YouSaid · the spoken record

Lodhi

lines on the record: 545
first: 2015-03-16
most recent: 2019-10-29
sittings or episodes: 79
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

“We have therefore welcome President Ashraf Ghani's offer to talk to the Taliban without preconditions and the United States support for a negotiated settlement. The ceasefire earlier this month has demonstrated that negotiations are not only possible, but can actually produce a positive outcome. The opportunity that has opened up by recent developments must now be seized and translated into serious and sustained efforts to promote a political settlement and durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. While the onus for seizing the moment rests on the parties directly involved in the Afghan conflict, Pakistan for its part will continue to do what it can to support all efforts to launch a credible peace process.”
2018-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8294 (2018) · source
“Even if the ceasefire lasted only a few days, it marked a moment of hope and opportunity. Eid saw extraordinary and moving scenes of reconciliation in some places between those who for years had fought a bloody war against each other. The comprehensive observance of the ceasefire by the Taliban also demonstrated that its leadership has control of the movement and is cohesive enough to negotiate a political settlement. It is also significant that both President Ashraf Ghani and the United States Secretary of State have indicated that foreign forces can be a topic of negotiations in any talks with the Taliban. This could open the door for real dialogue. My country has consistently advocated over the years that a negotiated settlement is the only viable solution to the decades of conflict and suffering in Afghanistan.”
2018-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8294 (2018) · source
“Let me start by thanking the Secretary-General for his report (S/2018/539) and Special Representative Tadamichi Yamamoto for his very insightful briefing this morning. The Secretary-General's report notes that Afghanistan continues to face multiple political economic and security challenges in an uncertain and fraught environment in which the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. It also underscores the risks posed to the forthcoming elections by declining public confidence in a fragmented political landscape. But despite that bleak picture, this month has seen a ray of hope emerge for peace in the country. A three-day see a ceasefire between Afghan security forces and the Taliban on Eid al-Fitr resulted in an unprecedented pause in a war that has raged for almost 17 years.”
2018-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8294 (2018) · source
“The test of our commitment to peace in the region lies in that acknowledgment and our ability to act on it. It is time to stand up and be counted.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“The grim situation in Yemen also necessitates a political outcome. The search for a political solution must be accelerated. Over 22 million people in the country are in need of immediate and urgent humanitarian assistance. That fact alone reinforces the need for such a political settlement. The edifice of peace cannot be built without the foundation of justice. We cannot expect some to reap the dividends of peace when others are forcibly deprived of the fruits ofjustice. As self-evident as it is, that fallacy remains at the core of the instability in the region, for peace is surely not a zero-sum game. We are all insecure if some of us are vulnerable. The road to peace in the Middle East lies in ajust and fair settlement of the Palestinian issue. That is an objective reality, not a partisan assessment.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“Our words during this debate will be weighed against the actions that we take for the protection needs of all civilian populations, including the people of Palestine. We must not allow the plight of the Palestinian people to be betrayed at the altar of narrow and myopic political interests. The raging fires of conflict across the region show no signs of abating. Amid this pervasive gloom, the successful conduct of the parliamentary elections in Iraq last month marks a new chapter in Iraqi democracy. It also serves as a successful model of inclusive and representative political participation. As the conflict in Syria enters its eighth year, the need for an intra-Syrian process ofpolitical engagement is as urgent and important as ever. As much as progress may be slow, every step forward on that path is a gain for peace in the country.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“For the Palestinian issue is not a by-product of conflict in the Middle East, it is the primary source of instability in the region. On 13 June, the General Assembly was called upon to reaffirm to the Palestinians their right to safety and protection - a right expressly recognized by several Security Council resolutions - which the Council had failed to endorse on 1 June. Our discussion on the protection of civilians is not taking place in isolation; it is a fundamental tenet of the prevention-centric and rights-oriented work that we carry out at the United Nations. It is therefore no coincidence that the General Assembly is, at this very moment, also holding a formal plenary meeting on the responsibility to protect (see A/72/PV.100).”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“Nowhere is that unfortunate spectacle more apparent than in Palestine. The two- State solution is tragically being dismantled in full sight of the international community. The latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2018/6l4) also attests to a familiar pattern of systematic abuse of Palestinians at the hands of the illegal Israeli occupation. Inaction by the Security Council is also continuing to worsen the situation in Palestine. As the Palestinians observed their Great Return March, the killing fields of Gaza were drenched in the blood of over 130 innocent Palestinians. Yet the Security Council stood as a bystander to the plight of those long-suffering Palestinian people. That represented a dereliction by the Council of its primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“Already, a combustible mix has been exacerbated by big-Power rivalries, raising the danger of wider conflict, with far-reaching consequences. As rightly noted in the concept note (S/2018/524, annex), the situation necessitates a comprehensive approach to effectively address the many challenges - an approach that takes into account the underlying regional and historical contexts of each conflict and that is consistent with the norms of international law. Anything less would not work, for we know all too well that unilateral measures driven by narrow interests and false assumptions have brought only greater suffering to the people of the region. Worryingly, instead of abandoning those flawed policies, attempts are still being made by some external actors to shape the region according to their own political preferences.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“Let start by thanking the Russian presidency for convening this important debate. We also thank the Secretary-General for his insightful and frank briefing on the situation in the Middle East. As our Swedish colleague reminded us just a short while ago, the region has historically been the cradle of civilization. But today the Middle East is in deep turmoil. The geostrategic landscape of the region is dominated by a complex interplay of multiple and intersecting fault lines. Competing interests and divergences among major regional Powers have further fuelled instability and pushed the region into a vortex of turmoil and violence. Reconciliation among the major regional Powers is necessary to address the growing tensions and turmoil.”
2018-06-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8293 (2018) · source
“Fifthly, the Security Council, as the primary body tasked with maintaining international peace and security, should focus on the root causes of emerging and long-standing conflicts and find inclusive political solutions. Inaction by the Council in cases of foreign aggression and occupation produces situations where such crimes breed. Finally, let me say that the goal of the protection of civilians can best be achieved by preventing the outbreak of armed conflict in the first place. Our collective efforts need to be geared towards that crucial goal. Otherwise, we will be treating only the symptoms, and not the cause.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Thirdly, the lack of political will to fully respect humanitarian law and other applicable rules is the primary impediment to protecting civilians in armed conflict. Sustained pressure from those with influence over parties to conflicts can rectify that terrible wrong. Fourthly, the protection of civilians, wherever mandated by the Council, is, and should be, a priority for United Nations peacekeeping operations. Pakistan is one of the world's leading contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping, and Blue Helmets from my country have contributed to many of its success stories in Africa, from Liberia to Sierra Leone. Our well-trained and professional peacekeepers have protected civilians, provided them with much-needed medical care and helped to rebuild their lives.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“First, the protection of civilians is a system-wide responsibility, but host countries bear the primary responsibility for the protection of all civilians without discrimination. Secondly, violations are neither inevitable nor insurmountable. They can be mitigated by the consistent use of the entire range of national and international judicial and non-judicial means for promoting compliance with international humanitarian law and ensuring accountability. Military training, for instance, must include familiarization with the principles of international law governing armed conflict and a full understanding of the legal implications of commands issued and obeyed in situations of combat.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Those crimes continue to be perpetrated in Palestine and in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir - two of the oldest disputes on the agenda of the United Nations and the Security Council. As an inevitable consequence of armed conflict, the international community is confronted with the challenge of increasing civilian casualties, as well as an ever-greater need for humanitarian assistance and protection for people displaced by it. According to the Secretary- General's report on the protection of civilians (S/2018/462), last year alone the United Nations recorded more than 26,000 civilian deaths in just six situations of armed conflict, with 128 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Let me underscore five specific points in that regard.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Whether it is plausible deniability or abuse, the grim reality is, when the beast of conflict roars, legal regimes fall silent. Gone are the days when the impact of armed conflicts on civilians was limited to collateral damage. Targeted attacks, sexual violence, forced conscription and indiscriminate killings collectively serve to paint an extremely bleak picture of the human costs of modern-day armed conflict. Civilians, who should be the primary subject of protection, have become the principal objects of attack. The Geneva Conventions are violated, respect for human life is also violated, and civilians are used as human shields in occupied territories. Worse, perpetrators who commit such crimes are awarded honours by their military commands.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Let me start by thanking Poland for convening this debate. We also thank the Secretary-General and the Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross for their insightful briefings. The rules of conduct of armed conflict are clearly codified and articulated in various conventions and legal instruments. Yet the cardinal principles of distinction and discrimination between civilians and combatants, military necessity and proportionality continue to be violated, and warring parties still operate with impunity. The legal framework is there. It is the persistent failure to comply with those obligations and to respect the rules of international humanitarian law during armed conflict that remains the abiding challenge.”
2018-05-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8264 (2018) · source
“Yet for the United Nations to become fit for purpose, it must reflect the contemporary spirit of our age and become an organization that is more democratic, representative, accountable, transparent and efficient. We wish no less for the Security Council than that it be able to effectively address the imposing and complex global challenges of our time.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“The process of accountability needs to be viewed as a continuum that goes beyond punishment alone. Strategies such as truth and reconciliation commissions have been used effectively in many situations, and we should use them much more frequently. Fifthly, the Council should further strengthen its cooperation with regional and subregional organizations to bring local insights and perspectives on emerging threats. In addition, solutions are often more effective when they are neither externally imposed nor culturally alien. The United Nations is of course a reflection of its membership. It will be as strong or as weak as its Member States wish it to be.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“The Council's recommendation of one solitary dispute to the Court and its referral ofa single case for advisory opinion to the Court are neither what the framers envisaged nor what the broader membership wants or desires. Thirdly, the Council should be more consistent and unbiased in its actions. Selectivity in the implementation of its resolutions and decisions - especially on long-standing disputes, notably those in Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine 4 must end. After all, there can be no peace without justice. As Martin Luther King famously said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Fourthly, the tension between demands for accountability and the imperative of sovereignty must be resolved according to the norms of international law.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“After all, coercive actions are a blunt instrument and do not create incentives for consensual solutions. My delegation wishes to offer the following five key suggestions to move our process forward. First, the Council should assume its full responsibilities under Chapter VI of the Charter to promote political solutions, mediation and dialogue for the peaceful resolution of conflict. It should actively seek the engagement of all stakeholders, including women and the young, throughout the life cycle of a conflict. An enhanced role for the Peacebuilding Commission is equally important. Secondly, the Council should have greater recourse to the International Court of Justice on legal matters.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“The Charter of the United Nations represents the single most important source of international law, which all Member States have a responsibility and an obligation to uphold 4 more so at this critical point where fundamental tenets of multilateralism are increasingly under threat and in retreat. Strict adherence to the purposes and principles of the Charter is therefore imperative, not only to ensure the credibility and legitimacy of the United Nations system, but also to preserve the centrality of a rules- based international order. Promoting peace has always been the principal obligation and goal of the United Nations. It is time we fully committed to the principle of seeking solutions to today's challenges through the art of diplomacy, and not on the front lines of battle.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“While Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations makes the Security Council an embodiment of the membership's collective aspirations for international peace and security, action by the Council has often faltered at the altar of political expediency. Nothing diminishes the standing and credibility of the Council more than when it watches in silence while norms of international law and its own resolutions and decisions are trampled by Member States or remain unimplemented due to the narrow interests invoked in big-Power politics. Every time the Council fails to address those omissions and breaches, it compromises the moral authority of its decisions, which are otherwise legally binding.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“My delegation thanks the Polish presidency for organizing and convening this debate. We also thank all the briefers for their insightful briefings this morning. Emerging from the ashes of the Second World War, the United Nations was built on the lofty ideal of saving our succeeding generations from the scourge of war. As Members of the United Nations, we resolved that no matter how great our strength, we must deny ourselves the licence to do as we please. However, that sense of idealism has been eroded over the years, and especially by a series of recent developments. While it is true that we have not seen any major conflagration during the past 70 years, the world today is hardly at peace. Conflicts abound, long-standing disputes fester and the legitimate rights of the people continue to be denied to them in many parts of the world.”
2018-05-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8262 (2018) · source
“Unless the value of human life and the rights of all peoples are respected and unless the principles of the Charter of the United Nations are upheld in the Middle East and other regions near and far, the Middle East may well be racing towards unprecedented disaster.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“Some 22 million Yemenis are in dire need of immediate humanitarian assistance, which warrants both a surge in diplomacy to realize a political settlement and the provision of generous humanitarian support to the millions in need across the country. We will continue to extend our full support for all diplomatic efforts, including those being made under the auspices of the Secretary-General's Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, to find an inclusive and just political solution in Yemen. In conclusion, I would like to say that the Middle East is a cradle of civilization, but it has been transformed into a cauldron of conflict.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“We welcome the deployment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Fact-finding Mission to the Syrian Arab Republic and are confident that its investigations will assist in establishing and ascertaining the facts. At the same time, we reiterate our call on all sides to refrain from actions that are incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations and with international law. Pakistan views the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq as another important landmark in the march of our Iraqi brothers and sisters towards a democratic and pluralistic Iraqi State that reconciles the interests of all the Iraqi people. Meanwhile, the situation in Yemen remains a cause for extreme distress.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“The Council should analyse the reasons for the region's troubles. Most of these troubles are a direct consequence of foreign occupation, annexation and intervention. The region stands at a dangerous crossroads. The seething fires of conflict and violence threaten to exacerbate the multiple intersecting and overlapping regional fault lines, thus presenting a greater risk to international peace and security than ever before. We are gravely concerned by reports of the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Any use of chemical weapons by anyone anywhere is abhorrent and illegal and deserves unreserved condemnation.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“The international community has long since recognized that peace between Israel and the Palestinian people and other Arab and Muslim peoples can only be built through a two-State solution. An illusory one State will perpetuate occupation and conflict and provide neither peace nor security. Pakistan also deplores the constraints placed on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It is deplorable that the suffering of Palestinian refugees is sought to be mortgaged to political ambitions. Sufficient, predictable and sustainable financing of UNRWA's activities is essential, moral and legal, all the more so at this grim political juncture when prospects for the negotiated settlement appear so sombre and so bleak. We have heard some characterize the Middle East as a troubled place.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“A peaceful protest was transformed into a callous killing zone by the occupying Power even as the world watched the wanton shooting of unarmed Palestinians on their television screens. While the Palestinians mourned the pointless murder ofscores oftheir men, women and children, some as young as 14, the Security Council was unable to even call for an independent and transparent investigation into the incidents, much less condemn the crimes of the occupying Power. The Palestinian demand for justice was met once again by arrogant dismissal. International peace and stability cannot be promoted by denying freedom and justice to peoples living under foreign or alien occupation.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“Big Power rivalries combined with the divergent policies and interests of major regional States presage a period of continued conflict and instability in the region, contributing to the suffering of the millions of innocent victims of the regional conflicts and the rising danger of major international conflagration. In recent times, no people have suffered greater injustice than the people of Palestine. During the past 70 years, they have been driven from their homes and their homeland, militarily occupied and obligated to living conditions that resemble apartheid. The world witnessed the latest manifestation of Israel's cruel occupation and repression during the Great March of Return in Gaza.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“I would like to start by thanking the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary- General for his incisive briefing. Speaking in this Chamber a few days ago, Secretary- General Antonio Guterres sounded the warning that the Cold War had returned with a vengeance across a multiplicity of divides, including in the Middle East (see S/PV.8231). Moreover, he observed that this new Cold War was under way without the mechanisms and safeguards used to manage the risk of escalation in the past.”
2018-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8244 (2018) · source
“Speaking at our event, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "I do not agree that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. More and more, they are the leaders of today." Let us therefore commit ourselves, or recommit ourselves, to building on the positive energy and innovative spirit of our young people and to striving for a world where the illusion of cynicism gives way to the ideal of hope and equal and inclusive opportunities available to the young match their boundless ambitions. That is the least we owe to them.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“A major focus of that approach has been the empowerment of youth at the grassroots level by engaging them as decision-makers in the decision-making process. We are also investing in youth so as to provide them an opportunity to live their dreams and enable them to become my country's future leaders. My Government has launched the comprehensive Prime Minister's youth programme, which aims at providing the young and underprivileged with skills training and access to higher education and employment. That, I am happy to report, has already benefited over 1 million young people. We were proud to showcase many of our achievements during the event entitled "Investing in Youth to Counter Terrorism", which Pakistan co-hosted with Norway and the United Nations Office on Counter- Terrorism here at the United Nations on 12 April.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“Resolution 2250 (2015), on youth, peace and security, redresses that critical gap in global thinking by recognizing the key role of youth in conflict prevention and promoting lasting peace. We must build on that momentum. There cannot be any half measures in seeking to translate our commitment to our youth. My country, Pakistan, is proud to have led the charge in successfully implementing holistic and comprehensive strategies to counter the narrative of extremism, and at the same time engage our youth so that they can become productive members of our society. We have adopted a whole-of-society approach based on engagement with civil society, including faith leaders, local communities and the media, to promote the concept of a plural society based on building peaceful and harmonious communities.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“For far too long, young men have been considered perpetrators of violence, and young women its victims. While a small minority of youth takes to violence, sweeping characterizations of young populations have for long exacerbated their sense of marginalization. It is time to debunk those false stereotypes. It is time to recognize that youth are not merely instruments of war, but essential partners in peacebuilding. They are architects for economic and social development and the establishment of effective, inclusive institutions. We need to fight the Violence of exclusion by talking to young people, listening to them and giving them the voice that they deserve.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded us recently, "No one is born a terrorist, and nothing justifies terrorism, but we know that factors such as prolonged unresolved conflicts, lack of the rule of law and socioeconomic marginalization can all play a role in transforming grievances into destructive action." The toxic message of violent extremism preys on the vulnerability of youth, recruiting them to its violent ways by playing on their sensitivity to injustice and oppression, and propagating hate, intolerance and violence as the sole response to numerous inequities. If one has nothing to live for, one finds something to die for. We must break that nexus between desperation and hopelessness. The role of youth lies at the heart of international peace and security.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“In an ever-changing and increasingly complex world, they face the pressures from socioeconomic inequalities, political and social exclusion, discrimination and a lack of fair opportunity. Young people are also some of the worst victims in situations of armed conflict, humanitarian crisis, foreign occupation and long-standing and unresolved disputes. Their sense of justice is aroused and their patience is frequently tested by the inconsistent and often selective global response to their pain, suffering and plight. Yet we see that many of the fundamental causes enraging our youth are often conspicuous by their absence in our discourse on those issues.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“My delegation welcomes this open debate on youth, peace and security. We wish to thank all the briefers for their comprehensive briefings. The independent progress study on youth, peace and security (see S/2018/86) was particularly useful and illuminating. The world today has more young people than ever before - 46 per cent ofthe global population is under 26 years of age. Many parts ofthe world, including my own country, has a youth bulge, with young people making up a majority of our populations. Inspired by hope, optimism and an unbridled sense of idealism, youth are agents ofchange in their communities and societies. Yet, despite being repositories of the world's greatest hopes, the young also find themselves at the forefront of some of the biggest challenges that we confront today.”
2018-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8241 (2018) · source
“To share our experience and promote best practices in peacekeeping, we have established a United Nations peacekeeping training institute in Pakistan, which offers specially designed modules to help peacekeepers respond effectively and protect innocent civilians from sexual violence. We also believe that increasing participation by female peacekeepers and encouraging more women to take up mediation roles will help in the stabilization and reconstruction phase of post- conflict rehabilitation. For my country, protecting the vulnerable, including women and children, is not only a global peace and security imperative. More important, this is an obligation of humanity. We remain resolute and steadfast in our commitment.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“My country has always advocated the integration of the gender perspective into the peacebuilding paradigm to promote the cause of sustaining peace. As one of the world's leading troop-contributing countries, Pakistan has set the highest standards in fulfilling peacekeeping mandates, including protecting vulnerable segments of the population, especially women and children, from violence. We fully support the Secretary-General's zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse. Pakistan was among the first countries to sign the Secretary-General's voluntary compact on the subject. We have also contributed to the Trust Fund in Support of Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“Secondly, mechanisms to independently investigate and verify reports emerging from conflict situations where sexual violence is taking place are critical to dealing with the challenge. Thirdly, we must also take concrete steps to enhance the capacity of national institutions and improve criminal justice systems in countries facing armed conflict. Fourthly, justice does not only mean punishment for the perpetrators. It also means redress for the survivors. Victim protection and rehabilitation should remain a top priority. The stigma attached to victimhood must be redirected towards the perpetrators. They are the ones who should be made an example of, not just as a matter of retribution but also as a preventive measure.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“From Myanmar to my own country's neighbourhood, the world continues to watch in horror as several State and non-State actors employ rape and sexual abuse as a deliberate policy to subdue and oppress entire populations. A lack of verifiable and independent reporting from many of these hotspots is letting those who commit and condone these acts go scot-free. In order to combat impunity for these crimes and protect women and girls from systematic abuse, the international community needs to recalibrate and revisit its response. Let me make four specific points in that regard. First, the Security Council, as the primary body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security, should focus on addressing the root causes of conflict to remove the breeding grounds for such crimes.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“While sexual violence remains a designated war crime and a crime against humanity, for survivors its impact goes well beyond the ordeal of the harrowing experience itself. Stigma and marginalization often outlast the conflict, and the trauma haunts survivors for the rest of their lives. The recent report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2018/250) rightly emphasizes how the effects of such violence can echo across generations. The Security Council has been proactively taking up this issue under its women and peace and security agenda. The legal framework and institutional focus are in place, but complicated geopolitics around various conflicts and divisions within the Chamber have allowed perpetrators to continue to carry out these heinous atrocities with impunity.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“My delegation commends your effort, Mr. President, in organizing this open debate on an issue of critical importance. We thank Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten, for their informative briefings this morning. For far too long, sexual violence has remained a grim and inevitable reality of armed conflicts, which has often been employed systematically and with impunity, to coerce, punish, humiliate and instil fear among the targeted civilian population. Even as the international community has come together to collectively condemn such acts of unimaginable horror, sexual abuse of women and girls continues to be used as a tactic of war in conflicts around the world.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“Pakistan's cooperation cannot be garnered by pressure or intimidation. To conclude, allow me to convey a message from my Government and my people to our sisters in Afghanistan. We stand with them in support of their rights and liberty. We regard an assault on their rights as a threat to our rights, and indeed to the rights of women everywhere. We are together in the pursuit of our shared goal to ensure a life of dignity and liberty for every girl and every woman, wherever they may be.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“Pakistan plans to fence and electronically monitor the entire border with Afghanistan. That project should be actively supported by the international community and Afghanistan. My country has offered unprecedented hospitality and support to the Afghan people, our brothers and sisters, over the past several decades of their travail and tragedy provoked by internal strife and foreign military interventions. We continue to host the largest protracted presence of refugees anywhere in the world and have delayed sending them back again on compassionate grounds. Finally, as Pakistan, the Afghan Government and the coalition work together to evolve an agreed course of action for peace and stability in Afghanistan, it is essential that all parties refrain from campaigns of vilification and coercion.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“As Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Bajwa, noted in remarks to the recent Munich Security Conference, of the 131 terrorist attacks on our territory, 123 were conceived, planned and executed from Afghanistan. That is happening despite the presence of the most powerful military alliance in Afghanistan. We want to see the elimination of the sanctuaries where those terrorists operate against my country. Pakistan also requires effective cooperation from Kabul and the coalition forces to control and manage the long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. My country has nearly 1,000 border posts, but on the other side there are only 220. In one stretch of 648 kilometres, there is not a single Afghan post. Yet the responsibility for containing regional terrorism and cross-border movement is placed on my country.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“The Afghan Government and its international partners must brake the nexus between drug production and terrorism. Pakistan, my country, has the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. My country has suffered gravely due to the decades ofwar, violence and terrorism emanating from our neighbouring country. Over the past four years, Pakistan has successfully turned the tide against terrorism by conducting the largest and most sustained anti-terrorism campaign anywhere in the world, with the deployment of over 200,000 of our troops. That campaign will continue until all terrorists, without distinction, are eliminated. Today the threat of terrorism in Pakistan emanates principally from outside of our borders.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“Fourthly, there is growing and widespread concern regarding the rapid increase in the presence of Da'esh in Afghanistan. A recent report notes that the Afghan Government controls only 18 per cent of the country's districts and has influence in an additional 38 per cent. The rest, sadly, is ungoverned. It is in the ungoverned and uncontested spaces in Afghanistan's north and east that Da'esh and its affiliates are installing themselves and threatening Afghanistan and its neighbours. The elimination of Da'esh and its affiliates must be accorded high priority in the endeavour to achieve lasting peace in the region. Fifthly, the power of assorted terrorist groups and criminal gangs in Afghanistan cannot be broken when they continue to receive a steady stream of revenue from drug production and drug trafficking.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“After 17 years, both the Afghan Government and its coalition allies, as well as the Taliban, should have learned that neither can impose a military victory on the other. The renewed escalation of force will impose further suffering on the people of Afghanistan. Secondly, while the talks would be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, other parties involved, including the United States, would need to engage in and contribute to the negotiation process. Thirdly, some regional Powers and Afghan parties have remained consistently hostile to reconciliation between the Afghan Government and the Afghan Taliban. The international community must oppose their anticipated effort to derail the peace process outlined by President Ashraf Ghani.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source