YouSaid · the spoken record

Levitte

lines on the record: 1,215
first: 2000-03-21
most recent: 2002-11-12
sittings or episodes: 146
sources: un-security-council

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“Notwithstanding the difficulties encountered at the border with West Timor - about which I will have more to say - UNTAET has done excellent work in the effort to preserve public order in Timor. The European Union encourages UNTAET to pursue the dialogue with the local community and with the political and religious leaders so as to better ensure the promotion of the values of tolerance. The second field is reconstruction. The European Union is pleased by the efforts UNTAET and the World Bank have made to accelerate the disbursement of specially earmarked funds of the World Bank and thus to remedy the problems encountered at the beginning of the year.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“We appreciate the remarkable work that has already been done by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and his entire team, and their determination to fulfil as effectively as possible the mandate of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The European Union reaffirms its solidarity with the people of East Timor and its support for UNTAET in its efforts to meet one of the United Nations greatest challenges: to lead East Timor within a limited timeframe, on the path to democracy and to allow this country to establish secure relations with all its neighbours. The European Union commends in particular the work done by UNTAET in four fields. The first is the preservation of public order.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“Mr. Levitte (France) (spoke in French): At the outset I congratulate you, Sir, for completing your month on an issue of particular interest to us and which has allowed us to hear from our friend Sergio Vieira de Mello and to have in the Chamber with us our friend Jose Ramos-Horta. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey align themselves with this statement. On behalf of the European Union, I would like to once again most warmly welcome Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello and to thank him for his briefing.”
2000-09-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4203 (2000) · source
“In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, on 24 September, despite the gross falsifications of those in power, the Serbian people turned out en masse and pronounced themselves unequivocally in favour of democratic change. We welcome the security measures taken In Kosovo by UNMIK and KFOR to make it possible for those who wished to vote to do so freely. Let us all hope that in a month's time the voters of Kosovo will have overwhelmingly made an equally clear choice - peaceful rejection of hatred, of political manipulation, of attacks on freedom and of contempt for minorities- the choice of democracy, reconciliation and the participation of all in the conduct of civil affairs; in other words, the choice of Europe and the future. Let us together ensure that that choice is not thwarted.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“The elections are being actively prepared by UNMIK; with the assistance of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the process of registering approximately 1 million Kosovars was conducted under exemplary conditions, even if we must regret that the pressures of the Belgrade regime drove the members of the Serb community to remain outside this process. Moreover, every effort has been made to ensure a genuine democratic debate, sheltered from the provocations of the enemies of freedom. The United Nations is mindful of these and is vigilant to ensure by persuasion and when necessary firmness, respect for the rules of the game. We encourage UNMIK and the Special Representative ofthe Secretary-General to persevere in this direction.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“The European Union, by far the main donor of funds to Kosovo and the Balkans, plays an essential role. Its total contribution to Kosovo in 1999 and 2000 is nearly 8 billion euros, or nearly $7 billion. Recently the European Union, as well as France at the national level, has made a more specific contribution to combat the environmental and public health risks arising from the Trepka complex and the Zvecan factory. I also wish to underscore the special importance of the municipal elections to be held on 28 October in the province. This will be a landmark election with the passage of Kosovo to a genuine autonomy, whose contours, as Mr. Kouchner has said, have yet to be defined.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“The adoption of the Airlie Declaration and the unanimous support the interim authorities have given it is another indication. The "pact for Kosovo society" is also promising. Patience and determination are thus beginning to be slowly rewarded. I emphasize that, here in this Chamber, because we do not have good news to celebrate every day. The success ofthe United Nations team in Kosovo is a good example of what the United Nations can accomplish. Methodical work has been necessary for more than a year. Everything has had to be rebuilt in every sector, even from scratch. Administrations have been set in motion again, people have been trained, sources of finance have been established. UNMIK's humanitarian activities have been successful. Reconstruction and development are now high on the international agenda.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“The United Nations Mission has struggled relentlessly, particularly against acts of ethnic violence, discrimination and violations of human rights; unacceptable traps by extremists to delay the necessary reconciliation within Kosovar society. The European Union has clearly condemned them. But thanks to the efforts of the United Nations and the dialogue conducted by the Special Representative with community leaders, as well as the many proximity initiatives launched throughout the province, the wall of mistrust is beginning to crack. The return of representatives of the Serb community to the mixed administrative structures following the signing of the agreement between Mr. Kouchner and Bishop Artemije on the security of the Serb populations is an indication of this.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“Mr. Levitte (France) (spoke in French): The detailed presentation by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, complementing the Secretary- General's report, demonstrates the extent of the task carried out by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in all areas since the summer of 1999. Mr. Bernard Kouchner has also described very precisely the provisions made by UNMIK a month before the municipal elections of 28 October to create the necessary conditions for the proper development ofthis important phase. Since its creation, the work of UNMIK, persistent and methodical, has given good results. My delegation pays a warm tribute to it and to Mr. Bernard Kouchner and his entire team.”
2000-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4200 (2000) · source
“The European Union would especially like to have up-to-date information on UNTAET's military needs, the effective distribution of capabilities in the territory in relation to local security constraints, the tasks actually assigned to UNTAET's military component and the prospects for how it will continue to evolve. As we stressed last June in the Security Council, the European Union considers that the transition period in East Timor is entering a crucial phase. The United Nations mission, together with the East Timorese, must facilitate the emergence of a new, democratic State, one built upon the essential foundation of the primacy of law, an independent State that is fully integrated into its region and at peace with all its neighbours.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“UNTAET has enjoyed considerable backing from the international community and the largest budget of all current peacekeeping operations. As has been the case for other peacekeeping operations, the costs and means of this operation need to be evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure the best possible allocation of resources. In this context, the European Union recalls the request made by the Security Council last 3 August to have a military assessment of security conditions and of their implications for the structure of UNTAET's military component.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“The European Union is deeply concerned at the destabilizing impact of the incursion of well-trained and well-equipped militias into East Timor from West Timor. The militias' activities could make the process of transition to independence more fragile. In this context, the European Union especially condemns the killing of two UNTAET Blue Helmets, in late July and early August. It also deplores the recent death of a Bangladesh soldier. The European Union believes that the conditions are in place in East Timor today to enable the Timorese to pursue a real and sturdy process of national reconciliation. In this context, it is vital that the international community continue to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the recovery and development of East Timor. Timor has been the subject of an unprecedented United Nations operation.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“The European Union takes note of the new commitments made by the Indonesian Government to settle the refugee question. It calls upon the Indonesian Government to take effective measures to restore law and order, to create conditions of safety and security for the refugees and the international humanitarian personnel, to make it possible for that personnel to have access to the camps in full freedom and security and to immediately arrest and bring to justice the extremist militia members who are trying to sabotage the reconciliation process. All these measures are indispensable in order to complete the registration of refugees, which will give them real freedom of choice between returning to East Timor as soon as possible or being settled in Indonesia.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“The European Union urges Indonesia to fulfil totally and unconditionally its commitment to help those who wish to be repatriated and to put an end to the unacceptable campaigns of disinformation and intimidation waged by the militias in the refugee camps. The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the assault on 22 August against a team from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and deplores the fact that that attack, far from being an isolated act, was part of an almost continuous series of acts of harassment and violence against humanitarian personnel and refugees since the end of spring. The European Union notes with particular concern that these conditions compelled UNHCR to suspend its cooperation for a number of days.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“A year ago, almost to the day, the East Timorese people chose independence. UNTAET, decisively spurred forward by the Secretary- General's Special Representative, Mr. Vieira de Mello, has already done considerable work, and that work must be pursued in full cooperation with the East Timorese themselves. It is essential that all strata of the Timorese population be able to take an effective part in building the future independent State. The establishment last month of a joint Government, bringing together representatives of UNTAET and of the Timorese on an equal footing, seems to us to be quite positive in this regard. Nonetheless, the European Union remains extremely concerned over the situation of tens of thousands of East Timorese refugees in West Timor.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“Mr. Levitte (France) (spoke in French): I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this debate. We would also like to thank Mr. Annabi for having presented us, as always, a fully detailed and exact description of the situation in East Timor. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union- Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia- as well as Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, which are also associated with the European Union, endorse this statement. The European Union wishes today to reaffirm its support for what the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) has done to lead East Timor to independence.”
2000-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4191 (2000) · source
“Recently, the European Union decided to support UNMIK's efforts to fight against the major risks of environmental deterioration caused by the industrial and mining complex Trepca. Through the European reconstruction agency, the European Union will thus provide aid amounting to almost 6 million euros to rehabilitate the Zvecan smelter that Mr. Annabi talked to us about. Before concluding, I would like to pay tribute to Mr. McNamara and his team. If the humanitarian pillar ceases to operate, it will be because it has completely fulfilled its mission and this success should be hailed.”
2000-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4190 (2000) · source
“In a recent statement, the European Union condemned in the strongest terms the intolerable acts perpetrated recently against children, as well as the attack on the building of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Pristina. The holding of municipal elections under the right conditions will make it possible to build on progress made since June 1999. These strides have been made thanks to the contributions made since the start of the operation. The European Union continues to be by far the major contributor for Kosovo, with a contribution of over 3 billion euros in 1999 and 2000 in the civil sphere. Its member States are providing almost two thirds of the KFOR troops, which brings the total contribution of the European Union to 8 billion euros over these past two years.”
2000-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4190 (2000) · source
“It must, with our help, pursue these efforts. That requires a climate of calm, which UNMIK and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) are tirelessly striving to restore. Reconciliation, of course, cannot be decreed. It is a process that takes time and for which we must mobilize all our efforts. Progress has been made over recent months thanks, notably, to steps taken by the Special Representative. We must build on them and in no way cede anything to the extremists on all sides who try to sabotage the results already achieved and to cause the electoral process to fail. The continuation of violence is unacceptable.”
2000-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4190 (2000) · source
“Mr. Levitte (France) (spoke in French): Among the issues in the precise and detailed overview submitted to us by Mr. Annabi, it is obviously the upcoming holding of municipal elections that commands our attention. A major milestone was crossed last week with the announcement of the date for the balloting. We welcome the decision made by the Special Representative, which, I emphasize, was in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999) and the 8 July regulations governing the elections. These local elections come at the right time. This is an indispensable phase for the establishment of a culture of democracy in Kosovo. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), effectively and competently led by Mr. Kouchner, has been methodically striving for a number of months now to prepare for them as rigorously as possible.”
2000-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4190 (2000) · source
“Here, the European Union recalls the importance of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, especially as they relate to children. Those were the main thoughts I wished briefly to place before the Council on behalf of the European Union. International relations comprise both norms and practices. Today's debate enables us to stress the development of the norms that define and guarantee the rights of children in armed conflict; here I am thinking of Security Council resolution 1261 (1999) and, first and foremost, of the Optional Protocol formulated last January. In terms of practices, we have today's Security Council debate; the Council must fully play its role in encouraging and making recommendations to ensure respect for the norms and principles on children in armed conflicts, which it is our duty to protect.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The European Union believes that it is up to the Security Council and the Secretary-General to assess, systematically and regularly, the humanitarian impact of sanctions on civilian populations, including on children. I wish finally to raise the matter of uprooted and displaced children. The first images of conflicts that come to us are often those of children wandering the roads, separated from their families or abandoned in makeshift shelters. The European Union attaches special importance to the needs and security of children displaced within their own countries, and to assisting them. It is especially important for the parties to a conflict to fulfil their obligations and allow humanitarian organizations unimpeded, safe access to displaced children.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The European Union actively supports the preparation and convening in 2001 of a United Nations conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects. Although it is necessary to deal with factors that exacerbate the plight of children in armed conflict, it is necessary also to assess precisely the consequences of measures that the international community takes in imposing sanctions against Governments or armed groups. The European Union takes attentive note of the analysis in the report of the Secretary-General of the unintended consequences of sanctions, of which hundreds of thousands of children are victims.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“One of these is access to weapons, in particular small arms and light weapons. The technical enhancement of such weapons, their light weight and their ease of use make it simpler for children to use them. That is why the European Union considers that the international community must take coordinated action on the priority issue of protocols to be required for their sale and transfer. I will not dwell on the measures to be implemented at the national, regional and international levels, but will mention only the enhancement of national legal and regulatory frameworks, the campaign against illicit trafficking, and the strengthening of controls on legal trade, including through the marking of weapons. The European Union has adopted a code of conduct on arms exports and a Joint Action on small arms.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The Protocol strengthens international norms; it calls on parties to conflicts, including armed groups, to commit themselves to respect for the rules guaranteeing that the rights of children will be respected. I have no doubt that the Millennium Assembly will duly hail the adoption of the Protocol. I urge the greatest possible number of States to sign the Protocol during the Millennium Summit, as those States members of the European Union that have not yet done so are planning to do. In speaking of the European Union's assessment and analysis of the question of children in armed conflict, I should like to stress the problem of small arms and the question of sanctions. The international community must first of all address the factors that exacerbate the harm done to children.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The European Union welcomed the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The European Union played an active role throughout the difficult negotiations leading to the adoption of the Protocol. Let me highlight three elements of the Optional Protocol, which supplemented and developed the provisions of the 1989 Convention in a major way: the minimum age for compulsory recruitment or direct participation in hostilities was raised from 15; the States parties to the Protocol were called upon to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment and to provide special protections and safeguards for those under 18; and the provisions and measures contained in the Protocol categorically prohibit the recruitment or use in hostilities of anyone under 18.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“It would be highly regrettable for the Council to adopt special measures to protect children without requiring follow- up and evaluation. Here, the European Union welcomes the fact that in his reports to the Council the Secretary-General devotes special attention to problems relating to the protection of children. Such information must be systematic, whether it relates to disarmament, to demobilization or to rehabilitation programmes. Sometimes there are fortunate sequences of events in international relations. Last year, we marked the tenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is a basic, nearly universal text. Two protocols have now supplemented that legal structure, one of which relates to the subject before the Council today.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The European Union welcomes the priority that the Council attaches to designing policies on behalf of children in armed conflict. Fourtth, beyond general guidelines and recommendations - beyond the integration of the protection of children into peacekeeping operations and the specific provisions and programmes that parties to a conflict are called on take into account and implement - the European Union believes it fundamental that follow-up and monitoring be carried out on the basis of the commitments undertaken by States or armed groups to the protection of children. While it is essential that the Council include in the mandates of peacekeeping and peace-restoration operations provisions on the protection of children and the safeguarding of their rights, it is no less crucial that those provisions not remain dead letters.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“I shall cite only the two recent examples of resolution 1291 (2000), strengthening the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and resolution 1270 (1999), establishing the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone. Those two resolutions stress the importance of providing personnel whose actions take humanitarian law and the law relating to the protection of children into account. This is a step in the right direction. These developments must be encouraged and supported by all the actors of the international system. In resolution 1261 (1999), the Security Council demonstrated its commitment to taking into account, when exercising its competencies, the well-being and protection of children during the phases of re-establishing, maintaining and building peace.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“Some have been surprised that the Council did not take up such a tragically urgent subject earlier. Indeed, the Council serves peace insofar as it ensures the most disadvantaged among us the protection and vigilance that their weakness requires. Is there any need to prove that the Council, in its area of competence, has always been concerned by this aspect and never underestimated it? In any case, that concern is enshrined positively and formally in a resolution. It is too early to take stock of the implementation of resolution 1261 (1999). I observe, however, that the idea of paying particular attention to the protection of children is duly taken into account in the work, texts and decisions of the Security Council, as the resolution requires us to do.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“Education, protection, integration, access to knowledge and social and civil guarantees are the principles governing the protection of children. It is our job to ensure respect for these principles and norms with the greatest determination and vigilance. Thirdly, it is fortunate that we are not starting these deliberations from scratch. In its resolution 1261 (1999), adopted unanimously last year, the Security Council solemnly undertook a commitment to and responsibility for those children who suffer the violence of war. The Council committed itself to paying particular attention to the protection, well-being and rights of children when it is called upon to take measures aimed at promoting peace and security. As is often the case, that important undertaking, with a year's hindsight, seems nearly self-evident.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“A few figures suffice: 13 million children have been displaced by war; between 8,000 and 10,000 children are mine victims; between 1986 and 1996, armed conflicts have killed 2 million children, wounded 6 million and traumatized 10 million. I have not even touched on sexual violence, torture, mutilation or children recruited by force and condemned to being child soldiers. Secondly, one cannot separate the plight of children from the root causes and chains of events that underlie the conflicts which claim children as their first victims. That is why today's debate is a natural continuation of that which took place in the Council last week on the prevention of conflicts. The best way to prevent conflicts is to tackle their underlying causes. With respect to children, we must emphasize the promotion of their rights.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The role and mission of the Security Council is to address subjects and situations that are often tragic. It is called on to prevent threats to peace, to halt or avert the outbreak of wars and to re-establish conditions for a restoration of peace when they have been disrupted. And yet, among its prerogatives under the Charter, there is one that should flow from all the others, prompt us to assume greater obligations and require even more sustained will and perseverance of every member of the Council. That mission is to prevent, at all times and in all places, the primary targeting of children as victims of conflict or war. Here, the Secretary-General's conclusion is devastating and his pen seems to employ every shade of blackest ink in describing the situation of children.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“The European Union would have liked a little more time to study the substantive report submitted to us today under paragraph 20 of resolution 1261 (1999) on children in armed conflict. This report of the Secretary- General, which is of high quality, contains many recommendations. These 55 recommendations deserve thorough study. They will be studied in the appropriate ways and by the competent bodies. Many speakers have taken the floor and many others will do so. I shall therefore limit my remarks to a few comments addressing the heart of the concerns and thinking of the European Union. First, this debate is again welcome. This debate is again necessary. It follows on the fruitful discussions that the Council has been organizing for the past two years. It is natural that the Security Council should pursue and endow it with its full scope.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“I thank him for his briefing and his eloquence, which fully reflect his convictions. I also pay tribute to Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), whose expertise and tireless action do credit to the United Nations system. UNICEF's informed, precise and lucid reports are valuable tools for each of us, the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. I would emphasize the high quality of her statement. The European Union welcomes the fact that the entire United Nations system and its various organizations and bodies are serving the interests and rights of children. The European Union calls for this cooperation to continue. May I, however, express one regret at this stage?”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“Mr. Levitte (France) (spoke in French): I have the honour today to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey join in this statement. I wish first to thank the Jamaican presidency for convening this discussion on children in armed conflict. Allow me, in my turn, to pay tribute to the presence among us of Mr. Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, who has been engaged courageously and creatively in the field for two years in a remarkable effort to inform, persuade and prevent.”
2000-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4176 (2000) · source
“This topic warrants greater, sustained attention. It would therefore be useful for the Secretary-General to give us his views and recommendations on the matter, as requested in the draft presidential statement to be adopted later, and for the Security Council to examine them in due course, if possible at ministerial level.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“The Security Council must progressively develop all of these measures. In conclusion, we are gratified to see the Security Council becoming increasingly aware of the importance of preventive action. This new interest must now be translated into action and decision- making. Beyond the Council, the entire international community, United Nations specialized bodies and agencies, regional organizations and Member States must develop that dimension more effectively and acquire a culture of prevention. Furthermore, an integrated approach is also essential, extending from the prevention of conflict to the consolidation of peace after conflict, so as to break the vicious cycle of unavoidable conflict and unachievable peace. It is for the Security Council to implement the recommendations made here today in specific cases.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“The Secretariat's early-warning, reaction and analysis capabilities should therefore be bolstered so that the Secretary-General is better able to perform that task. I should like to emphasize that particular aspect of our message. The Security Council has at its disposal a range of resources, of which it must avail itself as necessary. I should like to mention a few of them. They include Security Council missions, of which there has been a welcome revival recently, and which we must be able to send not only when conflict breaks out, but further down the line; preventive disarmament measures and arms embargoes for preventive purposes; measures to combat illegal trafficking in mineral raw materials and embargoes on diamonds; the establishment of demilitarized zones; and measures for preventive deployment, including civilian police.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“It falls to it to investigate any dispute or situation to determine whether that dispute or situation could degenerate into armed conflict and to take appropriate measures. The Council must assume that responsibility in full, taking into account the change in the nature of conflicts, 90 per cent of which now take place within States. Its effectiveness will be also be improved if greater account is taken of that dimension. In this context, we should remind ourselves of the role of the Secretary-General in alerting the Security Council in accordance with Article 99 of the Charter. The Secretary-General must not hesitate to draw the Security Council's attention to certain situations.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“We can only rejoice that this path has been chosen by regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the Association of South-East Asian Nations. Finally, what is the role of the United Nations and what are the means at its disposal for the prevention of armed conflict? Bearing in mind the diversity of the questions dealt with in the context of conflict prevention, many United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes have a role to play. In this Security Council debate, I will concentrate on the role of the Council. The main responsibility of the Security Council for peacekeeping and security also extends to the prevention of armed conflict.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“After two world wars unleashed in Europe, the Union arose in the belief that it was necessary to create common economic interests to prevent the resurgence of conflicts and that every country should have sufficient interest in and with its neighbours to make war impossible. Indeed, after centuries of tearing one another apart, the States members of the European Union have lived in peace for over half a century. The lesson to be drawn from this European success story is that it is better to share and jointly exploit resources than to pillage one's neighbours. The lesson holds good in particular for problems of access to and distribution of water resources, which have become increasingly vital.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“They represent the first level for addressing tensions that are mostly of a regional nature and for finding solutions among all the forces directly involved, while ensuring that internal crises and tensions do not draw the countries of a given region into the problem alongside the local protagonists. We should draw conclusions from the conflict- prevention actions already undertaken by regional organizations so that their role can be enhanced and strengthened. Moreover, the emergence of such organizations where they do not already exist should be encouraged. These regional cooperation agencies are also crucibles in which links of solidarity are formed and economic integration is developed, enabling them to play a preventive role. The European Union is itself a successful model of conflict prevention.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“For its part, the European Union is highly sensitive to this problem and has adopted a Code of Conduct on arms exports and a Joint Action on small arms. In this context, the European Union is obviously lending its full support to the convening in 2001 of a United Nations conference on the illicit arms trade in all its aspects. Beyond the responsibility of States, regional organizations have an important role in the prevention of conflicts. Regional organizations may and should, first, have political and diplomatic machinery for preventing conflicts. Such is the role played by such continental organizations as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the OAS and the Organization of African Unity, as well as by such subregional organizations as, for instance, ECOWAS in West Africa.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“In practice, this requires an entire range of measures: the strengthening of national laws; the development of regional initiatives, such as, for instance, the moratorium imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Nairobi Declaration, the action programme conducted jointly by the European Union and the Southern African Development Community, and the Inter- American Convention of the Organization of American States (OAS); the exchange of information on trafficking; the marking of weapons; anti-trafficking measures; international cooperation to increase the monitoring capacity of States directly affected by the illicit traffic in small arms; the drafting of a protocol on the manufacture of and illicit traffic in firearms; and a reduction in the destabilizing stockpiling of small arms, in particular through the adoption of confidence- building measures and through the collection and destruction of all weapons not legally owned or not necessary to national or community defence or to internal security.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“Coordinated action in this sphere is an essential aspect of preventing armed conflict. I am pleased to note that the international community has increasingly mobilized itself in this respect. The sale of light and small-calibre weapons must be regulated so that their transfer at the national, regional and international levels is conducted legally and responsibly.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“Lastly, it involves consideration of how to certify rough diamonds, define codes of conduct for industrialists and establish an international agency responsible for promoting transparency and responsibility. I will not dwell on the problem of drug trafficking, the extent and complexity of which are well known. I would simply point out that certain conflicts, in particular that in Afghanistan, persist as a result of this sole but very lucrative resource. This explains the great importance of preventive action in that area. We must also take action against the destabilizing stockpiling of and illicit trafficking in light and small- calibre weapons. Crises degenerate all the more easily into armed conflicts when weapons, in particular light and small-calibre weapons, are readily accessible.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“The international community has become increasingly aware of the need to combat the illegal exploitation of and traffic in natural resources, as well as the production of and traffic in drugs. Armed conflicts are triggered and perpetuated all the more easily if they can be financed by the illegal exploitation of and trade in natural resources, in particular diamonds, which are easy to dispose of and whose origins are difficult to identify, as well as drugs. The market needs to be regulated so as to abolish illicit trafficking and to increase the transparency of transactions. This involves enhancing cooperation between States, marketing centres, industrialists and regional organizations. It also requires support for the efforts of producer States to enhance their regulations and their means to stop illicit trafficking.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“Good governance covers several aspects: the exploitation of resources to the benefit of all and not for the enrichment of a small group; the sound management of public finances so as to provide basic services to the entire population; anti- corruption measures; administration in the general interest and not solely in the interest of those in government; and the accountability of leaders. As many examples to the contrary have shown, good governance makes it possible to reduce the risks of conflict arising from shortages, the seizure of power or the effects of a culture of predation. In addition to addressing causes, it is also necessary to remove the sources of the funding, fuelling and unleashing of conflicts.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source
“A State that respects the fundamental rights of its citizens and has a participatory political system allows not only freedom of expression, but also the possibility of everyone's interests being taken into account, thus reducing the risk that all or part of society will rebel against the State or seek to secede from it. Political life should not boil down to an all-or-nothing approach. Room must be made for political, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as for different regions, so that they need not choose between absence from political life and recourse to armed violence. Finally, the importance of good governance cannot be overemphasized.”
2000-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4174 (2000) · source