YouSaid · the spoken record

Kumalo

lines on the record: 1,090
first: 1999-08-25
most recent: 2008-12-31
sittings or episodes: 160
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

“It sends a long-overdue, positive message that the United Nations is indeed ready to act on this crucial matter. Much as we welcome the momentum these resolutions introduced to the debate on peace, stability and development in Africa, it is disheartening to note that little has been done to keep that momentum and to establish an open-ended ad hoc working group of the General Assembly to monitor the implementation of resolution 53/92, or, in particular, to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General. It is incumbent on the United Nations and Member States to rededicate their efforts to the implementation of the provisions of resolution 53/92.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“We further commend the Security Council for its consideration of the Secretary-General's report, which culminated in its adoption of resolution 1197 (1998), specifying areas of cooperation with the Organization of African Unity that need strengthening so that the OAU is better equipped to play a supportive role with regard to United Nations activities aimed at achieving peace and stability in the continent. We are equally appreciative of the fact that the Secretary-General's report resulted in the adoption of General Assembly resolution 53/92 in December 1998. Most important, we strongly support the idea of establishing a follow-up mechanism to implement recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General. This is a bold, meaningful, and action-oriented step that goes beyond mere declarations.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“African countries such as ours, which have fought for liberation and against colonial rule with the help and support of the United Nations, believe that it is important for multilateral institutions to provide a forum at which the international community can continue to debate positive ways of articulating and advancing the interests of developing countries in crisis. We note that this debate is taking place on the threshold of a new millennium, and we urge that it spell out concrete steps to be taken to enhance peace, security and development in Africa. While noting with appreciation that the Security Council remains seized of matters of peace and security in Africa, we believe that similar debates in the General Assembly would add to the collective wisdom needed to address these issues.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“This report distinguishes itself because of its holistic approach to the sources of conflict in Africa and the valuable guidelines it provides on conflict prevention, management and resolution. We believe that those guidelines can make profound contributions to the efforts of African countries to assert their sovereignty, rediscover their meaningful role as independent nation States, define their role within the international community and, indeed, rid the continent of the scourge of conflict. My delegation would again like to associate itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the OAU and also with other statements that have been made.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“One of the many challenges he posed to the United Nations was contained in the following statement: "As we seek ways to combat the ancient enemies of war and poverty, we will succeed only if we all adapt our Organization to a world with new actors, new responsibilities and new possibilities for peace and progress." (A/54/PV.4) That entire address by the Secretary-General deserves serious discussion in a different forum. It raised issues that are fundamental to the work of our Organization and even relevant to this open meeting on conflicts in Africa. Today we are here to take stock of developments that have taken place since the Secretary-General issued his report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity to appear before this body. I want to associate my delegation with the statement made by the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Reading that statement alongside the statement made by the Secretary-General of the United Nations helps us to become more enlightened about the situation in Africa as it is today. Last week, at the opening of the General Assembly general debate of the fifty-fourth session, the Secretary- General gave an important address in which he sharply raised the issue of humanitarian intervention in conflict areas.”
1999-09-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4049Resumption2 (1999) · source
“We welcome the decision to establish a mechanism to review the Secretary-General's recommendations and to consider appropriate steps by April 2000. I wish to end by paraphrasing an old saying: the international community is better for knowing where it comes from on the issues of civilians caught in armed conflict, because that is the only way we will all know where we wish to go.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“An appeal was also made to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to the International Committee of the Red Cross to expand their training programmes in international and regional refugee and humanitarian law. My delegation knows that the answers to these and other international questions before the Security Council are hard to come by. Nonetheless, it is the hope of my delegation that the Council will find that the report of the Secretary-General is an important beginning in compiling information about options the international community may choose to consider. It is for this reason that we urge the Council to support the draft resolution on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The other issue is that children caught up in these situations are forced to become child soldiers long before they even reach puberty. If, through some hard negotiation, peace is restored in these places, the child soldiers of yesterday are somehow expected to transform themselves into the students of tomorrow. At the 1990 Organization of African Unity conference on refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons, held at Khartoum, an appeal was made to the international community to alleviate the heavy burden on countries hosting refugees and countries with significant communities of returnees and internally displaced persons. The Khartoum Declaration encourages the development of capacity- building initiatives for member States, and regional and subregional institutions.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Aside from diplomatic interaction, our commitment has taken the form of financial and material contributions to international humanitarian organizations active on our continent. We have been particularly concerned about the scourge of landmines and the plight of refugees and internally displaced people, especially women and children. Allow me to conclude by mentioning two issues that continue to be of concern to the Security Council. One issue is the plight of internally displaced persons, who are simply civilians in armed conflict by another name. Many of them are children and women who are often sexually abused and/or starved to death as they try to flee from one conflict area to another, seeking food and shelter for themselves and their babies.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The illicit trafficking in powerful, yet small weapons that are easy to conceal continues to be a growing problem. The lucrative trade in and the easy transportation of such weapons makes them easily and readily transferred and used in different conflicts in a short period of time. South Africa believes that future peacekeeping operations should include, where appropriate, the collection, disposal and destruction of weapons, including small arms. Otherwise, a demobilized and still armed former combatant remains a threat to civilians. Over the past year, we have devoted considerable time and energy to resolving conflicts in Africa. We have joined with other Governments in the region in a concerted effort to address humanitarian tragedies resulting from conflict situations.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In this connection, the safety and security of international workers are another crucial element. It is of utmost importance that the safety of United Nations personnel and the safe passage of relief supplies for the populations caught in armed conflict be guaranteed. In Africa, especially in my region of southern Africa, the scourge of landmines continues to maim and kill innocent civilians. The Security Council should consider including demining in the mandates of peacekeeping missions. The expedited accession by Member States to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- personnel Mines and on Their Destruction and the rapid implementation of its provisions will go a long way towards protecting civilians against these silent killers.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is important that the Security Council put extra emphasis on the strengthening of conflict prevention measures in order to effectively avert the threat to civilians in armed conflicts. These preventive measures include the setting up of early warning systems which will alert the Security Council to pending conflicts while there is still time to do something about them. South Africa is already making a direct contribution in this area. My Government has, amongst other things, given moral and financial support to the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network which functions as an early warning mechanism in central and southern Africa. An issue of critical importance to my Government is the securing of humanitarian assistance, access to persons in need and the speedy delivery of basic supplies by humanitarian workers.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In his report, the Secretary-General also makes the point that respect for the international humanitarian and human rights laws is essential for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. He states that such an international framework created by these Conventions would serve a function that is both preventive and remedial. It is preventive because it constitutes a declaration of intent by Member States that have acceded to the Conventions, and it is remedial because it provides punitive measures against the transgressors. My delegation welcomes the adoption of the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and hopes that the establishment of the ICC will constitute a major step towards providing punitive sanction measures against transgressors, while serving as a deterrent to potential and future transgressors.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Moreover, the heads of State or Government of NAM underlined the importance of promoting respect for universally recognized humanitarian principles and for international humanitarian law, particularly those of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their 1977 Protocols Additional. They invited those States which have not yet done so to ratify or accede to the two Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Common article I of the Geneva Conventions, now ratified by 188 States, which dictates that the High Contracting Parties to the Conventions "undertake to respect and ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances", constitutes the collective responsibility of the United Nations.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Convinced that the observance and application of international humanitarian law address the erosion of the underlying respect for human beings and could lead to a reduction in the numbers of victims in conflicts, the heads of State or Government at the Non- Aligned Movement Conference urged all members of the international community to adhere to, promote, disseminate and assist in the adherence to and promotion and dissemination of international humanitarian law and human rights conventions. They believed that knowledge of, respect for and observance of the international instruments would help relieve the suffering of all victims, provide them with effective protection and create an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and the restoration of peace.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“At the Twelfth Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Durban, South Africa, last September, the heads of State or Government urged members of the international community present to reaffirm their determination and commitment to preserve the fundamental values centred on respect for human beings, as entrenched in the relevant international instruments.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“But the Secretary-General's report before the Council proves otherwise. In the introduction, the Secretary-General writes that "hardly a day goes by where we are not presented with evidence of the intimidation, brutalization, torture and killing of helpless civilians in situations of armed conflict". (S/1999/957, para. 2) It is for this and other reasons that my delegation wished to commend the Secretary-General for his comprehensive and challenging report to the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Of course, it is and has always been different when it comes to atrocities that continue to be perpetrated on civilians in Africa. Places such as Angola, Sierra Leone and the Congos seldom get mentioned in the national newscasts. The television cameras have long left African conflict areas. Even the few objective and brave reporters have closed their notebooks and long since stopped writing. The so-called media that is left are hacks who are nothing but peddlers of hate and propaganda aimed at whipping up the fury of angry mobs who resort to nationalistic and ethnocentric bloody campaigns against innocent civilians. In the end, the killings that are taking place in Africa are carried out by those who erroneously believe that they have been left to do as they please because the world no longer cares about those who die in Africa.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is perhaps with some cruel irony that I recall that, since February 1999, when the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to present this report, the world has watched with fear, fury and foreboding the effects of tragedy on civilians caught in more than 30 conflicts around the world. These include the conflicts in Kosovo and East Timor, which we feel as if we have witnessed with our own eyes because television broadcast them in living colour right into our living rooms. Although many people did not know, or may even have chosen not to know, where Kosovo or East Timor were located on the world map, television and newspapers forced us to watch and read about the anguish of the civilian victims in these places, albeit with utter helplessness.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Thank you very much, Mr. President, for holding this meeting. We were here to testify not too long ago. This is becoming very nice, and I am getting used to it. After listening to what was said yesterday at yet another important meeting of the Security Council, one is hard-pressed to recall that 50 years have passed since the Geneva Conventions, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, were adopted. It would have been far preferable to participate in a meeting that was called to celebrate the laudable ideas and intentions that the framers of those Conventions cherished way back in 1949. The sad reality, however, is that the international community has always fallen short of living up to the standards set for all nations in times of conflict.”
1999-09-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4046Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Many may have been killed at the dawn of their freedom, but we believe that the lives of those East Timorese that were lost were not lost in vain. We commend the members of the Security Council for having taken great risk by travelling to Indonesia and East Timor to witness the situation first hand. We eagerly await their report, which we believe will lay the basis for the United Nations to discharge its solemn duty and responsibility for protecting peace and democracy in East Timor and elsewhere around the world.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Any urgent action by the United Nations will assure the whole world that our Organization is ready to stand up for suffering people wherever they are around the world. The restoration of peace and stability to East Timor, and the full implementation of the results of the 30 August 1999 ballot are not only in the long-term interests of the East Timorese but of all of the people of Indonesia. South Africa has always sought to play a positive role in support of the Secretary-General's efforts to find a lasting solution to the East Timor problem and to assist the people of East Timor in determining their own future. We remain steadfastly committed to seeing the peaceful settlement of the East Timor matter and the granting of independence to the East Timorese people.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The South African Government calls on the Indonesian Government to protect the people of East Timor, to prevent the further escalation of violence in the territory and its spread to neighbouring West Timor, to guarantee the safe return of displaced persons to their homes and to create the conditions to allow UNAMET to resume its work in all the regions of East Timor and to allow the international community to assist in addressing the growing humanitarian catastrophe. We support the recent offers of international assistance made by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Security Council to the Government of Indonesia to restore stability and security in East Timor, and we strongly urge the Indonesian Government to accept such assistance.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In particular, we are appalled at and saddened by the murder of countless unarmed and defenceless East Timorese people, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and the attacks on United Nations and other international personnel by the so-called militias. The South African Government welcomes the announcement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Mary Robinson, that she will go to the region to obtain a first-hand assessment of the situation. We welcome also the recent agreement between the Indonesian Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross to re-establish the latter's operations in East Timor.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The events that have unfolded so far have shocked us and at the same time have outraged the rest of the world. We keep wondering how it is possible for a so-called militia to cause such widespread humanitarian destruction in such a short time? How could armed killers rampage throughout East Timor so easily? We must ensure that the so-called militias and other undemocratic forces are not allowed to reverse the democratic process in East Timor. If that happened, it would send the wrong signal to other people who face violent tyranny and domination elsewhere. This hearing serves to assure the people of East Timor that they are not forgotten. The South African Government and its people condemn unreservedly this latest expression of violence that has brought about a complete collapse of social order in East Timor.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“When the people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence, we thought that the democratic transition which is currently under way in East Timor had more than a chance, despite the odds against it. On a number of occasions, my Government expressed its alarm at reports of escalating violence in East Timor in the lead up to the referendum. We urged all sides in East Timor to reject violence and intimidation and to exercise maximum restraint. At the same time, we expected that the Government of Indonesia would protect the people of East Timor and help guide them through their difficult democratic transition. For a while everything looked so promising in East Timor. It seemed as if the people of East Timor would finally realize their long-held dream of self-determination.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“For us South Africans, those long lines of voters reminded us of our own first democratic election, when we also had to overcome fear and Violence in order to exercise our fundamental democratic right. Due to our commitment to democracy, when the United Nations organized a referendum on independence in East Timor, South Africa sent a team of election experts, who had learned how to monitor the birth of a democracy by helping in nurturing our own. One of the three UNAMET Commissioners was one of South Africa's distinguished judges, Mr. Justice Johann Kriegler, Judge of the South African Constitutional Court, who had been Chairperson of our own independent electoral commission at our first- ever democratic election. In other words, South Africa's involvement in East Timor was more than just political.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“We also understood that the Government of Indonesia had committed itself to the responsibility for the protection of the United Nations and other international personnel and property in East Timor. It was with a deep sense of pride and relief that we observed the transparent and largely peaceful conduct of the ballot on 30 August 1999, in which the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) conducted itself with high distinction. The East Timorese people turned out in overwhelming numbers to exercise their democratic right to determine their own future with calm and dignity, despite ongoing violence and intimidation by the so-called militias who were bent on killing and maiming those who dared to choose to be free.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“South Africa has always been committed to the peaceful resolution to the dispute on the settlement of East Timor. Our political leaders, especially former President Nelson Mandela and the then Deputy President and now President Mbeki, have taken special initiatives in support of the United Nations actions regarding East Timor and have always called for the release of the East Timorese leader, Mr. Gusmao. Also, the South African Government welcomed the signing of the New York Agreements of 5 May 1999. We understood that the Government of Indonesia had committed itself to full responsibility for the maintenance of law and order in East Timor in the interim phase between the ballot and the implementation of its results.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Thank you, Sir, for creating this opportunity for us to come and speak and vent our frustrations about the unfolding situation in East Timor. I would like to commend the Secretary-General, the Secretariat and the United Nations agencies for their untiring efforts to assist the East Timorese people. On behalf of the South African Government I want to assure the Secretary-General and the United Nations of our unwavering support as they try to assist the people of East Timor. Allow me, Mr. President, to express through you my country's condolences to the people of East Timor because as we speak people have either died or are dying in East Timor, and that is a reality. The brutality that we have witnessed in East Timor, and continue to witness, is absolutely senseless. It should not have been allowed to happen.”
1999-09-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4043Resumption1 (1999) · source
“His will and resolve to tackle this issue in a forthright manner, by involving both State and non-State actors, enjoy our profound admiration and support. We look forward with anticipation to the Security Council's first consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the recommendations made so far for the protection and welfare of children in situations of armed conflict. We believe that the report will guarantee that this august body remains seized of this important matter.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Today again we call on the Security Council to adopt an action-oriented and comprehensive draft resolution, such as the one before it right now, which is necessary to address the plight of children used as soldiers. If the Council were to fail to adopt such a draft resolution, it would face the risk of its inaction being misinterpreted as a lack of decisiveness in protecting children at this critical stage. We hope that in its deliberations the Council will reach the conclusion that on the eve of the next millennium it is time to take a stand against the abuse of children by those who wish to make war rather than peace. South Africa would like to express its strong support for the mandate and the activities of the office of Mr. Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“They recommitted themselves to combating all forms of child exploitation and, in particular, to putting an end to the phenomenon of the child soldier. Prior to the Algiers summit, on 7 June 1999, the South African Minister of Defence announced that my own Government had taken a decision to amend its national defence policy to raise the age of enlistment into the South African armed forces from 17 to 18. Our policy now conforms with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which we signed on 10 October 1997. It is worth noting that whilst the 1998 Security Council presidential statement on this subject was a welcome development, it was our contention then, and it still is our contention now, that a Security Council statement was inadequate.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“The African Charter complements and builds upon the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Also in that Charter our heads of State or Government codified the responsibilities of the State, community and individuals in protecting the human rights of the child. This is the first regional treaty on the human rights of the child. We hope that more African States will soon ratify the Charter. We also call upon all regional intergovernmental bodies to emulate the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which has adopted the Charter. Last July, African heads of State and Government, meeting at the OAU summit held in Algiers, reaffirmed their determination to work relentlessly for the promotion of the rights and welfare of the child.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“My delegation would like to echo the decision adopted by the Durban summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, at which the heads of State or Government expressed their deep concern about the difficult situation of many children who are innocent victims of armed conflict. They condemned the recruitment, organization and employment of children in armed conflict. The Non-Aligned Movement summit further urged member countries to put a stop to the use of children as soldiers and to ensure their demobilization and reintegration into society. Because more than 150,000 child soldiers are actively engaged in military combat all over Africa, African heads of State or Government adopted the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in July 1990.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“In this regard, my Government supports the creation of zones of peace in situations where children are caught up in armed conflicts, with a View to protecting these children and to addressing their special needs. It is our firm belief that a global catastrophe of this magnitude requires the resolute will of the international community. We must implement comprehensive and preventive programmes and activities to arrest and eventually annihilate this problem. The recruitment and use of child soldiers is not only an affront to human values, it is also a fundamental impediment to socio-economic development. The social and economic challenges imposed on countries by this practice have frustrated, are frustrating and will continue to frustrate socio-economic development and social transformation.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“Machel, with the help of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). For the first time, the international community collectively expressed profound concern that the situation of children around the world was untenable. Regrettably, since that historic report was released, more than 300,000 children under the age of 18 have been forced to fight in conflicts all over the world. As we speak, more children continue to be dragged against their will into war. These abductions are accompanied by sexual abuse and cruel uses of children that defy description. Of even greater concern to us is the plight of the girl child. We continually receive disturbing reports that young girls are forced into sexual slavery and other practices that expose them to dreadful diseases such as HIV/AIDS. This must be stopped. Enough is enough.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It is for this reason that my delegation would like to express our appreciation to Namibia for having chosen to hold the second debate on the situation of children in armed conflict. We have two basic reasons to believe that this meeting could not have come at a better time. First, it is our hope that this important debate will underscore the continuing need for the promotion and protection of children affected by conflict. Secondly, we believe that this debate will help make sure that the Council continues to be seized of this matter. During the fifty-second session of the General Assembly, in 1997, the United Nations adopted the first study and report commissioned by the United Nations on the situation of children in armed conflict. This work was headed up by our former first lady, Ms.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source
“It would be a hopeless understatement for me and my delegation to say that we are pleased to see you, Sir, presiding over this crucial session of the Security Council. Rather, I choose to remember that it is granted to but a few individuals in each generation to have the honour to appear before their mentors and leaders so that they can measure how far their proteges have progressed in life. For many years in exile, I was among the privileged few who heard you teach, as you did so fervently, that the United Nations was, as it still is, capable and willing to act decisively at critical junctures of history when the situation so demands. I believe that this is the moment when this body must take a stand for the sake of future generations - that is, the children caught in vicious wars around the world.”
1999-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4037Resumption1 (1999) · source