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

“The international community has also endorsed the goal of a negotiated settlement promoted through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process as the best, and indeed only, way to realize lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan. Pakistan will play its part in encouraging the initiation of such a dignified negotiation process. We reiterate and renew our call on the Taliban to renounce violence and agree to join the peace talks. However, the task ahead is complex, arduous and delicate. Above all, seizing the opportunity requires an understanding that the simultaneous resort to more kinetic actions, the escalation of military force to shift the battlefield, will evoke an escalation of attacks by the insurgents and erode, rather than advance, the prospect of initiating the envisaged peace process.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“Moreover, the continuing presence of large numbers of terrorist groups and foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan pose a threat to the long-term stability of Afghanistan, its neighbours, including my country, and the entire region. Against that troubled backdrop, President Ashraf Ghani's recent proposal for a dignified process of talks without preconditions with the Taliban offers an opportunity to construct and initiate a credible peace process. For over a decade now, Pakistan has advocated the restoration of peace in Afghanistan through a negotiated settlement between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“This debate is taking place at an important inflection point in the 17-year history of the current conflict in Afghanistan. Pakistan strongly condemns the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. There is no justification for attacks that kill or maim innocent children, women and men. The report of the Secretary-General (S/2018/165) paints a grim and bleak picture of the situation in Afghanistan - a continued political impasse that threatens the country's unity, an economy in stress and decline, corruption, drug production and trafficking and a security environment that in 2017 witnessed a 67 per cent spike in airstrikes, an increase in terrorist attacks and the highest number of civilian casualties ever recorded in Afghanistan.”
2018-03-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8199 (2018) · source
“There is in fact an inextricable link between the nature of the membership of the Council and the need felt to make the Council more open and transparent. This link is called "accountability". The best way to enhance the democratic and representative character of the Council is therefore to reinforce this norm of accountability and not to support any actions that threaten to undermine or reverse these ideals.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“The Council should therefore periodically review the implementation of its own resolutions, especially on long-standing issues such as the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Failure to enforce its own resolutions undercuts not just the Council's standing in the world but also both the image and standing of the United Nations. During Pakistan's most recent term in the Council, which was just a few years ago, we reintroduced wrap-up sessions, which have now become the norm. Pakistan also made specific proposals on enhancing intra-Council communication and organized Arria Formula meetings. These steps were taken to augment openness and transparency in the Council's work. We have not been alone in this endeavour. Over the years, elected members of the Council have led the charge in bringing improvements to its working methods.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“Thirdly, we believe that the Council should rely more on the instrument of diplomacy and pacific settlement of disputes under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter. Better utilization of regional and subregional organizations in accordance with Chapter VIII of the Charter would surely help. Increasing reliance on Chapter VII can lead to an impasse and at times a diminished focus on diplomacy, which is obviously not desirable. Before mandating actions under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Council should ensure that all recourse to peaceful means have been exhausted and that this remains a measure of last resort. Fourthly, nothing undermines the credibility of the Council more than selective implementation of its own resolutions.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“Secondly, the Council should be more transparent and balanced in the working of its subsidiary organs. Elected members should have a more equitable representation on these organs. Additionally, they should also play a bigger role as penholders on issues on the Council's agenda. In the same vein, and as other colleagues have also said this morning, there is no justification for limiting the scope of the Ombudsman to only one Sanctions Committee. The mandate of the Ombudsperson for the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities should be expanded to other committees.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“While we are encouraged by a separate section in the revised note on consultations with troop- and police- contributing countries, it is essential that the Council's effective partnership with TCCs be extended beyond the mere operational aspects of a mandate and include decision-making, policy formulation and mandate formation as well. The implementation of note S/2013/630 remains pertinent in this regard. Together with the United Kingdom, my country led informal consultations by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping on triangular cooperation. The recommendations flowing from these consultations will now be considered during the upcoming meeting of the Special Committee, and we are confident that they will serve as a point of departure in our efforts to improve and strengthen existing triangular mechanisms.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“In this regard, I would like to highlight four key points and make four key suggestions. First, enhanced engagement of the Council with the wider United Nations membership is critical. We all have a stake in the maintenance of international peace and security. The number and proportion of open meetings of the Council must therefore be increased. Similarly, meaningful participation of States with a legitimate stake in the Council's deliberations should be ensured throughout the decision-making process. This is especially true for troop-contributing countries (TCCs) and police-contributing countries, Pakistan being among the more consistent and leading ones.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“Let me also begin by congratulating you on assuming the presidency of the Council for this month. My delegation also welcomes Kuwait's assumption of the chairmanship of the Informal Working Group of the Security Council on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. We all acknowledge that to respond to the increasingly complex, overlapping and interconnected challenges to global peace and security, the Council must become more accountable, inclusive, transparent and effective, an imperative that demands and warrants continued improvement in its working methods. Presidential note S/2017/507, of August 2017, addresses the Council's practice in a holistic manner. Our focus should remain on the effective and consistent implementation of the measures identified in that note.”
2018-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8175 (2018) · source
“In Syria, the continued engagement of all sides in genuine, representative and direct intra-Syrian negotiations is the only way forward towards finding a political settlement of the conflict. We hope that the latest round of talks, which started in Vienna today, will produce concrete results. In conclusion, allow me to say that this organ must live up to its responsibilities and ensure the implementation of its own resolutions on Palestine and other long-standing disputes, such as Kashmir, so that the people of the world do not lose entire faith in the United Nations.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“We must act now to ensure sufficient, predictable and sustainable financing for UNRWA in order for it to continue its activities, which are indeed a lifeline for Palestinian refugees. As we all know, peace in the Middle East is essential to global peace and security. Yet, the region continues to be caught in a vortex of conflict, turmoil and intense rivalry among regional Powers. The cumulative consequence of that is plunging the Middle East into chaos and further disorder. In Yemen, a surge in diplomacy is essential to kick-start an inclusive political process. The prompt replacement of the outgoing Special Representative will be critical. That must be complemented by a massive humanitarian surge to address the suffering of the people of Yemen, including women and children.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“The Middle East can seek the dividend ofpeace only ifit is built on the foundation ofjustice - an imperative that entails a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of internationally agreed parameters and the pre-1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. Pakistan is also deeply concerned over the continued financial constraints faced by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The unfortunate situation has been aggravated by the unilateral decision of a major donor to withhold more than half of its funding to the agency. The international community must not fail the Palestinian refugees.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“Any action to the contrary is therefore not only a manifest violation of that resolution, but also a blatant attempt to legitimize Israel's illegal occupation of East Jerusalem. When principles are trumped by self-serving interests, rationality and reason are invariably supplanted by threat and intimidation. We have witnessed that unfortunate spectacle with disturbing frequency in recent days, including at the United Nations. Yet, despite those provocations, members of the international community have stood firm and unfazed in their support for the Palestinian people. My country, Pakistan, will continue to support the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians and of people living under foreign occupation elsewhere, for example in Kashmir.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“Occupiers have no case to make other than to create and present alternative facts. The recent decision of certain countries to relocate their embassies to Jerusalem has further inflamed the situation. That decision has been justified as an expression of their sovereign right. That is a false determination. The legal status of Jerusalem is unambiguous. Several Security Council and General Assembly resolutions affirm that all legislative and administrative measures taken by the occupying Power to alter the character and status of Jerusalem are null and void. In fact, resolution 478 (1980) calls on States that have established their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to withdraw them from the Holy City.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“Let me begin by thanking the Kazakh presidency for convening this open debate. As we mark a new year, the global peace and security landscape remains plagued by mounting and complex challenges; conflicts have intensified and new dangers have emerged. In fundamental ways, the world has gone into reverse. Nowhere is this fraught and volatile situation more apparent than in the Middle East. The two-State solution is in peril. The plight of the Palestinian people is being betrayed at the altar of narrow and myopic political interests and the quest for peace and stability in the region is becoming more elusive than ever. This morning, we have witnessed an unfortunate but glaring flight from reality, with some speakers trying to deflect attention away from the tragedy of the Palestinian people. We know why, and such actions are unsurprising.”
2018-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8167 (2018) · source
“While the international community, including Pakistan and Afghanistan's other neighbours and the Central Asian States, can help in promoting a peace process and assist the country with its development agenda, ultimately the principal responsibility for achieving peace rests on the Afghans themselves. As far as my country is concerned, we stand ready and committed to extend our full cooperation bilaterally and within the various regional frameworks to promote peace and security in Afghanistan.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“My country has also been a major victim of terrorism and violence emanating from Afghanistan's strife and wars. We have fought and are defeating terrorism within Pakistan. Pakistan's counter-terrorism campaign 4 the largest in the world, with a 200,000-strong deployed military force 4 has turned the tide of terrorism in Pakistan. But our ability to totally eliminate terrorist acts in Pakistan depends upon the effective control over our long border with Afghanistan. We have enforced stringent border management measures on our side of the border. We look forward to Afghanistan matching what we have done on their side of the border. We are also committed to not allow Pakistan's soil to be used for attacks against any country. In conclusion, the path to peace and development in Afghanistan is arduous, but achievable.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“We also call on the Taliban to abandon the path of violence and to join the talks. Both sides need to show the determination and the commitment to follow a path of a negotiated settlement. There is in fact an urgent need to pursue a credible and sustained peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan aimed at finding a negotiated peace. Pakistan's participation in all regional and international forums on peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan is a reflection of my country's commitment and unflinching support to an Afghan-led and Afghan- owned peace process. Apart from Afghanistan, it is Pakistan that has the most to gain from peace in Afghanistan. We continue to host the largest protracted presence of refugees anywhere in the world. Approximately 3 million refugees still reside in my country.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“The presidential statement (S/PRST/2018/2) the Council adopted this morning again reiterates that firm consensus of the global community. After 17 years of war, it is more than evident that neither the Afghan Government and its military partners nor the Afghan Taliban are in a position to impose a military solution on each other. The continuing resort to military force and escalation of the conflict without an accompanying political and diplomatic strategy will not yield a result different from what we have seen in the past decade and a half. It will produce more violence and suffering for the Afghan people. It will not yield a political solution. And it is not enough to pay lip service to a negotiated settlement and then do little other than exercise and execute a strategy of force and coercion under the delusion that it might work.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“Indeed, with its safe havens inside the country and income from the narcotics trade, the insurgency does not really need any outside assistance or support centres to sustain itself. Afghanistan and its partners, especially the United States, therefore need to address those challenges inside Afghanistan, rather than shift the onus of ending the conflict onto others. Those who imagine sanctuaries outside really need a reality check. And those who speak of changing mindsets need to look within at their own record of subversion against my country, as our capture of an Indian spy has amply demonstrated and proved beyond any shadow of doubt. The international community has found time and again that sustainable peace is achievable only through a negotiated end to war.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“Pakistan is also committed to several projects - the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project 4 which will contribute to the economic integration of the entire region. Pakistan has committed $1 billion over the past decade to various infrastructure, road network and development projects in Afghanistan. However, none of ourefforts to supportAfghanistan's economic development can be successful without the restoration of peace. Sadly, civil war continues in Afghanistan. Over 40 per cent of the country is under insurgent control, contested or ungoverned. Illicit drug trafficking provides insurgent groups with a steady financial income estimated at almost $400 million a year.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“We in Pakistan recognize the imposing challenges that face Afghanistan in realizing economic and social development. We commend the security and economic reforms envisaged by the Afghan Government. Strengthening bilateral relations is a priority for my Government. We have taken a number of initiatives to support Afghanistan's economic development. We have done all we can to improve the transit of Afghan trade through our ports. We look forward to the day when transit trade from Central Asia can flow through Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is the shortest route to the Arabian Sea. Fifty thousand Afghan students have studied in my country's universities, and we also offer 3,000 scholarships to our Afghan brothers and sisters.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“It is a strategically located country, which can act as a bridge between its multiple neighbours, between South and Central Asia and between West and East Asia. Muhammad Iqbal, the poet who first conceived of Pakistan as an independent State, also described Afghanistan as the heart of Asia. Presciently, the poet of the East declared, over a century ago, that if there is instability in Afghanistan, Asia will be unstable; while peace in Afghanistan will bring peace and prosperity to all of Asia. The people of Afghanistan have paid a heavy price for over four decades of foreign invasions and bloody civil wars. And so have the people of Pakistan 4 Afghanistan's closest neighbour. Indeed, the entire region has been buffeted by the war, turmoil, terrorism, drugs and instability radiating from Afghanistan.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“On behalf of the Pakistan delegation, I would like to congratulate Kazakhstan on assuming the presidency of the Security Council and for organizing this very important debate in a very timely way. Itis almostatruismto saythere canbe no development without peace and no peace without development. The situation in Afghanistan starkly illustrates how the absence of security prevents economic development and, in turn, how a lack of economic development fuels and breeds conflict and insecurity. Despite the large presence of foreign military forces and the huge outlays of extended assistance, security has deteriorated and economic growth has been anaemic in Afghanistan. Yet there is great promise in Afghanistan.”
2018-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8162 (2018) · source
“While the international community, including Pakistan and Afghanistan's other neighbours, can help in promoting a peace process, obviously the principal responsibility to revive or initiate a dialogue rests on the Afghan parties themselves. Peace cannot be achieved until the Afghan parties themselves conclude that there is no military solution to the conflict and commit themselves to pursuing a genuine dialogue for peace and reconciliation. This quest for peace through negotiations must be the priority objective for the Afghan Government, for the Afghan Taliban, for Afghanistan's neighbours and for the United Nations.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“The promotion of a political settlement and the pursuit of a military solution are mutually contradictory and mutually incompatible. You cannot kill and talk at the same time. Another resort to the military option will not produce a result different from the past. It will not break the impasse, much less yield a political settlement. Priority therefore must be given to efforts to achieve peace through dialogue and through reconciliation. We urge the Taliban to abandon violence and enter into a dialogue to seek a negotiated settlement. But the other side, too, must display a genuine desire for dialogue and not expect to bludgeon the insurgency into an enforced settlement.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“Pakistan has long proposed this as the most viable course to end decades of conflict and suffering in our neighbouring country. Sixteen years of war, waged by the world's most powerful forces against an insurgency of irregulars, has not yielded a military solution. This failure cannot be explained away by alleging the existence of safe havens for the insurgency across the border. There are no such safe havens. The only havens that exist for the insurgents and for Da'esh and other terrorists are within the 40 per cent of Afghan territory that is outside the control of Kabul. Peace will not be restored by the continuing resort to military force. Indeed, it is evident, after years of war, that neither Kabul and the coalition nor the Afghan Taliban can impose a military solution on each other.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“The growing nexus between illicit drugs and terrorism is an additional dimension of the security threat to the Afghans and to the country's neighbours. There has been an unprecedented and alarming rise in drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan. The latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime refers to a record rise in poppy cultivation and opium production. The Afghan Government and the international coalition must endeavour energetically to eradicate drug production and its links with terrorism. But the central question in Afghanistan today is the following: do we choose the path of war, or do we opt for the path of peace? The international community is unanimous in its view, and so is the Secretary-General, that sustainable peace is achievable only through a negotiated end to the long war.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“It appears that Da'esh's core, under pressure in Iraq and Syria, may be relocating to these ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan. According to the Secretary-General's own report (S/2017/1056), Da'esh remains resilient in Afghanistan, having claimed responsibility for recent attacks in Kabul. We are deeply concerned at the presence of Da'esh in the Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia. This poses a threat not only to Afghanistan but also to all its neighbours. It is the responsibility of the Afghan Government and the international coalition to root out Da'esh and associated terrorists from Afghan territory and prevent them from launching attacks against Afghanistan's neighbours.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“We hope the Afghan Government will work constructively with us to address the challenges that endanger our collective security and stability. Apart from the conflict between the Afghan Government and the Taliban-led insurgency, a new and toxic threat has emerged in Afghanistan: the presence of a number of terrorists from various parts of the world: the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, members of which have fled my country, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and other groups, which have all now adopted the umbrella of Da'esh. Those terrorists are now located in the 40 per cent of Afghan territory that, according to a recent United States Department of Defense report, is either out of Kabul's control or is contested.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“It is evident that securing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and preventing cross-border terrorism is essential for both countries, the region and the world. That can be achieved only through constant vigilance, effective management and real-time communication. Nor should terrorism be allowed to provoke clashes between our border security forces. We need regular contact between the armed forces and intelligence agencies of the two countries so as to prevent any violent incidents along our long and porous border. It is to that end that the Armed Forces ofPakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to place Liaison Officers in each other's army headquarters and establish ground coordination centres. The success of such initiatives requires reciprocity, trust and good will.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“Close to 3 million Afghans still reside in my country as refugees. The peace and stability of our two countries are intertwined. My country has a vital interest in a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous Afghanistan. Pakistan stands ready to support the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to address the multiple challenges it faces. In order to strengthen relations with Afghanistan in all spheres - political, economic, defence, education and culture - Pakistan proposed a comprehensive Afghanistan-Pakistan action plan for solidarity last month. The action plan aims to promote constructive and meaningful bilateral engagement through the establishment ofworking groups on political, economic, military, intelligence and refugee issues.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“Another year has passed, another year has come to a close, yet the suffering of the people of Afghanistan continues. Indeed, during the past year, as the Secretary-General's report (S/2017/1056) observes, Afghanistan continues to face multiple political, economic and security challenges in an exceedingly uncertain and fraught environment. Lest we forget, I recall that the war and the violence and terrorism that afflict Afghanistan and threaten the stability of the entire region are the consequence of foreign military interventions, occupation and imposed wars. The peoples of Pakistan and Afghanistan are bound by the unbreakable ties of history, faith, blood and language, as well as mutual interdependence. When the people of Afghanistan needed refuge, the Pakistani people opened their homes and their hearts to them.”
2017-12-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8147 (2017) · source
“Sixth, the form and functions of United Nations peacekeeping must be shaped by the situation on the ground, not by the often competing political interests in New York. Finally, seventh, as we know, peace and security, development and human rights are inextricably linked. It is true that a lack of development and of respect for human rights can endanger international peace and security, but Without peace and security, the lack of development and the violation of human rights are a certainty. In conclusion, let me say that the proliferation of conflicts today is a clear Sign of the need for urgent action. The proposed reform of the peace and security architecture is necessary but is not sufficient to make a real difference. Fundamental change in the way in which we deal with conflicts is really required.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“Second, a clear shift in approach from an emphasis on military action to negotiation and to finding political solutions is required. Third, inclusive national ownership and leadership are essential to driving peace processes forward. Fourth, the United Nations must better utilize the tools for maintaining peace and security provided for in Chapter VI of its Charter: "negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means". Fifth, all resolutions of the Security Council must be implemented, uniformly and non-selectively. Selective implementation weakens multilateralism and the credibility of the United Nations, compounds conflicts and intensifies the suffering of the affected and afflicted people.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“United Nations peacekeeping has always been a cost-effective tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, but peacekeeping alone is not able to deliver the dividends of peace. Peacekeeping needs to be strengthened through support for political solutions, since only by reinforcing the primacy of politics can we make peace durable and sustainable. The focus on sustaining peace is therefore welcome, but in order to sustain peace, we must first build peace, address the drivers of conflict and create the enabling conditions that allow peace to flourish. Let me set out a number of suggestions that we see as essential to addressing the complex contemporary challenges to peace and security. First, while axiomatic, addressing the root causes of conflict remains the best conflict-prevention and conflict-resolution strategy.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“Effective preventive strategies rely on an early reaction to signs of trouble, efforts to alleviate the factors that trigger Violence and the resolution of the underlying root causes of violence, such as foreign occupation, a lack of resources and social and political systems that lead to injustice and grievance. There is obviously no one-size-fits-all solution to conflict prevention and mitigation. Moving a country towards durable peace begins with a clear understanding of the sources and nature of conflicts. Ambitious conflict-prevention strategies should avoid the pitfalls of either a delayed reaction or an incorrect reading of the signs of an impending conflict or catastrophe. More Blue Helmets are currently deployed than at any time in history.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“In order to effectively address such challenges, we must identify the drivers of international conflict, which include unresolved, long-standing conflicts and disputes, foreign military interventions, political and economic injustice, terrorism and Violent extremism and the displacement of populations due to persecution, poverty, climate change and conflict. We have to ask whether we are preventing and resolving conflicts or just managing them, and that only partially and in a rather unedifying manner. After all, the primary purpose of establishing the United Nations was to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. What we certainly need is a shift from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned, we may be sleepwalking into a catastrophe on the Korean peninsula. At the same time, the long-standing, internationally recognized disputes of Palestine and J ammu and Kashmir continue to fester. The Palestinian and Kashmiri people continue to suffer horrific human rights violations at the hands of occupying forces, while the world continues to watch without addressing those egregious situations. All those situations compound the challenges of a more turbulent and volatile world.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“I would like to begin by thanking Japan for organizing this debate. I also thank the Secretary-General for his briefing this morning. We are living in a remarkably more dangerous world, in which a wide range of new threats have emerged even as older ones continue to fester. Challenges to international peace and security are intensifying at a time when the foundations of the world order are fraying. Conflicts continue to rage across the world, from Africa to Afghanistan. The civil wars and factional fighting in Syria, Libya and Yemen are becoming more vicious and consequential, generating record levels of human displacement. Efforts to change the status of Jerusalem threaten to drive an already volatile Middle East into further turbulence and chaos.”
2017-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8144 (2017) · source
“Unless we deal decisively with those breeding grounds, the rest of our efforts, however well intentioned and well focused, might just be in vain. They are necessary but may not be sufficient until we really address the root causes of conflicts.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“Given the vulnerabilities of men, women and children to numerous forms of exploitation, including sale and trafficking in the context of conflict and humanitarian crisis, a comprehensive and rights- based response is needed. The global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration will provide us with an opportunity to correct some of the past mistakes and protect people on the move from trafficking and other forms of exploitation. We earnestly hope that its adoption will help strengthen the existing global legal framework. Increasing States' capacities with long- term politicaland financial commitment holds the key. Additionally and above all, the Security Council, as the primary body tasked with maintaining peace and security, also needs to address the root causes of conflict to remove the grounds where such crimes breed.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“First, Pakistan is a party to the various relevant international instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children, and the Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour. Secondly, we have implemented a comprehensive policy, the National Action Plan for Combating Human Trafficking. Thirdly, we are implementing our National Strategic Framework 2016-2022 on trafficking in persons and human smuggling, under which, inter alia, a number of victims have been provided shelter. Fourthly, provincial Governments are strengthening trafficking- related legislation, with more focus on investigation, prosecution and convicting traffickers.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, together with its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, provides the blueprint for concentrating and focusing our efforts on preventing, protecting and prosecuting. The adoption of resolution 2331 (2016) by the Security Council last December was another positive step that acknowledged the connection between trafficking in persons, sexual violence, terrorist groups and transnational organized crime. Let me also take this opportunity underscore my country's commitment to fighting the egregious crime of trafficking in persons.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“The unprecedented ease of communication and transportation in an increasingly globalized world enables human traffickers and terrorist networks to permeate societies. According to the report of the Secretary-General (S/2017/939), raging conflicts and humanitarian crises have resulted in record levels of displacement, with 24.2 million people newly displaced, the majority of whom are women and children. Those harrowing numbers, the countless stories behind each of the victims and the spreading patterns of exploitation by terrorist groups compel us to redouble our efforts to combat this scourge and to call for united and collective action by the international community. The transnational nature of this complex crime demands enhanced international cooperation among the countries of origin, transit and destination.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“Like others, we are outraged by recent reports that African migrants in Libya have been exposed to the indignity of slavery. We joined the Secretary-General in his condemnation of such egregious actions, which have no place in our world. The international community must unite in fighting this scourge. The increasing numbers of conflicts, growing economic inequality and a widening gap between rich and poor provide fertile ground to those who exploit human suffering. Human trafficking as a consequence of conflict, and its increasingly worrisome links to terrorist groups, are a global concern. On the other hand, human trafficking has also become a cause of friction among States. Human traffickers typically work with organized crime networks and underworld mafias.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“Let me also join others in thanking you, Sir, for convening today's debate on such a vital issue. We appreciate the insightful remarks by the Secretary-General earlier today, and thank the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, for their briefings. We align ourselves with the statement made earlier by the representative of Venezuela on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Trafficking in persons is an abomination, a modern-day equivalent of slavery. Sadly, it is a global phenomenon that violates the principles of morality, human rights and human dignity. It undermines our efforts to achieve sustainable development.”
2017-11-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8111 (2017) · source
“We hope that the parties will show the necessary flexibility and compromise to bridge their differences. The situation in Yemen remains grim: 15 million people in the country lack adequate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, while 7 million are faced with the threat of famine. All of that is exacerbated by the over 800,000 suspected cases of cholera. That demands a surge in diplomacy as well as in humanitarian support to the millions of people in need across the country. In conclusion, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted in his address to the General Assembly this year that "[w]e are a world in pieces. We need to be a world at peace." (A/72/PV.3, p. 1) Our journey towards this shared ideal for world peace and world accord can only begin in the Middle East.”
2017-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8072 (2017) · source
“A two-State solution remains an absolute imperative. There is no "plan B". There can be no other plan than a two-State solution for the region. Challenges confronting the Middle East are complex and myriad. They are also often mutually reinforcing and interlinked, and therefore require greater cooperation and coordination between the States of the region. Pakistan reaffirms its unequivocal support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the brotherly people of Iraq. We are convinced that a solution to Iraq's problems must be found within a united and inclusive Iraqi State, while recognizing and reconciling the interests of all Iraqi people. On Syria, a Syrian-led and Syrian-driven process of political reconciliation is the only pathway to lasting peace in that country. The intra-Syrian talks are pivotal to that end.”
2017-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8072 (2017) · source