YouSaid · the spoken record

Major General Pearce

lines on the record: 38
first: 2019-06-18
most recent: 2019-06-18
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The void when we are not there could lead to farmer-on-farmer conflict, which would be backed by opposing forces or it would certainly be between a Greek Cypriot farmer and one of the Turkish forces, which would also create tensions. For us it means being in the buffer zone and continually engaging with our counterparts through the very strong engagement plan that we have implemented.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“With respect to the integration of the mission, we are a small mission and we work closely together as the three components. There are still challenges but we often have solid approaches. My assessment is that through the comprehensive performance assessment system mission concept and a focus by the current leadership on conducting an integrated approach, we will continue to improve in that area. Concerning the question from you, Mr. President, about our challenges, there is confliction of the mandate with regard to normal conditions and security and stability within the buffer zone. We must also work to ensure that we do not have a recurrence of fighting.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“The strength of UNFICYP lies in the number of troops on the ground. It is the patrol and engagement activities, day in and day out. It is our liaison and engagement. We are porous and stretched. Any reduction in resources for UNFICYP would require consideration of a change of mandate or change of what the Force would look like. With regard to the performance of the missions and acceptance by the communities, because of our normal day-to-day activities, we are always actively engaged with the communities through our active patrolling. That relationship is being built over time. As a long- established mission, we have been actively involved with both communities and have established very strong relationships with all of them.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“For that, we have to work really hard to bring the groups together, develop initiatives and determine how to communicate with them. Creating the outreach programmes and building confidence within the community is significant in that regard, but we have to keep thinking about more than just the same groups that we deal with now, because they are already on board. It is about finding new communities and encouraging and engaging with the broader community to work together. The representative of Belgium asked how the Council could further improve the appropriate resources. As Council members are aware, we had our strategic review in 2017. We have implemented all those recommendations. As a Force Commander, I would say that I have the minimum number of troops I need to be able to carry out my component of the mandate.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Regarding the question from the representative of Equatorial Guinea about the most serious challenges with the two different communities, we started with a group of Cypriots. We had the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots. Over time, the longer we take to come up with a solution, the more culturally diverse the two communities become. We are now seeing permanent residents from Turkey establishing themselves in the north. There is a whole community in the south. If they are not along the buffer zone, they have little relevance to what is occurring. The education systems for both have a different narrative, as Council members are aware. As time goes on, both groups become increasingly culturally diverse. It is really is about trying to encourage those communities to want to come together to create a bicommunal, bizonal federation.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“With regard to the question from the representative of Indonesia about concrete methods in the mandate for host countries and understanding their interpretation of those methods, for us that is about the aide-memoire and that mandated authority. Without that, it will remain difficult for us to make progress. It is crucial for us to de-escalate and reduce tensions. At the moment - and it is a very colloquial term - we are playing whack-a- mole. We are taking on every issue. We are proactive. We know where the hot issues will be and we target them. They are the same every year. We really need to get at the cause and not purely treat the symptoms of what we are dealing with. What should be improved in the current mandate? I spoke about the tension between the normal conditions and security in the buffer zone.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I know that the Military Adviser sitting behind me is a great champion of change on that issue and is focused on it. Certainly, I think there is great opportunity going forward for the United Nations, especially in the military force, where we can remain focused on it. In time and through targets, I believe that we will continue to improve. It will not happen quickly but it will happen. We all understand at the higher level, but at the lower level my priority is not to disenfranchise our young males or our males within the units. Females do not want to be singled out, in the main. They just want to get in and do the job. Whatever we do as we go forward, we must create an environment that allows everyone to thrive and grow within that framework.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“They are not opportunities that you can bring in in the military generally at different ranks. It is something you have to nurture from the start. If you create the right framework, open up the trades and employment opportunities for females and provide initiatives and policies to allow periods of part-time work for those who choose to have families so that they can enter and exit the service, you can create some really great leaders. Fifty per cent of society can be targeted and, in that there are many very talented individuals who can really be a capability force multiplier if the approach is right. For me, it is not about females advocating for other females. It is he for she. It is the male champions of change approach that must be emphasized.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“It continues to be a priority focus for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. In the absence of political dialogue, our focus is on community-led opportunities at the moment, which will become significant in trying to achieve a positive environment on which we can build going forward. The question regarding women in leadership is in line with comments Ihave already made. The challenges are about creating, as I said, an inclusive and diverse environment in which both men and women can thrive, allowing everyone to have a voice. In my own career, I recognized that in 1995 when I first joined, it was the first year that we had integrated training. In sum, it is a generational change in which women can come to fill some of the senior leadership. Those opportunities must be grown.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“There are also Turkish Cypriots who are not authorized to farm there, creating farmer-on-farmer tension, which can escalate and become violent. We target that issue through hotspot targeting and try to de-escalate the situation by using civilian mukhtars and mayors and by working through Civil Affairs back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With regard to the issue of opposing force on opposing force, that has not been as problematic in my time as Force Commander. With respect to the question from the representative of South Africa about the communities, we have continued to focus on our bicommunal, bizonal approach. We work along the buffer zone, within the communities, to find opportunities going forward. It is a long process in achieving even few gains concerning ownership by both sides to work together and be bottom-up driven.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“On top of that we have a gender parity action plan that allows us to provide a voice to the sectors. That is led by our female peacekeepers, who inform headquarters on what is working and what is not, and what resources should be provided in order to create that right environment. I have covered the question concerning incursions in the buffer zone. That is really about the farmers working close to the northern ceasefire line. They will continue to be problematic because the issue pertains to European Union subsidies. They will continue to seek the use of more land. Permits account for perhaps 20 per cent usage of the buffer zone. They have our approval to be there. Unauthorized personnel account for 80 per cent ofthe buffer zone.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I would say, though, that an inclusive and diverse environment in which females feel that they can thrive and operate on an equal footing with their male counterparts is one that must be created. They will then spread the word. We are very fortunate with our troop-contributing countries from both Slovakia and Argentina, which do not send formed units. They send individuals who are volunteers. We therefore have the opportunity within UNFICYP to target, engage and try to increase the number of females within the mission. It is about the voice. I know through my own experiences that word of mouth and understanding of the working environment can encourage people to want to go there. People will want to come to UNFICYP if the right environment is created.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We are taking a bottom-up, bicommunal approach, as I indicated. We actively engage with the diplomatic community within Cyprus, and they are all on board to support and empower the women and youth in Cyprus to have a voice, both in the educational and in the political environments. We have a gender adviser who is focused solely on that area. It is still sometimes disappointing to see the lack of results, but we will continue to persist in that area. In regard to peacekeeping staff dealing with gender issues, we do have gender advisers. I would also like to say that we have strong female leadership within the mission, and we continue to focus on that area.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“It is those areas of dispute that are creating many of the violations. There are also farmers who choose to farm close to the position of the Turkish forces, and that is also creating some tension, prompting some moves of the Turkish forces from the north. Regarding what support the Security Council could provide, acknowledgement of the aide-memoire and the continued support of our mandated authority, allowing us to continue to work towards progress with both sides will give us a baseline on which to communicate and on which to make progress in terms of de-escalating the environment. In regard to the question asked by the representative of the Dominican Republic on collaboration with the communities and strengthening the mandate, we have a really strong programme with women and youth.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I need to have proactive, honest and direct conversations in a respectful way with both my counterparts to ensure that we can find measures and that we can find ways to tackle the issues of concern with a View to de-escalating those areas of tension. Turning to the representative of Germany, who referred to the hardening of positions, there were reports in 2018 concerning this. CCTV captured the hardening of positions, as well as construction, at the northern ceasefire line. We had a lot of violations in that area, although there was a slight decrease in 2018. They are still there and they are still manned. However, where we are seeing the violations now is actually in the disputed areas, where we have a difference in what the United Nations and the Turkish forces recognize as the ceasefire line.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“The current environment is one in which the two sides differ in opinion as to what is in the buffer zone. We now have tension in terms of maintaining stability and calm within the buffer zone and maintaining the normal conditions of the buffer zone. What do I mean by normal conditions? To the Greek Cypriots, that means opening the zone up to farming, which actually has an effect on security. So, we are seeing tensions between different components of the mandate, but we are currently working through them. Regarding the question on engagement with the host countries, we recognize that we have a status of forces agreement with the Republic of Cyprus. For myself as Force Commander, I need to have engagement with both the opposing forces and I need to be impartial. I need to demonstrate impartiality.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“As to the question posed by the representative of China in regard to performance improvement, I am on a continuous improvement programme, whether it be with the Force, with our training, with our safety or with our engagement and liaison. It is a constant evaluation of what we are doing. How can we improve? How can we engage better? One issue of having troop-contributing nations that have contributed to UNFICYP for decades is that complacency can creep in. It is therefore really important that we remain focused to ensure that training remains relevant for the mission. I will not address the question concerning which areas of the mandate require adjustment directly. There is a situation of tension with UNFICYP. The mandate was established in 1964.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We have a civil affairs unit, and across the board we are all working together to engage not only along the buffer zone and the communities that straddle it, but across the island more broadly. It is becoming a bit of an issue just along the buffer zone, and there are a lot of areas outside of that where it is business as usual. They are not really focused on or aware of the Cyprus problem as it certainly does not connect to them individually. Again, we have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. We have just had an evaluation team come through, and we are always looking for continuous improvement in that space.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I will hold every individual accountable for his or her actions in the mission. The reputational risk, not only to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) but to the United Nations as a whole, is sometimes disproportionate to the incident but is also unacceptable to the United Nations when they are serving under the flag, and I know that they are also held to the highest standard by the troop- contributing countries. With respect to the question from the representative of Cote d'Ivoire regarding reconciliation among communities, we work closely with a lot of non-governmental organizations working with the communities in the bicommunal space.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“I was surprised but now, having a better understanding of the environment in which I work, I can understand those tensions tactically at the small level on the ground and what that means to both sides. The Council has seen that through some of the reporting that we have done in the past six months. In regard to the representative of France's second question concerning freedom of movement with respect to the status of forces agreement, as I indicated we have no concerns about that. We do have the freedom of action for that. We do not have protection of civilians within our mandate, so I will not respond to those questions directly, but in regard to the behaviour of peacekeepers I have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse and for any unacceptable behaviour by my peacekeepers.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Without accepting or even reading and acknowledging the aide-memoire, it is really difficult. We do not have rules of the road on which way to operate, so it certainly creates tensions near and close to the northern ceasefire line, between us and the Turkish forces; the farmers and the Turkish forces; and us and the farmers. I thank the representative of France for her questions. In regard to the internal and external strategic and operational feedback, as a small mission we are very fortunate that we can work in a really integrated approach, and the political nuances and what I do as a military force have political implications. It is probably the first time for me as a Commander that small and what I would consider to be very tactical incidents on the ground have political implications.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“In order to understand the opposing force's position, aligning to what the political outcomes are is really important. As for the second question of the United States representative regarding host country consent and their View of the buffer zone, both sides have completely separate views. The Greek Cypriots see the buffer zone as Republic of Cyprus territory, despite us having mandated authority, and they encourage Greek Cypriot civilians to pursue activities there, whereas the Turkish forces see it as an area that should remain sterile until its status is determined as an agreed part of the settlement and those territorial adjustments. That creates a tension in itself, in terms of their own understanding of what their position on the buffer zone is.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We have continual evaluations and, as I said, a close feedback loop, which we continue to review, analyse and implement going forward. I thank the representative of the United States for his questions. Regarding freedom of action around the island, we do have, and are very fortunate to have, freedom of action around Cyprus. We have a couple of areas that are disputed on the northern ceasefire line, where that freedom of action is challenged at times. I am currently working closely with my opposing force commanders on those areas of challenge with the intention of de-escalating the situation to support the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to achieve the political outcomes. I keep an eye on that what we have done as a United Nations over time and there are certainly some cyclic approaches that we have taken.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“That is a whole-of-mission approach and we, as a military, work closely with the civil affairs section, the United Nations police and the political component to address that on a number of levels. In response to the representative of Russia, as I have already mentioned and touched on with regard to the report authored by former United Nations Force Commander, Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, entitled Improving security of United Nations peacekeepers, we take performance seriously. Training and safety are certainly my primary priority in everything we do within the mission. It is articulated in our mission concept; we have our work force plans, our comprehensive performance assessment system and the A4P outcomes, as well as my own concept of operations and my priorities for the Force.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“She will indicate that rapport when she comes here next month, so I will leave this matter for her to expand on then. In response to the representative of Peru, we have been working on confidence-building mechanisms politically at the civilian, military and police levels. Many of these measures are therefore stemming into the military and the policing components. For us, this involves demining and suspected hazardous areas, where we are certainly making progress and looking to complete early next year. With regard to working at the community level, we believe that a bottom-up approach and bicommunal engagement across the island to build the confidence of the communities - the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots - will help us to successfully identify a way forward.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We have long-standing troop-contributing country commitments and that national line with the troop- contributing countries ensures a short feedback loop in terms of training; that we see optimal performance and training in our individuals when they first arrive; and that we have the opportunity, where gaps exist, to conduct mission training and address those gaps. Mandate mechanisms, which the Special Representative of the Secretary-General will speak about in more detail, have certainly been a work in progress. The concept of mechanisms within Cyprus has been uncharted and so we are attempting a cold start. Some are working at a faster pace than others, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General has done a lot of work with both sides to identify mechanisms that we can move forward with.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Through the performance measures, the mission concept that we now have operating and the comprehensive performance assessment system that we are developing and trialling this year, we can monitor the performance of our troops; ensure that our resources are expended in the best way possible; and ensure that the training we are conducting is aligned with the outcomes of the Action for Peacekeeping initiative (A4P) and, where there are gaps, allows us to focus on them. In terms of performance, we certainly engage through our sectors in addition to a top-down approach.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Having said that, we are working closely with both sides to address the issue and identify opportunities to support those that are coming through, as well as those who will have to return to their home countries. I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for his questions. Regarding impact on the ground and the peace and security architecture, I wholeheartedly welcomed the directed architecture, which allows for the synchronization of the work that we are currently doing within Cyprus.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Cyprus remains in first place among European Union members in terms of applicants per capita. New arrivals from the north of the island are mostly Syrian nationals arriving from Turkey and Lebanon, while persons of African origin are entering as students or to seek employment and crossing south in steadily increasing numbers. We recorded fewer actual arrivals in the buffer zone, as there is a small area on the west of the island where it is possible to enter by boat. However, smuggling routes across the island are increasingly being used. The buffer zone is porous and there are insufficient forces to be able to take on the responsibility ofirregular migration.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We are proactive in the buffer zone. We have a small force now of only just over 800 personnel. We are fully committed, through a strong patrolling and engagement liaison programme, to achieving the mission to de-escalate tensions within the buffer zone. The obstacles for us are actually twofold. As I indicated in my statement, it is about the lack of respect for our mandated authority in the buffer zone and the fact that neither side acknowledges or accepts the 2018 aide-memoire. It is a very loose and difficult environment in which to communicate and engage when we do not have a base level from which to operate. In response to the question on migration, we have a whole-of-United-Nations approach to migration in Cyprus. The past six months have seen a continual increase in arrivals of asylum-seekers and applications to Cyprus.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Major General Pearce: I thank Council members for their kind words regarding our peacekeeping efforts. They are much appreciated. I shall answer all questions as I heard them, and ask members to correct me ifI captured them incorrectly. Some will be practically aligned to myself as Force Commander, but there are a couple that are more politically aligned. My Special Representative of the Secretary-General will be here in a month and I will make some comments and defer to her those that I sense she is better able to answer. In regard to the question posed by the representative of Poland with respect to whether the current mandate is working well and what our approach is, under the current mandate we are able to support the mission and the Special Representative of the Secretary- General's political outcome.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“We continue to work closely with all the relevant actors to ensure optimal cooperation. In conclusion, the impartial execution of UNFICYPs mandate is what allows me and the military component to effectively maintain the military status quo, prevent military-to-military tensions and ensure calm and stability in and around the buffer zone. Impartiality is a fundamental principle of United Nations peacekeeping that, importantly, was reaffirmed once again recently through the Secretary-General's Action for Peacekeeping agenda.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Thus, with respect to cooperation with the two sides in the area under my remit, which is that of the military, there is significant scope for improvement. In that regard, we would once again ask for the Council's support - also in the spirit of the Action for Peacekeeping - in urging the sides to heed what has been a years' long call to work with UNFICYP on the implementation of the aide-memoire, as well as to respect our mandated authority in the buffer zone overall. With respect to the topic at hand, and in the Cyprus context specifically, as Council members are aware, UNFICYP has a status of forces agreement with the Republic of Cyprus. At the same time, cooperation, including on military and other operational matters, is key also with the Turkish Cypriot community.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“In its latest resolution relating to UNFICYP (resolution 2453 (2019)), the Security Council, in evoking UNFICYP's mandated authority in the buffer zone, expresses serious concern at the increased number of violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines and calls on the sides and all involved parties to respect UNFICYP's mandated authority in the buffer zone. Nevertheless, I regret to note that there has been no improvement on the ground thus far. Similarly, despite years of urging by the Security Council, neither side has yet accepted the 2018 aide-memoire or its predecessor of 1989, which is a key guiding document with respect to UNFICYP's rules of the road in the buffer zone.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Despite the generally positive relationships the military component of UNFICYP has cultivated over the years with the opposing forces, our cooperation is not without its challenges. There is a trend of increased violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines and an apparent hardening of positions by the opposing forces more broadly, potentially mirroring the political situation on the island. I should like to elaborate on specific areas of concern. First, UNFICYP's authority in the buffer zone is challenged regularly.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“My engagement plan puts a premium on a nuanced and regular interaction that is underpinned by the principles of impartiality, openness and transparency. Keeping the channels of communication open, even in times of tension, is my utmost priority. Beyond my own personal engagement, the Force maintains day-to-day contact with its counterparts from the opposing forces on all levels to prevent the escalation oftensions. Since the November 2017 strategic review of UNFICYP, the mission has implemented a more robust engagement and liaison effort, in close coordination with our police and civilian components. The guiding principles I mentioned a moment ago are the basis of this interaction and applied at all levels, be it at the level of general or that of private soldier.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Our efforts to prevent and defuse tensions before they escalate, as well as to liaise between the sides in the absence of any direct contact, remain essential, particularly given the uncertainty of the current period and the prevailing political climate on the island. It is through these efforts that UNFICYP contributes to creating the conditions conducive to a successful settlement process. Turning to the topic at hand, cooperation with host States, as Head of the military component of UNFICYP, my cooperation in this context lies primarily with the opposing forces, which overall, is constructive. Since arriving in January, I have met with my counterparts numerous times, in a spirit of professionalization, collegiality and mutual respect.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source
“Major General Pearce: It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to address the Council on the topic of cooperation with host States - one in which I can offer a unique view of the long-standing mission of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). Since its inception, UNFICYP has been mandated by the Council to use its best efforts to prevent a recurrence of fighting and, as necessary, to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and return to normal conditions. For decades, the mission has successfully carried out this mandate, with the military component playing a crucial role in this regard, namely, by maintaining a stable military environment in and around the 180-kilometre buffer zone.”
2019-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8552 (2019) · source