YouSaid · the spoken record

Lucas

lines on the record: 1,853
first: 1997-08-28
most recent: 2016-12-19
sittings or episodes: 261
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

“In that regard, we welcome the appointment of a global focal point that links the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the United Nations Development Programme in overseeing the areas of the police, justice and prison systems and the empowerment of those working in the field. The Council also has an active role in promoting the rule of law. As the Secretary-General recalled this morning, currently 18 of the 28 United Nations missions are mandated to promote the rule of law. The most recent case is the mission in the Central African Republic. By adopting resolution 2134 (2014), we also strengthened the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic in its support for the strengthening of the rule of law.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“During conflicts and afterwards, it is important to help countries restore the rule of law by ensuring respect for the principle of accountability, providing assistance to victims, improving the normative framework for transitional justice and restoring citizens' confidence in their legal institutions and security bodies. The 2012 Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels (General Assembly resolution 67/1) rightly emphasized the need to help countries develop more effective civilian capacities and strengthen their institutions in the aftermath of conflict, including through peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions. Given the scope of the undertaking, it is important that the Organization plan its missions through a coordinated and strategic approach.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Today, it is widely accepted that the restoration of the rule of law in post-conflict societies is a crucial element to prevent the resurgence of conflict. National reconciliation and transitionaljustice are closely linked to that. Since the adoption in 1993 by the General Assembly of the first resolution on the rule of law (resolution 48/132), the concept of the rule of law has been established as the essential element of any system of governance based on democratic values and the primacy of the law, whether at the national or international level. The work of the United Nations to promote the rule of law is essential to international peace and security.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): Iwould like to begin by commending the Lithuanian presidency of the Security Council for having convened this open debate on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security, a topic that is particularly close to our heart. I also thank the Secretary-General for his briefing and his report (S/2013/34l) on measuring the effectiveness of the support provided by the United Nations system for the promotion of the rule of law in conflict and post- conflict situations. I fully agree with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union. We welcome the fact that the Security Council has repeatedly made the issue of the rule of law the theme of its debates.”
2014-02-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7113 (2014) · source
“On that issue as well as others, the Council can count on the support of Luxembourg for the development of cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations in the service of effective multilateralism.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“We welcome the Union's decision to donate the cash award ofits Nobel Peace Prize to projects to help children who have been victims of conflict through the European Union's Children of Peace initiative, which served some 28,000 children last year. In December, Luxembourg became the first country to join the initiative, with a contribution of â‚¬500,000. In the same context, I would also like to mention the campaign of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF called "Children - Not Soldiers", which will be launched on 6 March in New York in the presence of the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg. That will be an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to all to protecting children affected by armed conflict.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“We welcome the commitment shown by the European Union and its States members in their pledge of an additional â‚¬550 million at the donor conference held in Kuwait on 15 January. Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg have taken the initiative to submit a draft resolution calling on the parties to the Syrian conflict to improve humanitarian access and stop the violations of international humanitarian law, including the use of starvation and siege as weapons of war against civilians. We hope that the Security Council will soon be in a position to adopt a humanitarian resolution that will also have positive impact on the negotiations currently taking place in Geneva. We are convinced that it can. Before concluding, I would like to address the long-standing commitment of the European Union to protecting children in the time of armed conflict.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“As the High Representative stated, the European Union is also preparing a civilian support mission for the internal security forces in Mali. Those efforts are part of the broader framework of support provided by the European Union in its integrated strategy for the Sahel. While the United Nations has developed its own integrated strategy for the region, we now have a unique opportunity to strengthen the partnership between the international community and the countries of the Sahel. We share the deep concern expressed by the High Representative about the tragaic situation in Syria. Nearly 10 million Syrians, half of whom are children, need urgent humanitarian assistance.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“We fully share the Secretary-General's views with regard to the urgent necessity for the Council and, by extension, the entire international community to redouble its efforts to put an end to the violence and atrocities perpetrated in the Central African Republic and assist that suffering country and its entire population. In Mali, the European Union continues its efforts, in close cooperation with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, to support the new authorities of that country. It has decided to extend its European Union training mission in Mali for two years, which will make it possible for Malians to have the means to eventually ensure their own security.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Let me raise two examples: the Central African Republic and Mali. In the Central African Republic, the European Union actively contributes to the efforts of the international community to settle the severe security and humanitarian crisis. After the authorization provided by the Council in resolution 2134 (2014), the European Union decided, on 10 February, to establish a military operation in the Central African Republic, which will act in close cooperation with the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic and the French Sangaris Operation.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“In that regard, we also commend the energy and the work of the High Representative, whose role in conducting negotiations between Iran and the E3+3 Governments was central to reaching the joint plan of action, agreed upon on 24 November 2013 in Geneva. We welcome the beginning of the implementation of the plan, which began on 20 January. It is a first step on the path, and as the High Representative said, an "important step", which should lead to the reestablishment of international community's confidence in the exclusively civilian and peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme. Cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union is particularly developed in Africa, where it is carried out in partnership with the African Union, subregional organizations and the countries involved.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“I congratulate the High Representative for the skill and effectiveness with which she continues to facilitate the high-level dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Her efforts led to the conclusion, on 19 April 2013, of the First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Since then, the implementation of that historic Agreement has continued at a good rate with the support of the European Union on the ground. We fully support the efforts to sustainably regularize relations between the two countries from the viewpoint of their shared European future. The second issue I wanted to bring up is the Iranian nuclear programme.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“For the first time, thanks to Lithuania's initiative, the Security Council has adopted presidential statement S/PRST/20l4/4, which recognizes the cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union in the service of international peace and security for its true value. As a founding member, both of the United Nations and the European Union, we can only be pleased by this. Since the last statement of the High Representative to the Council (see S/PV.6919), almost a year ago to the day, European diplomacy, as was recalled this morning, has been able to achieve tangible results on two sensitive issues, which are also on the agenda of the Security Council. The first issue concerns Kosovo.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Thanks to the instruments it has developed in the areas of security, maintaining and building peace, humanitarian action and development, the European Union is particularly well placed to assist the United Nations in responding to the complex crises affecting the world. We commend the close cooperation between the Secretariat and the European External Action Service. The support on the part of the European Union and its member States for United Nations activities is also demonstrated in their financial contributions, which make up more than one third of the contributions of the United Nations regular budget and the peacekeeping budget.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): I would like to thank Lithuania for having organized this meeting, and you, Mr. Minister, for your presence, which gives it particular prominence. I thank the Secretary-General for his statement. I also wish to welcome to the Council Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Their statements confirmed that the European Union has demonstrated that it is a long-term partner of the United Nations at the service of the values and objectives that the two organizations share - respect for human rights, equal rights between men and women, the sovereign equality of all Member States and the rejection of war as a means of resolving conflicts.”
2014-02-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7112 (2014) · source
“Children continue to be enlisted for war and are the first victims in Syria, but also in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and other crisis situations. We must do make every effort to combat this scourge and to put an end to it once and for all.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“For that reason, Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg took the initiative yesterday to present a draft resolution calling on the parties to the Syrian conflict to fully implement the provisions of the 2 October 2013 presidential statement and stop their violations of international humanitarian law, such as the use of siege and starvation as weapons of war against civilians. While the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, while violations and abuses against civilians continue, it is important that the Council take action. As we mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, I cannot conclude without emphasizing once again the importance of the protection of children in armed conflict.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The Syrian conflict illustrates in probably the most cruel way the impact of armed conflict on the civilian population. While the talks in Geneva are making no headway, it is difficult to envision the day when the fighting will cease and where the conditions are met for the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Syria. To protect civilians trapped in the war, the Council has sought to appeal to the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law. That was the whole point of the presidential statement adopted on 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15), which aimed in particular at improving humanitarian access to populations affected by the Syrian crisis. More than four months later, it is clear that that statement has not been respected by the parties to the conflict, primarily the Syrian authorities.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“In that same resolution, the Security Council gave a mandate to the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (MISCA) to protect civilians, and it authorized French forces from Operation Sangaris to support MISCA in the implementation of that mandate. To strengthen international support for MISCA, the European Union has just decided to establish a time-bound military operation, the heart of whose mandate will be the protection of civilians in the area around Bangui. The situation in the Central African Republic challenges us all; we must come together in support of that ravaged country and its people - all of its people. It is there that the "Rights up front" action plan, launched by the Secretary-General at the end of 2013, takes on its full significance.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“I shall refer now to the cases of the Central African Republic and Syria. Civilians are the main victims of the massacres and violence that continue to be committed in the Central African Republic. In the light of that situation, the Security Council has identified the fight against impunity as a way to ensure the protection of civilians and to deter those involved from carrying out such atrocities. In this context, we welcome the establishment by the Secretary-General of an international commission of inquiry that should soon begin its work, in accordance with the provisions of resolution 2127 (2013).”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“MINUSMA has a clear mandate for the protection of civilians pursuant to resolution 2100 (2013). The kidnapping on 8 February of an International Committee of the Red Cross team between Kidal and Gao shows just how precarious the situation remains in the north of Mali. That act, which we condemn in the most robust terms, also makes clear the need to address the five core challenges addressed in the report of the Secretary-General to improve the protection of civilians. What is at stake here is ensuring that the rules of international humanitarian law are respected by non-State armed groups. Peacekeeping operations are without a doubt the best tool that the Security Council has available to it to protect civilians in time of armed conflict. But what happens when the United Nations has not yet deployed such a mission?”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“The example of UNMISS also shows just how difficult it is for a peacekeeping mission to fully exercise its mandate to protect civilians when it does not have the required capacity, be it in terms of aerial capacity or in terms of intelligence and surveillance, which would enable it to strengthen early-warning systems. In general, we believe that means such as surveillance drones, which have been used for the first time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, could have a positive impact in terms of preventing conflict and protecting civilians in other areas of operation. In Mali, during our recent visit as members of the Security Council, we rightly encouraged the full deployment, as soon as possible, of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Since the adoption of resolution 2098 (2013), thanks to the Blue Helmets, the protection of civilians in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo against armed groups, primarily the Mouvement du 23 mars, has been significantly strengthened. I should like also to pay tribute to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which is currently protecting tens of thousands of civilians who have fled the violence and who are being sheltered in protection areas for civilians set up within various UNMISS bases throughout the country.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Luxembourg fully endorses the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union. Madam President, your concept note (S/2014/74, annex) invites us to focus on the protection ofcivilians in the framework of United Nations missions, particularly peacekeeping missions. I would like in so doing to highlight certain operations that we deem particularly relevant in that regard. I would like to welcome the decisive action taken by the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the help of the Intervention Brigade established within that Mission, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): I should like to thank Lithuania for having convened this open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict at the beginning of 2014, which will mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Security Council's commitment in the area of the protection of civilians since the adoption of resolution 1265 (1999). I should like also to thank the four briefers for their statements, which highlighted the challenges that remain despite the progress that we have made since 1999. Those challenges are clearly summed up in the presidential statement we have just adopted (S/PRST/2014/3), whose annex contains the updated aide-memoire on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, to which I wish to draw everyone's attention.”
2014-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7109 (2014) · source
“For post-conflict societies to reconcile themselves with their past, light - all the light - must be shed on events. It is in that way that hope for the future is born.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Collecting sources and documents could also prove to be valuable to commence proceedings in national and international criminal courts. We are firmly convinced that the fight against impunity is an integral part of transitional justice and that it is essential to post- conflict peacebuilding. Prosecuting those responsible for the most serious crimes under international law will help to prevent such crimes from being committed again in the future. We would therefore call for such a team to provide a voice for those without voices, namely, victims, and collect testimony from the most vulnerable groups, such as women, children and minorities. In so doing, we will avoid the pitfall of an official uniform narrative of the past that would be out of kilter with the conflict in fact experienced by the people.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“That suggestion seems quite relevant to some of the crisis situations that the Council is currently dealing with, for example, the Central African Republic. Knowing that discussions are under way for the possible establishment of a United Nations mission to help the Central African authorities to restore State institutions and the rule of law, dispatching a team of historical consultants could be considered in that framework. The work of that team could also be useful to the international commission of inquiry that, under resolution 2127 (2013), the Secretary-General is requested to rapidly establish in order to, inter alia, investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and abuses of human rights in Central African Republic.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“The European model of reconciliation is certainly the product of a historical context that is unique to it. But it gives us a formula that is still valid, as can been seen in the ongoing process of the expansion of the European Union. Let me turn now to the proposal contained in the stimulating concept paper that was submitted to establish the terms of our debate (S/2014/30, annex). It is suggested that, at the end of a conflict, the Security Council could consider assigning a team of historical consultants the task of assisting the authorities of the affected country or countries to recover or protect the documents necessary to establishing a shared interpretation of the history of the conflict.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Although at no time was it a question of forgetting what happened or of creating forced amnesia, today, when they look at their history, Europeans do so in the light of the cooperation that they have enjoyed for more than 60 years. A third lesson deals with the pragmatism that guided the building of Europe, which began by specific achievements that created first a de facto solidarity, to quote Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of Europe. The first of those concrete achievements was the pooling of coal and steel production in 1951 by six countries, including my country, Luxembourg. Despite the weight of the past, those six countries chose to look forward towards a common future. That approach was probably motivated as well by economic interests, but it began a process of interdependence that fostered reconciliation.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Today, the European Union is a sui generis model, where disputes between States are regulated exclusively by law. European integration seems to provide us with useful lessons for today's open debate. The first of those lessons is that neither historical fatalism nor determinism exists, that people who once saw in the Other an age-old enemy have since chosen the path of cooperation and reconciliation, which proves that the course of history is not set once and for all and that political will, used advisedly, remains an extraordinary engine of progress. The second lesson, which stems from the first, concerns the way the past is interpreted. While the wounds of the Second World War were still open, Europeans rejected calls for revenge and stigmatization.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Expressed in another way, how can we demobilize not only combatants but also minds? Following a conflict, the memory of the atrocities experienced exercises a constraint on the process of rebuilding a society. There is a risk that the memory could be manipulated to serve a logic of opposition. In contrast, there are also examples where revisiting the past has gone hand in hand with efforts to bring people together. That is the case of Europe in the second half of the twentieth century. European integration is certainly one of the best examples of reconciliation. Countries that had made war for generations, which were responsible for two world wars, worked together to build a common economic area that has became a political union.”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): Thank you, Mr. President, for having taken the initiative to organize today's open debate, which comes at a timely moment, at the dawn of the year in which we commemorate the outbreak of the First World War. I would also like to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, for his briefing. I also endorse the statement that Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting will make on behalf of the European Union. When in the aftermath of conflict guns fall silent, it does not mean that peace has been restored. The end of physical violence or even the conclusion of a peace agreement does not erase in a simple stroke the memory of pain and suffering that has been experienced. The question we ask ourselves is, what do we do with this history of conflict?”
2014-01-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7105 (2014) · source
“Lastly, as my colleagues have done, I too would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the five outgoing members of the Security Council - Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo. It has been a privilege to serve with them in the Council.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“Where capacity is insufficient or where the cross-border nature of the crimes committed gives rise to difficulties, legal solutions could be explored at the regional level, notably with the Economic Community of West African States. The fight against drug trafficking must be a collective effort involving countries of origin, transit and destination, for we know that those categories overlap more and more, including in West Africa and Sahel. As a partner of many countries of the region, Luxembourg is committed to assist in this struggle, in the interest of peace and security, development and respect for human rights and the rule of law in West Africa and the Sahel.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“Only increased coordination involving the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, as well as UNODC, the United Nations Development Programme and Interpol, will it be possible to appropriately support the ongoing efforts in West Africa and Sahel to strengthen regional cooperation. The West Africa Coast Initiative is a good example of what can be done. The Initiative has produced encouraging initial results in Sierra Leone. We should now strengthen units to combat transnational crime, all the while strengthening judicial and penal systems, in order to combat impunity. The best police measures are doomed to failure if the penal system breaks down at the level of justice or prisons.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“To better respond to the threat, we encourage the United Nations Office for West Africa and the missions authorized by the Council in the countries of the region to strengthen their cooperation and coordination, as well as their analytical capacities concerning the political, economic and social impact of drug trafficking. The Peacebuilding Commission also has a role to play in advocating for the strengthening of the institutional capacities of the four countries it supports in West Africa - Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone - and in supporting the coordination of international efforts.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“With regard to the United Nations system, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) clearly has a central role to play. It is a welcome fact that the UNODC cooperates intensively with other players across the United Nations system. A good example is the Task Force on Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking, which is co-chaired by UNODC and the Department of Political Affairs and which brings together United Nations agencies and relevant organizations. We support the recommendation in presidential statement S/PRST/2013/22, which we have just adopted, that the Security Council be informed on a more regular basis about the activities of the Task Force. In general terms, it is important that there be determined follow-up to today's debate.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“African civil society is also mobilizing, as demonstrated by the meeting of 30 and 31 October in Accra, Ghana, at the initiative of the West Africa Commission on Drugs. It is our hope that the Commission, established at the initiative of Kofi Annan and comprised of eminent persons and experts, will contribute to finding durable solutions to the growing problems of drug trafficking and drug use in the region. The countries of West Africa and the Sahel and the regional organizations of which they are members must be able to count on the steadfast support of the international community. The European Union and its member States are working alongside their African partners, in particular from West Africa, within the framework of the Union's anti-drug strategy and the action plan for the period 2013 to 2020 and 2013 to 2016, respectively.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“The enormous profits generated by drug trafficking enable traffickers not only to weaken States, but also to manipulate the institutions of the weakened States to their own benefit. Attempting to combat the scourge through a strategy of repression alone is doomed to fail. It will require a global approach that addresses the root causes, especially the fragility of States. We welcome and support the efforts of the States of West Africa and the Sahel to fight drug trafficking, particularly within the Economic Community of West African States and the Mano River Union, whose members adopted a border security strategy on 25 October, with the support of the United Nations Office for West Africa.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): I thank the French presidency of the Security Council for convening this meeting on the fight against drug trafficking and its consequences for peace and security in West Africa and the Sahel - a topic that clearly deserves the full attention of the Council. I also thank the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa. I will not dwell on an analysis. The scourge of drug trafficking includes such a high level of violence, so many types of transnational organized crime and such weak rule-of-law structures - often due to corruption - that it truly represents a threat to international peace and security.”
2013-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7090 (2013) · source
“UNAMA, meanwhile, will continue to play an important supporting role after 2014 and should be provided with resources sufficient to fulfilling its mission.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“We welcome the fact that the Secretary- General's report (S/2013/721) includes information on violations and abuses committed against children. Given the scale on which such abuses and violations continue to occur, we urge that UNAMA maintain sufficient capacity for child protection, in accordance with resolution 2096 (2013). In conclusion, I would like to reiterate our belief that for national reconciliation to succeed in Afghanistan it must be led by the Afghans themselves. At the same time, close cooperation must be established with regional partners in order to address the many challenges that exist not only in the areas of the economy and security, but also in the fight against drug trafficking.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“In that regard, we are extremely concerned about the findings of the 8 December joint report from UNAMA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the implementation of the law on eliminating violence against women. The low rate of indictments under the act compared to the number of complaints filed is inexplicable. Impunity seems to be the rule rather than the exception. It should be recalled that full application of the law eliminating violence against women was one of the major commitments in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework. The international community should not compromise on this point. I would also like to reiterate how serious Luxembourg considers the plight of children in armed conflict.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“Anti-Government elements are still operating, and attacks on humanitarian workers and the numbers of civilian victims of the conflict have grown alarmingly. These challenges demand that security capacities be strengthened. It is also crucial to put an immediate end to any uncertainty as to the scope of future international support missions to the Afghan security forces, or we risk losing the fruit of years of work and cooperation. Concerning human rights, the progress made since 2001 must also be preserved. In that regard, it is important that the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission Human maintains its autonomy from the Government and its credibility vis-a-vis the people. It is also important to act decisively in order to combat the high levels of discrimination and abuse of which Afghan women are still victims.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“It is also an election whose results are accepted by the largest possible number of people because the balloting and counting are conducted transparently. We welcome the progress made so far with the electoral preparations. We urge that no effort be spared to put a capable security framework in place and emphasize the importance of ensuring the broad inclusion of women at all levels of the electoral process. The distance travelled since 2001 is also visible at the level of the security transition. The Afghan security forces, which did not exist 12 years ago and which were created with the help of the international community, are now in overall charge of the national territory. Despite the magnitude of the task, they are rising to the occasion. But the challenges remain significant.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“What was hardly imaginable in 2001 is taking shape today. Ifthe elections are successful, the country will have established a significant milestone partway along the road that can distance it a little farther from the recent years of war and lead it to peace and stability. A successful election is one that takes place on schedule and in which candidates campaign freely, peaceably and with mutual respect. It is an election in which the participation of everybody, women included, is assured without exception, in which voters' and candidates' physical safety is guaranteed, and in which voters, especially women voters, can go to the polls without having to deal with moral or psychological pressure.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“Ms. Lucas (Luxembourg) (spoke in French): I would like to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Jan Kubis, for his briefing and his work as Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). I would also like to thank the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan, Ambassador Zahir Tanin, for his statement. I associate myselfwith the statement to be delivered later in this debate by the observer of the European Union. I would also like to offer my condolences to the United States and the International Security Assistance Force for the helicopter accident that took the lives of six American soldiers. Now that the presidential and provincial elections scheduled for 5 April 2014 are looming on the horizon, we can better assess the road that Afghanistan has travelled over the past 12 years.”
2013-12-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7085 (2013) · source
“I will conclude by thanking the delegation of Morocco for having prepared and facilitated the presidential statement that the Council has just adopted (S/PRST/2013/20). The strategy for the Sahel is in place. The Security Council has endorsed it, and now it is time to fully implement it.”
2013-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7081 (2013) · source
“Within the framework of their support for the region, the United Nations system and all multilateral and bilateral partners should strengthen and coordinate their efforts, taking into account national and regional initiatives and the concerns linked to appropriation. Humanitarian assistance must also be stepped up in order to help the Sahelian populations to strengthen their resilience. We already know that 16 million people are at risk of malnutrition next year in the Sahel. Only 59 per cent of the humanitarian appeal this year has been covered. More needs to be done. Luxembourg will continue to take an active part in efforts made under the impetus of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel.”
2013-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7081 (2013) · source