. Sri Lanka fully supports the major review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture being conducted under the auspices of the General Assembly, and we hope this debate may contribute to that review.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Those who have been through long-running conflicts often take a very different approach to how they would want to shape their future, and, very often, old ideas that gave rise to the conflicts in the first place no longer remain a priority for these communities. Therefore, political solutions in post-conflict societies, in our experience, should not precede the firm establishment of democratic processes and proper consultation. Post-conflict peacebuilding also requires considerable financial resources, and, in many countries emerging from conflict, one of the major challenges is finding the resources to consolidate peace. Very often, support from the donor community is conditional upon our accepting its formulas for peacebuilding.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Forgiveness, rather than punishment and revenge, is the major influence in our context. Therefore, we need to recognize the different approaches to addressing the ways conflicts last and can be resolved, and once again agree that there is no one-size-fits-all formula. Our own experience has shown us that we must allow democratic processes to be established for the people to elect their leaders and to allow the people who have lived through years of conflict to come forward and take the initiative in rebuilding their communities and deciding their political future, rather than having solutions based on a judgmental assessment of their aspirations imposed upon them.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Considerable focus needs to be placed on healing the wounds and achieving reconciliation among peoples in countries where conflicts have divided communities for decades. Those who shout from the rooftops for justice or revenge against the alleged perpetrators of crimes come from a certain socio- cultural milieu where revenge is seen as a healer. In our part of the world, a culture going back millennia dictates that mercy must be shown by the victor. Mercy, forgiveness and a need to come to terms with the past, however bitter it may have been, on a morally acceptable basis, in order to advance the cause of reconciliation and long-term stability are key to our cultural experience. As the Bard so aptly wrote of the quality of mercy "is twice blest. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes".”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The immediate needs of people in post-conflict societies include rehabilitation, resettlement, basic services, safety and security, the rebuilding of basic infrastructure, economic opportunities through employment and the regaining of lost livelihoods. Unless economic opportunities are provided, no amount of political facilitation or punitive measures will bring peace. One classic definition of peace is the normalization of the life of the people. No peacebuilding can be successful without winning the hearts and minds of the people. Economic recovery must take place in parallel with the strengthening of democratic processes, the rule of law and human rights. The international community has a significant role to play in assisting with the economic recovery phase in post-conflict scenarios.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Quite often, a great deal of emphasis is placed on political reconciliation alone, without the realization that the economic empowerment of people needs to be given equal priority. Poverty, unemployment, unequal opportunities and an ensuing sense of grievance have often led to the radicalization of communities and provided the base of support for armed conflict. Whilst these social issues may manifest themselves as ethno-national or religious conflicts, the core grievance may very possibly be a sense of marginalization, especially economic. Peacebuilding is a multidimensional task that requires a comprehensive approach.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Our own experience has shown that some in the international community expect benchmarks to be achieved according to artificial timelines and feel that external pressure could help speed up a process, disregarding complex domestic sensitivities and ground realities. Quite often, the progress made is ignored when it is not consistent with external prescriptions, and there is a constant focus only on what remains to be achieved. This approach has resulted quite often in the rejection of external interference and confusion in the domestic processes, thereby weakening the influence of the international community. In many situations, time can heal many wounds, provided it is augmented by necessary confidence- building measures.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“There must be no one-size-fits-all principle applied in supporting the specific situation of any given country. Any tendency to impose predetermined solutions for achieving peace and reconciliation must be resisted, however much we are attached to them. We recognize that the international community has a responsibility to ensure that post-conflict situations do not relapse into conflict and to encourage and facilitate national efforts to achieve lasting peace. We need to listen to national Governments and communities, which understand better what a country's and a people's priorities are. Peacebuilding must squarely be a nationally owned process, and peace must come from within and not from the outside.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“However, in the same period, intra-State and inter-State conflicts have become widespread. Therefore, our collective efforts to bring conflicts to an end and to prevent the recurrence of conflicts in post-conflict contexts cannot cease. The Peacebuilding Commission was conceived with an awareness of the characteristics of successful peacebuilding efforts. We must nevertheless not ignore the lessons of the other home-grown strategies that countries have successfully implemented to achieve and consolidate peace. There are many instances in which strategies developed on the basis of national experience have succeeded much better than those prescribed in hallowed academic institutions. We must accept that all peacebuilding efforts are unique, as the nature and context of individual conflicts are different.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“My delegation appreciates the initiative of the Japanese presidency in organizing this important debate on post-conflict peacebuilding. It is a most timely initiative. I also wish to extend, on behalf of my delegation, our warmest greetings to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the other Ministers who are with us here today for this important meeting. Sri Lanka associates itself fully with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Bangladesh on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. The United Nations, as we all know, was established in the hope that it would contribute to the collective effort to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. We can all take pride in the fact that, in the 65 years since then, the world as a whole has not been at war.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“My delegation hopes that the Council discussion on protection of civilians will facilitate practical decisions based on realities on the ground and inspire all of us to invest greater efforts in preventing conflicts and their recurrence and to respond practically and proportionately to situations affecting civilian populations. For that reason my delegation has sought to share our experience from the early part of this year. In conclusion, we would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the United Nations agencies, particularly the Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other national and international partners in providing support and assistance to Governments, including Sri Lanka, and the Austrian presidency for convening this discussion today.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“It is estimated that the terrorist group laid around 1.5 million landmines. We also have to remove unexploded ordnance and booby traps, quite apart from the reconstruction activities that would create favourable conditions for resettlement in secure surroundings and meet the resettlement criteria of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Later this week, Under-Secretary-General Holmes will travel to Colombo at the invitation of our Government to witness and assess the resettlement of internally displaced persons. We are confident that most of the internally displaced persons will go back to their homes by the end of January, making it one of the fastest resettlement operations in recent history. We hope this could soon be cited as an example of best practice.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The State has the primary responsibility not only to provide for the welfare of displaced civilians in terms of food, clothing, medical care and shelter, but also to ensure their safety, in keeping with the provisions of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. The Guiding Principles fully recognize the right of national authorities to screen IDPs and, where their safety and security is at stake, to restrict their movement for a temporary period. The resettlement issue is also politicized. In my country, we have resettled nearly 156,000 IDPs out of a total number of 294,000. We did so within five months of concluding a 27-year-long conflict. Further resettlement necessitates clearance of uncharted minefields laid by the terrorist group in civilian areas, farmlands and roads.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Often, local NGOs and their local staff who render yeoman service do not get the recognition that they deserve. An inevitable consequence of armed conflict is internal displacement. The Secretary-General's report brings out the concern that internal displacement worldwide is on the rise. According to United Nations reports, there are some 26 million IDPs throughout the world. Internal displacement poses several challenges, key among them is that armed groups use displacement to exploit civilian populations, sometimes by hiding among them and by seeking to regroup and recruit.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The United Nations and humanitarian agencies must support and assist Governments. In doing so they should be sensitive to realities on the ground, including by respecting the sovereignty of States. Access for humanitarian personnel must also be respected, but one cannot disregard the State's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel. Terrorists do not distinguish between military and humanitarian personnel. The assumption that civilians can best be protected and cared for only by civilian humanitarian workers from overseas and specific NGOs that originate in particular regions of the world contradicts the training provided to our armed forces to respect humanitarian law at all times and to handle peacekeeping responsibilities.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“In our experience, that expectation has proved to be unrealistic when dealing with a ruthless organization that, in its perverted logic, advances its political objectives by causing large-scale civilian casualties. While the report encourages engagement with non-State armed groups, terrorist groups pay lip service to humanitarian principles, and often ruthlessly misuse such principles as cover for further violence. There is also a need to recognize the legitimate role of the military in civilian protection. It is noteworthy that protective responsibilities are part of the mandate of United Nations peacekeeping forces, as per resolution 1674 (2006). The role of Governments in the protection of civilians should be respected, as it is their primary responsibility to protect their own citizens.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“On the other hand, external actors such as diaspora communities openly fund arms purchases aimed at destabilizing States, while they receive support and protection in their host countries and their criminal agents cross international boundaries at will. The legal frameworks of democracies designed to safeguard the rights of law-abiding citizens are exploited to carry out their illicit activities. The smuggling of arms across international waters and across boundaries continues to render regimes such as those established in resolution 1373 (2001) rather ineffective in this area. In his report, the Secretary-General refers to enhancing compliance by non-State armed groups as one of the challenges in strengthening the protection of civilians.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The proliferation of illicit arms has contributed significantly to the spread of violence and terrorism everywhere. Unless we are able to stop the proliferation of arms, as agreed by Council resolution 1612 (2005), civilian safety will remain at stake and our best efforts to deal with the humanitarian consequences of conflicts will soon exceed existing capacities and available resources. Many States in our region are affected by internal armed conflicts. While control measures can be imposed, albeit selectively, on States legitimately engaged in protecting their civilian populations from terrorists, non-State actors such as terrorist groups have relatively easy access to illicit weapons. That is because there is no dedicated international regime to monitor and conduct surveillance, let alone interdict, such illicit arms supplies.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“In that context, the challenges posed by terrorism in many parts of the world today may necessitate a re-evaluation of the rules of military engagement. Many of the rules of war are based on the presumption that the parties to a conflict are conventional armies of responsible States engaging other States. But terrorists totally disregard those laws and principles as they wage asymmetric warfare. They mingle with and use civilians to achieve their goals. Once again, the practical realities based on the experiences of Member States must be seriously looked at, instead of undertaking a theoretical application of humanitarian norms to all situations. It is also necessary to examine the causes for the escalation of armed conflict.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The protection and liberation of civilians from the clutches of the terrorist group was the highest priority. Our security forces, consistent with their orders, had no choice but to intervene to rescue civilians by creating a safe passage for them. That operation was done at tremendous cost to the lives of our own service personnel, as only infantry action was used in order to ensure the rescue of civilians. Our security forces at all times did not use disproportionate force. The eagerness with which civilians fled to Government-controlled areas bears testimony to the reputation they had established for themselves. At the same time, we established facilities to host internally displaced persons (IDPs) well ahead of their rescue. In that way, we averted the humanitarian catastrophe that some had predicted.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The terrorists' inhuman strategy was to create a situation conducive to large-scale civilian casualties by herding civilians to form a human shield and by placing heavy guns in their midst. This terrorist group continued to forcibly conscript civilians - including children, some of whom were under 12 years of age - and used them as combatants and forced labour. They even withheld food supplies sent to civilians by the Government and diverted those supplies for use by their armed cadres. That challenged our Government in many ways. Civilians being held hostage by the terrorist group were our own people, towards whom we had consistently applied a zero-casualty policy. Our troops were trained to distinguish between combatants and civilians.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The nature of contemporary conflict has posed new challenges to the commitment of the international community to the protection of civilians. Many of today's conflicts take place within States, and involve non-State armed groups. Sri Lanka's observations relate in particular to the challenges we have faced in protecting civilians in the context of an internal conflict involving a ruthless terrorist group, namely, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In Sri Lanka, the LTTE terrorist group made the Tamil civilian population a part of its military strategy. That posed extraordinary operational challenges to our security forces in engaging and combating that terrorist group while ensuring civilian protection.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“During almost three decades of combating terrorism in our country, we have taken the utmost care to draw a close distinction between civilians and terrorists. We are engaged closely with the international community and related human rights and humanitarian mechanisms, United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). That close cooperation has extended to the aftermath of the conflict, in providing for the needs of the displaced population. We also welcome the progressive strengthening of this concept by the international community over the past decade, including through focusing on vulnerable categories such as women and children. The normative framework on civilian protection cannot be applied in a theoretical manner regardless of circumstances.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“As we mark the tenth anniversary of the Security Council's initial consideration of this issue, we can acknowledge that progress has been achieved in establishing a normative framework. Unfortunately, however, the politicization and selectivity that characterize the debate have affected credibility. That has called into question the humanitarian concerns expressed by some for the plight of civilians affected by armed conflict. Even the Secretary-General's report does not manifest a consistent approach to protection issues. At the outset, let me state categorically that Sri Lanka is deeply committed to the protection of human rights and the implementation of international humanitarian law.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Mr. President, Ijoin previous speakers in expressing appreciation to you for convening today's open debate and for the useful concept paper highlighting the thematic issues under focus (S/2009/567, annex). We also thank the Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General Sir John Holmes and the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights for their briefings. During the debate last June (see S/PV.6151), we focused on the report of the Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (S/2009/277). My delegation is of the view that the protection task cannot be understood and addressed solely in humanitarian terms, as it requires us to examine a multiplicity of different areas ranging from politics to human rights to disarmament.”
2009-11-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6216Resumption1 (2009) · source
“I believe that we will have further opportunity to discuss these issues at the forthcoming sessions of the Human Rights Council. We believe that at this time the unity of the Palestinian people is of utmost importance and that they will unite in pursuit of their aspirations. Sri Lanka wishes to reiterate its support for the Palestinians' quest for their legitimate, human and national rights. The Government and the people of Sri Lanka would like to reassure them of our continued support and solidarity.”
2009-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6201Resumption1 (2009) · source
“At that time, my Government called upon all parties to end military action and violence immediately and ensure a climate conducive to finding a way forward towards a two- State solution, which all parties concerned, including Israel and Palestine, agree is the only possible lasting solution. In spite of those unfortunate circumstances earlier this year, my Government was pleased to note the several important developments on the ground since then and the continued international efforts to create the conditions for the early resumption of negotiations by the two sides. Those gave us reason to renew our hope for a peaceful solution. It is our sincere hope that the issues before the Council today will be addressed in a just and equitable manner that will not obstruct the search for peace.”
2009-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6201Resumption1 (2009) · source
“We have consistently endorsed the two-State solution to the problem. A peaceful Middle East is our wish for the people of the region. My Government, it may be recalled, expressed its deep anguish and concern over the developments that took place in Gaza late last year and in the early part of this year - developments that led to the loss of civilian life, an increase of tensions in the region and unnecessary suffering among civilians. Sri Lanka is fully aware, through its own experience, of the need to provide for and supply civilians affected by conflict owing to terrorist violence.”
2009-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6201Resumption1 (2009) · source
“I thank the President of the Security Council for giving us the opportunity to once again focus on the situation in the Middle East, particularly the Palestinian question, a question that has occupied the attention of this Council time and again. Sri Lanka has consistently supported a peaceful settlement to the Palestinian issue and called for the implementation of General Assembly resolutions regarding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to statehood and the realization of the two-State solution. Our sincere wish is that Israel, Palestine and their neighbours in the region coexist in peace and security. As a country that has suffered much at the hands of unbridled violence unleashed by terrorism, Sri Lanka knows only too well the human and material cost of such violence, which can impede political solutions.”
2009-10-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6201Resumption1 (2009) · source
“My delegation also welcomes the high-level ministerial meeting planned for next year to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000).”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“In fact, not even the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, despite their tendency to exaggerate incidents for propaganda purposes, made such an allegation against the security forces of Sri Lanka as they advanced to eliminate them. We welcome the Secretary-General's recommendation that equal attention be given to sexual violence in all situations of concern where it is perpetrated against civilians, and that the United Nations remain engaged to take on a greater global advocacy role on the issue of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations. We also strongly support the recommendation of the Secretary-General's that increased participation of women in post-conflict governance and reconstruction should be ensured.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“I would like to cite for the benefit of the Council the case of Krishanti Kumaraswamy, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was raped and murdered by 6 soldiers on 7 August 1996, 13 years ago. Our Government launched an investigation into the case. The six soldiers involved were arrested, prosecuted and given the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. I cite that incident to illustrate the fact that strong and definitive action against those responsible for committing acts of sexual violence serves as a deterrent. In that context, it is deeply regretted that reference has been made to Sri Lanka, including it among countries where rape is alleged to have been used as a tactic of war.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“We can proudly report that we are not among the countries that the Secretary- General's report lists where grave sexual offences are reported to have been committed by security forces against civilians caught in armed conflict and its aftermath. In fact, no allegations of rape were made against our security forces as they successfully advanced against those terrorists. It is also noteworthy that none of the mandate holders of the United Nations has found any evidence of such offences having been committed by our armed forces during that campaign. One of the factors that may have contributed to that record is the training provided with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the prompt action taken whenever allegations were made.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Our penal code lists rape as a serious offence punishable with rigorous imprisonment, not exceeding 20 years, and provides for the offender to pay compensation to the victim, consistent with the determination of a court of law. We also note with appreciation the report (S/2009/465) of the Secretary-General to the Council in pursuance of resolution 1820 (2008). We note with concern the continued use of sexual violence against civilians, widely and systematically, in particular against women and girls in armed conflicts and their aftermath. Sri Lanka was embroiled in an armed conflict against a brutal terrorist group for 27 years. That conflict ended in May of this year with the defeat of that terrorist group. Throughout their campaign to defeat those terrorists, our security forces maintained the highest discipline.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The empowerment of women is one of the most effective mechanisms for their protection. My country, Sri Lanka, ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 28 years ago, and has taken proactive steps to fully implement its provisions through national legislation. Our Constitution itself protects women's rights. We have also adopted a women's charter that embodies the principles of the Convention and provides for women's participation in peacebuilding through community- based programmes. Sri Lanka has also established a Ministry of Women's Affairs, which spearheads national programmes for the advancement of women and the protection of their rights.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source
“My delegation appreciates the convening of this debate, which provides an opportunity for us to focus our attention on the protection of the rights of women and girls, in particular in situations of armed conflict and their aftermath. I would also like to take this opportunity, Sir, to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency. Resolution 1325 (2000) has promoted greater awareness across the United Nations system and the international community about those most vulnerable to sexual and physical harm as well as social, economic and political disempowerment in conflict and post-conflict situations. The international community must work together to effectively put an end to those most vicious and inhumane forms of gender-based exploitation. We welcome the Secretary-General's recommendations.”
2009-10-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6196Resumption1 (2009) · source