YouSaid · the spoken record

Lubbers

lines on the record: 184
first: 2001-03-08
most recent: 2004-05-20
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“However, it is worth noting here the importance of also incorporating ex-combatants who have been demobilized into reintegration programmes. Under the theme of returns, I would now like to provide some encouraging news regarding Africa. I am pleased to report that never before have there been so many opportunities for durable solutions in so many parts of Africa. There is enormous potential for resolving long-standing conflicts, consolidating peace and putting an end to long-standing refugee and internally displaced persons situations. In Eritrea, Angola and Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of refugees have gone home over the past few years.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“I have also personally launched a number of initiatives to try to address this issue, working in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), other United Nations agencies, the World Bank and bilateral development partners. One such initiative, called the "four Rs", helps to connect the transitions between repatriation, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction. In doing so, we also practice reconciliation: it is about return and reconciliation. We are now building on the success of pilot projects in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka, and we hope to implement similar initiatives in Liberia, Burundi and, eventually, in the Sudan. I mentioned disarmament earlier.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“In areas of return, local communities as well as returning refugees and internally displaced persons deserve integration and rehabilitation projects. These programmes need to be incorporated systematically into post-conflict relief efforts; planning should in fact begin at the outset of any emergency. With this in mind, UNHCR became a member of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) with the aim of ensuring that refugees and returnees are included in the formulation of post-conflict policies as well as longer-term development programmes.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Since I was appointed High Commissioner in January 2001, I have been focused on finding durable solutions for refugees. The problem is that, in post-conflict situations, the return of large numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons needs a balanced and integrated approach to make returns durable and part of sustainable peace-building. War- torn communities, which often suffer just as much as, or more than, refugees, cannot be expected to absorb large numbers of returnees without an immediate improvement in their capacity to meet basic needs. This is the critical period when international development agencies need to make the investment in reconstruction and reintegration programmes. It is not only about repatriation.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“There is the transition from war to peace, but also the transition from a breakdown in State institutions to the rule of law. We often talk about the differences between internally displaced persons and refugees who have crossed an international border, but the border itself is not the issue. In fact, the defining characteristic of both is the lack of State protection, because the State is either unable or unwilling to provide it. Therefore, in the transition from war to peace, it is critical that the protection and the rights of all groups within the State, including those who fled during the violence, are guaranteed in the peace agreement. That is also essential for reconciliation. Although my mandate is refugees, I have also come to be known as the "High Commissioner for Returnees".”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“As time goes on, the camps and the settlements where refugees find temporary shelter may become breeding grounds for despair, and the refugees themselves may become more vulnerable to political and military manipulation. In such cases, the prolongation of displacement can itself become an obstacle to peace and to the achievement of lasting solutions to conflict. Yet, despite that, political negotiations often fail to address the grievances of populations that have been forced from their homes, which can in turn hinder the success of the peace process. The critical factor is to determine the conditions for the safe and the sustainable return of refugees to their homes. Peacekeeping alone cannot sustain peace; it can only create the space in which peace may be built.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Countries where internal armed conflicts have come to an end are frequently characterized by deep social division, chronic political instability, damaged infrastructure, high unemployment and trauma. As a result, they remain dangerously perched between the prospect for continued peace and the danger of a return to war. UNHCR's experience is that the longer refugees and internally displaced persons are forced to stay away from their homes, the more embittered they become. In most cases where there are refugee movements, displacement is either forced or coerced in some manner. And even if displacement was not the original intention of the conflict, it sometimes becomes an overriding factor and, indeed, further exacerbates the conflict.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“The operation would not be possible without the excellent cooperation of all parties involved and, especially, of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). I am hopeful that this may gradually lay the groundwork for political negotiations to finally resolve this long- standing dispute. Let me now turn to the second theme on which I want to focus: returns and their impact on peace and security. We have already established that population movements across borders have clear peace and security implications. But what are the peace and security implications if populations cannot return to their homes or if they do so without the capacity of the collapsed State to absorb them? In fact, the popular notion of a post-conflict situation is in many senses somewhat misleading.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“By incorporating concepts such as DDR into the work of my Office, as I have explained just now, we can create the conditions necessary for the return of displaced populations, while also making a major contribution to the building of confidence, stabilization and a climate of peace. One other endeavour in terms of our cooperation with United Nations missions and support for the broader political process, which is worth mentioning here, is that of Western Sahara. As members know, we have put in place a package of confidence-building measures that has helped defuse tensions in the area. A recent breakthrough has been the family exchange visits. More than 400 people have had the opportunity to visit their long-lost relatives, and thousands more are waiting in line to do so.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“We are working on this issue as part of a coalition of actors, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNICEF, under the umbrella of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). However, I was disturbed to receive reports on Tuesday of riots in Monrovia related to DDR. Last year I called for Charles Taylor to step down and urged that an international peacekeeping force should fill the security vacuum. We have made a lot of progress since then, but disarmament and demobilization are still a challenge and can be successful only if the necessary resources for reintegration are made available from the beginning. It is the only method to ensure prevention of the recurrence of conflict in the region.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“For example, my Office has been supporting the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) with DDR efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by ensuring the safe repatriation of family members of combatants and monitoring their return and reintegration. In West Africa, I have been advocating for a regional approach to DDR, in cooperation with the United Nations missions in the region, the Mano River Union countries - plus cote d'Ivoire these days - and the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS). The conference of Mano River heads of State, which should be taking place today, will provide a good opportunity to raise this issue again. I just returned from a visit to the region and was pleased to see the efforts my Office in Liberia has made to support DDR efforts there.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“I would also like to inform the Council that my Office has begun to support the various United Nations endeavours on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). We recognize that, while no one United Nations body has a specific mandate for combatants, it is in everyone's interest to come together to ensure the success of DDR. In many cases, there is a link between combatants and the family members who are in our refugee camps. Thus, my Office can support DDR efforts by ensuring the protection of the families of combatants, linking up with other actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on family reunification, and including demobilized combatants in community- based reintegration programmes.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Thanks to the Security Council, important language has been incorporated into a number of recent peacekeeping mission mandates that recognizes the importance of engaging peacekeepers in monitoring the physical safety of displaced populations and of returning refugees. Following the political unrest that has plagued Cote d'Ivoire since September 2002, I have been very concerned about the fate of the Liberian refugees who have been caught up in the conflict there. I was therefore particularly pleased when the Security Council tasked the United Nations Mission in cote d'Ivoire with monitoring the situation of the Liberian refugees to help ensure their safety. I trust that the Council will consider a similar monitoring role related to returns for the expected United Nations missions in Burundi, Sudan or elsewhere, as deemed appropriate.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“That can now be developed into a broader strategy for the future. The report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (S/2000/809), led by Mr. Brahimi, states that peacekeepers and peace-builders are inseparable partners. I very much agree with that statement. Jean- Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and I myself have been putting in place measures that would allow us to better support one another in the common pursuit of helping countries torn by conflict to create conditions for sustainable peace. I very much support his statement last Monday (see S/PV.4970) that peacekeeping operations must draw on the resources and expertise of the whole United Nations system.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“The concept of multidimensional peace operations has worked well in Afghanistan and in Sierra Leone, and I am encouraged to see that it is coming together in Liberia, despite the enormous challenges facing the Mission there. On that point, however, I would like to make the plea that - given the nature of conflicts today - greater attention be devoted to finding a formula for peacekeeping missions to operate in cross-border conflict situations, where appropriate and where endorsed by the affected Governments. All too often, conflicts become regional, but responses continue to be country-based. Chad is a case in point. Perhaps we have had something of a breakthrough on this in West Africa with respect to cooperation between the various United Nations missions in the region on a number of cross-border issues.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“The United Nations can help advocate that host countries assume their responsibilities, and I encourage the Security Council do so in the case of Chad. That brings me to the subject of peacekeeping. In many countries where UNHCR works, the return and sustainability of refugees and of displaced persons is directly dependent upon peacekeeping. This past Monday, the Council held an open debate on United Nations peacekeeping operations. The Secretary- General spoke about the integration of various elements - including the implementation of peace agreements; the management of political transitions; the return of refugees and internally displaced persons; human rights programmes; and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration - into mission mandates. I fully support his statement.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“While there is, of course, no absolute guarantee that armed elements will not reach the new campsites, and it is possible that, even at a distance, they may serve as a resting ground for combatants, distance does make the camps less accessible for the staging of active cross-border military operations. Despite the terrible situation in Chad, I am sad to report that, unfortunately, in a way, the safest place for Darfurians today is in Chad. Returning to the theme of refugee security, although host Governments are primarily responsible for ensuring the safety of refugee-populated areas, the international community has a responsibility to assist States that lack the capacity and resources to do so themselves.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“The humanitarian situation is appalling on both sides of the border. I visited Chad in March. Since then, I have received more and more news regarding the presence of armed elements near the border areas inside Chad. There are now strong indications that both Janjaweed militias and various groups associated with the Sudanese rebels are operating in those locations. In view of the increasing insecurity in the border areas, where tens of thousands of refugees remain scattered and without effective access to humanitarian assistance, my Office has been working tirelessly to move the population further inside Chad to safer areas. Despite the massive logistical constraints, more than 60,000 refugees have already been relocated.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) took part in the high-level United Nations mission to Darfur, which was headed by my colleague Jim Morris from the World Food Programme. As members are aware from his briefing to the Council, it is estimated that at least one million people have been displaced as a direct result of violence and have suffered gross human rights violations. Currently my Office is working together with partners to assist the affected population in Darfur and to try to create the conditions for eventual return, but we must have access. If the situation does not improve, we will see further refugee flows into Chad. The international aid community may be quickly overwhelmed, and there is the potential for destabilization of the subregion.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Despite the subsequent stabilization efforts in the region, we are still suffering today from cross- border armed movements in West Africa, with its many refugee camps. The Mano River region, with its cross- border movements of armed elements and of arms, has now expanded to include C6te d'lvoire. A current example which concerns me greatly involves parts of Sudan and the spillover effect on Chad. In southern Sudan, positive developments in the peace talks have given rise to hopes for the return of 600,000 Sudanese refugees currently in exile in neighbouring countries. Yet those developments are increasingly overshadowed by the situation in Darfur.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Those factors create an unstable and insecure operating environment for humanitarian workers. In addition, the presence of armed elements gives rise to security concerns for host communities and receiving States and has an impact on regional peace and security. I remember vividly my first visit to West Africa in February 2001, shortly after being appointed High Commissioner. At the time, there were Revolutionary United Front (RUF) incursions into refugee-populated areas in Guinea from Sierra Leone, and armed rebels from Liberia were also circulating among the refugee camps - some of which we had no access to at the time. During that visit I called on the RUF and on Charles Taylor for access to, and the secure passage of, refugees.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Therefore, by definition, conflicts that generate refugee movements necessarily involve neighbouring States and thus have regional security implications. As we have seen most vividly in the Great Lakes region in the 1990s and more recently in West Africa, the lines of conflict frequently run across State boundaries due to the various ethnic and cultural ties among the affected communities. This also leads to mixed movements of populations, including not only refugees but also armed elements seeking sanctuary in neighbouring countries. The presence of armed elements in refugee camps and settlements has a number of grave consequences for the security and welfare of refugees, including possible military incursions, forced recruitment and sexual abuse.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“Mr. Lubbers: Mr. President, let me thank you for this opportunity to brief the Security Council. It has been over two years since I have had the occasion to do so. While taking this opportunity to update the Council on a number of humanitarian crises, I will also address two main themes. First, I will underscore the link between forcible displacement and international peace and security. Secondly, I will address the issue of the sustainable return of displaced populations and its positive impact on the creation of durable peace and stability. Allow me first to focus on displacement and on the implications for peace and security. Wherever there is displacement, there are movements across borders.”
2004-05-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4973 (2004) · source
“I am positive that this is going to be a success. The representative of Mauritius pointed out the need for an integrated approach and asked me about Afghanistan. I have already answered the latter question. I now turn to you, Mr. President, in your capacity as representative of Mexico. You very capably echoed the main points of your colleagues here, and I am prepared to answer you more thoroughly in a note concerning what is needed in order to go forward in our strategy. I should like to thank you, Sir, in your capacities as representative of Mexico and President of the Council, and all of your colleagues here as well. I am aware that I took too much of the Council's time, but I think the 21 million people who are my concern deserve it.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“We are very aware that the very generous Macedonians received an enormous influx of Albanians from Kosovo when the Albanians were in danger. These refugees have now returned to Kosovo. We now ask our Albanian friends to behave in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and to give the Macedonians who were obliged to flee a number of villages every opportunity to return. This forms part of our confidence-building strategy. At the same time, we find it gratifying that the Government and political parties of Macedonia have agreed to a system in which there are also full rights for Albanians, some of whom are already citizens or will soon obtain citizenship. That is a different story, but it is important that this coexistence be strengthened further, and we at UNHCR are there to do a job of confidence-building.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“It is still an interim Administration, but we consider it to be in charge of governance for the Afghans today. So those are a few elements of the inclusive way in which we approach this matter 4 in partnership with others. It is very clear, too, that there has to be one address with which the Minister for Repatriation can link up. We do this in the United Nations under the leadership of Lakhdar Brahimi, with his deputy for this segment, Mr. Fisher, who is dealing with returnees and reconstruction. That is the additional information on Afghanistan. The representative of Bulgaria reflected once again on Macedonia. I am a bit jealous: my instructions have always been to speak of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", but he can allow himself to speak about "Macedonia". However, we are speaking of the same people.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“The Council will hear about that, of course, from the Secretary-General and Lakhdar Brahimi 4 whose deputy, Mr. Fisher, has been chosen. I have full trust in him. He will look into the cooperation that is also needed with development agencies, so that when we have, as it were, done our job, we can hand it over with trust and confidence. So he is responsible. We speak to him about not only our efforts, undertaken together with others, in the process of assisting returnees but, later on, development and reconstruction efforts, as put on the table first in Tokyo. As the Council knows, the Interim Administration itself said, "It's fine; it's nice. But please, we are now the Interim Administration. Give us time to have a look ourselves". So our people discipline themselves to go to the Minister. I think that that is good.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“By the way, what I said makes it clear: this is not only partnership within the United Nations system; it is also partnership beyond the United Nations system. I mentioned IOM; I mentioned the Red Cross. I could mention relevant non-governmental organizations as well. But it is, of course, very important for the new Interim Administration in Kabul that there be one address. So we sit there at the table and invite the others, and we share our insights and compare notes and numbers on what has to be done. We profile the people and determine what sort of capacities they have, and discuss what it means to bring people back. That is the way we approach it. And - in response to one of the other questions 4 as far as I can see, there are no problems with that. The system still has to be formalized.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“I came to the point of view, of course, that, in situations of partnership, if the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had a capacity and used it for internally displaced persons in the western part of the country, while the Red Cross was being very positive in assisting internally displaced persons in, for example, the northern part of the country, it would be rather stupid if we did not make use of those capacities. So our plan for repatriation is to work together with them, while continuing to give assistance to refugees remaining in the surrounding countries and to internally displaced persons who have still not returned home. So it is a partnership operation. Perhaps the simplest way to describe our role is to use the term "lead agency". We cannot do it ourselves, though; we have to do it in partnership.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“People had to flee, but the borders were closed, so they went to the countryside and hills, and we were asked to go there. We were able to do so because, since we were preparing ourselves for a larger outflow, we had available the logistics and the material requirements. So that was the first phase. The next step related to what to do with the internally displaced persons who wanted to go home. We came to the conclusion that in terms of repatriation, it had to be a seamless operation. In the villages to which the people were going - which we had to prepare for people to return - we could not make a distinction based on whether someone was a refugee from outside the country or an internally displaced person. So we did that together.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“His point was also put forward by others - for example by the representative of Mauritius. I will try to be brief in explaining what developed. As soon as the situation in Afghanistan changed to the extent that one could begin managed remigration, we made ourselves available to do that job, because our mandate is not only to provide protection and assistance to refugees, but to find solutions for them. That is the first point. Before we started to do that, we had been asked by the United Nations system 4 via the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 4 to take care of internally displaced persons in the eastern part of Afghanistan. This was a relatively new flow of internally displaced persons resulting from the air attacks on cities in the eastern part of Afghanistan.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“Mr. Lubbers: In the last round of statements, the representative of Cameroon brought up three points, the first relating to what I would call the rather tragic decision that we had to take in relation to the office in Cameroon. I promised his compatriots that we would take a fresh look at that, because it was based very much on an absolute shortage of funds. I have promised to look into the situation. Secondly, I confirm, indeed - we spoke earlier about this 4 that very serious, even criminal, acts took place in Nairobi related to resettlement. We went to the judiciary and the overseers, as well as the competent authorities in Kenya. Beyond that, of course, we have our own responsibilities to take the measures needed and to improve the system. The third question asked by the representative of Cameroon related to Afghanistan.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“If there are protracted situations, I think the Council deserves to have the other parts of the United Nations family and system, all the countries and the Economic of Social Council - to which I referred in my answer to the representative of France - focused on ending those situations. Only when we prioritize durable solutions for refugees will there be peace and security. Without that, one can forget other things. One can have nice development and assistance plans, as well as speeches, but they are not going to work. We must see this in a very practical way.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“He was a special envoy of the previous High Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs. Ogata, and then for me in the Balkans. I have now asked him to come to New York because I am aware that there are ongoing developments and situations, as well as many questions that deserve more detailed answers. My man here, Eric Morris, who is known to the Council, is available to all members of the Council. Finally, I want to thank the President for giving me the opportunity to be here, in the midst of the Council, to make it clear that the Security Council is absolutely essential to my work. If there is improvement, it is thanks to the Security Council and its initiatives.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“The 20 million people with whom I am concerned represent only a limited number in terms of the population of this earth, but, believe me, the challenge is much greater. They are the outcome of tragic deficiencies in our political systems, and they could be the cause of new problems. If we complain about the increase in human trafficking and about increasing crime, then it is good to be aware that those phenomena have root causes, and that one of them is the fact that we simply do not deliver in terms of solidarity and new opportunities for those people who are victims of a first round of violence and persecution. I think it would be better for me to come to a close. There is so much more to say, but I have been asked to be brief. I shall use my very last minute to introduce my new representative here.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“But it is, in fact, very humanitarian to say to the African leaders and to the rich countries that, if they embark on new initiatives and partnerships, they should reserve resources and create conditions conducive to resolving a number of these problems. I am saying this in the interest of the people on whose behalfI speak, who deserve it. To be frank, I say this also in relation to the international community and to the Security Council itself, because, as several representatives have noted, not to provide solutions to refugees is, in fact, to take risks with the future. The problems come back time and again, and therefore we have to go beyond thinking, "Fine, we have a yearly report from the High Commissioner, and so it is business as usual". This is absolutely unacceptable.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“Maybe we have to conclude that, in any situation where within a year, let us say, a substantial number of people flow out of a country, we should bring countries together at an international conference and call upon them to devise a comprehensive plan to share the burden. In this way maybe they can share that burden temporarily and not say, "There is a problem there and we are staying out", but see it as the international community's problem. This is one important element. Let me turn to the second element. We have an agenda for development, in particular with Africa; we can use instruments and financial resources to end a number of protected situations and to create possibilities for repatriation. I agree with the representative of the Russian Federation that UNHCR should be an apolitical organization; we are a humanitarian body.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“But often it starts earlier; in fact, from the very beginning one has to think in terms of solutions - fostering self-reliance and empowerment and providing education. This is necessary in any case, be it for repatriation, local integration or even for a resettlement solution. I was asked to say a few words, but I have to be brief because we have a time limit. Some things have become clear from these global consultations. I will mention two examples, still not concluded. It has become clear to us that, in new situations, we have to think more systematically about comprehensive plans to deal with massive outflows of people. This is not totally new. It was done with the Kosovars, it was done with the Vietnamese boat people, and there are other examples.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“If one studies the history of the High Commissioner for Refugees, one can see that it all started in 1951 with the ambition to take care of people who do not have governments to take care of them. Shortly thereafter, the international community - the United Nations - came to the conclusion that an essential element of that mission should be the achievement of durable solutions. But that element of the mission was never really made operational - except occasionally - and it is still quite weak. I think that the time has come to take this step forward. That is indeed the way to end protected situations. In this context, the Council sometimes plays a key role in bringing about security and in creating conditions that allow people to go home; that is true.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“I want to stress once again in particular - and I think that this point was made also by the representative of Ireland - the link with the African partnership initiative, and, more generally, I would say, with development assistance. It is absolutely wrong thinking to see refugees and internally displaced persons in terms of humanitarian assistance only. It is very important, if one wants to find solutions, to see them first as people - men, women, families - who want once again to play a role in society, to become productive again, to participate in society. Therefore we badly need the resources and the partnerships necessary to go one step further than humanitarian assistance only. Indeed, I think that a new paradigm should be developed in the search for solutions. There is something strange here.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“I strongly agree also with the statement made by several representatives that assistance to host countries is a very important element. It has become very clear in the context of global consultations that, while the international community fully accepts, and wants to continue with, the commitment not to push out but to find solutions for refugees, this principled attitude can be put into practice only when there is fair burden- sharing. But fair burden-sharing is achieved through different corridors. One of them is, indeed, support for the host countries, and I will repeat what I said in the first response: assistance must be given not only to refugees in the host countries, but also to the areas in which large refugee populations are located. We have to relate better to the host communities there.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“Mr. Lubbers: Let me express my thanks for the very rich contributions in terms of comments and questions. Allow me to begin by responding to the first remark of the representative of China. He said, quite correctly, that we have been successful in a number of situations, which he mentioned. This is an invitation to the Security Council to broaden its efforts to include other regions where sufficient success has not yet been achieved, and I would underline this. This also relates to a remark made by the representative of Singapore in which she quoted a statement made two years ago by Mrs. Ogata, who elaborated on the key responsibility of the Security Council to build and to keep peace as essential to reducing the number of new refugees. In fact, working for peace creates part of the solution: people can then go home.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“I am fully aware of the dilemmas here: to what extent this has to be done by the international force, and to what extent the process towards an Afghan army and an Afghan security force can be speeded up. The only thing I can say is that, one way or another, there is a real need. Otherwise, the process will not develop in a good way. I think it is fair that I should stop here, having answered a number of questions and not speaking too long.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“They took a risk; they were heading, as it were, to a new Afghanistan with acceptable conditions. At this very moment, we see two clouds in the sky. One is that there have been a at number of incidents where, even in the new Afghanistan", people, especially Pashtuns, are now fleeing from certain regions where there is obviously a lack of tolerance and respect - a lack, if you like, of security. The second cloud, we fear, is that enthusiasm will wane if there is not sufficient security in the countryside. I am not in a position to make an estimate of what that means in numbers, but the signals should encourage us to look seriously at addressing this security problem. That, of course, is not my first responsibility, but I have to mention the point.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“But in this case as well, I am convinced that there must be sustainable returns of refugees. We must therefore assist refugees to reintegrate into their villages so that they can start once again to earn their own living. As the Council knows, most of them will do so in agriculture. We will do this, and maybe not too long from now we will come back to the Council with a more comprehensive plan to clarify what we are doing in Sierra Leone. A number of other remarks were made, but I shall try to be selective in responding to them. One question I must certainly answer is that of the representative of the United Kingdom, about the security, or lack of security, in Afghanistan. I have no precise figures, but my people tell me that at the beginning it was very rewarding to see the intensity with which people spontaneously wanted to go home.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“It is a very strange situation, that the international community and the United Nations allow the existence of a situation in which the security of humanitarian staff is not considered part of their core responsibilities. The representative of Guinea had kind words for me, and he was right in asking me how I am now carrying out the process of repatriation - in particular with regard to refugees in Guinea returning to Sierra Leone. We are going to try to do this in a way similar to what was done in Afghanistan. Now that the security situation is improving, we are moving towards a repatriation plan. I have spoken with my people. I have come under a certain amount of pressure to increase the number of returnees, also as a political signal. We are trying to do this. We know how important it is for the political process itself.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“This is a tragic situation that we are trying to improve by training staff to be aware of risks and by giving them necessary communication equipment, which helps a lot in improving the level of security. As the Council is aware, we also work with the United Nations Security Coordinator system. But what is painful is that all these investments we must make represent financial resources, money that we ourselves must pay. I sometimes have to say to the poor refugees in camps that I am sorry there is so little for them, but that we have to pay for security. I sincerely doubt that the United Nations as a whole can afford not to pay for this out of the regular budget. I want to repeat that here once again. It is known that it can, but it is not done.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“This involves the famous "ladder of options" that we use to try to improve the situation in the camps through separation. Vulnerability in the camps is not limited solely to armed elements. When we speak about vulnerable women in refugee camps we are talking about other types of problems, as the Council may imagine. Ijust wanted to flag this for the Council as well. It is a very important element. I would like to take a couple of minutes to respond to questions raised by members of the Council regarding the security of humanitarian staff themselves. This is a very important part of my responsibility and that of my colleagues. Almost every month, I either write letters to colleagues or receive letters from them due to there being a new victim. The numbers are rising.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“IfI were to take the members of the Council to the border between Angola and Zambia, they would be able to see people coming in and to observe how we work together with the officials of Zambia to separate the people. I mean literally separate, as armed persons are brought a long way to other camps where there are other armed elements and where they are totally separated from other refugees. Were I to take members of the Council to camps for Burundian refugees in Tanzania, they would see that there is quite an effort under way by the military and the internal police in those camps to curb the existence of arms in the camps and try to keep them out. This is of course our ideal: to have arms-free refugee camps. So there is progress.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source
“In my opinion, there is therefore a connection between investing in security and the work of the Economic and Social Council. So I do hope that, perhaps during this year's humanitarian segment, there will be room and opportunity to debate and analyse this further. I must of course say to the representative of France that I am not in charge. I am just asking and pointing out that it might be important. But I hope that, with the assistance of the members there, it will be possible. Another question pertained to security in the camps and the separation of armed elements and refugees. This is indeed a very important area. Allow me to say that we are making progress compared to a number of years ago. Practices have been developed to separate armed elements from refugees more thoroughly and fundamentally. We can see this in practice.”
2002-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4470 (2002) · source