YouSaid · the spoken record

Maas

lines on the record: 74
first: 2018-03-28
most recent: 2021-07-15
sittings or episodes: 10
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

“Humanitarian aid workers live by those principles every day, often at great risk to themselves. They deserve our thanks and full support for the valuable work they do. Humanitarian space can be established only where rules are in place. Only those familiar with international humanitarian norms can consciously apply them. Secondly, therefore, we must help humanitarian actorsimpartthenecessaryknow-howaboutinternational humanitarian law. That is all the more important at a time when an increasing number ofnon- State parties are involved in conflicts. Humanitarian organizations must therefore be able to continue working with such groups. If that is prohibited, the international community will lose influence over a group of players of increasing importance, which is not in our best interest. We also have a responsibility as States.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Instead of being protected, the work of aid workers is becoming more dangerous. Yemen, north-east Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are just a few of the areas where that occurs. It is also vital that the Security Council address those tragedies. Talking is not enough. We have to take action. As today's discussion has shown, three points are especially important. First of all, upholding international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles is vital. Such norms are not an end in themselves. They protect the lives of aid workers and the people they help. As the second- largest bilateral donor, Germany rejects any kind of political instrumentalization of humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian space can be established only if the neutrality, independence and impartiality of aid workers are not in doubt.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany. Our discussion has made one thing clear: we are anything but indifferent to human suffering. Action must be taken wherever help is needed. Unfortunately, our discussion has also shown that doing that is becoming increasingly difficult. The humanitarian space is shrinking in many parts of the world. Armed conflicts are more complex today than ever before. They last longer and increasingly take place in urban spaces. A growing number of non-State actors and rebel groups are involved, and not only in Syria, where fragmentation is especially evident. Sadly, attacks on hospitals and medical personnel have become commonplace. Our meeting this morning made that clear too.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“I thank Ms. Modirzadeh for her briefing. I shall now give the floor to the members of the Council who wish to make statements. I call on the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kuwait.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“Our twin programmes send a strong message about the unique cooperation between our two countries. As always, it is a pleasure. (spoke in English) Before giving the floor to our briefers, I would like to make a few short remarks. Today we have chosen a solution-oriented approach that does not focus on a situation in a specific country. The multitude of complex and fragmented conflicts around the world calls for a discussion about what we as States Members of the United Nations can do to counter violence against humanitarian personnel, civilians and medical missions. When we provide humanitarian assistance, it should be demand-driven and based on humanitarian principles, and safeguarding the humanitarian space must be a guiding concern. I now give the floor to Mr. Lowcock.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“In accordance with rule 39 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate in this meeting: Mr. Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Ms. Naz Modirzadeh, Professor of Practice, Harvard Law School. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. This is the first meeting that Germany is presiding over under our twin presidencies with France. We have agreed on an ambitious programme of work and are grateful for Council members' support. (spoke in French) I would like to thank Jean-Yves Le Drian for his kind cooperation in the preparation of today's meeting.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“I should like to take this opportunity to pay tribute, on behalf of the Council, to His Excellency Mr. Francois Delattre, Permanent Representative of France, for his service as President of the Council for the month of March. I am sure I speak for all the members of the Council in expressing our deep appreciation to Ambassador Delattre and his team for the great diplomatic skill with which they conducted the Council's business last month. Adoption of the agenda The agenda was adopted. The promotion and strengthening of the rule of law in the maintenance of international peace and security International humanitarian law The President: I wish to warmly welcome the Ministers and other representatives present in the Security Council Chamber. Their presence today underscores the importance of the subject matter under discussion.”
2019-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8499 (2019) · source
“This is a tremendous task, but I am convinced that it can be done because Mali has a great advantage * it has a strong and vibrant civil society, and it has young people who believe in the future of Mali and who, in the face of many difficulties, have decided to stay and build a future for themselves because it is their country. These people need our support, and I believe they deserve it.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“It is therefore very important that the Government has set important reforms in motion. The Secretary-General is right to point out in his report (S/2019/262) that the peace process has recently gained new momentum. The demobilization, disarmament and reintegration of former fighters are making progress. Work on reforming the Constitution has gotten under way. These reforms must steadily continue, and the upcoming parliamentary elections are another important step. But something else is needed as well. To have truly lasting peace, it must be ensured that human rights are respected, women play a major role in the peace process, the different social groups and regions in Mali are brought together, State structures are built up everywhere in the country, and economic opportunities are created, especially for young people.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“More than 160 people were killed, including many women and children. The perpetrators of this despicable crime must be brought to justice. It should remind all of us how important it is to do everything possible to improve the security situation. Regional cooperation in the Sahel region also remains important because many of the challenges do not stop at national borders. We call upon the Group of Five for the Sahel (G-5 Sahel) to rapidly make the Joint Force fully operational, which is an effort being supported by Germany and the European Union. In addition, MINUSMA should continue to play an important role in supporting the G-5 Sahel. No matter how much MINUSMA is helping to provide stability in Mali, a peace mission cannot replace the political process.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“Our support to Mali is provided thanks to the civilian staff, police officers and soldiers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), who often serve at great risk to their lives. I heard first-hand how dangerous the mission is from the women and men in uniform whom I met in Gao. They are doing a fantastic job, and we are all most grateful to all of them. The work of MINUSMA deserves our full support. MINUSMA needs a strong and comprehensive mandate. Germany will continue to work in the Security Council towards this end. We are prepared to continue to participate in MINUSMA with our largest Blue Helmet contingent. Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Mali and its people. The terrible massacre that took place last week near Mopti demonstrated how great the threat still is.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“To me, this was encouraging, because it is the women and men of Mali who hold the key to a peaceful future for their country. That is why I am very pleased that Prime Minister Maiga has joined us today for this important discussion. The road to peace and reconciliation is long. Even though Malian leadership plays a critical role, Mali will continue to need international support as it travels down that road. It will need the Security Council right by its side. Our message today is that the Council is ready to support it. The Council underlined this fact with its trip to Mali and Burkina Faso the last week, which was organized by Germany, France and Cote d'Ivoire. The European Union to is ready to continue training and supporting the Malian security forces.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“I am pleased to participate in today's important Security Council debate under the leadership of French Foreign Minister Le Drian. Sitting next to him here in the Council underlines how closely France and Germany are working together as Council members in advancing multilateralism and cooperating on the ground, for example in Mali. I was reminded of how important that is during my visit to Mali a few weeks ago. I vividly remember a discussion I had with young people in Gao. They told me about how they fought to resist Islamist terrorism in 2013. They also talked about how they have been working to promote peace since then. They did not allow their freedom, including the freedom of thought, to be taken away. How did they find the courage to do this? "Because it is our country", they told me.”
2019-03-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8497 (2019) · source
“Approximately 600 scientists from 17 countries will be on board, including women and men from Belgium, China, France, Poland, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. They will all be united by a common goal, namely, to warn humankind about the worst consequences of climate change. Climate change is real. It is having a global impact, and that is why it should bring together not only scientists on board a ship, but also us here in the Security Council. The Arctic is an early-warning system for climate change. The Security Council must become an early-warning system for international policy. That is our shared responsibility.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“Last year, we established the Group of Friends on Climate and Security, together with Nauru and partners from around the world. The Group is supported by a broad international network of experts. Together, we will submit proposals to the Security Council on how we can improve our response. We want to deepen our discussion about the issue at a high-level conference on climate and security to be held in Berlin on 4 June. Allow me to invite all present to join us at that conference. One hundred and twenty-five years after Fridtjof Nansen's polar expedition, a new mission to the Arctic is to be launched in September. For one year, the German research vessel RV Polarstern will travel through the frozen polar sea ice - some 150 days in the polar night.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“Secondly, the Security Council needs sound risk analyses and forecasts with clear recommendations for action. Our Swedish friends have strengthened the capacities of the United Nations system to that end, and we want to continue along that path. Thirdly, we must work even harder to translate our knowledge about climate change into tangible policy within the mandates of United Nations missions and, above all, in the work ofthe United Nations in the field. The United Nations ability to analyse the situation on the ground must be strengthened. Our partners, especially regional organizations, need early warning capacities, and we must support those regions that are most affected by climate change through quick- impact projects. Those are key priorities for Germany as a member ofthe Security Council. I am glad that we are not alone here.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“We still remember the forest fires that raged in California, and rising sea levels and hurricanes threaten the very existence of a number of island States, including in your region, Mr. President. Climate change is real. It is having a global impact, and it is increasingly becoming a threat to international peace and security. That is why the debate about the policy consequences of climate change belongs here in the Security Council. It must become routine for us to take the link between climate and security into account in all conflict situations. We should focus on three aspects. First, all United Nations Member States need access to reliable and comprehensive information. That is why systematic reporting by the Secretary-General on the security-related impacts of climate change is so important.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“The consequences of that drought are crop losses running into the billions; catastrophic forest fires, even in northern Europe; and in some regions of Germany, fuel started to become scarce as the water level in rivers was too low for tanker ships. I know that all that sounds harmless compared with the disasters caused by climate-related extreme weather in other parts of the world. In the Sahel, there is an increasing number of conflicts because of the lack of water and land for farming. As Lake Chad shrinks, the livelihoods of entire populations are disappearing - the perfect breeding ground for extremism and terrorism. In Iraq, water scarcity is undermining the prospects for lasting peace. In Afghanistan and Yemen, water tables have fallen dramatically.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“Conflicts are part and parcel of the Security Council's day-to-day business, but we do not often have the opportunity to take a step back and consider the causes of those conflicts. I would therefore like to thank you, Mr. President, for inviting us to do that today. I would like to tell members of the Council about someone who did not just take one step back, but around 570,000 steps. It was from up high at the International Space Station that the German astronaut Alexander Gerst gazed down on our planet for six months last year. The images that he beamed back to Earth shocked many people in Europe. The driest summer since records began had clearly left its mark. It was even Visible from space. What is usually a green continent at that time of year resembled a yellow-brown steppe. I have brought some of those pictures with me.”
2019-01-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8451 (2019) · source
“One more thing must be said: at times, peacekeepers have let down the very people they had sworn to protect, including through sexual abuse and exploitation. That is unacceptable. There must be accountability. In order to further improve peacekeeping, we have taken careful note of the Secretary-General's proposals. Our words must now lead to action. We owe this to the people we are entrusted with protecting.”
2018-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8218 (2018) · source
“As laid out in our recently adopted coalition agreement, Germany will continue to build on this engagement in the coming years, as a candidate for - and hopefully a member of - the Security Council in the biennium 2019-2020. In conclusion, I would like to make three points. First, we need stronger and more effective partnerships among the United Nations and such organizations as the African Union, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Secondly, peacekeeping is not an end in itself. It is a tool to support political solutions. We need a coherent political strategy, clear-sighted objectives and realistic expectations from the start. Thirdly, peacekeeping will only be as effective as we are willing to make it. Missions must have the means they need to fulfil their mandates.”
2018-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8218 (2018) · source
“We are helping to strengthen peacekeepers' safety and security, make policing a core area of peace operations, and increase women's role in peacekeeping. In order to support the United Nations in crisis prevention and follow the Secretary-General's call for a quantum leap in peacebuilding funding, Germany has tripled its contributions in these areas. Our largest United Nations deployment is in Mali. Our Parliament agreed to provide up to 1,000 peacekeepers and high-end capabilities such as helicopters and drones. That combined effort will hopefully help secure lasting peace and stability in the country itself and in the Sahel region in general. German support in Mali, South Sudan and Lebanon, to name just a few countries, is always embedded in a comprehensive political strategy - both nationally and within the European Union.”
2018-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8218 (2018) · source
“For the international community, it is a call to joint action and shared responsibility. The more than 100,000 peacekeepers helping countries to navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace deserve our respect, deep gratitude and support. The return of violent conflict has caused immense human suffering at great social and economic cost. Just one glaring example of this is Syria, where all too often the Council has been unable to take decisions, or where its decisions have not been implemented. The answer to drawn-out crisis situations can be only a more coherent approach to sustaining peace. The Secretary-General has laid this out in his reform proposals, and he has Germany's full support. Germany is a strong financial and political supporter of United Nations peacekeeping.”
2018-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8218 (2018) · source
“I wish to thank Prime Minister Rutte for organizing this important debate on peacekeeping. I would also like to thank the Secretary- General for his briefing. I am honoured to be here today, just days after assuming my new office. Collective action is crucial for United Nations peacekeeping, as it is in any other policy area. Be it climate change, migration or economic development; be it human rights, global health or sustaining peace and security - we need more collective action. We need robust multilateral institutions and at the heart of our rules-based order, we need a strong United Nations. Where better than in this Chamber to underline that we need a Security Council that is united in both its purpose and its responsibility? The peacekeeper's Blue Helmet stands for help and protection. It symbolizes peace and security.”
2018-03-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8218 (2018) · source