YouSaid · the spoken record

Mark Lyall Grant

lines on the record: 1,799
first: 2009-11-13
most recent: 2015-04-24
sittings or episodes: 275
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

“Those responsible must be sought out and brought to justice. We continue to see negative actions and hear inflammatory statements from certain individuals, whom Mr. Benomar called "spoilers", who wish to derail the political transition and deny the Yemeni people what is rightfully theirs: change, stability and a prosperous future. The United Kingdom reminds those intent on disrupting peaceful transition that the Security Council will not hesitate to implement measures under Article 41 to ensure that the transition remains on track, as stated in resolution 2051 (2012). The Yemeni people demand no less. The 2013 United Nations humanitarian appeal estimates that more than 12 million Yemenis - around half the population - are now in acute need of assistance. It is vital that the international community enhance its support.”
2012-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6878 (2012) · source
“The appointment of a new electoral commission and the subsequent preparations for the constitutional referendum and 2014 elections are also central to the transition process. Updating the voter list must not be delayed. There is a genuine risk of the Yemeni Government not being prepared in time for a referendum next autumn, and that could cause delays to full elections in early 2014. Such a scenario would have significant implications for the political transition. President Mansour has led a successful military campaign in southern Yemen, regaining much of the country lost to Al-Qaida. Despite those successes, there has been a worrying increase in attacks targeting military and political personnel. The United Kingdom condemns such cowardly acts, which inevitably hurt ordinary Yemenis.”
2012-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6878 (2012) · source
“The next crucial steps will need to be to build on the reforms by the Yemeni Government and to ensure a permanent lasting change that fulfils people's basic rights to freedom and democracy. Yemen's immediate challenge is to begin a transparent and inclusive National Dialogue Conference. The United Kingdom welcomes President Mansour's 13 November announcement of the imminent start of the Conference and the allocation of seats to the participants. The challenge now is threefold: first, to ensure that the National Dialogue begins this year; secondly, that it addresses all onemen's key challenges; and thirdly, that it is representative of women, youth and all political parties. Outcomes should benefit the many, notjust the few. All those who want to play a part in shaping Yemen's future must do so via the National Dialogue Conference.”
2012-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6878 (2012) · source
“First, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the President and the Moroccan delegation on assuming the presidency for the month of December, and also to warmly thank Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri and his delegation for India's excellent stewardship of the Council during the course of the busy month of November. I should also like to express particular appreciation to Special Adviser Jamal Benomar for his briefing and for the remarkable efforts and his tireless commitment since his appointment to that position. Much has been achieved in Yemen since the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative on 23 November 2011. The international community's focus, as demonstrated through the Secretary- General's visit last month and the continued hard work of Mr. Benomar, is paying dividends.”
2012-12-04 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6878 (2012) · source
“Ladsous, the United Kingdom, both in our national capacity and as the Security Council lead on women and peace and security, is ready to go the extra mile to achieve that goal.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“In Sierra Leone, the Rainbow Institution has made great strides in helping survivors of sexual and gender-based violence with medical assistance and counseling, sensitizing communities and empowering women and girls through village savings and loans associations specifically for them. Such organizations deserve to be nurtured and supported. Women often bare a disproportionate burden in all stages of conflict. We know that they play a critical role in helping a country to draw back from recent conflict, to ensure sustainable peace and to heal wounds in societies torn apart by war. In that role, they surely hold up more than half the sky. We must ensure that together we support the rights, protection and empowerment of women. Like Mr.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“Nationally, we have recruited a specialist team of experts who are available to work in support of the United Nations and civil society to investigate allegations of sexual violence, gather evidence and help countries build their own capacity to do so. The United Kingdom has also contributed $1.5 million to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence to support her team's work. We hope others will also find ways to renew their commitments. Today we recognize in particular the invaluable contribution civil society organizations make to this agenda. Their contribution is vital. In Liberia, organizations like the Women's Situation Room help promote women's participation in political life and prevent electoral violence.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“Despite our best collective efforts, the culture of impunity that has grown up around this horrific crime is tough to crack. It is shocking how few of those responsible are put on trial for the crimes they commit. Governments must do more and must do so urgently. In September, the United Kingdom Foreign Secretary launched a new initiative on preventing sexual violence at an event co-hosted with Michelle Bachelet, Zeinab Bangura and the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict. The initiative aims to replace the culture of impunity with one of deterrence, bringing more perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. We will work closely with the United Nations, international partners and civil society to launch a sustained campaign and to build a global partnership to prevent sexual violence in conflict.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“They deserve to have the security to do so safely. Women must be placed at the centre of peace negotiations, not marginalized, threatened and ignored. And women's civil society organizations, so often at the forefront in responding to conflict and building peace in their own communities, must be nurtured, funded and supported. The United Kingdom itself benefits substantially from early, regular and close consultation with women's civil society organizations. The United Kingdom civil society umbrella group, Gender Action for Peace and Security, played an integral part in our own recent national action plan review process. We must do more to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and tackle its perpetrators more aggressively. That remains an urgent priority for the United Kingdom.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“As the Secretary-General has set out in his report (S/2012/732), we in the Council have made a concerted effort over the course of the past year to support the rights, protection and empowerment of women in strengthened peacekeeping mandates, in calls for more female peacekeepers, greater representation for women in United Nations leadership roles and a greater number of gender experts in United Nations field missions. The Council must respond to the Secretary-General's call to demonstrate continued and committed leadership. Women have a unique and powerful role to play in peacebuilding. But the lack of security for women and girls continues to be a major factor inhibiting their participation in decision-making in conflict and post- conflict settings. Women must participate as voters and candidates in post-conflict elections.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for holding this open debate on women and peace and security, marking the twelfth anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000). I would also like to thank the Deputy Secretary-General, Michelle Bachelet, Herve Ladsous and Bineta Diop for their informative briefings this morning. I welcome the statement to be made later by the observer of the European Union, and the important contributions the European Union makes to this agenda. The Chinese have a powerful proverb that says "women hold up half the sky". Twelve years after the Council first made landmark commitments in resolution 1325 (2000), we must all stand united behind efforts to confront those who seek to exclude, harm or marginalize half their populations.”
2012-11-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6877 (2012) · source
“According to George Bernard Shaw, the golden rule is that there are no golden rules. In today's Council, our rules, practice and precedent provide valuable guides to our work, yet even as we respect the rules set out in the Charter, we must avoid becoming hidebound by past practice and we must be ready to innovate and adapt our procedures to the modern world. That might mean adapting to modern technology by using social media and discarding the requirement to use fax machines. But it also means that the Council must do more to engage with the Members of the United Nations and the people they represent in the Organization. Finally and fundamentally, it is crucial that the Security Council be as effective as possible in addressing the problems faced by the world today.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“We also share the View of those who think that the Council's official reporting should be more expansive, more analytical and, where appropriate, more self-critical. We also need to keep the Council's agenda fresh and up to date. As far as I am aware, not a single new item has been introduced on the formal agenda in the past 18 months. Has the world really been so static during that period? We are in the bizarre situation where the list of items of which the Council is seized includes one regional issue that has not been discussed since 1949 but does not include Syria or Yemen, both of which have been major Council preoccupations during 2012. That is not a good advertisement for the responsiveness and transparency of our procedures. How can we properly be accountable to our members if we cannot even be frank about what is on our agenda?”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“I recognize that we have failed to convince all other Council members of the value of that exercise, but I am disappointed not to have heard alternative ideas from the opponents for exercising our conflict prevention responsibilities. Secondly, the Council needs to be transparent and therefore accountable to the United Nations membership and the wider world. All United Nations Members have a legitimate interest in what the Council is doing - or, indeed, not doing. So it is right that the Council listens to and engages with all other United Nations Members, whether through open debates like this one today or other formats, such as informal dialogues or the Arria Formula meetings that we and other Council members have championed.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“The United Kingdom has championed several working methods to improve the effectiveness of the Council. We have advocated more use of video teleconferences, which happily have become the new standard in Council consultations. We have secured time and space for the important work of the Council's subsidiary organs, and we have argued that the Council must exercise its responsibility for conflict prevention as well as conflict management. That is why we introduced monthly horizon-scanning sessions, which in the case of Yemen, for example, encouraged the Council to pay closer attention to the early warning signs and provided us with the impetus to take decisive action.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“What we do here in New York is important as a forum for discussion and for shaping response to events, but we must not forget that our main responsibility is to make a difference on the ground and to save innocent men, women and children from suffering in conflict. As the Council endeavours to carry out that solemn duty, I think that two principles need to be balanced in order to guide the methods by which the Council carries out that work. First, the Council should be ruthless in its pursuit of effectiveness. Speed can be crucial in dealing with volatile situations of escalating conflict. We need to be able to come together as a diverse group of nations representing the world and arrive at swift and decisive solutions that can make a difference on the ground.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this open debate. I also thank Ambassador Moraes Cabral for setting the scene for our discussion and for his energetic chairing of the Informal Working Group on Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. We meet today to discuss how we conduct our business and to listen to the ideas and views of the wider membership. It is an important topic. However, when we consider the question of working methods, Council members must be careful not to give the impression that they are more interested in the process than in the product. The key test of the Security Council will always be its effectiveness at preventing and resolving conflict around the globe.”
2012-11-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6870 (2012) · source
“We are starting to see results, so now is not the time to be complacent and step back, but to forge ahead with ambitious capacity-building and development programmes.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“The centre will provide important real-time information, advice and warnings for commercial shipping travelling in West Africa, while allowing regional States to work in partnership to develop a better understanding of their own - and their region's - maritime domain. In Somalia, the United Kingdom is implementing a multimillion-pound development programme focused on building institutions, creatingjobs and opportunities, developing health care and providing humanitarian assistance. Across the Indian Ocean, we continue to support States in developing prosecutorial and penal capacity and maritime capabilities. Piracy is organized crime. It thrives in places where the rule of law is weak or has broken down. It is therefore vital that we, the international community, tackle those drivers of crime on land in an integrated manner.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“The task force's conclusions will be presented to the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia at its plenary meeting next month. We have heard how INTERPOL is leading international efforts to track ransom money to various parts of the world. It is vital that the beneficiaries of ransom payments be brought to justice. Developing regional maritime capacity in order to enable littoral nations to manage their own waters is also essential. In West Africa for example, the United Kingdom is supporting the industry-led initiative to develop a maritime trade information sharing centre, and we welcome the kind offer from Ghana to host the centre.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“We must show those individuals that criminal activity does not pay and will not go unpunished. We therefore strongly support efforts to bolster investigation, prosecution and penal capacity in regional States. Capacity should be built in a way that does not prevent facilities and expertise from being used in other areas of law enforcement. Both the reward and the funding of the piracy business model lie in ransom payments. Recognizing that, my Prime Minister established an international piracy ransoms task force at the London conference with the ultimate ambition of stopping all ransom payments. Task force members reached a clear consensus on a number of substantive, practical steps towards the long-term goal of stopping pirate ransom payments.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“The Council also follows developments in other parts of the world with growing concern, particularly with respect to the growing violence seen in attacks in West Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea, and the rise of attacks in South-East Asia. Innocent seafarers are still being held hostage in unacceptable conditions or subjected to ever more violent acts of armed robbery at sea. The United Kingdom remains strongly committed to the fight against piracy. We believe that it is vital to break the piracy business model. The key to achieving that is a comprehensive approach that tackles piracy directly at sea and its root causes on land. Poverty, a lack of security and no job opportunities or prospects create an environment where some believe that crime pays.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“Like others, I welcome the Indian initiative to convene this open debate on combating piracy, and I thank the Deputy Secretary-General for his briefing this morning. The Security Council is central to the international community's response to piracy off the coast of Somalia. Multinational, multi-agency naval operations, the use of best management practices, vessel protection detachments and privately contracted armed personnel have all had an impact on reducing the number of hijackings and attacks in the high-risk area off the coast of Somalia. But despite the significant reduction in the number of successful hijackings in the last year, the threat of piracy remains serious, and we cannot be complacent.”
2012-11-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6865 (2012) · source
“It also has a positive impact on State security through better border management, improved legislation and safer controls over dangerous materials. We encourage States to view the submission of 1540 national reports as an effective way to improve national and global security. The Committee, as supported by the new group of experts, is well placed to provide assistance and expert advice. Finally, I say to the three Chairmen that, because of the changing nature of terrorism and proliferation, the work of their three Committees is never truly done. As the threats evolve, so we must adjust and adapt. The work of States supported and guided by the three counter-terrorism and non-proliferation Committees is critical. As the Chairs come to the end of their terms heading those important Committees, they can take credit for leading that work.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“We look forward to next week's special meeting on combating terrorist financing. The threat that terrorists may acquire weapons of mass destruction has been a growing concern for the international community over the past decade. Resolution 1540 (2004) represents the resolve of the international community to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors. But the effective implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) requires commitment and cooperation by all States. The United Kingdom encourages all States to report their efforts to the 1540 Committee. National reporting to the Committee has a direct impact on terrorists who may be trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“Their work has made a significant contribution to enhancing our understanding of the threat, engaging effectively with countries concerned and helping to set the framework within which the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee operates. The third biennial review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy reminded us that the whole of the international community, and every part of the United Nations system, must work together to address this challenge. The Committee has also done a great deal of work with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate to improve the way it communicates with States. Getting a clear understanding of progress against benchmarks set out by the Committee is essential to determine what more needs to be done to assist those States in need of help.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“We welcome the Ombudsperson's conclusion, in her fourth report to the Security Council, that the process has "operated in conformity with the fundamental principles of fair process which it was designed to address" (5/2012/590, para. 30). The United Kingdom thanks Kimberley Prost for the exemplary way in which she fulfils her mandate. We will continue to work with members of the Sanctions Committee, the Ombudsperson and other interested parties to consider further enhancements to the Ombudsperson process. We will redouble our efforts to further improve the implementation and effectiveness of that regime. The United Kingdom also pays tribute to the consistently excellent work accomplished by the sanctions Monitoring Team.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“We should therefore redouble our efforts with Member States to ensure that dangerous people and entities have their assets frozen and their movement restricted, that States work to tighten their borders and import and export controls, and that legislation is put in place so that those who commit or support terrorist acts are prosecuted. Only in that way can we ensure that the fight against terrorism succeeds, and that the next attack, be it in Mumbai, Peshawar, London or our host city of New York, is prevented. Over the past few years, we have seen the development of the Ombudsperson system as a part of the United Nations Al-Qaida sanctions regime. That development has been conspicuously successful.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“Let me thank the Chairs of the Committees established pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011), 1373 (2001) and 1540 (2004), Ambassadors Wittig, Singh Puri and Sangqu, for their comprehensive briefings today and their effective leadership of those Committees. It is important to remember why we come together for these regular meetings. The threat from terrorism and proliferation to international peace and security remains significant. The three Committees under discussion today are on the front line of the work of the United Nations in addressing those threats. But the work of the Committees is only as strong as the action taken by Member States to implement their obligations.”
2012-11-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6862 (2012) · source
“It is in that context that my Government will continue to work urgently with the President and the Government of Somalia and with Council colleagues over the next few months to find a Somali-led solution to those important issues. The African Union and the United Nations reviews are of vital importance in enabling the Security Council to decide on the future of both organizations in Somalia. Equally important, they will allow the Council to set a clear division of responsibility between the two. After two decades of despair, Somalia's people at last have hope. The Security Council must continue to do all that it can to turn that hope into reality.”
2012-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6854 (2012) · source
“But as today's deplorable attack on the Somali Parliament shows, the situation remains perilous. I offer my Government's condolences to those affected and their families. But the message from the Council to those who seek to deny the Somali people a better future is clear: you will not succeed. The Security Council must examine its approach to Somalia in the context of that changing environment. As we know, the African Union has asked the Council to review the arms embargo. The charcoal situation in Kismayo requires urgent attention. At the Secretary- General's high-level event on Somalia in September, we all committed to supporting a Somali-led next phase of State-building. That means consulting fully on key issues that have an impact on Somali sovereignty. We must allow the new Government the space to set policies and priorities.”
2012-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6854 (2012) · source
“Over the past year, working alongside Somali forces, AMISOM. has achieved significant security gains. The Security Council is united in its admiration for the achievements and sacrifices of AMISOM and its troop-contributing countries, specifically Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti and Burundi. The additional civilian staff that the Council has authorized through resolution 2073 (2012) will ensure the delivery of urgent stabilization efforts in areas freed from the dark shadow of Al-Shabaab. That increased effort will also help to restore the Somali people's faith in local Government structures, which have been sorely lacking in recent times. The situation in Somalia is changing rapidly. We have a more legitimate political leadership than ever before. A new Council ofMinisters, which includes two women, awaits parliamentary approval.”
2012-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6854 (2012) · source
“I should first like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Sir, on India's assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month ofNovember, as well as to echo your appreciation of Guatemala's stewardship of the Council during the month of October under the able leadership of Ambassador Rosenthal. The United Kingdom welcomes the adoption of resolution 2073 (2012), which achieves two important objectives. First, it provides the necessary support and stability to an important Mission that the Council highly values. Secondly, it enables the Council to respond promptly once the African Union and and United Nations reviews have made recommendations on a range of important issues that have an impact upon on the mission ofthe African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).”
2012-11-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6854 (2012) · source
“It can continue to ignore the international community's concerns over its nuclear programme or it can negotiate a settlement that will help to realize the benefits of a civil nuclear programme. It can support the oppressive regime in Syria in suppressing freedom or it can play a constructive role in its region. It can be an exporter of terrorism or a responsible member of the international community. However, it must make such choices soon.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“We also remain deeply concerned about Iran's stated support for the Al-Assad regime in Syria and the evidence uncovered by the Panel of Experts to the Committee in its June report on the supply of weaponry (see S/2012/395, annex). It is unacceptable and must stop. It is in stark contrast to the will of the Syrian people and a reminder of Iran's hypocrisy in claiming to support freedom in the Arab world. We are also alarmed by Iran's links to terrorism and its apparent increasing willingness to support terrorism around the world. We are committed to the toughest possible international response to Iran's support for terrorism and its refusal to operate within the bounds of international law. The Iranian regime is at a crossroads.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“Significant differences between the two positions remain, but the E3+3 continue to pursue negotiations with Iran in good faith. Iran must negotiate seriously and take urgent and concrete steps to allay the fears of the international community. Until it does so, it should be in no doubt that the international community will continue to apply further pressure. If they do the right thing, Iran's leaders can bring all sanctions to an end and, in doing so, help Iran realize the benefits of a civil nuclear programme. They have a clear choice: to address international concerns through negotiation and action or to face further economic hardship and isolation.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“At every step, Iran has been uncooperative and obstructive. Despite such obstruction, the United Kingdom remains fully committed to finding a peaceful and negotiated solution to the issue. The E3+3 Governments have met with Iran at the political and expert levels on four occasions since April. Discussions have been lengthy, tough and intensive, but conducted in an open and businesslike manner. The E3+3 have presented a credible package to Iran, focusing, as a first phase, on the international community's key concerns regarding the 20 per cent enrichment and the activities at the Fordow site. Those are reasonable steps to request of Iran if it is serious about restoring confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“Iran continues to enrich uranium in violation of the resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and resolutions of the Security Council. There has been a significant expansion of enrichment capacity at the Fordow facility over recent months. Iranian authorities have engaged in a clean-up of their Parchin facility, which, the Agency reports, will significantly hamper the Agency's verification efforts. None of those are actions of a Government that takes its international obligations seriously or that intends to cooperate with the IAEA. What they highlight is the worrying lack ofprogress in dialogue between the IAEA and Iran on addressing concerns about the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme. We are clear that the responsibility for that lack of progress lies firmly at Iran's door.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“The United Kingdom, along with the international community at large, remains deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear programme. It is clear from the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of 30 August that the programme continues to develop in a direction that offers no assurance of Iran's peaceful intentions. We therefore welcome the IAEA Board of Governor's resolution adopted on 13 September. The overwhelming support for the resolution demonstrates the depth of international concern over Iran's nuclear activity. It sends a clear message to Iran that it must urgently address the international community's serious concerns. Unfortunately, Iran's behaviour does the opposite. It is worth highlighting the following from the IAEA report.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“I would like to thank Ambassador Osorio and the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1737 (2006) for their continued work in support of the Security Council's resolutions on Iran. In particular, I would like to thank Ambassador Osorio for the open meeting he convened on 9 July. That is exactly the kind of outreach activity that the Committee should engage in. I note that, while the Committee has not met during this reporting period, there has been a high volume of correspondence for the Committee to consider. It is important work, but we do hope that the Committee will meet early in the next reporting period to consider how it might take forward the recommendations in the Panel of Expert's last report, including the suggested designations.”
2012-09-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6839 (2012) · source
“Consensus should not be secured at the expense of an effective approach to the global challenge of children and armed conflict. We must maintain a high level of ambition for the agenda in the United Nations and elsewhere. We believe that resolution 2068 (2012) gives us the right basis for doing so.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“We need an innovative and practical approach to address the increasing number of armed groups that persistently rob children of their futures. We must demonstrate that they will be held accountable for their actions. We should not tolerate such abuse. We encourage the Security Council and the Working Group to consider what further tools should be available to help bring to justice those who commit grave crimes, threatening the peace, security and well-being of children. Children and armed conflict is an agenda that the Security Council should be consolidating and advancing. Consensus and Council unity are desirable, important and worth striving for, as happened in the negotiations, but they are not ends in themselves.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“In our view, extensive negotiations were conducted in circumstances in which some delegations maintained solidly negative positions towards the agenda, proposing amendments whose effect would have been unacceptably to constrain the role of the Special Representative. Significant compromises were made in an effort to reach consensus, but we cannot accept the assertion made by some Council members that the former Special Representative of the Secretary- General overreached her mandate in the conduct of her business. That accusation is completely unfounded. The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the unacceptably high and increasing number of perpetrators of grave violations against children, namely, 32 parties that have been listed for grave violations against children for five years or more.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“In our efforts to address such grave violations, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the Council's Working Group are vital tools that must be preserved and supported. Against that background, we welcome the adoption today of resolution 2068 (2012). It sends an important message of the Council's determination to take forward the agenda of children and armed conflict in an active, forward-looking and wide-ranging manner. The United Kingdom welcomes the fact that the resolution secured strong Council support, spanning all regions. We would have liked the resolution to have been adopted unanimously, and regret that that did not happen. We disagree with the assertions of some Council members that insufficient efforts were made to find consensus.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“Children, in some case younger than 10 years old, have been forcibly taken from their families and recruited as combatants, escorts, cooks and porters for armed groups. In the face of such evidence, our individual and collective ambition on the agenda must remain high. United Nations efforts to help children affected by armed conflict can work, and well. Action plans have resulted in the release and the reintegration of thousands of children recruited and caught up in the fighting. In its verdict against Thomas Lubanga in March, the International Criminal Court issued its first judgement on the issue of child recruitment, setting groundbreaking jurisprudence for future cases and sending a strong message to those who continue to believe that they can safely commit grave violations against children with impunity.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“It is a demanding but extremely important role on a dossier of central importance to the core mission of the United Nations. She will have the United Kingdom's full support, and we look forward to working closely with her. The latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2012/261) is strewn with evidence of hideous crimes committed against children that cannot be ignored. Thousands of children have been killed or injured by improvised explosive devices, landmines and rocket- propelled grenades. Tens of thousands have been denied access to humanitarian assistance critical to their survival. There are hundreds of examples of attacks on schools and hospitals. There are cases where girls and boys, some as young as six, have been sexually assaulted and raped by armed groups.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for convening today's important debate on children and armed conflict. We welcome the strong leadership that Germany has brought to the issue, both in its role as President of the Council and particularly in its chairmanship of the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict. I also thank the four briefers for their important statements today. Iwould like to take this opportunity to express warm appreciation for the former Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, for her advocacy and active engagement over the last six years, which resulted in the release, reintegration and protection of countless children across the world. The United Kingdom welcomes Ms. Leila Zerrougui to her appointment as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.”
2012-09-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6838 (2012) · source
“Achieving a peaceful and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not only secure peace and security for the parties directly involved, but also be beneficial to the region as a whole. We will continue to urge both sides to show the political leadership and courage required to make progress towards that shared goal of a two-State solution.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816 (2012) · source
“We continue to value the essential work that the United Nations and its agencies, including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, carry out on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territories. We hope that such work can continue without hindrance. We remain concerned about the situation in Gaza and will continue to press the Israeli Government to ease restrictions on movement and access. Although we understand Israel's security concerns, we believe that for any peace deal to be sustainable, there must be an economically viable Gaza. At the same time, rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel must stop. The recent escalation in such attacks only further entrenches the status quo. We continue to witness change and the struggle for change across the Middle East.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816 (2012) · source
“In the longer term, we should all maintain support for the Palestinian Authority. The United Kingdom will continue to be one of the principle supporters of Palestinian State-building efforts, assisting them to tackle poverty, build institutions and boost their economy. With our European partners, we will work to encourage Israel to accelerate approval of Palestinian master plans and to simplify administrative procedures to obtain building permits for Area C of the West Bank. Without control over that land, including planning, building and security, the viability ofa future Palestinian State, and thus the two-State solution, is significantly reduced.”
2012-07-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6816 (2012) · source